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Little Talks (Interviews)
Nov. 10th, 2025 11:45 amPrompt: "When did you stop trusting your star?" / "When did you stop trusting your planets?"
1. The Sun.
"SO, a long time ago, I had trusted my first planets to look after the forming rockies. Keep their orbits clear, don't disturb them, the works.
"I didn't find out until MUCH LATER, that not only did my eldest planet break free from his orbit, disturbing ALL of those first rocky planets' orbits, sending them to my surface or crushing them himself... he conspired with my second to keep a third - X - from telling me the truth, ejecting him far enough away from me that I could no longer sense him!
"But the REAL kicker is, they also lied about why X had left! Letting me be mad at him for leaving, instead of just telling me what they had done in the first place! What they thought I would do to them, I don't know. Then, much more recently, allll of that came out in the open; X returned, Jupiter admitted the destruction he'd caused, and both he and Saturn admitted they had thrown X out! Who cares if it's an accident at that point, they'd still LIED about, about everything!
"That was when I stopped, I think. Because so much of what I'd come to rely upon... had been built on a lie."
2. Mercury
"I was - I think the most accurate term is 'second gen'. Most of us rocky planets are. And we collided with each other a LOT in those first years of the solar system. Even with Jupiter changing and trying to do all he could to help us.
"I never really talk about this, but I remember. I remember having died. And then coming back. And the Sun... I'm the closest to him. He absolutely dominates, both the solar system and less literal things.
"I don't, I don't really have friends. The Sun said I was his friend - the past tense bit is probably right, anyway. He sure liked me for being close, but. He never liked me going anywhere, or just not paying attention to him. I get that he's desperate to have someone, to connect, but he's... intimidating, that's the simplest way to put it. So when he gets an idea into his core, the simplest thing to do is... go along with it. Or point out when it conflicts with something else he likes.
"There were two other rocky planets, that aren't here now. They were proto planets, and I wasn't the closest with either of them so I won't go into detail on their story, but they died. They chose to die, rather than anyone else forcing them to do it. The Sun was furious, of course - he saw so many of us, proto-planets, die that he can't stand more of it happening - and he wanted someone to blame.
"I told him, that it came down to it being their choice. That the best thing we could do, instead of punishing anyone, was to move on. I...
"I never wanted him to take out his anger at them on Earth. It was never Earth's choice, or Luna's choice, how he was made! And seeing that, how he treated them, when from the sound of it he remembered dying, from both of their memories... I think that was when I stopped actually trusting the Sun. Not just being scared of him, but when I started thinking I should keep some ideas to myself. All that time I've been enabling him - his choices are his, and I don't think I could have stopped the Sun in any of his plans, if I'd spoken up more... but maybe I could have. Maybe I'm just a bad friend. I don't know for sure anymore."
3. Jupiter
"So I'm Jupiter; largest planet of this system, and the second-most massive being in it following the Sun. He's... my first memories are of him. He was so happy to have someone to share - just being alive with.
"But. Well, he IS over 99% of our solar system's mass, and even I'm just a tenth of a percent of it all. He was friendly, but could be frightening. It was a little easier, when Saturn and- and X gained their sentience, same with Uranus and Neptune. They were all a lot closer to me in size.
"I don't have an excuse, for how I killed those first rocky planets. It. It still haunts me, tell you the truth. I know I can never make up for that, not really. My role in this system now is to keep the Asteroid Belt in check, to keep the younger generations of rockies safe.
"... I still feel like I've failed them. Then, and now. The Sun's right; I was too scared of him to tell the truth, so when it did come out it was a whole lot worse for everyone. Not sure if that's a lack of trust, or just being a coward. And - history can't literally repeat itself, but it does rhyme, and that describes our protest of the Sun's enforcing orbits pretty well too.
"I think - it would be easier to just be punished if I knew the others would be safe. If it could just be me... but life's never that simple. Even when they were angry with me, when they didn't know what to think of me anymore, the work of keeping the Belt in check still needed to be done. They didn't deserve to suffer all of that. Not my moons, not the other planets. Not even X.
"I'm sorry. I just... I wish I could be enough. Or do enough, or something, to fix all of this."
4. Venus
"I know we haven't talked about her yet, but I'm going to talk about Theia. It's... easier, than just talking about myself.
"She was - she wasn't the youngest rocky planet, or the smallest, but by Sagittarius she was smartest, and the most... eager. Energetic. She wanted to know what Life was about, she wanted to make plans when the rest of us were just idiots trying to figure out who was better.
"She was my first friend. The first in this system I could think of as a friend, anyway. I - I did, or thought I did, everything I could to fuel that friendship. All I ended up doing was weirding her out and pushing her towards other people.
"Like Proto. Proto-Earth. It's easier to not be so mad at him now, but I hated him. Was jealous, rather. Real stupid of me to make such a big deal out of it. But then, he is - they are... they're also dead now. Both of them.
"The thing is, I knew the Sun would disapprove, of their plan to be a double-planet system. They were both large enough that their orbiting around each other would be fundamentally unstable, a lot riskier than the small double-planet Pluto and Charon. So I was jealous, but I also didn't want to see Theia dead.
"I told her - when she was feeling down-and-out about her own plan, about her hopes and dreams of bringing Life into the universe - to go ahead and talk to the Sun. I thought the Sun would say his piece, do his thing, and there'd be no more plan. No more of Theia and Proto as a duo.
"I was wrong. More than that, Theia was miserable when he separated them, placing them in exact opposite parts of Proto-Earth's orbit. That was when... no. That wasn't when I stopped trusting the Sun, but that was when I realized what I'd done was wrong. Maybe not, uh, existentially, but for them it was the wrong answer.
"So. So I went to her, did a bang-up job of an apology. This was years later, and nothing had changed. And, when the Sun was distracted - I threw her out of orbit, told her to go to to Proto. I trusted her, that she'd figure out what to do."
"And maybe it was right, because we have organic Life in our system now... but it was still wrong, because they're both dead. And we just... for the longest time, we never talked about them. Each of us mourned them alone. I'm pretty sure the Sun still hates them both to this day, for going against his orders. And that... that's when I stopped trusting the Sun. When he just dismissed their memories as so much space dust."
5. Saturn
"I'm not the best talker of us, usually. My memory is terrible, but I've been working on it, for my moons' sake.
"Most of what - of what I regret, doesn't have to do with the Sun. He didn't know about what happened to the moons that- that died and became my rings. He had nothing to do with it! So while he's frightening, a-and I know lying about what happened to X made things worse in the end, that's not what haunts me the most.
"I know I've done wrong. I just can't remember it. And if I can't remember how it happened, how can I make sure it doesn't happen again? How can I criticize the Sun when I can't do better myself? I don't deserve my moons, but that even some of them are willing to trust me anyway... it means everything.
"There is one thing: the way we were, when we were compelled to follow our real orbits, I couldn't see most of my moons at all. I don't know what's wrong with me, or if it's tied to my terrible memory, but I don't want to forget their names again! I need - I need our 'cartoonish physics' so I can keep myself on track and be a better planet to them, as ironic as that maybe sounds."
6. Uranus
"Iiii don't have a specific incident with the Sun - I've faced a solar flare or two, for cutting out of my orbit to explore - but it's just. A trend. He's a right terror when he's angry, so a lot of what I do - or did - was just about going along to get along. To belong, to have friends.
"The thing is, I already had my cousin, Neptune. And my moons - before I scared them away, and it took an awful long time for me to get myself straight and really apologize where they'd hear me out. I... neglected them, just for someone I thought thought I was cool. I get it now, that X was just - that he didn't want my friendship, he just wanted me in his corner. He put all our moons in danger, trying to get revenge against Jupiter. And I still followed him, e-even when I felt guilty, because I couldn't hear that anyone else wanted me around for me.
