#accountability and change can and have to coexist

[god-i-hope-so]

I wonder how many of Tommy haters ever experienced racism. My guess is a very small part of them because let me tell you one thing: you don't spend after work time with your racist coworker on your own. EVER. You don't share stories and jokes with them. EVER. You know the mental cost of spending time with a racist when you're a poc? No you don't. And you think Hen and Chim would choose to spend their free time with a racist instead of anyone else? Instead of going home? No one forced them, and there's no one else. They decided to have drinks together because Tommy changed and they want to support change.

You can call out his past behavior, absolutely, and I did it myself because it needs to be done. You know what needs to be done too? Acknowledge positive change. It's crucial to see and support change. Change is what makes the world better, little by little. But you wouldn't know if you're not a poc, right? How does it feel to be a white knight trying to get some "good ally" points from the poc you use for you hate campaign? All that for a fucking ship? Is it worth it? Do you have your ship canon now?

But please, educate me on racism and how Hen and Chim acted in S2, apparently forced (by who?) to spend their free time with Tommy.

[xclowniex]

I need people to realize that you can have an ideal of what you'd like to happen, but that doesn't mean it's realistic.

What is realistic takes into account other peoples actions and behaviors, facts, how it affects other people, and so much more.

I get that wanting a peaceful one state solution of Palestine is antizionists ideal, but it's not realistic. It will never be peaceful under any solution until BOTH jewish and Palestinian safety is guaranteed.

This means hamas being dismantled and a resurrection of hamas or similar insurgent groups being prevented from forming. This also means the Israeli government being changed to have people in power who have peace rather than re-election as their main goal.

I want a land for all solution ideally. This different from a one state solution of Palestine or Israel. But this isn't realistic currently. It will never happen until there is at least a stable, peaceful and sustainable two state solution. Only then could any other solution be an achievable goal.

Coexistence isn't born from violence. Your blorbo revolution will not fix anything. Meaningful actions towards peace should be everyone's focus

[phulge]

i haven't really been engaging in discourse because i've been sick but i do have a few things to say now that some dust has settled and im not sleeping 16 hours a day.

the phandom is not a radical space. i dont think it ever will be. thats not saying we cant fight for fair treatment and community care within it, but as long as it is orbiting around two privileged white men it will not be a radical space. the only thing radical about this space and the only real tool we have in our toolkit is how we treat each other.

its disgraceful seeing that there are phannies out there throwing out racial slurs in inboxes. its disgraceful seeing us fracture over what is honestly kindergarten shit.

like rudy said, we need to remember that dan and phil are just some white guys from england. and honestly their biggest crime probably is not knowing many if any poc. theyre privileged people who unfortunately as time goes on and their wealth increases and they stabilize, they will share less and less in common with their fans. theyre going to become more unreachable than they currently are no matter how down-to-earth they remain.

so forget dan and phil. sure, theyve done shitty things in the past and will continue to do so. but insofar as we are fans of them, no matter how much they tell us that they listen to us and care for us, we will never have their ear to change in the ways that we want them to. and honestly? years after the fact apologies done out of fear of a hit to their reputation is not an effective means of repairing anything. it is a bandaid over a deeper problem we need to admit we do not have the means or the leverage to fix (at least while maintaining a space recognizable to us). not to say we can and should not hold dan and phil accountable, but we need to be realistic about what is really important to us. is it celebrities doing and saying the right things or is it us taking it upon ourselves to be better people?

so how are we going to hold people accountable for the things they do in the moment? how are we gonna call people in? how are we going to turn to the people on our dash and at our live shows and treat them? how are we going to log off and show up in our communities?

there is a conversation to be had here about fan culture and how it can/cannot coexist with the idolization of white figures, but that's a different post.

the phandom is not a radical space, but we can be radical people within it. rich white men will always disappoint you, so how can you show up for the people actually accessible to you? and really in the end if it comes down to it, do you have the capability to walk away?

[seafoamreadings]

week of february 23rd, 2025

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: venus prepares to go retrograde in your sign all week, finally doing so by saturday. relationship weirdness ensues, and you get to choose how to handle that. for example, respond to a text from an ex, or be the texting ex, or move on entirely? aesthetics and self worth may also be put under the microscope.

taurus: the retrograde of your ruling planet is not the only thing going on but it is probably the most reflective of the larger events taking place in your life. avoid addictive tendencies and watch for secretive and/or manipulative behavior from others around you.

gemini: although this is the week of a much-discussed venus retrograde, there is plenty of mercurial activity taking place this week which may affect you more directly. expect to see, and even perhaps re-affirm or choose differently when it comes to, the road not taken from your past.

cancerians: early in the week a new moon kicks off a period of some friction. the new moon itself is a nice little reset point for you. use that carefully because the impending retrograde of venus promises some discomfort.

leo: if you've been considering any dramatic or permanent changes to philosophy, spirituality, long distance travel or relocation, or going back to school, you may wish to hold off on that from now until venus is solidly prograde again.

virgo: this is a good week for relationships, even romantic ones, but not such a great period if you were planning to merge resources like households or bank accounts. for now it's best to remain independent - give it several weeks.

libra: venus retrograde in aries is venus retrograde in your 7th house of partnerships and relationships. so maybe hold off on getting married or even solidifying a commitment, or be prepared for it to dramatically change form again when venus retrograde is over.

scorpio: you're now entering the worst period pretty much possible when it comes to hair dye, cutting your bangs, or getting tattoos. find some more temporary way to express yourself or mark changes.

sagittarius: venus in aries means *fun* for you although when she is retrograde it can seem like your attempts at a good time make a mockery of you. in such moments, remember the pleasure in the tiniest things, and that joy can coexist along side any other, less pleasant, emotions or events.

capricorn: stalled relationships can seem to take on new life starting this week, although they may be off to a slow start. as mars continues his direct journey through your 7th house, they may reheat. of course, microwaved leftovers are not always as good as they were originally.

aquarius: those of you looking for new jobs or refreshed routines, with budgetary concerns involved especially, fare rather well this week. even if you don't want to apply for anything or make major changes, it's a good idea to set wise financial intentions.

pisces: i know for many of you there has been a rather gloomy air about the last week or perhaps longer. it should lift and lighten in the next few days, with both a pisces new moon and mars direct coming up very soon. your new moon can bring you a certain amount of rebirth-style vitality, and the end of mars retrograde allows for more fun and whimsy in life.

watch the transit posts in real time to have the best guide through your week. want a little more? have a look at my patreon or ko-fi.

check out my etsy for a private reading or fill out this form to set up a reading through venmo, cashapp, or paypal.

