#only theorized or talked about. assumed. or misinterpreted

[propfortytwo]

its so funny to me how de made all these alternate history legally distinct names for everything in 1999 except xipe totec is still xipe totec. there was some massive point of (at the very least linguistic) divergence in the warframe timeline with our own, except for the aztecs, theyre a universal constant.

jokes aside its interesting actually whats changed and what hasnt, like it seems like its specifically the anglophonic world thats diverged the most, since plenty of myths from other cultures have apparently endured long enough to have orokin terminology named after them. and of course to some extent this is, from a doylist perspective, a result of orientalism and viewing non-european cultures as inherently exotic. which is frustrating but not surprising from a western dev team.

having said that, im going to keep talking about the in-universe perspective because its fun and toys. anyway im assuming that the sol-lua mythology is the "principle of dualism" that ballas says came before "the vain faith"- which i'm also assuming is the whole orokin thing. given that other mythologies still existed, as evidenced by xipe totec, and the context clues of it being present in britannia (enough for eleanor to complain about it sneaking into childrens stories) and höllvania (theorized to be near where cetus ends up being by some), my assumption would be that in this timeline christianity did not emerge but this new mythology is still occupying a similar role in history, which is kind of low hanging fruit to notice, but still. its particularly interesting that ballas ascribes this faith to "our people"- either the orokin or the culture that proceeded them, despite the chat logs establishing that it was not the sole mythology of this timeline, which to me seems to imply a very chauvinistic origin to the orokin, presumably the socioeconomic bloc that the icr answers to.

the orokin, if im remembering right, had access to kuva prior to albrecht's Incident (unless im misinterpreting his statement of "i will not take the kuva"- it could be that it was invented after the fact and he's recording the logs much later, but its ambiguous, and i feel like the writers would have made a bigger deal out of it being a new invention from his perspective), and a tablet in duviri explicitly refers to kuva as being void-empowered. at this point, i wouldnt be surprised if kuva is a bootstrap paradox, being introduced into the timeline from the future and allowing the orokin to emerge from the ruling classes of 1999- after all, between the technocyte coda, scaldra's attempts to use the techrot for political upheaval, and the digital extremes infestation gag in the arg, its clear that the bourgeoise of this time have no qualms about trying to use dangerous eldritch forces for their own gain. they absolutely would establish the orokin empire, given the chance. this wouldnt be a huge far reaching lore reveal if it was true, of course, if anything it would be painfully mundane and anticlimactic- but unsurprising. scaldra especially, with its religious undertones, would make sense as an origin.

that just leaves this sol-lua culture as the only unexplained variable. is it the divergence point of the warframe timeline? when did it come about? we know its ancient even in 1999, since komi apparently comes from it, but just how ancient is the question. modern german, french, and jamaican patois exist in 1999, which seems to imply that certain aspects of history havent changed- its just very unclear how much has been influenced and its driving me nuts. i need drifter to go find a world history book and take notes for me to read.

[space-blue]

Another very interesting What If scenario that's been haunting me: what if Jinx didn't misunderstand Silco's speech at Vander's statue? Either she reached him before he got there and he was able to explain to her the situation with Jayce, OR she did listen to his speech but it was much clearer (instead of speaking in his usual Silco way, he just straight up says "I'm never giving up my darling Jinx lol" leaving no room for misinterpretation).

Keep in mind, at this point Jinx has already kidnapped Caitlyn and Vi is currently going on a rampage through Zaun fighting Chemtanks. Vi has not reached Sevika yet, as in the show Vi only reaches Sevika after Jinx has already kidnapped and tied up Silco. So at this point, with Silco revealing his loyalty to Jinx and swearing to her that he will not give her up to Jayce, how will Jinx proceed? How will Silco proceed?

Will Jinx present Fishbones to Silco? Will he regroup with Sevika and maybe try to parlay with Jayce again? And if Jayce refuses to compromise on Jinx, then Silco chooses war right? He'd probably lie to Sevika about Jinx being the issue, he'd probably claim that Jayce refused his terms on sovereignty and access to the Hexgates...

Will Jinx still interrupt Vi's rampage and kidnap her to bring her to the warehouse? At this point, Silco's loyalty to her has been confirmed, so she wouldn't need to bring him. It would only be Vi and Cait at the dinner party as only Vi's loyalty to Jinx is still under question (the last time Jinx saw her, Vi left the bridge with Caitlyn).

Theorize away Bluedaddysgirl!

So, I'm a little limited here by the fact you want me to theorized based on canon, but canon wants and needs Jinx's tragedy to realise itself. Everything goes towards it, the ugly inescapability of it.

If I were to give you what I want, it wouldn't be 'what happens if—' but instead me spitballing fic setup ideas.

And TBH there's a clear issue that's easily addressed is Silco and Jinx talk things out :

Silco could send Jinx to capture her sister to 'talk reason into her', while he goes and does the obvious thing : find a blue haired girl who looks vaguely like Jinx, promise to pay her more money she ever dreamt of, and to care for her family while she does a little spin in Stillwater. Yeah, it'll suck, but Silco can promise to smuggle her out in a few months or a year.

Also Jinx's heart to heart with Vi and Cait may look a lot different if she's not struggling as much with shimmer. She may not set up the table for a "choice" if she's already chosen to be Jinx and Silco's daughter. And this especially if Silco gets to dote on her/be emotional in that moment that he was dead worried after the operation, that he's unsure what Singed did to her and wants to know how she's feeling. Basically all the stress of thinking her dead coming down in an intimate setting and dispelling any doubt Jinx may have that this guy loves her.

I think Jinx would still want to go through with challenging Vi with Cait. She wants her sister back. But the idea may be less hinged around 'we go together' and more 'Vi gets to stay with us'.

I wonder if Silco would let her do it? Or would let her harm Cait. She's too valuable, and at a crucial time like this, her death would bring everything down. I think he could talk sense into Jinx. At least if she gets to 'keep Vi', things would be different. Because where would Vi go? To Piltover?

Besides, Cait wouldn't be able to free herself from her bonds because Jinx wouldn't be distracted by Silco's end of the table. She'd be solely focused on them. Again, assuming the voices aren't that bad, because a lot of her stress was vented out during the emotional conversation with Silco. She'd feel secure in him (who would sacrifice everything for her), and having Vi at her mercy, she'd feel in control.

I know this sounds dark, but I definitely believe that Jinx would feel more in control because Vi is bound and can be "kept". She won't leave with the enforcer lady, because Jinx controls who goes where.

Would be interesting if Silco is so caught up in the dilemma presented by Jayce's terms that Jinx is the one who comes up with the idea of giving them a fake girl. Bonus points if the blue haired girl has to have Jinx's braids weaved in as extentions, and Jinx dyes her hair pink and looks EERILY like Vi.

Extra spook points if she does all that after capturing Vi and Cait, but before confronting them.

It would make sense that Silco immediately goes to Jayce to surrender fake Jinx, so Cait isn't around to ID her. The girl could be all theatrics and 'How can you do this to me?!' and Jayce this big gullible goof ball would not look past any of it. He and Silco would sign off on a program to dismantle shimmer factories, which of course doesn't mention or encompass Singed's lab.

Of course the biggest deal is returning the gemstone, which I don't think Silco could do. He could, however, if he has time, or extra cunning, present Jayce with a blown-up wreck of a fishbone prototype, and shards of broken gemstone.... Assuming any could be combed out of the wreckage of the cannery, it'd be perfect to hand them out as like "the weapon was destroyed in the struggle".

Or he could always lie, and when Jayce asks a flustered "and you expect me to believe that??", Silco could retort that the weapon would be no use to him if Jayce and the Council don't believe they have it. After all the Council has been making this entire ruckus on the assumption alone that they had the gem and may weaponise it. Hidden, secret weapons are of no use to Silco as leverage. His goal isn't to destroy Piltover, but to be free of them — which this deal guarantees — and to grow economically and make good deals — which threatening with secret nukes would make difficult.

Jayce would reluctantly believe him, with maybe some caveat like "If anyone in Zaun so much as sneezes...." And Silco could be like yes, yes, whatever.

The beauty of hextech is that the gems power anything. Some seem to be embedded inside the weapon, like in his hammer, but in fishbones, it's put in and out. Silco could have Jinx devise something incredibly powerful and useful to Zaun and power it with the gem, and have fishbones be a last recourse solution.

If Viktor heard of Silco trying to create pure air or clean water in Zaun via a hextech purifying system, you bet he'd be all over this to help. This is what he wanted initially right? To help people?

Anyway, the issue with Jinx is that we don't know if the monsterification is temporary (while she has shimmer in her system, the same way it was only for a while in the first arc) or forever.

Assuming she can "come down", then having a longer conversation with Vi after she's calmed down may be a little more productive. But more importantly, if the deal is struck, Vi would only need to witness this to know that Silco fought for the type of rights she's always wanted, and actually achieved it in the mess of things.

Oops, awkward... When the guy you hate is kinda right... and kinda wins your people's freedom... And kinda lets you walk around, so long as you promise to not harm is beloved kid or try to take her away... Which you couldn't do anyway cuz you're a penniless ex-con 2 days out.

Sevika, having not been beaten to a pulp, would probably be a lot more amenable, in this situation. Picture her tasked to escort Cait back upside safe and sound. But now imagine her in a great mood knowing their hard work paid off and Jinx being insane the past 2-3 days was fucking worth it, because now this... finally, Zaun. Finally, freedom from Pilties.

Imagine her, a true believer in Silco's cause, a loyal soldier for a decade or more, talking to Cait as they walk? Explaining what life was like for her here. How long they've worked for this peace. Imagine Cait asking about shimmer and getting good, actual answers. Cait understanding it was a tool used to unify the powers that be in Zaun and keep infighting down to try and achieve freedom, so that the violence and pollution that destroys and keeps Zaun down can finally be corrected? Imagine Sevika making a whole lot of sense, and Cait not appreciating the means, but appreciating the goal?

How things would get recontextualised... Imagine Sevika asking her to please stay out of it (don't makes a fuss about the jailed "Jinx" for example), but that she's welcome to come hang out if she thinks she can be useful. Sevika respects strength, and Cait is a cool head version of Jinx when it comes to shooting. And of course, having a Councilor's daughter in your good graces would be a massive plus.

Cait might ask if she can see Vi again, and Sevika would say whatever, but let the sisters get used to each other, and that she can't promise Jinx won't kill her if she shows up again, but Vi is a free woman and she can do whatever she wants.

Not antagonising Silco and Jinx would then become a necessary part of getting to see Vi.

Silco becoming a Councilor would be a very important change that would allow Vi to see Cait in that setting, assuming she's able to mend her relationship with him—and he certainly couldn't ever bring Jinx along.

Silco then finally meeting Mel would be the development that solidifies Zaun's position. I think politically they'd hit it off, and Mel would be a very important ally for Silco to have on the council (besides Jayce, who can't be shown to have been wrong on his deal), because the more money-greedy Councilors are bound to regret their decision the minute their factories start costing them more money or get nationalised from under them lmao.

It would be good timing for an external enemy to remind them of who they are, and that they stand more of a chance together, but I think Silco would have to be very careful that a war/preparation for war doesn't undermine the independence with efforts being 'delayed' and Zaunite factories being co-opted and such.

Was that enough what if ramblings?

[mayocs-dumpster]

RELATIONSHIPS (2)

[ Jenna is JJD's right-hand and 'assistant', who is constantly working in the lab with her. They interact frequently as they surprisingly have a lot of interests in common, even though Jenna herself insists that they don't. JJD is aware of how ashamed she is of JJD and how she's open to talk bad about her behind her back, but does not care. Most people either assumes that JJD pays her well because of Jenna's words, or theorize that Jenna is just being forced to stay; none of them are correct. ]

[ Skid and Pump are ones if not the only kids who do not fear JJD or holds a grudge against her. She is very nice and fun with them, and from time to time even let them pick some of her inventions to have fun with. JJD finds them insanely funny and entertaining because of their chaotic antics, and has no intentions of pushing them away. She also tends to invite them on her own shenanigans, which they normally enjoy and have a lot of fun with; even if they're scolded in the end. ]

[ Hanging out with Skid consequently made him introduce JJD to Lila. Lila is not exactly fond of her and does not allow Skid to stay near her, but her orders are frequently ignored and/or "misinterpreted". JJD is infact friendly with her for Skid, and Lila tries not to be too aggressive for the same reason, being passive-aggressive instead. But they do get along sometimes, just sometimes. ]

[ Susie however is not willing to make the same efforts, and JJD enjoys her annoyance as if she is the whole circus. They are frienemies, but JJD once again backs up slightly for Pump's sake. ]

[applesap-fics]

Sometimes I imagine fic ideas and the conversation around them more than the actual content of the fic itself. Like, I'd want to write about Bruno having things he keeps to himself. He shares his telenovelas with the sobrinos who are interested, not with the townspeople. Some things he talks or jokes with his mother about. Some things only with his sisters, or just one of them. He confesses only to the priest. I could have one of the grandkids ask him, "so tío Bruno, how come you never married? Is it because of your gift?" And I could make him say, "oh, sorry, eh, that's private. Would rather not discuss." And they might be even more curious, "but did you ever have a girlfriend? Or could it be you don't like girls?" And he might go "I'm not comfortable discussing things like that", and they'd let it go.