"Neptune stopped me. He - he has memory troubles, way worse than Saturn, since his orbit's so far out against the Kuiper Belt. But he said... he said he'd always remember me. And his moons.
"So he was there for me, when I was actually at my lowest. ... I think I can deal with being scared of the Sun, as long as we're together. Us, and our moons."
7. Neptune
"Is it okay if I treat this like I'm talking to Triton? Because a lot of this IS about him. And how he deserved the truth, even after... even after.
"So reeeaally early on in our lives, there were a lot of proto rocky planets, especially in the inner solar system. They crashed into each other a LOT, no matter what the Sun did, and it was pretty gruesome. He... the Sun, never took it well. Uranus was scared, I was scared - not even of death, morbid as it was! Just of him.
"And we met a couple of rocky planets in the Kuiper Belt too! Their names are... Pluto and Charon, that's it! They're a double planet, or double moon, or planet-and-moon. Not sure the distinction matters. Anyway, we took them to the Sun, who was really happy to meet them! It was nice to see him happy instead of upset and all.
"But, after we got back... I never saw exactly what happened, I know I told Triton the truth about that. I think I was asleep, when my gravity pulled him in. I had a small number of moons then, but none of them had woken up yet.
"When I next woke up, there was... there was all this debris, and Triton was unconscious. I never - I never saw his twin, his partner. My gravity must have split them up, too. I'm sorry, but 'I'm sorry' never sounds like enough for something that... big. That wrong.
"And Uranus reminded me of what the Sun was like, seeing all those destroyed planets. If I'd told the Sun the truth, would he have punished me? But that I could have lived with. Instead, I was scared for Triton. What if the Sun had blamed him, for what my gravity did?
"So... I'm pretty sure the Sun just didn't care, or something, since he didn't attack either of us. Not sure if that means I never NEEDED to lie, or if the Sun's priorities were elsewhere. I can understand that! It's just hard to predict; all we have is hindsight. We've done a LOT of things that may not have been necessary, in hindsight. All of us made mistakes. All of us - at least sometimes - are at the mercy of physics and the ways of this universe. It is what it is; we just have to be willing to live with it.
So if - if the others, my moons, don't feel safe around me with the truth out, then they have the right to... to find their own way. I want them to be safe and happy, no matter what the Sun does, or what I do!"
8. Mars
"Is this... is all this really necessary? Taking a hard look at- at everything? E-especially to strangers, people who weren't there. It all feels overwhelming, still, to think about. At least for me.
"So you know about Proto-Earth and Theia at this point, right? I - I guess you could say I grew up with them, they were part of the same 'generation' of rocky planets as me. I was always closer with Proto than Theia; it was easier, to share things and learn things together with him. That made it a lot harder... when he chose Theia. She. She encouraged him to be brave, in a way I never did, I guess. And- and then everything with the Sun, and them wanting to share an orbit...
"I just wanted him to be happy. Jupiter tried to help me understand, but- but you shouldn't have to die to get to be happy, right?!
"Th-that's what I mean, when I said this was overwhelming. And it didn't stop there.
"The Sun asked everyone what part they'd had to play in it; and after he questioned us all, I thought it'd be over. Their - Proto and Theia's - their debris reformed into a new planet-and-moon system. They didn't know what was going on, not really.
"Just, even now, both of them sometimes act in ways Proto or Theia would. It's hard not to see it, once you've known them all. I think I have a harder time separating them than most, just because the feelings are so strong.
"The thing was, the Sun still wanted Life. He never wanted to admit that Theia - that any of us - could have understood the ways of the universe more than he did. But once we - Venus, Earth and I - started developing more of the right conditions, especially gathering enough water...
"I had - there's these chunks of solid rock in my mantle and crust. I was born small, so I had a harder time recycling them. All that time orbiting the Sun, fighting the solar wind... my atmosphere and magnetic field, they used to be more than they are now.
"I don't like thinking about what happened next. How I lost them both. I- I know, now, what Jupiter did, and it hurts to know what he was like before he changed, but I think- I keep thinking about how he had to watch, what the Sun did with us.
"... Right. Right. So the Sun likes games, and competitions and stuff. He turned developing Life 'first' into a game. Figuring out how chemistry became biology, manipulating our environments to make them more habitable. We all had to do it, the three of us. I never liked it, definitely not as much as Venus and Earth did. It was exhausting. And.
"And if we complained, or if we didn't all complete one of his goals before his arbitrary time limit, he... it wasn't a solar flare, I don't think. But it hurt, and it reset all our efforts. If we were doing something with asteroids or played with them instead of completing the latest challenge, he made us eat them instead. They weren't sentient, not those. But it still wasn't good for me, not when I already had so much material I couldn't melt down and reuse.
"Venus - he always wanted life. Never wanted to ADMIT it, or show weakness, but I could see it well enough. He'd have done anything to make things stick. ... But he always hated himself more. I think he was sabotaging himself, because he couldn't imagine it working out for him.
"And then... I know the Sun carries a lot of weight, and even with the things he does, or how crazy he acts, he cared. He didn't want us destroyed, no matter what we got up to. But Earth... the Sun was always hardest on him."
"Can, can I stop for now? I think I need a break."
9. Earth
"Ugh, can you all stop looking at me like that? It's like, because I have Life, everyone thinks I'm fragile and can't take care of myself!
"... Sorry. That was out of line. But you're all here because of what X said about our solar system, and you wanted the rest of the story so you could have a more accurate picture, right? ... I don't like having so many people paying this much attention to me. I know Luna doesn't like crowds, and I'm starting to think I don't, either.
"Thanks. I don't know what I did that finally made Life take - stars know I've nearly lost them way too frequently over the past billion years - but if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm proud of them. That's what being a pl- being a parent means, right?
"Okay, so the Sun's always been crazy. At least as long as I've known him, and I know, I know, I'm the youngest. They told you about Proto and Theia, right? Yeah, I remember them now - that is, I have their memories. Luna may have some, too, but every time we try to compare notes, something seems to happen and we have another crisis to handle. It never ends.
"So, Proto and Theia. I remember their lives. A-and their deaths. That was not fun dealing with right away, either; I was... I got flashes of their memories whenever Theia's name was mentioned. It freaked everyone else out.
"... I still feel kind of responsible, for the rest of the solar system not getting to mourn them more. Everyone seemed to think I'd have another episode, so they just stopped mentioning them altogether. Not a great choice, there.
"Do I remember how- oh. You want to hear about that. I know I talk about my Earthlings a lot - they get up to so much! - but not so much how it started. ...
"No, I'm fine! Stop looking at me like that! I'm fine, I can keep going, I swear.
"So there were all these... not so much stages, as events. There always seemed to be something - objects from the Kuiper Belt, dust fields we were passing through, stray gamma rays - and then I'd get sick, and it'd nearly wipe out everything I had, all the Life I'd harbored to that point.
"Wait, you don't mean that? W-well, there were several extinction events, and they hurt, but it's not really fair to say they were anyone's fault. Jupiter, or Neptune... we don't always control what our gravity does. And lately, anyway, the problems have mostly been... social.
"Most of my problems were... pushing others away, or treating them like prizes instead of- of people. But, Mercury and Luna... when I was at my lowest, they came back after me. Wanted to be sure I wanted to get better, spent time and energy making sure I recovered.
"My lowest? Well, uh. I tried to throw myself into the Sun. Hey! Hey!! I'm okay now, so stop... stop panicking. Please? Just let me talk?
"... So. Do you want to hear more about the present, or the past?
