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xtruss · 10 months

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Beijing Is Going Places—and Building Naval Bases

Here are the top destinations that might be next.

— July 27, 2023 | By Alexander Wooley and Sheng Zhang | Foreign Policy

People welcome China’s space-tracking ship Yuanwang-5 at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 16, 2022. Ajith Perera/Xinhua Via Getty Images

China famously built its first overseas base, a launchpad for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), in Djibouti in 2017. Where will it build the next one?

To answer that question, the authors drew on a new AidData data set that focuses on ports and infrastructure construction financed by Chinese state-owned entities in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2021 and implemented between 2000 and 2023. The detailed data set captures 123 seaport projects at 78 ports in 46 countries, worth a combined $29.9 billion.

A core assumption of our analysis is that Chinese financing and construction of harbor and related infrastructure, either through foreign aid or investment, is one indicator of ports or bases that might serve the PLAN in times of peace or war. And with reason: Chinese law mandates that nominally civilian ports provide logistic support to the Chinese navy if, as, and when needed. Financial ties established through port construction and expansion are enduring, with a long-term life cycle to the relationship. Beijing also sees a corresponding nonmonetary debt to its outlays: The larger the investment, the more leverage China should have to ask for favors.

Our data reveals that China is a maritime superpower ashore as well as afloat, with extraordinary ties in the world’s low- and middle-income countries. Chinese state-owned banks have lent $499 million to expand the port of Nouakchott, Mauritania, a nation where the total GDP is around $10 billion. Freetown, in Sierra Leone, has seen its port financed to the tune of $759 million, in a country where total GDP is $4 billion. It is a worldwide portfolio, stretching even to the Caribbean. The symbolic beachhead there is Antigua and Barbuda, where in late 2022, Chinese entities spent $107 million to complete the expansion of wharfage and sea walls at St. John’s Port, dredge the harbor, and build shoreside facilities.

Drawing a connection between an ostensibly commercial investment and future naval bases may seem odd to those unfamiliar with China’s way of doing business. But a Chinese port construction or operating company can be traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and also be an official government entity. Among the major players in port construction is China Communications Construction Company, Ltd. (CCCC), a majority state-owned, publicly traded, multinational engineering and construction company. One of its port subsidiaries is China Harbour Engineering Company, Ltd. (CHEC). Both are major players in building ports overseas. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce sanctioned CCCC for its role in constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea.

To narrow down the basing options, we applied other criteria too, including strategic location, size of port and depth of water, and potential host country relations with Beijing—measured, for example, by alignment in voting in the U.N. General Assembly. Where available, we also drew on publicly available satellite imagery as well as geospatial mapping sources and techniques.

From this, we arrived at a shortlist of the eight most likely candidates for a future PLAN base: Hambantota, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰; Bata, Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶; Gwadar, Pakistan 🇵🇰; Kribi, Cameroon 🇨🇲; Ream, Cambodia 🇰🇭; Luganville, Vanuatu 🇻🇺; Nacala, Mozambique 🇲🇿; and Nouakchott, Mauritania 🇲🇷.

Chinese-Funded Port Infrastructure and Most Likely Naval Base Locations

Chinese state-owned entities have committed $29.9 billion to finance 123 projects to expand or construct 78 ports in 46 countries from 2000-2021. This map shows formally approved, active, or completed projects for 49 ports and highlights the eight locations of those most likely to be used as Chinese naval bases.

Note: Map excludes pledged funding and canceled or suspended projects. Russia’s port of Sabetta (the Yamal liquefied natural gas project) is also excluded. It has received an estimated $14.9 billion from China; however, researchers were unable to disaggregate the amount that went solely to the Sabetta seaport. Map By Sarina Patterson/AidData. Source: AidData/William & Mary

Ousting or outflanking the United States in the Western Pacific is a priority for Beijing, as is challenging the United States, India, and the rest of the so-called Quad alliance in the Indian Ocean. And more than half of our shortlist is indeed Indo-Pacific-oriented, as is Djibouti. What’s surprising is the intensity of Chinese investment, including in ports, on the Atlantic side of Africa. Factoring in Chinese port operators, China is more active across a greater number of ports on the Atlantic side of Africa than on the Indian Ocean, where so much geopolitical attention has been focused. China has been building ports from Mauritania southward around West Africa, through the Gulf of Guinea, and to Cameroon, Angola, and Gabon.

A base in West or Central Africa would be a bold play for a navy that is still getting its blue-water legs just 15 years after learning how to operate far from home, in the anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden. Atlantic bases would put the PLAN in relative proximity to Europe, the Strait of Gibraltar, and key trans-Atlantic shipping lanes. And a shift to the Atlantic would be against the run of play. The United States has been obsessed with the Indo-Pacific, inking the AUKUS security partnership with the U.K. and Australia, deepening logistics ties with India, returning to the Philippines and the Solomon Islands, and cooperating on defense with Papua New Guinea. A PLAN base in the Atlantic would wrong-foot the naval calculus of Washington and Brussels, and send planners back to the drawing board.

We also find that China likes to put its ports in out-of-the-way places. One example is Beijing’s heavy investment in the port of Caio, an exclave province of Angola. Sometimes there are simple explanations: a lack of natural harbors of sufficient depth of water, or proximity to natural resources. But according to one shipping executive, Chinese entities in the past have seen their ports exposed to labor strife, public protests, and other disruptions, and so now prefer to distance themselves from these situations. Chinese entities likely prefer secure new locations where they can ensure majority and unfettered control or avoid a host country’s public opinion backlash. These would also be selling points in determining where to locate a naval facility.

More on our top eight most likely PLAN bases, highlighted on the map:

1. Hambantota, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

China has collectively sunk more than $2 billion dollars into Hambantota—the most of any port anywhere in the world, according to our data set. Beijing exercises direct control over the facility. Coupled with its strategic location, the popularity of China among elites and the population, and Sri Lanka’s alignment with China in U.N. General Assembly voting, Hambantota is our top candidate for a future base.

2. Bata, Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶

Sources in the U.S. Defense Department raised concerns about Chinese interest in a base at Bata, which were then picked up by mainstream media. The absence of any official statement by Beijing on a base is not necessarily conclusive—there were repeated denials from China about any such intentions for Djibouti, right up until the time an announcement was made that a base was coming. The commercial investment was used as the entree, but within months, construction had begun. Politically, Equatorial Guinea (as well as Cameroon and Togo) are all family dynasties or authoritarian regimes in power for years with succession plans in place or mooted. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index in 2022, all three rank toward the very bottom of global democracy rankings: Togo at 130th, Cameroon at 140th and Equatorial Guinea at 158th.

3. Gwadar, Pakistan 🇵🇰

The China-Pakistan relationship is both strategic and economic. Pakistan is the flagship country for China’s big Belt and Road infrastructure gambit, and it’s Beijing’s single largest customer for military exports. In Pakistan, Chinese warships are already a fixture: As it modernizes, Pakistan’s navy has become the largest foreign purchaser of Chinese arms, operating modern Chinese-designed surface warships and submarines. Gwadar itself is strategically situated in the far west of Pakistan, providing cover for the Strait of Hormuz. China is significantly more popular with the Pakistani public than the United States is. Though troubled, Pakistan is a democracy, and so China cannot necessarily permanently count on a leadership friendly to the notion of a naval base. Much could hang on the fate in Pakistan of the massive China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the belle of the Belt and Road ball, of which Gwadar is a big component. The stakes and scrutiny are high, and success or otherwise of the economic corridor could impact receptiveness to a PLAN base.

4. Kribi, Cameroon 🇨🇲

The Kribi port trails only Hambantota in terms of the size of Chinese investment. It is Bata’s most likely competitor, but the ports are only about 100 miles apart. China would likely only choose one. Cameroon’s U.N. General Assembly voting and overall geopolitical positioning aligns well with China. Elsewhere, Caio in Angola, Freetown in Sierra Leone, and Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire would all be basing possibilities, based on the size of Beijing’s investments there. Of Sierra Leone’s two main political parties, one (the All People’s Congress) is closely linked to China. At political rallies, its supporters have chanted phrases such as “We are Chinese” and “We are black Chinese.” Beijing has successfully insinuated itself into the political life of the country.

5. Ream, Cambodia 🇰🇭

While the official investment to date has been small, Ream, Cambodia, is very likely to be a PLAN facility in one form or another. While the United States and the West are popular with Cambodians, Prime Minister Hun Sen is a longtime ally of Beijing, and it is he who matters. Although he plans to step down in August to be replaced by his son, he’s expected to continue to call the shots. The elites of Cambodia have done well under Belt and road Initiative and are aligned closely with China. In 2020, Cambodia’s voting in the U.N. General Assembly mirrored that of China and coincided with the United States on just 19 of 100 contested votes that year, a rate only slightly higher than Iran, Cuba, and Syria. Hun Sen denies that Ream will be hosting the PLAN anytime soon, but the evidence indicates otherwise.

6. Luganville, Vanuatu 🇻🇺

Beijing has spent decades trying to crack the first island chain that hems it in. A PLAN base, perhaps not very large, makes sense somewhere in the South or Central Pacific. While our data shows only limited Chinese investments in port infrastructure in the region thus far, Vanuatu is one location where construction has been funded, at Port Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. An investment of $97 million is not small, as it puts Vanuatu in the top 30 investments globally, according to our data. And there is precedent: In World War II, the strategically located island was home to one of the largest U.S. Navy advanced bases and repair facilities in the Pacific. The Canal du Segond in front of Luganville was a massive, sheltered anchorage, home to fleets, floating dry docks, an air base, and supply bases.

7. Nacala, Mozambique 🇲🇿

While China’s port investments in Mozambique have not been on the same scale as in other locations, neither have they been insignificant. Mozambique also has not seen the backlash to Chinese loans and investments witnessed in other countries in East and Southern Africa, such as Kenya and Tanzania. China is popular with elites and the general population, and it sponsors a significant amount of the country’s media content. The question is: Where to site a base? Maputo is the largest port, but it is run by the government and Dubai Ports World. China has funded construction or expansion in both Beira and Nacala—both ports make our top 20 in terms of investment totals. Beira is likely too shallow for large warships, as it requires regular dredging. Nacala would make the most sense—it has seen sizable Chinese investment and is a deep-water port.

