#They both deserved better in their partnerships than ending up as the human sacrifices for good

[familyagrestefanblog]

Sorry, but I need to get this off my chest for a second.

Rewatching older episodes after the s5 finale really stings in the sense that this show has never ever even pretended like Chat Noir and Mayura would in the end get out of their partnerships with Ladybug and Hawkmoth okay and by their sides. The way Adrien and Nathalie ended up in the s5 finale and them not making it to the final battle was in every way possible predictable just from both their partnership dynamics alone and their fates were sealed with and by the time of "Kuro Neko"

I don't have it in me anymore to pretend like Chat Noir in Ladynoir and Mayura in Hawkura (?) weren't from the very start til the very end always and consistently human sacrifice coded for Ladybug and Hawkmoth which is exactly what they ended up being so the two heads of the war can brawl it out alone.

I'm not tagging this as salt, this is just objectively what Chat Noir's and Mayura's purposes in the partnerships have always been and there is no going around that. I can't tell you how much I wished that wasn't the case.

[kingdomblade]

Digimon Kizuna thoughts

All spoilers will be under the cut!

Fresh off of Tri when Kizuna was announced, I wrote up some hopes I had for this movie. Without looking back at that list, I'm pretty sure this movie managed to not hit any of the things I wanted off of that list - but I'm still walking away completely satisfied. The characters, the story, the setting all feel like completely natural progression from how I remember them, it manages to tell a compelling story in a fairly short movie, the animation and designs are drop dead gorgeous. It's clearly a labor or love and I'm thankful for everyone who worked on it. In some ways it leaves me wanting more - I'd love one more entry with the 02 group as a focus, and I think there would be a lot of value in an entry that focuses more on Digimon intigrated with the human world rather than yet another story about kids discovering Digimon. But if this is the last time we see these twelve in this form, what a way to go. 

This is absolutely stream of consciousness writing while I’m on my second watch through of the day (In lieu of livetweeting - I’ll spare my followers that much lol). Is it rambling? Absolutely. It may or may not be of interest, but I thought it would be something fun to do regardless. If you decide to read, I hope you enjoy!

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Tom Fahn’s Agumon is noticeably a bit lower pitched even compared to Tri, weather he can’t take his voice up as much or if it’s a different portrayal I’m not sure but it still fits him really well - Tentomon’s voice feel slightly different too. Funny enough Gabumon is somehow lighter and more childish than his original portrayal, but it also fits him well.

Both Tri and Kizuna have such a weird process to their casting - They got back actors that as far as I can tell haven’t done much if anything since their days on Digimon, they’ve gotten back actors for side characters with bit parts. They’ve hired new actors that seem to take the original voice into account and take their own spin on them, and then they hire actors with absolutely no regard for how the original sounded to the point that it just plain conflicts with the established character. It’s all over the place and it’s weird.

Johnny Yong Bosch's portrayal seems slightly different from Tri, maybe he's playing him slightly older, maybe it's the slightly different personality, maybe I'm imagining it. Something about it reminds me of Doug Erholtz's portrayal, which is an added bonus when JYB was already one of the best of the recasts. Minutes in and I'm completely sold on Nicholas Roye's Matt as well, it sounds like a natural progression from his Adventure voice.

In a vacuum Griffin Burns is a decent Davis, but he's one of the recasts that immersion breaking because not only does he sound nothing like Brian Donovan, but his take on Davis is higher pitch than Donovan's so it's impossible to hear him as older. The fact that Donovan was supposed to reprise his role is just salt on the wound. With the insane amount of delays that this dub got, they surely could have brought him back onboard... It's a  shame that 2 our of 3 roles I've heard of Burns have been a replacement of another actor, hope he can get more roles where he can shine more. On the other hand, Bryce Papenbrook as Cody is brilliant casting coming from his 02 voice for what little we get to hear of him.

Yolei didn't sound to great in her video message, but by the time we see her in person her VA has gotten into the role and captures her really well. Hawkmon sounds fine enough, but I'm way more upset than I should be about Armadillomon's voice considering he doesn't have many lines. A recast was mandatory here, and 'medium-deep southern accent' should honestly be pretty easy to replicate but what we got was horrific. What casting director knew enough about the characters to know that Hawkmon had a British accent but not enough to know what an armadillo sounds like??

Mimi is just straight up Sakura now! I actually thought Kate Higgens would have made a great Yolei, kinda funny to see her here as Mimi now.

Not only did Agumon's "Polly want a cracker?" line slay me, but there's something about Tom Fahn's portrayal that really hits me, even though he's not even my favorite Digimon. It hasn't even been a long time since I've heard it - Tri wasn't that long ago, and I just rewatched Adventure/02 within the past few weeks, but hearing him made me a bit emotional, ha. Same thing happened with his first appearance in Tri, and that was after having seen it in Japanese and knowing what was going to happen!

The opening battle is like a complete screw-you to Tai's arc in Tri with Greymon smashing into buildings and Tai completely unfazed. I'm here for it, lol.

The remastered Digivolution sequences are nice but in true nostalgia fashion I kinda prefer the originals, haha.

Izzy's computer is counting down a 'time rimit'.

Agumon says something to the effect of “Aren’t I always hungry?“ and I don't feel like it’s a reference/jab at Tri, but it got a chuckle out of me anyway.

Tai's classmate is blatantly voiced by JYB too, ha.

Matt gives his location as 'inside the restaurant' when calling an ambulance which seems... not helpful. Love that Tai's reaction to a girl collapsing is a confused "Is she drunk?"

An article on Tai's phone is written in perfect English and he gets message from the name Izzy specifically so I'd assume this is a change for the US release. Subtitles would have been perfectly fine but it's a nice effort to keep immersion.

"The ol' Izz-master" I’m so, so glad they got Jeff Nimoy to write this script, bless Toei.

Only 4 of the Digidestined participating in the battle against the Digidestined is kinda disappointing until I realized that it was a throwback to Our War Game - TK and Izzy get to participate more this time around! As per usual Tentomon (Kabuterimon) manages to sneak in a hilarious line here.

'Lime Magazine' just doesn't have the same ring to it...

TAI'S MAGAZINES...

Tai calling Agumon 'little buddy' is the second scene to hit me right in the feels.

Matt is the only one to reach out to the 02 kids during the movie, I wonder if he felt guilty about what went down in Tri and kept in touch with them a bit more since.

Seeing Kari and TK tied up in a dark room like that is actually one of the more shocking scenes in the movie. That could have ended very differently if this was a different movie...

Meiko shows up for literally one scene with Meicoomon which has... interesting implications. This movie retroactively makes her more tragic as well, as even if she didn't sacrifice Meicoomon there's a chance their partnership would have dissolved anyway - almost a complete lose-lose, there was no way for them to be happy together.

Himekawa is also retroactively more tragic as it's possible she would have been able to see Tapirmon again here - one shows up in the crowd shot!

Honestly this is the movie Himekawa deserved - she was a really interesting character that got wasted and underused in Tri, and while Menoa parallels her in a lot of ways her stoicism just isn't as interesting and Hime's decent into madness was.

L'il Joe has black hair now?

I'm pretty sure Menoa doesn't say "Oh shit" but honestly I'm gonna pretend she does.

I mentioned on Twitter how Leomon doesn't die in this one because he never showed up, but there's one fighting an Eosmon in what I think is Osaka and he doesn't die, and GOOD ON HIM, HE BROKE THE CYCLE!

Omnimon having limbs sliced off got an audible gasp from me.

Matt ACTUALLY got to curse in this movie, character development!!

"Just one thing: Meow" I had to pause the movie, I lost it

Story wise, theme wise, character wise I get it, but mad Sora got screwed over in this movie. Would have been nice if 'To Sora' was included inside of the movie at least.

I still don't like Agu and Gabu's new evolutions, but they did feel really earned and a natural extension of the plot. What better way to spark an evolution than such a huge sacrifice? Izzy's perfectly timed 'prodigious' was the icing on the cake, coming at such a fitting emotional moment and possibly being the last time we'll hear it from Izzy.

When the Eosmon start disappearing all over the world there's a shot of an exhausted lone Numemon who had clearly held off the Eosmon with all the poop that is strewn about. THAT is the next story I want to see.

Unfortunately this movie is in the Tri School of Only Using Champion Level. It's actually pretty inexcusable that we we don't see WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon one more time, but even the other characters should have gone up to Ultimate if not Mega for one final sendoff. I wish we could have seen them truely fight as a team once more, even just for fanservice.

