read about the Royalty and UBI system if you haven't already! This only covers what the kids on Alternia are up to, adults will have their own section somewhere down the road cos same as last time there's just too much headcanon brainrot info to cram into each post, even as broken up as it is.
Obligatory disclaimer that these hcs are mainly for the Stellar Parallax universe and heavily rely on canon, but at the end of the day are just my own observations applied how they make sense for the story, if you don't agree it's fine etc etc. If you're interested in further discussion, come hang out in our discord!
TL;DR ⬇️ rambling paragraphs under the read more!
[art will be added later i swear i promise]
INDIGOS- hold the line, in service to highbloods and corral the lowbloods as with art, industry, and combat
CERULEANS- stir shit up, control the masses more literally ala their psychic ability, but also with media and entertainment
TEALS- maintain the law, study all the nuances and brutalities of the empire's court system and public speaking
INDIGOS
Known for their steadfast adherence to propriety, honor, and STRENGTH (of both character and muscle), indigos find themselves in the unique position of being just about top of the landlubbing hues, while still in utter deference to their superiors. Keeping true to this nature, they will find their way into work that maintains that hierarchy*, almost without exception. For some, this will look like keeping the masses entertained/cowed with their physical prowess; for others an interest in technology, artillery, or poetry keeps them sharp-witted enough to prove their superiority over their inferiors, and hopefully ingratiate them to their superiors.
In practice, this will look like performing in muscle theatre, honor-bound bodyguarding, or playing in various competitive sports for those more publicly inclined; while those with a preference for privacy might host art galleries, invent new and exciting contraptions of convenience (or torment), or write pages upon pages of dissertation-level odes to the Way Things Are. No matter what vocation, their work and even hobbies are often steeped in Tradition of some kind.
To be sure it's not a very malleable way to live, but that's not the point. If they're to become good servants to the empire, by way of leading as a fleet decaptian, or beating back enemies as an archeradicator, guarding their overseers, or directing the factories and mines that provide for their military--they must keep strict; the social expectation of our true blue trolls is to keep everyone in line, including themselves, and keep that line tidy.
CERULEANS
If indigos are the public, prim, and proper face of worshipping the status quo, ceruleans are the apparent sneaking underbelly of change, though that stereotype is based more on vibes than anything-- sure the really loud cerulean is prone to making headlines but the vast majority prefer inert complacency. If it ain't broke, don't fiddle with it, amirite?
That is to say, these 'lesser' bluebloods often get a bad rap on both sides for being meddlers: their higher hued peers find them too similar to the working classes given their penchant for involving themselves in Situations and 'leeching' off highblood influence, while the lowerblooded half of the spectrum fear and revile their psychic abilities and use of upper middle class privilege to leave a mess without substantial consequence.
Still, a troll can contain multitudes! You can be obnoxious to everyone AND still have wide mass appeal (in a "everyone loves to hate them" kind of way, anyhow). While similar to their true blue counterparts--technology, shows of fortitude, and the arts all have cerulean fingerprints permanently etched into them--because of their more 'dangerous' reputations, their work has the added allure of feeling counterculture (even when it's nothing of the sort). Thusly, they make excellent internet personalities, stand up comedians, sports stars, scene influencers; or maybe your shady repair guy, sleazy plug, dnd aficionado, or Scribe Of Illicit Materials.**
Even the most innocuous of ceruleans will always bear the cross of their power of influence, regardless of whether they utilize their puppeteering and peering into people's heads for ill-gain. As such, they tend to be lonely even by troll standards, though given they're the last of the "true" upper hues, they have a lot more perceived leeway in life, so might attract those who are less than satisfied with the status quo. Provided they don't get caught doing anything deemed too rebellious, a cerulean can stretch their career repertoire almost as far as their psychic arm with quiet blessings from those above who want to use their abilities for themselves. But if those side gigs seem to favor the warmer end of the spectrum a little too much, it can spell disaster for everyone involved. Even knowing when they're being played like this, their desperate-for-attention middle child vibe is what drives them to do anything, and often gets them in a bit of a bind themselves.***
TEALS
the highest hue to have an Imperially Assigned Vocation, teals don't have much variety in where they put their litigatory skills. Their nights are filled with studying every nuance of Alternian Law, such as it can be nuanced, and what free time they have from their studies goes to physical training-- it takes a strong arm to swing the gavel of justice, but someone's gotta do it~!
