#Andean Explorer

[guy60660]

Belmond Andean Explorer

[cimmeria-writes]

for @kataang-week -- day 4: cultural exchange

(ID: a digital drawing of katara and aang from atla. they're wearing clothing from each other's cultures. katara is wearing a yellow chuba with red trim, an orange shirt, a chumpi belt, and boots. she has one necklace with small turquoise beads and one with large yellow beads. aang is wearing a parka with a thick fur hood and black-and-white geometric patterns, and dark blue pants. he also has mittens and large boots on. they're smiling at each other, with pink hearts floating between them.

[shamanflavio]

The Shaman meets a Demon

It seems like this is a life that has obstruction, resistance, struggle, and competition everywhere. Some religious organizations have denounced “the flesh.” Others have gone after the human emotions or, worse, what it is to just be human. This self-criticism extends to academic and scientific institutions. Among them, some of the most popular beliefs are that humans are irresponsible,…

[txttletale]

Can you elaborate on what you think would be the minimal needed changes to fix what you see as an issue in Civ? Civ has done fairly large shifts in some mechanics before, and "civ like" is still an interesting game space that can scratch certain itches

yeah i mean as i said, the baked-in racism arises from a certain set of core assumptions that i think lock it into that position, which are that civ is a

1) symmetrical

2) 4X

game about

3) 'real world civilizations' (deeply loaded terms ofc but that's how civ envisions them)

4) trying to 'win the game'

5) with a global

6) and transhistorical

scope

so, in its role as a symmetrical (1) game with victory conditions (4), civ as a text has to take positions on what constitutes a 'successful civilization'. as a (2) 4X game this definition also has to include some variation on the profoundly loaded eponymous Xs, 'explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate'. furthermore, as a (1) symmetrical game with a global, transhistorical (5, 6) scope, it has to necessarily create a model of what 'a civilization' looks like and apply it to every 'civilization' it wants to include, at all points in their history.

this all kind of naturally leads into civ being a game in which the colonial european imperialist powers are the default 'civilizations' and all other cultures are basically just like them -- a game where technology progresses linearly and innovations are made in the order they were in european imperial history -- a game where all cultures fundamentally work in the same way and hold similar values, a game where all religions are based on christianity (i mean, just look at civ vi's system, where every religion has a 'prophet', 'apostles', 'missionaries' and 'inquisitors'), a game where not only do cultures have teleological overarching 'goals' but where these goals are shared and these goals are fundamentally based on imperialist visions of 'victory'.

to drill into some specific examples: you can't play a game of civilization without founding cities. you will constantly be founding cities. when you're playing as 'the mongols' or 'the cree' or 'scythia', this makes no sense! these were peoples who historically had rich culture, science, arts, and certainly a notable military history, but were (to varying degrees, at varying times in their history, i don't mean to create a new and similarly heterogenous absolutist category here) nomadic!

similarly, to advance in civilization you must invent 'the wheel'. 'the wheel' is necessary to many later innovations, while of course the andean peoples represented by the playable 'inca' never made significant use of the wheel because the lack of suitable pack animals and environmental factors meant that it did not, in fact, prove a suitable tool for transporting large quantities of heavy goods. for an even more glaring example, a lot of early military technology is locked behind 'horses', which is pretty absurd considering that several of the game's playable civilizations, in the real world, developed plenty of military technology despite living on a continent without any horses!

so having established what i mean by 'the issue', which is that the game's core assumptions lock it into imposing a eurocentric, imperialist vision of 'civilization' onto cultures where it doesn't make sense, here's a few different jenga blocks you could pull out to resolve it:

SID MEIER'S EUROPE

the pillar you knock out here is #5. keep the game engine and core assumptions just as founded on eurocentric imperialist societies as they are now, and just make it about european empires doing imperialism. now, i think we can immediately spot some problems in there -- how are we going to represent the rest of the world? after all, this kind of just creates a situation where, either as NPC factions or as outright exclusions, all other cultures in the world are deprived of any meaningful agency in "history". this one just kind of gives you a new problem and also from a gameplay standpoint results in a game that just Has Less Stuff On It. i think this is a bad one

SID MEIER'S ELYSIUM

now here's one you can get if you knock out pillar #3. keep the same assumptions and gameplay and transhistorical global narrative scale, but remove the 'real-world' aspects. you can get real silly with it and add fantasy stuff to it, or you can be a relatively grounded 'our-world-but-to-the-left' situation. now to some extent this already matches a lot of the features already in civ games: after all, unless you specifically load in a 'true start location earth' map, you're usually playing on a strange parallel world with semiplausible but wholly original continents! now, you also need to get some fucking Nerds and Geeks working at your company to build out your fictional world, or you'll just end having pointlessly pallette swapped a bunch of factions that are now just Schmance, Schmina, and the Schoman Schempire, and not really have avoided the issue. but if you do that, and invent a deep and rich fictional history to riff on, then you could create something really cool and incorporate alt-tech or fantasy or retrofuturistic elements or all sorts of cool shit.

