#space politics

[newgrean]

A companion piece to this post

Image description below the cut!

ID: A digital comic of Shaak Ti leaning on a library desk, arms crossed, with a cup of boba tea in her right hand. She has a relaxed, slightly amused look on her face and is speaking to Jocasta Nu who is on the other side of the desk. Master Nu has one arm resting on the desk and the other hand on her hip. She is smiling and has one eyebrow raised at Shaak Ti. Shaak Ti asks, "Hey girl. Got anything on sentience qualifications or cloning ethics?" Master Nu replies, "Do you even have to ask?"

[ozitrstudies]

Submission to the Foundation of Özítr & Ökžálan Studies

--------------- Subject: Request for an APAJ

From: Dr. Kehhmáhil [abbrv.]

---------------

Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the Foundation for Özítr & Ökžálan Studies. I am Doctor Kehhmáhil Ji’ayu Današálo yice Torúņa, from the vassal planet Keþandris (Kethandris, for those viewing this letter from a platform not supporting Iniyalösg characters). Though not born of Özítr heritage, I have lived on Öz’vatizjurubye for the majority of my life and have thus had much exposure to the culture and society of the Özítr. 

I have found a severe lack of information about the Özítr people that is not from literature published by your own species. What has not come directly from your kind, more often than not, contains unfortunate falsehoods. The inaccuracies that run rampant through the discovered universe amongst even the most welcoming of the species are nearly universally distasteful.

Having the very unique perspective of a nevárramqi that moved to the capital planet during their formative years alongside a formal education in Özítr History, I believe I may be able to correct some of the falsities that most have come to see as truth. By allowing me an Approved Public Academic Journal, you will give me not only the ability to share my findings and knowledge but also the recognition to make my journal credible to the many academic institutions and citizens of the universe.

I am aware that this request is a difficult one to grant. The Foundation would be trusting an alien with the reputation of your species, and this is no small ask. I hope that you, the Foundation, should find it within yourself to ratify this journal.

Signed, 

Kehhmáhil Ji’ayú Današálo yice Torúņa

Scholar, Doctor of History 

Resident of Tákarenti Jágaran (Öz’vatizjúrúbye)

[cassatine]

Queen's Descent | Star Wars | ministry of information (imperial verse)

Here is how it starts: for half a decade and more Padmé Palpatine plays by the rules, and so does her husband. And then — and then, they stop.

(or so the propaganda will say)

[wahlpaper]

Tarnished Are The Stars Review

Tarnished Are The Stars by Rosiee Thor

CW: Violence, Murder, Parent Death, Manipulation, Oppression, Disease, Child Death, Arranged Marriage, Assault, Description of Surgery, Parental Abuse, Ableism, Classism, Sexism

3.5/5

Tarnished Are The Stars was Rosiee Thor's debut novel from 2019. This book has been praised for its representation of W-L-W romance and including an asexual/aromantic P.O.V. character. In the time between this novel and Fire Becomes Her (2022), the first book of Thor's that I read, I can see that the author has greatly improved in their writing skills. That being said, I still quite enjoyed the story and I'm glad I took the time to read it.

On the planet of Earth Adjacent, people are suffering from heart disease. The only solution for the infected is a mechanical heart. Unfortunately, technology has been banned on the planet, forcing those affected into hiding. Anna is good at mechanics, but she is also reckless. She sneaks into the settlement to help those that might need her skills. One such client is Nathaniel, son of the Commissioner. He's the only one in the settlement with tech for a heart, and neither of them is quite sure why. Nathaniel wants to impress his father by dealing with Anna as an outlaw, but that proves difficult. Things are thrown into further confusion when the Queen, who has been living a lavish life in a spaceship near the planet, sends her spy into the mix. That is Eliza, a loyalist to the Queen and politically obligated to marry Nathaniel. Anna, Eliza, and Nathaniel, despite all odds, will have to figure out what the future holds for them.

One of the things that this book does very well is avert the love triangle trope. Yes, there are three main characters of a similar age. Yes, one is of a different gender while the other two are of the same. Thor refused to take it there, though. Nathaniel and Eliza were picked for each other, but Nathaniel has never felt romantic nor sexual attraction for anyone. Eliza has exclusively felt such attraction for her own gender. Anna and Eliza meet at an inconvenient and unexpected moment, but they are still drawn to each other immediately. As a reader, the love story of this book was made better by witnessing Nathaniel witnessing it. He could tell how they felt before either of the women could. Ultimately, Eliza and Anna could have a chance at love without hurting Nathaniel.

The lore of the story was built quite well! I would use the phrase "world building", but I don't think everything that entails was particularly successful. The political backstory was exciting, realistic, and easy to follow. The cultural effects of leaving Earth and long since finding a new home were evident and made sense. I also appreciated the cultural divides from space-dwellers, those in the settlement, and those in hiding. It had the right balance of transitioning from a singular culture to working at new ones for a while. The problem falls in making the current world clear to the reader: I had trouble imagining how large the planet was, what it might look like, the ratio of people between each aforementioned group, etc. This is unlike in Fire Becomes Her, which provided clear and vivid descriptions of its physical and social setting. Thor has certainly improved on world building in those 3 years!

Thor has also improved on pacing since. Tarnished Are The Stars felt completely rushed. Everything happens in a matter of weeks when months would have worked better. The story needed time to breathe whilst building tension. The Queen had suggested to Eliza that her mission on Earth Adjacent would take months. I do like things not going as expected for characters in a story, but if the cost is realism, I don't want it. There is even a moment when Eliza moves a deadline sooner, which felt unnecessary. I believe the pacing is what most of the negative critiques have to point out. Having read this after a later book of the same author, I know it won't turn me away from them. They have already improved and will continue to do so!

