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brf-rumortrackinganon · 6 days

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My central thesis has always been that the Harkles wanted everything the Wales have and more. I know I remember reading that she cried after hearing William was made Prince of Wales. Right from the get go, her PR was all "Meghan is way better suited to be royal". Then there were all the Commonwealth flowers on her bridal veil and their insistence that they move into Windsor Castle. Now I don't believe everthing Neil Sean says, but his latest video mentions that Megxit was an ultimatum to get Windsor. As that is the traditional home of the Monarch, I feel as though they were attempting a coup.

Then there is the thought that Harry believes that the Dutchy of Cornwall should be split and he should eventually be made co-King or King of the Commonwealth. Let the Wales have that tiny island while they are jetted and feted around the world.

Here's my question for you. Did Meghan and Sparry REALLY believe they could leapfrog over the Wales??? I know her jealousy and envy of Catherine is bunny boiler level and he absolutely eviscerated his brother in Waagh. Has this been their plan all along?? Death by a thousand cuts for the Wales to force them to resign their place in the LOS or that they could somehow convince Charles to make Harry the heir??

I'd like to know where you think the delusions stem from. It wouldn't be the first time in history that younger brother has attempted to remove old brother from the throne.

Sincerely appreciate your blog and all the work you put into it. I'm always learning something new.

I'm pretty sure that was exactly their plan: they wanted to use their popularity to force The Queen to name them as her successors. I don't remember where I read this or when, but allegedly Harry sent "documentation" to someone - to whom specifically I can't recall, but options are The Queen, Charles, William, and/or grey suits - providing evidence for claims that he and Meghan were more popular than any of the others and deserved more than what they were getting.

And if they couldn't get the actual crown, they were going to do their damnedest to try and get a co-kingship with William. That's where Meghan's obsession with the Commonwealth came from; she had been told (again, I don't know by whom - all signs point to Harry exaggerating to keep her interested or maybe Charles spitballing ideas during his 'Magnificent Six' planning circa 2012) that William would rule Britannia and Harry would rule the Commonwealth.

I think that's why Meghan went all in on 'racist Kate.' Not only did she want to knock Kate out of the spotlight, she wanted to do enough damage that Commonwealth/realm nations would threaten to quit and The Queen would capitulate by offering to install Harry and Meghan as new leaders. This actually had a chance of working; it's been said quite often during her last years and since her passing that The Queen saw the Commonwealth as her greatest legacy and there was speculation that she would have done anything she could have to keep it in tact. And had Meghan played her cards right, she and Harry probably could have ended up becoming the main ambassadors of and for the Commonwealth, like a Commonwealth version of the UN Secretary-General.

But where the plan failed, obviously, was that it required blaming Kate for problems and issues that don't exist. Because remember, in 2021 when Meghan was making these claims, we'd just gone through the huge global reckoning that was Black Lives Matter and the agreement during/after BLM was "call racist people out on their BS. Put them on blast. Don't let them get away with it anymore." So not only would Meghan have been perfectly justified to name names, cite events, bring receipits, air the real dirty laundry and everyone would've been so much more supportive of it. But she didn't. Instead she played coy and said something like "I'm protecting them even though they don't deserve it."

Girl, please. That was Meghan's one chance to go justifiably scorched earth and air out all the dirty laundry and she fumbled hard.

Anyway. Let's get this train back on track. Where do the delusions come from? Traumatic childhoods courtesy of Mommies Dearest.

We all know Harry's story with Diana. She was a young, fun, free spirited loving mom larger than life with a neediness that she depended on her children to fill, rather than her own husband or other adults her age, so Harry grew to find satisfaction in supporting and providing her what she needed. He probably saw, and understood, the way Diana received what she wanted by exaggerating what she needed and following it up with excluding or isolating herself until whoever came chasing after her to give her what she wanted. And ultimately this led her (and Harry) down a path that ended up killing her; she exaggerated the relationship with Dodi to get attention from Hasnat or the BRF, then isolated herself in France to force whoever (Hasnat? Charles Wales? Charles Spencer?) to come chase after her. We know how that ends.

That's where Harry's delusions, IMO, come from. He saw how it well it worked (mostly) for Diana - exaggerate her needs/wants, then run and hide until she gets it - so he does it too. He probably started doing it right after she died, when no one knew what to do or how to handle him so they kept indulging in everything he wanted, so those wants kept manifesting bigger and bigger. And I think the way we see the BRF treating Harry is what would have happened to Diana had she lived; eventually the public would sour on her (this was already happening, by the way), which would then enable the BRF to grey rock her, devenomizing her in effect, and move on without Diana having too much of an influence on their day-to-day.

It's sort of similar for Meghan. We don't know specifically what happened (the way we do with Harry and Diana), but we know that Doria was a young, fun, free-spirited mother herself married to an older husband who had other priorities (eg kids from his first marriage). Unlike Diana, Doria probably didn't want the responsibilities of motherhood (which is the vibe Meghan and Thomas have given about Doria during Meghan's childhood) and left. And like the BRF, Thomas may have also overcompensated Doria's absence in Meghan's life by giving her everything she asked for, which made her asks get bigger and bigger and when Thomas couldn't deliver, she threatened to leave him...like Doria did and Thomas, erstwhile girldad he was, just kept throwing more and more at Meghan to keep her happy. Her delusions come from preying on other individuals' trauma to ensure she gets what she wants. The bigger her wants (ie the more grandiose her delusions), the harder she manipulates other people's trauma to make sure she gets what she wants. Which is kinda the opposite of Harry and Diana; they create the trauma to get people to do what they want, whereas Meghan exploits it to get people to do what she wants. Both are skills they learned after being abandoned (metaphorically and literally) by their mothers.

And all of Meghan's PR about "young mother," I think it's more insidious than that. Yes, it's a very overt evocation of Diana's narrative. Yes, it's a judgement against Kate. But it is also digs at Doria. "See? Motherhood is hard but I'm prioritizing my kid. How dare you to have left me" kind of spiteful digs meant to shame her for whatever happened that caused her to disappear. Meghan is the kind of person who must always have the last word, so I wouldn't be surprised if she's been targeting or belitting Doria about not knowing certain things about Archie/Lili because she wasn't around when Meghan was that age.

So...yeah.

I've realized now that this is the third or fourth Wednesday in a row that I write these super long analytical/in this essay I will posts. I guess Wednesdays are my thinking days...

#ask #sussexes #theories #brf

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gold-rhine · 9 months

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Which "version" of Diluc, or combination of them, do you prefer?

neither. i said repeatedly, that to me, Diluc is a Crimson Heir of Signora and a redhead witch that is tempted by the devil, trapped in a body of a catholic paladin wet owl

but sadly most ppl are not enlightened and don't understand my vision, so i'll explain it. Diluc and Signora see the world as filled with evil, which they want to fight, but feel like their own's strength is not enough bc darkness is too vast. but they were both disillusioned by authorities they believed in (archon protection for signora, father and knights for Diluc), so they don't reach out to other people to fight together.

instead, they take their helpless rage and grief and immolate themselves in it to become a living weapon. they know this is bad and monstrous, but also like, this is the only time when they can feel anything bc they're dissociating for rest of the time. for signora it's shown through cryo delusion as metaphor of covering her burning fire in cold to hide it and she only becomes herself when she uses her fire. for diluc, he is keeping up his facade of calm and collected nobleman most of the time, and only has access to the emotions he's bottling inside when he's letting them out in a literal fire burst while yelling BURN!!

they are also incredibly self-righteous, have v black and white view of the world and very short sided.

so, with all this, they both believe they are fighting for right cause (signora didn't harm innocents when she turned into crimson witch btw), but they think they are forced to use corrupting power and they kinda see it as martyring themselves for the cause bc someone has to be the flaming sword against the darkness, but also subconsciously they crave it bc this is the only way to access repressed emotions, this is only time when they are "allowed" to feel rage and grief, when they are making it useful. this is what i mean by redhead witch, tempted by the devil - diluc wants more power bc he feels helpless, recognizes that this power would be corrupting, so sees it as forbidden, but is tempted nonetheless, and at the same time, he is keeping up the stoic aristocrat dissociative façade. He is not a traditional "fallen" paladin, his disillusionment with the authorities didn't lead him to evil, but to radically different methods of fighting evil. Crimson Witch is at heart about the righteous using Hellfire to fight the darkness.

this is the version of diluc i find interesting and bc hoyo lost their custody of diluc due to bad writing i explained before, i don't have to worry about anything they do in canon bc it doesn't count:)

#rhine talks #diluc

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weirdozjunkary · 10 months

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Been thinking about the movie version of the MVA AU and how it would play out in that universe. So I created a small Tumblr exclusive fic of how I think it would go down. Honestly it’s not that vastly different from the movie, but that’s just how I like to write au tie-ins. Enjoy and happy reading!

The big problem

(a movie MVA AU oneshot)

The night was dark, and so was the house. As sonic had turned off every light in the house in order to create the best movie watching experience. He was still vibrating with exitement from earlier in the day, two full days to himself. Left home alone with Ozzie while Tom and Maddie visited Rachel for her wedding.

As much as he wanted to go, they all nunanamously agreed that it would be best for sonic to stay at home. Rachel still wasn’t accustomed to the brown hedgehog that had warranted himself child status in the wachowski house. Plus the people outside of green hills didn’t exactly know about him yet, nor was he really allowed to let them know about him.

So here he was, the couch l pushed in, practically inches from the tv, front row seats for the blue hedgehog and his non alien animal companion right beside him.

“Alright Ozzie-bozzie! It’s movie night at cassa-de-Sonic! And as esteemed second in place animal companion, you can pick the movie this time!” He twirled the remote in his hand. “Just don’t pick any of the channels next to the news ones, those movies SUCK!”

The tv shut off, and just as quickly became a noise of static. The sudden roar caused Sonic to practically leap from his seat in surprise.

“NO!” He yelled. He pressed his face to the tv and pleaded. “YOU CAN'T DO THIS! DON'T DIE ON ME! DON'T DIE ON MOVIE NIGHT!!!” Ozzie’s bark snapped him out of his delusion. “You’re right ozzie.” He said, wiping a dramatic tear from his eye. “If I'm gonna save movie night, I’m gonna need to get to the source! Be right back!” And he zipped away in a blink of an eye.

Up on the roof the speedy hedgehog pulled up a heavy box of tools, prepared to use as many as he needed to save the night he always dreamed of having since he met Tom and Maddie. Well, more like stalked, as up until a year ago, they weren’t really… accustomed, yet. Though, he most likely wouldn’t need a full box of tools on a satellite dish.

