#Fate VS Destiny

[justaz]

arthur (prince of camelot) still has to study under a tutor bc yknow uther wants him to be very intelligent before becoming king or something bc its super important idk idc anyways merlin is doing chores in his chambers while arthur is squinting at a book and merlin eventually caves and asks him what he’s reading and arthur gruffly explains that its a collection of stories from greece that make absolutely no sense so merlin asks him to read them outloud to him. arthur of course teases him and calls him an idiot and asks how he could possibly help but does as he’s asked and reads the stories to merlin as he does his chores. merlin (being crushed under the weight of destiny and tormented by the prophecies that kilgharrah spews) understands the stories almost immediately and gets all excited and starts rambling about them with arthur. arthur is glad to have someone who understands so he can give something that reflects a hint of understanding to his tutor who accepts it and moves onto the next unit of education.

the thing is, arthur finds more stories in camelot’s library and brings them up to his room to read them aloud to merlin under the guise of completing his studies but really he just wants to watch as merlin’s eyes gleam when he understands whats happening and listen to him ramble on and on about them bc he’s gay. the stories stick with merlin though and he realizes that they’re cautionary tales, that the heroes who were told too much of their future doomed themself to fulfill them - that them fighting the prophecies led to their completion. merlin takes it to heart and gives a big “fuck you” to kilgharrah before forging his own fate and helping morgana with her magic and handing out an olive branch to mordred and now everyone can live happily and peacefully in an albion teeming with magic.

[suntails]

7.3

[glitcheslikeslego]

MK was destined to create chaos and he can't change that

MK is destined to create chaos and he can’t change that

Destiny shmestiny, we’re all tired of it, MK isn’t following his destiny… but he actually is.

See, I have a very normal amount of love for the idea surrounding destinies and fates and stuff similar to it, which I believe that I can explain as to why I believe MK is following his exact destiny, even though he’d most likely hate it if he ever found out. 

For starters, here’s a difference between fate and destiny that I want to explain. Fate and destiny, while similar, are not the same thing. Let me explain;

Fate is the end that’s decided for everything, it’s decided by whatever higher being there is, and is the end. Whether the end that is reached is regardless of the choices you made in life, or is determined due to the choices because you were fated to have those choices is another thing. 

Destiny on the other hand, while having a similar idea of being an end, isn’t completely the same. Destiny is the end of a life that depends on the choices that life makes, it takes account of the things you’ve done and the choices you make and moulds your destiny until the very end.

So to make a long explanation short, fate doesn’t give a shit what choices you make, it’ll be the predetermined end no matter what, while destiny is predetermined based on the choices you have made in life. Does that make sense?

Let’s use LBD as an example, since she’s the one preaching about destiny and such. Depending on how you look at it, she either met her fate or reached her destiny in the season 3 specials. She was either fated to die at the hands of MK and his team, regardless of how she went about to try and reach her goals, or she was destined to reach that end because of the choices she’s made. 

I like to think she was fated to, cause I think it’s funny, but you all can make your own opinions on this.

I believe I rambled enough about the differences between fate and destiny, we should get into the actual reason for this analysis.

MK is destined to create chaos

MK is a free spirit, he loves his friends and family, and tries to stay cheerful despite the horrors he’s faced. He is determined to be a good student to Wukong and to be the best successor he can by following Wukong’s every move,but much like the monkey, he hates being tied down, both literally and figuratively.

Literally because Macaque tied him up once, rendering him useless, which is obvious he hates, but we’ll get to that in a possible future MK character analysis.

But also figuratively, because he believes destiny goes against his idea of freedom. Of being able to do what you want, regardless of the choices you make and what the gods say. He treats destiny like it’s fate when it isn't.

This is why he defies against characters like LBD and Nuwa so hard, cause not only did LBD try and destroy the world and hurt her friends and not only did Nuwa try and convince MK it would be best to start a new cycle, they both challenged his belief in letting others decide how they want to live their lives.

MK wants to fight for the world, for humans to be able to make their own choices in safety, without being threatened by demons or celestial beings, however in doing so, he is following his destiny of being the Harbinger of Chaos, created to do exactly that, make chaos. And what better way to make chaos than defying the gods themselves, hm?

So, in trying to avoid destiny, MK is actually following his destiny.

TLDR; MK doesn’t like it when people try and tell him to follow his destiny, so he defies them and it causes chaos, and as the Harbinger of Chaos, he’s just following his destiny.

