Catnap: Alien Earth

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

In my quest to make a superhero Earth that fits my tastes I’ve tried to hit it with the Crazy Stick. Not the superhero Crazy Stick as that’s implied, but a Weird Stuff Crazy Stick. I want Earth to be unrecognizable in terms of all those little things that make it feel like every single inch of the surface is known. Stuff like all the countries whose names and details we know: inventing small places to squeeze in somewhere feels dull. To that end I’ve come up with a super-derived “disaster” to fundamentally change Earth.


The point of historical (as opposed to adding superheroes but leaving history intact) divergence is sometimes in the late 70s-early 80s, when, according to comics, things should have been gearing up for the Iron Age a bit later. At this time one of the various “destroy the world” whackos named Jormungandr manages to set off his world-destroying device before heroes can stop him. Intending to “rip apart Earth by the seams” it partially does that, activating nearly every fault line (the small ones in the middle of plates that cause stuff like the DC quake as well as the big ones that are responsible for stuff like the Ring of Fire). However all that geological energy also rips open the dimensional fabric, the end result of which is to substitute surface area from another dimension and not only prevent the blowing up of Earth but lessens the quakes. Downside is that there was all this new Terra Incognita that was not only inhabited by strange and dangerous stuff that wanted to move in next door but if you flew in one side you weren’t guaranteed to fly out the other on Earth. Upshot is that some of the inhabitants of that dimension and some of the ones you can reach from it are nice and willing to share their cool gadgets and magic.

So current day and things have……. recovered. Somewhat: Earth isn’t exactly “Earth” as we know it. Pop-culturally it’s around about the same (mainly because that level of detail is a pain to design). You could probably drop right into the middle of a city and not notice anything for a bit. However depending on where you are you’re bound to notice an alien sooner or later, if not on the street then on a newspaper or a convenient TV window display. Or maybe a piece of high technology like a hologram sign or cyber-prosthetic. It’s traveling outside of a small area you have to worry about: “Lost Lands” (as Earthlings call the bits of their planet from another dimension) lie in inconvenient places often smack dab across the middle of countries. Even if you’re willing to go around and avoid getting lost stuff still comes out of them to mess up your day and remind you they’re still there. It’s not post-apocalyptic, just superhero where the fantastic stuff is considered normal yet still fantastic.

[Thrincold]

So, Palladium's Rifts without the over-the-top, mismatched timeline, post apoc feel. COOL

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I only know Rifts stuff from what I just about now read on Wikipedia, but all I can say is it looks like they apocalypted the Earth just so you could blow up stuff while fighting in your giant robot without having to worry about collateral damage.

Misses the entire point of having other stuff come into Earth: figuring out how Earth assimilates it.

[Thrincold]

I only know Rifts stuff from what I just about now read on Wikipedia, but all I can say is it looks like they apocalypted the Earth just so you could blow up stuff while fighting in your giant robot without having to worry about collateral damage.

Misses the entire point of having other stuff come into Earth: figuring out how Earth assimilates it.

Right, my comment wasn't direct enough. I meant exactly that. The back-story of Rifts is simply that huge tears in reality occurred, opening up portals to other dimensions, bringing back Atlantis, and unleashing all sorts of nastiness on humanity. The difference is that in your world, the death of 90% of humanity wasn't the catalyst, and of course the giant robots beating up stuff part.

Regardless, I'm intrigued and can't wait to hear more.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Super Origins

Alien Creature: Faster-than-light space travel is impossible, so all “aliens” come from other dimensions. This term in fact also includes any naturally-occurring creature that might have before been considered “mythic” or “magical” (see Magic below). Aliens are always dropping by Earth for one reason or another. Some refugees have even settled on the planet. However entire alien species with abilities that could fully qualify an alien creature as a super (as opposed to supplement other skills or gained powers) are uncommon. And with only about 30 years of full interaction (there were a couple dropping by Earth before) human-alien hybrids are both rare and often currently teenagers.