“Hmm, looks like mister Jet hasn’t come back to build his nest on the dish again.” He folded his arms and stuck his head up in a snobbish manner. “Good! I don’t want to see that dumb hawk again! Stupid jerk! Stealing my chilidog…!” He looked back at the dish. “Oh, right! Movie night!”

He popped open the box and pulled out a screwdriver. “Let’s do it to it!” And he began his work. He wasn’t really fixing the problem, more like just messing with the dish. He’s seen Tom try his hand at fixing it once or twice before, but he didn’t really understand what he was doing. Still, he was going to try and get this thing working again, zipping back and forth from the living room and back up onto the roof to see if the static had went away. But it didn’t, in fact, what he was doing seemed to make the situation worse, as the static began to have an eerie green glow to it.

“What the heck am I doing wrong?” Sonic puzzled, scratching his head with the end of the screwdriver. “It can’t be that hard to fix a satellite!” He banged the end of the screwdriver against the dish. “Come on you stupid thing! Work!”

There was a blur, a flurry of green and browns and neutrals that flooded his eyes till everything went black. His vision had only just begun to come through as the pain did. A soreness that was all around his body, but mostly on his head and back. It was a familiar pain. Similar to when he fought Robotnik for the first time and won. But Robotnik wasn’t here. At least he didn’t think he was here.

There was something else. A shade of golden that pulled him out of the rubble of the living room by his arm. Through his blurred vision he could only suspect it being Ozzie.

He lifted himself up, using him as a crutch as the world still wobbled like his legs did. “Good boy Oz.” He mumbled and petted his companion weakly. Ozzie stayed next to him as he helped guide the disoriented hedgehog to the hallway. Sonic was a trooper though. As just like before, his vision finally focused again, though the room still swayed like he was on a boat.

A deafening click entered his eardrums, snapping him back to reality. The sound made his stomach drop and he grew seasick in his stomach once again, though he didn’t know if it was from whatever had happened on the roof or not. No, it wasn’t from the roof. As the door opened, Sonic was face to face with the man he thought he’d never see again. Standing right there, illuminated by the porch light, was Dr. Robotnik.

“Hello, hedgehog.” He said through a wide grin. “Did you miss me?”

“Eggman?!” Sonic sad in disbelief. He half expected this to be a hallucination from hitting his head to hard. The headache he had should be proof of it. But no. He was here. Somehow. “I don’t know how you got back. But you made a big mistake coming here!”

“On the contrary. The only mistake here was thinking that you had won. But that was but a prelude to what I have planned for you! An hors d’oeuvre, an aperitif, an-“

“I get it!” Sonic growled.

“Oh-Ho Ho! I don’t think you do!” That creepy smile stretched farther across the mad doctors face as he finally stepped into the house. “But you’re about to… and so will that idiot sherif and his wife! And your little dog, too!”

He had enough of this. Sonic charged at Robotnik, ignoring his body's cries for him to rest. But he couldn’t get near him, as a split second before he could give the old doctor what for, a gloved fist careened into his face.

Sonic flew back into the living room which had more mess to clean up as he had been sent flying through a wall. That feeling of dizziness and discomfort came back to him as he slowly stood back up and faced his threat. There, standing through the hole in the wall was a figure he never thought he’d see again, not robotnik, but an echidna.

He was large and muscular, thick red fur coated his body, and he had spines that draped down and framed his face like thick dreads that could be a weapon of their own. But the real weapon was his fists, as large spines poked out from the bottom of his gloves. He stared down Sonic with a fury in his eyes he had never seen before, and while he said nothing, his expression told a thousand words to the hedgehog.

“Now where are my manners!” Robotnik butted in. “Sonic, I would like you to meet, Knuckles! My new BFFAE— Bested Friend Forever And Ever!” That wide grin was still stretched across his face.

How in all of green hills did he manage to do this— to get an echidna on his side? Especially him, one that looked like he would snap Sonic in two if he took even just a single step. He looked like Robotnik’s guard dog. No. He was his weapon.

“Look robotnik, I don’t care who you’ve brought to help you. I’m not going to let you walk in here and take my home from me!” Sonic’s fur crackled with energy as he stared them both down. The feeling felt odd, though. But he didn’t pay any attention to it.

“I am not here for your pathetic home!” The echidna growled at him.

Those words enraged Sonic, and he bared his gums to the red echidna. His eyes and quills began to glow, but it wasn’t amber like it had been before, no. The colour now had turned to a bright, almost neon, green. He clenched his fists tightly as green electricity crackled around his fur. Though he was furious, he was still scared.

Of course he would be, this echidna was part of the same clan that had made him hide for most of his life, that made him run from his home, that took his guardian, Longclaw from him. But here, he wasn’t going to let the same thing happen to this one. He won’t let it be taken from him again. Sonic reeled back a fist and…

“AAAAAAGH!”

Sonic wrapped his arms around himself and began screaming as pain began to overwhelm his body. His yell managed to make even the echidna and doctor pause in surprise.

“W-WHAT IS… GOING ON!!! AAAAAAH!!!” He shouted once more as the green electricity began to crackle around the room, and as well, his height suddenly jolted from 3-feet to 5-feet.

Robotnik reeled back in disbelief. “Um, what?!”

“Deceiver! You never told me he had the master emerald!” Knuckles barked at the doctor.

“The, uh, master-what-now?”

“I am talking about the device that wields ultimate power! Something that that hedgehog now has possession of!”

Another painful yell from Sonic made them jolt again in surprise. His height had doubled again, now he was 10-feet.

“Wait, ‘Ultimate power’ you say?” Robotnik said quietly to himself, partly ignoring the hedgehog who was still groaning and crying as his body kept passing each foot, his fur and quills changing its colour with it. He grinned gleefully as a sinister plan began to cross his mind. “Now you speaky my language!”

“HELP…. ME…. AAAAAAAH!!!” Sonic shouted again and his height jolted once more. 25-feet. He could barely fit in the living room now. His back pressed against the ceiling making it bend and crack. He continued to cry and howl in pain. Whatever was happening to him wasn’t done yet.

Knuckles ran out of the house to the backyard with robotnik trailing on not far behind. They had made it out just in time, as only a few seconds after, the hedgehog had finally bursted out of the side of the house, sending rubble flying across the yard.

“HOLY GEARS AND STARTERS!” Robotnik shouted in awe. He gripped the sides of his head that was reeling from the sight he was witnessing.

Sonic stumbled out of the house, his feet breaking more of the rubble beneath him. He panted and huffed, still feeling awful and tingly from the pain that now faded with him along with the green electricity. It was only a couple more seconds for the vertigo to subside, and he finally saw what had happened to him.

His fur and quills were now a bright blue colour, and they were all messy and ragged from the electricity that shot out of him only a few moments ago. But that wasn’t what made his stomach drop, no. He realized he had suddenly grown 50-feet in only a few minutes.

“Holy crap…” Sonic exhaled in fright. He looked down at his feet. The deck was completely ruined. Broken boards that had snapped against his weight. They were so small now. Everything was so small now.

A bark fell into his ears making him whip his head around to the house. It was Ozzie. Oh no, please don’t let him be hurt.

“Ozzie!” Sonic yelped in fright. “Oh, no no no no! Please be okay!” He knelt down, sending a knee crashing into the wooden floor that broke as soon as it had collided with it. He dug through the rubble, tossing it out to the yard behind him. “Ozzie! Ozzie!” He called out to his canine friend. He heard him bark once more. There, just outside of the living room. He was okay.

“Ozzie!” Sonic shouted in relief and in a flash, he grabbed the retriever in his hands and hoisted him up to his face. “Oh my god I’m so glad you’re okay!” He exhaled through teary eyes, relieved he wasn’t hurt. Ozzie didn’t seem to have any change of view of him, as he wagged his tail at the sight of the now massive hedgehog that held him up carefully.

“Um excuse me! We are right here!” Robotnik shouted.

His voice pierced his eardrums like nails on a chalkboard, and Sonic’s relieved expression faltered. He slowly placed his companion back in the house. “Stay here Ozzie. I’ll be right back.” He said gently to him before he turned to Knuckles and Robotnik.

“What did you do to me?!” His voice boomed.

“Me?! I didn’t do anything to you this time!” Robotnik said. “Though I have to say, it is a good look on you!”

“What he looks like doesn’t matter.” Knuckles bellowed. “No matter your size, I will still strike you down and take the power of the master emerald from you! Even if I have to rip it out of you one cell at a time!”

“Master emerald…?” Sonic muttered in surprise. He looked at his feet again. That old bedtime story that Longclaw had told him many times before. It was actually real? It’s what made him like this?

“Face me, giant!” Knuckles shouted. “Or are you now a coward?” He made Sonic’s eyes glide back to him. “You are unworthy to hold such immense power that belongs to my tribe! The size you are now is proof enough! Now will you stand and fight? Or will you lay down your life to me?”

Slowly, Sonic stood up and shifted away from the house that he had broken a hole through the side of it. He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the echidna below him. Robotnik slowly shimmied away to avoid the crossfire.

“Alright, you want me…” He raised his fists and took a stance. “Then come get me!”

A pleased toothy grin stretched over the echidnas face. Finally, someone who wouldn’t keel over with just one strike from his fists. He reeled back his hand as he stared sonic in the eye, ready to strike him with all his might.

A loud siren shot through the air. It was the last sound that Sonic would had ever expect to hear, especially now. Was it a hallucination? No, they heard it to. As like Sonic, Knuckles and Robotnik turned their attention to the noise, and that was right before a police cruiser broke through the fence and rammed itself into the echidna, driving itself head first into the tree that sat just off of the middle of the yard.

Sonic was in disbelief. How, or even why did this happen? Who was even driving this thing? Was it Wade? Or… The door flung open and a little yellow fox tumbled out of it. A yellow fox… an alien. Just like him.

“Agh! I’m okay!” He huffed. Boy, did he sound young, he looked young. This kid looked to be no more than 8 years old, and yet he was here driving a police car. You have to be at least 18 to be able to drive one of those!

“Uh, I’m sorry. Who are you?” Sonic said.

“Don’t worry, I’m on your side!” The young fox said as he stood up straight. “My name is-“ He paused once he caught sight of him. “Oh gosh! I came too late!”

“What?” Sonic exclaimed in confusion. “What are you even-“ Knuckles’ groaning cut him off, as he finally had begun to wake up from being knocked out and pinned by the police cruiser. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. We need to move!”

He grabbed the fox and dashed away at the speed of sound, creating a violent gust of wind trailing behind him. He left just in time, as the red echidna unwedged himself from the car and just as fast began tailing them behind.

