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<center>[[File:Venus_pixel.png]]</center>


<center>[[File:Luna_pixel.png|link=]]</center>
Venus is a microcosm of Solarian culture with its glittering cities floating above the clouds and a dirty underbelly below them. The capital of Venus is Binyaria, the largest aerostat and home to the best Sol has to offer in holovids, VR, orchestration, engine parts, and weaponry. Cythereans live in the luxurious habitable zone above the clouds. Jintarians live on the surface of Venus far below the Cythereans, both physically and metaphorically. The primary language is Sol Common.


The only natural satellite of Earth, Luna is the oldest colony of humanity and has fascinated humanity since long before the dawn of space travel. Luna is humanity’s oldest colony and one of its wealthiest, due to the moon’s significant corporate presence. Cities on Luna are often partially underground due to the planet’s lack of an atmosphere, but many great domed cities exist on Luna as well. The primary language of Luna is either Sol Common or Tradeband, depending on which Lunarian you ask.
==Environment==
Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Despite this, there have been genetically-modified organisms introduced to the surface and upper atmosphere that can withstand the extreme conditions, such as the Yudina, otherwise known as the Jintarian Dragon Mole.
 
A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced of habitats below the cloud layer, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew more toxic gases into the atmosphere. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.


==History==
==Population and Major Aerostats and Habitats==
===Binyaria===
Binyaria, the first and largest aerostat, is widely known as the jewel of Venus and houses just about 19 million people. Those from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience Solarian culture, with tourists roaming the famous Binyarian vineyards and partying into the artificial, neon-lit night. It is widely known that Binyarians don’t get the best first; they make the best first. This reputation of being the most beautiful, the most cultured, the most advanced, and the greatest has lead to an extremely aggressive, cutthroat environment for those looking to get ahead. Actors, idols, politicians, and scientists all face heavy scrutiny by their fellow Binyarians and must constantly keep their mask polished and their persona unbreakable in order to become even the most minor celebrity.
Like most aerostats, Binyaria is divided into layers, which are further subdivided into districts. The most well known districts on Binyaria are Wajiu District on Layer 1, Chiye-Gyo District on Layer 3, and Parabing District on Layer 6.


While humanity has been obsessed with Earth’s moon for untold millennia before the invention of the most primitive spacecraft, historians generally regard the modern era of Luna as beginning on 16 July, 1969 - when American Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to ever land upon another celestial body. These pioneers were quickly followed in late 1970 by the Soviet N1/L3 Soyuz 7K-LOK “Pervoprohodets” mision, which landed the third group of humans on the Moon. The “Moon Race” would continue for the rest of the 20th century and result in the first permanent settlement on Luna by the early 1980s - the Soviet “Zvezda” moonbase. The Moon Race ended in an arguable draw in the early 21st century, due to increasing economic instability on Earth.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
=== Binyarian Districts  ===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">Binyaria’s government developed '''Wajiu District''' with the utmost care and foresight, leading to the district’s gardens becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions. Pervasive genetic engineering has helped the plants become beautiful, delicious, potent, or a combination of the three and an aesthetic-based design philosophy has only furthered the plants’ appealing appearance. Among these gardens lie the famed Yuyuan Vineyard where tourists flock to see by far the most attractive and artistic garden in Wajiu District and, of course, try the excellent Yuyuan Wine for a discounted price.


Luna was mostly ignored by a humanity more obsessed with survival at home until 2070, when colonists from United Orbital Enterprise (a unified space agency between the USA, China, France, and Mexico) landed on its light side. Colonists from Cosmonaut Enterprises (a successor to the Soviet space program of the 20th century) landed on the dark side of Luna in 2072. With this the colonization of Earth’s moon had formally begun, and it would see significant use as a waystation for other points in the Sol system over the course of the upcoming decades and centuries. Due to its low gravity, the Soviets and UOE used Luna as a major shipyard and proving ground for deep-space equipment.
'''Chiye-Gyo District''', similarly, was helped to fame by corporate investment. For a long time, Chiye-Gyo District was in a strange place, being mostly made up lower-middle class housing and failing businesses. The government of Binyaria, set to improve the district, announced that in 2397 the district would be sold out to corporations. Early on in the redesign of the district, [[Nanotrasen Corporation]] and [[Idris Incorporated]] invested heavily into Chiye-Gyo District recognizing the emerging celebrity culture of Venus.


Further colonization to Luna took place during the 21st and 22nd century as climate damage gradually worsened, with many wealthy families and companies simply moving off-world to Luna when able to do so. With Earth's economy rapidly deteriorating the rich families of the planet found themselves in need of a new home in a very short order with very few good options: Mars suffered from many of the same problems as Earth, orbital stations were often too impractical, and Luna was -- aside from some way stations built upon it in the late 21st and early 22nd century -- mostly uninhabited. Luna was chosen by most rich refugees fleeing Earth due to its close position to Earth and the perceived ease of development on Earth's only natural satellite compared to the cost of producing dozens of semi-private stations for rich families and businesses.
NanoTrasen and Idris formed and debuted various musical groups, all of whom gained a dedicated following whether big or small, and have achieved great financial success. More importantly, however, these pop bands, hip-hop groups, and solo ballad artists helped give rise to the celebrity-based culture Venus is known for today. In more recent years, [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and [[Hephaestus Industries]] have broken into both the corporate battle and the hearts of Venusians with their own outrageously successful debut artists.


A great amount of manpower and money was required to create this new home for the Earth's richest and brightest as Luna, unlike Mars, was built without the use of cyborg-based labor. To do this hundreds of thousands of well-trained engineers, technicians, and other personnel were employed by the climate refugees to build their new home in exchange for a place on it when the refuge was completed. As such Luna, despite its original conceptualization as a climate refuge for the richest and most notable of Earth, has had a working class from its first days. As settlement continued and more domed cities were created the "lower class" of Luna expanded to include a variety of miners brought by [[Einstein Engines]] in order to exploit Luna's natural Helium-3 and titanium deposits. Though these deposits have since dried up the descendants of these miners can be found on Luna even today, and often still work for Einstein Engines -- though now as engineers and bureaucrats rather than miners.
With all of Binyaria’s aspiring artists, it was only a matter of time before '''Parabing District''' became as popular as it is today. Though mostly focused on the lower- and middle-class, Parabing District holds a number of high-energy clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants, all of which become progressively seedier closer to Binyaria’s hull. The district’s dynamic lighting is paused at midnight, but is lit up by the thousands of neon signs competing for attention.


The booming economy of Luna created an environment in which corporations could easily succeed. In 2155 [[Einstein Engines]], using the foundation provided by Lunan Helium-3 mining, created the first practical mass-market warp engines and became the first modern megacorporation. Luna’s prosperity has continued since then, and it remains one of the wealthiest planets in the Sol Alliance to this very day, despite its small size and small population. The Luna of today is, in many ways, the ideal colony. Rich, prosperous, and unfailing in its loyalty to the Sol Alliance.
Furthest from the hull, street food vendors set up their carts and offer drunk food to the exhausted, inerbiatered clubbers on their way out of the district. Toward the center of the district, host and hostess bars offer companionship to the many business people of Binyaria while young, attractive college students advertise themselves for compensated dates nearby outside. Along the hull, brothels hidden behind heavy curtains and tucked into alleys are frequented by people with intricate tattooing and expensive clothing. Anyone can find something fun in Parabing with a bit of luck and cash.
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</div>


==Environment==
===Tethering Station Medio===
Luna is a barren rock with almost no atmosphere to speak of, and its surface is extremely cold. To perform activities outside without a spacesuit is suicide, and much of its population lives underground or in massive “dome cities” on its surface. The moon is tidally locked to Earth and takes 28 days to make a full rotation, leading to it possessing both a light and dark side. The Lunarian surface is also home to heavy amounts of helium-3 and titanium, which have made it an ideal target for mining. Less populated areas often feature huge strip mines where materials for humanity’s expansion into the greater Orion Spur have been retrieved from the Lunar soil, with the resulting strip mines simply left unfilled - particularly on the dark side of Luna.
Medio is one of the oldest habitation complexes on the surface. Built on Verdandi Corona, Medio was once used as an anchor for an aerostat by the name of Arianrhod, which was destroyed in a long-forgotten incident. Revanchist feelings against Cythereans run particularly strong here, residents still emboldened by their past “victory.” Owing to its various refueling, processing, and recycling facilities, Medio has become a popular stationing for illegal surfacers, their presence only being slightly uncomfortable for residents. Other ventures here tend to be of a manufacturing nature.