[raayllum]

the sea of lava splitting spell being "part before me and reveal the path to our destiny" is extra rude after everything huh

[imminent-danger-came]

If I think about this end credit art too hard I explode

[this-vs-that]

This question was sent to our inbox. If you’d like for us to post a This or That poll for you, send the 2 things you want to see against each other to our inbox and we’ll let the people decide which one they prefer. Everything will be anonymous.

[odinsblog]

reblog with your reason why, or put it in the notes

[oifaaa]

To be fair, the Shark lady only saw someone with a straw hat destroying fishman island

And the bad guy from the arc, the creep one, has a straw hat too

That wasn't a straw hat it was a fedora I'm actually pretty sure there is only 2 straw hats in the whole series which are Luffys and that big one we see that's how luffy got the copyright to be the strawhat pirates

[cienie-isengardu]

Hello, may I bother you for a bit?

This is something regarding Lord Liu Kang. At the beginning of the story mode, he's narrating that he gave everyone free will but later in the story mode, Geras says that Liu Kang forged everyone's destinies and that Shang Tsung and Quan Chi were defying theirs.

Which means that Shang Tsung was destined to live in poverty, Quan Chi was destined to grueling work in the mines and Shao was born sickly child if it weren't for his father's program that shaped him into the warrior he is now.

Which leads me to believe he is deliberately punishing them for things they did not do, all because of the memories of his mortal life.

In one of the intros between Shang Tsung and Geras, it is implied that Shang Tsung also had a horrible childhood.

What do you think?

Hello there and you do not bother me at all!

The destiny vs free will is one of the universal questions that humanity has tried to solve for ages and the answer for sure will vary from one person to another, always colored by religion (or lack of therefor) and culture each of us is part of. However, within Liu Kang’s timeline, I strongly believe destiny and free will aren’t mutually exclusive, because both terms refer to different aspects of a mortal's life.

When Liu Kang says he crafted for each person's destiny, it does not mean there is one and only one script to how things and people’s reaction will play out while he is gonna pretend to be surprised by the turn of events and having fun in the middle of a crisis invented out of boredom eons ago. 

What Liu Kang decided for each character is the setting that no one has choice over and designed role to play - Raiden is destined to be current Earthrealm Champion; Bi-Han, Kuai Liang and Tomas are destined to be Lin Kuei; Mileena is destined to rule Edenia; Shao is destined to serve loyalty to Queen Sindel; Shang Tsung is destined to not have any power whatsoever. None of them must like the circumstances they were born into nor the role bestowed upon them or faced adversity on the way, however how they will use the given time and live their life is greatly up to them. 

Raiden accepted Liu Kang’s training and worked hard to earn the right to represent Earthrealm in the Tournament - if he didn’t dedicate himself to the task, Kung Lao, Johnny or Kenshi would take his place. Bi-Han was trained from childhood to protect Earthrealm but he ultimately rejected the traditional role of Lin Kuei and chose to be loyal only to his clan instead to Fire Lord and the realm. In contrast, Kuai Liang decided to honor father’s teaching and aided Liu Kang, even if that meant going against his own brother - as Geras said, the brothers weren’t destined to be enemies yet both make their own choices that from now on will define their relationship. Tomas was forced by circumstances (Keeper of Time’s choice) into Lin Kuei and raised alongside Sub-Zero and Scorpion by their father, however as his BIO states, “Smoke chose to make the Lin Kuei’s mission his own. But as he lacked his brothers' innate supernatural abilities, he set out to master practical magic. Having done so, he now joins them in Earthrealm's defense” and this implies he wasn’t forced to master smoke powers by his adoptive family and that he was not necessarily considered as a material for Lin Kuei warrior but he made a conscious choice to learn magic so he could join his brothers in their duties. 

Shao and Shang Tsung jumped on occasion to rise in power for their own gain but no one physically forced them to betray the Royal Family or to inflict cruelty on others. According to Liu Kang’s design, they weren’t meant to have the opportunity to take over Edenia and still they could refuse to aid Damashi’s plot when the offer was made to them or at any given time after that. Shang Tsung managed to create a serum that does not heal Tarkatan sickness yet allows to control the unwanted symptoms, thus giving a sick person a chance for more or less normal life. He could share that with sick people or work with other imperial mages to find cure - and go into edenian history as a great hero and savior - but he chose not to, because his own plans were more important to him, than the well-being of other people. 

