#the three tomes sia

[thethreetomes]

doodle dump

[dujour13]

27 for Siavash?

Thank you neverwintrians 💕 I never actually told this story but it's an important one 😁

27. Has a chance encounter ever had an unexpected effect on them?

A different chance encounter this time. When Siavash was three, his mom took him into a bookshop in the University District of Almas, browsing as she often did for anything new that might help her piece together what happened to her brother and other members of the Kelish side of her family. Anyway—Sia was climbing around on the rolling ladders and ended up in the Demonology section, where he found this book with really cool pictures on the cover, which he grabbed and ran off with to show his mom. As he rounded a shelf with a fat copy of Evocatio Daemonium in his arms he careened right into a tall, dark-haired woman perusing tomes of esoterica with ink-stained fingers.

When he and his profusely apologizing mom left the bookshop to head home, they never noticed the woman’s halfling friend was following them.

[a-vamp-and-a-half]

“You mean like, 13000 years ago or?” she asks, frowning “Cause I know she, or I, wasn’t 13000 years. Clearly remember only two or three decades there” she says, sipping her soup “Well that isn’t so far back, Areshe was 3000 years ago” she shrugs and Evan sighs. He places his bowl away and looks to Bim for confirmation, turning to Sia “No euhm, look long story very short, there’s a historic all known battle of Light vs Darkness, or evil as most books say it” (1

“The earth used to be a wasteland before Light defeated it, and life truly began. It’s also when the first Elves started existing. It’s a big part of the Elf history here” he taps his Tome “Light giving her power so the Elves could continue guarding the world as her Will and all that” he holds her hands “If what Elanor said about being there before those statues is true?” he points at the picture “Then you were there approx 13000 years after life on earth began as we know it” he finishes (2f

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Now everyone understands why Bim and Evan broke.

Blue stands up. “The combined heat of the room as well as attempting to process that information is about to send us into shutdown. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

The Googles all file out.

“I think that’s Google for ‘I need a nap after hearing that’,” Bing mutters, staring wide-eyed between Sia and Evan.

[lesbianmonsterlover]

Fem Reader x Fem Dragon NSFW

Okay, I know I said this weekend, but I finished this up today because I was actually feeling up to it.

--

You had begun working for the private collection of the Ravenshead estate immediately after graduating from your archival sciences program.  You performed your final internship there, and were more than happy to accept their offer to employ you full time to take over the conservation and cataloguing of the huge library in the old home.  You’d fallen in love with the place the first time you set foot inside for your interview, the library had this aura of calm reverence and smelled like old leather and pipe smoke.

The estate itself was kept up to museum standards, but you never saw any visitors on the property.  As far as you could tell no one lived there either, but the estate was old enough and contained enough rare books and artifacts to be considered a historical site you supposed, so didn’t question it much.  Besides, you preferred being able to work on your books in peace and quiet.  You were rarely bothered in the library, and never bothered in the conservation room you were allowed to set up in an out of the way portion of the cellar.  

Your boss, Edvard Rubik, was under strict instruction to ensure that the library and its contents got the best care possible in home.  As such you were allowed to purchase whatever supplies you thought necessary and set them up as you see fit.  As Edvard told you, “considering we basically trained you to work specifically here, it would be our own stupidity not to provide you with what you require.”  You’d never met your boss’ boss, the other portion of this ‘we’ he mentioned, but you had figured it must be the daughter of the late Ravenshead couple.  A huge and imposing portrait of the three hung over the fireplace in the library; the father and daughter looming in the back - both possessing the raven black hair you knew to be the namesake of their lineage and piercing amber eyes - while the mother, a blonde with startling blue eyes, sat on a chaise in front of them, holding her husband’s hand with a coy smile.  

You had studied that portrait a fair bit, especially during your lunch breaks which you tended to take at the little desk you had set up in the corner of the library with your computer and various notebooks scattered on it.  It was interesting, while you figured the coy look on the mother’s face was what was meant to draw your eye, you couldn’t help but find yourself captivated by the stern young woman standing behind her.  She looked to be somewhere in her twenties in this portrait, her midnight dark hair hanging pin straight down her back, expression aloof, and those eyes.  Those piercing yellow eyes seemed to follow you into your dreams.  

Those dreams always left you breathless when you awoke, barely remembering them.  Just flashes.  Moments of hot breath on skin, whispered words of praise, sharp teeth on soft muscle.  That’s how you woke this morning, panting and with a distinct ache between your thighs chasing the memory of those burning yellow eyes.  You dressed for work, lamenting the lack of time you had otherwise you’d take care of yourself.  The dream left you feeling unexpectedly sensual, wanting to carry that into your day somehow.  You opt for a dress some lacy underthings, knowing today will be more cataloguing and research, not spent in the conservation area.

Walking through the front door of the estate you’re greeted by a very nervous and panicky Edvard, pacing and mumbling to himself.  He starts when he hears the door shut behind you, looking at you almost pained.  “Ah, my dear, yes, we, ah, we have a...visitor.  Yes, a visitor.  You see, Ms. Ravenshead has, ah, expressed some...interest in the, ah, the woman we have conserving her family’s library.  That would be...that would be you my dear.  And she, well, she insisted on coming to meet you.  I don’t see why, you’ve been doing wonderful work my dear, truly, and kept yourself well under budget…”  He’s muttering to himself again by the end, and walking with you to the door of the library.  He clears his throat when the two of you reach the door and gives you an almost sad and wistful look.  “Good luck, dear.”  