And in my fantasy someone might comment (because I always hold out hope for comments) "oh but what is he though?? What did you have in mind? Gay ace uninterested?? Fish lady's lover??" so that I could go, "sorry, I dont know either. He didnt tell me! :( "

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 7

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Back to the second game we go for The Return of the Great Departed Soul! (Part one, this is another two-parter case)

Episode 2-3: The Return of the Great Departed Soul

So now, chronologically, six months have passed since The Unspeakable Story. Susato returned to Japan at the end of the first game and hasn't returned yet. Ryu was reprimanded for all the perjury and the questionable McGilded defense, so he had his right to stand in court revoked for now and instead had to focus on studying English law some more. He's done so quite patiently and now he feels he's ready to return. He just needs to get Stronghart's permission first. Meanwhile, the Great Exhibition is happening in Hyde Park, pulling in visitors and scientists from all over the world. Exciting! (S)Holmes hands Ryu a newspaper with an article on the exhibition, talking about how the brighter things shine, the darker the shadows cast behind them. By now, Ryu is fluent enough in (S)Holmes speak to know this means he should flip over the newspaper. There, we find an article of an entirely different sort.

So not only was Van Zieks apparently attacked, Ryu shows horror and concern at the notion. No hard feelings from our wholesome boy! (S)Holmes explains that London's finest criminals often find ways to get acquittals from trials through bribery, threats, sham witnesses... We saw this in McGilded, of course, so we know all too well how dangerous that can get. But since the Reaper and his curse are immune to such tactics, when a ringleader or fellow ends up being 'taken' by the curse, retaliation can occur. So it's established that this isn't the first time Van Zieks has been attacked by a group of thugs. Fortunately, Van Zieks is an “accomplished combatant” who doesn't take these attacks lying down. Unfortunately, the thugs were carrying guns this time. Uhoh.

This warms my heart, it really does. Van Zieks has been a terrible scumbag, but Ryu doesn't think he's gotten his comeuppance at all. He's genuinely concerned for this man and intends to find out more about his condition. So since he was planning to meet with Stronghart and ask for attorney permission anyway, it's the perfect opportunity to also ask about Van Zieks! Iris decides to tag along because she wants to visit the Great Exhibition. Let's shove the newspaper in Stronghart's face as soon as the game allows it.

The phrasing of “number one prosecutor” is interesting, but then... We never learn of any other (living) veteran prosecutors in this country, so of course Van Zieks would be number one. Stronghart says there's no need for concern; Van Zieks would not be so easily dispatched. Street ruffians are no match for him, since he's a very capable fighter. Seems like that sword he carries around isn't just for show after all. As for why he was attacked this time... Well, a month ago Van Zieks prosecuted a leader of a criminal organization. Nice to know he didn't just return to retirement and instead got back to work like a normal person without cherrypicking his cases based on what Ryu's doing. The defendant was acquitted, no doubt thanks to large sums of money being shifted around behind the scenes, but he still met a dramatic end just yesterday during an accident at the Great Exhibition. The man in question was Odie Asman, and the one now being detained on suspicion of murder without a defense attorney is Professor Albert Harebrayne. Albert's case has just been assigned to Ryu, so we're sure to find out more about Asman as we go. As as final touch, Ryu asks Stronghart why he continues to use Van Zieks as a prosecutor. Since the criminals are becoming fearful of the curse and attacking him, it's dangerous to Van Zieks himself. Stronghart explains that he has two reasons: Firstly, Van Zieks is the best prosecutor in the capital, bar none. And secondly, any deaths that have occurred outside the courtrooms after his trials have nothing to do with him. (S)Holmes alluded to the same thing, saying that Van Zieks had a rock-hard alibi for each and every mysterious death.

“So he will continue to prosecute on behalf of the Crown. ...Unless he wishes otherwise, of course.” With that, Stronghart admits he needs to get going since he's already 11 hours late to his next appointment (fsdkjfls). Ryu asks where he might be able to find Van Zieks and is told to head to his office. So even after being told that Van Zieks is just fine, Ryu is still concerned and wants to discuss the matter with the man himself. Let's gooo! Naturally, the first thing out of Van Zieks's mouth when he catches Ryu and Iris in his office is to wonder what the heck they're doing here.

So there's several things of interest in the office, with the game automatically addressing the biggest one: Van Zieks has an apprentice now! It's a mysterious, rigid dude wearing a hood and a mask who is absolutely not familiar to us, nope. We don't know him. Gosh, what a mystery. Van Zieks doesn't seem to know who he is either, instead just referring to him as his apprentice and nothing more.

Ryu sees this as an opening to ask about the attack on the Reaper that was in the newspaper. Van Zieks admits that he too is very interested in the true identity of the Reaper. “Assuming, that is, such a fabled fiend genuinely inhabits our great courtrooms.” The conversation halts for a moment so we can examine the office and this is the best opportunity for humanizing traits we've gotten so far, so LET'S DO IT! The enormous portrait in the back is the first thing to peek at.

Iris says whoever painted it exaggerated the subject's handsomeness, which in turn is reminiscent of Napoleon ordering the painter to make him look more attractive. That's super vain and not an attractive quality in a person at all. I laughed the whole way through that bit of dialogue and Van Zieks, who was in earshot the entire time, gets his feathers ruffled.

When Ryu asks who it is then, Van Zieks doesn't reply. BACKSTORY ALERT! Examining the chalices and bottles on the left leads to Van Zieks explaining the hallowed bottles are filled with the finest grapes from the finest vineyards he visits (so it is grape juice!!!) and he personally oversees the chalices being made by the finest crystal craftsmen in the world. Right, so not only is he filthy stinkin' rich, he's a perfectionist. Iris points out that Van Zieks throws the chalices and bottles around like they're worthless, to which Van Zieks says:

“Before you open your mouth next time, you should consider the poor artisans whose work you defile.”

As it turns out, passive aggression is contagious now. Ryu replies with a “So it's my fault? Silly me! How could I ever have thought otherwise?” and honestly I love that he's got enough guts to say this out loud. Our boy is growing a spine. Examining the wine casks has Ryu and Iris theorize about how there might be dead bodies in there, which once again ruffles Van Zieks's feathers.

Snrk. Examining the big diorama in the middle of the room has Ryu and Iris wonder whether Van Zieks can't go to the Exhibition in person and this is his way of dealing with that, which has Van Zieks snap that it's obviously an investigative aid.  He even has pets of sorts in his office, in the form of a couple of bats hanging from the curtains. Alright, so the game's definitely humanizing this poor man now. No matter how many crazy stories Iris and Ryu come up with about him, there's usually a very innocent explanation to debunk the eerie myths. Something particularly interesting happens when Ryu shows Van Zieks his defense attorney armband. Van Zieks asks what the reason is for showing it to a British prosecutor, to which Ryu admits that he doesn't quite know. Van Zieks is silent for a bit, then says that he understands. “There's merit in reminding yourself of who helped you become what you are today.”

As he says it, he reaches for his prosecutor's badge and if you're aware of the backstory, you'll know he's thinking of Klint. More importantly, this conversation puts Ryu and Van Zieks on the same level. Ryu is always thinking of Kazuma, who 'helped him become who he is today' and the armband signifies this, along with the sword. Similarly, Van Zieks lost someone very close to him and he's walking the path of prosecutor in his brother's memory. Ryu thanks Van Zieks for understanding and it's very significant that Van Zieks understands in the first place. Remember, in the first game he was under the impression that a Japanese person could never understand a British person and vice versa.

Showing Van Zieks the newspaper article has him looking a bit embarrassed, pointing out that a reporter must've been nearby and he'd been careless to let himself get photographed. Either way, all the thugs responsible have already been apprehended. The investigation into Odie Asman's activities meant that their arrests were already imminent anyway, and some hoped to kill Van Zieks before that happened. Much like McGilded, Asman used his wealth to buy his way towards an acquittal in court, but “he got his comeuppance in the end.” Which is strange, right? Very suspicious. Van Zieks asks whether Ryu believes he has some sort of divine ability to make an accident like that happen. Ryu admits that would be far-fetched, and thinks to himself that even if Van Zieks were the Reaper, he'd have to be innocent of this particular death. We also learn that Van Zieks is familiar with Professor Harebrayne, the suspect in the Asman incident. When told that Ryu will be taking on the defense, Van Zieks is shocked.

Van Zieks goes on to explain that he knows Albert quite well. They were at university together. While he's lived in Germany for quite a few years, Albert is actually from a respectable British family. And despite Albert being in the science faculty and Van Zieks in law, they got along quite well. Now he's in pretty hot water for that Asman accident.

Hm. I don't quite know what to make of this reaction. I think what's going on here isn't that Van Zieks is rattled because Albert is being defended by a Japanese person, but because he's being defended by a rookie attorney who was just disbarred for six months for accidentally encouraging perjury, false witness and crime scene tampering in a court of law. Yes, Ryu has won his trials every single time, but it came at a price. Aside from this, there's one other thing Van Zieks knows about Ryu: he'll pursue the truth, no matter what. This means that if Albert indeed didn't succeed at inventing teleportation, it'll be revealed in court because exposing shams is Ryu's whole deal.

We learn that Van Zieks will be the one to prosecute Albert tomorrow, which is curious to say the least. Ryu wants to know why he'd do something like that, with Iris pointing out that so long as the Reaper is the prosecutor, Albert is doomed. Van Zieks replies that he's a Crown prosecutor and a mortal like any other; he's no demigod. In other words, he doesn't believe the curse to be a real curse. Iris points out that everyone who's been prosecuted by Van Zieks has died (which is already objectively wrong), to which Van Zieks replies that he usually prosecutes the vilest wretches of society.

… Harsh. Ryu points out that Soseki wasn't a vile wretch though, with Iris chiming in that Gina's also turned her life around and she's working very hard now. Van Zieks admits that things have changed ever since meeting Ryu- which of course has to do with Van Zieks's need to face Ryu in court even in mediocre trials rather than pursue his usual corrupted targets- but the point is that if any of those vile wretches died in mysterious circumstances, it was “at the hand of their own kind”, not Van Zieks's. So basically, he believes that they were killed because they were dubious people engaged with dubious activities, not because of the Reaper's curse. Not only that, but ever since the rumors of the Reaper began, the number of serious crimes in London has decreased significantly. Even the most hardened criminals can be made fearful of their lives. Therefore, if his pseudonym of the Reaper can serve a useful purpose, he'll “adopt it gladly and with honour”. Ryu repeats that which he already told Stronghart; that it's putting Van Zieks in danger.

He really is a prosecutor on the edge with nothing to lose, huh. So what Van Zieks is basically saying is that he doesn't care if he dies, so long as he spends the rest of his life serving the 'useful purpose' of carrying the Reaper moniker to intimidate the vilest of society. But is that really all there is to it? (Spoilers: It's not)

There's a bit more talk about the mysterious apprentice here, with Van Zieks explaining the man was placed in his care under Stronghart's orders. He's wearing a mask on Stronghart's orders and also doesn't speak to anyone from outside the office on Stronghart's orders. HM. Van Zieks claims that Stronghart isn't one for “meaningless follies”, therefore he must have a good reason. This implies that Van Zieks believes in Stronghart's judgment almost blindly. To round up the conversation, Van Zieks asks about “that Nipponese man. The one arrested twice in succession six months ago. With the stoop. And the moustache. And the jitters.” Looks super offensive at first glance, but I gotta admit, after six months I wouldn't remember Soseki's name either. Better to describe him than to guess the name and get it wrong. Still though, just because it's not super offensive doesn't mean it's not offensive. Just saying “the one you defended six months ago” would've done the trick. Either way, Ryu says he's doing just fine and a letter from him arrived by post just the other day.

So this is interesting. Earlier, Van Zieks claimed in his own words that he doesn't believe in the curse and those who died had it coming to them, but he's still inquiring after Soseki. Perhaps not so much because he's worried about Soseki himself, but because he's curious whether this man has successfully escaped the curse so far. He would know that for a fact about Gina, but the only way to verify Soseki's status is to ask Ryu about it.

Time to leave this glass cage of exposition and meet the defendant in person! Albert spouts a whole lot of dialogue about how his machine is treated differently depending on whether the case is treated as an accident or as murder. If it's murder, it can be examined up close and that's what Albert doesn't want. It has to be treated as an accident so that it'll be protected from prying eyes through The Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act (wow that's a mouthful). Of course, that's not entirely what we're interested in. Let's ask about his friendship with Van Zieks! Ryu asks what he was like back in his university days and the answer surprises him.

HAH, wonderfully written exchange, this one. Albert goes to describe him as “the little darling of the Van Zieks family, with all its great aristocratic origins”. So Van Zieks has some very noble blood in him. We could've already guessed this from his title of Lord, but apparently it's a bit more serious. I could derail here with wild theories about his family originating from the Netherlands and having migrated to the UK around the time the first king of the Netherlands, Willem I van Oranje Nassau, rose to power in 1813. Willem changed the way nobility works to some degree in the country and not all noble families would've agreed with his way of doing things. But anyway, point is, Van Zieks is a big shot. Albert says that it was kind of a shock to him when he came back to Britain and discovered 'what Van Zieks had become'. He heard that there was 'a very big event' that completely changed Van Zieks after his graduation, but doesn't know what it was because he was already in Germany at the time. So here we have some more traces of that backstory and we have enough pieces to start sticking some things together. We know Van Zieks was once betrayed by a friend and we now know he was a very modest, pleasant gentleman when he was young. Whatever happened must've been very harsh indeed to turn him into such a sour lemon. Either way, Albert doesn't seem to know yet that Van Zieks will be the prosecutor and Ryu doesn't have the heart to tell him.

