jueves, 31 de enero de 2019

AQUARIUS STAR SYSTEM - ROMINA RUSSELL


AQUARIUS

D
ATES 
January, 20 – February, 18
HOUSE 
11
WORD FOR GUARDIAN   
Supreme Guardian
WORD FOR ZODAI  
Elder
COLOUR  
Aqua
ELEMENT  
Air
STRENGTH  
Philosophy

THE CONSTELLATION

The Water Bearer constellation has three planets, named after the ordinal numbers in Latin, each with its own moon. The atmospheres of all three planets are in perfect harmony, so Aquarians live on every surface available to them. Each planet is home to two Clans.

THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY

House Aquarius brings Philosophy to the Zodiac. Its people are introspective, intelligent, inquisitive, humanitarian, and true trailblazers, though sometimes their determination to design a better world can make them seem excessively eccentric, radical, and revolutionary to outsiders. At heart, Aquarians are full of hope for tomorrow, and their minds are fountains of ideas for how to create a more interconnected world.
The House’s people are divided into Six Clans: the Nightwing (their glyph is an owl, they’re the House’s star readers), the Literati (their glyph is a book, they’re the House’s literary scholars and educators), the Fellowship (their glyph is a hand, they’re the House’s social conscience and philanthropists), the Naturalists (their glyph is a tree, they’re the House’s environmentalists), the Visionaries (their glyph is an eye, they’re the House’s creators of a better tomorrow), and finally, the Royal Clan, which is represented by a Crown and is where the House’s Monarchy resides (surprisingly the Aquarius star system is not a republic, but a royal monarchy!!). Primitus houses the Royals and Nightwings; Secundus, the Fellowship and another clan, unknown to canon; and Tertius, the remaining two clans (any headcanons? Mine is that Secundus also houses the Literati, while Tertius houses the Naturalists and Visionaries) I WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS I RECEIVE REPLY FROM ROMINA HERSELF ON FB.

UPDATE: HEADCANON CONFIRMED BY WORD OF ROMINA!! She also appointed me Elder of the Literati Clan (what an honour!!) and I chose my own elder name, much to her acclaim... Here is the interview as it unfurled:

ROMINA -- Primitus: Royal, Nightwing / Secundus: Fellowship, Literati / Tertius: Naturalists, Visionaries

SANDRA -- So the Literati are on Secundus... Thank you very much indeed for clearing this cup-bearer Ravenclaw Literata's doubts! ❤

ROMINA -- Of course!! 🤗
You’re very welcome Elder Sandra Elena of Aquarius




SANDRA: if I am an elder I should change my name, eh?
Elder Lorethirst




ROMINA: Oooooh love it!!!

SANDRA: Glad you did so - y buenas noches desde España

ROMINA: Buenas noches, amiga.

THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY

Aquarians have narrow faces, ivory skin, and glassy eyes with irises that span every shade of the sky—white, gray, blue, purple, black, yellow, orange, pink, red. The Elders on Aquarius (the House’s Guardian and Zodai from each Clan) lose their birth names when they are sworn in and adopt a new name that’s given to them by their Clan, consisting of a single, personality-embodying word.

THE TECHNOLOGY

Citizens are divided into one of the Six Clans, each represented by a different symbol. All Aquarians carry with them a Philosopher’s Stone, a computer-like device encased in a lead pendant that hangs from a silver chain around their neck. Its design varies according to Clan, and they use it to access holographic data or send messages to others. Clans are connected through a network of Philosopher’s Stones so that at any given moment, an Aquarian can access every member of her Clan at once, transmitting a video feed of what she’s seeing and opening a channel to her Elders’ counsel.

THE GOVERNMENT

House Aquarius is (surprisingly!!) a Royal Monarchy under the rule of the Supreme Guardian who is always a member of the Royal Clan. On Aquarius, being Guardian is a birthright, so lineage is determined by blood. Often, the House’s best star reader will actually be the Guardian’s Senior Advisor and not the Guardian himself.

THE GUARDIAN

Supreme Guardian Gortheaux the Thirty-Third—The youngest Guardian in centuries, he is only six years old, so Supreme Advisor Untara rules in his stead.