[meowssmer]

now that i'm back playing hsr im gonna talk about the question "why does life slumber" because i both love this question and kind of hate the way it was answered in the game

i understand the general premise here, it's a focus on escapism. sunday wanted to create a paradise, a perpetual dream where people can live their dreams without the painful setbacks of reality. on paper it's nice, in practice he takes away people's agency aggressively forcing them to slumber by bringing back the order of a dead god.

what sunday did wasn't right, but i think the game still fails to answer the question: "why does life slumber?" ultimately, penacony's story is about justice. it is about the crimes committed by higher powers and how they'll never be held accountable for their actions. sunday seeks justice, he seeks order. it is the only way he knows how to universally instill a practical form of justice.

remember, he was a bronze melodia, he listened to people's confessions. he heard both sides of criminals and victims, their lives turned out to be complicated and deeply layered. yes, harmony allows us to coexist, but it doesn't change that we are fundamentally unequal. those who are "strong", who possess great wealth and are given great opportunities will live to have much better lives than those who are "weak", who lack the wealth and the support the "strong" may have access to.

it is chaos, and there is no justice. these people will suffer for no reason, cards handed to them that set their fate in motion without their consent. for sunday, a life like that already lacks choice, his view in creating his perfect paradise in this bubble of penacony is a necessary evil that functions almost similarly to reality. it is just without the suffering he deems unnecessary.

justice, however, is transactional. sunday must give up his autonomy to an aeon in order for his paradise to come to fruition. he is willing to sacrifice this; he believes this is the true and genuine path for the good of others. think also about aventurine, our famous gambler shackled to the IPC. sure, he is "free" but not only did he have to buy it but now he "owes" the IPC.

fundamentally all characters introduced to us in penacony are slaves to a larger story. it's been a reoccurring theme: our character is the trailblazer, kafka is "destiny's slave", fu xuan's prophetic abilities, etc. we, on the astral express, as sunday proclaims, are an anomaly against the script. we possess a special strength in us that is not innate in others. perhaps it is true, that people can and will someday grow strong enough to overcome the injustices of fate, but sunday has witnessed empty meaningless lives that seek the guidance of higher powers that may give them the salvation they lack.

those people's voices, he decided, matter. and i think hsr has failed in this department. firefly admits she is born with a chronic illness, but she doesn't want to live in a dream for the rest of her life, she'd prefer to suffer in reality to take back her freedom because there is no freedom in a dream. justice may exist, but freedom within the functions of a traditional judicial system does not. it still demands there be two parties: the criminals, and the innocents. how does one identify these two? it is a very black and white thinking that lacks nuance.

but this still does not answer the question: "why does life slumber?" trailblazer throws their hat off to the sky to boldly declare "because someday we will wake from our dreams." but that's simply a consequence of sleep. it's an easy answer, it is one that returns to the original black and white thinking. it follows the similar formula of sunday's unproductive paradise. "because we will wake" does not answer the basis of our question. we don't get an answer to sunday's inquiry, we only tell him that it's impossible to sleep forever (unless you're dead, but you can't die in a dream).

i understand one cannot benefit from escapism when it becomes their entire life. however, it does not explain unjust suffering. why do certain people have to suffer a destiny given to them by aeons, families, or their bodies? these injustices exist in due part because of other people's actions, their attraction to god and to power. this suffering is tied to the transactional nature of hsr's world as a whole. remember, firefly's attempt to gain freedom is to sacrifice one thing for another with jade. is this truly freedom? did she ever escape the laws of a dream?

why does life slumber? i can't help but see the irony of a gacha game attempting to sell you an escapist fantasy to tell you, you can free yourself of the shackles of wealth, power, colonialism, and disability when those shackles are held by people who use god's words and legislation they wrote to "prove" you belong at a lower status than them. we are enslaved to generations of violence, hatred, and propaganda. to say "because someday we will wake from our dreams." is an uncomplicated, avoidant answer.

there will be people who trailblaze, but there will also be those who remain and die in the dark. i often think about a post i saw where someone said "i will never see justice in this life." what is the difference between a dream and its mirrored reality? when both reflect the same problems, but one lacks the pain the other possesses, why doesn't life slumber?

why seek justice in a world that'd rather hide the flaws of the powerful than confront the ugly? why suffer when there is no way to know you will get something in end? "because someday we will wake from our dreams." answers the impossible nature of a dream, but it does not realize why it may even exist in the first place.

i understand it is more a rhetorical question to expose the inconsistencies of sunday's philosophy. "if you are born weak, which god should you turn to for solace?" i know, it is meant to be an uplifting story for us. give us the strength we may not have known we possess. but weakness lives in all of us, and it takes shape in many different forms. we alone cannot gain the strength to battle systemic injustices, many die attempting, many die never seeing justice.

the truth, the answer, would require a destruction of our traditional reality. i think penacony should've aimed to let the question linger for the rest of the game as a narrative lantern guiding us through the rest of the story. i know i'm missing many characters and their roles in penacony, but if you've come this far, the post is already extremely lengthy and i don't wish to extend it. although, i doubt anyone has read this far.

[sugar-petals]

Not to be that person, but I read in the updated Kibbes that pure N and pure C don’t exist anymore 🥲 Also height isn’t a big a factor in typing men (Leonardo DiCaprio and Elvis Presley are verified Romantics despite being 6 ft). Also body shape isn’t much of a factor either. Mila Kunis, Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez don’t really have defined waists, but Kibbe recently called them TRs. Jennifer Love Hewitt is FG and is curvier than those 3. I think people tend to get stereotyped based on body shape alone

as this is commonly mentioned: time for some critical points in depth:

i do keep all the 13 categories - otherwise, the system logically falls apart. i'll explain why.

pure c especially has to be the middle anchor. of course yin and yang can coexist equally in a person who is neither tall nor small and quite symmetrical, and some people like that exist. kibbe removed them because of perceived rarity, "they were somehow inconsistent with his vision of female physiognomy" (yikes - somebody likes to prescribe how we should look like or not), and a conservative shift in america aka "every person is either more yin or yang". which we all know is too simplistic. we are back to belle northrup — she sorted everything into masculine D/N or feminine R — where it all began in the 1920s. classic 100-year cycle. maybe kibbe studied northrup again and was influenced by it, went back to square one to reduce difficulty, even though it's dated. but kibbe likes dated stuff, it's no surprise, we know that since the metamorphosis book.

and yes, remember kibbe didn't create the system. Joseph Bonomo, Belle Northrup, Harriet Tilden McJimsey, John Kitchener, Carol Tuttle, they all invented and developed it. kibbe marketed the final bits. that's probably why there's lack of clarity and constant changes, plus his puzzling leaning towards poetry and magical thinking in his facebook group. he doesn't invent, he modifies, so it seems like he created it. he undoes the work of other authors to make it his. that should be critiqued, since it made no sense and wasn't well-received either. it's strange how he dismantles something with his name on it without proper explaining.