Magic: To many of the inhabitants of other dimensions magic is a very real force. Frustratingly for many Earth scientists (as well as those from other non-magical societies) said inhabitants often use the same label for both explicable and inexplicable phenomena and see no contradiction or confusion. Said scientists generally hold the belief that magic is in fact simply heavily obscured physics, pointing out that to do magic one must always have access to either internal innate powers or an accompanying outside force with innate powers, and furthermore cannot recognize sapient concepts without being sapient itself. (TL;DR: You can’t just shout “SHAZAM!”, and there is no inherent definition of “virgin” written on the universe.) Still there are magic types who do believe these rules are in effect. It’s all rather mucky.

Super-Science: In the wake of the event science has managed to either push it boundaries or “acquire” from civilizations that have already done the same. Some amount of it has reached the common market, but unfortunately for every one that does there are a whole lot more that can’t. Most often this is due to the “Unique Factor”: either the device/process requires such finicky situational factors to work, or the creation of each individual unit/use must for some reason be done a different way, that it’s just not cost-effective for anything other than a single use. And this is not just an issue of an example using a rare ingredient: the entire nature of the blueprint/formula seems to shift with time. Some wonder whether this isn’t in fact a manifestation of the less-common reason: “Unconscious Genius”, the inability of even the creator to be sure how their creation works or even exactly what it can do.

It should be noted that there is, in fact, a long history of both practitioners of magic and super-science accusing the other of using their type of power but being unwilling to “see the truth”.

Mutation: While there is no wide-scale change in human genetics has taken place people born near Lost Lands or to parents who have spent time in other dimensions do have a slightly elevated chance of developing innate super-powers. Like alien-human hybrids most of these individuals are not very old.
As well the tradition of accidents involving chemicals, radiation, and Fortean phenomenon is alive and kicking.

Training and Gear: Badass normals -- with or without gear -- used to be more of staple before the Event. But these days why train in mundane stuff when you can learn magic kung-fu or science that seems to rewrite physics as you do it, and if it's not a super-unique device why bother when ordinary SWAT probably carry the same stuff? The current generation of badass normals more often seem to be born out of legacies derived from pre-Event heroes.


There are some origins that do not exist on Alien Earth:

Things from the Human Imagination: Gods and other myths. While there can always be doubt -- and cons willing to take advantage of it -- nothing has ever been discovered that can be proven, and most times anything that has come close has just been a case of confirmation bias.

Psionics: The “mind” has no power over reality, if it’s even a separate thing. Even magic users can be a bit wary of this mindset, cautioning that believing one’s will to be superior to anything is often the first step down the path of megalomania. Plus most magic gets testy if not respected as an equal or better.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Exploring Alien Earth

United Earth Defense Division (UEDD, EDD for short): The UN in this setting has a lot more teeth, and calls itself the United Nations of Earth to avoid confusion with similar alien political entities (United Earth, UE, for short). The Defense Division is the UE’s super-threat response agency. It has no one hero team, rather assembling heroes as circumstances permit and by mission need.

NYC: While the lost land that has covered almost the entire metro area hasn’t altered the geography too much it has shrouded the area in a perpetual shadow, reducing even the days to more like the redness of dawn and dusk. The city has become a haven for all those who like to hide in shadow, from misunderstood mutants to criminals and dark avengers.

Freedom City: When New York was covered by a shadowy lost land most of the world’s focus (and New York business) moved here.

United Earth Alien Management Division (UEAMD, or AMD for short): Rather what is says on the tin: the UN’s agency for dealing with all things alien, hostile or otherwise. They operate out of a heavily-converted bhute just outside Rowell, NM.

SPIDER: A world-spanning paramilitary criminal organization with a definite spider theme.

Strikeforce Freedom: When SPIDER first appeared in the early 80s the only available opposition was the US military, leading to the creation of the globally-operating Strikeforce Freedom. Today SF is a branch of the EDD.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Exploring Alien Earth

Mole People: Subterranean aliens similar to a cross between a marsupial mole and an armadillo. Recently they have had a coup overthrowing their traditional monarchy in favor of a Communist-style government. All of them are super-strong and -tough and can burrow through solid rock and survive extremes found underground.

Om, deposed queen of the mole people: The monarch overthrown by the mole people. She would like to get her position back as she does not trust the general who’s now in charge, but not wanting to go against the will of her people she is patiently waiting to see what happens. In the meanwhile she works for the EDD.

