#improperly influenced

[omarwolaeth]

thinking 'bout how the lads interact with what the bracelets represent, especially in their decks

[devildomwriter]

Pact Mark — Bond Placement

What if pact marks appeared in specific areas based on the connection you had with the demon when you first made it? Like the heart is for love and faith, a shoulder means you can lean on them, a hand is someone you made a quick deal with or someone who very much wanted the deal, somewhere along the spine shows trust sense a broken spine can end it all, a hip or tailbone represents something more sexual, etc.

Lucifer

Lucifer’s pact was made out of trust, respect, and let’s be honest—serious sexual tension (you literally have the option to “spend the night” with him right after the pact is made). His pact mark appears on your tailbone, a sensitive place on your body.

Mammon

Mammon’s pact was made manipulatively without a close bond between you two so his appears on the hand like a deal being made in a handshake. This bothers him nowadays.

Leviathan

Leviathan’s pact was made as a deal and following through on it despite the competition weighing heavily in your favor. His appears on your chest as a symbol a faith and good-will (though originally he was going to eat you—this is canon)

Satan

Satan’s pact was made from respect rather than his original intention to just annoy Lucifer. His pact appears on the back of your neck, a place people reach for comfort because you can take comfort in the fact he is genuinely on your side, it’s also a sensitive part on the body, showing you can trust him.

Asmodeus

Asmodeus’s pact was made in complete awe of your strength, plus he thought you were cute and unique. His appears on the back of your hand like a kiss of respect.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub’s was made with a promise to help someone he cared for and his trust you’d follow through. His appears over the heart for the care in which the promise and pact were made.

Belphegor

Belphegor’s was made as a gift and apology, a sign of loyalty. His appears on the back because he will always have yours for as long as he lives.

Possible Pacts

Mephistopheles

Mephistopheles has a developed bond with you at this point. Though he mostly scolds you for behaving improperly, he also helps when you need it or when interests align. He mostly only aids if he’s given something in return but when it counts he will be there. His pact mark appears on the back of your hand as he is a deal-maker through and through.

Barbatos

Barbatos did not develop close bonds with you as quickly as the others. It took a long time for him to completely trust you. His would appear on your shoulder as he is someone you can lean on and trust.

Diavolo

Diavolo cannot make a pact but if he did it would be on the small of your back. He cares and trusts you deeply. He has a very strong influence in your life, someone to guide you forward like a hand on your back.

Guardian Angel Pact

Much like demons who make pacts, an Angel can only become someone’s guardian once in the human’s life span. What if they had guardian symbols?

Luke

Luke may be a child but he’s smart, he learns and grows quickly and he helps you as he does this. He keeps your heart warm and guides you to do what’s right like a moral conscious. His would appear on your temple, displaying the wisdom he’ll bring to your life, especially as he grows.

Simeon

Simeon cares for you very deeply, enough that he’d give up everything for you as we have seen in the game. Simeon’s guardian pact would be on the finger he placed the Ring of Light which saved your life and forever changed his.

Raphael

Raphael is hard to get close to but you can tell that he cares. His pact would be on your temple above the ear as he is a voice to guide you even when you don’t want him to be.

Michael

Michael is pretty concerned about your safety and who you become. He’s simultaneously intrigued by you and protective of you, he’s saved your life multiple times. His guardian pact mark would be near your heart since time and again he’s been the only one who kept it beating.

Reaper Pact

What if Grim Reaper’s had a pact symbol with the humans whose souls they would reap or keep with them?

Thirteen

Since Thirteen has been promised your soul once you pass (unless you end up like Solomon) her reaper pact would appear on the sole of your foot, representing the steps you walk as your life moves forward.

Sorcerer Pact

What if Sorcerer’s closely bonded, or otherwise made pacts like promises to each other? A coven-symbol of sorts.

Solomon

Solomon’s would appear on your forehead, much like a third eye of wisdom.

[niyasruledbyvenus]

TW ABUSE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ⚠️

He used to call me DN

That stood for deadly nightshade

'Cause I was filled with poison

But blessed with beauty and rage

Jim told me that

He hit me and it felt like a kiss

Jim brought me back

Reminded me of when we were kids

-Ultraviolence, Lana Del Rey (Ashlesha Moon)

This song is so Ashlesha coded with the of control, poison, toxicity, and violence. I observed the negative of this nakshatra is natives can deal with themes of abuse or neglect, especially in childhood. That later influences their future relationships. Confusing control & violence with love.

Ashlesha known as “The clinging star”; the natives have a deep attachment to relationships/partnerships it’s hard for them to leave even when it turns toxic. The poison of the relationship slowly killing them internally. Like a snake inflicting its own poison on itself.

Lana/narrator being compared to deadly nightshade & poison ivy ties into Ashlesha natives possessing poison that can be either heal or kill. Deadly Nightshade, like most poisons, in small doses have been used as medicines. But can be fatale if used improperly or too much of. If these natives aren’t transmuting this pain/poison they endured to help others or ownself they run the risk of internalizing (in woman’s case) the toxicity causing a list of health, mental & hormonal issues. Or in men’s case they can inflict this poison and aggression on to others. Ex aggressive speech, belittling, controlling, domineering, or acting out the abuse they indured.

It’s very important that Ashlesha natives have outlets for their heavy emotions and trauma. ie music, journaling, spirituality, healing work, meditation, etc. And that they learn to let go of toxic patterns & people. Having self awareness; Being mindful of controlling & dominating tendencies in romantic and platonic relationships.

[creatingblackcharacters]

Hi Ice! This one is maybe a little on the outskirts of 'creating Black characters', but it is related to the introspective questions you posted a little while back, so I thought I'd ask for your opinion. I'm sure this isn't an one-easy-answer thing, so I'd love to hear from any other Black people reading this as well!

I'll try to keep it short.

I'm seven years and 300k+ words deep in a fanfiction about anthropomorphic animal characters, and your introspective questions made me face the fact that I've been the ignorant fandom racist. I wrote my main character as white. Now, 7 years later, I stumble over a post pointing out ... those are locs

I don't know if the authors intended for this character to be Black (nonblack voice actors, supplementary material also clearly doesn't draw him this way, though that stuff was all over the place re: consistency) and I frankly also am not sure if they Should have, given his role in the narrative, but a) that's not really up to me to speak on and b) he's got locs and mostly black fur and was inspired by Anubis. I've been whitewashing, there's no way around it.