#textpost #fanfiction #sonic fanfiction #tumblr fanfic #sonic au #MVA au #sonic movie #g/t #sfw g/t

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sweetestpopcorn · 4 months

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How do you feel about Snape from Harry Potter? Do you think that he is similar to Ser Criston Cole in some ways?

Hi there and sorry for this huge delay... I wish you a very I live in shame.

I am going to begin by making it clear this answer concerns ONLY the asoiaf canon (books), so any redacted fans kindly move along. Thank you.

So, I don't see how anyone would think that Snape is in any significant way similar to Criston Cole. Yes both are ambitious, cunning in a sense, and brave, but who they are at heart, their journey and their ending is world's apart.

The whole point of Severus Snape as a character is that he starts of being presented to us as a villain of sorts - from Harry's perspective - even looks wise, he is a typical villain. The way he dresses, the greasy hair, not very handsome (to be kind), his beak of a nose. His House, Slytherin, another token of his evil ways if you would. Another clue that he's bad. What we come to find along the way is that actually, it's not as easy as that.

Severus Snape is a grey character, perhaps as grey as it can get. He has done some very selfish and reprehensible things, and at the same time, there's a lot of good in him, bravery as well. The beauty of it is that it does not erase any of the bad that he has done, or it is if people can understand nuance it only adds to the complexity of his character, because you can do good things and have qualities and still choose wrong at times and be a less than good person. It's good. It's human. It's amazing writing and understanding of the human heart at conflict with itself.

That's not the case with Criston Cole. Unlike with Snape, there's no redemption for him, and besides his skill as a fighter and military commander, and his bravery since he never once backed down from a fight, there's really no redeeming qualities to him. He's not a character who changed but rather one who revealed himself and didn't reveal anything good. He's not grey, he's a villain. A good villain for sure, as his physical appearance - at least when he was young - does not let on about his rotten nature. Unlike the villains we are used to reading about, he's young at the start, charming, handsome. He has black hair and green eyes, very much a Baratheon look, and Robert too was once described as being a maiden's dream. Criston's occupation would also speak of honour and high character, he's a man of the Kingsguard. His death, however, and his decisions, speak for themselves and he's a very good example of a "show don't tell" sort of villain. Nothing bad about him is ever told, but everything is shown -> using a child to move up in the world, being a creep to said child, turning on a woman he was said to love when she does not live up to his twisted version of her, spending the rest of his life trying to destroy her, and lastly dying in a pathetic way.

About their relationships with the women they "loved", there's very little if anything in common.

Snape and Lily started out as friends. They were the same age and went to school together. Snape knew what Lily was, he knew that she was like him, and he liked her. It's finding another like him that first draws him to her. They became friends but for the most part, they had a very clear view of who the other one was, there was little delusion. Lily liked Snape but she was not afraid to call him out when she thought he was in the wrong. For the most part I would say they have a healthy friendship. Lily was maybe at times not the friend Snape wanted but the one he needed. Their final break in a sense shows this and how much Snape had lost himself, and to this, Lily was never blind. Even then though, and even through his humiliation, Snape never stops loving Lily, in a selfish way sure, but he never tries to harm her directly and he continues to try to protect her, again in a selfish way, but he does. It's only love from him to her, and Lily liked him very much, as a friend yes, but she did until she realised, or decided, he was going down a path she could not condone.

Criston and Rhaenyra are a completely different story. They were "friends" of sorts once, but more like in a companion sort of way and they were certainly never similar, this is not what first draws either of them to the other. Criston starts of as a grown man who takes advantage of a little girl - Rhaenyra was 8 and he was 23 - and tries to woo her to get a position at court and later on as a member of the Kingsguard, by means of being a favourite of the King's daughter. He watches Rhaenyra grow, being very clear that she had a major crush on him, uses this to his advantage and later on starts to develop feelings for her as well. Then, when she destroys his image of her - by either not being a poor maiden and rejecting the saviour that the white knight wants to be, or by trying to seduce him, depending on the version you believe - he turns vicious and starts to hate her. I would not call it love turned hate as much as I would call it a sort of obsession turned hate. And between them, I would say there was a mutual deception much more than a true friendship. Once it vanishes, Rhaenyra forgets about him and cuts him off and he hates her and tries to destroy her until the end of his days.

The dynamics between the Criston and Snape could not be more different. The development of the two characters are worlds apart as well, and where they start too.

I see nothing in common or at least nothing that is worthy of note, or of creating parallels between them that are not hollow and cheap - like most parallels are tbh.

Characters who resemble Criston and his obsession would be much more along the lines of Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) or Leôncio (Escrava Isaura). There is something of bookJorah Mormont in him as well, though the two start in opposing ways in a sense, and there's also definitely something of Humbert Humbert (Lolita) about him with how different his version of Rhaenyra is from the real her. But in a way Criston is none of them, I think he's more complex still in a way that he's a villain. It's very subtle and not said, and it's important to note he would never be painted in too bad a light since he was on the side who got to write history - though it's pretty clear Eustace doesn't like him as he was willing to throw him under the bus, which is very interesting - which leads too many people to thinking there has to be more.

No, there isn't. There's doesn't need to be. Not every twisted person is deranged and in your face evil, and some villains - the best ones - think of themselves as doing the right thing, as the heroes of their story. As a Kingmaker, giving the crown to the one they deem worthy. And not every villain needs something to have triggered him to "become" evil, something many seem to think needs to have happened with Criston Cole. And if I can add, this idea that there's a switch that turns us evil or good is quite dangerous. Like I said before, from the start he knew what he was doing, he was ambitious, he knew what he wanted, and whatever his reason for turning on Rhaenyra was, it has to do with how she affronted him and destroyed his image of her.

In a way perhaps Snape and Criston can be a lesson of sorts. In the first you have someone you would naturally think a villain, in the second, you have someone you would naturally consider a hero. But the twist is, that the hero might be a bitter not very attractive man who did a lot of wrongs, and the villain might be the once charming and handsome white knight who used a little girl and then wanted to destroy the woman she became.

#severus snape #criston cole #asoiaf criston cole #harry potter #the princess and the queen #fire and blood #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #popcorn answers

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730kc · 1 year

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Directory

A DCMK art blog manifesting from a mud pond;

We indulge in all versions of KaiShin/KidShin/KaiCon/KidCon what have yous in our own fantasies and delusions.

🌻 This is something small, nothing drastic; when we have time, we draw, if not, we don’t. ^^/

🌻 Not accepting commissions.

🌻 Feel free to like/reblog as you wish~ I'll sometimes reply to comments in replies ❤️ but thank you for them regardless!! They fuel me to draw more~!

Please use the tags below to navigate~

AU list and descriptions >>

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Cinders

A medieval fantasy au with a kick of black magic. Shinichi, the Royal Inspector, shrunk into Conan, and Kaito is assigned to be his guard while he continues his work.

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Homecoming

An canon-divergent au where Conan ultimately decided with staying as he was and Kaito continues pursuing his efforts as Kaitou Kid. Kaito has introduced his civilian self to Conan.

The stage in their relationship differ depending on their age; comics will differentiate the dynamics a bit better.

The verse can be anywhere from 10yr-20yr ——-> 20yr/30yr

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I jokingly asked my long time crush to be friends with benefits, and so we are? but not really??!! or the FWB au

Kaishin in college; they’re both dumb and oblivious; Kaito started as a joke and there they are, whoops.

———

My crush hates my guts, but I still love her

Kaishin but genderbent!

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Please click 730kc comics to navigate all our stories~

#730kc cinders verse #730kc comics #730kc fwb college au #730kc genderbend au #730kc homecoming verse #kaishin #kidcon #kuroba kaito #kudou shinichi #edogawa conan #kaitou kid #730kc asks

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flieslikeamoron · 4 months

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Haven AU!!!

So Haven AU is the Steve Can’t Feel Anything But Eddie fic. I posted the beginning part of it here. It’s not really a Haven AU because that show was one of those mystery box shows where the box is so pretty and intriguing, and then when they finally open it you find out there’s a turd inside. But the idea of a person who can’t feel anything except this one other person’s touch is from Haven. And the idea of powers that are like afflictions. Haven had a monster of the week format, but the “monsters” were just people who for the most part couldn’t control their powers and were accidentally hurting themselves or their loved ones or the town. I liked that the show was a “we try to help these people if we can” show instead of a “we kill monsters” show. Anyway the fic is only slightly related to the show but the germ came from there.

I mostly have notes not writing on this one because the original idea was honestly just vibes. Like it was just Steve Can Only Feel Eddie's Touch - Eddie Doesn't Want to Touch Anyone Because He's a Touch Telepath. So it took a while to figure out what the actual arc could be after that first accidental touch. Like why does Eddie keep touching him? Where does it go from there? I think I have the shape of it now, but of course I never know for sure if it works until I start writing it. So I do have to get on that. I’m still not even sure if I’m going to do both POVs or just Steve's, but I’ve been writing some of Eddie’s just so I know what’s going on with him. And I’ll use the stuff or not depending on whether it's needed.

These aren't exactly snippets from an actual draft, but here are a couple bits of Eddie's POV. It’s two different versions of what it could be that I wrote when I was trying to work things out.

This one was more of a he hates his power from the jump type of thing.

Eddie doesn’t realize at first what’s happening. It feels like- Feeling. Like little bursts of feeling, and maybe sometimes they don’t seem to quite- Fit. Inside him. But hell, it’s not like his mind is normally a super organized place. It’s not like his feelings have ever been- There’s always been a lot of noise is the point. Inside his head. He’s always felt a lot of shit. So of course he didn’t really notice a few… Extras.

It gets worse, but that takes a while to notice too. More than just a feeling, it’s thoughts sometimes. Fully formed. Not fitting right. It’s a place. A moment. Like a memory of something that never happened to him. Is it that weird though? The part where it doesn’t fit is weird, but his head’s always been full of worlds and characters, anywhere but here stories. That’s partly why he loves D&D so much. A way to let those things overflow. So this is, it’s not that different. It doesn’t seem... Crazy.

And then it starts to feel like maybe it is. Maybe he is. Crazy. Fully off the tracks. Head full of jagged pieces that aren’t him. They can’t be him. Things he wouldn’t think. Things he couldn’t know. Things that aren’t real, probably anyway. Delusions. Voices inside his head. Lock you up type stuff. Because he’s lost it, completely lost it. Just like his mom.

And then this one is I think is more what I’m going with. It’s from a version where he thinks at first he can use his power to get dirt on the popular kids and the bullies. He thinks it’ll be kind of fun to have something over on them, but he quickly realizes he doesn’t actually want to drown in other people’s shit.