Nightmare: A legacy stretching back to the Pulp Era. The Nightmares have traditionally had mind-effecting powers in addition to their gadgets and badass normal training and have been protectors of NYC, but the current Nightmare does not and has joined up with the EDD.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Exploring Alien Earth

Atlantis: Not Atlantis. Not even close except for being in the middle of the Atlantic. It’s actually just a big island in the middle of the Atlantic of which much of the business population has decided that playing up the Atlantis angle separates more coin from tourists and New Agers. Still there’s a vocal and persistent movement by many island inhabitants to force the use of only the original name.......whatever it was.

Mu: Atlantis’s Pacific competitor. Mu's got one up, however, because there are a lot of trade-capable dimensions through the nearby lost lands. That, and Japanese tourists flocking to goofy ancient civilization theme-parks. Most inhabitants were glad of the name change: it's shorter.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Exploring Alien Earth

The Unimaginable Bureaucracy: What it says on the tin: a bureaucracy of unimaginable size. Not even the beings that work for it know how big it is. Not in their job description. In fact no one who works for the UB ever does anything that’s not in their job description, which consists of creating writing that says what a mythic being or being engaged in something mythic may do, when, why, and how they may do it, forcing mythic beings to be aware of said writing via making them fill out forms, recording everything for future mythic reference, and punishing any mythic being or being engaged in something mythic who doesn’t do what, when, why, and how the writing said they may do it without first filling out a Deviation form. And no one ever escapes the Unimaginable Bureaucracy: that means even more paperwork.

The UB is strictly Lawful, though individual agents who file for the proper permit may perform Good or Evil Deviation actions at their discretion.

(“Wait,” you say, “didn’t you say that myths weren’t real in this universe?” Yes I did. The existence of the UB does not in any way contradict any earlier statements regarding the non-existence of myth. For further information please fill out Form 392781: I Wish To GM Your Setting But Do Not Wish To Spend Time Coming Up With All The Secrets Myself in triplicate.)

Lycan: An annoying little goth punk werewolf, Lycan is the self-proclaimed "king of the werewolves". He would have just remained another leader of a gang of delinquents if he weren't just a little more......driven. The fact is that Lycan is no more powerful than the average werewolf (sometimes his gang manages to find super-powered members), but Lycan's cunning and unwillingness to accept failure eventually get him and his gang out of whatever trouble they've gotten themselves into. Lycan's stated desire is werewolf superiority over the other mortal races, but the truth is he just wants to lord it over someone. That, and walk around without a shirt on.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Exploring Alien Earth

Mjollnir: Robot created to assist in mass rescue operations. Was struck by a freak lightening barrage during its first official mission, bestowing sentience and magnetic control powers. And a very ham-tastic personality. By Thor!

Wolfpack: Duplicating werewolf who's four alternates are each a completely different body and personality.

Psych: Can create music from nowhere. It doesn't give him an additional powers, but he makes up for it by being plucky.

The Roach: An insane costumed crime-fighter best known for his catch-phrase "You cannot stop me, you cannot stomp me, for I am.......THE ROACH!" It's unknown whether he has any powers.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Outside Alien Earth

It's time to take the tour outside the comfortable little sphere of Earth and enter the 5th Dimension! I.e. let's see what other places are out there in this great big mixed-up mess we've been gotten into.

Lost Earth: This is the default Earth that most of this setting thread refers to. "Lost" because what distinguishes it is the presence of the lost lands.

Fur Earth: An exact duplicate of Lost Earth up until the Event. And the fact that Fur Earth is populated by anthropomorphic animals.

Lifespace: The dimension which resembles an Earth dimension’s solar system, except every celestial body excepting Earth is inhabited by sword&planet people.

ET Space: Catch-all term for various dimensions with systems that do not resemble Sol and which are generally inhabited by technologically advanced races.

Savage Earth: An Earth where everything from prehistory still exists in an improbable patchwork of environments.

Lands of Adventure: An over-sized “mystic” dimension with many more fantastic inhabitants and who’s technology levels do not usually rise very high.

The Lost: A plastic-physics place that consists mainly of unnavigable-yet-ordinary spaces. There is speculation that this is in fact the space between dimensions through which all other travel flows, but is normally not visible.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Outside Alien Earth

Chrononaut: A Victorian world traveler who gained immortality and time-bending powers after an unexpected trip through time and other dimensions.

