#kate blabs

[thychesters]

do you ever think about how zoro says “scars on the back are a swordsman’s shame” but one of the first scars he received after joining luffy was on his back after buggy stabbed him through the stomach, and not only that but it was for luffy, too.

[yocalio]

For the record and in my opinion, there was nothing ambiguous about the way Twisters left Tyler and Kate's relationship. There definitely was a tiny love triangle but I saw it resolve with Javi's nod towards Tyler after Boone jokingly exclaimed that he loved Kate. His "seriously?" when Tyler didn't get that Kate had slyly asked to be chased, his "atta boy" when Tyler finally understood and runs into the airport after her. They bent over backwards giving us all those romantic cliches. Girl looks at thing and says it's beautiful and boy just beams at girl. I mean even going as far as having Tyler chase her down in a freaking airport only to withhold the logical conclusion of such a gesture. It was a subtle and sweet little thing they had going on and Glen and Daisy's very natural chemistry made it work without even getting physical. Such a refreshing take and really felt like a beat for beat 90s movie in all the best ways. I still want that kiss in the special features though...... You hear me Spielberg!?

[snowflakeanimelover]

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Relationship: Thomas Shelby x Female Reader

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Warnings/notes: Cussing, kidnapping, threats, enemies to lovers?, hurt/no comfort, badass reader, reader needs a hug, so does Tommy, SPOILERS, reader is written as American(with no Irish slang or speech mannerisms) but it's not detailed in the story.

Summary: As the leader of the notorious gang Peaky Blinders, Thomas Shelby knows his life won't be easy. Nothing ever is. However, he always felt he had the upper hand.

Until he gets kidnapped and dragged across land by a woman.

NOTES: this might be a mini series. I’ll probably post two chapters and see if people like it. Go from there.

Master list | Chapter 2

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All This Time

It had taken years of patience, blood, pain, and heartache to get where Thomas is today. He had a goal, and he got there to the best of his ability. He got there with hard earned rewards. He pissed a lot of people off while doing it, but what gangster doesn’t have enemies? Thomas has gone through many trials and errors, and he’ll continue to do it until his goals are fulfilled…no matter the cost. He has gotten this far, why stop now?

Thomas Shelby is a man of his word, a man with honesty, a man with smarts. He tends to be one step ahead of everyone. That includes his family and his enemies. However, there’s someone who ends up getting the upper hand.

One night, he remembers just falling asleep at the brink of midnight, and then a forceful push against his mouth with a sweet smell. He felt as if he was suffocating. Suffocating with fear and paranoia. All he could think of was the war, and he couldn’t help but to think how real this dream was. How this person held him down so firmly, pressing a cloth to his mouth. His arms flailed, his legs kicked, and then…

Darkness takes over.

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A cold breeze was what awoke him so suddenly. For a moment, it felt nice, it felt peaceful, until he had almost forgotten what had happened. It was a nightmare, wasn’t it? A horrid dream that felt so real. However, the faint sound of crackling flames, chirping crickets and hooting owls, and many other outdoor noises made him realize he was far from home.

Thomas jolts up within seconds, eyes swimming in dizziness as he tries to wake up. He could feel his body sway from side to side as he sat up, shaking his head here and there to help him focus.

“You’re awake,” a voice says, matter of fact.

He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt so frantic, so on guard. His ocean blue eyes, that have now become focused, land on a person sitting a few feet away from him on the ground, knees up in a relaxed hurdle sitting form.

A woman.

Thomas didn’t see it at first, mostly because this woman was wearing men’s clothing. Pants, boots, and a simple blouse. Unusual clothing for a woman, but he didn’t particularly care about that detail at the moment.

It’s not like he hasn’t been through this before, being kidnapped or jumped from behind for a good beating. His heart calms instantly, and he takes a deep breath to soothe his nerves. You can’t do anything if you’re frantic.

He takes a moment to study his surroundings, given this woman was sitting so casually close by. Thomas finds himself sitting on a blanket, feeling the prickling grass underneath it, and another blanket laid over his legs. He wore his nightly clothes, which can only prove what he thought was a dream…wasn’t.

Two horses shuffled in place nearby, their reigns tied to a thin tree. A handmade fire pit warmed his form beside him, and a large bag sitting behind the woman. Were they traveling?