8. Nouakchott, Mauritania 🇲🇷

Mauritania is removed from the logjam of PLAN options in West and Central Africa; Nouakchott is more than 2,000 miles northwest of Bata, for example. The West African nation is also significantly closer to Europe and chokepoints such as the Strait of Gibraltar—roughly only two days’ steaming at 20 knots. At the 2020 U.N. Human Rights Council hearing on China’s new security law for Hong Kong, 53 countries supported China, including Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka—and Mauritania.

Wild Card: Russia 🇷🇺?

While China has been spending loads in the developing world, it could still try for a base in the nearly developed world, by co-locating fleet units at one or more Russian navy bases. There is a clear upside from the Chinese perspective: It doesn’t have to persuade the Russian leadership that the United States and Europe are a threat, and there’s little danger of any U.S. charm offensive to lure Russia away.

Russia has naval bases across its vast land mass, many of which are Cold War legacies. What could be attractive to PLAN naval planners would be a base in the North Pacific Ocean. Such a facility—say, the existing Russian base at Vilyuchinsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula—would be secure, distant from public scrutiny, make use of existing warship docking and repair facilities, and have the merit of placing the PLAN between Japan, a U.S. ally, and Alaska. In both 2021 and 2022, the PLAN and the Russian Navy conducted extensive joint exercises in the East China Sea and western Pacific, including circumnavigating the Japanese main islands. China could also share facilities with the Russian Navy in the Barents Sea, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, or Kola Bay, a natural harbor off the Barents Sea, providing it access to the North Atlantic.

— Rory Fedorochko and Sarina Patterson contributed to this report — Alexander Wooley is a Journalist and Former Officer in the British Royal Navy.

— Sheng Zhang is a Research Analyst with AidData's Chinese Development Finance Program, where he tracks underreported financial flows and leads geospatial data collection. He is the co-author of a previous AidData report on China’s global development footprint, Banking on the Belt and Road.

#Infographic #China 🇨🇳#Naval Bases #Top Destinations #AidData #United States 🇺🇸#India 🇮🇳#Quad Alliance #Indo-Pacific-Oriented #Djibouti 🇩🇯#Mauritania 🇲🇷#Gulf of Guinea 🇬🇳#Angola 🇦🇴#Cameroon 🇨🇲#Gabon 🇬🇦

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decolonize-the-left · 2 months

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If you don't vote for Biden the gays will be rounded up in Project2025! No more abortion! No more anything!

Vote Biden!!

You mean this Biden?

U.S. will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, Biden tells Israel's Lapid

US to launch West Asia Quad with India, Israel and UAE during Biden's visit

.....The same joe Biden that's ALREADY completing goals outlined in Project 2025?

And these are only links and evidence for one page.

Vote 3rd party or don't vote at all, I'm not your dad, do what feels right to you.

But don't vote blue and tell everyone it's a vote against Project2025 or Trump or fascism or that you're saving democracy with your vote. Because you're not. It's literally just gaslighting or at the very least an ignorant and uninformed stance.

You might as well be burning your ballot or voting for Trump.

Quit guilting everyone for not wanting to vote blue when him supporting apartheid & genocide is a good enough reason not to, let alone all of this, too.

And if you're gonna vote for him anyway, get used to being called a white supremacist who supports fascists. Because that's what you would be.

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lodisama · 2 years

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RIDICULOUS (x.t)

xavier thorpe x reader (no pronouns mentioned)

summary: reader is wednesday's cousin, or rather, uncle fester's child. you have transferred to nevermore, and on your first week, you meet someone. this turns into forming a secret alliance wednesday can't know.

reader has the same powers as uncle fester (electricity)

Being around people who stare at you like your some animal zoo wasn’t really on my list, especially when they’re the same kind as you. An outcast or, a so called freak. I would’ve enjoyed this more if I did something terrible. But for some reason these people love peculiar blood lines.

I exit the door to the school indoors, and there I enter the quad. Where every student of monsters imaginable hang out. I loathe the gossips, but love the stares. Everyone turned their heads to me, then there was silence. I look around to muster in the atmosphere. It’s not that I think highly of myself. It’s just they make me feel highly than what they are. I felt a dark aura behind me, making its way next to me. I turn to my side, “Wednesday, my beloved cousin.” I turn my head back to the students, smiling, not at them but at her presence.

She has always made me feel wanted and seen, though we had different interests, she never failed to make me feel fit in.

“Y/n, it’s lovely to see you again.” Her hands clinged together, hanging down.

Her voice monotone, though I know her words were sincere. “How is the first week in this hellhole full of surprises?” She asked, sounding almost displeased. I sigh, not upset in any case. “Surprisingly good. Though my roommate appears to be a no-sleep enjoyer.” She hums, raising her eyebrows.

Silence fell after that, but then a familiar platinum blond, with colorful tips comes hopping our way. “Y/n, hope you don’t mind me borrowing Wednesday from you.” She smiles excitedly.

I return her kind smile, “No not at all, you may take her.” I see Wednesday look uncomfortable, but she let it happen. “Thank you!” Edin holds Wednesday by her shoulder, as they walk away to a bench. I walk to a pillar next to a wall art, standing beside the pillar. I felt electricity fuzz on my shoulder, making me flinch. I step back to see who it was

“What the…”— He looks down my size.—“Oh”

I hum, seeing the man. Tall, tall enough to be a tree, hair tied up, miserable eye bags, chiseled face. “No sorry? I apologize, I didn’t see you’s?” He raises his eyebrows, with a confused yet maintained calm tone. “Have you heard me say anything?” I respond, which he raises his eyebrows at this. He licks the inside of his cheek, muttering a silent Alright. He seemed used to it.

He turns around, and continued on painting the wall, the crow impressively detailed. He coated its background with a different shade of blue. I stare, blankly following his every move. “Please stop looking, I can feel your eyes,” The man lets out a breathy chuckle, still focused on the painting. My face hardens by the feeling of getting caught.

“My apologies.” I clutch on the bind of the book I was holding.

I didn’t give him time to say something, not that I was expecting him to. I turned around and went in a different turn of the quad.

Though I didn’t see it, he smiled unevenly when I apologized.

━ ━ ━✦❘༻༺❘✦━ ━ ━

"Do you know where it is?" Wednesday ask in a stern, yet eager voice. "Of course. Dad always told me stories about this school." Her eyes practically glew when I said that. "Will you please show me?" She blurted. "It's in that secret headquarters full of Nightshade wanna be's. " I slowly walk up the stairs, making sure my voice was low. She nods, satisfied with my answer. "I need you and Thing to get it for me. Weems has me on a radar right now." She stops next to the railings, looking at me. "Do you mind?" I smile at her, shaking my head a no "I don't mind , Wednesday". "Thank you." She whispers. As I look around, I saw Xavier looking at the both of us from the other side of the railings. My face turns stoic, as I inhale sharply.

"So I just snap two times?" I asked Wednesday. "Yes, you'll need this." She confirms, handing me a flashlight. Thing crawls on my shoulder, giving me a thumbs up. Got it I responded. I face the statue, snapping two times. The statue slowly moved backwards, revealing a spiral staircase on the right side. I checked to look at my back. Wednesday was already gone. I exhale, walking to the stairs, the dark room full of paintings and the smell of old books greeted me. I point my flashlight to the wall, seeing every painting of whom I assume to be the parents of these students, which I familiarly recognize.

Unfortunately my father, didn’t possess the academic aptitude to be here, but I am grateful to be filled with his knowledge about this school, and letting me experience it at least.

My whole body shivers in joy seeing the Nightshade logo on the floor. Pure ecstasy erupted in me. Finally happy to see one of the best stories my father has ever told me, right in front of me. I keep my pace slow, paranoid by the idea of getting caught, but either way, what bliss. I could feel Thing patiently waiting on my shoulder. Suddenly, I hear something shift behind me. I had the instinct to turn around and flash out electricity on my finger, not yet zapping the said noise. "Woah━ woah." The man raises his arms up in the air, moving backwards. "Xavier?" I say breathly, whilst my eyes wide open. I slowly lower my hand, the electricity disappearing on my finger tips. We both pause. A minute of taking heavy breaths. Now that we're all alone, under this dim light, he looks good. Genuinely good. His hair not tied up in a man bun was a foreign sight to see. He was the first one to break the silence. "What are you doing here?" Brows furrowed, voice shaky. I blink profusely, thinking of an answer. Usually I'm great with lying, even at the most unbelievable situations. But right now, I can't just discard him away or say that I was exploring the school. Fuck.