So let's investigate the crime scene! Here, it's confirmed that Gina Lestrade is indeed just fine and now in training to become a detective with Gregson. Cute! So eventually we get to talk to Gregson about Van Zieks and how he's acquainted with Albert. Gregson is overdramatically shocked to find out that the two of them are old buddies.

Remember when Van Zieks took a five year hiatus and nobody had to mysteriously die from the Reaper's curse? Those were the days, eh Gregson? Now he's even prosecuting his own friends willy-nilly. Gregson states he has no idea what goes on in Van Zieks's head  (a sentiment we've heard before in 1-4) and goes on to bring up the newspaper article about Van Zieks being attacked. When told that our good old pal the Reaper is just fine, Gregson utters a very uncomfortable “glad to hear it” which honestly had me wondering whether he'd preferred Van Zieks to die.

Up until a certain someone gets killed and stuffed into a suitcase, I'd reckon. Gregson says that Van Zieks is a top class prosecutor, but not even he can always push the right verdict through. “Sometimes justice can't win.” Gregson explains that naturally, Scotland Yard suspected Van Zieks at first and assumed he was taking matters into his own hands. There was a very thorough investigation and the outcome was that Van Zieks was in no way related to the mysterious deaths. So that's three people now who all insist Van Zieks couldn't possibly have committed the murders. Gregson says he's willing to stake his reputation on it, even. Of course, Gregson would know for sure, wouldn't he? But the narrative is telling us over and over that Van Zieks himself isn't the Reaper, with even Van Zieks himself implying he'd like to know just who the Reaper is. There's a conspiracy happening that Van Zieks is the centerpiece of, with the narrative really pushing the mystery aspect of it. The writers want us to care about the truth of the Reaper for sure.

OOOH that's meta! Ryu, being nosy and overly invested in Van Zieks's life, asks Gregson whether he knows about the 'incident' which changed Van Zieks after graduation.

Okay he clearly knows. Even a first time player can tell from this single reaction that Gregson's lying. The mystery thickens! At the end of the conversation, when Gregson's gone off, Iris recommends asking (S)Holmes about it instead. Safe bet, since (S)Holmes continuously knows more than he's letting on. To the house of wax we go! When asked about it, it's clear that he does know something (and is described as suddenly clamming up), but before he can explain there's a distraction in the form of Madam Tusspells and we have to sit through a mostly-unrelated Joint Reasoning segment. It leads into a conversation about a mass murderer known as the Professor. Ten years ago, there was a series of murders which rocked the capital right around the time Van Zieks graduated from university. Five people were killed before the man was caught and executed. This fifth victim was Klint van Zieks, Barok's older brother.

I really, really dislike this phrasing because Van Zieks was already studying law to begin with. He'd just graduated as a prosecutor; his brother's death had nothing to do with him pursuing that path. Anyway...

OOOH that's meta! So remember way back in the first essay when I said the backstory is optional? Well, here it is. The Great Ace Attorney is going all in for it. It's being tied to the ongoing plot, just as pretty much all the main prosecutor backstories are. Edgeworth's backstory is tied to Von Karma being the final boss, Godot's backstory is tied to the Fey lineage, Klavier's backstory (I say this lightly) is tied to Phoenix's disgrace... Now Van Zieks's story is tied to the serial killer who ruined so many lives a decade ago. And technically, we already have all the puzzle pieces we need for the next twist; we know Van Zieks was betrayed by a Japanese person who was his friend. So really, we can now say with absolutely certainty that the man arrested and executed back then was a Japanese buddy of Van Zieks.

The investigation segment is pretty much over, but the game has one more scene for us. This is something Ryunosuke won't witness, but the scriptwriters deemed it so important that we're ignoring Ryu to focus solely on the two characters involved. And cutting away from our main character is something that usually doesn't happen in Ace Attorney. Even when characters like Phoenix or Ryu are out of commission for whatever reason, a new 'main character' takes over for a second and we see everything from their point of view. I can think of only one other scene viewed without Ryu there, which happened in 1-5 just before Susato had to leave London. So what we have here is a very private moment between Van Zieks and Albert.

AWWW... The scenes in the office were great and all, but this right here is perhaps the most humanizing exchange we'll ever see with Barok. The reason for that, I think, is precisely because Ryu isn't there. He's alone with an old friend now, which means he can let his guard down more than he usually would. Even so, it's worth noting here that he doesn't look directly at Albert. He stands with his back to him the entire time and I'm certain this is intentional, because they could just as easily have rotated him into that sideways view that's often used in dialogue and courtroom scenes. He made his way down to the gaol to speak with his friend after ten long years, but is reluctant to look right at him. The conversation itself feels rather distant as well. Albert is delighted to see Van Zieks, but the sentiment isn't returned vocally. Van Zieks points out that they're meeting again “in prison of all places” and that the court will decide Albert's fate tomorrow. When Van Zieks raises a warning, Albert says he already knows his friend will be prosecuting and doesn't appear bothered at all at first. He does try to raise a question in the form of “Are you really...?”, but ultimately drops it and says that he knows Van Zieks has his best interests at heart. Van Zieks says he wouldn't entrust the trial of his friend to anyone else, and Albert thanks him for that. So my first guess upon taking in that dialogue is that Albert wonders for a brief moment whether Van Zieks really is the Reaper/really is cursed, only to shake it off because he considers the man his friend. Van Zieks seems to know it's risky to prosecute Albert, but deems it more important to handle the case himself than to let someone else do it. This, as we learn later, has to do with the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act and the protection of Albert's scientific secrets.

Next day, we're at the Old Bailey! In the defendant lobby, Ryu is once again told by Albert that the true goal to aim for in this trial is to protect his scientific hypothesis. So hypothetically speaking, the ideal outcome here would be to prove the death was accidental and that the kinesis was a success at the same time. (S)Holmes and Iris don't believe Albert's theory to be sound though, instead saying it couldn't possibly be done. In the courtroom, Ryu faces off against Van Zieks once more for the first time in six months! The judge is quick to point out that Odie Asman is a name familiar to him; a man who was prosecuted only a month ago by Van Zieks. When he asks whether this death is the work of the Reaper, Van Zieks instead describes it as “divine retribution”, but also “a direct result of the actions of the accused, Professor Albert Harebrayne”. The prosecution asserts that the instantaneous kinesis demonstration was a success. He himself can't say for certain whether it's a sound theory, but it's being investigated by the British government since it was deemed to have potential and the prosecution's case aligns with the notion that there was indeed instantaneous- You know what? Let's just call it teleportation. That's easier to type.

Unfortunately, Van Zieks doesn't want to follow the accident angle. Instead, he outright accuses his old friend of murdering Asman using the totally-functional-teleportation-machine-which-totally-worked to be the sole benefactor of a scientific grant. Harsh. Very harsh. I don't entirely understand why he didn't pursue the accident angle instead, but then, I don't quite know enough about law. My guess is that as the prosecution, he's not allowed to. Scotland Yard found enough evidence at the scene to substantiate a murder plot, especially that damning screwdriver that Ryu so graciously handed to Gregson, so that's what the prosecution has to go with, maybe? It's up to the defense attorney to debunk that down to an accident, then, so in essence Van Zieks is counting on Ryu to 'defeat him' and prove the murder aspect wrong. It would align with the conversation Albert had with Van Zieks in prison, where he said that 'it was a terrible accident and the young Eastern man acting as his defence assured him that he can prove it'.

So speaking of that screwdriver, Albert tries to discredit it himself by saying that if he had stabbed Asman on the stage, there would've been a whole lot of blood. Van Zieks pours himself a glass of wine and 'congratulates' his friend on a good rebuttal.

“Here's to you, Albert!”

Albert laughs it off sheepishly, saying he's nothing compared to “Barok” (awww, first name basis), but a chalice is immediately flung. Van Zieks says Albert neglected to mention one crucial possibility, which is that the lack of blood is explained by the notion that the screwdriver remained in the victim's chest to plug the wound. Therefore, since the demonstration was totally a success, the screwdriver was teleported along with the victim. Ryu thinks to himself that he had no idea the victim had been stabbed and wonders whether Van Zieks kept that information to himself to keep the upper hand on purpose. This whole thing jars me a little, because the screwdriver is brought up relatively early in the trial during the very first cross-examination. Is not mentioning it during the opening statement and waiting for Gregson to bring it up three minutes later really the same as 'keeping it to himself to gain the upper hand'?

Either way, Ryu counters, saying that the screwdriver was found at the stage and therefore didn't teleport at all, with Gregson serving as an official witness to this location. It's pretty clear from the next dialogue that Gregson never told Van Zieks where that screwdriver was found.

“That you contravened the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act?”

Gregson is immediately up in arms, but it's fine. There was no investigation needed to find a screwdriver lying in plain sight. So now Ryu decides to tighten the screws. He claims that if the prosecution can't explain the inconsistency (the screwdriver being found on the stage but no blood being there so clearly it must've plugged the wound), the testimony is unreliable. Van Zieks doesn't reply and Ryu thinks to himself that he looks stumped, but uh...

He just looks annoyed to me. The person to object next is not Van Zieks, it's Albert. He says that metal can't be teleported with the machine, so it only makes sense the screwdriver stayed behind and there's no inconsistency at all. Van Zieks suggests: “Clearly we should hear the accused's explanation. … Or should I say, this brilliant scientist's explanation?” And I think here in these two sentences we have the crux of the issue. Albert wants to be treated as a legitimate scientist above all else. Even if that means he's branded a murderer, so long as his hypothesis is protected and the confidentiality stands, it makes no difference to him. This was likely discussed with Van Zieks the night before as well. Albert is apparently willing to die for the sake of his scientific principles and... Well. I'm sure Van Zieks can understand. He's willing to die for the sake of serving the Reaper purpose. In a way, this means the defendant and the prosecution are in cahoots together, which is another first in Ace Attorney history. The two of them are fighting to keep the hypothesis of teleportation intact and if Ryu manages to prove that it was an accidental death, then great! Unfortunately, the second that screwdriver was discovered, the chances of that became slim to none. It was murder, plain and simple. On a sidenote, I found this little gem:

I'm counting this as humanization, because the underlying sentiment here is that despite his haughty better-than-thou attitude, Van Zieks is still friends with someone so very scatterbrained, his name is forgotten sometimes. Even Ryu is taken aback by the purity of the friendship.

Heh heh... Time to cause some more havoc by informing the court that Asman's metal-rimmed glasses were still on his face and since Albert already said metal can't be teleported, his hypothesis is a load of tosh. The jurors go up in arms about it, saying the machine should be stripped down and examined. The game gives Ryu the option to either raise an objection or 'wait and see', but this is another one of those fake choices. Waiting and seeing just leads to a bit more dialogue between the jurors before Ryu steps in of his own accord. He says Albert would have no reason to build such an elaborate fake machine and put on a public display for murder, but Van Zieks counters with the very good reason: Money. The jurors are even more outraged, calling him a fake scientist who's only in it for the guineas, and Albert begs them to believe that his science is built upon a sound hypothesis. Van Zieks comes in to 'save the day' (sort of).

“The fact remains that the victim was transported instantly to the Crystal Tower. Which means that the experiment... was a success.”

And I gotta say, this next bit is just very enjoyable to me. The way it's written is so great.

HEH HEH.... Van Zieks has some more witnesses to summon who saw the incident from some 'very special seats', but let's end the essay here for now and pick it back up next time!

[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

so I watched this theory video, and I basically rambled in the comments because it meshed p well with my own interpretation of the whole yozora thing so far. I’m linking the video bc that’s the basic premise of my own ideas, and I’ll be copy/pasting my comment here bc yeah:

“This is the theory closest to my own ideas about yozora. I personally don’t think “Sora” is the Star Girl’s name despite what Yozora says (“Why are you using Sora’s name?”) because it seems too obvious.

In my opinion, the whole Sora-as-the-Stargirl’s-name clue is more of a red herring, although the connection—specifically, the connection Yozora makes between the name “Sora” and the Stargirl—is obviously important.

I do acknowledge that the whole “Sora is the girl’s name” thing could go either way. It could end up being her actual name, or it could not.

Everything else about this theory hit all the points I agree with though! I’ve been waiting to see a theory like this, and I found one only a year late lol.

I interpret Yozora’s situation as similar to Sora’s situation in Chain of Memories. In CoM, Sora was looking for someone important to him: Riku. But the more time he spent in Castle Ovlivion, the more his memories were changed and tampered with (by Namine).

By the time he finally meets and confronts Namine, Sora believes Namine is the person he had forgotten and was trying to find. Only for Namine to disprove that. Sora then assumes, based only on visual “clues” and vague feelings/memories from his heart, that the person he forgot/is looking for is Kairi. And Namine never says no, but she never says yes either (but that’s a slightly separate issue).

To me, Yozora seems to be in a similar situation. His memories/feelings have been changed, due to his heart being replaced. Somehow, Yozora knows he is supposed to be looking for someone. This could be because “he was told to”, and who told him could end up being a person or his heart’s lingering will or whatever you’d call it.