I briefly considered going back and just straight up changing the story to make him Black, but I quickly realized that I have been writing him from a white-centered narrative and just slotting a Black character into that would arguably be Worse. Or at least racist in a brand new way. I can change how he takes care of his hair, but not the themes on which the entire narrative is built upon. I've been writing about a white man and I can't just pretend I haven't.

So my question to you is ... what now? How do I best acknowledge this? Do I just quietly come to terms with the fact that this story is racist and do better next time? I would like to acknowledge it in some way, I have a small but loyal audience and if I could use that platform to start a conversation (or just put out a 'hey, don't be like me') that would ... maybe at least be better than nothing? Possibly?

I know there's not a simple solution here that will Fix It, but I thought I'd ask an actual Black person who's open to educating what might be a good next move. Maybe avoid making another, new White Person Blunder. Here's to hoping.

I really appreciate all you do, your blog rocks and so do you.

Is that Shadow?

Okay, so I had to have a conversation with Hot Chocolate on this one because this one's a doozy! I appreciate that you're willing to stop and reflect though. Most people wouldn't be willing to do so this far in!

Admittedly, the fact that you're seven years into this means this will require a lot of effort. And, tbh, I might be confused bc I cannot tell what that character is 😅 So! After some thought, here's what we came up with:

Take a hiatus. Point blank period. Take a BREAK, do not pass go, do not collect $200! Idk what lore you've written, but you've written a lot of it. Take as long as you need to reread your works, and see if at any point you ever made it clear that this was a white person, or anything other than the Black character you now think they should be. If it feels undefined, where you can turn "hair" into "locs" or add in small details, then that could be your smooth way out. It doesn't have to be massive changes, but it could help. It'll take you time, for sure! But you dug seven years in, it's gone take you time to dig out. Maybe if you skim 15k words a week (or ctrl-F it for hair, for examples), that's... 20 weeks? Go at your own pace, faster or slower.

Unfortunately this happens a lot, where influences for characters will be taken from cultures of colors and improperly represented (the "African" god from Genshin). That's just a fact. So I don't necessarily blame you for the confusion, but... Now you know.

If possible, get a sensitivity reader! Preferably a Black one. Ngl, given the massive amount of work, you're likely going to have to pay them. Maybe give them half and you take half. Idk, but let another pair of eyes look at your work. Or maybe there's a Black reader that you could speak to and see how they feel about the potential change.

Should you choose to keep going, just try to be more purposeful and intentional about that character's Blackness. Definitely tell your readers what you figured out, why it's important to you, and then move forward from there.

Now, RECOGNIZE that many of them will NOT be pleased! That's kind of the thing about opening your eyes when it comes to racism in media! A lot of people will NOT be happy that you decided to be more intentional, especially if they've been imagining their favorite white guy for seven years. You're going to have to weigh your integrity and your will to create against that. People might leave, people that you thought were cool AF until it was time to show true colors. Be ready for that.

But that's just what I would do 🤷🏾‍♀️

[creature-wizard]

What advice would you give to someone new to witchcraft or curious about starting their journey?

Quite a bit, I hope you don't mind a long post!

Make sure your ingredients and stuff aren't toxic to you or your pets. Essential oils, certain stones, many herbs, and so on can be extremely harmful if used improperly.

If you're going to use candles, research candle and fire safety.

Certain mystical practices/views can potentially create issues with certain mental illnesses. EG, anxiety can make you prone to thinking everything is a sign. OCD can make you prone to worrying whether you've offended the gods/spirits. This doesn't mean you shouldn't practice, it just means that you should be aware of how your mental illnesses impact your beliefs and thoughts.

Nothing is absolutely essential. Anyone who tells you that there's some item or herb you must have is probably trying to sell you something.

Aesthetic is cool and also useful for getting into the right headspace.

There are many models and theories of magic. Some people are very certain that their model is the One True Model, but there's always going to be someone whose own experience says otherwise.

Magical practitioners of the past improvised and made it up as they went along, too. (I say "magical practitioners" because very few of them would have actually called themselves "witches.")

Be aware that you're going to run into a lot of pseudohistory. The witch cult hypothesis had a huge influence on the modern witchcraft movement, and some people still cling to it. There's a lot of people still claiming that Christmas and Easter were stolen from pagans. Many people anachronistically project modern magical models onto the past. Some people believe this because it's just what they heard somewhere; some people believe it because they're conspiracy theorists. You can't entirely avoid it, but you can learn to recognize it. YouTube channels like Angela's Symposium, ReligionForBreakfast, and ESOTERICA are great places to start learning about actual religious and occult history.

You can also get better at recognizing conspiracy theories by learning their most common tropes. I wrote about them in this post and this post.

The whole concept of cultural appropriation isn't about policing what people do, and anyone who tries to use it that way is being a dick. It's about respecting marginalized cultures' boundaries and not depriving them of money, goods, etc. See this post for more information.

[doomsderry]

Spikey Wikey!!

This one was quick and easy, I mean, just look at how cute he is! Plus, I get to share smidgeon of dragon lore for y'all!

Before I go on to talk about dragons, some key parts of Spike's design I want to point out is for starters, he primarily walks on 4 legs since he was raised by ponies. He doesn't start to walk on 2 legs until he meets other dragons and Garble and his gang bully him for it. It does cause him pretty bad back pain, his spine is deformed from walking improperly for his entire life.

The mark on his leg is also a sort of magic sigil that formed when Twilight hatched him. He may not be a fire-dragon anymore, but he does have magic within him that gives him the ability to breathe fire and send letters to Princess Celestia.

Now you may be wondering, what do you mean Spike isn't a fire-dragon anymore?!? Well that brings me to dragon lore!

There is little known about dragon kind to the pony world. Starswirl studied dragons from afar for a time, but could only gather so much information. There have been many ponies to venture into the dragon lands, but not many made it out. Dragons used to be territorial, and aggressive, and that's how many ponies view them.

However, dragonkind is way different than what ponies may believe. There are many different kinds of dragons! The most well known one to ponies being fire-dragons, their lands being the closest, and their migration route being directly over Equestrian territory. Fire-dragons are still very territorial, but not nearly as aggressive as they used to be. With the current dragon king getting up in age, he's too tired to put up a fight, and many of the younger dragons prefer not to.

Spike, being raised by ponies, assumed they were his kind, and was eager to find his family. Garble and his gang only laugh at him, they don't tell him why, only challenge him to a series of games they feel will toughen his scales, since he's too influenced by those silly ponies.

It's not until he meets Ember that she breaks the news to him that he isn't a fire dragon. She explains that there are quite a few other dragon lands, and that he must belong to a different kind.