==Life on Luna==
===Subterranean Complex 74-F, “Rason”===
A newer complex, Rason is one of the few built near-completely underground with only a single observational spire above the rocky surface. Civilian affairs here primarily deal in textiles and hydroponics, the work rather strenuous. Long hours are devoted to the creation of expensive clothes, polychromic fabrics, and holographic inlays that workers will never wear. A popular hobby is freerunning with a monthly (based on Terran months) Climb The Complex competition held where citizens must start at the bottom of the complex and make it all the way to the top of the spire.


The population of Luna is minuscule compared to that of Mars and Venus, with roughly 1.3 billion permanent residents scattered across its surface. However despite its small population the residents of Luna are, on average compared to the rest of the Sol Alliance, wealthier and happier than anywhere else. Despite its immense wealth Luna's population is not entirely made up of the super-wealthy plutocrats that the planet has come to be known for, and many Lunans belong to its small yet ever-present "lower class" of working Lunans made up of everything from physicians to the technicians that keep the planet's domed city states running around the clock. Some menial labor, such as trash collection or the physically-intensive process of digging out new constructions in the Lunar soil, has been taken over by IPCs produced by Einstein Engines, which still dominates the economy and politics of most settlements on Earth’s satellite even in the 2460s.
Dropped from orbit around thirty years ago, Rason’s impact and construction were based around a promising xenoarcheological find, which was nearly destroyed. It is said that partial ruins exist around Rason’s depth of 200 feet (~61 meters); despite having no publicly known entrances, many xenoarcheologists have disappeared underneath the complex. Often the dwellers of the complex have described seeing shadowy, vaguely humanoid figures walking around in their dreams. The figures have reportedly murdered people in their dreams by whispering a single, incomprehensible word that causes great agony and distress which vanishes once the dreamer awakens.
Unlike elsewhere in the Sol Alliance Lunan culture retains connections to Earth itself despite the separated nature of its settlements. As a result of this many locations on Earth’s satellite proudly boast of their connections to the Blue Planet while striving to maintain a culture similar to their Earthbound origins, though some cultural drift has occurred over the past centuries. Physical drift has occurred as well, with Lunarians typically being taller, thinner, and paler than their Earthbound counterparts as a result of their existence in artificial gravity slightly lighter than that of Earth itself due to the widespread usage of artificial gravity on Luna. Some Lunarians view this as a point of pride, with a tall stature being viewed as desirable amongst its plutocrats.


Most cities on Luna are actually located on its surface, particularly those descended from UOE colonies. The oldest typically use large shielded domes that remain clear due to the materials used in their construction - generally made of super-reinforced glass microthreaded with titanium - centuries ago. More recent domes utilize phoron-reinforced glass for a better view of the outside, and improved durability, and some domes even use solely force fields created by superheated plasma to create miniature atmospheres. The uniquely spectacular views provided by these domes are a point of pride amongst Lunarians, with the best views (particularly those of Earth) being reserved for the most elite of Luna’s elite. Due to the inherently separate nature of cities on Luna, its domes tend to have their own spins on Lunan culture.
===Ishtar’s Temple and the Babylon Garden===


===Politics===
Only a short shuttle ride from Binyaria, Ishtar’s Temple functions as her perfect, albeit vastly smaller twin Binyaria. Ishtar's Temple serves as an entertainment aerostat; it sates every interest to people who have the time and credits to seek it out. Clubs, amusement parks, lounges and bars, sport centers and everything in between are open to the general public aboard the aerostat.


The domestic politics of Luna are, by the standards of the Alliance, fairly boring and typical. The governor and lunar administration are closely aligned to Einstein Engines and regarded as loyal to Sol even after the Violet Dawn disaster on [[Mars]]. However Luna's political scene has a much more interesting aspect to it: it, due to its heavy corporate presence and relative nearness to Earth, has long been seen as the center of interstellar politics for humanity. Luna is viewed as political neutral ground internationally due to its lofty status as the first colony of humanity, and Harmony City has historically been the go-to location for interstellar diplomacy on the Lunar surface. In harmony City itself a multitude of historic diplomatic agreements between interstellar powers have been signed such as the 2284 Treaty of Olympus, ending the Martian World War, the Lunar Resolution Treaty of 2287, which brought an end to the Interstellar War, and the controversial Cetite Charter of 2452, which formally recognized the independence of the [[Republic of Biesel]] by the Solarian Alliance.
However, beyond the guarded elevators and hidden checkpoints, on the uppermost levels, elusive to most Venusians and those foreign to the system, sits Babylon Garden. Here, the more elite attractions exist for the rich, influential, or resourceful. With the right amount of credits, connections, knowledge, or influence, lucky patrons can gain one of the illusive key cards that provide access to Babylon Garden. It is rumoured that management will occasionally slip an access card to favored patrons who wouldn’t be able to get access otherwise. Outside of Venus the existence of the Babylon Garden is known to very few, and those that have seen it are fewer.


As a result of this reputation Lunarians, particularly those from the upper classes, make up a large part of the Solarian Alliance's Diplomatic Service. Lunarian diplomats and their associated bureaucrats can be found representing the Alliance throughout the Orion Spur, and many Lunarians will have relatives involved with the Diplomatic Service or themselves be involved with the Service. Most remaining Solarian diplomatic personnel found in the Republic of Biesel are Lunarians, due to Luna's status as the location where the young Republic first came into existence. While some go into the Alliance Diplomatic Service many Lunarians instead opt to join the Solarian Navy as officers, and it is considered a mark of excellence by many wealthy families to have at least one child join the Navy as an officer to prove the loyalty of the family -- and Luna -- to the greater Alliance.
In Babylon Garden, the Venusian Shells of the Diamond are the aerostat’s most famous draw and specialty. These shells, designed with quality beyond those outside the aerostat, each sport a uniquely designed chassis in addition to carefully vetted personality matrices. As the hosts and hostesses of Babylon Garden, the shells go to great lengths to cater to each and every patron, from providing beverages and lighting cigarettes to flirtatious conversation. The purpose of these shells are to provide a space of respite, pleasant conversation and hospitality.


===Culture===
The Venusian Shells of the Diamond are not only popular, but occupy a highly unique role among synthetics in the Alliance. Contrary to common notions of ownership, the IPCs here can not only set their own prices and tasks, but have nigh equal rights to their employers. The clubs of Babylon Garden rely on the cooperation of their 'employees', and the safety of these synthetics is guaranteed by the funding and high demand of their wealthy consumers. While the Shells of the Diamond and their owners are somewhat at odds in their ability to influence each other; coming to an endpoint with the IPCs' inability to become free synthetics, the status quo has remained and relations are peaceful.


