#most US veterans in particular did not join the military to kill people

[lem0nademouth]

the venn diagram of people who think all Israelis deserve to suffer by virtue of being born in and/or living in Israel and people who think all veterans should be considered war criminals and not be supported after their service is so nauseatingly close to being a circle

[ourmondobongo]

Zeke Yeager and the life of an Eldian of the Continent (and a few parallels with Erwin, Hange, and Levi)

Like many AOT characters, Zeke is both appreciated and hated.

The things he went through when he was a little kid made a lot of people pity his adult form. The things he did to the SC and Levi were definitely horrendous and hurtful, and for sure made a lot of people absolutely hate Zeke for all he did to our favs.

I don't follow either of these takes, though. I like the complexity of Zeke's character. And as a fan of his story, I don’t pity him or see how his character really needs it (except while he was a kid abused by his parents). Also, rationalizing Zeke’s character is not about finding ways to forgive him, but rather delving further into AOT’s storytelling. Which is why I’m writing this post: to see things through non-Paradisians perspectives.

Zeke Yeager was the Captain of the Warriors, and it's said he was written to be the equivalent of Levi's mighty soldier character to the Eldians of the Continent. But we have many hints that Zeke is not only like Levi's other side of the “hero” spectrum but also Hange's and Erwin's too.

Putting it simply, Zeke had within his character building the most known traits we’ve seen in the SC Veteran trio:

- Like Levi, Zeke was born with inhuman power hidden in his blood, had a unique grow up (and not only because of Grisha), but he became his country's 'Boy Wonder' (chapter 93) and was even considered their strongest Warrior (according to Reiner);

- like Hange, Zeke had the biggest knowledge of the Titans' powers and biology, and he was one of the most intelligent characters of AOT (with 11/10 smartness stats according to the 1st AOT guidebook);

- and like Erwin, Zeke got his father tortured and sentenced to death for conspiracy against the government, carried a secret dream shared his 2nd father (Ksaver) and that he had no one he trusted completely to share, and had a smart way of dealing with high-up military figures as well as of gambling and manipulating events and people to achieve his ultra-secretive goals and dream. 

At the same time though Zeke also had some of the most antagonistic characteristics of the veterans post-RtS alive:

- he saw death/non-existence as a type of people's “salvation”, liberation, or some kind of freedom - opposing Levi;

- he was adamant he had the best and only solution to save both the whole world and his people - opposing Hange;

But these few points don’t even scratch the surface of Zeke’s character. And while the Vet Trio is thoroughly dissected in the fandom, that Zeke is their particular main antagonist but hardly "meta-ed" is something kinda strange. Especially because ignoring Zeke leaves some events in the manga lacking some important and intriguing discussions!

Like, how nicely written was to have a glimpse of Zeke’s mind right after the chapter of Erwin's last passionate speech and sacrifice (chapters 80-81). And how nice it's to parallel chapters 136 X 137 - where Levi is almost on the verge of "giving up" on killing Zeke but struggling heartbroken at the thought of the Devoted Hearts' meanings still left open X where Zeke, the man who saw everything as meaningless, lets himself be killed by Levi (being probably aware of what that action meant to his archnemesis).

So, it will probably sound like I'm playing the Devil's advocate, but there are some very interesting things to highlight about Zeke’s journey!

Since interpretation varies from reader to reader though, I just ask anyone who may join the discussion to keep the talk civil even if you fully hate Zeke. Or Levi. Or Isayama.

1. Zeke Yeager was one of the TWO last Royal Bloods of King Fritz’s lineage alive

Much like our special bloodline-born Ackerman duo, Zeke and Historia were the last two living Royal Bloods of AOT. This might sound pretty obvious, but I see the implications of this fact are quite overlooked.

Zeke and Historia were the only characters still capable of making use of AND giving others some access to the Founding Titan’s powers. But out of the two last living Founder “Controllers”, the 29 years old Yeager was also:

1. the one with the most knowledge about Ymir Fritz and the Titans powers + the Eldian history

2. the only one possessing a Titan Shifter

3. the one who had lived his whole life in the “real” world

4. the one about to die (had less than 1 year alive)

5. the only Royal Blood who could be used as the full mediator between the Founding Titan possessor and Ymir's powers

6. the only Royal with access to Titan serum (which means that even if Historia becoming a Pure Titan could help, Paradis wouldn't have the means to turn her into one without Zeke. So he was the last Royal end game indeed.)

Besides these points, though, remembering Zeke as one of the last Royal is also important because while Historia held responsibility for the Eldians of Paradis Island as their Queen by bloodline inheritance, we could kind of say that Zeke held some responsibility as a never known “king” of the Eldians of the Continent.

In fact, the Eldian Restorationist group was putting faith in Dina's royal lineage to change the Eldians’ fate (chapter 85). And if the Eldians of Marley and other countries wanted, they could have established a new ruler or king for them. This because at the moment King Fritz left the Eldians in the continents to die, their nation was divided in two: there was the Reiss family - who subsided to the Non-war Vow, and their fake Heaven in Paradis; and there was the Fritz family - who hated the flee of ancestors to Paradis, decided to stay on the continent, and wanted to save the Eldians left.

So it is pretty easy to imagine that if the Restorationists’ plan ever worked, Dina’s family with Grisha was definitely going to be placed among their people’s new rulers - with Zeke as their primal hope, and even as a prince and future king. Thus, since conception, Zeke was thought, taught, and raised to be his people's savior. The "God-Savior complex" people say he had is not just a joke LOL.

And raising a perfect Restorationist Savior was what Grisha mistakenly thought he was doing by fuelling the infancy of his firstborn with doctrines and responsibilities of adults, to say the least.

But while these facts had the utmost impact on Zeke’s life, his family's abuse during his childhood still feels oddly weak as the main reason to drive Zeke into walking down the path toward the euthanasia plan of an entire race.

And now things will get interesting...

2. What Zeke witnessed while living as an Eldian of the Continent

Contrary to well-known main “good” characters who had arcs dedicated to showing their backstory directly by their viewpoint, Zeke Yeager had the context of his life shown through other characters’ POV and multiple chapters since the beginning of the Marley arc (as well as some scenes from previous arcs, like Grisha's POV in his journals during the revelations of the basement).

But we know Zeke had his own reading of the events that happened with his parents. And after becoming older and becoming a Warrior, Zeke was also the most secretive of all characters. So Reiner, Porco, Pieck, and Colt had no real understanding of the true Zeke, nor how far he was in keeping up his pro-Marley facade. The Warriors could never even have imagined that he had been building up the stage for his Eldians' eradication plan for around 13 years.

The only thing they all genuinely had in common was the critical life of an Eldian of the Continent (EoC) and Warrior. And I want to highlight this part because it's something that furthers the implications of Zeke's statement in chapter 114:

"We never did learn to trust one another. But I can't blame you. The world I've seen was just too different from what you've all seen."

What Zeke saw as an EoC:

The Eldians of the Continent were cowardly abandoned and forgotten in the hands of their enemies by Zeke's direct ancestors, so he was born and raised in a Marleyan internment zone, a place limited by tall Walls too (chapter 94). But more than that, since he was a kid, Zeke witnessed every day how his people had been living the last 100 years being indoctrinated by the Marleyan Government (and the rest of the planet) about the unforgiving sins of their ancestors and how the Eldians were descendants of the Devil - cursed for existing, cursed to die, cursed for continuing to be born into their world (chapter 114).

ALL Eldians were seen as this:

(chapter 87)

Besides being seen as inhuman, as monsters in human skin, all generations were also stigmatized that the Eldians of Paradis were "Devils who turned the world into hell and built their own utopia on top of a mountain of corpses" (chapter 94). And the Eldians of the Continent (EoC) also had to indoctrinate their descendants into doing the same with their children and other members of their families. That, OR they would pay the price for disobeying and betraying Marley by being sent to “Heaven” in the form of horrible undying monstruosities (chapters 86 to 92).

So throughout his infancy + 10 years as a warrior candidate + 12 years as the Beast Titan, Zeke watched his people being heavily brainwashed into believing how they all should do everything they could to repent for Eldia's past crimes by:

being used over and over again as Marley's disposable soldiers in their many wars (mentioned in chapter 136), and in the trenches (dangers and consequences seen in chapters 91-92, 94);

offering their own children to the Marleyan Military so they would become cursed-13 years long-suicidal pawns while being turned into giant bioweapon warriors;

being turned into and used as mindless maneater monsters in the Marleyan wars, and bringing an infamous glory to Marley by spreading utmost terror over other nations (chapter 94)

At the same time, the EoC were seen as the Devil’s spawns themselves for any other non-Eldian person. Kid Zeke sees the "light" version of it in the enraged eyes, words, and harsh treatment his family receives at the top of the building (chapter 114). Future Warrior Zeke hears it as candidates are called many names during training (descendent of pigs). But Marleyans’ utter prejudice, hatred, and animalistic view toward the Subjects of Ymir are dramatically shown in the way the Marleyan Police fed Faye to dogs, which might have been told to Zeke by how he reacts talking to Grisha about the possibility of him dying like her (chapter 114).

Then, the Marleyan's hatred was horribly reinforced when we learn Eldian’s blood was considered such an abomination that Ksaver’s wife killed herself and their child when she discovered he was Eldian (chapter 114). Through Ksaver’s memory, Zeke certainly saw (and felt) the pain of that to his adopted father.

After inheriting the Beast Titan, and during his last 12 years alive, Zeke saw that not even after granting victory to Marley for so many years against multiple enemies the look of unhappiness and disgust in the Marleyan civilians' face became a bit sympathetic toward his people. Like, when the Warriors come back to Paradis after fighting for them in Fort Slava, the surviving soldiers were stared down with hate and disgust, as if they were utter indeed shit (chapter 94).

The Eldians living in the internment zones outside Marley were treated worse than the ones in Marley according to what Udo says in chapter 98. And the world was so paranoid about Eldians that they kept doing constant blood tests on the population to spot Devil’s blood right away, and everyone suspected of being one certainly were in grave danger (chapter 123).

This chronic aversion to Eldians certainly turned increasingly worse as Marley used to send back to their enemies their psychologically traumatized soldiers who had survived the horrors of facing the Pure Titans after seeing their fellows being crushed, dismembered, minced, eaten alive, and etcetera. And, at the same time, the other nations used these survivors as “mascots to show the whole world how inhumane titan weaponry is”. (chapter 93). And if a 12 yeard-old kid like smart Udo knew that, Zeke definitely was aware of that too...

*One side note: Far from the war zone, we reader also saw a Marleyan soldier mocking the minds of traumatized Eldian soldiers who dug the war trenches, making fun of them with the sound of bombs and guns, and guffawing as the sick soldiers fall scared and scattered on the floor (chapter 94). Later, in the same hospital that Zeke's grandfather is treating his mental illness, Eren mentions, "I've been thinking every day since coming here. How did things turn out this way? Ruined minds and bodies... People with no freedom left... People who have even lost themselves... What kind of person would want to go to war... if they knew they were going to end up like this?" And again, if Eren - an outsider - noticed this, imagine Zeke - who grew up in that war zone environment... *

BUT something BIGGER than this all was the growing tension over the horrible upcoming destiny of the Eldian race as the time was approaching when Titans would have no more use for Marley.

In chapter 93, Udo questions the other Warriors Candidates about what will happen with their special group and the rest of the Eldians of the Continent as the anti-titan artillery was soon going to overcome both the Shifters’ and Pure Titans’ power, almost implying the reason why the humans still let Eldians alive would thus be over. Zeke also discusses this in chapter 95 with the Warriors, reaffirming that the entire Eldian race was in danger and that the world had already set their mind in that “it’s meaningless to speak about the human rights of Eldians”. Pieck, Colt, Reiner, and Galliard agreed with him that the present future was a real threat to their race.

In chapter 98, after the Marleyan Military group humiliates all Warriors in the discussion about how to invade Paradis, we see Pieck questions the same thing Udo did, and tells further that the Eldians are in danger because soon they will lose their value to Marley as bioweapons. And this is also why the Tybur finally cared to join the “party” and tried to act as Eldia's saviors-world mediators. Willy just did what he did because he saw that their race was truly in grave danger. Meaning that the living future of all Eldians of the Continent was at stake even before Zeke’s plan of euthanization.

So after seeing all of this depicted in the manga - and without even digging into the personal and familiar struggles of Reiner, Annie, and the other warriors - it doesn't seem "far fetched" to see that what Zeke witnessed beyond Grisha and during his whole life also had some impact on his mind.

But there is still more to see! And now we will dig into Zeke’s personal life.

What Zeke lived:

Another side of the demented world in which Zeke lived, witnessed, and actively participated is the one where he was raised to become one of the most important figures of the Eldians of the Continent as the Titan Shifters’ Captain, and Marley and Eldian's Boy Wonder: The Warrior Program.

But first, a little resume:

Zeke was enrolled in it by Grisha at the age of 07 years old. In the beginning, Zeke didn’t want to be a Warrior or fight for Marley (chapter 114). He couldn’t care less - to the point he was failing the Warrior Program despite the high expectations Grisha and Dina had in him. Magath and Ksaver saw this clearly too, and this lack of will catches the bespectacled Beast Warrior's attention.

But Zeke was already a very smart kid - he understood well the weight of the consequences of his actions at that time. So kid Zeke acted as a double agent: pretending to his grandparents and the Marleyan Government that he was fully loyal to Marley, and pretending to his parents he was fighting for the Restoration of Eldia. At that time, though, his true self was the one who just wanted to play with his father. Yet, kid Zeke could only have mental and emotional breakdowns silently and by himself in his room.

This lasted until Zeke found someone with whom he could finally trust and be himself, Mr. Ksaver. But Ksaver changed Zeke’s life forever not only by saving him when he would become a Pure Titan in the Island of Devils, but also by wrapping the final shackles in Zeke's depressing view of life. (If you want to see this perspective, there is this incredible meta post done by @.yaboilevi here.)

So, for the greatest part of his life, Zeke was never "purely" seen or treated as someone with intrinsic value. He was born to become an instrument to save Eldians from a 2000 years world hate war; to the government, he was a sinful devil that should fight for Marley’s sake; he was first "adopted" by Ksaver to replace the loss of his son that died because of Ksaver’s lies; due to his blood, he was the key to someone else use the Founder's power; the final tool of Eren's plan of Rumbling.

And cementing this life of you've no intrinsic value in you, you are just a manipulated tool for ends beyond you with Zeke's already growing nihilistic view of the world and Ksaver's influence over never being alive was the answer… it doesn't surprise Zeke sees nothing but meaninglessness in life.

Resume done

Now, let's see what is interesting is the life of Zeke and Ksaver as Warriors and Beast Titan inheritors: the manifestation of their Animal Titans.

It’s a known fact that we don’t have conclusive information about how the animals of the Beast Titan are defined, but we definitely have some big hints as to what could be the reason for them. So in this part, I’ll take a more particular view/interpretation while listing the facts.

It's possible that the Beast Titans' bodies were linked with the inheritor’s strongest desires and qualities manifested in their animal forms. Falco is the one who is cleared as to hint this since he wasn’t the actual Beast inheritor, BUT through Zeke's blood mixed with the Beast, Falco's Jaw form became a bird. And besides the foreshadowing in his name, Falco's Titan form manifested something really deep within him, shared in chapter 91: he sees the bird flying over the Marley warzone and tells it to use its wings and fly away. Falco wished for a way to find freedom from the place/situation where he was, and birds are a very strong symbol of that in AOT.

In Ksaver and Zeke’s case, the manifestation of their titans doesn’t seem to be so different from what they desired to do the most.

Ksaver’s Beast: The Bighorn Sheep/Ram

“I became a warrior... because I wanted to kill myself in the grandest way I could. That was all.” Ksaver, 114

From the beginning of human history, it’s been registered that rams were used as sacrificial animals in many cultures. But as we know there are some Hebrew references in AOT, it’s also nice to point out this bit: the people of Israel (ancient biblical time) had different rules for animal sacrifices. Lambs (babies), sheep (female), and rams (male) were sacrificed to symbolize different things. Lambs were for fellowship offering (Leviticus 3), while sheep were for a sin offering (Leviticus 4), and rams were for guilty offering (Leviticus 5).

“With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.” (Leviticus 19:22, New International Version).

So, since Ksaver decided to become the Beast Titan to kill himself out of his "sins" and guilty feelings, it is no wonder his titanic animal takes the form similar to one of a bighorn ram/sheep 🐏. Firstly, because he held a deep regret and pain for what had happened to his wife and son since his lies had led her to kill herself and the kid because of his “sinful blood''. Secondly, because, as he had told Zeke, there wasn’t much sense in devoting his life to die for the Marley country. So as Ksaver also had no real will to fight, his Beast accordingly turned out considered unfit for battle (114). And thirdly, Ksaver wanted to kill himself in the grandest way he could. Being a mighty war bioweapon, cursed to die in 13 years devoured alive by the next Titan inheritor while tied to an altar of sacrifice surely counts a hell of an impactful way to die. His Beast made the perfect sin/guilty ram in its ritual of sacrifice.

As a side note, there are three random curiosities that we might pick up from the bighorn Ram Titan:

This version of the Tarot Card Number 15, aka “The Devil”, reminded me of this scene:

While the animal in the Devil card is a goat, though, in the manga we have the ram, which is very fitting even though Isym must not have done this intentionally. But if it was a goat titan, it would immediately be associated with the real Devil, and indirectly mean that the Eldians were but pure demons after all. On the other hand, if it was a male lamb titan (the baby/young ram, without horns), it would be 100% opposite to the goat/Devil in religious Hebrew meaning as the lamb represents Jesus.

But if Isym picked more subtle references than just Levi’s Hebrew name (and the indoctrination of children) from that documentary Jesus Camp, choosing the ram for Ksaver with his bloody backstory in mind was a nice choice. Everybody in AOT had “bloody hands”, and holy purity can’t actually be attributed to Ksaver, the Beast Titan itself, nor any other AOT character.

Ramzi was the one to whom Eren confessed and cried over killing people and later smashed horribly under the Colossus Titan’s feet in chapter 131. His name is written in Japanese as ラムジ. The katakanas ラム also seems to be commonly translated as lamb in English. Ramzi was a literal “sacrifice” in Eren’s plan, huh?

The ram is often associated with the Zodiac Sign Aries. So some people noticed how there were similarities in the way Japanese Zodiac Animals were featured in sequence (the sheep/the monkey/the rooster = the sheep-ram/the monkey/the bird = Ksaver/Zeke/Falco).

Zeke’s Beast: The Monkey

“Even if I can't leave the internment zone, I'll still be alive…” Zeke, 114, (7 years old)

“It'd be stupid for you to become a warrior. You'd shorten your lifespan, invade other countries, and kill its citizens for Marley? Why would you bother doing something as stupid as that?” Ksaver to Zeke, 114

"I will inherit the Beast Titan. Not for Marley’s sake. I'll execute the plan to retake the Founder. And I'll succeed. After I steal the Founding Titan from Marley… I'll save the world. Just you watch. I'll free the people of the world from their fear of the Titans… and I'll free the Eldians from their suffering." Zeke, 114, (17 years old)

The Monkey has many symbols for the Japanese people. In their Zodiac, it's the 9th animal. The number 9 in AOT represents the total number of Shifters, the number of points in the symbol of Eldian of the Continent arm bandage/crown of King Fritz. (And it was also the total years Eren had his titans and the time it took him to end the Titan curse = 5 pre-basement revelations + 4 after RtS battle.)

Also, in the Zodiac, it is said people who are born under the years of this animal are clever and smart. They can come up with solutions to the problems they face. However, other cultural interpretations vary a lot with time and context. In summary:

monkeys were once considered heralds or physical manifestations of God; there was a monkey God of Crossroad between Heaven and Earth; and like priests, monkeys could mediate between the humans and deities; some were to protect especially the children;

then later the monkey became a "scapegoat symbolizing dislikeable people and trickster", the negative side of human nature; it was a "lowly animal trying to be human", imitating other people, and in some proverbs, they mean "undesirable humans that are to be ridiculed";

One worldwide known proverb involving monkeys is the "Three Wise Monkeys" 🙈🙉🙊. They are known in many cultures as "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", and two main different takes are: 1. don't give yourself to evil thoughts, and 2. be aware that you're lacking morals when you turn a blind eye and do nothing about the wrongness around you, feigning ignorance.

So, in Zeke’s case, the monkey is indeed fit to his narrative: he had a unique God-like power; for a long time, he had endured all the deadly secrets of the insurrection plans of Eldia’s Restorationists, and faked and tricked his feelings, actions, and beliefs to his parents, his grandparents, and the Marley Government to survive each situation. And his goal while inheriting the Beast Titan was to retake the Founder from enemies in order to put into practice his and Ksaver’s idea of salvation - saving non-titanizable people from the fear of Titans, and titanizable children from the pain of being born into that world. Also, Zeke's particular throw/aim skill was his best physical ability. Thus, his Monkey Beast Titan really embraced both his life luggage and the physical form required to achieve his biggest goal.

As a curiosity, The Wise Monkeys can be seen in Zeke’s life (art by perok - special permission granted for this post. DO NOT REPOST!) :

Maybe... If Zeke hadn’t seen the world in the way Grisha showed him... If Zeke had refused to listen to things the Ksaver had said in their lowest times... Then maybe Zeke wouldn’t have made use of his screams and talks to manipulate and kill people for their deadly goal.

And just as a curiosity: Isym made the design of Zeke’s monkey with darker eyes so as to make it purposely more difficult to predict where he was looking at (and why not to say also making him scarier and a little harder to read his thinking/feelings since the eyes are the windows to our souls).

What Zeke lived in the Warrior Program

Way before Levi, Zeke’s main enemy had been life itself. To be born meant to live manipulated by engraved biological drives/ actions/ reactions (chapter 137). As part of a titanizable race, it also meant that the whole world hated and feared your existence, and wished for your to vanish for good. The dangerous DNA in your body was also used as a way to manipulate the mentality of Eldians of the Continent that they were descendants of the Devil who should atone for their crimes doing anything for Marley. These two formers issues were absurdly complex problems that the Paradisians post-RtS arc also faced, and I think this gets forgettable as Zeke is actually constantly taken as the "main villain" of AOT… When in fact, he was not.

Anyway, Zeke was a kid who was failing the Warrior Program for the blonde didn't find any will to devote himself for Marley’s wars or country, contrary to the kids who wanted that to either achieve a slightly better life (as Honorary Marleyan) or to atone for the crimes of long-dead ancestors. The one thing which made him become the best was his goal of ending the existence of his people. So while paving his path as a future Titan Warrior Inheritor, Zeke spent his whole youth being harshly trained to become an important tool in Marley wars, just like Reiner and etc...

During the 10 years the Titan Curse allowed Ksaver to live, he was Zeke’s only friend, and the only one he could trust. We have no confirmation of what happened to Grandpa Yeager as to which point his mind broke, but in chapter 98, he says to Eren that the families of the Restorationists who proved that weren't involved with the plan had to devote everything to the military. And in chapter 81, Zeke also mentioned that he didn't doubt the King of the Walls would be sending "children and elderly" to death manipulated by an idea of honorable sacrifice. So it's possible he himself was pushed into the trench wars, maybe, as he was a known patient in the hospital treating other survival soldiers. Whether going or not, surely the weight of his regrets over Grisha had long broken his mind, and Zeke lived that. Zeke himself never got over his own deeds of denouncing his parents...

When he finally became a Warrior, Zeke witnessed firsthand both his people being continuously used as killing-machine tools in Marley’s wars, and by default spreading even more terror over humans about the “true nature” of the Subjects of Ymir. But another question we don't have much clarification on whether or not the Eldian were already used as Pure Titans in some of Marley’s battles. I suspect they were because after a century of battles against so many countries, the Marleyans highlighted the ability of the Beast and Female Titans to control and call the Pure Titans respectively. Also, while training to Retake the Founder, the Warriors in their Titan form must have fought against recently transformed Pure Titans to make sure they had the control to fight them.

Either way, Zeke is again used as a tool as he must have undergone scientific experiments to enhance and improve his Titan powers as it is said that the Titan Society (Marley Scientists) was out of ideas (chapter 93) to explain how the Beast could control the Pure Titans made with his spinal fluid. Colt’s specific remarks about the Beast's Pure Titans, and the fact that in the forest Levi’s titanized soldiers were faster and could climb trees - as well as the titans who attacked the Utgard Castle-, make me wonder if the biggest part of the Abnormal Titans were actually related to Beast Titans' blood in general. These types of pure titans were more unpredictable, sometimes moving more animalistic...