He doesn’t want to know sweet, pretty Chrissy Cunningham hears her mom’s voice in her head when she makes herself throw up. He doesn’t want to know Billy Hargrove’s dad hits him. Fuck, what a bottomless pit that guy’s head was. A thick black sludge of barely held back hatred, rage closing over Eddie, dragging him down. But even worse, somehow, was the soft focus light at the bottom of that bottomless pit, the glowing memory of his mom. Maybe a little too much like what Eddie thinks the picture of his own mom might look like if somebody could see into him like that. He doesn’t want to know he and Tommy Hagan have had some similar thoughts about Steve Harrington’s mouth. Mostly what it might feel like, look like wrapped around a dick. That, at least, is proper blackmail material. But he hates the familiarity of the shape of those thoughts. The useless want and the slimy coil of shame and the sickening, pathetic need for attention. Any scrap of attention. He hates seeing any echo of himself in these people. Hates the way all the ugly shit clings inside his own head long after he’s stopped touching someone. Oily streaks of pain and fear and anger.

No, fuck all of that. He doesn’t want any of it.

#thanks for playing!#even though you didn't get a real fic bit #wip game #ask game #my fic #my fic: haven au #steddie au

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theladyoracle · 5 months

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✧ Acolytes of The Collective - The Slenderman ✧

Creep Files Archive

𖦹⭒°｡⋆𖦹 By The Lady Oracle 𖦹⋆°｡⭒𖦹

a/n : Explaining my Creepypasta AU through my versions of the characters :) This is just my interpretation of the character, so I guess just a warning for non-accurate lore/personal interpretation/complete rewrites of concepts! Thank you and enjoy :)

The Slenderman, also referred to The Operator by his Proxies, is a paranormal entity in whom governs the entirety of the Slender Woods along with its inhabitants. With no specific origin, it’s hard to determine how old the Slenderman is. He is ancient, and his aura resonates with immortal evil.

✧ Appearance ✧

He stands at a staggering 10ft, his body unnaturally thin and stringy. His skin is a ghastly white-gray color, stretched over his skeletal structure so tight that you can see the curvature of every bone - particular in his face and arms. His face is featureless, but in the light you can make out the impressions where his eye sockets and mouth would be. When he feeds, the skin on his face rips apart, revealing an unhinged jaw with monstrous needle-like teeth and a long, thin tongue.

He most commonly wears a suit and tie

✧ Abilities ✧

His powers are quite expansive. Effects from merely being in his proximity can include; paranoia, delusions, nosebleeds, extreme ringing of the ears, migraines, coughing, vomiting, and loss of balance and eyesight. He is able to tamper with audio and video recordings. He is able to cast delusions onto his victims, such as posing as a familiar face, friend or family member. He can mimic familiar voices. He can send messages directly to others through telekinesis. He is able to control others, like a puppeteer, in order to carry out his bidding. He can teleport. He can seemingly faze through dimensions.

He is able to form large black tendrils from his spine, allowing him to walk across great stretches of land without touching the ground at all. He can also use these tendrils to grab items and toss them around, or pick things up when needed. He can form these tendrils in such a way that they look like skeletal wings, although he can’t actually fly with them.

✧ Slender Sickness ✧

Slender Sickness is common in those who come in contact with the Slenderman. This is something that Slenderman inflicts purposefully on others, rather than it being a natural consequence of all that goes near him. Slender Sickness is something that he uses tactfully, either as a defense against those who are poking around in things that they don’t belong or in order to break down an individual for his own benefit.

Slender Sickness symptoms include those of being in proximity to the Slenderman, only much more severe. These symptoms persist even when not being near the Slenderman, and progressively worsen until an individual is at their weakest state. Oftentimes the symptoms drive individuals to seek out medications, particularly ones that they become reliant on (even without doing much good for the ailments.)

✧ Motives ✧

He is otherworldly with motives that are difficult to grasp. He keeps all of his motivations under tight lock and key - he will never let his Proxies or Denizens know the true nature of his orders or actions.

He does not let them know that there is more beyond the forest. He keeps them in the dark so that they believe that they need him.

Despite what he makes his underlings believe, Slenderman is not the most powerful entity in the forest. He secretly works for an entity that is far greater than himself, and it is the source of all his power and abilities.

Although he tends to take on a very fatherly and professional personality when it comes to his ‘children’ (otherwise known as Denizens or residents...), at his core he is a monster.

There are often correlations between Slenderman’s actions and those of fairies from ancient folklore. Like trickster fae, Slenderman also lives in the woods and tricks individuals into giving up something precious.

He is known for abducting children, young adults, and troubled individuals. Some could even argue that his Slender Woods acts as an enormous fairy circle.

It is also notable that those who begin investigating the Slenderman will draw his attention.

Some speculate that for every contract signed, and every child adopted he grows far more powerful. Years older. Years wiser. Infinitely stronger.

Regardless, he is continuously, obsessively tracking down the most wretched souls (human or otherwise) to add to his collection of subservient children.

✧ Additionally... ✧

At his best, Slenderman’s character is gentle, kind, patient, calculated, and logical. At his worst, he is wrathful, evil, destructive and hungry. He is a monster of unimaginable power and ability, and when he sets his sights on something he wants - he gets it by any means necessary.

The main role that Slenderman plays in my universe is that he is the connecting piece that separates the Slender Woods from the rest of the Collective. Sure, he still guides his 'children' who live in the mansion, and commands his Proxies to maintain order in the forest, but he is also up to his own unholy deeds. He spends a lot of time isolating himself within his study, holed up in his wretched mansion tending to his tasks.

#creepypasta #creepypastafandom #theladyoracle #creepypasta au #theladyoracleau #thecollective #thecollectiveau #creepypastacollectiveau #slenderman #slendermanheadcanons #acolytes of the collective #acolyte slenderman

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autcnomy · 1 year

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okay but this is the perfect allegory of their relationship.

Lionel reaches for Lex through a ONE-sided mirror. Lex can’t see his father, literally and figuratively, because Lionel always obfuscates his true, self-centered and narcissistically aggressive, intentions from his only heir.

All Lex can see is the version of himself that he has become by trying to emulate, and rekindle a relationship with, his abuser.

Eventually Lionel perceives this emotional disconnect between the pair as a hurdle too large to clear. He drops his hand and hides both hands in his pockets, reassuming a dominant and assertive silhouette, while Lex continues to gaze askance at his own shattered image, and then at nothing at all. Lionel is taller, with a self assured posture; Lex is short and hunkered over.

Yet we can make no mistake as to who is the monster and who the innocent here; we, like Lex, can’t see the predator’s face, only his back, and a body fully clad in black, Lex on the other hand bares all with the gaze of a lost child, and, ironically, the garb of a psychiatric patient, white, evokes almost angelic purity.

Worst of all, though, Lex is caught in a literal and symbolic, existential fishbowl. Everyone he knows can monitor him and he already just naturally hates that (remember when Lionel bugged his office 2 seasons back and he flipped out breaking everything to make sure all the bugs were destroyed?) but what’s worse is that everyone he cares about, who is monitoring him, and judging him by his surname and not his actions, is also keeping something from him.

Lex’s entire life, behind the glamorous billionaire’s kid facade, is walking around trying to control his spiraling fate and be a better man (in numerous ways) than his father, but being unwittingly lied to by everyone he loves. Yeah, I said it, LOVES.

What’s the last straw? When he sees Clark use his powers, and then Clark runs away, leaving Lex to lose “almost all of his short-term memory” in the hands of a crooked psychiatrist and her even more crooked boss. Clark abandons Lex because his secret is more important than standing by his friend, who is being aggressively gaslit and abused. Lana is right about Clark.

Why are we surprised Lex has a whole room dedicated to the car wreck and the Kents? How can anyone think Lex feels safe, ever, or can afford to trust? He wants to BE trusted, so that he can RETURN that trust, but he didn’t die, and he’s starting to get delusions of grandeur about that. If everyone wants him dead and he wants to “do great things,” and he CAN (to be?defy?surpass? Lionel), he’d better make sure he understands why he lived when he shouldn’t have.

#Lex Luthor #Rosenbaum!Lex #Michael Rosenbaum #Smallville meta #smallville s3 spoilers

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villainihavedonethymotheronao3 · 1 year

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Also, all of the current deleted scenes/chunks from zwiefacher

There is a folktale in the Zemni Fields, not one of the ones written down. Older than that. A woman goes to the witch of the woods and asks for help becoming pregnant again, for even though she had seven sons she wanted a daughter. The witch agreed, on the condition that if the promised girl turned into a boy it would come to her.

Of course, the woman gave birth to a son. Witches don’t make deals they won’t win. At five, when the illusion of girlhood faded, the witch came for the boy. He grew up in her hut, never stepping foot outside, until one by one the brothers he barely remembered came, slayed the witch and stole him back home.

(There is another version of the story, one that Bren was not allowed to hear until he was ten. In that telling, the brothers come one by one and the witch bleeds them out for sausage, throws their bones in a broth, and feeds it to her boy, who eats it all up because he loves her. When all seven older brothers are gone, the witch sends him out, back to the mother who birthed him, the only son she has left.

A bit nonsensical, but monsters in stories do things like this; cruelty for the sake of being cruel)

As a child he liked it for the idea of a boy-born-girl and thought of little else. Bren has never imagined the witch’s son before, except as a reflection of himself. Now he thinks of him with Essek’s face, so sweet and nervous it’s impossible to square with what he’s done.

No, these days it’s more popular to file them down; to demonstrate submission before the Luxon.” That too feels wrong, depriving the world of such a bite.

It’s not that Master Ikithon is uninterested in the flesh, before his blood pressure issues spiked out of control he had a standing date with Colette Shryven, a retired courtesan who makes exceptions for old favorites. There are whispers in the Academy staff room of a broken engagement in his youth. He picks his students for charm as well as skill, but to everyone’s relief, he finds those same students too puerile to even glance at. There’s a reason he brings them in pairs and trios, so they self socialize.

Besides, it’s dangerous for wizards to get attached. Bren’s listened to many a diatribe on the subject.

Essek’s perpetual flush betrays nothing. It’s hard to read into his blood-hot cheeks when they’re always that red. He has a drow’s high metabolism, another backhanded gift from the Spider Queen. The jump in core body heat allowed them to survive in the chill of the Underdark. It also forced them to expand aggressively, constantly seeking out new sources of food in the resource scarce tunnels. Heat-sensitive predators were drawn to them, their fevered brains turned quickly to delusion, they retained none of the storied restraint of their elven kin. It’s not their fault they’re vicious, one of Bren’s more liberal teachers used to say, but their tragedy is not the rest of Wildemount’s responsibility.