Your heart is in your throat when you walk through the door and into what had been your haven.  The woman standing before the fireplace turns and you know immediately that it’s the girl from the portrait.  She looks older, but not by much, and those eyes are even more arresting in person.  The quirk of her lips is subtle but predatory, amused, as she takes in your smaller form.  She is nearly seven feet tall in her flat boots, thin and angular, but there’s strength in her presence.  Her dark hair is loose and reaches her slim hips, shifting around her like a dark cape and blending in with her black blouse and pants.  The caramel tone of her skin seems to shimmer with gold in the beams of light glinting through high windows, it makes you want to reach out and touch her.  

“Ahh, our newest addition to the estate.  Welcome, darling, to my family home.  I trust you’ve been enjoying your time here?”  Her voice, oh gods as if your dreams weren’t distracting enough already.  It was husky and powerful, there was something rich about it, it seemed bigger than her form.  The way she’s looking at you and talking to you has you flustered, you can only blush and nod in her presence.  She chuckles, stroking your cheek with the back of her knuckle before tipping up your chin with the same finger.  “Very good, darling.  You’d tell me if there was anything more you needed, hm?”  

Your whispered, breathy ‘yes ma’am’ has her lips quirk even further, revealing just the point of one razor sharp canine.  “Another good answer darling.  Very good.”  She releases your chin but holds your gaze, preening at whatever she finds reflected in there.  “Yes, I knew you were the right choice.”  Her expression softens slightly as she sweeps a loose lock of hair away from your forehead.  “You may call me Tess, darling.  I will be back to call on you.”  Her hand trails down the side of your face to your neck, teasing along your fluttering pulse before she schools her expression again and strides powerfully back out the door.  

It takes you a moment after she leaves, but you eventually collapse into one of the overstuffed wingback chairs in front of the fire panting.  That was unbelievably intense, and erotic.  So erotic.  You would blame the dreams you’d been having of this woman if it weren’t the fact that it seemed so intentional on her part, and charged.  The whimper you let out when you rub your thighs together is positively lewd, and you’re thankful to have a moment of time to compose yourself before getting to work.  

You manage to get something done that day, but honestly not much.  You simply couldn’t!  Concentration was absolutely impossible after the morning you had.  It was a fight to keep your hands out of your panties, between the dream that morning and the interaction with Tess Ravenshead.  You’re packing up to head home when you hear the door to the library click shut quietly, followed by the sound of leather soles on hardwood.  When you turn you’re faced with Tess standing a few feet before you, blouse undone several buttons lower than this morning and hair mussed.  Her eyes are almost glowing.  “It smells incredible in here, darling.”  She stalks towards you almost silently, her look calculating but wild at the same time.  “Not just the books either, oh no.  Your scent, darling, has been driving me absolutely...mad.”  She almost growls the final word, you can feel the timbre of it in your chest, and you can’t do anything but bare your neck up at her as she leans in to bury her face at your pulse point, one hand gripping your hip and the other clutching at the nape of your neck.

Tess licks a hot stripe up the side of your neck before nipping at your earlobe.  Her skin is almost burning hot, and the low growl she gives when your hands skate along the side of her neck to clasp behind her head it answered by your plaintive whimper.  “Oh darling, I’ve wanted to taste you for so long…” Her voice is low, and the skin on her neck and chest seems to be shimmering and shifting in the low light.  “You need to know what I am though, what accepting this means.”  She pulls back and takes in a deep breath, raking a slender hand through her hair.  Her caramel skin melts into deep bronze scales, each rimmed with shimmering gold.  Her mane of hair shifts into two black curling horns long and dark as night like her hair.  Her face is what changes the most, lengthening into a reptilian snout, slit-like nostrils blowing steam out as she relaxes into the transformation.  Her eyes though, that glowing amber, are exactly the same.  

“A dragon and their hoard are not soon parted, darling.  But being a dragon in the modern age is very different from what it was many centuries past.  My family’s estate has been the location of our hoard since at least the 1530s…”  It takes you a moment to process this information, gaping up at this woman...dragon...being.  Those eyes though, you can’t look away.  “My father and mother collected antiques, their hoard is much more traditional as far as dragons go.  Gold, jewels, art, armor, the shinier the better.  I never had much interest in shiny things though, darling.  So, where do you think you are?”

You gaze around the room, at the thousands upon thousands of rare tomes, each well loved and cared for.  “Your hoard.”  You look up at her nervously, and her toothy smile greets you from above.  

“Correct, moxt rasvim.”  She nuzzles her jaw against your cheek.  “I have always preferred things with quiet, hidden beauty.  It shines from within you, sia moxt rasvim, but I will not claim you for my own without your permission.  My father, he claimed my mother because of her eyes, he could not find a single jewel in his hoard that could compare, they treasure each other deeply and have for many centuries.  I want what they have, I want it for my own, and I want that with you.”