the downside of this is that it makes your game less accessible and appealing to a lot of people. a big part of (at least the initial) appeal of civilization is pointing at the screen and saying 'hey i recognize that thing!'. it is instantly more accessible to someone who isn't super invested in strategy or fantasy dork shit to say to them 'you can be BRAZIL and nuke FRANCE while at war with CHINA and allied to BABYLON'.

more importantly than that, i think some parts of the historical theming (because let's be honest, it is ultimately theming, i don't think civ is interested in 'history' in any serious way) serve a pretty load-bearing role in the game's information economy. it's a pretty tall order to ask a player to remember the unique abilities of dozens of factions and unique wonders, and the historical background makes it a lot easier. e.g., it is a lot easier for a player looking at wonders to remember 'the pyramids need to be built on desert' or 'broadway will help me make more culture' than it would be for them to remember the requirements/effects of 'under-eusapia' or the 'wompty dompty dom center'. i think this is one of the number one things that, if subtracted, would meaningfully create something that is no longer 'sid meier's civilization'.

SID MEIER'S ALPHA CENTAURI

now if you cut out #3 and #5 and #6 on the other hand... sid meier's alpha centauri is not technically an entry in the civilization franchise, but i think most people correctly consider it one. it has similar 4X gameplay to the series, and its (very bad) spiritual successor beyond earth was an official entry. instead of 'civilizations', the playable factions are splinters from a colony ship that fell into civil war as soon as it landed, each one representing a distinct ideology. now, y'know, this doesn't mean it's free from Some Problems (the portrayal of the Human Hive in particular is some of the worst apects of 90s orientalism all piled together) but i think they're problems it's not at all locked into by its design!

SID MEIER'S THERMOPILAE

by cutting out #5 and #6 -- making a civ game about a particular time and place in history you could achieve something much more richly detailed in mecahnics while also being able to handwave a lot more homogeny into it. giving the same basic mechanics to, say, every greek city-state in the peloponnesian war is far less ideologically loaded than giving them to every 'historical civilization' someone who watched a few history channel documentaries once can think of. it also lets you get really into the weeds and introduce era-and-place-specific mechanics.

the scale needs to be smaller conceptually but it doesn't really have to be smaller in terms of gameplay -- just make maps and tech trees and building more granular, less large-scale and more local and parochial and specific. this also gives you the advantage of being able to do the opposite of the last two options and really lean hard into the historical theming.

if this sounds like a good idea to you, then good news -- old world does something pretty similar, and it's pretty good! worth checking out.

SID MEIER'S LOVE AND PEACE ON PLANET EARTH

what if we take an axe to #2 and #4? instead of putting all these civilizations into a zero-sum game of violent expansion, make it possible for several civilization to win, for victory goals to not inherently involve 'defeating' or 'beating' other factions. now, that doesn't mean that the game should be a confictless city-builder -- after all, if you've decided to be super niceys and just try and make your society a pleasant place to live, that doesn't mean that the guy next to you isn't going to be going down the militarist-expansionist path. hell, even if all you want to do is provide for your citizens, a finite map with finite resources is going to drive you into conflict of some kind with your neighbours in the long run.

to make this work you'd have to add a bunch of new metrics -- 'quality of life', for example, as a more granular and contextual version of the 'happiness' mechanics a few games have had, or 'equality', game metrics that you could pursue to try to build an egalitarian, economically and socially just society where everyone is provided for. after all, why shouldn't that be a goal to strive for just as much as going to mars or being elected super world president or whatever?

SID MEIER'S DIVERSE HISTORICAL CONTEXTS

ultimately, all cards on the table, if i was made god-empress of The Next Civ Game, this is the option i'd go for: jettison #1 as much as practically possible, introduce as much asymmetry into the game as you can. some civilizations keep the established settler-city model -- others are nomadic, building their units in movable 'camps' -- maybe the 'colonial' civilizations, your USA and Brazil and so on, can be like the alien factions from the alpha centauri DLC, only showing as NPCs at the appropriate point in the timeline when other civs are colonizing other continents, or putting you into an accelerated-forward version of the game if you choose to play as one.

you could combine this with a more interesting version of humankind's civ-choosing system, where you lock certain civilization choices behind specific gameplay events. this would let you do crazy shit with the balancing -- imagine an ostrogothic kindgom civ with crazy strong abilities and units that you could only choose to play as if your capital is overrun by barbarians, or a hungarian civ that requires you to have started as a nomadic civ and invaded somewhere, or a soviet union civ that requires you to lose a revolution, or a usamerican civ that requires you to split off all cities on a foreign continent from your original civ -- you could add so much variety and so many new and bizarre strategies into the game with this!

