#with the skill of a un diplomat

[townpostin]

DAV Bistupur School Hosts Youth Parliament and UN Simulation

Students debate reservation and global warming in experiential learning event DAV Public School Bistupur organized a Youth Parliament and UN General Assembly simulation for students to gain practical insights into diplomatic processes. JAMSHEDPUR – DAV Public School Bistupur held a Youth Parliament and United Nations General Assembly simulation on August 5, 2024, for students in grades 5-8. The…

[ecoterrorist-katara]

Katara would’ve been such a good diplomat (it’s canon)

everyone rightfully hates on the ATLA comics because the politics are baffling and the characterization is even more so…but if there’s one thing we can take away from the dumpster fire that is The Promise, it’s that Katara was BORN to be a diplomat and an international force for peace, okay? Especially since her besties, the Avatar and the Fire Lord, aren’t actually very good at this.

If you haven’t read The Promise, the Wikipedia summary is pretty good. The TL;DR is that Zuko and Kuei agree that the Fire Nation colonies need to be returned to the Earth Kingdom. The colony of Yu Dao is not happy about this because the people of the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom have been mixing together (under inequitable conditions) for more than a hundred years and “just kick out the Fire Nation” is not as straightforward as it seems, since there are blended families now. Zuko refuses to kick out the Fire Nation people from Yu Dao, Kuei wants to play hardball, and they almost launch another war. Oh and there’s a weird plot about Aang debating whether to put Zuko down like a rabid dog

For all that the Wiki page does a good job of summarizing the events, it forgets some key facts: 

It’s Katara who first starts thinking about new solutions after witnessing the situation on the ground, and then comes up with the idea that Zuko and Kuei should meet and talk about the colonies:

It’s Katara who tells Kuei that Zuko has legitimate concerns (without saying that Zuko is right), when Aang tries to hedge and sugarcoat the truth: 

And it’s Katara who says to Kuei, wait, what the hell do you mean that you have no idea what your people want, that Yu Dao is just a dot on the map for you? We’re getting you out of this stupid blimp and you’re gonna talk to people before you make a decision that affects their lives, you coward

To recap, Katara demonstrates some pretty freaking key political skills, like: 

finding out what people want before making a decision for them 

seeing people as people first and foremost, not as fire nation or earth kingdom 

encouraging her loved ones, the Avatar and the Fire Lord, to resolve a conflict by beginning negotiations instead of brawling like a couple of drunks at a bar / kids on the playground (both analogies fit btw, 13-17 is a weird combination of ages)  

realistically reporting tricky disagreements without sweeping them under the rug

kidnapping a king to the middle of a battlefield to give him a reality check about listening to the people he’s trying to rule

Anyway, Katara is hyper competent at both war AND peace! We see this in the show, with her compassion for the prisoners of the Earth Kingdom (by inciting a prison riot) and the suffering people of the Fire Nation (by committing ecoterrorism), only now that compassion is backed up not only by her fighting prowess and speeches about hope, but actual ability to manipulate the levers of power. 

And have I mentioned that she has the ears of both the Avatar and the Fire Lord and her dad is Chief of the Southern Water Tribe? Even if Katara didn’t get a diplomat position based on her skills, or her status as a war hero, she could nepo baby her way in. The fact that she does not pick up a career in international diplomacy is a crime & a colossal oversight from the creators. At minimum you know Katara would’ve established Healers Without Borders or something. She deserves to be yelling at people at ATLA UN and then drafting world-changing resolutions. 

And as a bonus, Katara demonstrates her gift for diplomacy by not smacking Zuko up the head for attempting to legitimize colonization through the argument of economic progress…

…and by not smacking Aang up the head for seriously considering anti-miscegenation as a viable political solution: 

This patience is a new development because show!Katara did not have this in her, but maybe this is what growing up is all about and not just yet another strike on the “comics are wildly OOC” tally

TL;DR: ATLA boys lost their brain cells post-canon. All hail Katara, Sugar Queen of international diplomacy. 

[peoplecallmelucifer]

"Is the human dancing?"

"Doesn't look like a dance to me. Maybe a ritual?"

"Why don't we just ask"

"And potentially disturbe a ritual? You know wjat happened to Zaati when he decided to not be culturally sensitive"

"Yeah yeah, he got a spear thrown an inch of his face by a very angry Attra matriarch..... and now they are married."

" I'm just saying Dessa, If you wanna talk to him, stay close to cover"

Vakk was an asahole, But Dessa knew he had a point. So she aproached the sparing mat slowly while watching thw human performe his routine.

"Uum, excuse me" They said

" Huh?" The human said with a slightly startled reaction" OH! m i hogging the mat? Sorry. I'll be done in a minute or 2 if that's ok"

"No, that's allright. I just wanted to ask you as to what this ritual is" now relaxed Dessa said.

"Ritu- OH! yes this does look pretty ritualistic I guess. Mind I finish though?

" Oh no, not at all!"

The human just smiled and nodded, proceeding with his ritual. While Dessa kept watching.

And shortly after the human knelt slowly, put his forehead to the mat, slowly rose while obviously avoiding touching the amt with his hands, took a step backwards and boues the final time.

"Wooh!" He said, jumping in place. Conpletely shattering the calm demeenor he exuded not 10 second ago.

"Now, Propper introductions! I'm Teddy, I'm a translator and linguist with UN diplomatic core" the human said stretching his arm. A gesture of good will found in many species

"Dessa, amature xenoculturologist and medical officer on board this station" Dessa replied

"That explains your interest in my, ritul" Teddy added with a smile

"Well, yes. I find different beliefs and rituals other species performe intriguing. If you would be willing to explain I'd be greatfull." Dessa said trxing to be as cordial as her curiosity would allowe

"Please, talk more casually. I hear enough diplomatic talk a work as it is. And I'd be glad to explain." Teddy said

" What you saw was called Nage-no-kata it's a stric performance form made of 15 techniques of Judo. And Judo is a martial art I train"

Dessa looked confused " Military skill? Is my translator malfunctioning?"

"Yeah the translation pack still isn't up to speed with coloquialism and cultural elements. That's another reasons I preffere casual conversations lets me know what I'll need to work on in the future"

"Ok so. What would the proper translation be?"

"Well.." Teddy paused "either fighting sport or self defence skill"

"... so the translator wasn't wrong..."

"Technically not"

"And you humans .... made military grade combat into a sport" Dessa stated withoit a hint of wmotion

"Well no, the sport was develloped before" Teddy retorted

"Well... I don't know if that makes me feel more or less uneasy"

"Look it sounds bad if you phrase it like that but Judo has among the lowest rate of serious injury qmong human sports and among the highest percentage of highly educated people in its ranks"

"That ... sounds like a salesman pitch"

"Did it help calm you down though?"

"I ... guess? I stil don't understand why a linguist would need combat training"

"I actually started practicing as a teenager so I wasn't even a linguist-"

" you teach combat to kids?! And I tought Attra were militaristic" Dessa interrupted

"What I was gon a say is that Judo is ot just fighting it's a philosophy." Teddy retorted, seemingly finding this ordeal amusing

"Another sales pitch?" Dessa asked.

"Yup."

