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itsuki-minamy · 3 years ago

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PROFILE: KUSUHARA TAKERU

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Real name: Kusuhara Takeru

Terms of address: Kusahara

[PROFILE]

Birthday: May 5, Taurus

Blood type: O

Age: 20 (When he died.)

[APPEARANCE]

Physique: 1.69 cm in height.

Face, hair: Baby face like a child. Short hair.

Attire: Scepter 4 uniform.

Personal effects: Exclusive saber. Registered name "Ryuseimaru".

[HABITS, SKILLS]

· Scratches his head.

· Salute (custom of the riot police era).

[IMPRESSION, OTHER NOTES]

· Former member of Platoon Four. In the Platoon, he was good friends with Hidaka.

· After that, with the reorganization of "Scepter 4", he will practice fencing under the good rules of the "General Affairs Section Data Room".

[POSITION, OBJECTIVES]

A new recruit who has been withdrawn from the Metropolitan Police Department riot police to "Scepter 4".

In "Scepter 4", as a young member of the combat unit, other members love him.

[PERSONALITY, CONDUCT]

Friendly and sociable. He enters into relationships with walls without being afraid of them. As he often says things without thinking too much, he often becomes an "extra word", but, on the contrary, the atmosphere of the place often improves.

In terms of work, he is not right-handed, but since he tries to catch up with his surroundings in a direct effort, he is often loved by his superiors.

[FATE, ENDING]

He became the first martyr in the new "Scepter 4" under Reisi Munakata.

That death will have some effect on the organizational nature of "Scepter 4" that is being rebuilt.

[ABILITIES, TACTICS]

The sword is still bamboo for amateurs, but with intuitive reflex, he has the talent to take the "back point" of enemy attacks. This is a rare ability known as "Oni no Zenjo", which is associated with Zenjo Gouki, and will attract a lot of attention from the "Blue King" Munakata.

[POWER]

C- (Training in progress, still relatively weak for the clan member.)

[LIKES]

Curry, hamburger, etc. Infant palate.

[DISLIKE]

He is not good at scary stories.

[HOBBIES]

Baseball when he was a kid. He plays well sometimes, but there are a lot of mistakes.

He's basically the type of person who is in the circle of people, and he often has a lot of fun being invited by other people, like playing sports or going to live shows.

On the contrary, there is no particular enthusiastic hobby that he can deeply enjoy alone.

[FASHION]

Not so fashionable. The sense of plain clothes is safe.

He often roams the dojo premises in T-shirts.

[BODY]

The basic physical ability is not at all low, but the movement is somewhat clumsy.

In particular, despite the highly social nature, he sometimes disrupts the circle of collective action.

This is because the "reflex", which is too sensitive, is activated at an unexpected moment. "Time is off" in various ways.

[INTELLIGENCE]

He's not good at complicated thinking, but he's very intuitive and sometimes you notice a different perspective than others.

[BELIEFS]

Generally, he does not become ill-intentioned because of the bad faith of others and acts well.

This is also because instinctual reflex drives hostility towards oneself. Most people think they can understand him by speaking, and if not, they instinctively avoid or treat him.

[RELATIONSHIPS]

[EARLY YEARS]

Although he lived in the society of common people, he witnessed a Strain case and the dispatch of "Scepter 4" during the new era of riot police, and at the same time, he found his talent in the "Blue King" Munakata and in the world of people with powers. He then he went into "Scepter 4".

[TIMELINE]

· 1992, Kusuhara Takeru is born.

· 2011, Summer. At 19 he meets Munakata.

· 2011, Winter. Spring 2012. He is enlisted and appointed to the Sword Movements Section of Scepter 4.

· 2012, May. He moved into the General Affairs Division room. He is trained by Zenjo Gouki.

· 2012, June. Assigned to the Special Task Force. He dies on his first mission protecting Munakata.

[ATTITUDE AND THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS]

[TERMS OF THE ADDRESS FOR HIMSELF]

The first person is "Boku". The second person is "Anata", "(Person's name)-san", and so on.

Basically, there are a lot of conversations from a "currently junior" point of view. The tone is usually honorific. If he has a close older friend, he may have a bad tone.

[TOWARDS REISI MUNAKATA]

He calls him "Captain".

No matter how good or bad everyone is, he will not hesitate to speak to the Blue King Munakata, and will openly question even his peculiar words.

There is no such thing within Scepter 4, and if Munakata keeps Kusuhara close, the air within Scepter 4 may have changed.

[TOWARDS ZENJO GOUKI]

He calls him "Zenjo-san".

Zenjo Gouki opens his mind even when he tries to stay away from other people, just like he does with other humans. Also, he acts as a caretaker for Zenjo who is clumsy.

This was also Munakata's order in anticipation of Kusuhara's personality and compatibility, but in the end, due to Kusuhara's death, Zenjo's attitude became stubborn again.

[TOWARDS AKIRA HIDAKA AND GROUP 4]

He calls them using the "-san".

Compared to other peers, the relationship is somewhat close.

Standing position like a younger brother of four. He especially likes Hidaka.

#k #k project #k fan clan #Kusuhara Takeru #profile Kusuhara Takeru

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hopeled · 4 years ago

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knives in the backs of martyrs.

[RANK UP CHALLENGE: DRABBLE]

at first, she pretends she doesn't see it.

when she dragged herself outside for fresh air after sleeping all day on the couch, she did not expect to see it. towering over every building in sight, branches extend up and outwards into the sky. an array of golds & pinks coloring the cracks in the 'bark' as it pulsated with power. the sight alone makes her blood run cold, sends a shiver down her spine that is not born from the cool evening air. no, Ritsuka knows what caused it-- what has made her frozen in both shock and fear. it’s a Tree of Emptiness. in Spirale. in this place she sometimes thought of as a home away from home (but always a place she could never stay long, a gilded cage.). it confirms a longtime suspicion-- worry, even. when she first arrived here. back then, it was only the thought of a Singularity and not the horror of a Lostbelt. but there is that tree. there is the fog surrounding this place, like those stormwalls. and....she is the only one that sees it. why else would the city remain quiet and at peace at such a sight? it is hidden from them. of course it is and it would remain so. ( her command spells hum with a familiar feeling. another sign. ) it seems that whatever had been hiding it has decided: no more. and now, she is faced with a choice. a choice with only one answer.

for the first day, she pretends.

it’s difficult. those who know her look at her with concern, able to tell so easily that something was not right. she doesn’t like lying to them.

‘ what’s wrong, senpai? you look pale... ‘

‘ master. sleep is essential to the upkeep of cognitive functions. do you require assistance in achieving it?

‘ the pews are quite comfortable. i can assure that you will not be disturbed. ‘

she would always shrug it off, play it up with a smile, blame it on work. and yet, every second of the day, the sight of that tree would be right there, haunting the edge of her sight. she was playing a fool’s game, going on as she was. she pretends, but it’s pointless. Ritsuka knows this. she knows that her actions are only prolonging the inevitable, clinging onto some misplaced hope that it would go away if she left it be. that it would act as those Singularities that sprung up after the world was bleached, something that would vanish in time, needing no intervention. but even then, she couldn’t leave it be. any suggestion was always met with ‘ you know i can’t do that.’ and who better to know herself than her? so, she pretends. for a little while longer, she goes in with this ‘life’ here. ( like in Russia, she feigns ignorance. but this is not a waiting game for when the realization would tear her two. she already knew it from the start and it saves her that break. but only that. )

for one week, she acts as if nothing as wrong.

-----------------------------

it’s been a long time since she last summoned a Servant. the flow of mana and surge of presence as they manifest is a familiar one to her, but even so, it feels....almost foreign, in a way. there was six; enough to handle the tree-- Rider: Achilles. Archer: Arjuna. Saber: Arturia Alter. Assassin: King Hassan. Berserker: Vlad. Ruler: Sherlock Holmes -- enough to bring this Lostbelt down and put an end to it.

( guilt jabs at her heart, piercing it without remorse. put an end to it? yes. yes, i have to put an end to it. )

-----------------------------

she is thankful that she did not see them before she left. those she has come to call friends, people she is close to, ones she does her best to at least look out for. those Servants she knew were busy doing whatever it was they occuppied their time with: business, fun, simply relaxing and enjoying a life without the worry of war. familiar faces she had spoken to once in awhile, but never really knew, continued on as they did. she had spotted Yelena from behind, traversing the Star Trail hand in hand with that former enemy of Ritsuka’s. they looked peaceful; happy. she had even spotted him on a few occassions, reading some (probably) boring book under the sun. ironic, she thought. this would be the second time, wouldn’t it? destruction at her hands. she almost laughed at that.

and then there was Mashu, who had fallen asleep, curled up with Fou nestled in her arms. Ritsuka knows she’s been making her worried sick, as best as the Shielder had tried to hide it. not just with...this, but everything before. Dr. Roman had said how hiding the truth from her was wrong. would he say that now, she wonders? that now the truth she was hiding was far more damaging than anyone could know? ( would you still want me to tell her? ) she had covered Mashu with a blanket before leaving the house for the last time, taking care to brush aside the girl’s bangs and placing her glasses on the bedside table.

a bit rude, wasn’t it? a bit cowardly, even, to use the cover of night to leave without questions from her, from anyone. to them, it was just another day in the city, another day of life. they didn’t know. they didn’t see it. and it’s better that way, Ritsuka thinks. better that they die without knowing the truth of it, without feeling the pain of it. it’s why she picked the dark, with only the stars as her witness, to do this.

at least this can be the one mercy she can give them.