My strongest complaint with the movie itself is that it just kinda... ends. The ending is super emotional, but it just skips ahead afterwards and says 'things are going to be ok!' and ends. I would have liked to see the rest of the kids once more, seeing how they handle the fallout or how they might support Tai and Matt - or maybe a little about what Tai and Matt have taken away from this whole things. Just felt like we needed an extra couple of minutes.

Will we see these particular versions of these characters again? From what I can tell this movie did well in Japan and it’s trending pretty well on Amazon, so who knows. I hope if we do, it’s because the writers come up with an idea they really believe in and not just for the sake of a sequel. But if not, I’m definately greatful for what we have.

[windstormwielding]

@catnippp​ said via Send 💭 + a topic and my muse will tell you what they think about it (accepting!):

💭+Quincies/Espada after the wars

“Goodness... where do I even begin with those?”

A mildly apprehensive Kōtarō couldn’t help but crane his head back a little, chin resting between thumb and curled index after he set down his cup of hot ginger tea. Eyes closed for a few moments so he could concentrate on his answer in relative silence… and with the additional comfort of guaranteed anonymity from the man with the bucket hat sitting across the low table, he was free to speak his mind without judgement or persecution.

When one of his men brought up the topic of Aizen a few days ago, his answer came with a straightforward explanation of his own distaste toward the turncoat with godly ambitions, a common opinion shared among many shinigami within the Gotei 13.

But the Espada and the Quincy, on the other hand… Just sharing his honest opinions on either group would take some time for him to elaborate freely, but both at once? That would take the 13th’s lieutenant a hot minute and a half to properly compile his thoughts.

Then again, there’s some benefit to speaking off the cuff—no second-guessing, just throwing out the first things that come to mind. Ten years still gave him plenty of time to think, even between restoration efforts within the Seireitei, and boy does he have a lot on his mind on these.

Might as well begin with the easy one?

“I guess I’ll start with the Espada. A group of already ultra-powerful Menos-class hollows whose transitions into Arrancar were heightened by the Hōgyoku… and were recruited or coerced into working under Aizen,” Kōta began. “As things currently stand now, I don’t have any particularly strong feelings on the Espada… I’ve said it once before already, but I really don’t think Arrancar are inherently evil. Heck, I’d even go so far as to say that even Hollows aren’t inherently evil, though they are definitely more frenzied by nature in order to feed—only ones who were truly evil as humans get sent to Hell upon death anyway. There’s good and bad among the Arrancar, just the same as us Shinigami, and I would be doing their reclaimed humanity a disservice if I still thought them no different from beasts. They’re people, and like people, all that matters is the kind of person each individual Arrancar chooses to be.”

With that train of thought, Kōtarō blinked to himself once he realized he had gone off on a tangent, then shook his head and downed some warm tea to renew his focus. With a satisfied hum, he resumed his discussion on the main topic of his monologue: the actual Espada, and not waxing philosophical on Arrancar wholesale.

"Anyway, I’m getting off-track, but my point is that I’m not going to condemn the surviving Espada for their past affiliations; once that war was over, the feeling I got was that they wanted to move on from Aizen just as much as we did. After the ex-Captain got them involved in his affairs, only to send them off to die by the hands of other Soul Reapers, they deserve at least that much from us. I won’t pretend I know the new Queen Tier Harribel personally, but she does have the A-OK from a friend (Nelliel) of a friend (Ichigo) of a friend (Captain Rukia) of mine. Overall impression is that she’s leaps and bounds ahead morally over the likes of Barragan Louisenbarn and Aizen himself, so that should count for something, right? My hope is that we can establish some kind of amicable relationship with her new order she’s trying to raise, although I’d imagine she would rather have us leave well enough alone—just so long as we’re not hostile toward one another…”

A wistful sigh followed as the Lieutenant’s thoughts drifted on wishful thinking. It would be nice if the Gotei 13 and the new Queen could found a diplomatic partnership of some kind, wouldn’t it? He personally felt an amicable alliance would only help to better strengthen each side, but even the new kingdom born within the realm of Hollows have little to no reason to trust the Seireitei as is. Then there’s the matter of Central 46, the governing body of the Soul Society, who’d surely have thoughts of their own on such an alliance, and none of them positive. What a shame.

Arms folded unto themselves for comfort as the lieutenant leaned back against the zaisu. His gaze stared off into nothing in particular as he looked up to the shop ceiling.

“...but that’s just how the system works, isn't it? We slay Hollows so they can be reborn into Souls, and so that we can keep preserving the balance between the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the world of the living lest it all comes to an unceremonious end. While I don’t think that ought to apply to fully sentient beings like Arrancar, in a way, I see us slaying Hollows as a mercy. It’s a kindness, really, to end the suffering that consumed them as souls, souls we couldn’t save on time… which is more than I can say compared to how my precursors treated the Quincy.”

And there it is. Kōtarō turned silent at his mention of the Quincy—the polar opposite to his kind, those who he directly and involuntarily fought against in the Quincy Blood War. The relationship between Hollows, plus Arrancar by extension, and Shinigami was a relatively simple one to break down into words. It was an easy regurgitation of hard facts internalized over his century-long career, splashed with his own personal impressions on those who stood at the apex of Hollowkind. Quincy, on the other hand… where could he even begin?

“…I only swing my zanpakutō to slay Hollows. Cutting down humans though—the very people I’m supposed to be keeping watch over and protecting—that’s not what I signed up for, but that’s exactly what I did during that war, isn't it? Even if it was in self-defence, those Soldaten were still humans with lives to live and families to come back to… it’s shameful, when I think about it.”

Gaze narrowed as grim visions of the war returned to the forefront of his mind, then shut firmly with a wince for an expression as Kōta fought those unpleasant memories back.

“A-anyway, right. The Quincy, a race of spiritually empowered humans who fight with reishi manipulation… though I’m guessing you’re asking specifically about my thoughts on the Vandenreich, aren’t you?” This earned the lieutenant a slow nod from his candy shop-owning inquirer. “Well, whereas the Espada were either coerced into joining Aizen, fought for the sake of fighting, or relished at the opportunity to kill Soul Reapers, the Quincy who rallied under Yhwach’s banner differ in that they all shared a justified, nigh-unified hatred towards us. Unlike Aizen and the Espada… the Quincy’s war was a direct consequence of the Gotei 13’s past actions—that much, I understand now. Yhwach only galvanized and weaponized what was already there because of my predecessors.”

The look on Lt. Ryōhei’s face came off as fatigued now—he had a long time to think about this particular subject, with many sleepless nights spent reading and discussing the matter with fellow reapers after the dust settled. “Even if genocide was attempted for the sake of preventing the collapse of all three realms, all in the name of balance again, it’s still genocide, right? Of course retribution was going to follow. Of course they’d want to wipe us out in turn, just as the Gotei 13 tried to do unto them between the first war and the attempted extermination over 200 years ago. Then the second war came, only for Yhwach to dispose of them just as easily once they served their purpose…”

The storm-haired man paused as his own words started to weigh him down. "I feel... awful for them, really. Time and again they’ve been persecuted through no real fault of their own. Quincy don’t exist—weren’t brought into this world—only to die by our hands. I refuse to accept that.” A brief pause, to top off his half-full cup with some fresh tea... only to realize the pot was empty. "Then for their loyalty, the reward many of the survivors wrought was abandonment by their own God-King. There’s no sugarcoating it: the Quincy deserve better. Compassion, aid, pity, whatever; they kept getting robbed at every turn, and then were robbed some more when they’ve had enough and bit back. I don’t care if negotiations in the past fell through—we need to sit down, try again, keep talking, and come up with something of a proper solution for both sides.”

His company noted how Kōtarō’s observations between the Espada and Quincy differed, given he’d only ever fought one of the two himself, and so he piped up with an interesting question. Forgiveness?

“Truth is… I do forgive them, Urahara-san. Really, I do. Impossible as it may seem, even after they’ve slaughtered thousands of our own? Including Yamamoto, Sasakibe, and… and even Ukitake? After everything they’ve done? I honestly forgive them. There’s no point in condemning the remaining Quincy for fighting under Yhwach’s banner once upon a time. What matters is how we survivors—us and them—choose to live our lives in the here and now. Those among the Sternritter who still swear fealty to Yhwach, it’s probably inevitable we’ll come to fight again. There, I can sleep comfortably knowing I’ll raise my blade to try and stop them from trying to pile on more needless sacrifices, and this time, I’ll be ready for them if that happens. Those who just want to live their lives in peace, on the other hand… I’d like to build up a proper rapport with them somehow, if it’s doable, you know?”