" I stand guard .... that's a coloquialism for I'm listening for my people"

"Noted" Teddy said before co ti uing his explenation

"As I said. JUDO is a philosophy. It's based of using the oponenta strenght against him. If pushed, you pull back, if pulled, you push. But it's also built upon respect. Towards the referees, towards your coach, towards your oponemt and even the mat you stand on during the match"

"That woukd be all thw bowing". Dessa persumed

"Correct!" Teddy said happily " you see, I used to be a troublemaket as a kid and gor cought shoplifting. The judge saw I was just a lost kid so he offered me a deal. I can get a record which would make getting a job much harder, or I can join his friends program that aimed to reform troublemakers" Teddy said with a melancolic look

"Ok so ... you were a criminal?" Desaa asked

"Basically, yeah"

"And what stopped you continuing doing crime is ...combat training"

"I guess."

"Oh we are talking about this more later over drinks!" Dessa said grinning from ear to ear

"Ok, but you're buying" Teddy added

[thymbraeusrising]

From Ashes: A Salamander Story

So I've started a fic set immediately after Vulkan was revealed to the Salamanders, focusing on a Salamander squad who is acting as protection for a Iterator who is trying to diplomatically incorporate a reasonably advanced Terran world into the Imperium and I just want to yell about it a bit.

FIRST UP THE SQUAD:

Sergeant Shoen'tal Agonn: A skilled tactician, Agonn is everything a Salamander strives to be. He is brave, selfless, and willing to die for his men. He is plagued by every soldier he has lost, and keeps a list of those lost under his command attached to his armor. Battle-Brother Mulbakaan Vel'gan: The squad's second in command and a sturdy defender. In his first deployment, he held a site of contention by himself against a swarm of tyranids until the rest of his company could arrive by making effective use of choke-points and explosives. He has a giant scar that stretches from his left ear to his chin from one of those tyranids that got too close. Techmarine Par'dak Numatar: A genius engineer who had his tongue shot out by an Ork. He has special gauntlets that are much more dexterous than usual space marine armor, basically functioning as a second skin, that both let him communicate in sign language and also give him better manual dexterity when it comes to working on machines. Battle-Brother Zarton Numatar: Par'dak's brother and a master of offense. There is only one thing he loves more than getting to test his brother's inventions, and that's being a loyal servant of the emperor. He is passionately devoted to The Emperor and carrying out his will, and sees every order given to him as a blessing. Epistolary Rodondiel Vallatar: A skilled improviser, Vallatar is well-known among his brothers for being able to think on his feet, something that has saved the squad more than once. Agonn fully trusts him without hesitation, and any suggestion the Librarian gives will be accepted without question. Battle-Brother Ze'phast Zytal: The largest of the group, Zytal has an "I could do this all night" approach to war, and has no problem with extended combat. In fact, he prefers it, as his extreme stamina lets him outlast most opponents. Battle-Brother Kronak Tu'reth: The big guy with the flamer, Tu'reth is almost as hardy as Zytal. He and Zytal often have competitions during battles to see who can go the whole fight without a moment's rest. Vanguard Vorpaar Ven'nerr: The dude with the flaming hammer and the squad's most vicious fighter. Unlike the others, Ven'nerr is quite in favor of starting fights, and is rather un-Salamander-like when it comes to taking pleasure in destruction. His behavior occasionally has put innocents at risk, something Agonn has had to discipline him for. Apothecary Ba'tsen Praetor: The squad doctor with a terrible bedside manner. Praetor is concerned first and foremost with getting his patients back to fighting fit as soon as possible, and while he is not heartless, he is more than happy to use less than pleasant measures to get them up and moving faster. Neophyte Vel'zan Vallal: The young kid on the squad who is hoping to soon earn the promotion to Battle-Brother. He is in awe of his squad mates and strives to embody the ideals of the Salamanders, almost to the point of naivety. A bit of a risk-taker, it has taken him a bit longer to reach Battle-Brother than others, but he is hoping to show his dependability to his new squad. Iterator Ambrosius Corinant: A no-nonsense diplomat whose ability as a social chameleon is slightly off-putting to the Astartes who protect him, but his openness and bluntness with them has earned their respect.

THE MISSION!

The squad gets sent down to the planet Mimas to talk to the local emperor/king/etc to get them to join the Imperium. They seem eager and willing but there always seem to be something wrong or something that is putting off a full agreement. Meanwhile, up on the orbiting ship, the Navigator is losing his mind as it is corrupted by Chaos originating from somewhere beneath the planet's capital. He goes on a murder spree and essentially maroons the ship. Down on the planet, negotiations are falling apart, and it takes a nosedive when the Iterator is found murdered. Due to the actions of the Navigator, communication with the ship is impossible and the squad attempt to discover who killed the Iterator while waiting for orders. Their investigation is interrupted by the source of Chaos breaking out from beneath the city and attempting to take over the ship as a means of escaping the planet that has been its prison for countless millennia.

....I may have a list of how everyone who DOES die is going to die.....it might be the first thing that I wrote lol

[mariacallous]

In a sunlight-filled classroom at the US State Department’s diplomacy school in late February, America’s cyber ambassador fielded urgent questions from US diplomats who were spending the week learning about the dizzying technological forces shaping their missions.

“This portfolio is one of the most interesting and perhaps the most consequential at this moment in time,” Nathaniel Fick, the US ambassador-at-large for cyberspace and digital policy, told the roughly three dozen diplomats assembled before him at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia. “Getting smart on these issues … is going to serve everyone really well over the long term, regardless of what other things you go off and do.”

The diplomats, who had come from overseas embassies and from State Department headquarters in nearby Washington, DC, were the sixth cohort of students to undergo a crash course in cybersecurity, telecommunications, privacy, surveillance, and other digital issues, which Fick’s team created in late 2022. The training program—the biggest initiative yet undertaken by State’s two-year-old cyber bureau—is intended to reinvigorate US digital diplomacy at a time when adversaries like Russia and China are increasingly trying to shape how the world uses technology.

During his conversation with the students, Fick discussed the myriad of tech and cyber challenges facing US diplomats. He told a staffer from an embassy in a country under China’s influence to play the long game in forming relationships that could eventually help the US make inroads there. He spoke about his efforts to help European telecom companies survive existential threats from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in the battle for the world’s 5G networks. And he warned of a difficult balancing act on AI, saying the US needed to stave off excessive regulation at the UN without repeating past mistakes.

“We really screwed up governance of the previous generation of tech platforms, particularly the social [media] platforms,” Fick said. “The US essentially unleashed on the world the most powerful anti-democratic tools in the history of humanity, and now we’re digging our way out of a credibility hole.”

Restoring that credibility and expanding American influence over digital issues will require tech-savvy diplomacy, and the State Department is counting on Fick’s training program to make that possible. To pull back the curtain on this program for the first time, WIRED received exclusive access to the February training session and interviewed Fick, the initiative’s lead organizer, five graduates of the course, and multiple cyber diplomacy experts about how the program is trying to transform American tech diplomacy.

Fick has called the training program the most important part of his job. As he tells anyone who will listen, it’s a project with existential stakes for the future of the open internet and the free world.

“Technology as a source of influence is increasingly foundational,” he says. “These things are more and more central to our foreign policy, and that’s a trend that is long-term and unlikely to change anytime soon.”

Maintaining an Edge

From Russian election interference to Chinese industrial dominance, the US faces a panoply of digital threats. Fighting back will require skillful diplomatic pressure campaigns on every level, from bilateral talks with individual countries to sweeping appeals before the 193-member United Nations. But this kind of work is only possible when the career Foreign Service officers on the front lines of US diplomacy understand why tech and cyber issues matter—and how to discuss them.