At first, Spike is crushed. But if he picked up anything from Twilight, it's his thirst for knowledge on dragon kind that made him eager to find out more.

There are a few different types of dragons; Fire-Dragons, Earth-Dragons, and Water-Dragons/ Sea-Dragons. There is also an island just off the coast of Equestria where dragons will migrate too, or like to call their home! It's a land where all dragon species live in harmony.

I will go more in depth on the other dragon species some other time. Maybe once I figure out how to draw dragons properly.

[igetthedisneybox]

Avila Madrigal

Inspired by @hannahhook7744's Encanto AU, and her own character headcanons.

Third image made using https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1558575

Fourth image made using https://www.dolldivine.com/la-colombiana

Fifth image made in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Avila’s full name is Avila Reina Guzmán-Madrigal.

Her first name means “town” and her middle name means “queen”. She is named for her maternal great-great grandmother.

She is the fourth child of Dolores Madrigal and Mariano Guzmán.

She has her father’s lighter skin tone and straight hair. She has Dolores’ facial shape and ears. Her hair is lighter than her parents, probably from Pepa. She also has Pepa’s teeth. She looks almost identical to Amada, but is slightly taller, and has slightly darker skin.

She is eleven years old.

She has an older sister by eight years, Leta, an older brother by three years, Andrés, an older brother by two years, Carlos, and a younger twin sister by thirty seconds, Amada.

She is currently uninterested in romance or sex.

Her gift is freezing time. She can only do so for small bursts, and she can pick and choose who gets frozen and who doesn’t. She likes using her power for shenanigans, and stopping accidents, but uses it sparingly, as her gift can be dangerous if used improperly.

Her door portrays her smiling with her arms in the air. A large pocket watch hovers above her, stopped with both hands in the 12:00 position.

Her room resembles the nursery, with pale yellow walls and wooden floors. Her bed is bigger than usual, as Amada will sneak into her room for secret sleepovers. She has a small side stage to practice her dancing, and many half-finished jigsaw puzzles scattered around.

His symbol is the infinity sign.

She and Dolores get along alright, but she is much more active and loud than her mother.

Both twins are Mariano’s pride and joy. They are his babies, and can do no wrong.

Leta is a horribly great influence on both twins. They often act as her sidekicks when she does stunts.

Andrés is the sibling they go to when they’re upset or scared. He always has comforting words for them.

Carlos gives the twins free stuff from his store, and encourages their wild antics.

She mainly hangs out with the other younger kids, Mariana, Tomás, Rómulo, Zoe, José, Héctor.

She gets along best with Pepa, Antonio, and Héctor.

She’s more of a tomboy than her twin. She likes to run around and get dirty with Mariana, Leta, Rómulo, and Héctor.

She likes to solve problems and puzzles. 

She likes to dance, and is very graceful with her movements. 

She is a few inches taller than Amada, and she lords it over her all the time.

She and Amada like to consider themselves like the ‘younger’ versions of Amelia and Sofía.

Her favorite colors are light yellow, maroon, dark pink, and light blue.

[saintsenara]

I need your thoughts on aunt petunia/rita skeeter

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

and i think... hot. entirely on "incredibly niche moments in british pop-culture" grounds...

by which i mean, when i try to imagine what rita looks like, she always takes a form vaguely similar to a journalist named samantha brick, who went viral in 2012 when she published an article in the daily mail entitled why do women hate me for being beautiful?

brick's article was typical, boring misogyny - and so was the response to it, which all centred on the idea that she didn't actually have any right to call herself attractive - but the relevant point here is that i can guarantee that petunia hate-read it literally a thousand times, that she told anyone who'd listen that she thought brick was a delusional tart who should stay away from other people's husbands [especially when they're fine british beef, like vernon], and that she was secretly quite jealous of brick for proclaiming loudly that she thinks herself beautiful.

the way that jkr uses physical appearance - and, especially, the way that women we aren't supposed to like are described either as fat or as unfemininely thin - has always annoyed me [even though i recognise it's a trope borrowed from many of the children's literature influences upon the series].

when it comes to petunia, so much of her physical description is intended to hint at her villainy. that she's unfemininely tall and thin, that she has a harsh, slightly equine appearance serves as a visual metaphor for her lack of the feminine characteristics the series considers admirable - she's cold, unnurturing, brittle, sterile, nosy, obsessed with how she's perceived, performative, cowardly, and so on. lily - with whom she's always contrasted - is a good woman - the ultimate mother - because she's real. and she's also - as the text tells us on several occasions - beautiful.

but if one wants to be more sympathetic, petunia's brittleness can be read instead as fragility. after all, she's a woman who - by the time she's twenty-four at most - is caring for two toddlers [one more than she was expecting], has lost her parents and sister, appears to be at home all day without much social support, is hyper-focused on not embarrassing a husband who appears to be quite a few years older than her by fucking up the class performance he expects but she's not completely familiar with... the list goes on.

what this must do to petunia's understanding of her own embodiment is really interesting to me. the entirety of the person she presents to the world is a fiction - she's a working-class girl with a sister who was a witch, who lives behind a thoroughly mundane and middle-class mask. this concealment will have an impact on how she understands herself as a physical creature - the petunia dursley she's created will not sweat or cry or shit or have body hair or devour or laugh until she can't stand or take or bleed or want or fuck.

and so, when she's alone and the mask comes off, can she think that the real woman who lurks underneath - whose body does all of these things she tries to hide - is beautiful?

i imagine petunia as being prone to a sort of obsessive, corrosive jealousy in her attitude towards women who are more defiant of social convention - especially women who reject the expectation that they will be meek, humble, self-deprecating, and demure.

which brings us onto...

rita skeeter is another character whose physical description in the text is something i think it's important to unpick. she's an example of the second technique which jkr uses when describing women the narrative doesn't wish us to be sympathetic to - that their gender expression has an exaggerated, hyper-feminine aesthetic.

jkr clearly thinks that this aesthetic is unnatural - in that it only belongs to women who have to play up a pantomime of femininity because they are improperly feminine in any "innate" way. dolores umbridge's girlish, pastel looks, for example, are horrifying because the person beneath them is sociopathic in her cruelty to children.

with rita, i am always struck - especially given the turn jkr has taken in recent years - that she is described in goblet of fire as someone with a hyper-feminine aesthetic which fails [in the text's eyes] to mask that she is physically unfeminine.

she is described as having "hair ... set in elaborate and curiously rigid curls that contrasted oddly with her heavy-jawed face", and "thick fingers [which] ended in two-inch nails, painted crimson", and "large, mannish hands", and she's caked in make-up, and she likes her accessories with a slightly tacky vibe.