i don't get the pure type removal generally. a typology about human shape needs the in-betweens, both outliers and mixed and blended lines, and kibbe can make mistakes. he's retyped and changed his mind countlessly before, which says a lot. tom cruise is pure N not SN, timothee chalamet is pure G not FG, the list goes on. and most of men's clothing is pure classic or pure natural. would be hilarious if it's for nonexistent types, even though beauty and fashion does work like that sometimes. even david doesn't dress his own type aka TR in 90% of the pictures we see of him, but like a colorful classic or gamine. even he wants to be a different ID or ideal, even if he praised TR to the heavens in the book.

of course i am a hardliner on this: height is THE factor in typing both men and women! this won't ever change, even if kibbe's been more detailed for women's heights, as that is his market and demand, and height is a less touchy subject there culturally. it's too important in how a person comes across IRL though. first thing we see at a distance. it would be ironic to disregard height when especially guys are quickly categorized by it. for reasons of social dominance and distinguishing from the opposite sex mostly, but we can do that without judging but objectively through kibbe's system which has to be unbiased and normalize diversity, not ignore plurality. he's the one saying everyone's perfect anyway!

so: vertical, medium height, petite. three options. every guy is somewhere. agreed? we have to at least take these into account. otherwise, it's not kibbe anymore and we can discard it all. which many people following kibbe's confused updates did. i get why people ditch it all at once given the lack of consensus and lack of real physical rules. height is the last frontier, otherwise kibbe is just 70% quasi-spirituality.

my rules are, if a man is above 6'0, he's SD, D, or FN, slim chance of DC. a male gamine or romantic must be 5-foot-something. kibbe is negligent with typing men because he's very hetero and follows the money + cultural hegemony, aka women are styled and looked at VS men are not. kibbe should give us height limitations for guys, too, since they make a difference. and make typing easier.

but if david makes typing easy, he can't sell consultations and books. still, we can put some levels in there ourselves. daniel radcliffe at 5'4 is gonna be a soft gamine and paul newman at 5'10 is gonna be a dramatic classic and tom hiddleston at 6'2 will be a dramatic. i like height helping with types, since it's clear-cut and the only thing about the system you can actually quantify. and it helps people typing themselves tremendously. why ignore it for guys when one or two exceptions (supposed tall gamine etc) pop up?

leo dicaprio and elvis are both in the natural or dramatic family anyway. yes, i think they are mistyped. kibbe categorized them based on their womanizer heartthrob public images, which means R to him, ignoring their width/height. david is the one applying stereotypes in favor of skipping analysis. which saves him time as he's busy as hell admittedly and "womanizer" is both their public image, and that's how some Rs CAN come across, sure. but both are not petite, and you have to be below 6'0 small and delicate to be R. their faces have softness but also width... sounds like SN alert. the usual confusion between those types. elvis might even be an SD. tall-ish, T-shape, soft face, long slim legs... SD also has a glam heartthrob image in the book, so... it'd still work if you go by how the public perceives them.

body shape is essential! otherwise, what should a body typing rely on? it's not a personality typing. you have to mark and analyse a person's silhouette to get an image ID. interestingly, kibbe's new book is literally all about that. he leans heavily into line drawings. no body shape, no drawing. and people confusing "perceived curvy" VS "kibbe double curve" is a long-standing problem. i'm still studying it too.

ariana is a flamboyant gamine (petite + narrow/angular) rebranded as a pure R for wicked, and selena/mila have fluctuating weights. selena is TR, though. dunno about mila. mistyped SN? remember, theatrical adds a dramatic element though, which includes less defined curves than pure R and streamlines that type. especially soft gamines can be curvy still, they are both mostly R and some D in one. jennifer could be TR, too, if she's that curve dominant. needs further elaboration.

the stereotyping is almost the point of metamorphosis, as kibbe bases his idea on old hollywood typecasting: of course the 50s were regressive and reductive like that. it's about abstracts and personal aura to him, too, which is why he's been so wishy-washy and sensationalist about it. it works and sells. people who got a consulting from him say it's less about oneself but the rush of that experience and overconsumption, and getting clothes they don't want or actually wear, since kibbe overrides clients with his own supposed vision. keep that in mind. disappointed but not surprised.

most of these common points have been debunked for long, and it's known i maintain the original system: against kibbe's latest penchant for experimenting, randomizing, and disembodying a typology about bodies (how) because he likes a philosophical/idealistic-neoliberal approach. i get why he might be sick of just sticking to physics but come on. it's essence typing at this point.

i am not liberal, i like the material and measuring aspect of the 13 types, cause that's right in front of our eyes, and that's where putting on a piece of clothing happens. difficult in the internet age, and people dislike being thrown into a drawer, i understand that. but the more types he removes, the more narrow the two yin yang drawers become in the first place. i do acknowledge his experience with practical styling, i do theory, and theory/analysis can miss a mark just as much. both is risk.

the plurality should be maintained instead of removing types, and kibbe's volatile opinions for marketing and excessive monetizing efforts disregarded (5000 bucks for a consultation? phew), or attempts to type according to personality and celebrity PR first and foremost. singular celebrity examples or typing confusions shouldn't have such a huge impact. looking at public image can help (eg sabrina carpenter rebrand = pinup = yin), but let's draw lines and go by height first. why is pinup yin? because the waist is marked. and so on.

neither the new nor the old book are anywhere near perfect, so the real deal happens on independent kibbe-only blogs and youtube/tiktok making sense of this anyway. kibbe himself is not the untouchable end-all-be-all, it's better to have a more democratic typing universe (what would we do without aly art or gabriella arruda, for instance). that being said, TLDR: much work to do!

[zeh-e-aashiqui]

war only ends in tragedy. never peace.

if there is heaven on earth it is here. it is here. it is here.

phones will ring all across the country today. as if a reverberation of panic, or desperation

a mom will call her child to ask- are you okay? you don't have to talk if you can't, just sigh, so that in your breath i can find mine.

a friend will call another, say nothing, just let the silence hang like apples in a faraway orchard, like snow in the morning mountains, like shikaras in the melting waters of dal lake.

it is here. it is here. it is here.

the official casualty list will contain only 27 names. it won't account for-

the vermillion of a newly wed wife's forehead.

the smile of a mother's face.

the sanity of a collective nation.

the peace that years of struggle had built.

any hope of coexistence. the innocence of children who will grow up on nothing more than scraps of history and morsels of hatred.

it is here. it is here. it is here.

the mindless rampage of militants, vying for blood and chaos, killing for a news headline

and a cause they understand nothing of.

the tragedy of every individual who lost their lives, their loved ones, their livelihood.

the blame among politicians that'll keep changing hands.

and in the background, a land that everyone wanted yet no one was ready to care for.

a land where snow melts into blood and humanity melts into every god's worst nightmare.

a land that is also a reminder:

if god can become a reason for slaughter, what is heaven then, if not a slaughterhouse?