A laugh broke from the lieutenant, albeit a sardonic one, as he continued with that line of thought. “Though I’m sure they don’t want to risk making themselves visible to Gotei folk like myself, or would sooner put an arrow through my heart before I’d get the chance to say: ‘Hello, my kind tried to wipe yours out on three separate occasions! What say we forget all that and let bygones be bygones over a good sporting game of shogi?’” Kōtarō even swung his arms together to emphasize his delivering a punchline as though he were a standup comedian, but the wry smile on his face made it clear he wasn’t aiming for laughs.

Ah, his tea grew cold from neglect… and the cup was still half full.

Oh well, down the hatch.

As he drank the last of his tea, Kisuke chanced another question—if there were any Arrancar or Quincy Kōtarō would want to meet himself. An interesting proposition…

“Well… I did hear that Captain Kurotsuchi has a Privaron on standby who specializes in wind manipulation like me? I’d like to meet him sometime, if that’s the case—discuss our craft, see what we can learn from each other and what not.”

A name slipped from the man of science’s lips: Dordoni. The lieutenant of winds nodded and made a mental note of it; the next time he’s over by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, he’ll ask around.

“As for the Sternritter, at least among those I’ve read about… that’s an easy one. Sternritter T: Candice Catnipp, the Thunderbolt.”

Somehow, his name choice only seemed to amuse the man sitting opposite across the table. The combination of fan raised over his face, a tasteless joke, and a sly smirk got under Kōta's skin immediately.

“H-hey, hey, it’s nothing like THAT! I’m a man of storms and wind, she’s a woman of thunder and lightning—I vibe with her aesthetic is all I’m saying!” Kōta was quick to shoot up onto his knees and slam his hands on the table as he tried to defend himself (he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of crazy weather they could create together, lover of storms he is), but it was a fool’s errand that only spurred Urahara into further laughter at his expense. Oh well.

“SO, as you asked, I shared my thoughts on our former adversaries and then some. Say you keep your end of the bargain and we keep all of this between ourselves?” he huffed, shooting an unimpressed glare toward the man in green, who just set down a new batch of fresh tea for them both with a nod. At least that’s settled.

Kōtarō mulled things over as he sipped on ginger, as he found his mind going back to Ginjō and the words they exchanged then. He had believed in the greater good of the Soul Society for so long, but some of the atrocities his own kind committed had him stop and think sometimes. Even his late Captain set his foot down when he saw one injustice too many with Rukia’s execution 12 years prior, which only made Ryōhei prouder to serve the Thirteenth Division under Ukitake’s name.

The source of all that injustice… the endless suffering of Hollows, the attempted genocides onto the Quincy, the ongoing squalor Souls lived in after believing in the idea of a cozy afterlife…

“…sometimes, I can’t help but wonder,” Kōtarō found himself saying. "How much easier would it be for everyone if we didn’t have to worry about something as arbitrary, impersonal, and cruel as ‘balance’ in the first place?”

[noxilicious-ish]

Okay but Peter and Stephen bonding in their mutual grief and sense of loss following Tony’s death. Like, it’s not the same. Peter has lost more than enough father-figures and replacing Mr Stark like that would make him a miserable excuse for a human being and Stephen, though he had a similar journey to Tony - going from a highly acclaimed, wealthy, self-centered asshole to a broken man then finally finding a new purpose and caring about the bigger picture - well, he’s not as far along this journey as Tony Stark was, hasn’t learned how to and who to let down his walls around and ultimately, he is not Tony Stark. Though he does not condone Peter being a superhero at sixteen and repeatedly attempts - by various magical and otherwise means - to prevent him from doing anything remotely dangerous, once Stephen resigns to his inability to stop Peter from doing anything he puts his mind to, their partnership/mentorship is much different. Stephen does not sugarcoat things, he lays things out for Peter as harshly as needed to get the point home, either to protect Peter’s own wellbeing or that of those around them. If Peter’s a liability, he’s not afraid of telling him so.

And although he comes to care (quite a lot) for Peter, he oftentimes puts him in danger if it’s something only Peter can help with. Later on when he’s tending to Peter’s injuries (which are very much Stephen’s fault) he’s slowly dying inside, and it keeps him awake at night, but Stephen knows that protecting this reality, this world, their city, is something only they can do, that it’s their duty and doing anything less than what’s necessary, including sacrificing their lives for it, is not an option. Peter’s the one who initiated many of their first interactions after half the universe was resurrected and things were beginning to calm down into the massive, but slow process of rebuilding everything that was lost in those five years. At first he’d tell himself that making sure that the doctor had a sort of support system around was something anyone with half a heart would do, that it was for the greater good, but he’ll admit that at least part of his reasoning was that Peter himself needed it. 

Being the one shouldering the crushing weight of Tony’s legacy, Peter looked for someone who’d feel Tony’s absence as he does and thought of the doctor who’d accompanied them on their impromptu trip to space. He could have gone to Miss Potts (though he’d missed the wedding, so maybe it’s Mrs Stark now, but it hurts), but the woman had gone through more than enough and had her own daughter (Tony’s real child) to worry about. Of all of the people involved in the war and the aftermath, the doctor was the only one likely to understand him. Most of the Avengers didn’t really know Peter all that well, and tended to patronise him. They also accepted that Tony’s sacrifice was necessary and promptly moved on with the rebuilding efforts. 

Stephen Strange was the one somewhat responsible for ensuring Tony Stark’s death. Yes, it was Tony’s choice and it might have happened without any sort of hint from the doctor’s part anyway, but Stephen was the one who took measures to guide their timeline in the direction of that particular future. Some blame him for this, but none more so than himself.

So they built this rapport between the two of them, both incredibly reluctant and wary, stepping on each other’s toes more often than not, but indescribably growing attached, to one day suddenly find that there are piles of Peter’s books and homework stacked on a coffee table in the Sanctum between Stephen’s mug of stale tea and some medical journals, and that Stephen has Aunt May on speed dial and knows the names of all of Peter’s friends and as well as highschool enemies. It’s not always good. Stephen is still pretty shut in and tends to hide things from Peter - most of them concerning the doctor himself rather than Peter - and he pushes Peter away on bad days (when the chronic pain gets more intense than usual, or when the guilt and sense of failure overwhelm him) because he knows he’s not what a role model should be - and really, how does Peter even rationalise this, he’s been Spider-man longer than Stephen has been a sorcerer, Stephen’s no mentor, and he can even less compare to Tony Stark - and Peter deserves better.   Peter too often feels guilty for bothering Dr Strange with his teenage drama all the time even though he knows better than to believe Stephen’s long-suffering sighs and unimpressed silence, and he sometimes catches himself comparing Dr Strange and Mr Stark and missing all the things he could only do with Tony that he can’t do with the doctor, then hates himself for being so unfair to the sorcerer, then hates himself for hating himself for missing Tony Stark and it goes on forever.  They’re both stubborn, and they have a temper, though Stephen has learned to control his better, and they are incredibly bad at talking about feelings, at least when it comes to the two of them. 

In spite of all this, they can be very good at holding silent conversations, which drives everyone else crazy because they don’t even realise they do it. Their trust goes unsaid but shows itself in the little things. Each thinks the other is a heathen/old fart/uncultured swine etc. for their taste in music but they are slowly introducing one another to their respective favourite genres. Stephen will meditate and pretend being interrupted by Peter arriving at the Sanctum bothers him, but he will enjoy the sound of Peter’s animated storytelling as he goes about his day. Peter will read his assigned copy of George Orwell to the surprising warmth and the slightly incense-like smell of the Sanctum, curled up in an armchair that’s likely as old as it looks. and at the end of the day, the Cloak will move on from petting Peter’s curls to draping over him when he inevitably falls asleep not even half into the book. And even though Peter really needs to have finished that book by Wednesday for that quiz, Stephen will let him sleep and instead give him the sparknotes version the next day, because a boy his age needs much more sleep than he’s getting in order to grow healthy and also because Stephen’s an incurable sap and doesn’t have the heart to wake him when he looks so adorable, though he’ll never admit it. He’ll still take a photo and send it to May.

[cantujordan91]

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Hanuman Mantra To Stop Divorce

If the couple is open minded and genuinely desires to continue in your spouse and would like them to each other.Those who want to be considerate of each other.You have kids together, then you need to be fed up with 3 methods to strongly save your marriage.One thing that should be time to reflect on where to turn the situation too seriously.At this stage as the norm tends to kill the joy pleasure and happiness that one down a bit of tad bit of time together, challenges encountered in life, which essentially rejuvenates the relation.

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[godsickk]

((Worldbuilding questions, you say? I might have a couple! Uhhhhhh tell me more about religion in Nina's world because she's referenced gods in several posts thus far so I'd assume it's polytheistic? What's the relationship between gods and spirits? Are gods really just powerful spirits that everybody worships? Is there any difference at all between spirits and gods? And how about all those cults that worship Nina? What are they like? How weird is it for that sort of thing to happen?))

unb0und. OH BOY LET’S GO

Religion in Nina’s world/polytheism vs. monotheism/etc.