-----------------------------

the tree falls.

not the way it does in the forest. no, this disintegrates, crumbling from the top down. out of the six Servants, only two are left standing as the battle draws to a close. her body is beyond its limit and yet, still it stands. the adrenaline is the only thing keeping her upright as she watches the beginning of the end. this Lostbelt was collapsing. the very thing holding it together, the Tree of Emptiness, is no more, leaving only that same, gaping hole at the center of it all. the sky cracks like fractured glass, misplacing the stars and splitting the sight of the moon in two. she watches. she watches it all. unlike Russia, there is no melody playing. unlinke Scandinavia, there is no gentle wind. there is only the silence and it is deafening.

she’s tired.

she doesn’t know when her legs give out on her, nor when she eneded up being carried by Vlad, but she cannot find the strength to ask . the earth itself rumbles with quakes as piece by piece, the Lostbelt -- and everything in it -- ceases to exist. she can faintly hear Arjuna speaking to da Vinci from the Shadow Border ( where was it at, again? why did she forget..?) but she can’t make out the words clearly. it all sounds as if she is in a tunnel and their voices are echoing from an end she can’t find.

she wants to leave. she wants to be back in the Shadow Border now, back in her bed within it, and to collapse into a dreamless slumber. no matter how uncomfortable it can be, her weary body has never cared. as long as it had a place to rest, that was all that mattered. she wants to sleep and sleep and sleep this dream-turned-nightmare away, until it’s nothing more than a hazy memory. (but it would never be a hazy memory. she remembered far too well. always.) she cannot say for them to hurry-- it takes too much effort. at best, Ritsuka can only keep her head still against the Berserker’s shoulder in silence.

she can hardly keep her eyes open, lids fluttering as she struggles to keep a grasp on being awake. she needs to see this; needs to see the end of Spirale. she owed that to each and every fragment of history, every world, that has been culled and this city was no different. ( she wishes it was. it would hurt less. if only she had known from the start.) no.... no it was different. she always knew she would have blood on her hands. Patxi had told her she would never be able to pretend otherwise. but never did she think the blood would be like this; not just that of strangers, people simply living their lives, but of friends too. and as she forces her eyes to open, to focus, everything is....blurry. as if she's deep underwater, unable to reach the surface. her cheeks feel wet. was it blood? tears? she can’t tell. she can’t see straight and that is more worrisome than anything else. she has to see.

no. let me....let me see.....

there’s an encroaching darkness. it dims the edges of her sight, slowly smothering her conciousness despite her efforts to fight it back.

stay....awake. i need-- i need to....please....why....?

she can’t think straight. her thoughs are fragmented. mismatched words and feelings. too much to make sense and too little to understand, it leaves her floundering for something, anything, to latch onto it. but the only thing found is a pull too strong for her to resist. like Aphrodite's song, she has no choice but to fall under its spell--

-- fall and sink further into the darkness, letting it swallow her whole.

#drabble tbt.#rank up challenge tbt.#SLAMS THIS OUT #i'll do the post-challenge drabble later tonight #not do post #yeah i did two what about it

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loner-viking · 5 years ago

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A king without greed is even worse than a figurehead! Saber. You said you would become a martyr for your ideals. In life, you must have been a pure saint. A proud and noble figure, certainly. But who can truly admire the martyr’s thorny path? Who dreams of such an ending? A king… The king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh louder and rage harder. He must exemplify the extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy and adore him. And why the flames of aspiration, to be as the king is, can burn within his people. Proud king of chivalry… The righteousness and ideals you bore may indeed have saved your nation once. However, I’m certain you know what became of those who were saved, but left to themselves.

Rider

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acecombatmutual · 5 years ago

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ok ok okay so like. seiba gush under the cut

what really seriously one hit KOs me about her is that like OKAY in story of idylls of the king in the guinivere part (iirc thats what its called) when guin is in the nunnery trying to atone for her sins or w/e, arthur actually comes to see her and despite the fact thFUCK let me get the book out let me quote him direclty

‘nevertheless, o guinivere, in spite of it all, i love the still! let no man dream but that i love thee still! perchance, if thou purify thy soul and lean on our fair father christ, hereafter in that world where all are pure we may two meet before high god, and thou wilt spring to me, and claim thee mine, and know i am thy husband�� LIKE FUCK god okay theres another quote

‘but shameful sin with lancelot corrupted all my court, and smote all that my heart most desired; so that i care not greatly if i lose my life’

and from the opening of ‘the passing of arthur’: ;when king arthur rode forth from his farewell of the humbled queen at the covenant in almsbury, his heart lay dead within him. he ahd lost faith in the world, and in himself, and, as he told the queen, he did not greatly care to live.’

LIKE and then like in fate zero- in fate zeros final episodes when arturia is like ‘how could i expect to know a man from three command seals when i couldnt know those closest to me’ and ‘perhaps it was not i who should have been king’ and the ENTIRE holy grail dialogue episode where she has to defend herself for acting like a martyr because britain needed it- like, good lord, the amount of pain shes been through really just one hit KOs me BUT LIKE here is the thing HERE is the thing throughout ALL of that she CONTINUES to stay kind like my utmost favorite example is that scene with guinivere- the real monologue in the book is like two and a half pages & i almost cried reading it but FUCKING GOD all of her strength comes from kindness!!! fuck!!! she is so kind and strong and brave and smart and FUCK!!!!!!

in the grail meeting episode too (rewatching it as we speak) she LITERALLY just takes all the blame for britain falling & im just One Hit KO’d.. LIKE she says (paraphrasing) that a king should be able to make any sacrifice for their country and iskandar & gil just fucking Jump On Her Ass About It????

(‘we are heroes because we are tyrants’ saber alter)

‘so you a king are a slave to what is right’ ‘i am- kings are martyrs to their ideals’ ‘did you never stop to think about those who fought for you; you may have indeed saved them but you never led them; you followed your ideals to the end and thus you are no true king’ LIKE FUCK MAN FUCK!!!!!!!!!! FUCK MAN FUCK!!! GILGAMESH IMMEDIATELY STARTS LAUGHING @ HER AFTER THIS PART FUCK MAN....

ANYWAY i really do love seiba this post is disjointed and disorganized but i NEEDED to gush because uauuauuauauauauauauauuauauauauauaauuauuauauauauauauuauauauau (EXPLODES) PLEASE READ STORY OF IDYLLS OF THE KING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

#go sakura beam

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ganymedesclock · 6 years ago

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If it was up to you and there were FIVE Sincline Ships instead of three, what personalities/values/traits would you give each one? Would they be identical to the Lions, or else similar, or even different?

While I haven’t gotten to talk about it much on the blog proper (I’m trying to actually write the story, so that is somewhat shutting my spoilery mouth) this is one of the big concepts behind my fan-continuity, Voltron Wayfarer.

That said, I think the three Sincline ships were a reference to Albegas. Roughly: ��classic Voltron” is actually two shows stuck together, Beast King GoLion (that contains the parts we’d think of as more traditionally Voltron, with five Lion-shaped ships, Zarkon, Haggar, and Lotor) and Armored Fleet Dairugger (which became “Vehicle Voltron” and was a fifteen-man crew split into three different teams of five pilots each. They were alluded to heavily in Pidge’s ending scenes- you can see most of the VV crew standing around Pidge, and Chip is spotlit- he’s not a robot in the original Vehicle Voltron, but he is one of the VV pilots)

There was a third series that they planned to add to the continuity to become “Gladiator Voltron”- that was Albegas. Albegas had three components- Alpha, Beta, and Omega (you see where it got its name) and had the interesting property that it could take different forms based on which mecha stacked on top of it. So, in that sense, while my personal interest is splitting Sincline into five rather than into three, and setting it up more as a parallel to Voltron, I think you could have some real fun with the three-ship formation with the idea that Sincline would have different forms based on reshuffling its composition. It would align very much with how a lot of Lotor’s personal technology is set up- like the 360 wing fighters that steer by altering their position.

That said, here are my concepts of the five Sincline Lions (not necessarily 100% canon for Wayfarer since I”m still working on the Sincline Lion designs there, so this is just going to be based off of VLD’s Sincline)

Just in general I kinda like to imagine the Sincline Lions wouldn’t have solid blocks of color on their bodies like the Voltron Lions do, but, would rather have tiger stripes, giving them something of the look of a liger, reflecting how significant it is to Team Sincline that they’re all sort of “of two worlds.”