as for the universal aspects of tech and the narratives of linear progression contained within, there are lots of approaches that already solve this! stuff like stellaris' semi-random branching tech paths, or endless space 2's circular tech web, could allow civilizations to take tech paths that make sense for them, rather than imposing one single model of 'technological progress' on the wole world.

obviously there's limits to this, right -- civilization isn't going to be a detailed historical materialism simulator any time soon. but i think abandoning the idea that every faction has to play fundamentally the same and introducing some severe asymmetry as well as choices that you can make after starting the game would work wonders to wash out some of the racist and colonialist assumptions built into the game's foundation, while also (imo) creating a more fun and interesting game.

[whencyclopedia]

The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

In "The Fabric of Civilization," Virginia Postrel explores how the history of textiles is akin to the story of civilization as we know it. As evidenced throughout her book, Postrel treats each chapter as a standalone story of its production and journey, all the while masterfully weaving it together to show the story of human ingenuity. While academic in nature due to its incredibly well-researched methodology, the general reader will enjoy the book's unique style and approach to world history.

In The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World, Virginia Postrel expertly demonstrates how the history of textiles is the story of human progress. Although textiles have shaped society in many ways, their central role in the development of technology and impact on socio-economics have been exceedingly overlooked. Attempting to remedy this issue, Postrel organizes her book into two distinct sections: one focusing on the different stages of textile production (fiber, thread, cloth, and dye) and the other on the consumers, traders, and future innovators of said textiles. To strengthen her argument, Postrel pulls from different primary sources across many regions and cultures, such as the works of people like entomologist Agostino Bassi and the accounts of disgruntled Assyrian merchants. However, Postrel goes beyond relying solely on books and peer-reviewed articles; she personally interviewed textile historians, scientists, businesspeople, and artisans who offered their own insight regarding the importance of textiles in the world. To help the reader envision the intricacies of textile manufacturing, the book is riddled with images that range from ancient spindle whorls and Andean textile patterns to nineteenth-century pamphlets raging over improved cotton seeds. It is quite a laborious task to explain the history of textiles, but Postrel’s way of organizing her chapters and style of writing does an excellent job of conveying her argument.

In Chapter One, Postrel illustrates the many uses of fibers and how their multipurpose functionality served its role in world economies. From the domestication of cotton in the Americas to sericulture in ancient China, such fibers left an indelible mark on trade and technology. Chapter Two looks at the use of thread's connection with social and gender roles as Postrel argues that dismissing fabric as feminine domesticity ignores its integral role in the social innovations that products like clothing and sails provided. Chapter Three connects mathematics with weaving through handwoven textiles by Andean artisans and in the notations written down in Marx Ziegler’s manual, The Weaver’s Art and Tie-Up Book (1677). Chapter Four explains how dyes not only contributed to the distinction between social classes, such as the use of Tyrian purple by Roman emperors but also the ingenuity of humans to ascribe meaning and beauty to a variety of colors. Furthermore, the increasing and competitive trading of dyes in the 16th and 17th centuries would eventually contribute to the discovery of synthetic dyes.

Textile traders and consumers also helped to foster cultural exchanges. Postrel then highlights how traders often also served as innovators. The implementation of the Fibonacci sequence in European trading not only helped traders with bookkeeping but also gave a new perspective to the practicality of learning math by helping traders understand profits and calculate prices. Readers explore in Chapter Six how the Mongol Empire expanded across many different lands for their desire for valuable woven textiles. Under the Pax Mongolica, the textile trade flourished as the Mongols protected the Silk Road, resulting in cross-cultural and technological exchange between Europe and Asia. Lastly, in Chapter Seven, Postrel introduces synthetic polymers like nylon and polyester, where the efforts made by scientists like Wallace Carothers, Rex Whinfield, and James Dickson have revolutionized the use of textiles. Companies like Under Armour use polyester to create water-repellent clothing. Despite synthetic polymers currently being used innovatively, many still seek to look into the future of textiles. As Postrel explains, imagine your pockets can charge your phone or your hat could give you directions. The future of textiles is incredibly exciting.

As an avid writer of socio-economics, Postrel expertly showcases her knowledge of the subject. Postrel’s previous books, such as The Future and its Enemies (1998) and The Power of Glamour: Longing and the Art of Visual Persuasion (2013), cover the interconnectedness between culture, technology, and the economy. Postrel has also worked as a columnist for several news sites, is the contributing editor for the magazine Works in Progress, and was a visiting fellow at the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy at Chapman University. This book is a wonderful intellectual contribution that feels like a documentary series, perfectly threading the reader through cultures and regions like a needle through fabric.

Continue reading...

[gayciate]

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

I have to post some Encanto Monster AU Headcanon jumpscare right now!!!!! Not everyone, but a few of them!