“The US needs to demonstrate both understanding and leadership on the global stage,” says Chris Painter, who served as the first US cyber ambassador from 2011 to 2017.

This leadership is important on high-profile subjects like artificial intelligence and the 5G war between Western and Chinese vendors, but it’s equally vital on the bread-and-butter digital issues—like basic internet connectivity and fighting cybercrime—that don’t generate headlines but still dominate many countries’ diplomatic engagements with the US.

Diplomats also need to be able to identify digital shortcomings and security gaps in their host countries that the US could help fix. The success of the State Department’s new cyber foreign aid fund will depend heavily on project suggestions from tech-savvy diplomats on the ground.

In addition, because virtually every global challenge—from trade to climate—has a tech aspect, all US diplomats need to be conversant in the topic. “You’re going to have meetings where a country is talking about a trade import issue or complaining about a climate problem, and suddenly there’s a tech connection,” says Justin Sherman, a tech and geopolitics expert who runs Global Cyber Strategies, a Washington, DC, research and advisory firm.

Digital expertise will also help the US expand coalitions around cybercrime investigations, ransomware deterrence, and safe uses of the internet—all essentially proxy fights with Russia and China.

“We are in competition with the authoritarian states on everything from internet standards … to basic governance rules,” says Neil Hop, a senior adviser to Fick and the lead organizer of the training program. “We are going to find ourselves at a sore disadvantage if we don't have trained people who are representing [us].”

Diplomats without tech training might not even realize when their Russian and Chinese counterparts are using oblique rhetoric to pitch persuadable countries on their illiberal visions of internet governance, with rampant censorship and surveillance. Diplomats with tech training would be able to push back, using language and examples designed to appeal to those middle-ground countries and sway them away from the authoritarians’ clutches.

“Our competitors and our adversaries are upping their game in these areas,” Fick says, “because they understand as well as we do what’s at stake.”

Preparing America’s Eyes and Ears

The Obama administration was the first to create a tech diplomacy training program, with initial training sessions in various regions followed by week-long courses that brought trainees to Washington. Government speakers and tech-industry luminaries like internet cocreator Vint Cerf discussed the technological, social, and political dimensions of the digital issues that diplomats had to discuss with their host governments.

“The idea was to create this cadre in the Foreign Service to work with our office and really mainstream this as a topic,” says Painter, who created the program when he was State’s coordinator for cyber issues, the predecessor to Fick’s role.

But when Painter tried to institutionalize his program with a course at the Foreign Service Institute, he encountered resistance. “I think we kind of hit it too early for FSI,” he says. “I remember the FSI director saying that they thought, ‘Well, maybe this is just a passing fad.’ It was a new topic. This is what happens with any new topic.”

By the time the Senate unanimously confirmed Nate Fick to be America’s cyber ambassador in September 2022, tech diplomacy headaches were impossible to ignore, and Fick quickly tasked his team with creating a modern training program and embedding it in the FSI’s regular curriculum.

“He understood that we needed to do more and better in terms of preparing our people in the field,” Hop says.

The training program fit neatly into secretary of state Antony Blinken’s vision of an American diplomatic corps fully versed in modern challenges and nimble enough to confront them. “Elevating our tech diplomacy” is one of Blinken’s “core priorities,” Fick says.

As they developed a curriculum, Fick and his aides had several big goals for the new training program.

The first priority was to make sure diplomats understood what was at stake as the US and its rivals compete for global preeminence on tech issues. “Authoritarian states and other actors have used cyber and digital tools to threaten national security, international peace and security, economic prosperity, [and] the exercise of human rights,” says Kathryn Fitrell, a senior cyber policy adviser at State who helps run the course.

Equally critical was preparing diplomats to promote the US tech agenda from their embassies and provide detailed reports back to Washington on how their host governments were approaching these issues.

“It's important to us that tech expertise [in] the department not sit at headquarters alone,” Fick says, “but instead that we have people everywhere—at all our posts around the world, where the real work gets done—who are equipped with the tools that they need to make decisions with a fair degree of autonomy.”

Foreign Service officers are America’s eyes and ears on the ground in foreign countries, studying the landscape and alerting their bosses back home to risks and opportunities. They are also the US government’s most direct and regular interlocutors with representatives of other nations, forming personal bonds with local officials that can sometimes make the difference between unity and discord.

When these diplomats need to discuss the US tech agenda, they can’t just read monotonously off a piece of paper. They need to actually understand the positions they’re presenting and be prepared to answer questions about them.

“You can’t be calling back to someone in Washington every time there’s a cyber question,” says Sherman.

But some issues will still require help from experts at headquarters, so Fick and his team also wanted to use the course to deepen their ties with diplomats and give them friendly points of contact at the cyber bureau. “We want to be able to support officers in the field as they confront these issues,” says Melanie Kaplan, a member of Fick’s team who took the class and now helps run it.

Inside the Classroom

After months of research, planning, and scheduling, Fick’s team launched the Cyberspace and Digital Policy Tradecraft course at the Foreign Service Institute with a test run in November 2022. Since then, FSI has taught the class six more times—once in London for European diplomats, once in Morocco for diplomats in the Middle East and Africa, and four times in Arlington—and trained 180 diplomats.

The program begins with four hours of “pre-work” to prepare students for the lessons ahead. Students must document that they’ve completed the pre-work—which includes experimenting with generative AI—before taking the class. “That has really put us light-years ahead in ensuring that no one is lost on day one,” Hop says.

The week-long in-person class consists of 45- to 90-minute sessions on topics like internet freedom, privacy, ransomware, 5G, and AI. Diplomats learn how the internet works on a technical level, how the military and the FBI coordinate with foreign partners to take down hackers’ computer networks, and how the US promotes its tech agenda in venues like the International Telecommunication Union. Participants also meet with Fick and his top deputies, including Eileen Donahoe, the department’s special envoy for digital freedom.

One session features a panel of US diplomats who have helped their host governments confront big cyberattacks. “They woke up one morning and suddenly were in this position of having to respond to a major crisis,” says Meir Walters, a training alum who leads the digital-freedom team in State’s cyber bureau.

Students learn how the US helped Albania and Costa Rica respond to massive cyberattacks in 2022 perpetrated by the Iranian government and Russian cybercriminals, respectively. In Albania, urgent warnings from a young, tech-savvy US diplomat “accelerated our response to the Iranian attack by months,” Fick says. In Costa Rica, diplomats helped the government implement emergency US aid and then used those relationships to turn the country into a key semiconductor manufacturing partner.

“By having the right people on the ground,” Fick says, “we were able to seize these significant opportunities.”

Students spend one day on a field trip, with past visits including the US Chamber of Commerce (to understand industry’s role in tech diplomacy), the Center for Democracy and Technology (to understand civil society’s perspective on digital-rights issues), and the internet infrastructure giant Verisign.

On the final day, participants must pitch ideas for using what they’ve learned in a practical way to Jennifer Bachus, the cyber bureau’s number two official.

The course has proven to be highly popular. Fick told participants in February that “there was a long wait list” to get in. There will be at least three more sessions this year: one in Arlington in August (timed to coincide with the diplomatic rotation period), one in East Asia, and one in Latin America. These sessions are expected to train 75 to 85 new diplomats.