However, while booksmarts and combat prowess are arguably the most practical skills, what many might not consider is how much of the job comes down to theatrics. In a very tangible way, teals are obliged to be entertainers the same as indigos and ceruleans; no one wants to be the Boring Lawyer in a court, especially not in front of the GHB****. so to keep up stamina and try their hand at those public speaking and persuasion checks, you might find teals hustling on alternia in product endorsement, or running gameshows, book clubs, and political blogs. this isn't to say there aren't stiff-shouldered bar-hopefuls, but they tend to be the exception and are focused more on practicing for the 'dead' of the dead-or-alive scale of bounty hunting than the 'gentler' apprehending.
hemolocked jobs like legislacerator also makes it uniquely competitive, in that you can't rest on the laurels of knowing you're superior or inferior by blood--you must make yourself be superior in your skills if you want to get ahead of your fellow barrister. Especially when the concept of a proper defensive attorney^ was experimentally introduced (and then permanently added as a result of being even more drama-fueled than the old style of proceedings), it threw an entire wrench into the ranking system. To this day it's hotly debated whether it's more impressive or pathetic to stay an execution through wit and doubt-mongering, instead of cases being an exercise in who can most thoroughly humiliate the accused.
*historically speaking, they were the literal bridge between royalty and everyone else, and while ceruleans and teals still count as aristocrats, indigos were closest to the seats of power--and also, by consequence, the most beaten down to Remember Their Place. it's ok though, they're into that sort of thing.
**that's right, indigos might be poets, but no one fanfics, flarps, or forums like a cerulean
***Not a stretch, then, that many ceruleans are drawn towards games of chance or high risk hobbies alongside their more dubiously aligned jobs, as it satisfies a desire for perceived control in making their own way
****this is a dream only the most delusional motivated teals have, as the current GHB is notorious for being impossible to pull a smile out of. To present your client's case before him is considered murder-suicide by most. the middling courts of the Mirthful Magistrates is as high as any sane troll would wanna go.
^previous to the first interdimensional colony being acquired by the empire, all legislacerators were prosecutors--it was a matter of who could sling more accusations than the other if it went to be debated in front of a judge at all. Though more often it would stop at the apprehension of the wanted, whereupon the teal would read the crimes to the accused, and determine if on-site battle to the death was required; only if the freshly-convicted bitched out of the fight would they be taken for public execution in the courtroom.
all seriousness tho, i don't expect people to have money right now cos I don't have money right now. i think in the interest of not looking like i'm skirting around begging by being too pitiful, this is the last anon i'll take on the subject, but i do genuinely appreciate people trying to be kind and humorous about it.
theoretically, how much would pluckyshroom need for a new pc
that greatly depends on the model. the absolute cheapest i've found on a cursory search is around $600 for a pre-built tower, though the average seems to be hovering around $8-900 with the specs and accessories i think would suit my workflow best.
both my BIL and dad kinda tinker with computers for fun so i'm gonna consult with them on whether there's any way i can shave that down some (i know places like microcenter and newegg will give the middling retail prices for builds and parts vs buying refurbishes/second-hands for cheaper elsewhere), but even if i keep my old monitors/other accessories to try to be frugal that still is a price tag i can't afford on my own, and would feel terribly guilty for accepting from someone without compensation of some sort.
for how long, who knows, i feel like i'm gonna throw up from anxiety i cannot lie! but if you're interested in discussing the comic and world of SP, feel free to click the invite :,)
this installment is gonna cover seadwellers and clowns! We know they're royalty but what does that actually mean in the context of of a culture that's so "do what you want"?
obligatory disclaimer that these are mostly applicable to stellar parallax and if you don't agree it's ok it's just playing dolls etc etc
visual TL;DR ⬇️ rambling paragraphs under the read more!