My mouth opens, then it closes again. "Exploring. I couldn't sleep." I say. I try to ignore his eyes. Clearly doubting my excuse. "How did you get in? Not many people can." He asks. I subtly smile "Do you think of me as stupid?" I muse, tilting my head. He stiffens in his position "No━I just━ Forget it, I'm sorry." He rubs the back of his neck. "No worries," I blankly say, hiding my laugh. My eyes look around the room, seeing the painting that hides the treasure Wednesday desires. I make my way to it, not caring that he was still behind me. "What are you looking for?" He follows behind me. "This is none of your business." I hold the side of the painting, opening it like a door. "What the hell.." He says in awe. I hadn't even realize it, but Thing was now nowhere in my sight. "Thing?" I call out for him. "Wait, what? What are really here for, Y/n?" His voice now serious. I inhale deeply in exasperation. Turning around, I fuse electricity on my finger, pointing it at him. "Dare to speak a word of this and I will electrocute you in your bath." I threatened, slowly walk towards him. He looks at the blue fuzzing thing on my finger. "Okay, I won't. What can I do to help?" I sigh in annoyance once again, and I think he got the idea, but still stayed. "I prefer to commit theif crime alone." Thing signed, agreeing with me. "Would you rather me tell on Weems?" It's his turn to threaten me now. Though it didn't do much. "She'll lose one of the most rarest outcast, then." I smugly reply. "Trust me no one here needs you," I could hear his smile through those words. I ignore him, and proceeded to do what I was told to do. "Thing, open the safe please." I ordered Thing, and like that he obliged. "Hey, I don't think we're supposed to open that safe." Xavier peers, concerned of some sort. "Then leave." I bent down to the size of the painting or rather, safe. It opened swiftly, revealing the book I needed. I softly gasp, grabbing the book. Flipping through the pages. The pages contain different kinds of beasts. The man behind me slowly made his way next to me, interested in my discovery. My eyes widen as I saw the beast my cousin has been obsessed with. "That's the thing I keep on dreaming about," His voice low. My brows knit together, turning my head to his face level. "You've seen this before?" I ask in curiosity. He nods, "Yeah. I've been drawing them too, it's been on my mind for so long. It's fucking me up." He covers his mouth, faltering his eyes at mine. There was a pause, but then I turned around to look back at the book. I sharply close it, emitting a sound. I grab my bag, putting the book inside. "Thank you, Thing." I looked at the moving hand. Thing crawls back on my shoulder, making himself comfy. "Y'know, you might get caught, right?" Xavier puts his hands inside his jean pockets. "Yes, and the idea excites me." I reply coldly. Xavier snickers at this. "Let's go before anyone notices we're gone." I said. He nods, letting me walk up the stairs first, his tall figure following me behind. We made it out the underground place, and I immediately turn to a different path, but I was abruptly stopped by a hand holding tightly on my wrist. I look at his hand and up at him. "What?" I ask. "Do you have a phone, or are you just like your cousin?" He chuckles lowly. I straighten my position, raising my eyebrows. 'I prefer to be old schooled." I replied. "Letters?" He breathed. Well he catch on quick. "Yes. Why?" pure confusion runs my head. "Expect letters under your door." He drops my hand, now pointing at me. "I'll be ready with a lighter to burn them." I muse once again. "Is that a yes?" He pushed further on. This boy is ridiculous. I nod slowly, I could see and hear his smile through the darkness. "Goodnight Y/n."

#xavier thorpe #wednesday #wednesday netflix #xavier thorpe x reader #enid emma myers #nightshades #wednesday 2022 #uncle fester #addams family #no pronouns

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zet-sway · 1 month

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Fanfic: Sonnenblume

Or, I finally wrote a desert vacation fic.

[Read on AO3] - Rated E for SPICYEEEEEEEE

Pairing: Thane/FShep | Rating: 18+ | Words: ~4600

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“I think I found a place,” she says one morning. “An old friend of my mom's, they have a vacation home back on Earth, out in the American Southwest.”

Thane raises a brow at her. They're cleaning out the cargo hold, offloading collector tech at the citadel tower dock for distribution to the council races, each of them making their requests for research and study.

“I've never been to Earth,” he muses. There are any number of arid planets to visit, it seems almost foolish he is just now considering that Earth has many climates, deserts included.

“I haven't been in a long time. Grew up in space, last time I was topside was before my Spectre appointment. But my mom's friend says it's the perfect time to visit. A month from now it'll be hotter than a Krogan’s quad.”

He huffs out a laugh. “Earth sounds lovely, Siha.”

Her smile could light up the deepest reaches of dark space.

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Day 1

They're docking in Vancouver, slipping out the cargo hold and on to a taxi to whisk them away right under the noses of the Alliance's top brass.

The joy in her eyes is supernatural, he thinks. Unshackled from the military for seven scant days, Shepard practically glows with the energy of her newfound freedom. They leave an absolutely amateur trail of evidence as they flee south, along the west coast of the United States, through mountains and redwoods and oceans. The only stop they need to make is to pick up new clothes, snacks, and sunscreen.

They're on vacation.

He has to think to remember how to say it in his mother tongue. Ten years ago, he hadn't the funds to take time away from work after his marriage. Like many within the Compact, his life had always been driven by work, using the few pockets of silence in the spaces between each job to secure the next contract, research the next target, or hone his skills. Little time had ever been spared for himself. This… outing, this vacation, is something he's long thought belonged to the upper echelons of society and caste.

But he supposes he is wealthy, in some sense.

He's in love.

Wealth is watching Shepard parade almost girlishly in front of the shopping center’s changing rooms, all blushing cheeks and nervous laughter as she twirls the golden yellow sundress that she insists she's “unsure” about. Wealth is the way her face lights up when she spots a large, wavy brimmed hat across the aisle and races to try it on. Wealth is how she winks at him over her oversized sunglasses, and the levity in her voice when she says, with a devil's grin, “They'll never recognize me now.”

She might be right. The man at the checkout counter doesn't spare them a second glance as he checks out with their things.

Vacation suits her. And as they hail another transit to take them to the arid southwest, he thinks it's beginning to suit him too. He's rather looking forward to the breezy garments he’d chosen for himself.

Shepard's ruby red hair is swallowed by her massive sun hat, casting a broad shadow down her lean and muscled frame and the golden fabric of her dress. “Civvies,” she calls them. “You know, civilian clothes.”

He's quite certain there's nothing civilian about her. Her shoulders are too square, her calves and arms too hardened. She turns the eyes of the other passengers, oblivious to or simply ignoring their blatant stares. He feels like a shadow by comparison, clothed for now in the dark colors so typical of his profession. Still, her head falls against his shoulder and she slips her hand into his, laying claim to him all the same. Her silent affection makes his heart and body ache for her.

With practiced breaths, he slips beneath the waves of memory, willing himself through the minutes until the moment when they’re finally alone.

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Soon enough, they find themselves stepping off yet another transport not far from their rental.

Nearly one with the rocky desert, the low-roofed home is a dissertation in minimalist design, with flat, concrete lines gliding across deep-set windows, leading his eye to a modest entryway and through the glass beyond. Dimly, he wonders if he might have the funds to purchase the property; the volus bankers who minded his accounts probably thought him dead, having let his assets sit untouched for years. A minimalist by nature, this is precisely the place he had long dreamed of living.

Shepard tugs his hand, her skirt fluttering in the transport's downdraft, and his thoughts melt beneath her eyes, lit from within by a soft, cybernetic glow in the shadow of her sun hat.

She drops their things the moment both feet are over the threshold. Before he’s even figured out how to lock the door, her mouth is on his. She pulls him - grasps him by the shoulders and tugs him deeper into the house, kicking off her sandals as she goes, leading him towards whatever furniture lies beyond. True to her nature, his Siha is impatient. She is the fiery crown of Arashu, and he the rolling tide of Kalahira. He tempers her flames, grasping her wrists and flattening her hands against his chest as he kisses her, slow and deep.

The idyllic home they'll share for the week isn’t much more than background noise as she yields against him.

Her shoulders are already kissed by the sun, dusted with a delicate pink hue that warms beneath his touch. He slips a finger beneath one narrow strap of her dress, sliding it down her arm, trailing kisses in his wake. One luscious breast comes free, then the other, and her dress falls to the ground without ceremony.

Not long after, she's straddling him on the couch, grinding down on him with those soft little moans he's replayed over and over again in his mind.

Their first time was like this. He basks in the ethereal headspace between past and present, crisscrossing them in his mind as her hips roll against his, hot breath on his neck. And then she lets out the smallest whimper, a sound so vulnerable and soft that he cannot help but breathe her name in return, clutching her close. His dominant hand settles on her backside, aiding her motion; the other rests between her shoulder blades as he drives himself up into her heat, his mouth wandering in clumsy gasps along her chest. The way she lets her weight fall against him is an unspoken surrender, a precious gift she has chosen only him to receive.

He will never know why she chose him. But if it's him she wants, then she shall have him. Every night, again and again, until she screams his name in ecstasy and they lay in satiated exhaustion.

Tu-fira.

He belongs to her.

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It’s difficult to articulate how natural this feels.

Night falls, a chill settling over the rocky desert. He’s been alone with her many times, but never quite like this. In the short time they’ve known one another, she’s never been more than a commlink away from her crew, her mission, her ship and her duty. Here, nestled under a sea of stars, they’re more alone than either of them have been in decades. He watches the light of the backyard firepit cast flickering shadows on her bare skin, their hands intertwined.

Long after driving one another to sweat-kissed exhaustion, they remain entangled, engrossed in conversation. It’s like meeting her for the first time all over again. The armored force of nature who had carved a willful path into his life now lay naked in a nest of blankets with him, firelight dancing in her eyes, deep into a long and meandering train of thought. She weaves tales of her life before the Alliance, of joyrides and hijinks that would have made even his younger, rambunctious self hesitate. Her excitement touches his soul with a kind of contentment that he’s not touched in what feels like a lifetime.

Inevitably, the chill of night becomes too much to bear, and their talks meander back to the physical; stories of life before one another and the various trysts that preceded.

He can hear the desire in the deep, red edge of her voice; the way her tone dips from casual to sensual as she stands, clothed only in the dancing hues of firelight, and leads him to the crisp, untouched sheets of their shared bed. He pulls her close, scaled hands sliding across bare human skin, pointedly savoring her, willing his want and his love to find their way into every corner of her soul.

He wants. Oh, how deeply he wants.

He whispers prayers into her palms, one by one, as she rides him into the break of dawn.

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Day 2

Morning comes and goes in silence.

They lay heedless to the sun's motion, tangled soft sheets lit by the dreamy glow of day through the deep-set awnings and windows of their rental. Thane dozes in and out of sleep with her in his arms, heart swelling each time he wakes, awash in the scent of her hair and skin. They lie together for some time, and when she rises, he curls into the space where she had slept, unwilling to part with her residual heat.

Heat stirs in his limbs as he hears the shower kick on, his body calling for her as though he's woken up back in time, a younger, more virile man. Half in dreams, he can see her naked and robed in morning dew like a siren, and he cannot resist.

He finds her in the frameless shower, sunlight streaming through the window beside her. Water pours over her in rivulets of gleaming light, the sun illuminating the strong dunes of her back, gleaming off her shoulder blades and the curve of her spine.

Shepard, of all the people he had known, was made of sunshine. She was made of the fiery warmth and light of day, bathing him in her glory and simultaneously blinding him with effortless radiance.

