#the nascent diplomat

[not-poignant]

it's wild to me that The Nascent Diplomat is so close to finishing

and while i know there'll be a new installment in a few months, it's just really really...weird because this story has been with me since May 2020 (i didn't realise it was a pandemic story but there you go)

i'm gonna miss Aethelwaters almost as much as Gwyn will

[haennsche]

Look who it is!!!

My drawing of Temsen (that I made over a week ago but I had no energy left to post, whoopsie)

I just LOVE the nascent diplomat and I'm so excited for every new update <33 it hits me right in the feels every time, my poor heart, but how I crave it, Pia what have you done to me!! (I'm insanely grateful)

Wishing you the best ^^

[fluister]

‘I might have nightmares again. My light can be damaging.’

‘Have you ever destroyed your bed, in the Unseelie Court?’

‘…Well, no,’ Gwyn said. ‘Normally it’s just…around me. And- No, well, that happened once when I was very young. My light is more likely to flash. I’ve never seen it, but I’ve had it described to me. The Raven Prince said I used to do it when I slept as a baby.’

-From The Nascent Diplomat

Happy birthday @not-poignant​ !

[livingmeat]

A rough fantasy book cover mockup for one of @not-poignant stories 🤭 I hope you like it!

[stephensmithuk]

Telegrams - not the app

Since these are important for both Letters from Watson and Dracula Daily, as well as a chunk of other late Victorian/Edwardian literature, I thought I would share some useful notes on these.

Telegrams were the Victorian form of a direct message sent over the nascent telegraphic network, which was at this point all wires.

Various undersea cables had been laid by the 1890s, allowing messages to be sent across the Atlantic or even to Australia. However, bandwidth was limited.

These messages were by no means instant - you had to wait for them to be passed between operators and that could take a few hours - but they were much faster than post.

They were not cheap - you were charged by the word and there was a minimum charge. Unless you were a diplomat or military officer, messages were generally kept reasonably short. It would be for things like "I'm coming home on the next steamer" or "buy the thousand nunchucks" or "I'd like three rooms at the Golden Krone in Bistritz."

But you could also send someone birthday messages or wedding greetings. Or indeed petition governments.

You would either go to a post office and dictate the message to an employee, or you could complete a form with your message and a stamp to indicate you had pre-paid (books were available), then get your page boy to take it to the post office. Or put it in any letter box.

The telegrams would be delivered to the person's address or could be collected. For example, if you were staying at a hotel, you could get messages sent there and collect them from reception. You will sometimes see characters in old movies asking the receptionist if they have any messages for precisely this reason.

Many of these networks were operated by governments, especially in Europe. This had implications for privacy of course.

To shorten messages and ensure a degree of confidentiality, various commercial code books were available. Common abbreviations would also be used, like FWD, which still exist today.

STOP, COMMA etc. tended to be used by governments and the military rather than civilians.

While the traditional Morse code single key was still very common, various typewriter and other machines were in use by this time that sped up traffic considerably.

[siyuri]

'We are a hard alchemy, you and I,' the Raven Prince said. © The Nascent Diplomat by amazing @not-poignant

I don't know enough words in english to talk about all my feelings about this chapter, so..just... Thank you, Pia, for them.

[impossiblesuitcase]

Tomorrow

Benoit Farms and Gardens was cold and windy, but if it weren’t for the gust rattling the timber beams of the ancient homestead, Kai would have never known. It was warm and peaceful with the three of them: himself and the soon-to-be Benoit-Kesleys.

Scarlet hummed away as she doused the dinner and dessert dishes in the soapy kitchen sink. Wolf regaled Kai with his adventures of chasing escaping pigs as he tackled the pots and pans. The dishwasher had broken after Wolf—attempting to pull out the top rack—underestimated his force and mistakenly swung his fist right into the heating element (“he still isn’t quite adept to his new bioengineered strength,” Scarlet had explained). They planned to enlist Cinder to fix it sometime during her stay, and until then, they mutually agreed to force Thorne and Jacin into dishwashing duty.

Like this, the two were perfectly in their element, calm and unflappable. Completely unlike the frustrated pair he had met when he’d arrived that afternoon, and with him, hundreds of paparazzi vultures. Scarlet’s course of yelling, Wolf keeping her from shoving her pitchfork into multiple eyes, reminded Kai—with a touch of fear—that she was the scary one in the relationship.

It was distressing to be the one to break their closely guarded serenity, even if he couldn’t control the press.

Although it wasn’t entirely him fracturing the peace. A good chunk of the journalists had been there to report on the ‘first Lunar-Earthen marriage since the Second Era’. Scarlet was clearly uncomfortable with this invasive, nascent fame, and from her lengthy ranting, was clearly hoping it would pass after the wedding.

“—And when I finally got her back in the pen, I realised I left the gate open,” Wolf continued.

“And the piglets escaped?” guessed Kai.

“The piglets escaped.”

Kai chuckled heartily hearing the genuine disappointment in Wolf’s voice. He was a far cry from the ferocious killer Kai had been afraid of on the Rampion. Whipped cream in the corners of his lips, wrapped in a bright red polka-dot apron, sulking over baby pigs, Kai wasn’t sure this man could kill a fly if he tried.

Kai’s hands were wrapped around a homely, slightly misshapen mug. The handle was a little wonky, the paint splotchy, yet upon seeing the sloppy inscription on the base, Scarlet, agedd 7, he treated it as the finest china. A long sip of the hot chocolate inside travelled to his belly and warmed his core. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed.

“It’s nice to have you here before everyone else,” said Wolf, scrubbing a cast iron pan.

“Well, I am the very best of the guests coming,” Kai teased.

Scarlet spun around and flicked water at him. He dodged with a laugh. “Wolf means that we’re happy to spend some time with you before the fanfare of our loud friends.”

Kai rested the mug on a coaster and held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry. You’re right—when was the last time it was just the three of us?”

A collective pause. Wolf even stopped attacking the pan.

Then, in unison, “Never.”

They all fell into laughter.

“Wow,” he drawled, “Does that mean I’m a bad friend? Or are you bad friends?”

“Maybe we’ve all been busy,” Scarlet chastised, dunking a plate in the water.

Kai sighed, running his finger around the rim of the mug. It was nice to be here in this little bubble of friendship and familiarity and comfort, yet he couldn’t help being reminded of how rare this was. Aside from a few brief catchups with Cress and Thorne, the occasional diplomatic dinner with Winter, and the Peace Ball last year with all of them, he’d barely seen his friends since the revolution.