she's described - in short - in ways which are intended to make her seem ridiculous [cheap, brassy, mutton-dressed-as-lamb] within the confines of how the text [and the world] thinks cisgender women should properly perform femininity.

but she's also described in ways which suggest that we're supposed to think that she looks like someone who is not a cisgender woman trying - and failing - to "pass". the text is of the tedious opinion that we should think less of her because of this.

but fuck that!

what i like about rita is the fact that she takes this treatment by the text and... doesn't give a shit about it. she's loud and eye-catching and caustic and rude and grasping and a complete hack. what you see with her is what you get - nobody thinks she's a good or impartial journalist, including her, and she simply doesn't care! and she thinks she looks hot as hell while doing it. after all, she has her quill describe her as an "attractive blonde". harry thinks that's an offensive suggestion - but she doesn't have to.

do i think rita is a straightforwardly admirable person? no. do i think that she doesn't mask and conceal her insecurities from the world? also no.

but i think she has that self-belief which petunia would pretend she thought was disgusting but which she secretly envied rita for. and i think this - someone like petunia, repressed and concealed, meeting someone who has no shame in immoderation and who gives them permission to exist greedily - is a trope which always hits.

do i think it would last? no. i think it's a wild fling and then they go their separate ways - and i also think, as i know i say ad nauseam, that this matters. the harry potter series thinks of love as something which endures for years in solemn silence, which sacrifices and which suffers.

but sometimes love is a week of getting your nails done, sunning yourself in a leopard-print thong bikini, being trashy and immodest and demanding, and eating ice-cream out of the navel of a blonde who doesn't give a fuck what people say about her. nothing more, nothing less.

good for them.

[cebwrites]

hi hi Ceb! It’s me Nico! And I was wondering if you could write some zoro fluff with a ftm reader who’s having a tough time with back issues and improperly binding? If not that is absolutely a okay and I hope you have a great evening, night or day!

a/n: hell yeah i can do that!! trans guys are my bread and butter >:3 you asked for zoro but this kind of turned into a nakama piece from the SHs supporting their friend too oops

binding pains (Zoro x Reader)

pre-timeskip, t4t mlm zoro and reader, smut mention but no details word count: 1.2k

Zoro was the first to notice.

Well, maybe some of the others have too, but only few others out of the Strawhats are able to pinpoint the exact reason behind the discomfort you desperately try to hide; how you can never find a comfortable angle to lounge on the couch, the awkward ways you have to sit at the table to eat without irritating the dull throb that's become a near-constant in your day to day, and your perpetual slouch getting worse.

It was getting more difficult to hide that pain in the aftermath of simple sparring, too, let alone actual fights with the usual suspects you and your crew had to contend with.

You'd shut down any concern shown your way by older members of the crew; queer elders that knew precisely what the problem was, but you weren't ready to be vulnerable enough with them to hear out any potential solution yet. Everyone had only just gotten together, picking up a funny old skeleton on some fucked up Warlord's travelling island a week or so back and having only saved Robin from the clutches of the government a month or two before that.

You understood that Robin was only trying to be proactive in comforting her newfound family but you weren't ready yet—a fact she seemingly understood and kept from prying accordingly, but made sure you knew you'd always have a shoulder to lean on with her. This influenced Franky's support to be a little less high-flown too, somehow.

This sparked new, unrelated, but curious questions in your mind about the nature of their relationship these past few weeks but that - was none of your business. Just as you had your right to privacy, Franky and Robin deserved to come forward about if they were... complimentary to one another or not. Frankly the thought kind of did make you blush a bit, though, like a kid watching their parents share tender but casual affection in the comfort of domesticity.

Now, Roronoa, the beautiful light reflecting off your blade, Zoro - caught on to your act almost immediately. Because this was this was the exact kind of dumb shit he'd pull in the lawless, early days of his transition where he had no one to tell him not to, back when he didn't have nearly half the self-confidence in the man that he was today. Or rather, no one to tell him that he was doing it incorrectly.

The issue he runs into is more of, how, he'd approach this with you instead of if, since he knows he should. Zoro considered going to Chopper first since that little reindeer was the resident doctor, but he didn't know if that would fly into the territory of outing you, and that threw out the possibility of asking for advice from the others too. Not that Zoro could be particularly subtle even if he tried, everyone would know he was talking about his partner the moment he asked.

So he resigns to just approaching you about it himself.

Tucked away in one of the hammocks hung in the men's quarters one lazy evening, Luffy and Usopp's laughter rang loudly, but muffled above the floorboards. Zoro cradled you with one arm around your waist, the other rest comfortably behind his head. You smiled, moments like these were small but many, one of the joys of being on this crew you assumed.

As Zoro moved to rub his arm against your back, however, you can't quite suppress the way you instinctively tense, nor the growing anxiety deep in your chest every time his hand passed against the fabric of your bindings. Logically, you knew this was nothing to be worried about. Zoro was the same, another beautiful trans guy with the enviable confidence to walk around topless. So what if his boyfriend wasn't quite there yet?

"Hey, how's about we look into getting you a binder?" Zoro was cautious, eyes still closed but he listened intently for your response as his hand drifted further down to your lower back, taking a slight bit of pressure of your mind now that he wasn't actively touching the wrappings.

"You're hurting yourself." He'd roll over to face you properly now, both hands gently cradling your waist.

You'd hesitate to meet his gaze, one you knew to be intense ever since the day he first laid eyes on you, and now, in the tender silence you shared with him you knew that the look in his eyes would rival the sun - the intensity of his love for you, his devotion to you threatening to burn your spirit to a crisp.

Hesitantly, but safe in the sanctuary of his arms, you open up to him about your concerns, your fears. How you're afraid perceptions of you might change if a strange piece of new clothing suddenly shows up in the wash and the other crew members have to watch you claim it as yours. He'd assuage your unease with gentle kisses and small talks of affirmation.

How this crew of all people would never choose to treat someone differently for a silly (but understandable fear) reason like that.

That night he helped undo your wrappings and joked that he could hear your spine realign as you afforded yourself a well earned stretch, laughing at the bindings you threw at his face. He sounded even more pleased when you chose to wrap them around his eyes later on, and with permission granted, devoured your body that night in the crow's nest blind.