Isabela - Werewolf (Or, Werejaguar rather) + OK OK OK Hear me out on this one, see my vision????? Most of the time, she looks largely normal with "cute" features that many find appealing like the little kitty ears, fangs, and tail + BUT were-jaguar form is absolutely shit your pants terrifying horrific, something she was made to feel ashamed of for its wildness and unattractiveness + Spends pre-movie full moons fully barricaded in her locked room, tangled up in her own vines to keep herself contained - everything she bottles up comes out and is entirely out of control, her wild side is trying sososo hard to get out and she's literally, physically restraining it + Always ends up with an absolutely shredded room the night after the moon, snaps at anyone who ever mentions it or attempts to help her out + Post-movie after she comes to accept every part of herself and grow into her own, she starts to gain control over the beast form and spend more time in it willingly, no longer ashamed of looking "ugly" or acting as anything less than perfect

Luisa - Gargoyle + A powerful stone guardian that guards the family home restlessly + She doesn't actually need to sleep, but does go into a dormant "statue" state when exposed to direct sunlight. + Incredibly physically sturdy but not immune to damage. She can crack and break, though her pieces can be put back in place if they fall + It is debatable if she can feel pain in the same way more flesh-based beings can. She does not need to eat or breathe and cannot drown + While she has wings, she is too heavy to properly fly and uses them more to shield others from danger or glide short distances

Mirabel - Satyr + A real silly billy, she's got the fuzzy legs of a goat and little tiny horns under her hair + She's very musically inclined and can play several different instruments. She's creative, clever, and loves to frolic in the sun! + Her charisma stat is absolutely off the charts, others often find it very easy to relax around her as her monster species is not particularly threatening or associated with danger + Often faces underestimation and struggles with not being taken seriously. Her lack of scariness coupled with her inhuman nature can be a cause of direct bullying that more threatening monsters may not have to deal with.

Dolores - Vampire + Oppoisite Isabela, she's a little withdrawn and shy, probably has big ole' sensitive bat ears with perfect pitch detection + Veeeery sensitive to light and sound, she enjoys the quiet of night and often sleeps during the day + She can turn into a little bat and flutter around, but sometimes forgets she's easy to miss like that and jumpscares people who thought they were alone in a room + She's capable of sitting in complete silence for extended periods of time and is extremely patient. Her night-vision is impeccable. + Rumors have spread that she can read minds and has some psychic abilities, but these are entirely unfounded. She's just perceptive and very nosey.

Camilo - Changeling + A funky fey dude, taken in as a baby by Pepa and Félix when he was found abandoned in the wood + He's strongly attuned to magic in the environment and specializes in illusionist tricks + He has pointy ears, sharp teeth, and unnatural eyes that reflect light in the dark but shifts to a more human look most of the time to blend in with others + Quietly a little insecure about what he really is when he looks in the mirror without a disguise but tries not to dwell on it for too long

Antonio - Chimera + A strange little mix of creatures, he's got the upper half of a human with the lower half of a jaguar. He's also got the wings of an Andean condor, ears of a tapir, and an anaconda's tail! + The little dude climbs, flies, and swims - he's an ATV with endless energy who loves to shove himself into tight spaces to explore + Outgoing and a bit wild, he easily befriends other animals but sometimes finds people wary of him. He is very careful with his claws and fangs, but parents sometimes worry that he'll play too rough and hurt their kids. This makes him very sad! + Incredibly intelligent and inquisitive, he is active for long periods of time before collapsing into a nap and restarting the cycle

Bonus Augustín & Julieta - Headless horseman and Parrot Harpy I think Augustín would be like the headless horseman and constantly (literally) lose his head and Julieta would be a parrot harpy with colorful, blue plumage - incredibly intelligent and caring for her kids

[amputeewomen]

Echoes of Colombia

Chapter 1: The Vibrant Valley

Lucas, a travel journalist in his early 30s, found himself in the lush Cocora Valley of Colombia, with its towering wax palms and verdant hills, seeking stories of local charm and hidden gems. It was here, amid the vibrant greenery and the whispers of the Andean breeze, that he met Alejandra. With her long, flowing hair and a bright yellow top that matched the Colombian sun, Alejandra was a vision of resilience and youth. Despite losing her right leg above the knee, she exuded an aura of indomitable spirit, navigating the uneven paths with a single crutch.

Chapter 2: The Heart of Cartagena

Intrigued by her zest for life, Lucas invited Alejandra to join him on his travels. Their next stop was Cartagena, a city where the pastel hues of the buildings danced with the cobblestone streets. As they explored the old town, with its balconies draped in bougainvillea, Lucas learned about Alejandra's dreams and the accident that changed her life. The city's blend of historical beauty and Alejandra's modern vibrancy created a backdrop for their unfolding story.