"I. I don't remember? I don't think the Sun's locked us in orbit - or on our axial tilts - before, but he could have. There's. Still some things I just don't remember. I surprised Venus once, not remembering when he had surface water and a thinner atmosphere. But he said that was only 700 million years ago, and I know I was conscious and looking after my Earthlings then! I wasn't in another coma!
"Yyyeah, I ended up in one while trying to sort out Proto and Theia's memories. Can you all stop getting distracted? Please?
"So, past. As I was trying to say, there's things I still don't remember. All those extinction events, they've all happened within the last billion years. And each time, even though I was scared witless, Life's been able to recover. Even- even after the dinosaurs went extinct, Life grew back with a vengeance. Everything from bacteria on up... they have a system. My biomes each have a place, food chains, carbon cycles and so on, to keep themselves stable. Homeostasis. But it does leave scars. It's like... I'm regrowing me, every time something happens to them.
"So the Sun, and I really don't like saying this, has a point. I can't just... leave my orbit, or play asteroid dodgeball with Mars, or spend time with the outer solar system's moons and get to know them better, just because they're things I WANT to do. I have to be responsible, even when I don't feel like it.
"That's... not so much being a parent, as what being an 'adult' means, right? Putting more serious matters first?
"Ugh, fine, I'll start again. I'm four-point-five billion years old, and I'm still the youngest rocky planet in this system. I have one moon - Luna - and I really can't imagine being without them. I have friends, and... we've failed each other, but that doesn't mean we stop being friends, or stop being a system, right? We still have things in common, even the things we need to work on, but we're still better together than apart, or alone.
"And the Sun...
"I. I don't. I don't feel so good-"
1. The Sun.
"SO, a long time ago, I had trusted my first planets to look after the forming rockies. Keep their orbits clear, don't disturb them, the works.
"I didn't find out until MUCH LATER, that not only did my eldest planet break free from his orbit, disturbing ALL of those first rocky planets' orbits, sending them to my surface or crushing them himself... he conspired with my second to keep a third - X - from telling me the truth, ejecting him far enough away from me that I could no longer sense him!
"But the REAL kicker is, they also lied about why X had left! Letting me be mad at him for leaving, instead of just telling me what they had done in the first place! What they thought I would do to them, I don't know. Then, much more recently, allll of that came out in the open; X returned, Jupiter admitted the destruction he'd caused, and both he and Saturn admitted they had thrown X out! Who cares if it's an accident at that point, they'd still LIED about, about everything!
"That was when I stopped, I think. Because so much of what I'd come to rely upon... had been built on a lie."
2. Mercury
"I was - I think the most accurate term is 'second gen'. Most of us rocky planets are. And we collided with each other a LOT in those first years of the solar system. Even with Jupiter changing and trying to do all he could to help us.
"I never really talk about this, but I remember. I remember having died. And then coming back. And the Sun... I'm the closest to him. He absolutely dominates, both the solar system and less literal things.
"I don't, I don't really have friends. The Sun said I was his friend - the past tense bit is probably right, anyway. He sure liked me for being close, but. He never liked me going anywhere, or just not paying attention to him. I get that he's desperate to have someone, to connect, but he's... intimidating, that's the simplest way to put it. So when he gets an idea into his core, the simplest thing to do is... go along with it. Or point out when it conflicts with something else he likes.
"There were two other rocky planets, that aren't here now. They were proto planets, and I wasn't the closest with either of them so I won't go into detail on their story, but they died. They chose to die, rather than anyone else forcing them to do it. The Sun was furious, of course - he saw so many of us, proto-planets, die that he can't stand more of it happening - and he wanted someone to blame.
"I told him, that it came down to it being their choice. That the best thing we could do, instead of punishing anyone, was to move on. I...
"I never wanted him to take out his anger at them on Earth. It was never Earth's choice, or Luna's choice, how he was made! And seeing that, how he treated them, when from the sound of it he remembered dying, from both of their memories... I think that was when I stopped actually trusting the Sun. Not just being scared of him, but when I started thinking I should keep some ideas to myself. All that time I've been enabling him - his choices are his, and I don't think I could have stopped the Sun in any of his plans, if I'd spoken up more... but maybe I could have. Maybe I'm just a bad friend. I don't know for sure anymore."
3. Jupiter
"So I'm Jupiter; largest planet of this system, and the second-most massive being in it following the Sun. He's... my first memories are of him. He was so happy to have someone to share - just being alive with.
"But. Well, he IS over 99% of our solar system's mass, and even I'm just a tenth of a percent of it all. He was friendly, but could be frightening. It was a little easier, when Saturn and- and X gained their sentience, same with Uranus and Neptune. They were all a lot closer to me in size.
"I don't have an excuse, for how I killed those first rocky planets. It. It still haunts me, tell you the truth. I know I can never make up for that, not really. My role in this system now is to keep the Asteroid Belt in check, to keep the younger generations of rockies safe.
"... I still feel like I've failed them. Then, and now. The Sun's right; I was too scared of him to tell the truth, so when it did come out it was a whole lot worse for everyone. Not sure if that's a lack of trust, or just being a coward. And - history can't literally repeat itself, but it does rhyme, and that describes our protest of the Sun's enforcing orbits pretty well too.
"I think - it would be easier to just be punished if I knew the others would be safe. If it could just be me... but life's never that simple. Even when they were angry with me, when they didn't know what to think of me anymore, the work of keeping the Belt in check still needed to be done. They didn't deserve to suffer all of that. Not my moons, not the other planets. Not even X.
"I'm sorry. I just... I wish I could be enough. Or do enough, or something, to fix all of this."
4. Venus
"I know we haven't talked about her yet, but I'm going to talk about Theia. It's... easier, than just talking about myself.
"She was - she wasn't the youngest rocky planet, or the smallest, but by Sagittarius she was smartest, and the most... eager. Energetic. She wanted to know what Life was about, she wanted to make plans when the rest of us were just idiots trying to figure out who was better.
"She was my first friend. The first in this system I could think of as a friend, anyway. I - I did, or thought I did, everything I could to fuel that friendship. All I ended up doing was weirding her out and pushing her towards other people.
"Like Proto. Proto-Earth. It's easier to not be so mad at him now, but I hated him. Was jealous, rather. Real stupid of me to make such a big deal out of it. But then, he is - they are... they're also dead now. Both of them.
"The thing is, I knew the Sun would disapprove, of their plan to be a double-planet system. They were both large enough that their orbiting around each other would be fundamentally unstable, a lot riskier than the small double-planet Pluto and Charon. So I was jealous, but I also didn't want to see Theia dead.
"I told her - when she was feeling down-and-out about her own plan, about her hopes and dreams of bringing Life into the universe - to go ahead and talk to the Sun. I thought the Sun would say his piece, do his thing, and there'd be no more plan. No more of Theia and Proto as a duo.
"I was wrong. More than that, Theia was miserable when he separated them, placing them in exact opposite parts of Proto-Earth's orbit. That was when... no. That wasn't when I stopped trusting the Sun, but that was when I realized what I'd done was wrong. Maybe not, uh, existentially, but for them it was the wrong answer.
"So. So I went to her, did a bang-up job of an apology. This was years later, and nothing had changed. And, when the Sun was distracted - I threw her out of orbit, told her to go to to Proto. I trusted her, that she'd figure out what to do."
"And maybe it was right, because we have organic Life in our system now... but it was still wrong, because they're both dead. And we just... for the longest time, we never talked about them. Each of us mourned them alone. I'm pretty sure the Sun still hates them both to this day, for going against his orders. And that... that's when I stopped trusting the Sun. When he just dismissed their memories as so much space dust."
5. Saturn
"I'm not the best talker of us, usually. My memory is terrible, but I've been working on it, for my moons' sake.