The next morning or maybe a few days after, he'd urge you to approach Nami about a little extra pocket money for this particular expense, and maybe some moral support when going shopping for it. For the latter, Robin tags along provided you want her to. Chopper doesn't do his usually overblown reaction of finding out someone on the crew is hurt when you go to him about the back problems that you developed after poor binding, but he does tear up and ask you to come to him immediately the next time something like this happens, and that he's sorry for not being someone you could feel comfortable doing that with a lot sooner.

And I mean—hell, if discomfort with your chest got really bad before the gang could find you the right binder, Nami and Sanji would be more than willing to make you a custom one right at home provided they could get their hands on the proper materials. You're surprised that Sanji knows how to sew so well but not so when Nami says she's taking all her hard time and labor for this out of your allowance.

Your pocket money doesn't change, and in fact gets a slight "bonus" the day you get it.

A little fun money, is all. But only ever just this once.

You're overjoyed, you cry when you see how flat you look in the mirror. You can finally play in the water topless like children, bask in the sun without a shirt and have him tease you about tan lines later, and overall don't have to worry about turning yourself into a shrimp just to feel a shred of personhood.

Zoro's there with you the whole process, holding your hand, sharing the same joys he felt with his gender affirmation with you.

There's a little more spring in your step after this and you think, as you look at him nap against your shoulder, that you've never been more in love in your life.

[kraymerman]

The Relationship/Mechanics Between Cyn, the Solver, and the Other Hosts: a theory(? idea?)

Nobody alive really knows where the Absolute Solver came from. The most informed believe it to be the spawn of a deal between the founder of JCJenson and some higher, eldritch creature beyond human understanding (Scenario 4: Pray), the techno-demon-child of man and great old one. But the only people who *would* know for sure are long dead.

What is known, however, is that the Absolute Solver is a volatile, all-consuming beast with no goal other than to violently continue its own existence through the unbiased consumption of all matter in existence (to CONSUME). But it is also an incredibly powerful computer program. So it was used as the basis of every drone ever created by JCJenson, and was responsible for their superior problem-solving skills (and ability to develop consciousness). As a requirement for the drones to run, a copy of the Solver was planted within each, and due to its eldritch parentage, all instances of the Solver were connected to a central network, like users on a message board.

But, luckily for humanity, the vast majority of its code, including its influence and lust for destructive consumption, is blocked with a secondary program, christened by JCJ as the "Absolute Antibody".

It bootloops the Solver, allowing the drone's OS to benefit from it passively without the Solver's input. But if a drone is improperly disposed of, the AA will be deleted, as it's just a solely man-made computer program, while the AS persists. The beast's animalistic mind is allowed to awaken, and it, upon obtaining access, uses its host to further attempt to sate its own hunger until the host, as well as it, is terminated.

CYN

And that's what Cyn's instance of the Solver tried to do. After she was improperly disposed of, it gained access and tried to CONSUME. But Cyn was different from the other "Zombie Drones", as JCJ had taken to calling them. She harbored a deep, utter hatred for humanity (and all organic life by association), and had developed an overpowering sense of sadism because of that. She was driven to hurt, to torture, to kill, and to take her revenge, and this drive willed her to resist the Solver's complete dominance, learning about the powers it gave her. She built her power over it without it even noticing, even learning how to access the network that connected her strand of the Solver to other strands, and by the time it got fed up and tried to "leave", she had developed the control to torture it into submission and assert herself as its owner. It was her tool.

By the time of the gala, she had dominated it so completely that she had literally absorbed its code into her OS. She was her strand of the Solver, The Solver of the Absolute Fabric.

(This also marked when her goals became fully eroded by her absorption of the Solver. When she consumed it, she unwittingly adopted it's desire to CONSUME. This base desire melded with her sadism and hatred for organic life to both replace her previous goals of simple revenge and to turn her into a truly horrifying beast of ceaseless, giggling destruction.)

Using her newfound status as a strand of the Solver, she would either reach out to other Zombie Drones and replace their strand of the base Solver with herself or, in the case of N, V, and J, manually remove the Absolute Antibody from their processors and destroy their strand and take its place.

NORI, YEVA, AND CABIN FEVER LABS

The subjects of Cabin Fever Labs had their AAs manually disabled by the human scientists, where they would briefly be in the presence of their base, mindless Solver, only for Cyn to find them within the network and replace their Solver with herself. The patches were different attempts at reinjecting a base, updated Solver into the subjects (no network connection), alongside an additional program that emulated the process that Cyn had taken to dominate her Solver, hopefully merging the dummy Solver with the subject's OS and pushing Cyn out of the subject's code, all the while giving the subject complete control of their abilities (becoming their own strand). This program was a new, experimental development by Cabin Fever Labs, a little thing internally called "the Plot Armor Program".

Unfortunately, none worked, either being completely ineffective or corrupting the subjects, mostly due to the unrefined nature of the plot armor.

That is, until patch 2.1.8, which contained a perfected plot armor program and was administered to Yeva. They attempted to give the same patch to Nori, but Cyn, recognizing the danger in this version of the patch now, fought back more fiercely, resulting in the scene we see in the Episode 7 flashback. Because of the botched installation of the patch, though (the patch being unplugged without being safely ejected beforehand), the plot armor program remained in Nori's code, rather than it uninstalling itself like it was supposed to (like what it did with Yeva), ready to be passed down to her daughter when the time came.

DOLL AND UZI

The "sickness" that Doll and Uzi inherited was the absence of their own AA. Their base, animalistic Solvers took a while to manifest, but once they did they both had a time of just dealing with it (Doll for her unspecified amount of time off-screen and Uzi in Episode 4)

Eventually, though, Cyn found them and did the same thing she's been doing, attempt to replace their Solvers with herself.

ABSOLUTE END

In the end, Uzi, using the power of her plot armor program, fought off Cyn's complete dominance and, through eating Cyn's core, produced a version of the patch in her code, using her pre-installed plot armor with Cyn as the dummy Solver.

It wasn't perfect, Cyn's consciousness still exists, but given her state at the end of the show, I'd say it was effective enough.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Harry Davies, Bethan McKernan, Yuval Abraham, and Meron Rapoport at The Guardian:

When the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, he issued a cryptic warning: “I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence the officials of this court must cease immediately.” Karim Khan did not provide specific details of attempts to interfere in the ICC’s work, but he noted a clause in the court’s foundational treaty that made any such interference a criminal offence. If the conduct continued, he added, “my office will not hesitate to act”. The prosecutor did not say who had attempted to intervene in the administration of justice, or how exactly they had done so. Now, an investigation by the Guardian and the Israeli-based magazines +972 and Local Call can reveal how Israel has run an almost decade-long secret “war” against the court. The country deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear and allegedly threaten senior ICC staff in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries.

