colonelvladimir

[colonelvladimir]

Hello my beloveds I'm still here, I've just been unable to write anything blog wise for a hot minute but … Stuff is coming in the near future. Soon. ily

[colonelvladimir]

snoots, tell us about how you ship him with the Merchant. and also give Sergei a little kiss on his nose for me please

Can a Communist and a Capitalist truly find love?

So. Sergei × The Merchant. (or Merchgei/Pride Merch as I lovingly call it)

This actually spawned out of a roleplay server I'm in with my buddy Silver ( @creatureshrieks ) where essentially any old long dead RE character can be revived and interact with the newer cast, and we realized that these two actually had some pretty strong chemistry. 

They both have an extended history in the military and are familiar with a variety of weaponry, Sergei canonically owning a collection of both weapons and torture devices from across the globe and The Merchant… I mean. You know the arsenal he has packing at all times. 

They're both pretty charismatic and have their charms and I think combined they'd become fast friends and then some with how Merchant is a flirt and Sergei would be fairly receptive (and also blushes easily as a result of just how pale he is). In the server I alluded to they're already becoming fairly close and It's resulting in a very sweet dynamic that I enjoy thoroughly. It's unfortunate that outside of this specific scenario the chances of them crossing paths is very slim but hey, that's the power of very niche shipping. We can do whatever we want!!!

[colonelvladimir]

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Sergei's sexuality is less complicated than everything else about him but I think it still has enough depth to have me elaborate on, especially regarding future interactions that veer into shipping territory. 

My friend LEM ( @ubcs ) recently got a book titled “Red Closet: The Hidden History of Gay Oppression in the USSR” which we plan on discussing amongst ourselves so I'm sure what I'll put here may change afterwards, but I still think my thoughts on his homosexuality fit regardless. 

Even back when he was young and still in school he had small crushes on his male classmates although he didn't really know what that meant, and he obviously didn't have a word to put these feelings into beyond maybe just dedicated admiration? Viktor was the one person he fixated on the most, being an older kid who had a lot of high standing in school and was someone he really wanted to be (Sergei was actually fairly scrawny and small back then, unlike his peers.)

He loved Viktor, and Viktor knew this, which was why it was so easy for Sergei to put up with his abuse until it all culminated in that night in the abandoned house. 

From then on his sexuality became extremely closeted in an obtuse, almost coping-mechanism fashion that blanketed any genuine feelings he had for other men in just this general “I care for my friends a lot” attitude. He was awfully affectionate for a man in the army with his comrades but Sergei was so in such a way that it could easily be overlooked as just his personality, nothing deeper, and he liked it that way. It created a barrier between himself and others that protected him from the risks of being outed in such a hostile environment and to keep him from getting too close to others. 

Any crushes formed on people are smoothed over until they were indistinguishable from the love he already shares for everyone he cares for so he doesn't have to think about it too hard, not to even mention he has fears that he'll be interpreted as perverted if he expresses these feelings in a genuine fashion. The most notable people he's had crushes on in my interpretation are Nikolai Zinoviev and Albert Wesker, Nikolai by virtue of being his closest friend and most trusted companion wherein Wesker more so stems from his similarities to Viktor which scratches an itch in Sergei's head in the right (wrong) way. 

He's more than happy to die with these feelings than actually admit and have an honest conversation with anyone he loves because he can't envision it going in a way that's favorable to him. Sergei has so much love in his heart and it's really sad that he's convinced himself he can't do anything about it, and really, with the time period he's in, it's not like he can. 

Settling with a guy and maybe even marrying him is such a pipe dream for Vladimir that he doesn't even bother entertaining it and he deserves a little better than that I think.

[colonelvladimir]

Dear God I'm writing all these damn essays on Sergei but I haven't even touched on his sexuality for pride month. What the Hell am I doing.  He's gay btw in case you were curious and if it wasn't obvious by the everything

[colonelvladimir]

Sergei Vladimir is one of the most interesting Resident Evil characters to me for a few reasons, one in particular being just how lore and theme dense he is despite appearing on and off in a side game on the Wii and wherein most of his extremely important lore can only be found in a roughly translated novel most people haven't actually read. (You can find it here, and I'll also link it in my pinned.)

There's so much to him that I do genuinely find it difficult to find a place to begin talking about him to a wider audience, because a lot of it is disturbing content and you cannot separate Sergei from the trauma he endured as a child and how it shaped his entire life moving forwards. 