"Most of what - of what I regret, doesn't have to do with the Sun. He didn't know about what happened to the moons that- that died and became my rings. He had nothing to do with it! So while he's frightening, a-and I know lying about what happened to X made things worse in the end, that's not what haunts me the most.
"I know I've done wrong. I just can't remember it. And if I can't remember how it happened, how can I make sure it doesn't happen again? How can I criticize the Sun when I can't do better myself? I don't deserve my moons, but that even some of them are willing to trust me anyway... it means everything.
"There is one thing: the way we were, when we were compelled to follow our real orbits, I couldn't see most of my moons at all. I don't know what's wrong with me, or if it's tied to my terrible memory, but I don't want to forget their names again! I need - I need our 'cartoonish physics' so I can keep myself on track and be a better planet to them, as ironic as that maybe sounds."
6. Uranus
"Iiii don't have a specific incident with the Sun - I've faced a solar flare or two, for cutting out of my orbit to explore - but it's just. A trend. He's a right terror when he's angry, so a lot of what I do - or did - was just about going along to get along. To belong, to have friends.
"The thing is, I already had my cousin, Neptune. And my moons - before I scared them away, and it took an awful long time for me to get myself straight and really apologize where they'd hear me out. I... neglected them, just for someone I thought thought I was cool. I get it now, that X was just - that he didn't want my friendship, he just wanted me in his corner. He put all our moons in danger, trying to get revenge against Jupiter. And I still followed him, e-even when I felt guilty, because I couldn't hear that anyone else wanted me around for me.
"Neptune stopped me. He - he has memory troubles, way worse than Saturn, since his orbit's so far out against the Kuiper Belt. But he said... he said he'd always remember me. And his moons.
"So he was there for me, when I was actually at my lowest. ... I think I can deal with being scared of the Sun, as long as we're together. Us, and our moons."
7. Neptune
"Is it okay if I treat this like I'm talking to Triton? Because a lot of this IS about him. And how he deserved the truth, even after... even after.
"So reeeaally early on in our lives, there were a lot of proto rocky planets, especially in the inner solar system. They crashed into each other a LOT, no matter what the Sun did, and it was pretty gruesome. He... the Sun, never took it well. Uranus was scared, I was scared - not even of death, morbid as it was! Just of him.
"And we met a couple of rocky planets in the Kuiper Belt too! Their names are... Pluto and Charon, that's it! They're a double planet, or double moon, or planet-and-moon. Not sure the distinction matters. Anyway, we took them to the Sun, who was really happy to meet them! It was nice to see him happy instead of upset and all.
"But, after we got back... I never saw exactly what happened, I know I told Triton the truth about that. I think I was asleep, when my gravity pulled him in. I had a small number of moons then, but none of them had woken up yet.
"When I next woke up, there was... there was all this debris, and Triton was unconscious. I never - I never saw his twin, his partner. My gravity must have split them up, too. I'm sorry, but 'I'm sorry' never sounds like enough for something that... big. That wrong.
"And Uranus reminded me of what the Sun was like, seeing all those destroyed planets. If I'd told the Sun the truth, would he have punished me? But that I could have lived with. Instead, I was scared for Triton. What if the Sun had blamed him, for what my gravity did?
"So... I'm pretty sure the Sun just didn't care, or something, since he didn't attack either of us. Not sure if that means I never NEEDED to lie, or if the Sun's priorities were elsewhere. I can understand that! It's just hard to predict; all we have is hindsight. We've done a LOT of things that may not have been necessary, in hindsight. All of us made mistakes. All of us - at least sometimes - are at the mercy of physics and the ways of this universe. It is what it is; we just have to be willing to live with it.
So if - if the others, my moons, don't feel safe around me with the truth out, then they have the right to... to find their own way. I want them to be safe and happy, no matter what the Sun does, or what I do!"
8. Mars
"Is this... is all this really necessary? Taking a hard look at- at everything? E-especially to strangers, people who weren't there. It all feels overwhelming, still, to think about. At least for me.
"So you know about Proto-Earth and Theia at this point, right? I - I guess you could say I grew up with them, they were part of the same 'generation' of rocky planets as me. I was always closer with Proto than Theia; it was easier, to share things and learn things together with him. That made it a lot harder... when he chose Theia. She. She encouraged him to be brave, in a way I never did, I guess. And- and then everything with the Sun, and them wanting to share an orbit...
"I just wanted him to be happy. Jupiter tried to help me understand, but- but you shouldn't have to die to get to be happy, right?!
"Th-that's what I mean, when I said this was overwhelming. And it didn't stop there.
"The Sun asked everyone what part they'd had to play in it; and after he questioned us all, I thought it'd be over. Their - Proto and Theia's - their debris reformed into a new planet-and-moon system. They didn't know what was going on, not really.
"Just, even now, both of them sometimes act in ways Proto or Theia would. It's hard not to see it, once you've known them all. I think I have a harder time separating them than most, just because the feelings are so strong.
"The thing was, the Sun still wanted Life. He never wanted to admit that Theia - that any of us - could have understood the ways of the universe more than he did. But once we - Venus, Earth and I - started developing more of the right conditions, especially gathering enough water...
"I had - there's these chunks of solid rock in my mantle and crust. I was born small, so I had a harder time recycling them. All that time orbiting the Sun, fighting the solar wind... my atmosphere and magnetic field, they used to be more than they are now.
"I don't like thinking about what happened next. How I lost them both. I- I know, now, what Jupiter did, and it hurts to know what he was like before he changed, but I think- I keep thinking about how he had to watch, what the Sun did with us.
"... Right. Right. So the Sun likes games, and competitions and stuff. He turned developing Life 'first' into a game. Figuring out how chemistry became biology, manipulating our environments to make them more habitable. We all had to do it, the three of us. I never liked it, definitely not as much as Venus and Earth did. It was exhausting. And.
"And if we complained, or if we didn't all complete one of his goals before his arbitrary time limit, he... it wasn't a solar flare, I don't think. But it hurt, and it reset all our efforts. If we were doing something with asteroids or played with them instead of completing the latest challenge, he made us eat them instead. They weren't sentient, not those. But it still wasn't good for me, not when I already had so much material I couldn't melt down and reuse.
"Venus - he always wanted life. Never wanted to ADMIT it, or show weakness, but I could see it well enough. He'd have done anything to make things stick. ... But he always hated himself more. I think he was sabotaging himself, because he couldn't imagine it working out for him.
"And then... I know the Sun carries a lot of weight, and even with the things he does, or how crazy he acts, he cared. He didn't want us destroyed, no matter what we got up to. But Earth... the Sun was always hardest on him."
"Can, can I stop for now? I think I need a break."
9. Earth
"Ugh, can you all stop looking at me like that? It's like, because I have Life, everyone thinks I'm fragile and can't take care of myself!
"... Sorry. That was out of line. But you're all here because of what X said about our solar system, and you wanted the rest of the story so you could have a more accurate picture, right? ... I don't like having so many people paying this much attention to me. I know Luna doesn't like crowds, and I'm starting to think I don't, either.
"Thanks. I don't know what I did that finally made Life take - stars know I've nearly lost them way too frequently over the past billion years - but if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm proud of them. That's what being a pl- being a parent means, right?
"Okay, so the Sun's always been crazy. At least as long as I've known him, and I know, I know, I'm the youngest. They told you about Proto and Theia, right? Yeah, I remember them now - that is, I have their memories. Luna may have some, too, but every time we try to compare notes, something seems to happen and we have another crisis to handle. It never ends.
"So, Proto and Theia. I remember their lives. A-and their deaths. That was not fun dealing with right away, either; I was... I got flashes of their memories whenever Theia's name was mentioned. It freaked everyone else out.