THE WEAPON

The Elders of House Aquarius are always unassumingly armed with their Barer ("puño acuariano" is my fanon Spanishb name --- is it the same in canon?): a devastating multi-weapon made of a series of connected rings fitted perfectly to the wearer’s dominant hand, making it a very quick draw. When an Elder makes a fist, metals in the rings convert energy from the atmosphere, emitting brilliant aqua arcs of electricity. The wearer can then either use the Barer as a sword, or mold the energy into the form of a bow that will fire off devastating electric blasts. For hand-to-hand combat situations, the Barer grows a blazing row of electric spikes, turning into a terrifying set of “brass knuckles” that delivers electric jolts every time it connects with an opponent.





9

I WAKE UP WITH MY limbs sprawled across the full length of the loveseat. Picking up my head, I see Mathias in the center of the ship cycling through Yarrot. I stare for a few seconds, noting that something feels different about his movements. The choreography seems off.
I look around for Stan and spot him still sleeping, his body turned toward the window. I wonder how much longer until we land.
“How’d you sleep?” asks Mathias, dropping down beside me and breathing heavily from his workout.
“Good. Sorry if I hogged the bed.”
“I’ve never woken up to an elbow in the face before.”
I avert my gaze to hide my flush, feeling strangely shy around him this morning. Probably because we never concluded our conversation last night. Though I guess the point is we haven’t chosen our ending yet.
“Was that Yarrot?” I ask, pulling up the menu of settings for the bed and bringing the backseat upright.
Aquarian Yarrot. Pandora taught it to me.”
I nod, trying not to dwell long on the weeks they spent alone on Vitulus when I went to Tierre.
“On Aquarius they use astrogeometry instead of astroalgebra to read the stars—”
“I know,” I say, and I wish I didn’t sound so snippy.
“Geometry carries real importance on House Aquarius. Since Yarrot poses are designed to mimic the twelve constellations, Aquarians are more precise about the shapes, so they perform the movements differently.”
I nod and open my Wave to check messages, but the blue text before me blends into unintelligible shapes. Something about what just happened makes Mathias seem less familiar to me.
After so many years of watching him practice the same Yarrot routine, this change in his approach feels like yet another sign that the old Mathias is gone. And it’s a reminder that I still don’t fully know this new one.
•   •   •
Soon the Water Bearer constellation comes into view. Seeing the Eleventh House makes my nerves tremble in anticipation, as if my blood has been replaced with jittery Psynergy. Like my heart knows I’m close to solving the mystery of Mom.
Aquarius has three inhabited planets—Primitus, Secundus, Tertius—all equidistant. The planets’ atmospheres are amply oxygenated and perfectly pressurized, and a small moon orbits each one. When we’re close to entering Primitus’s atmosphere, one of the flight attendants emerges from the lounge and addresses us from the center of the ship.
“I apologize for this brief interruption,” she says, and Mathias and I shut our Waves in unison. The blue screens floating before us vanish.
“Per protocol, we’re now going to play a pre-recorded message from the leader of the Tomorrow Party, Lionheart Blaze Jansun.” I can tell the flight attendant is Leonine by her wide face, toothy smile, and tattooed eyelids. Each time she blinks, the Lion constellation flickers in her eyes.
When she steps away, the Tomorrow Party’s elegant holographic logo fades on and off over the glass floor, and in my peripheral vision, I spy my brother sitting up.
“Welcome to the Tomorrow Party.”
A handsome holographic Leonine with a mane of blue hair bares his pointy teeth in a broad smile. “Who are we? A group of galactic unionists who believe passionately in our vision for a united Zodiac. We want to reshape our solar system into a place where we can be human beings first and House citizens second.”
Holograms of all twelve constellations encircle him. “I’m Lionheart Blaze Jansun, and before I ask you to join us, I want to tell you a bit about myself. I was born into my House’s Power Pride, but even as a kid, I felt I didn’t belong there. When we turn twelve, Leonines leave home to embark on a walkabout—we spend the next few years rotating through schools throughout our planet’s nine nations. It’s our choice how much time we want to spend in each place, or if we want to try all nine at all. But eventually we’re expected to pledge ourselves to a Pride.”