During early civilization in Nina’s world, the most powerful spirit partner among a given population was seen as that group’s local god. How their human partner was seen varied from group to group; some were seen as the god’s mouthpiece, some as its keeper, some as an earthly extension of the god, some as an avatar of the god itself. Most or all of the blood sacrifice performed by each group was dedicated to their god.

The idea of a single, all-powerful god never really took hold in Nina’s world. People had always known that spirits existed throughout the entire world, which made it easier for them to accept that other groups would have gods of their own. The best way to describe it would be as a huge spread of monotheistic local religions. When visiting another group, visitors were expected to acknowledge and show respect to that group’s god – though they wouldn’t be made to worship it, since they already followed a different god.

This is why people swear by gods instead of god – speaking as if one’s god were the only god was considered a sign of disrespect to the gods of others. One would say “oh gods” instead of “oh my gods” because only one of those gods actually was THEIR god. Not worshiping another god = fine and normal. Refusing to acknowledge the existence of other gods = extremely rude.

In Nina’s world, gods never had absolute power over their people. Humanity’s first connection to spirits came through spirit-human partnerships, and though the human partners had much longer lifespans than most, in the end, they always died and took their partner with them. Gods were never seen as all-powerful or eternal, which made people more comfortable with defying them and challenging their authority. If the person partnered to a “god” began to abuse their power, they could be cast down or killed by the others. A god generally functioned as a guiding light, a pillar of community support, a point around which a society could gather itself, a source of wisdom or otherworldly knowledge, etc.

As people grew to understand more and more of spirits and the spirit world, the view of them as gods gradually died out and was replaced with the current view that puts them somewhere between natural (albeit still deeply mystical) forces and alien beings. For the most part, religion in Nina’s world has gone extinct; it’s almost entirely a thing of the past. In its place, people raised up ancestry and blood, balance with nature, executions, social division and hierarchy. “Gods” and all its variants are secular expressions now.

Relationship between gods and spirits/difference(s) between spirits and gods

On the most practical level, there was never any difference between spirits and gods, since all spirits are made from the same substance – just gathered and formed into different shapes, sizes, concentrations. The difference was always in how people saw and related to spirits.

People partnered to spirits viewed as gods would often exaggerate their partner’s power to other people in order to enhance their social/religious/political/etc. power. Sometimes they were found out and subsequently cast down; sometimes they passed without notice; and sometimes they played that exaggeration so well that the members of their community began to do their work for them, and the god and god-partnered crystallized into figures of myth or legend after their deaths.

When travel increased and societies started connecting and merging with each other, it meant hundreds of gods gathering in one place. This oversaturation of gods, combined with how humanity’s view of spirits was gradually evolving, is what really initiated the worldwide decline of religion. With so many “gods” in one place, it was hard to keep seeing them as any more deserving of one’s devotion compared to the rest of spirit- and humankind. People began looking more and more to those who wielded social, political, and economic power, and gods – even the idea of them – were deemed things of the past, relegated to myth and history.

Nina’s cults/what they’re like/how they’re seen in her setting

Nina’s status among her cults is different from that of most gods throughout history. With the direct way that she uses Zero’s power – something without historical precedent, unless you count certain mythological figures – and their abnormally high level of physical connection, combined with Nina’s force of personality and the nature of her celebrity persona, most people see HER as the god, not Zero. Zero is seen as both the source of her power and the price she pays for wielding it.

In the beginning, most people (except for a few REALLY big fans) don’t see Nina as a god, or even as a particularly religious figure; she’s a chance for justice, a figurehead and focal point for rebellion. The meetings about her aren’t initially for worship; they start out as gatherings where underground political groups discuss which issues to bring to her attention and how to do so, which duels they want to try and get her to fight, how much they can trust her (IF they can trust her), and so on. Nina is a source of hope for them, but she’s also a political asset – a means for these people to achieve their goals, and one that needs to be carefully managed and strategically deployed for maximum effect.

Nina almost definitely would never have had cults if it weren’t for Vene. His efforts to destroy Nina’s world force her to reveal her true power again and again; as Nina repeatedly defeats his attempts, her displays of power and her continued protection of humanity dovetail with her reputation as a source of hope and justice in such a way that many people start to see her as a savior figure, a view which gains more and more traction as Nina continues to defeat Vene. Nina is Vene’s daughter and, in many ways, his polar opposite; she launched her career with a monologue about being the cure to counter Vene’s plague; the two of them are the only ones who can rival each other in terms of power. In a culture that believes strongly in fate and destiny, people waste zero time in forming a narrative around these two and how Nina was born to kill Vene and cure the plague of his existence once and for all.

The development of Nina’s cults is an extremely unusual one within the context of her society, but it only happens due to extremely unusual circumstances. If it hadn’t been for Vene, she’d have gone down as a modern legend (with a few fringe fanatics). Then again, if it weren’t for Vene, Nina probably would have fallen into monstrous godhood herself for lack of an adversary. She might end up with cults then, too, but they’d be JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN NATURE

Most of Nina’s cults gather to talk about her, build up her narrative in each other’s eyes, talk about their hopes and fears together, plan acts of resistance, and so on – they’re still strongly political, but now have more of a narrative focus on Nina herself. Sometimes there’s meditation or silent prayer, or an offering of burnt aromatics (it makes some of them feel better, and they figure it can’t hurt).

One group carried out meetings that imitated Nina’s executions. Nina found out. That group doesn’t exist anymore.

At the end of the chase, Vene arrives in their home world before Nina and makes one last, prolonged attempt to destroy it. This is when the cults lose their political side and become wholly, overtly religious, as the population tries to survive the beginning of the end of the world.

[xtruss]

Opinion // Palestine

Palestine: The Third Way Forward

The Palestinians are not powerless. There is much they can do to stop Israeli expansionism.

— By Marwan Bishara | May 18, 2020 | Al Jazeera English

Love for all: Palestine! There is no Isra-hell but “Forever Palestine.” Demonstrators place a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, September 4, 2019

Since the catastrophic Arab failure in the 1948 and 1967 wars led to total Israeli control over historic Palestine, the Palestinians have been trying to recover their losses, but to no avail.

Refugees and prisoners in their own homeland, they have tried armed struggle and peaceful negotiations with equal vigour, but have failed to get justice or attain peace.

Both strategies entailed great sacrifice and major concessions, but ultimately neither led to the liberation of Palestine from Israeli domination.

Worse, Israel's appetite for expansion has grown with every Palestinian concession, and now its delusion of invincibility is driving it to illegally annex almost a third of what the Palestinians assumed would be their future state.

Regardless of whether it actually formalises its de facto annexation or not, Israel is already radically and unilaterally changing the reality on the ground.

So now what? What to do? What not to do?

The right diagnosis is half the cure

It is important to remember that contrary to newspeak there is no "Palestine problem" but rather an "Israeli colonial problem" - the region's last colonial problem - and the Palestinians may prove to be its only solution.

Since its creation at the end of the 19th century, Zionism has mutated from arguably a legitimate Jewish national movement in Europe to a European colonial enterprise in the eastern Mediterranean.

It led, among other things, to a century-long conflict, multiple wars and hatred, fuelled by ethnic cleansing, dispossession and the displacement of millions of people.

Since then, increased Israeli colonisation, especially in the occupied West Bank, devolved into a reprehensible system of apartheid.

Interestingly, apartheid was born in South Africa in 1948, the same year the Palestinian catastrophe began, and it ended in 1994, a year before apartheid basically started in Palestine with the Oslo-II agreement, which divided the occupied territories into bantustans.

Like South Africa, Israel should be induced to produce its own FW de Klerk to end its apartheid. Such a leader would find the Palestinians ready to reconcile and together with Israel build a better future.

And like South Africa, this does not mean ending Israel. It means liberating Israel from its paranoid garrison mindset that sees hegemony as the only way to survive.

Considering we are all one human race, apartheid is ultimately about hegemony, despite its racial or other pretexts.

It follows that the struggle against apartheid must be a universal, indivisible struggle for justice and freedom - one that opposes anti-Semitism, as it does colonial Zionism.

But what shape and path should it take?

Palestinians have already begun to think about and debate new ideas to end apartheid, which deserve further study and development.

But before we get into what the Palestinians need to do, let us look into what they should not do.

What Not to Do

Surrender is not an option. Do not even think about it.

Accepting the so-called "deal of the century" put forward by US President Donald Trump and his ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to surrender to Israeli hegemony. It means living in captivity in perpetuity.

