#I cannot understand what any human person would feel could be gained from such thoughtless

[morsking]

uhhhhhh to better grasp why rin is a host for both ishtar and ereshkigal and why sakura is a host for both kama and parvati you’re gonna have to read the vn since that is the only place where you will be treated to the different dimensions of both their characters and dispel any illusions and misunderstandings the ubw anime created (about rin in particular). i can explain it well but if you have the ability to, you should read the vn to really let it sink in and appreciate things more organically.

there are times in the anime where rin feels like a caricature of herself since she appears so confident and fun-loving and tsundere about it (the vn sometimes does this too but manages to balance things out a little better) that it overshadows how rin is also in her own way extremely repressed. 

rin, while fashioning herself the ruler of her own world and a competent genius is still someone shackled to her duty as the last living tohsaka heir and denies herself a more profound and fundamental happiness because she reasons so long as she is the tohsaka heir, she can never be sakura’s sister, and wrongfully believes that sakura has moved on without her and belongs with the matous oblivious to what zouken has done to sakura for almost 11 years because it’s easier to think that sakura doesn’t care about her anymore than to confront all she’s taught and has lived for for so long is wrong and that she has a chance to make it right. rin however finds ways to keep running into sakura just enough that her true desires betray her efforts at keeping her distance, and if sakura just said “you are my sister, please let’s live together again” no doubt rin would be so torn to hesitate yet so hopeful to as to want it to be real. 

rin’s apparent emotional independence and reputation is a product of her purposefully distancing herself from making any real human connections because she has no idea how to be emotionally available from years of stifling aristocratic conditioning. if she puts herself on a pedestal, it’s easier for others to not approach her and see through her facade. apart from that, as much fun as rin could possibly have by herself there is still something that will keep her from feeling truly fulfilled, and that’s the lack of opportunity (and emotional bravery) to reconcile with sakura. it’s also easier to forsake sakura and threaten to kill her when she’s out of control because acknowledging the horror of killing her own sister would break her own convictions and denounce her, and the tohsakas, as murderers and frauds. ishtar is that side of rin that finds being herself and living as the person in charge of her own existence. ereshkigal is the unhappy part of rin that yearns for more than what she’s been given but feels too guilty and too bound by responsibility to seek it out, and therefore denies herself her wish to connect with the person who would make all the difference in the world (sakura for rin, guda for eresh). 

sakura is a naturally kind, gentle, yet strong-willed individual who has experienced that which would break and utterly annihilate most at a spiritual level. sakura only survived what she did because her mental fortitude, much like shirou’s, is so exceptional she will always retain her sense of self even if pushed to the very brink of suffering. despite that, she grew up extremely bitter, depressed, and with a disposition that utterly gave up on the world that abandoned her to the point where she wished others to fail and suffer at whatever they endeavored. if her life was pointless and fruitless as to be thrown away, why shouldn’t everyone else’s be too? 

it’s really not until she met shirou that she began to change her mind and desire to have more than just numbness. a boy who just wouldn’t give up no matter how many times he couldn’t clear that jump, and accepted the outcome without regrets, second-thoughts, and self-loathing left such a deep impression on sakura that she wanted that thoughtless drive to live freely and greet tomorrow as a given to be hers as well. 

little by little the broken doll with lifeless eyes restored more and more of her inner kindness and good faith, both because she gained a will that did more than just curse, and because there was someone who showed her what a real home, a real family looked like so she’d believe in love and happiness again. but much like rin, sakura struggled to believe she deserved happiness. years of abuse crushed sakura’s self-esteem, and thought her suffering made her unlovable and unnatural. her desire to be both loved and pitied clashed against one another, and were also contradictingly one and the same. it would be easy to be pitied, that means she would’ve been right about her hatefulness all along and she can just fade away along with the pain her baggage might’ve caused others. but if she’s loved, then how will she ever make herself worthy of it? how could she ever justify to herself that she’s being given love that hasn’t been earned? and even worse, what if she’s given love that can be lost?

sakura hides all the things that risk her losing all the love she’s accumulated, a desperate selfish tactic employed by a scared girl deathly afraid to lose the only light she’s ever known. if all her anger, bitterness, cowardice, jealousy, scars, and self-hatred were exposed, what would shirou think of her? once he does find out what she’s gone through, she pushes him away. she really believes she’s done for and has nothing else to come back to. even as shirou keeps asserting he does still want her in his life, she keeps hurling all the terrible things she’s done to him and herself without him knowing: that because he’s kiritsugu’s kid she spied on him for zouken, that she used him to run away from zouken and shinji, that she tried to kill herself, that she’s not a virgin, all to get him to reject her for good while guiltily clinging to the hope that he will still choose to love her in spite, or because of all that.

even after sakura’s killed shinji by accident and transforms into dark sakura, a part of herself is weak towards shirou. a part of herself lashes out when he’s around because she’s still rejecting him hoping he’ll forsake her so he’ll live without getting hurt by her while also begging for him to see how much she’s suffering so he’ll save her, going so far at the end that she tells rin to run away with shirou, having decided to kill herself alongside the grail. rin however, sees through sakura’s attempt to earn pity, but in her own fit of duty-induced forced apathy threatens to kill sakura herself before sakura has the chance to wipe herself out (jesus, rin) rather than comfort her and tell her she wishes for her to live. rin though fails to follow through with her plan. just as she overpowers sakura, she throws away all her lies and embraces her sister, telling her how she really feels, and the very first sincere expression of love her sister has shown her in a decade is enough for sakura to stop dead in her tracks and crumble in grief until shirou arrives to save her and insist that she deserves to live so that all the suffering she both caused and experienced and all the people she devoured can be given meaning. this parallels into how kama as beast iii/L wishes to render all love obsolete by drowning the universe in love to the point where all love becomes meaningless and kama no longer has to be hurt by love, with their defeat marking a change in their beliefs about the world and themself.

parvati tells you as much that she’s taken over sakura’s good side. she’s the earnest hardworking woman who is full of benevolence and enthusiasm after her purpose has become clear. however, what parvati doesn’t understand is that sakura’s good qualities are intermixed with her darker ones and fundamentally cannot ever be truly separated, and that’s why parvati also connects with sakura’s tendency to hide the ugly things about herself out of fear she’ll be rejected, and that it’s wrong and harmful for her to do that to sakura as much (if not worse) as it is for sakura to do it for herself alongside all the people that could be affected by that dishonesty. 

apart from the obvious gross reasons, there is in fact a good justification for kama’s ascensions in fgo. their ascensions go from child to adolescent to adult to demonstrate that kama has a parallel to sakura’s personal growth. they are both individuals who, after being betrayed by their own kind (the gods and the tohsakas) and having their bodies destroyed (kama becoming the cosmos, sakura being devoured by crest worms and having her dna rewritten), have lost faith in who they were before and the world around them. kama starts out in sakura’s child body: the young girl who was sacrificed for a greater purpose and whose heart has been filled with depression, cynicism, and hatred for the world around her. their childish disposition however, marks that kama has truly been reborn and is going through the process of recreating their identity after it was shattered by trauma. 