He’d barely seen his girlfriend since the revolution.

Tomorrow. He would see her tomorrow.

“I hope we’re all less busy in the future,” he wondered idly. “We don’t get to do much together, do we?”

Wolf grunted in agreement. Scarlet said nothing.

The mood turned too sombre too fast.

“Well, it’s not like we can help it,” Kai amended quickly. “We all have different lives, different path–”

“No,” said Scarlet, back still turned. “No, we will see each other. We won’t grow apart.” She drew two wine glasses from the sink. It was precarious holding just the stems with slippery fingers, but she handled them with ease. “What’s the point of life if you never see your friends?”

What’s the point of life if you never see your friends?”

(What’s the point of life if you never see the love of your life?)

Tomorrow.

“You’re right.” Kai dragged a hand down his face. “Stars, I didn’t mean to be depressing. I think…the long distance is getting to me.”

“I admire you, Kai,” Wolf commented. “To be apart from the most important person to you for that long…I know I couldn’t handle it.”

“Everyone knows.” Scarlet nudged his side with her elbow. “You went more than a little crazy last time I was kidnapped.”

Redness crept up his ears, though he didn’t appear ashamed. “I couldn’t help it. Not when it’s you.”

She scoffed, but her smile was tender.

Kai’s heart warmed watching them. “Are you excited to be married?”

“Yes,” Wolf said immediately as Scarlet shrugged and said, “Sure.”

Wolf blinked.

Kai blinked. 

Enough silence passed that Scarlet finally glanced over her shoulder. With two sets of confused male eyes upon her, she jolted. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Wolf crossed his arms, soap caught amongst the forest of hair. “What did you mean?”

“Well, of course I’m thrilled to be married to you, Ze’ev. I just don’t really think excited is the right word. Excited is like…something new. Something you don’t already have. You’re excited for the unknown.” She draped her kitchen towel over her shoulder and crossed the two steps to him, tucking her hands around his waist. His arms came around her instantly. “With you, I know exactly what I’m getting. It’s what I already have. I’m ecstatic, elated, emotional…all the words. But it’s not unknown.”

Wolf pulled her closer. “I knew what you meant,” he whispered, “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

When they kissed, Kai looked down at his drink.

Scarlet pulled away and pushed the steel scrubber back into his hand, winking. “Get back to work. You’re just acting offended so you can get out of chores.”

Wolf scowled. “I’ve been scrubbing for ten minutes and it’s not coming off!”

“Use those strong muscles of yours.”

Kai couldn’t help tuning out their back and forth as his mind focused on her words. It’s not unknown. I know exactly what I’m getting. It’s what I already have. He wished it were the same for him. Yet he and Cinder only barely knew what they had. They hadn’t been together enough to be together; to learn about each other as intimately as Scarlet and Wolf, even as Winter and Jacin or Cress and Thorne had. The ring in the inner pocket of his suitcase burnt a hole in his mind. Too weighty, too heavy a promise of the known when all they had was latent unknown—

“So why do you bring up marriage, Kai?” Scarlet asked, almost succeeding at casualness. “Been thinking about it yourself?”

Wait, had he been speaking out loud?

He seized up his now cool drink and finished it off in a single draught. The milk coated his throat uncomfortably. A cough. “Well, I mean, when a couple have been together for a few years it naturally comes to mind.”

“Get real,” Scarlet laughed. “You’ve been wanting to marry Cinder since the moment she tranquilised your wedding planner and kidnapped you.”

“...Maybe.”

“What’s wrong then?”

“Nothing! Nothing’s wrong between us. I-I love her; she loves me. We’re just…not ready to take that step yet.”

“Fair,” said Wolf, still scrubbing. Kai thought of offering to help, but they’d already turned him down when he’d insisted he clean after dinner, and he thought doing so now might hurt Wolf’s pride. Relinquishing the tool, Wolf turned to face him. “When do you think you’ll be ready?”

“I don’t know. We probably need to spend more time actually together to figure it out.”

“Time to figure out what? How you feel? If you’re right for each other?” Scarlet wiped over the last plate and pulled the plug. The sink gurgled loudly as water pooled down the drain.

He knitted his fingers together. “I already know how I feel. I know we’re right for each other.”

“That sounds like a man ready to propose.”

Kai’s gaze darted up to her, jaw slack.

She had a loving authority on her face. “Sooo, you’re ready. Is Cinder ready too?”

“I…I think maybe. But as you said: you and Wolf know. There are no unknowns between you. You’ve been together all this time to learn that. Cinder and I…”

“—Have talked every day over comms, have spent every possible moment in each other’s arms?” Wolf listed.

“Okay, when’s her birthday?” Scarlet probed.

“December 21st. But every year she forgets and still thinks it’s the fake birthday the cyborg surgeons gave her: November 29th. She goes around saying the wrong age for at least a month.”

“What’s her favorite colour?”

“Midnight blue.” (Because it made him look handsome, Cinder had bashfully admitted.)

“How many children does she want?”

Cheeks burning, he uttered, “Three. We both want three.”

Scarlet smiled smugly. “Hmm. Doesn’t sound like there’s much unknown.”

Before he even thought of a response, she pulled out the chair opposite him and sat, grasping his hands into hers. Wolf circled the table, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Eyes sparkling, Scarlet squeezed. “Kai. If you think you’re ready, then there’s no need to wait. All the things that are still unknown will just be…happy bonuses. And the bad unknowns will just make your relationship all the more stronger when you conquer them together. You don’t need to know it all yet.”

“And proposing is a commitment to each other,” Wolf added. “You’ll have time to learn the rest before you actually get married. Some things can wait.” A shrug. “Maybe I won’t finish that pan tonight, but I’m sure I will tomorrow.”

Kai looked up at him. “It’s bugging you that much?”

“I don’t understand,” he growled, “I’ve soaked it twice now.”

Kai disentangled his hands from Scarlet’s, digging them into his lap. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am ready, but—how do I know if she is?”

“Well, you’ll be seeing her very soon. Try to get a sense for it,” she suggested.

“And if she is…propose the next time we see each other?”

“Psh. That could be months with how busy you two are.” A flick of the hand. “If she’s ready now, propose now.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Now? As in, here? As in: the next few days?”

“Sure.”

“Bu–no. I couldn’t. This is about you two. Your wedding. I can’t take that from you.”