If a person was the one to tell Yozora to “save Sora”, then Yozora would therefore assume “a person named Sora” is the person Yozora is looking for. (And therefore leaving star girl’s name unknown)

If it was Yozora’s heart that “told him” to “save Sora”, the assumption would be the same. Yozora would naturally associate the name “Sora” with “the person he’s looking for”. (Which would likely also mean the girl’s name is Sora)

A Twitter account I saw theorized this misinterpretation of clues and feelings could explain why Yozora acts the way he does towards Sora: cold one instance, warm the next. Why Yozora fights and threatens Sora, only to smile and/or promise to save Sora afterwards.

It’s actually reminiscent of Sora’s behavior towards Namine in CoM. Because Namine was literally a stranger, Sora could only be distantly concerned for her when he wasn’t busy being plain confused. He talked about her as if talking about a random girl, because that’s what Namine was.

And throughout this whole time, Riku is the one Sora treats/talks about like a close friend/someone important to Sora. Because that’s what Riku was.

And yet, by the end of Sora’s story, he’s become so confused and mixed up that Sora believes Namine is the close friend he’s been looking for. And yet, his language doesn’t reflect that, at least not consistently. Similarly to Yozora, Sora speaks to Namine as if she’s just this nice girl he met, but in the same breath he tells her that he promised to protect her, how they were such good friends, etc.

We’ll have to wait and see what becomes of Yozora and his “mission” to “save Sora”. To see if Yozora ever realizes KH Sora is not the person he’s looking for, and everything else that remains unanswered. But I love rambling about CoM and wondering wtf is going on with Yozora atm 😁”

A big chunk of this is based on steam’s theories on their twitter ofc and as always I’m not claiming to be the sole person to ever Think Things.

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

I Want To Clear Up What Ma-Acolyte Stands For...And Say I’m Gonna Wait To Talk About The Toxic-Youtubers.

Ma-Acolyte, stands for Mother Of All Angels Acolyte.

plus I know I found out that I am not Christian,

and then found out I am a Neo-Christian instead.

but the whole Ma-Acolyte might be misinterpreted by some.

and I think I just remembered what it stands for.

which is Mother of All Angels Acolyte.

which I believe is the Earth-Heavenly Mother/Goddess.

if the sky/cloud heaven, is the ruling realm of the Heavenly Father/God,

and the Princes that act as Princes that govern each “Heaven Level”,

then I believe and theorized, that there is a Heaven that mimics the likeness of earth, from flora and fauna.

and it possibly having the Princesses, acting as the princesses for each level

of the Earth-Heaven Levels.

but the Earth-Heaven still being linked to the other that is the Sky-Heaven,

or simply known as Heaven.

and I suppose if one of the Princesses of Earth-Heaven,

felt more like a Nonbinary identity, and preferred the they/them pronoun,

and not liking to be called she/her even though they were created

in female looking form with the feminine energy

(feminine doesn’t always mean the biological binary.)

might want to go by Princet instead.

 but even those who feel maybe Feminine-Nonbinary,

and were born biological female or who’s soul was created to appear female,

might still go by she/her.

plus the feminine and masculine energies are not always binary.

I might need to make this short,

so I will say this. I decided to wait a bit more to talk about the problem with the Toxic-Youtubers.

also I want to say that if my assuming is right, and if the rain right now is any sign that it is true.

and if someone who is part of tumblr is in a coma right now,

then I’m going to pray they wake up from it and get back to their home and family safe and sound.

I don’t think it is six sense....

pretty sure my Mom had that when my older brother almost got himself hurt,

and she wasn’t even in the same room as him, but she “saw it” like it appeared in her head, that is the best thing I can do to explain it.

I also notice the sky and even the trees seem a lot healthy looking over here.

the sky looks really pretty in the day time and when close to

becoming night time.

maybe I’m not the only one who started to notice it.

but anyway once more the “Ma” part of Ma-Acolyte,

is short for Mother of All Angels Acolyte.

and I think it is really for the best that I wait until maybe either next month

or even July if I decided to wait that long, to talk about the Toxic-Youtubers,

I did save what I had wrote so far, and well I might write a bit more about it.

but I’m not gonna post it right away, as I believe it is best that I wait a bit longer.

and I hope some of you can respect my new view, you don’t have to agree with it.

but make sure you don’t tell me I’m being a blasphemer,

I still believe in the Heavenly Father/God and even Jesus,

but I have open up to some truth that is in my heart and soul.

plus I still don’t believe that force converting is the right way.

like I had pointed out before, when I did talk about believing in a Goddess too,

a Toxic-Religious made me feel really bad

and even though I did try to point out what they were saying,

was making me feel bad...they kept using it.

misusing “may the lord have mercy on you.” or “may god have mercy on you.”

is just wrong, and yet the Toxic-Religious people like that insensitive person,

will do it, regardless if you point out how bad it is making you feel.

I mean let’s say if I was atheist instead, if I had said that,

that person would possibly still use those same words and make me feel bad.

but I’m not atheist, and if I have some friends who are, I don’t think it be right to force them to believe the same as me.

if someone wants to believe in a higher power,

then it should be of his or her or their own choice and the free will that is of both their soul, heart and mind...

(I don’t really go to church anymore, but even I had figured out the whole if you don’t you will go to heck, is just a lie that a group of male humans had made up...that is my and maybe a few others view on it I think.) 

and I’m glad that I blocked that Toxic-Religious person over at the other place I post fan art at.

because they couldn’t understand their misuse of those words,

were making me feel really bad.

even if I did try to point that out, they end up repeating it.

and might of kept doing it if I kept trying to get them to listen.

anyway, I will sign on later,

to post a drawing I did on paper that has to do with MLPFIM/Equestria Girls.  

see ya later and stay safe everyone.         

[mk-wizard]

The Mystery of the ancient Greek Transformers

Hello, fans of Transformers.

I have a real treat today for you if you’re a fan of Transformers Prime, ancient Greece or ancient Greek art and mythology, or all of the above. Today, I am going to talk about something that seems absurd on paper, but when you stop and look at it, it is not intriguing, it can actually work as a story worth exploring. In the universe of Transformers Prime specifically in the episode Deus Ex Machina, it was hinted that Transformers were around during the era of ancient Greece and their presence had a huge impact on their culture, science and art. Of course, this is only in the show, but still, as a Greek person myself, the idea of ancient Greek Transformers excites me. A lot. I mean, if Transformers were around during prehistoric Earth (Beast Wars), why not have them around during the time of ancient Greece?

With that said, so much comes to mind. What were they like? What were their factions? Did they go through a time warp too? What were they doing there? And what did they Transform into?

Well, to answer all of these question, you need to take a step back and analyse everything piece by piece. First let’s start with the fun question that also answers many of the other questions too; what did they transform into? You have to take into account that during that time, there were no machines, no planes, no cars and no nothing like that. And highly doubt they transformed into to things like chariots and such. They’re too small and too hollow. And while my husband jokingly suggests they transformed into giant marble statues, I don’t agree with that either. I think something (at least logically speaking) had to have inspired the Greeks first into creating statues of of their heroes and deities. As crazy as this theory of mine is, I think these Transformers transformed into locals. In other words, they transformed into human beings and occasionally, beasts like horses and such.

With that said, suddenly Greek mythology now makes a lot of sense. The “Greek Gods” that they were witnessing were actually just Transformers in human form exhibiting their special abilities and powers and humans misinterpreted these alien abilities as God-like. I also imagine that even in human alt mode, these Transformers were still abnormally tall as I can confirm that in most medias about the Greek Gods, they are almost always portrayed as being really tall to outright gigantic. I also want to remind everyone that I did theorize that it could be possible for a Transformer to have human as an alt mode as since G1, Transformers can compact (shrink in size) so that their alt mode is significantly smaller than their robot mode and it has been confirmed that the transformation process can go to the lengths of being on a nanotechnological level. Plus, if Transformers can change into animals and even plants, why shouldn’t they be able to change into people if they had to?

Now onto the next two big questions that walk hand in hand; what were their factions and what were they doing there? If you rewatch the epsiode Deus Ex Machina from Transformers Prime, it is never actually confirmed what these factions were. It was only confirmed that there were hints of Cybertronian influence in the fresco and a Cybertronian device being held by an ancient statue. Beyond that, we are left to assume that they might have been Autobots or Decepticons. However, as someone who knows Greek mythology and knowing how Transformers loves its good vs. evil status quo, there had to have been two opposing factions at war with each other. One being the factions that the ancients Greeks would come to call the “Titans” who were most likely the antagonists and the other being the “Gods” who were most likely the heroes and protectors. The war between the two factions is what inspired Greek mythology as we know it now and while most of the events and details are fairy tales or misunderstandings by ancient Greeks who observed them, they have some truth to them mainly about two opposing forces from the heavens fighting each other. In other words, there was indeed an isolated war between two factions.

Were these Autobots and Decepticons? Not necessarily. It could be that they were two entirely unique factions or they each became their own factions because of this war during the reign of ancient Greece. While I like to think the most fittings name for the heroic faction is the “Olympians” and their base was located somewhere on the mountain that came to be known as mount Olympus and the evil faction were the “Titans” and their base was in a satellite above space hence the inspiration of God-like beings coming from the sky. I also am having wayyyy to much fun thinking that if this was an actual Transformers series, they would make contact with or at least have a hand in inspiring the great ancient Greek figures like Homer, Archimedes, Socrates and such. And that the very best of ancient Greek myths were reimagined as episodes. What can I say? I love Transformers and I am proud to be Greek.

Enough digression though. Onto the final question; did they come from a time warp too? I would have to say no simply because it was kind of obvious that the Cybertronian technology was not very advanced. In fact, it was basic and almost kind of old, so I don’t it was a time warp that brought those Transformers there. I think these guys were refugees from Cybertron who would up on Earth before the Autobots and Decepticons we saw in present day in the Prime series did.

Anyway, that’s my analysis and set of theories behind the mystery of the ancient Greek Transformers from the Prime series. I had a lot of fun delving into it and if I inspired a Transformers series because of it, then I’m most honoured and I so grabbing a HUGE bag of Sweet Chili Heat Doritos to enjoy while watching or reading it!

Let me know what you think of it and if you have a Transformers mystery or obscure theory you want explored, let me know in my Ask Box!

Stay safe, friends.

Link to the episodes on the wiki about Transformers Prime Deux ex Machina https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Deus_ex_Machina

Link to a great website about the Greek Gods https://rickriordan.com/extra/meet-the-greek-gods/

And if you want to know more about Greek mythology, find great books online or at your local library.

[descendant-of-truth]

(1) Something I dislike about the Kid Icarus fandom and to an extent the smash bros fandom is how they tend to portray Dark pit as an edge lord and pit into an over simplistic dumb shonen protagonist when the very existence of dark pit demostrares the contrary and hints to Pit possessing hidden depths including some sort of internalized self doubt/hatred.

Yeah, I get what you mean. I can forgive the Smash Bros fandom for misinterpreting the characters if they just haven’t played Uprising, though, since then all they have to go off of are those dialogue easter eggs. (Which don’t really go into depth on their personalities since, y’know, they’re just meant to be funny.)

This is the fandom that was convinced Marth was a super flamboyant, egotistical guy for years based on his body language and a mistranslation of his taunt, after all. It’s not too surprising that they mistake Pit for just a simple shonen protagonist and think Dark Pit is just his edgy/evil clone. I mean, just looking at Dark Pit with no context does give off a villainous vibe.

I understand feeling miffed at the Kid Icarus fandom, though. Misinterpretations seem to be abundant in every series, but it’s still frustrating when these two characters are actively subverting their own tropes only to be thrown back into them by the fandom.

I’m gonna have to put the details under a cut because once again, I’ve proven myself to be incapable of talking about these characters for a short amount of time.

I mean, Pit? Yeah, he has a lot of typical shonen qualities, but one thing he’s not is oblivious. He gives off a strong impression of knowing exactly how everyone feels about him and tends to react accordingly. Except in regards to Palutena, who he’s clearly emotionally dependent on. Actually, his relationship with Palutena in general isn’t one I’ve seen a lot in shonen anime, which automatically makes him stand out to me.

The point is, Pit is a lot sharper than anyone (even in the game itself) gives him credit for. And I don’t quite understand how some people can play the game so much and still mostly see him as the “cute dumb anime guy.”

Like, he can have hilarious moments like eating ice cream off the floor and randomly saying he’d like to be a goldfish and still be a serious character with issues of his own. People are more than just their sense of humor, and Uprising demonstrates this even stronger with Dark Pit.

Oh, Dark Pit. I feel like I’ve been seeing him grouped with the other villains of Smash Bros more often lately, and I just… no. Guys. That’s literally ignoring the entire point of his character, why are you doing this.

Uprising has tons of twists on its default structure. You get to the credits and a new villain shows up out of nowhere and tears that screen apart. You possess a dog. The menu changes pretty far in the game to match what’s happening in the plot. You go a whole chapter without playing Pit because he’s dying from a far more graphic injury than anything you’ve seen in the game so far.

And Dark Pit? He has all the initial telltale signs of an evil doppelganger. He’s got the black color scheme with red eyes, he fights anyone and everyone he comes across, he tries to make Pit doubt himself. Surely that means he’s a villain, right?