==Society==
'''Ethnic Groups:'''
'''Ethnic Groups:'''
* 77.8% Lunarians
* 13.1% Cytherean
* 13.1% IPCs (various frames)
* 21.8% Jintarian
* 9.2% Non-Lunarian humans
* 63.8% Other Human Ethnicities
* 1% Skrell
* 0.9% Skrell
* 0.2% Tajara
* 0.2% Unathi


There is no truly unified “Lunarian culture” beyond wealth and pride in their close connection to Earth due to the diversity of its small-yet-rich population due to the structure of Luna's settlements as mostly self-contained city-states of their own, but there are some common traits shared between these biodomes beyond having an average familial wealth greater than entire colonies on the frontier.
===Cytherean Culture===
Cythereans dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer, nicknamed “the Zone”, above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Though varying in size, the largest aerostats are no bigger than four miles across. Many take the shape of an upside down teardrop. The topmost section hosts a large, open-air park dedicated to help with the claustrophobic feelings in the aerostats and to maintaining a large amount of oxygen to keep the city afloat in the carbon dioxide. Below the park lies a mass of apartments, offices, shops, and other-such buildings arranged in a similar fashion to a shopping mall. There are numerous open spaces built into aerostats that provide both public space for citizens and more air chambers for buoyancy. Aerostats are mobile, possessing both microthrusters and rudders for stability and the occasional docking with surface elevators or tethers. The other less common format of aerostats are donut-shaped and are used for the immensely lucrative farming business. These aerostats are equipped to collect sulphuric acid and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, often taking cloud dives to produce fertilizer and water.


One of these is '''Zhongqiu Jie Festival''', an extremely popular holiday on Luna said to date back to the 2070s. The holiday is originally rooted in the Chinese New Year, itself imported by Chinese immigrants to Luna, but has since grown to be a common holiday designed to celebrate the success of humanity’s first interstellar pioneers. The Zhongqiu Jie Festival takes place on the same date as its Earthbound variant: the fifteenth day of the eight month of the traditional Chinese calendar.
Despite their precarious living situation, Cytherean Venus is the primary pop culture center of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favor of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe”. They are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.  


'''Apollo Day''' is another common holiday, taking place on the sixteenth of July. Similarly to Danza de la Luna, this holiday celebrates the success of humanity’s interstellar pioneers. However, this one celebrates the success of Apollo 11 specifically rather than explorers more generally. A variation on Apollo Day named ''Pervoprohodets Day'' is instead celebrated in Soviet-colonized areas, with this holiday instead taking place on the fifteenth of December - the date the USSR’s LK lander touched down on the Lunar surface.
The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat as both culture and copyright law change rapidly to suit whoever is rich and whatever is popular at the time in any given arcology, given the heavy celebrity-based culture. Law enforcement, while much more strict and present than on the surface, are easily evaded. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as one has the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.


Lunarians are, as a general rule, a tightly-knit people due to the barriers associated with entry into what is considered by some outsiders to be the "ultimate gated community." Loyalty to one's family is seen as a desirable trait, and the standing of a family in the pecking order of Luna can be relatively static due to what prestige is often based upon: how long the family has resided on Luna for. Some of the wealthiest and most prestigious families on Luna are the descendants of rich climate refugees from the late 21st century that have dwelt on Luna for as long as humanity has maintained offworld colonies.
Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with a booming genetic engineering field to aid residents on Venus. There are also a fairly large number of farmers and gardeners from Venus, some of whom leave the planet for a more relaxed atmosphere. Many of these scientists are enticed to NanoTrasen by recruiters.


As a result of their typically-esteemed pedigrees Lunarians are known across the Solarian Alliance - and human space more generally - for their immense pride in their home and mind-blowing wealth, with some families rumored to be richer than entire member states of the Coalition of Colonies. Due to this Lunarians are often stereotyped as haughty, arrogant people that look down their noses at others - even other wealthy Solarians such as Cytherean Venusians - and brag incessantly about their origins on humanity's first colony. A common joke in the Coalition of Colonies is that you always know a Lunarian: they'll tell you they're one very quickly after meeting you.
In Cytherean Venus, it's a sort of faux pas to even mention the surface dwellers. It is a known secret that there are many below scraping by in constant hardship, though very few offworlders other than criminals know much of the true life of a surface dweller.


The traditional stereotype of the dignified, often arrogant Lunarian that takes pride in their longstanding service to the Alliance stands in contrast to the party fiend Cytherean who takes pride in how hedonistic they can be while remaining functional. As a result the relationship between Lunarians and Cythereans is not a pleasant one, and many often form intense personal rivalries. Some say that Luna and [[Venus]] have a rivalry themselves  but, to most Lunarians, Cytherea hardly compares to the grandeur of humanity's oldest colony.
Cytherean farmers living in the donut-shaped aerostats are a different bunch. With much of the farming rings dedicated solely to growing crops, the living quarters of donut dwellers are somewhat more open, and very scenic. Farmers often come from families with a history in hydroponics and are usually raised to carry on the family legacy. Typically, these aerostats take on a country-clubesque approach, having just as egotistical an atmosphere as typical Cytherean environments: wealthy farmers with massive crop arrangements; automated sprayers; and plenty of robots, aliens, and otherwise-poor Surfacers to help out. Freetime is ample, and this is spent on all sorts of frivolities: shooting, swimming, Terran and alien animal husbandry, playing sports, and doing plenty of social activities. Life here can be just as stratified as the teardrop aerostats with dwellers either being “members” or “helpers” depending on their connections and charisma.


The Lunan lower class is similarly prideful in their origins, though they hold a much less prestigious and influential position than the upper class does. While they remain, on average, significantly richer than their counterparts in other Solarian settlements members of Luna's lower class often find themselves frustrated by their inability to break into the closely-guarded social circles of the upper classes and their close associates. Many members of the Lunan lower class feel increasingly threatened by the growing number of positronics in lower-level engineering positions, which make up a significant number of lower-class jobs on Luna. With Einstein Engines' influence on the planet growing, it seems that the issue of jobs and positronic workers may come to a head sooner rather than later.
===Jintarian Culture===
Despite the crushing pressure and the lead-melting hellscape that is the surface of Venus, colloquially known as Downstairs, many habitats exist there. Compared to the many independent cities that lurk above the cloud layer, there are few individual habitats, with many often structured as sprawling complexes. Hab-complexes tend to lack windows due to the immense pressure and the windows that do exist are primarily in the form of thick, expensive borosilicate used solely in expensive observatories. Greenery aided by artificial means are a common sight in these complexes. Lighting is tuned to simulate a relatively Earth-like environment.


===Major Cities===
Those on the Venusian surface tend to be researchers, foreigners who couldn’t make it in the floating Cytherean palaces, or criminals from the cloud layer. The desolation of the Venusian surface has lead to a culture focused on escapism. Craftworks, holodecks, and stadium-complexes are commonplace. Parkour and freerunning are also popular pastimes, with annual and casual competitions often held in holodecks. Jintarian runners duck through cramped maintenance shafts, shimmy inside air vents, and slide through industrial complexes. Following pop culture fed in through the cloud layer, though, is the primary means of forgetting the surface hellscape. There are also Screenpod Studios housing dozens of Screenpods for a viewer to crawl into and experience their favorite movies and shows in 4D. There are also many AR experiences available to the Jintarians, fully immersing them in fantastical, dramatic, or sensual situations and environments. Jintarians typically become nervous in wide-open spaces, preferring the tight comfort of a hab-complex or tunnel.