And it's here, pressed up against the polished concrete wall beneath a lukewarm deluge of water, that he shows her all the ways he loves her. Shows her how, if he angles his hips just so, the last of her burdens melt away and he knows her as only he can; through the gentle, mewling gasps of an angel on the verge of tasting her own glory, manifesting the soft heat inside her as he drives himself against her deepest reaches.

He has to be mindful of his eyes. This has always been true, will always be true of all drell, but never more so than when she nears the peak of her pleasure. Shepard is possessive, perpetually communicating her need with unending motion, gripping him close as though the mere inches between them are a chasm too great to bear. He watches the way crystalline drops of water bead on her neck and shoulders, they way they catch the morning sun like diamonds, casting pinpricks of dappled light against his own scales and streak down the shape of her as she moves against him, contorted and desperate to take him deeper, to break herself upon the sanguine friction of their joining.

Her head knocks softly against the wall, her back arching, chest thrust toward him. And then she breaks. Sweet gods, how she breaks.

It's almost more than he can take. Words can never hope to say all the beautiful things she is when she comes.

He gathers each gasp, each heartbeat, every droplet of water on her parted lips and every clench of her heat around him. He drinks them all in, safely locked in the depths of his blessed memory for all his days. There is no greater gift in this life or the next.

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Day 3

Much as he would like to spend the entirety of their ‘vacation’ finding a reason to make love to her on every unoccupied surface in their rental, Shepard has made sure to include other activities in their itinerary.

He wakes to find her half dressed, smiling at him as she pulls a swimsuit top over her head. It’s a deep, forest green, with wide, high straps that criss-cross over her collarbones in an attractive triangular shape. He blinks, anchoring himself to reality as though he can't be sure she's real. And if his drowsy eyes find purchase in the alluring curve of her breasts peeking through the small cutout at the top’s center, he's certain the gods will forgive him.

The mattress dips as she sits beside him. “Come for a ride with me,” she whispers by his ear.

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Thane has often heard that human skin is easily burned by their planet’s star. He’s never quite believed it until Shepard.

He finds himself on a beach, massaging the soft cream she calls ‘sunblock’ into her back and shoulders, wondering how he could have ever gotten so lucky. His Siha, his warrior angel, so vulnerable without her armor that she wants - needs - his hands to protect her soft human skin, heals his soul with this one simple act; the intimate joy of being her protector and lover as he takes care to make sure she is thoroughly covered. The ocean breeze blows strands of her carmine hair across her forehead as she turns her head to him, smile lines deepening with delight as their eyes meet.

They pass the time in golden luxuriation, prostrating themselves beneath the radiant heat of Sol for hours, never more than an arm’s length apart, until the sun dips below the horizon and paints the sky in a myriad of hues somewhere between floral and fire.

And as the sun bows out for the evening, he bows her into the sand, lips locked and knees knocking against her own as they collapse together on soft, weatherworn sand that clings to the warmth of the sun as it bids them goodnight.

He never wants to leave this place.

Goddess above, Earth is the very image of serenity. Freer than free, his breath unburdened, his elation pours from him into her waiting mouth as they taste the salt air together. Her beach towel is a poor shield from the sand, but it hardly matters as he uncovers her skin, inch by precious inch, until she quivers beneath his touch, the sound of his name carried away by the rolling swell of the ocean.

He can taste the sea between her legs, the irresistible twang of life and salt and need that rises from her like water from a stone.

“Don't stop,” she breathes.

He couldn't - not if he wanted to. He wants this memory exponentially more than his own pleasure. A moment finer than all the collected treasures of the galaxy, etched into his mind for the rest of his days: his Siha writhing beneath his hot mouth, gripping his scalp, crying out as she tumbles again and again through ecstasy of his making.

He could die here, he thinks. Perhaps he's already dead. He nuzzles her thighs, warm and soft, as she floats down from on high. Yes, if the gods wish this to be his grave, he would gladly bow his head in thanks.

It's an hour’s trek back to their rental, but they will stay here until the ocean wind becomes too cold to endure, dunes yielding beneath them just as flesh yields to flesh and they become one.

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Day 4

It’s the honeymoon phase, he thinks to himself, running his fingers through her hair as she lies sleeping on his chest.

Thane has been here before, in another life, waxing and waning in the warmth of his wife’s bed. Deep in a distant rational corner of his mind tries to tell him: it won’t be this way forever. But does that matter? Does it really, actually matter? Months ago he would have said that he was but a tooth on a cogwheel, destined to spin around in repeating cycles of loss, memory, and despair. But this fierce woman pursues him with all the endurance that humans are known for. Bit by bit, she chips away at the rigid crust the last ten years have borne upon him, and he is alive. Alive in ways he hasn’t known in what feels like a lifetime.

They will spend this day treating themselves to all the beauty that earth’s arid lands have to offer. From the bleached, rolling dunes of sand, to the baked and rocky landscapes dotted with life in its most hardy forms, to the golden time-carved radiance of the painted desert - Goddess preserve him. His past has never felt further away. With her by his side, his world is filled with sunlight in much the same way as Earth’s gleaming sky, now so familiar and perfect to him that he would just as easily call it home.

And when the sun’s heat is too much for her human skin to bear, he trades the scenic vistas of the American southwest for a landscape of another kind.

Her skin glows, its color deepening with each passing day in dappled patterns that betray her state of undress throughout their travels. He finds it endearing, the way her cheeks and shoulders are dusted with more freckles than he'd seen when they arrived, the way her chest and thighs remain lighter in color than the rest of her, drawing his eyes, his hands, his mouth to worship at the temple at is her body. She kneels between his knees and blesses him with the sweet heat of her mouth, stealing his breath as she tastes him, crimson hair the perfect anchor for his hands as she takes him higher and higher.

He had underestimated her appetite for him. Perhaps he'd underestimated his own appetite in turn. They haven't even made it back to their rental and he can already smell the need on her, the cramped taxi insulating and perfuming the air so thickly he can almost taste her, slick and soaking with arousal, maddeningly just out of reach but with nothing but her panties between her need and the rest of him. Powerless to the heat of her mouth, he spirals through his lust as she pleasures him, soft hands and pink lips around his shaft. Her artificial eyes gleam up at him through her mussed hair, and goddess preserve him, he’ll hack the engine himself if it’ll make this taxi go any faster.

She's fumbling at the lock as he pushes her against the wall beside their front door, covering her mouth with his. Lips locked, they stumble inside. His hand drops down to her thigh, palming at the warm skin just beneath her skirt. Shepard, in turn, tugs him in the direction of the bedroom.

He considers this, allowing himself to be led as he considers all they’ve had the pleasure of seeing today - of her radiant smile beneath her oversized sunglasses, unable to conceal the joy of her eyes from his perfect recollection. Of her freckle-dusted shoulders beneath the shadow of her sun hat. And he decides in that moment that no - as much as he adores their soft bed and its sex-scented sheets, he loves her in the daylight more.

The back patio opens with a wave of his omni-tool, and he presses her into the opulent cushions around the fire pit. She chuckles against his mouth - perhaps he's become too predictable, but it no longer matters.

There’s a kind of transcendental brilliance to this place. Some kind of inebriating mix of oxytocin and fresh air and sunshine that ignites his synapses and levitates his heart until he feels he can touch the radiant sky. He ruches up her dress, fabric sheeting off her body until she's all warm, decadent skin against a backdrop of their shed clothing. He groans inwardly at the sight of her, the shadow of her clavicles arching nearly above her soft breasts, tipped with that same aphrodisiac shade of desire that awaits between her lush thighs.

She smiles so sweetly at him, but her eyes are shaded with mischief as she opens her legs for him, teasing her folds beneath his heated gaze. He falls to his knees before her, palming her silken thighs, kissing the wet, sanguine warmth between her legs as though it were her mouth.

Her hips rise to meet him, rolling against his tongue as she brings one ankle gently against his back to guide them together, and Thane breathes out a low, pleasured groan. He loves this - the way her body talks for her, knowing full well he needs no encouragement but asking all the same, driven by biological instinct to share the most intimate parts of her humanity with him - a man from another world. Her body calls for him, beckons him, and he is both her servant and sire.

“Please, please Thane,” she whispers, hands reaching blindly for whatever parts of him she can reach.

He lifts from his place of worship with a breathy inhale, curling his arms around her thighs and hauling her bodily until she rests on the very edge of the cushion and the tip of his cock falls against her wet heat. And then he pushes forward, savoring the way her soft flesh yields to him, how her silken walls conform to every inch of his thick, ridged length, swallowing him to the hilt.

She breathes his name as he bottoms out. Takes a moment to catch her breath and then pushes up on her elbows and then her palms until she’s close enough to wrap one arm around his neck and pull him close. Thane folds an arm around her in turn, pumping in and out of her blessed heat. Thank the gods for her brilliant human flexibility.

The sun beats down on his back, his body shielding her vulnerable human skin from the worst of its rays, as he makes love to her with long, deep thrusts. He could never hope to articulate this specific kind of ecstasy - the ruddy heat of Sol crowning him with the same deep heat he seeks deep inside her.

It’s not what he would call fucking, but it’s not what he would call tender, either. It’s somewhere in between. It’s the heavy, sweet push and pull of two lovers, their minds blank of all thoughts beyond the tension, friction, heat, and pleasure that flows between them; tongues sliding together, hands clutching at skin and scales, at once desperate for release but determined not to reach it, to stay in this moment forever, unwilling to part with the sybaritic heaven they share. She locks one thigh around his hips, bracing herself with one hand so she can touch his face with the other, fingertips trailing almost too roughly against his sensitive ruby cheek as she grinds her cunt onto his heavy girth.

He needs her closer, needs her harder, consumed by the need to become one with her in that sanguine way only two lovers can. Parting from her for just a moment, he slides both knees on the cushions with her, hauling her up onto his thighs, watching for a moment as she grinds her flushed, creamy slit against his length before sinking himself back into her depths. They rock together until he’s sure beyond doubt that she’s out of her mind, blissed out and debauched before the combined heat of her sun and his desire. Until the satin sheen of sweat pooling in the hollow of her throat is too laden to cling to her skin, and she moans his name into the wide open sky. Only then does he drop his hand between them, drawing wide, steady circles around that incandescent neural bullet between her thighs.