[violeteclipseboaty]

So I watched kingdom of the planet of the apes yesterday and I gotta say I really enjoyed it! It has its flaws but if there's a sequel I will definitely watch lmao I have to talk about Mae's character so SPOILERS:

There is still a lot of mystery surrounding her. I BOTH liked and disliked her character. I get that a lot of people hate what she did with the flood but at the same time there was A LOT going on in the scene, not excusing what she did, she needs some accountability for that. Prior to that scene she had told Noa that he would have to move fast; as in find his clan, so they can get out but proximus was already waiting for them (how tho? Unless I missed something) She was helping Noa, Soona, and Anaya, until proximus and his apes ruined it. Proximus somehow was already waiting out the doors, with Noa's mom, his apes, and got inside. He even threatened both Soona and Mae, putting poor Noa in the middle of it. Mae took action and shot the ape who held Soona hostage.

About the flood, she didn't want to do it because of the circumstances they're in at the moment, she even told noa she's sorry but she CAN'T let proximus have it. I agree with her on that part: those weapons do not need to be in the hands of someone like him. And hey now not even humans will be able to access them either lol Proximus is right about humans tho they're selfish and can't be trusted, Mae proved that. But I understand where she comes from or at least i think i do. She witnesses a hostile environment where humans are hunted or are referred as pests. Her group was killed and they were people she cared about. Then she meets proximus, who is not only killing humans but enslaving his own kind. I'm guessing she grew up in the bunker she goes at the end and was taught "bad apes" and whatnot. Her mission must've been the first opportunity she had to go outside i think? Living in a bunker secluded from the outside world does not seem fun lmao The observatory scene that happens with Noa? It mustve been the first time for her to witness the night sky up close. She's tough I'll give her that, she's the only one left in her group and is determined to finish her mission no matter what because she cares about humanity and it's understandable. I did not like that she tells Noa that where he lives was a place for humans not meant for apes. I mean sure it mustve been a place for humans at one point but she has yet to understand that the world won't go back to how it was and humanity can always rebuild somewhere else if they get the chance to leave the bunkers.

Another thing to point out; Mae cares about noa, raka, was friendly with Anaya and she even saved Soona. I really hope we get to see more of her backstory to understand her view on apes and human dominance. When she went to say goodbye to Noa, I don't think she thought of killing him but more of a precaution in case they end up fighting because of what she did and well why would she kill him in front of his clan? She wouldn't be able to finish her mission if the eagle clan jumps her for killing noa lmao Unless they were in a secluded area then it makes sense, but I could be wrong also. Raka and Noa were the first apes she encountered who were nice to her, that's why I think she'll have character development and be even more conflicted because "apes are bad" or so she thinks. What I think is that she'll change her mind, and maybe even guide humans and convince them that they can coexist with apes.

She's not evil, she had a soft spot for Raka and Noa but for now her mission comes first, she's conflicted at the end of the movie, but still determined at least for now. I can't wait to see more of her in the next movies!

[picturejasper20]

Danny Phantom A Glitch in Time and the concept of ¨Tikkun Olam¨

A few days ago i was talking to my friend @chestfullofnuttycream about Furiossa's A Glitch in Time theory about how the Ghost Zone could be result of the equivalent of a nuclear wasteland. While we were commenting on it she brought up the concept of ¨Tikkun Olam¨, which comes from jewish culture and how that could apply to A Glitch in Time. (For context she is jewish).

I got curious and decided to look more into it and see how it could tie with A Glitch in Time themes and lore. In this post i'm going to discuss the term and compare it to what happens in the Danny Phantom graphic novel. For that i'm going to cite this article that describes where the concept comes from and what it means nowadays.

*On note, i'm not jewish myself. There is likely some stuff that i could be wrong or innacurate, so feel free to comment or correct me about it.

Let's start with the mythos of ¨Tikkun Olam¨:

In reference to individual acts of repair, the phrase “tikkun olam” figures prominently in the Lurianic account of creation and its implications: God contracted the divine self to make room for creation. Divine light became contained in special vessels, or kelim, some of which shattered and scattered. While most of the light returned to its divine source, some light attached itself to the broken shards. These shards constitute evil and are the basis for the material world; their trapped sparks of light give them power.

So here already we see some parallels between the mythos and Ghost Zone's origins: The spirit and human-material world used to be one, until there was a great war that lead to the separation of the two worlds and thus with Earth getting ¨shattered¨.

¨All worlds were one, all beings were one, until disharmony struck. Life and chaos amounted to war, such as never has been seen before¨ ¨The toll became too much to bear, and the great divide occured, Spirit was separated from Earth, and one world became two¨.

As the legend explains, this divide isn't meant to be the ¨natural order¨. The current state of both dimensions is wrong. The world itself as its is broken.

While contemporary activists also use the term “tikkun olam” to refer to acts of repair by human beings, they do not necessarily believe in or have a familiarity with the term’s cosmological associations. Their emphasis is on acts of social responsibility, not the larger realm of sacred acts — and on fixing, not undoing, the world as we know it. <> The phrase “tikkun olam” remains connected with human responsibility for fixing what is wrong with the world. <> Contemporary usage of the phrase shares with the rabbinic concept of “mipnei tikkun ha-olam” a concern with public policy and societal change, and with the kabbalistic notion of “tikkun” the idea that the world is profoundly broken and can be fixed only by human activity.

Tikkun Olam is a term that has changed quite a lot since its origins through out history, it can have different meanings depending on the person. In current times a lot prefer to use it as a call to do acts that can help other people or fix the issues one can find in society. In this context the world is broken and it can be fixed through people's acts in different ways.

After Danny learns about this ancient history of the Ghost World, he says that he wants to make his new emotional drive to be fixing this divide between the two worlds. He wants to find a way to fix what is wrong with this world-perhaps returning to something like it used to be.

So what this would probably involve is Danny trying to find a way that ghosts and humans can coexist together again. He would try to find a way that can work together and not having to fight each other- like helping ghosts or showing humans that ghosts aren't their enemies.

Another thing that is worth of pointing out is that Gabriela has indirectly confirmed that she was inspired by Steven Universe in her reblog from Furiossa's post. Steven Universe's creator, Rebecca Sugar, is jewish and she has been open about her jewish heritage in the past.

Some people have talked about how Steven Universe is inspired by jewish culture elements for its narrative- one of these elements being Tikkun Olam- In Steven Universe the world and the people are presented as broken and it is something that the characters try to come together to fix it in different ways- Steven himself tries to find ways to repair the damage left by her mother's legacy, Rose Quartz, which gets explored through the show.