The major cities of Luna are quite distinct from one another due to their insular structures, and are some of the wealthiest locations in the Solarian Alliance. Below are some of Luna's largest and most notable settlements.
Work for Jintarians, however, remains mostly practical and physical. Engineering jobs are an essential part of hab-complexes, with some even managing to work their way back above the clouds to upkeep the floating Cytherean cities. Industrial work is also common, with many factories making shield generators, firearms, and vehicles for exportation. Because of the extremely hostile conditions of Venus and the incredibly quality materials required to build homes on the surface, Jintarian products are known for being highly reliable, durable, and of great quality.


'''Harmony City''' is the official capital of Luna, with a population of roughly forty million, and is situated in the Sea of Tranquility near where Apollo 11 landed centuries ago. Harmony City is an older city on Luna and was founded by American and Canadian climate refugees in the late 2050s. Many of the original refugees that founded Harmony City were engineers and investors involved in the private space industry of the United States and would go on to become involved with the first trans-stellar businesses, which led to the founding of Einstein Engines in the city in the mid-22nd century. Harmony City is often regarded as the birthplace of modern megacorporations as a result of this. Notable locations within the city include the AESCO-L Museum of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which preserves the original Apollo 11 landing site within itself.Harmony City is located on the light side of Luna, and is regarded as one of the Sol Alliance’s wealthiest areas. It is viewed by Lunarians as a highly desirable as a location to live due to its age and reputation.
===Illegal Surfacers===
Not all of the people who dwell on the Venusian surface live in hab-complexes. Some have taken like swarms of locusts to the lead-melting wastelands of the planet. These people are mostly miners and illegal traders, blazing on their huge, over-engineered motor and hovercrafts that serve as formidable war machines, functional living bases, and heavy mining rovers all at once. These almost mind-bogglingly complex vehicles are crafted from metal scrap dropped from the Zone and surface wrecks and ruins. Outside of vehicles, extremely robust hardsuits are employed, resembling something closer to antique diving suits than the sleeky, contemporary designs of Tau Ceti. Both rapid-firing PDWs, heavy coilguns, and super-sized kinetic accelerators are employed on foot as well. Convoys of tank-bases are typically followed by herds of Yudina, a burrowing Venusian beast. These creatures can grow up to thirty feet long, lack eyes, and have very thick skin. Their massive claws make quick work of the virgin surface, exposing wealths of natural resources, partially through their digestive processes.


'''Nouvelle Caen''' is a more recent dome and is the direct descendant of an earlier dome with the same name established in the late 21st century, and is located in the Mare Serenitatis on the Moon’s light side. The original Nouvelle Caen was, as the name indicates, originally founded by climate refugees primarily from France. It quickly became known as a center of culture on the moon and attracted a variety of wealthy refugees and skilled personnel through this reputation. The immense wealth, and pride, of Nouvelle Caen led to one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the Sol System: the modernization of the Nouvelle Caen dome to be larger and more grandiose. The modern Nouvelle Caen is one of the largest and most modern domes on Luna due to its usage of phoron-reinforced glass in its dome, which has allowed for a larger dome than Harmony City’s. The dome is large enough to feature an artificial “sea” constructed inside of the Mare Serenitatis, which has become the only body of water on Luna itself. As a result Nouvelle Caen is seen by the Lunarians as the peak of luxury on Luna and is regarded as the premier location to live on the moon, despite not being its capital. Many corporate higher-ups have penthouses here, though Einstein Engines officials prefer to reside in Harmony City due to the presence of their corporate headquarters.
While initially many operated independently and gunned down each other on sight, eventually a proper organization with a division of labor formed quickly. Simply called the Venusian Company, they found black market deals more lucrative than selling materials to megacorporations. The Company presents themselves as a somewhat-corporate organization and has constructed static bases across the surface of Venus to house families. As they attempted to expand further from Venus, the Company faced difficulty as a known criminal faction. Thus, they formally established and registered the Azulite Mining Guild, pretending to be a small mining company. The Azulite Mining Guild got a relatively large number of holdings in the Sol system, owning large patches of land on Mercury, and plenty of various entire moons of Saturn and Jupiter. The Company, however, withholds a fair share of the profits, leading to the formation of many small, rebellious gangs. However, there has been no successful joined effort to create a proper opposing faction. The Company usually attempts to destroy gang vehicles on sight making many of these gangs arm themselves to the teeth. Alternatively, some like the Masquers gang, named after a famous Zone-made movie, employ ragtag cloaking technology to conduct their operations covertly.


'''Hangzhou''' is another old dome, though not quite as old as Harmony City, founded in the mid 2060s and located in the Mare Insularum on the near side of Luna. The original colonists of the dome were primarily climate refugees from China involved in the medical research field. Hangzhou rapidly found itself a key medical and research hub on Luna and gained a reputation as the home of the best and brightest medical minds of humanity. The economic and cultural influence of Hangzhou led to the creation of ''Zhongqiu Jie Festival'' in the 2070s, which has remained one of the most popular holidays on Luna to the present day. The medical excellence of Hangzhou has been furthered by the creation of institutions such as the Lunar University of Medical Science and the ongoing involvement of [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] in the city. As a result of this the city consistently boasts that it has one of the highest standards of living in the Alliance, with wealthy residents routinely living to be over a hundred and twenty years old thanks to cutting-edge Zeng-Hu medical treatments.
===Venusian IPCs===
IPCs enjoy a certain status above even some alien residents of Venus, lofted by the ethereal beauty and flawless movements of a Venusian-made Shell or the ability to make other frames as aesthetically pleasing as possible in the most avant garde ways, to say nothing of how easily they can be manipulated. Under the clouds, robots and IPCs alike are valued for their reliability in an industrial environment, even among potentially shady mining guilds. However, the love of the aesthetic of IPCs does not reach the surface, as those Downstairs consider them more as tools than art. This mentality of IPCs being the ultimate display of artistry or a handy piece of hardware hinders IPCs quite a bit; no free IPCs exist either in the Zone or Downstairs.


'''Gagaringrad''' is the largest and greatest dome founded by Cosmonaut Industries and was originally settled by colonists from the Soviet Union in the early 2100s as a titanium and Helium-3 mining colony. Gagaringrad eventually depleted its titanium and Helium-3 deposits in the late 2100s and was surpassed in importance by [[Pluto]], and has never achieved the same level of influence it had in the early 2100s. It remains one of the less prestigious domes on Luna, with most of its population being from the moon's lower class. Most of the “dome” is constructed underground, which has led to it being seen as very unattractive by Luna’s plutocrats. This lack of plutocrats has been an unexpected boon for the lower class of Luna, which has managed to gain more influence in the city than anywhere else on Luna. Despite its lesser status on Luna [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]] - perhaps attracted by the nearby colonial-era weapons testing facility at Shajin Crater - has a significant presence in Gagaringrad, and is the dome’s primary employer. Like Harmony City, Gagaringrad has its own slice of Lunar history - a museum centered around the Zvezda moonbase, one of the first permanent settlements on Luna.
==Fashion==
The class divided on Venus between Cythereans and Jintarians is evident even in their clothes. Cythereans often wear avant garde, nearly-impractical clothing while Jintarians usually perfer comfort and function over style.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
=== Cytherean Fashion  ===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">There a number of Cytherean fashion trends just entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. There are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow, though.


===Corporations===
The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the skin. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. It should be noted that showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa.


Corporations are just as present amongst the elites of Luna as they are in the rest of the Sol Alliance, but the age and wealth of Earth’s only natural satellite has led to corporations being treated slightly differently here than on [[New Hai Phong]] or [[Silversun]].
Another important note that while minor body modifications are considered fine, a more natural appearance is preferred. Body-sculpting procedures are common, especially among celebrities. The most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes”, tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, reconstructing the teeth, enhancing or emphasizing musculature, and balancing body proportions, usually in favor of the legs. However, extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon. In particular, tattooing, even minor tattooing in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals.