Without surrender, there is no victory. As long as the Palestinians do not lose, Israel cannot win.

Refusing to give up or give in may not be easy, but it has proven effective in frustrating Israel's plans, and restraining certain Arab regimes' predilection for mischief.

Do not despair. Time and history are on your side.

It may not seem that way judging from Israel's visible confidence, (read arrogance), but even though it is a self-proclaimed country of "immigrants", it has been bleeding hundreds of thousands of emigrants, mostly to the US.

And a high 40 percent of Israelis are thinking of emigrating, as countless Palestinians risk their lives to reclaim their right of return.

It is the same story repeated over and over again. Most if not all colonial powers lost to the weaker indigenous population over the past century. So will Israel.

To that end, Palestinians have wisely framed their cause in legal terms and extracted many UN resolutions condemning Israel's violations of international law.

But international law does not deter the strong or save the weak, certainly not when the US flashes its veto at the mere mention of Israel.

Just do not depend on it. Depend on yourselves. And forget about the UN convening an international peace conference without American blessing.

Do not beat yourselves up too much. Be reasonable.

Yes, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has made its share of mistakes, but the Palestinians are not responsible for the contempt and incompetence of certain Arab regimes, or the cynicism of Western powers, especially the US appeasement of Israel.

And stop with the self-pity.

You cannot motivate and energise depressed people. It will not kill you to smile. The best laughs are those mixed with tears. There is much to dread, but there is much more to dream about.

Do not underestimate the moral weight of your cause in the Arab world and beyond, regardless of what the doubters say.

No matter how many dictators recognise Israel, a belligerent apartheid state will never achieve true legitimacy or security regionally.

Never.

Arabs see the struggle for justice in Palestine as a symbol and extension of their own fight for justice.

Syrians, Saudis, Yemenis, Egyptians and others may be engrossed in their own tragedies, as they must be, but polls consistently show that, collectively, Arabs see Palestine as their foremost cause in the struggle against colonialism.

Do not forget that.

Israel has always tried to separate Palestinians from Palestinians and the Palestinians from their Arab neighbourhood.

Do not allow it and do not engage in secret negotiations.

There are more than a few ways to connect and bridge the geographic divide.

As war and diplomacy come to a dead end, and as Israel dashes forward arrogantly grabbing and annexing more Palestinian land, speak up and do not let Netanyahu and Trump get off easy.

Try not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Try not to look back. Look ahead. Look for a third way forward.

Reinventing Palestinian Unity

The lopsided peace process has been terribly divisive for the Palestinians. It is what asymmetrical peace processes do. Therefore, abandoning it must lead to some form of national unity.

The dreadful competition between the main political factions has thus far proven detrimental to national unity and elections have been no less divisive.

Instead of uniting against the occupation, the factions have been preoccupied with managing it.

While Fatah and Hamas continue to insist on holding onto their "strongholds", the separated bantustans in the West Bank and Gaza, some suggest the establishment of an overall political umbrella, perhaps a reformed and expanded PLO, to unite all the Palestinians around the undisputed cause of justice.

But this will require a new generation of Palestinians to step up and take over from the predominantly septuagenarian and octogenarian leadership to chart a fresh, new way forward.

All bureaucratic tasks and responsibilities, whether on the level of the National Authority or the municipalities should be left to technocrats, chosen on the basis of merit not partisanship.

This requires a great deal of maturity, ingenuity and dynamism.

Another interesting idea is for Palestinians to unite behind multiple strategies, instead of being divided behind one failed strategy of negotiations.

This tactical decentralisation means "popular mobilisation" where each Palestinian community should be able to design and embrace strategies of struggle according to its abilities and circumstances.

Palestinians in Gaza may want to retain their deterrence capabilities to defend against another Israeli assault, and Jerusalemites may want to strengthen their city's Palestinian presence and character.

Likewise, Palestinians in Israel may want to transform Israel's binationality from demographics to politics. The Palestinians in Jordan may want to work with Jordanians to block Israel's attempt to make their country the alternative Palestinian state. And the Palestinians in exile may want to promote the cause in foreign capitals. And so on.

These micro strategies should be continuously synchronised and synergised as integral parts of the national struggle for justice and liberation as a whole.

Palestinians should no longer be satisfied with passive "steadfastness". They need to reactivate and re-energise the popular base.

Boosting Palestinian Immunity

Comprising almost half the population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, the Palestinians need to immunise themselves against persistent Israeli repression and marginalisation.

Palestinians need to offset Israel's new attempts at dividing and ostracising them by improving business infrastructure and economic life to help people endure.

They need to expand on one of their greatest recent achievements, namely institution building.

This entails deflating an inflated bureaucracy by ending corruption and nepotism and creating partnerships between the public and private sector to improve economic planning and infrastructure development.

Currently, one-third of the national budget goes to the security apparatus, more than both the health and education sectors receive. Given that it serves Israeli more than Palestinian security, there is no reason why it should continue to consume so much of the Palestinian budget.

Boosting national immunity is also about boosting individual immunity in everyday life.

And there is no immunity without national and personal dignity.

A Palestinian may be able to block or defy the humiliation of an Israeli soldier, but may still find him/herself powerless when humiliated by a fellow (armed) Palestinian. Such humiliation is emotional and leads to indifference, even betrayal. This must stop.

And there is no dignity without work. This means there needs to be job creation, the expansion of good productive employment, so that poor Palestinians are not forced to slave away at Israeli settlements.

Palestinians are some of the most educated people in the region. Modest investment in human capital could yield great national advantage in the long run.

Rebuilding Alliances

As the PLO hedged its bets exclusively on the US-led peace process, it abandoned much of the international solidarity movement.

Today, Palestinians need to rebuild links to European, Latin American, African and other foreign solidarity movements. These would be essential for their struggle moving forward, just as they were in ending apartheid in South Africa.

Moreover, and unlike many forgotten indigenous populations, Palestinians are not alone. They are part of a vast Arab region, and can draw strength and solace from your Arab hinterland.

Palestinians also have a special connection to the Islamic world, much of which has suffered terribly from Western colonialism.

It is paramount to confront Israel's peddling of religious justification for its occupation with civic and universal, not religious, arguments.

All colonial enterprises of the past several centuries have used varying degrees of religious justification, and Palestine has been the focal point of interest for all three Abrahamic religions.

But treating Palestine as a "promised land" or "a waqf" turns the divine from a peacemaker to a real estate broker.

Palestine belongs to all its inhabitants, especially its indigenous people.

Cultivating Jewish Partners

Winning Jewish support for justice and freedom in Palestine is imperative to dispel Israeli propaganda, and indispensable to roll back Israeli hegemony

Just as white people participated in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and in the civil rights movement in the US, Jews are indispensable in the struggle against apartheid in Palestine.

Throughout their history, Jews have been the victims of racism, suffering greatly from European anti-Semitism. And for long, they have been at the forefront in the fight against racism.

This week, for example, I read an obituary titled, "Denis Goldberg Man of Integrity: South African Freedom Fighter, Anti-Zionist Jew, and True Mensch" written by Ronnie Kasrils, a prominent Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist about a comrade who had passed away. Reflecting on Goldberg's lifelong anti-racism struggle, Karsils emphasised: "As an anti-Zionist Jew he came to view Israel's colonial-racism as akin to apartheid South Africa."

I know many such people, having worked closely with Jewish academics, students, journalists, feminists, editors, publishers, lawyers, unionists, and activists on various progressive causes including that of free Palestine.

Palestinians must take down anyone who peddles anti-Jewish slogans in their name and build on increasing Jewish resentment towards an Israeli leadership that does terrible things in their name.

When former US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders accused Netanyahu of "reactionary racism" and grew even more popular in the process, it showed just how far the American Jewish community and the Democratic Party have gone, bearing in mind that most American Jews vote Democrat, not Republican.

Palestinians need to nourish this new spirit and synergy to counter the Israeli-inspired campaign equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.

Anti-Zionism has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. After all, Jews were the first to oppose Zionism.

A new Palestinian-Jewish partnership must fight Israeli injustice tooth and nail, exposing the Israeli government's malign attempts to label movements like Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) as anti-Semitic.

In short, and as I argued recently, it is high time for a Palestinian-Jewish spring.

The Endgame

The evolution of this renewed struggle in its totality will determine the outcome - two states or one binational state, not the opposite.

The continuing debate about the singularity or duality of states is not only premature, it may prove divisive and debilitating.

Israel will certainly oppose a one-state solution with the same if not stronger determination it opposes a sovereign Palestinian state with.