FUCHSIAS
it's lonely at the top but someone's gotta do it, and that someone may as well be the only troll who can withstand the psychic connection to the big scary nightmare monster of the deep!
While learning politics is important of course (after all you gotta have some clue what you'll do with the empire should you beat the million to one odds of winning the crown), the main duty of the heiress is to make sure that G'lbgolyb is well fed and silent. How she goes about this will depend greatly on the nature of the heiress, whether she feels especially emotionally connected with G'lbby or not, and of course, whether G'lbby is interested in bestowing secrets and (dubious) wisdoms to her.
As for the actually doing politics part itself, an heiress might use those secrets and wisdoms, her own judgement and whims, the input of friends, and/or her vision of what a future under her rule might look like to inform how she keeps Alternia running. While some things aren't strictly under her control (allowance accounts or the fleet for example), she has indirect means of influencing the Empress for certain favors, as HIC is always informed via drone recorded files, informants, and G'lbby herself as to what her successor is up to. Since the shared lusus and inevitable showdown creates an inherent strain in such a relationship, these favors are few and far between, and an heiress will simply make do with her own might and intellect to get her subjects and drones acting how she wants. For some this means careful diplomacy, others an incredible amount of C4 and lasers.
Beyond her physical training, she is also expected to make good connections between herself and her seadweller peers; after all, they will become her Overseers if she wins the duel for the crown! Particularly in the age of social media, knowing who's who and what's what is as imperative to making sure that a coup doesn't occur as her speed, strength, and intellect.
Fuchsias are also, due to the cyclical nature of their position, the only troll on Alternia to be assigned concupiscent quadrants; there needs to be a butt on the throne and a head in the tiara precisely every 9 sweeps. The jades use esoteric means* to determine which of her broodmates are best suited for the slots, though socially it is considered pretty embarrassing to have to resort to using your betrothed--an heiress should have people crawling over each other to get to be hers, after all.
to put it crudely, a heiress's job is to fuck, fight, and hopefully not die, and everything beyond that is just window dressing. Then, when the day arrives that she comes of age, she is escorted to the mothership for the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (airing live Friday at 8p, EST/7p central!). It's rumored there's an opt out, but who would do something that humiliating by choice?
VIOLETS
If fuchsias are the head, violets are the neck that moves it. While they don't have to worry about G'lbgolyb as directly as the heiress, seadwellers have to find the delicate balance of being ready to serve in aiding that she be fed adequately, and corralling (coral-ing?) their local subjects--sometimes these are not mutually exclusive (dead kids are delicious and nutritious!). Both duties are rather exhausting, of course, so many will find themselves attracted to turning their hobbies into a full time gig, cos nothing takes the edge off like monetizing your passions.
They end up being something of a wildcard in this respect; with enough money, power, and influence (finfluence?) to back up even the strangest of pastimes, seadwellers can be found doing everything from funding music festivals to playing sports to building cool new ways to shoot things.
If they're smart about it, these hobbies can build clout that will give them a sort of 'niche' to fill when they're old enough to be looking after their own enslaved alien worlds colonies; that is, they can be assigned subjects they can best rule over, vs trial-and-erroring a random option. They can use their connections and notoriety built upon these hobbies to ingratiate themselves to the adults, and Empress, before they've so much as set foot on the test field for their Ordeals, particularly if they lean into entertainment or military related activities, so it definitely pays to have something uniquely useful on your resume.**
While it is rare for a seadweller to die before they reach ascension age, it's not impossible; particularly if a turf (surf?) war breaks out between two or more of them. As such, it's also prudent for young violetbloods to be as well-trained physically as they are politically. nobody wants to be poisoned or stabbed before they get a chance to rule their own colony! In a similar fashion to the heiress, they're expected to put those skills to the test in their Ordeals against each other; the last fins standing get their crowns and their planetary assignments, and if the stars align just right, an acknowledgement from their presumed ancestor.***
PURPLES
The circus doesn't run itself, and neither does the shitshow. Whatever your flavor, purplebloods are here to entertain, be it dancing for your smiles, or slashing throats for the altar.