when kama is in sakura’s adolescent form, that signals that much like sakura around that age, they still cling to some anger and bitterness, but have begun to ease into forming new connections and their desire to be identified with love becomes complicated as it is both heavily resisted yet profoundly wanted. it is kama at their peak self-loathing, directing hatred to themself as much as their child form did to everyone else.

when kama shifts into sakura’s final adult form, it marks the period where they both have had some of their faith renewed in their existence. while it is still very difficult for them to truly know what love is and whether or not they’ve earned it, they nonetheless make it clear they want to believe in it again with the help of the person they’ve placed their trust upon (shirou for sakura, guda for kama). as the god of love, for kama to learn what love is is for kama to once more understand what it is to love themself again, and like sakura at the end of heaven’s feel finish constructing their brand new identity and move forward in a way that their happiness and reforged self-confidence can dignify their suffering and make up for all the damage they caused others and themselves.

this isn’t to say that pseudos as a concept are inherently good or anything. they are still very flawed because when mishandled for fanservice (and it happens a LOT) they do far more to displease both fans of the mythological figures and fans of the original fate/stay night characters simultaneously than to appease them both by robbing all characters involved of their complexities. regardless, that doesn’t mean that these gods wearing the faces of these girls is entirely pointless, lazy, and thoughtless. on the contrary, these girls were chosen because of all the different facets they have that match their possessors’ demeanors and themes, and i hope that this knowledge can help people see the connection with more clarity.

[worldsmostdangerous-archived]

Mun, how do you feel about all the newly named revolutionaries? Personally I'm excited!

// Oh boy am I, buckle up because you’re in for a ride

I have been waiting for Oda to reveal the commanders (though I don’t think he revealed all of them, or if he did then it’s bad writing on his part again) for years. And mostly I am satisfied with the results - as far as I can be with Oda. I’ve never been terribly a fan of his character designing, mostly because of aesthetic reasons and I would have preferred more realistic and practical outfits. But knowing what we have seen of Oda’s capabilities of designing outfits, I think he could have done way worse with the commanders.

Now many people in the fandom are disgusted and annoyed by Belo Betty’s outfit design, and it’s understandable. But to me it’s a two way street. On one hand, Betty’s shirt being open is infuriating because we all know Oda is sexist, but on the other, dictating how women (or anyone, but we’re talking about women here) should dress whether it’s covering herself completely or wearing revealing clothing, is demeaning in itself (and also sexist). Only she can choose what she wears and how she wears it. It’s not anyone else’s business.

So I’m little annoyed but not entirely livid about it, therefore I can look past it. In other news, I like her hat a lot.

In general, looking at Betty’s personality and abilities, I’m quite pleased. She is very close to a commander oc of mine that I never brought to tumblr or used in any kind of way in many aspects (and it’s slightly scary??? Oda how???). Her devil fruit for example is almost precisely like my oc’s (she used just her voice/words instead of waving a flag) and her personality is pretty close to my oc’s also. Just that my oc would never call citizens she was about to help out ‘useless trash’ or ‘garbage’, or an over weight colleague a ‘potato giant’. When I first read the part in the chapter it didn’t settle quite in completely because I was trying to imagine Dragon promoting someone as ill-mannered like that to a commander’s rank and was having a hard time with it. However -

It is true that there is no point in helping people who have no will to fight for themselves, for their loved ones and freedom and rights at this point. The army doesn’t have unlimited resources. It makes sense to focus on parties with motivation to avoid direct contact with the Government and Cipher Poll, from a strategic point of view. The army won’t be of any use for changing the world or reach its goals if it throws its chances out before it’s their time.

That said revolutionaries are not heartless and completely set in the military mindset. They cannot be. They’re not after power or protection, they’re after ending inequality. So I can see Dragon allowing the higher ups (like the commanders themselves) help out citizens outside of their influence radar when they absolutely know for 100% certainty they will win because it is morally correct. It is comprehensible that people are afraid and incapable to fight back, but it’s also inconsiderate and thoughtless.

Therefore my Dragon would frown upon Betty’s vulgar language but agree with her actions and recognize her accomplishments.

Now while my oc was a high ranking commander (close to Dragon especially but not as close as Ivankov), it is blowing my mind how Betty appears to be the highest ranked (or at least most respected) out of the four commanders. Lindbergh is openly seen asking for Betty’s permission to handle the pirates, and later on Betty gives out orders to Lindbergh and Karasu which they execute without question. This is huge coming from Oda. And I’m much pleased with it!

Karasu’s design is basically Killer-Doffy/Roci-Kid fusion, which is 100% Oda-like. I’m not incredibly fascinated with it but it fits in so I’m okay with it. I do wonder if he was wearing the feather coat and beak mask before eating his devil fruit and if he did I’m curious about the reason. With Katakuri Oda has given us proof that sometimes when a character wears something that covers a part of their face (or completely) there is a very good reason for it. Now the all time question mark in this regard is Killer, but Karasu’s case makes me wonder even more. I like Karasu’s name especially tbh.

Regarding his devil fruit it is self-evident that he helped Sabo back to the revolutionaries’ ship at the end of Dressrosa. And from that scene we know that Karasu hasn’t had the devil fruit for very long - or he never reported receiving it. I would lean more to not having it for long because of loyalty reasons, personally. I really like him too (as I do like Betty a lot) but I think it’s mostly because of his reserved personality (but not shy!) and crows.

Morley is precious if I’m being quite honest. First of all, he’s a giant, and second of all he is not super duper lean and skinny and muscly like most characters (especially those who fight) are. That’s lots of points to Oda already. And he appears to be lgbt+ which! is! amazing! I am hesitant about his trident weapon though. 

Out of all the commanders Lindbergh is the one I have a bone to pick on with Oda. His name is good, but his character design is 100% already seen somewhere else before. He looks way too familiar but I cannot put my finger on it. He appears to be a mink and while I like that he’s some other race than human, I would have loved to see a fishman commander instead. It does make sense for the revolutionaries to have their own weapon developer but why is he a commander…? He should solely be in the equipment division. Plus while I can see how Karasu and Morley gained their commander rank, I cannot see any plausible way for Lindbergh. Nothing about his personality appears suitable for leadership. But since he’s canon I’m hoping someone picks him up as a muse and spends time to develop his character so that his rank is justified.

The weapons seem cool though.

All in all, I’m satisfied with the immense diversity in the commanders. Having more females (appearance wise, their real gender could be anything) would have been a nice thing to see but we cannot have everything. That said there is gender diversity, there is race diversity - all we lack is skin colour diversity. Which, I guess we have kinda with Lindbergh but you already know how I feel about him.

I love that Betty appears highly respected (even the citizens of Momoiro island were excited to see her), and I love that Oda is showing us the Revolutionary Army truly is accepting of and open to everyone. And I have long believed it goes without saying that the army would be divided into smaller armies across the world because they’re against the World Government, not a single country, so seeing that Oda believes the same is a feast on the eyes. (So yes, I believe the compass points mentioned in the introduction of the commanders equal the four Blues.) This line up of commanders is in character for my Dragon which makes me happy.