It is possible that Gabriela was inspired by these themes that were in Steven Universe and decided apply them to write A Glitch in Time lore and story.

Now i don't know if Gabriela herself is jewish- i haven't found much indication about this so i can't fully confirm. Another possibility is that she learned about this term and was inspired by it to somewhat apply them in A Glitch in Time.

But it could also be a case of pure coincidence because she happened to take inspiration from Steven Universe- thus ¨accidentally¨ writing a narrative that can be interpreted as taking elements from Tikkun Olam and jewish culture as a whole.

Whatever it is, it is still interesting to see that this is one reading that one can do of A Glitch in Time and see how certain things take inspiration from others. I'm curious to see how this theme is going to be contuined in the next novel along with learning more about how the two worlds became separated and Danny acting as a bridge between humans and ghosts.

[jonathanspenguinboxers]

It's Pride and I have a story to tell.

I used to be somewhat homophobic when I was younger, around 10- 12. Somehow, somewhere, I had learnt being queer was 'wrong', and I had learnt to internally make faces whenever the topic came up. I kept my thoughts to myself, but I thought nonetheless.

I was also (still am) an avid reader. And one day, I picked up a random series. A few books in, a queer character came out. He had, up until that point, been one of my favourite characters. So I didn't dnf, just skipped past scenes where he expressed romantic thoughts towards men. I did this uo until there was a chapter I couldn't skip if I wanted the lore, so I read it and something clicked. It didn't cure my homophobia, but I no longer avoided books with queer characters.

A few months after this, I picked up the Mortal Instruments. And in came Alec, and Magnus too. This time, I wasn't fazed and kept on reading and this time, I had more epiphanies. And through six books, bit by bit, I unlearnt what I had learnt. By the time I finished CoHF, I had worked through my homophobia and had become an ally (or so I thought).

And it was because I had done this that a few years after this, when I realized I was not as straight as I thought I was, I had not as much trouble as I would have if I hadn't put in the work. Because I had read and unlearnt and learnt and made an effort to change, I never had to feel like I was being 'unnatural'. Those books saved my life. And I have never related so much to a book quote as when Tessa said that we should be careful of books because they can change us. Books did change me, and for the better and I'll be eternally grateful for them.

Now obviously, those years, I was not a great person in this regard. And there's no undoing that. But because I have changed, it gives me hope that the rest of the world can too.

That is a phenomenal story, and I think it is beyond imperative that more like these are shared. I'm glad that you are able to point out such a frowned upon thing like being homophobic (rightly so to be frowned upon, don't misconstrue my words) because it opens up for such a productive conversation and space for a lot of other people to admit that to themselves in a space where they will not be immediately ridiculed, and therefore have the ability to really look at it in the face, comforted to explore a facet of themself knowing someone else has too. This is why I personally believe it is so important to have empathy with everyone, even people who are homophobic, because hate and shame gets no one anywhere, in fact there are so many studies that it shuts down any production in educating or explaining. It was your empathy that allowed you to see that flaw and poke at it because it was rooted in hate or ignorance. Now imagine a bunch of people being able to read that, knowing they would be able to talk to you about their own internalized homophobia because by sharing that experience, you make it safer to share theres, and now we have a ball rolling because in that space there can be honesty where it can't exist in a hostile one. Its a great cycle.

I also had to look at myself alot, especially with internalized misogyny and homophobia, and it wasn't until I could stop defending these beliefs and someone was able to open that space, through books, through conversation, through characters that's existence made me question myself, that I was better able to knock down or even see those beliefs. Sorry for going on a whole tangent lol, but I really do appreciate your story, and I hope others too will be able to see it and turn inwards. And just as a sidenote, so this isn't taken the wrong way, when I eariler said I believe empathy is important even for homophobes and the like, I do not believe empathy means justification. Empathy and accountability can and do coexist, accountability is a fundamental part of empathy. That was a fun rant, and a great story, thanks

[blrecs]

06/50: love me at my most cringe ("punch drunk love," "my dearest patrolman," "happy crappy life")

In manga, love is often said to be a game, and the first one to fall, or at least to admit to falling, is "the loser." But what exactly being the loser in a game of love means only manifests in unhappy scenarios: the winner doesn't need to invest, can use the loser's feelings for their own advantage, is not hurt by endings, can remain aloof and pursue their own life. If you intend to write a story about two people happily and peacefully coexisting with each other in a relationship, these are useless.

In happy love stories, then, where two people carry on in just such bliss, love is not a game. Love is patient, love is kind, and above all, love is honest. The winner is in fact the character who first declares, "I'm in love with you." Being true to your own feelings is a weapon, disarming and potent. It puts the recipient of your feelings on the backfoot. Instead of having the upper hand, they are forced to respond to you, and because this is a happy love story, that response is to return your feelings.

At this point in the essay you are probably expecting me to devolve into heartfelt sentiment. I have asserted in previous weeks that boys' love is about the transformative power of love, after all. But this week I read three stories that take this theme and push it even further in an unexpected direction. Love may be patient, may be kind, but above all love is cringe. It is not only undesirable to be cool, but to be cool is to be false to yourself, and thus an impediment to achieving love. To be cringe is to be free, and true love is being loved at your most cringe, when you are freely being yourself.

Seonwoo, the main character of "Punch Drunk Love," is honest and direct to a fault. Though he presents outwardly as a mousey accountant, he is the most domineering character in the series—it's just that all that dictatorial energy is directed towards living exactly the life he wants. Since childhood he has always done exactly what he wanted to do and worn exactly the clothes he liked, and he is not about to start changing now, unless it's in service of getting dick from the object of his love and overwhelming lust, Jeong Taemoon.

As in so many Korean webtoons, one character's rich family (in this case, Taemoon's) becomes the plot device and main villain. But all the money and chaebol power in the world is no match for Seonwoo. Years of living like a slut in his fantasy sheets and an offputtingly dweeby virgin in the streets have given him the strongest mental of any character I've ever met in a bl romcom. Like a koala who will eat only eucalyptus leaves despite the fact the literal toxins in them prevent proper consumption, Seonwoo is sustained by a rich inner life only he can maintain, and he will only accept the parts of reality that add positively to it. It doesn't matter that the sadistic bdsm dungeon master sex god version of Jeong Taemoon only exists in his head and is a fantasy that embarrasses the hell out of the real Taemoon every time it comes out; it doesn't matter that his clothing choices are so disastrous they misled Taemoon into thinking Seonwoo was being abused by his family; it doesn't matter that no one in his office likes him and he might get sent to a rural office just so people can stop interacting with his (very correct) ideas about accounting. Seonwoo is who he is, and he lives that life proudly.