“Honey,” Scarlet smiled up at her fiancé. “Would seeing our two friends finally get their happy ending be a nice wedding gift?”

“Sounds wonderful.”

She grinned. “Just do it, Kai. If it’s right, don’t wait when there’s no reason—oh, hang on. Unless you wanted to propose with a ring.”

Heart hammering, Kai glances down at his feet, hair covering his eyes. “I…actually brought the ring with me.”

“Ha! All this ‘I’m not ready,’ but ‘I’ll bring the ring with me’?’”

“Yeah, I know.” He took in a breath. “The only reason I’m delaying is because, well, I’m nervous!”

“So was I,” said Wolf warmly. “So nervous that she ended up having to propose for me.”

“It will be fine,” Scarlet assured, red hair flaming under the yellow ceiling light, as fiery as her effervescent constitution. “Don’t let happiness wait, Kai.”

Waiting for the antidote. Waiting to find Princess Selene. Waiting for Cinder to wake up in her hospital bed, bleeding and bruised but alive.

They don’t have to wait anymore.

His eyes welled up suddenly, too fast to rein in. He choked back a wet laugh. “Sorry”—a sniff— “I don’t know what came over me.”

Scarlet’s chair screeched against the tiles as she launched away, rounding the table and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Bulky, comforting arms circled them both.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Family. This was his family, as all his friends were, as Cinder was and always would be. When he had hesitantly informed Torin of his plans to propose, it had vaguely felt like what it would have been to tell his father.

Telling Scarlet sort of felt like telling his mother.

Collecting some of his emotions, he extricated himself. “Okay, but if I do propose here, don’t go acting like this wasn’t your plan.”

“Aw,” Wolf groaned. “I wanted to make you look bad.”

“I’ll buy you a new skillet.”

“You have my blessing.”

They all laughed and all smiled, and that was precisely when exhaustion started knocking on the door alerting Kai to the fact that he’d had a long day.

“You look exhausted. Off to bed,” Scarlet commanded, apt as ever. Kai went along willingly as she pushed him out of the kitchen.

He yawned, leaning against the banister of the stairs. “What did you put in that drink, Scar? Crushed up sleeping pills?”

She posed a finger over her lips. “Trade secret.”

With one last warm glance, Kai left his friends in the kitchen and headed up to the guest room, the final image of Wolf kissing Scarlet’s cheek lingering in the air. It would only be his for the night; Winter and Jacin would have it tomorrow, while he’d bunk out with the others in the Rampion. Maybe he and Cinder could even stay in the same room.

The first thing he did once inside was pull open his suitcase. He hadn’t touched it since arriving except to retrieve the small gift for his hosts, an old-fashioned analogue clock set inside a chicken figurine. It had seemed so perfectly them when he first saw it. He just hoped they wouldn’t netsearch the artist listed on the base, as he was sure they would keel over when they saw the 1,300 univ price tag.

Carefully, he reached into the inner pocket of his suitcase and procured the fated ring box. A moment of reflection, reverence even, then he opened it…

And there it was. A ruby ringed in immaculate diamonds. A band of carefully burnished gold. His mother’s ring. His grandmother’s ring, and his great-grandmother’s.

His wife’s ring.

It was not heavy or burning in his mind any longer. It was a token. A promise, one that filled him with greater certainty than he had yet felt. A certainty that had been birthed and reared and matured since that first look in a humid New Beijing market.

Tomorrow. He would see her tomorrow.

Notes

I have three fics I’ve been trying to finish for a year and then I finish this in two days. What is brain function.

So in my headcanon, Kai doesn’t really ‘plan’ to propose at the farm. He just feels like it’s right and so he does. So as to not take away from Scarlet and Wolf’s special day, he and Cinder keep the engagement a secret for a while. But a tumblr ask prompted me to think about if Scarlet and Wolf knew and approved, and thus this was born. Still not sure which explanation I prefer.

(btw just letting you know that if someone hasn't interacted with my fics for a while, I remove them from my list, so if you get removed and want to be re-addded, let me know!)

@cindersassasin @hayleblackburn @spherical-empirical @salt-warrior @just2bubbly @gingerale2017 @zephyr-thedragon @icarusignite @kaider-is-my-otp @slmkaider @luna-maximoff-22 @cosmicnovaflare @kaixiety @snozkat @mirrorballsss @skinwitch18 @vincentvangothic

[kuiilandtorch]

Your Friendly Neighborhood DinLuke Fic Rec Masterpost*

*Plus some bonus genfic at the end that's too good not to include

For all you dinluke homies out there wanting a breath of fresh air or just a nostalgic reminder of what made you fall in love with the ship in the first place, or a handy starter guide for anyone new to the fandom, here's a by-no-means-exhaustively-comprehensive but still nicely thicc rec list. This is the Way...to some bitchin' good fic.

Under a read more because this is ridiculously long, sorry not sorry.

SOME EPIC CLASSICS

Gravity Well by shirozora (rated T)

Over twenty years after Chancellor Palpatine's failed takeover of the Galactic Republic, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker-Naberrie is asked to join a diplomatic mission to Mandalore to help negotiate a trade agreement with the new Mand'alor. While he is assumed to join as an observer and mediator in these talks, his real mission is to investigate rumors that the Mand'alor's child is powerful in the Force and offer a future for the child within the Jedi Order. The already difficult task compounds when he keeps failing to gain an audience with the mysterious Mand'alor, but distraction comes in the form of a strange, faceless Mandalorian palace guard he keeps encountering at night, someone he keeps gravitating towards despite himself.

The Dangerous Dreams series by shirozora (rated T)

The future of Mandalore is in his hands, no matter what Din Djarin actually wants. While picking up jobs to pay off a new gunship, he runs into the Jedi again and learns that he too holds the future of his kind in his. In the shadow of a fallen empire and the light of a nascent republic, they begin to rebuild what was lost-- their peoples, their cultures, their histories, and each other. "To want something for yourself, that is a dangerous dream."

Currently consisting of The Storm, The Suns, Between Planets, and The Stars.

oh the things we left behind by furiosophie (rated M)

After he commits every single weapon in the hold to memory, Din finds himself cataloging more and more things about Skywalker instead, small observations that carve out a space in his mind unbidden. --- As much as Din likes to tell himself that he’s just been taking a well-deserved break, the truth is that for the six months following their daring rescue he’s been nothing but truly and utterly lost. That is until Luke Skywalker gives him a ship and hires him to help figure out what the hell the Empire needed the Child’s blood for. As they drift through the empty void of hyperspace, they slowly find unexpected companions in each other and realize their respective paths might not be as set as they once thought.