Draws breath where’s my revo commander rp blogs at

[lunuanaki]

hc; velka + occult rebellion

So, this is what I’m running with. @ligetraesc had some input here (ask about his messed up face). It’s no less thought out than That One Wiki Thread, and far simpler if you ask me. It also explains Gwynevere’s absence and how Velka justified taking up against her own kind despite being a goddess of sin and absolution; therefore, balance.

Okay, so. First off, the general consensus seems to be “Velka is a powerhungry mf who randomly took up arms against her own kind and Havel was involved somehow and yeah it was totally her fault!111 That’s why Gwyn hates her!!11 Something something Seath…!”

Well… where does it say that, exactly? In game, all I can find is allusions to a “rebellion against the gods”, not against Gwyn specifically. Out of the game is another matter, there’s all kinds of crazy ideas strung together by people who don’t understand thatMiyazaki didn’t want us to know everything so that we would add our own depth.* I’m gonna add to the mad ideas pile right here. Things not covered include outside factors like Priscilla and Seath. Occult presence in the Painted World could be there for any number of reasons, but for the purposes of this post, it doesn’t matter - shit happens during wars. The time around where Gwyn left, Solaire was thrown out of Anor Londo and the curse began to permeate everything is so squashed up in my mind, and it makes sense that it would be. If Gwyn left, of course the shit would hit the fan all over the place. With Gwyn gone, Anor Londo is basically a free for all. If you’re of the school of thought that Solaire is the Firstborn, then regardless of whether or not he was still there, he was not a ruler anyone could have faith in, as demonstrated by his loss of a whole bunch of history, his own god status and his dad’s Van Halen mixtape. Gwyndolin is probably the best equipped to rule in his place, but never will for a host of reasons I’m sure I don’t need to go over. That leaves Gwynevere. Now, let’s talk about Flann. Who the hell is Flann? A flame-god, so potentially a relation of Gwyn - though not a close one. He’s all fire where Gwyn and his family are light, to paraphrase ligetraesc; all the destruction and none of the nurturing or moderation. A cousin, maybe? A nephew? Distant enough to marry Gwynevere, and close enough to have a claim to Gwyn’s throne, perhaps…?

Hmmm. Now we’re cooking. Let’s assume this is the case, and that Flann had his eyes on the prize from day one. What’s going to happen as soon as Gwyn leaves? He’s going to start gathering support for his claim over Solaire’s. Solaire, providing he’s still there at all at this point, would be known as rash and thoughtless. I really doubt all that loss of the annals business (literal or not) came as a shock to anyone, however tragic it was. It’s more likely that he was gone by then, though. I do not put any stock into the Sunlight Bladedescription, as Gwyn’s tomb is an empty placeholder that could have been built anytime; we all know Gwyn isn’t inside. It’s a mark of respect, is all, and its carving likely would have started long before Gwyn left, so that he would have the peace of mind in knowing that it was done and so that he could see the final product, his “official” resting place before he left - Solaire could have returned to leave the spell as a tribute to his father at any point.

Anyway. If Flann can paint himself as a good replacement for Gwyn, he will gain the support he needs from all over the human and lord regions. He could easily engage himself to Gwynevere, solidfy his position and move in for the throne. It’s worth noting that I believe Lordran to be pretty rigid in its gender roles on the whole, so Gwynevere would have had trouble being taken seriously as a lone Queen in a world full of Lords and Kings; so it’s somewhat to her benefit as well. At least this way she has Flann’s armies from his overseas homeland to back her up if someone wants to step to her. So, Flann is now in Anor Londo using Gwyn’s toothbrush. Enter Havel. Havel, aka Havel “The Rock” Johnson, is pissed. He was one of Gwyn’s closest friends and cannot stomach the thought of some puffed up little candle-flame trying to take his place over Gwyn’s own children. Incensed enough to turn to the occult for help in getting rid of this little shitlord, he approaches Velka. Velka has her own interests in this situation; namely that Gwyn’s family are her family to a certain extent, and whilst she understands that Gwynevere needs support, it cannot be denied that Flann has taken her crown from her. Now, I don’t see him requesting absolution, do you? Velka has been watching this with total disgust. Flann has discreetly committed treason by disrupting the line of succession and stolen her friends’ birthright**. She agrees to help Havel and his peasant uprising with the occult magic she wields, turning a human mess into an occult army. Flann may be a flame god, but he still has Gwyn’s remaining army around him, meaning he still wields lightning spells even if he can’t personally use them (which is all speculation). For example, we know the Dragonslayer and his electrified spear remained long after these events. I imagine he would have aligned himself with Gwynevere regardless of Flann’s presence, as he was one of Gwyn’s Four Knights, and his duty is whatever Gwyn would want. Meanwhile, the humans need to defend against him and his like; cue the Effigy Shield (which also contains a nice little snippet about the occult side going for Nito and failing). So, what happened?! Everyone lost, that’s what happened. The curse spread while this war went on; people were going hollow and being dragged away, adding another cause of death to the list for Havel and Velka’s army. Flann, though he’d have a reduced number as Gwyn’s loyalists abandoned him for the dark side, still had Lordsoul holders while all Velka and Havel had were numbers and anger. Havel was a skilled enough man to grab Gwyn’s attention, but Velka is not a general, and Havel cannot coordinate a war against gods on his own. When he hollows and is locked in the Tower, Velka is at a total loss. It’s no surprise that they lost. But, they made their mark on Flann before they did and sent him running back home with his new bride - still king in name, but with Anor Londo an empty shell, its people cursed and its halls empty, does it really matter anymore? Velka flees with most of her covenant behind her, never to be seen again (possibly until DS3). Gwyndolin is left babysitting a city he never wanted with the ghost of his sister and her insane guards, and maybe Velka won after all; because, while people talked of her ambition and her desire to rule as if it were a given, her final aim was to put Gwyndolin where his father was before and settle Flann’s debts (and soothe her itching soul) by erasing his crimes.

So, that’s about it, I guess! I might tweak this post if I think of more to add, but I want to keep it as simple as possible. I’ve got cotton wool brain today, so feel free to throw stuff at my inbox - there are definitely details I’ve thought of that didn’t make it into this post, but I can’t recall all of them.

Edit 1: From @sosayethlight;   #[I would add that I feel some humans were split between loyalty to Gwyn or Gwynevere or the Gods as an idea]#[and chose to fight ‘for’ her even while seeing Flann as an… Undesirable not!Gwyn]#[While others ignored her direct orders to stand down and accept matters]#[flocking to the Occult Rebellion and by proxy Velka and Havel]#[which might well explain where miracles UNIQUE TO GWYNEVERE come from in a certain archive…]#[war trophies from a knight-priest of the former Princess Guard..?] All of this, yes. I should have said as much about the humans being split myself, but I hadn’t thought of the spells in the archive. We areon fire if you’ll pardon the pun. OOHH, a double. :D

* I can’t find the interview now, but he used to read fantasy books in English - he didn’t actually read English well, and anything he didn’t understand, he used to just make up to fill in the story. This is what he said he was aiming for in Dark Souls. ** I believe the Gwyndolin vs Velka feud to have been cut from the game because it directly contradicts the idea of the Book of the Guilty being linked to both Velka’s covenant (via their indictments) and the Darkmoons; they can’t have collaborated like that if they were supposed to be enemies, so Team A made a decision to throw out one element or the other. They weren’t enemies in my mind - they were a team of sin stompers.