”I wouldn’t try anything, if I were you,” the woman speaks up, her gaze flicking up from her fidgeting to the man she kidnapped. “He wants you alive, but he never said I couldn’t harm you.”

A clear threat, but one that hardly phased good ol’ Tommy.

Thomas’ blue irises are trained on the woman now, watching as her fingers pick apart some piece of bread, stuffing some in her mouth here and there to chew. “Where the fuck are we? Who are you?”

She doesn’t answer right away, taking her time to mess with her food and stare at the dancing flames between them. “You can call me Y/N,” she answers vaguely. ”And yes, I kidnapped you.”

”What do you want? Money, eh?” His tone was frustrated, panicked, even. He was trying to think. Trying to answer all of the questions piling in his mind, and figuring out how to get out of there. “I’ve got plenty enough to give you.” It was a cheap shot, honestly. He grimaced at such an easy way to get out of this, but he didn’t really care. He doesn’t like being in a situation where he isn’t in control.

Y/N huffs a breathy laugh, an amused smile adorning her face. The sky was dark, and the orange flames lit her complexion nicely. “I'm sure you do, Mr. Shelby.” And with that, she doesn’t say anything else.

Now Thomas was getting frustrated. What in the world could this woman want? What would she gain out of this?

“You said he,” Thomas asks, thinking about her words from just a few minutes ago. He figured that was enough of a question as it was for her.

”I did,” she nods, not bothering to add anything to it.

He scoffs. And he thought Polly or Ada were difficult…now he surely knows who’s on the top of that list. “Who is he,” Thomas continues. He wants answers, and he wants them now.

“For a powerful gangster, Mr. Shelby, I’m amazed you don’t know all of your enemies,” Y/N comments nonchalantly. “He is someone you’ll find out once we’re there.”

”Where’s there?”

”Boy, you sound just like your son. What’s his name again?” She smirks, glancing at Thomas. “Charlie, right? Although that’s what you all call him. His real name is Charles-“

”Where the fuck is my son?!” Thomas begins to throw the blanket off of him, determined to reach her and wrap his hands around her pretty neck.

But a simple cock of a gun freezes him, and he looks down at her relaxed hand. A 1911 pistol held tightly in her grip as she pointed it right at him.

“Take another step, and I’ll shoot you in the leg,” she warns, “now that wouldn’t be a good idea, hm? If you want to see your son again, I suggest you stay calm.”

With labored breaths, Thomas reluctantly sits back down in his spot, feeling defeated.

”Relax,” Y/N then says, putting her gun back by her side. “I didn’t touch Charlie. He’s right where you last saw him, at home.” she doesn’t miss the way Thomas lets out a breath of relief. She is surprised he believes her so quickly, not that she’s lying, anyway.

Suddenly, a harsh thump is heard as a small half of a loaf of bread falls on his blanket. Thomas’ brows furrowed in confusion as he hesitantly picked it up, glancing at the woman for answers.

“Hungry?” The corners of her lips quirk up into an amused grin, seeming to have the other half of the loaf and takes a bite of it. “You’ll need to eat. We’ll be riding at dawn. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

[thychesters]

tagged by @swordsmans ! it took me until i was halfway through to realize i could change the colors for things LMAO

for fun i’m tagging @loopeyfluff, @portgas-d-aroace, @alethiometry, @fxllingout & @robotoad if you’re up for it!

i saw this picrew on my feed & i was hit with the uwu bug

no pressure tags: @sunrise-river @saradika @hellolitty @pradadoie @jmobiwanspadawan @taffee23 @stargazingcarol & whoever would like to join!! <3

[fahclove]

My pitch to “““fix””” Lost (2004): switch Kate and Sayid’s storylines

[neapolitantoebeans]

so Tanya and Kate are “vegetarians” because of their romantic/sexual preferences, gotcha

(also Tanya is said to prefer humans because they’re “soft and warm” which when you think about makes sense for someone who’s literally a living porcelain doll)

[thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls]

Ough animating power pleaseeee (i want to do something with Black Sheep-Brie Larson Vocal version btw- and adele i can’t explain my vision rn for it is late but yeah)

[johnbottoms]

sketch pass 2 vs sketch pass 1....