White

Counterpart to the Black Lion and the head of Sincline. Lotor’s Lion. Smaller wings compared to Black comprised of glowing pink ‘petals’, but has a long, dragon-like tail. The Mediator, leadership as evaluation and unification of disparate components.

Rather than wings, summons something like a peacock train as part of its teleportation attack. Capable of using mesmerizing shows of light to disorient foes and project its presence where it isn’t.

In Lotor’s hands, the white bayard takes the form of a basket-hilt sword with a sectioning whip-blade.

Cyan

Counterpart to the Red Lion and the right arm of Sincline. Acxa’s Lion. Slightly bigger than Red, but with a sleeker shape. The Herald, loyalty as a devotion to ideals and honor rather than a singular person.

Fire breath is narrowed to an intense, short-range blue flame capable of cutting through almost anything in its path. Multiple nested jets throughout its body allow impressive precision control of trajectory, though it is an incredibly difficult system to master and use effectively with Cyan’s potent top speed.

In Acxa’s hands, the cyan bayard takes the form of either a short-bladed katar or a blaster.

Pink

Counterpart to the Green Lion and the left arm of Sincline. Narti’s Lion. Completely eyeless. The Mystic, curiosity as an openness to all channels around it.

Capable of emitting an electrical pulse that at low levels allows it to sense its surroundings including cloaked entities. At high levels the same pulse becomes a potent disruptor that scrambles other sensing equipment.

In Narti’s hands, the pink bayard takes the form of a clawed gauntlet for climbing and close-quarters combat.

Orange

Counterpart to the Blue Lion and the right leg of Sincline. Ezor’s Lion. Has colorful markings. The Infiltrator, empathy as a willingness to forge into hostile territory for the benefit of the team.

Manufactures and sprays a corrosive acid capable of eating through enemy ships and physical barriers. This chemical manufacture and spraying equipment can be repurposed for numerous different results, including a super-chilling fog that ices up anything it strikes.

In Ezor’s hands, the orange bayard takes the form of a kusarigama.

Indigo

Counterpart to the Yellow Lion and the left leg of Sincline. Zethrid’s Lion. Features protruding saber tusks from its upper jaw. The Martyr, compassion as becoming a shield to allies and a punishing instrument against enemies.

Capable of projecting spikes from multiple points in its body that can be used to ram and snare attacking foes, dealing damage and grappling them in place. The spikes can also be fired to embed in an enemy and anchor tethers to allow Indigo to haul them around or slow them down, or better secure the Lion to its environment.

In Zethrid’s hands, the indigo bayard takes the form of a shoulder-mounted artillery piece.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Sincline #readmore #sepublic

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aftaabmagazine · 6 years ago

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From Aryana to Afghanistan: The Historic Role of the Afghan Flag

By Mir Hekmatullah Sadat From the April - September 1999 issue of Afghan Magazine | Lemar-Aftaab

[caption: the first Afghan flag of the last century]

Mir Hekmatullah Sadat writes about the historical significance of flags in the course of human history. He also explains the background of the various flags of Afghanistan. The "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century" was awarded to the Central Asian nation, a sign of the political volatility it faced during the last century.

According to Flags of the World, "Since time immemorial man has felt the need of some sign or symbol as a mark to distinguish himself, his family or country, and such symbols have taken many different forms, of which one is the flag" (Barraclough, 1978). Political scientists, historians, sociologists, and others recognize flags as artifacts expressive of cultures of certain times and places. The scholarly study of the history, symbolism, etiquette, design, manufacture, and other aspects of flags is known as "Vexillology" stemming from the Latin word "vexillum" (banner) which was coined by Dr. Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Centre. According to Fruhlinger (1996, Nov 26),

The vexillum (pl. vexilla; "v" pronounced like an English "w" in classical Latin) was the term for the standard carried by the Roman legion. This word is itself a diminutive for "velum," sail, which confirms the art historical evidence (from coins and sculpture) that vexilla were literally "little sails," i.e., flag-like. (Velum in English has various specialized meanings, mostly about sail-like things: the membranes of certain mollusks, and a kind of drafting paper, bear the name.) The word velum comes from the Indo-European roots VAG- or VEH-, involving motion. These produced the Germanic words that became Saxon (and later English) words like wagon and way, which are unrelated to the flying verbs above.

In the rich and diverse cultural-linguistic heritage of Afghanistan, there exist numerous words for flag such as bayraq (incorporated from the Turkish language), parcham (in Dari), lewa (religious purposes such as Islamic), darafs (dating back to the Aryana era), alam (military purposes), togh (used in holy shrines), and janda (for holy shrine purposes). The flag, over the centuries, has developed many specialized uses.

Flags recognizable as such were the invention, almost certainly, of the ancient civilization of China and the Indian subcontinent. The first "flags" consisted of symbols attached to the tops of poles. Such flaglike objects appear in Egyptian art of the mid-3000's BC. Cloth flags were probably first used in China about 3000 BC. These flags were made of silk. Barraclough (1978) informs us that in 1122 BC, the founder of the Chou dynasty in China had a white flag carried before him. It is also known that in 660 AD a minor prince was punished for failing to lower his feudal flag before the emperor. Flags had equal importance in ancient India, being carried on chariots and elephants.

Originally, flags took the form of cloth or similar material displaying the insignia of a community, an armed force, an office, or an individual. It marked the position of an important individual before a battle, during a siege, throughout a ceremony, or at a tournament. For the monarch or feudal lord, it marked the palace, castle, saluting base, tent, or ship where he was actually present. The royal flag had all the attributes of kingship, being identified with the ruler and treated with similar respect. It was thus a crime even to touch the flag-bearer. The flag was the first object of attack in battle, and its fall would mean confusion if not defeat. The monarch would rarely expose his flag and his person together; the flag is normally entrusted to a general. Flags are now extensively employed for signaling, for decoration, and display.

In recent times the issue of flag burning busied the United States Supreme Court. Incinerating a nation's flag often signifies political protest and a great insult. Also, when the flag of one country is placed above that of another, the victory of the former is denoted. Hence, in time of peace, it would be an indignity to hoist the flag of one friendly nation above that of another. Each national flag must be flown from its flagstaff. To denoted honor and respect, a flag is dipped. When troops parade before a sovereign or other reviewing officer, the regimental flags are lowered as they salute superiors. A flag flying at half-mast is the universal symbol of mourning. The white flags are universally used as a flag of truce.

The color and designs of national flags are not arbitrarily selected but rather stem from the history, culture, or religion of the particular country. Many flags can be traced to a common origin, and such 'flag families' are often linked both by a common tradition and by geography. In the Middle East, the predominance of Islam has generally influenced flags to been comprised of the four traditional Muslim colors of red, white, green, and black. Many of these flags use one or several of these colors in the tricolor format along with some emblem.

The black color in the Afghan flag is derived from the Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) time. Black was the color of Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) banner. The flag was heroically carried and hoisted into the battles, from the 822 AD to 1022 AD (2nd to 4th century Hijri).

According to Ghobar (1963), the black flag was raised again by Abu Muslim Khorasani in 746 AD in the city of Marwa. Khorasani was a General and leader who rose through the ranks in the ancient land of Afghanistan, Khorasan. Abu Muslim, dressed in black attire, led the revolutionary movement for people's independence and an end to taxation without representation in Khorasan. Abu Muslim declared himself Shahan-shah Khorasan in reward for his services to the Abbasid caliph. The Abbasid dynasty still depended on him to keep order because Abu Muslim had the support of the inhabitants of Khorasan. This movement changed the base for influence in the Islamic World. The base became international, emphasizing membership in the community of Muslim believers rather than Arab nationality. The black color symbolized the struggle for independence and the Muslim guardians in the Abbasid era in 746 AD (129 Hijri).

From the 9th century until the 10th century, the Ghaznavid era took root on present-day Afghanistan. Ghaznavid power reached its zenith during Sultan Mahmud's reign. During this period, the palace of Lashkari Bazar near Lashkar Gah just north of Qalah-e Bust, Kandahar was built. The famous poet Ferdowsi (d.1020 AD) completed his epic Book of Kings (Shahnama) at the court of Sultan Mahmud in the year 1010. During this period, the color red became the standard color of the Ghaznavid Civilization. This strong culture continued where Abu Muslim Khorasani left off. He forged an empire that stretched from the Oxus to the Indus Valley and the Indian Ocean; in the west, he captured most of Persia and eventually encapsulated North Africa and the Middle East. The Ghaznavid's influenced the inhabitants of what is referred to as Pakistan to embrace Islam. A devout Muslim, Mahmud expanded the frontiers of the Islamic World. The red color came to represent the blood of the martyrs of Islam and the valor of the brave ghazis (fighters/warriors).