Also, after only one year of inheriting their Shifters, 4 out of the 6 Titans Marley possessed got trapped within the Walls in Paradis (aka the Colossus, Armored, Jaws, and Female). What resulted in only Zeke's Beast and Pieck's Cart Titan fighting in the human wars on the continents too for those five years. This certainly worsened the fact that Marley scientists used Zeke’s spinal fluid like it was juice in many battles tells that Zeke had to constantly undergo spinal cord/lumbar punctures, which is a hell of a fucking pain if you have ever had to make it for examinations.

[Another thing is that by the talks of Pieck (recognizing the 9 Titans of all times in the last arc), and Ksaver, Zeke, and Colt about the Scientific Society of Titans in Marley, as well as Eldia’s long history of playing with biogenetic and enhancing experiments, we can fill out a lot of what might have happened with all of them (Eldians and Warriors). But I know, these experimental bites will wander to the realm of headcanons, so I’ll not further it here. Imagination can roll to pretty dark places, though.]

Lastly, something that the manga depicts is that Zeke was frequently put under constant surveillance. Commander Magath stated this when he surprised both Zeke and Colt talking secretly on the rooftop in chapter 93 - “Eldians didn’t need privacy”. In chapter 95, we also see that Zeke’s rooms had wiretaps hidden inside the gramophone. And by how Porco also questioned the absence of Army soldiers in Zeke’s room, it suggests that the Yeager was most likely kept in frequent surveillance. When talking to Reiner and Berth before the battle of Shiganshina, we also see Zeke talking to his fellow Warriors with a Marleyan soldier in the room with them (chapter 115). And every time before a mission, the Warriors did an ideology checkup, as Reiner remembers in chapter 95 too.

Despite this all, back on the rooftop talking, Magath said he had watched Zeke for 20 YEARS, yet the blonde was “still as enigmatic as ever” to him. And Magath was both an experienced Marleyan Commander and Zeke’s former Warrior Trainer. So Zeke really learned how to keep his guards up and hide his thoughts and feelings.

Thus, from 07 to 29 years old = about 22 years of his life, Zeke lived everyday conscious, taught, and being reminded that:

he was born with a demonized cursed blood;

he and his people were let alive and in the internment zone because of their possible use as bioweapons and soldiers in Marley wars;

he was hated and feared by the whole world (both as a cursed Eldian and more as the infamous Beast Titan);

he lived under heavy military surveillance (that worsened as he got the Beast Titan) and in the constant risk of being turned into an almost undying maneater monster (or be eaten after inheriting the Beast) if he ever slipped up in his fake devotion, rebelled, or disobeyed Marley;

in the worst hypotheses (that will be put in the “wondering” horror thoughts) of being forced into any kind of crazy Titan experiment he would surely be submitted in the hands of Marley scientists;

he had no one to trust his Royal secret until Yelena appeared (and "enthroned" him in her own view in her own desire to be a relevant part of the Human story - discussed in chapter 127).

Then, I think it's a bit difficult for me to say that Zeke’s life was easier or less full of horrors after Grisha went to "Heaven" (which was also during the time Zeke just wanted to be quietly alive, in chapter 114). If anything, growing up in the Warrior Program, everything about the world and what it meant the worth of being an Eldian just became worse and escalated to Zeke’s character, contributing to solidifying his "Eldians need to cease existing" mentality.

Still, Zeke fought in many wars for the sake of climbing up in Marley's military ranks to retake the Founding Titan from Paradis. And as someone out of the scope of a "hero", how did Zeke survive for more than 2 decades in that damned real world? The short answer is pretending, deceiving, detaching himself from people, and lying. Traits that are morally condemned most of the time for the "heroes" tabs, and thus not by accident some of the most blazing characteristics that Zeke is known for.

3. So, considering all the things, can Zeke really just be the topmost asshole and evil character of AOT who simply wanted to bring an end to his entire race ONLY because of the abuse of his father?

Well, yes. He can.

However, there seems to be that Isayama has left these many explicit and implicit impactful layers in the life of Zeke’s character to not make him just plain made “100% good or evil”, nor only driven by a suddenly self-inflated ego born from his hate for his father Grisha. And narratively speaking, Zeke’s background was indeed unique.

Aside from his childhood with Grisha and sending his own parents to "Heaven" and become Pure Titans, there was no other aspect of Zeke's life that could be paralleled with any other character in Paradis because the life of an Eldian of the Continent was definitely different. Notice that when comparing/ contrasting Eren and Zeke’s characters, they focus more on what they had in common: their childhood with Grisha. Because except for what they both had lived at home, there wasn’t really any deep parallel to do since the power of Eren's Titan represented the freedom for Paradis, while the Warrior Shifters and the mere fact of being an Eldian were the ultimate nightmares for the entire planet.

What is more, it seems there is an overall erasure of the Eldians of the Continent's suffering narrative. Which, if not expressed through Zeke's euthanization intentions, doesn't seem to be noticed as a really heavy issue besides the personal pain it inflicted on loved characters (aka Reiner e Falco). That's why I think it's somewhat strange to believe Zeke’s character would have all that it took to become the "Devilish Savior" he ought to become (turning into a 13-years-cursed-to-die-Warrior, spending all that 22 years of his miserable short life trusting no one while also pretending to be many things he wasn’t for the people around him, and sticking to his own version of a genocidal plan) only because of what happened between him and Grisha.

Yams might have not explicitly drawn Zeke reacting to each one of the specific horrors during his Warrior times but - given what we saw through the eyes of Gabi, Falco, Udo, and the other during chapters 91-100, and in the struggles of Reiner, Annie, Berth, and Marcel - I think that if Isayama had done that, it would be kind of redundant. The Marley Arc and all Eldians of the Continent we got a close-up had already shown in different ways how ultimately horrible it was to be an Eldian of the Continent, a Warrior candidate, and a Marleyan Titan Shifter - either by just fitting into one of these classes or all at once.

In a more personal take, I also think that if we had seen more of an empathic or suffering Zeke before the events in the Paths with Grisha and Eren, it could have also added more unnecessary pity and a sense of helplessness over his character. After all, Zeke was wrong in his euthanization plan for MANY reasons. So much that he knew he couldn't even trust people "close" to him with the idea. BUT looking helpless is definitely something Zeke's character fought his whole life not to be. And his nihilistic and instrumental view of the world holds a very important point in AOT's narrative because:

Why be born and live in the world just to be forever demonized, robbed of true freedom, imprisoned in physically and mentally walled internment zones, abandoned by the only one who could help (The King/Founder), and be used as human-eater monsters or powerful bioweapons for wars that only worsened the global over your "cursed" race? And probably being allowed to live only until the Eldian race lost their instrumental use as a bioweapon and finally the world would kill you and everyone else of your race anyway?

And after everything we have seen him go through, I don’t see Zeke not being mindful of what was happening with his people and the rest of the world, or not thinking about it. Especially since with his Royal blood, Zeke knew he was the only one who could actually do something if he ever got his hands over the Founder Titan. And knowing the King's vow of "we accept to die by our sins when the World comes mercilessly judging us", Zeke opted to go for his and Ksaver’s own idea of freedom.

4. But if as an Eldian of the Continent and the last Royal capable of anything, Zeke wanted to do something for the sake of his people, why did he turn into this destructive role and come up with this murderous plan?

Because the story needed it and Yams wanted it LOL!!

Because Zeke did believe that not existing in the damned world they lived in was the painless/merciless/best option (chapters 114 and 137).

That's why on the verge of death, Zeke is finally sincere about his intentions and worldview to us readers and Levi. And I don't think this moment was another farce or trick of his character because Isym stated in the 2nd guidebook that the true nature of a human is exposed when they are in the face of their death.

By looking into the context of Zeke's backstory, in his mind, never being born meant never having to go through that unbreakable rollercoaster cycle of existence, of that inescapable human x Devil DNA dilemma. In the context outside Paradis life, it meant not being brainwashed into being seen as a demon or used as a bioweapon, nor being used as just a tool, and not living in constant fear. To Zeke, not creating more life (aka reproducing) would lead to the end of species problems (chapter 137). It would be the end of the entire race being the host of their cursed blood and the endpoint of the global horrors/fears imposed by the existence of the Subjects of Ymir and the Titans (chapter 114).

In fact, Zeke has been affected so deeply by what he lived and saw as an Eldian of the Continent that while he is killing the SC troops in the RtS arc, he gets enraged assuming that the Eldians of Paradis were going down the same path as Marley’s Eldians: with their minds wiped out and controlled by others, the SC soldiers were riding to their deaths being fooled into believing in governmental ideologies of self-sacrifice for a “greater good”, and embracing their “meaningless” death driven by a false sense of duty and honor filling their hearts.

(Zeke goes as far as mentioning that the government would send the elder and children to war, which makes me suspicious his grandpa Yeager might indeed have been forced into fighting for Marley after Grisha's betrayal…)

Interestingly, in chapter 80, Commander Erwin Smith had given the "kamikaze" Survey Corp soldier almost exactly what Zeke had imagined at that very moment. Just before this POV of Zeke in chapter 81, we had seen Erwin revealing to Levi his deep wish to just going to the basement, and how many things he had done - including sacrificing many comrades - were not purely for humanity's sake but for a hidden selfish desire to prove his father's theory was right (and all the "My father was right and innocent" validation that would come with it). And Commander Erwin had also told Levi that he would need the skills of a first-rate con man to convince all recruits to go to charge against the Beast Titan and die without him leading them. So this shows how strong it was the ideology necessary to move 200 soldiers to their horrible and certain death.

In other words, Erwin confessed to Levi that he had done many things as an SC Commander (high government position) lying and manipulating the growing pile of dead subordinates into believing that his hard and ruthless orders and actions were ALL and ONLY for the pure sake of Humanity when in reality he had his own little share of selfish dream driving him. So up until this specific part, Zeke was NOT completely wrong in believing that this SC "suicide charge" is a parallel with the rest of the world's reality. Considering ALL that Zeke had seen and lived as an Eldian psychologically manipulated by the Marleyan Government, Zeke was sure he was yet again facing another cycle of Eldian people being brainwashed, manipulated, and used as tools for other's sake.

Purposely preparing that narrative to be assertive with Zeke's mind, we see Marlowe riding to his death not thinking about some glories of sacrifice, but how cozy Hitch would be in her bed, then questioning why the heck he thought it would be honorable to sacrifice for humanity. Horror is all written in the faces of the soldiers as they ride to their apparent meaningless deaths. And Floch, the little shit, made sure to say that to Levi and the others on the rooftop, as he almost killed Erwin himself for using their lives like that.

"None of them died thinking how noble their sacrifices would be… I'm sure all they felt, at the end was... fear…" Floch, chapter 84

However, behind this all, we know things were different too. Thanks to the final talk with Levi, Erwin ended up being clearly shown walking into the right path. And Erwin’s passionate final speech is definitely something every AOT fan will probably never forget: while it clearly encouraged the soldiers into riding to their certain death, Erwin's words were visceral, beautiful, meaningful, wholeheartedly, and honest. Which means Zeke did end up missing and failing to understand the powerful force he was facing at that moment - in the sacrifices of the Survey Corps. But it's not like Zeke could ever expect something different. The world they have lived their whole life was way too different.

And, damn, that's why I think the way Yams works the worldview contrast between chapters 80 and 81 is even more BRILLIANT when revisited from Zeke's perspective more clearly now that we know what was his background. Even more as we think the way Isym makes the parallels between Zeke’s character and the Post-RtS arc last two Veterans: Levi and Hange Zoe.

With his range of philosophies, Zeke is like the antithesis of life in AOT. He embodies the extreme opposition to all that the manga had shown us about how people were great just for doing nothing but being born into this world (Carla’s beautiful speech in chapter 71); how sacrifices and deaths had meaning (Levi’s special life quest); and what it meant true freedom (not existing versus the whole dilemma of Titans and Eldians’ 2000 years cursed existence. And this last one was the hellish problem Hange - and the Survey Corps post-RtS arc - was trying to figure out an answer for!).

Of course, there is more, but just these three points already create an amazing duality that I can’t help but find fascinating. Especially their connections between Zeke, Hange, and Levi. I've written a bit into life philosophies backing these 03 characters to post here too, but as Tumblr doesn't let more than just 10 pics/post, I'll make another with the rest of my analysis of Zeke's character!

For now, I hope this has made some sense up until here, and thank you for reading it!

[antoine-roquentin]

Myanmar: Vast arsenal and notorious troops deployed during nationwide ‘killing spree’ protest crackdown – new research

The Myanmar military is using increasingly lethal tactics and weapons normally seen on the battlefield against peaceful protesters and bystanders across the country, new research by Amnesty International has revealed.

By verifying more than 50 videos from the ongoing crackdown, Amnesty International’s Crisis Evidence Lab can confirm that security forces appear to be implementing planned, systematic strategies including the ramped-up use of lethal force. Many of the killings documented amount to extrajudicial executions.

Footage clearly shows that Myanmar military troops - also known as the Tatmadaw - are increasingly armed with weapons that are only appropriate for the battlefield, not for policing actions. Officers are frequently seen engaging in reckless behavior, including the indiscriminate spraying of live ammunition in urban areas.

‘We are frontliners’: Youth brave bullets and arrest to keep protests alive 

While the early street protests against the February 1 military takeover remained largely peaceful, attracting people from all strata of society, the police and army have violently broken up more recent demonstrations, killing more than 70 so far. This has whittled down protests to younger, more daring groups engaging in cat-and-mouse games with security forces: making tactical retreats and reassembling the moment forces move on. To avoid death, injury or arrest, they have had to quickly adopt new methods and tools.

Mayangone Township resident Ko Phyo Tin, 25, who joins the Kyun Taw protest group every day, uses a shield improvised from a piece of steel as protection against rubber bullets and live rounds, and dons a Chinese-made combat helmet.

“Most of us are using protective equipment made in China. We don’t trust its quality but we have no alternative,” he said, adding that the group would gladly accept donations of quality gas masks, hard hats and body armour.

Women have also taken up positions as “frontliners”, the protesters bearing the brunt of the police and army assaults and shielding those behind them. They include Ma Thu Thu, 23, a founder of a team of frontliners that operates in Hlaing and Kamaryut townships, where such groups proliferate.

Thu Thu said her team comprises a core group of more than 10 people that is supported by about another 50 volunteers, who have learned from the street tactics used in dissident movements overseas.

“I saw the protests in Hong Kong and they gave me ideas about how we could defend ourselves,” said Thu Thu, whose small frame belies a capacity to endure gruelling confrontations with security forces.

She has been protesting against military rule since February 6 and is increasingly convinced that the people need protection from the lethal force police and soldiers used against striking dockworkers in Mandalay on February 20, when security forces fired live rounds on a crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators at a shipyard, killing two and injuring dozens.

On February 26, Thu Thu watched a violent crackdown by police on big crowds of protesters at the Myanigone and Hledan junctions in Yangon.

“Police opened fire to disperse protesters, who fled in chaos. Some were arrested. When I saw that, I thought we needed to be able to protect protesters during demonstrations planned for February 28, Milk Tea Alliance Day,” she said, referring to a loose alliance of pro-democracy movements in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and now Myanmar.

“I posted [these thoughts] on Facebook and one of my friends said she would donate 30 shields. I talked with some of my male friends and we decided to volunteer as frontliners,” she added.

“When we first started posting [about our plan], about a hundred people contacted us [wanting to join]. Members of our group are from many different townships in Yangon.”

Myanmar junta hires Israeli intelligence veteran for international lobbying campaign 

Defense Minister Mya Tun Oo retained Ari Ben-Menashe and his Montreal-based Dickens & Madson Canada to “assist in explaining the real situation in the country,” according to a consultancy agreement dated Thursday. The firm is tasked with lobbying Congress and the Joe Biden administration as well as the governments of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Russia in addition to the United Nations, the African Union and other international organizations and NGOs.

The firm is expected to file a formal lobbying contract with the US Department of Justice early next week, Ben-Menashe said in a telephone interview Friday morning from Myanmar, where he’s wrapping up his second trip in the past few weeks. He said the contract was for a “big amount” but declined to get into specifics.

(Update: Dickens & Madson said the contract with Mya Tun Oo was for $2 million in a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) disclosure filed Monday, March 8 with the US Department of Justice. The amount is to be paid  “when legally permissible by controlling jurisdictions” since the minister and other military leaders are under US sanctions.

“Within the United States, Registrant will provide advice and counsel to the foreign principal and advocate before the executive and/or legislative branches of the government of the United States to seek support and humanitarian aid for the benefit of the citizens of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and to strive for the removal or modification of current sanctions,” the lobbying disclosure states. “Additionally, Registrant proposes to provide media and public relations services to further the country’s goals and activities. Registrant also provides lobbying services to the foreign principal in other countries.”)

Ben-Menashe indicated that he plans to present the country’s military rulers as a counterweight to alleged growing Chinese influence in the country under Aung San Suu Kyi, the government leader whose National League for Democracy swept legislative elections in November. The Burmese military declared the elections to be illegitimate on Feb. 1 and deposed Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, sparking international condemnation.

“Aung San Suu Kyi moved toward China while she was in power,” Ben-Menashe said. “And these guys [in the military] don’t like it.”

He added that officials in Saudi Arabia and the UAE had offered to assist with the return of Rohingya Muslims, almost a million of whom have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in recent years amid what the United Nations have labeled a campaign of genocide. Ben-Menashe said he had advised the country’s rulers in the 1990s and warned at the time against having Suu Kyi in the government, claiming she had shown anti-Muslim animus.

“Aung San Suu Kyi as leader was the one who did in the Rohingyas, not the army,” he insisted.

Democratic shadow government taking form in Myanmar 

Myanmar’s banking system, always feeble, looks close to collapse. With banking havens for the junta’s finances, namely the US and Singapore, restricting capital flows, the Biden administration’s freeze on $1 billion of Myanmar’s US-held assets and an ongoing national boycott of military-affiliated businesses, the junta’s finances are being squeezed.

All this definitely means the junta’s strategy of carrying on with business as usual has gone out the window and makes large-scale violent escalation likely.

The writers disagree with the view that the disparate Civil Disobedience Movement can win by sheer power of will and personal sacrifice. Look at the numbers: In some ministries, such as health and education, participation in the movement is substantial, with estimates that a third of staff are actively involved. In others, it is much smaller.

Some 600 policemen are said to have defected so far. Overall, the number of Civil Disobedience Movement participants is likely in the tens of thousands, out of a million or so civil servants across the country.

The junta is cracking down hard. Participating civil servants have been suspended by the junta, with some losing their pay and benefits and others potentially charged with treason.

One senior civil servant told us: “I really want to participate in the civil disobedience campaign but I have to take care of my family – we rely on my salary [and] the housing provided by the department.”

One month on, the story of Myanmar’s coup has become a tale of two governments, the junta and the acting administration of the Committee Representing the National Parliament (CRPH), a group of MPs mostly from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

With many of its members including Suu Kyi detained and least one who has died in the junta’s custody, the democratically-elected NLD has been hit hard by the coup.

“We cannot operate as a political party right now. [The junta] seized our leaders… Our party headquarter is closed. But we are trying to connect with our party members,” Phyo Zeya Thaw, NLD Central Committee Member, told the writers.

The CRPH has sought to challenge the junta while running and hiding. It has already announced a public administration program that established local councils led by MPs and loyal local officials to run affairs in Myanmar’s 360 townships in competition with the junta.

Preliminary data from a survey we are conducting on this parallel governance bid suggest that early success is mixed: In parts of the country, the NLD’s grassroots networks have been able to set up structures, in particular in Yangon, Mandalay and Sagaing regions, all part of the NLD’s heartland. In other townships, the junta has the upper hand.

Significantly, the CRPH is now putting itself firmly at the head of the disparate civil disobedience movement. On its website, the CRPH is registering civil servants participating in CDM who it will provide support.

It has also formed an ”acting administration” of acting ministers. They will cover all portfolios of the toppled NLD government until a new unity resistance government is formed.

To form this unity government, the CRPH is competing with the junta in reaching out to both civil society leaders and to ethnic political parties and ethnic armed groups. The success of these overtures may decide the ultimate fate of Myanmar’s coup.

Two other resistance organizations, a General Strike Committee and a General Strike Committee of Nationalities, that sprung up to organize a general strike in February are still organizing protests and strikes independently.

Business revolt brewing in coup-crippled Myanmar 

Western business groups, namely European, American, British, Italian and French chambers of commerce, rejected the regime’s invitation to meet on March 4. At the same time, major Asian business groups such as the Thai, Hong Kong, Japanese and Chinese have not released any statements of concern since the coup and lethal crackdown on protesters.

The Western chambers’ refusal comes at a time of widespread and rising condemnation against the regime’s brutal crackdown on unarmed protesting civilians, with more than 50 killed as of March 3, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an independent monitoring group.

Australian business group AustCham Myanmar said on Wednesday it has “serious concern over the increasing use of violence against the people campaigning for a return to democratic Government in Myanmar.”

[confettipizza]

Lunar Recap

How it started. How it’s going. How it ended for the last lunar cycle of 2020.

This lunar cycle began with the New Moon on Jan. 12, 2021 @ 11:01 PM CT (Jan. 13 @ 05:01 UTC). It was the 13th Moon of 2020 according to the lunar calendar. And it ended Feb. 11, 2021, just before the 1st Moon of 2021! Happy Lunar New Year 2021, Year of the Ox!

South Korean Court Orders Japan to Compensate Women Forced into Sex Slavery

Colorado AG Opens Grand Jury Probe of Police Killing of Elijah McClain

Guantánamo Bay Prison Starts 20th Year of Indefinite Detentions

Pfizer to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Output as WHO Warns of Vaccination Inequality

Lawmakers Catch COVID-19 After Sheltering in Room Where GOP Reps Refused Masks

FBI Warns of “Armed Protests” in All 50 States and at Biden’s Inauguration

Tomorrow is Sun conjunct Pluto. Something that’s been lurking in the shadows bout to jump out. Might be pretty big, but there’s also the individual personal experience of this event and might feel more like an early Full Moon for you.

House to Impeach Trump as GOP Shows Signs of Backing Removal

Well this is dumb. Sun conjunct Pluto?

The $3,000-a-month toilet for the Ivanka Trump/Jared Kushner Secret Service detail

I also remembered/realized how much I really love Anna Sui designs since I was a kid which is pretty random to pop up on my radar, but this woman gets that all I want is sparkly heart shaped objects in lacquered black and flowy hippie dresses

Trump Tells Aides Not to Pay Giuliani’s Legal Fees as Bid to Overturn Election Fails

All I know is talking about dreams and discussing them with others makes you feel better. The tarot angle is there to shed some light on what the dream is actually telling you.

Joe Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus and Economic Relief Package

ICE’s Acting Director Resigns After Two Weeks on Job

Found out today the woman at the car mechanic I've been faithfully taking my car to for the past two years can speak to the dead and had some messages for me from my dad who passed in October-

Intuitive guided tarot card pull.

Waxing crescent into Aries Monday, January 18, 2021 at 1:06 AM CT Today’s Astro x Tarot forecast valid for the next 24 hours: Feelings are flaring up for you to make a statement, a very zippy move or a quick decision about someone or something.

So long as you remain flexible and agile, whatever you choose to do with them will work to your advantage. If you decide not to impose hyper-agility into your decision making rn, then kudos to you! You’ve gained practice points in self-control experience.

More Than 760,000 Pounds of Hot Pockets Recalled

‘I Answered the Call of My President’: Rioters Say Trump Urged Them On

Raphael Warnock and the Legacy of Racial Tyranny

The Extraordinary Courage of Aleksei Navalny

Whoa, I was like a cycle early on celebrating the lunar new year! I’ve been a month into the future for a week now. My bad! I apologize for any confusion.

I was thinking that the soul's law of attraction is probably pretty unstoppable even concerning partners, so like, if someone didn't love you back then it's not some mistake or human misunderstanding that you or they need to fix.

To find one's soulmate looks something like 2 souls flying towards each other from opposite ends of the galaxy to join their physical selves together in a collision force so brutal you're stuck like that and if that's not what yours looks like then maybe that ain't your soulmate?