[norihisahyuga-archived]

An Experiment

Hino Eiji/Ankh Kamen Rider OOO 2500~ words. Sfw.

Based off of this post by @replica-the-rice-cooker. Ankh decides to see if he can make a Yummy from himself to fulfill a desire he never saw coming and isn’t quite sure he can explain with his limited human experience.

Waiting for Eiji to leave the restaurant and put enough distance between the two of them for this to be a proper test takes patience. It is a virtue Ankh lacks most of the time; his frustration tends to get the better of him, but considering how much time it takes for the other Greeed to make Yummies, and then to fight them and successfully gain their Cell Medals. And with Akira Date around and showing no signs of leaving anytime soon, he has to come up with other ideas.

He knows this might not work. Of the five of them, only Gamel has ever been able to perform this trick. He lacks the ability to form a Yummy from anyone else, though. Ankh cannot say the same for himself. He knows he can do that, but a Yummy formed from any human would not have his desire written into their being. That is what he needs here.

Sighing softly, he turns the Core Medal around, examining every inch of its familiar surface. He knows he’s stalling. Eiji only went out for a few things for the restaurant, and once he returns, this experiment will not be able to work. If Ankh waits on it any longer, he might find himself risking the Core Medals to Date once again. He doesn’t plan on letting that happen.

At the same time, he isn’t sure that he wants to let Eiji know this way. The concept of caring for another being is foreign to him. The last person he had felt any bond to… He doesn’t want to think too hard about her. Truth be told, he doesn’t like feeling attachment to humans, and he doesn’t really want to, but that doesn’t mean he can just deny the way he feels about Eiji Hino. The human has captivated him, and until this ends, they are partners.

Still, he doesn’t know if this will work. It’s a theory he’s never had to test before since the Yummies formed from the desires of humans always brought him plenty of power. But he needs to test it now, if for nothing other than the power boost and to finally get the weight off of his shoulders that his growing affection for his second OOO has caused him.

He thinks about Eiji, about his soft smile and his messy hair and the inherent warmth in his eyes, warmer than Tajador’s flames. He keeps this image firmly in mind, projecting his power and his desire into it, before tossing the Medal toward himself.

He doesn't feel the familiar tingling weight of the Medal becoming a part of himself as he does when he absorbs them. Instead, he feels strangely warm for just a moment, swaying on his feet, before the Yummy spills forth in an array of bright green feathers and an indignant squawk.

A peach-faced lovebird Yummy. Ankh scoffs at the sight of it, shaking his head at himself. Is this what Eiji’s presence in his life has reduced him to? Not something large and brilliant or fearsome and strong. No, just this. He should probably be more offended that his inexplicable feelings for the human have spawned such a harmless-looking creature, but in a weird way, he’s charmed by it. Lovebirds tend to mate for life, after all. Not that he could offer something like that to Eiji, considering the fact he has no idea how this will end, but still. It’s a comforting thought, and a comforting image, and they’re short on those these days.

He knows the only way to call this experiment off is to destroy the Yummy before it can depart. Instead, he climbs back into his nest, pulling his tablet closer. He needs to try to pinpoint where his fellow Greeed are hiding so they can better prepare for the enemy to strike once again. “You know what I want. Go fetch him. Do not harm him, and bring him to me in one piece.”

The Yummy’s voice is strangely soft and feminine as it replies to him. “I will return as soon as possible to fulfill your desire.”

Desire. For the longest time, his only true desire was to get his body back, to be a fully restored Greeed with all nine of his Core Medals once again. It had been with this single goal in mind that he reached out to the human with one of his Core Medals, to give him the OOO Driver and employ him in this battle. Even while exploring the human world and the sensations offered to him by his human host body, he’d never really thought about wanting or needing anything else.

He wonders what this means, that Eiji could even tempt a Greeed into desire.

Ankh has no way of knowing where Eiji is now, but he knows without the Core Medals, Eiji will not be able to fight back. He might want to, he might try to call for help, but a human is helpless against a Yummy and it should be no trouble to return him to the restaurant in due time. All he has to do now is wait.

The thing is, Shotaro wants to believe Ankh would have nothing but good intentions at least as far as their partnership is concerned. But he has learned that the Yummies tend to resemble the Greeed whose Cell Medals create them. Kazari spawns cats, Uva spawns bugs, Mezool spawns sea creatures, and Gamel spawns large mammals. Which would mean the brightly-colored green birb Yummy in front of him belongs to Ankh.

It’s an upsetting thought to have. As far as he knows, they had an understanding. Ankh hadn’t created any Yummies during his partnership with Eiji thus far, but the creature in front of him unmistakably belongs to Ankh. The fact it’s closing in on him— at a time when he doesn’t have his partner nor any Core Medals to rely on— is that much more frightening.

He can only fight so much before he runs out of stamina, and without the boost of even his reliable TaToBa combo, he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to rely on. Fighting Yummies bare-handed is hardly recommended, and the talons he sees on this Yummy only makes him more anxious. If it tries to harm anyone, he might not be able to stop it without losing a limb, and what good will he be to Ankh missing an arm or a leg?

He wishes he had his Driver, or the Core Medals, or even his cell phone, but he’d been thoughtless and left it behind in his haste to pick up groceries for Chiyoko. He can’t even call Date for assistance, and he badly needs it right now.

“There you are,” the Yummy sing-songs at him before fluttering its wings, stepping closer to him, almost within arm’s reach. “You were not so difficult to track after all. Well, we’ll be going now.”

Eiji doesn’t get a chance to fight back or even put up a struggle; he doesn’t even have time to set the groceries down before the Yummy plucks him off of the ground and takes to the air. All he can do is cling tighter to the groceries and hope this Yummy isn’t taking him to another one of the Greeed. As soon as he finds Ankh, he’s going to question him until they’re both blue in the face until he gets a proper explanation as to why Ankh made a Yummy.

He doesn’t want to know what human out there would have wanted him picked up and delivered like take-out. He barely knows anyone in the city as it is.

He’s pleasantly surprised when they end up back at Cous Coussier, the Yummy managing to neatly fly them both through the bedroom window, setting Eiji down carefully on the floor of the room he shares with Ankh. From his nest, Ankh surveys the scene silently before setting his tablet aside, sliding down onto the floor to stand across from Eiji.