Her breath is hot as it skates across your face, and she smells vaguely of the pipe smoke you found so intriguing on your first entrance.  Before you can think too much, you lean forward and skim your nose along her clavicle, taking in her own natural scent and humming quietly in contentment.  Tess rumbles out a purr, arching her neck back and showing her trust in you.  “I will give you time, moxt rasvim, you have the week off.  If you want me, if you’ll have me, come meet me here at midnight, any night.”  She pulls back and leaves you with one last, longing glance before striding through the door and down the long hallway.

You wait two days.  It’s important that you give her the serious consideration she asked for.  She wanted forever, with you.  She wanted you as part of her hoard, yes, but not just a mere object.  She wanted you to be her partner, to treasure her back, forever.  You wanted to say yes to her immediately, to have her take you there on the table in the library and claim you as hers right there and forever.  She wanted to know you were serious though, not just reacting to her attention.  You can’t wait any longer though, every moment of your day is filled with thoughts of her.  

You’re thankful for the warm weather and the late hour that allows you to drive to the estate in nothing but a long black silk slip.  Your hair is perfectly coiffed, for as long as that will last, and you’ve left your face bare of makeup.  Your shoes are left by the door as you pad barefoot down the long marble halls you’ve grown so used to.  When you open the doors it’s 11:50, and though there’s a fire roaring in the fireplace Tess is nowhere to be seen.  You settle into one of the chairs before the fireplace and stare into the flames.  The chimes of the old grandfather clock at the top of the grand stairs echo through to the library, and are followed by the soft click of claws on marble.  

“Sia moxt rasvim, you came.”  Tess’ voice is reverent as she stands in the doorway, clad only in loose fitting silk pants.  Her torso is covered in plated scales, lacking breasts which is no surprise considering she isn’t a mammal after all.  The curve of her hip and thigh is still distinctly feminine, and the way her hips sway as she stalks towards you on clawed feet is hypnotizing.  You stand, trying to be fluid and sensual, and wait for her on the soft rug in front of the fire.  As she stands before you she cups your cheek and uses her thumb to stroke your lower lip.  Your hands skate over her warm scales, making her purr in contentment as you explore her form.  

Her black, forked tongue snakes from between sharp fangs and laves up the side of your jaw.  The whimper you give her makes her chuckle darkly, licking against your lips shortly thereafter and asking for entrance.  You give it without question, opening your mouth for the thick and clever appendage.  You tangle your tongues together, humming into the kiss happily as she threads her claw-tipped hands through your hair.  She slants her face over yours, angling your head with the grip she has on your hair, and plunges her tongue forcefully into your mouth.  She pillages and claims it as her own, stealing the breath right from your lungs as she pulls back to lock her glowing amber eyes with yours.  

“I want you, moxt rasvim, and I want you forever.  Will you let me claim you in my true form?”  You’re panting beneath her, lips swollen from her kisses and pupils blown from her lustful affection.  

“Yes, Tess, I want you.”  You reach up and cup her jaw, smiling gently up at her as she scoops you up reverentially and carries you down into the basement.  The two of you pass through the hall where your conservation room is located and down a further maze of increasingly ancient looking stone tunnels.  She’s been purring the entire time she’s held you close, her nose occasionally huffing a cloud of smoke against your hair.  You enter a large cavern, lit by a huge fireplace and some strategic candles.  It seems strangely bare, save for a huge pile of cushions and furs, and some stacks of books.

“My den, this is my home.  I know it is a bit sparse right now.”  She seems embarrassed by this, and you reach out to comfort her as she gazes down at you longingly.  “I never bothered to leave my parents den until you found us…”  Her admission is quiet, and it makes your heart thrum in your chest.  “I knew when I saw you that first time I was curious, but over the months it grew to be more than that.  Gods I could always smell you, when I’d go into my library at night I could barely think straight, your scent lingered everywhere.  Like...like parchment and ink and lavender.”  She buries her nose in your hair and takes in a deep breath before releasing it in a relaxed hum of her own fragrant smoke.  “You took such care with my hoard, it hasn’t looked this wonderful in centuries.  It made me realize how much I care for you...how much I want you to touch me the way you touch my treasures.  I want to be your treasure, the way you’re mine.”  The rumble of her growl on the last word makes you release a submissive whimper, and she gives another husky laugh.  “That’s it, sia rasvim.”

When she sets you down in the middle of the soft pile of pillows and fur you aren’t sure what to expect.  She stands back a ways from you and lets her silk harem pants fall to the floor of the cave with an unheard whisper.  It starts with a soft hiss and a groan, steam and smoke blooming from her nostrils and the seams of her scales.  You’re worried, but before you can stand and rush over to find out what’s wrong she explodes.  Well, it sounds like she explodes, and the outpouring of smoke and steam makes it seem like it.  You gasp, but before you can even process what’s happened a blast of air parts the smoke to reveal a huge dragon.  

You know Tess said dragon, but somehow you had assumed that her draconic form was the extent of it.  The dragon before you had the same bronze and gold scales, the same black horns and underbelly, and the same glowing amber eyes as your Tess.  Her head alone comes up to your waist when she rests it on the floor beside you, huffing her breath over you.  You lean forward to run your hands over the scales of her snout, resting your head between her eyes affectionately.  “Oh Tess, you’re beautiful.”