So where does that leave Taemoon? In the face of such unwavering devotion to cringe, he (and eventually his father) must admit defeat. He learns to give up the cool facade he puts up at work. He learns to see the world Seonwoo's way. He learns to be cringe, to be vulnerable, to ask for what he wants—which is love, of course. It is always love. Clothes in "Punch Drunk Love" are an outward manifestation of the bravery in being cringe, so of course when Taemoon is finally filmed confessing his devotion to Seonwoo (with the help of Seonwoo's sister), it is in an extremely cringe outfit consisting entirely of Seonwoo's tasteless clothes. By the end of the series, he regularly submits himself to wearing the flashy clothing Seonwoo picks for him. By borrowing the power of Seonwoo's cringe, Taemoon is at his best.

In "My Dearest Patrolman," cringe manifests in the realities of being in love with a man who is the human embodiment of a dad joke, despite having only a child of the cat variety. Seiji is almost 40 and made prematurely old by his profession, where he routinely deals with young kids and old men. Shin, no spring chicken himself at 30, is kept young by his relationship to Seiji. He is forever the delinquent high schooler smoking outside a convenience store, and Seiji is forever the cheerful uncle who went out of his way to get to know that young kid.

The dasai oyaji is, of course, a common type, and the pairing of the sloppy old man who is reluctantly, then enthusiastically, soulbonded to his young, uptight partner is why "Tiger and Bunny" remains an undying favorite among fujoshi. The charm of "My Dearest Policeman" is the way Seiji's character leans into the trope and doesn't give in to the temptation to make Seiji cool. There is no scene where, say, Seiji suddenly shaves and transforms into a handsome dashing zaddy in a suit or displays competency that makes him the object of a minor female character's affections, to Shin's dismay. Seiji remains, through all three volumes, a little out of shape with a belly threatening to sprout a spare tire. He scratches his butt, picks his ears and nose, and has to get a colorectal exam (he is at the age where prostate health is important). But Niyama never pushes it too far—he's never unloveable or disgusting, just so down to earth and realistic that you feel all 39 years of his age with him.

Where sex in "Punch Drunk Love" is still the stuff of fantasy, like when there is an unexpected callback to a fantasy involving Taemoon squirting (!!) while in Seonwoo (!!!), sex in "My Dearest Patrolman" is funny and tender and realistic. There are no acrobatic sex positions on the stairs, no attempt at being the domineering seme or seductive uke, no roleplaying or putting on sexy baby voices. Seiji and Shin jokingly complain about laundry while rubbing against each other, compare each other's bodies to daifuku buns, are kept from another round by hunger pangs. There's a surprising amount of explicit scenes in "My Dearest Patrolman," but the overall vibe is hardly sexy. The word I'd use instead is "domestic." The sex scenes feel individual, personal to who Seiji and Shin are, with interactions that are sexy to them and them only. If they embarrass the reader, it is of no consequence to Seiji and Shin, who enthusiastically get it on regardless. During one sex scene in volume one, Seiji makes a joke about "mommy's milk" that would have absolutely withered my erection if I were Shin—but it does nothing to deter Shin, who immediately starts to jerk Seiji off. Cringe is truly in the eye of the beholder, and for Shin and Seiji, there is nothing about the other that isn't loveable.

In the company of "Punch Drunk Love" and "My Dearest Patrolman," "Happy Crappy Life" may seem like an outlier. As of volume three, its characters are not exactly in a relationship one would describe as blissful married coexistence. Kasuya and Kuzuya are dancing around a relationship (despite Harada putting them through raising a tentacle monster, playing sudden death rock-paper-scissors over who gets the honor of getting plowed, and fighting over a pen shaped like a skewer of dango for, ahem, Reasons), and it is very much the kind of story that believes the first to fall in love is the loser. The only saving grace will be that Kasuya and Kuzuya have both fallen for each other, and fittingly, they are both the loser.

But if there is one thing Kasuya and Kuzuya represent, it is living loud and proud with your dick out. They like what they like, and what they like happens to be getting fucked. If commitment is usually about sharing burdens and being there for each other through sickness and through health, Kasuya and Kuzuya's commitment is to something weirder but no less serious: two fuck buddies who will always be there for each other('s anal play) no matter how shameful or ridiculous their desires.

"Punch Drunk Love" is about learning to love your partner's cringe. "My Dearest Patrolman" is about loving in the face of everyone else's cringe. "Happy Crappy Life," of course, is the most extreme: love that is only possible because of cringe. When Kasuya's ex-girlfriend Tsubasa comes to visit, she validates what we've all been suspecting, that the Kasuya she knew was cooler, smarter, more mature. If either Kasuya or Kuzuya could date someone else, they could probably become more responsible and respectable people. They'd leave behind this common law marriage of sexual convenience, where they spend their lives happily preoccupied with playground level antics, only with dildos involved. But Tsubasa, like everyone in the series with the exception of Kasuya and Kuzuya themselves, sees that the real Kasuya can only come out when he is with Kuzuya. The Kasuya she knew couldn't truly let his freak flag fly. The truth is that they find in each other, and only in each other, the freedom to be their true cringey selves.

And, well, that too is love!

Punch Drunk Love is available on Lezhin. My Dearest Policeman is available from SuBLime. Happy Crappy Life is available from Kuma.

[a-dragons-journal]

Nonhuman-system-haven is anti endo.

Thanks for the heads-up, I do appreciate it. Normally I'd delete the reblog on account of that, but this is the edge case in which I'm going to go ahead and leave it, because glancing at their pinned they seem open to listening, they outright asked for information to learn about others' experiences (about otherkinity, not plurality, but still), and the journaling tag I linked them to includes most if not all of our writings about our plurality, so maybe that'll shift their opinions on such things. (Or maybe not; you can lead a horse to water, and all that.) They're willing to coexist and aren't going after people, so in this case I'm willing to let them coexist in the interest of offering exposure to the other side of that debate (you can't change your mind about something if you're not offered the chance to hear the other side of the argument).

(For the piss on the poor types: no, I'm not recommending this as how people should handle, like, a discord server or community space. In those instances, I don't care if you're actively harassing people - proclaiming yourself a transphobe and then saying "but I don't want to argue about it and I'm not gonna harass trans people uwu" does not make you safe for trans people to be around or make your being a self-identified transphobe suddenly okay, and the same applies here. But answering a request for information is not an enclosed community space and is not platforming opinions; it's the weird edge case, like I said. Occasionally you have to tolerate a little more than would be reasonable socially in the interest of education.)

[messengersofmischief]

Hello Darlings~!

“Darling?”that’s what you’re calling them? What are you, a pony?

Oh, Shove it, Lok! You’re just salty because of the horse incident-

…Hermes..