As a first-born, Mileena inherited the throne after mother’s death yet she still has an option to abdicate if she doesn’t like the burden bestowed on her by fate. 

What Liu Kang chose for each character is not set in stone and can be altered by people’s personal choices, for good or bad. Of course, that does not mean he has never interfere with mortal’s life to steer said person on the path he planed, as it is the best seen with Kung Lao and Raiden unknowingly prepared by Madam Bo for their role of Earthrealm Champions and Shang Tsung’s destiny to have as mediocre life as possible. So yes, Liu Kang is not above his personal favoritism and bias and I suspect it is the result of him being mortal turned into god, not the other way around. He definitely threw some serious obstacles on characters’ path, like sickness for child Shao (though did he plan to keep Shao unfit to be warrior and the outcome was changed by Shao’s father refusing to accept son’s sickness/disability or did Shao was born as sick child so the father could teach him discipline and raise him with an iron fist to become a loyal soldier is up to debate) or death of family for Tomas. However some of the hardship characters faced may as well come from their ancestors' choices alone, be it the dark history of Kenshi’s family that joined the Bakuto, a predecessor of the Yakuza for protection or Nitara’s people slowly starving because of their foolish choices (“The Vaeternians thrived, building a great society. But as their comfort grew, so did their shortsightedness. They overfed on Vaeternus’ creatures, disrupting the natural order. They now starve as it collapses.”, Nitara’s BIO)

In all fairness, the line between Liu Kang’s chosen destiny for characters and choices of mortals affecting the outcome may be pretty thin and in result, not so clear to us. Shang Tsung is the best example of this, because story mode alone gives the impression the man was born into poverty and neglect - he is on his own, using deception to survive in harsh outworld wilderness. Him being so miserable and angry makes sense to jump on the first occasion for anything better than what he has; to cling to the one person offering him not only power but also kindness, a praise for any progress made, be it the progress in the realization of plan or Shang Tsung’s own skills and knowledge.

Yet his official BIO

Shang Tsung grew up in Outworld’s backwaters. Too lazy for hard labor and too shifty for honest work, he eked out a living selling quack cures and fake magic. Though his wares were useless, Shang Tsung’s easy charm always closed the deal. Shang Tsung was resigned to this hardscrabble life. But then one day a mysterious stranger came, promising to make Shang Tsung a powerful sorcerer. Though suspicious of the offer, it was one he couldn’t refuse.

 and intro dialogues 

Shang Tsung: We're both small-town boys at heart. Raiden: Then why is yours so infected with evil? 

or

Shang Tsung: The squalor I endured as a child- Geras: Do not lie. I know the truth.

contradict the idea he was destined to live in poverty or even born in an abusive environment solely because of Liu Kang’s spite. The Bio alone put a blame on Shang Tsung’s own laziness and reluctance to do honest work, Geras calls his claim of bad childhood a lie and for all we know, there were plenty of opportunities for Shang Tsung to take and live his life in peace he turned down for whatever petty reason. The source material is so weirdly contradicting that I still don’t have an idea who we should trust on that one and how much it is Liu Kang’s fault and how much Shang Tsung’s own. 

(I’m gonna hold my judgment for the Quan Chi’s backstory until NRS will release further official material. Working in mines was always a hard job, however it is not clear to me if he was there by force - as enslavement or penalty? - or was he just born in a rural town where everyone worked as miners and he did what his family and/or all townsfolk did for generations.)

Geras saying Shang Tsung and Quan Chi defy their destinies may simply mean they got hold of power they should not have according to Liu Kang’s original plan. At the same time, Liu Kang specifically said to Sindel that Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and General Shao were groomed to be evil again by powers outside his control, so again, the chosen destinies for those three weren’t set in stone, as Liu Kang’s design could be - and was - altered.

For now, until proven otherwise, I will trust Liu Kang’s words that all characters indeed have free will and their choices matters, as supported by intro dialogues

Sindel: Until your revelation, I felt in control of my destiny. Liu Kang: You still are, Your Highness. 

or

Ashrah: I must know, Geras. Is my future set? Geras: There is no fate but what you make. 

or

Geras: Any advice for when I control the Hourglass? Liu Kang: Let all people be masters of their fate. 

but also for the fact alone that Liu Kang did not use his Titan powers to rewind time and alter the last events for his liking, as in making sure bored Titan Shang Tsung did not corrupt his alternative self and the rest of bunch, like Kronika did countless time before.