The dragon chuckles, a deep rumble that shakes the cave around you.  “No, sia moxt rasvim, that would be you.”  She nuzzles you with her jaw, her large prehensile tongue snaking out to taste the skin of your ankle and calf.  “You’re so tiny, like a little bird, so delicate.”  She uses her tongue to push your slip up over your hips and chest, pooling up around your neck before you pull it off the rest of the way.  You wrap your arms around her nose, nuzzling your cheek against her huge face.  

“Love me, Tess, claim me and make me yours.”  The dragon growls and huffs a puff of hot and fragrant smoke over you.  Her tongue explores your face and neck gently, pleased when you open your mouth to let the impossibly huge appendage in to mingle with your own.  Once she’s had her fill of your mouth for now she slowly works down your chest.  Each breast is explored slowly, her tongue doing its best to wrap around and squeeze it, making your nipple pucker with need.  Slowly, so slowly, she begins to lick circles around the base, slowly working up until you’re writhing and clutching at her snout, whimpering and wordlessly pleading for her to pay attention to your nipples.  

The first flick of her dexterous tongue over the bud almost makes you weep with pleasure, your back arching up into her.  She lavishes attention over your breasts and nipples until they’re raw and sensitive, throbbing with pleasure.  Only when she feels you’re on the brink of overstimulation does she begin working her way down over the curve of your stomach and down to your hips.  She presses her nose to the apex of your thighs and inhales deeply, letting it out in a low rumble of pleasure.  Instead of continuing to pay her attention there, though, she simply moves down one leg, licking a path down your inner thigh and over your calf, exploring the sensitive skin behind your knee along the way.  She finds your feet fascinating, licking and exploring the curves of the arch and tickling between each toe.

She begins the process again, from your other foot and moving up.  By the time she’s reached the inside of this thigh, your legs are parted wide and begging for her head between them.  You’re afraid you’ve made a mess of the cushion beneath you as you feel your own natural juice leaking down along the cleft of your lips and ass, but you can’t find it in you to care too much as you feel the hot panting of Tess’ breath between your thighs.  

One large forepaw comes up to cage you in, pressing down on your midsection to keep you still.  It isn’t enough pressure to crush you, just enough to keep you from moving anywhere she doesn’t want you.  The first pass of her tongue over your swollen lips tells you why, as you fight to buck your hips up seeking more sensation, a strangled moan of Tess’ name falling from your lips.  She chuckles in triumph.  “Don’t worry, rasvim.”  The promise in her tone is enough to make you whimper needily, and she only hums before diving back into your core.  

She finds your clit readily, rubbing the textured surface of her tongue up and down over the swollen nub until she has your inner thighs twitching with pleasure.  You’re a panting, drooling mess beneath her, and all you can do is spread your thighs and allow this huge dragon to take her time with you.  You whimper her name again, hands caressing over her snout as she pulls back just as you reach the brink of orgasm.  Before you can do more than whine she plunges her tongue inside you, the thick prehensile appendage twisting and curling in such a way as to hit every spot inside you all at once.  You scream her name in pleasure as your orgasm comes rushing back, pushing you to the brink and past it in a matter of seconds.  She doesn’t let up though, only moving faster and making sure to hit every spot that makes your whines pitch up.  You’re chanting her name like a prayer and clinging to her scales as she makes you explode in orgasm a second time, the combined stimulation of her tongue thrusting in and out of you and the smooth scales of her nose rubbing your clit up and down too much.  Your thighs are shaking and your legs almost feel numb, but she doesn’t stop her ministrations.  “One more, moxt rasvim” she growls against your core, and you pant and whimper out a ‘yes ma’am’ that makes her growl again, sending vibrations down her tongue as she fucks it in and out of you with renewed vigor.  Your third orgasm is blinding, your toes curling hard enough to cramp once you’ve come down from the high.

Tess curls around you, resting her head beside your body she’s pleased when you curl up into her, cuddling the strong butt of her jaw.  “Love you, Tess.”  Your mumbled declaration makes her purr, one yellow eye opening to gaze at you softly.  

“Do you know why I call you moxt rasvim?”  You shake your head and she chuckles deeply, laying her jaw over your stomach as you curl into her side.  “Because, you are my own little treasure.”

[khalilhumam]

Serbian government first flaunts, then denies having sold weapons to both Armenia and Azerbaijan

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/serbian-government-first-flaunts-then-denies-having-sold-weapons-to-both-armenia-and-azerbaijan/

Serbian government first flaunts, then denies having sold weapons to both Armenia and Azerbaijan

Mixed messages by President Aleksandar Vučić may be an attempt not to antagonise Russia and Turkey

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Serbian Armed Forces weapons during a military exercise on August 21, 2020. Publicity photo by Presidency of Serbia/Dimitrije Goll. Use permitted.