OoC: Welcome and Hello!! This is a rp account of Loki, Hermes, and Thoth! While this is a more mythology based account, as I’m very well versed in Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and many other mythologies, you can ask Epic the Musical based questions and Epic Rp accounts can interact!!

Rules!

Nothing to nsfw

Nothing that spreads Hate of any kind! No hate towards real life people or other accounts!

That’s all for rules! I don’t have many, so go at it lol! If I’m talking OoC then I’ll use (parentheses) or the line.

Loki will talk like This!

Hermes will talk like This!

And Thoth will talk like This!

Lore!

All pantheons of gods coexistence in my mind! So any account relating to any mythology can interact!

Most trickster gods know and talk to each other, hence why Loki and Hermes are both on this account!

So, this is a little hard to explain- but basically Hermes and Thoth are the same being. HEAR ME OUT- so, Thoth is kinda associated with reincarnation, and both Hermes and Thoth are gods of Language, Writing, and Travel, soo in my mind a piece of Thoth got reincarnated into Hermes in the Greek pantheon! Weird, I know lol

Designs!

Hermes! So, basically think Laritamiauu’s Hermes design! Just add the Egyptian Hieroglyphs of Thoth’s name on his side! Kinda like a birth mark

Loki! Loki is the tallest of them all(Hermes is the shortest btw), and he has bluish tinted skin, bright green eyes that are slightly bloodshot, long red hair, and curved Black horns! Around his mouth are stitch scars from the time Loki got his mouth sewn shut. Loki is thin(essentially boney) and often wears a green cloak around his shoulders to hide it. When Loki is female, she’ll wear the same clothing! No change there!

Thoth! Thoth is average height and, well he looks like the way the Egyptians imagined him lol😅 obviously, Thoth has his Ibis form, his baboon form, his god form, and his mortal form! His god form is where he has the head of an Ibis and the body of a human, and while in his mortal form, he wears the skull of an Ibis as a mask!

Dynamics!

Hermes and Loki! These two get a bit complicated😅 so, Hermes, before he met Loki, really looked up to him and shaped some of his tricks on the Olympians to be like Loki’s tricks on the Æsir. When they met and at the beginning of their friendship, Hermes was basically fanboying allll the time! Loki pretended to hate it, of course, but he loved the attention. Now they’re more like brothers- Hermes’ fanboying has relaxed a bit and Loki’s more open with Hermes

Hermes and Thoth! Like mentioned before, Hermes is a reincarnation of Thoth, or like a piece of Thoth, so Hermes kinda looks up to Thoth like a father figure. Thoth was originally more reluctant to be around Hermes, he eventually warmed up to him and let Hermes stay around more. They have a mentor/mentored and or father/son relationship rather than Hermes’ and Loki’s brotherly relationship. Thoth refuses to admit it, but he does genuinely care a lot about Hermes more than he lets on!

Loki and Thoth! They like to get on each other’s nerves. Loki often likes to just try and get a reaction out of Thoth, seeing how far he can push Thoth. They do occasionally work well together, but Thoth kinda sees Loki as reckless and undisciplined, and Loki sees Thoth as ridged and too self-important(don’t mind Loki being a hypocrite). Thoth tries to rein Loki in, try to get him to be more organized, but Loki always tries to deliberately throw Thoth off for fun. They do secretly respect each other, but both of them would rather die than admit that

(edit- sometimes the Archangel Gabriel will also be on this acc)

That is all for now! I might add some stuff later, but this will due for the time being. My other account are @the-goddess-of-chaos-eris , @godofchaos13 , @champion-of-hermes , @helpless-writer-13 , @god-of-reflections13 , and my main account is @copia-is-best !

[cherryfennec]

I need advice how to build my AU. How did you get so big?

(Also, do you take request)

Hi! I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that but I'll try my best to answer and hopefully include what you were looking for.

1. I'm not an AU expert, far from it actually. In my personal opinion a way to approach making AUs is by finding a concept to latch on and expand. You don't need to have everything figured out yet to share it with others, you can only have an idea for 1 character or for one place at first and gradually add on. It's also worth noting not all AUs need to be big to have charm, you shouldn't feel stressed/pressured into making everything detailed. After you got the premise (like for example character X is now a spider instead of whatever they were before) you can think about how X or different people would react. Would they be happy? Would they be sad? Would they try to stop it/change it? It's all about connecting the dots really, both big and small. You can set a goal and again think about what would X do to reach it. Like I said I'm not really an expert on this. In my case I drew 3 villains together and realised they could technically be able to coexist in a single timeline by accident.

2. I'm not sure if you mean "get so big" as in my AU or my account but: In the case of my AU I was lucky enough to find others who enjoyed the concept (as rough as it was and still kinda is) and to this day im very grateful for such a warm reception. Some people met me through that post and some were here before. Some were from Tumblr and some were my older mutuals/friends or random people from the other platforms I use to share my stuff, most notably Twitter. The AU is still growing, albeit rather slowly, and one day it might reach a point of a coherent story with a solid start and an end which I really hope for. (I won't hide that I'd love to make it in writing and post in chapters on sites like AO3 to read). What keeps me going is the fact that I like to think about niche things. In my free time I add the ideas onto a pile and when I think it's notable enough/interesting or I'm confident about it I then share it online too for those few who are interested. It got bigger because I'm having fun with it.

If you meant "how did you get so big" when it comes to account then I honestly don't have a specific answer. I just try my best to bring something new to the table I guess and in result I meet people who are also passionate.

3. Not particularly. Unless it's a friend or in some cases a person I recognise/mutual I don't do art requests (if that's what you meant). I can't really bring myself to draw something I don't want to. I make exceptions when an ask catches my eye or makes me giggle but overall no.

[fiestylittlebeetle]

Piscciss Fan Lore

(a re-post because my old account is lost forever)

(Image courtesy of Abzû)

Hello! I have a bunch of lore I made up myself for Piscciss (and Piscciss Volann) because I generally did not like what we got in series. So this is a small compilation of headcanons I have for my own version of Piscciss, some of which I have shared before.

I’m open to suggestions but don’t be offended if I’m not interested in what you’re throwing out there qwq

Will continue to update when I feel like it, also they're in no particular order and I'm sorry.

Piscciss isn't just a giant empty ocean with a small planetary core like in canon. Its an actual planet that’s surface is covered in 99% water, and "land" that’s exposed is too small to be habitable by much more then some planets, insects, and small amphibious creatures.

The infinity map piece as presented in the Aggregor arch still exists, but instead it served as a geothermal regulator that kept the planets core from causing massive undersea volcanic eruptions

Piscciss Volann are Apex predators with no naturally occurring predators of their own

Piscciss is home to vast underwater cities filled with Piscciss Volann

They have an incredibly diverse ecosystem that they coexist in much better then say humans do in earth ecosystems

Female Piscciss Volann are typically larger then their male counter parts and its the only sexual dymorphism they have

The planet is ruled by a matrilineal monarchy (only Females inherit the throne)

Queens are especially large coming in at massive sizes up to 20 feet in length, they also have bio-luminescence across their whole body (as opposed to just their lure) and often have cultures of coral growing off of them.