There's depictions of graphic child abuse by other children (both physical and mental), themes regarding how abuse shapes you and your actions along with the coping mechanisms developed after trauma, repeating cycles of abusers, not to mention how Sergei's masochism literally manifests in the form he takes fighting Wesker and what that says about him as a person. (not even getting into him growing up in Ukraine and how war also effected his life deeply.)

The novels actually call him out on his masochism with an oddly specific portion of text referring to American psychologist Theodore Millon, who specialized in personality disorders and labels Sergei canonically as a “Virtuous Masochist”, to quote; “Proudly un-selfish, self-denying, and self-sacrificial.” I want to emphasize here that Sergei's masochistic tendencies are so far beyond a purely sexual context that they inform all aspects of his personality down to his actions in war, often facing opposition head-on to keep his comrades out of direct fire happily.

And something I find extremely important throughout all of this is Capcom's fascinating decision to actually make him a nice person despite all the trauma he's endured, which could have easily made him a one note villain who just so happened to have grown up in really rough circumstances. The novels go out of their way to mention how he stood out from the rest of the generals during the Soviet war by how caring he was. He was revered and adored by his troops and when he was brought into Umbrella, he picked them up from the devastating aftermath of the war so they wouldn't be jobless or worse.

Despite the horrors he's endured and continues to endure throughout his life he's still got this positive and loving attitude towards his comrades to the point where I headcanon that he's the one helping set up events like the Umbrella BBQ's for morale boosting because he'd care about that sort of thing so deeply. That's so interesting to me! His kindness in spite of such a cruel and terrible world means everything to me.

This all probably could've been worded more cohesively but I wanted to get something out about Sergei before I focus on writing the Viktor post I keep alluding to. There'll be a more cohesive and less rambly post soon regarding any triggering content you can expect from this blog, I appreciate everyone's patience, as this is the first time I'm running an actual legit ask blog in several years. 

This is all a secret ploy to get more people interested in Sergei Vladimir.

[colonelvladimir]

Serhii Volodymyr

[colonelvladimir]

🕊️ & 🌪️

“ When did they feel the safest? ”

Sadly the safest Sergei has ever felt was with Viktor back when they were schoolboys. Was he safe? No, absolutely not. He was subject to cruelty under the guise of companionship and love, pushed around because he was small and trusting and Viktor eventually ruined him so badly to the point he could not separate pain from pleasure ever again. But he has never felt safe since. In the year or two before his innocence was taken from him, he felt safe walking besides him because to walk with Viktor meant nobody else would mess with him. Even if Petrov was the lurking predator scaring everyone else away.

“ What's the one choice they regret (not) making? ”

I'm going to avoid the easy route by just reiterating how much he hates himself for selling his clones to become tyrants for Umbrella, and that that is his biggest regret that overshadows all else. 

But he also regrets not outing Wesker's disloyalty to Spencer sooner. 

He had all the warning signs that he was a snake and didn't have Umbrella's best interests in mind but time and time again he overlooked it for one reason or another. Because he wanted to believe he was better than that, even if it was illogical. Wesker's parallels to Viktor also made it very difficult for Sergei to oppose him in any meaningful way beyond just being cold and harsh towards him; Wesker felt like a Force he couldn't look in the eyes for too long and so he just kept … Looking away.

Until it bit them in the ass big time, and eventually killed him.

ask meme.

[colonelvladimir]

🌊

“ When was the last time they cried? ”

On and off in the years between the Raccoon City Incident and up until the events of Umbrella Chronicles. 

Sergei wears his heart on the outside just like the tyrants inspired by him. He feels everything so deeply, it all weighs on his mind and soul that he can't help but find time to cry in private whenever he can find the opportunity to let out these feelings. The biggest loss in his eyes there wasn't the city itself, but all of his comrades who died trying to keep the city under control who were (as previously mentioned) his old friends and brothers. 

Losing them all in such a devastating and terrible way haunted him for years, haunting his nightmares and waking thoughts and so whenever the burden got too heavy he'd spend an hour or two sobbing it all out in his room once he made sure nobody was around to hear him.

ask meme.

[colonelvladimir]

📿

“ What superstition or ritual do they cling to? ”

I cannot imagine Sergei as a person who doesn't at least have a few superstitious beliefs, without even regarding his canonical beliefs in God and some sort of religious significance to pain and pleasure. To keep it simple for now, he's a firm believer in a lot of traditional Russian superstitions, such as;

Shaking your hands / kissing over a threshold like a doorway invites bad luck and or angers spirits in the household because of the belief that these between-spaces are where spirits reside.