This story originally appeared at Istinomer (Truth-O-Meter), a fact-checking initiative of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA). An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices. A raging conflict in the South Caucasus over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh has started to impact several other countries in often unexpected ways — Serbia is among them.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are once again fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory. During the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region's ethnic Armenian population voted for unification with neighbouring Armenia. A war ensued which led to thousands of casualties and hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenian and Azeri civilians fleeing both countries. A fragile peace was brokered in 1994, which left the territory controlled by Karabakh Armenians as an unrecognised state supported by Armenia. Although there have been many clashes in subsequent years, the current conflict is the most serious escalation since the end of the first Karabakh war.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance. Azerbaijan is not, though it also enjoys good relations with Moscow and with Armenia's foe Turkey. Ankara appears to have provided significant political and military assistance to Baku in the ongoing conflict. Therefore, the front lines in this mountainous region bristle with weaponry. Several countries, not least Russia, Israel, and Turkey, have done a brisk trade in keeping those armies replenished. Serbia also has a well-developed weapons industry, producing munitions, firearms, explosives, protective devices and vehicle parts. This is an inheritance from former Yugoslavia, which focused on self-reliance as part of its policy of non-alignment with neither the Eastern nor the Western Bloc during the Cold War. When it comes to geopolitics, Serbia courts all sides. The country is a candidate for EU membership, but strongly rejects the idea of joining NATO and is an observer of the CSTO. Belgrade has close ties with Moscow and in recent years has grown closer to Ankara; Turkish firms have significant investments in the Balkan state. The latest statements of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who denied that Serbian weapons could have been used in the latest conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh, has been rated as false, as the fact-checking service Istinomer compared the publicly available evidence from the last few years. In a statement for Serbian state news agency Tanjug, given on September 29, Serbian President Vučić exclaimed:

Što se tiče njihovog sukoba, naslušao sam se gadosti u prethodnih 48 sati o tome kako je otprilike Srbija kriva jer se tamo ubijaju srpskim oružjem. Nema tamo srpskog oružja.

Concerning their conflict [between Azerbaijan and Armenia], in the last 48 hours, I have heard abominable stuff how Serbia is somewhat to blame because they are killing each other there with Serbian weapons. There are no Serbian weapons there.

President Vučić has said that Serbia considers both Armenia and Azerbaijan to be friends and “brotherly nations.” Vučić acknowledged that while Serbian weapons were apparently not being used in Nagorno-Karabakh, Belgrade had been selling ammunition to both sides, “in fact, more to Azerbaijan, than to Armenia.” He also stressed that the export of weaponry and materiel was not illegal:

To su bile dozvoljene “end user” destinacije, ali topovi i tenkovi, bespilotne letelice i avioni koji koriste, ništa nije srpska proizvodnja. Pa jesu li time Amerikanci, Rusi, Turci, Francuzi i svi ostali krivi za sukob? Pa šta to znači? … Mi želimo mir i to su naša dva bratska, prijateljska naroda. Želimo im da to što pre sve stane. Mir je važniji od svega.

Those were allowed “end-user” destinations, but cannons and tanks, unmanned aerial vehicles and planes used there, these are not Serbian products. Does this mean that Americans, Russians, Turks, French and the other are to be blamed for the conflict? What was that supposed to mean? (…) We want peace, and those are two brotherly nations of ours, friends. What we want for them is for that to stop as soon as possible. Peace is more important than anything.

The Serbian government subsequently started to put out misleading information about these arms sales. Serbian government representatives have issued various statements about their country's role in the arms race between the two South Caucasus states during the last few months. They are largely inconsistent with Vučić's words above.

A summer scandal

In July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan expressed “deep disappointment and confusion” due to information that Serbia had transported huge amount of mortars and other weapons of various calibres to Armenia, which had reportedly used them to attack Azerbaijani personnel.

Apparently, a licence was obtained to export arms to #Armenia last year, no direct evidence linking the mortars and last year's licence as neither specifically mention them, but it is possible.#azerbaijan #Serbia #conflict Source: https://t.co/dnDUhCIlup https://t.co/smPXOTbJnz — Nagorno Karabakh Observer (@NKobserver) July 19, 2020

As N1 TV has reported, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Kalaf Kalafov has notified Serbian ambassador Danica Veinović about this and underlined that this case “casts doubt on friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries at the highest level.” In the series of explanations given by the local politicians, Rasim Ljajić, Serbia's Minister of Trade, has said that this sort of export had to be authorised by three ministries and that the country's Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) has given a “green light” too. “In 2020, the weapons were exported to Armenia by one private company, and the state-owned companies had not participated in that. I cannot say which company it was, but it has been known that they had mostly exported shotguns and handguns, in value of less than one million euros and that the goods were delivered in two batches, in May and June,” Ljajić told the Nova.rs portal. A few days later, Ljajić provided a more detailed explanation in a statement for Radio Free Europe (RFE).

U 2020. godini, u maju i junu, Srbija je odobrila dva ugovora za izvoz naoružanja u Jermeniju i u pitanju je bila municija za puške i pištolje. U ranijem periodu, 2015. godine, mislim da je bilo i izvoza te vrste naoružanja o kojoj govori Azerbejdžan.

In 2020, in May and June, Serbia has approved two contracts for exporting weapons to Armenia, which referred to ammunition for shotguns and handguns. In the earlier period, in 2015, I think that such type of weapons Azerbaijan mentioned had been exported.

