#the plot was a little hazy and mutable

[alltingfinns]

Had a nap earlier today and I am starting to think I would get a lot more rest from sleeping if my brain didn't think every other dream needed 57 layers of worldbuilding. Had a fantasy dream where I was a prince/knight/general who fought with a sword and had a princess/priestess love interest. The part where I was also a woman in masculine attire didn't reduce the fantasy stereotypes. However, the alien invasion disrupting the ongoing war with the dragon king did a little bit. Even if the aliens referred to their own subsets (a genetically coded class system where larger size meant higher up the hierarchy) by goblins and ogres for some fantasy flavor, I guess. There was a whole lot of intrigue and infiltrating the aliens and finding defectors. And apparently my character learned how to fake being dead from a tough upbringing involving fights for inheritance. Humans were equal with the smallest aliens, both in the hierarchy and size. (During parts of the dream my pov was a midsize alien helping my original character.)

[bleachbleachbleach]

Y'know how Isshin had to become a shinigami-human hybrid to cancel out Masaki's tainted quincy thing? Like I have an image of a four pointed star with shinigami, human, quincy, hollow that basically represents "opposite states of being" and marks them all as being distinct from each other. I personally dislike it bc quincies were originally introduced as a very particular type of human, not an entire different species. What do you think of that whole deal?

Confession: I read those flashback chapters as part of one big binge-session that began with the Fullbring arc and culminated at around 3am with the end of the series. I came away with few details, only vibes.

Confession 2: The only parts I've gone back to re-read more slowly were... the Hitsugaya and Matsumoto parts... 😳😳😳😳 Because blorbovision. I will one day give the rest the respect it is due, I promise! But right now that re-read is on Chapter 66 and Ichigo hasn't even been to Soul Society yet.

So I speak from the very bold vantage point of someone with very little grasp of canon to stand on for this specific ask. But I'll go ahead and draw from my headcanons about Bleach generally:

I agree that humans and Hollows are presented as being opposite states of being from one another. Specifically, human souls--the meaty casing seems optional.

I still think shinigami are largely interlopers into this equation, so it's less that they get a point on the star and more than they're just kind of there. They act as "balancers" and take this job seriously enough to justify genocide on its behalf, but in the scheme of things I guess I'm not convinced balance is strictly required to begin with, and I am pretty sure the shinigami just made this up because every society needs a founding myth. Maybe balance is required to maintain this universe as it currently exists! I mean, it probably is. But in all likelihood if the soul balance was disrupted, the Living World, Hueco Mundo, Hell, Soul Society, etc. would pangaea themselves into a new configuration and life would persist, even if it then meant something quite different. That this isn't really seen as an acceptable future probably says more about the perspective/values of the sapient things in the universe than anything else. (I mean, the same is true of ours, lol, so that's not news. Climate change is still bad, etc. But I think these questions have the potential to take on interesting additional valences when there's a chance that, say, a shinigami's lifespan could end up quite a bit longer than we can conceive of. Like, does that make your take on... ontology...? eschatology? any different? or nah? Anyway--)

I also agree that Quincy are, at the end of the day, a type of human. But I don't know that holds true for how I see the Sternritter. I do not think very much about the Sternritter but I feel like their existence says a lot about the mutability of these categories, and also the heterogeneity within them, because they've become something a whole lot more like shinigami than human. (Though "like shinigami" is likely just an overly shinigami-centric view of the world. That's probably emphatically NOT how they would describe their trajectory. XD They've become something that is closer to other-than-human than human.)

With regards to this question of shinigami-human being able to cancel out tainted-Quincy, I'll reiterate: I'm hazy on the mechanics of this. But I'm with you in that I'm not super interested in the idea of there being these four nodes of human, Hollow, shinigami, and Quincy that operate in neat oppositions. However, I'm sure there's fascinating cosmological explanations for this that actually make it very interesting.

Absent these cosmologies, I'll say off the cuff that what would make this plot point interesting to me, personally, would be some kind of exploration into the heterogeneities within these categories of being, even as they're also being positioned in oppositions and presented as being discrete and distinct from one another. Given that one of the primary conceits of this universe--irrespective of Ichigo's special case and special lineages--is that rando normie souls from Rukongai can possess/develop enough spiritual energy to become shinigami, and high-ranking, Captain/VC-class shinigami to boot, I'd bet my life on "WELP. SHIT'S MESSY" being the name of the game. XDD I'm here for that.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Sun enters Pisces

February 18 - March 20, 2017

“The best way to view the transits of the Sun is to think of them as a big, celestial searchlight. It plays a hyperintense beam of self-awareness over us, cutting through the overlapping webs of planetary trigger points spread throughout the chart. Whatever part of the mind it hits is temporarily centralized in the ego, occupying our attention and centralizing its needs. With solar transits, ego plays its hand, for better or worse.” -- The Changing Sky, Steven Forrest

Through the filter of Pisces, the solar searchlight is a little hazy and out of focus. With little effort, our imaginations run wild, creating this or that scenario which may or may not have anything to do with reality.

I really like this representation of the constellation Pisces:

You can see easily that the two fish, though tied together by their tails, are headed in different directions - not opposites. One fish remains more or less aligned on the “path” made by the Zodiac, while the other is trying to leap free of the whole thing. That’s our first clue about any Pisces transit: there are things you can see easily, on the surface; and there are things you’ll discover only when you look beyond that surface.

Pisceans are notorious for their tendency to drift through life; a better way to channel that wafting energy is to put a little more conscious awareness into going with the flow. We’re very sensitive to all the different currents and undercurrents - and sometimes that’s too much to cope with, too overwhelming. Another less happy Piscean trait is escapism, be it via pharmaceuticals, the idiot box, or your poison of choice.