After the course ends, alumni can stay up-to-date with a newsletter, a Microsoft Teams channel, and a toolkit with advice and guidance. Some continue their education: Fifty diplomats are getting extra training through a one-year online learning pilot, and State is accepting applications for 15 placements at leading academic institutions and think tanks—including Stanford University and the Council on Foreign Relations—where diplomats can continue researching tech issues that interest them.

Promising Results, Challenges Ahead

Less than two years into the training effort, officials say they are already seeing meaningful improvements to the US’s tech diplomacy posture.

Diplomats are sending Washington more reports on their host governments’ tech agendas, Fitrell says, with more details and better analysis. Graduates of the course also ask more questions than their untrained peers. And inspired by the training, some diplomats have pushed their bosses to prioritize tech issues, including through embassy working groups uniting representatives of different US agencies.

State has also seen more diplomats request high-level meetings with foreign counterparts to discuss tech issues and more incorporation of those issues into broader conversations. Fick says the course helped the cyber officer at the US embassy in Nairobi play an integral role in recent tech agreements between the US and Kenya. And diplomats are putting more energy into whipping votes for international tech agreements, including an AI resolution at the UN.

Diplomats who took the course shared overwhelmingly positive feedback with WIRED. They say it was taught in an accessible way and covered important topics. Several say they appreciated hearing from senior US officials whose strategizing informs diplomats’ on-the-ground priorities. Maryum Saifee, a senior adviser for digital governance at State’s cyber bureau and a training alum, says she appreciated the Morocco class’s focus on regional issues and its inclusion of locally employed staff.

Graduates strongly encouraged their colleagues to take the course, describing it as foundational to every diplomatic portfolio.

“Even if you're not a techie kind of a person, you need to not shy away from these conversations,” says Bridget Trazoff, a veteran diplomat who has learned four languages at the Foreign Service Institute and compares the training to learning a fifth one.

Painter, who knows how challenging it can be to create a program like this, says he’s “heard good things” about the course. “I’m very happy that they've redoubled their efforts in this.”

For the training program to achieve lasting success, its organizers will need to overcome several hurdles.

Fick’s team will need to keep the course material up-to-date as the tech landscape evolves. They’ll need to keep it accessible but also informative to diplomats with varying tech proficiencies who work in countries with varying levels of tech capacity. And they’ll need to maintain a constant training tempo, given that diplomats rotate positions every few years.

The tone of the curriculum also presents a challenge. Diplomats need to learn the US position on issues like trusted telecom infrastructure, but they also need to understand that not every country sees things the way the US does. “It's not just knowing about these tech issues that’s so essential,” Sherman says. “It's also understanding the whole dictionary of terms and how every country thinks about these concepts differently.”

The coming years could test the course’s impact as the US strives to protect its Eastern European partners from Russia, its East Asian partners from China and North Korea, and its Middle Eastern partners from Iran, as well as to counter Chinese tech supremacy and neutralize Russia’s and China’s digital authoritarianism.

Perhaps the biggest question facing the program is whether it will survive a possible change in administrations this fall. Officials are optimistic—Fick has talked to his Trump-era counterparts, and Painter says “having an FSI course gives it a sense of permanence.”

For Fick, there is no question that the training must continue.

“Tech is interwoven into every aspect of … American foreign policy,” he says. “If you want to position yourself to be effective and be relevant as an American diplomat in the decades ahead, you need to understand these issues.”

[sadclowncentral]

hey lew i have a question about fitting in - do you know how to get over that feeling of insane inadequacy caused by meeting young people in un / eu structures? children of diplomats who went to the best universities in europe and speak 5 languages? i know all i can do is just work on myself but i've met some people who seem born to do it and i'm a little taken aback now lol

here is the thing - i know the international organizations space makes you feel like everyone else is always light years ahead of you and as if you are surrounded by unwavering, committed wunderkinds while barely hanging on. but that's not because you are any less committed or capable of doing the work, or because you failed at choosing your career or lifepath, but because making half-truths seem promising is the first thing you learn in the sector. soft skill numero uno. so of course everyone is great at presenting themselves - that's their expertise! don't let them fool you into thinking that they never fail or struggle. that's just how they learned to talk about themselves in their expensive grad school.

speaking of which. what you see as your disadvantage is actually your biggest asset. because while these people have expertise in talking about world history in five languages and brandishing expensive degrees, they have never interacted with a normal person in their life. you can tell, and other diplomats can tell, and hiring managers can tell, that they are full of shit, and most of the jobs in the international sphere if not all require the level-headedness and the humility of having done your own laundry at least once, and most of the people who seem so great with their slightly to bright smiles during small talk do not have that humility, and it will bite them in the ass.

is it advantegous to have been to a big uni name and speak a lot of languages? of course. but so is hard work, a clear portfolio and set of skills, enthusiasm and knowing why you want to do what you want to do and, most crucially, the ability to hold a conversation that is not about yourself, and many of the most shiny people lack all of those. you can use that to your advantage. the fact that you are considering the sector seriously and know who you are up against is your biggest asset. don't let them psych you out, find your field, and go for it. let them trip over their own pompous cloaks in their due time . you got this brother. godspeed.

[whimsicalpoet44]

Hi,how are you?Your content is great,I’m very interested in observations and placements and you describe it in great detail..🤍I’d like to ask you about a placement that I have and it’s Venus in Capricorn that squares my Libra Mars and I wanted to know if there is any hope for a romantic life or if doomed…Thank you

Thank you!! And yes! I love Capricorn Venuses! Although, I'm biased. Because I, too, am a Cap Venus. 😂

I'll explain both Venus in Cap and Libra in Mars and then explain the aspect.

Capricorn Venus

Cap Venus individuals are often teased because many believe they treat love like a business agreement. In some ways, I suppose this is true. But I think it's ultimately because Cap Venus individuals do not settle down unless they're extremely committed to someone. Once they decide they want you in their lives, they want it to be official.

Cap Venuses often are quick to define relationships. They like to know exactly what is going on and where they stand with a romantic partner.

They expect equal effort and they won't just stand by and let their partner take advantage of their kindness. They're putting forth their time (which is usually sparse anyways) and essentially investing in the relationship. So, they expect their partner to do the same.

As a romantic partner, they show up for the person they love. They are so reliable and their partner can count on them to do what they say they're going to do.

They're responsible, witty, and intelligence. And they are fiercely loyal. Probably to a fault.

Others might be intimidated by them because of their cold exterior, but it's only because they're very serious (and secretly sensitive). Inside they're warm and soft. They only show this side to certain people though.

Cap Venus individuals are really artistic, but usually in unique ways. Their approach is likely logical and pre-planned (but not always).

Cap Venuses can avoid love sometimes because they fear rejection. They might completely avoid telling someone they like them, and it can call for missed opportunities in love. This happened to me with another Cap Venus (we both had that placement). Neither one of us would admit we liked each other directly. It lead to a very sad missed opportunity that I regret every day I wake up. 😂

They have really great style and they usually have a glow up in their late 20s, early 30s. They're late bloomers. But that's okay. Because so many people will realize what they missed out on.

Libra Mars

Libra Mars individuals are driven by their desire to attain their perfect vision. They can see their dreams in their mind and they want to make them a reality.

They can also find motivation for humanitarian efforts. Helping someone seek and receive justice can be a way to get them to act quickly.