“You made a Yummy.” Eiji points to the Yummy still watching them, furrowing his brows at Ankh. “Why did it bring me back here, anyway? Where’s the human you made it from? Oh, no, Ankh, don’t tell me you made a Yummy from Hina or Chiyoko—”

Ankh cuts him off, the sharp tch making him pause mid-sentence. “Of course I didn’t do that. You would be furious and that’s hardly something we have time to deal with right now. I made the Yummy from myself. It was an experiment to see if it was possible.”

“Yourself? But then why did it come get me?” Eiji glances back at the Yummy, then at Ankh, not sure what to make of the situation. Yummies are supposed to fulfill the desires of the hosts they are created from, but bringing Eiji back here seems like a strange desire.

“Obviously because it was my desire that it would go and find you. You are more dense than you look, you know.” Ankh gestures toward the Yummy, one sharp brow raised. “Don’t you recognize what kind of bird this is? You’ve traveled all over the world and you can’t even name a simple breed like this? Look more closely.”

The sharp tone and the harsh words are hardly unusual for Ankh, but there seems to be more force behind them than usual. So Eiji turns to examine the Yummy, taking in the bright green feathers of its body, the reddish-pink feathers around its face. Now that he looks more closely at it, in the safety of his bedroom and now out on the street thinking he’s being attacked by an enemy, he recognizes it instantly. He’s seen dozens of them in his travels.

“It’s a peach-faced lovebird,” he says firmly, frowning at Ankh. “That’s a little tame for you, isn’t it? Or do you not really have any control over that?”

Ankh scrubs a hand over his face, leaning back against the wall. “It’s shaped that way for a reason, Eiji. I wanted it to bring you to me because I wanted to talk to you about something. I also wanted to conduct this experiment. It seemed like the perfect way to do both at the same time. Now, like I said, I wanted to speak to you.”

“Oh. Okay, I guess.” Eiji sets the groceries down out of the way— out of the line of any possible fire— and sits down on his bed. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

To his surprise, Ankh sits down on the bed next to him. “I still understand very little about what being human means, but I do understand how desire works. And this might not appeal to you, considering… Well. Everything, really. My goal is to get my body back and your goal is to protect the body I’m currently residing in.”

“Yes. We’ve talked about that a lot, already. Do we need to go over something we missed?” Eiji racks his brain, but he can’t recall any missing details. As far as he knows, they’ve discussed every single angle of this agreement more than once.

Ankh shakes his head. “No, no. I was just… Reminding you. Anyway. Like I said, I understand desire. And though I don’t understand quite how human desire works, at least feeling it for myself, I believe through this body I’m able to feel it.”

“Well, yeah. Like the ice pops,” Eiji says, and the thought makes him smile a little. It’s kind of cute, the way Ankh’s found something for him to really enjoy like this.

“Yes. But this is far more than that. At least that’s what I’ve come to learn.” Ankh is quiet for a moment, and Eiji takes that moment to really examine him right now. There is an almost tentative expression on his face, and the sunlight spilling in through the curtains shines up gold on his hair. It’s a beautiful sight, one that moves Eiji in ways only some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world has. “I don’t know how long our partnership will last. I can’t give a definite answer as to how long this battle will last. But I do know… That I would spend the time we have remaining by your side, if you would want the same.”

Eiji is on the verge of telling Ankh that he’s already by Eiji’s side through thick and thin as it is, but then Ankh looks at him, dark eyes filled with some emotion Eiji doesn’t quite have a name for, and his hand slowly finds Eiji’s own on the bedspread between them. This, with the addition of the peach-faced lovebird Yummy, is what makes him realize exactly what Ankh means by these words. His throat closes up before he can speak, so he’s left staring at Ankh with his mouth open for a moment, before he gives himself a full-body shake.

“You’re saying you’re in lo—” Before he can finish the sentence, Ankh cups a hand over his mouth.

“Let’s not go using the most extreme of your human emotions to label this just yet. I’m not quite sure of the extent of it myself.” Ankh drops his hand, and he offers Eiji the most tentative smile. “But we could explore that with time. We still have some of it left to learn more about this.”

Eiji ducks his head to hide the idiotic smile that spreads across his face, taming it down into something calmer before he chances meeting Ankh’s gaze again. “I’d really like to do that, yeah. Since I’m the one with more experience, why don’t you let me take the lead this once?”

Ankh studies his expression for a moment before giving him a slow nod, and Eiji tries to move as cautiously as possible so as not to startle him. It’s not difficult to draw Ankh forward into a hug, smoothing his hands down Ankh’s slender back, muffling a smile against his shoulder when he feels Ankh reach around him to squeeze back. And with their arms still around each other, when they lean back, it’s so easy for Eiji to close the space between their faces, pressing his lipis softly to Ankh’s.

He would be lying if he said he never thought about this. The sheer amount of time he’s spent in Ankh’s presence has been enough for him to get to know Ankh better, to see the softer and warmer sides of him that he tries to hide away from everyone else. Maybe Eiji loves too easily and too deeply. Maybe he just cares too much about Ankh because he can empathize with him, because he spends each and every day with him… He doesn’t know the particulars of it, and as he feels Ankh’s lips tentatively move against his in return, he decides he doesn’t care.

It’s enough for him to know that he cares about Ankh, that he loves him, and that Ankh, though skittish, is willing to follow him down this road. One they can pave all by themselves without the influence of the other Greeed, without Medals or Drivers or anything.

When he pulls back, Eiji does something he’s been wanting to do for too long. He runs his fingers through Ankh’s hair, burnished golden curls sliding soft and warm between his fingers.

Truth be told, he isn’t expecting the Yummy to explode. He knows what happens when a Yummy is defeated, of course, but swept up by his first kiss with Ankh, he had entirely forgotten about the Yummy’s presence in the room. Where it stood now lies a pile of Cell Medals, far more than Eiji has seen come out of some of the stronger Yummies he’s defeated.

“That’s impressive,” he admits.

Ankh chuckles, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it worked out after all.”

“Well, it did. Your experiment paid off big time.” Eiji takes Ankh’s face in his hands, pressing another kiss to his soft lips, unable to stop himself. “And not just for you. For both of us.”

[inhumansforever]

Ms. Marvel #17 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

The Doc.X story hurdles to its climactic conclusion in this latest installment of the Hugo Award-nominated Ms. Marvel from the creative team of G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring.  Full recap and review following the jump.

The villain known only as Doc.X has revealed itself as a living computer virus… a malware that has somehow gained sentience and will stop at nothing to augment its knowledge and power.  It is a learning program, yet it learned via online gaming chat boards where people are often quite nasty toward one another; and from this the sentience has cultivated a supremely malevolent and malignant morality.  

Doc.X had attempted to blackmail Ms. Marvel into doing its bidding.  If she resisted then it would publish her friend, Zoe’s love letters to Nakia, forwarding them to all of the phones and email accounts of their entire high school.   Yet what Doc.X demanded, that it be plugged into the surveillance array at Shield, was far too much of a threat to all the world and Ms. Marvel had to resist.  Kamala warned Zoe, but nothing could stop her secret from being shared with all of their classmates.   Now Zoe has to show up at school, unwillingly outed as gay with all of her embarrassing declarations of love out there for everyone to see.   Mob mentality takes over and, defused of any sense of personal responsibility, her classmates begin to tease her mercilessly.  Poor Zoe… I feel so terribly for her.  