All the men going to jail for their poop smearing Capitol rioting have online dating profiles and that’s reason no. 2 I do not date online! Reason no. 1 is ain’t nobody cute on there.

The Witch’s Myth: The true story of the crane husband

Where are your witch stars, Circe and Hekate, located? Their location can explain your relationship to witchcraft. Circe is in my 1st house influencing my outer appearances and Hekate is conjunct Jupiter influencing my domestic style and home to be distinctively witchy.

Sun into Aquarius Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 2:33 PM CT Here is your Sun into Aquarius forecast effective for the next several weeks of Aquarius season. 

Down to earth and grounded is our most qualified position to receive everything we need and use everything we receive. This is the reality of ourselves, the human condition.

We love reality based reality.

Get ready for reality-grounded White House press briefings

Why do people believe the lies they’re fed? Because those lies are designed to be more palatable than reality. Lies offer a quick easy patch, but what you’ve gotta ask yourself is are those lies actually designed to support the flow of all things into your life?

~* First Quarter Jan. 20 3:02 PM CT (21:02 UTC) *~

Biden and Harris Attend Memorial to Honor 400,000+ COVID-19 Victims in U.S. on Eve of Inauguration

Steve Bannon Among Final Trump Pardons and Commutations

Trump Admin Declares Multiculturalism Is “Not Who America Is” as WH Releases Racist, Revisionist Report

4,000+ Columbia Students Back Largest-Ever Tuition Strike

Today, whatever you’re doing or are wishing to become will be to the benefit of this unifying, love-aligned uprising.

Joe Biden Sworn In as 46th President of the United States, Ending Trump Era

Good inauguration Astro climate this morning feels like. #BidenHarrisInauguration

“What has shaken the U.S. population so badly, this assault on the Capitol yesterday, is really nothing by comparison to what U.S. operations have done in Latin America, in Asia, in Africa, in the Middle East, to other democratic movements and elected governments over the years.”

Progress towards wholeness can’t be made until we own up to the roles we’ve played in the past.

Read the full text of Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem ‘The Hill We Climb’

When did politics get so vibrant and fashionably uplifting? Please and thank you! #Inauguration2021

The two of wands says to review your options, do your research, crunch the numbers, imagine the outcomes, but there’s no need to force making a choice if you don’t have to. Buy yourself some time and let the plans for a resolution find you, not the other way around.

Donald Trump Leaves Office and Washington, D.C., Threatens “We Will Be Back”

Watchdogs Demand Transparency as Corporations Pour Millions into Biden-Harris Inauguration

Senate Dems File Ethics Complaint Against Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley over Jan. 6 Insurrection

Federal Forces Arrest Ex-Marine for Beating Officer with a Hockey Stick During Capitol Riots

It’s Friday and it just feels good to be alive, a socialist and calling Bernie Sanders cute on Inauguration Day week! What a difference a pandemic makes.

Instacart Lays Off 2,000 Workers, Including Group Who Started Company’s First Union

Mars square Jupiter January 23, 2021 @ 1:49 AM CT (7:49 GMT) Someone wants you to know that you are ready to conquer your perceived limits to arrive at expansion in your thoughts, feelings, emotions and understanding today.

Waxing gibbous into Cancer January 25, 2021 @ 12:51 PM CT (18:51 GMT) It’s a supportive Moon for dreaming for mental health and well being. Begin a dream journal or review your latest dreams, reflecting on them for a few minutes today.

You are opening yourself up to an emotional practice that includes care for yourself in ways no one else (besides you and your connection to the Moon) can provide.

And too my Tarot Dream Readings are open if you would like guidance or support on a particular dream. See my pinned tweet for how it works.

When one’s soul is allowed to lead one’s life, working in the dark shadows, the invisible silence, the soul’s manifesting results are way more lasting and way more powerful than egocentric anything.

Good morning, self! A reminder my ego has never done a thing for me my soul can’t do better.

National Guard Deployment at U.S. Capitol Becomes COVID-19 Superspreader Event

Russia Violently Cracks Down on Protesters Calling for Release of Alexei Navalny

Trump Plotted to Oust Acting AG, Use DOJ to Force Georgia to Overturn Election Results

Hunts Point Market Workers in the Bronx Win Wage Increase After Week-Long Strike

This mourning brooch is a mindful way to mark the death of a loved one while paying tribute to the impact it has had on you. Bring back this Victorian trend!

Veteran Talk Show Host Larry King Dies After Hospitalization for COVID-19

Hank Aaron, Who Overcame Racist Barriers to Become Home Run Record-Holder, Dies at 86

We don’t give our bodies or our intuition enough attention and nourishment a lot of the time, so today’s the day we practice finding and sitting quietly with our inner voice.

~* Full Moon Jan. 28 1:17 PM CT (19:17 UTC) *~

House Delivers Article of Impeachment to Senate, Triggering Trump’s Second Trial

Dominion Voting Systems Sues Rudy Giuliani for Lying About 2020 Election

President Biden Increases U.S. Vaccination Goal to 150 Million Shots in 100 Days

President Biden Reverses Trump’s Transgender Military Service Ban

Biden Restores Plan to Feature Abolitionist Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

Value is further added the more you mint your words with a most whole and complete love. Love is the greatest asset we can let appreciate in our lifetimes.

This Full Moon tomorrow sends a flash point that reminds you to circulate this wealth because it’s the greatest emotional gift we can bestow upon our loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, elders, members of our community, etc.

Venus conjunct Pluto in Capricorn January 28, 2021 @ 10:18 AM CT (16:18 GMT) Going through your day today uncovers a forgotten desire or creative goal. You find yourself asking something like: Remember when I wanted to become a pastry chef?

Although you decided to pursue a different course, take a moment to focus on and honor this memory when it arrives and then release it. What did you become instead and why?

45 Senate Republicans Back Dismissal of Trump Impeachment Trial

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Supported Violence Against Pelosi and Others in 2018 Facebook Posts

Taking the time to recognize and honor your past desires gives the respect these memories deserve and it integrates them into the whole wider scene of the individual, both shadow and light on your path builds confidence in your steps, confidence in yourself.

You are who you are for a reason.

Had no idea how literal this grassroots King of Pentacles card was gonna materialize today, but here it is folks! When a subreddit takes down a hedge fund!

Leader of Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, Was a Government Informer

U.S. Freezes Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Reviews Deal with UAE Made Under Trump Admin

Poland Enacts Near-Total Ban on Abortions, Triggering More Protests

Honduras Locks In Total Ban on Abortions, Attacks Marriage Equality

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Confronts Parkland Survivor David Hogg in Newly Resurfaced Video

The stock market this morning: Sh*t! Normal working class people read the market and figured out the game! Time to change the rules again. Let’s write it in ancient Babylonian hieroglyphs this time. They’ll never figure that sh*t out.

A message crucial to promote the awareness of your personal role in the collective will become evident over the next three weeks. You will come to ask yourself, What am I doing with my life?

If you aren’t familiar or comfortable with seeking your inner journey, then the greatest clue I can offer you at the start is to become open to the invisible world within you. How you learn to relate to it is completely personal and uniquely your own

Speaking in more concrete terms the next few weeks may manifest a life event for you where you must apply both logic and feeling in order to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion concerning an interpersonal relationship or the question what am I doing with my life?

This Mercury retrograde should be a cinch, but during it don’t buy tech if you don’t have to. And remember to triple check communication before hitting send. If you arrive at conflict be quick to apologize and say no more until tomorrow 

President Biden Expands Affordable Care Act Enrollment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

House Speaker Blasts GOP for Assigning Racist Conspiracy Theorist to House Education Committee

Lawmakers Demand Probe into Trading App Robinhood After It Blocked Stock Sales That Hurt Hedge Funds

Pioneering African American Actor Cicely Tyson, Winner of Two Emmys, Dies at 96

Sun in Aquarius square Mars in Taurus February 1, 2021 @ 4:33 AM CT (10:33 GMT) The warrior’s edge has melted away and now you can take the scenic route through a field of wildflowers and mushrooms instead of blasting your way through a hillside of obstacles.

This energy catalyzes a scene that supports growth through varied experiences and it encourages everyone to seek their own way to resolutions, conclusions and understandings that are uniquely their own. Searching out your own way illuminates a strategic aspect of your purpose.

Happy Venus in Aquarius! The idea to refresh your wardrobe, hairstyle or redecorating by public opinion can be too hard to ignore under this influence. Your personal style will be influenced by the collective for the duration.

Burmese Military Stage Coup, Detain Aung San Suu Kyi

FBI Uncovers Evidence Jan. 6 Attack Was Premeditated as More Far-Right Rioters Face Charges

Trump Faces More Businesses-Related Woes as His Legal Team Departs a Week Before Impeachment Trial

It’s only the 21st day of the lunar cycle and already we’ve gone from the end of a rotten presidential era to the people’s revolution of the stock market, ok? And this moon ain’t even finished yet!

~* Last Quarter Feb. 4 11:38 AM CT (17:38 UTC) *~

U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases

Moon Last Quarter in Scorpio February 4, 2021 @ 11:38 AM CT (17:38 UTC) A time for Descending, settling, closure, receiving compliments for doing a good job. Prime time for tying of loose ends and wrapping up unfinished business.

Democrats Say Trump “Singularly Responsible” for Jan. 6 Insurrection in Impeachment Brief

With consciousness humans are able to transcend the unconscious and reconfigure our relationship to it.

Though we can transcend the unconscious through viewing ourselves objectively, we are still apart of the the unconscious. Those rules still apply to us even as we contemplate their logic.

Jeff Bezos Steps Down as Amazon CEO After Amassing Huge Personal Fortune

Amazon to Pay Contract Drivers $61.7 Million After FTC Probe Finds It Stole Tips to Pay Wages

Republican Leader Won’t Punish Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over Racist and Violent Rhetoric

Prosecutors Seek Rearrest of Kyle Rittenhouse, Wisconsin Teen Charged with Killing 2 Protesters

Sometimes the right thing to do is protect your one actual valuable thing not by defending it, but closing up all the channels the valuable thing is being attacked from the outside. Sometimes you just gotta block, delete or remove your account and move on with/to what's good.

What if we wake up one day and COVID has disappeared, like poof! It vanished into thin air? Maybe it’s the moon opposed to Uranus that’s got me wishing wild problem solvers would pop up overnight.

Poll Reveals 25% of U.S. Adults Plan to Gather at Super Bowl Watch Parties

VP Harris Casts Tie-Breaking Vote to Move Ahead with Democratic COVID Relief Bill

House Removes Marjorie Taylor Greene from Committees over Violent, Bigoted Rhetoric

Smartmatic Sues Fox News, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell for Election-Related Lies

I unfollowed some lawmakers this morning after feeling second hand anxiety over the handling of their interpersonal conflicts. Realized they were me on IG two years ago and I’ve moved on since. Can relate, but don’t wanna relive, thanks!

I just want to let y’all know that I’m coping w insufficient candle syndrome & will be studying the art & science of candle making to save myself potentially hundreds of thousands of $$ by making my own delicious smelling coconut wax babies in diy terra cotta flower pots.

Wyoming GOP Censures Rep. Liz Cheney for Backing Trump’s Impeachment

Mass Protests Continue in Burma Opposing Military Coup, Removal of Aung San Suu Kyi

You may tell others like it is today, but hopefully this inspires you to check in with yourself and be honest/come clean about something you've been overlooking.

Indian Farmworkers Blockade Roads as Mass Protests Show No Sign of Slowing Down

Black Sheriff’s Deputy in Louisiana Dies by Suicide After Condemning Police Violence and Racism

Amazon Workers in Alabama Begin Historic Vote on Unionization

Second Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump Opens in the Senate

Georgia’s Secretary of State to Probe Trump’s Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election

Mercury square Mars February 10, 2021 @ 6:14 AM CT (12:14 UTC) Still talking about talking, it’s also Dark Moon time to shape or let a habit form. This practice can come from breaking free of outdated relationships with yourself or with others in order to spur growth.

Dreamed Jungkook was correcting my pronunciation of Korean last night. I’m sorry! I’ll try harder to take this lesson seriously

Senate Votes to Proceed with Impeachment as Managers Present Harrowing Video of Jan. 6 Insurrection

Gov’t to Send Vaccines to Community Health Centers as U.S. Continues Ramping Up Vaccinations

WHO Team Confirms COVID-19 of Animal Origin; Ghana Shuts Parliament After Outbreak Infects Lawmakers

Journalists Decry Raid on Progressive Indian News Site NewsClick

U.S. to Pursue Extradition of Julian Assange as Press Freedom Groups Warn of Dangerous Precede

Fossil Fuel Pollution Causes One in Five Global Deaths

Four Louisiana Officers Arrested over Police Brutality Cases and Other Misconduct

Two NYT Journalists Exit Paper Following Revelations of Improper Conduct

Venus conjunct Jupiter February 11, 2021 @ 8:59 AM CT (14:59 UTC) Receive the overflow of creativity into your life. Welcome it even if you aren’t sure what to do with it. Write down project ideas if you don’t have the energy to start on them now. You can work on them later.

I'm cool with double masking, but a lot of folks still aren't even doing the one :|

“The Inciter-in-Chief”: Democrats Accuse Trump of Being “Singularly Responsible” for Insurrection

U.S. COVID Death Toll Tops 471,000; Half of All Deaths Occurred Since Nov. 1

Saudi Women’s Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released After 1,001 Days in Prison

Biden Administration to Continue Trump-Era Policy of Turning Away Asylum Seekers at Southern Border

Sen. Bernie Sanders Grills Neera Tanden, Biden’s Pick to Head OMB

Sen. Bernie Sanders: “According to The Washington Post, since 2014, the Center for American Progress has received roughly $5.5 million from Walmart, a company that pays its workers starvation wages; $900,000 from the Bank of America; $550,000 from JPMorgan Chase; $550,000 from Amazon; $200,000 from Wells Fargo; $800,000 from Facebook; and up to $1.4 million from Google. In other words, CAP has received money from some of the most powerful special interests in our country. How will your relationship with those very powerful special interests impact your decision-making if you are appointed to be the head of OMB?”

Neera Tanden: “Senator, I thank you for that question. It will have zero impact on my — on my decision-making.”

[moonstone-blues]

Fallout 4 AU: October 24th

If you guys remember, a while ago I quickly sketched up an idea of a modern/what if the bombs didn't drop Fallout AU for FOCCA (I'll get round to finishing the rest of the submissions eventually.)

Well, I've been doing some thinking and just wanted to share my notes on how the story would go. (This is my own personal interpretation.) 

For now, the name is October 24th. Although the main story takes place after that, the name is supposed to symbolise that we're after the day of reckoning and everything is fine… mostly.

Be warned: This is a long one. 

Story:

Okay so the story starts on the Morning of October 23 2077. Everything is the same as in game. River and Jack do their thing, joking around and making sure they look good. Shaun in this story is older, being around eight years old. (This is because I wanted to keep the 10 year old Shaun element and he can't be an old man in this version.) The television continues playing the usual news and… The bombs never fall. Not a single detonation. The McConnell family continue on with their day and attend the event at the Veteran's Hall. 

When they go home, that night as they're sleeping, Kellogg breaks in and attempts to kidnap Shaun. In the struggle, Jack is shot dead and River is attacked, being knocked into a coma. This coma lasts a year with nearly another year of physical and mental therapy to go through before she returns home. Upon realising they never found Shaun or Jack's killer, she sets up on her own, trying to find her son and avenge her husband. The story beats are obviously very similar but adapted to be more modern. Synths are now clones because I felt like synths would be too Sci fi for this story. 

Factions:

The Minutemen - A kind of neighbourhood watch organisation. Funded by the army, they were supposed to try and keep the peace, without using violence. Thus made sure the military had all of their soldiers back so they could fight. However, after some fighting within the organisation and the military suddenly cutting off funding, things quickly went downhill from there. 

The BOS - This is simply the army. After the shut down of the Minutemen, a new group was made, the Brotherhood of Steel. These were soldiers sent by the military to patrol Boston, much like how they did before the Minutemen. However, since the threat of war is now gone, they have the soldiers to spare and want to show off their muscle to intimidate the people. 

The Institute - I'm still not entirely sure about the synths being clones instead things so this one is really up for debate. My thoughts so far are that the Institute still kidnaps people. They harvest their organs and make a clone to send off to replace the original person. I know, not the best idea. But I was thinking about what they would do with the kidnapped people that seemed justified in their minds? Well, they still have the same belief that humanity is doomed with the way it's going. Rioting, corrupt governments and the rest. They replace people with clones of themselves, engineered to behave. And they kill and harvest the organs of the original person and send them to hospitals for people who can't get organ donations because they're too low on the list. In their minds, they're getting rid of corrupt people, replacing them with people who they see as being better for society and giving people who may not have one a chance at life. They're technically doing good, but they are killing people. They still work out of the CIT but in secret laboratories.

The Railroad - Very similar to their in game selves. A secretive organisation dedicated to setting clones free and stopping the Institute. 

Characters:

Dogmeat - A stray dog that kept turning up on River's doorsteps during the first couple of weeks she stays at home. She eventually takes him in, being reminded of her other dog that ran away. She calls him Biscuit. 

Codsworth - Mostly the same. A faithful robot butler mourning the loss of two of his masters and constantly worrying over River. He makes sure she takes all of her medicine and never let's her miss an appointment. 

Preston - An ex Minuteman who spends most of his free time handing out fliers that promote it and tries to get people to sign a petition to bring the Minutemen back. His efforts are mostly in vain until he meets River after being attacked in an alleyway. 

Piper - The same noisy reporter working for the Boston Bugle. Known for her sometimes controversial articles and her willingness to do anything for a story. She's very interested in River since the kidnapping of her son seemed to be the beginning of all of what she believes to be the Institute's kidnappings. At first River wants to stay away from her as Piper is particularly intruding in her life but accepts her help. 

Nick - After the original Nick Valentine went for his brain scan, he was disposed of. The new Nick was made with Nick's DNA but due to the fact that the cloning technology had only just started being put to use, it wasn't perfect. He wasn't a complete copy of the original Nick and he was more than aware that he wasn't actually the original. At first he was loved up, the scientists not knowing what to do with him, but eventually Nick was broken out with the help of DIMA. He tried explaining that to 'his' boss and coworkers but they said he was mad. Eventually, Nick quit the police, feeling like he hadn't deserved to be there in the first place. After all, a man was murdered so he could live. He roamed the streets, no clue of what to do. He eventually found his way at the original Nick's home, still covered in evidence against Eddie Winters. Eventually, people started knocking on his door. They knew Nick Valentine was a great cop and did his job damn well. So when the police started ignoring missing person cases they came to him. Nick would've refused but without a job, he had no money to live. He begrudgingly accepted a job from someone in high power. (The same missing person case he dealt with in the original game but without the hilarious beeping part.) When he succeeded, he was overcome with a passion to help people. He stopped feeling sorry for himself and officially turned his place into Valentine Detective Agency. With the knowledge of his big case, people came to him from all over for help and he continued to give it to them. He had his lower right arm, some of his face, some parts generally all over damaged when one of Eddie Winter's men planted a bomb in his mailbox. He only placed his hand in so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. He did need everything below his left elbow removed and he now has a prophetic arm and eye. River Meets Nick when she rescues him from Mafia boss, Skinny Malone. 

Hancock - John and his brother came from a poor family. Honest but poor. Living in a bad part of town, their parents tried to instill good values into them despite their circumstances. Unfortunately, neither really took it to heart. They were still a happy family, doing the best they could, even taking trips to museums as a treat. As they grew up, John found himself in a lot of trouble. Joining gangs, drinking, doing chems. However, his brother was going places. He worked hard, eventually becoming assistant to the mayor. However, once it was found out the mayor was using taxpayer's money to build his own luxurious vault, he was kicked out of office. With a position to fill, Hancock's brother worked hard. His campaign was brutal. His major promise was to move the poor people to the opposite side of Boston so they couldn't bother the more wealthy. This also meant they would be receiving less help from tax payers and left to fend for themselves. The people, after having plenty of money taken off them for years, loved this plan. He won at a landslide. John was furious. He thought with their situation, his brother wouldn't dream to hurt those who could barely afford to live. But his brother still carried it out. He left the promise of a cushy life with his brother and decided to live with the less fortunate. It wasn't the best situation but anywhere would've been better than with his brother. The particular section of Boston was horrible. Mostly lawless, police not even wanting to go near the place. It was a dog eat dog kind of town. Eventually, a mob boss named Vic overtook the town, making himself the leader. Forcing people to pay for protection or they would be beat. John watched every day. Despite wanting nothing to do with him, the mayor still gave John protection. He hated it. Being treated better than everyone else who was suffering. He got insanely wasted one night, feeling horrible for the protection he got and the way he ignored Vic's actions. He needed things to change. He couldn't stand the man he saw in the mirror. He poured his remaining bear over himself and set himself on fire. Most of the damage was on the left side of his body, mostly burning his face so that he was hardly recognisable. After putting the flames out, he broke into one of the museums he loved so much as a kid. He remembered learning about the men that built America. It was when he looked up at the coat of John Hancock that he decided enough was enough. After a very long trip to the ER with a very expensive medical bill his brother paid off, he went back to the town with a crew who hated Vic and challenged him directly. He managed to kill Vic, albeit not as barbaric as he does in the game, and took over the town. Vic's old crew feared John's strength and left the people alone. Hancock stepped up to be the leader, officially naming the town Goodneighbor. He even changed his name to John Hancock, fully separating himself from his brother and becoming his own person. He runs it mostly the same as he does in the game. River meets him after going into Goodneighbor with Nick following a lead on her case. 

MacCready - Grew up in an orphanage in DC. He was roped into criminal activity at a young age. When he met his wife, Lucy, he claimed he was military being deployed in many places when he was off committing crimes. When his son was a few years old, Lucy was killed by a pack of rabid wolves when he didn't check out a camping spot. Duncan eventually became sick so MacCready moved to Boston with him after hearing that Med Tek was working on a cure. Unfortunately, that meant that Duncan had to live in the Facility and the cost to keep him safe and quarantined was high. MacCready works odd jobs, even stooping to criminal activity to help his son. He meets River after she hires him to help with doing some shady things since he knows his way around a lock and he's good protection. 

Curie - Curie's 'father' Kenneth Collins works as a scientist in the CIT. While he isn't aware of the Institute, he had a friend in it who he confided in about how he was sad he could never have a child since he was alone and old. This friend wanted to surprise him one day and using his connections, managed to get the Institute to create a clone for him. They created an amalgamation of personalities, most intelligent and scientific and put it in a young woman. This became Curie. Collins quickly figured out that his friend must've been part of the Institute. After all, the rumours were largely spread around the CIT building. He kept Curie a secret, knowing how suspicious it would be for a random woman with no records of anything suddenly popping up. She stayed in mostly total isolation, learning everything she could about everything to do with science. While she did very rarely step outside her home only under the supervision of her father, she still didn't understand a lot and yearned to be outside to explore and study. Eventually, the Institute found out that their 'property' had been given away. Kenneth was killed and Curie remained trapped, locked in her room. River meets her after walking past her house, hearing her bang on her window. She eventually gets her out of the house and with nowhere else to go and no clue of what the outside world is like, River offers her guidance. 

Danse - A Brotherhood member who is very patriotic and eager to defend the people and his country. However, despite his love for his country, he hates how the country is run. Despite the threat of nuclear war disappearing, Danse believes that America has become too relaxed and lazy, expecting everyone else to do the work. He believes the military are the only people pulling their weight and the American people need to wake up. He was replaced with a clone shortly after being deployed in Boston. River meets him when she comes across a small riot going on in the street between Danse's small squad and some members of the Minutemen. She steps in and resolves the situation. Danse is, of course, mistrustful since they were her people and he doesn't know if the Minutemen are a threat yet. However, River offers her help, guilty that Minutemen were involved in riots and Danse finds her to be quite useful for his mission. 

Deacon - He was always a con man, weaseling his way into situations for his own benefit. However, he was also very troubled by the growing tensions between America and China. He joined a group that were against the Chinese and harassed any they met, even lynching a young man. Deacon left the group after this, being disgusted by his involvement and soon met the love of his life, Barbara. A Chinese-American woman. Despite some lingering feelings of fear and hatred, he eventually came to love her, growing out of his previous beliefs. They were happy together, even wanting to have a child together, however, before they had the chance, his old group found out about the pair and reported Barbara to be a Chinese spy, taking her away forever to what Deacon assumed to be her death for sure. Using his skills as a master of disguise and a con man, he managed to ruin every single one of their lives. The least someone got was being put in prison for life. He felt empty after he had his revenge. He didn't know what to do with himself. That's when he heard about the Railroad. A group dedicated to helping people. Deacon found his new cause. He may not be able to protect everyone but he could at least try to protect some. River meets him when she finds the Railroad, looking for their help. However, Deacon has had his eye on her for much longer than that. 