Her voice is lost as she comes, words and sounds dying in her throat as, at last, the pleasure is too much for her body to bear. He watches beneath heavy-lidded eyes as she tenses, cries out, and breaks, as her body sings like a plucked harpstring; knowing that for those precious few seconds, she is well and truly his, and his alone.

When her mind is wiped of all thoughts but him, his embrace, his kiss, and the pleasure at his hands, he can finally let go.

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Day 5

He wakes to the sound of music playing softly from another corner of the house. Decades old, by the sound of it, plucked notes singing on a guitar string beneath the melodic voice of a human weaving a tale of a dark desert highway. He’s heard this one before, playing over a crackling stationary radio in the cargo bay where she’d often done routine maintenance on Normandy’s ground vehicle.

Rising with a contented breath, he pads over to the common area to greet the day.

She’s wearing one of his robes, and nothing else. A breezy, cream-colored cotton garment that’s too wide in the shoulders for her more feminine frame. She lets it drop down one arm, the fabric collecting in the crook of her elbow just beneath where her hand rests on the door frame. The rest of it hangs open, gauzy fabric illuminated by the glowing sun streaming in from behind her, framing her in ethereal light. Though her face is in shadow, her artificial eyes are just bright enough to search his soul as she peers back at him.

In that moment, his Siha is more angel than warrior. She's posing for him, framing herself in a mental postcard to commemorate the effortless beauty of this place, this life, this love.

She pauses in the doorway for a good long while, as though she knows precisely what she's doing. Cocking her hip, idly running her long, calloused fingers through her hair, waiting for him to sear this image into his blessed eidetic mind for the rest of his days.

It’s so easy, wrapping her in his arms, kissing her again and again, bitter coffee on his tongue and warm sun on his face.

“I got a message from Hackett this morning,” she says softly.

The tone of her voice makes his stomach clench with unease, and he takes a moment to suppress the tremor in his throat.

“How long do we have?”

“Until tomorrow morning.”

He pulls her tight against his chest, as though by some miracle he could keep her from ever leaving the safety of his arms again. Shepard tucks her head into his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Thane.”

“Do not apologize, Siha.” Her hair is soft on his cheek, and he breathes deep as his eyes settle without focus on the rocky landscape outside her lovely picture-frame window. “This sojourn has already brought me more joy than you could ever know.”

When she kisses him, there’s a desperation in her that he’s not felt before, as though she shares his worry. That she’s been called away is unsurprising, in and of itself. But the tension in her shoulders makes his heart quake with an obdurate fear that will linger throughout what remains of their holiday.

He resolves to suppress it. If Shepard has taught him anything, it’s how work and purpose can stave off one’s demons, if only for a little while.

“What would you like for breakfast, Siha?”

She lifts her head then, and her smile is worth whatever heartache lies beyond the indefectible threshold of their abode.

He will take what he can from this moment. Reality can wait just a little longer.

#thane krios #shrios #zet writes things #my brain is broken #sorry about the typos i had to uninstall grammarly because ai is the devil #literally my head is full of lint right now #please enjoy #is this fluff?#aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA #mass effect fanfiction

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babycupart · 1 year

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replayed me3 for the first time in years and all the feelings i have for these two came crashing back. hopefully this is cropped enough to not get flagged. anyway, here’s a little fic under the cut to accompany this, enjoy ;) 🥴👇

“That’s it. You’re doing so well, sweetheart.” ...

The Commander’s skin feels hot against Kaidan’s lips. With each inhale, his body quivers. Muscles bunched up tight with the strain of keeping himself upright, arms locked at the elbows. Gently pulling the foreskin down, using the pad of his thumb, Kaidan spreads the clear liquid oozing from Shepard’s tip over the fat head of his cock. Shepard bites down on his lower lip, brows furrowing as his eyes close shut.

Kaidan is aware that Shepard is an attractive man, even if the Commander himself doesn’t acknowledge it. Too modest and good to admit such a thing. “I’m just a soldier, Kay. Nothing special,” he’d say. Like he was just average, an ordinary Alliance marine. But Kaidan knows that the Commander is anything but ordinary. And now, like this, bare and gasping for air under his touch, Commander Shepard is the most beautiful thing Kaidan has ever seen.

“God, John, look at you.”

Kaidan twists his hand on the upstroke and it forces the breath out from between Shepard’s lips. “So pretty… so good…” Nuzzling along Shepard’s neck, Kaidan leaves a trail of kisses along the tiny freckles that reach down to his shoulders. Kaidan places words of praise against John’s skin, nonsensical verbalizations of love and affection that leaves the Commander gasping and breathless.

After a few strokes, John is leaking all over Kaidan’s hand, making the glide up the thick length that much smoother. Kaidan has never seen a man get so wet like Shepard does. There’s barely any need for lubricant at this point. “So good. You’re doing so good for me, love.”

The attention and praise has John shaking, chest heaving with each labored breath. His hands clutch at the sheets beneath them, grip knuckle-white. Kaidan tightens his grip and Shepard releases a long, low whine. Barely audible, Kaidan feels it more in the rumble of Shepard’s chest, the way his abdomen clenches up, the flexion making prominent each individual cut of oblique and rectus abdominis muscle. His skin breaks out in goosebumps at the feel of biotic pressure, the barely contained power coursing through the Commander’s nervous system, nearly bursting out in flashes of blue.

“Just like that, baby. There you go. Just like that.”

A startled groan dislodges itself from the back of John’s throat. Shepard is mostly quiet during sex, military discipline so ingrained into him. Kaidan can definitely relate, knows how difficult it is to let loose, to trust another enough to be vulnerable. It’s taken patience and practice on both their parts to get to this point, for Shepard to give voice to his pleasure. And much to Kaidan’s delight and surprise, a few words of encouragement is all John needs to have him moaning and groaning.

Kaidan lets go of his grip to lavish attention on the underside of John’s cock, where he’s most sensitive. With just the lightest of touches the reaction is almost immediate - a drawn out high-pitched keen, a sound Kaidan has never heard from the Commander before. His own cock twitches in response in the confines of his boxer briefs, the ache almost unbearable.

Kaidan repeats the motion and John’s hips nearly fly off the bed, the athletic bulk of his quads quaking as his heels dig into the mattress. A strangled hiss through his teeth as Shepard’s head hangs low, eyes hooded and pupils blown out wide, almost black. A light sheen of sweat covers his body, along with the lovely pink flush of his cheeks.

Kaidan takes John’s erection back into his grip, the movement slow and deliberate. It makes John choke on a sob, the sound needy and desperate and Kaidan knows he’s nearly at the edge of climax. His free hand comes to Shepard’s hip, pressing soothing motions along his flank. “I’m right here. Right here with you. Tell me what you need, baby.”

John takes a few inhales before he can even speak, and not once does Kaidan stop, stroking with a grip too light bordering on torture. “K-Kay… I- nngghh. I can’t- I- ah!”

Reduced to an incoherent mess, hips thrusting in time to meet the rhythm of Kaidan’s hand, stifled moans at each interval. Kaidan takes mercy on the poor Commander, slick-wet sounds becoming louder and obscene in the walls of Shepard’s cabin as his grip tightens, stroking in a flurry of movement.

Kaidan speaks the words against John’s neck, right below his ear, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” The words, the love, the tight slick heat of his hand has John wordlessly gasping and whimpering, toes curling, fingers twisting as he comes undone. Whole body trembling as thick ropes of cum paint the faintly scarred surface of his torso.

Kaidan follows John through the aftershocks, wringing out every last drop of his orgasm, watching as John’s breathing slowly returns to normal. Shepard gently pries his hand away from the oversensitive flesh, while Kaidan kisses along his neck, tracing mindless patterns with his clean hand along John’s hip.

#mass effect #mshenko #male shepard #kaidan alenko #im writing this shep as a biotic specifically earthborn and paragon #but yeah i think shepard has an enormous praise kink and gets off just from hearing kaidan’s voice #wrote this in one go so any mistakes are on me #my art #my specialty of drawing characters against white backgrounds knows no bounds etc etc #stop the sanitization and censoring of social media so i can post porn!!!#fornax

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saintgoths · 1 year

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ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴍᴇ ʙʏ ᴍʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ

LEVI ACKERMAN X READER - CALL ME BY MY NAME. [AOT AU]

[PART TWO TO THE REALM'S DIAMOND SERIES].

WORD COUNT - 2,641.

RATING - 18+. [sex shaming, slut shaming, fat shaming and sexual thoughts].

[she also has other pairings thus the hashtags but its mainly levi x reader].

SUMMARY - two days after the annual ball and dozens of suitors step into your home gardens to pursue you, but you only have your eyes on one man, one unavailable suitor. levi ackerman.

if this reaches more than 75+ notes maybe i'll do part three? feedback, liking and reblogging [and following] would be appreciated!

It had been categorically two days from the annual ball and business that centred around you had developed into something heavier and diligent than you could’ve ever imagined, you were already an incredibly courted woman but it had seemed like the numbers of men that had wanted to entreat and propose to you had generously increased. Normally, you were used to viciously large numbers of attention but what you had been going through now was nothing compared to previous assiduity and heed.

Your mother was of course delighted to see the after effects of how well the annual ball year had been treating you along with your father, but you, yourself? You were unsure, even though you were normally an assured lady, the amount of absorption you have received had made you anxious about making the wrong move, moreover, had made you anxious in disappointing your family.

You had spent majority of your day getting ready by the help of your maids and other servants that mainly served you in your home, they had put you in one of your best gowns and hairstyles, every second you had felt one of them tug you by your hair or by your limb to get you into the perfect image the realm knew you as.

The dress they had put you in had light pink tones and the silhouette of the gown had made your waist appear thinner than it naturally was, the display was beautiful and quite simple but with the way your curls had framed your face, it had made your appearance elevate into the alluring and refined mask you have grown accustomed to. Your breast was pushed up to the heavens, howbeit the dress wasn’t as tight as the fabric you wore in the annual ball.