The sooner the Palestinian leaders realise there are no short cuts or off-the-shelf solutions the better they will be prepared for the long haul.

That is why the Palestinian endgame should be justice and freedom. They are not only an attainable goal that everyone will rally behind, but also a prerequisite for peace and security in the region.

They require changing Israel's calculus, not defeating it, or destroying it, as Israeli leaders whine and warn.

This is how major powers gave up their colonialism and how South Africa ended its system of apartheid. They were forced to reconsider the calculus of gain and loss.

In this way, Netanyahu's Israel cannot have all the land and all the security. It cannot continue to live by the sword and preach Kumbaya to the Palestinians.

In short, it cannot have its cake and eat it too.

If history is any guide, Israel will end its occupation just as all colonial powers of the past century ended theirs.

The sooner the better for both Palestinians and Israelis.

— Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera

[bigapplek9]

Stian. And future partners.

It came from some emotional trauma. I’ve pretty much done a lot of dating in my 20′s, and had my only relationship 2 years ago. I’m not scared of commitment, I’m scared of when the honeymoon phase ends for him. when the chase ends for him. when he takes me for granted. when rough patches are so clouded by my sparring (than submission) that he sees it as a nuisance. when he doesn’t try to work on things and gives up. Because I know myself; I’m consistent with affections, I’m a ‘man of my word’, I accept differences, I always own up to my faults, and I know my weight in empathy. Whether these are reciprocated makes it difficult for me to reach trust. In that only relationship, it took me 4 months for me to confidently use the ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’ label, since it’s a serious commitment to me. I slowly warmed up to him out of being guarded and cautious. He fell for me first, he loved me first, and he made a big sacrifice for me first (transferring work offices). What happened? Eventually he chose the attention of his new friends over me. He prioritized New Year’s plans with others than including me (more importantly, he never made up for it after I expressed how much it meant & how much it hurt). Eventually I wasn’t a fit with his grad school circles. He flaked on a meaningful trip I planned to include him with my friends. I was only really appreciated in the beginning when things were exciting, when he was self-conscious of having any close friends in NY, and when he was recovering from spinal surgery. “You’re only important when you’re needed.” When things got frustrating and awful, we had our own toxic ways of dealing with breaking points. - First time, he emotionally called for a break since my actions of withdrawal were interpreted as being unloved. (I withdraw when I’m hurt.) This was hard for me since I’ve communicated my upset before and saw no changes in behavior, so I internalized the struggle. This break was a non-negotiable break-up for me since it wasn’t communicated, and it hurt the both of us. We made amends in a week; more painfully vulnerably from my end, more hesitantly from his end (even though he sent an e-mail saying I was ‘the one’ in reconciliation). - Second time, I picked up that he was cutting me out of his life (metaphorically, on Instagram. figuratively, by excluding me to events), so I expressed hurt and insecurity in our relationship, especially given the break-up <1 month ago. (Even with a general break-up, I’d hope for amicable/human communication, and I’d peacefully leave my ex on my social media.) Apparently my insecurity came at a bad time while he was out drinking: he reacted aggressively, I reflected, and I came to a bad emotional point of wanting to break-up out of respect for myself. Except I want it to be a mutual decision because naively I’m about equal say in relationships. I called him saying “I know things are rough, but do you want to work on things together?” He agreed, we both said “I love you.” I brought up this event later in the week and it turned out that he didn’t even remember any of this happening. The memory sat with me as a way of wearing me down, that he wants me to break up so he doesn’t feel like the bad guy. - Third time, he called for another break because of long-term doubts. Only a month after the first time. This time it’s because I’m not intelligent enough, and I don’t want all kids of my own. We talk in person and I say I can’t keep going through something like this, it killed me the first time. He has trouble being sure, but it’s clear in his body language and words that he doesn’t want to try anymore. I’m heartbroken. He’s given up; he doesn’t want to fight for us anymore. This is him breaking us up. It was a 1.5 year relationship, the last 5 months heartbreaking. I maintained casual, thoughtful actions throughout the entire time — that’s my style, but everyone has different love languages. Affections even as simply as making quality time for each other became one-sided. I’m not the girl for him to be sweet for. I am haunted by the memory of the anniversary cards we wrote for each other: he wrote “times have been difficult” whereas I wrote “thank you for accepting me”. I seek equal humility. The fear and trauma has stayed with me. While I am true to my word in commitment, in expressing affection, in accepting differences and still loving him in disagreeing times — that his love will die off and my efforts will be unreciprocated. I recognize that I am a fiercely different individual and with that comes strong traits; it won’t always be agreeable for my partner, but I know I am imperfect and can humanely compromise. It took me 2, 2.5 months to be myself again. That feeling of being so worthless to someone who meant so much to you really sends you to a dark place; it’s so awful, I would never wish this feeling upon anyone. I’m just thankful I have the mental stability to survive it & without vices. I’ve come to realize that I wouldn’t have been so traumatized if he afforded ending things with sensitivity and appreciation. That we know we have our clear differences, it’s unfair to change what we want. We both deserve better compatibilities, and we’re well aware. Our time was meaningful, and efforts are appreciated. (Ending it in a way that implies otherwise is what hurts.) Empathy and emotional IQ are powerful tools to let the other person still feel valuable, regardless of being not compatible enough. Unfortunately, according to my ex, it takes bravery to be confrontational. I’m lucky to receive love from friends & family. I only want to impart love to others. I seek similar partnership, except I’m still so terrified of soul-crushing heartbreak. I’m optimistic but painfully guarded.

[luluvonv]

Reasons to love Kurtis Trent

OUR BELOVED DEMON HUNTER AND LUX VERITATIS WARRIOR HAS HIS 45th 46th BIRTHDAY TODAY!

(Just a little warning: You won’t see anything non-Kurtis related today on my dash. Today it’s gonna be just about him.)

I never have enough of this man, seriously. There are only few characters that had such impact on me.This freaking man has charmed me 14 years ago and he’s never stopped to do so with every replaying of AoD or with every release of some new info about him.

To celebrate Kurtis’ awesomeness, I decided to write down some reasons why I love him. It would be so nice if this post would spread a bit and each Kurtis fan would throw one or two things what they like about him. There is so many people bashing him and I just want him to be appreciated. Because he deserved better.

He became a major part in TR universe, he was important, he wasn’t just a simple secondary character. He was a sidekick, a second protagonist. Without him the AoD storyline would be vague. After AoD, there’s no TR without him - and no Lara. He deserved so much better. So to honour this perfectly written and stunning, unforgettable character, here I list my reasons why I love him to guts.

1. HOW MYSTERIOUS HE IS

First he’s just a random guy sitting in a corner of a shabby café, reading his newspaper and drinking red wine. Then he becomes to be an irritating stalker, always step ahead, confusing us as a pro. At Louvre, he shows himself as a bad boy, opponent, dangerous individual, self-confident, cheeky and flirty - which confuses us even more. Then he simply charms us with his self-sacrifice towards Lara, throwing all his planned and desired revenge out of window, just to save her… And still we know so little about him. Everything is simply intriguing and mysterious with him, his whole past is just amazing and enigmatic… Pro writing this is.

I love characters like that - you don’t like or even hate them at first, they start to get under your skin slowly but surely, and you end up loving them to the bones.

2. HIS BACKGROUND

We got so little info about him when AoD was released, yet it was totally clear he wasn’t just a random character. Even without knowing there was so much planned for him, one just has to see that for a secondary character he was pretty developed - which means he was important to the plot and without him it wouldn’t be complete. He even appears in credits at the beginning of the game - featuring Kurtis Trent. His name is there right after Lara’s.

And even if some people try to deny all this - he was the first character to be playable next to Lara and that’s speaks for itself. I dare to say that he was more developed than Lara herself. The details of the Order, his powers, focus on his past and motives… and now, with release of all the information about his spin-off game Bloodline, one cannot deny his importance - they not only wanted him to be a major part in TR universe; they created his own universe. He was a key character.

I totally love the things Core people planned for him in the spin-off. Yet just the AoD game is enough to get to like him and be fascinated by him. Bless the day Murti Schofield created him. His telekinetic powers are mindblowing. The Farsee ability. The ability of controlling his trademark Chirugai weapon by his mind, him being connected with it…. You never know when the strike comes from his part, you cannot be possibly prepared for that if you’re not a mind reader. Kurtis himself is pretty tough and dangerous bloke and with Chirugai and his other powers he just gets into a whole new level. 