With practice and with faith, though, we can eventually become experts at navigation. We can anticipate not only problems, but possibilities. It isn’t yet time to act on these problems and possibilities - that’s Aries’ department - so use this month to prepare for that burst of energy next March.

Celebrities with Sun in Pisces Albert Einstein, Rihanna, Alan Rickman, Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Taylor, Adam Levine, George Harrison, Brian Jones, Drew Barrymore, Edgar Cayce, Daniel Craig, Nicolaus Copernicus, Oscar Isaac, Frederic Chopin, Johnny Cash, Kesha, Michelangelo, George Washington, Emily Blunt, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Isabelle Huppert, Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Queen Latifah, Galileo Gallilei, Bobby Fischer

NB: for the time period February 20-25, the Sun/Pisces will be annoying the Cardinal Grand Cross. Please see this blog post for more information.

Tuesday, February 21, North Node/Virgo opposite Sun/Pisces, South Node/Pisces conjunct Sun/Pisces, 3:28

If the North Node symbolizes our path for growth, then the Sun conjunct the South Node is literally the furthest away from the path that is possible. As it’s the first major aspect the Sun makes, it sets the tone for the entire Sun-through-Pisces. Rather than giving up just as we’re getting started, we need to keep our ultimate North Node goals in mind (becoming more effective and sustainable) and commit to working toward them.

Planets/Points affected lie between 2:28 and 4:28 of the signs Taurus, Gemini*, Cancer, Virgo*, Scorpio, Sagittarius*, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Wednesday, February 23, Ceres/Taurus sextile Sun/Pisces, 5:50 Thursday, February 24, Juno/Capricorn sextile Sun/Pisces, 6:19

Quite down-to-earth, practical, and indeed a natural reaction to the previous aspect. We find it very easy to establish basic domestic routines which are healthy and emotionally supportive. Keeping life as simple and realistic as we can manage will have a tremendously stabilizing influence - sorely needed.

Planets/Points affected lie between 4:50 and 7:19 of the yin signs Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Wednesday, March 1, Neptune/Pisces conjunct Sun/Pisces, 11:42

This can be confusing, delusionary, inspirational, otherworldly, impressionable, and psychic - all at once. It will be almost impossible to avoid, or evade, the overall Pisces vibe of the day; if you have anything important within range, and especially in the mutable signs, you may not like this. Or be particularly susceptible to it. Or both. Basically, it’s a great day to be a space cadet!

Planets/Points affected lie between 10:42 and 12:42 of the signs Taurus, Gemini*, Cancer, Virgo*, Scorpio, Sagittarius*, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Monday, March 6, Mercury/Pisces conjunct Sun/Pisces, 16:37

This is the “superior conjunction” of the Sun and Mercury. The little planet is at its top apparent speed, and is on the other side of the Sun from the Earth - in other words, it’s a “Full Mercury” time. We struggle to keep our minds as objective as possible, while reflecting (“Full Mercury”) on what has happened to us. In Pisces this could be difficult because of the innate Piscean being diffusive, nebulous, and vacillating. It may be time to let the right brain take over the mental processing, today.

Planets/Points affected lie between 15:37 and 17:37 of the signs Taurus, Gemini*, Cancer, Virgo*, Scorpio, Sagittarius*, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Thursday, March 9, Pluto/Capricorn sextile Sun/Pisces, 18:57

Pluto loves to plot, and Capricorn gives it an appreciation of structure and of the long-term. This sextile will bring opportunities to reach your “effective sustainability” goals, or whatever goals you have in mind. There’s real staying power. What the Sun in Pisces brings is a certain flexibility and fluidity - if/when we encounter roadblocks, we’re able to sail right around/through them.

Planets/Points affected lie between 17:57 and 19:56 of the yin signs Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Friday, March 10, Vesta/Cancer trine Sun/Pisces, 20:09

This can be a very beautiful aspect of self-integration and self-identification. In water signs, however - well, remember that water has no shape of its own, but rather takes the shape of its container. We may be coming up with an “identity” that allows us to function in the world, with our real selves camouflaged, or sunk into deeper waters. We may be more concerned with “tribal” identity (Cancer) as a way to cope with the larger world (Pisces).

Planets/Points affected lie between 19:09 and 21:09 of the yin signs Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces.

Tuesday, March 14, Pallas/Pisces conjunct Sun/Pisces, 24:41; Chiron/Pisces conjunct Sun/Pisces, 24:42

This is an impressive triple conjunction. The two mentioned above are exact within 11 minutes of each other, and the third one (Pallas conjunct Chiron) occurs less than half an hour later. In “The Mountain Astrologer,” Leah Whitehorse comments that this “spotlights (Sun) bridge-building (Chiron) and negotiation (Pallas) to transcend our differences and help us adapt to change. Healing becomes a creative process of self-illumination.” I would like to substitute “immanence” for “transcendence,” as you well know - it isn’t just healing (Chiron), but a genius idea (Pallas), to find everything we have in common with one another.

Planets/Points affected lie between 23:41and 25:42 of the signs Taurus, Gemini*, Cancer, Virgo*, Scorpio, Sagittarius*, Capricorn, and Pisces; and between 8:41 and 10:42 of the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.

Friday, March 17, Saturn/Sagittarius square Sun/Pisces, 27:29

Here is the day that the idealistic plans you’ve made are challenged by “reality.” It’s a test of faith, primarily, but also of our flexibility and our compassion. Can we live up to our own hype? How do we work with/around “unreasonable” authority? There’s a chance that we meet the enemy at last, and he is us - how do we respond to that realization? It’s impractical to ignore reality, but it’s stupid to let reality excuse us from showing imagination and mercy.

Planets/Points affected lie between 26:29 and 28:29 of the mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces; and between 11:29 and 13:29 of the fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.