Wrong. He’s definitely antagonistic, but there’s a difference between a villain and an angry neutral character. Not to mention, he came from the Mirror of Truth. Sure, the characters theorize that Pittoo isn’t really a part of Pit because the mirror broke, but that always seemed kinda… iffy?

Like they just don’t want to think that they’re the same. Because Pit is so nice and pure, right? No way he has this much sarcasm and cynicism locked away in there. No way he’d actually want to leave Palutena.

And that, my friend, is yet another misconception that the fandom shares with the in-game characters. It’s kind of amazing how all the gods underestimate Pit and some parts of the fandom just sorta follow in their footsteps.

But going back to the topic of Dark Pit not being a villain… I can only assume that some people at Nintendo didn’t get the memo about Pittoo risking his life to save Palutena and Pit multiple times, because this:

is downright ridiculous. I’m glad Nintendo is emphasizing Pit as one of the Core Smash Bros Characters and all, but this is ignoring everything about Dark Pit’s character for the sake of giving Pit someone to fight.

The whole point is that all of Pit’s darkness concentrated into one person still isn’t enough to create a villain. How often does that happen in these scenarios?

And probably the worst part is that this is only going to fuel the misunderstanding in the Smash Bros fandom. People who haven’t played Uprising are going to look at this and go “yeah, that makes sense.”

And that’s really frustrating. People have written/drawn Dark Pit out of character even without evidence to back it up, and I’m not sure this fandom is quite big enough to balance that out.

So, uh. I have infinite Kid Icarus rambling power and should probably stop here. Long story short, I totally get where you’re coming from. And I hope that this post maybe helped other people understand their characters a bit better, because they’re really awesome when you take a moment to look at them closer.

[scratchface]

Long Overdue Thoughts on 71-76

There’s... a lot of ground to cover here. Considering I binged all five episodes, I might also be missing some things. I’ll have to comb over the episodes more closely later. 

Jumping right into it, Bohman’s dueling now completely emulates Yusaku’s style, particularly with the almost excessive abuse of graveyard effects and link-spamming (I say with the utmost affection). Yusaku deciding to trust Ai’s judgement, and then refusing to let Ai blame himself when it goes wrong, was a nice touch. But I’m not sure it will be a good thing in the long run, especially considering how shaky Ai’s current allegiance is. But Yusaku knows better than anyone that Ai is an untrustworthy liar, and sticks with him anyway.

In regards to Ai having instinct, this relates quite a bit to the last section part four of my Yusaku analysis. Ai really does have something AIs shouldn’t have, while Yusaku seems to lack the very same thing, whether you call it self-preservation, fear, or instinct. It looks like Vrains really is going to confirm that Ai took more than he was supposed to from Yusaku, or possibly even pursue the switching angle (Ai is the human and Yusaku is the AI). 

Ryoken showing up at the hotdog truck again was a treat. He casually reminded Kusanagi (and us viewers hint hint) how important Kusanagi is to Yusaku’s peace of mind. It goes to show Ryoken’s genuine concern for Yusaku’s wellbeing, and his desire to fight Yusaku fairly, with both of them at their best. I’ll come back to this when I talk about Ryoken and Yusaku’s next meeting, which shows us the darker side of Ryoken’s investment in Yusaku. Gotta say, it was cute how Yusaku had zero hesitation. He really believes that Ryoken won’t use underhanded tactics against him. Like hell Yusaku would ever doubt his special person’s intentions towards him, I suppose. 

Earth was very likable, in the end, and his death was upsetting. There are few more terrible ways to die than being cut to pieces, gradually losing everything bit by bit. I hope Queen suffers for this one. Both Go and Akira come out the other side looking bad too; Go for completely losing his sense of right and wrong, and Akira for his powerlessness and inability to control or protect anything (seems to be a running theme with Akira; where’s it going?). I do have to wonder why he sticks with SOL, despite everything; it’s clear Queen isn’t going to allow him to use his position to help Playmaker or do right by the Ignis. (I get why he has to be there plot-wise; Aoi and Ema need an inside source of information.) I can’t help but think he’d at the very least be more effective doing literally anything else.

And then there’s Go, who has really, really lost it at this point. It’s pretty sad to see him twisted like this, but I figured that so long as he stuck with the “gotta be number one” mindset, he would keep on falling until he hit rock bottom. But the introduction of AI implants opens lots of interesting doors: like, couldn’t Lightning put AIs in those implants and put those implants in people in his conquering humanity scenario? Gotta hand it to SOL, if there’s one thing they’re good at, it’s inventing humanity’s doom. Plus, Go seeing a “new world” within the network...it’s very reminiscent of Yusaku’s Link Sense. Does Yusaku already have an AI implanted in his brain (is he the AI implanted in his own brain?)?

But all this talk of “becoming one with an AI” makes me really think we might be seeing a Yusaku/Ai fusion someday. That might be the best shot of beating Bohman next time; combining Yusaku’s skill and logic with Ai’s instincts and unpredictability, into what could even be considered to be the “original Fujiki Yusaku”...

In the early days of Vrains, a lot of people theorized Go would end up teaming with the Earth Ignis; I wonder if that’s still in the future? If Earth can be restored, or if he managed to hide a copy of his programming. Everyones’ reaction to his death had a sense of finality, but I do think Earth will be coming back, if only because of the combined Ignis Bohman was talking about being the vessel for (and because I want to see Earth and Spectre interacting). I think Lightning is going to want Earth’s data back for that project.

Maybe all the Ignis will end up being combined together in Bohman and we’ll finally get to see a Divine Ignis. It is very interesting that out of anyone or anything, Lightning decided that the ultimate Ignis should be based on Yusaku (+Ai, who was also based on Yusaku). But it also makes a lot of sense; Yusaku has already proven that he’s the best duelist in Vrains and, in the eyes of the Ignis probably, the pinnacle of humanity’s potential. Instead of basing an AI on an AI based on a human, Lightning might as well default straight to the best of the original goods, plus the results of the original Hanoi Project. It also makes sense; Ai was born from Yusaku being forced to duel what we presume to be an AI over and over again, and Bohman was finalized the same way: by dueling Yusaku over and over, and watching his previous matches.  

I gotta wonder how Ryoken set up that conversation with Yusaku. They’re clearly at Stardust Road, but I don’t think Kusanagi would casually set up shop there of all places anymore. 

Did Ryoken call Yusaku up and tell him to come by?

The whole reason Ryoken gave them the program IRL was because he wanted to avoid Lightning’s monitoring. We can assume that’s why they were having the Earth convo IRL too; but the fact that they’re having this conversation at all suggests that Ryoken and Yusaku now feel comfortable sharing what they know with each other. The fact that Ryoken callously used that as an opportunity to incite Ai’s resentment towards humanity right in front of Yusaku’s eyes is...well, there’s a lot to unpack in this short scene. 

Clearly a little delighted by Earth’s fate, Ryoken is still trying to drive a wedge between Yusaku and Ai; this tentative alliance they have now might exist for entirely that purpose. It allows Ryoken to take the steps necessary to keep Yusaku out of Lightning’s hands, while pushing Ai towards “revealing” that he’s been humanity’s enemy all along. It’s twisted, but really adds a fascinating element to Ryoken’s character. He sees that the easiest way to get rid of Ai is to dissolve the bond between Ai and Yusaku.

That, or Ryoken is trying to create distance between Ai and Yusaku emotionally. He’s still determined to destroy Ai, but he knows that will hurt Yusaku, so maybe he hopes to lessen that future blow for Yusaku a bit. Either way, it’s not entirely fair to blame Ryoken for being such a jerk; he no doubt believes he’s doing the right thing for Yusaku and all of humanity. 

At the same time: Ryoken, you bastard. (I love you)

On Yusaku’s end, its nice to see that while he trusts Ryoken, he’s under no delusions about who Ryoken is or what he gets up to. From easily guessing Ryoken has a spy to not batting an eye at his cold treatment of the not-evil Ignises. Yusaku is as cold and unemotional as ever, while Ai is growing increasingly unstable in the face of having lost everything he originally set out to protect. The contrast is interesting, but whether it will bring them closer or push them apart has yet to be seen. 

Now that Aoi and Aqua met, I worry that Aqua will just do the “I see the truth” thing with Playmaker and Soulburner. I’ll be pretty disappointed if that is how Aoi learns Yusaku is Playmaker. But regarding the “truth” thing, we see that Miyu lost a friend because of a lie, which may have led to Aqua developing her lie-detecting ability. But do the Ignis all have unique abilities like that, unrelated to their elements but related to their Lost Kids? It doesn’t seem like it, but there’s a lot we don’t know, especially about Ai. 

I want to see more of Miyu--or rather, I still very much want all the Lost Kids to team up! Now that we have five out of six, I would love to see them all interacting together a group. I hope she gets back on her feet and a larger role next season, instead of just existing to hand Aqua over to Aoi. I’m not to sure on where I stand with Aoi getting Aqua as a partner to begin with. On one hand, it was obviously inevitable from the start. On the other hand, it’s kinda like Aoi gets all the benefits with none of the trauma. Plus, what makes the Ignis and human partnerships so interesting is that the Ignis were born from each Lost Kid’s pain. I wonder if Aoi and Aqua’s more indirect connection can compete with that kind of complexity. Aqua might return to Miyu when she wakes up, or Miyu will insist on Aqua staying with Aoi and supporting her. That all said, I really like Miyu and Aoi so far and look forward to seeing them reunited.

RIP everyone that shipped Ema and Kengo; I knew y’all were playing a dangerous game. I want to know so much more about them though. What sort of relationship do they have? What was their childhood like? Where do they get their magenta hair from? Are they full siblings? Are they half-siblings? Adopted? Step-sibs? Blood siblings that grew up separately? I hope we find out.

The fact that Ema is a little sister too does a lot to explain the kinship she feels with Aoi, and why she’s encouraging Aoi to be stronger; its possible she wants Aoi to be able to be there for Akira in a way Ema might never have been for Kengo. It also explains Kengo’s disregard and lack of respect for Ema; of course he looks down on his little sister (assuming I’m not misinterpreting Ema calling him “nii-san”...which I’m pretty sure I’m not.)

There’s undoubtably more in these 5 episodes that I didn’t get to here, but lots of new and interesting possibilities for how the story is going to progress.

[tayegi]

i have so many theories right now...what if the guys are just trying to win a bet set on the oc? or maybe jk just doesn’t realize he likes the oc and mistakes his own actions as platonic ones? also, as readers, we see the story through the oc’s eyes so we focus on that angst part at the end of chap9, but then again, the oc has stated multiple times to hoseok and so many people that her and jk would never be more. whatever she went trough there, jk could have been trough the same a million times.

ahhhh you guys are the best!!! srsly i am so honored to have so many thoughtful, lovely, incredible asks theorizing about the plot and what jk’s intentions are!!! i would love to respond to each and every one of them, but unfortunately, i am unable to confirm or deny anything!

But i think these are super interesting and i’ve read all of them, and i’d love it if other ppl did as well! MORE ASKS UNDER THE CUT: 

Anonymous said:I know Hoseok wasn’t in this chapter but I feel like Hoseok is gonna play her like jk did and she’s gonna be left in the dust with no one and resort to being even more icy. Jungkook has a lot of problems and it’s really evident that he likes her in that way. Fuckbois are really something else man. They get scared of affection yet lead girls on and make them scared of it. It’s like a constant cycle of insecurity. Damn I wish she was with jimin. He would’ve provided all the love and affection

Anonymous said:lmao why is everyone assuming jk will never change and that he’s going to be an Evil Fuckboi™️ forever. like, we can see how the oc changed throughout the story, so why y’all thinking jk can’t do the same. the story isn’t over, there is more to learn, and the oc and jk have more development to go through. anyway, deep in my heart I’m hoping they’ll get a happy ending 💜

Anonymous said:Why do I get the feeling that Jungkook has slight romantic feelings towards the oc but his fear of not wanting to get hurt outweighs those thoughts. I don’t know though I might be completely off😫Thank you for the update!