[snowflakeanimelover]

Besides the few mutuals I have lol. I appreciate those of you who stay in contact and interact with my posts❤️

Something I love about Tumblr is having over a thousand followers and yet absolutely zero activity when I make a post. Thank you everybody for ignoring me 🙏🙏 allow my sillyness to slip into the silent succulent dark

[unknown-limes]

Some authors find their niche and have an incredibly consistent bibliography. Other authors will go between "here's some historic stories of women who were horrifically abused" and "here's a light hearted tale about a railroad cat!"

[thychesters]

i keep picking this up and running my fingers across it and flipping through the pages. putting it down. picking it back up again and flipping through it. gyro your talents are immeasurable and know no bounds and i loved taking a peek behind the scenes and learning about your process; the amount of effort and care is tangible, and i cannot believe i get to hold this in my hands—this is my writing! i can flip through the pages! the art and the colors are incredible and i love how you worked them in, love this.

this is truly an incredible gift and i’m so honored and so grateful. @swordsmans you are so amazing and so talented and i adore the colors and i know you know it’s one of my favorite color schemes, haha. and @fluffyartbl0g’s art is there too! this is such a delight, thank you so much ✨

[yocalio]

The way Tyler and Kate were like little kids in a theme park when they went chasing storms alone together, sharing in their passion and excitement for storm chasing got me thinking about the original Twister in like, this must've been how Jo and Bill were when they were kids first falling in love. 🥲

[snowflakeanimelover]

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Relationship: Thomas Shelby x Female Reader

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Warnings/notes: Tommy being reflective, nightmares, cussing, kidnapping, threats, enemies to lovers?, hurt/no comfort, badass reader, reader needs a hug, so does Tommy, SPOILERS, reader is written as American(with no Irish slang or speech mannerisms) but it's not detailed in the story.

Chapter Summary: Thomas has a short of a difficult time getting accustomed to his kidnapping situation He becomes reflective on his life, and shortly frustrated with the absence of his best friends: Cigarettes and Whiskey. What’s more, he’s determined to somehow escape, by breaking down Y/N’s wall to the best of his ability.

NOTES: Reblogs and feedback is very much appreciated. It also gives me motivation to continue :)

Adroitness: Cleverness or skill.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

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All This Time Ch.2

The night has never been so cold. Besides the fact that he knows his wife won't ever be by his side again, keeping him warm and content, Thomas has never felt so….pathetic and powerless. What was the change? Why has he given up so easily?

He has to remind himself he didn’t give up, per se. He’s doing this for his son. He’s doing this so his son doesn’t become an orphan, so he can go back home and see all that he has left of Grace again.

He has never wanted to go home so badly in his life.

The woman, Y/N she said her name was, who kidnapped him was hardly trustworthy. Of course, he couldn’t trust someone he just met and who kidnapped him. It was absurd, especially for Thomas Shelby. He’s smart, observant. He could figure out who she is, why she is doing this, and who hired her. There could be many reasons why she is. It was unusual to see a woman do something like this, known to be a man’s job.

Maybe she’s the right hand to the guy who hired her? It’s also possible she really is just a cruel woman who does this as a hobby of some kind, for a living.

Or….she’s being blackmailed.

It was an interesting thought, however he couldn’t see that being the case for her. She was too calm, too relaxed in doing this. She looks practiced, smart, and relatively capable.

So, what’s her story?

”Are you going to stare at me all night or do you just sleep with your eyes open?” Y/N speaks up, still in her same spot as when he first woke up from being knocked out. Thomas didn’t know what time it was, but the moon was high and bright in the sky. It’s surely past midnight, yet she’s still awake and alert. She’s definitely smart.

Thomas grunts as he shifts onto his back, gazing at the bright stars in the sky. The fire hasn’t gone down a bit, possibly due to the woman keeping up on it. Its warmth was welcoming, though, on a cold night. “Can’t sleep,” he says as he takes a deep breath to relax more. His nerves are on edge, although when are they not?

The air is silent once more, his ears focused on the crackling of the fire beside him, the hoots of the owls in the trees, and the horses shuffling in their spot. “Got any whiskey?” Thomas eventually breaks the silence, licking his lips as he begins to feel parched. He hasn’t drank anything since he woke up, and that loaf of bread didn't help.

Y/N takes a moment to grab something by her side, before tossing it to him. It lands on his blanket with a thud, and he jumps a little at the unexpected action. He sits up, lifting the canteen she tossed to him after twisting the lid off, and takes a rather long gulp.

He takes a breath once he has gotten his fill, setting it back down. He felt better after that. “That’s not whiskey,” Thomas tells her, tossing the canteen back.