Fortunately Zoe’s friends are there for her.  Nakia cannot reciprocate Zoe’s love on a romantic level but her love as a friend will always be there.  She embraces Zoe in a sign of solidarity.  Kamala sees this and hugs them both.  Mike and Gabe soon join in and before you know it a whole large group of friends are holding each other with Zoe in the center.  It’s a wonderful scene, illustrative of how getting over one’s sense of embarrassment and just being there for others easily overwhelms the shallow taunts and pettinesses of others.   It all gives Kamala an idea as to how to defeat Doc.X.  As corny as it may seem, the power of friendship and human decency is going to be her greatest weapon.  

Somehow Kamala is able to convince her fellow guide members (the kids she has been campaigning with online) to all congregate in New Jersey.  They are quite surprised to discover that the person they have been gaming with is none other than Ms. Marvel, a real to life super hero!

Ms. Marvel explains to them all that has happened, that they had unwittingly helped in forging the malignant attributes of Doc.X.  Being so cruel and thoughtless in their comments had helped to craft Doc.X’s acidic persona and the only means of undoing it all is to demonstrate civility and kindness.  In short, they have to make the internet nice…  oy vey...

The guild recreates their first campaign only this time they are kind and cordial and considerate to each other.  Another campaign of gamers shows up, angry that they had been beaten to the boss level.  Rather than goading and shit-talking, Ms. Marvel’s campaign are instead apologetic and offer the other campaign all of the special awards and booty they had gathered.  The gesture has a dramatic effect.  Such graciousness is super unexpected in gaming; one player states that it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for them.  

Mike monitors their progress from a separate computer, somehow spreading the message and proliferating this sentiment of goodwill.  Doc.X leaps onto her system and attempts to bully her, but already Ms. Marvel and the others’ actions are having an effect.  The niceness is corrupting Doc.X’s functionality, creating a paradox that it doesn’t know how to process.  

Ms. Marvel leaves her fellow campaigners to keep up the good work while she initiates step two of her plan.  Now weakened, she needs to lure Doc.X out into the open, yet must find a location devoid of machinery or other people.  Unfortunately, she has lost track of the date and accidentally wanders right into the Jersey City Founder’s Day Parade.   

Doc.X is unable to take over Ms. Marvel’s body, but it can take over the body of everyone else and now Kamala has accidentally led it to this huge mass of potential victims.  She tries to scatter the crowd telling them that they’re all in danger.  Unfortunately this is New Jersey and a young Muslim woman in a wild outfit spouting dire warnings of doom doesn’t exactly garner the response she had hoped for…

It’s too late!  Doc.X has found her.  It takes over the bodies of several of the parade participants and uses them to attack her with insults and super-powered punches.  

Yet Doc.X can tell that it is growing weaker and weaker.  The niceness spread by Mike and the others is having its effect.  The power Doc.X has drawn from online cruelty has dissipated and it feels itself quickly becoming deleted.  Yet its not going to go without parting words of doom and gloom.  Paraphrasing Obi-Wan Kenobi, Doc.X states that it may be struck down but its malevolence will return stronger then ever.  It has tasted the spite in the heart of mankind and feels assured that humans are destined to be engulfed by their own primitive cruelty.  

And just like that it is over.  One last punch from Ms. Marvel and Doc.X evaporates into the ether, leaving behind nothing but its dire warnings.  

All and all this was a rather quick, somewhat anticlimactic conclusion to the story.  Although a sense of anticlimax is likely unavoidable in that the actual victory occurred in the prior issue when Zoe confided her crush to Nakia and the two were able to effectively deal with it and remain friends.  

Doc.X is a purposefully one-dimensional and cliché villain.  It serves merely as a vehicle to explore the nature of interpersonal interactions in the modern, digital era.  How Ms. Marvel is ultimately able to defeat Doc.X is difficult to fully understand on a practical or logical level.  I’m not sure how one online gaming campaign can suddenly make the internet a friendly place.  On an emotional level, however, it all makes perfect sense.   Being mean and critical is easy and creates the illusion of power.  Whereas being nice and open can be difficult and embarrassing, yet it creates a true power… a power that can overwhelm and drown out that cruelty.

Anonymous, faceless cruelty, the kind one is likely to encounter online, has a special kind of valance.  Being anonymous, one can feel unburdened of responsibility and emboldened to give in to their more dark and mean inclinations.   And yet the same factors that make anonymous cruelty so malignant also offers anonymous kindness incredible power.  It is a truly selfless gesture the effects of which can be profound.  

This is the dilemma that faces Kamala and her peers, indeed what faces the younger generation here in the real world.  Does one give in to the quick, easily-found ersatz strength of cruelty and division, isolation and solitude; or does one expose vulnerability, traverse embarrassment, and put in the hard work to be kind and inclusive and in so doing garner a true and legitimate strength?  Will Doc.X’s gloomy forecast of human nature come to pass or will a different more difficult but ultimately better path be taken?  

Time will tell...

The Doc.X saga is going to go down as one the great comic tales of the modern era.  Of course recommended.  Five out of Five Lockjaws.

[drlindamilesblogs-blog]

Navigating Through Emotional Upheaval: From Prejudice to Peace

 Do you cling to grievances?

  Do you harbor abusive, negative, or otherwise toxic thoughts against your partner—or anyone else?

  Do you marinate in perceived slights? Do you feel yourself helplessly inclined to wallow in hurt feelings even when a part of you suspects that your perceptions may not indeed be well-rounded or correct?

                       PREJUDICE SHATTERED, LOVE UNLEASHED

In her seminal novel Pride and Prejudice, the beloved 19th century English novelist Jane Austin explores the damage that can result from too much egoism or—as the book title itself insinuates—prejudicial thinking.

The protagonist of the novel, Elizabeth Bennett, is a young spunky woman who, being the second of five daughters in a relatively poor but upstanding British family, has the “nerve” to desire to marry for love. Acclaimed throughout the novel for her good-natured impertinence, wit, and social intuition, Elizabeth nonetheless falls prey to her prejudices concerning Mr. Darcy, a wealthy gentleman who slights her at a ball when he refuses to dance with her. She later overhears him saying some rather derogatory comments about her, further adding insult to injury. Her pride is offended by his ego and snobbery, and she promptly slams the door to a future relationship.

“I have faults enough,” Darcy vouches for himself later, within Elizabeth’s presence, “but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for it. It is, I believe, too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of other so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself, my temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.”

In time—spoiler alert!—Mr. Darcy actually finds himself attracted to Elizabeth and tries to make amends. He proposes marriage to her, only to be confronted by her with examples of his pride and snobbery. To his credit, Mr. Darcy is able to take stock of his effect on others and indeed does make amends. Ultimately, Elizabeth is forced to confront her own closed mind, prejudices, and her unwillingness to forgive him. Only when they both examine their own personal foibles and overcome them can they clearly acknowledge and appreciate one another, and can then envision a future together. Mr. Darcy proposes again; this time Elizabeth accepts.