while the particulars of their faith are unknown to the common troll, all clowns understand their own solemn duty to be one of maintaining the balance between comedy and tragedy, chaos and order. sometimes you gotta beat a motherfucker with another motherfucker about it. The especially pious make it their business to maintain the tents, carnivals, and sacrifices, while those more casually part of the clurch spread the mirthful mantras through music, gameshows, and an appreciation of the arts (both visual and martial).
All purples in preparation for their role in the court systems, whether as a judge, clergy, or bounty hunter, are inclined to find a way to apply speed, strength, and comedy training to their revelry. sometimes this is very direct, as in playing mock trials to make friends laugh, or chasing down hapless victims on fright night; others is a little more subtle, like practicing feats of physical prowess during circus routines and preaching over the radio.
socially, they are also the link between seadwellers and landlubbers, the strand between the teeming masses and their isolated rulers. historically speaking, this plays out more like hostage negotiations than constituent representation, but as long as the lowbloods keep their horns down and highbloods remain sycophantic, bloodshed is minimal. Besides, as mysterious as their religion, clowns have hitherto unknown motivations regarding the state of the world--not that they'd be crazy enough to blatantly go against the finfaces, but it's unclear who's side they're on exactly. Having direct contact with the GHB and Jesters, purples are far more privy to the inner workings of the greater political climate of the whole empire, not just alternia, and thus are far less likely to rock the boat in a fit of teen angst.
this doesn't mean they won't needle and jeer when the timing is right, of course. Not ones to be openly mocked, seadwellers will often course correct any particularly anti-social behavior to avoid being the butt of the joke-- in this way, purples serve as a barrier between trigger happy tyrants who'd otherwise flippantly decimate the population, and the vulnerable trolls under their designer boots.****
*it's hardly better than astrology, but given how superstitious the uppercrust tend to be, is treated as gospel and even if they don't end up together, heiresses will often seek out their assigned fallback just to get a vibe
**sometimes this backfires of course, if you pigeonhole yourself too well it can limit your reach of influence once you're up against someone with broader "appeal" or skillsets. Planet auctions are a rough game, and everyone comes to cheat!
***this almost never happens because being an overseer is such a tough, backstabbing, dangerous job that rare few violets live long enough to see their descendants, but gosh, a troll can dream.
**** the irony of their faith requiring death and being one of the few castes strong and witty enough to keep total annihilation at bay is not lost on them but that's the silly contradictory nature of the universe innit
OK as i mentioned in the poll this whole thing got very out of hand so apologies in advance for the multi-parter lol BUT this particular post is gonna open with the foundation of this whole thing:
Alternian money! how do you get it and what the hell is it even good for?
the short answer is basically all kinds! we know by the literal throne of riches that HIC sits upon there's value placed on precious metals (such as gold) and representative money (as seen with caegars, boonbucks, etc); however, while use of gold, jewels, and banknotes is likely still common for those who have it to maintain trade of power--or else why would it be around?-- like in our world, fiat money seems to carry the brunt of buying power for most daily practical use. Obviously on the micro level, colonies of the empire are going to have their nuances based in what goods they produce and export, but by-and-large the "worth" of Alternian money is backed entirely by the empress's say-so!
This also conveniently makes it very easy for the economy on Alternia to not come to a grinding halt every time someone dies, which as we know is pretty fuckin often. lower hues don't earn enough for it to matter if they stop spending, and if it's someone important, that wealth doesn't stay stagnant cos it can be as easily redistributed or disappeared as any imaginary number, while actual physical assets are essentially up for grabs to anyone who likes a bit of treasure hunting.