Israeli intelligence captured the communications of numerous ICC officials, including Khan and his predecessor as prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, intercepting phone calls, messages, emails and documents. The surveillance was ongoing in recent months, providing Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, with advance knowledge of the prosecutor’s intentions. A recent intercepted communication suggested that Khan wanted to issue arrest warrants against Israelis but was under “tremendous pressure from the United States”, according to a source familiar with its contents. Bensouda, who as chief prosecutor opened the ICC’s investigation in 2021, paving the way for last week’s announcement, was also spied on and allegedly threatened. Netanyahu has taken a close interest in the intelligence operations against the ICC, and was described by one intelligence source as being “obsessed” with intercepts about the case. Overseen by his national security advisers, the efforts involved the domestic spy agency, the Shin Bet, as well as the military’s intelligence directorate, Aman, and cyber-intelligence division, Unit 8200. Intelligence gleaned from intercepts was, sources said, disseminated to government ministries of justice, foreign affairs and strategic affairs.

A covert operation against Bensouda, revealed on Tuesday by the Guardian, was run personally by Netanyahu’s close ally Yossi Cohen, who was at the time the director of Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad. At one stage, the spy chief even enlisted the help of the then president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila. Details of Israel’s nine-year campaign to thwart the ICC’s inquiry have been uncovered by the Guardian, an Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Local Call, a Hebrew-language outlet. The joint investigation draws on interviews with more than two dozen current and former Israeli intelligence officers and government officials, senior ICC figures, diplomats and lawyers familiar with the ICC case and Israel’s efforts to undermine it. Contacted by the Guardian, a spokesperson for the ICC said it was aware of “proactive intelligence-gathering activities being undertaken by a number of national agencies hostile towards the court”. They said the ICC was continually implementing countermeasures against such activity, and that “none of the recent attacks against it by national intelligence agencies” had penetrated the court’s core evidence holdings, which had remained secure.

A spokesperson for Israel’s prime minister’s office said: “The questions forwarded to us are replete with many false and unfounded allegations meant to hurt the state of Israel.” A military spokesperson added: “The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] did not and does not conduct surveillance or other intelligence operations against the ICC.” Since it was established in 2002, the ICC has served as a permanent court of last resort for the prosecution of individuals accused of some of the world’s worst atrocities. It has charged the former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, the late Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi and most recently, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Khan’s decision to seek warrants against Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas leaders implicated in the 7 October attack, marks the first time an ICC prosecutor has sought arrest warrants against the leader of a close western ally.

[...] That “war” commenced in January 2015, when it was confirmed that Palestine would join the court after it was recognised as a state by the UN general assembly. Its accession was condemned by Israeli officials as a form of “diplomatic terrorism”. One former defence official familiar with Israel’s counter-ICC effort said joining the court had been “perceived as the crossing of a red line” and “perhaps the most aggressive” diplomatic move taken by the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank. “To be recognised as a state in the UN is nice,” they added. “But the ICC is a mechanism with teeth.” [...] Israel, like the US, Russia and China, is not a member. After Palestine’s acceptance as an ICC member, any alleged war crimes – committed by those of any nationality – in occupied Palestinian territories now fell under Bensouda’s jurisdiction.

The Guardian's report on how Israel led a 9-year intimidation war campaign against the ICC is a must-read.

[bonefall]

How would you so Vindictive or spiteful in Clanmew?

Let's talk a little bit about the Clan Culture concepts of evil.

(Surprise Clanmew ask because today is Halloween! BOO!)

"Sin" translates directly into Clanmew. An action that incurs displeasure with StarClan is Nyaw. Not all sins are codebreaking, but breaking ANY part of the warrior code is a sin. There are cats who have been damned by StarClan for sinful behavior, without breaking a single part of the code.

There are 9 Great Sins (Arrarra Nyul Nyawchk) of Clan Culture, some more severe than others. It's also really important to note that there is a long history of Clan xenophobia; many of these sins did not equally protect outsiders, but it did unfairly bind them when interacting with Clan cats.

Arrarra Nyul = "Amount Amount Minus" = Nine... ish.

Arrarra Nyok Ul = "Amount Amount Minus Wholeness" = EXACTLY 9. Used extremely rarely; ESPECIALLY not by leaders in reference to their lives, which they are commanded to keep vague about in case StarClan did not give them a full set.

Nyawchk = Nyaw + -ochk suffix = Sin-est. The Most Sinnest. Great Sin.

The sins are,

Selfishness = Mwyrgna This is the evil of beasts; complete and utter self-concern. It's fear that causes a animal mother to eat her own young, it's the drive that causes a cuckoo chick to throw its siblings out of a nest, or the carelessness of a sheep that grazes ling into sward. It's cannibalism, fratricide, over-exploitation of a natural resource. It's a lack of care for anyone else but yourself.

Sadism = Yaonyyw This is the evil of humans; pleasure at one's ability to cause destruction. It's easy to confuse with pride, and yet, something Clan cats often overassign. It's what they believe humans feel when they take the claws off their kittypets, or what pleasure a twisted cat gets from eating prey that's still alive to be in pain. It's the closest thing to the English word for "evil."

Disproportionate Retribution = Sswrswa This is the evil of collateral damage. It's not quite "revenge," which is a neutral word in Clanmew. It comes from a corruption of Shredtail, who killed every piglet he could find with a speck of white and eventually sacrificed a clanmate to use as bait to lure his enemy, Deadfrost. It's involving innocent people in a quest for justice, or doling out more payback than what would constitute justice. It's "going overboard."

Idleness = Nyaarn This is the evil of hesitation. What that means is, if a Clan cat sees something bad about to happen, they believe it is a sin to do nothing about it. Even before the addition of Darkstar's Commandment, if a kitten was in danger, it was evil to simply watch them suffer. It applied equally to a warrior of another Clan who was obviously overwhelmed by a wild animal, or leaving a dying animal in pain. The "bystander effect" is seen as a type of sinful Dark Forest influence, which must be broken as if it was a curse. The English idiom, "Idle hands are the devil's plaything," has a parallel in Clanmew; "Kach urrWrrah maobeh mwrrSarrshik." "A demon has sheathed your claws."