Currently, you had been accompanied by Jean Kirstein, a rich man who belonged to a kind-hearted family and was heir to the Kirstein mining bequest. You had always known Sir Kirstein to be a handsome man with his regal features and slightly long hair, he knew how to dress and had the charisma that would make any type of women blush and flutter under. He was not one of the first suitors to appear to you today and if you were being ingenuous, you were tired and wanted to sit down and eat cake, but you had commissions to conquest, it was the least you could do for your family.

Jean had belonged to a successful mining company in Oscaar, so your parents were blithe to hear about Sir Kirstein entering the van Richesse quads to court their daughter. However, when you saw, him be guided to your direction, you were in fact surprised to see him. “I’d say that you attempting to court me is quite tactful in your ends,” you commented, your hands were clasped behind your back and you had a smile written on your face while the side of your eyes checked the suitor who walked beside you.

Chiefly, the suitor who walked beside you was known for his interest in Lady Mikasa Ackerman, a cousin of Levi Ackerman, forthwith, she had lived in the country of Oscaar that was known for its great beaches, the country of Oscaar was also known for its great alliance with the du Aurous country. The two nations had been associated with each other ever since the First Great War and you had loved going there for holiday.

“Well, Lady Mikasa doesn’t have her sights on me as much as I do for her,” Jean kindly informed, his body had slightly twisted towards your direction and you could tell by the look of his face he had attempted to hide his hurt, “she’s been too infatuated with Sir Eren Yeager, that gripping man,” he silently uttered, his brief intel had commenced you to perk up the both of your eyebrows, briskly astonished by what you had been told.

Hastily, the moment you had shared with Eren two days ago in the annual ball had quickly brushed in your mind, how so you had wanted to forget what had happened but the way he had played and toyed with your clit had caused your cunt to pulse with greed. Quickly, you had tucked your bottom lips behind your teeth as you had attempted to make yourself forget and return to the conversation you had currently shared with Sir Kirstein, quickly, you had smiled, in efforts to also make him forget about what had made him capsized. “Well, Sir Kirstein, has there been other ladies that have caught your attention?”

“None that are as pretty as you,” he charmingly smiled which had caused you to roll your eyes dramatically as you had humorously pushed him away from you, charismatically, he laughed as he balanced himself with his left foot ere he returned to his spot and resumed his conversation with you.

The consultation had lasted for a few moments until one of the staff of the manor had sauntered towards you, their slim figure accompanied by a definite face that had Sir Kirstein automatically look down in respect. “Sir Ackerman has arrived Lady van Richesse,” the staff respectfully stated which had induced you to kindly bid Jean a farewell, before you joined Levi into a consultation; yet, before Jean had left, he had made sure he marked a kiss against the back of your right hand formerly leaving the grounds with the staff that had guided Mr. Ackerman to you.

“Jean Kirstein?” Levi thoughtfully pondered and without speaking you had beckoned your head in response to his brief ask, in thought, he had hummed in response ere, looking around the courts of the van Richesse garden, “I noticed how upset I left you the other day,” Levi dryly stated and without a verbal answer you had returned your clasp hands behind your back while accompanying the Ackerman.

The silence between the two of you was brief and to make sure he knew that you weren’t upset anymore, you gently smiled in his direction. “I got over it,” you dryly aided, you had then moved both of your closed hands in front of your stomach and straightened your back, you were being honest, you did get over it, the abundance of pleasure Eren had given you two days ago had walked forcibly over the dull emotions Levi had shortly left you in. Furthermore, you had conjectured why Levi had arrived to the van Richesse manor, did he come all the way to make you feel better? It did not really seem like something he would do, even if you had barely been familiar with him, you could tell Mr. Ackerman was not a man to come all the way to apologise.

“So why am I gifted with your presence good sir? Did you come all the way to make sure I wasn’t upset?” You curiously questioned, by some means knowledgeable that your question wasn’t after a fashion correct. Amused, Levi glanced away from you, his smile cramped but bona fide.

“I didn’t know Jean Kirstein was a suitor,” he placidly restored, deliberately avoiding your question, miffed, you had bucked both of your eyebrows upwards but decided not to comment his calculated avert.

“I didn’t know he would be one of my suitors as well, knowing how he has his sights on your cousin, Mikasa,” you truthfully informed, your face stamped with a jocose smile, “but Sir Kirstein said that she doesn’t feel the same way as him, so now he’s trying to court me.”

“Well do you like him?”

Undaunted you gently bounced your shoulders; you have known Jean Kirstein for quite some time but you never really considered yourself to be romantically attracted to him. “Well, he’s handsome and charismatic but that’s all I can say for now.”

“Lady van Richesse!”

Erwin Smith’s figure slowly unblurred into the both of your visions, his shape optimistic and proud, once the tall man recognised the dark-haired brute that stood beside you, he had attentively beckoned his head in deference. “Mr. Ackerman, good to see you,” his eyes shape-fully inquisitive to why Levi Ackerman had been in the van Richesse courts, it had been established that Mr. Ackerman was not looking for marriage so truthfully, he had been taking up the time other men who were engrossed for marriage could’ve been in.

“Sir. Smith,” Levi kindly greeted, the stance between the two of them, you could discern that both of the gentlemen might’ve known each other thoroughly.

It took small gestures for Levi to understand that Erwin had wanted to accompany you for now, he was quick to switch places with the Smith man and he had barely bid the both of you a goodbye, you had pressed your lips into a thin line, slowly becoming familiar with how coarse the shorter man could be. “We’ve known each other since University, he is one of the smartest men I know, but incredibly impolite when he feels like it.”

“Noted,” you dryly chuckled, sincerely, you did not want to see Levi leave, verily, no matter how blunt and straightforward he was, you liked his presence. Mayhap, it was his deep voice, dry humour and steel blue eyes or perhaps it was just due to how vehement and carnal you thought him to be.

“I’ve been told today has been very busy for you, Lady van Richesse, I already knew you were heavily cultivated but the number of men that have arrived to see you today has made me even more competitive than I naturally am, should’ve expected it from the Realm’s Diamond,” he calmly spoke, however, no matter how calm he attempted to display himself, there was a slight shakiness to his tone that had delineated that he was slightly bothered.

In spite of his bugged demeanour, Erwin had sleekly smiled and it seemed that his eyebrows had lives of their own as the two pieces furrowed down making his face seem more animated than it usually was, respectfully you had held in your laughter and stayed curious to what he was going to say. “What makes it worse is that you’re not clear on who you’re going to pick, but I know for sure you’re not going to pick Sir. Argent.”

Indecently you had burst into laughter, everyone with working eyes or ears could tell that you did not like Sir. Argent, moreover, it was clear to everyone that the over-sized man would be nowhere found in your list of men you’d likely pick. “You never know he’s quite the charmer,” you dryly exaggerated.

“If he’s one of your top three suitors then that means I have to get my star quality up,” he promptly delivered, barrenly you laughed and continued to jaunt down the healthy grass of the garden, time had passed within the interval you shared with Erwin Smith, and during your shared time with him you couldn’t stop thinking about the Ackerman who had presented himself to you a couple of moments ago, compared to Levi, Erwin was a fresh breath of air and hadn’t made you feel as intense as darker styled man.

Furthermore, Erwin was the last suitor for the day and you had been relieved to finally be left alone, you had quickly made way to the path of your home building and had noticed that the night lights had been afire for the people who were still outside. You couldn’t wait to take off your garment and rest against your cot, perhaps you would even slip in a moment where you’d please yourself, it normally helps yourself feel better.

“[Y/N]?”

Tired, you had curved your body to the owner of the voice, your state too exhausted to make note to who labelled you. On the other hand, you could tell that this person wasn’t from your home, and what had made you slightly alert was that they had called you from a first name basis, only your closest ones or the imperial of du Aurous called you by your first name.

“Sir Argent, how did you get in here?”

Your eyes wide, his appearance had jolted you to be alert, you hadn’t expected it but you had felt a rush of fear speed through your nerves. You had looked around the atmosphere, pondered who allowed Sir. Argent into the van Richesse grounds, perhaps it was your intuition that had grasped the nearing danger, and you were an inch close for calling for guards. “I was doing business with your father,” you had held back your snort, no matter how much you loved your father, you disliked the fact that he was willing to do business with anyone, yet you kept your reaction and thoughts to yourself, protective over yourself, you had hugged your body then gently looked the Argent man up and down.

“It’s late,” you shortly replied, “you should be going back to the home you’re staying at for now,” you kindly suggested, as you slightly twisted your body to return to the direction of your chambers you gently beckoned your head towards Sir. Argent’s route then took a couple of steps away from your current spot.

“Today must’ve been very tiring for you,” Sir. Argent directly commented and lightly you sighed.

“It has been, so I wish for you to you allow me to get some sleep for tomorrow,” you curtly replied.

“I know what you did with Eren Yeager at the night of the annual ball.”

Fuck.

Your intuition was correct, you had sensed the danger the moment you observed it was Sir. Argent who had called you; and knowing the type of man he is, he would be the type to spread gossip if something did not go his way. “If word gets out that you’ve been defiled by Eren Yeager, you’ll no longer be perceived as the Realm’s Diamond.”

“The realm will not listen to a fat and greedy person like you,” you rudely retorted.

“But they’ll listen to a man,” he delivered.

Speechless, you had watched him move closer to you, his gaze malicious and intentions impure, “your value will go down and all the suitors that you have in your palm will disappear one by one.”

Angry you had gazed up at him, you could feel your stomach churn by the gaze and scent of that belonged to him, but you had to keep up your confident stance, your fists clenched you had once again looked him up and down. “What are you playing at?” You seethed, your nose had flared during the moment you had tried to hold back your tears, all the hard-work gone down the drain, all because of this incompetent man.