A footstep on the stair, heavier than Trent’s, catches Bren off guard. He whirls, hands full of flame, then relaxes. It’s just Sessike, the oldest Volstrucker still living. Oil slick black eyes glitter amid the tarnished silver scales of her face.

“Did you have a meeting with our teacher?” Bren asks politely.

“Just ended. I wanted to see something. Normally I wouldn’t bother—“ Bren has no idea what she’s talking about, still he nods. Sessike doesn’t bother. She loathes all of them, a misanthropy forged under the desert sun, as she stumbled out of the ruins of an already resented home. “Only your display left me with questions, questions I couldn’t answer with Grieve playing bodyguard.”

She hops down to meet him on the landing, her gait tightly controlled, nothing automatic. Beneath layers of drapery is the wrapped stump that survived when she cut off her own tail. A decade ago, intra-dragonborn politics were more… fraught.

Though she hates all of them, she also hates confrontation, shifts in the status quo, and mess. Killing him would earn her a thorough scolding and stain her shirt, at least that’s what Bren reassures himself as she reaches for his neck.

Delicately, using her claws like tweezers, she turns down his collar and examines his throat, both sides. “Not even a bruise,” she says, with some disappointment.

“Should there have been?” he squeaks.

Sessike’s hand wobbles back and forth. “Better that it got healed, a mouth is a filthy place. But next time he bites you, I’d like to get a dental pattern.”

“Next time who bites me?” It feels better with his neck protected, buttons done up and shoulders bunched around his ears. If she really wanted to take a chunk out of him he doubts he could stop her, some of her teeth are as wide around as his thumb.

Smiles from Sessike are rare, even condescending ones. “You’ll know.”

#zwiefacher fic

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watari-apologist · 7 months

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MISSION BATHROOM: End Notes

(translations under the cut, run through google translate and edited for coherence to the best of my non-japanese speaking ability)

RIGHT PAGE:

Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you! My name is Uchoten. I loved L so much that I couldn't accept his death, so I stayed away from Death Note for a while, but the ending of the movie finally filled me with a sense of relief. I think the most appropriate ending for L and Light is mutual destruction. However, I also love the Wammy's Kids, so I wish Near, Mello and Matt had appeared in some way... I wonder if we can look forward to a spin-off in this vein. I can't wait. This time I drew an erotic manga about Watari, but any form of fanwork is fun as long as L is included. Whether topping, bottoming, or switching. Whether straight or gay, virgin or slut. But no matter who he falls in love with, in the end it always comes back to Watari. It's a delusion. It's an obsession. Normally in my work, I draw various kinds of penises, such as large and uncircumcised ones, but this was my first time drawing an old gentleman's big penis and erection. I learned a lot. In this doujinshi, he's wearing a condom, but I wonder if there are situations where he fucks raw. I wonder if he might even cum inside. For an anniversary...? Depending on the mood that day...? The possibilities are endless. Next time, I would like to create a new issue for Comic City Osaka and Death Note's exclusive event. A Light versus L shower endurance comedy manga. An erotic story about Chief Yagami and L's interactions based on the ending of the movie version. If you didn't enjoy this book, please pick up the next one. Although I am a rude person who can only express love in terms of eroticism, I work hard. And finally, once again, with Wammy's. Watari's book. In both the original work and the movie, L couldn't do anything by himself, so I'm glad that Watari was waiting for him in front of the gates of heaven. In the world of Death Note, it's said that when you die, you go to nothingness, but Watari seems to have a love that goes beyond that. Well, let's meet again when the new year is over.

LEFT PAGE:

You are my black jewel MISSION BATHROOM Publication date: 31 December 2006 Publisher: Luciferhood Creator: Uchoten Printing shop: Suzuto Shadow Printing Contact: [email protected] Thank you for subscribing. This is an adult rated magazine. Viewing and possession by minors is prohibited. I love you so much that you can rest in peace

(please note that the email address listed is no longer in use. trust me, i tried emailing the creator back when i was still looking for a physical copy of the doujin and it bounced lol)

#[REDACTED]#mission bathroom

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mariacallous · 2 years

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Vladimir Putin is determined to shape the future to look like his version of the past. Russia’s president invaded Ukraine not because he felt threatened by NATO expansion or by Western “provocations.” He ordered his “special military operation” because he believes that it is Russia’s divine right to rule Ukraine, to wipe out the country’s national identity, and to integrate its people into a Greater Russia.

He laid out this mission in a 5,000-word treatise, published in July 2021, entitled, “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” In it, Putin insisted that Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians are all descendants of the Rus, an ancient people who settled the lands between the Black and Baltic Seas. He asserted that they are bound together by a common territory and language and the Orthodox Christian faith. In his version of history, Ukraine has never been sovereign, except for a few historical interludes when it tried—and failed—to become an independent state. Putin wrote that “Russia was robbed” of core territory when the Bolsheviks created the Soviet Union in 1922 and established a Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In his telling, since the Soviet collapse, the West has used Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia, and it has supported the rise of “neo-Nazis” there. Putin’s essay, which every soldier sent to Ukraine is supposed to carry, ends by asserting that Ukraine can only be sovereign in partnership with Russia. “We are one people,” Putin declares.

This treatise, and similar public statements, make clear that Putin wants a world where Russia presides over a new Slavic union composed of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and perhaps the northern part of Kazakhstan (which is heavily Slavic)—and where all the other post-Soviet states recognize Russia’s suzerainty. He also wants the West and the global South to accept Russia’s predominant regional role in Eurasia. This is more than a sphere of influence; it is a sphere of control, with a mixture of outright territorial reintegration of some places and dominance in the security, political, and economic spheres of others.

Putin is serious about achieving these goals by military and nonmilitary means. He has been at war in Ukraine since early 2014, when Russian forces, wearing green combat uniforms stripped of their insignia, took control of Crimea in a stealth operation. This attack was swiftly followed by covert operations to stir up civil disorder in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions close to the Russian border. Russia succeeded in fomenting revolt in the Donbas region and sparking an armed conflict that resulted in 14,000 deaths over the next eight years. All these regions have been targeted for assault and conquest since February 2022. Similarly, in Belarus, Putin took advantage of internal crises and large-scale protests in 2020 and 2021 to constrain its leader’s room for maneuver. Belarus, which has a so-called union arrangement with Russia, was then used as the staging ground for the “special military operation” against Ukraine.

The Russian president has made it clear that his country is a revisionist power. In a March 2014 speech marking Crimea’s annexation, Putin put the West on notice that Russia was on the offensive in staking out its regional claims. To make this task easier, Putin later took steps that he believed would sanction-proof the Russian economy by reducing its exposure to the United States and Europe, including pushing for the domestic production of critical goods. He stepped up repression, conducting targeted assassinations and imprisoning opponents. He carried out disinformation operations and engaged in efforts to bribe and blackmail politicians abroad. Putin has constantly adapted his tactics to mitigate Western responses—to the point that on the eve of his invasion, as Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, he bragged to some European interlocutors that he had “bought the West.” There was nothing, he thought, that the United States or Europe could do to constrain him.

So far, the West’s reaction to the invasion has generally been united and robust. Russia’s aggressive attack on Ukraine was a wake-up call for the United States and its allies. But the West must understand that it is dealing with a leader who is trying to change the historical narrative of the last hundred years—not just of the period since the end of the Cold War. Vladimir Putin wants to make Ukraine, Europe, and indeed the whole world conform to his own version of history. Understanding his objectives is central to crafting the right response.

WHO CONTROLS THE PAST?

In Vladimir Putin’s mind, history matters—that is, history as he sees it. Putin’s conception of the past may be very different from what is generally accepted, but his narratives are a potent political weapon, and they underpin his legitimacy. Well before the full invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Putin had been making intellectual forays into obscure periods of the past and manipulating key events to set up the domestic and international justification for his war. In 2010, at the annual meeting of the Kremlin-sponsored Valdai International Discussion Club, Putin’s press spokesman told the audience that the Russian president reads books on Russian history “all the time.” He makes frequent pronouncements about Russian history, including about his own place in it. Putin has put Kyiv at the center of his drive to “correct” what he says is a historical injustice: the separation of Ukraine from Russia during the 1922 formation of the Soviet Union.

The president’s obsession with Russia’s imperial past runs deep. In his Kremlin chambers, Putin has strategically placed statues of the Russian monarchs Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, who conquered what are today Ukrainian territories in wars with the Swedish and Ottoman empires. He has also usurped Ukraine’s history and appropriated some of its most prominent figures. In November 2016, for example, right outside the Kremlin gates, Putin erected a statue of Vladimir the Great, the tenth-century grand prince of the principality of Kyiv. In Putin’s version of history, Grand Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity on behalf of all of ancient Rus in 988, making him the holy saint of Orthodox Christianity and a Russian, not a Ukrainian, Figure. The conversion means that there is no Ukrainian nation separate from Russia. The grand prince belongs to Moscow, not to Kyiv.

Since the war, Putin has doubled down on his historical arguments. He deputized his former culture minister and close Kremlin aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the Russian delegation in early talks with Ukraine. According to a well-informed Russian academic, Medinsky was one of the ghostwriters of a series of essays by Putin on Ukraine and its supposed fusion with Russia. As quickly became clear, Medinsky’s brief was to press Russia’s historical claims to Ukraine and defend Putin’s distorted narratives, not just to negotiate a diplomatic solution.

Putin’s assertions, of course, are historical miasmas, infused with a brew of temporal and factual contradictions. They ignore, for example, the fact that in 988, the idea of a united Russian state and empire was centuries off in the future. Indeed, the first reference to Moscow as a place of any importance was not recorded until 1147.

BLAMING THE BOLSHEVIKS

On the eve of the invasion, Putin gave a speech accusing Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin of destroying the Russian empire by launching a revolution during World War I and then “separating, severing what is historically Russian land.” As Putin put it, “Bolshevik, Communist Russia” created “a country that had never existed before”—Ukraine—by wedging Russian territories such as the Donbas region, a center of heavy industry, into a new Ukrainian socialist republic. In fact, Lenin and the Bolsheviks essentially recreated the Russian empire and just called it something else. They established separate Soviet Socialist Republics for Ukraine and other regions to contrast themselves with the imperial tsars, who reigned over a united, Russified state and oppressed ethnic minorities. But for Putin, the Bolsheviks’ decision was illegitimate, robbing Russia of its patrimony and stirring “zealous nationalists” in Ukraine, who then developed dangerous ideas of independence. Putin claims he is reversing these century-old “strategic mistakes.”