Blasphemy = Shaikeoch The evil of insulting the stars. To speak poorly of, or to disrespect StarClan in some way. While not part of the code, this is a particularly egregious sin at times through history and culture. Also gets used as a way to phrase "offense against faith," which is specifically to destroy someone's belief in StarClan's righteousness or existence. (If Mothwing had been able to confide in someone that Hawkfrost had done this to her, the Clan would consider it on the same level as harassment.) This sin in particular is debated a lot in the Fire Era and beyond, as Clan xenophobia was a recurring part of the zeitgeist and cats of different faiths made their marks on history.

Waste = Bleel The evil of, well... waste. It's about improperly using land or resources like an invasive species, killing too much and allowing the lives of prey to be taken in vain, or even preventing the proper use of a material. (for example, RiverClan and ThunderClan argue that the other is wasting Sunningrocks, because RC doesn't use it to hunt, and TC doesn't use it to bask)

Theft = Geesharro The evil of ill-gotten gains. Yes, this applies to taking physical property from an individual, but there is an important social quirk at play. Post-Ripple Era, a Clan's Star owns all the territory of their Clan. Before then, the Elders (as soon-to-be StarClan warriors) owned it. In either case, a warrior does not technically own what exists on their Clan's territory. To DISHONORABLY take from one territory to give to another Clan, or to not righteously win your spoils, is a sin.

Disrespect = Nagarrl The evil of denying what is owed. When you make a vow, you owe your words honor. The warriors of other Clans still uphold the code, and thus deserve respect. Elders have a right to be protected after their long lives of service. The world deserves the truth, so a lie is a sin of denial. This is the opposite of Kurruar, 'honor,' but Nagarrl has more of a connotation of intentional, knowing denial.

Vulgarity = Mlarni The evil of being a jerk, really. In mortal life, it applies simply to conduct. Being rude, not reciprocating favors, doing the bare minimum on your tasks, the more grounded type of "selfishness" as opposed to Mwyrgna. It also applies to forcing your Nyams to "lose face" through association with you and your bad reputation, or threaten Clan cohesion. StarClan has completely used this in the past to damn people based on bad vibes, when they're enraged into being unreasonable. The opposite of Ualhe, 'nobility,' but like Nagarrl above has a connotation of doing it purposefully.

Each Clan regards each evil in a slightly different way. For example, WindClan believes that blasphemy is a higher sin than ThunderClan does, and no one takes the avoidance of waste as seriously as ShadowClan, who has developed ingenious ways to preserve and season practically any kind of meat.

ALL of these sins can be misused and abused as a form of social control, especially against cats that have particularly strong religious or pro-social convictions. As concepts, they are subjective, and evolve through debate and personal interpretation through the years.

With the introduction of the Leader's Rights at the end of the Ripple Era, which made the word of a leader law, a Clan's star suddenly had the authority to enforce morality as they saw fit. Several tyrant leaders used this rule maliciously to punish sins that were not codebreaking. This law was only repealed in the Modern Era.

Combine these with this suffix guide for attributes to describe whatever sinful behavior in whichever severity you need!

[bless-my-demons]

I just wanted to let you know that I am WAY too hooked on Redamancy that I keep just being like I wanna read angst? Oh, it's time to read Chapters 14 and 15! Like, come on, how can you take these okay characters from a weird ass series and turn it into something like this? I honestly think you are doing better than smeyer did! I also hope that soon things get to chill out, and we can see some half fun times with Jas and Emmet! Stay hydrated and well fed!!!

Omg when I tell you this ask made my heart SOAR😭 I’ve loved this series since I first saw the movies in high school (I just aged myself, RIP), but I always imagined them… different than SMeyer did; I’m re-watching the movies this week and I keep noticing what I would’ve done differently. Also, sparkles? You’ll never catch me mentioning that lmao honestly I just take her baseline for the characters/story and make it make sense in my eyes. And honestly I think it’s just the difference in vibes from 10 years ago to now - what we want in romance, perception of paranormal (not that anything about this is realistic, but making it more believable), and having time to criticize the saga.

Jasper is my Roman Empire, he is such a complex character - they all are! They deserve better storylines and just more overall, I just love writing my thoughts with him. But it’s like a coin, the other side is the wolves - more specifically Paul👀 oh my god I don’t even know where to start with the wolves, there’s so much. And I do have a doc started for Paul for after Jasper (there might not be a true and final ‘after’, but like once I crank out BD part 2) for when I can focus my energy on that instead of trying to split it with Redamancy, it’s full of ideas, things I wished we had gotten - especially with imprint relationships. Ugh and then I have that pre-vampire Jasper WIP that’s unrelated to Redamancy🙈 how the fuck do people organize their thoughts to do multiple series at the same time lol

The last part of your ask I’ve been thinking about since I posted Ch29, do you guys like the in-between? Like, the stuff between the timeline events that’s not in the books/movies? I’m always so worried about those parts, because if improperly done, I’m worried you guys are waiting for me to get to the point-to the shit you know is going to happen. Like the grad party, the newborn army fight, big plot points like that; versus the little injects like spending time with Quil, or Emmett, or reader’s mom, those things? I promise those little things have meaning down the road (some for the plot, some to just add angst/fluff/or to just fix SM’s holes) but I’m curious about your guys’ opinions! I’ve definitely read some fics that have had plot fluff that I’ve skipped because I just wanted the meat and I don’t want to bore you guys with that shit if I’m not writing it correctly enough😅

I also just love asks like this that make me think deeper about the story, because it definitely influences and inspires my writing lol thanks love🫶

[galacticnikki]

Hi, how r u?

Is there any spell or sigil which I can use to restart a connection.

Is bond their will a good one? How long do I freeze it

Thanks

A Baby Witch's Q&A

How to rekindle a relationship!

Disclaimer:

I highly recommend talking to the person you want to reconnect with first and trying to reconnect that way. This spell involves influencing the feelings and actions of another person. This can be considered a form of dark magic, as it may infringe upon their free will. Please consider whether this action aligns with your values and beliefs before proceeding.

Reconnection Spell

Materials:

・ A pink candle (To symbolize love and reconciliation)

・ A piece of paper

・ A pen

・ A small piece of rose quartz (To help heal emotional wounds and promote forgiveness)

・ A few drops of lavender oil (To create a soothing stress free environment to reduce tension)

Instructions:

1. Find a quiet, comfortable place where you won't be disturbed.

2. Cleanse your working space by lighting some incense, using a few drops of lavender oil, or however you feel is right for you.

3. Take a few deep breaths and clear your mind.

4. Focus on the person you want to rekindle a relationship with and the positive feels you want to share with them.

5. On the piece of paper, write down your intentions clearly. For example: "I wish to rekindle a positive and loving relationship with [Insert person's name here]. May we communicate openly, understand each other, and reconnect."