Despite the creation of the Solarian Corporate Authority and aggressive nationalisation measures undertaken by the Alliance's emergency military government Luna has, through its extreme wealth and influence, managed to retain much of its corporate presence, which primarily consists of upper-end white-collar jobs supported by masses of owned IPC workers to fill less important roles. The one exception to the ongoing presence of megacorporations on Luna is Nanotrasen, which was unable to escape the mass nationalisation of its assets even on Luna.
The source of many trends has stemmed from Binyaria’s Parabing District, named “wankukai” trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Parabing clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colors with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more femme looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and, for the brave, microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple, low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colorful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.


'''[[Einstein Engines]]''' is the undisputed hegemon of Luna, with Governor Kristen Anuja thoroughly at the beck-and-call of its CEO and most non-plutocrat Lunarians employed by it. Recently the Luna branch of Einstein has expanded through the absorption of NanoTrasen's limited assets on the moon. Located outside Harmony City, the ''Einstein Engines Robert H. Goddard Administrative, Commercial, and Research Facility'' is large enough to be considered a separate municipal area from Harmony City itself. The facility is one of the largest, and one of the most well-guarded, corporate buildings in the Orion Spur, and dates back to the founding of Einstein Engines. Dr. Noella Lopez-Zhang, Einstein's CEO, has her office at the peak of the facility’s tallest spire. The Robert H. Goddard Facility is, additionally, where the now-famous Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive was first developed and tested.
Recently, there has been a rise in traditional and “neo-traditional” clothes. For example, “faying” dresses and suits are based off Victorian Era British and French formalwear, but modified to better fit today’s fast paced society. Faying are less restrictive and faying dresses in particular have a much smaller bell skirt and are occasionally shortened to the mid-calf or knee. Another example are “neo-hanbok”, which are the traditional Korean hanbok similarly updated like faying. Feminine hanbok have a thinner bell and sometimes have a shorter skirt and masculine hanbok often have tighter sleeves and a pair of pants and vest instead of a robe. Another popular look is to add LED lighting, neon graphics, or simply different colors. Standard qipao/cheongsam, changshan, kimono, and yukata are also staples among the traditional fashion movement.
</div>
</div>


The '''[[Nanotrasen Corporation]]''' previously had a fairly small presence on Luna, with offices in Harmony City and not much else. The local government is extremely hostile towards the megacorp, due to the local dominance of Einstein, and in the aftermath of the events of [[KING OF THE WORLD]] the Solarian government has nationalized all NanoTrasen facilities on Luna and elsewhere in Sol. NanoTrasen now has no presence on Luna.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">


'''[[Hephaestus Industries]]''' maintains a small presences on Luna, particularly in Harmony City. While Hephaestus often dominates the engineering field in other areas of the Alliance, such as [[New Hai Phong]], on Luna it has always dwelled in the shadow of Einstein Engines. Now, with the Stellar Corporate Authority tightening the belt on many megacorporations, Hephaestus' presence on Luna seems likely to shrink even further.
=== Jintarian Fashion  ===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">Due to the rough life on the Venusian surface, Jintarian fashion is mostly practical. For the most part, Jintarians wear simple jumpsuits, overalls, t-shirts, and jeans. It is not uncommon, though, for Jintarians to decorate their clothes with pins, badges, armbands, or graphics. Military-style, bomber, and leather jackets are also common among fashion-forward Jintarians. Among Jintarian freerunners, it is a sort of tradition to hide one’s identity. Generally, freerunners wear fitted hoodies, plain athletic shorts, running shoes, and either a blank mask or a combination of an air mask and a lowered baseball cap, sunglasses, or tight beanie.</div>
</div>


'''[[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]]''' remains the primary sponsor of the venerable Lunar University of Medical Science, and maintains some research facilities on Luna dating back to its early colonization that are used for low-gravity experiments. Often Zeng-Hu's researchers assigned to [[Europa]] are based out of facilities on Luna, to avoid the long-term stress associated with the moon. Zeng-Hu dominates the city of Hangzhou and its universities, and many of the keiretsu's best employees are granted housing (and medical care) in Hangzhou for exceptional service.
==Ethnicity on Venus==
===Cytherean===
The average Cytherean look is:
* Skin Tone: 50 - 140
* Average Height: 5'9" - 6'3" / 175 cm - 190 cm
* Black to dark brown hair, though often dyed.
* Dark brown to light brown eyes.
===Jintarian===
The average Jintarian look is:
* Skin Tone: 1 - 50
* Average Height: 5'3" - 5'9" / 160 cm - 175 cm
* Black to dark brown hair.
* Dark brown to light brown eyes.


'''[[Zavodskoi Interstellar]]''' maintains a presence on the dark side of Luna, where its weapons testing is less likely to cause a disturbance. Their center of power on Luna is the less prestigious city of Gagaringrad which, much like the megacorporation itself, dwells in the shadow of its larger counterparts.
Jintarians raised on Venus usually have broad, thick builds due to the pressure of the atmosphere.


'''[[Idris Incorporated]]''' can be found throughout Luna, due to its consistent focus on luxury in all things. Idris is most prominent in Luna's cultural capital, Nouvelle Caen, due to its focus on fashion in addition to banking. Le Soleil Royal, Idris' famous fashion subsidiary, has several famous fashion houses in Nouvelle Caen. Unlike Hephaestus Industries, Idris shows no signs of a shrinking presence on Luna thanks to its decision to pay off the Stellar Corporate Authority.
==Government==
As with all Solarian holdings, Venus has a representative, currently Heidi Kim, in the SolGov Senate who handles most of the world's interaction with the Sol Alliance as a whole. At the planetary level, Venus is a Democratic Populist Technocracy. Each aerostat and surface habitat has its own elected governor who presides over a council. The council size varies from place to place, based on the population of the habitat. The high number of science personnel mixed with the planet’s celebrity-worship culture has lead to many influential scientists, celebrities, or some of both generally being elected. Many governors and councillors are elected via popularity and easily carry out their manifestos with gusto, lacking any real public opposition due to their position. Commercial and industrial industries are rarely targeted and thus remain stable, ensuring the planets profitability to the Sol Alliance.
 
==Military==
The Sol Alliance military handles all affairs of planetary defense, with the exception of only the VHEC Reg. Venus Hazardous Environment Combat Regiment or "VHEC Reg". Trained for orbital insertion into extremely hostile and hazardous environments, VHEC Reg serves as a Venusian special forces group. Recruits are trained in close quarter combat and are unsurpassed in their field with many hopefuls applying every month from across the Sol Alliance.
The Venusian military is highly skilled, although only theoretically. It is noted that historically, they have had little to no actual combat experience.
 
==History==
Most of the early history of Venus has been lost to the ages, with the Cythereans viewing it as unimportant. However, it is generally accepted that the first aerostats were constructed for scientific purposes. The first built, and the largest even today, was Binyaria. The surfacer habitation complexes were built much later on, and all of them originally featured tethers to the aerostats before more efficient stabilization technology was made. The disposal of these planetary tethers allowed for the Jintarians to be gradually forgotten by mainstream Cytherean society.


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  • Расы







  • Venus is a microcosm of Solarian culture with its glittering cities floating above the clouds and a dirty underbelly below them. The capital of Venus is Binyaria, the largest aerostat and home to the best Sol has to offer in holovids, VR, orchestration, engine parts, and weaponry. Cythereans live in the luxurious habitable zone above the clouds. Jintarians live on the surface of Venus far below the Cythereans, both physically and metaphorically. The primary language is Sol Common.

