#nekkar

[quiltofstars]

The constellation of Boötes, the Herdsman // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani

Click below for an annotated image and some information about the mythology and stars in Boötes!

Boötes, pronounced "boh-OH-teez", is one of the original 48 constellations laid down by Greek astronomy Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Its name comes from the Greek word Βοώτης meaning "herdsman."

This association with a herdsman or farmer goes as far back as the Babylonians, who depicted it as the god Enlil. He was the leader of the Babylonian pantheon as well as the patron of framers. However, who he is in Greek mythology is less clear.

Some versions see him as Philomenus, a son of Demeter, a plowman who drove the oxen represented by Ursa Major. Another myth says that Boötes is Icarius, a wine-maker trained by Dionysus, who was placed into the sky alongside his dog (Canis Major) and daughter (Virgo). Yet another myth saw Boötes as Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto.

The named stars in Boötes are, in order of brightness:

Arcturus (α Boötis), the brightest star in the constellation, the fourth-brightest in the entire night sky, and the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Arcturus is an orange giant star about 37 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word Ἀρκτοῦρος meaning "guardian of the bear."

Izar (ε Boötis) is a binary star system about 236 light years away. It consists of a beautifully contrasting pair of an orange giant and a blue-white giant star. Its name comes from the Arabic word Mi'zar meaning "kilt-like undergarment."

Muphrid (η Boötis) is a potential binary star system about 37 light years away. It definitely consists of a yellow Sun-like star. Its name comes from the Arabic phrase mufrid ar-rāmiħ meaning "the one of the lancer."

Seginus (γ Boötis) is a binary star consisting of two blue-white giant stars about 86 light years away. Its name comes from an apparent mistranscription of the Arabic rendering of the Greek Boötes.

Nekkar (β Boötis) is a solitary yellow giant star about 235 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic name for the constellation, Al Baḳḳār.

Xuange (λ Boötis) is a solitary blue-white giant star about 100 light years from Earth. Its name comes from the Chinese word 玄戈 (Xuángē) meaning "sombre dance."

Alkalurops (μ¹ Boötis) is a binary star system about 123 light years away. The system consists of at least a yellow-white giant star. Its name comes from the Greek word καλαύροψ meaning "a herdsman's crook or staff."

[kidsthatrule]

Traditional Sauerbraten This sauerbraten is marinated for at least two days for a deeply flavorful roast both tangy and savory. It's easy to see why this is such a classic.

[fuckyeahbatenkaitos]

[snipssnailsandpurrlointails]

it was only a matter of time before this happened...

Wholly original fantrolls and fankids!  This idea is still taking shape, but basically, it's a glitch session that comprises of three humans and three trolls, all of whom have titles pertaining to positions in a royal court (Prince of Void, Dame of Life, Heir of Space, Page of Form, Knight of Shade, and Bard of Time).  Hence, Courtstuck!  I have rough outlines for one of the trolls and one of the humans, so I'll throw those down here.

NEKKAR LARRWA

* text colour and blood colour B10000 (not much higher than Aradia)

* 8 sweeps

* Boötes symbol

* Page of Form

* telluricNurturer [TN]

* pipekind (the pipe he smokes grows into a giant staff for strifes)

* pouch modus (pouches like those used to contain tobacco; each little pouch holds one card which must be packed into his pipe to retrieve the item)

* Land of Tilt and Vineyards (LOTAV)

* lowblood powers manifest as a capacity to incite growth in plants, which he mainly uses to garden/grow crops, but can also be used to great effect in a fight

* Prospit dreamer

* two-headed dog lusus (Charasterion)

* Amicable, he tends to keep to himself and to his work unless specifically sought out.  A very firm believer in the hemospectrum, he is always happy to be of service to a highblood without being self-deprecating about his station.  Often in demand for his capacity to grow rare plants/crops for nearly any purpose.   The plant he smokes is actually not harmful, but instead a healthier alternative to sopor that soothes without damaging the mind, especially where highbloods are concerned.  So for a lowblood like Nekkar, all the plant does is produce a pleasant, tension-relieving sensation, whereas for a highblood, its pacifying powers are much stronger. Meticulously organized, he's a bit shy, but that's due in part to the fact that his hive is on the outskirts of the desert, so he doesn't see too many trolls on non-business matters.  Starting to get worried about his quads, since all he ever does is fill a tentative ashen role for two of his frequent patrons.

* types in all lowercase with no punctuation, save for capitalizing "Fs" and "Ls", which represent the herdsman's crook and the plow, respectively.

* Ichorist Arcturus (Ancestor)--a lowblood who had almost perfect psychic harmony with the earth around him, he made his name by the various substances he concocted out of plants, including an infamous poison that led to the deaths of quite a few highbloods.  However, as the actual poisoning was done by other highbloods, Arcturus was never seen as an accomplice, and so he carried on with his life, setting numerous benchmarks for future Ichorists (essentially herbalists/farmers/gardeners).

Etymology!  His first name is that of one of the most prominent stars in Boötes, and his last name is the Wagiman (aboriginal Australian tribe) word for bamboo pipe, a reference to the interpretation of Boötes as a seated man smoking a pipe.  His Ancestor's name is another star in Boötes, which is the third brightest star in the night sky.  One take on the mythological role of Boötes had him as a vineyard owner whose wine was so good that Dionysius and his followers thought he had murdered them, and lashed out in retaliation before realizing their mistake.  Obviously, though, Arcturus meant to kill.  Nekkar's lusus is a reference to Chara and Asterion, the two dogs of Canis Venatici, a constellation strongly associated with Boötes.

JUNO BACHMANN

* text colour A6D785

* 16

* symbol is a stylized conch shell

* Dame of Life (Dame is a term for a lady knight)

* referendumEnthusiast [RE]

* footkind (she kickboxes!)

* brief modus (all cards are stacked neatly in what appears to be a manilla envelope by order of importance, A-Z, or Z-A, though only a sentence or so about the item shows up until she reviews it, extracting the item upon determining what it is)

* Land of Hearings and Waves (LOHAW)

* Prospit dreamer

* Guardian is her sister; Juno refers to her as "Sissy" as a leftover from their childhood, since Sissy probably always knew she was a girl but never came out until about two years ago.

* types properly, but is prone to excessive usage of exclamation points and acronyms.

* Juno takes a very keen interest in politics, and plans on majoring in political science in college.  Goal-oriented, she's very much a people person and could actually make for a great journalist.  Runs an SJ blog that's rather popular because she isn't a total asshole about it.  Liberal, but not affiliated with a party.  Big on grassroots participation, but she prefers organizing things over being an actual leader.  Often the voice of reason who settles disputes between others.  Her full name is actually Juniper.

Etymology time!  I just think Juno is a cute name, and aside from referring to the Roman name for the goddess Hera, it comes from an Indo-European root for "youth".  Her last name is a corruption of the Hebrew Bachman, meaning "life", and it was also chosen as a bit of a political joke that is hopefully self-explanatory.  It's eight letters so that both the kids and the trolls will have names that total to twelve letters.  The conch shell is an allusion to Lord of the Flies, as in the novel, a conch is used as a catalyst for settling disputes and as a representation of democracy (at least initially).