Hey guys! So! Here’s the 3rd big art commission I mentioned! :D I’ve been debating when to release this, but I was too excited to wait, and like I mentioned in the frigate art post — I wanted to make up for this week’s delay in a meaningful way that shows my appreciation to your guys’ patience and understanding! :D
It was also my intent to share this with you guys as a sort of gift from me to everyone as it was my birthday not too long ago; in a similar vein to the Acela commission I posted last year! :D
And in the same vein as that Acela commission, I wanted to capture something… raw about the setting; something immutable and fundamental to the human condition in 3047, something that truly defines that grounded sense of optimism I wanted to cultivate from the story. I found that something, in the form of humanity’s first bridgehead, the first true permanent tether between its cradle and the stars which bear its destiny.
From hopepunk/hopecore to a grounded sort of optimism, I’ve always wanted to portray a future humanity as being both epic in scale, awesome in reach, and ultimately… grand in its inspirational aspirations.
3047 humanity has long since reached for the stars, and have made the stars, the planets, moons, and even the void itself their home. But it all had to start from somewhere.
Earth — the cradle — was and continues to be the beating heart of human civilization; the blue gem that glistens in the midst of an innumerable number of stations, habitats, and worlds that can all trace their origins back to that fragile, vulnerable start.
But while we’ve seen what’s become of the old old world, namely Acela and the NYC Old Quarter, what we haven’t yet seen are the completely new developments on the cradle.
This is something I plan to explore in the story, of course. Probably in the next space presentation, if all goes according to plan and my editor is alright with it ;) But suffice it to say, I am DYING to show this to you guys before then.
This… is the Pacific Charter — a floating city that’s located somewhere along the equatorial line within the pacific ocean. Ironically founded after the first permanent space habitat states, and officially recognized as a special autonomous region following its rapid growth after the completion of its space elevator, the Pacific Charter is both a poster child and something of a blueprint for the rest of Earth’s space elevators and the cities that inevitably grew around them; a bridge that connects the Earth to the stars.
I won’t spoil it too much, but as hinted above, the space elevator and its surrounding city was founded in the wake of the first permanent space habitats and the conclusion of the first intrasolar war. At that point in time, material science and industrial processes had become advanced enough to not only produce the materials and equipment for a space elevator, but the logistics systems and space presence which would’ve made it a viable piece of a grander Earth-to-Space and Space-to-Earth transportation infrastructure.
It was the perfect confluence of all the right factors that made the space elevators possible. But what made it actually remarkable was the timing. With the first intrasolar war still fresh on everyone’s minds, this project was both a gamble on all fronts, but also a leap of faith. It was a gesture of good will, of mutual trust and cooperation, in the hopes of constructing a megastructure previously only relegated to the pages of speculative fiction. Humanity, together, would attempt to construct a physical link, a veritable bridge between the Earth and the heavens. And through the combined efforts of everyone involved, humanity succeeded. The sense of accomplishment this brought, and the collective pride of a united humanity, completing what was in essence the first physical link between Earth and Space, could not be understated. The symbolism alone was beyond heavy handed, but the political gesture it carried had effectively cemented the now-unbreakable bond between Earth, Luna, and the stations orbiting between them.
There’s… a lot of lore behind this, and even more fun tidbits of worldbuilding I have for it, but I’ll focus on the art itself this time around. We can get to it when the chapter rolls around! :)
As I mentioned above, I’ve always wanted to capture that sense of optimism, that awe inspiring epic grandeur of a brighter future where humanity continues to build wonders… and where those wonders now stand as not just hallmarks of human ingenuity, but an integral, practically normal aspect of life.
These wonders, these megastructures, whilst epic — as seen by Emma’s excitable reactions to it — are now simply a part (albeit a very important one) of a far reaching system all built by human hands.
Its boons — its everything — now servicing a reality where the stars are as accessible as a simple train trip would be for us.
Space, and all of its wonders, are the right of all humans to access. Just as Earth and the cradle is, to all of humanity who calls the stars and the void their home.
This — beyond just the undeniable cool factor of the space station — is what I’m really giddy about for this commission.
That sense of connection, of immutable access for all, from the cradle to the stars to all that humanity has built… This is what I live for in my worldbuilding.
And I think the art here just really hits the mark on that.
The art style here and the detail into just… everything in this piece played such a key part in that too. There’s something here that’s just so crisp, clean, and just… sharp that I just really really like. That’s why I went with the artist for this piece, and that’s why I’m just so happy to have been able to commission him for this project! :D
Moreover, I just think he captured Emma’s gooberness so well in this shot! XD
Also! I’ve posted two versions of the art! One with Emma wearing her AR glasses, and another without it! You can see some of the cool easter eggs I put in there too. One of which shows the context of when exactly this would’ve taken place in Emma’s life XD
I’ll try to refrain from touching on the bits that’ll otherwise be touched on in the chapter, so that’s all of the explanations you’ll be getting out of me this time! :D
I hope you guys love it as much as I do, and once again, a huge thank you to the artist behind this piece! :D
Artist Reference: DuneDeca from Bluesky