However, sometimes they can put others before themselves. Their dreams might get put on hold to help someone else reach theirs. They must understand that their dreams matter, too.

They don't have patience for close minded people that refuse to grow. They can also react if someone tries to take advantage of their kindness.

Because they are truly really kind and compassionate people.

They're great at diplomatic matters and they are fantastic to have around in crisis. They're always super level headed and overly polite.

However, they are very passive aggressive. (I personally admire this. I've seen someone with a Libra in Mars completely rip someone apart in complete kindness. It's truly a skill. And it helps them resolve a lot of conflict, particularly in work settings).

The down side to the passive aggressive nature, though, is that they don't communicate their anger to others in a direct way, leaving their needs unresolved. Resentment can build up as a result. No one can fix the issue if they don't directly tell them what's wrong.

Venus in Capricorn Squaring Mars in Libra

A person with this aspect could struggle with being un-attracted to the person they share a deep and intimate emotional connection with.

Alternatively, they might struggle with not emotionally connecting with the person they're sexually attracted to.

It creates a bit of a conundrum.

Another problem that could arise with this aspect is "right person, wrong time." Something could just be off about the timing of the relationship OR maybe they're not in a place where they can commit to a relationship at the moment. They could have some healing work to do or they may not be who you thought they were.

This placement is often referenced in divorce astrology. Having this placement doesn't mean you'll end up divorced. It just means that marriage and relationships could hold a bit of difficulty for you.

You could be initially attracted to the stability and loyalty of a person (Because of you Cap Venus). OR You could be attracted to the kind and diplomatic nature of a person (Mars in Libra).

Later on, these traits might become an issue for you. You could find that the stability your partner provides lacks excitement and spontaneity. Or you could find that diplomatic nature of your partner can cause you to become angry because they aren't assertive enough.

Look at the qualities associated with your Venus and Mars signs. Figure out how to balance them out within yourself. But you must first identify these qualities and accept them.

Find an effective communication system for you and any romantic partners. State your expectations. And face your concerns or problems head on. Your Libra Mars might want to avoid conflict, but if you don't address these issues, they can turn into a bigger problem over time.

So, no you aren't doomed. You just have a little bit of work to do in this department of your life.

[fire-fira]

Some further thoughts in regards to [this post] just in terms of what I personally think would make sense for all of them.

Coral: yes, keep her as the emissary for Neptunos in Poseidonis, though with both of her partners being so thoroughly tied to Poseidonis I'd include at least some hints that it doesn't come without challenges or some doubts about where her loyalties lay. She's a politician, she can handle it, but it'd be a little more intriguing to have her have to occasionally fend off criticism from people in Neptunos who might think she's getting a little 'too fond' of Poseidonis.

Topo: Historian and restorationist, full stop. He doesn't seem to me to be the type to really be comfortable being an outright politician, but as an adviser whose knowledge of history makes him an invaluable asset, he would shine. Atlantis has a looooooong history, and if you go with the headcanon that magic extends the lives of those who use it (and that the more skilled a person is, the longer they can live-- which could easily result in at least a few being hundreds of years old), then that would make his knowledge even more valuable because that history would be much more blatantly present than might otherwise be expected.

Lori: While arguments could be made for keeping Lori as a General for Tritonis, I will admit I have a fondness for the idea of Lori having thrown herself wholeheartedly into the study of healing magic while at the Conservatory of Sorcery. (Also, having a General as Tritonis's emissary to Poseidonis seems a bit counter-effective to me. Why send a General from their military when it would make more sense to send someone who should ideally have better negotiating skills than what would likely be presumed of a General?) But as a healer? A magic user whose emphasis is in healing and who might have gained the knowledge of how to track and contain things like pandemics and other public health crises in Atlantis? She could easily have all the authority of a General, but on a broader scale than just Tritonis or Poseidonis, she could be a key public health advisor for all of Atlantis, and she has the connections to pave her way to that position. (Plus, Lori getting to have moments of being the quintessential snarly 'white mage' amuses me to no end.)

Garth: He can stay as the Atlantean Minister of Diplomacy and the UN Ambassador for Atlantis. Neither of those ties him explicitly to only one city-state of Atlantis, and he has the personal and political ties for it to make sense for how he eventually wound up in the position. Though with his being the protégé/apprentice to Arthur/Orin, I'm sure he would occasionally get met with accusations of prioritizing Poseidonis over the other city-states, but that just adds another layer (like Coral) that makes him having the position interesting. Plus, his experience from being on the surface gives him an edge of familiarity that would serve him well as the UN Ambassador. (And with my own headcanons and fics, he's got plenty of practice in diplomatically talking around things he'd rather avoid getting into, which is a skill I'm sure he'd use if he has it at his disposal.)

Beluga: I'm not opposed to Beluga having become the equivalent of a bishop or cleric, but the episodes he was in had him come across as a joke-- a bottom-of-the-barrel pick for a representative for Xebel. And while yeah, having a bottom-of-the-barrel pick was an easy way to show Mera's father snubbing Orin and that whole council and has its own narrative merits, at the same time it's just... SIGH. It also doesn't help that there's barely anything to his character shown in the series. And that's not even getting into the conflicting implication that in season 1 (his first appearance) Xebel was either largely unknown of in Atlantis proper, or that it wasn't technically considered part of Atlantis for a while (up until at least the end of season 1 at the earliest)-- which would mean that if he was originally from Xebel that his chances of attending the Conservatory would probably have been really limited. On the other hand, Beluga as a privileged son of some official who went into the Conservatory and eventually became a cleric and decided to take his practice to Xebel? That I can buy. (And in that context, Nereus pushing Beluga into the position of a politician when he's uncomfortable with it because it's seriously out of his wheelhouse while also leaning on his background as the son of some official for why he's the 'appropriate choice', sounds like an appropriately dick-ish move for Nereus without making Beluga an outright joke.)

Ronal: I'll admit, I do not like the idea of him being a 'lord' of Crastinus. Yes, he practically screams 'I am the son of someone with a LOT of political power', but putting him on the same level of royal families like Orin, Mera, Nereus, and Sha'ark just feels off-base and loads of 'ick' to me. (I personally headcanon him as the son of the Consul Magistrate of Poseidonis, putting his mother as one of the most politically powerful people in Atlantis right below the various royal families, but that's me.) I can buy him getting a political position due to the precedent set by his parent(s), however, due to his past history as a known purist I suspect his position would be precarious as hell. Making him an emissary would be a political landmine that I think most of the Atlantean city-states wouldn't want to risk. Taking up a position as a consul or a praetor though (since I doubt he'd be accepted as a consul magistrate due to being a political landmine)? That I can easily see happening. He'd have a political position due to his family background and training, but having been a known purist should have cost him access to higher levels of political power.

[usafphantom2]

Dassault Aviation receives request for 42 Rafale fighters for the French Air Force

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/01/2024 - 18:26in Military

At the end of December 2023, the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) granted Dassault Aviation an order for 42 Rafale combat aircraft, known as "lot 5", for the French Air and Space Force.

"On behalf of Dassault Aviation and the 400 companies involved in the Rafale program, I would like to thank the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the DGA and the French Air and Space Force for their renewed confidence. We are ready and determined to use our skills as a main contractor and integrator of complex systems to serve the sovereignty of our nation. This military industrial sovereignty is an exception in Europe. It guarantees the superiority of our combat aviation. It is also an asset for diplomatic influence and an economic force in the export trade," says Éric Trappier, President and CEO of Dassault Aviation.