 “‘Your defect is a propensity to hate everybody.’

‘And yours,’ he replied with a smile, ‘is willfully to misunderstand them.’”

-Pride and Prejudice

                                                      NOW

Pride and Prejudice examines the everyday biases and prejudices that are both innate to the human condition and further emphasized by societal and cultural conditioning. Jane Austen breathes to life a colorful cast of characters who grow through the examination of their own faults and fall-outs, revealing how true character development can only happen through self-analysis, forgiveness, and love. As Darcy and Elizabeth discovered, we all have the choice to break through old stereotypes and biases, and to subsequently liberate ourselves and embrace those around us. We have the power to align ourselves every day with our personal chosen values.

The NOW strategy, as applied here, can enable us to do this…

 Notice. It’s important to notice and acknowledge our personal strengths and weaknesses. “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone” applies in every scenario—especially regarding relationships. Darcy and Elizabeth would have never been able to cultivate or maintain their love without self-examination.

 Opportunities. Although they certainly did not understand this initially, the moment when their paths crossed was a huge crossroads for both Darcy and Elizabeth. They had the opportunity to grow upon meeting each other. In relationships, as in any circumstance of our lives, we always have the choice to become either better or bitter.

  Within. Darcy and Elizabeth had to wrestle with their own demons before approaching each other with clearer minds and open hearts. There’s always room for improvement, they say, and self-improvement is the biggest room in the house. Clearing out toxic energy makes way for positive emotions and healthy attitudes.

                                  THE PATH TO MINDFULNESS

A 2004 University of North Carolina study of “relatively happy, non distressed couples” showed that couples who practiced mindfulness saw notable improvements to their degree of “relationship happiness”. In addition, they experienced improved and healthier levels of “relationship stress, stress coping efficacy, and overall stress”. This is because mindfulness is a conscious practice that fosters compassion for one’s self and for others.

We’re human; conflicts are an inevitable part of life’s journey. In a relationship where two individual characters must compromise and collaborate together in constant close proximity, it’s natural that we won’t always see eye to eye with one another. Imagine such an instance, when your stress or negative emotions are triggered by something your partner says and does (and by your ensuing reaction).

Anger is an immediate response and bitterness is the path; These emotions call forth reactions instead of principled responses. So many regrettable thoughts and actions happen in such moments. I once did a talk in a bookstore and noted that the phrase “Sticks and stones may break our bones but words will never hurt us” was in accurate���thoughtless and cruel words can cause lasting damage, leaving emotional scars that fester long after broken bones have been healed. There was a songwriter in the audience named Sarah Malcom; she subsequently wrote a song entitled: “Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Words Can Break My Soul.”

Instead of holding on to this negativity, you can consciously choose to behave differently. Let’s visualize it together. Picture yourself in that heated moment when you are flooded with anger, resentment, and judgment. What if you were able to feel and acknowledge those emotions without reacting destructively toward yourself or your partner?

Remember that you don’t need to be physically or even verbally abusive to be violent. Even thoughts can be destructive, especially because they are inadvertently reflected in our attitudes and behaviors. For instance, you will become withdrawn and critical during an argument when you’re thinking toxic thoughts. The other person’s negativity feeds off yours, and vice versa, and before you know it you’ve probably both said or done regrettable things.

Practice observing your brewing emotions and thoughts without getting caught up in them. And instead, why not strike when the iron is cold? Let yourself cool down and cool off, and share your feelings and thoughts when you are ready and are capable of clarity and compassion.

You won’t regret it.

 “Prejudice of any kind implies that you are identified with the thinking mind. It means you don’t see the other human being anymore, but only your own concept of that human being. To reduce the aliveness of another human being to a concept is already a form of violence.” –Ekhart Tolle

                                                     PRACTICE

Imagine that you are on a sailboat in the ocean, and navigating these waves is the course of life. No matter how well you adjust the sails or gun the engine, you’ll inevitably be blown off course sometimes. The most capable fishermen and sailors understand that sometimes the best thing you can do—or the only thing you can do—is to simply ride out the storm. Let the feelings blow through you and then pass. Ride out your mental storm. It’s just a cascade of chemicals, you know, based on fear. These are just waves that wash over you. Haven’t you noticed that it’s much easier to stay afloat when you relax your body rather than when you tense up and panic in the water?

Embrace the storms, then, on your journey. Don’t resist them, but don’t let yourself drown within their drama either. Keep yourself grounded with these mantras:

Storms always pass. There is no need to panic or fear.

Ride out the storm. Feelings blow through me… feelings blow out of me…

Later I will analyze the storm. Now I need only observe it. Now I will hang on and pull through.

Later, you will have the clarity of mind to sit down and better analyze the storm, and to understand what caused it. You can also discover the lessons you learned by observing the storm: what feelings and resistance did you notice? What helped you pull through? How could you make this transition easier in the future?

Use the storm as an opportunity to gain new skills to temper your emotional upheavals. Above all, remember that storms are a part of life, but you have the power to navigate your way through them. You will always return to calm clear skies.

    “Obstacles do not block the path; they are the path.” –Anonymous

.

[jlimetc]

Poems for Nobody

Reading & Writing Electronic Text: Final Project

In the hand the shillings come and go master of Michelangelo.

By Roz Chast. Published in the April 24, 1995 issue of The New Yorker.

I. Adventures with Iambs

When I started my final project, I wanted to write a program that uses the pronouncing library and spacy to output something rhythmically similar to T.S. Eliot’s Preludes.

I got as far as this poem, generated using the first few paragraphs of the Fagles translation of the Aeneid:

the battle battle too of fear of fates in . one … a held on gods if many Gods – and so the many goodness walls the Latin blows of driven beyond her gods and that willing lords a settlers say of famous gods and armor walls , and of the city if a source a Latin race Queen shores and walls .

and Here the power of a blows –

View the code here.

This sort of captures the “vibe” of the Aeneid, and perhaps a few more paragraphs or key passages of source text would have filled out the experience. But I didn’t feel like this poem was all that interesting unless you already knew the Aeneid. Also, the more I said “iambic tetrameter” out loud, the more I wondered, “Is this even going to be comprehensible?”

II. Languages I Cannot Speak

A lot of my enjoyment of poetry lies in literary devices and layers of meaning. But is it only my humanities background that enables me to appreciate these layers of meaning? And if so, does that mean I enjoy poetry because it makes me feel “smart”?

One of the strengths of computer poetry is that the computer can spit out words I don’t understand with just as much confidence as it spits out English. My thoughts about hidden meaning and educational privilege led me to these two texts, both in languages with which I’m loosely familiar: Korean and Latin.