Cait - Her parents abused her much like in the game. After she turned 18, her parents made her work on the streets to get money for their drinking, drugs and debts. Cait was isolated most of her life with the abuse and didn't know what she could've done to escape. Eventually her parents revealed their debt was too great to be paid off by Cait being on the street. So, as part of a deal she wasn't aware of, she was forced into an underground cage fighting ring. The owner of the ring itself was Tommy who was sympathetic towards Cait but the real people in control were the gang that took over, the people Cait's parents owed money too. She was forced to stay there under a contract, her only option to fight. River Meets her accidently when she wanders into a bad part of town and uses her legal knowledge to get Cait out of her contract. 

Strong - Armstrong was the youngest out of six brothers. With his parents dying too young for him to remember, he was raised by his brothers, being abused and neglected by them. He was looked in his room most days and given the scraps of food. His brothers would fight them, knowing he was a weak target. Armstrong became stronger this way. Eventually, he escaped from his home. However, due to his lack of socialisation and education, he couldn't find work. Fortunately, he eventually found a free education program for adults. There, he was taught by radio personality Rex Goodman about literature. Macbeth stuck with him especially. Rex offered him work in his studio, hauling equipment but Armstrong still doesn't have the best socialisation and Rex doesn't get to spend as much time with him to teach him. River Meets Armstrong after she is invited on Rex's radio show to talk about her son. River feels bad for Armstrong and after some explanation about his life from Rex, River offers to help Armstrong and educate him in her free time. 

X6-88 - A clone working as security for the Institute scientists. During the times the Institute scientists are not working, he works as a security guard at the CIT. He also brings in any clones who figure out they're clones. River first meets him when she enters the CIT looking for answers after she gets clues that the CIT is where the Institute is.

DiMA - Dima was the Institute's first attempt at creating life without the use of cloning. He was put with Nick who was the first attempt at creating life with the use of cloning and the two formed a bond with their imprisonment. They even considered themselves brothers. However, with Dima's lack of an imported personality, he tended to be quite unemotional, something the Institute would take advantage of when making their security. However, Dima could tell how much Nick was suffering and wanted to freeze him. He himself wanted to be free too, of course, but he wanted his brother to be happy more than anything. He eventually helped him escape but something happened. Nick was injured in the escape, causing him to lose most of his memory of the Institute and Dima. Dima was scared, especially since his brother didn't recognise him anymore so he fled. He hoped to see him again some day but he would wait for Nick to find him. 

Obviously there's more characters and stuff but this is what I've thought of so far.

Feel free to ask questions or request something about this! 

[ofravensandgenesis]

The Investment of an Antagonist - Part One

Entry 04. [Trigger warning content: post contains discussion of Far Cry 5 details including cannibalism, graphic violence, brainwashing, torture, child abuse mention, neglect, mentioned fatalistic/suicidal character pov, dark backstories, etc. Spoilers naturally. Part 01 of 03.] [Link to part two here.] [Link to part three here.] I was cooking dinner and had the sudden EUREKA moment of trying to figure out what exactly I want with regards to an antagonist for an original fic setting. Originally I was going to have a general state of conflict between two nations/city-states/etc on a larger, more impersonal scale, but that didn’t do anything to really interest me in that level of conflict. So I was thinking on why Far Cry 5′s villains and the conflict interests me so, and the eureka moment was realizing that they as villains have a personal stake in all this, and go about it in ways that are reflective of their stories. Specifically for the Seeds, it has me realizing it’s more interesting to me when the villain is acting due to personal motivations of an emotional nature and/or relating to their belief system, and in ways that compliment those internal motivations that can build out into or off of their backstories and other areas of the tale.

Like, it’s more than just a universally formulaic method of brainwashing for all of the people they kidnap during the Reaping (and before it, since it’s a cult and that means there’s a process of indoctrination, ie brainwashing.) All of the Heralds have their specific manner of doing so, and said methods are tailored to the particulars of each Herald’s backstory as is revealed to us.

— Jacob —

Jacob starves the Deputy and other “recruits,” exposes them to the elements, doesn’t give them enough water, keeps them near hungry and dangerous animals (pre-Judge wolves and Judges it seems.) He then gives them a bowl of raw meat that one can read as implied to be human flesh, particularly if Pratt’s anecdote about going hunting in what ends up being not-a-dream from online sources is taken into consideration, as mentioned in a previous writing-about-writing post. Link here to the audio, (credit and thanks to hopecountyradio,) transcription below: “I had a dream once that Jacob took me on a hunt. We shot some deer and he asked me to skin 'em. As I was cuttin’ ‘em open they changed. It wasn’t deer. I...I don’t think it was a dream.”

Obviously one can make some assumptions of Whitetail Militia imagery being used here, particularly given that one of the slides on the projector screens during the Trials includes a picture of Eli with antlers iirc (that may be only during the later trials or the last one, I am uncertain.) Ties right into the whole “the weak must be culled,” and “you are meat,” slogans Jacob’s got all over the place. The “only you” slogans and graffiti could also serve to foster the loneliness and isolation aspect of making the choice “to make the sacrifice” ie, the symbolic choice of killing Miller, or his surrogate equivalent in the case of everyone else that Jacob puts through his trials. I haven’t seen a lot regarding Miller’s ties to Jacob from in-game content but I could have missed something easily. The wiki labels Miller as Jacob’s friend, though I wish we had more detail on that. Most certainly, Miller was a member of Jacob’s unit, which based off of some reading and browsing on the internet, should still be a pretty close tie whether or not they were friends. The following speculation is based on my own interpretations of the matter and I have no history of serving in the Armed Forces, so if I’m mistaken or such feel free to drop me a line to let me know. Continuing: even if they theoretically hated each other’s guts, they were still a part of the unit, a part of the Army. That means they and their other brothers-in-arms lived together and fought together. They ate as a group, slept as a group, watched each others’ backs while on watch or during a firefight, fought along side each other, and did their best to keep each other alive while fulfilling the mission objective, working together as individuals brought together in a cohesive unit that also was a part of the whole. They all knew they had each others’ backs and that the others did the same for them in turn. Shifting between life-or-death situations and more peaceful times, it creates a bond and social structure that is very unlike most common, modern civilian social structures. There certainly at least seems to be a bit of culture shock in the US between the two environs, and Jacob seems to have experienced that, based on what we hear of his backstory in The Book of Joseph of having little to no support once back in civilian life (ie: deeply traumatized and staying in veteran hospitals until he ran out of money and ended up in homeless shelters) after being discharged from the Army. In the Armed Forces it’s about the group, rather than the individual. Imagine having that, knowing that, after being through all that Jacob has potentially been through. To have brothers in arms if not by blood by his side who he protects, who also protect him against the hostility of the world they’re fighting against. This is not to ding Joseph or John as characters by the way, all three of them were children at that point and shouldn’t have had to deal with any of that. Jacob loses what ties of family he holds dear with his blood brothers once he’s put into Juvie, perhaps makes friends there but is likely on his own once he’s out again, with very poor prospects given his history, and then he enlists. He’s alone and without support before he joins the military, and then suddenly he’s in an environment where there IS a form of support, and it’s predictable and structured down to the last bootlace (note: that’s a very broad statement and does not include variance and personal experiences, nor possible issues with potential power abuse or other flaws that might arise in such group structures.) Imagine Jacob being in the Army long enough to get used to that, to enjoy that aspect of it all, to share the camaraderie of bitching about the heat of the sun, sand in their socks, and getting yet another package of their least favorite MRE while trying to wheedle a trade with someone else for something better. Imagine him doing that with Miller, knowing how the other man likes the sugar cookie desserts in one MRE package and hates how the chocolate bars melt from the desert heat in another. Knowing what each others’ tells and bluffs are from playing poker on their down time while on a tour. Swapping stories about home...and noticing who doesn’t want to talk about the life they had before enlisting. Talking about the things they miss, the people they miss. Knowing who snores, who’s a light sleeper, all those things you learn when you’re in close proximity to a person for perhaps up to two years or so depending on deployment length. It could also be they’ve been deployed together more than once, as Jacob certainly went out on multiple tours per The Book of Joseph once again. Imagine Jacob knowing all of that and more about Miller. Then, day after day after day of being lost in the desert, with starvation eating away at their rationality, that hollow pain in their guts as their bodies start burning through their own cells and reserves to try to stay alive, running out of water and having to take chances with any drinking source they can find in the environment and having to expend precious energy to try or die early from dehydration, probably not sleeping well from the hunger, exhaustion, stress, possible enemy presence, dangerous wildlife... The brain starts shutting down real quick once we don’t have the resources it needs to run optimally. Some faster than others, but in Jacob and Miller’s case, their ordeal is definitely long enough to put them into that mindset of feeling that primal fear of a slow death by famine, weakness, scarcity. The psychological toll would have been heavy without a doubt, and that might’ve been compounded by experiences in Jacob’s childhood if his parents were not dutiful in buying food more regularly, which easily could be the case. Old Mad Seed needs more whiskey this month to fuel his raging, drunken fits of spewing biblical verses in a tyrannical fashion? There goes the money for the last few days of food. Easily could be how Jacob got into stealing candy (and likely also food in that case) for himself and his brothers. So Jacob would have a good idea of some of what’s coming down the pipe in that case. He knows how long the trip is, can reckon how fast the two can travel. Maybe he starts out hopeful in a grim way to start... ...but over time as things get more and more desperate (and it could be a familiar desperation he’s felt before as a kid going hungry, only worse,) “And I looked at Miller and I could tell we were as good as dead. And I accepted that. And in that acceptance...came clarity.” That clarity could very well be that Jacob decided that morality was futile if it meant you didn’t survive, which could very well be a very world-breaking revelation for him, since he is mentioned in his backstory to have had a praiseworthy sense of honor among other things. Certainly is potentially spirit breaking to go from being the older brother, the brother-in-arms who relied on and was relied on, who was trusted, to being a betrayer of that trust. A Judas, one could say, as he calls Pratt in his video after Pratt has helped the Deputy escape. And what does Jacob make the Deputy become, in relation to Eli? Eli, the man the Deputy was rescued by, was aided by, has been working alongside this entire time. Eli, who trusts and relies on the Deputy. Eli, who it could be said betrayed Jacob’s friendship with him by choosing not to hand over the Whitetail Militia and join Eden’s Gate (from Jacob’s perspective, based on his final fight dialogue.) “Hey. Only you could have gotten this close. Only you could have earned his trust. It was always only ever you. Good work. You did it. You passed your test. You made your sacrifice. But now...you’re alone. And you’re weak. And we know what happens to the weak.” That might seem contradictory at first, since in theory making the sacrifice should make one “strong” by Jacob’s line of reasoning, one might think. But the Deputy is a “traitor” now—to the Whitetail Militia by brainwashing (temporarily as we the audience know, pending Jacob’s death,) and to Jacob by choice, if one takes the following lines from Jacob into consideration: “You’ve forgotten your purpose, Deputy. You were on the path of the Chosen but now you’ve strayed. Fear did this to you, but don’t worry, I can help with that. I can remove your fear and give you strength. It’s not too late. Come back to me. Remember your purpose.” ”Deputy, know that I still have hope for you, but if you continue to support Eli and his merry band of cowards, that hope will cease to exist. Your judgement is cloudy because your mind is weak, but I have confidence you’ll make the right choice in the end. If not—you’ll all pay in blood.” Link to the audio for the above two lines here (credit and appreciation to hopecountyradio once more.) As with the other Seeds, Jacob starts out trying to persuade the Deputy to “see the light” and join the Project, but as with all of them, as the resistance meter rises and we draw closer to the final confrontation with him, he and the others abandon that idea in favor of trying to end the Deputy instead. So in this possible interpretation, it could be that Jacob views both the Deputy and Eli as traitors both. However...the two situations while both likely quite weighty with the Deputy being “the chosen one” to kick off the Collapse (or a herald of the Collapse if one wants to be cute with wording,) and Eli being an ex-good-friend or perhaps even ex-best-friend of Jacob’s, are potentially vastly different in emotional weight to Jacob. The Deputy is all tied up with this Collapse business, and while Jacob isn’t sure if Joseph talks to God, he does support him, what with being a Herald in the cult and all that. It involves the fate of the family, and in particular, Jacob’s family—his brothers and sister. Eli, however, Jacob has known for a while, likely years, back during the construction of the bunkers which Eli helped with, possibly and likely before then. I personally lean towards interpreting that as they struck up the beginning of a friendship, and Jacob hired Eli and his crew to help with the construction of the cult’s bunkers. Where they had their falling out is less clear as far as I’m aware. It could be it was during or after construction that Eli got a bad feeling about all of this Eden’s Gate business, or perhaps even as late as the beginning of the Reaping if that’s when Jacob gave Eli the “chance” to hand over his Whitetail Militia members, as mentioned in his final boss battle red-bliss section. That could’ve been the breaking point for Jacob and Eli, and if Jacob was expecting Eli to side with him due to friendship and perhaps some shared beliefs...perhaps Jacob took that...poorly. And by poorly I mean went full out on revenge of having Eli killed by betrayal of someone he’d chosen to trust—someone that Jacob had already gotten his hooks into. Someone Eli needed, in this fight against Jacob. Someone like the Deputy. The Deputy, who’s been put through starvation, exposure, and ingrained through conditioning and likely a liberal use of Bliss to facilitate said conditioning, to hunt. To train. To kill. To sacrifice. “You take away a man’s basic needs, and he will revert to his primordial instinct in just ten days.” [Chuckles.] “Ah, that’s a difficult thing to understand unless you’ve lived it...” This is what Jacob is putting the “recruits” and the Deputy through—his revelation. His experience. His choice. In the end as Jacob succumbs to his injuries, he is weak, he is dying, and he knows it, looking at the Deputy in his final scene. This time, he is the one who is sacrificed, by the Deputy, and in Jacob’s eyes by Joseph, to either try to end the chaos spread across the county, or to break a seal respectively. Jacob’s death is a means to an end—as Miller’s was. And Jacob “accepts that,” as he puts it. Does he accept it because now he’s betrayed the trust and faith of potentially two people he might’ve been close to? Miller, and then Eli? Is Jacob conditioning the Deputy during that red-bliss sequence of his boss fight to kill Jacob, based on how there are bliss-hallucinations of Jacob to shoot while destroying the beacons? There’s the generic Whitetail fighter, Judges, and Jacob himself scattered across the landscape before ending that sequence as far as I’m aware. Both Jacob and the Whitetail fighter present could be interpreted in this line of thinking as echoing the supposed betrayal of both sides and being “alone” against the world in a nightmarish fashion while Jacob potentially tries to break the Deputy through talking and said nightmare. The way Jacob talks though...is he strictly speaking to us, or is the Deputy actually a mirror as it were, with the things Jacob says being applicable to himself? “Don’t you find it ironic that everyone you try to help ends up worse off? Eli...Pratt...Tragedy just follows you. If you really wanted to keep people safe, be a hero...you’d just off yourself. Safer for everyone that way.” Is Jacob REALLY talking to us, or to himself through a medium? Through a glass darkly, as it were. He “tried” to “help” Eli and Pratt, in his twisted fashion, by trying to get Eli previously to join the Project and to make Pratt strong enough via brainwashing to also join the Project, which in Jacob’s perspective if he’s following his and Joseph’s dogma, is the only way to survive the Collapse. But Jacob has failed, repeatedly, to protect the people he held dear—his family. His friends. He’s become the threat they need protecting from. He has irrevocably perhaps proven to himself that under the right circumstances? He’s willing to betray people he holds dear for his own survival. Would he betray his family? That is the question, isn’t it. Perhaps Jacob fears finding out. Maybe he fears, that under the right circumstances, he would. Maybe that’s why he goes so willingly to be Joseph’s sacrifice, in part. Maybe having orchestrated Eli’s death, the death of yet one more person whom he was once friends with, yet one more person Jacob himself has betrayed, maybe Jacob doesn’t want to continue either. Maybe that’s the last straw, the nail in the coffin of underlying beliefs that Jacob is inherently not someone who can be fully trusted. Maybe he genuinely thought Eli would join him if given the chance. Maybe Jacob was still hollow and brittle as hell from the first time he’d killed a friend, when he killed Miller. All the Seeds bear the weight of their pasts heavily, and Jacob’s no exception. Jacob survived the first time, barely. He survived the second time, but not by long. He starts talking about his potential death at the Deputy’s hands quite early on during the red-bliss segment. Neither John nor Faith nor Joseph to my knowledge do so. Maybe he was waiting for the Deputy to be strong enough to finish what no one else could. Maybe that was what he wanted. “There’s no “win” for you here. It all ends bloody. For everyone. You die now, or you die later. It’s up to you. But either way? You won’t die a hero.” Perhaps that line from Jacob also is one of the things he fears most—dying without purpose. Dying being not a hero, a person who’s done good for others, but rather the opposite. Ironically so, given that he and his family are all in the torture and brainwashing business, but Jacob in particular gave up on being a good person a long time ago, I think, even by the cult’s standards. [Link to part two here.] [Link to part three here.]

[jessicatredes]

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 34, 42, 55, 60 + shiloh 💕

 shiloh - junior deputy w bde

002. Do they do anything to celebrate their birthday? He isn’t much of a birthday person tbh. He went wild on his 21st w his Air Force buds, and almost every other since he joined was spent on a deployment.  His go to is to just gets drinks and food w friends!  He turned 27 during the events of Hope County and shared a sad beer w Sharky and Hurk.004. Do they prefer being alone or with others? Likes being with others, but group size depends on the situation.  Social setting, the more the merrier!  Combat or stealth situation, he’d prefer smaller numbers.  While in Hope County he rarely traveled with more than one person while performing actual missions.006. What sense do they most rely on? His hearing isn’t that great after the military, so he relies heavily on his eyes. He hates fighting at night/in the dark since it throws him off. 008. What is their favorite fairy tale? He doesn’t necessarily have one, but he likes The Princess and the Frog!010. Do they believe in love at first sight? Nah. He can develop crushes easily, but not love.  He loves friends pretty easy, but Shi’s only been romantically in love once or twice, and it crept up on him.  012. What makes your character embarrassed? Public speaking is not his forte.  He also got pretty flustered his first week at the Sheriff’s Department since he was used to being one of the most educated in his career field.  He gets blushy.014. Detail one secret shame your character feels. Shi knows that he was under Jacob’s conditioning, but he’s incredibly ashamed that he not only killed innocents, but that he was also fed other people killed within the Veteran’s Center.  He’s only confessed it to Grace, and while she reassured him it wasn’t his choice, Shiloh still feels at fault.   016. What is their choice of weapon? Boy loves his knives, and got his hands on a KA-BAR in Hope County he doesn’t go anywhere without.  He’s comfortable with a wide range of weapons because of his time in the service, and most prefers light machine guns. 018. Your character wakes up to find that war has been declared. What do they do? Depending on his contract, he might get called back into the Air Force, since some have a four year grace period after separation.  If he wasn’t, Shi’d send his love and best luck to his old unit.  020. What are their hobbies? He’s into hunting, and used to go on an annual trip while in middle and high school.  He also likes hiking, kayaking, and most outdoor activities!  Shi’s into soccer and lacrosse, since he played most of his life.   024. What do they consider ugly in others physically? He’s into both dudes and chicks, and while there aren’t any major disqualifiers for ladies, he’s way more particular with dudes.  Short, bald, facial hair that isn’t just scruff are all weird to him.   028. What makes them laugh out loud? Shi loves when someone’s trying to tell a joke or a story, and they themselves are laughing so hard they can’t.  His buddy Mason from his old unit also always made shitty commentary at commander’s calls and briefings that got him yelled at for laughing more than once.   034. What’s their view of lying? Not a fan, is generally a super honest person.  He thinks white lies are okay to a certain degree, but prefers to be blunt and truthful.  042. What is their greatest achievement? Getting through PJ training and earning his beret.  His older cousins both tried getting it, but failed out, and Shi graduated damn near top his class.  And even though he was beyond proud of himself for earning it, he didn’t feel as bad as he did when he permanently took off the uniform.      055. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? Extrovert!  060. What is your character’s attitude toward education and learning?Shi thinks education is important, and was in the process of pursuing his Master’s in Biochemistry!  He originally was interested in getting a degree in Environmental Science, but realized he was better at and enjoyed biochem more.        

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 11: A Little Pegassistance

Part 10

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War.  The only game that is also a secret government idiot-detector; unfortunately it can only detect the idiots in its own script.  

When we left our heroes, they had officially been declared murderous traitors by a pair of men who look like, respectively, a blood-crazed Viking and a parody of a Nazi colonel, thus proving that people in Jugdral genetically have no ability to judge character by sight. Fortunately, Lewyn’s mom, the Queen of Silesse, offered us sanctuary in her own country, and we escaped. Let’s see how that goes!

Sigurd is now a traitor in the eyes of his beloved Grannvale. In desperation, his army flees to find refuge in the northern kingdom of Silesse.

Silesse was founded by the Wind Crusader, Ced. It lies under the watchful guard of valiant pegasus knights and wind mages, and for over a century since its foundation has maintained itself as a neutral nation and resisted all invaders. However, since the death of its king several years ago, the royal family has been plagued with strife over its inheritance and shades of war creep over the peaceful land.   

(You may have heard of him.)

and has confined himself to Zaxon Castle in protest.

has set to work raising an army for himself as Thove Castle. Out of disgust at his uncles, Prince Lewyn left Silesse to travel the world years ago.  

(“Rather than killing them both, which he could have done with his eyes closed.”)

Is there no end to the dukes’ avarice? Their lust for power will condemn Silesse, a beautiful and majestic land, to the searing ravages of a brutal war.

(Sigurd! She’s a queen, even if her sprite is just a recolor of that lady who gave Lex his Brave Axe. It’s ‘your majesty’.)

Rahna: I know Sailane is perhaps too small to house all of you adequately, and I’m sorry. But please, bear with me a while longer. I’m doing all I can to hasten your liberty. I’ve sent letter after letter to Belhalla to advocate for your innocence. As of yet, however, I’ve still heard nothing at all from King Azmur.

Sigurd: This… this has to be Reptor’s doing! First he betrays my father, and now he’s stopping your emissaries! He must be!

(Sigurd Logic Moments: 2! He’s growing!)

Rahna: Calm yourself, Lord Sigurd. I know well the pain you’re feeling, but you cannot let your grudges rule you. Your anger will not save your father. Hatred will only destroy you from within. I swear to you, we can and will find a way to set this right, but you must be patient.

Sigurd: You’re right… I’m sorry, your highness. I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.

Rahna: It’s alright, Lord Sigurd. Oh, before I forget… there actually has been some good news from Grannvale of late.

Sigurd: Good news, you say?

Rahna: A previously unknown daughter of Prince Kurth has been discovered. All of Grannvale is rejoicing at the news.

Sigurd: What?! Is that even possible?

(… Well you see, Sigurd, when a prince loves another man’s wife very much, he puts his royal sword into her Loptyrian cloak, and…)

Rahna: It took King Azmur only a glance to recognize her true heritage. She bears the Brand of Naga, the proof of a true heir to House Belhalla. There is no doubt, she is Kurth’s child.

Sigurd: I see… thank goodness. At the very least, this means the royal lineage won’t go extinct.

(“And if I had been paying even the slightest attention to the backstory, I’d know that’s my wife!”)

Rahna: That’s not all. The princess and Duke Arvis are in a relationship. King Azmur has given his blessing, and a magnificent wedding will soon be held.

(EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW-)

Sigurd: Arvis? Really?

Rahna: All who’ve seen the happy couple eagerly attest that this beautiful princess and Duke Arvis are perfectly matched. To say nothing of how happy the couple is said to be! Young love is wonderful, isn’t it?

(EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW-)

Rahna: … Oh, Lord Sigurd, I’m so sorry. I forgot. Your wife is still-

Sigurd: Deirdre… my wife’s still gone, yes… it’s been over a year since she vanished. She’s missed an entire year of watching Seliph grow up.