"... I still feel kind of responsible, for the rest of the solar system not getting to mourn them more. Everyone seemed to think I'd have another episode, so they just stopped mentioning them altogether. Not a great choice, there.
"Do I remember how- oh. You want to hear about that. I know I talk about my Earthlings a lot - they get up to so much! - but not so much how it started. ...
"No, I'm fine! Stop looking at me like that! I'm fine, I can keep going, I swear.
"So there were all these... not so much stages, as events. There always seemed to be something - objects from the Kuiper Belt, dust fields we were passing through, stray gamma rays - and then I'd get sick, and it'd nearly wipe out everything I had, all the Life I'd harbored to that point.
"Wait, you don't mean that? W-well, there were several extinction events, and they hurt, but it's not really fair to say they were anyone's fault. Jupiter, or Neptune... we don't always control what our gravity does. And lately, anyway, the problems have mostly been... social.
"Most of my problems were... pushing others away, or treating them like prizes instead of- of people. But, Mercury and Luna... when I was at my lowest, they came back after me. Wanted to be sure I wanted to get better, spent time and energy making sure I recovered.
"My lowest? Well, uh. I tried to throw myself into the Sun. Hey! Hey!! I'm okay now, so stop... stop panicking. Please? Just let me talk?
"... So. Do you want to hear more about the present, or the past?
"I. I don't remember? I don't think the Sun's locked us in orbit - or on our axial tilts - before, but he could have. There's. Still some things I just don't remember. I surprised Venus once, not remembering when he had surface water and a thinner atmosphere. But he said that was only 700 million years ago, and I know I was conscious and looking after my Earthlings then! I wasn't in another coma!
"Yyyeah, I ended up in one while trying to sort out Proto and Theia's memories. Can you all stop getting distracted? Please?
"So, past. As I was trying to say, there's things I still don't remember. All those extinction events, they've all happened within the last billion years. And each time, even though I was scared witless, Life's been able to recover. Even- even after the dinosaurs went extinct, Life grew back with a vengeance. Everything from bacteria on up... they have a system. My biomes each have a place, food chains, carbon cycles and so on, to keep themselves stable. Homeostasis. But it does leave scars. It's like... I'm regrowing me, every time something happens to them.
"So the Sun, and I really don't like saying this, has a point. I can't just... leave my orbit, or play asteroid dodgeball with Mars, or spend time with the outer solar system's moons and get to know them better, just because they're things I WANT to do. I have to be responsible, even when I don't feel like it.
"That's... not so much being a parent, as what being an 'adult' means, right? Putting more serious matters first?
"Ugh, fine, I'll start again. I'm four-point-five billion years old, and I'm still the youngest rocky planet in this system. I have one moon - Luna - and I really can't imagine being without them. I have friends, and... we've failed each other, but that doesn't mean we stop being friends, or stop being a system, right? We still have things in common, even the things we need to work on, but we're still better together than apart, or alone.
"And the Sun...
"I. I don't. I don't feel so good-"
Q&A, Solarballs edition!
Oct. 24th, 2025 05:43 pm(A throwback to my interviews-with-Chemies Kamen Rider Gotchard fics. Various planets, moons, TNOs etc. are asked about what their humansonas would be like. Or fursonas, as the case may be.
Naturally, they have questions. But some have actual ideas...
Interviewer dialogue indicated by [square brackets])
( Read more... )
Naturally, they have questions. But some have actual ideas...
Interviewer dialogue indicated by [square brackets])
( Read more... )
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of sexual assault, human trafficking, CSA, parentification, living with mental disorders (particularly hallucinations, suicidal ideation), and willingness to perpetuate citywide destruction.
( I have no excuse for this. None. )
( Other angles/Other takes )
( I have no excuse for this. None. )
( Other angles/Other takes )
Typical Horror Crossover
The planets furthest out took notice first: a gravitational anomaly, a pressure that pulsed, pinched, but did not seize. A traveler, thought at the time not to mean much of anything.Hardly a threat.
Neptune was the first to say hello: a friendly, irreverent planet; at worst the odd-looking stranger would just rebuff him and be on its way.
But she blinked, and smiled, and something about both those actions felt terribly, terribly wrong. Yet Neptune shrugged it off, since he knew what it was like to have quirks.
... Several hours later, he came chasing after the stranger in a panic, demanding to know where several of his moons had gone. He always remembered his moons, his family - how could they be missing?
And again the stranger - Iris, her name had been - blinked, and smiled. This was not a nice smile.
"As I am the Iris, you shall be the lens. They're not your moons any more."
Uranus may not have heard the scream, but he did hear several of his moons catching sight of Triton. Cracked far more than any normal rocky body could be while still being intact, he nevertheless could move.
But the look in his eyes was one of fear, and he tried not to come too close.
"It's- some new planet- she's a danger, don't let her get close - don't come close to me!"
Uranus did not spend any time fooling around, even if it meant leaving someone so distressed and damaged behind. He even ordered his own moons to pick travel buddies, to better keep track of each other.
Shortly thereafter, one of the dwarf planets arrived - Haumea, with his own ring but none of his moons. "I can't find a-any of the others," he'd said. "I don't remember- I don't know where my moons are!"
Uranus allowed him to tag along, more out of worry on if he ran across Triton than because he really wanted to watch over more celestial objects.
Indeed, perhaps this was serious enough that it was time to take this to the Sun...
The result of that conversation was enough to prevent the Iris from being sighted again for several hundred million years.
She'd made no sound, no overt fuss; instead, Jupiter simply came across her communing with Saturn, his oldest friend unnaturally quiet and still.
"What... what are you doing? What did you want with him?" Jupiter made sure not to be overly aggressive, but he was very, very alarmed and his tone of voice showed it.
"Oh, I'm forming a gateway! Very necessary step in my process, you see."
Before Jupiter could ask any questions - such as, gateway to what? - Ganymede soared forth, scowling. Europa shot Jupiter a startled look; apparently they were not on the same page here.
"And what'd you do with his moons, huh? They can't have all just run away; they could've come to us!"
The strange gas giant chuckled - a low, unnerving sound. "No, no, some of them did. Apparently their connection to this planet isn't very strong. But the others... they were very educational."
"Educational about what?" As much as Jupiter worried sometimes when his larger moons took initiative like this, these were definitely good questions to ask.
"Well, they've been very educational for my moons, for one. Not all of them know how moons work, and I'm afraid it takes a more 'hands on' approach to learn everything than these little ones were expecting... No harm done, however."
Jupiter found his own voice. "No harm done? No harm done? Where have you put these moons, then? Are they still alive?!"
The anger was no surprise, but then there was the fear - and that fear was swiftly validated, as with a very small pull of her gravity, she revealed her cluster.
Moons merged with each other - not just by gravity, but by some organic substance. Moons torn apart and fused with other moons.
And yes, some of them were still alive - and Jupiter as well as his moons were horrified at this, for even with their faces hidden, they could still speak.
Mostly to scream, but they were aware.
Jupiter decided he'd seen enough - and, warning the smallest moons to head to the asteroid belt, to warn the inner planets and the Sun, he charged.
Several hours later, those small moons returned: the Iris was gone, leaving Saturn in a coma, Jupiter mute and with far worse storms than normal... and several distorted moons.
Ganymede had been taken - dead, or worse, none of the survivors would say.
No one knew where Titan had gone, either.
At the same time - and quite possibly as a distraction - two entirely new moons had manifested inside the inner solar system, companioning the two planets closest to the Sun.
Well, companioning wasn't quite the right word: Venus, upon getting one look at 'Neith', and finding her appearance way to close to certain departed friends, declared, "Oh hell no, I am not going through with this 'monkey's paw' bullshit. No thanks!"