“I don’t drink,” she replies just as easily, unphased by his complaint.

Thomas lightly shrugs as he lays back down on his back. “Fair enough.”

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Sleep never came, unfortunately for him. No words were exchanged for the rest of the night, and he tried to shut his eyes as tightly as he could, to rid of prickles in the back of his neck. He isn’t comfortable, relaxed, nor capable of sleeping around a stranger. It’s clear she isn’t going to harm him, unless he does something rash. Understandably so, on her part. However, it only makes him more inferior and determined to get back home.

He’ll need a plan.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when a foot was shoved into his shoulder, jostling him to attention. “Get up.” It was a simple order, and he didn’t waste time doing as she asked. not because he was obedient, but because he’d rather be up and moving then lay in one spot awake the whole time. He was itching to do something since he couldn’t sleep, but didn’t want to risk getting shot by suddenly getting up.

After changing into some clothes she tossed to him, and tying his wrists with rope, they are both on a horse and riding off to the sunrise. His horse was tied to hers, so he couldn’t just run off, and she tied his bound wrists to the horn of his saddle.

”Is this necessary?” He asks, tone laced with annoyance and discomfort. The rope dug into his skin, and he didn’t like the thought of feeling that for the whole ride. Which it seems they’ll be riding for a while.

The woman glances over her shoulder back at him, looking down at his hands as he wiggles them, a sign of what he was complaining about. She grins in amusement before turning back to face forward. “Precautions, Mr. Shelby. I’m sure you’re well aware of that in your line of work.”

She wasn’t wrong, to say the least. And now that he could actually think properly, it seems this woman has been spying on him to know so much. About his son, his work, although his status isn’t really a secret. “How long have you been spying on me?” he asks calmly, curious to an extent.

Y/N tilts her head back a little in thought, her body moving along with the horses’ movements. “Three months.”

Three months? Thomas was impressed. And he didn’t notice? He would be used to suspicious activity around him by now, and yet he doesn't remember seeing her anywhere around. “Impressive,” he compliments finally. “You’re quite skilled if I never noticed you before, eh?” He wants to know—needs to know what she does for a living.

“Nobody suspects a woman, Mr. Shelby,” she sighs, sounding a bit tired of his poking.

She wasn’t wrong about that, either. Thomas should’ve known by now that women can be just as dark as men like him, especially since he hadn’t realized Grace was a spy until she told him herself.

It feels as if he’s been losing his adroitness.

The sudden urge to smoke came strong, and he had almost forgotten it's been almost two full days without his main substance to try to relax. He was just about to dig in his blazer for his usual pack of ciggies, but was stopped by the bindings of his wrists, attached to the horn of the saddle. This was quite frustrating.

“Can a man smoke?” He breaks the silence once more, glancing at the woman after observing their surroundings.

“Don’t have any.”

”A woman who doesn't smoke or drink,” he comments, intrigued even further by his kidnapper. “Christian?”

She chuckles, “Far from it.”

Silence once more. This woman was hard to break, albeit it’s only the second day of travel. Nothing around them looked familiar in any way. They were traveling on the edge of a forest. The left full of scattered trees, and the right covered in flat dry land. He had no idea where they were, or where they were going. And he has a feeling she won‘t bother to tell him, no matter how many times he asks.

Thomas figured he’ll have to wait a little bit longer to put a crack into her wall.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

What a February

Well...what a great couple of days to be stuck in the office, amiright? (I work mostly from home but on occasion I have to go into the office and of course some nice little royal bombs get dropped when I can't be here.)

I've gotten some anons about what's happened but I won't be posting them (sorry, everyone!). Because so much has happened, I think it would just be confusing to rehash some of it, and other asks were also sent to Empress and Sassy (nothing wrong with that! They were doing answers in real-time and they've said pretty much the same things I'd have said).

So to recap recent events:

2/5/24: Buckingham Palace announced King Charles has cancer. Fortuntely it was caught early, Charles is doing/feeling well, he's beginning treatment immediately.

2/6/24: Harry catches a last-minute flight to London. Clarence House puts out a story "business as usual, nothing to worry about, King can still work and he is still working" (i.e., Harry go home).