According to Sadat, Ahmad Shah Baba, for the united government of Afghanistan, chose a national insignia representative of a sword, a star, and ears of corn which were also included in the flag of Afghanistan (3). The ears of corn are symbolic of the agricultural nature of Afghanistan. Moreover, the two ears of corn are symbolic of the first Loya Jirga in 1747. It was then that all the various tribes united and chose Ahmad Shah Baba as their first formal Afghan leader. The famous dervish, Saber Shah Kabuli, crowned the ears of corn upon his head to signal the prosperity of his reign.

About a century later, among the Ghazis and other heroes lays the stories of brave women such as Malalai. In today's political atmosphere, where women are treated as property the achievements of women like Malalai must be noted. Her patriotism and struggle were exemplified during the Battle of Maiwand on July 29, 1879, where the victorious Afghans led by Sardar Ayub Khan ensured victory over the British forces. Throughout the midst of shelling and warfare, Malalai stood firm and kept the red flag of war aloft to the last minute until success was declared. The red has come to symbolize the lives and sacrifices of brave warriors for the preservation of their motherland and religion.

After the expulsion of British colonialism, Afghans hoisted again the green color. It represented a new beginning and was the color of the Prophet's turban. The color green has an even deeper meaning in our history of the land. During a Naw-Bahar (early spring), a tradition dating back to the Aryana civilization, a green flag would be flown to commemorate the season. Green symbolizes vegetation, lushness, and prosperity. Besides this tradition, green has become a favorite color in the Islamic world noticeable in many nations' flags.

Similar to the color of the flag, there have existed many emblems. In the course of history, the emblems have assumed various shapes and forms. Lions are often referred to as the king of the animal kingdom; therefore, many civilizations adopted that animal as their emblem.

Five thousand years ago in present-day Afghanistan, the first flag for a formal government belonged to King Yama. According to historical texts, this flag is referred to as Darafsh-Aryana. The first capital of the Aryan civilization was in Balkh, known then as Bukhd or Bukhdis. This city was symbolic of a united culture and enlightenment. The ancient flags were comprised of peacock feathers with the sun as their emblem. Ahmad Shah Baba and his Abdali descendants symbolized this heritage by using peacock as ornaments on their crown. Legends describe the beautiful high flags flown from the city's lofty towers.

According to ancient Dari folklore tales, there exist legends regarding Kawa-e Hadad (the leather flag of a Blacksmith) which resembled a flag. Many poems and poets such as Ferdowsi have written interesting books and articles regarding Kawa-e Hadad. Kawa-e Hadad is a symbol of the resistance movement against the corrupt King Zahak. Kawa is a leather-material used to generate air with it for the refreshment of the fire so that the metal becomes hot and can be smelted. A famous blacksmith raised his Kawa, as a form of a flag, to lead the resistance against Zahak who wanted to sacrifice the blacksmith's son. The other inhabitants of the city allied themselves with the blacksmith and this movement were so successful that it dethroned an evil king. Later on, this Kawa or leather flag used by the blacksmith came to be globally known as Darafsh-e Kawiani.

A settlement existed at Balkh as early as 500 BC, and the town was visited by the Greeks, the Turks, Kushans, and Arabs. During the 8th century, Balkh became the capital of Khorasan. At the time of the Abbasids and Samanids, Balkh earned its name as capital and center of learning earned it the title Mother of Cities (Umm al-Bilad). This city produced was the birthplace of Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi (Rumi). Unfortunately, like many of us, Maulana's had to migrate because of the region pillaged by the Mongol invaders under Ghengis Khan in 1220.

In the 19th century AD (13th century Hijri), the state emblem appeared as a minbar (pulpit) under an arch on a flag. It is from the pulpit that the faithful are led to the right path, the path leading to salvation, justice, and freedom. This emblem was symbolized of worship and faith among Muslims in Afghanistan. In modern times, since about 1890, the state emblem has been a stylized picture of an open mosque with a praying mihrab (a mark in the wall of a mosque) and pulpit. This is the constant reminder of the influence of Islam because the mihrabs of mosques always point towards Mecca, the direction in which all Muslims pray. The pulpit and the arch are representative of Islam.

After a study of various flags used in different eras of Afghan history, the flag was again augmented to fulfill the patriotic needs of the Afghan people. In the early part of this century, a Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) convened in 1928 after Shah Amanullah Ghazi's tour of Europe chose to add to the existing national flag three vertical fringes, a wreath of wheat, a rising sun, and a star; to the foot some snowy mountains and a tape with the inscriptions "Afghanistan."

The wreath of wheat (two ears of corn) symbolizes agriculture and refers to the tradition that one of the army officers, Ahmad Shah Baba, was chosen monarch in 1747 at a tribal council and crowned with such a wreath by the famous dervish Kabuli. The sunrays resemble the old name of Afghanistan, Khorasan meaning, "land of the rising sun." It symbolizes freedom and promises a new bright future.

Subsequent national flags also included a cogwheel and an open book. The cogwheel was chosen for its symbolism of the forthcoming industrialization; the open book represented the Holy Quran and knowledge of the past and future to come. Also, the prior mentioned colors green, red, and black were incorporated into a tricolor flag. The tricolor flag took the shape of black, red, and green vertical stripes. Shah Amanullah Ghazi led Afghanistan to independence in 1919 and similarly raised the first nationally independent flag since the mid-1800's century. The arms and colors designed appealed to the patriotic and religious sentiments of the Afghan people.

After Muhammad Nadir Khan was proclaimed king in 1933 through his comrade-in-arms, the Amani flag was restored, the old shield was included, as a concession to those in favor of tradition and the return of Shah Amanullah Ghazi to the throne. Contrary to the prior mentioned approach, Nadir Khan did change the color of the royal flag. The royal flag which was the color black since the days of Dost Muhammad Khan changed to red during Nadir Khan's reign.

On September 2, 1947, the Independence of Pashtunistan was proclaimed, although this was never realized during the decolonization of British India. The provisional flag symbolic of this movement was a red flag with inscriptions "Pashtunistan" or "Pashtunistan Zindabad" (Long Live Pashtunistan). The flag was comprised in a diagonal or semicircular form. This Pashtunistan issue reached its peak in 1955. At that time, Afghan protesters stormed Pakistan's Embassy in Kabul, as well as, the Consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar. The demonstrators expressed their sentiments towards Pakistan's policies by incinerating their flag. Almost forty years later, the conflict with Pakistan reopened old wounds, and in 1994 this act was repeated in Kabul.

President Muhammad Daud changed the tricolor pattern to a horizontal shape in 1973, and the national insignia was modified to contain ears of corn, pulpit, and sunrays. More impressive than any of these changes was the re-introduction of the eagle into the flag. According to Lawrence Keppie, The Making of the Roman Army, "Marius [Gaius Marius, a Roman General] is also credited with making the eagle the legion's first standard, and a focus of loyalty and affection." In ancient times, the emblems often bore a resemblance to lions and eagles. The lion was widely used as a symbol of strength and courage, and the eagle was often used to signify powerful, swift, high flying, and graceful flight, and keen vision. Eagles are representative emblems of the original Aryan Civilization.

The Aryans lived in the high mountainous areas of the region where their foremost animal companions were the beautiful eagles. In ancient legends told throughout Afghanistan, the eagle has had a sovereign place in society. In those times when a tribe chose their leader or when tribes chose a king; they would gather at a place and let the eagle take flight. Whoever's shoulder or head the eagle perched on would be designated as their rightful leader. There is also an Afghan saying regarding good luck: Oqab-e padshahi bar sarash nishasta ast (A royal eagle has perched on his/her head). Moreover, the eagle is said to represent the legendary bird that brought a crown for the first king of Afghanistan, Yama.

In the twentieth century, the Afghan flag took slightly different shapes; however, it still contained significant commonalities. The colors of the flag were usually interpreted as standing for progress from the dark times of the past sacrifices to prosperity. Black stood for the past flags, red for the bloodshed of heroes for independence, and green is symbolic of the Islamic faith and hope in the future. Although the exact form of the flag has been changed several times, these colors are recognized as the national color.

The myths, legends, and historical incidents concerning the Afghan flag and the emblems, therefore, present a variety of cultural riches. The liberation of the people of Khorasan and the dawn of a new day is represented by the rising sun. The flag has contained in its coat of arms such ears of corn and eagles remind the Afghan people of their heritage and their honorable roots. The Holy Quran, mihrab, mosque, and minbar are seen as emblems of religious enlightenment and faith as they indicate the direction of Mecca.

During the summer of 1992, the government handed over the administration of the country to an exiled provisional government located in Pakistan. As of June 5, 1992, the new rulers of Kabul had not yet altered the official flag. In the opening parade of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, the Afghan delegation paraded with the legal flag consecrated by the Constitution of 1987. In the past decade, After 1992, the Afghan flag has changed so much that experts have gone so far as awarding the title, "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century" to the Afghan flag.