And promptly headed the opposite way, deranging his whole orbit in the process. Which meant he didn't see when Neith, frowning faintly, was torn apart by the solar wind...
But the others did. Mars, Mercury, and Earth and Luna. The Sun stared back, alarmed and baffled at once.
Then there was Vulcan, who was much more verbose - and disgruntled. "Seriously, boss? Did you think this through? I can guarantee I have less than a year existing in this orbit."
Mercury, eyes wide, struggled to find words for almost a minute. "O-okay, who are you?! A-and who's your boss?"
Vulcan sighed, tilting at the smallest planet in a dispassionate sort of way. "The Iris, of course. But there's no point running a long game when I'm going to be dead shortly, so... ask me anything?"
They certainly did, with each of the planets taking notes in their own way. And sure enough, being so close to the Sun's plasma dissolved the not-quite-real planet - not just in less than a year, but in a matter of weeks. Neith had been denied a chance to be truly acknowledged, but even getting attention wasn't enough to postpone that true death for Vulcan.
The changes kept coming, and faster. One day, Mars simply appeared in Earth's orbit - instead of having a chance to play and relieve stress, Mars had a ring, and Earth knew what that meant.
But since it was far too soon for either Phobos or even Deimos to have been ended that way, it also meant-
"Did... was it Iris?" Not The Iris, just Iris; Earth refused to give that interloper any kind of reverence. Mars hesitated, then shook no.
"She... she marked them, Earth. They were changing, and they were scared, a-a-and... I didn't want them to suffer, okay?" Mars choked up harder, tears beginning to track across his surface; Earth suspected this wasn't for the first time.
Coming as close as their Roche Limits would allow, Earth held Mars as best he could, offered what comfort he could.
But what really chilled him was what Mars said, after gaining back some modicum of composure:
"Earth- Earth, don't let her get Luna!"
Tokophobia (The Really Messed Up Stuff)
Nothing got worse than that for almost a year; Earth kept a close eye on his Moon, but also for the smaller space debris and satellites, in case they decided to misbehave. Humans, the latest kind of complex lifeform, had finally established themselves, and taken to investigating the surrounding cosmos with a surprising swiftness.Earth couldn't protect them forever. That didn't mean he wouldn't try.
Which meant he was completely startled - not by Luna disappearing, but when Luna brought someone back. And someone who actually belonged in this Solar System, at that.
"Titan?"
The larger Moon smiled, though didn't say anything right away. Instead, Luna went right on: "Yeah, it's him! Funny, right? I, uh, found him in the Asteroid Belt - I didn't go very far, honest?"
Earth quirked an eyebrow. "Nnnot my biggest worry, actually. How long ago did you find him there?"
Earth wasn't going to blame Luna for being restless, nor Titan for not having stuck by Saturn; while something felt off about this picture, Earth couldn't say what it was for sure.
But if he pushed Luna away because he didn't handle this well, his Moon might not come back. And he really didn't want that to happen.
As expected, Luna blushed. "... Some months ago?" Titan snickered, ribbing at the other moon lightly with his gravity. A gentle gesture, nothing that meant real harm...
But something still seemed wrong. And Earth didn't know what.
"Do I wanna know for what?" Luna blushed harder, which was probably answer enough in and of itself. But-
Behind them, almost at the distance of the Asteroid Belt - something glinted, and something smiled. Earth paled, and Luna twitched.
Titan, at last, frowned. He poked Luna again, and something finally clicked for Earth:
His Moon wasn't exactly facing him. Whatever his Dark Side was facing, it wasn't the Iris.
Then it really hit him: Iris was looking at him! Mentally, all alarms began going off at full blast.
"Luna- behind you, there's-"
Only, Iris wasn't at the Asteroid Belt anymore. It was like having someone three-quarters the size of Jupiter suddenly right in front of you.
Earth would have jumped right out of his crust if it were in fact physically possible. "GAH! What the Hell-"
The Iris laughed, and Luna looked truly unnerved, because Titan was laughing too.
"How-" Earth swallowed, tried again. "How long have you been in him? Is- is he even still in there?"
"Hmmmm - I do like that you're smart, but you just cut this little drama short for me. I'll make sure you pay for that, dear one."
Before Earth could get out any comments on that - 'dear one'???? - Iris moved smoothly on to answering the question, as her moons gloopily began to fold out around her. "He still is - not in control, of course, I had no need for that, but his reactions have been delightful. Mostly fear for you," she added, nodding at Luna, who had begun to look quite ill.
"Especially when your rendezvous got more... ah, adventurous, we'll say." She winked, and it was hard to decide whether that action or her implications were more upsetting.
"You see, I was planning on this taking another year or so, at which point-" her grin deepened, and Earth wondered why the Sun hadn't done anything, where was anyone else, how could he and Luna get away, when she was so close-
"At which point, I'm sure your moon would have gladly joined us in making you mine."
Earth's core stuttered to a stop. For once, this was literal; his magnetic field fluctuated dangerously, and a chill burst along his axis before subsiding.
"Wh- bu- I don't - What the Hell do you want?!?!"
Luna screamed; something had broken his surface, and then Earth screamed, even as the Iris answered-
"I wandered away from the cold core of my dead star seeking only one thing: a fitting mate. And you are exactly what I'm looking for."
There were increasingly incoherent images, past this point. Seeing Luna, Luna begging Earth, or the Sun, to destroy him before everything he was was consumed by whatever had infected him through the possessed Titan; a solar flare finally finding its target, at first cutting his beloved Moon in two, then vaporizing him completely.
Iris, defying physics again, avoiding all the flares - dragging Earth out of his orbit, toward the Asteroid Belt - holding him hostage? - but not taking him all the way out of the Goldilocks Zone.
Meeting each of the moons of Iris; being touched by them, which was so, so much worse than just looking at them. Instead of seismic damage, they could snatch life straight off his surface, or his oceans - studying them, or even just eating them, he refused to register.
But it didn't end there: Iris herself wanted to play with them, sounding at times disappointed with what she saw. "What are the Woodcrawlers doing, do I have to encourage them? Hnn, there's very different kinds of help I have these days... Now, stay still."
Pain, pain, so much pain; if his humans had been particularly ill-behaved, digging or blowing things up and causing more damage than they should have, then this proved worse. Things burrowing in him, able to spread their wrongness just from being there-
They were spreading and sprouting inside of his Earthlings, too. He could feel it; like a funhouse mirror of pain, never-ending.
But it still got worse.
The burrowing continued; the bulk of Iris herself hovering close, too close- doubtless she was breaking physics to be this near to him without shattering him
Touching him; tendrils on his surface, burrowing through his mantle; sensations that may have tickled instead were painful, because of who was doing it, because of the impossibility, because of EVERYTHING ELSE SHE'D DONE.
He'd started crying, at some point; he didn't remember when. And Iris simply cooed at him, a sound all the more eerie for being gentle. Not well-meant; this was not a kind being-
Something reached his outer core, and he screamed.
The contact went on; the exploration of his life - and himself - went on, and on, a terrible hell that never seemed to end.
And yet, somehow, it got worse. "What's this?" she asked, curious, probing at some uneven debris scattered in his mantle; looking at nothing in particular, his vision got worse as the intimacy crashed over him once more.
"Why, it's here too!" Another spot, under the Pacific Ocean; he was paralyzed, he couldn't even scream right now-
"... I think there's enough for a mini planet here. How lovely! Let's find out what that would have looked like together, alright, dear one?"
Earth just cried, soundless in the vacuum of space. If this was going to get worse, how worse would this get?
The process had been simultaneously utterly horrifying, and entirely clinical. No excess mess, no cruel jokes: just the process.