Chapter 3: The Rhythms of Rio

Their journey took them next to the spirited streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the samba rhythms filled the air. Here, Alejandra's carefree laughter mingled with the carnival tunes, her crutch becoming less of a support and more of a dance partner. Lucas found himself falling for her, drawn to her strength and the way she found joy in every moment. Yet, he grappled with his attraction, wondering if it was tainted by his unexplored fascination with her amputation.

Chapter 4: Confessions in Buenos Aires

Under the argent moon of Buenos Aires, amid the echoes of tango music, Lucas confessed his complex feelings to Alejandra. He revealed his innermost thoughts, his attraction to her totality, which included her amputation. Alejandra listened, her eyes reflecting the city lights, and shared her fears of being desired for the wrong reasons.

Chapter 5: Understanding in Ushuaia

It was the southernmost city of Ushuaia that brought clarity. Surrounded by the stark beauty of Tierra del Fuego, they faced their truths. Lucas learned to love Alejandra for her soul, her laughter, and the way she embraced life's challenges. And Alejandra saw in Lucas a man who valued her for all she was, beyond physical appearances.

Epilogue

Lucas's articles captured not just the scenic wonders of South America, but the story of a woman who embodied the continent's spirit. In Alejandra, he found more than inspiration; he found a partner who taught him the beauty of loving without reservations.

[alex31624]

I kinda did a Ducksona.

Manuel 'Manu' Flores, an andean cock-of-the-rock. He's from Duckburg, born and raised, but his parents are peruvian immigrants. He's Donald's friend from their navy days, and, inspired by Donald's stories, he decided to become an antique hunter, and explore the world.

He wears a headband to control his rebellious hair. For his father influence, he's a Sporting Cristal fan, as his jacket suggest.

Maybe I'll use him in some fics, maybe not. We'll see.

[livvywritesworld]

livvywritesworld

livvy, 20, they/she, writer

weird girl literary fiction, literary horror, literary sff, & speculative fiction

subgenres: folk horror & light sci-fi

religious imagery, eldritch horror, mean weird lesbians, complex mother/daughter relationships, body horror, character studies, explorations of the body (chronic illness & queerness), and being ukrainian diaspora in the united states

longform wips, short fiction, & poetry

this page supports palestine and believes in a free, autonomous palestine

horror/film/hist/anth catch-all account: @deciduousangel please feel free to follow

ᯓ★ i’ve been writing and revising a literary horror book called the lambs, screaming for a couple years now. there’s a lot of religious imagery, body horror, vague supernatural/eldritch fuckery, and a complex homoerotic friendship between two despicable, grieving girls casey and bethan.

ᯓ★ i have been intermittently writing and planning out two full-length novels based on unpublished short stories of mine. the first is a modular novel following multiple people’s lives as they are impacted by an alien invasion except the aliens aren’t here to invade, they’re here to learn. the second is another literary speculative fiction following two main characters: a young neanderthal woman that has been jurassic park’d by a lab in northern california (this is a real thing scientists are trying to do btw), and one of the female anthropologists that contributed to this experiment. i refer to this project as unironically planet of the apes for phoebe bridgers enjoyers.

ᯓ★ i am a history and anthropology student with a minor in creative writing, and i am almost always at the mercy of a research paper deadline or two. my interests are medical history in ciudad de mexico, indigenous andean gender systems, historical epidemiology, and paleopathology (my one true love). i firmly believe in decolonizing anthropology and making academic anthropological writing more accessible.

ᯓ★ besides writing, i love horror, david cronenberg movies, joni mitchell, the x files, the locked tomb, baldur’s gate 3, any media with substantial body horror, playing video games, and reading when i get the chance. my favorite movies include: the fly, longlegs, humanist vampire seeking consenso ring suicidal person, sucker punch, little miss sunshine, dinner in america, and a girl walks home alone at night. my favorite book of all time is patrícia melo’s the simple art of killing a woman. i am also a massive fan of julia armfield, carmen maria machado, and steven graham jones.

ᯓ★ i am a published writer with multiple poems and some short stories floating around the online space, look out for any link postings of recently published work. i am also a staff writer for a very cool zine, and am an experienced and established writer.

ᯓ★ the standard dni applies. dni if you are under 17.

ᯓ★ i stand firmly with palestine 🇵🇸

links to my wips will go here:

[h50europe]

MERTHUR AU - War Of Hearts - Chapter 1/3 online now. I will swiftly post the other 2 installments as the story is finished (Rated R)

As if having a secret no one is supposed to know about wasn't enough, Merlin finds himself tangled up in feelings for his boss. For fifteen years in the Pendragon household, he has fulfilled his role as Arthur's right-hand man, mentor, and sometimes friend. Merlin has pressed his suits, arranged trips and witnessed his thousand walks of shame as he plunged into love affairs. Only to come home and lick his wounds with the help of his trusty valet. Every day, it killed Merlin a little more. After Arthur's last encounter, Merlin did what he thought was best for both: he quit. Only to find himself face to face with Arthur a short time later while boarding the sleeper car of his favorite luxury train, the Belmond Andean Explorer.