“I’ll give you the choice to marry me,” he simply answered, “and if you do, I won’t say anything and live by the fact that you are impure and had allowed your cherry to be popped by an inefficient man. I’ll be generous and give you two weeks to make up your mind, but for the sake of yourself and for your family. I hope you make the correct choice,” his speech ended with an achieved smile, he was quick to bop your nose with his right index finger, his face so close to yours, you had sworn he had aimed to kiss you, but he didn’t, him not kissing you was the only relief you had felt within the conversation he shared with you.

Moreover, within the five next seconds he had finally left, leaving you in a conflicting mess, never you had felt so threaten by an outsider due to the usual protection you’d receive from your parents, howbeit, with the intel he was willing to spread you knew you wouldn’t gain the protection your parents would normally give to you but the pressure to marry Sir. Argent.

masterlist

♆

#levi ackerman #jean kirschstein #jean kirstein #erwin smith #levi ackerman x you #jean kirschtein x you #jean kirstein x you #erwin smith x you #levi ackerman x reader #jean kirsten x reader #jearn kirschstein x reader #erwin smith x reader #attack on titan #aot #attack on titan x reader #aot x reader #shingeki no kyoujin levi #shingeki no kyoujin x reader

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simply-ivanka · 2 months

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Trump Was Good for America’s Alliances

He pushed NATO to spend more on defense, expanded the Quad and facilitated the Abraham Accords.

By Alexander B. Gray Wall Street Journal April 3, 2024

Foreign-policy experts are predictably fretting over Donald Trump’s re-election campaign. They fear that the former president threatens the alliances and partnerships that have sustained global peace since 1945. Should Mr. Trump return to the White House, the thinking goes, he will be unconstrained by the guardrails that prevented him from torpedoing America’s alliances in his first term and will permanently damage both U.S. security and the international order.

This narrative concedes a point that undermines its premise: The U.S. alliance system didn’t crumble during Mr. Trump’s first term. On the contrary, the Trump administration strengthened relations with partners in the Indo-Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe and the Mideast. Anyone who believes that Mr. Trump was once bound by conventional wisdom but won’t be again—and will wreak havoc on the global order he ostensibly detests—hasn’t been paying attention.

To understand Mr. Trump’s record, recall what he inherited. The Obama administration’s disastrous “red line” in Syria, its ill-conceived Iranian nuclear deal, its failure to deter or respond adequately to Russia’s 2014 aggression against Ukraine, its toleration of Chinese malign activity in the South and East China seas, and its promise of a “new model of great-power relations” with Beijing had brought U.S. relations with allies and partners like Japan, Taiwan, Israel, the Gulf Arab states and much of Eastern Europe to a historic low point. Much of Mr. Trump’s tenure was spent not simply repairing those relationships but expanding them in innovative ways.

Mr. Trump appalled many foreign-policy veterans, who thought his rhetoric threatened the world order. In one sense, that fear was absurd: Nearly every American administration has publicly scolded North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries for shirking their defense-spending commitments. Mr. Trump did likewise—and, perhaps unlike his predecessors, was seen as willing to take decisive action to secure change. Through public and private cajoling—also known as diplomacy—he secured a commitment from NATO members to beef up their contributions. From 2017 through 2021, nearly every signatory raised defense spending, contributing substantially to the alliance’s ability to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

These efforts resulted in a significant redistribution of U.S. forces from legacy bases in Germany to facilities in Poland and the Baltic states, where they are far better positioned to deter Moscow. Along with NATO allies, Mr. Trump provided long-sought Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine, imposed sanctions against malign Russian actors, and worked with partners to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have increased European allies’ energy dependence on Russia. These weren’t the acts of a retrograde isolationist; they were the work of a pragmatist seeking novel solutions to 21st-century challenges.

The administration’s goal of strengthening America’s standing in the world bore fruit, including the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states, a significant upgrade to the Quad alliance among the U.S., India, Australia and Japan, stronger diplomatic relations with Taiwan thanks to unprecedented cabinet-level visits and record arms sales, and an unexpected deal between Serbia and Kosovo.

At each step, Mr. Trump asked his staff to think of creative ways to resolve issues that had bedeviled their predecessors for decades. Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results rightly struck the president as insane.

After three years of press adulation over America’s supposed return to the world stage under President Biden, one might ask: What have Americans and the world gotten from a supposedly more alliance-friendly U.S. president? So far, a catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the failure of American deterrence in Ukraine, an Iranian nuclear breakout inching ever closer, and an accelerating Chinese threat toward Taiwan. Allies in the Mideast, Eastern Europe, and Asia have begun to chart their own course in the face of an uncertain U.S. trumpet.

The global foreign-policy elite is sowing needless fear around the world by willfully misrepresenting Mr. Trump’s first term and scare-mongering about a second. Should Mr. Trump return to the White House, there will doubtless be sighs of relief among officials in friendly capitals who remember his time in office. It isn’t difficult to understand why: Mr. Trump’s language may make diplomats uncomfortable, but his actions strike fear among those who matter most to American security: our adversaries.

Mr. Gray is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. He served as chief of staff of the White House National Security Council, 2019-21.

#trump #president trump #trump 2024 #repost #america first

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kesarijournal · 7 months

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The INDIA Alliance: A Political Potpourri or a Recipe for Disaster?

The INDIA alliance, a coalition that’s as diverse as a college brochure cover. From the leftists to the centrists, from the regionalists to the nationalists, it’s a smorgasbord of ideologies that makes you wonder: Is this a political alliance or a social experiment gone awry?## The Centre-State TangoLet’s start with the Centre-State relationship, shall we? The INC wants “cooperative federalism,”…

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#2024 #agriculture #Alliance #Centre-State #Coalition Politics #Elections #Employment #India #indian #Jammu #Kashmir #Khalistan #Politics #QUAD #Relationship #Youtube

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swamyworld · 27 days

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Asian Nato Members, how close to the reality is 'Asian NATO', fear is haunting China, America's bat-bat - is asian nato become a reality against china, us invites philippines japan and australia

Washington: These days, China is scared of the Quad called ‘Asian NATO’. This group includes America, India, Japan and Australia. America has gathered these major countries of Asia on one platform. Its main objective is to reduce China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. However, one of the primary objectives of the Quad is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.…

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ryttu3k · 3 months

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sidlink, zelink, sidona, and that whole royal poly quad (Hyrule x Zora? idk a name) :3

[ship grid meme]

Okay, vague controversy time!

Zelink = OTP. I goddamn adore it; I also sincerely believe it was meant to be canon as of TotK. I will die on the hill that they live together and share a bed come on.

Sidlink = the other OTP. They're so good together.

Sidona = honestly I really only enjoy it as an OT3 with Link because... look at them. I do sincerely believe Nintendo added Yona in solely because they were vaguely uncomfy with the popularity of Sidlink, and I do completely hc that Sidon and Yona are friends who were matched for political alliance reasons.

Royal poly squad = first I've heard of it lmao. Makes about as much sense to me as Sidona, ie. it doesn't really, and doesn't really interest me.

#zelda #tears of the kingdom #zelink #sidlink

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zvaigzdelasas · 7 months

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NATO is seeking to expand its cooperation structures globally and also intensify its cooperation with Jordan, Indonesia and India. A “NATO-Indonesia meeting” was held yesterday (Wednesday) on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels – a follow-up to talks between Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in mid-June 2022. Last week, a senior NATO official visited Jordan’s capital Amman to promote the establishment of a NATO liaison office. Already back in June, a US Congressional Committee focused on China, had advocated linking India more closely to NATO. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, however, quickly rejected the suggestion. NATO diplomats are quoted saying that the Western military alliance could conceive of cooperating with South Africa or Brazil, for example. These plans would escalate the West’s power struggle against Russia and China, while non-Western alliances such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are expanding their membership.

Already since some time, NATO has been seeking to expand its cooperation structures into the Asia-Pacific region, for example to include Japan. Early this year, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Tokyo, among other things, to sign a joint declaration with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.[1] In addition, it is strengthening its cooperation with South Korea, whose armed forces are participating in NATO cyber defense and are to be involved more intensively in future conventional NATO maneuvers.[2] Japan’s prime minster and South Korea’s president have already regularly attended NATO summits. The Western military alliance is also extending its cooperation with Australia and New Zealand. This development is not without its contradictions. France, for example, opposes the plan to establish a NATO liaison office in Japan, because it considers itself an important Pacific power and does not want NATO’s influence to excessively expand in the Pacific. Nevertheless, the Western military alliance is strengthening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region – with maneuvers conducted by its member states, including Germany (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[3]).[...]

NATO has been cooperating with several Mediterranean countries since 1994 within the framework of its Mediterranean Dialogue and also since 1994, with several Arab Gulf countries as part of its Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.[4] However, the cooperation is not considered very intensive. At the beginning of this week, NATO diplomats have been quoted saying “we remain acutely aware of developments on our southern flank,” and are planning appropriate measures. The possibility of establishing a Liaison Office in Jordan is being explored “as a move to get closer to the ground and develop the relationship in the Middle East.[5] Last week, a senior NATO official visited Jordan’s capital Amman to promote such a liaison office.[6][...]

NATO diplomats informed the online platform “Euractiv” that “many members of the Western military alliance believe that political dialogue does not have to be limited to the southern neighborhood. One can also seek cooperation with states further away. Brazil, South Africa, India, and Indonesia are mentioned as examples.[7][...]

In a paper containing strategic proposals for the U.S. power struggle against China, the Committee also advocated strengthening NATO’s cooperation with India.[8] The proposal caused a stir in the run-up to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on June 22. He was able to draw on the fact that India is cooperating militarily in the Quad format with the USA as well as NATO partners Japan and Australia in order to gain leverage against China. Close NATO ties could also facilitate intelligence sharing, allowing New Delhi to access advanced military technology.[9] India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, however, rejected Washington’s proposal, stating that the “NATO template does not apply to India”.[10] Indian media explained that New Delhi was still not prepared to be pitted against Russia and to limit its independence.[11] Both would be entailed in close ties to NATO.