A wandering black cat is a sign of bad omen, but keeping one indoors can bring you good fortune.

Whistling indoors invites bad spirits and or plainly bad luck. (A lot of these are luck based, admittedly.)

Something he actually does ritualistically is make sure all his clothes aren't inside out in some fashion before putting them on because of traditions ingrained in him by his parents, that wearing backwards clothes would bring you bad luck and harm in the future. Although mostly used to make sure he didn't ruin any of his new attire and to keep a proper appearance, Sergei continues doing so regardless, which I guess does help him seem professional and tidy. 

He'd also fret at someone if he noticed a garment of theirs was worn incorrectly with the seriousness you'd expect out of an old woman worrying that your black eyeliner is a call to the Devil, but like … gentler.

ask meme.

[colonelvladimir]

💢

“ Who have they never forgiven and never will? ”

Albert Wesker would be a clear cut answer if Sergei was somehow brought back after their fight, but I think that's too simple. Everything there is very complicated because although Albert brought him to his “perfect death”, he also snuffed out the last dying lights of Umbrella in the process, something he wouldn't exactly be so kind about.

Sergei seldom holds grudges. People who have abused his trust and more sensitive nature often mold his views on them, Viktor conditioning Sergei to view him in an endlessly positive, reverent light while he was so wrapped around Spencer's finger that he fought to keep his company alive years after he went into hiding. He should resent and hate them but he can't.

I think the only person he can never forgive is himself, as cheesy as that answer is. He sold his clones from the Soviet War to Spencer (with some nudging from Nikolai) and it states in the novels that it was his biggest source of grief, and so all the way up until his death I think that solidifies himself as unforgivable (from his perspective).

ask meme.

[colonelvladimir]

Not an exclusive list but as a fellow horror enthusiast who is very passionate about depictions of sadomasochism (which is not inherently sexual) & parasitism / viral implantation in fiction, I think this would be beneficial for everyone to put on the fridge somewhere. Especially as my buddy @colonelvladimir is now writing Sergei in the mix who is likewise written very, very similarly to my own muse, & we are likely to engage in extreme shenanigans on main, lol. TW: S/A & Rape. This post is stemming from an in-depth analysis I'm making pertaining to Golgotha, NE-Alpha, & various manifestations of T-Virus.

+ Obviously canon divergence is a thing to account for personal triggers, but canonically (when including the novelizations), this is all I recall off the top of my head. Also, as an additional note, beat Derek Simmons, Glenn Arias, & Brian Irons to death with hammers. + Yes I'm aware Albert Wesker had a child but that's not 99% of his characterization & reproduction =/= sexual acts. Same goes for  Licker β, reproduction =/= sexual acts.

[colonelvladimir]

✎ㅤ. . .ㅤ𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.

₊˚⊹ ㅤa collection of character analysis/headcanon questions to learn more about your character and your partners'! writing/headcanon prompts requested by anonymous. feel free to edit these as you see fit.

[ 🖐️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat do their hands feel like: soft, calloused, trembling ? [ ☂️ ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they crave touch or fear it ? [ 🎐 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a sound, like a song or voice, that they associate with peace ? [ 🕊️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen did they feel the safest ? [ 💤 ]ㅤ.ㅤhow do they sleep ? curled up, sprawled, holding onto something ? [ 🦇 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a fear they never talk about ? [ 🔒 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a secret they’ve sworn never to tell ? [ 🪢 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen was the last time they broke a promise ? [ 🫳 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho do they feel they owe, but never paid back ? [ 💼 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat do they always carry with them ? [ 🧨 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s the quickest way to set them off, even if they hide it well ? [ ⛓️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat does guilt feel like to them ? [ 💢 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho have they never forgiven and never will ? [ 🩸 ]ㅤ.ㅤis there something or someone that, if lost, would break them ? [ 🌧️ ]ㅤ.ㅤis there a pain they refuse to heal from ? [ 🪞 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen have they looked at their reflection and hated what they saw ? [ 📿 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat superstition or ritual do they cling to ? [ 🌊 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen was the last time they cried ? [ 🐾 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo animals like them instinctively ? [ 🪶 ]ㅤ.ㅤhow do they laugh ? [ 🫀 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho taught them what love is ? did it hurt ? [ 💭 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they believe they’re worthy of being loved ? [ 🎀 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is their main love language ? [ 🔦 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho do they search for ? [ 📜 ]ㅤ.ㅤis there a story they love sharing with others ? [ 🌒 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a dream or goal they have given up on ? [ 🕯️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat memory do they replay when they’re alone ? [ 🌪️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s the one choice they regret (not) making ? [ 🧩 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s a truth about themselves they refuse to admit ? [ 🍻 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of drunk are they ? [ ✉️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of letter would they write but never send ? [ 🗡️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a scar that they have but never talk about ? [ 🕸️ ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a favourite lie they like to hear ? [ 🪦 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat would they want on their gravestone but never admit aloud ? [ 🎱 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of future do they crave, and who’s in it ? [ 🌀 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a recurring dream or nightmare ? [ 🍃 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they feel like they belong ? [ ⚓ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat does “home” mean to them ? [ 🧭 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhere would they go if they could disappear tomorrow ?