Narratives about NATO have also played a special role in Putin’s version of history. Putin argues that NATO is a tool of U.S. imperialism and a means for the United States to continue its supposed Cold War occupation and domination of Europe. He claims that NATO compelled eastern European member countries to join the organization and accuses it of unilaterally expanding into Russia’s sphere of influence. In reality, those countries, still fearful after decades of Soviet domination, clamored to become members.

But according to Putin, these purported actions by the United States and NATO have forced Russia to defend itself against military encroachment; Moscow had “no other choice,” he claims, but to invade Ukraine to forestall it from joining NATO, even though the organization was not going to admit the country. On July 7, 2022, Putin told Russian parliamentary leaders that the war in Ukraine was unleashed by “the collective West,” which was trying to contain Russia and “impose its new world order on the rest of the world.”

But Putin also plays up Russia’s imperial role. At a June 9, 2022, Moscow conference, Putin told young Russian entrepreneurs that Ukraine is a “colony,” not a sovereign country. He likened himself to Peter the Great, who waged “the Great Northern War” for 21 years against Sweden—“returning and reinforcing” control over land that was part of Russia. This explanation also echoes what Putin told U.S. President George Bush at the April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest: “Ukraine is not a real country.”

The United States was, of course, once a colony of Great Britain. So were Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and numerous other states that have been independent and sovereign for decades. That does not make them British or give the United Kingdom a contemporary claim to exert control over their destinies, even though many of these countries have English as their first or second language. Yet Putin insists that Ukraine’s Russian speakers are all Moscow’s subjects and that, globally, all Russian speakers are part of the “Russian world,” with special ties to the motherland.

In Ukraine, however, his push has backfired. Since February 24, 2022, Putin’s insistence that Ukrainians who speak Russian are Russians has, on the contrary, helped to forge a new national identity in Ukraine centered on the Ukrainian language. The more that Putin tries to erase the Ukrainian national identity with bombs and artillery shells, the stronger it becomes.

CONJURING NAZIS

Ukraine and Ukrainians have a complicated history. Empires have come and gone, and borders have changed for centuries, so the people living on modern Ukrainian territory have fluid, compound identities. But Ukraine has been an independent state since 1991, and Putin is genuinely aggrieved that Ukrainians insist on their own statehood and civic identity.

Take Putin’s frequent references to World War II. Since 2011, Putin has enshrined the “Great Fatherland War” as the seminal event for modern Russia. He has strictly enforced official narratives about the conflict. He has also portrayed his current operation as its successor; in Putin’s telling, the invasion of Ukraine is designed to liberate the country from Nazis. But for Putin, Ukrainians are Nazis not because they follow the precepts of Adolf Hitler or espouse national socialism. They are Nazis because they are “zealous nationalists”—akin to the controversial World War II–era Ukrainian partisan Stepan Bandera, who fought with the Germans against Soviet forces. They are Nazis because they refuse to admit they are Russians.

Putin’s conjuring of Ukrainian Nazis has gained more traction domestically than anywhere else. Yet internationally, Putin’s assertions about NATO and proxy wars with the United States and the collective West have won a variety of adherents, from prominent academics to Pope Francis, who said in June 2022 that the Ukraine war was “perhaps somehow provoked.” Western politicians and analysts continue to debate whether NATO is at fault for the war. These arguments persist even though Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea came in response to Ukraine’s efforts to associate with the European Union, not with NATO. And the debate has gone on, even though when Finland and Sweden applied to join the alliance in June 2022, despite months of threats from Russia, Putin told reporters that Kremlin officials “don’t have problems with Sweden and Finland like we do with Ukraine.” Putin’s problem, then, was not NATO in particular. It was that Ukraine wanted to associate with any entity or country other than Russia. Whether Ukraine wanted to join the European Union or NATO or have bilateral relations with the United States—any of these efforts would have been an affront to Russia’s history and dignity.

But Putin knows it will be difficult to negotiate a settlement in Ukraine based on his version of history and to reconcile fundamentally different stories of the past. Most modern European states emerged from the ruins of empires and the disintegration of larger multiethnic states. The war in Ukraine could lead to more Russian interference to stoke simmering conflicts in weak states such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and other Balkan countries, where history and territorial claims are also disputed.

Yet no matter the potential cost, Putin wants his past to prevail in Europe’s political present. And to make sure that happens, the Russian military is in the field, in full force, fighting the regular Ukrainian army. Unlike the situation in Donbas from 2014 to 2022, when Russia falsely denied that it was involved, this war is a direct conflict between the two states. As Putin also told his Russian parliamentarians on July 7, he is determined to fight to the last Ukrainian, even though he purportedly sees Ukrainians as “brothers.”

AT ANY COST

Putin abhors that the United States and European countries are supporting Ukraine militarily. In response, he has launched an economic and information war against the West, clearly signaling that this is not only a military conflict and a battle over who gets to “own history.” Russia has weaponized energy, grain, and other commodities. It has spread disinformation, including by accusing Ukraine of committing the very atrocities that Russia has carried out on the battlefield and by blaming Western sanctions for exacerbating famines in Africa when it is Russia that has blocked Ukrainian grain shipments to the continent from the Black Sea. And in many parts of the world, Russia is winning the information war. So far, the West has not been able to be completely effective in the informational space.

Nevertheless, Western support for Ukraine has been significant. This support has two major elements: weapons and sanctions, including the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the United States, which have significantly increased Ukraine’s ability to strike back at Russian targets. Other NATO members have also supplied weapons and humanitarian assistance. But Ukraine’s constant need to replenish its arms has already begun to deplete the arsenals of donating countries.

Western energy, financial, and export control sanctions have been extensive, and they are affecting the Russian economy. But sanctions cannot alter Putin’s view of history or his determination to subjugate Ukraine, so they have not changed his calculus or his war aims. Indeed, close observers say that Putin has rarely consulted his economic advisers during this war, apart from Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the central bank, who has astutely managed the value of the ruble. This is a stark break from the past, when Putin has always appeared extremely interested in the Russian economy and eager to discuss statistics and growth rates in great detail. Any concerns about the long-term economic impact of the war have receded from his view.

And to date, Russia’s economy has weathered the sanctions, although growth rates are forecast to plunge this year. The real pinch from Western export controls will be felt in 2023, when Russia will lack the semiconductors and spare parts for its manufacturing sector, and its industrial plants will be forced to close. The country’s oil industry will especially struggle as it loses out on technology and software from the international oil industry.

Europe and the United States have imposed wide-ranging energy sanctions on Russia, with the European Union committed to phasing out oil imports from Russia by the end of 2022. But limiting gas imports is much more challenging, as a number of countries, including Germany, have few alternatives to replace Russian gas in the short term, and Putin has weaponized energy by severely reducing gas supplies to Europe. For 50 years, the Soviet Union and Russia cast themselves as reliable suppliers of natural gas to Western Europe in a relationship of mutual dependence: Europe needed gas, and Moscow needed gas revenues. But that calculation is gone. Putin believes that Russia can forgo these revenues because countries still buying Russian oil and gas are paying higher prices for it—higher prices that he helped provoke by cutting back on Russia’s exports to Europe. And even if Russia does eventually lose energy revenues, Putin appears willing to pay that price. What he ultimately cares about is undermining European support for Ukraine.

Russia’s economic and energy warfare extends to the weaponization of nuclear power. Russia took over the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine at the beginning of the war, after recklessly sending Russian soldiers into the highly radioactive “red zone” and forcing the Ukrainian staff at the plant to work under dangerous conditions. Then, it abandoned the plant after having exposed the soldiers to toxic radiation. Russia subsequently shelled and took over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, and turned it into a military base. By attacking the power plant and transforming it into a military garrison, Russia has created a safety crisis for the thousands of workers there. Putin’s broad-based campaign does not stop at nuclear energy.

Russia has also weaponized food supplies, blockading Ukraine and preventing it from exporting its abundant grain and fertilizer stocks. In July 2022, Turkey and the United Nations brokered an agreement to allow Ukraine and Russia to export grain and fertilizer, but the implementation of this deal faced multiple obstacles, given the war raging in the Black Sea area. Indeed, immediately after the official signing of the agreement, Russia shelled some of the infrastructure at Ukraine’s critical Odessa port.

Putin has fallen back on another historic Russian military tactic—bogging down opposing forces and waiting for winter. Much as his predecessors arranged for Napoleon’s armies to be trapped in the snows near Moscow and for Nazi soldiers to freeze to death outside Stalingrad, Putin plans to have French and German citizens shivering in their homes. In his speech at the June 2022 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin predicted that, as Europeans face a cold winter and suffer the economic consequences of the sanctions their governments have imposed on Russia and on Russian gas exports, populist parties will rise, and new elites will come to power. The June 2022 parliamentary elections in France, when Marine Le Pen’s extreme-right party increased its seats elevenfold—largely because of voters’ unhappiness with their economic situation—reinforced Putin’s convictions. The collapse of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government in July 2022 and the possible return of a populist, pro-Russian prime minister in the fall were also considered results of popular economic discontent. The Kremlin aims to fracture Western unity against Russia under the pressure of energy shortages, high prices, and economic hardship.

In the meantime, Putin is confident that he can prevail. On the surface, popular support for the war inside Russia seems reasonably robust. Polling by the independent Levada Center shows that Putin’s approval rating went up after the invasion began. Nonetheless, there is good reason for skepticism about the depth of active support for him. Hundreds of thousands of people who oppose the war have left the country. Many of them, in doing so, have explicitly said that they want to be part of Russia’s future but not Vladimir Putin’s version of the past. Russians who have stayed and publicly criticized the war have been harassed or imprisoned. Others are indifferent, or they passively support the war. Indeed, life for most people in Moscow and other big Russian cities goes on as normal. So far, the conscripts who have been sent to fight and die are not the children of Russia’s elites or urban middle class. They are from poor, rural areas, and many of them are not ethnically Russian. Rumors after five months of combat that the Moscow-linked Wagner mercenary group was recruiting prisoners to fight suggested that Russia faced an acute manpower shortage. But the troops are urged on by propaganda that dehumanizes the Ukrainians and makes the fighting seem more palatable.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Despite calls by some for a negotiated settlement that would involve Ukrainian territorial concessions, Putin seems uninterested in a compromise that would leave Ukraine as a sovereign, independent state—whatever its borders. According to multiple former senior U.S. officials we spoke with, in April 2022, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators appeared to have tentatively agreed on the outlines of a negotiated interim settlement: Russia would withdraw to its position on February 23, when it controlled part of the Donbas region and all of Crimea, and in exchange, Ukraine would promise not to seek NATO membership and instead receive security guarantees from a number of countries. But as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in a July interview with his country’s state media, this compromise is no longer an option. Even giving Russia all of the Donbas is not enough. “Now the geography is different,” Lavrov asserted, in describing Russia’s short-term military aims. “It’s also Kherson and the Zaporizhzhya regions and a number of other territories.” The goal is not negotiation, but Ukrainian capitulation.