    Environment

    Venus is an incredibly hot and miserable planet. The mass of its atmosphere is 93 times that of Earth's, equivalent to the crushing depths of the deep ocean. This atmosphere is extremely thick and toxic, composed primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and this generates the strongest greenhouse effect in the Solar System, creating an average surface temperature of at least 462 C (864 F). Despite this, there have been genetically-modified organisms introduced to the surface and upper atmosphere that can withstand the extreme conditions, such as the Yudina, otherwise known as the Jintarian Dragon Mole.

    A Venusian year lasts 225 Earth days. A normal day on Venus lasts much longer than that of Earth due to the slow rotation, taking 243 Earth days to make one Venusian day. Venus spins backwards when compared to the other planets in the Sol system, causing the sun to rise in the west and set in the east. It rains sulphuric acid on the surface and the atmosphere is so thick that it exerts massive amounts of pressure on the surface. This crushes all but the most structurally reinforced of habitats below the cloud layer, with the rest destroyed by caustic acid rain. The planet hosts massive amounts of volcanic activity, which spew more toxic gases into the atmosphere. Almost no sunlight reaches the surface of the planet, despite the temperature.

    Population and Major Aerostats and Habitats

    Binyaria

    Binyaria, the first and largest aerostat, is widely known as the jewel of Venus and houses just about 19 million people. Those from across the galaxy flock to Binyaria to experience Solarian culture, with tourists roaming the famous Binyarian vineyards and partying into the artificial, neon-lit night. It is widely known that Binyarians don’t get the best first; they make the best first. This reputation of being the most beautiful, the most cultured, the most advanced, and the greatest has lead to an extremely aggressive, cutthroat environment for those looking to get ahead. Actors, idols, politicians, and scientists all face heavy scrutiny by their fellow Binyarians and must constantly keep their mask polished and their persona unbreakable in order to become even the most minor celebrity. Like most aerostats, Binyaria is divided into layers, which are further subdivided into districts. The most well known districts on Binyaria are Wajiu District on Layer 1, Chiye-Gyo District on Layer 3, and Parabing District on Layer 6.

    Binyarian Districts

    Binyaria’s government developed Wajiu District with the utmost care and foresight, leading to the district’s gardens becoming one of the biggest tourist attractions. Pervasive genetic engineering has helped the plants become beautiful, delicious, potent, or a combination of the three and an aesthetic-based design philosophy has only furthered the plants’ appealing appearance. Among these gardens lie the famed Yuyuan Vineyard where tourists flock to see by far the most attractive and artistic garden in Wajiu District and, of course, try the excellent Yuyuan Wine for a discounted price.

    Chiye-Gyo District, similarly, was helped to fame by corporate investment. For a long time, Chiye-Gyo District was in a strange place, being mostly made up lower-middle class housing and failing businesses. The government of Binyaria, set to improve the district, announced that in 2397 the district would be sold out to corporations. Early on in the redesign of the district, Nanotrasen Corporation and Idris Incorporated invested heavily into Chiye-Gyo District recognizing the emerging celebrity culture of Venus.

    NanoTrasen and Idris formed and debuted various musical groups, all of whom gained a dedicated following whether big or small, and have achieved great financial success. More importantly, however, these pop bands, hip-hop groups, and solo ballad artists helped give rise to the celebrity-based culture Venus is known for today. In more recent years, Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and Hephaestus Industries have broken into both the corporate battle and the hearts of Venusians with their own outrageously successful debut artists.

    With all of Binyaria’s aspiring artists, it was only a matter of time before Parabing District became as popular as it is today. Though mostly focused on the lower- and middle-class, Parabing District holds a number of high-energy clubs, PC cafes, karaoke joints, laid-back bars, and fast food restaurants, all of which become progressively seedier closer to Binyaria’s hull. The district’s dynamic lighting is paused at midnight, but is lit up by the thousands of neon signs competing for attention.

    Furthest from the hull, street food vendors set up their carts and offer drunk food to the exhausted, inerbiatered clubbers on their way out of the district. Toward the center of the district, host and hostess bars offer companionship to the many business people of Binyaria while young, attractive college students advertise themselves for compensated dates nearby outside. Along the hull, brothels hidden behind heavy curtains and tucked into alleys are frequented by people with intricate tattooing and expensive clothing. Anyone can find something fun in Parabing with a bit of luck and cash.

    Tethering Station Medio

    Medio is one of the oldest habitation complexes on the surface. Built on Verdandi Corona, Medio was once used as an anchor for an aerostat by the name of Arianrhod, which was destroyed in a long-forgotten incident. Revanchist feelings against Cythereans run particularly strong here, residents still emboldened by their past “victory.” Owing to its various refueling, processing, and recycling facilities, Medio has become a popular stationing for illegal surfacers, their presence only being slightly uncomfortable for residents. Other ventures here tend to be of a manufacturing nature.

    Subterranean Complex 74-F, “Rason”

    A newer complex, Rason is one of the few built near-completely underground with only a single observational spire above the rocky surface. Civilian affairs here primarily deal in textiles and hydroponics, the work rather strenuous. Long hours are devoted to the creation of expensive clothes, polychromic fabrics, and holographic inlays that workers will never wear. A popular hobby is freerunning with a monthly (based on Terran months) Climb The Complex competition held where citizens must start at the bottom of the complex and make it all the way to the top of the spire.

    Dropped from orbit around thirty years ago, Rason’s impact and construction were based around a promising xenoarcheological find, which was nearly destroyed. It is said that partial ruins exist around Rason’s depth of 200 feet (~61 meters); despite having no publicly known entrances, many xenoarcheologists have disappeared underneath the complex. Often the dwellers of the complex have described seeing shadowy, vaguely humanoid figures walking around in their dreams. The figures have reportedly murdered people in their dreams by whispering a single, incomprehensible word that causes great agony and distress which vanishes once the dreamer awakens.

    Ishtar’s Temple and the Babylon Garden

    Only a short shuttle ride from Binyaria, Ishtar’s Temple functions as her perfect, albeit vastly smaller twin Binyaria. Ishtar's Temple serves as an entertainment aerostat; it sates every interest to people who have the time and credits to seek it out. Clubs, amusement parks, lounges and bars, sport centers and everything in between are open to the general public aboard the aerostat.

    However, beyond the guarded elevators and hidden checkpoints, on the uppermost levels, elusive to most Venusians and those foreign to the system, sits Babylon Garden. Here, the more elite attractions exist for the rich, influential, or resourceful. With the right amount of credits, connections, knowledge, or influence, lucky patrons can gain one of the illusive key cards that provide access to Babylon Garden. It is rumoured that management will occasionally slip an access card to favored patrons who wouldn’t be able to get access otherwise. Outside of Venus the existence of the Babylon Garden is known to very few, and those that have seen it are fewer.

    In Babylon Garden, the Venusian Shells of the Diamond are the aerostat’s most famous draw and specialty. These shells, designed with quality beyond those outside the aerostat, each sport a uniquely designed chassis in addition to carefully vetted personality matrices. As the hosts and hostesses of Babylon Garden, the shells go to great lengths to cater to each and every patron, from providing beverages and lighting cigarettes to flirtatious conversation. The purpose of these shells are to provide a space of respite, pleasant conversation and hospitality.

    The Venusian Shells of the Diamond are not only popular, but occupy a highly unique role among synthetics in the Alliance. Contrary to common notions of ownership, the IPCs here can not only set their own prices and tasks, but have nigh equal rights to their employers. The clubs of Babylon Garden rely on the cooperation of their 'employees', and the safety of these synthetics is guaranteed by the funding and high demand of their wealthy consumers. While the Shells of the Diamond and their owners are somewhat at odds in their ability to influence each other; coming to an endpoint with the IPCs' inability to become free synthetics, the status quo has remained and relations are peaceful.