According to Talocci (1982), flags are an everyday object, yet the vast majority of people are quite ignorant of them. While most individuals can recognize a half dozen national flags, generally little or nothing is known of their history, symbolism, or usage. Adults, as well as children, are attracted by the bright colors and motion of flags. Rarely there is consideration given to why flags are used or what they mean. The flag is a reminder of lost territories, of patriot heroes, of hopes for a better future, of the promises of religions and political systems, of the sanctity of the ways of past generations. The American Revolution of 1775-1783 and the French Revolution of 1789 in large part created the modern sense of citizen participation in the formation of the nation which nowadays we take for granted (pages 7-8).

The flag was based on the will of the Afghan people in both religious and national tradition relative to the history of the land. Throughout history, the Afghan flag has represented sanctity for those seeking refuge in it, national liberation from oppression, and was always designed by aspirations from environmental and philosophical symbols.

The existence of Afghanistan's national flag has not easily been handed to its citizens who have sacrificed themselves for their people. Therefore, individuals' loyalties and allegiances to their homeland should surpass other individualistic or sectarian interests. Furthermore, under Chapter 1, Article 1, of the United Nations' Charter, Afghanistan must be allowed to regain its "self-determination" from exploitative neighboring and regional countries.

Chronology of the Century's Past Flags of the past century.

Afghanistan was awarded "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century".

1901-1919: Black field with a central white emblem of mosque, flags, and wreath.

1919 - September 1928: Same, except central emblem surrounded by an eight-pointed sunburst.

September 1928 - January1929: Vertical black, red, green. Central white emblem of mountains, sun, wreath, topped by a star.

January 1929 - October 1929: red, black, and white tricolor.

October 1929-1933: Same three-striped field, but using earlier emblem used periodically between 1901-1928 surrounded by a sunburst.

1933-1973: Same three-striped field, central white emblem of mosque, flags, and wreath.

July 1973 - April 1978: Horizontal field, lower half-green, the upper half is black over red. The emblem in the upper hoist of eagle, pulpit, wreath, sunburst. Designed by Youssef Kohzad for Sardar Daoud Khan.

April 1978 - December 1979: Red Field with a gold emblem in upper hoist consisting of script characters saying "Khalq" (Masses Party), wreath, and star.

January 1980 - November 1987: Three equal horizontal stripes of black over red over green. The multicolor emblem in the upper hoist of pulpit, book, wreath, sunburst, topped by cogwheel and a star.

November1987 - April 1992: Same as previous, but emblem lacks book and a red star. Also, the cogwheel was relocated to the bottom and the green "horizon" below the sunburst is now curved.

April 1992 - December 1992: Three equal horizontal stripes of green, white, black with white text on green stripe saying Allah Akbar (God is Great) and black text on white stripe saying the Shahadat.

December 1992 - August 1996: Same three stripes with a golden emblem similar to past flags centered in the middle.

1996 - 2001: The flag (at least initially) was a plain white banner, later incorporated the inscriptions of the Shahadat in the center.

Refernece

Barraclough, E.M. (1978). Flags of the World. London: Frederick Warne.

Fruhlinger, J. (1996). Etymology of Vexillological Terminology." FOTW Flags Of The World Website. http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/flagetym.html

Ghobar, G.M. (1963). Afghanistan dar Massir-e Tarikh. Kabul. P. 77.

Sadat, M.E. (1998). Afghanistan sar Zamim Hamasa wa Fajaha. Germany. P.3.

By Mir Hekmatullah Sadat

Mir Hekmatullah Sadat has a BA from the University of California, Irvine and an MA the California State University, Fullerton, and a PhD at Claremont Graduate University.

#afghanistan #afghanhistory

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beanmaster-pika · 6 years ago

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I ended up getting encouraged to talk about my aus so thank you all for enabling my self-indulgence

Swan Prince AU

This one’s the first one? And it’s more of a royalty AU, actually. Licht vacations in the Servamp kingdom every summer but one day he gets cursed by an evil magician (Touma) to turn into a swan. Hyde, who’s the same age as him and therefore his designated playmate when they were kids, recognizes it’s him and freaks out because if the Jekylland kingdom finds out they let this happen then there could be a war and no one wants that thank you very much.

I’m actually more interested in worldbuilding than the plot so :/ For reasons I have not thought up, there’s the ‘older bunch’ of Servamps (Kuro to Freya) and the ‘younger bunch’ (Hyde to Lily) and there’s like a ten-year age gap between the olders and the youngers, and then there’s Tsubaki, who’s twelve and illegitimate. Kuro inherited the throne at 17 when their dad disappeared and by the time Tsubaki’s mother showed up a couple years after with a baby that had the last king’s eyes, the kingdom had stagnated. However, a baker named Mahiru starts showing up at the castle to petition the king, and he appears so frequently and his words are so sensible (”He’s got to have studied statecraft,” Hugh declared. “There’s no way he hasn’t.”) that Kuro’s siblings up and offer him a job as the king’s advisor. After many arguments and finally a heart-to-heart where Mahiru learns that the last king once allowed Kuro to make a decision that almost led the whole country to war, they start to work towards understanding each other and cooperating and it’s tough, but by the time the present story rolls around the kingdom is flourishing.

The older bunch all hold a place in court; Hugh is a minister of internal affairs, and he, Kuro, and Mahiru are at the heart of the kingdom’s laws; Jeje is the most knowledgeable about magic, especially curses, and works as both a consultant and investigator, though he’s sent to the Alicein kingdom along with Lily (16 at the time of the story, two years younger than Hyde) to serve as ambassadors and tutors to the king’s sons; and Freya’s the head of the army and the most terrifying person in the kingdom. The people love her. There’s a more even distribution of power than there was before Kuro inherited the throne - Mahiru’s influence and Kuro’s reluctance to be in charge of literally everything see to that - and provincial courts have juries put in place so that people are no longer solely at the mercy of sometimes corrupt judges.

On a different note, Hyde starts out as a sweet kid, but when his friend-and-maybe-crush Princess Ophelia two kingdoms over dies when he’s sixteen he goes wild in his grief and takes up with a group of bandits and starts hurting people. When confronted by his siblings, he declares that if the world is so cruel as to take Ophelia’s life, then his actions are just a drop in the bucket. Now, this is very much wrong and a problem, so Kuro manages to seal him temporarily into hedgehog form for a month (EDIT: yes he can normally transform into a hedgehog, no Licht doesn’t know at first, yes animal transformation is a common ability in their kingdom, and no the sealing is not a common or easy practice. It’s legitimate grounds for Kuro to self-prescribe absolute bed rest in order to recover from the drain on his energy, and he’s stronger than normal mages and had assistance to boot; a month is the very limit he can achieve with that) saying that if he’s lost his grasp on his humanity, then perhaps he’ll find it again in an inhuman form, and then they drop him off at the summer villa reserved for Prince Licht with Guildenstern as a caretaker. Now, unbeknownst to everyone, Licht arrived for vacation even though it’s midwinter, and he is absolutely taken with the hedgehog that’s wandering through the villa (”Oh Shit,” Guildenstern said. Hyde agreed. This was very much an Oh Shit situation.). It turns out that while he hadn’t known Princess Ophelia personally, he’d had mad respect for her for stepping up to enact a change in her kingdom’s politics even though it had ended in her assassination. He and Hyde end up having furious arguments over ideology (Licht still doesn’t know that Hyde’s there, and he doesn’t connect the voice with the hedgehog) and in the end, he helps Hyde regain his humanity - to be human is to desire, to desire is to dream, and to dream is to push your imagination past its very limits and work for it. That ends up breaking the seal prematurely, much to everyone but Licht’s relief. Licht’s pissed that the hedgehog turned out to be Hyde. And when Licht is cursed to be a swan, well, Hyde’s worried about it affecting relations with the Jekylland kingdom, yeah, but he also wants to do for Licht what Licht did for him: make him human again.

ANYWAY HERE’S THE DOODLES

Teacher AU

Because now they’re teachers.

This one has basically nothing in it yet aside from it being fun to consider what subjects they’d teach (Mahiru’s home ec; Kuro’s phys ed; Hugh’s history; Jeje’s art; Freya’s a counselor; Hyde’s literature; World End’s either a history or foreign language teacher; Lily’s a student teacher; Licht’s a piano instructor now; Otogiri’s the school’s doctor) and what everyone else would be (Tsurugi and squad are bodyguards; Iduna’s an engineer; Tsuyuki’s with the government; Sham’s with the government; Higan’s a wandering artist; Sakuya’s a psychologist; Ryuusei and Koyuki haven’t factored in at all oops; everyone else either has their canon profession or they’re college or high school students). One of the tidbits I actually spared thought to is that Kuro took a couple gap years and ended up in the same freshman Psych 101 class as Sakuya (who at present shares an apartment with Mahiru) and they somehow bonded and even after the class ended they became texting buddies (usually of memes) and hung out from time to time, but then Mahiru (after getting fired from his first school for some sort of reckless behavior) gets hired to the school all the Servamps are gathered at and starts out pretty argumentative with Kuro but eventually they gain a mutual understanding and maybe the beginnings of a relationship and Sakuya puts two and two together from conversations with Mahiru and texting with Kuro that the man he’s in love with might be in love with his texting buddy and he doesn’t know how to deal with that and so stops texting Kuro, and Kuro finds out about it from talking to Mahiru and then this happens

Kuro, throwing a chicken nugget at Sakuya’s window: why are u ghosting me Sakuya, opening the window: can u throw another

And they talk and all is well again. A poly ending is absolutely in the stars because Mahiru loves them both and they agree to it.