Sometimes, you must lose someone before realizing what they mean to you.

[zuvluguu]

Can we acknowledge the importance of darkness in our journey towards consciousness and spiritual awakening? And stop seeing darkness as a problem but more as an opportunity? To finally understand that without that darkness, none of this world we see would exist?

I am always fascinated and troubled by the stereotype of darkness as inherently sinister in modern cultures. Cultures globally have long venerated the light as an ideal of goodness and purity (think of the white virgin) while unfairly banishing darkness to the realm of malevolence and fear. Yet, from a shamanic and ancient perspective, to truly understand the nature of existence, we must dive into inquiries both into light and darkness, seen and unseen, conscious and unconscious, uncovering the intrinsic beauty and wisdom contained therein.

It is fair to assume that our ancestors, observing the ceaseless interchange of day and night, sought comfort in the sun's embrace and mistrusted that which they couldn't see at night and where prey animals and dangers were more present. Fear was an intuitive response to perceived threats that loomed unseen. But the realm of darkness offers far more than the fear of the unknown. Once we move past inherited fears and societal constructs, we can begin to perceive this realm's profound wisdom.

It is clear that we are fascinated by the fire that we domesticated, yet experience an even more profound awe for the dark, starry night skies. At least for me, I feel way more connected and close to the Great Mystery in the dark forest at night, even if my fear arises strongly, than when I am watching a beautiful summer day sky.

Also, is it not evident that we are designed to sleep, going into "nothingness" daily, to heal, restore, rest, and rebirth? Biology needs that darkness and invisible realms to keep us alive. Trees need the hidden life in the dark soil to thrive. Babies need nine precious months in the dark womb to be created. The universe from which we are born contains 85% of dark matter, meaning only 15% of all matter is "normal matter." Indeed, we are designed similarly, with the subconscious processing 27,500 times more data than the Conscious Mind. To say it another way, the brain takes in 11 million bits of data per second, but the conscious mind can only process around 400 of those bits.

So yes, darkness is shrouded in mystery - where unseen, unprocessed emotions and forgotten memories reside, expressions of the human condition that remain hidden in the subconscious. Often, these are those painful traumas, frozen and well protected, becoming invisible burdens we carry and generating the defense and aggressive patterns of division, aggression, hate, anger, and wars.

For anyone who has gone through deep healing, you know it requires a courageous plunge into this darkness, for enlightenment demands that we cast light onto the unseen, the shadowy, and the overlooked. It means making the unconscious conscious and exploring the depths of our psyche to understand and process these hidden emotions and memories.

In shamanic language, we refer to this healing journey as entering the UkuPacha, a realm in Andean cosmology associated with Mother Earth, represented by the snake and the color red, which symbolizes the Earth's blood and ours. Here, we confront our unseen traumas and unprocessed emotions, momentarily living the paradox of being both the subject and object of our healing. We are both the troubled and the healer, birthing a transformative process - much like a snake, reborn and invigorated, having shed its old, restrictive skin.

Embedded within these nocturnal narratives of the universe, a seed's journey beneath the soil, a fetus developing in the nurturing darkness of the womb, is a profound lesson: darkness is integral to creation and growth. It is a metaphorical realm wherein we encounter and reconcile our buried traumas. Ancestors' wisdom echoes - our healing and transformation begin in the embrace of darkness, opening the path to awakening.

Whenever I contemplated my relationship with darkness and the unseen, challenged inherited stereotypes, and disrupted learned fears, I started to recognize its pivotal role in creation, new beginnings, and, most critically, healing.

Darkness will always reveal profound truths if we dare to journey into its depths, not just on an individual level but also as a collective.

When we see troubled individuals, systems, or collective behaviors, when we hit internal pain, there is always an important question to ask:

What unseen legacies, hidden within our own individual and collective subconscious, await our courageous dive into the darkness?

How might our life and societies transform if we embarked on the path of making the unconscious conscious, of trying to explore where those root of darkness started?

The ancient, the mystics, the sage, the shamans always quested in that direction. I feel it is time we remember where to find the answers and new ways we need more than ever to awaken from this broken dream.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from National Geographic:

One unusual team joining National Geographic’s two-year exploration of the Amazon River Basin: scientist Ruthmery Pillco Huarcaya and her canine tracking companion. The two first set eyes on each other at an animal shelter in Cusco, a historic city perched in the Peruvian Andes. Something about this mutt reminded Pillco of herself—whippet-thin, tough, persistent. A family had already expressed interest in the dog, but Pillco won her case. With an important new job, the shelter’s dog would help the cause of Amazonian conservation in Peru.