Rafale is a technical, operational and commercial success that continues to position France on a world-class level in combat aircraft.

Rafale was designed to evolve by successive patterns in order to adapt the latest technologies to the user's needs. Standard 4, especially focusing on connectivity, is under development. Standard 5, which is currently preparing for launch, will bring new capabilities in collaborative combat.

France has ordered 234 so far through orders in 1993, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2023.

Rafale was also sold outside France to the United Arab Emirates (80), Egypt (55), Indonesia (42), Qatar (36), India (36) and Greece (12). Croatia acquired twelve oldest Rafales from the French Air Force.

The order book, in addition to the new "lot 5" contract, guarantees production activity for the next ten years.

Tags: Armée de l'air - French Air Force/French Air ForceMilitary AviationDassault AviationDassault Rafale

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[uzumaki-rebellion]

Now that I’ve seen the move...

I’m reading so many hot takes on Twitter regarding Talokan fighting with Wakanda. The worst are people saying Shuri isn’t good enough to be BP because she doesn’t have the skills... completely forgetting she made all the suits/tech, fought alongside the soldiers and her brother, and guided a shitty CIA op to help them in the middle of fighting during the last move. Fuck outta here. Shuri held her own. That mantle belonged to her.

Spoilers ahead...

The other take I found funny (and ignorant to the reality of the WF worldbuilding) was folks mad that Wakandans were getting their ass beat by Namor’s people. #1 Namor told them people he had more Talokanil than Wakanda had blades of grass, and #2, imagine an entire nation filled with the properties of the heart-shaped herb in their DNA. Every Talokanil has the strength and healing powers of the BP, and only the BP is blessed with that compared to regular Wakandans. So unless Shuri is going to mass produce 3D printed herb for everyone in her nation, the Wakandans were going to get washed fighting Namor and ‘nem.

For my own two cents, I ain’t mad at Namor for doing what he said he was going to do to protect his people. This man saw first hand how colonizers act. Witnessed the brutal changes in real time for 500 years. He is not going to fuck around with Wakandans who have lived secure in a bubble all their lives. The climate, oceans, and marine life are already suffering due to colonizers neglectful/selfish behavior, so of course he’s going to come hard to keep his people hidden and keep white folks from getting his vibranium deposit. He held out an olive branch with centuries of experience backing him as a ruler of his people. Ramonda messed up by not heeding his warning. She of all people already knew how these white folks were acting with her (that whole UN scene showed the treachery of the French and their American ally--The CIA). For her to not recognize a powerful ally to keep her own people safe too was a political and tactical error on her part. You got through a technologically advanced nation’s security system? Bay-bee, we about to sit down and talk in a diplomatic way first.

Namor had every right to clap back even if that meant taking out Wakanda first, (Ramonda included). Sucks for Wakanda and Shuri, but again, this is a man who has lived through the worst of white nonsense (unlike Wakanda whose only bad thing ever experienced was T’Chaka being killed). He knows where it will lead if they are discovered again because history backs him up. An old head is not about to have a repeat of these bitches coming for their people and resources once more. Shuri recognized that when she asked to go to Talokan (she wasn’t kidnapped, RiRi was.) Namor heard her talking to her mother before, that’s why he was willing to allow her into Talokan... the only surface dweller to ever go there.  

Now I’m not a fan of fridging characters to motivate other characters to act on something or grow their arc (especially if the character is male and the fridged is female--an old tired trope), but I decided to let Ryan Coogler tell the story he wanted to tell because of all the stuff he went through with the cast to get this film made. I hope people don’t lose track that White supremacy/White Imperialism/Capitalist bullshit is the root cause of everything in that movie. Ross and his people being the main villains. (Ross will stay on the hook because he knows what the CIA is all about and he perpetuates their violence with a milqtueoast appearance making people think he is a cute/nice ally. He isn’t. He represents the White Supremacist machine fully. Any dude once married to Val is just like her. Some of the most racist people (co-workers) I have ever met were nice, helpful, and pleasant-looking, but did horrendous non-violent things to perpetuate white supremacy when no one was looking.

People can go back and forth all they want about whether Ramonda sacrificed herself, or Namor killed her. I mean, both things can be true. He caused the water sinkhole she jumped into to save RiRi where she drowned. We can also argue that Nakia didn’t have to kill those two women in Talokan even though she was there to save two other women, but she did what she needed to do in that moment to protect a loved one. Again, white supremacy and the white military industrial complex started all this shit. They used a Black girl genius’s invention in the hopes of extracting a resource they would use to exploit Black and Brown folks globally. Namor came back to tap that ass. I can’t be mad at him too much. War sucks for everyone. He said what he said. Ramonda dismissed it.

Of course, my thoughts are based on a one time viewing of the film. I saw the first one 7 times (might’ve been 8, lol!), so I may have to do more viewings later as things I missed the first time will come to my attention. Heck, I may change my mind on some things later. For now, whew...the takes are all over the place regarding Shuri.

[royaliabilities]

Zar al Ghul is an Egyptian diplomat, philanthropist and international model who currently serves as chargée d'affaires at the Egyptian Embassy in London, UK.

Upbringing ›

Born on November 1st, 1991, in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, Zar al Ghul (Egyptian Arabic: زار الغول) is the sole offspring of retired diplomat Ra's al Ghul, a native of the Bedouin nomadic tribes dwelling in the Rub' al-Khali desert of the southern Arabian Peninsula, whose ancestors traversed from Sub-Saharan Africa to Saudi Arabia. Drawn to politics from an early age, Ra's left his tribe, settling in Riyadh to pursue his education. Upon becoming chargé d'affaires for his nation in Gift of the Nile, he wed Zar’s mother, Anat al-Durr—an Egyptian-Palestinian prosecutor whose ancestral ties can be traced to Shajarat al-Durr, the first female sultana to rule since Cleopatra VII. Regrettably, Anat perished during childbirth.

Background & Career ›

Following in her father’s footsteps, Zar holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the American University in Cairo (AUC) (2012). During her undergraduate years, she showcased her burgeoning leadership skills through active involvement in various student organizations and diplomatic societies, including the Model UN and the International Relations Student Association (IRSA). Furthermore, she immersed herself in internships and residencies, honing her diplomatic prowess in real-world contexts, where she gained invaluable insights into multilateral diplomacy and global governance.

Zar completed her Master’s in International Law at the University of Cambridge (2014). Showcasing consistent commitment and exceptional academic performance, she subsequently obtained a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)’s Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (2018).

Simultaneously, Zar initiated her professional career as a foreign affairs officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Her diligence and dedication gained her extensive experience and a deep understanding of her homeland’s diplomatic complexities, ultimately leading to her promotion as the Deputy Head of the Human Rights Department.

In 2020, Zar achieved a noteworthy milestone in her career upon becoming an advisor on human rights issues at the Egyptian Diplomatic Mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York, US. She passionately led initiatives aimed at combating human trafficking and improving refugee living conditions, which garnered recognition and acclaim from both her superiors and peers.

Presently, Zar serves as a chargée d'affaires at the Egyptian Embassy in London, diligently working to strengthen Egypt’s bilateral relations with the UK and promote cultural exchange between the two countries. With steadfast commitment to diplomacy and fostering cross-cultural goodwill, she tirelessly drives her country’s foreign policy goals while cultivating ties with her host nation.