Also the other thing is this

Pokemon AU

This is the one I like the most right now! I actually have a couple of chapters written for it that I haven’t posted yet but basically the whole Servamp thing remains, but the pokemon that they transform into actually have their own personalities - rather than a transformation, it’s a shared body thing, and the human form is a manifestation of the vampire (formerly human) soul. I haven’t ironed out all the details of why this is happening, but I like the idea of them never being alone, though I haven’t figured out quite how this will change them. Hyde’s gonna be fun and also painful to figure out.

Fate AU

LET’S GET THIS HOLY GRAIL BREAD

Mahiru’s uncle was going to take part in the holy grail war but Mahiru accidentally summoned instead and what he summoned was Kuro, a Lancer. Add to that that Sakuya is still his best friend, was meant to be a pawn of Touma’s but ended up being Master-napped by the Saber he summoned (Tsubaki), and Tsubaki wants vengeance on Kuro, and we’ve got another round of heartbreaks on our hands because Fate is nothing but heartbreaks. The Alicein brothers are also there, summoning the same Servants (Caster and Archer) that their grandfather and Mikuni’s mom summoned, and they know that the Grail is tainted so they’re out to destroy it. Their backstory is a little tweaked with Mikuni just stealing his mom’s command seals to protect Misono instead of killing her, and he grabs Misono and absconds to the Church where they stay until Mikage ensures that Mikuni’s mom can never hurt Misono again after the War. Misono goes home, but Mikuni goes to study at the Clock Tower and comes back just in time for the next war. (There’s more under the pictures)

Tetsu summons Rider, but his sisters are the masterminds of the operation; they’re doing their best to restore their family in an age of declining mana, and Tetsu’s got the best Magic Circuits among them so he’s tasked with summoning, but they’re operating under the strict principle that if any of their lives are endangered, especially Tetsu’s, then they halt the project immediately and seek refuge with the Church. Hugh’s hyped about the whole ‘restoring the family’s magic’ thing.

Licht, on the other hand, comes from a family that’s at the very height of their magical power. He doesn’t believe in an omnipotent wish granter because he feels that it’s cheating, but to win the Grail is the goal of every mage out there so he’s in it for the glory. For a summoning catalyst he uses a bracelet that was supposed to belong to a martyr princess of old (”She gave her life for her goals,” Licht said in awe. “Yep, it’s very impressive. Please do not do the same,” Licht’s mother said.), but it turned out to belong to the other person connected to her legend, a man who was terrible and cruel, uncaring of others after he was driven mad in grief, and so Licht summons a demon of an assassin and Crantz (regular human) is left babysitting these goons while Licht’s parents hold down the fort in Austria.

Now, the Berserker team. I just want you all to know that the ones I was most excited about is the Berserker team. Tsurugi carried out the summoning here, Touma’s other pawn, and he added a madness enhancement, changing Freya’s class from Shielder to Berserker. Tsurugi, unlike Sakuya, is a highly trained operative and adult and one of the Church’s Executors, and he’s also completely under Touma’s thumb so he’s an ideal proxy even though Touma couldn’t snatch Sakuya’s command seals like he intended to. Unfortunately, Freya’s madness has just released her inhibitions and she’s this fucking close to pulling a Tsubaki and Master-napping Tsurugi. She does her best - in her limited capacity - to get Tsurugi away from Touma and it all culminates in Touma deciding she’s too much of a loose cannon and trying to take Tsurugi’s command seals away, but the seals instead go to Iduna somehow (haven’t figured that out yet) and Iduna and Freya spirit Tsurugi away to help him recover. Shortly after Iduna develops a magic item that’ll dampen the effect of the madness enhancement, more or less reverting Freya to her original class.

Now, this Grail War is an absolute clusterfuck by this point, mostly because all the summoned Servants are siblings, so a Ruler comes in - drum roll please - World End! Because who better to solve a sibling squabble than another sibling, even if he is the third youngest. This is mostly because I want World End to be included in stuff. World End’s in my Pokemon AU. I failed to elaborate on that but since that’s the AU I’m actually writing it’s all good. Anyway they’re all gathered in a sort of war council at a family restaurant to work out their intense family issues and then World barges in ‘WHAT’S UP THIS IS A PRETTY AWKWARD REUNION.’

This actually might be one of my favorites on account of being able to have them all be different physical ages but keeping their age hierarchy since Heroic Spirits can be summoned at whichever point of their lives was significant, and also this means that I can just make up lore for them. In ten, twenty years I’m probably going to look back on this and groan but for now I’m going to have fun with it.

For Kuro, he took down an entire army on his own at age eighteen and then retreated from the world. Hugh stopped a war when he was small (this threat of war surfaced again when he was older; this was when Kuro took down a whole army). Jeje became a famous outlaw. Freya overthrew a government in order to protect her soldiers. Hyde served a princess, but she gave her life for peace, and shortly afterwards his older brother killed their father; Hyde turned cold and cruel after that. World End inherited his sister’s kingdom after she died in battle and stood strong against threats from other kingdoms, displaying sharp wisdom despite his brash personality. Snow Lily used his illusions to carry out a large scale rescue operation on a child trafficking ring. And Tsubaki? Tsubaki was but a man who inherited a sword from his father, then vanished into the night when that same father was killed. He could have - should have - been summoned as an avenger, but for the sake of story convenience and keeping the war to the traditional seven classes, I chose saber for him.

#this took me All Day #pika's post #servamp #servamp au #im. not gonna tag everybody no #ah but gotta tag the ships just in case someone has em blocked #kuromahi #lawlicht #kuromahisaku #?

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seiramili7 · 6 years ago

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Fate Zero: Quotes 1

“A king without greed is even worse than a figurehead! Saber. You said you would become a martyr for your ideals. In life, you must have been a pure saint. A proud and noble figure, certainly. But who can truly admire the martyr’s thorny path? Who dreams of such an ending? A king… The king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh louder and rage harder. He must exemplify the extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy and adore him. And why the flames of aspiration, to be as the king is, can burn within his people. Proud king of chivalry… The righteousness and ideals you bore may indeed have saved your nation once. However, I’m certain you know what became of those who were saved, but left to themselves. You saved them, but you never led them. You never showed them what a king should be. You abandoned your men when they lost their way. Then, alone and untroubled, you fallowed your own petty little ideals. Thus, you are no true king. You are only a little girl, enraptured by false idol of the king who serves others, but not themselves”

- Rider/Alexander The Great, Fate/Zero

#Great dialogue #Do I think that rider's ideology as the most right? Of course not #I enjoy this dialogue because it has so much insight of the depth of character and their ideals #also some of the points are true to some extent but not fully #rider fate zero #alexander the great #fate zero quotes #top dialogue #i like it as much as the godfather #fate zero honestly underrated

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sanctummilitis · 3 years ago

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There was a sense of inevitability about it. From the very beginning, it was a decision she knew would not last — some habits simply too ingrained to change, no matter what story be told to argue otherwise. Here, at the end of an ascendant of flowers, on the precipice above an unforgiving ocean, in a monument to heroics, she was tethered to Savior’s Respite.

She would always come back. Turning away was akin to ignoring everything that made her Saber.

Seabreeze swept by stronger than usual, as if awaited in preparation for her return, knowing she would be here again. The crash of waves far below just as ever constant, like those gulls who sailed the sky, bound for destinations unknown even to themselves. a mere three months. Simultaneously it felt both like yesterday and an age since treading the blossom-laden path. There was no changing that this place had been where some dearly important died, and her mind came dangerously close. Nor clarity of those sacrifices upon this edge were made willingly or martyred. On which side of such a thin line Servants and Masters resided. Whether they could be saved or not.

Fingers curled around the crown tapping against her breastplate by wind’s enchantment; it stilled her thoughts, served reminder to the oath pledged in a world bleached and an isle segregated. She still had a duty to her Master, humanity and those collected in Spirale who sought refuge from the cruelties which haunted their before. Those burdened with enormity of an impossibly weighted title their own, might finally find solace on the isle — their hellish pilgrimages given pause or rest.

They could not be spared nor healed, and the Stars unstoppable, yet for those majority tranquil days, might the illusion of peace relieve them. trials of past, presents and future lie far beyond Radiale’s shore, and there they should stay, allow reprieve for the weary, temporary or hollow it may be — they should be liberated from their turmoil here, and stronger by the past weeks had her conviction toward that end, assured the restoration of her power in full had been to accomplish the very cause.