At any point, negotiations with Russia—if not handled carefully and with continued strong Western support for Ukraine’s defense and security—would merely facilitate an operational pause for Moscow. After a time, Russia would continue to try to undermine the Ukrainian government. Moscow would likely first attempt to take Odessa and other Black Sea ports with the goal of leaving Ukraine an economically inviable, landlocked country. If he succeeds in that, Putin would launch a renewed assault on Kyiv as well, with the aim of unseating the present government and installing a pro-Moscow puppet government. Putin’s war in Ukraine, then, will likely grind on for a long time. The main challenge for the West will be maintaining resolve and unity, as well as expanding international support for Ukraine and preventing sanctions evasion.

This will not be easy. The longer the war lasts, the greater the impact domestic politics will have on its course. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States will all have presidential elections in 2024. Russia’s and Ukraine’s are usually slated for March. Russia’s outcome is foreordained: either Putin will return to power, or he will be followed by a successor, likely from the security services, who supports the war and is hostile to the West. Zelensky remains popular in Ukraine as a wartime president, but he will be less likely to win an election if he makes territorial concessions. And if Donald Trump or a Republican with views like his becomes president of the United States in 2025, U.S. support for Ukraine will erode.

Domestic politics will also play a role outside these three countries—and, in fact, outside the West altogether. The United States and its allies may want to isolate Russia, but a large number of states in the global South, led by China, regard the Russia-Ukraine war as a localized European conflict that does not affect them. China has even backed Russia rhetorically, refused to impose sanctions, and supported it in the United Nations. (One should not underestimate the durability and significance of Russia’s alignment with China.) Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar summarized the attitude of many developing states when he said that Russia is a “very important partner in a number of areas.” For much of the global South, concerns focus on fuel, food, fertilizer, and also arms. These countries are apparently not concerned that Russia has violated the UN Charter and international law by unleashing an unprovoked attack on a neighbor’s territory.

There’s a reason these states have not joined the United States and Europe in isolating Moscow. Since 2014, Putin has assiduously courted “the rest”—the developing world—even as Russia’s ties with the West have frayed. In 2015, for example, Russia sent its military to the Middle East to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country’s civil war. Since then, Russia has cultivated ties with leaders on all sides of that region’s disputes, becoming one of the only major powers able to talk to all parties. Russia has strong ties with Iran, but also with Iran’s enemies: particularly Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states. In Africa, Russian paramilitary groups provide support to a number of leaders. And in Latin America, Russian influence has increased as more left-wing governments have come to power. There and elsewhere, Russia is still seen as a champion of the oppressed against the stereotype of U.S. imperialism. Many people in the global South view Russia as the heir to the Soviet Union, which supported their post-colonial national liberation movements, not a modern variant of imperial Russia.

Not only does much of the world refuse to criticize or sanction Russia; major countries simply do not accept the West’s view of what caused the war or just how grave the conflict is. They instead criticize the United States and argue that what Russia is doing in Ukraine is no different from what the United States did in Iraq or Vietnam. They, like Moscow, justify Russia’s invasion as a response to the threat from NATO. This is thanks in part to the Kremlin’s propaganda, which has amplified Putin’s narratives about NATO and proxy wars and the nefarious actions of the West.

International institutions have not been much more helpful than developing countries. The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe proved incapable of preventing or stopping this war. They seem increasingly the victims of Putin’s distorted view of the past as well as poorly structured to meet the challenges of the present.

DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

Putin’s manipulations of history suggest that his claims go beyond Ukraine, into Europe and Eurasia. The Baltic states might be on his colonial agenda, as well as Poland, part of which was ruled by Russia from 1772 to 1918. Much of present-day Moldova was part of the Russian empire, and Russian officials have suggested that this state could be next in their sights. Finland was also part of the Russian empire between 1809 and 1918. Putin may not be able to conquer these countries, but his extravagant remarks about taking back Russia’s colonies are designed to intimidate his neighbors and throw them off balance. In Putin’s ideal world, he will gain leverage and control over their politics by threatening them until they let Russia dictate their foreign and domestic policies.

In Putin’s vision, the global South would, at a minimum, remain neutral in Russia’s standoff with the West. Developing nations would actively support Moscow. With the BRICS organization—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—set to expand to include Argentina, Iran, and possibly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, Russia may acquire even more partners, ones that together represent a significant percentage of global GDP and a large percentage of the world’s population. Russia would then emerge as a leader of the developing world, as was the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

All this underlines why it is imperative that the West (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, and Europe) redouble its efforts to remain united in supporting Ukraine and countering Russia. In the near term, that means working together to push back against Russian disinformation about the war and false historical narratives, as well as the Kremlin’s other efforts to intimidate Europe—including through deliberate nuclear saber-rattling and energy cutoffs. In the medium to long term, the United States, its allies, and its partners should discuss how to restructure the international and European security architecture to prevent Russia from attacking other neighbors that it deems within its sphere. But for now, NATO is the only institution that can guarantee Europe’s security. Indeed, Finland’s and Sweden’s decision to join was in part motivated by that realization.

As he looks toward a quarter century in power, Putin seeks to build his version of a Russian empire. He is “gathering in the lands” as did his personal icons—the great Russian tsars—and overturning the legacy of Lenin, the Bolsheviks, and the post–Cold War settlement. In this way, Putin wants Russia to be the one exception to the inexorable rise and fall of imperial states. In the twentieth century, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War I. Britain and France reluctantly gave up their empires after World War II. But Putin is insistent on bringing tsarist Russia back. Regardless of whether he prevails in Ukraine, Putin’s mission is already having a clear and ironic impact, both on Europe and on Russia’s 22 years of economic advancement. In reasserting Russia’s imperial position by seeking to reconquer Ukraine, Putin is reversing one of the greatest achievements of his professed greatest hero. During his reign, Peter the Great opened a window to the West by traveling to Europe, inviting Europeans to come to Russia and help develop its economy, and adopting and adapting European artisans’ skills. Vladimir Putin’s invasions and territorial expansions have slammed that window shut. They have sent Europeans and their companies back home and pushed a generation of talented Russians fleeing into exile. Peter took Russia into the future. Putin is pushing it back to the past.

#this article is long but very good and I urge y'all to read it

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shibonzakura · 7 months

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ZoTash fanfic with ANGST!!

Under the cut to avoid cluttering the dash. PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG UNLESS YOU ASK ME FIRST. May have a loosely tied sequel.

PHANTOM PAIN

I'm searching for a whole new beginning An endless void This notion that I sense within me You're still by my side Oh, I feel your presence You'll never leave here But if I reach out there to hold you Every part that's real disappears As I become more present now I can't see through the pain A hollow cut through my veins (the phantom takes his toll) The days that just keep on coming The stain that they leave *I wish I could break this casket But I'm left here to grieve In a world of my own design As I become more present now I can't see through the pain A hollow cut through my veins (the shadows take their toll) And did you leave me anything? You're the phantom of my past… Do you expect me to last, this way? (a scar and a phantom pain)

For once, Zoro wish Tashigi would just listen to him. Finally reaching a breaking point, the marine captain did just that and left, not telling anyone where she was going. Just took up her four swords and let go of her dream just like that. Sometimes people can't follow them.

Sighing in relief that he didn't realize it was coming from him, Zoro thought he was finally rid of the annoyance known as Captain Glasses but this wasn't the last time the pirate hunter would have Tashigi in his life.

The nights when he left Wado to rest and either held Sandai or Enma in his hands is when SHE came. Red glasses, purple solid shirt with a few flowers stuck to the clothing randomly, medium long black hair that wasn't tied up like usual.

He could never see below a certain point but was sure there was blue faded jeans and pink boots on her feet. All that was missing was her pink captain's coat. Good thing. Zoro really never liked that jacket. Reminded him that Tashigi was part of the marines.

Hated the corrupt system, not her. She was one of the only hopes in that place and if she did leave, all that light would be lost. Now is lost. Zoro thinks bitterly to himself. Tashigi had been the only thing holding the monsters at bay.

Pay for his actions was one thing but Zoro didn't mean to have this happen to innocent civilians that the marine captain was sworn to protect. His guilt over his choices is what probably made Tashigi manifest to him this way.

If the pirate hunter was known as the king of hell, then the marine was the queen of grudges. Attaching her spirit to Zoro, even in death. Ghost Tashigi or SHI for short as he didn't believe this to be Tashigi or Kuina. Perhaps this was the spirit of either Sandai or Emna. Both swords were known to be problem children, just like a certain marine.

Didn't matter. SHI always draped herself around him proactively, a far cry in what Tashigi used to always be in his presence. Even being carried by him caused the marine so much stress at being held by an opposite sex. But SHI, oh no. There was no such thing as shame or modesty.

Either way, Zoro didn't care. More like he didn't mind. Just SHI being there calmed and relaxed him like no other. Not even the other mind mirages his head conjured up. And he says he isn't like the Ero Cook. He's much worse if he's appreciating a figment of his mind. First time he thought with his fourth sword.

But dammit, the ghost was so persuasive. Like her talons had hooked in his flesh and soul, leaving a mark that would never fade away. Not even time or promises could distract him from SHI. The power, swords, fame, having a beautiful woman by his side, everything was so perfect.

Screw being the King of Hell or THE GREASTEST SWORDSMAN, he was the fucking 'King of Delusions'. All thanks to Tashigi, who finally let go and conceded defeat. Zoro felt bad for the sore loser because the girl really was something special, to him anyway. Probably why he has a ghost version of herself whispering in his ear.

Telling him to 'Act like a pirate like I always know you were, 'Take this fight seriously, don't listen to Mihawk' 'I see you are using MY sword that was supposed to be mine, how quaint', 'No one else is here. It's just you and me', 'I may change my appearance several times but the copycat wounds always find me, don't they?', and his personal favorite 'RORONOA, I will always be a part of you, no matter what happens or if all three of my own swords break. You still have them don't you?.

Of course, Zoro has all of the swords that Tashigi had collected, even those the pirate hunter had no clue she had. Which included; Kashu, Yamaoroshi, and Shodai Kitetsu, in itself was a cursed sword with a whole can of worms that Zoro himself didn't want to think about at this time. As if the attractive and distractive ghost woman wasn't enough.