[colonelvladimir]

Here's a few Sergei headcanons I figured I should lay out while the blog is still new.

My interpretation has albinism, which also leads into him having strabismus or “crossed eyes”. He's extremely pale and his hair and eyes have a similar stark white color, and his left eye specifically trends downwards towards the center of his face as a result (aka esotropic strabismus) because of how albinism interacts with your vision. He can't see that well either and struggles to view objects at a distance.

(The reason he has a scar cutting over that eye is due to a childhood incident with his schoolmate Viktor who tried to actually get the eye poked out under the guise of some roughhousing but my thoughts on Viktor and that part of the novels will come in a larger post later.)

 It's stated in the novels that he was actually fairly well liked among the UBCS and paramilitary for Umbrella and that absolutely aligns with my interp here. A majority of his staff here were actually war buddies of his who he got into Umbrella because they were jobless after the downfall of the Soviet Union, and so there's a real spirit of kinship there that I think other portions of Umbrella like their researchers/scientists just didn't have. They're his friends. He fought alongside them. 

This doesn't mean he wasn't complicit in Umbrella's wrongdoings, but I mean it when I say he genuinely thought everything was for the good of a future he kept being promised by Spencer. Every death, every monster, every virus was a necessary evil to reach a future where he and his friends wouldn't have to suffer anymore like they did back in the Soviet Union. He didn't fight to keep Umbrella alive in Umbrella Chronicles because he just wanted to keep the misery machine churning, from his perspective he was trying to rekindle the embers of the last hope for a brighter tomorrow (and, selfishly/stubbornly, so he wouldn't have to accept another loss and breaking of something he'd pledged his loyalty to for a decade or so.)

[colonelvladimir]

Another visit to Umbrella's American labs, another day spent stalking the corridors and ensuring Spencer's brightest hadn't dimmed since the last surprise visit. So far so good, meaning today was somewhat of an easy venture with everyone getting themselves together by the time his footfalls echoed down their hallway. In fact, he was getting ready to wrap up and notify Oswell when something very small bumps into his legs while he was about to turn the corner. 

Sergei is so tall and Sherry is so small that for a moment he isn't sure exactly what crashed into him, maybe a runaway cart or he merely knocked into an outcropping from the wall he hadn't paid attention to. It's only when he leans over and looks down that he recognizes what's happened… And even recognizes who the child is. Sherry Birkin, daughter of the notorious Birkins of course. Their dedication to Umbrella was admirable and worthy of praise, yet he couldn't help but feel a deep sadness for how often they brought their daughter to work only to leave her alone to distract herself in such a dull, uninspired setting. 

He'd never bring it up to them, however. It was their business… And to make them more paranoid of his spying would surely mean awful things for Sherry's home life.

His gaze softens and he steps back to give her space, peeking down the hallway only to get confirmation that her parents aren't close behind. Damn it. Back to her as he crouches down to meet her level, even if it still means towering over her somewhat. 

“Hello there, little Birkin! My name is Sergei, and I am an acquaintance to your parents-" Barely, but leading with him being their boss didn't sound as trustworthy. “-can you not find them?”

// Starter for @colonelvladimir //

Though her father had frequently warned her about wandering off alone through the labs, Sherry still was only human. Seven years old and full of a mixture of anxiety and curiosity, when she was left in her father's office to wait for him, she grew more and more nervous when he didn't appear. The thought that he was in trouble, that she needed to find him or else no one else would entered her mind, and it simply refused to leave. So, even if her father's words to stay in the office rang in her ears, she still left his office and wandered out into the lab further.