Alpha Squad (Fur Earth [WWII]): Aware of the threat of German super-wolf projects and vulnerable to supervillain and mastermind plots at home, the United States government decided it couldn’t rely on scattered superheroes. They needed a team. Deciding not to take existing heroes away from their duties the government, borrowing from the British ancient Egyptian tablets detailing mutagenic substances, bestowed powers on five hand-picked military personnel in a series of secret experiments.

Et:
(humming merrily) "...it's so easy when you're ee-villll."
There is no objective evil in the multiverse. But there is Et.
She's not after material things. She doesn't want to rule. She's got all the pure power she could ever need. No, she just likes making people suffer, crushing all their hopes and loves and driving them into fear and sorrow. And she thoroughly enjoys doing it.
The worst thing? She looks just like Bast. Except instead of sandy-brown and -grey black-striped fur and yellow-green eyes Et has fur of dark-shadow grey and vibrant green eyes. Of course with her power Et can look like whoever she wants, but she considers it a delicious irony that she's the "evil twin" of one of the greatest heroes of all time.
Despite all this Et can be defeated. While she's got all the worst traits of evil she's also got its greatest foible: arrogance. She rarely considers the powers of hope, love, and friendship, and even if she does she'll underestimate them. And since her aim is despair rather than destruction she won't just go ahead and kill people directly. No, she'll crush their spirits instead, no matter how many elaborate plans and retreats it takes.

Neon the Conqueror: An alien tyrant who's all the more annoying for being excessively concerned with maintaining his good looks. Even his minions are forced to dress with more style that strictly necessary. He's surprisingly good at what he does when he actually focuses, having once even managed to temporarily conquer Lost Earth.

Zing the Zanyless: One of the many warlords out there among the dimensions, Zing is especially feared because he likes to play "jokes" on people, usually resulting in someone's death. Also he laughs insanely. A lot.

Evil Emperor Nozzle:
”I am the Evil Emperor Nozzle!.....Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
The bane of all dimensions with space travel, Nozzle is a cunning mastermind even if he always overestimates his intelligence. Fortunately wherever Nozzle shows up to seize power that infernal Doc Hazard and her meddling Science Patrol are never far behind. Nozzle is quite certain that the Doc is the only one in existence with brilliance to match his own.
Nozzle never caries out an evil scheme without his standard group of henchmen:
* One femme fatal personal assistant who inexplicably falls for a Science Patrol member.
* One brutish lieutenant who's so dumb that a dress and a longhaired wig convinces him that the wearer is female.
* One small yet brainy lieutenant with shifty eyes who's job it is to yell at the troops if Nozzle isn't there to do it and to constantly plot to overthrow Nozzle.
* One seemingly endless supply of themed warrior-mooks who have face-obscuring helmets.
Nozzle is a male, grey, dwarf porcine biped. He is inordinately fond of cloaks with giant, up-standing collars.

Lord Dream: The original, iconic supervillain, and arch-nemesis to……well actually just about anyone. Lord Dream isn’t the type to choose favorites. The motivation is what matters, and the motivation is simple: whoever dreamed up the multiverse as we know it didn’t do a good enough job. It’s people are willfully unaware of the true state of things, preferring to argue amongst their petty impulsive delusions rather than shut up and actually look and think slowly. So it’s up to Lord Dream to rewrite the fabric of everything, even if that means destroying it all first. At the very least everyone should give up the free will they aren’t using to Lord Dream.
Those who meet Lord Dream for the first time are often surprised: for such a megalomaniacal goal and the ego that implies Lord Dream shows none of the signs of being such a grandiose villain. He dresses professionally but mundanely. He’s usually calm, and even when ranting and foiled he sounds more annoyed than angry. His plans are the only overtly grandiose thing about him, and often sound quite insane at fist.
All of this tends to cause heroes to underestimate him. Lord Dream is no pushover: He always has minions to send in first. And he has a variety of powers of his own, most famously his ability to transform anyone into a creature out of their wildest imaginings. And when all else fails Lord Dream is incredibly intelligent and creative.
Lord Dream’s only “weakness” per se is the Eye of Nightmares. This smoky crystal orb was his original goal in the original Silver Museum heist that brought Lost Earth's first group of heroes together, and since that time its acquisition is the only thing that he will allow to delay any of his plans. The Eye itself shows powers almost exactly like those of Lord Dream, but magnified exponentially and out of the holder’s imagination not the target’s. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the Eye has a mysterious habit of “dropping off the radar”, disappearing from whomever’s possession it’s in excepting Lord Dream and being completely untraceable once gone even by him.