Anonymous said:I tried reading the story in JK's POV and I cant help but feel as if he isnt the one at fault for making OC cry. Yes, he rejected her but he's known as a fkboy. He stated clearly that he didn't want a relationship, he thought OC knew that clearly. Thus he thought they were just friends. All the things he said was misinterpreted into a romantic way cause people kept forcing OC to view their relationship romantically. I felt that if ppl didnt do that, OC wldnt have developed feelings for him.

carlyangel123 said:Ok everyone is saying that Jungkook hasn't changed at all and I'm not saying like oh yall wrong or anything😂. But I think, based on Jungkook's showcase of clinginess and affectionate actions through the past chapters, that he HAS fallen for the OC. However, bc of his past (not wanting to go through another possible heartbreak), his assumption the OC would never like him, and just maybe insecurities that he's denying it and forcing himself to be indifferent like the OC did in the beginning.🤔🤔

Anonymous said:Nah nah nah nah lu i refuse to believe that everything jungkook did was all platonic but through oc’s eyes we saw as romantic. Im trying to remember everything he’s done for her and trying to see it from a platonic pov but i cant. So here’s my conclusion: jk likes oc but during the car ride and seeing his hand in hers he had a realization and became fearful of being hurt like he was before. Thats why he put his barriers up again CUZ LIKE HOW COULD THAT BE THE SAME JK I JUST ALDJSKAHALA

Anonymous said:Jin was an ass who only wanted sex, cheated on y/n and didn't care for her, many people think that Jk may've gone through something similar with his ex, but I think JK's ex was totally different, she was in fact... the opposite. Possessive, wanted to be with jk all the time, didn't let him breath, etc... That's why he doesn't want a relationship, he suffered the opposite extreme of what the oc suffered with jin, also this would mean the oc is the complete opposite to jk's ex aka why he likes her

Anonymous said:i’m analyzing NR again and just a theory of my own: jk’s relationship with his ex girlfriend started as a fwb type and jk was the one to develop feelings first, and at first it was good and then severely went downhill? this theory is probably far from correct, but i was just piecing together the fact that he hates hookup culture, but is able to engage in it with OC, maybe jk just wanted the physical emotion or OC reminds jk of his ex? anyways i’m enjoying the story so so much! best wishes lu 💜

Anonymous said:Wait so like OC got reminded of Jin when she met JK, so I thought that maybe JK saw himself in OC? Bc sometimes they REALLY think alike.. Idk man I just had this idea.. I LOVE YOU SO DAMN MUCH LU HAVE A NICE DAYYYY–❄️🐰

Anonymous said:I've been thinking about oc's relationship with seokjin and jk's with his ex gf. We don't know anything about her except two things: the oc reminded jk of her (as jk reminded her of seokjin) and the "don't leave me like she did" he said while drunk. If seokjin helped oc build who she is and what she wants in a relationship, we could say that maybe jk wants something that lacked in his previous relationship, like emotional support or a caring hand. It matches oc's Ice Queen reputation a bit to me

Anonymous said:Omg jks roues are definitely along the lines of “dont fall for anyone”

Anonymous said:so like, i feel as tho hyejin plays a more important role than we’re realizing. why does she seem so obsessed with jk if everyone knows he’s a fuckboy who doesn’t do relationships? why does she think she’s different? why does she think she has a chance? unless they already have a history we don’t know about...?? 🤔

Anonymous said:Personally, I wasn‘t that surprised about Jungkook not feeling the same way as OC. I don‘t blame him, he was honest from the very beginning with her. At the same time, I cannot blame OC either for feeling the way she does. Hookup culture leads you to believe that the person you‘re sleeping with should not care for you. I assume that OC interpreted the signals from JK in the wrong way, and thought he might love her when, in reality, he does care about her, but not in the way she wants. (1) ☀️

Anonymous said:JK has found smn he can talk to, and share smth else beyond sex. At the very end, I think OC might be the one who will push him outside his shell but not necessarily be the one he will fall in love with. (2)☀️

Anonymous said:I feel like oc and Jungkook might be on the same wavelength but because Jungkook clearly hasn’t gotten over his ex and whatever happened he might be pushing oc away. Plus the fact he even wants to stay friends with her is quite sweet in itself. It shows he genuinely cares about her, but probably isn’t ready to have any sort of relationship. You haven’t mentioned him having any female friends either so all of that skinship he does with oc might just be his way of being friendly??

Anonymous said:I feel like Jungkook is not over his ex and maybe he will end up with her, maybe he really does like the OC for the sex and the friendship. That's all.

Anonymous said:What if JK still likes his ex? :O

Anonymous said:Hummm sometimes I feel like in the end they're just going to be experiences for each other. I mean the OC and JK, maybe they will have none relationship at all, not friendship nor fuck buddies nor bf and gf...

dodoesdidwill said:Hyejin's line "You are really good at skating. I'm amazed" what? No way he was practicing after OC took him to skate, right? There must be something we don't know yet...

Anonymous said:Ok, if "New Rules" has taught me anything, it's to NOT judge a book by its covers. I judged Mijoo too harshly & things weren't as they seemed. Not repeating the same mistake with Kook. He was obviously hurt by someone in the past, just like the OC. Sooo... Maybe OC is not the only one with new rules? Maybe Kook was so hurt, one of his rules is to not fall in love again, or to ever put himself in a vulnerable position to be hurt again? Idk but I don't think he's that much of a dickwad

Anonymous said:Okay, so you said that we've been seeing JK through the OC's perspective and that we need to sort through the facts and her assumptions. What the anon who talked about JK having FWBs for the intimacy said really made sense to me and I thought about the fact that, if my memory serves me correctly, we've only seen JK with the OC. We have no way of knowing how he's acted in other FWB relationships. Maybe this is how he's been with all of them??? I dunno.

Anonymous said:i think new rules! jk likes OC too. this thing going on between them isn't just platonic. but the problem is, he really doesn't want to invest in a relationship, as some sort of defense mechanism (kind of like repression maybe?) i can't wait to find out more about his past and see exactly how it's correlating with his actions rn. I'm super hooked in your story lu! you never fail to deliver as always 💜

Anonymous said:I think jk is just as scared of what he feels for oc as oc is scared of what she feels for jk. Like I think oc already went through a ‘I need to protect myself from my feelings for him’ phase and I think jk is going through that now after their time at the hotel. I think he realized that he likes her a lot more than he realized and after coming back he’s trying to shut his feelings so he doesn’t go through whatever happened with his ex again

Anonymous said:JK said he hated hookup culture yet he partakes in it. My theory is that he might've done the same as OC has now done. Maybe had a sort of fwb relationship with his ex and subsequently fell for them, and they broke his heart. But again, idk if that's enough for someone to want to abstain from romantic relationships forever, though it does depend on the person. I'm probably wayyyy off but it's worth a shot :')

[getoffthesoapbox]

Let’s start with our first discussion and the points you made. You theorized that a gene(s) was switched on/off, which is a concept in genetics however this would typically be seen during the production of a protein as a response to a stimulus. As I mentioned before (a lot lol), this could occur in the case of a virus that switches a gene on to cause a cell to continue to grow endlessly, which eventually leads to the development of a tumor. But… we’re not talking about that. (3/?)

You were actually talking about the expression of genes, but since we can actually see traits of vampires like bloodlust, these would be phenotypes, physical expressions. These types of genes will (normally) not be switched on/off. For example, my DNA isn’t going to regulate that I sometimes express brown eyes and other times don’t. And while, yes, having a gene that is normally turned off turn on by some outside factor is a form of a mutation, this theory assumes that all humans in VK… (4/?)

Considering the basic traits of all vampires as pale skin, beauty, immunity, fangs, nocturnal, and experiencing bloodlust, we can argue that these traits embody the Vmpr gene, making it pleiotropic, a gene that leads to multiple expressions. This would be the basis that determines whether someone is a vampire or a human. However, you could argue that their beauty can be related to their pale skin due to the different beauty standards across cultures. (6/?)

Although from an ecological perspective, enhanced beauty would help them easily attract their prey. You could also argue that their circadian rhythm is nocturnal because their prey (humans) would be tired and unable to see well in the dark, which could lead to them having pale skin since they wouldn’t need as much melanin, a natural sunscreen. This is based on the basis that although adaptations help organisms, they just need to be “good enough” to ensure survival and reproduction. (7/?)

(Salty and was blocked T.T) This also explains why Yuuki and Takuma both referred to the sun as harsh, and why Senri gets sunburned easily. You could also argue that fangs are coded by more than one gene since they might have varying lengths. Continuing with that thought, speed, strength, and mortality vary across the different levels of vampires (well, I’m not sure about speed), so these would be polygenic traits, where more than one gene codes for a trait. (8/?)

It’s also interesting to note that Aristocrats are genetically different from Average vampires as evident by their abilities and not just their wealth. As for the inheritance of abilities for Aristocrats, I’m not exactly sure how this would be coded since we’re not shown, for example, what abilities the child of parents that can manipulate ice or fire would have. I also don’t recall being shown what level the child of an Average and Pureblood vampire would be (9/?)

Moving on to Purebloods, their traits appear to be similar (control of other vampires, turning humans, death by injury to head or heart), so this appears to be another case of a pleiotropic gene that can be referred to as the “Prbd” gene. Ok, so considering everything I said, it’s possible that the Progenitors had mutations at multiple loci (locations of genes), which would explain the numerous genes that code for vampires. (10/?)

And another reason why the Progenitors were rare could be that there actually were some “potentials” that had deleterious genes that decreased their fitness. For example, some may not have had fangs that were sharp enough to effectively consume blood, were not fast enough or able to see well in the dark to hunt. As such, these people would not compose of the Progenitors, as they would probably die relatively early and, thus, limited the Progenitors numbers. (11/?)

Of course, this is taking a more “traditional” view on vampire lore by considering the concept of predator vs. prey, but… Hino kind of tossed that out the window by not making human blood a necessity. So now, there’s the difficulties of mapping this all out in a genetic pathway, which still doesn’t make sense to me in terms of patterns of inheritance, but I’m no expert or geneticist for that matter. Plus… again, fiction. I’m trying to work with what I got here lol :P (12/?)

Ack, I left you hanging on this for over a week; mea culpa. Initially I was waiting for your update for the missing ask we’d discussed previously, but then I got distracted by my new game and didn’t even glance back at tumblr once. >_

Also, @imaginarylights mentioned to me that it might save you a lot of trouble in the future if I opened up submission posts for you. I’ve done so here; if you want to remain anon, you can, but it does require an email address (if you want to be anonymous, you’ll have to sign out of your tumblr account if you use one). I’d recommend just making your name VK Science Anon and creating a temp email or something, that way you can preserve your anonymity if you don’t want to use your real email address. =) But it’s up to you. Anyway, this is now at your disposal if you’d like, that way we don’t have to worry about tumblr eating your asks or giving you limitations. =)

Housekeeping aside, to respond to your thoughts:

Okay so now we’re getting in deeper into genetics than my own pop culture genetic understanding goes, which is great, but I don’t have a lot to say to this one, fufu. I’m trying to wrap my head around this in more of a layman’s form but what you’re saying (I think) is that the initial “prbd” gene (fufu) is one that basically was there at inception for the progenitors, because the traits they exhibit are relatively uniform (with some variants of course) across the board, which narrows us down to this having to be in place for the progenitors since their conception, rather than some kind of external or environmentally induced factor affecting them later on in their lives. The pressure on the genes to express prbd instead of human would have had to have come when they were still egg/sperm mode (or perhaps during development?). Am I understanding that right?

What would influence a regular human’s genetic legacy to switch into this prbd gene? Are you thinking human DNA just always had the ability to express the prbd genes but for whatever reason never did until whatever X factor led to the expression? And since it hadn’t ever expressed itself before, there would obviously be failed expressions of it (such as the shorter fangs, or insufficient blood intake you were mentioning). So okay we know Purebloods need 2-4 years to gestate in a Pureblood parent. What does that mean for the regular humans who birthed the progenitors? Did they just have long pregnancies? And we know Purebloods eat energy until they’re around 8/9, then they “teethe” and their fangs extend–what does that mean for the human parents of the progenitors? Did the Ancestress make her parents her servants accidentally? (Sorry, this is a tangent I know, but it was a disturbing track my mind leapt to that I realized wasn’t ever addressed.)

Anyway, your thoughts on why they would have enhanced beauty and lighter skin make sense to me; they’re about in line with what I’d expect. (Traditionally vampires are pale ‘cause, well, they’re dead, but Hino’s aren’t so evolution for night activity makes more sense.) I think the bigger thing than their beauty though, and this is touched on in the story, at least as far as attracting prey, is charisma. That seems to be the key mechanism for drawing prey to them. That I can definitely see as some kind of genetic expression as well; it enhances or increases some hormone or something that increases personal magnetism. 

Side note, but Zero isn’t really bothered much by the sun (at least not as much as the other vampires). Which is kind of odd, given he’s the lowest class. Do you think this might just be because of his own weird genes which were able to combat the vampiric ones in the womb? So maybe even as a vampire his genes still express more human traits?

I do think predator vs. prey was Hino’s idea for the reasons why vampires were the way they were in her stories, but then she sort of threw a wrench into the mix with the whole “blood of the one you love” business (and that’s more a romantic thing than anything; it’s likely not going to hold up to scientific scrutiny). But I do think on the whole at least we still have predator vs. prey going on. What are your thoughts on how the whole blood satisfaction thing fits into the greater genetic picture? 

I don’t think we’ve seen anyone who is Pureblood/Average, Pureblood/Servant, or Pureblood/human yet. Ren is an anomaly probably given how bizarre Zero’s genetics are (he seems to have Pureblood-attracting charisma and human gene dominance), but Ren’s about the closest we have. Shiki is the only Pureblood/Noble. The rest of the NC appears to be Noble/Noble or Noble/Average at best. We do know that Noble/Human can have children thanks to Aidou and Yori, but what exactly Aidou’s child is with Yori Hino hasn’t seen fit to explore. 

Anyway, sorry again for keeping you hanging here and for my inept response lol. Please carry on with your thoughts when/if you have time! =) 

[theclacks]

Buffy (Season 5) & Angel (Season 2) Thoughts

So, I was watching these at a pretty slow pace... and then Fool For Love happened. And I went from watching approx 1 episodes a day to 5 episodes a day.

As always thoughts below the cut. (Previous thoughts: Buffy 1 & 2, Buffy 3, Buffy 4 & Angel 1). 

Buffy - Season 5

On how it compares with past seasons...