Also part of a series, oh the things that shine bright

The Wanderer and the Seer by aiden_ng (rated T)

Din Djarin is temporarily relieved of a single dad's responsibilities, only to be saddled with the much greater responsibilities of Mand'alor. Temporarily. Hopefully. This is not the story of a great man becoming king; it's the story of some dude finding his place in the galaxy, freedom, and personal happiness through having some goddamn decency and good manners. Also the power of love, or whatever.

The Father the Son and the Exile by Sushiburrito (rated M)

Luke Skywalker has vanished. Declared a missing person two years after the Battle for Endor, the unofficial bounty for Skywalker has become the largest ever recorded. Hundreds of hunters search the galaxy for his whereabouts; yet despite this, no one has managed to find Skywalker. No one, except a small Force sensitive child and his Mandalorian father. Or an alternate universe tale where Force visions warn Luke about Ben Solo several decades earlier but the consequences still force him to go on the run, this time directly into the path of Din Djarin.

The Broken Threads series by Sadie1902 (rated G and T)

The battle is over, the rebels have won. But Luke Skywalker is still reeling from his ordeal in the Emperor's throne room, both physically and emotionally. Wracked with pain and fatigue, he tries to recuperate on Endor with a few days of much-needed rest. But before he even has a chance to relax, he's captured by an enterprising bounty hunter in Mandalorian armor. Din Djarin can't believe his luck. It's the score of his life, the bounty they all said was impossible. The payout will set his Tribe up well... so long as they don't know exactly who he made a deal with. But the job turns out to be more than Din bargained for when his bounty collapses from mysterious injuries, and he must face the truth of the horrors the Empire has wrought. Now, on the run from half the galaxy, it's a race against time as Din helps Luke find a cure for the disease that's slowly breaking the hero apart. There's only one problem... they need a Jedi. And Luke is the last of his kind. Or is he?

Currently consisting of Broken Threads, Sister, Game Night on Bogano, Chasing the Dawn and The Starbird

No Glory in the West by leorizanzel (rated T)

Texas, 1870 - Din Djarin, a bounty hunter with a mysterious past and the quickest draw this side of the Mississippi, finds a new gig escorting a strange young man to his destination. Inspired by Casual Cowboy Friday and my love for the American West as a whole.

Also part of a series, The Lights of All The Western Stars, including Drive Me, Crazy (rated E)

The Once and Future King by leorizanzel (rated T)

“Din Djarin, the Once and Future King,” Luke declared, his voice somehow ringing through Din’s head rather than through his ears. It sounded as though another voice spoke over Luke’s own. This man was Luke Skywalker, and yet, was not. “You wield the Darksaber, won in honorable combat, as Kings of Mandalore before you. The Force commands you to seek the Child and save it from its doom, and in doing so, will save the galaxy and reunite your people under your banner. Do you accept your quest?” The Force delivers a dire prophecy to Din Djarin, demanding he take his rightful place as the king of his people. With the help of the last Jedi, he must gather his closest allies and prevent the worst to come.

Last of the Old Gods by angiebodies (rated E)

A chance meeting puts Luke Skywalker and Din Djarin back on the same path. As Din comes to terms with his obligations to Mandalore, Luke begins to question his own commitment to the Jedi Order. Together they learn that the truths of their creeds are mutable, but their faith in each other is absolute.

I Want a Moment to be Real by Purplesauris (rated E)

He wakes up cold, alone, and without a single memory to base himself off of besides his first name. Who is he, and why was he left for dead in an abandoned facility?

SOME SWEET SQUISHY SHIZ

The Vanishing Breed series by annathaema [moony] (rated T, M, and E)

The first thing Din noticed was the fire in the hearth. Near the hearth was a small, handmade crib, and from the crib came an excited cry. It spread through Din's chest like a bloodstain, perhaps it had in fact pierced his heart. He knew that little voice. “Hey, you,” said Din softly. He dropped to his knees as the Kid scrambled out of the crib and scampered to him, crawling into his lap and burbling happily. “That’s the most excited I’ve seen him in months,” said Skywalker. Din hadn’t even noticed him sitting across the room at a rough-hewn wooden table, nursing a cup of something. He wore the same carefully neutral expression he'd had on Gideon's ship, but his clothes were now desert-colored and hung loose around Skywalker's wiry frame. His hair was in disarray and it made him look much younger than he'd seemed on the ship; there, he'd seemed world-weary and ancient. Now, Din felt an insane need to protect. Skywalker raised his cup at Din in greeting, a lopsided smile on his face. “He’s missed you," he said. “Feeling’s mutual,” said Din gruffly. ___ The Mandalorian becomes Din Djarin. Din Djarin becomes. (Luke helps.)

Currently consisting of His Beacon, His Harbor, The Hidden Riches of Secret Places, and Interlude: Among All the Stones in the Sky

you're going to have to relocate the covert by aiden_ng (rated T)

‘This is the Way,’ Din says aloud to the empty cavern. He feels—or he seems to hear—his kin and his vanished forebears echoing the words back to him, ghosts in the walls around him, all the dead and the scattered and the not-forgotten. He walks with them, these watchful invisible companions, on the way of the Mandalore.

Sweater Weather by shirozora (rated T)

For two months, Din Djarin has been delivering the same order from the same restaurant to the same address every several days. The customer is a newcomer to Nevarro, a PhD student who seems out of place in the city but has become part of Din's everyday life. Then Luke changes their routine with a small gift and the uneventful, mundane life Din made for himself and his adopted son Grogu starts to unravel.

but home was a dream by redyucca (rated T)

Din takes off his helmet and learns how to put it back on. Which is, like, a metaphor.

Also part of a series, including keep the noiseless tenor of my way

And this, your beating heart by sluttysuperheroes (rated G)

After winning the Darksaber from Moff Gideon, Din accepts his role as the new leader of Mandalore and returns to the ancestral home of his people. While he grapples with the responsibilities that come with his new title, he begins to build a friendship with Grogu's new Jedi master -- and begins to question his identity, his Creed, and his place in the galaxy.