“Cooperation in the area of military industry is not public,” stated Armenia's Ambassador to the Czech Republic Ashot Hovakimian to RFE in late July, when answering a question about whether Armenia had purchased weapons from Serbia and if so – when and from which company. (Hovakimian's remit also includes diplomatic relations with Serbia.) In the end, the final word on this diplomatic affair was given by Vučić himself. At the end of July, he said that “both have been sold weapons produced in Serbia since this is the only way to secure the success of the domestic military industry.” “We are friends with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have sold ten times more weapons to Azerbaijan in the last couple of years,” said Vučić at a press conference at the offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), reported RFE on July 31. The government in Belgrade kept to their position that Serbia's friendship with Azerbaijan was not disturbed by these acts. Minister of the Interior Nebojša Stefanović flew to Azerbaijan's capital Baku shortly after, although the public was not informed on the aim of that visit. With only vague information provided to the public, the topic of the meeting was determined to be cooperation in the area of security.

Controversial arms dealer and accusations against former government

When it came to arms dealing, an old name surfaced once again. On July 29, the independent and reputable weekly NIN magazine reported that a company under the control of Slobodan Tešić had exported a large number of weapons to Armenia from the Krušik factory in Valjevo, Prva Petoletka from Trstenik, and Zastava Arms from Kragujevac.

One of the few publicly available photos of Slobodan Tešić is from a former Interpol warrant from 2012. Screenshot by Istinomer. Fair use.

Arms dealer Tešić has been involved in exports of Serbian weapons to Libya and Yemen in the past, and has been blacklisted by the United Nations for violating arms exports embargo to Liberia, as well as under United States’ treasury sanctions since 2017. Serbian opposition claimed he serves as a key donor to the ruling party SNS, led by Vučić. NIN claimed that its journalists had viewed documents indicating that weapons from Serbian factories were transported from Niš Airport in southern Serbia to an airport close to Armenia's capital of Yerevan on July 14 and 15, just a few days after another round of clashes broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As expected, Serbia's politicians have lost no time in blaming any disturbances to relations with Azerbaijan on the former government. On August 10, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said that the government of Mirko Cvetković, who was prime minister from 2008 to 2012, had passed a decree permitting the export of weapons to Armenia.

Moraju da se ispune svi zakonski uslovi, a da ne bi oružje otišlo u bilo koju zemlju, potrebno je da ta zemlja, na prvom mestu, nije pod sankcijama UN. Ja ću vam reći da je značajno veća oprema i oružja, uključujući i tehnologiju, izvezena u Azerbejdžan nego u Jermeniju.

All legal requirements had to be met so that weapons would not go just to any country; it is required, first of all, that the country is not under the UN sanctions. I will tell you that a significantly larger amount of equipment and weapons, including technology, was exported to Azerbaijan than to Armenia.

It soon transpired that that five years had passed between that government resolution from 2012 until the first export of weapons to Armenia in 2017, when the current ruling party (the SNS) was already in power. By that point, Serbia had apparently exported almost thousands of tonnes of weapons to Armenia. “Since 2017, 19 permits for exporting weapons to Armenia were issued, and export was allowed for the companies Vectura Trans, Partizan Tech, and Zastava Oružje,” said Minister Ljajić. According to the documents examined by NIN, 142,000 mines of different calibre and ten 120mm Grad shells were to be delivered from the Krušik factory. Furthermore, a minimum of 100 mortars with 120mm shells from Prva Petoletka and three 20mm anti-aircraft guns with the designation M55A4 from Zastava Arms were contracted and transported. These weapons had been the subject of the contract which Tešić’s company Vectura Trans had signed with Armenia's Ministry of Defence in 2018. In conclusion, recent statements from Serbian officials don't add up. It is possible that their mixed messages may be an attempt not to antagonise their Russian or Turkish partners. President Vučić himself mentions how much weaponry Serbia had been selling to both warring countries; the subject had been a topic of great discussion this summer when the top officials of Azerbaijani government raised the alarm due to the use of Serbian weapons in the July clashes in the South Caucasus. Serbia's Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Minister of Trade Rasim Ljajić made numerous statements on the weapons Belgrade had been selling, and Vučić himself said that the Balkan country had sold ten times more weapons to Azerbaijan than Armenia. Therefore, although President Vučić has claimed that “there are no Serbian weapons there” and that Serbia was only selling ammunition to the warring Caucasus countries, Istinomer rated his latest statement as false.

Written by Istinomer

[en24news]

The control of the spherical can be key in the visit of Benignim to Villarreal

The control of the spherical can be key in the visit of Benignim to Villarreal

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The UD SIA Beniganim wants to close the bleeding and leave in three „not one more„ the consecutive defeats accumulated. For this, the rojiblancos must get a positive result against Villarreal CF C in a duel scheduled for 17:00 this afternoon and will be directed by Alvaro Rallo Estevez.

The team led by Rui Tome, who will complete his second and final penalty match this day, has…

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Hello!

ITS TOME TOPPLE!!!!!!