2/7/24: Harry arrives in London. He goes directly to Charles, who is delaying travel to Sandringham to see him. Harry's PR says they met for an hour, Meghan wanted to say hello/wish him well via Facetime but Charles declined, and Harry went to BP for the evening. The Daily Mail tracked the comings and goings from Clarence House and realized the meeting lasted less than 15 minutes, from the time of Harry's convoy entering the grounds to Charles's helicopter leaving. It is further revealed that Harry spent the night in a hotel, William didn't return Harry's calls, Harry didn't want Camilla involved in the meeting, and none of Harry's "friends" offered to host him for the night. Also, William makes his first public engagements since mid-January when Kate's treatment began; Tom Cruise is there.

2/8/24: Harry flies home. He's papped at Heathrow entering the VVIP suite (as one does). Wait, Harry's not at home! He's in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl (or the Superb Owl) and makes a surprise appearance to present the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. Sussex PR immediately begins telling everyone that Harry and Meghan will be attending the Super Bowl.

2/9/24: Lambrook School begins half-term break and the Wales family travels to Anmer Hall/Sandringham estate. Harry's appearance in Vegas gets picked up by the media.

2/10/24: Meghan's PR starts walking back their own rumors that they'll be in Vegas for the Super Bowl, citing the need to prepare for their Canada IG trip.

2/11/24: Super Bowl Sunday. No Harry and Meghan to be seen.

2/12/24: Meghan's PR reveals she spent the weekend cooking with Afghan immigrants in an Archewell initiative.

2/13/24: Harry and Meghan launch their newest rebranding effort with their new Sussex website with Meghan's coat of arms (rather than their joint coat of arms). Meghan announces a new podcast deal with someone no one has really heard of.

2/14/24: Harry and Meghan arrive in Vancouver for the "one year to 2025 Invictus Games." Meghan coordinates a photoshoot with outdoor activities; merches two outfits; and virtue-signals their "we're still royal" demands with Kate cosplay, a coat called Kensington, and a 'you can call us Sir/Ma'am' exchange caught on camera. In the evening they're papped going to a super-romantic Valentine's Day dinner date.

2/15/24: Day 2 of the Vancouver IG kickoff visit. They visit wheelchair basketball. Meghan gives her signature full-body contact-hugs. Sussex PR announce that the family has changed their surname to Sussex (from Mountbatten-Windsor) and this is the first time all family members have the same surname. Meghan also claps back at mounting criticism by saying "We will not be broken."

2/16/24: Day 3 of the Vancouver IG kickoff visit. Harry gives an interview to GMA's Will Reeve (son of the late Superman actor Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana) in which he blabs about Charles's cancer and reiterates how much he loves his family, hinting that he's available to come back. Sussex PR also drops an article in the afternoon (with BP collaboration) announcing Harry and Meghan's plan to return with half in/half out; this is very clearly one of Charles's trial balloons from Clarence House.

(Today) 2/17/24: Backlash to the trial balloon is swift, so Clarence House backtracks immediately and does damage control. Kensington Palace announces that William will attend the 2024 BAFTAs tomorrow. Half-term break for Lambrook School ends on February 19th so the Waleses are traveling back to London/Windsor this weekend. And Hollywood has fought back by leaking about their Netflix deal, which contradicts a ton of Meghan's PR from 2020/2021.

Since some of you have asked for my thoughts, here you go. I am warning you now it's probably going to be my usual essay.

On the new website:

The new Sussex website is a problem. It conveys a legitimacy to the public that Harry and Meghan do not have, which The Queen and Edward Young made very sure was publicly known back in 2020. In particular, it's the use of Meghan's coat of arms, which signals palace support or endorsement. IMO, Buckingham needs to force them to take the coat of arms down.

I suspect they are using Meghan's coat of arms because a) Meghan believes it was personally awarded to her and is hers to use as she wants, whereas Harry's coat of arms probably comes with strings from the BRF and b) it's CYA if ever there's a divorce - if you look at it from a business standpoint, this is nothing more than Meghan branding the company with her name so she can prove ownership when they're splitting assets in a divorce, increasing her chances of getting the "company."

What about Archewell?

They're probably phasing out Archewell. It doesn't have the same visual connection to Harry and Meghan that Sussex does. I think they struggled so much with Archewell and were never able to get it off the ground in terms of a brand or an identity, in part due to the COVID-era launch. Sussex is a much stronger association for them and connects them more tightly to the royal identity. Archewell will probably be either their nonprofit arm or their content creator arm but it won't be as important going forward as it's been in the past.