That said: while lowbloods clearly don't get nearly as much leeway as highbloods, they can at least afford decent housing (Xefros and even Karkat have reasonably large abodes that are well maintained!) and obviously are able to get things like food, clothes, and hobby items as well. This can be attributed to gigs and work when they're old enough, but we know trolls must have someplace to shelter before then; after all, the population needed to sustain the empire has to remain steady enough to account for all the other ways a troll can die, and letting literal toddlers just starve or freeze the moment they're set free in the world kneecaps that from the get-go. they must have means of self-efficiency before being able to work.
So when trolls who pass their trials are sent along with carpenter droids to build/renovate their hive, an allowance account based on their place in the hemospectrum is opened, and pretty much all purchases thereafter are made using that account's unique number*. A young troll's first purchase is their home, and depending on the account limit, they can go on to expand and customize that hive to suit their interests after the basics (kitchen/bed/bath) are placed. After that, the account auto-refills in regular intervals for as long as the account is open. if the account goes inactive for too long, the troll is presumed dead and as mentioned above, that money just disappears/assets are redistributed.
When a troll is old enough to work, finds a hobby to monetize, or otherwise finds a source of income outside their allowance, money earned can be put into that account/any branch accounts off of the main one! this works best with fiat money (there are ways to convert physical assets to imaginary numbers for this account but it's a massive pain in the ass so most won't bother**), but any physical cash can be kept the good old fashioned way: piggy banks. some goods can ONLY be purchased with the account money, as online shopping pretty much dominates the modern landscape, but local places may take cash for any number of uses; such as arcade games, tips to your servers (this is mostly done as a show of irony or disdain), betting pools, or purchases that the buyer would want to keep discreet for any reason.
because a troll's allowance is pretty rigidly assigned, any accounts that become especially high or low relative to their hue can draw scrutiny, so cash is also handy to circumvent that issue in some cases, though is harder in others (you're not gonna have much luck being paid cash only as a vtuber, for example). And while cash can make for a clean and easy purchase if you don't want it in your shopping history, it is FAR more susceptible to the random fluctuations due to local inflation or by new acquisitions of the empire messing with the agreed upon value of goods and services.
obviously either way you're kinda fucked if those goods and services are no longer able to be acquired. so it very much behooves a troll, especially one in a lower neighborhood, to not piss off drones, highbloods, or even other lowbloods if they're batty enough. No one wants their town exploded after all! but even if it happens, as long as you're alive and have enough in your account, you can always have another hive built--though that takes having a droid handy, having enough saved up (without your account being shut down ofc), and making sure your new place doesn't stick out like a big ol target amongst the rubble, and is near enough still-standing civilization you can buy stuff like groceries. most trolls who find themself in this situation will simply take to a nomadic lifestyle, though this obviously comes with its own perils. At least they have decent public transit!***
Supposing you survive to adulthood, that account is maintained and used much the same way, with the difference being your allowance is cut off and your ability to maintain yourself is now wholly dependent on your job, a benefactor/quadrant, or your environment's resources. the exception to this is if you become an Overseer (which i will define and get into in the part about adult jobs), whereupon your cut of the empire's total wealth is gifted to you along with the planet/s you're now in charge of handling. For everyone else, you better hope your boss doesn't suck, and that the colony or ship you're plopped on is one where you can prove your usefulness well enough to live comfortably.
so that's the UBI! Next post will get into jobs on alternia (might split it up between lowbloods and highbloods cos it's genuinely so fucking much), and after that i'll cover what work as an adult looks like~
OBLIGATORY CAVEAT: this is all hc not just for HS but based on the rules of Stellar Parallax, so if you disagree it's ok and i'm not gonna argue with you, this is all silly blorbo funnnn
*with so many accounts, the number can get quite long. sometimes when an account is shut down, the number is recycled, which can cause some fun (stupid and annoying) glitches for the person unfortunate enough to get it.
**if you are the sort to bother, you're either a highblood where it kind of actually makes it worth the trouble, or you're doing stuff that needs multiple accounts and probably some kind of encryption service, e.g., WILDLY illegal shit
***trains and buses are not safer, just less walking to do.
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