So, season 2 is STILL my all time favorite. I did like season 5 over both season 3 AND season 4 though, which is probably because of totally because of Spike. But at the same time, I don’t think it can be disconnected from season 4. Like season 5 is really the second half of season 4. Xander finding his place in society is directly linked to his issues of being a basement bum in season 4. Giles becoming the Magic Box’s owner is directly linked to his issues with being unemployed in season 4. Riley’s issues with being Riley is... well, because he’s Riley but yeah.

On Riley...

Going to get him out of the way, so I can talk about other things. I like that their relationship fell apart naturally over the course of several episodes. And I think it was a good tie that Spike was the one who “caused” it because, like The Yoko Factor last season, it was him “causing” rifts that were really already there. (And in this case didn’t even “cause” it so much as play delivery boy.)

I’ve been reading some fanfic in between eps, and so much of it (in fics where Riley’s involved) includes lines to the general tune of “Buffy never REALLY liked Riley” or “Riley rarely ever gave Buffy orgasms” and I think that’s unfair because Riley was a nice guy. And I appreciate the writers tried her out in a relationship like that because sometimes relationships aren’t this grand life-or-death emotional cocktail. Sometimes one party’s just a little bit more in love with one side than the other. Sometimes they have miscommunication issues. Sometimes that’s enough. And sometimes it isn’t.

On Dawn...

I liked her. I thought she was going to be annoying, but I liked her. Maybe it’s the younger sister in me. I loved her buddy-buddy relationship with Spike. I liked her whole backstory and status as the key, which I had no idea/prior knowledge about going it. In fact, before I started watching, I knew Buffy eventually got a sister, but I assumed it was some divorce thing and Joyce eventually got full custody or something. Then as I started watching the show, I knew that couldn’t be the case, and for the first four seasons I was theorizing between long lost sibling, Joyce suddenly has a baby and the baby gets stuck in a time loop or demon dimension until it reaches middle school age, etc, so it was kind of cool having all of that play out.

On Anya and Giles...

I just want to give a little shout out to them because other than Dawn & Spike, theirs was my favorite unexpected relationship. I like how their development both paired and contrasted Buffy & Giles, how the writers balanced the fatherly aspect of Giles with the more short-tempered, professional boss aspect.

On Ben/Glory...

I think they could’ve done a bit more with the Ben side of Ben and Glory. I liked the development he got at the end and how he ultimately picked Glory’s side without fully picking it, and I loved how Giles tossed aside the “hero” mantra and ended him, but yeah. I just feel like there could’ve been a bit “more” even when I don’t know what that “more” is.

As for Glory, I love her. And even though I get from Glory’s end why her appearances were scattered throughout the year (being literally scatterbrained and all) but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense why Buffy waited until after Dawn had been kidnapped to try and take her out. Like, yes, Buffy was scared and had to be backed into a corner (and Willow-pep-talked out of it), but their main attack plan revolved around having the God-forged hammer and the golden orb thing. THEY HAD THE GOLDEN ORB THING THE ENTIRE TIME. THEY KNEW IT HAD GLORY-REPELLING POWERS. WHY WERE THEY LETTING THE ORB CHILL IN THE BASEMENT THIS WHOLE TIME? I mean, and considering the fact the orb only stopped her for a couple seconds, narratively, they could’ve used it earlier. I kind of wish there’d been a mid-season episode where they tried to launch a full attack with the orb and what not, and failed and almost got Dawn discovered/killed, and THEN they could’ve been like “welp, we tried a full attack and exhausted our god-repelling items, okay, NOW let’s go into avoidance mode.” IDK, this is me. Backseat writing. Because I think that was the one main issue for me this season that could’ve taken the overarching plot from good to great.

On Joyce...

The Body was an amazing episode. I didn’t even realize until I was reading AV Club’s recap/review of it that there was no background music during the whole thing. And I was still riveted. I think one of my favorite bits of the entire season, perhaps the entire series, is when Willow is freaking out over her blue sweater and Anya - who’s missed the majority of the freak out - ends up sitting on it and stuffing it back into the closest drawer. It was such an understated moment, and while watching I wanted Tara or Xander to notice, or for Willow to check her drawers one last time, but then she would have her sweater and things would be okay... except they wouldn’t be because Joyce is still dead and something as small as a sweater doesn’t matter at all in the long run.

And Joyce is another reason why I’m glad that Dawn became a thing this season because it gave her more screen time. Lack of Joyce-screen time was probably one of my least favorite things about season four. I mean, it made sense because of college and independence and all of that, but I don’t care. I love Joyce. I like having her on my screen. And I will miss her.

On Spike...

HELLO NEW FAVORITE EPISODE IN THE FORM OF FOOL FOR LOVE. But before I get into that, let’s have a moment of silence for the glorious friendship that was Spike/Joyce. From shared relationship-talk over marshmallows and chocolate to geekish fangirling over the soap opera passions, they were and forever will be, my Buffy BroTP. I’m so happy that the writers gave him a small scene where he showed up with flowers for Joyce because I would’ve needed closure. (*shakes a fist angrily at Steven Moffat for writing off Amy and Rory without a filmed canon scene of saying goodbye to Rory’s dad*)

But yeah. Fool For Love aka MY DEMAND FOR A SPIKE FLASHBACK EPISODE IN SEASON THREE WAS RETROACTIVELY MET. And it was awesome. Spike as a repressed poet was amazing, and what makes it even better is that I was reading a fanfic last month and got spoiled for that detail, but the fanfic was just off enough with its dialogue and characterization and the idea of Spike as a bloody awful poet was so ridiculous that I tossed the detail aside as fluffy, silly head canon. Also did I miss/misinterpret some dialogue in season 2? Because I could’ve sworn in season 2 that Dru and Spike were vamp-siblings with Angel being their mutual sire. But I’m totally fine with it being this way too.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the Buffy/Spike relationship in this season, but I won’t because I want to wrap this up and start season 6, so I’ll just say:

- favorite bit of James Marsters acting, beyond the end of Fool For Love with him in the alley with Buffy’s cash and beyond the end of Gift with him outright sobbing, would be his bit at the end of Crush where he realizes Buffy has dis-invited him from her house; I think I rewatched that bit 3+ times because the betrayal and hurt in his eyes is just so good

- also re: the end of Crush, I love how his hurt stems not just from Buffy shutting him out, but him getting shut out from the whole Summers family because at that point he’s friends with Joyce, he’s friends with Dawn, he wants to be a part of their family... which I think really ties into the flashback bits of Fool For Love too; the night in Shanghai was the best night of his life, not just because he killed a slayer, but because he had his whole family to revel in the chaos with; saying it right here, right now, screwing being on Team Angel or Team Spike, I am firmly in TEAM GIVE SPIKE A FAMILY

- I love how in the entire season, there was only one Buffy/Spike kiss and it was a chaste one at that; I love how Spike’s development was one from conditional love (say you love me and I’ll spike Dru, say you love me or I’ll get a buffybot who HAS to love me) to unconditional love (I know you don’t love me and you won’t ever love me, but that’s okay). I think it was important that Spike not get “rewarded” for slowly changing sides

- also the buffybot, I thought it was going to be a terrible, awkward episode but it ended up being one of my favorites in the season; i mean, it was still awkward in spots (as buffy said, “gross and obscene”) but the buffybot was just too plain funny for the awkwardness to stick long; the bits where the buffybot asks Anya about her money and starts listing off insults about Angel had me bursting out in laughter; especially the Angel insults because I could just imagine with Spike and a pad of paper in his crypt, scrawling them down like, “YEAH. AND HIS HAIR. GRANDSIRE HAS STUPID, SPIKY HAIR”

- so... with Buffy (temporarily) gone, is Spike just going to hang around Sunnydale? he’s the main vamp killer, so is he going to be the vampire slayer in order to help protect Dawn (aka Buffy’s legacy)? will he and Dawn hang out because they’re still bros and they both miss Buffy and don’t have any other family? I JUST WANT SPIKE AND DAWN TO BE BROS LIKE SPIKE AND JOYCE WERE BROS. THEY CAN GO WATCH EPISODES OF PASSION TOGETHER AND LAUGH AND CRY AND BOND. THIS IS ALL I WANT FROM SEASON 6, JOSS. IT’S ALL I WANT.

On miscellaneousness...

- Anya is officially my favorite character on Buffy after Spike. When I whole bunch of rubble fell on her at the end of the Gift I temporarily stopped breathing because I was just like “NOT ANYA. SHE CANNOT DIE. NO, NOT ANYA. NO.”

- Joel Grey as a demon, yay emcee from Cabaret

- before I started watching Buffy, I, like the buffybot, also thought Giles’ name was pronounced with a hard-G

- so... with Giles still alive, I’m starting to get pleasantly confused. At the beginning of season three, I posted this list of stuff I got pre-spoilered for before I started watching the show. But now I’m starting to wonder if Giles actually dies. Because I thought I remembered something about him dying in season five, or like stuff about a dying scene... except now I’m thinking that the “dying scene” was actually talking about a “dying” scene. Like dying but not ACTUALLY dead. Because I think it was the one that happens at the end of the season with him impaled... which would mean Giles doesn’t die. I think I might’ve gotten a schroedinger spoiler

Angel - Season 2

On the Darla arc...

I thought I would hate this arc, and I half-did. I hated the whole start of it with Darla in his dreams and Angel distancing himself from his crew via restlessness/extensive sleeping. I loved everything after they ended up meeting in real life, from her coming to grips with her humanity to becoming a vampire again with a bit confusion, to her slipping fully back down the darkside. It helped that Dru was there. I was starting to think that Dru would only ever appear in flashbacks again. I love Dru

On the post-Darla arc...

I really kind of hated this arc. I get what the show was trying to do, showing Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia coming into their own WITHOUT Angel (among other things), but the Angel episodes with just Angel were so borrrrrrrring. (With the exception of the Angel/Lorne episode. That was awesome. Lorne in general is awesome. He’s my favorite Angel character after Cordelia.) They’d show W/G/C fighting a fire-breathing monster or solving a murder mystery clue style for 5 minutes and it was awful because I’m like “no, stop cutting back to Angel, THAT’S the show I want to be watching right now.” And because of the short screen time, I felt there was less W/G/C teamship than there was Wesley and Gunn becoming closer bros with Cordelia getting shafted. Cordelia, I felt, got shafted a lot in this season with the except of the finale, which speaking of...

On the Pylea finale...

OH MY GOD I LOVED THESE EPISODES SO MUCH. Like they were definitely silly in spots but I LOVE silly and the whole off-world aspect reminded me of Stargate in all the best ways. I want to print these episodes off somewhere and frame them. (NUMFAR! DO THE DANCE OF JOY!). And Cordelia got so much focus that I actually got pretty dang worried towards the end that these would be her send off episodes, that she’d choose to or be forced to stay behind and be princess of a demon dimension. (Which would’ve been an awesome send off, ngl.) If Angel ends up moving in a direction more like that, I’m going to be super stoked because while a lot of this season was objectively “good”, it didn’t pull me into watching it like Buffy season 5 did.

Also the finale made me realize, just how much I want to see more of happy!Angel. His whole bits with the sunlight and the mirrors were puppy-endearing, comedy gold (”There’s some branches over in that patch of sun. I’ll get ‘em!”). :D 

On Lorne...

Lorne is my perfect man. He loves music, he’s at inner peace with himself and helps the inner peace of others, and his wardrobe is fabulous. The fakeout with his death was terrible... and then awesome as soon as his eyes popped back open. You guys have no idea how scared I was in the Pylea finale, that I might’ve been about to lose BOTH of my favorite characters.

Which, by the way, I’m starting to think that’s one of the reasons why I don’t love season 3 of Buffy quite the way that others do. Spike and Cordelia are my two favorite characters; Spike wasn’t in season 3 and Cordelia got largely shafted after Xander broke up with her.

On Lindsey...

He’s a bro. I’m hoping we see more of him... but also not because he seems to be in a good place and if he pops up again, he probably won’t be in a good place anymore.

On what I hope for going into Season 3...

- more team bonding

- more team bonding

- more team bonding

- Cordelia being awesome

- more Cordelia/Angel friendship moments because theirs is a beautiful friendship

- more team bonding

[thetruthseekerway]

Western Thinkers' View on Early Muslim Scientists

New Post has been published on http://www.truth-seeker.info/quran-science-2/western-thinkers-view-on-early-muslim-scientists/

Western Thinkers' View on Early Muslim Scientists

By Mansoor Alam

Reality Check–Today’s Muslim World

If one looks at the general picture of the Muslim world today it is hard to find something positive on the horizon. There is political chaos and regional turmoil all over the Muslim world. Muslims seem to have lost control of their affairs. They feel frustrated and helpless. Many Muslim governments are persecuting their people – in the name of Islam. Can Muslims hope for a better future under these circumstances?

Allah has blessed Muslims with plenty of natural resources. Yet, they are dependent for most of their basic needs – not to speak of their dependence in the field of science and technology, and on knowledge, in general – on non-Muslims. Their resources are being plundered and wasted on an unprecedented scale, while the majority population suffers extreme hardship.

Muslims generally tend to blame others for their problems. Some blame their rulers. Others blame one another. There may be truth in all of this. But what is lacking from Muslim discourse is an honest and intelligent diagnosis of problems facing the Muslim Ummah.

Representing more than a billion Muslims, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) – the official organ of the Muslim countries for discussing such problems – has become no more than a platform for passing resolutions upon resolutions of empty words with no teeth. No wonder it has been dubbed “Oh! I see!” Most other Islamic organizations, more or less, suffer from a similar fate.