Rahna: I’m so sorry, Lord Sigurd, but be of good cheer. I know you’ll reunite someday.  

Sigurd: You’re right. I feel it, too. I can’t give in to sorrow yet. I can’t give up on finding her.

Rahna: Ah, of course. I’ll be with you in a moment. Lord Sigurd, one last thing… beware Duke Maios of Thove. I regret to say my brother-in-law has long hungered to claim Sailane for himself. It’s only a matter of time until he goes so far as attacking you. I wish I could provide you with reinforcements, but…

Sigurd: I know. The capital is under the very same threat from Duke Daccar of Zaxon. You cannot afford to weaken your own guard.  Daccar would pounce upon you given even a hint of weakness. Don’t worry, Your Highness. There’s nothing the Thove army can throw at us that we can’t handle.

Rahna: Ah, of course. I should be more confident in such veteran heroes as yourselves. … Oh! I’ve been talking for so long, I lost track of the time. Take care, Lord Sigurd.

Sigurd: You, too, Your Highness. Thank you.

Lewyn: You just chatted for hours and hours with Sigurd, yet you can’t even acknowledge your own son?

Rahna: My son? The one who abandoned me two years ago, going gods know where? How do I talk to someone who’s clearly not here?

Lewyn: Heh… so this is how it’s going to be. You’re still made at me, then?

Rahna: Of course I am!  Do you have any idea how hard it was without you, and how worried I’ve been after you? That my own son could be so cold-hearted… I thought I knew you better than this.

Lewyn: Look, I know you’re upset, but I had my reasons for all this.

(“They were bad, but I had them.”)

Lewyn: But come now, I’m home safely! Surely that counts for something and you can forgive me? I swear I’ll make up for it and be the very picture of a good son. Hew, how about I give you a shoulder massage to start.

Rahna: Oh! What nerve, treating me as if I’m an old crone! Look, Lewyn, there are more pressing matters we need to discuss, and soon. Come to Silesse as soon as possible. Do not forget! Do I make myself clear?

Lewyn: … Sigh. I thought she’d never stop.

Mahnya: Indeed, she hasn’t been anything as lively as this since before you left.

Lewyn: Thanks, Mahnya. Knowing you’re at her side is a big relief. Look after her, okay?

Mahnya: Yes, sir! Rest assured, I will protect the queen with my life, on my honor as the captain of the Silessian Pegasus knights.

Lewyn: Thanks… oh, and one more thing. Are you gonna leave Erin here with Sigurd?

Mahnya: Oh. Eavesdropping, were you Erin?

Erin: You were about to tell him too much, so…

Mahnya: Ah. My apologies, Erin. There are things he shouldn’t know just yet, of course… Erin, I’ll be leaving with Queen Rahna and returning to Silesse Castle shortly.

(JUST SHUT UP AND GO)

Mahnya: You’ll stay here and keep an eye on Prince Lewyn. Best of luck.

Erin: Thank you, Mahnya.  

(… What?!  No! Don’t leave!)

Quan: Rest assured, we’ll be back, leading the full military might of Leonster to your aid. May that day come soon, my friend.

(I don’t need them! Finn is about to promote and you’re a godlike shatterer of men! Forget the army and just stay! AT LEAST LEAVE THE SPEAR!)

Ethlyn: I’m going with Quan, Sigurd. Don’t worry, though. We’ll be back before you know it! Take care of yourself.  

(… eh, don’t feel the need to rush.)

Finn: By your leave, sir, I’ll be departing with my lord. Thank you for all you’ve done for us. Don’t give up, sir. I know the charges against you will be cleared and your good name restored. I know you can do this.

(*sob*)

Sigurd: Thank you. You’ve got quite the journey back to Leonster ahead of you. I wish I could do more to help you on your way. May your journey be a safe one!

And there goes two units I will sorely miss for this map.  Also Ethlyn.

You know, this world would be a lot safer if people stopped decorating their castles in red.

Maios: Very well, relay my orders to Cuvuli: Move in on Sailane! Dithorba, I trust your pegasus corps are already briefed on their mission?

Dithorba: Yes, sir. Our task is clear. My squadron is to raid the enemy from above, disrupting their tactics.

Maois: Good. Now get to work! Grannvale will owe us a handsome reward for bringing them the heads of their infamous traitors!

And here we go.  First and foremost, of course:

Mmmmmmm. Normally I would say Aideen is not  combat unit material regardless of promotion, but her levels this run have been so great she actually is. Her magic in particular is so bonkers she’ll be nuking fools with the most basic of tomes now that she can fight; I have her buy a thunder tome from the armory and prep her for the arena. (Oh, and Alec is joining Noish on the sidelines. He’s not very good, and experience is best shared among the increasingly awesome super killers I’ve assembled.)

Sigurd: 7 wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Strength, +2 Speed

Arden: 4 wins, Gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Strength, +1 Defense

Lex: 6 wins, Gained three levels: +2HP, +1 Skill, +3 Strength

Azel: 7 wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Magic,

Aideen: 5 wins, Gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +2 Luck, +1 Defense

Midir: 2 wins, a new low. No levels.

Holyn: 7 wins, Gained two levels, +2HP, +2 Skill, +2 Strength, +1 Magic

Ayra: 7 wins, Gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Strength, +1 Luck, +2 Defense

Jamke: 7 wins, Gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Strength, +2 Defense

Dew: 7 wins, Gained five levels, +3 HP, +3 Skill, +1 Strength, +1 Magic, +3 Luck, +2 Defense

Lewyn: 7 wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Skill, +2 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Lachesis: 7 wins, Gained six levels: +3  HP, +3  Skill, +4 Strength, +2 Speed, +4 Luck, +1 Defense

Beowulf: 2 wins, what did you do, eat some of Midir’s loser pills? Gained no levels.

Erin: 7 wins, gained five levels: +4 HP, + 1 Skill, +1 Strength, +3 Speed, +2 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance

Bridget: 7 wins, gained three levels: +2 HP, +1 Magic, +3 Luck, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance

Taillte: 7 wins, Gained three levels: +1 HP, +2 Skill, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Claude: 1 win. He is no Aideen, to be blunt.

Wait, you say. Seven wins… for DEW?! Well, see, in among those arena wins, we also had much better stuff:

BEHOLD MY PEERLESS ARMY!  

Oh, man, I’ve been watching them all languish in the teens waiting for this; the Paragon Band switched hands several times, and I do not regret any of them, even though they were stupidly pricey. Because our team’s overall power has just skyrocketed. Dew and Lachesis in particular just jumped from liabilities to ridiculous frontline killers.  In addition to their giant physical stat jumps, both gained Pursuit as an ability, and Lachesis got a horse (!) and the ability to use any non-legendary weapon (!!!!!).  

But… Midir. Uncool there, man. You need a jump.  Where could we get something like that…?

Aideen: Of course. I bought it for you, after all! Silesse’s pegasus knights are a formidable foe. With a bow of this caliber in hand, I know you’ll be better prepared to fight them.

Midir: Milady… I still can’t believe this isn’t a dream! I can’t believe we’re actually married…. I’ve dreamed of this for so long.

Aideen: I’ve long dreamt of the same myself. I had wanted to act upon it for so many years, but I couldn’t, even at my loneliest… But… I think by now you can just call me Aideen. I’ll always look out for you, Midir. I’ll always pray for your safety.

Sweeeeeet. As I’m sure you can work out, this is something you’ll only get if Aideen and Midir are married; though to avoid you being totally screwed, if she married Jamke he gets the Brave Bow instead. I prefer Midir just because he needs the bow way more, frankly. Jamke’s Killer Bow is just as good and his stats are better than Midir’s by a solid margin anyway.  

Trivia, if she marries Azel, then she’s the one who gets a present, a unique staff of some sort that I don’t recall off the top of my head. But they in general aren’t a great pairing otherwise.

So here’s the map. It looks wide open but it really isn’t; the whole southern half is totally closed off to us until we deal with Maios and Thove Castle to the far northeast.  The current enemy force consists of a huge squad of wind mages moving toward our castle, a bunch of bandits moving toward all the villages because fuck you, and Dithorba’s pegasus knight unit who will start moving on the first enemy phase.  

Not much to be done at first because nothing is near us; I just have everyone move out as far as possible; our first priority is to get to the villages before they burn.

Cuvuli: Move in! Teach the traitorous scum the terror of a wind mage’s wrath!

Okay, first of all bro, you’re literally committing treason, so maybe stop judging us.  Second, wind mages are actually pretty wrathful, but they can’t actually reach us, so what follows is a scene of them all moving one space into the forest. Wrathfully. Afterwards, off to south, Duke Evilton Sr. has some fun.

Daccar: Heh heh… why, this little drama is finally getting interesting. Wouldn’t you say, Pamela?

Pamela: Indeed, sir. However, as I recall we didn’t account for Sigurd’s fugitives being here. Their strength poses a real risk to the plan. If Maios at least succeeds in weakening them, perhaps Silese’s fall will still go smoothly?

Daccar: Even if he fails, I still have my private deal with Grannvale in my favor.  Their Lord Andre should arrive shortly with a battalion of reinforcements.  

(Eep. And on an even worse note, Andre was mentioned last chapter; he’s Aideen and Bridget’s brother. If he’s working with Reptor and Langbalt…what happened to their father? We haven’t heard anything about him, but he was a friend of Prince Kurth just like Sigurd’s dad. He can’t be in a safe place right now…)  

Daccar: Hehehe… my victory is certain, Pamela! I’ll be sitting on the Silessian throne by the end of the week.

Pamela: Without a doubt, sir!

Oh goodie, so Grannvale’s coming up here too.  We can assume the deal is something like, “We make you king and you’re basically our governor in the region”, which you’d think an ambitious fuck like Daccar wouldn’t be down for, but maybe he really just wants a crown.  Once again, our turn is just moving; the enemy should reach us next turn.

Unless they don’t move. Lazy bums. Well, we’re close enough to clear the first village.

Mmmmmmmmmm she’s such a badass all of a sudden. Nothing much else to do, though, so end turn…

Would you guys pick it up?!

Sigh. Well, on our turn, we’re close enough to take shots at them.  Let’s rock this shit and try to clear out as many mages as we can before the pegasi get here.

Not bad! They’re generally pretty troublesome folks; wind magic is light and accurate, so the mages are usually pretty tricky to get rid of.  But we’re making solid progress and nobody is in a position to get hit too hard. End turn!

*wince* Well, we took some hits, but mostly only to Erin, who can thankfully handle magic damage well. That jerk putting Azel to sleep is the real annoyance.  Only Claude can fix him, so now I have to get him up there. Claude cannot fight to save his dumb life, so the first thing to get done here is to clear out the area. Kids?

Once again, not bad! I really love how Dew is able to fight an enemy and kill it in a single turn, like how real units do. And even better (I legit forgot this) Restore is a distance staff, so Claude doesn’t have to get too close after all.  I then have Sylvia dance him, and he hits the army with the Fortify staff to pop us all back up to full.

Yes, he did gain two levels in a row there. Fortify is a Hell of a staff. Now then, some cleanup. Let’s see if we can remove Cuvuli and his leadership stars from the equation.  

Nobody tell him that he’s only the first miniboss of the chapter and fighting him isn’t very far at all.

And there he goes! No more leadership stars and especially no more Sleep staff. I end the turn by smacking a few more of his pals.

Sigurd, you really need more strength. Even with your ring that gives you more strength. Well, only four mages left and we can start moving east at top speed. End turn!

…. Okay, three mages left. Not sure what that one guy who went after Bridget was thinking, but hey. Time to purge the last ones and move ourselves into the edge of the range of the pegasus squad as they just barely start to reach us from the east.  

And yes, Taillte did go twice in there. Sylvia is running with the team because I actually want her to get married now. Claude gets himself a wife! And speaking of Claude…

Claude: I did return to Grannvale and attempted to relate the truth to His Majesty. But Reptor interfered before we could meet, and now I too am branded a traitor to the motherland.

Sigurd: Ugh. I’ve had enough of just sitting here and letting Reptor have his sorry way! I swear, I’ve half a mind to storm straight into Grannvale and end this once and for all!

Claude: No. You know better than to rely on brute force or to risk the common folk’s safety. For now, Lord Sigurd, we must endure.

Sigurd: But, Father Claude…

Claude: Make no mistake. I feel your pain, too, too but this crisis’s end now lies in fate’s hands. There is nothing any of us can do to save ourselves anymore.

… … … … Holy shit, Claude. Fatalist, much? I end my turn, fully aware of the crushing hand of oblivion slowly grinding me down.

Only Jamke gets attacked, and only one enemy hits him.  But who cares? We’re all doomed and only fate and random chance can save us. *sigh* I… guess I should fight back, even though it’s pointless.

Sigh, there were a lot of misses there. It’s because of how there’s no point in fighting your destiny, I guess. Fate determined we should lose.

End turn. If it even matters.

One of the Four Great Heavenly Princess Falcon Queens of Silesse hits Midir, and does about six damage while leaving herself totally exposed.  So, uh…

Thus passes Dithorba, I suppose.  Don’t worry, she’ll have plenty of company soon.

And that’s the Pegasus unit broken. Time to move east, and fast; some of these villages are starting to get dangerously low.  While the turn prepares to end, however, something new to show off…

Some happy couples have formed!  Beowulf and Lachesis was pretty much set in stone, but I honestly wasn’t sure how Ayra would end up; either Jamke or Lex was the endgame, but I legit wasn’t certain which would end up coming on top. She spends more time with Jamke since neither has a horse, but Lex gave her that Brave Sword and got a boost from that.  In the end, Jamke wins out, which works just fine for me. Hail Verdane!

Anyhow, now that we’ve broken Maios’s opening lineup, the defenders become our next issue. The castle has three lines of defense; two small ones made up of a mage commander and two mooks, and a major squad around the castle of three more mages and seven armor units.  Pretty basic stuff, barring the fact that all the mages are using Wind magic and so they’re far more annoying than what we’re used to. Particularly this one:

Blizzard is the wind-magic siege tome, and it will be very annoying as we proceed. He’s hidden among the second small line with no indication he might be there, which, you know; always remember to look at your enemies, kids.  Time to start our charge! First, Lachesis clears a village.

It’s so delightful that she can just do that now. I can’t express it.    No other combat happens, sadly, because Silesse is full of goddamn forests and progress is very slow.  Remember back in Verdane, when the map was full of forests and everything was slow? It was annoying then, and making it snow hasn’t changed that. These villages will not be giving us much money.

Though thankfully when we actually reach them, it’s pretty easy to clear ‘em. And we are finally able to reach the attack range of the enemy defense line, so on their next turn they should be taking a shot at us. It won’t end well for them. End turn!

I warned ‘em. Now let’s rock this shit.  

Awesome! Now it’s time to get Erin and Azel to the final village, and we have four turns to do it. I think we got this. Unless something goes terribly wrong, of course.

Maios: Without this key, there’s no way they’ll ever get over here. Heh heh… I almost wish I could see the looks on their faces!

Nope, that actually isn’t a problem, we can lower that bridge again, and even if we couldn’t, we do have a pegasus now. Still, I mean, A for Effort. If some earlier bosses had tried that, we’d have lost back in frickin’ Jungby.

Also, Blizzard Dude takes a shot at Erin, but she’s a dodge champ and it doesn’t connect.  

… Azel, less so. I didn’t realize there were more than one Blizzard Dude. See what I said about checking your enemies? I need to follow my own advice. Aideen patches him up and levels.

God her magic stat is so huge. What even is happening.

Erin hits the final village, but isn’t able to clear it…

She’s gotten a bit strength-screwed this run, I’m afraid. Still, I think we got this. The only way that village could fall totally is if she and Azel both somehow miss twice next turn.

… Unless we die from being Blizzarded, jeez. All three hit, and not one had an even 40% to do it. Just one of those little reminders FE doesn’t actually like you. Luckily, Lachesis still has a healing staff on top of her other amazingness, and she steps up to heal her hubby. He takes advantage of this to run up and clear the village, letting the rest of the army move on toward the Blizzard Jerks.

… You know, this is really weird. The speed and skill are normal for a pegasus knight, but she somehow managed to trade the normal ‘high offense’ for a fairly solid defense growth you usually don’t see in her class. She can actually take hits better than she can give them at this point. It’s weird and I’m not sure I like it, but it’s interesting to see.  

Anywho, with the Blizzard Dudes burned down, let’s take some time to clear villages before we open up the path ahead.

Info Kiosk: If it’s still drawn and you don’t have the key, you’re not getting across. Mind you, if you have a thief’s sticky fingers at your service, that might not be a problem…

GEE I’M SURE THAT WON’T BE IMPORTANT.

Info Master: Divine heirs can wield even the most advanced weapons with ease, and’ll have an easier time growin’ stronger. ‘Course, it’s not every day you meet someone blessed with that sorta blood.

…………………….. That… really should have been shared in the first chapter, honestly. I mean, I already knew it, but…

Actually Innocent: If you don’t mind, perhaps you could do a little dance for us? It’s been so long since we’ve had time for respite or fun…

Sylvia: Yup, not a problem! If you think it’ll cheer everyone up a bit, then I’m gonna dance my feet off! … Okay! Heeeeeeeeere we go!

Sylvia: Whew… well, how ‘bout that? Everyone feelin’ a little better?

Not Even a Creep: Oh! What fantastic dancin’! I dunno how, but now I feel like I’m ready to give life my all! I can’t thank you enough, miss.  Here, perhaps this magic sword’ll help ya out. It oughta do a fine job of keeping ya safe.

Sylvia gets the Shield Sword, which grants +7 defense to anyone holding it and which, nothing personal honey, she absolutely will not be getting to keep. It’s going to someone who fights.

As you might have guessed, this scene only pops up if Sylvia visits this one specific village, which doesn’t look any different from any of the others. It’s not even like, ‘the closest to the castle’ or something. It’s second closest to the castle. Totally arbitrary 

No, the game doesn’t give you any hint to this.

Hahahaha.

Now, as the game hinted at earlier, Dew can lower the bridge by going to the space where it was lowered before. However, I don’t want to do that yet; this is a chance to kill off some of the enemy while leaving them unable to swarm us. I have Taillte and Midir move into the range of the enemy who have distance weapons, and get Lachesis and Aideen ready to heal them. End turn.

… It’s only as  I do this that I realize his Brave Bow means he’ll be killing most of what he fights. So, uh… hopefully he dodges a lot!

Score. Midir, you can stick around.

… Taillte, Midir just rocked this, do not screw it up for me.

… Taillte, you just got a great level, do not die and ruin this for me.

Yessssssssssssssssss. Okay, now we can lower the bridge.

We’re still not friends, you little shit. And with the way clear, we can, as the kids say, slaughter our foes.

Score. All that remains is three armor units and the boss himself, and none of them can reach anyone who they could reasonably kill in a single turn.

… Wait, why did they go for Midir at range…?

Okay, better. I mean, it’s not that I want to lose, but I feel bad if they don’t at least try. Now, let’s kill them all!

And here we go!  The enemy army for Thove Castle is broken, so nothing left to be done but kill Maios himself. He’s a baron, because of fucking course he is, and he’s packing the A-rank wind tome Tornado.  Get used to this sort of thing from here on; 99% of enemy bosses are going to be barons with great weapons that will ruin your day. Lewyn’s other douchey uncle is going to be one too.  Fortunately, we have him super, super outnumbered.

Once again, bro, insulting us by calling us traitors loses some impact when you’re in the middle of treason.

On the other hand, Midir basically bounces off him.  This is going to be a giant pain in the…

….. Never mind, forgot she had this.

Okay, battle’s over. What follows is mostly people whiffing at him for three turns, but there is one good moment…

Well. He almost succeeded in family victory.

There we go. Not much left to do but clear out a few villages and start moving people South to the big giant half of the map we conspicuously can’t enter.

Info Master: House Velthomer wields the power of fire, as bestowed by the fire goddess Vala. And House Freege wields thunder, as bestowed by the thunder god Tordo.

… Neat? Yeah, other than the sword, they’re all like this, generally giving game backstory you probably already worked out because it’s blatantly obvious. It’s like someone screwed up and put these villages in here when they should have been in the prologue.

A few empty turns of moving later, we have two fronts; one protecting Thove, and one getting ready to hit Silesse to the south.  Don’t worry if you don’t think to do this; the game gives you plenty of time to run back to either or both if needed. That set up, let’s take Thove!

(God, nobody likes their nobles in this world.)

Info Master; The entire population of Thove is rejoicing at his downfall!

Sigurd: Hm? Are you sure? I mean, I just conquered you. Am I not the enemy here?

(Does this count as a Sigurd Logic Moment?)

Info Master: Lord Maios was nothing but a tyrant. All he ever did was bleed us dry.  You fight in the name of Queen Rahna, and there isn’t a Silessian alive who doesn’t bear the utmost adoration for our queen.

(“I mean, besides her two brothers-in-law and their revolutionary armies.”)

Sigurd: Is that so? Thank you. Anyway, in the interim I think I’ll leave governing Thove to you, sir. Once the crisis has settled, the queen will arrange a proper successor. Until then, I’m sure you’ll be a just governor to help heal Thove’s wounds.

Info Master: Very well. Please, Lord Sigurd, do all you can to protect the queen. She is a treasure to us, and a beacon of peace and kindness.

Sigurd: Rest assured, my good man. So long as  I live, I will let no harm come to Queen Rahna. You have my word.

And with a zap of Aideen’s Warp staff, Sigurd heads off to join the southern front and Thove is ours. Let’s call it a fair end for the week, and cut off things here.  Next week: Everything goes to Hell!

[segadores-y-soldados]

Everything You Want to Know about Reaper and Soldier: 76

HAPPY REAPER76 DAY!!

In light of today’s news (and the chaos of Blizzcon), I figured a post on what we know about Reaper and Soldier: 76 is probably appropriate.

Please remember to reblog or retweet the original posts from Auttoton/Autolikescake! (here: http://auttoton.tumblr.com/post/167297655733/i-attended-a-panel-at-blizzard-tonight-with-jeff and here: https://twitter.com/Autolikescake/status/928528808445014019)

“Overwatch's short list of prospective agents included two members of the soldier enhancement program: Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, a senior officer. Reyes, a hardened and highly respected veteran, grew up about as far from rustic Indiana as you could get—the sprawling urban melting pot of Los Angeles. Despite their differences, the two soldiers became friends. Their decision to join Overwatch together would change the world, for good and for bad.”

(source: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/) Buckle up - this is one of the longest ones yet!

One thing to keep in mind with this article - “Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison” - is that it is written in-universe from an unreliable background narrator (the journalist Olympia Shaw).  It contains both “facts about Reyes and Morrison,” but it also contains her biases and is tinted with her view and understanding of the world.

Similarly, all sources cited from within the universe of Overwatch are from very specific perspectives and typically told through an unreliable narrator.  At his 2017 GDC talk, “Thinking Globally: Building the Optimistic Future of Overwatch,” Michael Chu had this to say about Blizzard’s storytelling for the characters:

“One of the things that we really like doing with Overwatch is playing with perspective.  We utilize perspective when we tell stories about what characters are thinking, what their goals are - and we have a lot of unreliable narrators.  We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.  We want them to use their judgement and knowlege of a character’s thoughts to come up with their own ideas about the universe.” - Thinking Globally (Timestamp: 34:35 https://youtu.be/bj56ejM5EcU?t=2075) 

This is important because the majority of our information comes from characters with a certain lens on their own words and narratives - Olympia Shaw is one, yes, but others in this story of Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison include: Sombra, Moira O’Deorain, Jesse McCree, Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Torbjörn Lindholm, etc.  

And of course - 

Gabriel and Jack themselves.

In my opinion, the beauty and fun of the relationship is digging through the details and seeing how much the two characters share together - in the canon story, in their in-game skins and quotes, in their alternate variations, everything.  Their nearly 30 years of shared history and close personal relationship (in whatever form it takes) makes them a fascinating and interesting pair together and separately.

Let’s start from the beginning!

---

SEP: The Soldier Enhancement Program

“Before long, [Morrison] earned a coveted position in the government's controversial and still-classified (but widely acknowledged) "soldier enhancement program." Military scientists shaped Morrison and other inductees into the perfect soldiers, blessed with superhuman speed, strength, and agility. Morrison and his fellow augmented soldiers would soon put their abilities to use with the advent of the Omnic Crisis.”