The efforts to link third countries around the world more closely to NATO are being undertaken at a time when not only western countries are escalating their power struggles against Russia and above all against China and are therefore tightening their alliance structures. They are also taking place when non-Western alliances are gaining ground. This is true not only for the BRICS, which decided, in August, to admit six new members on January 1, 2024 (german-foreign-policy.com reported [12]). This is also true for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a security alliance centered around Moscow and Beijing that has grown from its original six to currently nine members, including India, Pakistan and Iran, and continues to attract new interested countries. In addition to several countries in Southern Asia and the South Caucasus, SCO “dialogue partners” now include Turkey, Egypt and five Arabian Peninsula states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Iin light of the BRICS expansion, the admission of additional countries as full SCO members is considered quite conceivable. Western dominance will thus be progressively weakened.[13]

12 Oct 23

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elisemscott1122 · 9 months

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Different Mandalorian Houses (Canon and Legends):

modern day, only Canon clans:

* House Viszla

- Tarre Viszla - creator of the Dark Saber

- Pre Viszla (Death Watch Leader)

- Paz Viszla (Children of the Watch)

- Ragnar (Children of the Watch)

* House Kryze:

- Bo-Katan Kryze (Nite Owl)

- Satine Kryze (during clone wars, Duchess of Mandalore. New age)

- Korkie Kryze

- (Bo-Katan’s father, mentioned in The Mandalorian show season 3)

* House Kast

- Rook Kast

- Veraslayan Kast

* Clan Wren: (first loyal to the Empire)

- Sabine Wren (Ghost Crew, Rebels)

- Ursa Wren

- Tristan Wren

- Alrich Wren

* Clan Saxon: (loyal to the Empire)

- Gar Saxon (killed by Ursa Wren)

- Tiber Saxon

* Clan Eldar

* Clan Rook (vassal of House Kast)

- Rook Kast

- Tayari Rook

* Clan Awaud: (eventually rebel alliance ties)

- Nam Beroya (leader)

- Vera Beroya (leader)

- Aga Awaud

* Clan Mudhorn

- Din Djarin

- Din Grogu

Legends clans/dissolved clans:

* Clan Keldau

* Clan Bralor

- Neth Bralor (leader)

- Jogo

- Rav Bralor (hired by Jango Fett to train the clone armies)

* Clan Cadera

- Jicoln Cadera (leader)

- Torian Cadera (leader)

* Clan Beviin

- Dinua Jeban (adopted)

* Clan Beroya (tied to clan Awaud later on)

* Clan Carid

- Baltan Carid

* Clan Deshra

* Clan Detta

- Suvar Detta

- Cham Detta

* Clan Kaja

- Kaja Honn (leader&founder)

* Clan Chorn

* Esok’s Clan

- Esok

* Clan Farr

- Ceta Farr

- Yenko Farr

* Clan Fett (mainly legends)

- Jango Fett

- Boba Fett

- Cassus Fett

- Arla Fett

- Sintas Vel

- Ailyn Fett

- Makin Marec

- Mirta Gev

- Vorten Fett

- Khomo Fett

- Melvin Fett

*Clone Troopers were not considered a part of clan Fett although they shared Jango Fett’s DNA*

* Clan Gedyc

- Lorka Gedyc (once head of Death Watch)

* Clan Ha’arangir (named after Mandalorian war God Kad Ha’ariangir)

- Kur Ha’arangir (leader)

* Clan Itera

* Clan Jeban

- Dinua Jeban

- Briika Jeban

* Clan Jendri

* Clan Jennis

* Clan Kelborn

- Merrk Kelborn

* Clan Keldau

* Clan Lok

- Artus Lok

- Mirli Lok

* Clan Lone

- Zadik Lone

- Akaavi Spar (left her clan to be with Lone)

* Clan Ordo

- Canderous Ordo

- Chernan Ordo

- Jekiah Ordo

* Clan Priest

- Dred Priest

* Clan Rodarch

* Clan Shale

- Arla Shale

* Clan Sharrat

- Kassor Quade

* Clan Skirata

- Kal Skirata

- Munin Skirata

- Ruusaan Skirata

- Jaing Skirata

- Ilippi Skirata

- Tor Skirata

- Ijaat Skirata

- Kad Skirata

(Adopted)

- Jedi Bardan Jusik

- Jedi Etain Tur-Mukan

- Omega Squad- Niner Skirata, Atin Skirata, Darman Skirata, Fi Skirat

- the Nulls

* Clan Sornell

- Koblus “Ko” Sornell

- Haarm

- Gheedor

- Two unnamed Sornell children, and expecting one

* Clan Spar

- Akavvi Spar

* Clan Tenau

* Clan Varad

- Mavrix Varad

- Tyrus Brokenblade

* Clan Vevut

- Novoc Vevut

- Ghes Orade

- Mirta Gev

* Clan Nerak

- Ballag (leader)

#mandalorian #the mandalorian #star wars tv #starwars #tv shows #disney #disney plus #tv series #star wars

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dramioneasks · 8 months

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HP FESTS: Dramione Month (Part 1)

Dramione Month 2023:

Forced Alliances by writes_and_wrongs - E, WIP - “You no longer belong to a house,” Lupin said. “You belong to your quad. You and your three counterparts will become reliant and dependent on each other. Your success is their success. But your failures will also mean their failures.” Hermione tensed as Ginny squeezed her hand. “You will earn points for your quad. Quad points eventually result in special privileges. This will mean balls, Hogsmeade, trips to Diagon Alley, and trips home on long weekends and holidays,” Snape said. “Without points, you don’t leave.” Hermione’s eyes widened. They’d keep them from going home on breaks? Could they do that? “You can earn points just like you used to,” Lupin said. “Academic achievement, cooperation, and selflessness. You cannot lose points, though.” Hermione watched as the tense room seemed to exhale. “Points earned cannot be removed,” Lupin continued. “It will be your quad’s responsibility to devise a punishment fitting of the crime,” Snape announced.

The Serpent's Den by ourswordsmeandeath - M, one-shot - Harry’s body drops in a heap on the shattered cobblestone. There is a distinct crack as his head collides with a large slab. Hermione doesn’t so much as flinch at the sound. She leans against the ruins of the castle wall, numb. Laughter bubbles from the Death Eaters that loiter about. Some cheer. ... Escape is futile.

Hold Onto Me by JessicaLovejoyAO3 - E, 6 chapters - Hermione Granger, an intelligence analyst working in the Muggle Australian Department of Defence, is tapped to help the Department of Magical Law Enforcement capture serial killer and Dark Wizard, Antonin Dolohov who is torturing and killing Muggleborns, After years away from the UK Magical society, she comes face-to-face with a War that she thought she left behind and Auror Draco Malfoy, who seems to know more about her secret designation than she does.

I Would've Walked Through Hell by Midnight_shooting_Star - E, WIP - She had put her hair back up in a bun and placed a metal clip to keep it in place. She wore a light grey pullover sweater and blue jeans. When she turned into the kitchen carrying her books she stopped dead in her tracks, her books slipping from her grasp. Malfoy turned to face her as he stood near the kitchen window drinking coffee from a white teacup. He wore dark black slacks and a white button-down shirt with a green tie. "I think you dropped something Granger." He smirked as he walked towards the sink to wash out his cup. She leaned down and gathered her books back into her arms. How could they place him with her? If Ron and Harry knew they would freak. She watched him closely, a little unsure. "You chose to come back?" "Hmm?" Malfoy focused on the cup he was washing. "Yes, just like you did, I have classes I want to finish so I can get a certain position in the Ministry." She lifted her left brow. Would they seriously let him work for the Ministry? After everything he had done during the war. What his family did during the war. She pulled on her sleeve that held the scar his left had burned into her flesh. "I guess everyone deserves another chance." She spoke softly.

Dramione Month Ficlets by belladeexx - T, 8 chapters - A short collection of other prompts I fulfilled for Dramione Month 2023. Prompts included: Head Boy/Girl, Class Partners, Professors, Prefects Bath, Firsts, Birthday, Beauxbatons/Durmstrang AU, College/Uni AU Each chapter is titled based on the prompt for the day it coincides with. Tags will be stated at the start of each chapter.

Share My Throne by belladeexx - M, one-shot - "Share my throne." She thinks he's joking. He must be. He's gone mad. He swallows, and Hermione's eyes drop to follow the ripple down his throat. She watches as a tiny droplet of blood moves with him. His hips tilt upward, bringing her eyes back to his. "Is that a proposal?" "Is that a yes?" A wisp of a smirk makes its way back to his face.

Draco Malfoy and the Timeline-Turner by anxiousm3ss - T, one-shot - "He was going to fix the Time-Turner, he decided. He was going to fix everything. It was his only chance." Or the one where Draco is so eager to change the past that he rips apart the fabric of reality.

Crookshanks, Pawns, and the Perfect Snog by violently_verbose - E, WIP - Advertising himself as the purveyor of the perfect snog, Malfoy lures in the anxious and inexperienced with the promise of teaching them his technique—but only for a price. An outrageously exorbitant fee that Hermione has decided to pay.

Assumptions and Misconceptions by art_emissss - T, one-shot - Malfoy, undeterred by her icy disposition, took a couple of steps closer. "Can't I inquire about the well-being of my former classmate? It has been a long time since we last saw each other." "As if you missed me." "And what if I did?" Or: the one where they are Headmasters of competing schools.

The Idiots Guide to Traveling Time by Biirdiee_Rose - E, one-shot - “Alright, you win. Cast the containment charm so we can put it under the glass.” Draco says, quickly relenting from his previous petty argument, no longer feeling playful in the slightest. Granger just stands blinking, quiet in a way she never is that starts to set off alarm bells in his head. “Granger?” He asks. “Malfoy…we’re not in the department anymore.” - Curse-breakers Draco and Hermione accidently set off their time-turner assignment and get hurdled into the not so distant future. Imagine their surprise to find that they're married with children. It's only twenty four hours...surely nothing too crazy will happen. Right?

An Exchange of Pretty Faces by MarinaJune - T, one-shot - What would happen if Hermione had a magical ancestor who enrolled her in Durmstrang, alongside Viktor Krum? How might her first meeting with Beauxbatons' exchange student, Draco Malfoy, go differently this time around?

#dramione month #fests/exchanges/challenges

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