Dralshy'a Drabbles by HeadOn_HelmetOff (rated T)

dralshy'a: stronger, brighter Sometimes a Mandalorian bounty hunter just wants to be a side character while figuring out how to parent a tiny sorcerous gremlin, sometimes a bitch just wants to see him squished up against a tenderly chaotic Jedi.

I have made this place around you by HeadOn_HelmetOff (rated T)

“Do you know who you are, Din Djarin?” Survivor of Aq Vetina. Mandalorian. Bounty hunter. Apostate. Father. Mand’alor. “...No,” he uttered. Luke nodded sagely. “Then that’s what we’ll focus on first.”

Luminous Beings by Gluten_Full (rated T)

On their first night together, truly together without any beskar or Jedi robes between them, Din had promised that he would go to the far edges of the galaxy for Luke. They were old now, weather-worn and tired. The cold of Ahch-To hand long since sunk into their bones, making them achy before their time. When Luke senses a rising darkness in his padawan, he relocates his school to a more remote and ancient place in pursuit of balance.

That We Still Feel by actualbabe (rated G)

Luke gets hurt. Din takes care of him. It is incredibly simple and yet unfathomably intimate, and Luke realizes that he has never felt anything like this.

Restorative Work by draculard (rated G)

In which Luke plays therapist, Din faces his past, and Grogu learns that it's not always scary to face your traumatic memories when you have a friend there to help you get through. Based on that comic by ngrogu.

Five Days on Yavin by rinwins (rated G)

"He’d seen so many different versions of Luke by now -- implacable knight, patient teacher, fearless pilot, loyal friend; the Jedi master who could move a starfighter with his mind and the Tatooine farm boy who laughed at his own ridiculous jokes. And they were each, somehow, still the true Luke, none of them contradictory-- all except this version, the exhausted young man asleep in the bed. It didn’t suit him, the sense of having been through entirely too much." Luke crashes his ship, and his recovery has complications Din doesn't really understand.

A different kind of blood by HeadOn_HelmetOff (rated T)

A slight twist on events in Ch. 5 of The Book of Boba Fett: when Grogu is afflicted with visions of his father injured on Glavis, he and Luke make a decision that will greatly influence Din Djarin's journey toward redemption and reconciliation with the survivors of his covert.

HURTS SO GOOD (but not too much)

The By Fortune Or Its Re!verse series by CatalpaWaltz (rated E)

Luke imagines explaining this to him. The response he gets, when he spins the scene out to its inevitable conclusion, is not promising. The Mandalorian will tip his head downward, or cock it to one side, and settle deeper into an implacable stance. "Am I supposed to be flattered? To be some kind of experiment for you?" Or: Luke, struggling for insight into Jedi teachings on the renunciation of possessive love, discovers a possible solution in soft-domming the hell out of his boyfriend.

Currently consisting of By Fortune Or Its Reverse, So I Can Wait Behind, and The First Hour of the World

Thaw by spqr (rated T)

That’s what hope does to you, Luke remembers now. It lingers at the back of your mind, whispering maybe, maybe, so that knowing a plan is stupid isn’t enough to keep you from trying it.

down to a sunless sea by spqr (rated M)

Din's first scuba dive was when he was six, which is illegal in every country on earth that has laws about that sort of thing.

Christ in Repose by spqr (rated T)

More on this story as it develops. Subscribe to HNN’s JEDI WATCH newsletter for instant updates on Jedi sightings throughout the galaxy.

La douleur exquise by HeadOn_HelmetOff (rated T)

Pain is a fine razor’s edge—too much robs your focus and strength, but a lack imparts no discipline or mettle. Pain can be as useful a teacher as it is a dreadful enemy. You’ll dodge faster from the next knife blade and blaster shot to avoid it. It can brand your memory like a bruise to press upon, invoking the raw resolve to finish a job or enact vengeance. Above all, it’s another fact of life he’s had to largely deal with alone. Sometimes his brethren in the covert treated him when he came limping home, moreso in earlier years. But this is usually as insular a practice as the rest of his rituals. Even after bonding with the kid and seeing his astonishing works, it’s not something he considers changing. His love for his son expects nothing from him; he’s not going to exploit Grogu’s abilities for his own benefit, not when he’s perfectly capable of handling himself. Somehow Din forgot to factor Luke into this equation.

SOME EXTRA FUN TIMES

The In Which Chaos Is The Primary Goal of Our Beloved Main Characters series by Oystering (rated G and T)

u/throwRAgroundrunner posted: AITA for sending my step-son to his father with my droid? Luke Skywalker is facing a moral dilemma after sending Grogu back to his father... so he turns to the holonet for help. (This is pure crack)

Currently consisting of Only the Force Can Judge Me, The Galactic Court of Moral Judgment, and What a Man(do) Gotta Do?

Mornings of Gold, Valentine Evenings by leorizanzel (rated T)

Figure skating champion Luke Skywalker meets Team USA Hockey Captain Din Djarin at the Winter Olympics, and it all goes downhill from there in the best way possible.

OR

He was a figure skater, he was a hockey player - can I make it any more obvious?

JUST SOME GOOD, GOOD SHIT

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by celinamarniss (rated G)

Din, searching for a Jedi to train Grogu, finds two. (Five times Din crossed paths with Luke and Mara and one time he stayed for good.)

Bonus: cover art by lil old me. :D ;)

unstoppable force, immovable fathers by godbinder (rated E)

“I just need a refuel,” Luke tells the droids, carefully throwing his legs over the edge of the cockpit to slide to the ground. Grogu coos softly, his hands opening and closing his three fingers. “Not a problem, we’ll have you—ready to go...” She trails off when she gets a look at the child, who begins babbling. The Force moves around her in happiness then surprise, shock, then something akin to anger sparking faster than a thermal detonator. Before he can open his mouth, in a move that would have left Han impressed, she has a blaster in hand and shot him in the face.

buy a big house where we both could live by lacecat (rated M)

Din trails behind them and reminds himself this is temporary. He’ll make sure they get to the temple safe, and once he’s sure that Luke agrees to continue training Grogu, he’ll leave them. Grogu reaches up with his hand to tug at the edge of Luke’s shirt, and Din’s fingers flex at his sides. This is the way, he tells himself.

Nurse & Protect by BrownEyesBrightEyes (rated T)

Dr. Luke Skywalker is a pediatric resident struggling through his intern year, when a new child abuse patient case turns his life upside down. Now, along with his intern responsibilities, he has to deal with his growing attachment to the charming child, Grogu, and his assigned Mandalorian guardian, Din Djarin.

parry, parry, strike by AlchemyAlice (rated T)

“Oh? What are you, their king?” the Senator says sarcastically, and then freezes at the same time Din does. “...No,” Din says. He does not sound convincing.