If you want good queer rep in a space/sci-fi novel, Tarnished Are The Stars is a worthy choice! It's not perfect, but it will likely make you feel validated or at least leave you attached to the characters. There are twists to leave you guessing and misunderstandings to draw you in. If you end up liking it, Fire Becomes Her will be there waiting for you after!

[dailymanners]

Always use "excuse me" if you have to get into someone else's personal space.

Someone at the store is standing in front of the shelf where there's a can you want to grab? Don't just reach into their personal space without warning, say "excuse me" or "pardon my reach" first so that they at least have a warning that someone is about to reach into their personal space, and most importantly, so that they have a chance to move before you get into their space.

Or if someone is standing on a walkway or in a doorway you need to get through, don't just silently shove past them or squeeze past them, say "excuse me" so that they have a warning that a someone is about to squeeze or shove into their personal space, and they have a chance to move out of the way before you do you.

People deserve a fair warning if someone is about to squeeze or shove or reach into their personal space. A lot of people are not okay with having someone, but especially a stranger, randomly shove or squeeze or reach into their personal space without warning. They also deserve a chance to move out of the way first for the sake of their comfort.

Try to avoid just staring at people who are in your way and expecting them to read your mind that you want them to move. Most people cannot, in fact, read minds, so having someone stand in front of them and stare at them often only leads to making them feel uncomfortable and frustrated.

But also more importantly, if you are standing somewhere someone needs to get to, and they say excuse me, you should move aside for them even if just temporarily, so they can avoid the discomfort of having to reach into your personal space or squeeze past you.

If someone is saying "excuse me" it's because they would like you to move because they don't want to have to get into your personal space, whether it's out of respect for you, or just because they themselves are not comfortable getting in your personal space.

All of this goes double for people with trauma and/or people who are neurodivergent. If someone has trauma related to abuse or assault they may find it more upsetting or possibly triggering to suddenly have someone shoving or reaching in their personal space without warning.

Or, many types of neurodivergence can make it especially disturbing and unpleasant to have someone else in your personal space, especially without warning.

You can never be 100% sure who is and isn't traumatized and/or neurodivergent, so always practice respecting other's personal space by giving them a fair warning with "excuse me" or "pardon my reach" before getting in their personal space, and moving aside when you hear those magic words. Or, even if someone isn't traumatized nor neurodivergent, it's still fair to not like someone in your personal space without warning and not being given the opportunity to move first.

[rustic-space-fiddle]

UNDERWORLD SAGA SKETCHY BECAUSE THE BRAINROT HAS BEGUN I HEARD THE STREAM AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DOODLE BECAUSE I CANT SCREAM [low sat below the cut cuz it’s the underworld]

[typhlonectes]

Space X

[eerieayres]

Lying amidst a shower of roses, bullets, and political intrigue is TheZodiacLord's OC Zavijava! Being the lone surviving member of royal family has taught Zavi to always keep a gun hidden in that dress... I painted this for Art Fight 2022, an online OC art trade event that takes place through the month of July.     Character © TheZodiacLord Artwork © EerieAyres

[remyfire]

[anghraine]

I'm feeling like supporting some women's wrongs! (And rights, but definitely also wrongs.)

[rochenn]

man whenever palpatine gets killed off during the clone wars in a fic and fucking. padmé or bail become chancellor right after him. i understand this in a "i want a happy ending for everyone" kind of sense but this solution seems so out of touch sometimes. as if you wouldn't have mas fucking amedda as an interim chancellor first and as if the next election wouldn't either solidify him or result in the ascension of someone like tarkin.

"but palpatine was outed as a sith" ok. how do you even prove that to the public, to the feared Average Voter, the dreaded Moderate, without sounding like a conspiracy lunatic? like the sith as a whole are even less known about than the jedi and they might as well just be the same thing (about 10 thousand jedi exist in the galaxy. coruscant alone has a population of 2 trillion. "minority" doesn't even begin to describe the position of the jedi here)

even if palpatine fucking dies it's too late for the republic because his old lackeys and corpo friends are in ALL the positions of power and could so, so easily pin this situation on the jedi one way or another. also dooku's training weights are essentially off now that the guy who could have killed him via zoom is gone. ppl need to realize that everything was already SO over before the clone wars even started, no matter if palps lives or dies

[fairweathermyth]

We always spoke the same language. We were cut from the same cloth. She was at once part of me and the person I wanted to be. That's having a sister, I guess.

Dickinson (2019-2021) The Dickinson Sisters Reply 1988 (2015) The Sung Sisters Bad Sisters (2022- ) The Garvey Sisters 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) The Stratford Sisters Lost in Space (2018-2021) The Robinson Sisters Little Women (2019) The March Sisters Practical Magic (1998) The Owens Sisters Polite Society (2023) The Khan Sisters

[cassatine]

But you see Cass, it's fine, because those trade consortiums employ people who can vote! And surely said trade consortiums wouldn't coerce or encourage their employees into voting against their best interests in order to maximize the consortiums profits! That would be unethical!

i mean it would be but let's be real, you're being overly generous to the Trade Federation by implying their employees get to vote at all. it's much more likely the TF's Senator is simply appointed by and only answers to the CEO Viceroy. ethical much!!

[galactic-dragoness]

Had to update it again

[susansontag]