3. HIS BEHAVIOUR AND PERSONALITY

From the little things you can pick in AoD - or now even Bloodline like him eating peanuts :) - to the major characteristic attributes, Kurtis is intriguing. His effort to escape from an ancient Order, being a soldier in Foreign Legion and then a mercenary, just to get back to the hated status of Lux Veritatis - because faith you know - it all affected him deeply. He is fearless, tough, patient, discreet, secretive, suspicious, severe, careful, persistent; he possesses incredible self-control … and he is a really good actor because behind all these cool and bad-ass qualities he showed he has a soft spot when sacrificing for Lara. Also, his sense of humour, his salty comments and sarcastic remarks are just priceless.

4. HIS IMPACT ON LARA AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP

Never ever has any man behaved so cheekily towards Lara as him. And if any man did behave like this, Lara has never let him to get away with it - until Kurtis appeared. We got to explore Lara in a totally new way. There was something big happening between them and it doesn’t matter what it was - whether you see it as a sexual spark, romantic affection or just some kind of needed alliance, their chemistry is undeniable. For me it was totally evident it wasn’t just simple partnership - there was an immense, gripping and sparkling tention and sexual attraction between those two. I consider people denying their special bond as totally ignorant or blind. Lara voluntarily collaborated with him, she was blatantly flirty, mindlessly risky, she gave up the hard-to-get painting in exchange of his life - a life of a stranger - without a blink of an eye. He was her opponent yet something in him made her to join the forces with him.

He’s tempting and secretive and Lara as an extremely curious individual just cannot resist. Moreover he is not just a pretty face. He is smart. Like really smart. He is no dummy and that’s what makes him so different from all the men Lara has encountered. His inteligence is one of the main factors drawing Lara to him. He just knows how to tease and annoy her; he is the only one who managed to do so and making Lara enjoing it.

5. HOW ALIKE HE WAS TO LARA

Both don’t give a shit about others, both confident, they understood each other without words, both ambitious, determined, enigmatic, both having interesting and tough-as-hell past, both so competetive, especially with each other, both loners… They were made for each other. As Murti himself said, they were a match created in heaven.

6. HIS ICY, MEZMERIZING, PIERCING, BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES - no comment!

7. HIS VOICE - I’d like to thank the casting team for choosing Eric Loren to voice Kurtis because it was spot on in every aspect. The way Eric works with his voice to deliver the right feels and mood is just perfect. His deep, resolute, confident yet calm level of voice just adds to Kurtis’ mysterious attitude. And yes, it’s sexy as hell. Eric’s voice is the last cherry on top that made Kurtis so irresistible.

8. HIS GOATEE AND STUBBLE, HIS WHOLE APPEREANCE - please, do not let me start talking about this. I’m just a simple weak woman whose legs go numb when it comes to certain men. ;) I want to keep this post available even to those whose blog is not open to nsfw or sensitive topics. 

(this rule, however, doesn’t apply to the comment section ajajajajaja)

9. HE BROUGHT A NEW DIRECTION TO TOMB RAIDER AND A NEW VIEW ON THE SUPERNATURAL 

TR became more energic thanks to him. It wasn’t just about Lara finding an artifact and saving a world. It brings me again to the fact how much he changed Lara’s attitude, behaviour, decisions. He changed the whole course of events. It wasn’t just what Lara wanted. Moreover, he brought a new supernatural flow to it, he was unique with all his background, yet he still was human. He wasn’t invincible as it would usually be with characters possessing supernational powers. 

10. FOR THE FIRST TIME I CARED ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE APART FROM LARA

Previously, it was always only about Lara. In AoD, it has changed. I wasn’t even that affected by Werner’s death as by the fact Kurtis was deadly wounded and, even though we know he survived, we didn’t get to see more of him again. When playing previous stories, I didn’t care how many times a certain character appears on the screen. With Kurtis it wasn’t like that, I kept wondering where he’d pop out again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURTIS!

[kane-and-griffin]

OK I know The List is probably just existing at this point to cause angst and strife in Arkadia and probably won't actually end up applying to who survives at all, but it's still freaking me out: Abby's name was obviously no.1 on that list. (Raven was probably second.) Like, essential personal right there, Clarke must be so glad she can justifiably save her mom first. But what about Marcus? (What about Octavia??) Do you think that will come up next week? /trying to be chill but not chill at all

There’s a fantastic episode in the first seasonof The West Wing called “TheCrackpots and These Women,” where deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman has ameeting with a member of the National Security Council, who gives him a card tokeep in his wallet with instructions for where to go and what to do in the caseof a nuclear strike or terrorist attack. He’s on the list who gets to go into the President’s secure emergencybunker.  The whole rest of his arc in theepisode is about Josh slowly realizing that none of his friends got one ofthose cards; none of them are high enough up on the food chain to be deemedimportant enough to rate a spot in the bunker. If a nuclear strike happens, they’ll all be dead, and he’s the only onewho knows it, because the existence of the card itself is classified.

There isn’t a nuclear strike in that episode, ofcourse, or anywhere else in the course of the series, and the card never comesup again.  It exists as a way to forceJosh into a situation where the brutal, grim realities of wartime – finite resourcesallocated based on a person’s overall importance to the survival of the governmentof the United States – crash headfirst into his personal feelings for thesepeople he cares about and works with every day, and the discomfort of hisrealization that someone, somewhere, made a decision that his life has morepractical value than someone else’s.

I was thinking a lot about Josh and the NSC cardas I watched Clarke, Bellamy and Raven clash over the list.  Raven’s understanding of it is practical anda little abstract; she’s the NSC agent saying “okay there are forty spots inthe bunker besides the President, who are the 39 people we most need to keepthis country functional in the event of a national crisis?”  But I think maybe her arc in this episode nudgesa little at the possibility of that perspective shifting; at the beginning, themedicine is an abstraction (“we only have X amount, it has to last X long, thechances of it working in this situation are X%, that’s too low to risk wastingit”), but by the end there’s a real child dying in front of her, which givesRaven a little taste of what it’s like to be Clarke and Bellamy, for whom noneof these deaths feel abstract.  She tellsClarke “choosing who lives and dies is your specialty,” but in this episode itwas her choices that cost lives.  That doesn’t mean she’s wrong or right, thatjust means that abstract things became concrete for her in some interestingways.

And Bellamy’s storyline reminded me a lot of Joshhimself, wrestling with the question of who “deserves” to be on the list; heinitially refuses to let Clarke put him on it, in the cold open, and then atthe end when she finally does but hesitates to put her own name, he writes itfor her.  Neither of them feel worthyenough to write their own names, but neither of them wants to be inside if theother one isn’t, and each of them sees the other’s value to the community as awhole.  Clarke needs Bellamy, but shealso knows that any group of survivors trying to stay alive in Arkadia willneed him too.  It isn’t a selfishgesture, just the way Bellamy knows they can’t afford to let Clarke sacrificeherself out of guilt.  It’s a reallymoving scene in terms of their closeness and partnership, and the way theyshare burdens, but it’s also I think setting up what the real ongoing impact ofthis list is going to be for the next few episodes.  

I suspect that in a manner of speaking, the listitself is kind of a MacGuffin; I think we’re going to end up with the grouppursuing a number of different survival options (more spoilery/speculativethoughts on this below the jump!), so I don’t think the list is meant right nowto be a hard-and-fast breakdown of who is and isn’t scheduled to survive praimfaya.  I think right now it’s much more about Clarke’srelationships.  Her name is on that listnow, and 400 other people’s names are not. And it seems from the trailers for next week that the list is foundalmost immediately, at least by Jasper and Monty if not by the group as a whole.Jasper’s desire to keep secrets for Clarke seems to be RAPIDLY diminishing, thefewer fucks he gives, so it doesn’t seem like we have to wait too long for theemotional consequences of that list to erupt.  Does she put Monty but notHarper or Jasper? Does she put her own mother but not Miller’s father? How - if at all - does she justify Octavia, other than avoiding the desire to hurt Bellamy, and what does Raven think about that? I don’t actually thinkwho’s on the list right now is any kind of a barometer of characters’ actualfates, I think it’s purely about Clarke’s chickens coming home to roost and theway relationships are either brought closer together or wedged apart when thelist inevitably leaks out.

In terms of the questions of who survives, howand where, I’ve been sorting through a number of thoughts related to the finaleand this episode clarified a couple of them, so I want to sort of walk throughthis in an orderly fashion.  Basicallywhat I think is that we’re gearing up for a finale with the main cast fracturedin a number of different places, so I’d caution you not to have a heart attackthat like half the cast is gonna get killed off going into the final season, orthat if we do find out who is on the list, that your fave not being on it meansthey’re getting killed off in the finale.

I want to talk through a couple of the possible “lifeboats”we’ve seen hinted at so far and share some of the thoughts I’ve had about themone by one.