Making space to gather all of the strange debris hadn't even hurt - though Earth thought it possible he'd simply become numb to pain. Having something slowly form up inside him was uncomfortable, strange, not like harboring life at all - but it didn't hurt.
He'd never really envied the various ways Life reproduced... but this was definitely going to fuel some kind of aversion in the future. If he survived this.
"And now... the final push: some selective gravity. Please remain still."
He couldn't not comply, but the pain was sufficient to make him wish for death. He'd have screamed, but by now his voice had given out; no surprise there.
And then, there was surprise, as a planet from some of his oldest memories- emerged, okay, he could use that word without panicking. Emerged.
... He didn't need to breathe, sure, but he was definitely hyperventilating. "Theia?!" Even without sound, it wouldn't have been hard to read what he was saying.
The Iris was delighted. "Oh, you know her? Excellent! Perhaps we could... experiment-"
And that was when Theia charged at the far larger planet, shouting in rage. "Get away from him!"
She turned, and an entirely different pain hit Earth's core with the look in her eyes. "I- the entire time, I heard - I'm so sorry - we have to get rid of her, now!"
The Iris screamed in rage right back, protesting this defiance.
From above the ecliptic, a narrow beam struck at the anomalous planet. "WHO DARES-"
But she'd shifted up to look for the source - just enough for a solar flare to hit its mark.
Earth shook; from aftershock-pain, from the eldritch scream, from the searing heat-
Decompression and Reflection
It was warm, as he blinked awake. Not painfully so: just enough warm. And he was still tired, he realized. And sore. And-"Earth? You still with us?"
Earth opened his eyes wide, searching for that achingly familiar voice. "Luna?! I-is that really you?" He found his Moon, back at the usual distance in orbit - they were back in his orbit - Luna was alive!
Earth, all at once, found himself beginning to cry. "You're okay? I- wait, no, it's not been okay, I'm sorry Luna, sorry for everything-"
"Whoa!" His Moon cut him off, worry clear in expression and voice alike. In the distance, which came in to focus slowly, Earth could tell the others were hovering; even the Sun looked more concerned than upset or disgruntled, unless he was really missing something.
"Let's slow it down a little, okay, pal? You were, uh, out of it for some time, even after we got you back home." Luna paused. "... I do appreciate hearing it, though. Maybe if we could make this a regular thing without terrible things happening to all of us?"
It may have been an attempt at a joke, though neither of them really laughed; Earth hugged Luna carefully with his gravity, as best he could, trying to sort out what had happened to the slowly-fading sense of nightmarish immediacy.
"... Okay, I need to be sure. Luna, we've never had a visiting planet named Iris, r-right?"
His Moon looked baffled, though thankfully did Earth the courtesy of not immediately assuming his planet had gone insane (again). "Nnnno - would this have been a recent thing?"
Earth shook no. "More like- someone who'd been around millions of years. Not since the beginning, but not- not like, the last year. No visitors?"
Luna confirmed the no. Earth heaved a sigh of relief. "How- how long was I out? After heading off Ceres- did he come back with us?"
He was almost surprised by his own worry - and then the memories flashed, of what the intersections of their lives had been like, and guilt crashed over him again.
"He's recuperating in the Asteroid Belt - it was way less of a hassle dealing with him after you had words with the guy, I'll say that much."
Earth's gaze drifted to the others again, slowly settling down more.
"... Astrodude- he's okay, right? I- I mean, he's not-"
"He's okay," Luna gently confirmed. Then he perked up. "In fact, Dark Side filled me in on this, did you know he wasn't the only guy who's survived in space a long time? The guy went by Cosmo, and he stole the ship of that robot who was bothering Astrodude - the other moons found him while trying to hold down the fort with the Sun-"
The conversation went on for some time, Earth being caught up by an increasingly also-relieved Luna on some of the absurdities and plot twists he'd missed.
But some aspects of the nightmare - for it'd been a nightmare, some fucked-up version of whatever he was afraid of, thrown at him by his core as he recovered from this latest ordeal - weren't so quick to fade away. At one point, when Luna brought up Titan, Earth flinched - and the planet quickly realized it would be better to explain than for anyone to get the wrong idea.
The moons had been through enough. No need to give them extra baggage from shit that hadn't even happened...
"Hey, uh. Luna. About Titan... Okay, I do want to know how he and you are doing, but that's not... are you seeing each other?"
If he'd been aiming to tease his Moon, Luna's reaction would have been perfect. "WHAT. I - wha - I mean - Noooooo?!" Luna squinted. "This isn't some weird kind of testing for if you need to shovel-talk him, is it? Because it's not warranted, I swear!"
Earth tried to laugh, though mostly it just sounded like a sigh. "Don't worry, that's not what I'm about to ask. If anything, I'd be way more worried if you were trying to rush into anything!"
Luna looked concerned all over again - then, some kind of lightbulb must have gone off: "Is this more about that planet who doesn't exist?"
"... Yyyyeah. It was all kinds of messed up. He'd- something had happened to Saturn, and you came across him in the Asteroid Belt. Really hit it off. But."
Luna's eyes narrowed. "I don't like where this is going."
"I didn't either. You see, it wasn't him. He'd been possessed, like-"
"Like some awful sci-fi movie?"
Earth nodded. "Yeah. Like that. And- however it uh. Manifested. He infected you. With- whatever it was she could do."
Luna leaned away; Earth let him. "Ew! Ew ew ew!"
"Exactly! But... it was a dream, a nightmare, so it didn't happen. I just- don't want to be reacting to that next time I see him. Or for you to."
Luna grimaced. "Still. I'd rather know why than just... guess. And I take it you don't want Titan thinking this is his fault somehow."
"Right. That's a precedent I wanna stop, y'know?"
The two fell for a time into a companionable silence.
The next time Earth was awake, the rest of the rocky planets were hovering a little more closely. Luna took to the side - ready to tell the others to back off if necessary, but willing to let Earth sort things out for himself to start, if he wanted.
The gesture was appreciated, even as Earth gave them all the side-eye. "... Did I forget an apology or something? I know we did a lot of that before Saturn finished bringing me back here, but I've been asleep a lot since then, so I can't guarantee I didn't miss anything."
As satisfying as it had been for everyone to admit the secret-keeping and (between certain planets) constant harassing had been not okay, a lot of that had also been explained by the repressed horrifying suicide attempt deal. All told, the only one who hadn't really had to apologize for a LOT had been Luna, and even his Moon had been carrying a lot of remorse - and blaming himself for things that weren't his fault.
But Earth wasn't particularly interested in ruminating; it seemed like a hell of a crutch, preventing them from adjusting to change. And they'd all needed to change.
"It's- it's about Neptune."
Earth froze. "Wait - is he dead? Did Iris get him after all?"
Luna shot him a panicked look; as Earth realized what he'd even said, he wished he could facepalm. The disturbed looks on his friends' faces were similarly illuminating.
"Right, sorry. That was a nightmare, nothing to do with what we've all been dealing with. What happened?"
One thing he wasn't sure he was used to was just... resting. Life was always getting up to something, especially the humans - but after his particularly disastrous trance-driven quest to the Kuiper Belt, it was going to take things a lot longer to get back to normal.
Sometimes, though, he almost appreciated not spending all that extra energy keeping their actions in check. And when he caught himself thinking that way, he did feel bad about it.
That part, he wasn't sure who to discuss it with, or even approach it.
Sometimes, solutions to problems just appeared. There was no logic to it, no conscious summoning... but when the solution proved subconscious in nature, perhaps that was how serendipity worked.
Such was how Earth elected to explain being back in the mindscape: no terrifying existential quest... Well, maybe. Not as terrifying, anyway.
But if there was anyone who'd know about that inexplicably detailed nightmare, who else but the two whose fragments rested in his core?