It wasn't as if she could actually get in anywhere, though perhaps that was the biggest problem. If she had wandered into a lab, someone would have noticed the little Birkin sooner, shooed her back to where she needed to be. Instead, she wandered the hallways, clutching her big crocodile plushie to her chest as she did for support. Her goal was just to find her father, her mother, either of her parents- so she only realized she was lost when she was lost, absolutely no idea how to get back to either of her parents offices or just to find either of her parents.

It was when she had really started to panic, squeezing her stuffed toy closer to her and beginning to tear up as she started running through the halls that something else caught her. Or rather, she ran directly into the legs of someone immensely large. Sniffling, Sherry looked up at the extremely large figure of a man she didn't recognize, blinking up at him with wet eyes, her bottom lip quivering.

[colonelvladimir]

Gotta bring this post back, I'm afraid.

[colonelvladimir]

[Vladimir finds a note upon his desk. It has been typed, not written. There is no defined sender.] UMBRELLA BBQ NEXT WEEKEND.

PLEASE BRING ONE (1) EDIBLE DISH FOR INCLUSION WITH CLEARLY-LABELLED INGREDIENTS. ALL DISHES WILL BE SCHEDULED FOR CHROMATOGRAPHY POST. YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO INVITE TWO (2) GUESTS WITH FRONT DESK & UPPER MANAGEMENT APPROVAL.

UMBRELLA.

OUR BUSINESS IS LIFE ITSELF.

What a curious thing to find just laying across his desk, Sergei picking up the slip of paper and turning it over in his hand to examine it. It's not as professional as the ones he had printed, as it doesn't specify that this is regarding Umbrella's American locations, but he's not surprised that the Americans would forget about the global subsections of Umbrella they don't interact with directly. It earns him a chuckle. 

“I am well aware, but the reminder does not hurt.”

It's stuck onto a cork board with a thumbtack besides his desk next to other papers and notes he's deemed fit to keep where he can see them. It was often that Umbrella's executives overlooked the importance of morale in favor of churning out progress with very little care for their employees… Sergei, however, opposed the notion that the people here were nothing more than cogs in a machine.

And even cogs needed rest at times. Time to unwind and de-stress. 

Vladimir leans back in his large chair, hands folded behind his head as he considers the upcoming event. He's already got his dish of choice in mind, but the two guests… 

“It would be miracle if I could get Nikolai to socialize…”

[colonelvladimir]

Albert Wesker.

Spencer's golden boy, much to Sergei's irritation but to question Spencer was to question everything he had dedicated himself to thus far and that was unthinkable. A surprise visit. Something to catch the labs off guard, to weed out the unprepared and force the remaining to clean up their acts lest they be dragged into the spotlight by Vladimir's iron grip. Wesker was not one to falter so easily, however. Maybe those glasses truly did shield him from the scrutiny of his glare. Sergei elects not to let it dissuade him. 

While Wesker puts up a warm front, the colonel has to ice his heart, lest he get too comfortable and forget who he's talking to. 

“Dr Wesker.” A cold tone, professional and uncaring for the attempts to appeal to him. His steps are heavy on the floor, boots thumping loudly down the hallway to precede the omen that is his arrival on the property. Expression neutral, eyes sharp, arms crossed behind his back. “Lord Spencer wishes to hear of progress, and I expect to be shown progress worthy of time spent here. What am I to expect on visitation today?”

@colonelvladimir 🕶️ Starter for Snoodle only cause I have favorites /j

Sergei.  Here as if by appointment as usual. Maybe  not  who  he  wanted  to  find himself greeted with in these still and eerie corridors  but  he  was  Mr.  Spencer's  right-hand  man and  today  was  an  important  day  for  B.O.W  testing. Wesker  paused,  slipping  his  hands  into  the  pockets  of  his  lab  coat  with  practiced  ease,  masking  the  flicker  of  annoyance  beneath  his  composed  exterior. There's  a  measured  warmth  behind  his  tinted  glasses and  smile just  enough  to  appear  genuine as he speaks.

❝ Ah. Always  a  pleasure  running  into  you,  Sergei. There's  a  certain  comfort  in  knowing  some  things  can  be  relied  upon,  like  your  punctuality. Umbrella's fortunate to have you. ❞ Cordial,  praising.  He's  practiced  at  this;  one  thing  he  could  thank  all  his  years  working  in the  serpent's  nest  that  was  Umbrella  for, given his  true  feelings  on  this  matter  slanted  much  more  oppositely ━ but  that  was  for  him  to  know  and  so  far  for  Sergei  not  to  find  out.