We will see how future tie-in material will challenge my outlook at this issue, but for now I'm gonna think that Liu Kang's planed destiny and characters' free will to what do with given time co-exist.

[mangobubletea]

you ever finish a game and you're like. i am fundamentally changed as a human being

[fairer-tales]

‘I can’t remember the last time when it felt like I had a handle on my own life,’

‘But you are the handle,’

‘Am I?’

IM SICK.

[brastrophobia]

Something something recurring theme of characters choosing to die/accepting death something something the main villain had that choice taken from her there's something here but I'm incapable of expanding on it right now

[gettingridofhope]

Life is 65% destiny and 35% free will.

And always remember that when bad things happen to you or anyone else and the question arises, “why would God let that happen or why would he do that to me.” The answer, it wasn’t her.

If you were on the island when the volcano blew up and they never found your body some would say that it was bad luck just a random thing that happened. A few of us however would look at the grander scheme of things and realize oh wait, something in nature just established two new guardians one a male one a female.

This happened in New Zealand not that long ago.

The bad things that happen in life, 9 times out of 10, other humans are the reason. Sometime it’s intentional most of the time it’s not. Our free will is what drives most of the misery on this planet. From the free will of a brute that beats people up to the free will of a CEO that dumps toxic chemicals into the water because it’s cheaper than disposing of it properly and he can give himself a $2 million Christmas bonus at the end of the year. The actions of other people have effects on everyone around them. God doesn’t want bad things to happen to you but there is nothing she can do about preventing it. If she could it wouldn’t be free will. I’ll even go as far as to say that God never really knows for sure what any of us is going to do. If she did it wouldn’t be free will.

So the question has to arise why do we have free will. If humans do their absolute worst to each other with the power of choice why do we have it. Well, the answer is very simple. We as humans have a choice on wether or not we accept God into our lives and when we tell her that we love her, she knows that we are doing it of our own volition. Angels don’t have a choice, they were made to love God. So when they tell her they love her it doesn’t hit quite right. So when it came to humans she left that part out.? Free will is the void left behind by the command to love her that she didn’t give us.

Which brings me to atheists. I truly feel bad for these delusional people. People whose reason and logic have denied them the ability to believe that God exists. That have figures out there little formulas to prove that she isn’t real. The flat earthers (Moronicus Extremus) and atheists are almost exactly alike. Except, where as you can be the dumbest motherfucker on Earth but you can still get into heaven. An atheist however, is destined for a harsh wake up call when they die . One that can’t be reversed once they have shed their mortal coil. Their logic and reason gets them left behind wandering the Earth until they are no longer.

Fuck that…I’m going back home, with God and my family. Who is coming with me?

[amiharana]

this might be a stretch but i think rewrite the stars is very revalink vibes

[imminent-danger-came]

thinking about how the episode title "show me the monster" is about sandy, pigsy, mk, and arguably the curse all at once

They were crazy for having the episode titled "Show Me the Monster" end on the "the curse is MK but a Monkey" reveal.

((like, you could argue that the curse can take any form, but the fact that the curse at it's weakest in 4x07 looks and sounds like MK has me think that this is the curse's true form))

I mean truly, the Sha Wujing VS Pigsy fight parallels the Curse VS MK fight. In the same way Sha Wujing is trying to get Pigsy to "show him a monster", to show him who Pigsy "really is", the Curse wants MK to realize who/what he is, and to show that part of himself.

There's also like:

MK: “You still think that the universe really wants anything, from any of us?” LBD: “Don’t you?”

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Sha Wujing: "But you were too WEAK to be who you truly are! I am a monster! That’s what the world wants me to be, so that’s what I’m gonna give ‘em!"

(4x06 Show Me the Monster)

-

MK: “And the most messed up thing is, I- I never even realized, never even questioned who I am, or where I come from, or why, or- Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can’t risk hurting the people I care about—the one’s I have left.”

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

Sha Wujing in 4x06 is very focused on what the world expects him to be, or what the world wants from him, which MK initially questions in 3x14. But by 4x07/4x08, it's clear that MK is ALSO considering who he is and what destiny/the world wants from him. Sha Wujing had accepted that he was a monster, but MK hasn't.

