This is a bit of history for the Kane Chronicles universe. In this case, the April 1960 edition of TIME magazine.

While this is an alternate history timeline, some things remain the same. In this case, Elvis Presley (the fox) still became one of the biggest names in music in the late 1950's. His songs rocketed to the top of the charts.

In this universe, however, another star was trying to make her mark. Eliza Martin (the human) was a very talented singer. However, this is still a time when humans are highly mistrusted and disliked. Despite her talent, she had a hard time finding gigs that would help her career.

Then, in 1960, a break came. She was invited on the Ed Sullivan Show, the same show that launched Elvis to stardom years before. She wasn't going to be a major performer on the show, just a curiosity. However, young Elvis had heard her sing and thought she had an amazing voice. During rehearsal that morning, Elvis stopped by the studio to greet the young human. She was flattered that such a big star knew about her. It was during this meeting that the two hatched a plan. Eliza had a song she was known for that was usually sung in a duet. She hadn't planned to sing it, since it was just her onstage. In a move known only to the performers and Ed Sullivan himself, Elvis would join her onstage to sing the song.

Eliza's performance was received fairly well, the best a talented human could realistically hope for. But when she came to the last song in her three song set, no one was ready for what happened. She calmly said that her last song would be one that needed a fellow performer, and asked the audience welcome her new friend and singer. The entire audience nearly exploded when Elvis Presley himself walked into stage.

No one who saw that show would ever forget it. No anthro had ever appeared onstage with a human. Not only was this the first time, but it was done by one of the most famous entertainers on Earth. And the performance was beautiful. With Elvis there, many in the audience were able to look past the human and just hear what an incredible voice she had. They received a standing ovation after the song. And in a move that would be remembered in history, Eliza and Elvis hugged each other after the song.

This was the beginning of great change. After that performance, the question of whether or not humans were really people was laid to rest. There came a real discussion about human rights in the world. And five years later in 1965, marriage between humans and anthros was made legal.

And while Henry and Sarah Mason (my human main character and his rat wife) have been secretly married since 1938, they make the marriage public and official in that year.

This art is by my favorite artist in the world, the awesome  pac