Theirs narrow roads inescapable, and should they resume, she should do naught but watch, wish them well, even if protective mercy urged her hand to reach forth — it were not for her to impede them or betray wholehearted resolutions. When even Britain itself stood in opposition to stop her, she did not relent, so she owed they the respect of solidarity, no matter how brutal their path. Be they gruelling legacy of the past or an ongoing torment, she would put her strength toward maintaining Spirale as a sanctuary for ones separated from whatever colossal task may await. Shelter that host tentative release and serenity. As a king who dedicated herself to the people, born a preserver, it were a natural conclusion — not to lose herself after a mere stumble and let emotions in their complexity discompose steadfast objective. That for which King Arthur was conceived.

An unblinking seat upon knees resumed her usual spot.

#♚DRABBLE #do you ever get 13000 years stuffed into your head or are you normal

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swordworks-blog · 7 years ago

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burdensword replied to your post:

“even without bound by the command seal, i will not hesitate to protecting my master should you try to kill him Archer.”

“Of course, I expected no less from the king of knights.” She was probably the biggest obstacle he had face, unfortunately for her though, Archer knew Emiya Shirou better than her, better than anyone, and he knew that this stupid boy wouldn’t allow his servant to get hurt to protect him. No, he’d try to live his idiotic dream of being a martyr, too stubborn and blind to listen to any complaints. Sooner or later he’d run straight into Archer’s sword, if he thought it to be necessary to save Saber. “I wonder if Emiya Shirou will permit this, though.”

#burdensword #.; ic

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sicsemprtyrannis · 7 years ago

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“keep looking into my eyes.”

@urnaithi | bastille lyrics. { not accepting }

In all that the Knight is and ever has been, it is exhumed when she sets her gaze upon King Arthur. The carnal brutality that consumes her, giving way in her resentment, her utmost fury – she is likened to that of a raging inferno, to consume the world within her perilous flames. In the aftermath of a chance encounter with the King of Knights, Mordred’s countenance is burdened by a heavy scowl; one that should frighten even the most hardened of warriors, to beg avoidance of the Knight of Treason as she stalks throughout the halls.

Not her Saint, however. No, Jehanne had fearlessly approached the Saber, where all others wouldn’t dare the thought. Sliding a gentle hand into the Knight’s own, she pulls them together to ease the frustrations of her violently pounding heart; fingers intertwine, loosely in their bond, as another hand encourages Mordred’s head to crane. While she presses her forehead against Mordred’s own in a gentleness that belies her ferocity, Jehanne is undeniably an anchor – ah, and though these are the typical motions of their game, there is no such humor to be had in this embrace; not in this moment.

…Soothingly do the words entrance her now, fluttering from the martyr’s lips to breach her vestiges of hatred and malice; she wears them like a shroud, to which only the bravest can pierce. And that Jehanne does, with her utterance; gazes fixate, and it is the depths of the ocean meeting the heart of the forest to quench those ever-burning flames. Slowly does Mordred’s cloak of resentment fall from her shoulders, the ache in her chest exchanged for a more tender palpitation.

–An emotion, just short of yearning.

“At the moment,” Mordred starts in a murmur, voice raw as she delivers a firm, grateful squeeze to Jehanne’s hand, “…I can’t imagine looking anywhere else.”

#&& how wondrously does her Saint perform miracles.#urnaithi #⊰ ⚡ In Character. ⚡ ⊱#⊰ ⚡ Inquiries. ⚡ ⊱#⊰ & Forever Unto My Saint; Ic lufie þe. ❧ Jehanne ⊱

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metalindex-hu · 4 years ago

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Fémjelzés – a hét újdonságai (2021. január 18-24.)

Fémjelzés – a hét újdonságai (2021. január 18-24.) - https://metalindex.hu/2021/01/24/femjelzes-a-het-ujdonsagai-2021-januar-18-24/ -

Ezen a héten is megjelent pár fontos lemez. Íme, az elmúlt hét nap kínálata metal anyagok megjelenése terén:

Abandonment – Focused to Imminent Desolation (brutális death metal) Aethyrick – Apotheosis (black metal) Alkonost – Ведомые ветром / Vedomye Vetrom (folk/pogány/doom/black metal) Aller Sterne Untergang – Sturmtief Nordwest (black metal) Apostisy – The Paradox of Existence (melodikus doom/death metal) Artery – Slavery Inside (EP) (thrash metal) Aspar – Maifrost (melodikus death metal) Asphyx – Necroceros (death/doom metal) Beshenitar – Around the 13 Sins (nyers depresszív black metal/ambient) Bestial Entity – Treason of the Dead (EP) (black/death metal) Bestraberto – 2020 (black metal) Bloodkill – Throne of Control (thrash/groove metal) Bloodstained Resurrection – Flame’s Veneration (black metal) Booze Serpent – Slices of Death (black/death metal/grindcore) Children of the Phantom – The Age of Unease and Malaise (Industrial doom metal) Conviction – Conviction (doom metal) Dea – Thulean Sorcery (black/thrash metal/ambient) Death Crusader – Death Crusader (heavy metal) Deimos – Those Who Built the Sky (progresszív groove/thrash metal) Ekdikēsis – Canvas of a New Dawn (avantgárd/post-black metal) Ektomorf – Reborn (groove/thrash metal/HC) Endezzma – The Archer, Fjord and the Thunder (black metal) Evil Dream – Arctic (melodikus death metal) Exentria – Lost (melodikus groove metal) Exumbras – Beyond Death and Eternal Void (black metal) Fathomage – Psalms of Reverence and Lamentations (atmoszferikus black metal) Fullmoon Tyrant – The Night of the Tyrant (black metal) Galactic Tyrannosaur – Super Void (stoner/doom metal) Generation Steel – The Eagle Will Rise (heavy metal) Gorbenium Nephris – Чума (brutális death metal) Grabesfurcht – Wachkoma (post-black metal) Grabunhold – Heldentod (black metal) Grave Gnosis – Lux Nigredo (atmoszferikus black metal) Grima – Rotten Garden (atmoszferikus black metal) Holy Mother – Face This Burn (heavy/power metal) Hulder – Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry (black metal) Hysterorrhexis – Maggots Infest the Limb (brutális death metal) Immense – Torture Banished (brutális death metal) In Autumnus – Dysphoria Sonata (atmoszferikus black metal/post-rock) Indus Valley Kings – Indus Valley Kings (stoner metal/rock) Kaal Akuma – In the Mouth of Madness (death metal) Keys of Solomon – Overlooking the Forgotten (progresszív black metal) Killing Ritual – Dead on Arrival (death metal) Kitties of Death – Cycle of Emptiness (avantgárd black metal) Klanen – Coerced into Desolate Eternity (black metal) Kortirion – Beneath a Stelliferous Empyrean (black metal) Kraken – Tales of Terror (thrash metal) Labÿrinth – Welcome to the Absurd Circus (progresszív power metal) Les Chants de Nihil – Le tyran et l’esthète (black metal) Lux – Embed (post-black metal) Magnetic Storm – My Own War (melodikus groove metal) Mágoa – The Ancient Ones (experimental black metal) Martvl Nighty Ravenheart – Zool (death/black/thrash metal) Mortajas – Mortajas (doom metal) Myrdød – Spells ov the River Witch (black/death metal) Nervosa – Perpetual Chaos (thrash metal) Noen hater oss – Siste Stopp Skjærsilden (black metal) Nosk of the Void – Nosk of the Void (black metal) Opresión – Furia Metal (thrash metal) Phantom Elite – Titanium (szimfonikus metal) Piney – The Extreme Force (heavy metal/Shred) Pit of Doom – Despairity (melodikus death/thrash metal) Plagueborne – A Blueprint for Annihilation (death metal) Porcha – III (nyers black metal/ambient) Radhost – Slunovrat (black metal) Red Cain – Kindred: Act II (progresszív/groove metal) Repaid in Blood – Reflective Duality (progresszív death metal) Saber Tiger – Paragraph V (power/progresszív metal) Sadistic Domain – Descomposición mortal (death/black metal) Scârnav – Relics (progresszív/melodikus death metal) Scarred – Scarred (groove/thrash/death metal) Scut – Chronicles of Human Abyss (death metal) Siechtum – Hinab (nyers black metal) SlugWeed – Omega Five Zero (stoner/doom/sludge metal) Snow – Fast N’ Heavy Loud N’ Slow (sludge metal/crossover) StarGazer – Psychic Secretions (avantgárd black/death metal) Stygian Shore – Ultra Psychic Nightmares (heavy metal) Suffersystem – Torn In Rotten Flesh (death/thrash metal) Szamot – Dreams (atmoszferikus black metal/ambient) Taakka – The Dark Cathedral (black metal) The Fabled Fallen – Dreams (power metal) Therion – Leviathan (szimfonikus/opera-metal) Thermohaline – Maelström (avantgárd black metal) Thorn | Fumes – Fumes / Thorn (split) (death/doom metal) Torus – Damsel (thrash/groove metal) Van Diemen – Van Diemen (melodikus death metal) Vandrer – In Search of the Path of Return (doom metal) Vyatûr – The Beginning (black metal) Wandering Martyr – Misery Nightfall (atmoszferikus black metal) Wanklank – Waar klanken de ruimte en tijd verbinden (black metal) Wardruna – Kvitravn (ambient/neofolk) Winter Dynasty – The East Hell (ambient black metal)

#Hírek

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politicaltheatre · 5 years ago

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Kill The Messengers, pt.1

Lie to us. Tell us what we want to hear.