“She’s going to be a hero,” Pillco promised. She took the dog home to her apartment, where she began teaching Ukuku—the name she chose—how to sniff out bear scat on mountain trails. Ukuku is a word for “bear” in Quechua, the Indigenous language of Pillco’s childhood. She grew up a few hours’ drive from Cusco, in a village where storytelling gives special power to the black Andean bear, the animal Pillco now studies as a field biologist for the Peruvian nonprofit Conservación Amazónica ACCA and as part of the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Amazon Expedition.

The research project, involving more than a dozen scientists, includes the river’s high mountain origins, where cloud moisture and droplets of melting snow form the very beginnings of the world’s greatest freshwater river system. The Andean bears’ role in this elaborate ecosystem is crucial, Pillco believes. Because they eat seeds in the lowlands and climb long distances to defecate in the mountains, they’re helping preserve forests by dispersing tree seeds at cooler, higher altitudes as the climate warms.

Pillco knew a tracking dog would be vital, and by the time she moved into her mountainside field station and lab last year, Ukuku was well on the way to fulfilling her job description: Andean bear tracker, on call 24/7. When the station alarm sounds, signaling that a camera trap has captured a bear for temporary collaring and study, usually the first beings on the trail—day or night—are the Quechua biologist and her beloved perrita valiente, her brave little dog.

[heartofbalemoon]

🎀📷🫏 inti!!

aah thank you for the ask!! sorry i havent got to them;; been saving for the right time ;w;

🎀 Do any canon characters- excluding your F/O(s)-  have crushes on your OC?

hmmm... i'd like to think that over the years of being a x-time champion of the pilgrimage (aka. the pilgrimage of the return of the sacred flame), she has a pretty sizable following of fans mostly of women-

inti does acknowledge them and thank them for their ongoing support, her heart remains with her childhood friend/sweetheart - aka a certain sealgirl from the people of the springs-

📷 What are some images that sum up your OC's aesthetic?

here's a moodboard i think fits inti..!

lots of sun/gold themed elements (especially given connection to her namesake), the flower-feather clan symbol (her tribe), a macuahuitl (a wooden club with obisidian blades that i can imagine working as her signature weapon?) and the andean condor (since those are said to be messengers of her namesake plus it fits her tribe's affinity for high places, her constellation & the exploration portion of her kit where she has glowing golden wings that help her glide across long distances fast!)

🫏 What are the silliest three facts you can share about your OC?

1. inti has a soft spot for the young saurians (especially koholsaurs and qucusaurs!) and would play little games with them akin to how humans play with doggos!!

2. inti tends to take monthly prescribed nutritional plans from iansan in anticipation for the yearly pilgrimage tournament - mostly a lot of high protein content that usually the collective of plenty tribe consume! her favorite is mualani's cooking though.. 💕

3. inti can usually withstand the hottest temperatures natlan can offer, with the warmth absorbing into her skin naturally! but if the temperatures grow drastically cold (say as cold as dragonspine?), she'd either find herself shivering (trying to hide it but ends up nuzzling into mualani's arms) or hibernating/sleeping it off until the temperature returns to normal!

[guerrerense]

Andean Explorer por Howard Stanbury Por Flickr: The Puno-Cusco train halts in the mountains, somewhere. --- Part of a project to re-visit, select, and edit photographs from a visit to Peru in April/May 2012.

[elbiotipo]

Some quick notes on SPACE in the Biopunk World:

Earnest settlement of space began with the development of reusable rockets by the US and China in the 2030s, and later single-stage-to-orbit rockets by Brazil and Argentina in the 2050s. With proper infrastructure, soon trips to the Moon and space mining became commonplace.

The peak of space exploration was in the 2090s, when radiotelescopes found evidence of alien civilizations and manned expeditions were sent to Jupiter. It culminated with the opening of the Santos-Dumont space elevator in Brazil in 2096.

This golden age was cut short by World War 3 and the Ecocide. The destruction of space infrastructure generated a Kessler Syndrome that is still being cleaned up by the new UN. Most space projects have been suspended or with skeleton crews.

The US-EU and Sino-Russian programs are still around, but kind of obsolete. The main space powers are the UNASUR joint programs, India and East Africa.

Brazil has the largest space fleet, not surprising, since they have the only space elevator. The orbital city of Hy Braseal hosts most of international space infrastructure, including the UN's cleanup program (think the guys from Planetes). Brazil mantains bases all over the Solar System, and in fact Brazilian "icebreakers" supply bases that were isolated from the Kessler Syndrome.

The second largest space organization in the UNASUR is Tawantinsuyu. Buillt on a modernizing effort in the 2080s-90s, they own two Aldrin Cyclers that make the Earth-Mars trip. Notably, they never stopped their space program even at the height of the Ecocide; most of the growing population of Mars is of Andean descent (they're very much "Mars to Stay").