Exploring Alien Earth

Gremlin: Miniature technology controller with insectile wings.

Echo: Possessing a full range of sound-based powers but a lack of distinct memories Echo isn't sure whether or not she's the nymph of legend. She certainly chatters enough to be: she's the hero world's biggest gossip.

Crocovile and Mockodile: Magical crime bosses of the Bongowell and Okatango swamps, cousins and fierce rivals. Mockodile is the more famous of the two because of his cutting wit and because he runs the more famous swamp (despite the fact that the Okatango is only really a "swamp" part of the year). Crocovile, having endured years of terrible taunts, is always working on a scheme to depose Mockodile, most of which don't work because Crocovile treats his lackeys poorly.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Alien Earth In Depth

Lost Valley Academy
In 1954 Dr. Wertham made his famous case regarding the implications of superheroes running around with young teens. While the WAHA vigorously defended the morality of its members, privately they agreed a change was needed. Many west coast superheroes had already given up training protégées on-the-job because of the danger (not to mention the hassle), but it was important that young heroes get some kind of instruction and support.

So it was decided that the WAHA (in collaboration with the US government) would found a school for the training of young heroes. Choosing a "lost valley" – a space between dimensions, in this case what would later be Lost Earth and the Savage region of the Lands of Adventure – in California that was conveniently close to civilization they constructed what would eventually be name Lost Valley Academy, opening its doors on September 20, 1959. Build right into the side of the valley the Academy was half bunker, half terraces, with facilities both for mundane instruction as well as heroic training as well as sections that could serve as a superhero base.

The Academy did alright during the 60s, but as the 70s started things started becoming strained in a three way between the government, the Academy, and people who claimed to represent the “interests of the children”. There were a myriad of various debates, ranging from turning the Academy into a military school to whether such a place was unduly encouraging potentially risky behavior (remember this was a school for training heroes, not a school for general power control/application). The end result was the same: both the US and the WAHA pulled out, ending the experiment and closing the school. The two briefly fought over the unused facility, but then the Event happened and everyone more-or-less forgot about it.

Alumni of the Academy have brought up the idea of reopening the school every few years since then, but almost no one was interested in the idea. With the founding of Claremont and PS238 many decided the issue was put to rest, as the US (and maybe the world) didn’t need another super-school.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

The Travelers

In 1938 Lost Earth its first superheroes when not one but an entire team foiled a massive heist at the Crescent Bay Silver Natural History Museum. Claiming to be dimensional travelers brought here to protect Earth from growing inter-dimensional threats they were unimaginatively dubbed “The Travelers” but became instant celebrities. Though they would be constantly eclipsed by the eastern heroes who would form the Liberty League and the more relatable humans of San Angelo’s Liberty Corps the Travelers were considered a treasure by the west coast. Their adventures were also an exotic treat for everyone as they most often fought against alien villains of the interplanetary and mystical varieties -- particularly the professional artist of nightmarish monsters, Lord Dream -- but also with their lives spent as public identities (not surprising, given that they couldn’t just change masks).

The Travelers managed to buck many of the trends that plagued other heroes through the latter part of the 20th century, ignoring both the calls of retirement in the Post-McCarthy period and the rusting of heroes in the Bronze and Iron Ages. In fact some credit them with keeping the super climate of the US west coast milder than in the east, heading such efforts as the Western America Heroes United (WAHU) in the 50s and the Lost Valley Academy project in the 60s. However after the Event the Travelers were increasingly called upon to deal with threats in nearby dimensions, and ultimately their focus has shifted outward, including establishing their base off-Earth. Nevertheless in the minds of those they’ve protected and who’ve grown up with their stories the Travelers can be counted among Earth’s greatest heroes.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Bast, she of the flamboyance

Everyone upon meeting Bast understand why she’s the team face: very few people can stand up to the withering assault of charm and friendliness, the out-going personality that isn’t self-conscious. Plus her flashy clothes, small frame, anthropomorphic housecat features help make her distinctly non-threatening.