Frankly, I would be surprised if Archewell v Sussex branding didn't come up in the brand analysis that WME did when Meghan first signed with them. We know they did a brand analysis because there was a ton of PR in August 2023 about Harry and Meghan becoming separate brands, which didn't work at all and they were back together as a "Sussex" brand in September 2023 with Dusseldorf Invictus Games. Seeing the success of "Team Sussex" in Dusseldorf definitely informed the website and the rebranding attempt.

What about the timing of all this?

They're taking advantage of the quietness from the royal family. They do this every year like clockwork when 1) the BRF is on summer holidays (July through early September) and 2) the BRF is on winter holidays (late December through early February). What is unusual about this timing is that it's taking place in mid-February and possibly well into March, which is a clear signal that it's the Sussexes taking advantage of Kate's absence to draw attention to themselves because Kate isn't there to steal their headlines.

And that it was a whole week of Sussex PR is not unusual either. It's their usual pattern when they have something big they want to promote and dominate the news with. It's cyclical at this point: first is a reminder of their royal status (Harry flying to Charles's bedside), then it's a reminder of their celebrity status (the Super Bowl appearance), then it's a big announcement (Sussex website), culminating in a set of public engagements/appearances (Invictus Games) with media attention. And to keep the attention coming, they drop breadcrumbs about the royal family to look like they're still "in," which buys them a few extra days of coverage because Charles falls for the bait every time.

The more interesting bit of timing in all of this is the Netflix article. Netflix wouldn't randomly give comments like this, so something must have happened behind the scenes for them to be pushed to this particular breaking point. I feel like perhaps the Sussexes may be trying to renegotiate their deals - maybe they asked for more money or maybe Meghan is trying to get more out of this 'Meet Me at the Lake' production than was agreed - and this is Netflix making it clear that it's over and done. I also have a niggling feeling that it might be connected to the upcoming film awards (BAFTA Film Awards tomorrow, Oscars on March 10th) - maybe they're trying to score tickets to parties using Netflix's name?

Are they really going to come back? Will Charles let them work again?

Analytically, the evidence points to 'no.' The trial balloon failed quickly faster than any other I've seen recently, which is and isn't surprising. It's surprising how quickly Charles backtracked since it had his implicit endorsement. It's not surprising that Charles pulled it down - he's as thin-skinned as Harry and Meghan both are when it comes to criticism.

But it's also more than just the trial balloon. It's everything else.

Charles wants them back on the family side. That's always been pretty clear. I think he waffles on having them back on the "work" side: on the one hand, the BRF needs the help since 10 of The Queen's 14 working royals are elderly (all 5 Kents, the 2 Gloucesters, Charles and Camilla, and Anne) and 2 of the remaining 4 are dealing with a signficant health issue and are temporarily out of commission - in the business sense, this is unsustainable and untenable succession planning. But on the other hand, no one wants Harry and Meghan back, for a litany of reasons including how much shit they've talked about the family (collectively and individually), the petty PR games they play for attention, and the Sussexes' general toxicity. And by 'no one,' I mean family members, courtiers/staff, others in the aristocracy (not getting invites to the Grosvenor wedding is a huge reflection of what "their kind" thinks of teh Sussexes), and the at-large general public.

Charles probably has entertained the idea of half in/half out now that he's in charge and the Sussexes are now lovebombing him (vs in 2020 when they were lovebombing The Queen) but his biggest opposition is public support - it took Charles 30 years and 4 significant deaths (Diana, Queen Mother, Philip, and her own forthcoming death) to get The Queen's support for Camilla to become 'Queen Camilla and, in turn, the public's support or the public's indifference.

Charles doesn't have that kind of time to get the institutional and public support to bring Harry back. He's got 10 years at best, which is now handicapped by a cancer diagnosis.

Beyond that, he doesn't even have Harry and Meghan's cooperation the same way he had Camilla's cooperation. Camilla cooperated with a 10-year wait to be liked well enough that no one would object to her marrying Charles. Camilla then cooperated with a further 17-year wait to be liked well enough that the institution would support her becoming Queen.

Can Harry and Meghan wait that long? No. They can't. They couldn't wait an extra year to get engaged. They couldn't wait to have their first child. They couldn't wait out the criticism from Fall 2018. They couldn't wait out the criticism from Summer 2019. Harry couldn't wait for the phone-hacking settlement. When they want something, they want it now. They buy completed projects and slap their branding on it vs. developing their own programs.