The existence of queens started early in their species evolution as a matriarch with special abilities that would give their civilization the upper hand against predators, but as of currently they exist only as leaders.

However queens are not just figure head leaders, they also serve as military heads, and see something themselves, fighting to protect her people.

Pyros is the Star that Piscciss orbits

The Pyrosccian system is a binary star system, which means there is a second star present with the system

the wars that have been waged between Piscciss and Pyros have mostly been over who the solar system REALLY belongs to

The last war to happen was during Patelliday’s childhood

Piscciss Volann can change their biological sex at will (there are 450 species of fish that can do this so...)

Piscciss Volann partake in Funerary Cannibalism

Piscciss' primary exports are high pressure resistant crafts, and water friendly breathable and self healing textiles

Piscciss Volann are a species who like to sleep in the middle of the day so they dont have to put up with the sun when its at its peak

There are towns on piscciss located in shallower parts of the planet called tidal towns because during a low tide they would be pretty much exposed. Thankfully the moisture thick atmosphere of piscciss means breathing is a non-issue

Piscciss as a rather large moon close to their planet, the drags massivemountain sized tides incredibly slowly across the surface. Years are marked by tidal positions.

Piscciss has a second smaller moon orbiting much faster that causes smaller more frequent tide changes.

Piscciss Volann flirt via visual displays and hunting for eachother

Piscciss Volann reproduce sexually before later laying eggs, they can lay anywhere between a single egg up to a clutch of 5, anymore is increasingly rare.

Larval Piscciss Volann have semi-transparent skin, rounded faces with no defined muzzle, large eyes, very sharp and very tiny glass like teeth, and only have a tail. As they grow older their skin thickens until it is completely opaque, and around toddler age they gain the ability to switch to legs.

Piscciss Volann hold "hatching parties" for when their eggs are supposed to hatch, it is similar to a baby shower but the baby is arriving.

Hatching Parties give new born PV early life socialization

Adult Piscciss Volann are (literally) hot blooded which is why they are so sensitive to increases in temperature.

Their blood contains anti-freeze proteins that prevent them from freezing to death, and is also blue.

The bones in a piscciss volann's legs are segmented and flexible, and the skin and muscles are fibrous and can detach and reach to eachother allowing for an easier change between legs and tail (inspired by https://insane-mane.tumblr.com/post/650463030887530496/funnee-feesh-and-beeg-dawg-jk-ripjaws-was-fun )

The ability to switch between tails and legs is not naturally occurring and is a result of self genetic modification that appeared thousands of years before the shows current time line

Only 1% of the overall piscciss volann population has the original genetics

Not all piscciss volann with the gene develop the ability to switch their tails to legs, some have a condition that prevents the gene for it from expressing itself and preventing that ability from manifesting when it's supposed to

That being said piscciss volann can loose the ability to switch between legs and tail either because of naturally occurring reasons like being disabled, sick, or elderly. Although it is more common to loose their legs, there are also cases of them being unable to regain their tail.

Loosing their ability to transform can also be inflicted upon them through medical procedure

Piscciss Volann have nictitating lenses that they keep drawn over their eyes while out of water to prevent their eyes from drying out

Public nudity is not an uncommon occurance on Piscciss, like many other alien species Piscciss Volann often believe that clothes are ultimately unnecessary and optional. So don't be surprised if you see a Piscciss Volann swimming around in only jewelry or nothing at all.

Due to 80% of their evolution and social development being underwater, they had the downfall of not having access to fire. So as such they found other ways to develop technology and energy. The main being from animals. Starting with domestication to selective breeding of animals to use as tools, and eventually bio engineering even more organic organisms for special jobs. As such Pisccian technology is incredibly techno-organic, and they rely heavily on bio-engineered living tools and wetware.

Piscciss Volann are a type 1.5 civilization (in comparison humans are at a 0.7)

Piscciss looks very much like this planet and the purple is thick kelp forests

Pisccian language has a very similar appearance to cuneiform

Pisccian spoken language sounds like fish noises! It can't be spoken on land, and can't be heard by humans and other non-aquatic species underwater without special equipment

[nellasbookplanet]

I just finished my most recent Mass Effect playthrough (and I'm a big girl and absolutely didn't cry) and am once again thinking about the endings. I've spoken before about how the endings work weirdly against the core themes of the trilogy (tl;dr: Saren and the Illusive man argue for synthesis and control, and are both proven to be wrong and indoctrinated, yet they are presented as valid and equal endings; cooperation with the geth and EDI prove that peace between synthetics and organics is possible, yet destruction of all synthetic life is, again, a valid and equal ending), but as with the Arrival DLC I once again feel that my frustrations lie largely with the fact that it could so easily have been fixed, had only the narrative been ever so slightly nudged.

The endings are not only about making a choice, but making a sacrifice. You sacrifice your morals, your ethics, your allies' lives or agency, your own life and humanity, all for the sake of stopping extinction. And this isn't bad! It goes well in hand with the themes of choice and sacrifice throughout! But not only does it fail to take these previous choices into account (frankly, renegade and paragon endings should've looked wildly different even if you pick the same option), it also fails to make the choices you have feel feasible. (and then the extended endings seemingly caved to pressure and painted them all as wholly happy endings, while completely burying the inherent tragedy every choice brought with it, leaving you with a weirdly disjointed final product)

We know coexistence with synthetics is possible despite it being argued against by many characters because there is also a running theme of disproving it: in ME1 Tali's dialogue shows that the history of the geth is more complicated than them simply wanting to wipe out organics; in ME2 Legion and EDI show that cooperation is possible; in ME3 actual peace can be achieved. Yet none of this same care is shown to synthesis and control. Saren is disproven, the Illusive Man is disproven. There are little hints - such as EDI and the geth having reaper code and Shepard having A LOT of implants and interfacing with geth - that reaper upgrades or a mix of synthetic and organic could work, but it isn't enough of a running theme for it to rival the absolute dismantling of the arguments prior. Adding them as options feels, well, like the reapers' last attempt at derailing Shepard from destroying them (as I've said before, there's no wonder the indoctrination theory caught on). But they aren't. The endings are legit, no matter how out of left field they feel.

So, my recipe for fixing the endings: either actually do the indoctrination theory (they would have to change very little), or plant the seeds for control and synthesis being feasible without indoctrination throughout the game for narrative satisfaction, while also incorporating renegade/paragon in the epilogue for individual player satisfaction.