(Source: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/)

Up until extremely recently, very little was known about the “Soldier Enhancement Program.”  People have speculated about the nature of it, how deeply it affected Gabriel and Jack, how the experiences through it shaped the nature of their early relationship, etc.

What We Do Know:

Soldier: 76 has always had an in-game skin titled “Commando” since the launch of the game.  Originally, I described this as a reference to the 1970′s/1980′s films about special operations “commandos” such as the Schwarzenegger film by the same name (http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/157378862270/reaper-and-soldier-american-cultural-references) The new “The Art of Overwatch” artbook also confirms this was originally an homage to the 1970′s:

But soon, the Commando skin came to represent something deeper for Soldier: 76 (and Reaper as well).

When the “Uprising” comic was released, there were two panels depicting an aged Strike-Commander Jack describing his experiences in the Omnic Crisis for the first time:

Many people had guessed that the Soldier Enhancement Program was part of a special operations group, but this was the first time this idea was effectively confirmed.

For those of you who may not know, “special operations” are defined as:

Special operations (S.O.) are military operations that are "special" or unconventional and carried out by dedicated special forces and other special operations forces units using unconventional methods and resources. Special operations may be performed independently of or in conjunction with, conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does not exist or might adversely affect the overall strategic outcome. Special operations are usually conducted in a low-profile manner that aims to achieve the advantages of speed, surprise, and violence of action against an unsuspecting target. Special ops are typically carried out with limited numbers of highly trained personnel that are adaptable, self-reliant and able to operate in all environments, and able to use unconventional combat skills and equipment. Special operations are usually implemented through specific, tailored intelligence. (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_operations)

“Commandos” fall under the category of “limited numbers of highly trained personnel that are adaptable, self-reliant and able to operate in all environments, and able to use unconventional combat skills and equipment.”

When the “Uprising” playable event was released in-game, it was quickly discovered that Soldier: 76 had been given a new spray titled “Commando:”

But so had someone else.

After nearly a full-year since the game’s release in May 2016, Reaper finally received an image depicting him as a “Commando” from the Omnic Crisis Era.

But above all else - 

The sprays are meant to be paired together.

They are a reference to the Contra logo:

...Or you can do the reverse, which makes them, uh - 

You can see why people went all out with the “Commander Reyes and I” quote.

Now, with Jeff’s new quote, we have repeated confirmation of what the two characters meant to each other, even from the very beginning:

“The story that we're developing is actually, like–no, these guys loved each other–like–they're like, best war buddies.”

(Sure, Jeff - “best war buddies,” I got ya)

Even from the outset, Gabriel was described as being “a senior officer” to Jack, but that despite differences in their ranks and backgrounds, the two men were friends:

“Overwatch's short list of prospective agents included two members of the soldier enhancement program: Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, a senior officer. Reyes, a hardened and highly respected veteran, grew up about as far from rustic Indiana as you could get—the sprawling urban melting pot of Los Angeles. Despite their differences, the two soldiers became friends.” (source: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/)

The Commando sprays - on top of being a cute gaming reference - show their closeness in their early years, when all they had was each other and their special operations squad, in what was an incredibly hostile, incredibly dangerous, incredibly uncertain environment -

Both in the war against robots

And in the “Soldier Enhancement Program.”

Soldier: 24 and Soldier: 76

“The Reaper is an extremely volatile mercenary, a ruthless and remorseless killer responsible for terrorist attacks across the world. He has fought in many armed conflicts in the last decades, showing no loyalty to any cause or organization. Survivors have described a black shadow ghosting unscathed through the most hellish battlefields. The few bodies recovered of those he kills are pale, empty husks drained of life, their cells showing signs of intense degradation. It is possible that he is a byproduct of failed genetic alteration which forces his cells to simultaneously decay and regenerate at a hyper-accelerated rate.” (Reaper’s profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/reaper/)

“[Moira] was recruited by Gabriel Reyes to be a member of Blackwatch.  And uh, during that time she had relationships with the Blackwatch crew - McCree, Genji - they all have their own sort of likes and dislikes for each other.  Reyes wanted someone could help advise him on, uh, some matters of genetics that he was, uh, interested in, shall we say.” - Michael Chu, 3:47 (https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=227)

After much speculation about the “decades” line in Reaper’s profile, it appears Blizzard has finally confirmed that - yes - something did happen to Gabriel during SEP.

Something that altered him all the way down to his genetic core.

Fans have been throwing around the idea that “Soldier: 76” is a reference to Jack Morrison’s “Soldier Enhancement Program” number for quite a long time (it’s a personal favorite of mine...which I guess should be obvious at this point, haha), which also led fans to speculate on if Gabriel Reyes ever had a Soldier ID number, and if so, what would it be?  People used numbers like “13,” “75,” “666,” etc, but after the reveal of Moira, the Oasis map now has the above folder in her Genetics lab (a spawn room on the University point).

This folder mirrors another one (or rather...two) that can be found in the LumériCo building on the Dorado map:

Was Jack aware of the changes in Gabriel’s biology?

The honest answer: we don’t know for sure.

The hopeful answer: yes, he did.

In theory, it would be almost impossible to hide a secret of that magnitude for the nearly thirty years that both men were together.  This is coupled with a few other things:

1. Reaper’s description of his “rogue mercenary work” for “decades” appears to fit the definition of clandestine and covert operations to a tee.

Since it’s been confirmed that both men were “commandos” or special operations personnel for the U.S. military, both men knew the skills, tactics, and values of the nature of unconventional warfare, special operations, clandestine and covert operations, and possible “black operations.”

Clandestine and covert operations are military or intelligence operations in which the first one is a secret or concealed operation entirely, and the second one is an operation in which the sponsor or parent organization is concealed.

The United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (Joint Publication JP1-02, dated 5 January 2007) defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments or agencies in such a way as to assure secrecy or concealment. A clandestine operation differs from a covert operation in that emphasis is placed on concealment of the operation rather than on concealment of the identity of the sponsor. In special operations, an activity may be both covert and clandestine and may focus equally on operational considerations and intelligence-related activities." (JP 3-05.1). (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clandestine_operation)

It makes a ton of sense when put into perspective - by the time of the Omnic Crisis, Gabriel Reyes was likely a young commander in charge of a special operations group or squad on behalf of the U.S. military (I personally see them as part of the Army’s Special Forces (aka “The Green Berets”), but you might prefer a different organization), and either him or his squad was recommended to the “Soldier Enhancement Program,” which likely pooled special operations groups of different ranks, skills, assets, tactics, and potentials to chemically and biologically “enhance” them before sending them out to fight robots.  Jack Morrison, while younger, may have had similar skills or was at least in the process of being trained to use or hone them.  Most special operations groups are relatively small in terms of the number of people per group or squad - the ground level units of ODAs (Operational Detacthment Alpha squads of the Special Forces) only have 12 people per squad, and each squad can break down into smaller teams of 6 people if the mission requires splitting up or dual-tactics.

The original Overwatch Strike Team only had 5 - 6 people on it (depends on if you think Liao is still a character in development or not).

Gabriel Reyes was the original commander of this group, and may have tailored the group to suit the small-team, clandestine and covert tactics he was used to, or requested that the Strike Team remain small and flexible for unconventional warfare methods in a time when major military operations were failing against Bastions, OR-14s, and Titans the world over.  It is not an accident that each member of the original Strike Team appears to also have special operations training, as well as covers major principles of unconventional warfare (e.g. Torbjörn and “combat engineering,” Ana and sniping, Ana and “overwatching,” Jack and combat medicine, Gabriel and “force suppression shotguns,” etc).

Jack Morrison, having also been trained in unconventional warfare and different types of special operations, likely would have understood the need for small, highly skilled, highly specialized teams to conducted clandestine and covert operations, intelligence and reconnaissance missions, and other special operations/unconventional warfare tactics.

In my opinion, it does not make sense that Jack never knew what was going on with Gabriel’s biology, but rather probably worked with him to use it in a way Gabriel was comfortable with and knowledgeable about.

In other words:

2. Gabriel and Jack’s commando backgrounds, along with their early Crisis and OW Strike Team experiences, likely led to the joint decision to form Blackwatch, Overwatch’s covert operations division.

This is likely going to roll into the next part, but effectively, Jack Morrison himself probably created the Blackwatch division, or - with whatever internal Overwatch powers and abilities afforded to him as the new, Post-Crisis Strike-Commander - gave Gabriel the authority to create the Blackwatch division as he saw fit.

Every description of Blackwatch calls it a “division” within Overwatch, meaning that while Gabriel was the division commander (much like how Torbjörn is later described as the “Chief Engineer”), Jack Morrison was the final end in the chain of command.

(Source: McCree’s profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/mccree/)

(Source: the description for the “Blackwatch Reyes” skin)

(Source: Moira’s profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/moira/)

And Gabriel’s “Blackwatch Reyes” skin has always had an Overwatch logo on his left shoulder.

(Which you would think would kinda defeat the purpose of a covert ops division, but all well)

Which brings me to my next point

Overwatch and Blackwatch

“[...] after they defeated the Omnic Crisis, Morrison was actually given the top position of power and Reyes was overlooked because he was too rogue, he was too maverick in his leadership style–he ruffled too many feathers. And a lot of our fans have assumed "oh, that's why Reyes and Morrison hate each other," and the story that we're developing is actually, like–no, these guys loved each other–like–they're like, best war buddies. And in a lot of ways, Reyes was relieved that Morrison had to have the more political role, and like, he was like kind of–it's always easier being the number two guy because you're not ultimately accountable for all that, Reyes was kind of, you know, in some ways thankful and relieved, um, and weirdly, we're gonna show how that relationship actually was Morrison's downfall because for so long, Morrison would actually defend Reyes's questionable actions. And to us, that feels more like what would actually happen between real people and less just, um, typical cliché black-and-white "this guy is bad, that guy is good," you know, we want to have that depth of relationship because I think it's ultimately more relatable to all of us as kind of human beings.” - Jeff Kaplan in yesterday’s reveal

The greatest part about Jeff’s response yesterday was that it basically confirms all of the above:

Gabriel likely had more experience and more depth of skill in clandestine and covert operations, which did not mesh with the United Nations’ vision of Overwatch moving forward.  Sure, during the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch was a special operations and unconventional warfare group specifically designed to infiltrate and destroy Omniums, but after the war was won and the dust of the “near robot apocalypse” settled, the United Nations wanted to expand Overwatch from a single small squad of highly skilled individuals to a much larger organization tasked with enforcing and maintaining peace.

Gabriel probably had very little experience with that, as indicated by Jeff’s line “he was too rogue, he was too maverick in his leadership style–he ruffled too many feathers.”  Even if he was and is a skilled tactician and covert ops leader, that does not necessarily translate to public-speaking skills or political maneuvering abilities.  Jack Morrison, however, may have performed these attributes better during wartime, interfacing with other military or civilian groups on behalf of Overwatch’s secret missions, as well as potentially interacting with their parent group, the United Nations (and/or the UN Security Council).  We know that the Under-Secretary General who helped form Overwatch - Gabrielle Adawe - spoke highly of Jack’s teamwork skills:

"Even I had my doubts about whether Overwatch would succeed," UN Under-Secretary-General Gabrielle Adawe, one of Overwatch's key architects, said shortly after the end of the Omnic Crisis. "But Morrison never gave up hope. He didn't just meet our expectations for what Overwatch and its agents could achieve; he shattered them." (Source: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/)

I’ve also seen fans’ speculate that, given Soldier: 76′s biotic field ability, Jack may have been the Strike Team’s original combat medic, or something based on that.  Despite being an in-game healer, Ana Amari’s biotic rifle did not develop until much, much later after the Crisis, when Angela Ziegler (Mercy) had joined Overwatch.

(Notice the two names the blueprint is addressed to, btw.)

In all her “old pictures,” Ana Amari is shown with a few different rifles, but they all appear to be standard sniper rifles.

And all of Soldier: 76′s voicelines about the biotic field are heavily team-focused:

Get over here and heal up!

Anyone need some healing?

Come here and get stabilized.

Field’s down.

Biotic field activated.

Everyone, heal up.

Time to heal up.

Heal up here.

Team, heal up here.

Never leave a teammate behind.

So while Gabriel was the commander, the leader, and the likely tactician of the original Strike Team, the “healer” and “support role” probably fell to Jack.  In-game playstyles, though not necessarily canon, would put Jack/Soldier: 76 close to Reinhardt so that Reinhardt could shield his heavy pulse rifle fire, with Gabriel/Reaper operating around their anchor point, as either an offensive flanker against opponents or a defensive protector to help cover them.  Ana (assuming she is not healing) and Torbjörn’s turret would help provide suppressive “overwatch” cover, or also cover any holes or gaps in the team’s sides.

It is therefore not unlikely that Gabriel formulated and created the tactics, before giving orders to Jack, who - with the biotic field and his louder voice - was the one that then relayed them to team members or other military groups working with the Overwatch Strike Team.

This partnership has now been confirmed to translate quite well to the Overwatch and Blackwatch operations, with Gabriel’s Blackwatch covert ops division doing reconn, gathering intel, and infiltrating groups (“And in a lot of ways, Reyes was relieved that Morrison had to have the more political role, and like, he was like kind of–it's always easier being the number two guy because you're not ultimately accountable for all that, Reyes was kind of, you know, in some ways thankful and relieved”) -

Before providing that information to Overwatch through Jack Morrison and Ana Amari, who would then use that to implement new Strike Team missions, active U.N. peacekeeping projects, or developing new plans.

When the United Nations or other organizations would ask questions about Blackwatch, Jack “would actually defend Reyes's questionable actions” (again, probably because 1. Jack knew the value of special operations and unconventional warfare and 2. Jack trusted Gabriel to lead those operations as he had always done).

We saw a version of this play out in the “Uprising” comic, which, for the first time, showed a much older Morrison, older Amari, and maybe older Reyes assess a hostile and dangerous situation - the uprising of Null Sector in London.

Notice how Gabriel is snarky and sarcastic with Ana, but when Jack says, “I want to know how Null Sector caught us so off guard,” Gabriel responds with calmer, more factual information.  Interestingly, again, it is not Jack who snaps at Gabriel about his use of the word “extremists,” but Ana.

Gabriel follows up with his monologue that, again, is calm and collected, if slightly charged:

The “Uprising” comic - and then the in-game Uprising event voicelines - were the first time fans had seen “Pre-Talon” Gabriel interact with Jack and Ana (and then later Reinhardt and the rest of the ground-level Strike Team).  Through these, we were given a vastly different view of Gabriel than other in-universe material had implied: this version of Gabriel was calm, collected, funny, witty, focused, and almost jovial around Jack, Ana, and Reinhardt. 

Fans went wild for this version of Gabriel, with a major online movement to get the “Reyes Shrug” as an actual emote, victory pose, or spray in the game, and well - 

Blizzard listened

And gave us not one, not even two - 

But all three.

(The emote)

(The victory pose)

(The spray)

While this happened during the Anniversary event (after the Uprising event), Jack received a very different emote for Uprising.

And yeah -

People immediately used it exactly how you’d expect.

With Uprising, both Gabriel and Jack received voicelines that...had very similar connotations to them, both said fairly dryly/sarcastically:

Reaper: ...Moving on.

Soldier: 76: ...Whatever you say.

And then with the Anniversary event...something else happened with the voicelines that many people didn’t...quite notice.

Anniversary

Jack received the voiceline, “You’re the boss,” which was rather odd, given that he was “the boss” of Overwatch for about 20 years.

However, there is one other time that Jack Morrison uses the word “boss” in canon material.

Given that Gabriel was Jack’s former commander and his “boss,” and that this particular comic panel comes after a major plot point in which Soldier: 76 and Reaper fight each other, it seems rather likely that “You’re the boss” is a voiceline towards Gabriel/Reaper.

Not coincidentally, the word “boss” is used in direct reference to “present day” Reaper by another character:

Sombra: So what are we doing here, boss?

Reaper: I need to pay a visit to a friend.

(We’ll come back to this particular interaction later.)

Meanwhile, Gabriel received the voiceline “No one left behind” which also seemed odd given that Reaper has left Talon grunts “behind” in things like Recall and “Old Soldiers.”  It also doesn’t appear to mesh with his “commando” and covert ops background, in which the mission comes above people.

Except that “being left behind” does show up as a line and a concept said by Reaper -

In a very specific context.

“No one left behind” is incredibly interesting because it gives us a glimpse into Gabriel’s mindset - while his background and skills in covert operations may indicate a non-sentimental, calculating special operations leader, his actual dialogue in several places seems to indicate someone who cares a great deal about his teammates, allies, friends - 

And partners.

Which brings us full-circle

To where the end is based on the beginning, and the beginning becomes an end point.

Fall

This is where we get into 100% speculation territory.

For my additional thoughts on this, please see the following:

My version of the Fall of Overwatch timeline: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167176447345/and-because-tumblr-is-going-to-destroy-this-post

My discussion on the “death” of Ana Amari and how it affected Gabriel and Jack: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/159512959195/alright-so-the-subject-of-ana-being-the-source-of

My hypothesis of Overwatch missions and investigations at the time of Uprising: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/164417776210/devil-in-the-details

My hypothesis that Reaper and Sombra are trying to bring down Talon from the inside: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/163200042035/death-becomes-you

Now, a lot of this is all theorizing and hypothesizing.  It may or may not be true.  What I’m going to present here is what we do know, now that we have Moira’s Origins video, and various sources on how Moira and Reaper fit together.

As I brought up earlier, something was likely very wrong with Gabriel’s biology.  He’s the only character of the original Strike Team that does not appear to age at all in canon material.

From the early Overwatch days, in which we can see that the “older” team members of Reinhardt and Torbjörn have started aging a bit.

To Uprising

In which Jack and Ana are both shown with greying hair, while Gabriel looks largely unchanged.

(keep in mind there’s likely a gap of approximately 10 years between these two pictures)

To the latest pictures of him from Moira’s Origins video

(An unknown amount of time has progress between Uprising and this moment, or that this moment potentially came before Uprising).

On the subject of Moira’s recruitment, Michael Chu had this to say:

“She was recruited by Gabriel Reyes to be a member of Blackwatch.  And uh, during that time she had relationships with the Blackwatch crew - McCree, Genji - they all have their own sort of likes and dislikes for each other.  Reyes wanted someone could help advise him on, uh, some matters of genetics that he was, uh, interested in, shall we say.” - Michael Chu, 3:47 (https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=227) 

Which means this tweet now makes a lot of sense:

(Source: https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/758425704530710528)

Which, again, when we backtrack, we find the “Soldier: 24″ folder in Moira’s lab on Oasis

But we also have something else going on:

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167135805485/segadores-y-soldados-currently-in-addition

The short version:

Moira is the Minister of Genetics at Oasis.  In her lab, you’ll find the “Soldier: 24” folder, along with a copy of Angela/Mercy’s research on the regenerative properties of nanobiology.  However, the spawn room on the other side of the map is the Ministery of Chemistry, and in that spawn room, you’ll find this:

A copy of Moira’s research on “Repairing Degenerative Genetic Structures” with a post-it note that says “Draft” and her Ministry of Genetics lab symbol and name in Arabic.

Which gives us new context to that Sombra-Reaper interaction on Oasis:

Sombra: So what are we doing here, boss?

Reaper: I need to pay a visit to a friend.

And yes, Reaper does appear to mean “friend” in a truly platonic sense of the word because Michael specifically went out of his way to say that Moira and Reaper have only a “professional” relationship between them:

Geoff Goodman: “It [Her Fade ability] has some similarities to Reaper’s wraith form…uh which is…it’s funny how that works out.” Michael Chu: “You know, we obviously - there’s a…there’s a close relationship between Moira and Reyes-slash-Reaper, and I think one of the fun things we were able to do is to sort of hint at some of those things in her, uh, abilities.” Geoff Goodman: “She’s helping Reaper out and is like, ‘You know, I think I could make this better, I have an idea.’” Michael Chu: “Professional relationship.” Geoff Goodman: “Ahaha, yes…good call.” Michael Chu: “You know what I’m talking about.” [Whole panel laughs] - Time: 14:49 (https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=889)

(Source: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167111711575/moira-preview-new-hero-overwatch-panel)

While I’ve hypothesized here that Jack knew about some (or possibly all) of Gabriel’s conditions, he may or may not have approved of Blackwatch’s decision to recruit Moira.  What’s interesting is that Moira’s profile says this:

“Her employment was a closely kept secret, until it was uncovered during inquiries following the Venice incident. Many high-ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her affiliation with them.” (Source: Moira’s profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/moira/)

But Jeff said this:

“[...] we're gonna show how that relationship actually was Morrison's downfall because for so long, Morrison would actually defend Reyes's questionable actions. And to us, that feels more like what would actually happen between real people and less just, um, typical cliché black-and-white "this guy is bad, that guy is good," you know, we want to have that depth of relationship because I think it's ultimately more relatable to all of us as kind of human beings.”

It’s difficult to parse out, and while I have my own theories and ideas, the answer is not yet discernible.  Did Jack know about Moira’s recruitment?  Did he approve of it?  Did he defend her position publically?  Did he not know but defend Blackwatch anyways?

Did he request that Gabriel seek her out?

We don’t know yet, but I welcome all possible theories.  It adds significantly more depth to the later years of the relationship between Gabriel and Jack, and complicates things significantly.  We need to remember that, according to his own words, Reaper blames Jack for “leaving [him] to suffer” and “become this thing.”

This concept is at a disconnect with the likelihood that Moira either worsened his genetic condition and therefore hastened his shift into “Reaper,” or that she “unlocked [his] potential” and forced the “state of existence” on him entirely.

Or that she was truly, genuinely trying to help.

Remember - Moira’s Origin video is told from her perspective.  Michael Chu said this:

(Source: https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20759241192#post-13)

In her own mind, it’s possible that Moira genuinely believed she was helping Gabriel “improve” by whatever her research or experiments on him did to him (or whatever they found out).

However, we also know that Nesskain, the artist behind Moira’s Origins video, had this to say about Gabriel’s feelings:

(Source: https://twitter.com/nesskain/status/926674887615188992)

(Tumblr link: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167110576805/httpstwittercomnesskainstatus926674887615188)

Between this, Reaper’s “He did this to me, Ana” line, and the supposed “battle” at the Swiss Watchpoint, something major occurred, and it could be any number of possibilities - a genuine falling out between two old soldiers and “war buddies,” a heartbreaking schism between two men who “loved each other,” an inevitable split between partners whose visions for the world had shifted from each other, or, hell, even a “fake” fight in order to preserve an infiltration mission.

Pick your card and play it.

Personally, I see it as some sort of combination of events, but without more information, it’s pretty much impossible to say for certain.  There are, however, some suspicious details lingering elsewhere.

The City of the Dead, and the Shadows that connect people

Unless you play Elimination or the Death Matches, you might never come across the Necropolis and Castillo maps, but man, I would urge everyone who enjoys the characters and wordbuilding of Overwatch to set up a custom game and just wander around because these are full of details.

First up:

Necropolis

The Necropolis is Ana Amari and Soldier: 76′s current hideout on the outskirts of the Giza Pyramid complex.  This allows Ana to continue her current personal mission of safeguarding the Temple of Anubis (as well as keep an eye on her daughter’s Helix squad), and also gives her a safe place to store her biotic grenades and darts equipment.

Ana’s look out over the Temple of Anubis

Ana’s workshop

Jack’s...uh...corner.

But the truly interesting part is this:

The “Reaper sightings” computers.

Here’s the map.  The locations are:

Volskaya Industries, St. Petersburg, Russia (the “Infiltration” short)

Watchpoint: Gibraltar, Gibraltar (the “Recall” short)

Numbani, Nigeria (the museum heist trailer)

Oasis, Iraq (confirmed now that Moira is there)

And perhaps the most and least surprising of all:

Los Angeles, California

Gabriel’s original home.

Now - 

When did “Reaper” go home?

(Yeah, yeah, and contrary to popular belief it does rain in California sometimes, okay?)

Lots of speculation has occurred around this panel - who exactly are these people? Are they related to Gabriel?  Are they old friends?  Is one of the adults an ex-agent of Overwatch?

Keep in mind that even if he hasn’t aged, Gabriel is chronologically in his early to mid-fifties in the present day.  Overwatch’s playable and background characters tend to have really...vague ages, but personally, I see this family as being related to Gabriel, possibly as a sibling or an adult niece or nephew.  I have seen some people speculate one of the adults could be his child. 