Can Harry and Meghan cooperate with anyone? No. They can't. They couldn't cooperate with William and Kate on the Royal Foundation. They couldn't cooperate with the courtiers for Archie's birth. They couldn't cooperate with the family on Megxit. They couldn't cooperate with the rota for tour coverage. They need to be totally and fully in control of absolutely everything. Their idea of cooperation is 'I tell you what to do, you do it.'

And because they're too impatient and because they refuse to cooperate, there's no way they'll support a 10-years long PR drive for Charles to rehabilitate their public image and get William's support. Heck, they can't even last a 3-month media rebrand. Charles knows that, which I suspect is why he may be trying to fast-track it but 1) when has fast-tracking something ever gone well for the BRF and 2) William is the linchpin holding it all together. Charles can't do anything without William's support. Yes, William is that powerful now - the public does pay attention to what he and Kate signal and the public would support them more than they would support Charles. Charles can't risk losing William's favor any more than he already has.

The third reason stopping Charles from taking Harry and Meghan back as working royals is Camilla and that Harry doesn't want her involved. He admitted it last week when he didn't contradict her leak about it. IMO, this reveals Harry's hand: he wants to position himself (or Meghan and himself) as Camilla's alternate, the way Charles often stood in as Philip's alternate. They want Camilla to retire so they can take her place in prestige, wealth, and attention. It's the only way they can "be better" than William and Kate, and they probably think it's how they can get "more" in the inheritance than William. Unfortunately for them, Camilla is Charles's line in the sand so no way will Charles let that happen after he spent 30 years getting Camilla to be able to sit next to him, and on top of all that, Camilla herself didn't wait 30 years to be Queen just for a pair of narcisstic glassbowl shitheads to usurp her at the last second.

That's the "working royal" side of it.

When you look at the "family" side of it, we know that Charles is more accepting of allowing the Sussexes back as family members, albeit with two strict rules:

No Meghan

No royal work

We know these are Charles's rules because it's already been communicated to us, most especially in the events around the Queen's funeral and his own coronation.

We also know these are Charles's' terms because Harry is publicly fighting against them this week, which suggests that these may have been reiterated (or relitgated, perhaps) during the <15-minute visit on February 7th.

"We all finally have the same surname for the first time as a family" and "maybe I'll become an American' is Harry's way of telling Charles and the courtiers that all four of them are a package deal and they all move together (like Archie's salt and pepper shakers). Meaning that if Charles wants Harry back, Charles must also take Meghan, Archie, and Lili too.

The Vancouver trip being such a royal rip-off is Harry's way of demanding royal work. His position is that he and Meghan must have the exact same lifestyle now that they had back in 2018: a palace residence, glamorous patronages, military honors, gushy praising media coverage, carriage processions, and equal precedence to the entire Wales family.

All this to illustrate that the dividing line is over the work aspect.

On one side is everyone saying "no, they can't work, they're just family." On the other side is Harry and Meghan saying "we're not just family, we're also working royals." And Charles is there smack in the middle saying "don't make my last years miserable" begging someone to give in. It's clear that Charles hopes it will be the institution (i.e. William) that gives in so he can fast-track the rehabilitation.

So no, I don't think Charles and the Sussexes will succeed in being part-time working royals. I think we'll see a lot of negotiating in the coming weeks and months (like Sussex demands for Trooping) and it may get loud and it may look frighteningly real, but that's only because William and Kate are on leave from work and their absence lets Harry and Meghan play offense. Once the Waleses are working again, or a new picture of Kate is released (I'm still hedging my bets for something celebrating Mother's Day next month), the Sussexes go back to playing on defense, and playing poorly.

We only need to worry if William, Kate, and Camilla appear to be changing their minds. They represent "the institution" to Charles, as well as public support (William) and establishment media (Camilla). William continues to tell everyone he isn't speaking to Harry. Kate's body language at the Windsor Walkabout keeps resurfacing. Camilla has leaked that Harry doesn't want to see her when he visits Charles and that she doesn't support the Sussexes coming back. There's nothing to worry about for now.

[thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls]

i need to sleep but NAY JADELE ART MUST BE DRAWN!!!

[snowflakeanimelover]

I highly agree with this! Please go check it out❤️

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