The third largest in the UNASUR is Argentina. Out of national pride and reliability concerns, they keep their own shuttle and space fleet. They also have the third largest asteroid mining program, behind China and Brasil (about 15% of Argentina's GDP).

Before the Ecocide, the space population (permanent and temporary) was reaching the tens of thousands. Now this is much reduced. There are other concerns rather than space exploration... but that might change.

Some major space milestones: Disovery of first alien biosphere (USA, 2030s) First men on Mars (USA, 2030s), Permanent Moon base (China, 2040s), Commercial space mining (USA, 2040s), First child born in space (China, 2059), first child born on Mars (USA, 2061), discovery of alien dyson spheres (2084, international telescope led by India), first space elevator (Brazil, 2096), manned mission to Jupiter (UNASUR, 2098), interstellar probe to Alpha Centauri (international, led by India, UNASUR and East Africa), manned mission to Saturn (UNASUR, 2113), WWIII, Ecocide and Kessler Disaster (2114-2123), reopening of the space elevator (2129)

[fenrislorsrai]

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Asks Public to Name Andean Bear Cub Brothers by Smithsonian's National Zoo Via Flickr: Photo Credit: Connor Mallon, Smithsonian's National Zoo Vote here:http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ososhermanos The Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in collaboration with Univision’s ¡Despierta America!, is inviting the public to name two rambunctious and charismatic 18-week-old male Andean bear cubs. Starting today, March 16, fans can vote on the Zoo’s website for their favorite among names reflecting the cultural significance of Andean bears to the Quechua and Aymara, the indigenous communities of the Andes region, the native habitat of Andean bears. The public can vote until Sunday, March 22. The winning names will be announced live on ¡Despierta America! and at a media event Thursday, March 26, at the Andean bear exhibit. The following Saturday, March 28, the cubs will make their public debut. “By inviting everyone to select the cubs’ names, we hope to instill a connection to this charismatic yet vulnerable species,” said Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo. “Bear conservation efforts are vital for bears in their native habitats. I’m proud of our success in the past five years, which has been a combination of cooperative animals and keeper expertise.” Andean bears are known as Ukumari or simply Ukuku in Quechua and Hukumari or Jukumari in Aymara. They are said to protect travelers, especially musicians and dancers, during their pilgrimage to Q'oylluriti (a festival held high in the Andes mountain), oversee the festivities, and are conduits between the Apus (gods of the mountains) and the people. To the native cultures, Andean bears are known as being loving and happy, seeking harmony and balance in nature. The name choices for “Cub 1” are: •Larusiri: This name in the Aymara language means “giggly.” •Mayni: This is an Aymara word that means “unique.” •Kusisqa: This word in the Aymara language means “happy.” The name choices for the “Cub 2” are: •Tusuq: This is a name in the Quechua language that means “dancer.” •Muniri: This is a name in the Quechua language that means “loving.” •Wayna: This is a Quechua word that means “young.” “This is the first time we’ve had a pair of male cubs, and already we’re seeing them wrestle, pounce on and play with each other much more than our previous litters,” said Karen Abbott, animal keeper. “Their interaction with one another and Mom is especially endearing; I think the public will enjoy watching them play and explore their yard.” The cubs were born to 8-year-old mother Billie Jean and 21-year-old father Cisco Nov. 10 and 11, 2014. They have spent the past four months bonding with Billie Jean in a den at the Andean Bear exhibit. Animal care staff have been closely monitoring the family via a closed-circuit cam. The birth of these cubs is significant for the population of Andean bears in human care. Three of the five Andean bear cub litters born at North American zoos in the past 10 years were at the National Zoo. The information gathered from watching their behavior will be shared with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the benefit of other institutions that want to exhibit and breed this species. To follow the cubs' progress, check for news on the Zoo's website and its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Andean bears are South America’s only bear species, and as their name suggests, they live in the Andes and outlying mountain ranges—from western Venezuela through the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and ending in northwest Argentina. Also called spectacled bears, Andean bears have beige “spectacles” encircle these bears’ eyes, giving each individual a unique set of markings. Andean bears are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species, and it is estimated that there are only 20,000 left in the wild. Habitat destruction and hunting pose the greatest threats to their survival. Zoo visitors can see 2-year-old bears Curt and Nicole, as well as Cisco, on exhibit near the lower entrance to American Trail, weather permitting. The Smithsonian is bringing the cultural vibrancy, history and biodiversity of Peru and the Andean region of South America to the nation’s capital. Through a series of programs, exhibits and events across the Smithsonian, visitors will learn about the rich history and achievements of indigenous communities, the importance of cultural continuity and traditions, and the conservation of biodiversity in the region.