Philanthropy ›

Zar is involved with her own charity organization Help From Your Heart; since 2013. The project distributes donations to families and children in orphanages in Cairo. Additionally, the foundation supports the Paws for a Cause, which provides aid and shelter to street animals, further extending its impact within the community.

Modeling ›

Throughout her diplomatic missions, Zar’s alluring beauty garnered significant attention. Her tall, slender frame, perfectly complemented by her polished onyx eyes and lustrous black hair, quickly caught the eye of the fashion industry.

While initially hesitant to step into the limelight, she soon recognized the opportunity to use her platform to promote her values and champion humanitarian causes. Balancing her ambassadorial responsibilities with the modeling career, Zar has covered more than 50 magazine in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, France, Italy and four times on the cover of Elle Middle East and Marie Claire Arabia, Vogue Arabia & Italy.

Affiliations ›

Ra's al Ghul (father), Anat al-Durr (mother), Zain Javadd Malik (husband), Cattleya al Ghul Malik (daughter), Yahya Abdul-Malik II (son)

Signature:

[milosstojnic]

Activity Title: BaLMUN

Type of Activity: Creativity

Duration: Several meetings on saturday

Activity description: I actively participated in BaLMUN meetings, where we simulated UN activity

Learning Outcomes:

Identity your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth

2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

Reflection:

Participating in Balmun, an extracurricular activity focused on Model United Nations (MUN), was an enriching and transformative experience. As an active participant, I had the opportunity to engage in debates, draft resolutions, and work collaboratively with peers from diverse backgrounds.

Balmun provided a platform for me to develop critical thinking, public speaking, and negotiation skills. I learned how to research complex global issues, articulate my ideas effectively, and advocate for solutions that address the needs of different countries. The experience also taught me the importance of diplomacy, compromise, and consensus-building in international relations.

One of the most memorable aspects of my participation in Balmun was the opportunity to represent a country in various committees. I had the chance to step into the shoes of diplomats and policymakers, gaining a deeper understanding of the complexities of global politics and the challenges faced by different nations.

The friendships I formed during Balmun were also invaluable. Working closely with my peers to tackle complex issues fostered a sense of camaraderie and teamwork. We supported each other, shared ideas, and celebrated our achievements together.

Overall, my experience in Balmun was a transformative journey that not only enhanced my understanding of global affairs but also equipped me with valuable skills and perspectives that I continue to apply in my personal and professional life.

[peach-jelly-lemon]

KotB AU

I’ve made an au, I call it Knights of the Baron

Knights of the Baron explores what could have happened if Draxum had grabbed the turtles instead of Splinter in the lab. 

Designs for the turtles and a lot of descriptions for things 

Raphael, instead of having to learn how to control his temper and clumsiness, is advised to channel it into getting even stronger and punching things better (things like mattresses and spare scraps. He’s been told not to touch anything important). He remains protective over his younger brothers and a stickler for the rules, although both are slightly different in context. He is referred to as Spikes.

Leonardo, as someone who relied heavily on the influence of people around him growing up and was the most like Splinter, is now trying his best to be the most like Draxum. He still speaks dramatically and has fun with fighting, but now it’s more of a ‘taking everything seriously’ act instead of a ‘taking everything lightly’ act. His skill in manipulation and planning is noticed by Draxum and he is made leader- only in diplomatic situations. Everyone follows Raphael in combat. He is referred to as Stripes.

Donatello, in a space without human technology, relies on his speed and creativity to be as useful in combat as everyone else. Without realising it, he embodies the ‘ninja’ aspect perfectly and later is the first to unlock the Hamato mindmeld. He specialises in armour manufacturing, repair, and alchemy/chemistry. He doesn’t even think of a battle shell, because his back is never turned to the enemy anyways. He is referred to as Squares.

Michaelangelo continues his unpredictability. In combat, he relies on being underestimated and thrives on proving people wrong, both in terms of strength and creativity/outmaneuvering. He is drawn to art, but there are little to no supplies. Draxum discovers his potential as a mystic warrior when he accidentally scribbles out a doorway on the ground with his mystic chalk, and slowly begins specialty training. Still being the most emotionally driven, and with proper training, he masters his mystic powers quickly and helps the team work together. He is referred to as Spots.

Draxum raising the turtles:

It would not be beneficial if Draxum’s perfect soldiers died because he didn’t know how to take care of turtles or human babies. So he learns extensively and provides them with almost everything they need to thrive. Through the Power of Parenting he becomes slightly (only slightly) better and more amicable. 

His lab rebuilding is put on hold for a small while until he deems the turtles independent enough to not get themselves killed while he’s away and Huginn and Muninn can watch them (4-6). He manages to finish building the lab again at around the same time as the show because he gets Donnie to help him.

Once they seem dexterous and communicable enough (6-8), Draxum begins training them with their choice of weaponry. Everyone chooses similar weapons to the show and they aren’t the mystic ones yet. Donnie also wants a gun. He does not receive one (yet).

Similarly to the show, Raphael unlocks his mystic powers first. Un-similarly, it’s when he’s a bit younger (~12) and is not because Draxum threw Leo off a roof. After they all unlock their mystic powers, Draxum gives them the mystic weapons. Donatello still chooses to make and use his own.

Draxum is a bad parent but this is not an intentionally angsty au. He cares for the turtles in a ‘they’re useful’ way, but raising them instilled a bit of parental need to protect them. It isn’t beneficial to him to not care about them.

Some more notes:

Raph and Leo: They are co-leaders for different situations, and there’s an equal chance of them listening to each other and executing orders perfectly, and getting into a major argument about it. They understand each other’s strengths and respect them but they don’t understand the way their weaknesses affect their behaviour. They are protective of each other and even moreso of their younger brothers.

Leo and Donnie: Still consider themselves twins and reign absolutely supreme at dramatic monologues. Will get so carried away in dramaticizing things that they don’t notice very important/dangerous things around them. Have matching repaired fingers from where the other bit it off and then fixed it (either with medical or metallurgic+alchemical prowess). A terrifying and sadistic duo in combat and fiercely competitive with one another.

Donnie and Mikey: The B-team remains supreme and similar to the real show. Donnie is protective over Mikey and they both understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well. In combat, they make a fast and efficient team, and they can bring out both the good and bad in one another. They can ramp up each other’s emotions until they are very intense.

Lastly, I will be writing a long fanfic about this on my ao3 account that goes through a similar timeline to the real show. 

[just-eyris-things]

ok so ive been thinking

there are a LOT of opinions of peoples of Tyria in regards of the commander/hero (in my story). adding read more because long post

Airell

At the beginning, when the Pact is still young, people are not very happy with this choice. Behind his back people joke around that he is Trahearne's puppy - loyal, always follows him, sometimes even jumps in to protect him. But they try to believe that someone so openly skilled in combat and who knows almost as much as Trahearne about Orr is a suitable candidate, so they let it slide.

With time Airell seems like the best choice. He is social, good looking, good at combat and pretty smart too. An easy-to-like guy, although his sense of humor at times is....questionable. Another downside people often bring up is that he sometimes is too easy going. He "suffers" a backlash after a meeting with Phlunt when he shows up completely wasted and inappropriately dressed, media claim that he "forced Marshal Trahearne to take him there because as the Pact Commander he can't leave [redacted] waiting".