Tell us how great we are, how great we were, how great we can be again.

Give us someone to blame. Give us someone to hate. Give us someone to root against, if only so we don’t have to find someone worthy of rooting for.

Whatever you do, though, just don’t tell us how we failed, or how we failed others, or how others might have succeeded if only they had they never met us. Whatever you do, don’t ever tell us that. That’s bad news, and we don’t like bad news.

This is normal. None of us is immune. We all want it, even just a little. It’s natural. It’s nurtured. It’s very human.

This is what no one ever tells us about politics. Why would they? We don’t want to hear it. We have so many options not to hear what we don’t want to hear, seemingly more every day, so why should we ever have to? If they dared, most of us would just tune them out. Part of you is doing that right now even as you read this, and that’s okay.

It’s what we don’t want to talk about, what we don’t want to hear, that makes politics everything it is. It is what makes it necessary to have government, and what corrupts governments once we have them.

Which brings us to so many current events, doesn’t it? Won’t it always?

Where to start? Impeachment? Too easy? The 2020 campaign? Too on the nose? OK, how about Iran? Too far away? Too scary? Too boring? Too bad.

On this day on which we celebrate a peace maker and champion of social and political justice (or should), events in a place seemingly so far away, scary, and boring as Iran matter and deserve our attention.

Forty-one years ago, the people of Iran lived under a corrupt, despotic regime. They’d had enough. Not all of them had bought into the religious zealotry of the Ayatollah Khomeini, but few could argue against his assessment of the corruption and cruelty of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and those around him. Wildly imperfect messenger that he was, Khomeini was right: the shah had to go.

The United States government supported that regime and was blamed, quite rightly, for complicity in its worst atrocities. This, as we know (or should) led to the storming of the United States embassy in Tehran and the taking of hostages.

There can be no justification for any atrocities committed by Iranians or their proxies in the four decades since, but what we witnessed then was a violent reaction to decades of abuse, made possible by a physically and politically weakened Pahlavi, and expertly exploited by Khomeini for his own personal and political gain.

What Khomeini stood for, and what his successors still stand for, is an ideologically conservative form of Islam. Theirs is not so extreme as the Saudi Wahhabi form, the one that begat Al Qaeda and ISIS, but it is every bit as orthodox as sects in Christianity, Judaism, Hindu, and others that are known to tie their faith to a kind of nationalism. The religion is the state, and the clergy are not accountable to the people. That’s dangerous anywhere.

Few Americans at the time wanted to admit that we shared accountability for what our ally had done to his own people, so we vilified all Iranians everywhere, including American-born Persian-Americans, just as we would do a generation later with muslims after 9/11.

As we saw after 9/11, if you dared call that persecution unjust, you may have found yourself persecuted, as well. Sikhs, Hindus, and others paid the price for our silence. Many still do.

That the storming of another embassy, this time in Iraq, has led to protests against those same ayatollahs is not without irony. A raid on an American embassy should be a pretty safe play for Iran, a symbolic echo of their revolutionary success in 1979. Had it not been for an entirely predictable and preventable tragedy, it might have been.

As we all now know, or should, Donald Trump responded to the Baghdad embassy pageant by pulling the trigger on a plan to assassinate Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general in Iraq and a man credited by all sides with the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers there.

This was, of course, immensely stupid.

Whatever Soleimani had done, he was no Osama bin Laden. He was high ranking member of another country’s military. Killing him didn’t just escalate cold war tensions to just about open warfare, it was a violation of international diplomatic standards as well as international and, yes, domestic law (enacted by Ronald Reagan!). At best, it only served to alienate Iraqis and other international allies; at worst, it primed the entire region for still more bloodshed.

There was no good justification for it, so Trump just did what he always did and spun some BS to please his expectant base (and muddy the waters on any legal case against it). Politics by other means, indeed.

His justification that attacks on other American targets were “imminent” was laughable for any number of reasons, from his inability to provide proof - which he as president must do to justify killing people - to the fact that Soleimani’s death wouldn’t have prevented any attack anywhere. Seriously, it’s a bit like the Nazis killing General Dwight D. Eisenhower in the hope of preventing an allied invasion of Europe. Stupid.

So, yes, Donald Trump and his trigger-happy stooges got lucky. They likely won’t face any legal action, domestic or international, for killing a man few outside Iran’s sphere of influence liked, and they picked a fight with a country that has the sense to de-escalate when it knows it can’t win.

No one with first hand experience with warfare seeks it out. That’s something President Eisenhower would have known. Iran’s Islamic revolution led to a decade-long war with Iraq that devastated both countries’ populations. However much they want nuclear weapons, they don’t have them and certainly don’t want to be targeted by them.

So, they did what outgunned countries around the world have done time after time in order to save face: they fired a few rockets at enemy bases, all targeted to avoid casualties, and then let their allies and proxies pass non-binding resolutions condemning their enemy’s recklessness and violence, and demanding that the enemy military go home.

It’s a strategy as old as colonialism, and in this case the Iraqi parliament’s non-binding resolution might actually have the effect of succeeding where Soleimani’s violence had failed.

Soleimani was himself a horrible messenger. If his death ultimately proves anything it will be that the aggressor is always seen as the villain. His violence was meant to stir up support among his government’s base and to distract from how it fails its people, but it was never intended to convert. If anything, it created fear and with it enemies all too happy to see him go.

No, it was his death at the hands of a country and government capable of even greater violence and greater cruelty than he could ever claim that will likely do what his violence all but ensured would never happen. Those on the receiving end of violence who de-escalate and draw our attention to the brutality needed to justify injustice are the ones who ultimately win.

Mohandas Gandhi understood this. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this. Hopefully, somewhere in the Middle East, maybe even somewhere in Iran, somebody has come to understand this, too.

The world will still expect some sort of attack, somewhere the United States has an economic interest sometime down the road. That, as with violent embassy protests, is what Iran has become known for, “asymmetrical warfare”. But that, normally, would be that. The saber rattling would be done and the status quo would be restored. The Iranian regime even stood to come out ahead with the American military preparing to pull out more of its troops.

And then.

There are people who would call the 176 killed on Ukrainian International Airlines 752 “collateral damage”. There are some who read the news with glee, hoping that news that Iran’s own military shot it down and then lied about it might lead to another revolution. But, no.

Sure enough, there was outrage in Iran. There have been protests. Public figures have broken with the regime. But this is no Hong Kong.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has never promised western freedoms. Why would it? It was and remains a political system built on the power of the clergy. Whatever lip service the country has paid to democracy, there is no such thing as a balance of power within the government, let alone a balance of power between the government and its people.

Not only does the government count on this, but a sizable portion of the Iranian people do, too. Days after the protests against the government, a rally led by Ayatollah Khamenei stoked the growing legend of the martyr Qassem Soleimani and of the evil, American monsters who killed him.

Anger at stupid mistakes subsides. Anger at the government lying to you subsides. Anger at a foreign enemy seeking to force its will upon you, that lasts. If you cultivate it and have a willing idiot eager to play the role of bogeyman, it can last for generations.

We are that bogeyman. Not just Trump. Not just Trump and the idiots who surround him. Us.

The weapon our government used to kill Qassem Soleimani and those with him was a drone, the same kind of drone that has slaughtered thousands of innocents without mercy, that has ended and forever changed even more lives than we could ever hope to tie to Soleimani’s own evil.

Just this past Thursday the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, compared the United States to a “high school bully”. He did so on Twitter. It wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last. He said so a week earlier while meeting with his Chinese counterpart, who agreed with him. Before that meeting he met with his counterpart in Russia; after it, he met with his counterpart in India.

In the space of two weeks, Zarif met with three of the most powerful economic and military powers in the world, all rivals to each other, and they all openly agreed: The United States acts as a bully on economic policy; The United States acts as a bully on military policy; The United States assassinates people.

Is Zarif lying? Are they all wrong? Should it matter what the Iranian government does to its own people when considering that? Should it matter what the Chinese or Russian or Indian governments do to their own people or people elsewhere when they call us out for what we do and for what we allow to be done?

It shouldn’t, but clearly it does. It makes it easier for us to push them far away, easier for us to cast them as scary, easier for us to call them boring and ignore them. Worse, it makes it easier for us to call them liars. It does, just as it makes it easier for them and their people to push us away, to call us scary, to ignore us, and to call us liars.

The truth really does hurt. The lengths we will go to avoid it and keep it far away define us and lead us to define others. It takes that much more effort to hear it. That’s why it takes so much more effort to tell it.

- Daniel Ward

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