BONUS NON-DINLUKE GENFIC SERIES THAT DESERVES A HECKING SHOUTOUT FOR BEING THAT AWESOME

The Mand'alor and the Jedi series by theunacknowledged (rated G and T)

A run-in on an Imperial ship between Mandalorians and New Republic pilots ends in violence and stalemate. Tensions are now heightened as several New Republic senators extend negotiations to the mysterious rule of Mandalore, a reformed planet isolated from the rest of the galaxy. Mand'alor Din Djarin and Duchess Bo-Katan Kryze begin defensive discussions with the Galactic Senate, opposed to becoming involved in any outside government after so recently reclaiming their home planet. As they aim to keep Din's identity confidential, the Mandalorians hunt the rest of the Empire in the Outer Rim and attempt to avoid the New Republic's domineering presence. But Senator Leia Organa isn't taking no for an answer with peace on the line. (Oh, and of course, the clan of two reunites.)

Seriously, can't rec this entire series enough, you're welcome. Currently consisting of Until Our Paths Cross, Mando'ad Draar Digu (A Mandalorian Never Forgets), Found, and Legends of the Outer Rim.

[dujour13]

Wandering Stars

Siavash by @pauvre-lola and Woljif by @nurabelmax ❤️❤️❤️ Amazing artists!!

Rating: M

Fandom: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Ship: Commander Siavash/Woljif

This is the sequel to The Lark and the Crow but you don’t have to read it to follow the story. Spoilers for the secret ending of the game!

“Take it easy, chief. Punchin’ up takes on a whole new meaning when you’re a demigod.”

Andoren diplomat and musician Siavash Mirani has come a long way since waking up in the Kenabres infirmary with a strange, unhealable chest wound.

Having led the Fifth Crusade to victory and reconciled with the Abyssal soul grafted to his own by Areelu Vorlesh, he lent his nascent azata power to that of a handful of fresh Nahyndrian crystals to ascend to godhood along with his companions, the domains of Baphomet and Deskari turned inside-out to become his own. He, Woljif, their friends and Areelu are freed from Pharasma’s grasp—for now.

Though they clash on much, Siavash and Areelu have vowed someday to smash the machinery of the millennia that holds mortals in thrall to death and separation.

Yet there are those who would thwart their plans before they can even hatch.

[gorbalsvampire]

dug up that vtm character questions list from my likes so here's some for you! essentials 7, life 5 and death 5 for sorcha and allistair!

Father And Daughter Information Sharing Time

Which Disciplines do they possess, and which do they favor using?

Sorcha has Oblivion and Thin-Blood Alchemy, both low level at the moment. She favours the power combo of both - she's using her Alchemy to bootstrap quick-application versions of Necromantic Ceremonies, so she can raise a corpse without having to faff around in the moment, and incidentally unlock Ceremonies for which she doesn't technically have the prerequisite powers. Her long term goal is to "jailbreak" the entire Discipline (one day she's gonna call in a favour from @hazelenergy 'cause she needs Hazel's nascent shadow-fu for that). You can't be the greatest necromancer of your generation if you can't do everything.

Alistair has Fortitude 3, Auspex 2, Oblivion 1 and Dominate 1. Fortitude has been his go-to for the longest time: he survived as a fledgling ambassador to a Camarilla court by having an absolutely impenetrable mind, impressive Willpower plus his precocious mental Fortitude. Since he was set up as a Baron he's found more and more value in Auspex - he has Premonition and Fatal Precognition 'cause he hates being surprised. Oblivion and Dominate are his practical Disciplines: he can make bodies go away (or tidy themselves away), and tell someone to shut up, fuck off and jump in the Clyde, and that's all he needs.

What were they most afraid of in life? How has this changed?

Sorcha was afraid of being abandoned - she was thirteen before she met her father, when she was abruptly sent to Scotland and had to adapt very quickly. This hasn't gone away. Alistair saved her when she died, but within six months he'd sent her away "for her own protection" and she'd run away instead and got into all sorts of trouble and ugh.

Alistair is afraid of... well, he's enraged by the thought of Sorcha coming to harm again, he's still furious that she died so young and came out so... thin. The thing he's afraid of, though, is irrelevance. Powerlessness. Not being able to sort things out. This is why he's with the Anarchs now: the man is a political weathercock, he'll spin whichever way the wind is blowing as long as it keeps him at the heart of affairs. It comes from his jail time in life - the second sentence was for inciting a riot and then leading a prison mutiny, trying to do direct and aggressive action and having it blow up in his face and leave him in solitary confinement for five years.

Which of their Clan’s stereotypes apply to them? Which do they act against, or embody the opposite of?

Let's get the incest out of the way. They haven't. They wouldn't (well, Sorcha might...). But they are. Alistair and Sorcha are horrendously codependent, obsessed with each other's survival and success and status. Emotionally and politically, if not sexually, they are into each other and they lean into that because they know it freaks people out. It's a bit they do with an awfully sincere foundation.

Beyond that, there's the whole Dunsirn thing. Dunsirn aren't traditionally obsessed with necromancy, they're the Money Guys, but Sorcha grew up in Venice with a Rossellini nanny and a genius brain. She's been groomed since birth to be someone's idea of a perfect Giovanni girlfriend. There's a further tension with her thinblood identity: Sorcha is Hecata to her bones but she's Duskborn in her heart and veins, and she's determined to walk the line and be both, somehow, anyhow.

Finally, there's the isolationism. Sorcha aggressively makes friends in other clans and sects, she wants to know everything that might be useful one day. Alistair is abrasively diplomatic, inserting himself into the prevailing social scene of whatever sect runs his city, a fixer and a mover and a shaker. These two are never going to hole up and be Wraith: the Oblivion antagonists while everyone else is playing Eternal Struggle. They're going to play your game and win it because they're best.

[simply-ivanka]

“The Abraham Accords marked a turning point in our region’s history, setting the stage for transformative opportunities across sectors.” Those agreements are downplayed in the press, as is their follow-up, the nascent Saudi Arabia peace process."