This also means many people underestimate her. Which can be annoying, but Bast finds it’s also useful when a villain gets a sun flare right in the face. Behind that unassuming body is a magic powerhouse that can control sun-strength light and flame and backs it up with protective magic just as potent. And she’s not as lacking in strength and toughness as she looks: in her normal form she can stand up with some of the best mid-range powerhouses. When even that isn’t enough she can transform into a ripplingly muscled paragonic leonine form comparable to some of the top supers on the planet, though she considers it “a bit too exciting” and so prefers to save it for emergencies. Bast once tried wearing an Egyptian-themed costume back in the early Golden Age, but it was just “stylistically stupid” and at that time there wasn’t anyone who could make white linen and costume jewelry that could stand up to her heat and transforming. These days she just uses standard superhero suits in her colors of red, green, and white, though looser fit to account for her fur, and magic jeweled bangles on each wrist and ankle.

Bast is actually quite the mother personality despite what her intense out-goingness and ferocity in battle may make her appear. While she has no children of her own she is the brood mom of all the children of the Travelers team. No villain ever has to learn more than once not to mess with her children, or indeed any children when she’s around.

For fun she likes to drag her husband Anubis to furry conventions on Lost Earth.


Anubis, Bast’s diametric opposite and significant other

It’s quite a puzzle to many people how Bast ended up with someone like Anubis: She’s outgoing, he’s shy. She likes being around a lot of people at once, he doesn’t like crowds. She likes to be noticed, he doesn’t. She’s confident, he’s awkward……except when it comes to mysteries. Then Anubis changes completely, becoming all focus. He’s still not really the brooding dark sort of costumed detective, though, which combined with his usual personality -- and black anthrophomorphic black jackal body -- makes him a lot more huggable than most.

That focus is Anubis’s special ability: while he has magic and physical power he prefers not to have to use them. Careful detective work and a brilliant mind (with special emphasis on the processes of life and death) solve most of his problems, and if he does need to incapacitate someone his vast medical knowledge allows him to do so with minimal harm by martial art or substance. Like other costumed detectives he carries a variety of tools for all occasions in the pockets of his super suit, done in the same style as Bast but in colors of blue, green, and yellow. He used to have something more Egyptian-themed in the Golden Age, but that was Bast’s idea and he dropped it enthusiastically as soon as she discarded hers.

Most of the time Anubis acts like he wished the entire multiverse would calm down so he could spend a day “being bored for once”. Whatever time he gets free is usual devoted to some slow, careful activity like a science experiment, restoring some old artifact like a book, or studying the latest research, alone for preference. With the running gag being someone always interrupts him. It might seem odd that these two very different individuals could find enough reason to be a couple, but who’ve been around Anubis long enough realize he has god-like patience, which may be just the thing one needs when married to a force of nature like Bast.

His greatest professed problem is that since he’s become a sexual icon for the furry community on Lost Earth Bast insists on dressing him in something minimal and dragging him to conventions so fangirls (and fanboys, Anubis doesn’t care about the gender part) can squeal and blush over him.


A Final Note on Bast & Anubis

Despite their names and connectable traits Bast and Anubis do not have anything to do with the Egyptian gods of the same name. This fact can be easily confirmed by getting in contact with the Unimaginable Bureaucracy (and by “easily” I mean “if you’re not a mythical figure and/or it’s not important for you to know in the grand scheme of things, well, here’s some good luck, it’s what the waiting room vending machines take, don’t try the phone or you’ll turn into a hilarious corpse before you get through, and the website’s a maze”). Not that this has stopped some people, such as themed villains, from making that assumption. Or fan fic writers.

Of course one wrinkle that gives fuel to the fire is the two’s lack of origin. They hung out for several centuries in various dimensions, mostly the Lands of Adventure and ET space (mostly the federation known as the Alliance), but back beyond the normal haze of memory there is a wall, with them emerging already who they are with only less experience, maturity, and power. No one (who’s saying anything, at any rate) has any idea where they came from or the source of their powers and longevity. And frankly neither of the two care: Bast and Anubis prefer to live for the present and plan for the future, not wallow in an unknown past that has no meaning to their current lives.