Reminder:Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam’s personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog! So go check us out kthxxxx. While that’s amazing, Sam has to start from scratch on a new account, let’s show her some love huh? Check out her new account TheBooktender_  She’ll love you forever and ever.

Minda’s Updates

We’re on week 30 (!!) of pregnancy so I’d say it’s the home stretch. And also I’m supposed to be getting pretty tired again, so good timing for Tome Topple!

What Minda is reading now:

TOME: The Pillars of the Earthby Ken Follett – First up for Tome Topple, a book that’s been on my TBR forever! Loved his Centuries trilogy so things are promising here. The book is a heavy lift, but hoping to carve out time to tackle at least most of it this week.

What Minda put down:

The Power by Naomi Alderman – Really digging this at about 67%, but I feel like I need to focus on Tome Topple if I hope to finish both reads!

Sam’s Updates

It’s a 3-day weekend and I am LIVING for it.

What Sam read this week:

The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin: This is the final installment to the Inheritance trilogy and it’s about Sia. I loved this ending so much. What a great conclusion to a fabulous trilogy. I still like Broken Earth better, but this one was also fab.

Ashlords by Scott Reitgen:  FIRE. HORSE. RACING. It follows three perspectives from three riders in the races. I really liked this, the story was super well done. Only con is that I wish the characters interacted with eachother more. Drunk review coming.

What Sam’s currently reading:

TOME: The Burning White by Brent Weeks: This is the finale to the Lightbringer series and it’s the best. Not only did we get a series recap in the beginning I was immediately sucked back into this world. As a reminder: Kip is my child. Gavin is the best. Andross is the worst. Teia>Tisis

TOME: Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin: This is a new book about witches in the Victorian era (probably). When Lou, a witch, accidentally marries one of the witchfinders, she ends up in the belly of the beast. Someone’s out to get her. Anyway, this has one of my favorite tropes, fake marriage, but it’s not being executed well. I love Lou, but the story is… eh? I know how it’s gonna end.

Ginny’s Updates:

Ginny is at the beach (brat) and day-drinking got in the way of sending a wrap-up along. This excuse is always acceptable; I’ll always allow it.

Linz’s Updates

Linz also got caught in the day-drinking (again, always allowed). She asked that I explain the rules for the drinking game Thunderstruck.

Thunkderstruck Drinking Game: Everyone gets in a circle – play the song Thunderstruck – every time the lyrics say “Thunder” the next person drinks – repeat and go around the circle until the song is over. Note: there are two parts of the song where someone gets fucked and it’s the best.

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, Linz, and Minda

Check out the WRFB Weekly Wrap Up: Nov 4-10, 2019 #willreadforbooze Hello! ITS TOME TOPPLE!!!!!! Reminder:Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam's personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog!

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Duncan Thum

Film Composer/Multi-Instrumentalist Music Producer/Lead Composer Chef’s Table, Netflix original docuseries Los Angeles, California duncanthum.com

Photo by Andrew Quinn

SPECIAL GUEST SERIES

Duncan Thum is a film composer and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. Last year, he was nominated for an Emmy for “Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)” in the second-season episode of the Netflix original docuseries Chef’s Table featuring Chef Grant Achatz of the acclaimed Alinea in Chicago. In 2015, Duncan was similarly nominated for “Original Dramatic Score” in the first-season episode of Chef’s Table featuring Argentinian Chef Francis Mallmann. He has since scored Chef’s Table: France and the third season of the series. Duncan has worked on a range of features and documentaries, including: I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Off The Rails, DEALT, and VICE Media's  Broadly. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. Duncan also earned a bachelor of arts degree in music and humanities from the University of Southern California. In earlier days, he attended Interlochen Arts Academy, earning a diploma in guitar. When Duncan is not working, you can find him outside exploring the flora with Beckett and Finnie, his most trusted canine advisors. He resides in Los Angeles and composes from an attic studio that moonlights as a rare Suzani emporium.

FAVORITES

Book: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Destination: Peru

Film score: Spirited Away, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Motto: Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. - Oscar Wilde

THE QUERY 

Where were you born?

I was born and raised in Berkeley, California. Later my family moved inland to Lafayette, where I lived until high school.

What were some of the passions and pastimes of your earlier years?

I was indoctrinated to the outdoors by my dad at an early age. I don’t think I realized what a profound effect it would have on me until later on. We took many canoe trips in the Boundary Waters, Quetico Provincial Park; and the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia. I think exploration of the wild is one of the most creative and spiritually fulfilling things you can do.

What is your first memory of music as an experience?

Listening to my dad play the piano. It turns out that he has been quite an influential force in my life. My sisters and I would lie under the piano while he played. He has a wide repertoire that ranges from Dave Brubeck to Bach to this amazing tome of traditional songs called The Fireside Book Of Folk Songs. That was my point of introduction to melody.

How did you begin to realize your intrigue with the guitar?

I actually started out on bass and later segued into guitar. I blame David Gilmour’s solo on Dogs for my treasonous defection. Later my obsession would expand to include Django and Paco De Lucia. The final breakthrough was my exposure to the music of South America, Cambodia, and Africa. The expressive possibilities are endless.

When and how did this intrigue segue into scoring music for film?