In the present environment, Muslims mostly live individual lives (in their own little islands) while using the term Ummah in their discussions. Some seem to cooperate on issues affecting Muslim lives, but that is limited mostly to charity work. Muslims do not have a unifying plan (or, rather, are not interested) to chart out the future course of action for the Ummah. Muslims appear to behave like billions of individual atoms without any strong bonds.

Is there a silver lining in this dark cloud? Will this long, dark chapter in Muslim history ever end?

Muslim Scientist As Building Blocks of Modern Science

When we read the history of Muslim contribution to world civilization, it seems very recent that Muslims were on top of the world. They were pioneers and leaders in all areas of human endeavor. They invented new branches of science and mathematics. They not only laid the foundation of modern knowledge but propelled it to new heights. In particular, their contribution to the world of medicine is legendary.

So what happened? How did Muslims lose this crowning position of power in the world?  And how did they lose leadership in science, mathematics, and medicine?

The history of how this loss occurred is heart-wrenching. One way to tell this history is to describe the extraordinary achievements of past Muslims. This makes Muslims feel proud of their past glory – as, indeed, it should; we try to re-live, mentally, at least, the stages of that glory when we talk or write about the history of Islam and science. And this is what we will also do in this article – with one difference. We will not treat this as an end in itself, but with an eye to figure out how to reclaim that past glory.

We begin with a brief description of the achievements of some of the Muslim scientists, as stated, not by Muslim, but by non-Muslim scholars, to avoid any impression of a Muslim bias. The quotations below may seem extensive but they serve an important purpose to highlight the depth and breadth of the new knowledge that past Muslims created and developed, and which, according to Western historians of science, formed the backbone on which the Western renaissance in science began. This shows that Muslims may have forgotten the lesson of their own past intellectual giants in making science history, but the West has not. It continues to build its scientific superstructure for modern science on the foundations laid by our ancestors.

While reading these quotations, it would be beneficial to reflect and ponder on where we are, and whither we are going.

George Sarton pays tribute to Muslim scientists in Introduction to the History of Science:

“It will suffice here to evoke a few glorious names without contemporary equivalents in the West: Jabir ibn Haiyan, al-Kindi, al-Khwarizmi, al-Fargani, al-Razi, Thabit ibn Qurra, al-Battani, Hunain ibn Ishaq, al-Farabi, Ibrahim ibn Sinan, al-Masudi, al-Tabari, Abul Wafa, ‘Ali ibn Abbas, Abul Qasim, Ibn al-Jazzar, al-Biruni, Ibn Sina, Ibn Yunus, al-Kashi, Ibn al-Haitham, ‘Ali Ibn ‘Isa al-Ghazali, al-Zarqab, Omar Khayyam – a magnificent array of names which would not be difficult to extend. If anyone tells you that the Middle Ages were scientifically sterile, just quote these men to him, all of whom flourished within a short period, 750 to 1100 A.D.”

European Renaissance Drawn From Muslim Civilization

In Intellectual Development of Europe, John William Draper writes:

“I have to deplore the systematic manner in which the literature of Europe has continued to put out of sight our obligations to the Muhammadans [British term for Muslims]. Surely they cannot be much longer hidden. Injustice founded on religious rancor and national conceit cannot be perpetuated forever. The Arab has left his intellectual impress on Europe. He has indelibly written it on the heavens as anyone may see who reads the names of the stars on a common celestial globe.”

Robert Briffault states in his magnum opus, Making of Humanity:

“It was under the influence of the Arabs and Moorish revival of culture and not in the 15th century, that a real renaissance took place. Spain, not Italy, was the cradle of the rebirth of Europe. After steadily sinking lower and lower into barbarism, it had reached the darkest depths of ignorance and degradation when cities of the Saracenic world, Baghdad, Cairo, Cordova, and Toledo, were growing centers of civilization and intellectual activity. It was there that a new life arose which was to grow into a new phase of human evolution. The stirring of new life began when the influence of Muslim culture began to make itself felt.”

“It was under their successors at Oxford School (that is, successors to the Muslims of Spain) that Roger Bacon learned Arabic and Arabic Sciences. Neither Roger Bacon, nor his later namesake, has any title to be credited with having introduced the experimental method. Roger Bacon was no more than one of the apostles of Muslim Science and Method to Christian Europe; and he never wearied of declaring that knowledge of Arabic and Arabic Sciences was for his contemporaries the only way to true knowledge. Discussion as to who was the originator of the experimental method… is part of the colossal misinterpretation of the origins of European civilization. The experimental method of Arabs was by Bacon’s time widespread and eagerly cultivated throughout Europe.”

“Science is the most momentous contribution of Arab civilization to the modern world; but its fruits were slow in ripening. Not until long after Moorish culture had sunk back into darkness, did the giant, which it had given birth to, rise in his might. It was not science only, which brought Europe back to life. Other and manifold influences from the civilization of Islam communicated its first glow to European life.”

“For although there is not a single aspect of European growth in which the decisive influence of Islamic Culture is not traceable, nowhere is it so clear and momentous as in the genesis of that power which constitutes the permanent distinctive force of the modern world, and the supreme source of its victory, natural science and the scientific spirit.”

“The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence. The Astronomy and Mathematics of the Greeks were a foreign importation never thoroughly acclimatized in Greek culture. The Greeks systematized, generalized and theorized, but the patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute method of science, detailed and prolonged observation and experimental inquiry were altogether alien to the Greek temperament. Only in Hellenistic Alexandria was any approach to scientific work conducted in the ancient classical world. What we call science arose in Europe as a result of a new spirit of inquiry, of new methods of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics, in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs.”

“It is highly probable that, but for the Arabs, modern European civilization  would never have arisen at all; it is absolutely certain that but for them, it would not have assumed that character which has enabled it to transcend all previous phases of evolution.”

Muslim Scholars of Medicine and Mathematics

In Legacy of Islam, Arnold and Guillaume shed light on Islamic science and medicine:

“Looking back, we may say that Islamic medicine and science reflected the light of the Hellenic sun, when its day had fled; they shone like a moon, illuminating the darkest night of the European Middle Ages; some bright stars lent their own light, and moon and stars alike faded at the dawn of a new day – the Renaissance. Since they had their share in the direction and introduction of that great movement, it may reasonably be claimed that they are with us yet.”

Again, George Sarton in the Introduction to the History of Science says:

“During the reign of Caliph Al-Mamun (813-33 A.D.), the new learning reached its climax. The monarch created in Baghdad a regular school for translation. It was equipped with a library, one of the translators there was Hunayn Ibn Ishaq (809-77) a particularly gifted philosopher and physician of wide erudition, the dominating figure of this century of translators. We know from his own recently published Memoir that he translated practically the whole immense corpus of Galenic writings.”

“Besides the translation of Greek works and their extracts, the translators made manuals of which one form, that of the ‘pandects,’ is typical of the period of Arabic learning. These are recapitulations of the whole medicine, discussing the affections of the body, systematically beginning at the head and working down to the feet.”

“The Muslim ideal was, it goes without saying, not visual beauty but God in His plentitude; that is God with all his manifestations, the stars and the heavens, the earth and all nature. The Muslim ideal is thus infinite. But in dealing with the infinite as conceived by the Muslims, we cannot limit ourselves to the space alone, but must equally consider time.”

“The first mathematical step from the Greek conception of a static universe to the Islamic one of a dynamic universe was made by Al-Khwarizmi (780-850), the founder of modern Algebra. He enhanced the purely arithmetical character of numbers as finite magnitudes by demonstrating their possibilities as elements of infinite manipulations and investigations of properties and relations.”

“In Greek mathematics, the numbers could expand only by the laborious process of addition and multiplication. Khwarizmi’s algebraic symbols for numbers contain within themselves the potentialities of the infinite. So we might say that the advance from arithmetic to algebra implies a step from being to ‘becoming’ from the Greek universe to the living universe of Islam. The importance of Khwarizmi’s algebra was recognized, in the twelfth century, by the West, – when Girard of Cremona translated his theses into Latin. Until the sixteenth century this version was used in European universities as the principal mathematical textbook. But Khwarizmi’s influence reached far beyond the universities. We find it reflected in the mathematical works of Leonardo Fibinacci of Pissa, Master Jacob of Florence, and even of Leonardo da Vinci.”

“Through their medical investigations they not merely widened the horizons of medicine, but enlarged humanistic concepts generally. And once again they brought this about because of their overriding spiritual convictions. Thus it can hardly have been accidental that those researches should have led them beyond the reach of Greek masters. If it is regarded as symbolic that the most spectacular achievement of the mid-twentieth century is atomic fission and the nuclear bomb, likewise it would not seem fortuitous that the early Muslim’s medical endeavor should have led to a discovery that was quite as revolutionary though possibly more beneficent.”

“A philosophy of self-centerdness, under whatever disguise, would be both incomprehensible and reprehensible to the Muslim mind. That mind was incapable of viewing man, whether in health or sickness as isolated from God, from fellow men, and from the world around him. It was probably inevitable that the Muslims should have discovered that disease need not be born within the patient himself but may reach from outside, in other words, that they should have been the first to establish clearly the existence of contagion.”

“One of the most famous exponents of Muslim universalism and an eminent figure in Islamic learning was Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna (981-1037). For a thousand years he has retained his original renown as one of the greatest thinkers and medical scholars in history. His most important medical works are the Qanun (Canon) and a treatise on Cardiac drugs. The ‘Qanun fi-l-Tibb’ is an immense encyclopedia of medicine. It contains some of the most illuminating thoughts pertaining to distinction of mediastinitis from pleurisy; contagious nature of phthisis; distribution of diseases by water and soil; careful description of skin troubles; of sexual diseases and perversions; of nervous ailments.”

“We have reason to believe that when, during the Crusades, Europe at last began to establish hospitals, they were inspired by the Arabs of the Near East… the first hospital in Paris, Les Quinze-vingt, was founded by Louis IX after his return from the Crusade 1254-1260.”

“We find in his (Jabir, Geber) writings remarkably sound views on methods of chemical research, a theory on the geologic formation of metals (the six metals differ essentially because of different proportions of sulphur and mercury in them); preparation of various substances (e.g., basic lead carbonatic, arsenic and antimony from their sulphides).”

“Ibn Haytham’s writings reveal his fine development of the experimental faculty. His tables of corresponding angles of incidence and refraction of light passing from one medium to another show how closely he had approached discovering the law of constancy of ratio of sines, later attributed to Snell. He accounted correctly for twilight as due to atmospheric refraction, estimating the sun’s depression to be 19 degrees below the horizon, at the commencement of the phenomenon in the mornings or at its termination in the evenings.”

“A great deal of geographical as well as historical and scientific knowledge is contained in the thirty volume meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems by one of the leading Muslim historians, the tenth century al Mas’udi. A more strictly geographical work is the dictionary ‘Mujam al-Buldan’ by al-Hamami (1179-1229). This is a veritable encyclopedia that, in going far beyond the confines of geography, incorporates also a great deal of scientific lore.”

“They studied, collected and described plants that might have some utilitarian purpose, whether in agriculture or in medicine. These excellent tendencies, without equivalent in Christendom, were continued during the first half of the thirteenth century by an admirable group of four botanists. One of these Ibn al-Baitar compiled the most elaborate Arabic work on the subject (Botany), in fact the most important for the whole period extending from Dioscorides down to the sixteenth century. It was a true encyclopedia on the subject, incorporating the whole Greek and Arabic experience.”

“‘Abd al-Malik ibn Quraib al-Asmai (739-831) was a pious Arab who wrote some valuable books on human anatomy. Al-Jawaliqi who flourished in the first half of the twelfth century and ‘Abd al-Mumin who flourished in the second half of the thirteenth century in Egypt, wrote treatises on horses. The greatest zoologist amongst the Arabs was al-Damiri (1405) of Egypt whose book on animal life, ‘Hayat al-Hayawan’ has been translated into English by A.S.G. Jayakar (London 1906, 1908).”

“The weight of venerable authority, for example that of Ptolemy, seldom intimidated them. They were always eager to put a theory to tests, and they never tired of experimentation. Though motivated and permeated by the spirit of their religion, they would not allow dogma as interpreted by the orthodox to stand in the way of their scientific research.”

This approach of describing past Muslim achievements is effective in making us, Muslims, feel proud. It may even motivate a few of us to excel in science – thanks to the West. But in describing the history of Islam and science, should one stop here? Does this approach provide clues about how past Muslims systematically discovered new knowledge? How they invented so much new scientific knowledge without the modern facilities that we have today? Was this the result of their natural instincts or intellectual aptitude? Were they motivated (like most of us) by wealth, career, or fame? Why did they devote their entire lives seeking knowledge of Allah’s creations even while suffering extreme hardships? Most important of all, what was the driving force behind their constant pursuit in advancing the frontiers of new knowledge? Unless we probe these questions, we will not be able to fully appreciate the achievements of past Muslims or learn from their stories.

  References:

George Sarton, Introduction to the History of Science, Vol. I-IV, Carnegie Institute of Washington, Baltimore, 1927-31; Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1950-53.

Robert Briffault, The Making of Humanity, London, 1938.

T. Arnold and A. Guillaume, The Legacy of Islam, Oxford University Press, 1931.

E. Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1900.

———-

Taken with slight editorial modifications from islamicity.org.