Blaze passes a hand through his puffy blue locks, and I spy colorful streaks of rainbow highlights hidden in the deeper layers of his hair. “It was in the Leadership Pride where I felt I’d finally found my place. There I learned about Leadership’s prodigal son, the historical figure I was named after—Holy Leader Blazon Logax of the Trinary Axis. I was intrigued by the people of this Pride because they seemed the opposite of the ones I’d grown up with. Rather than prizing their personal interests above others, they prioritized others’ interests above themselves.”
The passion in his voice and his striking straightforwardness make him seem wild and untamable. A true Lion.
“It was there I had the realization that altered my life’s course: A powerful man wants people to dream of him, but a leader wants people to dream of themselves.”
Fire flashes in his russet eyes, and a feral passion infects his voice. “I wasn’t born into the best world for me. I had to leave my first home to find my rightful one. So who’s to say any of us have been born into our true House? How can we know where we belong if we don’t know what we’re missing?”
His words make me think of Ferez and his election to possess eleven technologies over one. And another memory slips in, something Hysan told me on Centaurion—I’ve visited every House of the Zodiac, and I have the overwhelming sensation that not everyone would be happiest where they are. The Leonine, the Capricorn, and the Libran all seem to be saying the same thing: In a universe ruled by fate, our power is in our choices.
“When the Plenum honored Rhoma Grace with the title of Wandering Star, I felt something.” My pulse quickens when I hear my name. “Her strength and passion inspired me to go public with a plan I’d only dreamt of—a plan to build bridges across the Zodiac.
We are those bridges. The Tomorrow Party is actively searching for young people who want to help us reshape the worlds we’ll inherit tomorrow. And I sincerely hope you will consider joining us.”
The hologram winks out, and moments later, the ship’s automated voice sounds through the intercom. “Please prepare for landing.” As we buckle into our seats, I feel my first flicker of excitement for this new political party. Blaze’s idealism reminds me of Twain and Candela and Ezra and everyone else I met on Centaurion a few months ago, and I’m eager to get involved and feel useful again.
At the memory of that trip, my mind immediately wanders to Hysan. Has he heard of the Tomorrow Party? What does he think of it?
But I force myself to leave those thoughts behind. If Mathias and I have any chance at a future together, I have to let go of Hysan as completely as he’s let go of me.
The wings flap dramatically again as we cross the invisible barrier into Primitus’s gravity, and then I feel the full weight of my body as the planet’s colored contours swell through the floor’s glass window. House Aquarius is a Royal Monarchy under the rule of the Supreme Guardian; Guardianship is a birthright here, so lineage is determined by blood. Since Supreme Guardian Gortheaux the Thirty-Third is only six years old, his Senior Advisor Untara—the House’s best seer—rules in his stead.
Aquarius is made up of six Clans, two on each planet: the Nightwing Clan consists of the House’s star readers (like Pandora and Mallie from Helios’s Halo); the Literati, scholars and educators; the Fellowship, socially conscious activists and philanthropists; the Naturalists, environmentalists; the Visionaries, architects of tomorrow; and, finally, the Royal Clan, where the House’s ruling Monarchy resides. Since Primitus houses both the Royal and Nightwing Clans, I’m hoping we’ll get to see the royal palace. It’s one of the Four Marvels of the Zodiac. The castle is supposedly so massive that on a clear day its silhouette can be seen from anywhere in the Royal Kingdom.
The ship lands on a grassy hilltop beneath an overcast sky, and the Leonine attendants assure us they’ll deliver our bags to the Party’s headquarters. Before disembarking, the three of us change into our Cancrian blue suits.
I deplane first and immediately wish I’d brought a thicker coat. I’ve never been this far from the sun before. The Eleventh House’s orbit is farther out from Helios than any world I’ve visited—its three moons are even known for their famous ski spas.
I have just enough time to spot a wooden stable on the horizon when Nishi’s arms engulf me, and we spin around and around on the field, clasped close together and laughing giddily into each other’s ears. When we stop laughing, we tighten our holds, and I know we’re both fighting tears.
When we pull apart, I get my first good look at my best friend, and I’m startled by how different she seems.