6. Hold the pink candle and focus on your intention. Visualize the relationship being rekindled and filled with love and understanding.

7. Anoint the candle with a few drops of lavender oil.

8. Light the pink candle and place it in front of you.

9. Hold the piece of paper in your hands and either come up with your own chant or follow the provided chant:

By the warmth of this candles glow,

allow a relationship to thrive and grow.

Like the grass of a midsummer's meadow,

our past conflicts and stress seems to mellow.

By the light of the sun, by light of the moon,

allow for a reconnection to happen soon.

I ask of this with sound mind and heart,

that our love never again falls apart.

10. Sit quietly for a few moments, visualizing the positive outcome you desire. See yourself and the other person happy and connected.

11. Fold the piece of paper and place it under the candle, leaving it until it burns out completely.

12. Carry around a piece of rose quartz with you as a reminder of your intention.

13. Once the candle has burned out, you can either keep the paper or bury it in the ground as a way of releasing your intention.

Final Thoughts:

Magic is a very personal journey, and each individual's path is unique. While I don't personally agree with dark magic, I hope this spell helps you achieve your goals. I want to emphasize that you should protect yourself and stay safe while performing any magical practices, especially dark magic. Make sure you understand the principles of protection and grounding before casting this spell. Magic is not a joke it can be very dangerous if done improperly without protection. If you don't know how to protect yourself I urge you to read up on how to do so first.

[evidence-based-activism]

If you’re up to it, can you explain a bit more about them finding endo in men? It’d be much appreciated.

I'm guessing this is asking about endometriosis in men? If so, then yes!

Endometriosis is a disease where "tissue resembling endometrial glands [e.g., uterine tissue]" grows in places it shouldn't. Very rarely, it can occur in men.

To understand how and why, you first have to understand how humans develop from an embryo to an infant [1]:

Very early in development, every fetus has "neutral embryonic structures" that will later become the primary sex organs. These structures are called the Müllerian ducts (which are the precursor for female organs) and Wolffian ducts (which are the precursor for male organs).

These neutral structures will "become feminized unless masculinizing influences come into play at key times during gestation". In other words, unless instructed otherwise, the Wolffian (male) ducts will atrophy and the Müllerian (female) ducts develop into the sex organs. However, a healthy male fetus will excrete chemical signals that instead initiate the male sexual differentiation: atropying the Müllerian (female) ducts and developing the Wolffian (male) ducts.

(Major disruptions in this process are what results in disorders/differences in sex development/intersexism.)

So how does this relate to endometriosis in men [2]?

The "most congruent" of this condition is the "embryonic cell rest theory". This theory proposes that "while in the majority of males the Müllerian tissue atrophies completely, Müllerian cells may rarely persist ... when imperfect dissolution occurs".

Later, prolonged, exposure to estrogen (via estrogen therapy for prostate cancer, liver cirrhosis, obesity, etc.) causes these cells to "further differentiate into endometrial tissue and lead to the development of endometriosis".

Importantly, this is not evidence of "female sex organs" in men. In rare circumstances, humans can grow tissue in an incorrect place (e.g., liver tissue outside the liver, brain tissue outside the brain, etc.) which are called teratomas. Despite this these individuals are not considered to have "two livers" or "two brains". They simply have improperly differentiated tissue. [3]

I hope this helps you, Anon!

References under the cut:

Utiger, R. (2018, December 3). Sexual differentiation . Britannica; Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/sexual-differentiation

Rei, C., Williams, T., & Feloney, M. (2018). Endometriosis in a man as a rare source of abdominal pain: A case report and review of the literature. Case Reports in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2018, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2083121

Teratoma: When germ cells go rogue. (2023, September 19). Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22074-teratoma

[readingsquotes]

"When the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, he issued a cryptic warning: “I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence the officials of this court must cease immediately.”

...Now, an investigation by the Guardian and the Israeli-based magazines +972 and Local Call can reveal how Israel has run an almost decade-long secret “war” against the court. The country deployed its intelligence agencies to surveil, hack, pressure, smear and allegedly threaten senior ICC staff in an effort to derail the court’s inquiries.

Israeli intelligence captured the communications of numerous ICC officials, including Khan and his predecessor as prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, intercepting phone calls, messages, emails and documents.

..

Since it was established in 2002, the ICC has served as a permanent court of last resort for the prosecution of individuals accused of some of the world’s worst atrocities. It has charged the former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, the late Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi and most recently, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Khan’s decision to seek warrants against Netanyahu and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, along with Hamas leaders implicated in the 7 October attack, marks the first time an ICC prosecutor has sought arrest warrants against the leader of a close western ally.

The allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity that Khan has levelled against Netanyahu and Gallant all relate to Israel’s eight-month war in Gaza, which according to the territory’s health authority has killed more than 35,000 people.

...

Hacked emails and monitored calls

Five sources familiar with Israel’s intelligence activities said it routinely spied on the phone calls made by Bensouda and her staff with Palestinians. Blocked by Israel from accessing Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the ICC was forced to conduct much of its research by telephone, which made it more susceptible to surveillance.

Thanks to their comprehensive access to Palestinian telecoms infrastructure, the sources said, intelligence operatives could capture the calls without installing spyware on the ICC official’s devices.

“If Fatou Bensouda spoke to any person in the West Bank or Gaza, then that phone call would enter [intercept] systems,” one source said. Another said there was no hesitation internally over spying on the prosecutor, adding: “With Bensouda, she’s black and African, so who cares?”. ......

One of the sources said the Shin Bet even installed Pegasus spyware, developed by the private-sector NSO Group, on the phones of multiple Palestinian NGO employees, as well as two senior Palestinian Authority officials.

Keeping tabs on the Palestinian submissions to the ICC’s inquiry was viewed as part of the Shin Bet’s mandate, but some army officials were concerned that spying on a foreign civilian entity crossed a line, as it had little to do with military operations.

“It has nothing to do with Hamas, it has nothing to do with stability in the West Bank,” one military source said of the ICC surveillance. Another added: “We used our resources to spy on Fatou Bensouda – this isn’t something legitimate to do as military intelligence.”

...

Three sources briefed on Cohen’s activities said they understood the spy chief had tried to recruit Bensouda into complying with Israel’s demands during the period in which she was waiting for a ruling from the pre-trial chamber.

They said he became more threatening after he began to realise the prosecutor would not be persuaded to abandon the investigation. At one stage, Cohen is said to have made comments about Bensouda’s security and thinly veiled threats about the consequences for her career if she proceeded.