Netanyahu has the most experience, the most diplomatic charisma, and savvy, and commands the attention of the world, its politicians, and even its media. No other Israeli politician comes close, no matter how they think of themselves. These qualities are a necessity in today’s reality. The Iran situation is a prime example of Netanyahu’s ability to challenge even the United States and overcome the opposition to hold a firm assertive anti-Iran policy, one that President Joe Biden and European leaders would prefer.

[not-poignant]

April 2024 - Update Schedule

April chapter update schedule:

(Tier+ = This tier or any higher, as every higher tier accesses all rewards in lower cost tiers)

-

Tuesday 2nd - Constellations 05/08(AO3 & Patreon + Ream - Gary&Efnisien Tier+)

Thursday 4th - Underline the Black 85

Sunday 7th - A Stain that Won't Dissolve 35

Tuesday 9th - Birthday Spotlight: Caleb Crawford

Sunday 14th - Underline the Gold 07/08 (AO3 & Patreon + Ream - Augus&Gwyn Tier+)

Wednesday 17th - Birthday Spotlight: Ohlo Ohlo Temsen

Thursday 18th - Underline the Black 86

Thursday 18th - Birthday Spotlight: Crielle ferch Fnwy

Sunday 21st - A Stain that Won't Dissolve 36

Sunday 21st - Birthday Spotlight - Janusz Bodanowicz

Tuesday 23rd - The Nascent Diplomat 43/44 (AO3 & Patreon + Ream - Augus&Gwyn Tier+)

Thursday 25th - Underline the Black 87

Sunday 28th - Underline the Gold 08/09 (AO3 & Patreon + Ream - Augus&Gwyn Tier+)

-

We're switching to Underline the Gold for the next two months and I'm super excited about it! It's time to see how Flitmouse and Anton are holding up, and how the early stages of their relationship is continuing.

The Sunday-to-Sunday break continues. During this time I catch up on writing, editing, comments, and anything else that needs doing.

~

Stories with updates as yet undetermined: Palmarosa (Apologies to my Palmarosa peeps! I have wanted to work on this story so badly, but the new Stardew Valley update has eaten my entire life lol)

Most chapters go up between 6-7pm GMT+8 (or the time that you’re already used to me putting chapters up, lol). For those who are anxious to know when chapters are updating, hopefully this helps! If there’s ever an emergency, or a scheduling issue (like a surprise family dinner) I generally put up stories a day early and not late.

[amaurotine-daydreaming]

V. Barbarous

Savage. 

An invective hurled countless times by the Garleans, to her and to others–to anyone who wasn’t them. Hythlemet expected to become numb to it, over time. Instead, it had smoldered inside her since her days in Dalmasca, an undying ember that threatened to burst into a blaze the more she stared into its nascent flames.

Barbarian.

“And?” said the shadow next to her, dispassionate. “Barbarism is part and parcel of being an adventurer. Why deny what you are?”

“Because acting the way they expect me to act would just prove them right.”

Fray laughed harshly, the sound smoky and choked. “They’ve already made up their minds about that. No matter what you do, to them you are barbarous. You can be broken, but you can never be civilized. They will always see you as a feral beast.”

“Always?” Hythlemet demanded, staring straight ahead. “How do you know, always?”

“Because that is how those thrice-damned bastards hold onto their power.” The shadow at her side slid away from her, disappearing from her periphery, then a pair of dark and wispy arms wrapped her in an embrace from behind.

Fray placed their head on her shoulder. “When their ideology crumbles, so will they. And they will never allow that to happen. Either they will engulf the world, or they will engulf themselves.”

The prospect of a never-ending war made Hythlemet’s stomach drop. A war fought through bloody attrition, to the very last man. How could they themselves not grow tired of it?

She drew her legs to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. More often than not she related to Alisaie’s way of doing things: springing into action, facing threats with a brawler’s enthusiasm. But in this moment she could not help but acknowledge, deep down, her belief in Alphinaud’s ideals. The ideals of a diplomat, that even if fighting was inevitable, words could yet hold sway–

Fray watched as Hythlemet turned her head away. “I know nothing that you don’t already know,” they commented–or rather, reminded her, as they often did. Bloody infuriating. “I speak the truths you would otherwise bury as too unsavory. In truth, not unlike–”

“Don’t,” she ground out. As if this side of her ever listened. 

“Not unlike them, I suppose,” Fray finished. Hythlemet snarled and shrugged Fray off of her in one violent motion. Fray merely shrugged in turn, and came to sit beside her once more. 

When Hythlemet at last allowed herself a glimpse from the corner of her eye, she saw Fray had mimicked her closed off and inwardly drawn pose. She couldn’t decide if it felt more like solidarity or more like mockery. Knowing Fray, it was certainly plenty of both.

“It is only natural that those who impose barbarism on others come to create the beasts which they so despise,” Fray said. They leaned their head back onto her shoulder. Hythlemet let them. Fray’s eyes closed. 

Silence.

Their eyes opened. 

“Go on then, savage Warrior.” Their breath ghosted over the ember inside of her, and its color flared. “Teach them that they have every right to fear the unfettered.”

[fluister]

Gwyn’s hair is very soft.

From The Nascent Diplomat by @not-poignant

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Campfire

Yes, I just lulled you into a false sense of security with those first ones.

It's Russingon time, and yes, they're still half-cousins. Sue me!

Characters: Maedhros x Fingon

Words: 141

Warnings: An oppressive sense of doom

“I wish we could stay here forever," Findekáno whispered without daring to look at his beloved half-cousin. "Wouldn't that be nice, Russo?"

Foresight cut through Nelyafinwë like a blade—the erratic dance of the flickering flames of their innocent campfire spelt out doom and destruction in ways his mind could not yet fathom nor comprehend.

He hummed diplomatically.

The discreet, fleeting touch of a warm, dry palm against his freckled skin conjured up a nascent shadow of solace, though.

"Let's stay for a little while," the copper-haired overthinker finally agreed. "It seems my brothers are under control—for now."

And just this once, Findekáno allowed himself the exuberant folly of throwing his arms around the pale, slender column neck of the other.

He had also felt the sickly, clammy caress of some future darkness against his heart, and he was afraid.

@fellowshipofthefics Back on my bullshit lol!

-> Masterlist

𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 <3

[mariacallous]

Russia isn’t fighting Ukraine alone. Alongside its soldiers are African conscripts, supported by Iranian drones and partly funded by stolen gold and diamonds. They may soon be joined by “lethal support” from China, according to U.S. officials.