    Society

    Ethnic Groups:

    • 13.1% Cytherean
    • 21.8% Jintarian
    • 63.8% Other Human Ethnicities
    • 0.9% Skrell
    • 0.2% Tajara
    • 0.2% Unathi

    Cytherean Culture

    Cythereans dwell in aerostats floating in the habitable layer, nicknamed “the Zone”, above the sulphuric acid clouds masking the surface. These floating cities are primarily held in place by their natural oxygen content and large bags of hydrogen. Though varying in size, the largest aerostats are no bigger than four miles across. Many take the shape of an upside down teardrop. The topmost section hosts a large, open-air park dedicated to help with the claustrophobic feelings in the aerostats and to maintaining a large amount of oxygen to keep the city afloat in the carbon dioxide. Below the park lies a mass of apartments, offices, shops, and other-such buildings arranged in a similar fashion to a shopping mall. There are numerous open spaces built into aerostats that provide both public space for citizens and more air chambers for buoyancy. Aerostats are mobile, possessing both microthrusters and rudders for stability and the occasional docking with surface elevators or tethers. The other less common format of aerostats are donut-shaped and are used for the immensely lucrative farming business. These aerostats are equipped to collect sulphuric acid and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, often taking cloud dives to produce fertilizer and water.

    Despite their precarious living situation, Cytherean Venus is the primary pop culture center of Sol, with a populace often dressed in bright, dramatic clothing. Many Solarian celebrities either live or were born on one of Venus’s aerostats, growing up in the privileged Cytherean culture. The best actors, comedians, chefs, musicians, and pop stars enjoy almost constant coverage on holo-screens, only occasionally replaced by adverts for startup beauty products, cutting-edge gaming hardware, or the newest diet fad. These celebrities enjoy high class treatment and something akin to worship from the Cythereans. Many come from across the galaxy, human and alien alike, seeking to turn their fortunes around. However, Cythereans are not immune to poverty and hardship in their laissez-faire society. Those looking to become the next big thing sometimes wind up on the opposite end of the spectrum, relying on morally and legally ambiguous means to get by. Aliens, although welcome, are typically sidelined in favor of human actors and models due to most moguls desiring to “play it safe”. They are typically seen as understudies, extras, dancers, and occasionally backup singers or instrumentalists.

    The Cytherean environment is very cutthroat as both culture and copyright law change rapidly to suit whoever is rich and whatever is popular at the time in any given arcology, given the heavy celebrity-based culture. Law enforcement, while much more strict and present than on the surface, are easily evaded. In the end, one can get away with almost anything as long as one has the right contacts and enough money. The party culture thrives in the aerostats, with the grand cocktail parties and fundraising schmooze-fests toward the top of teardrop slowly fading into the high-energy festivals of the lower sections. Toward the top, one can overhear the latest gossip and glimpse envelopes of credits sliding under tables. Toward the bottom, one can see the most hedonistic displays of luxury.

    Though many work in the entertainment industry as stars and producers, there are great opportunities for a Cytherean scientist. The development of pharmaceutical drugs and new medicines is a common field for Cytherean scientists, with a booming genetic engineering field to aid residents on Venus. There are also a fairly large number of farmers and gardeners from Venus, some of whom leave the planet for a more relaxed atmosphere. Many of these scientists are enticed to NanoTrasen by recruiters.

    In Cytherean Venus, it's a sort of faux pas to even mention the surface dwellers. It is a known secret that there are many below scraping by in constant hardship, though very few offworlders other than criminals know much of the true life of a surface dweller.

    Cytherean farmers living in the donut-shaped aerostats are a different bunch. With much of the farming rings dedicated solely to growing crops, the living quarters of donut dwellers are somewhat more open, and very scenic. Farmers often come from families with a history in hydroponics and are usually raised to carry on the family legacy. Typically, these aerostats take on a country-clubesque approach, having just as egotistical an atmosphere as typical Cytherean environments: wealthy farmers with massive crop arrangements; automated sprayers; and plenty of robots, aliens, and otherwise-poor Surfacers to help out. Freetime is ample, and this is spent on all sorts of frivolities: shooting, swimming, Terran and alien animal husbandry, playing sports, and doing plenty of social activities. Life here can be just as stratified as the teardrop aerostats with dwellers either being “members” or “helpers” depending on their connections and charisma.

    Jintarian Culture

    Despite the crushing pressure and the lead-melting hellscape that is the surface of Venus, colloquially known as Downstairs, many habitats exist there. Compared to the many independent cities that lurk above the cloud layer, there are few individual habitats, with many often structured as sprawling complexes. Hab-complexes tend to lack windows due to the immense pressure and the windows that do exist are primarily in the form of thick, expensive borosilicate used solely in expensive observatories. Greenery aided by artificial means are a common sight in these complexes. Lighting is tuned to simulate a relatively Earth-like environment.

    Those on the Venusian surface tend to be researchers, foreigners who couldn’t make it in the floating Cytherean palaces, or criminals from the cloud layer. The desolation of the Venusian surface has lead to a culture focused on escapism. Craftworks, holodecks, and stadium-complexes are commonplace. Parkour and freerunning are also popular pastimes, with annual and casual competitions often held in holodecks. Jintarian runners duck through cramped maintenance shafts, shimmy inside air vents, and slide through industrial complexes. Following pop culture fed in through the cloud layer, though, is the primary means of forgetting the surface hellscape. There are also Screenpod Studios housing dozens of Screenpods for a viewer to crawl into and experience their favorite movies and shows in 4D. There are also many AR experiences available to the Jintarians, fully immersing them in fantastical, dramatic, or sensual situations and environments. Jintarians typically become nervous in wide-open spaces, preferring the tight comfort of a hab-complex or tunnel.

    Work for Jintarians, however, remains mostly practical and physical. Engineering jobs are an essential part of hab-complexes, with some even managing to work their way back above the clouds to upkeep the floating Cytherean cities. Industrial work is also common, with many factories making shield generators, firearms, and vehicles for exportation. Because of the extremely hostile conditions of Venus and the incredibly quality materials required to build homes on the surface, Jintarian products are known for being highly reliable, durable, and of great quality.

    Illegal Surfacers

    Not all of the people who dwell on the Venusian surface live in hab-complexes. Some have taken like swarms of locusts to the lead-melting wastelands of the planet. These people are mostly miners and illegal traders, blazing on their huge, over-engineered motor and hovercrafts that serve as formidable war machines, functional living bases, and heavy mining rovers all at once. These almost mind-bogglingly complex vehicles are crafted from metal scrap dropped from the Zone and surface wrecks and ruins. Outside of vehicles, extremely robust hardsuits are employed, resembling something closer to antique diving suits than the sleeky, contemporary designs of Tau Ceti. Both rapid-firing PDWs, heavy coilguns, and super-sized kinetic accelerators are employed on foot as well. Convoys of tank-bases are typically followed by herds of Yudina, a burrowing Venusian beast. These creatures can grow up to thirty feet long, lack eyes, and have very thick skin. Their massive claws make quick work of the virgin surface, exposing wealths of natural resources, partially through their digestive processes.