Although, SHI had lost some of her more kind attributes, the ghost still let Zoro drink booze, nap, and other things he enjoyed. As much as she weighted him down with thoughts of cruelty, she also gave him the freedom to enjoy life to it's fullest instead of being dragged down by friends and promises.

Zoro is mostly glad that a little part of Tashigi is still with him after everything. Even if she disappears to who knows where, the marine woman is still his Phantom Pain.

#long post cw #zotash #zoro x tashigi #zotash cw #SERE's cringe writing #do not reblog unless you ask me first

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saemi-the-dreamer · 11 months

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Villain ask meme : Bowser, Frollo and Pitch Black :p

Wow, on it!! Thank you! =D

It's so hard to pick for Bowser, it depends on which game! I don't think Bowser is the most evil villain in the Mario franchise, but he's still the main one and we shouldn't forget it, which is why I was so pleasantly surprised in the Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (this time, he was the manipulating one!) I have a soft spot for the games where we get to team up with him though 😂 When it comes to his motive, it goes from kind of dumb to quite classical but efficient villain motive. Whiny psycho (affectionate).

I guess you wanted the Disney version? 😉

While Frollo doesn't love being evil, since he is sure that he's in the right, he does enjoy his job. I picked "Road to hell" mainly because he is so keen on keeping the city safe (and being a good Christian), sadly he thinks he's above everyone else and is blinded by his prejudices.

I don't have much to add, only maybe that I kinda wish we had seen a "softer" side of him when he's with Quasimodo and not just him being manipulative/abusive. I like seeing villains being affectionate once in a while 😆 . And yes, I know that it wouldn't make him a good/better person. When you see how he treats the people he despises, you know what kind of man you're dealing with.

I really like this nightmare man 🖤 Pitch is in a difficult situation and is a very good foil to Jack, as the movie shows us how hard it is for beings like them to not be believed in and seen. And Pitch is the Boogeyman, so scaring children is kinda his job, it's hard to blame him for doing it and enjoying it. However, he has delusions of Grandeurs, takes sadistic pleasure when he hurts people and didn't need to go that far to remind kids that, hey, he exists too!

While a part of me wished the Guardians would reach out to him in the end, I understand that it's either too soon to do so (after what they went through because of him), or that they don't have to forgive his dirty tricks after all.

#villain ask meme #bowser #claude frollo #pitch black

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spacemeout39 · 7 days

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Total Power Exchange Contract (part 2)

Prison Uniforms from Bob Barker Company prison supplies Tristitch Two-Piece and Jumpsuits in Solid & Striped Colors 13 Solid Colors: Brown, Green, Hot Pink, Khakis, Lime Green, Medium Gray, Navy, Orange, Postman Blue, Red, White, Wine, Yellow 5 Striped Colors: Black & White, Blue & White, Green & White, Orange & White, Red & White Boxer Shorts: Brown, Orange, White Socks: Orange, White Canvas Slip-on Shoes: Black, Navy, Orange, White Leather Safety Steel-Toe Boots (black) PVC Slip-on Sandals (tan)

Prison & Humane Restraints Handcuffs: standard (chain or hinged) and BOA (hinged) Leg Irons: standard & BOA Waist Chain with Padlock Connector Chain (martin link to leg irons) Ripp Tubes (encasing the hands, Velcroed over the wrists, secured by the handcuffs) Humane Restraints: ambulatory restraints. Humane Restraints: six-point bed restraints (chest strap, wrist restraints, thigh strap, ankle restraints)

Bondage Gear #1 The Slave will always remain locked into a steel cock cage. He will begin with a steel version of the Holy Trainer and work down to an inverted steel cage with a steel urethral insert. This never comes off except for hygienic inspection or to change out the cage to a different one. #2 A chain will be padlocked around the Slave’s neck like a necklace. This will never come off except to change it out for a different padlocked neck chain or the relationship has ended. #3 To silence the Slave, he will be fitted with a silicone tongue gag, filling the mouth, sucking in the tongue, and secured by his teeth. This will be used in combination with a Mr. S Bondage Muzzle, strapped around the head and neck with five straps and buckles, one of which goes around the neck like a collar. The buckles can be locked down with small padlocks. There is one D-ring on top and another D-ring at the front of the collar. #4 The Slave will submit to the Maxcita Psycho II straitjacket if this pleases his Master. #5 The Slave will submit to additional bondage gear of Master’s choosing.

Slave Identity #1 The Slave will now go by his Inmate ID# to be assigned by his Master, 10 to 20 digits long. #2 During prison inmate sessions, the Slave will not use his name, but rather his Inmate ID# or titles such as inmate, prisoner, or whatever Master decides to call him in the moment. #3 The Slave will be treated like a state prison inmate during the “prison inmate” sessions. #4 The Slave understands that prison sessions are whenever Master says for as long as Master says as outlined and agreed upon via contract. #5 The Slave will be treated like an extreme paranoid schizophrenic and expected to act like he has paranoid schizophrenia 24-7-365. This will include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, disorganized behavior, emotional disturbances, social withdrawal, impaired cognition, hostility and aggression, and paranoia. Breaking this role on purpose will automatically result in his Master publishing all pictures and videos online and everything about the Slave’s prison themed TPE being outed as publicly as possible with intent to maximize extreme humiliation.

Slave Behavior #1 The Slave will submit to all restraints that please his Master. #2 The Slave will always maintain perfect posture, head held high, eyes straight forward. #3 The Slave never makes sudden or unnecessary movements. #4 The Slave is always spatially aware of his surroundings. #5 The Slave always maintains a blank and hardened facial expression. #6 The Slave never expresses emotion. Never. #7 The Slave only speaks when spoken to. #8 The Slave always speaks in a low, projected, submissive tone. #9 The Slave always speaks minimally and directly. #10 The Slave will always use authentic prison lingo and slang. #11 The Slave is always immediately obedient and compliant without contest. #12 The Slave is not allowed to discuss his pre-inmate identity. #13 The Slave is not allowed to use his name nor answer to his name. #14 This behavior is only expected during prison inmate sessions.

Food, Drink, Grooming, Hygiene, & Sleeping Arrangements #1 The Slave will only drink water. #2 The Slave will only eat prison nutraloaf. #3 The Slave will remain clean shaven. #4 The Slave is expected to use clippers with a one-inch attachment and buzz his hair weekly. #5 The Slave’s Master reserves the right to buzz his hair with no attachment on the clippers. #6 For hygiene, the Slave will have access to toilet paper, soap, one toothbrush, and one tube of toothpaste. The Slave will have no further hygienic products. Showers will only be granted as a privilege for good behavior. #7 The Slave will be expected to sleep on the floor next to his Master’s bed with only a prison grade mattress, pillow, and blanket.

Health & Safety 1. Physical Health: The Master acknowledges their responsibility to maintain the Slave's physical health and safety throughout the duration of the TPE arrangement. This includes providing adequate nutrition, hydration, and access to medical care as needed. Regular health assessments may be conducted to monitor the Slave's well-being.

2. Safety Protocols: Both parties agree to adhere to strict safety protocols during any physical activities or interactions. This includes using appropriate restraints and bondage gear in a manner that minimizes the risk of injury or harm to the Slave. The Master will ensure that all equipment used is safe, properly maintained, and used according to manufacturer guidelines.

3. Emergency Procedures: In the event of an emergency or medical issue, the Master will take immediate action to ensure the Slave's safety and well-being. This may include contacting emergency services, providing first aid, or transporting the Slave to a medical facility as necessary. The Slave agrees to cooperate with any emergency procedures implemented by the Master.

4. Monitoring: The Master reserves the right to monitor the Slave's physical condition and health status as deemed necessary. This may include regular check-ins, health assessments, or the use of monitoring devices to track vital signs or other health indicators. Any concerns regarding the Slave's health will be addressed promptly and with appropriate action taken.

5. Exercise and Physical Activity: The Slave agrees to engage in regular exercise and physical activity as directed by the Master. This may include activities such as running, swimming, martial arts, or other forms of exercise to maintain physical fitness and health. The Master will ensure that any physical activities are conducted safely and within the Slave's capabilities.

6. Hygiene: The Master will provide the Slave with access to adequate hygiene facilities and supplies to maintain cleanliness and personal hygiene. This includes regular opportunities for showering, access to toiletries, and clean clothing and bedding. The Slave agrees to adhere to hygiene standards as directed by the Master.

7. Sleeping Arrangements: The Slave will be provided with suitable sleeping arrangements that prioritize comfort and safety. This may include a designated sleeping area with appropriate bedding and accommodations. The Master will ensure that the Slave's sleeping environment is free from hazards and conducive to restful sleep.

8. Ankle Monitoring: If ankle monitoring is implemented, the Master will ensure that the monitoring device is used safely and in accordance with manufacturer guidelines. The Slave agrees to comply with any restrictions or conditions associated with ankle monitoring, including curfews or geofencing requirements.

By including these health and safety provisions in the TPE contract, both parties can ensure that the Slave's physical well-being is prioritized and protected throughout the duration of the arrangement.

Ankle Monitor: Omnilink, ReliAlert XC3, or Megastek MT65plus

The MT65plus has the following features: Timing tracking / Real time tracking / Support GPS+LBS+AGPS+WIFI Positioning / Two-way Conversation / Voice Monitoring / Display screen: display signal value, time, receive SMS command / Heart rate monitoring / Aluminium+Optical fiber bracelet / Special physical lock / IP68 waterproof / Wireless charger / Siren sound alarm / Low battery alarm / Geo-fence alarm/SOS emergency alarm / Belt cut/off/on alarm / GPRS data logger / Optional: Wi-Fi base station (can use location in home)

If the Slave agrees, the Master will know his location 24-7-365, can set no-go zones, geofences, timed geofences, and curfews. Depending on the monitor, the Master can engage in two-way communication without the Slave’s ability to turn it off. The Master can also eavesdrop without the Slave’s knowledge whenever he wants. Once the Slave agrees to ankle monitoring, this will continue indefinitely. There is no going back. The Slave understands that he will submit to Master’s no-go zones, geofences, timed geofences, curfews, two-way communication, and eavesdropping.

Home & Car Surveillance If the Slave agrees, his Master will install surveillance cameras throughout the Slave’s home inside and out. His Master will also install dashcam with sound and internal camera to record the interior of the car. In addition to the Slave’s ankle monitor, his Master will have access to home (inside and outside) and car (inside and outside) surveillance. The Slave will have zero privacy. His entire home life and car life will be recorded, audio and video. Once the Slave agrees to surveillance, this will continue indefinitely. The Slave understands that if he submits to the car and home surveillance, there is no going back.

#total power exchange

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