What I find more interesting, however, is the question:

How did Jack and Ana get this information that Reaper visited Los Angeles?

Castillo - Sombra’s Room

Sombra’s room is a treasure trove of implied connections and details.  Something that’s important to keep in mind is that Sombra is one of the few people to know canonically that Gabriel is Reaper.

(Source: https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20753735625#post-13)

Now, this was posted before Doomfist and Moira were revealed, so we don’t know the status of them (Moira seems like a “no duh” answer, but honestly, considering how Michael said that neither McCree nor Reinhardt know, I’m skeptical about how much Doomfist knows), but effectively, Sombra “knows the truth about Reaper.”

Which means this interaction is canon:

Sombra: What's the plan today, Gabe? You don't mind if I call you Gabe, do you?

Reaper: Stick to the mission.

What is Sombra referencing?

The only other person to use the nickname “Gabe” for Gabriel - 

is Jack Morrison.

In her interactions with him, Ana calls him “Gabriel,” as does her daughter Fareeha when she references.  McCree never addresses him by name, but considering that Gabriel uses the line “Reyes here” during the in-game Uprising event, he apparently prefers to stick with surnames during operations.

But that goes out the window with Jack.

And Sombra absolutely knows this.

Because in Sombra’s room, you can find these:

A picture of Jack Morrison and Jesse McCree.

Sombra also apparently knows about Ana because:

She has a file on Ana’s “Shrike” bounty hunter identity

As well as this interesting little tidbit:

Which shows Ana’s face.

The McCree stuff is also interesting because Sombra and McCree may have had contact with each other at about the same time that Gabriel is visiting Los Angeles:

Does Sombra have contact with Jack and Ana?

Again, the honest answer is: we don’t know.

But the hopeful answer is: possibly.

In the more recent “Searching” comic, Lynx-17, a hacker who has been trying to track Sombra’s efforts, said this:

And somehow - 

Sombra has some sort of connection to Soldier: 76.

Sombra and Soldier: 76 are also the only two characters heavily invested in uncovering LumériCo’s shady dealings.  Sombra, of course, had her massive ARG, in which LumériCo’s corruption was slowly (very...very...slowly) revealed by players.  Soldier: 76 is the only other character to express interest in LumériCo, with the line:

“I wanna know what LumériCo's been up to.”

However, we also know he’s anti-Los Muertos, the arms-dealing gang that supported Sombra’s efforts against LumériCo.

Do Sombra and Soldier: 76 have a tentative alliance?  Are they sharing information?  Is she helping him track Reaper?  Sombra was not present when Gabriel went home to Los Angeles, but she is present in the Volskaya Industries infiltration mission and Reaper’s “visit” to Oasis.  Interestingly, the pictures on the blue screen of the “Reaper sightings” computer are from the Volskaya Industries mission...and Sombra was the one running the cameras.

Again - how deliberate is all this?

You know the drill by know:

Honest answer: we don’t know. Hopeful answer: Hopefully deliberate.

Lastly, because this section is getting kinda long -

Reaper and Sombra share one final interaction that is very...interesting to think over:

Reaper: Try to stick to the plan, Sombra.

Sombra: Look, someone has to be ready when all your careful planning doesn't pan out.

Again, does it mean anything?  Who knows.  But bear in mind that Sombra is one of the few people to know that Gabriel is Reaper, and that Gabriel has always been the commander trained in stealth, covert operations, reconn and intelligence gathering, and infiltration missions.  Sombra knows this, and Gabriel knows she knows it too.  They appear to have a tentative trust with one another, and again, Sombra is the only person (besides Jack) to have ever called Gabriel “Gabe” and “boss” (at least, that we know of).  Gabriel was also aware of her “plan” to throw their Volskaya mission, which means he not only let Sombra deliberately trigger the alarm system, he also willingly let Katya Volskaya escape.

(Source: Masquerade comic)

“But if Reaper is working with Sombra, why would he tattle on her?”

Again, honest answer, hopeful answer, blah blah blah.  You’re not here for me to say “I don’t know 100 times,” you’re here for the hopeful answer.

The hopeful answer is that:

Again, Gabriel has experience with infiltration and intel missions - he’s been doing this for thirty years, possibly longer given his military experience.  There is almost no faster way to gain one person’s trust than to “snitch” on another, to show that you’re going to work with Person A instead of Person B.  It’s a risky move, but if Person B is willing to pretend to be the “fall guy,” they then can try to cover each other better.  Which again - 

Goes back to who has the “back up” ideas when all of Reaper’s “careful planning doesn’t pan out”?

At the Blizzard voice actors panel at Anime Expo 2017, Michael Chu said this:

“Yeah, you know, [Sombra] gets on [Reaper’s] nerves a little bit, but I think that, ultimately, Reaper knows that Sombra is...effective, and so he respects that because he is a good eye for talent. (Audience starts to cheer) Look at that Blackwatch team - it’s amazing!” - Michael Chu (Timestamp: 45:48 https://youtu.be/JPQi61a8fD0?t=2748)

Now - 

What is Sombra effective for?

Finding secrets that are hidden.

Sombra has found LumériCo’s shading dealings.  She’s found connections between LumériCo and Vishkar and Volskaya.  She’s found where Katya is getting her new mech technology from (a group in Numbani).  

(And Reaper may not know these ones but) she has found that Ana Amari is alive.  She has found connections between Ana Amari and Jesse McCree.

She is investigating Jack Morrison -

And has a connection to Soldier: 76 somehow.

And more than anything else

Sombra knows Gabriel’s nickname is “Gabe”

And she knows who used to call him that.

And she very likely knows Jack’s end of this as well.

What does Soldier: 76 want more than anything else?

To find out who brought down Overwatch.

---

So now we’ve essentially caught up with the current plot.  Reaper and Sombra are running around working with Doomfist and Moira.  Soldier: 76 and Ana are hiding out in the Necropolis.  Winston has initiated Recall and so far, Tracer, Genji, Reinhardt, and Mei are answering it and returning to Overwatch.  Doomfist has partially destroyed Numbani and reclaimed his Gauntlet.  Efi Oladele has built Orisa.  Sombra has managed to persuade Zarya that Katya Volskaya is not to be trusted.  Junkrat and Roadhog are trying to trick the Queen of Junkertown to let them back in.  Torbjörn is working with Bastion on something (???).  Moira is conducting research in Oasis (and may be fighting the Ministry of Chemistry to get her research back).

Where do we go from here?

There are a few avenues:

1. We will likely see more characters answer the Recall initiation and return to Overwatch.  Who - we don’t know yet.  Mercy, Torbjörn, and McCree are all still potential returnees.

2. We will start seeing Talon become more emboldened about moving forward with their plans to accelerate the Second Omnic Crisis - now that Doomfist is out of prison and Vialli (who was more content with easy profits in peace) is dead, Doomfist appears to be taking more control over the council that runs the organization.

3. We will likely see Soldier: 76 and Ana react to these, especially if they are tracking Reaper or are being given information on his locations from an “inside source” (like Sombra or even possibly Reaper himself).  We know that the two of them are trying to prevent Anubis from breaking out of his confinement...and possibly prevent others from breaking in to help him, and they are in the next-closest playable location to Oasis.

4. We will start seeing repercussions for Winston’s Recall, as Overwatch is still illegal and formally disbanded.  The United Nations, along with its contracted military support service, Helix Securities, may start making strong moves to stop Winston and the new Overwatch group, or may go after old members who are conspiring to bring it back.

5. I personally suspect we will start seeing more of Vishkar, and as a related connection to them, Lúcio.  Sanjay Korpal - Satya Vaswani’s (Symmetra’s) boss - has shown up in Talon meetings twice now (once in the Masquerade comic and again in Moira’s Origins video).  Lúcio managed to increase public awareness against Vishkar’s unethical and immoral actions in Rio de Janeiro, and he’s a major popular folk hero and inspiration the world over.

6. I also suspect we will eventually see the return of Null Sector in some way, shape, or form.  Although Mondatta is dead, there are the implications that anger and bitterness still linger among Omnics in London, and both Doomfist and Moira have lines that imply that Talon is looking to ignite that anger into something larger.  A large portion of the Overwatch-affiliated cast, such as Reinhardt, Tracer, Torbjörn, Mercy, Soldier: 76, Reaper, Ana, and McCree, all made large efforts to stop Null Sector seven years ago, and while Reaper is working for Talon, and Soldier: 76, Ana, and McCree have all gone rogue, I doubt any of them want to see Null Sector return again.

7. We hopefully will see Orisa’s clash with Doomfist.  Numbani is something like Doomfist’s old stomping grounds, but now that Efi has built Orisa, there’s someone there who is uniquely designed to counter Doomfist in many ways.  As an aside, if she’s still alive, Gabrielle Adawe - one of the founders of Overwatch - may also live in Numbani, and could return to the plot somehow.

8. In his most recent AMA with the Overwatch subreddit, Jeff alluded to the fact that background characters like Maximilien, the Queen of Junkertown, Lynx-17, and Hammond (the rogue “specimen” from the Horizon Lunar Colony) may all eventually become playable (source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/7bdyby/blizzcon_2017_interview_jeff_kaplan_bill_warnecke/).  Hammond in particular provides an opportunity to both explore Winston’s backstory as well as motivate Winston to use Recalled Overwatch in a bolder manner going forward.  Lucheng links Lijiang Tower (where they have a base of operations) and the Horizon Lunar Colony together, and it’s very likely that Hammond has a major grudge to settle with them for their illegal and unethical treatment of great apes in the moon colony.

And the one you’re actually reading this longass post for:

9. Gabriel and Jack begin the process of reconciliation.

Yes, it’s “hopeful,” perhaps blindingly so, but isn’t that the whole point of Overwatch?  Isn’t that what the game is about?  ...Okay, ignore the part where two teams of six people go and shoot each other in Hollywood backlots - once you get past that part, isn’t Overwatch about hope?  About heroes?  About how anyone and everyone can be a hero in their own right?

And doesn’t every “hero” need a “villain”?

(even if he is pretty frustrated with his...rather incompetent lackeys.)

After all -

this is a song and dance they’ve done for nearly thirty years.

Soldier: 76: Well. You sure take to this “bad guy thing” easily, don't ya?

Reaper: And you sure know how to play “boy scout.”

According to Michael Chu’s 2017 GDC talk “Thinking Globally: Building the Optimistic Future of Overwatch”:

“What’s important to us is that [the villains’] motivations are not purely rooted in being evil, despite how they might seem on the surface.  As we reveal more about these characters, we want people to be able to empathize and understand their beliefs.  Because sometimes what makes a villain a villain is the extent to which they’re willing to go to reach their goals.  And one thing that we find most important when we’re talking about our villain characters is that there is nothing to say that a villain cannot be as charismatic or more charismatic or as likeable as a hero character - because, like the old saying goes, ‘every villain is the hero of their own story.’” 

And what better way to get someone to trust you - 

Than to “sell out” a longtime ally and partner to further the goals of your “new organization”

And play the part of the “villain?”

But who is going to be there to cover his back and defend his actions this time?

Soldier: 76: One of these days someone is gonna to put an end to you.

Reaper: I invite them to try.

Sombra, the hacker with her own agenda?  Widowmaker, the sniper who feels alive only when she kills?  Moira, the one who possibly made him this way?

Or perhaps him -

His “best war buddy”

The one who loved him back -

Who calls himself by a number that only Gabe will recognize the full history and “depth of relationship” behind.

And the last one:

10. I think we will eventually see what Gabriel’s actual “careful planning” is.

Whether that’s bringing Talon down or stopping Recalled Overwatch, we don’t know yet - 

But you know the drill by now.

There’s the honest answer

and the hopeful one.

And you can guess which one I’m willing to place my bets on.

[steveneveral]

Watching the time pass...(7-28-18)

One thing that I don’t think enough people do is allow time to just take in their surroundings. 

Most people are busy recording and taking photos of themselves, mostly to put onto Instagram or Facebook, just to get likes. I still do that sometimes, but I don’t do that as much as I used to. 

This is actually something that I started doing after my tour in Iraq ended in 2008. The first time I did it was at a Boston Market restaurant in Topeka, Kansas in December 2008. I just ordered my food, found a seat near the window, and once I got my food, just look at the cars going by. 

Between bites of my meal, i would think about all the lives that are going past in their cars, going to and fro to get things done. This is a pretty normal ‘deep thought’ thing that I have always done at certain points in my life, but this particular time was different. 

In this case, I was fresh off the place after a 15 month tour of Iraq. 

You really look at your own life and the world around you much differently after an experience like that. I spent over a year in a country that was hostile to American presence, and if not for the grace of God, I could have easily become one of the 4400 US troops that were killed in that country over a period of seven years. 

The one thing that I was thinking of was that most people that were going by, and most of the people that I was to meet in the future, never would experience something that drastic and dangerous in their lives. The closest that they would ever come to it was hearing about some event on television or secondhand from another person that had been to Iraq. 

But this is not to say that I was hating on all those people that would never have my similar experience. If anything, it awoke me to the fact that everyone that I have ever known, everyone that I know now, and everyone that I will meet in the future has their own life story. Everyone has a harrowing story about some scary event in their life, and they are all just as valid as mine. 

Yes, I am a veteran. But I don’t hold myself over other people with that fact, and I only tell people about that fact about me once they get to know me a little better. I would rather people know me for the person that I am now, rather than the person that I used to be. I don’t want people to base their friendship with me on something that they have no connection to or can’t relate to. 

The cool thing about that is that most people are surprised when they learn that fact about me. Most people have a picture of what they think a military veteran and combat veteran is in their minds, and I like to be someone that breaks that stereotype. Most veterans come from diverse backgrounds, and joined the military for a whole list of reasons. To pigeonhole veterans into a small box isn’t just intellectually lazy, but disrespectful to them as people, as well as veterans. 

And that’s one of the mottos that I live my life by:

I am not what you think I am. I can be so much better. 

Ironically, I’m writing this at a coffee shop, near an outside window, watching the people and traffic pass by. 

It’s interesting how life will come full circle. 😲😎

[tvserieshub]

History Channel’s original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand. SIX grabbed audiences in the first episode and delivered through the entire first season. With season 2 premiering Monday, May 28th we wanted to take this opportunity to remind you why you should be watching this military-themed show.

10. Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn is joining SIX as a shady CIA Operative…need I say more? Ok, maybe just a bit more. Munn is great in everything she does and from what I’ve seen this is no exception. The addition of Munn throws an already ticking time clock of a team into near meltdown. Going into season 2 look for her to be both help and foil to our team.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

9. Troop Support

Even in real life, the cast of SIX has taken their military connection seriously. The actors participated in a Tough Mudder Run as a team to fundraise for the charity Student Veterans of America in 2016 and 2017. They also recently participated in the Flag and Flower challenge created by Preston Sharp. The challenge asks people to visit the grave’s of veterans, leaving flags and flowers to honor them, in particular NOT on holidays. Even as I write this, some of the cast are preparing to participate in The Murph (a physical challenge meant to honor LT. Michael Murphy, a SEAL who was killed in combat). Whether it’s in interviews, or on social media, you’ll find this cast expressing a constant respect for the warriors they portray.

Flags and Flowers event @SIXonHistory

@BarrySloane

@Jaylen_Moore

8. Locations

SIX uses it’s time wisely. It’s no cookie-cutter action show with all the fights taking place in dingy lighting, creeping through underground tunnels. Instead, you’ll see this team on land, in the air, on the water. You’ll see them at home (some of the hardest hitting scenes), trekking through the forest and busting down doors. I love never knowing where the team is going to end up next, there isn’t any sense of repetitiveness.

7. Complex Villains

Forget blah, zero backstory villains. SIX allows it’s bad guys to be every bit as interesting and dynamic as it’s heroes. Tell me, how many other military shows can say that? Dominic Adams spent last season playing Michael Nasry, the American-born terrorist who’s out for revenge. Although we loved to hate Michael and the tortures he planned for Rip (Walter Goggins), you never impatiently wished him off the screen. In fact, I’m happy to say that Adams is back for season 2, although we’ll find Michael in a very different set of circumstances this time around. SIX is also introducing “The Prince” (Nikolai Nikolaeff) as the big bad of the season. Nikolai spent months preparing himself for the role, diving deep in background so that he could best honor the role. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

6. Diversity

When the U.S. military is 40% PoC it’s completely unrealistic to have a military show with no (or a single token) non-white person on the team. Unfortunately, for some networks that continues to be the trend. SIX threw that nonsense out the window, showing a true picture of what a SEAL team would be. We have an African American member, Hispanic member and, my personal favorite, an Afghani American. Yes, that’s right. The first Muslim SEAL portrayed on American television. If that alone isn’t cause for celebration I don’t know what is. And yes, if you’re keeping track – that’s 50% PoC. Thank you SIX.

photo credit @SIXonHistory

5. The Action

The cast of SIX brings it full force physically. Training with former Navy Seals helped the actors hone their physicality and bring realism to their fight scenes. SIX doesn’t have the big budget of network shows and instead relies on the details instead of huge explosions. Although, no fear, you do get your fair share of those as well. The precise shots and killer hand-to-hand combat are impressive in every episode. Whether it’s taking down terrorists or rescuing school girls, you’ll believe every minute. I’d highly recommend checking out the Instagram accounts of the actors, there are lots of BTS videos detailing the grueling preparation they went through to get ready for these roles.

4. Characters

You can tell from episode one that these characters have been fully fleshed out, loved and thought about. Whether you’re watching Bear mourning his daughter, Buddha struggling with a changing family dynamic or Caulder being forced into parental responsibility, each of these men has some serious backstory. One of my favorites from last season was Fishbait, portrayed by Jaylen Moore. Even without the screen time to explore his family life, Fishbait never felt 1 dimensional and Moore was able to grab some of the spotlight. I’m happy to say we’ll be getting more Fishbait this time around! Bill and David Broyles as the writers/creators clearly love their show and it shines through. They’ve lovingly crafted complex 3D people that you will be captivated by.

Jaylen Moore @sixonhistory

Eric Laden @sixonhistory

Juan Pablo Raba @SIXonHistory

3. The Families

This military drama spends a significant amount of time on the effect that this job has on the home life of our SEAL team. These men go through hell and back on a constant basis and that takes a serious toll. SIX addresses this with respect and honesty. Seeing the inner turmoil of the team and the families around them connects you to the show in a way you might not feel if the focus was all on the action side. I’m partial to a good shoot ’em up show, but SIX is an action show I can recommend to everyone. The issues of home life for these warriors are addressed with a frank simplicity that’s stunning.

Brianne Davis as Lena Graves, and Nadine Velazquez as Jackie Ortiz, bring a warmth and personal touch to the show. As a Navy wife, I couldn’t ever watch dramatized shows like Army Wives. It felt nothing like my own experience since it was essentially Desperate Housewives on a base. SIX, however, shows the good and bad of being a military family in a way that I could immediately connect with.

2. The Cast in General

There are some serious heavy hitters here. Juan Pablo Raba plays Ricky “Buddha” Ortiz. Buddha is one of the most compelling characters to me personally because of the strain he feels between his work and home life. Raba brings his experience and acting chops to show that push/pull of warrior/husband powerfully. Walter Goggins is good in everything he does and SIX is a compelling argument for him as one of the best actors out there. Jaylen Moore has been in a lot – but hasn’t had a lead role in a hit tv series. I predict great things coming out of SIX for him, we didn’t have a chance to see a whole lot of background for Fishbait last year, but that will be changing in season 2.

Brianne Davis adds a level of heart and connection to this show that just blew my mind. She was one of the first cast members I wanted to interview because I felt that honest connection from the start. Kyle Schmidt is charming, funny and still manages to break your heart. Edwin Hodge brings a gravity and intelligence to his role and I look forward to seeing where that takes him in this much darker season 2. There isn’t a miscast actor in the bunch, and to honest, I could have written a paragraph for each one and why we love them. From interviews we’ve done we’ve learned that several of the characters were created AFTER meeting the actors who would play them. Juan Pablo Raba and Jaylen Moore in particular. The writers saw potential and they know exactly how to make their stars shine.

1. Barry Sloane

I’ve been a fan of Sloane’s for years, but in SIX he’s a totally different actor. From the bad boy romantic on Revenge to the deputy on Longmire, Sloane has always been good on screen. But in this? In this he’s great. As Joe “Bear” Graves, Sloane brings a power and complexity that shows what a truly phenomenal actor he’s become. Bear is ripped apart, suffering PTSD and struggling to balance home and work. He’s following the path of his mentor Rip (Walter Goggins) in all the worst ways, something the audience hopes and prays he can pull away from. He’s a leader on and off screen, the rest of the cast referencing him in every interview we did. To be honest, I’m really amazed Sloane hasn’t been nominated for an Emmy for his work in this series. Here’s hoping it happens in the future

Interviews

I’ve been fortunate enough to interview several of the hard-working actors from SIX. Check out what they have to say about the upcoming season:

Barry Sloane Interview

Joshua Gage Interview

Brianne Davis Interview

Eric Ladin Interview

Jaylen Moore Interview

Nikolai Nikolaeff Interview

Juan Pablo Raba Interview

  We have more interviews coming, check back soon!!

Get Watching!

All told, SIX is a standout series worth your time. If you haven’t seen Season 1, get binging! Season 2 premieres Monday, May 28th at 10/9c and then moves to its regular time on Wednesday, May 30th at 10/9c. This season promises to be darker, more emotional and explore new sides of our team. It’s going to be great!

I’ll be live tweeting from @tvserieshub all season, check back after the episode for my reviews. Hit me up anytime @nolenag03 to chat about SIX

  10 Reasons You Should be Watching #SIXonHistory +Cast Interviews @BarrySloane @EricLadin @TheBrianneDavis @JuanPabloRaba @Jaylen_Moore @EdwinHodge @NNikolaeff @iamKyleSchmid History Channel's original show SIX came out swinging last year, delivering fantastic action and emotional content hand in hand.