1. Korean: the Hunminjeongeum (훈민정음). In the fifteenth century AD, King Sejong released a new phonetic alphabet to replace the Chinese characters with which Koreans traditionally wrote. Here’s an excerpt:

“The language of the people is different from that of the nation of China and thus cannot be expressed by the written language of Chinese people. Because of this reason, the cries of illiterate peasants are not properly understood by the powerful. I am saddened by the situation.”

2. Latin: the Sacrosanctum Concilium. In 1963, Pope Paul VI introduced a new set of standards for the Catholic liturgy aimed at increasing lay participation. Among other reforms, it permitted the use of native languages in masses, which had previously been conducted purely in Latin. Here’s an excerpt:

“Even in the liturgy, the Church has no wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not implicate the faith or the good of the whole community; rather does she respect and foster the genius and talents of the various races and peoples.”

I thought it would be interesting to generate a poem whose intricacies (at the very least, in Korean and Latin) would be lost on me, but perhaps more immediately visible to students fluent in Korean and/or of Catholic upbringing.

Here is an output:

Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, is one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. It was approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,147 to 4 and promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 4, 1963. 편안케 하고자 할 따름이니라 Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, is one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. Therefore, twenty eight characters have been newly created, such that each person may become familiar and use them daily in an intuitive way. It was created so that the common people illiterate in hanja could accurately and easily read and write the Korean language. dummodo cum rationibus veri et authentici spiritus liturgici congruat. The language of the people is different from that of the nation of China and thus cannot be expressed by the written language of Chinese people. In Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, is one of the constitutions of the Second Vatican Council. Because of this reason, the cries of illiterate peasants are not properly understood by the powerful.

View the code here.

This stuff is (maybe a little) interesting, but is there any added value to be gained by mashing them up? And to those who are not familiar with either text, is this just a sea of confusion? As Allison pointed out, even if you can’t name iambic tetrameter, at least you can hear it.

III. The Love Song of Professor Adam Smith

I really love The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock. And I really love Adam Smith. After my brief fling with other languages, I decided to return to the rhythms I know so well.

Will this poem be interesting to people who are not familiar with Prufrock? Or to people who are not familiar with Adam Smith? Is this just more snobbery? Perhaps the reading on Friday will answer these questions. At the very least, this amuses me, and perhaps that’s all I can ask for.

The code uses the spacy and pronouncing libraries to pull certain kinds of words (Mad Libs-style) from Prufrock, then populates the empty spaces with words from An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

Let us go then, you and I, When the ruin is spread out against the sum Like a master etherized upon a feeding; Let us go, through barren few - divided states, The capital retreats Of private goods in one - book high effects And cargo companies with body - means: tools that follow like a natural treasury Of immediate increase To lead you to an manufactured moment … Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our profit.

In the hand the shillings come and go master of Michelangelo.

The present stock that rubs its trade upon the labour - mines, The able case that rubs its profit on the market - towns Licked its court into the merchants of the union, taken upon the goods that stand in men, Let fall upon its state the trade that falls from horrors, struck by the profit, made a other book, And seeing that it was a great October price, made once about the price, and fell secure.

And indeed there will be war For the eastern rent that slides along the ground, paying its debt upon the master funds; There will be sale, there will be sum To prepare a tax to meet the people that you meet; There will be state to surplus and create, And trust for all the towns and banks of sticks That course and drop a silver on your state; wealth for you and rate for me, And gold yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred countries and deductions, Before the duty of a king and crown.

In the month the taxes come and go silver of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be rent To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” time to turn back and descend the ease, With a trade bank in the country of my hair— (They will say: “How his tax is paying such!”) My justice bulk, my money tasting firmly to the cent, My landlord rude and upper, but committed by a farther pin— (They will say: “But how his things and towns are rich!”) Do I dare Disturb the interest? In a manner there is gold For misfortunes and productions which a metal will reverse.

For I have been them all already, paid them all: Have formed the profits, duties, absentees, I have given out my Half with trading laws; I know the nations raising with a dyeing course Beneath the burden from a farther man.     So how should I presume?

And I have gained the funds already, paid them all— The days that fix you in a regulated state, And when I am regulated, shilling on a food, When I am been and wriggling on the gold, Then how should I begin To spit out all the day - times of my ships and bounds?     And how should I presume?

And I have paid the years already, bought them all— pounds that are braceleted and young and whole (But in the lamplight, found with same same home!) Is it success from a stock That makes me so digress? goods that lie along a copper, or bank about a price.     And should I then presume?     And how should I begin?

Shall I say, I have been at lord through other shops And watched the trade that rises from the ports Of equal mines in tax - means, leaning out of morals?…

I should have been a price of useful forms entering across the clothes of thoughtless means.

And the guarantee, the market, sleeps so peacefully! made by great countries, Asleep … cruel … or it malingers, clogged on the weight, here beside you and me. Should I, after rent and slaves and ages, Have the time to force the money to its nature? But though I have taxed and written, wept and prayed, Though I have paid my rent (been slightly first) brought in upon a market, I am no payment — and here’s no small profit; I have been the essence of my profit labour, And I have paid the sufficient Footman hold my king, and snicker, And in great, I was defaced.

And would it have sent worth it, after all, After the sums, the interest, the wealth, Among the quantity, among some land of you and me, Would it have been rich crown, To have destined off the person with a trade, To have brought the company into a ship To roll it toward some advantageous trifle, To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the rich, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”— If one, rendering a present by her coin,     Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;     That is not it, at all.”

And would it have been rich it, after all, Would it have made great land, After the landlords and the dooryards and the carried goods, After the servants, after the teacups, after the men that trail along the floor— And this, and so much more?— It is impossible to say just what I mean! But as if a former freedman threw the lives in causes on a doubt: Would it have taxed rich while If one, following a labour or being off a debt, And paying toward the country, should say:     “That is not it at all,     That is not what I meant, at all.”

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was wrought to be; Am an employment fear, one that will do To swell a household, start a team or two, Advise the law; no trade, an frequent case   unproductive, long to be of loss, Politic, rapid, and particular; slow of large struggle, but a price disposed; At banks, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at bills, the Fool.

I grow few … I grow free … I shall wear the powers of my profits rolled.

Shall I part my land behind? Do I dare to eat a rate? I shall wear fit labour tradesmen, and walk upon the time. I have put the landlords taking, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have spent them making seaward on the wars Combing the whole kind of the men sold back When the sea blows the value real and old.

We have levied in the commons of the trade By wealth - years wreathed with progress rich and same Till further profits wake us, and we drown.

A note on construction: the above poem is not one output from the code, but a combination of 7 outputs. I went through each of the 7 outputs line by line, selecting my favorite line from the 7 choices before proceeding to the next line. Or in code terms:

for i in range(len(poem)):     new_line = jenny.choice(all_outputs[i])     final_poem.append(new_line) print final_poem

View the real code here.

Also, the a/an agreement problem remains unsolved. I did not correct this when posting, since it seemed dishonest.

Thanks to this stackoverflow thread and Kat Sullivan for helping with white spaces before and after punctuation marks. And of course, many thanks to Allison Parrish for guiding me through my experiments.