Nia Furaha

Nia seems a much better choice to people. When she unites the Pact after the fall of the fleet, she gets called the 'self-proclaimed commander' by some Airell fans, but after she remains on the position, she gains a lot of popularity. She is seen as better presenting, her serious attitude is much better received than Airell's, even though she isn't that much more serious than him when the situation calls for it. Nia has less 'drunk commander scandals'. She is not that good with combat, but her diplomatic skills are much better. Nia's retirement is met with understanding by some, others believe that she should remain as the commander. By the time of her retirement, she is seen as a symbol of people, a hero who is always there to save the day. Why would the hero abandon her people?

Freya Wyldwolf Spiritkiller

While they do not inherit the title, it is openly known that the two of them are working together to stop the tragedy that wrecked charr society. Freya is soon called the hero, yet she is constantly compared to Airell and Nia. However, she proves herself and carves her legend as the Twin Dragon Slayer and Spirit Killer. While the first one is quite prestigious, the latter one is quite controvercial. Some people see it as a heroic deed that she slayed the Boneskinner, the corrupted Forest Spirit. There are others, however, that see her as a traitor for not trying to un-corrupt the spirit harder ("Glint was un-corrupted, was she not? why didn't Freya uncorrupt the Forest Guardian?"). Since she spends a lot of time with Eyris, she is seen as "the Anise" - holding that sylvari on a short leash and tugging on it to stop her from misbehaving, similarly to what has happened to Canach. While it is not true, the public likes to live in this lie.

Eyris

Eyris is seen as someone who simply has gotten lucky and as someone undeserving of being Aurene's Champion. Up until the moment she unites with the dragon scion, she is seen as a criminal and a menace, there even is a bounty on her head. During HoT she is declared missing and eventually dead, since nobody really sees her around anymore. In that time, the media claim that she has gotten corrupted by Mordremoth. There are reports of her sightings around LWs3 when she travels to LA to find a ship to Elona, but that is swept under the rug. It all changes when she returns to Tyria after LWs4 ends. Even though Eyris changes significantly throughout the story, people tend to ignore changes and see her as no different person than years earlier. However, as a Dragon Champion, Eyris is now a major political figure whether she and everybody else like it or not. While she doesn't have good reputation and is constantly doubted and suspected, she manages to push through. She manages to escape it all by her unintended journey to Cantha and...well, we'll see how it shall end.

[chiefatticcreator]

Prompt: Amanda just trying to do her work while experiencing very much pleasure (either putting on a show for others, or getting used in any possible way)

As the UN liaison within Overwatch, Amanda's job was theoretically one of great responsability and power. She was supposedly charged with making sure that Overwatch ws complying with the UN's regulations. That is to say, that Overwatch was not doing horrible experiments, was not trying to bribe or threaten governments, was not amassing power for itself, was acting responsibly, respecting local laws whenever it operated, did not do any nefarious and/or illrgal activities, and so on. To do so she had, in theory, the power to oversee anyone's work, from the lowest grunt to Jack Morrison himself.

In practice, having been broken by Jack and his harem on her first days here, Amanda's job was mostly to sit at the entrance desk on some days, and to write back glowing reports to the UN, that everything was going well, that Overwatch was exceeding expectations, that she was the only oversight they needed, along with suggestions of which gorgeous female head of state could come and visit Overwatch (or at which internation meetings would Overwatch attend), and so on.

And today was Report Day.

And unfortunately for her, the vibrators in her ass, cunt, and against her nipples were making work extremely difficult. Or rather, they made work almost impossible.

Sombra had set them up (because of course she did) and every word Amanda tyoed on her keyboard was another pleasant buzz on her body, another moan escaping her lips, another drop of wetness dripping between her legs. She had barely written a paragraph, and her eyes were already rolling back in pleasure even as she tried to proofread her work.

And she had entire pages of the damned thing to write!

As for the situation since my last report, I am quite happy to inform you that...

Oh god, she'd cum on the spot, her cunt tightening around the toy as a spray of her cum flashed between her thighs, and she had only finished the introduction. Her nipples arched, hard as diamond. She'd long ago discarded the use of bras, and they were poking against her shirt, the vibrator stimulating them so pleasantly.

....

.. and with this, the intervention in Addis-Abebas was a success, thanks to Jack Morrison's great commanding and battle skills.

Another orgasm through her body. This time drool even came from the corner of her lips, dribbling onto her chin. The pleasant buzz in her cunt was now unbearable, as the toy had brought her pleasure for hours now, and there was no end to this maddening bliss in sight. She needed to focus! To stay on track! She'd write that glowing report, send it, and then would Jack, her master, her God even, fuck her ! But she needed to finish that report, proofread it, and send it first.

.....

... with these diplomatic meetings concluded, Overwatch sucessfully handled the situation.

Only now did Amanda react to the camera in a corner of her office. Many rooms in the base had them, and everyone knew that Sombra liked to spy on people, but only now did Amanda stare directly at it.

"I hope you like the show." she moaned, turning her chair to the camera to show off her drenched cunt, her ruined chair, her thighs glistening with her cum. "I hope you're touching yourself too." she glared.

...

so good sho goo so god god jack god fuck his cock so horny please God fuck me Master Jack owns me and I'm his fuckpet and i live for him and I need his cock and I need need need...

The computer completely forgotten, the report as far away from her mind as could be, Amanda was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, furiously masturbating, shoving an immense dildo in her cunt with a hand, while sucking on the other like she was worshiping her master's gargantuan cock. Writing about him had made her think of him, of how strong he was, how huge his cock was, how just being near him brought her to near-orgasm constantly, how he fucked, what a man he was, and that had been toomuch for her.

[sunderedazem]

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

For your smuggle

Ooooooh! (from This Ask Game)

#29 - So! Kessin's original dream as a little' un was to try and work in the Galactic Senate as a diplomatic assistant, or outright to try and become a politician from Coruscant. They were very, very passionate as a kid growing up in Coruscant's lower levels, and they had quite a lot of ideas about how to improve the lives of poorer citizens.

However, they ALSO wanted to see the stars and go traveling - hence why the whole "diplomatic assistant" thing came about, because they wanted to travel off-world and work with others.

Then their parents died from a spice overdose, and they suddenly got a taste of the real world WAY too fast, and that dream...pretty much died. They were eleven years old at the time - their twin younger siblings were both much younger, both barely toddlers. Eventually the rent money ran out and they were kicked out onto the streets, and Kessin had to figure out how to try and take care of two toddlers and themselves.

And since they were on Coruscant, they went to the Jedi Temple and asked if it was possible for the Jedi - who were then very caught-up in the war against the Sith - to help them find something an eleven-year old with some semidecent blaster skills could do to help.

A kind Jedi Master named Bela Kiwiiks was the one to find them crying outside the Temple- and also the one to realize that both toddlers were Force-sensitive. Kessin was therefore temporarily taken in, their siblings' situation explained, and Kessin happily gave both of their sisters to the Jedi in exchange for their help finding a job that an eleven-year old could handle. The Meyka twins became Jedi younglings, Kessin started working to help manage inventories and shipments, and decided that they wanted to captain their own ship as a freighter-captain, and started saving up for their very own starship - and achieve that dream just about seven or eight years later.