For these vital contributions, Russian President Vladimir Putin can thank his fellow autocrats. And he’s returning the favor: Despite the invasion’s heavy toll on Russia, he still sends resources to other embattled dictators. Autocrats, like democrats, are finding that war offers them new opportunities to cooperate. And dictators’ inherent interest in staying in power means that their collaboration will continue regardless of whether Ukraine prevails.

These networks weren’t created overnight but reflect prolonged efforts by Russia, China, and likeminded regimes to make the world safe for autocracy—particularly following the Western response to Putin’s first Ukraine invasion in 2014. Their activities include neutering international civil society, spreading disinformation, and exporting surveillance technology. Today’s war in Ukraine illustrates the power of these networks—coalitions not of the willing but the wanton—to not only sustain authoritarianism where it already exists, but to export it by force.

These networks have impeded Western attempts to isolate the Kremlin and starve its war machine. Within days of the invasion, Western diplomats made Russia the most sanctioned country in the world. At first, these penalties appeared to be working: They erased Russia’s post-Soviet development gains, and more than a thousand international companies left the country. But Russia built new ties. For instance, as oil exports to the West fell in 2022, purchases from China and India—countries that did not condemn the invasion—made up the difference, contributing to Russia’s record $227 billion trade surplus. Russia used these funds to pay for the war and blunt its economic consequences for ordinary Russians. On the diplomatic front, Russia has been heavily courting African nations.

Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko has aided Putin the most, hosting Russia’s troops and allowing missile launches from Belarusian territory, but these authoritarian networks stretch much farther than neighboring countries. Take, for example, Sudan. When sanctions sent the value of Russian rubles plunging to record lows, the Kremlin turned to its gold reserves to prop it up. In order to fill those reserves—which had tripled in size since Russia’s 2014 invasion—the Russians have been colluding with Sudan’s military dictatorship to smuggle billions of dollars’ worth of gold out of the country. One shipment, hidden under boxes of cookies, was scheduled to depart Khartoum just days after the invasion.

Russia’s Sudanese gold-mining front is called Meroe Gold. It began operations in 2017, weeks after the country’s then-dictator, Omar al-Bashir, asked Putin for help staying in power. Russia dispatched advisors from the Wagner Group, the ruthless Kremlin-linked mercenary group fighting in Ukraine and around the world. Wagner’s advice lived up to its reputation: During Sudan’s 2018 protests, its personnel told al-Bashir to execute individual demonstrators to set an example. After pro-democracy protests ousted al-Bashir in 2019, Wagner cozied up to Sudan’s military, which toppled the country’s nascent democratic government in 2021. In return, Wagner was given free rein of the mining industry. It has eliminated the competition by massacring dozens of miners near Sudan’s border with the Central African Republic (CAR).

The Central African story is depressingly similar to Sudan’s. Besieged by rebels, in 2018 the country’s president appealed to the Kremlin for arms and to Wagner to train his troops. Unlike in Sudan, in 2020 Wagner began to fight the insurgents directly. As payment, the government ceded control of the diamond industry. Wagner forces artisanal miners to sell only to its shell company, Diamville, through intimidation and violence. The blood diamonds are then smuggled out of the country and sold unofficially on Facebook and Instagram and officially through dealers in the West in order to fund Wagner’s operations.

In addition to money, Wagner—facing heavy losses in Ukraine—is drawing manpower from the CAR and its neighbors. It has recruited imprisoned murderers, rapists, and even rebels convicted of killing CAR soldiers (Wagner’s ostensible allies), promising freedom and cash to anyone willing to fight in Ukraine. In March 2022, Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar agreed to send mercenaries to fight for Russia, and Syrians are reportedly joining them.

While deployed in Africa, Wagner personnel have behaved with impunity: pillaging, raping, and trafficking women. Nevertheless, when asked, many Central Africans back Moscow or credit Wagner for bringing peace. Sixteen African nations, including the CAR and Sudan, abstained or voted against the February 2023 United Nations resolution calling on Russia to exit Ukraine. This is a testament not only to public opinion (or indifference) about Ukraine’s plight, but also to the appeal of what the Kremlin offers Africa’s autocrats. Leaders of poor but resource-rich countries are effectively giving Wagner bits of their sovereignty—and ignoring any resulting human rights violations—as payment for keeping them in power. And more are interested: Ghana’s president alleged that Burkina Faso’s leadership requested Wagner’s help, offering a mine in return.

Not every case of support for Russia’s war machine is so brazen or features a private military-mafia straight from a James Bond movie. Take the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its willingness to look past shady financial transactions has allowed billions of dollars to flow to the Kremlin, as much of Sudan’s gold and the CAR’s diamonds are sold illicitly there. The UAE also bills itself as a haven for sanctioned Russian oligarchs, making it easy for them to come, buy Emirati citizenship, and park their yachts, planes, and ill-gotten gains. Turkey has become an entrepôt for European businesses seeking to continue trading with Russia. Chinese defense companies are supplying the Kremlin with crucial navigation, radio-jamming, and fighter jet components.

Armaments are also a growing part of Russia’s dealings with Iran, another embattled, sanctioned autocracy. Iranian drones have played a “central role” in attacks on Ukrainian civilians. And more are coming: The two countries are planning to build a factory in Russia to produce at least 6,000 of them. Iran, for its part, should receive around 24 Russian fighter jets by March. It also turned to Russia for counsel on defusing the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death, so the Kremlin reportedly dispatched advisors. These actions are leading Moscow and Tehran toward a “full-fledged defense partnership.”

Not all autocrats are moving toward Putin. In principle, Venezuela’s regime consistently supports Russian imperialism: It took Russia’s side against Georgia in 2008, recognized Crimea as Russian, and blamed the West for the Ukraine invasion. And Putin helped Venezuela’s dictator to sell oil as democracies recognized the opposition government-in-exile and imposed crushing sanctions. But now, in practice, relations between Venezuela and the West are normalizing: Maduro wants to sell oil, and the West wants to stop buying it from Russia.

Venezuela shows that these coalitions of the wanton are as easy to make as they are to break, for they are held together only by self-interest. Nevertheless, these ties are bound to proliferate as autocrats turn to each other amid crisis. The Kremlin in particular views these networks as fundamental to maintaining power at home and waging a perceived existential struggle against the West. In other words, autocrats already see their struggles against democracy—whether in Iran, Sudan, or Ukraine—as interconnected and act accordingly. Democracies must learn to do the same.