[kalki-tarot]

Your dream spouse vs. the real one ❤️‍🔥

You & your Destined fs 🌙

Take a deep breathe and pick a picture you feel most drawn to.

Disclaimer : tarot is not 100% accurate, this reading is just for fun. Tarot does not substitute professional treatment of any kind. I'm not responsible for any decisions you make on behalf of my readings. This may not resonate with everyone. Please be mindful of your own actions and thoughts ♡

I'll be very straightforward with whatever comes through and if you're not comfortable with that, please don't read this post.

Pile 1

Your dream spouse ❤️‍🔥 ‧₊˚

TW ⚠️ : tr*uma bonding.

You want the bad boy/girl type husband/wife. Someone who is impulsive, daring and savage. You may want someone who is your perfect match, and very compatible with you. You desire to bond over trauma with someone. You know those couples who've seen each other's most vulnerable sides. You want a very romantic and caring connection which goes till soul level. You may also want someone who is famous or well known or even who has power and command in the society. You like big surprises. You want to take care of someone who has been emotionally broken down or sad. You want to comfort a sad person. You want a spouse who has old money. You know that trope when there is a powerful person in the society, who's famous and all that, but they have love missing in their lives. You want to be that love to your spouse. You want a deep and intimate spouse who's cold to others but warm snd loving to you only.

Your real spouse 💓 ‧₊˚

33 and 66 can be significant. Your real life spouse is someone very hardworking and honest. They may like to socialize or be with family and friends. This is a very cute and homely energy. Your fs can be someone well known in their field for what they do. They are a family person, someone who's purpose is their family. They believe in long term commitments. They don't joke around, they want serious commitment or else don't enter their life. They may like to meditate or they are calm and composed, they don't seem to lose their cool easily. They are energetic and quick to make changes. They can be an engineer or in business. They are funny and cool. Their personality is very easy going and smooth. They may have emotional outburts a lot of times, but they don't vent it out on you. They may sometimes unknowingly disturb people and then get sad snd walk away when someone tells them something. Despite all of this, they can be of a very giving nature. They donate and do charity work a lot. They sometimes may have limiting beliefs that stresses them out.

Pile 2

Your dream spouse ❤️‍🔥 ‧₊˚

You want your spouse to choose you over any other girl/guy. You wanna be their top priority over anything. You want a mysterious spouse who only opens up to you. You want someone closed off from the world. You want a romantic person who is just like a gentleman/woman. Very caring towards you. You want an happily ever after with your fs. You want to have a rich and happy married life afterwards. Your fs may have a other women's eyes too on them. And they would choose you. You want a rich and wealthy fs.

Your real spouse 💓 ‧₊˚

Your fs may have many expectations of others on their shoulders which constantly makes them fight for themselves. Alright, this person is unhappy with their family or something. They get really sad about this. They somehow gather courage to do what others want from them. But they don't like it. And this is taking a toll on their mental health and making them hate everyone and everything. This thing came through so i told you. Let's get some more cards about their personality.

They want a stable and committed partner with a long term vision. They can be a hardworking person. They are undergoing a transformation right now with the death card. They are pretty emotional and romantic. They have the ability to give lots of love to you.

Pile 3

Your dream spouse ❤️‍🔥 ‧₊˚

You want to meet your spouse by destiny or fate just like kdramas. You want someone romantic, caring and loving to you. You may want someone who is like a reward to you. You want someone emotional, you wanna share an emotional and deep connection with your fs. You want a lawyer by profession? You want someone dominating, loyal and family oriented. Someone who works on a high position and offers you stability. You dream of a happily ever after marriage life with your fs. You want someone to heal or fix your broken heart. You want someone who listens to you without telling anything. You want someone rational as well as emotional, a balance of everything. That's good, actually. You secretly desire a soulmate for yourself.

Your real spouse 💓 ‧₊˚

Your fs may have two sisters. Your real life fs is someone who has a lot of options and choices in love but still, somewhere their heart says that no, there is someone else meant for them, that can be you. They're waiting for you. They are someone with a strong will and determination. They always act fast and logically. Whatever They're doing right now, they are starting someone new and afresh, can be a new start in life or work related. Their feminine energy can be a bit imbalanced right now. There is something which stops them from being expressive of their emotional side. This may be due to some childhood issues by a female figure i see. They are facing this blovk right now. But they're working on it.