[upshotre]

JFK’s Assassination: Fifty-Six Years After by Tony Ademiluyi

In 1929, the United States had the famous great depression which was the worst recession that hit the country. Multimillionaires suddenly became bankrupt as their worthless stocks piled up. Some jumped to their deaths from the window while others took to alcohol and gambling. The then Governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt saw a great opportunity in the nationwide crisis and used it to launch himself into national reckoning by putting his name forward as a President Candidate of the Democratic Party. He promised Americans the New Deal if elected into office. He went on to make history as the first disabled man to become the US President. One of the first things he did upon assumption of office was the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission to bring in some sanity into the nation’s stock market. However, the appointment of the first man to head it was viewed by the discerning public as an anti-climax. He appointed Joseph Patrick Kennedy to head SEC. There was widespread condemnation of it because he was heavily involved in insider trading which was the root cause of the stock market crash. FDR was smart enough to know that it took a ‘crook’ to catch a ‘crook’ and resisted public pressure to have it rescinded. Kennedy got to work and the first thing he did was to outlaw insider trading which has now set a global template for stock exchanges around the globe. FDR later made him the first American of Irish descent to be made the country’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 1941, he was forced to resign his position as he failed to publicly support America’s entry into World War II. He had the ambition to succeed FDR but his pacifist stance sounded the death knell to that. Facing the new reality, he decided to transfer that ambition to his eldest son, Joseph Kennedy Jr who was a law student at Harvard before he suspended his studies to join the military to halt the spread of Nazism. Joe Jr never returned back alive and so the Patriarch decided that the next son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy would become the President one day. JFK was ill throughout most of his life and nearly didn’t go to the Second World War due to his bad health. He took numerous barbiturates for his back pain amongst other ailments. He initially wanted to be a writer and academic. His reluctant entry into politics was at his father’s insistence. His book ‘Profiles in Courage’ was a Pulitzer Prize winner. He wrote it from his hospital bed where he was being treated for his bad back. He was an orator, a ladies’ man, well built and charismatic. His leadership potential was spotted while he was at Harvard pursuing a degree in political science and was voted ‘Most likely to succeed’ by his fellow classmates. His wealthy father ensured he travelled round the world before his 21st birthday and had a brief spell as a student of the London School of Economics and Political Science where he learnt at the feet of the world famous Jewish Economist and though leader, Harold Laski. He returned back home in 1945 as a decorated war veteran and cashed in on that to run for Congress in 1946 which he won. He was barely twenty-nine. Having spent sometime in the Congress where he made his mark, he decided to run for the Senate which he did successfully and was elected a Senator in 1952. The following year he met his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier in a party and they got married later in the year. In 1956, he lost the nomination for the Vice-Presidency and was a media friendly senator as his views were reported across the nation on a daily basis. 1960 was his big break as he put his hat in the ring for the American Presidency. His most powerful rival for the plum job was Lyndon Baines Johnson who had been in the Congress long before him. The election was an epoch making one as it was the first in the nation’s history to have a televised debate. The debates exposed Kennedy as more knowledgeable and politically mature while it showed Johnson as fidgety and insecure. JFK went on to win the nomination and in a stroke of political sagacity went on to make Johnson his running mate. It was a smart move of Kennedy as he badly needed southern votes to coast home to victory. He eventually won and one of the quotes in his inaugural speech is still in use till this day ‘Ask now what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ He was the youngest elected President at 43. His charisma and ability to connect with the Average American despite his privileged background was so great that not even his fiercest critics screamed to the High Heavens when he appointed his younger brother, Robert as the Attorney-General. He was totally committed to ensuring equality for all Americans irrespective of race and gave a sturdy backing to the civil rights efforts of the black emancipators particularly the activities of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr who had private meetings with him in the White House. He was committed to ensuring the spread of democracy and free markets across the planet and sponsored some insurgents who were opposed to the Communist regime of Cuba’s Fidel Castro in the popular Bay of Pigs invasion. The agenda ended up in a cul-de-sac as Castro’s forces won the battle. Kennedy was humble enough to apologize to the nation and he was swiftly pardoned by the public. He did his best to avert another World War as the Cold War between them and the now defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was fast tilting towards an arms struggle. He did his best to ensure unprecedented prosperity for all especially the minorities with the blacks in particular. He was responsible for Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon as the first person on earth to do so in 1969 as he set the motion for the feat during his short lived Presidency. His cabinet was made up majorly of young and vibrant people and was nicknamed ‘The Camelot.’ In November 1963, he went to Texas the home state of the Vice-President to campaign for a second term. On November 22nd that fateful year he was shot dead allegedly by Lee Harvey Oswald. Some conspiracy theorists opine that Oswald was merely used as a decoy and up till date no one really knows the true killer. The world mourned in unison as his lifeless body was lowered into mother earth. It should also be noted that he was the first Roman-Catholic to sit in the White House and remains the only till date. His father was so devastated that he suffered a stroke while greatly impaired his speech. His family really suffered tragedies as Robert was killed in 1968 while celebrating a California presidential primary election victory. His son, John Kennedy Jr died in a plane crash before he turned fourty. His legacies live on and he will be sorely missed.   May his gentle soul continue to rest in the Bosom of the Lord! Tony Ademiluyi writes from Lagos and is the editor of www.africanbard.com Read the full article

[facebookfacepalmed]

Die For Your Own Sins

Neither one died for me. Neither one ever had the slightest idea I would ever be born.

Nor did I have any choice about their service or sacrifices. I wasn’t asked whether I wanted them to make it. Had I been around, and said don’t bother, I’m fine, they would have gone anyway.

The idea that someone’s death could absolve me of sin--or that an omnipotent God couldn’t forgive me my sins just by declaring it, without going through the drama of allowing his own son to be tortured and killed--is ludicrous. The idea that a soldier in a war is fighting on behalf of theoretical humans, rather than on behalf of himself and perhaps the people he knows, or some ideal or out of a sense of his own duty or patriotism, is, like the sacrifice of Jesus, a construction made up by apologists after the fact. I may have benefitted from the sacrifice, or at least from the outcome , but to say it was offered for me is simply and obviously not true. 

The soldier, like Jesus, was a player in his own universe, locked into the morals and assumptions and social strata of his own specific time and place. While many soldiers may have been inspired by a desire for freedom, the reasons for joining the military have often varied widely, from patriotism to personal ambition or love of the military to not being able to find other work all the way up to compulsion at the order of the government, but not a single one signed up or fought or died for the purpose of securing my freedom. My own father, who fought in World War II, who might theoretically have cared, had no idea I would ever be born. Most of my classmates who fought in Vietnam went reluctantly because they were drafted into a war they no more wanted to fight in than I did, but had to go because they were drafted...I doubt they ever thought they were going for my freedom or anybody else’s, though in the inevitable myth creations of the aftermath, many now claim this to be the case. My freedom, it turned out, was never at risk in that particular war, as the domino effect politicians used to justify the war turned out to be completely false. Vietnam fell; the dominoes did not. Nor was my freedom or any other American’s freedom at risk in some of the other wars America’s leaders rashly decided to involve us in, under the rubric of preserving “my” freedom, not only Vietnam but also the Spanish-American war, Korea, both of the Gulf Wars, and Afghanistan. One could plausibly argue that some of these wars were fought for the freedom of people who resided those other nations, and that I while I and the world may have benefitted from democracy being extended in other nations, our freedom as Americans was not threatened in most of these cases. Nor does it help the cause of portraying ourselves as uncompromising defenders and ensurers of freedom for the world when we point to all of the places in the world still under a dictator’s thumb where we have not intervened on behalf of oppressed populations. Places where, not coincidentally, we have little or no economic interests, like Syria, the Ukraine, and around a dozen African countries.

I believe American veterans of war, and even those who serve in peacetime, should receive lifelong support, honor, and privileges beyond those given to the non-serving civilian in the form of pensions, medical care, and aid with education, insurance, and home loans in the form of special programs or lowe cost loans, because he or she answered the nation’s call, even when the nation’s call turned out, as it often has, to not be about freedom but for less noble reasons. Not the soldier’s fault but ours, for supporting the politicians who took us there. And the politicians, for committing us to wars that were not necessary.

I support the veteran regardless of the war by paying my taxes, and supporting programs that all veterans deserve by virtue of their service, like lower cost home loans, financial aid for education, decent pensions, free medical care, and, for non-citizens, full citizenship. I also support the veteran by not trumpeting mindless support for every war politicians want to get us into, or by mischaracterizing every war ever fought by Americans as having been done for my freedom when this has never been the case. The danger of this unquestioning support for warmongering and warmongering chicken hawk politicians, by fetishizing the military as the one and only bastion and preserver of “my” freedom when in fact it is a tool only as good or bad as its civilian leadership, rather than recognizing the greater good of avoiding war on the grounds that war is bad for the psychological and physical health of every normal person who either chooses or is compelled by law to fight in one, is to encourage more wars when true freedom, granted perhaps an unreachable goal, will only be found in a world there are no wars at all. Dead soldiers, and dead civilians, may be free of care and further worry, but they are not free in the way any of us would choose to be free, for either ourselves or our unborn and perhaps unimagined progeny. Freedom will remain beyond our grasp as long as wars are fought, and as long as people die in them, or lose property and loved ones,  Honor the veteran by recognizing not only the soldier’s service and sacrifice, but by recognizing the horror rather than the glory of war. 

Honor veterans, not only by honoring their courage and sacrifice on behalf of whatever may or may not have thought they were fighting for, but by making the sacrifice of this and future generations a less inevitable or frequent neccessity.

Stand up for your own freedom, by voting always with the preservation of freedom in mind, including freedom from being asked to thank soldiers for wars you opposed, especially wars had little or nothing to do with preserving your freedom, as is the case with most of our recent wars.  Be an aware voter and citizen for the sake of the soldiers, who deserve better than being required to fight in unnecessary wars, or to be thanked by empty congratulatory memes instead of by actual compensation and gratitude in the form of supportive programs and institutions funded by your taxes. Thank them too, by paying your taxes.

[superdave0013-blog]

What the military is like.

I live in a very small town and my family owns a business in the heart of town so I suppose we’re pretty well-known. As a United States Marine Corps veteran, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is "what’s it like?". For starters I always say what my dad told me and what his dad told him "if you really want to know what it’s like join.".

Getting in is the most important part. Whether you’re trying to get that perfect ASVAB score for the job that you want or you’re trying to overcome an injury or ailment this part is the most difficult. Remember no matter what they tell you there’s waivers for just about everything that would disqualify you. Myself I was turned away for being flat-footed and having a history of chronic knee Pain & Injury. I actually have a letter framed that says I’m permanently disqualified. But if that’s what you want to do damn it you put your nose to the grindstone and you do it. And instead of looking at cat videos for 4 hours a day takes an hour and actually look what you’re getting yourself into there’s plenty of accounts including this one that’ll help you through it. If you’re going to Marine Corps route make sure you use your time waiting to go to recruit training to research your general orders your chain of command and any other literature recruiter might give you this is important once you get to recruit training.

Okay so you’ve made it past recruiter office and MEPS and you’re off to recruit training. From here on out it’s a mind game. If you’ve passed your minimum requirements for entry and you apply yourself while you’re there you’ll be fine. If you’re fat you’ll get skinny if you’re skinny you’ll either bulk up or stay skinny either way don’t worry about it. Now everybody wants to be the best of the best but let me tell you the best way to get through boot camp stay in the middle of the pack. Don’t be so good that you’re constantly on the radar and don’t be so bad that you’re constantly on the radar and you’ll have a great time well I mean it won’t be great while you’re there but afterwards you’ll feel like you’ve had a great time. Like I said before it’s all a mental game your first day you might have three or four or five angry drill instructors screaming in your face and you can hardly function then on your last day if you make it the same scenario it’ll take everything you have to not laugh. That’s because you’re now mentally conditioned you are able to do basic and complex functions with people screaming under immense stress. I won’t bore you with everything that happens at boot camp and all the events as those are available online but I’ll leave you with this everything you put in is what you’re going to get out. In our free time those of us that couldn’t get 20 Pull-Ups used to go outside and do pull ups on the pull-up bar right outside the squad Bay and just that little bit of effort that 10 minutes that we took away from the little time we had to write letters and go through personal belongings made a world of difference. One guy in particular I remember I won’t mention his name he could do the minimum amount of Pull-Ups to enter recruit training but he couldn’t do the minimum amount to pass the physical fitness test. He stayed in the middle of the pack right below the radar like I said but he never did anything to try to better himself when the final physical fitness test came around he failed and I know that was one of the most humiliating times in his life as it would have been mine. The drill instructors forced him to stand up on the Quarterdeck and wait for some Marines to come get him to transfer him to a holding platoon where he would inevitably start the previous phase of recruit training over again with a new platoon. During his time waiting he was very much in the eye of the rest of us he tried everything he tried begging and he tried doing push-ups until I couldn’t do them anymore in front of the duty Hut in the senior drill instructor came out and said it’s a little late for that isn’t it. So like I said it’s a tough experience but you get what you put out.

Once you graduate boot camp everything gets a little bit easier. Relative to what you’re used to you’re still treated like crap but you’re treated like a service member rather than a recruit which is a step up. The only downfall to this is with big boy responsibility when he mess up you get big boy punishments that can stay on your back for the rest of your career so always keep that in mind when you’re about to do something stupid.

Once you get to the fleet your training doesn’t stop. For the most part the schools that you attend only scratch the surface of the knowledge that you need in your brain. Whether you like it or not it’s going to be on you to find follow-on training within your battalion volunteer for training exercises and learn from your subordinates your peers and your superiors alike every single one of them has some experience that you may or may not have been privy to yet and has something to add on the subject that could very well help you down the line. Beyond that while you’re in it’s important to stay fit mentally and physically it’s important that you take the classes that they give you for advancement seriously I say seriously as in you will not pick up rank unless you do it most of the stuff covered by time you start doing them you already know.

I cannot stress this enough when you pick up rank it does not get easier. It may in the sense that less people are going to have the ability to yell at you and tell you what to do but it doesn’t in the sense that everybody that was your peer yesterday is now under your charge. You’re going to have issues with respect with obeying your orders given and not only are they going to have to answer when they mess up but now you are as well. I had a tough time with it at first but after a sit-down with some people in a heart to heart we got it under control. Your friends are still your friends you’ve just got to make them realize that when they mess up it reflects poorly on you now and that you’re responsible to take care of it. That doesn’t mean you still can’t grab a beer after work and hang out and watch the game.

Deployments what can I say about deployments? They’re going to be the best in the worst experience ever all rolled up in one. You’re going to see The Very Best of man in the very worst of man you’re going to experience love and hate like you’ve never seen before and you’ll never see again. But this is what you have been training for. All that stuff that I said about continuing the training before this is where it really matters because most of the time the military doesn’t send out any extra anybody to help you they just send out you because you’re supposed to know your job and you’re going to have people that depend on you to do that. You might see action you might not it doesn’t even matter if you are Infantry if you’re overseas the potential is there. Regardless unless you’re at a big cupcake base and still maybe even there you’re going to be under some of the most stressful conditions you’ve ever endured. You’re going to miss some sleep you’re going to have problems at home that you can’t tend to and if you’re on a big base you’re going to play a lot of stupid games.

Coming home as weird as it sounds is the hardest part. You’re going from Full Throttle to no throttle from always being in it to never being in it and you have to give a fight that grew very personal to you to somebody else and there’s no closure because you’ll never get any updates. You’re going to have to listen to people’s problems that seem Monumental to them and as something that you would just shrug off. People are going to want to go to McDonald’s with an axe over a wrong order meanwhile last month you were rationed down to three bottles of water a day in 130 degree Heat because the sand storms are so bad that your supplies were short. When you call customer service you’re going to get transferred 15 times and you’re going to get pissed off because over there everybody has their jobs and if they don’t perform they may get somebody killed or they get put somewhere where they always have super vision and no responsibility. Meanwhile these idiots can’t figure out who to transfer you to to pay your bill. You may have a significant other and it’s difficult to reattach to them because you just spent almost or more than a year doing absolutely everything with the guys you deployed with and it came easy because you were all experiencing the same things at the same time now you’re alone. I really don’t have any tips for that besides to stay busy and keep your hands occupied but it’s a common issue that everyone faces.

Getting out or seps and Taps it’s a big rush in a big pain in the ass to turn in all of your gear and go to all of your appointments to get cleared to leave the service. The classes they give you simply don’t prepare you for the outside. There’s not a job waiting for you and people aren’t going to hire you just because you were in the military it means nothing out here. So try to look at places you want to work and make contact before you’re actually out of the service try to make living accommodations try to build yourself a cushion so you don’t land flat on your ass. This is why a lot of guys will go reservist once they get out. It just isn’t as easy as they remember. And a little tip, whether the military was awesome to you we’re terrible to you you will always miss it and covet the experience important ones in your life. Going through what feels like hell with some of your best friends creates a bond that you’ll never ever feel again and I’m sincere about this. This feeling is why a lot of veterans join the reserve even after they’ve made a career and found a spot where they can do well for themselves. They miss that sense of belonging.

For my civilian brothers and sisters trying to get a grip on this movement to curb veteran suicide this feeling of not belonging after an overwhelming sense of Brotherhood or Sisterhood is one of the catalysts. You’re alone you’re digging a deeper and deeper hole no one’s telling you how to get out and no one’s there with you. I myself and heavily involved in the fight against it and bringing awareness to it I’ll post links later for anyone who would like to get involved.

In conclusion the military was the worst and the best experience of my life all together it’s one of my most cherished memories. I miss it every day I miss my brothers and still hurts me when I see one of them suffering. It made me responsible it made me decisive and it made me the man I am today and I wouldn’t give that experience away for all the money in the world. But it definitely changed the person that I am in some ways for the better and in some ways for the worst.

Once again thanks for reading if you have any questions stories do it yourselves or just want to chat feel free to drop me a line

Mad Love, D

[theonyxpath]

The astute among you may have noticed that the Trinity Continuum rulebook has (finally) moved up the production list. The bottleneck I’ve previously mentioned has been cleared thanks to the tireless efforts of Danielle Harper, who is now acting as our Storypath developer after the departure of Neall. Neall kept saying he had his own game line to develop, but he kept talking about “psions,” and I’m pretty sure we only have one psion game in development. Weird.

Please give a warm welcome to Danielle!

In celebration, I figured it was time to drop another Allegiance teaser. Archangel comes to us from Jack Norris. As usual, bear in mind that this particular section is draft material and not yet fully developed.

Archangel

Archangel is an organization started by Count Raphael Orzaiz, sometimes known as Orzaiz the Elder, to aid those without the power and influence that too often leads to exceptional action and attention for their troubles. The group focuses on locating and assisting those who find themselves in dire situations where conventional authorities are unable to assist. “Helping the helpless” is both the organization’s mandate and defines how they approach situations. While financial or legal assistance is sometimes the solution, often Archangel operatives find themselves in situations requiring personal intervention. This is often done at great risk to members, so skilled and adaptable personnel are recruited.

History

In  2008, the eight year old heir to the Orzaiz family was kidnapped along with the nine year old son of the family driver, a young boy named Bakar. The Orzaiz were old school Basque aristocrats who traced their origins in pre-unified Spain in the 11th Century and possessed considerable financial resources and social connections. When the kidnappers realized they had not only grabbed the family’s heir but the “worthless” son of a servant, they sent Bakar back in pieces to prove their resolve. The result was not what they hoped.

Angered by the pointless torture and slaughter of a young boy whose family had served his for generations, and fearing his son would suffer a similar fate, Count Orzaiz used his connections to fund and assemble a team of experts to retrieve his boy. Led by ex-special forces and counterterrorism expert Jonas Luther, the team located the kidnappers. In a daring pre-dawn raid they retrieved the boy, killed the kidnappers, and exposed the mastermind behind the plot as a business rival of Orzaiz attempting to distract him from a particularly competitive business deal. As he hugged his son and praised his rescuers, he caught the sad and broken sight of his driver, whose son would never again return home. It was at that point Raphael made decision that has since saved countless lives.

Hiring Jonas Luther full-time, he tasked the man with creating an organization that would lend assistance to those without the good fortune to be born wealthy and privileged. Luther, himself a poor boy from one the worst neighborhoods in Chicago, threw himself into this task with enthusiasm and passion which surprised even his employer. With the Orzaiz fortunes backing him, he created a database of skilled freelancers, military personnel, various professionals, and even some criminals. Each candidate was selected for their professional and personal record of aiding others regardless of social or economic standing. Thus in 2009, Archangel was born.

Since then the group has worked to rescue kidnapped children, shut down human trafficking rings, protect small business owners from organized crime or corporate bullying, and numerous other activities. Archangel’s private status and the considerable influence their patron affords them allows the organization to work globally and often without regard for treaties and agreements that might block official intervention.

Recruitment

Archangel operatives are selected for their skill and drive to help others. The skills are anything that will assist in the various missions the organization undertakes. Combat skills are a common trait among many members, but expertise in computer hacking, field medicine, legal expertise, surveillance, and intelligence gathering are also highly prized. The organization doesn’t focus much on training; recruits are selected for their own skills far more often than they are taught essential ones. Many recruits are polymaths, able to score a headshot on the run, navigate a thorny issue of legal jurisdiction, hack a security system, or some other combination of useful skills. This focus on a handful of potent and hypercompetent operatives means that many who join Archangel are Talents, but this isn’t a requirement of membership. In truth, few within Archangel even understand much less make the distinction between a highly skilled “normal” operative and a Talent. For them, it’s all about results.

In addition to their skills, recruits must impress on Archangel a desire to aid others, especially the less fortunate. The group is more likely to recruit an ex-gang member who works with community outreach and neighborhood watch efforts than a veteran special forces operative who only works for the highest bidder. This moral component won’t substitute for the skills necessary to join, but those who don’t fit the profile won’t be sought out.

Many Archangel recruits have something in their past they are seeking to redeem or balance out. Some are former criminals seeking to protect those they once victimized, others are ex-military or intelligence who grew tired of serving the interests of nations while many normal citizens suffered. Others are fueled by personal tragedy that caused a change in perspective. A few are even victims helped by the organization in the past whose skills make them an asset. In any case, it’s a rare member who joins simply to risk their lives constantly to help the underprivileged and

Organization and Structure

Archangel is organized into cells which generally handle operations in a given area. Cells can be small, in some cases a single operative might be tasked with handling cases in an area. However, large cells of a dozen or more members are found in large population centers like Mexico City or Los Angeles. Most cells post advertisements in newspapers, social media sites, and other places that give contact information and offers to help in situations where no one else can or will. These efforts generate a lot of crackpots and scam artists, but a tested filtering process usually means that a handful of genuine clients are located on a regular basis. In truth, most cells are overrun with legitimate requests far more often than they’re sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.

Whenever an operation is called for in places where a Archangel cell doesn’t exist, the home office will select a cell whose skills and experience best suits the task at hand. Thus, they won’t send a bunch of ex-cops and a former coroner to rescue tourists from Somali pirates any more than they’d send a team of commandos to track a serial killer preying on the homeless. Any cell requiring outside assistance can usually receive it, though it might take some time as there’s rarely an idle operative in the group.

Archangel is headquartered in Barcelona, and the home office is run by Jonas Luther and various members of the original team that saved young Raoul years back. Luther and his crew don’t handle as many field operations as they once did, finding that recruitment, coordinating cells and locating clients takes up the bulk of their time. Count Raphael Orzaiz doesn’t involve himself with the organizations operations at all, save to write checks and occasionally point other interested philanthropists at the group. These donations along with the Count’s fortune give the group ample funding.

Goals and Methods

The goal of Archangel is simple: use their skills and resources to help those in need, particularly those who cannot secure aid elsewhere. Very few of its clients are wealthy or well-connected unless they find themselves the victim of forces with overwhelming power and influence. How an individual cell goes about helping someone is largely up to them; though the focus is always on assistance and not retribution. Thus a crime syndicate smuggling people to serve as slave labor might end up ruthlessly eliminated by a cell, but that’s an afterthought. The focus of such an operation would be to liberate captives and shut down the operation. Due to his past experiences, Count Orzaiz is ironclad on this goal; returning a kidnapped child or saving someone’s livelihood is always a priority. Justice or revenge is a luxury, though ones the group often manages to afford.

Methodology varies wildly with different cells and the whole organization has a “whatever works” attitude as long as overall goals are met. Operatives are encouraged to work with local authorities whenever possible because it makes missions go easier, but it’s not a requirement. In some locations with rampant corruption, such cooperation is even functionally impossible. A team of legal experts and some sympathetic politicians help keep members out of trouble in most cases, though if an operation goes horribly wrong the blowback could be severe. Given the stakes involved in many situations when Archangel is called, mistakes are something other people get to make.

Archangel treats those it helps as paying clients whose needs are the utmost priority, but they never accept payment. In rare occasions where an individual has the resources or willfulness to insist on paying, the funds are donated to a charity that helps those in a similar situation to the client. Thus, if Archangel liberates an unjustly accused activist languishing in a corrupt hellhole somewhere, any payments would go to organizations such as Amnesty International or the appropriate branch of the Æon Society. In fact, the Triton Foundation receives a noticeable influx of donations from Archangels efforts, a reality not lost on Æon and relations between the two organizations is generally favorable.

Advantages

Archangel’s greatest assets are its patron’s fortunes and its own people. Everything necessary for a mission can be purchased as needed, and many cells maintain a small armory, crime lab, and whatever else operatives might need to accomplish their goals. These resources are often cutting edge, though they rarely branch into the realm of “weird science” unless a cell member designs something using their own skills.

Operatives are extremely well-paid to avoid any temptation of bribery or corruption, but in truth this is usually unnecessary. Most Archangel members are devoted to the group’s mission and would likely do the job for nothing and a significant portion of member salaries go to supporting various charities. Many who work for the group find their bank account and assets growing as they jump frantically from one crisis to the next, and despite the group only being active for five years many of the senior members already have enough to retire comfortably. Despite this, the retirement and turnover rate for Archangel is quite low; these people are in it for the cause, not money.

Since three operatives were abducted and killed in 2010 during a disastrous mission that also cost the life of their client, all members have taken to wearing identification markers implanted with a tracking device. Typically the device is in the form of a medallion, charm, piece of jewelry, ring, or mundane item bearing the image of St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of the hopeless and helpless. Some have chips implanted surgically and  conceal any scar with a tattoo instead. This marking also help operatives from different cells identify each other in the field. Despite the typical religious iconography, most members view these as symbols of their allegiance and practical safety precautions; in fact the whole idea was dreamed up by Jonas Luther’s agnostic assistant after she saw the movie The Untouchables. Some cells even use churches and shrines devoted the saint for meeting places and information drops, but this is a matter of style and not policy.

[savetopnow]

2018-03-17 00 NEWS now

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