1. ArkadiaThe season poster is a picture of Arkadia onfire, which could mean one of two things; it could mean that Arkadia itselfcatches fire and blows up, and we lose that option altogether, leaving thewhole Skaikru contingent homeless and desperate.  Or, alternately, the fire could be praimfayasweeping over at the end of the season, and they deliver on the current setup,which is that they get everything patched up to keep 100 people stuck insideArkadia for five years on starvation rations. The fact that they made it 100 people specifically feels symbolicallysignificant enough that I think Arkadia is likely to survive so they can carry throughon that imagery; in fact, I think a cool reversal of the pilot would be forClarke to send Abby, Kane and Jaha as part of “the 100″ in the Ark. 

A related theory I’ve been hashing out with @abigailkanes and @brittanias has to do with the (VERY WELCOME, DON’T GET MEWRONG, BUT STILL) noticeably deliberate choice to show Kane coming inside Abbyin that sex scene.  A lot of the othersex scenes we get are either sexy leadup (tearing off clothes and wild makingout, a la Flarke and Rellamy) or sexy afterglow (cut juuuuuuuust as they finishand flop backwards onto the pillows, a la Marper).  But like ….. not to give away how many timesI’ve watched that scene or how hard I’ve listened, but that is definitely likethrusting and gasping and Kane coming. And their storyline is so much about Jake and about marriage that I feellike it would not be WILDLY unlikely for the plot-relevant reason for anonscreen Kane orgasm to be that Abby ends up pregnant.  Part of why I like this theory – and this isDEEP-CUT CONSPIRACY STUFF FAM – is because, the original 100 was actually 101. Bellamy stowed away.  Nobodycounted him.  We’ve been getting a ton ofAbby/Bellamy parallels this season, so the idea of Abby being 2 months pregnant(maybe knowing it, maybe not) at the end of the season and a secret 101st“stowaway” inside Arkadia feels like it might fit nicely with all the S1parallels they’re giving us.  So I feellike that possibility, along with the reversal of the adults who sent theoriginal 100 now being sent as part of the new 100, makes me pretty confidentthat all three of them (Abby, Kane, Jaha) will end up in Arkadia in thefinale.  And maybe with a baby.  And maybe if we get the five-year time jump I’manticipating (to catch the characters up a little better with the cast’s actualages), we’ll have a cute lil’ toddler running around the ship driving AuntieOctavia crazy, being both a literal symbol of the hope that’s hard-wired intothe Kabby storyline, and also being a major liability during the end of theworld because they didn’t budget for food and supplies for a 101stperson.

2. Nightblood SerumRaven is 100% focused on keeping as many Skaikrualive as possible, but we know that Clarke takes her commitment to theGrounders seriously, and that she isn’t going to give up and just settle for onlysaving 100 and letting all of Grounder civilization die.  It’s not who she is, it would be a terriblebetrayal of Lexa, and in terms of sheer repopulate-the-earth practicality, she’sthinking about keeping the biggest number of people alive as possible.  Not to mention that Nightblood is a genetictrait and only the Grounders have that gene. So I think we’re definitely headed towards an arc for Abby that’s allabout her figuring out from Becca’s journal how to manufacture artificialNightblood serum. I suspect that next week when we see Abby and Jackson onEmori’s boat that they’re headed for Becca’s lab (that blue-and-white room wesaw in the trailers), and that a big part of the next few episodes is going tobe her and Raven going full Science BAMF with Becca’s equipment to see if theycan replicate her original work.  We’relikely to get some juicy bioethics questions from this (do they have toexperiment on human subjects???) but I would guess that in the end we’re goingto end up with Abby able to replicate X number of workable doses of Nightbloodserum and then that’s ANOTHER list of who gets a shot at survival.  This story could intersect nicely with Gaia ifpart of it involves rounding up every surviving Nightblood, as well as withIlian if the growing distrust of all technology leads Grounders to besuspicious of a vaccination from Skaikru doctors.

3. Cadogan’s BunkersSooooo, Jaha’s ensemble is more than a little cult-tasticall of a sudden, and also I recognize the guest actor playing Cadogan, which meansI’m going to guess that part of Jaha’s arc this season is continuing to huntfor another doomsday cult bunker.  The fact that the season motto and thecult’s motto are the same is clearly important; maybe in a Mount Weather way(are there still members of this cult alive somewhere???), maybe in a Jaha’sNew Quest way (although I’m hoping we don’t end up retreading story beats we’vealready covered), or maybe in a way that has something to do with ALIE and thefirst apocalypse. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get flashbacks of Cadogan andlearn more about him.  We’re also gettinginteresting hints that there’s sort of two different collections of accumulatedChancellor knowledge; there’s what’s in the files (they tell him outside theRover that they checked every bunker that the Council investigated as an optionfor the original 100 and deemed them all useless), and then there’s whatappears to be the deep underground stuff that isn’t written down anywhere andis highly classified; things like the real Polaris story, and the fact thatthis other bunker existed, which Jaha seems to have known about already.  So the question of what else he knows, or canfigure out, and what he might have learned from ALIE, could come up over thecourse of the season.  Off the top of myhead I’m guessing he starts to creepily over-identify with this Cadogan guy,and/or becomes pulled into their weirdo belief system, but also that hecontinues looking, either using files from the Ark mainframe or from ALIE’scomputers, for another one of Cadogan’s bunkers.  If they’re gunning for something resembling aredemption arc for Jaha, he’ll eventually have to contribute something concreteto the group as a whole, and being the person who figures out a way to helpsave his people would help.  If it allturns out to be a fruitless or destructive quest for nothing, I’ll be kind ofcranky, because frankly we’ve already gone down that road with the City ofLight.  So I’m waiting to see what thetwist is here, and Jaha unearthing another bunker could be the way to do that.

There’s one more possibility that I’m puttingbelow the jump, because it has to do with some finale spoilers that werefloating around and lowkey confirmed by a recent actor interview, and I don’twant anyone who doesn’t want to see those to put them in their eyeballs.

Anyway, this is a very long answer to your question,but basically the upshot here is that I don’t think we’re meant at thisjuncture to interpret the list as the real actual who lives/who dies list, likethat’s Jason telling us who makes it into S5. I think the list right now is about the fracturing of Clarke’srelationships based on the unavoidable pressures of having to makelife-or-death decisions, and that the thing that keeps her from turning into aJaha (like he cautioned her in that great scene from last week) is that she hasa partner who can share these burdens with her, even if the things they have todo push everyone else away.

OKAY HERE’S LIFEBOAT #4, DON’T CLICK IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS!

OKAY ARE WE GOOD ARE WE ALONE DID EVERYONE WHODOESN’T WANT SPOILERS LEAVE ALREADY?

Okay, here we go.

4. SpaceOkay, so I will preface this by saying that I sawthe leaked finale pages, and was told about them in about half a dozen anonmessages, and even though I didn’t really want to know that information, it waslowkey confirmed in Marie’s TV Guide interview, so it feels like something wecan all acknowledge now, which is that it seems like some contingent of peopleend up finding a way to go to space. There was a post floating around on Tumblr and Twitter with Raven at hergiant wall o’ computer screens and one of the things up onscreen in thebackground was an article about an asteroid mining colony that had lost contactwith Earth at some point before the nuclear meltdown.  Marie basically says that for Octavia, space isn’tan option – she was miserable there – which seems to confirm the theory thatthe core cast ends up fractured a number of different places.  So, again, for those of you who saw thoseleaked pages and were panicking that those half a dozen or so people were likethe whole cast of S5, I definitely don’t think that’s likely.  The names that were kicking around of who wasin that posse were Bellamy, Echo, Monty, Harper, Murphy, Emori, and Raven, withother spoilers referring to stuff I didn’t see that seemed to indicate thatClarke doesn’t make it onto the space shuttle. (“No one knows if Clarke is dead or alive” is a nice season finalecliffhanger tbh, although I don’t really want her on nuclear wasteland walkaboutfor a five-year timejump, eating radioactive pauna or whatever.)  But if they find a way to get into space andthey think they’ve found the location of a mining colony, that’s a place thatwould have survivable resources (and maybe even living people).  I’m curious about what Echo’s doing on thatsquad, but Monty, Emori and Raven being the tech squad (and bringing their sweetieswith them in case they have to make babies) feels like a reasonable crew tosend in a tiny little shuttle on a crazy high-tech possible suicide missionwhile the people who are more on the politics side of things (Kane, Roan,Octavia, Jaha, Indra, Luna) and the medical personnel (Abby, Jackson) stay wherethere’s a higher density of people, whether it’s Arkadia or Jaha’s bunker or someoutpost of artificial Nightbloods hunkered down somewhere else.