... That, and he did feel the need to apologize if they had seen the dream. It had just been that messed up of a nightmare.
Theia seemed rattled, once he'd found them again and caught them up - but still in a decent amount of cheer, all things considered. "Still kind of weirded out I was in there, but enough of it feels like it was symbolic, as opposed to a direct danger, that I think we can work through it together!"
But Earth found himself paying more concern to what Proto-him thought, given the other proto-planet seemed much more twitchy about the subject matter.
"Not sure why it was a black hole, at least part of the time - but the threat she posed, it felt almost familiar?"
Theia tilted in confusion, but Earth could get somewhat more of the gist: "Because she was hunting us down, picking off our support network almost one by one? Because, even though we weren't interested, we weren't given a choice? ... Because even though we were hurt, bad, we didn't die?"
He wasn't accusatory in his tone - or at least, Earth hoped he wasn't - but Proto flinched at each question all the same. "I suppose... all of those things, at least in part. And- I didn't know what to make of it, when the Sun spelled out why keeping to our orbits was important. That we weren't just... the last stage, of how complex the universe could get."
Theia spoke up, sounding sad: "I know I was excited to find out what Life could be like... but it wasn't that way for the rest of you, was it?"
Earth got the sense this wasn't exactly a question. Proto didn't respond to it as one, anyway.
"It felt like we'd been given a test with no indication of if we could pass - or what would happen if we couldn't perform. Or if one of us succeeded, and then failed - that it could all get canceled out because..."
Again, Earth plucked out his best guess at the answer: "Because something bigger and scarier decided to come our way, and drag us away? Or crush us?"
Theia looked alarmed, now, but elected not to speak for once, instead offering Proto quiet comfort with her presence. This seemed to have some effect - only for Proto to continue speaking after a deep breath:
"And- even before we collided, I was scared of what having Life would be like - we knew nothing about it, even then. Not what it could look like, or how to detect it. Even Jupiter or Saturn could only speak to what they knew about for sure, and that knowledge had its limits.
"So, when it did happen, part of me- part of me thought, 'This is it. This is how Life happens. Life comes from death, dying, suffering...'"
Proto shook, slowly. "In a way, it was worse than thinking that the universe was meant to be cold and empty. That- that no matter what we wanted, Life would make itself happen, taking from us anything... including our own lives."
Silence filled the space; unbidden, Earth joined in the huddle, surprising both proto-planets in the process.
[NOT DONE YET]
( How about this? )
Tags: Earth Whump, BAMF Astrodude, BAMF Astrowife (minor role), Earth Needs A Hug (but then so does everyone), Theia and Proto both give and need hugs, Vent Fic, Humanity (or at least a good chunk of it) is a PLAGUE, This concept started as a Sex Pollen Fic, There Is No Sex Now Though, Loss of Bodily Autonomy, Chemically-Enforced Loss of Cognitive Control, Brain Uploading (When You Are A Planet, and then are no longer a planet), Suicidal Ideation, Humanity Takes To Space (and handles the planets being sentient REALLY BADLY), ohhhh we're really putting Earth through it this time!
Tags: Earth Whump, BAMF Astrodude, BAMF Astrowife (minor role), Earth Needs A Hug (but then so does everyone), Theia and Proto both give and need hugs, Vent Fic, Humanity (or at least a good chunk of it) is a PLAGUE, This concept started as a Sex Pollen Fic, There Is No Sex Now Though, Loss of Bodily Autonomy, Chemically-Enforced Loss of Cognitive Control, Brain Uploading (When You Are A Planet, and then are no longer a planet), Suicidal Ideation, Humanity Takes To Space (and handles the planets being sentient REALLY BADLY), ohhhh we're really putting Earth through it this time!
SolarBalls, Title: The Sun Tells A Story
Mar. 23rd, 2025 11:15 amThe Sun Tells A Story
( Cut is again for Readability )
( Cut is again for Readability )
SoE concept draft
Sep. 13th, 2018 05:50 pmAutistic_Ace
On to the next: the Peridexis! Aka: how does one app the Spirit of Wizardry???
Autistic_Ace
AU is a mundane story, utterly: Indian by birth; adopted, only child in new family. Name? PERI MAX POWERS. (I am sorry. ;-) ) Family is wonderfully supportive (think peak authoritative - allows him to give input/ask questions about Why They Do Things specific ways at home, asks his opinion on things as he's growing up, etc.)
Autistic_Ace
Childhood - I wanted to also have him raised in New York? Though a part of me wants to say he's from my hometown... >.> ANYWAY at age 13 they decide to nope out of gender binarism, of which their parents are confused but still supportive.
Autistic_Ace
That said, they still didn't know what they wanted to be - until age 17, when someone making their last, desperate "clear the air before I kill myself" call does a misdial - and Peri somehow stumbles onto the right words to talk them out of it.
Autistic_Ace
(Not that Peri finds out for some weeks - but eventually they do get that call back, an apology and a thank-you both.)
Autistic_Ace
So, Peri decides to go into Psychology, so they won't have to stumble through it the next time.
Autistic_Ace
Nearly a decade later, they're a successful, if Bunny-Ears-Lawyer-ish Psychologist. They know their stuff...
They just also have a hard time taking a break.
Autistic_Ace
So cue (slightly forced) vacation to Mossgate! And their first Echo. :>
"Is- is this the line you call to report the gods are dead??? 8'D"
Autistic_Ace
(This, of course, is Very Metaplotty in implications - since (A) Wizardry would have, in some way, been present when the rest of the Powers That Be were taken off-guard, and out, by whatever wiped out the majority of the multiverse and ( B ) any power cap would have to be directly applied by Gaia herself, as a safety mechanism.
Coop
O:
Autistic_Ace
I do not fall in love with the 'easy' characters, this has been well-documented.
Autistic_Ace
Though, the idea of a character having to analyze their former self/calm them down appeals to me, somehow.
On to the next: the Peridexis! Aka: how does one app the Spirit of Wizardry???
Autistic_Ace
AU is a mundane story, utterly: Indian by birth; adopted, only child in new family. Name? PERI MAX POWERS. (I am sorry. ;-) ) Family is wonderfully supportive (think peak authoritative - allows him to give input/ask questions about Why They Do Things specific ways at home, asks his opinion on things as he's growing up, etc.)
Autistic_Ace
Childhood - I wanted to also have him raised in New York? Though a part of me wants to say he's from my hometown... >.> ANYWAY at age 13 they decide to nope out of gender binarism, of which their parents are confused but still supportive.
Autistic_Ace
That said, they still didn't know what they wanted to be - until age 17, when someone making their last, desperate "clear the air before I kill myself" call does a misdial - and Peri somehow stumbles onto the right words to talk them out of it.
Autistic_Ace
(Not that Peri finds out for some weeks - but eventually they do get that call back, an apology and a thank-you both.)
Autistic_Ace
So, Peri decides to go into Psychology, so they won't have to stumble through it the next time.
Autistic_Ace
Nearly a decade later, they're a successful, if Bunny-Ears-Lawyer-ish Psychologist. They know their stuff...
They just also have a hard time taking a break.
Autistic_Ace
So cue (slightly forced) vacation to Mossgate! And their first Echo. :>
"Is- is this the line you call to report the gods are dead??? 8'D"
Autistic_Ace
(This, of course, is Very Metaplotty in implications - since (A) Wizardry would have, in some way, been present when the rest of the Powers That Be were taken off-guard, and out, by whatever wiped out the majority of the multiverse and ( B ) any power cap would have to be directly applied by Gaia herself, as a safety mechanism.
Coop
O:
Autistic_Ace
Autistic_Ace
Though, the idea of a character having to analyze their former self/calm them down appeals to me, somehow.
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