She’s wearing a white levlan coat that probably cost three times as much as the red suit she wore to the Lunar Quadract, and a pair of brilliant gemstones dangle from each of her earlobes, so bright they look like stars. Nishi’s always had expensive taste, but like me, she’s generally more comfortable in casual clothes. Seeing her so uncharacteristically made up reminds me of my public appearances as Guardian, when I wasn’t dressing up for me but for my cause.
While she greets Stan and Mathias, I notice a couple of silver-haired Aquarian men approaching us, and behind them trails a rainbow of horses—gray, aqua, pink, green. As the enormous creatures clomp closer, the aqua-colored steed steers away from the group to shake its head of hair, and a pair of gigantic, feathery wings stretch skyward from its sides.
“What are those?” asks Stan, and for the first time in too long, there’s no shadow in his voice.
“Pegazi,” says Nishi. “Members of the Royal Clan ride them to get around.”
The pink horse trots up to Nishi, like it recognizes her, and the Aquarian men introduce Stan and Mathias to the green and gray Pegazi. I stare at the aqua creature that’s still standing apart from us.
“That’s Candor,” says one of the men after he’s helped Mathias onto the gray steed, referring to the aqua horse. “She’s the head of her herd, so only a leader may ride her.”
I consider mentioning that my Wandering Star role doesn’t come with any actual power, but the silver-haired man is already clicking at Candor to call her over. She doesn’t budge.
“Looks like she expects us to come to her.” He grins at me, and I notice two of his teeth are missing. I really hope it wasn’t Candor’s hoof that knocked them out.
“It’s the Pegazi’s land, so I think we ought to heed her wishes,” he says genially. “After all, the decision to bond must be mutual. She has to accept you.”
I follow him over to the winged horse, and she looks down at me through onyx eyes; the longer I stare into them, the more colors I see within their depths. They remind me of the black opal Talisman.
“What do you mean it’s the Pegazi’s land?” I ask, still studying Candor’s eyes.
“History tells us that when humans colonized Primitus, the Pegazi already inhabited the planet’s northern hemisphere. To avoid disturbing their way of life, our ancestors designed the Royal Kingdom around them, and over the centuries the Pegazi grew curious about us and began befriending people, eventually learning our language.”
I whip my face to the Aquarian, expecting to find he’s joking, but he looks serious. “She can—understand us?” I ask incredulously.
Candor whinnies and bows low, and the man exclaims, “She’s accepted you!”
My stomach is in knots as I take the hand he holds out to me and swing a leg around Candor’s back. “There’s a ridge in her spine that can cradle you,” says the Aquarian, gesturing for me to slide up. As I edge along the Pegazi’s smooth skin, I feel myself drop into a slight crest in the brackets of her back.
“Once you’re bonded, it’s for life,” he says reverently. “A Pegazi never forgets a soul. She’ll sense your presence any time you enter the Royal Kingdom.”
“That’s—unbelievable.”
Looking down at him from high up on Candor’s back, it occurs to me that though he seems to be some kind of shepherd for the Pegazi, the man doesn’t touch the creatures, nor does he seem to have any control over them.
Without warning Candor clomps forward to join the others, and I turn around to wave to the Aquarian. “Thank you!”
The other Pegazi have formed a line to greet us, like soldiers saluting their captain, and as Candor surveys the winged horses, I gaze out at my friends. “Loosen up, Rho!” calls Nishi. “Try having fun!”
Candor’s wings whoosh out suddenly, and the whole world starts shaking as she gallops ahead, and it’s like going from zero to lightspeed in a single breath. I hang tight to her neck as her wings flap at my sides, blowing frosty air in my face, and I hear the other horses’ hooves echoing behind us.
We speed up as we near the cliff’s edge, and I shriek as we leap off the hilltop. Then she straightens her wings, and we soar into the cloudy sky.
The wind whipping at my face would have frozen me by now if not for the Pegazi’s body heat; the warmth emanating from her hide combats the cold and makes the whole experience rather . . . delightful.
I look down as we fly over a vast valley of widely spaced family estates. The enormous homes sprawl along one side of a clear turquoise lake, and on its other side is a Pegazi habitat boasting sheltered shacks with barrels of hay and feather blankets. We rise higher as we crest a steep hill, and then a forest emerges, swallowing the landscape in shades and textures of green, until the tapestry of trees is cut off by the roaring blue ocean.
After a while, my neck starts to cramp, so I look up.
And I suck in a shocked breath.
Looming large over the gray horizon and hovering high above the Royal Kingdom . . . is a castle in the clouds.

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