    While initially many operated independently and gunned down each other on sight, eventually a proper organization with a division of labor formed quickly. Simply called the Venusian Company, they found black market deals more lucrative than selling materials to megacorporations. The Company presents themselves as a somewhat-corporate organization and has constructed static bases across the surface of Venus to house families. As they attempted to expand further from Venus, the Company faced difficulty as a known criminal faction. Thus, they formally established and registered the Azulite Mining Guild, pretending to be a small mining company. The Azulite Mining Guild got a relatively large number of holdings in the Sol system, owning large patches of land on Mercury, and plenty of various entire moons of Saturn and Jupiter. The Company, however, withholds a fair share of the profits, leading to the formation of many small, rebellious gangs. However, there has been no successful joined effort to create a proper opposing faction. The Company usually attempts to destroy gang vehicles on sight making many of these gangs arm themselves to the teeth. Alternatively, some like the Masquers gang, named after a famous Zone-made movie, employ ragtag cloaking technology to conduct their operations covertly.

    Venusian IPCs

    IPCs enjoy a certain status above even some alien residents of Venus, lofted by the ethereal beauty and flawless movements of a Venusian-made Shell or the ability to make other frames as aesthetically pleasing as possible in the most avant garde ways, to say nothing of how easily they can be manipulated. Under the clouds, robots and IPCs alike are valued for their reliability in an industrial environment, even among potentially shady mining guilds. However, the love of the aesthetic of IPCs does not reach the surface, as those Downstairs consider them more as tools than art. This mentality of IPCs being the ultimate display of artistry or a handy piece of hardware hinders IPCs quite a bit; no free IPCs exist either in the Zone or Downstairs.

    Fashion

    The class divided on Venus between Cythereans and Jintarians is evident even in their clothes. Cythereans often wear avant garde, nearly-impractical clothing while Jintarians usually perfer comfort and function over style.

    Cytherean Fashion

    There a number of Cytherean fashion trends just entering the public eye, being sold by stores, and falling out of fashion at any time. Anything a non-Cytherean can put together that is appealing to the eye, and sometimes not, has been the height of fashion at some point somewhere in the clouds. There are a few popular looks and rules Cytherean fashion tends to follow, though.

    The most important rule for an aspiring Cytherean fashionista is that the best part of the body is the skin. A lot of clean, unblemished, hairless skin is shown in Cytherean fashion whether it be through a high-slit dress, a translucent button-up shirt, a pair of short shorts, a fitted tank top, or a low cut blouse. More masculine figures tend to show off the upper body, especially the arms, while more feminine looks show off the lower body, specifically the legs. It should be noted that showing too much skin is a great faux pas; looks are often balanced so that if a lot of the upper body is shown, the lower body is mostly covered and vice versa.

    Another important note that while minor body modifications are considered fine, a more natural appearance is preferred. Body-sculpting procedures are common, especially among celebrities. The most common body-sculpting procedures include improving facial features and structure, removing all body hair “below the eyelashes”, tightening the skin, removing excess body fat, reconstructing the teeth, enhancing or emphasizing musculature, and balancing body proportions, usually in favor of the legs. However, extensive piercing, more extreme body-sculpting, heavy tattooing, and other modifications that break the “pure skin” rule are frowned upon. In particular, tattooing, even minor tattooing in some cases, is considered unsightly due to its long-standing connection with criminals.

    The source of many trends has stemmed from Binyaria’s Parabing District, named “wankukai” trends. Wankukai clothes are either what’s popular in the Parabing clubbing scene or, less popularly, something slightly more appropriate for streetwear. Masculine looks often have plain, solid colored pants in dark colors with slim, usually designer belts, and often have simple dress shoes or sneakers. Translucent button-ups with LED or neon-tubing designs up the arms or across the chest are popular, as well as similarly designed, fitted tank tops to accentuate the arms. Some even elect to go shirtless. Suit jackets matching one’s pants are also common, as well as leather jackets with LED or neon designs on the back. As for more femme looks, miniskirts, short shorts, and, for the brave, microskirts are commonplace, often paired with simple, low heels, flats, or sneakers. Colorful dress shirts, qipao blouses, and standard blouses are all common as well, featuring designs similar to masculine looks. Dresses of all lengths usually have a high-slit, reaching all the way up the thigh, and are often intricately decorated with LED and neon-tubing. Though suit jackets and leather jackets with designs are common among feminine looks as well, they are occasionally cropped to just below or at the ribs.

    Recently, there has been a rise in traditional and “neo-traditional” clothes. For example, “faying” dresses and suits are based off Victorian Era British and French formalwear, but modified to better fit today’s fast paced society. Faying are less restrictive and faying dresses in particular have a much smaller bell skirt and are occasionally shortened to the mid-calf or knee. Another example are “neo-hanbok”, which are the traditional Korean hanbok similarly updated like faying. Feminine hanbok have a thinner bell and sometimes have a shorter skirt and masculine hanbok often have tighter sleeves and a pair of pants and vest instead of a robe. Another popular look is to add LED lighting, neon graphics, or simply different colors. Standard qipao/cheongsam, changshan, kimono, and yukata are also staples among the traditional fashion movement.

    Jintarian Fashion

    Due to the rough life on the Venusian surface, Jintarian fashion is mostly practical. For the most part, Jintarians wear simple jumpsuits, overalls, t-shirts, and jeans. It is not uncommon, though, for Jintarians to decorate their clothes with pins, badges, armbands, or graphics. Military-style, bomber, and leather jackets are also common among fashion-forward Jintarians. Among Jintarian freerunners, it is a sort of tradition to hide one’s identity. Generally, freerunners wear fitted hoodies, plain athletic shorts, running shoes, and either a blank mask or a combination of an air mask and a lowered baseball cap, sunglasses, or tight beanie.

    Ethnicity on Venus

    Cytherean

    The average Cytherean look is:

    • Skin Tone: 50 - 140
    • Average Height: 5'9" - 6'3" / 175 cm - 190 cm
    • Black to dark brown hair, though often dyed.
    • Dark brown to light brown eyes.

    Jintarian

    The average Jintarian look is:

    • Skin Tone: 1 - 50
    • Average Height: 5'3" - 5'9" / 160 cm - 175 cm
    • Black to dark brown hair.
    • Dark brown to light brown eyes.

    Jintarians raised on Venus usually have broad, thick builds due to the pressure of the atmosphere.

    Government

    As with all Solarian holdings, Venus has a representative, currently Heidi Kim, in the SolGov Senate who handles most of the world's interaction with the Sol Alliance as a whole. At the planetary level, Venus is a Democratic Populist Technocracy. Each aerostat and surface habitat has its own elected governor who presides over a council. The council size varies from place to place, based on the population of the habitat. The high number of science personnel mixed with the planet’s celebrity-worship culture has lead to many influential scientists, celebrities, or some of both generally being elected. Many governors and councillors are elected via popularity and easily carry out their manifestos with gusto, lacking any real public opposition due to their position. Commercial and industrial industries are rarely targeted and thus remain stable, ensuring the planets profitability to the Sol Alliance.

    Military

    The Sol Alliance military handles all affairs of planetary defense, with the exception of only the VHEC Reg. Venus Hazardous Environment Combat Regiment or "VHEC Reg". Trained for orbital insertion into extremely hostile and hazardous environments, VHEC Reg serves as a Venusian special forces group. Recruits are trained in close quarter combat and are unsurpassed in their field with many hopefuls applying every month from across the Sol Alliance. The Venusian military is highly skilled, although only theoretically. It is noted that historically, they have had little to no actual combat experience.

    History

    Most of the early history of Venus has been lost to the ages, with the Cythereans viewing it as unimportant. However, it is generally accepted that the first aerostats were constructed for scientific purposes. The first built, and the largest even today, was Binyaria. The surfacer habitation complexes were built much later on, and all of them originally featured tethers to the aerostats before more efficient stabilization technology was made. The disposal of these planetary tethers allowed for the Jintarians to be gradually forgotten by mainstream Cytherean society.