I started writing a lot of songs and poetry in college. If you made a Venn diagram between songwriting and film composition, there would a high percentage of overlap. Both rely upon the same tropes (form, melody, harmony, instrumentation) to convey emotion. I think the inclination to tell stories with music naturally lead me toward film composition. 

Why does this form of artistic expression suit you?

Words are powerful things. It would take me a lifetime to command and distill their structure and rhythm. I love the abstraction in music; it frees me from certain obstructive thoughts like ‘it’s never good enough.’ I think of sound like an empty vessel that you fill with your emotional experiences, and that is always good enough. I don’t mean to imply that making music is easy, rather the ideas come more naturally. I decided to focus on that aspect and collaborate with those who specialize in other art forms.

What led to your initial work with the Chef’s Table series?

Many of the creative forces behind the show double as great friends from college. When Chef’s Table creator David Gelb exploded his documentary Jiro Dreams Of Sushi into serialized form, he and director Clay Jeter contacted me because they thought I would be a good fit for the Francis Mallmann episode, having seen me perform over the years in my rock and roll band. Anecdotally the name of that band was Pizza!

How has this endeavor shaped your approach to scoring music to film?

There is something Joseph Campbellian about Chef’s Table. The chefs often cross international borders to apprentice, stay away for years, endure intense scrutiny/hardship, return, innovate, and obtain a form of mastery. Their stories blur the lines between food, art, and humanity. By virtue of immersion, my own sense of musical possibility has been tested and transformed.

What was the greatest challenge in achieving the score Fantastic Amalgams for the Chef’s Table episode featuring Chef Grant Achatz?

Most editors will start cutting scenes to temporary music, which the composer will replace after the scene has taken shape. In the case of Grant Achatz, the “temp” featured the music of Arvo Part. I will say that Arvo Part is one of my favorite composers, but the juxtaposition of his intensely reflective brand of minimalism and Grant’s cuisine was an emotional disconnect. The breakthrough was realizing we needed to write music that put this feeling of introspection into context. Grant’s food, while intellectually and technically rigorous in its execution, is all about theatricality, surprise, and emotional discovery. Once we realized that, a musical plan fell into place.

How would you describe your creative process?

The most important part is knowing what your purpose is before you start. I rely heavily upon improvisation and experimentation while I compose, but I find that having a few limitations allows for much more confident brush strokes. Often the mistakes are usable too.

Where do you do most of your composing?

I’m set up in an attic studio outfitted with tapestries from Uzbekistan. It truly evokes an opium den, except William S. Burroughs is nowhere to be found. There are, however, many variations of guitars. I try to keep all of my instruments accessible, as you never know when the mood will strike to use one. The collection ranges from vintage Japanese synthesizers to Greek and Peruvian stringed instruments.

How do you typically get acquainted with the narrative/theme for which you will compose a score?

In the case of the Chef’s Table Francis Mallmann episode, Clay Jeter (the director) and I watched the cut several times and brainstormed. I’m often looking for adjectives as much I am for the milestones in the story arc. The next step is getting your hands dirty. Often the first ideas don’t work, so you have to be patient while they come and go. The theme is always under your nose and will emerge as long as you keep at it.

Is there a project/period along the way that has presented an important learning curve?

It’s safe to say that every project has presented a learning curve of one type or another. The ratio of risk and error may not be proportionate to success, but effort is always enforcing the foundation. I will add that nothing is more horrifying and exciting as starting out fresh. Carte blanche is a very persistent teacher.

What role does collaboration play in your work?

A huge one. Filmmaking is a great example of the Aristotelian cliché, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Amazing things occur when you are bouncing ideas off each other and building upon one another’s insights. It is a conversation.

How has your style/aesthetic evolved over the years?

Oddly enough, I think I have come full circle. The styles of music I once rejected in my angsty years are what I spend most of my time writing now. I suppose I just needed to collect enough life to be able to appreciate where I started, musically speaking. I wouldn’t change a detail, though, as every moment counts.

Is there a composer living today that you admire most?

Joe Hisaishi.

Do you have an artistic resource that you turn to? 

I would love to take this opportunity to plug BrainPickings by Maria Popova. It’s a goldmine. https://www.brainpickings.org/surprise/

What music do you listen to in your down time?

The last three items on my YouTube playlist are Kaneda’s Theme from Akira, Sia’s Chandelier, and Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio. The latter is performed by Nikola Todor Atanasov, whom I studied with at Interlochen Arts Academy. He’s now the principal flutist with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and makes an occasional cameo on Chef’s Table.

From where do you draw inspiration?

Often times it comes from not doing what you set out to do. I am guilty of overlooking this 98 percent of the time.

Who are some of your artistic influences?

Cai Guo-Qiang’s work has been very inspirational of late, as has Katherine Johnson’s for NASA. The Coen Brothers always get to me. Bill Watterson. Shigeru Miyamoto. Albert Camus. Alex North. Charlie Mingus.  

What three things can’t you live without?

Laughter, love, light.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Get out of the way!

Is there a book or film that has changed you?

Seeing Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams was a life changing experience for me. Anytime it rains when the sun is shining, I think ‘fox wedding.’

What drives you these days?

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot. - Dalai Lama