#GMT 2016

[karebanewsid]

Gerhana Matahari Total di 2024, Indonesia Kapan?

GERHANA Matahari Total atau GMT bakal terjadi tahun 2024 ini di berbagai belahan dunia. Apakah Indonesia bakal kembali terdampak fenomena langit ini? Gerhana Matahari Total adalah fenomena ketika sinar Matahari terhalang oleh Bulan, bayangan Bulan akan jatuh di Bumi. Daerah Bumi yang berada di bawah bayangan inti (umbra) Bulan akan mengalami gerhana Matahari Total. Gerhana Matahari Total…

[russellius]

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Molly Hudson, Saturday November 30 2024, 6.00pm GMT

Listening to George Russell field questions about the controversial issues that threaten the future of the sport with clarity and calmness, you would be hard pushed to detect that he was once an unsure and self-conscious child.

Russell as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association is now one of Formula 1’s leading public voices. But such were his difficulties, he was sent for speech therapy and that focus on clear enunciation has been crucial in helping him progress in a sport that requires concise feedback.

“When I was a young kid, six or seven, my dad used to say he could never understand what I was saying, because I was mumbling all the time,” Russell says as he sits in his team kit in the Mercedes hospitality suite. “As I grew a little bit older, and I started to race in Europe, for three years I had an Italian mechanic. I was in an Italian team. It was a European environment, and you had to talk slow, you had to talk precisely so they could understand.”

“When I was with Force India [now Aston Martin], as a test driver, we did some work with an ex-RAF pilot, just about clear communications and interpretations of people’s words and that really resonated with me.”

The 26-year-old secured his third Formula 1 victory last week in Las Vegas, and that communication came to the fore. He recognised that the track evolution, which meant that lap times were improving as the track was swept clean of dirt by the cars and rubber was laid on the circuit, meant the last car on track would have the best chance of success.

“Vegas was a good example — in qualifying, I was so clear. ‘I want to be the very last car to cross the line.’ It was pretty clear what my requests were. We did that, and we got the pole. I believe in myself this year, especially whenever I’ve trusted my gut,” he says.

Russell was born in King’s Lynn, and attended the private Wisbech Grammar School, before his karting took precedence. He spent his first Formula 1 pay cheque on a new Mercedes for his father, Steve, who ran a business selling seeds and pulses and travelled with his son to races in a motorhome while he was karting.

That family dedication has paid off. Russell is preparing to begin a pivotal new chapter of his career, stepping out of the shadow of seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton and becoming Mercedes’s lead driver next season, alongside a rookie teenager, the Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

It has been a season of ups and downs for Mercedes, struggling to find a consistent car despite registering four race victories, and managing the departure of Hamilton to Ferrari at the end of the season. Russell has transformed from someone who watched Hamilton race, to being his colleague, and he leads him in the drivers’ championship.

“I definitely looked up to him and admired him,” Russell says. “My hero, honestly, was my brother [Benjy, who also raced under the driver No63 he uses]. “He’s ten years older than me, and he’s who I looked up to when I was go-karting, because that was maybe more relatable for me. He was winning races in go-karts, and he was winning British championships, World Championships, and that’s what I wanted to do, because I could visually see him doing that.

“But without doubt, I’ll always remember my first F1 race for Mercedes [shortly before signing to their young driver development programme] in Abu Dhabi 2016, the Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis race, and just being in the same room as him in the debrief, listening to it all unfold. I was starstruck being there in that moment. So for sure it is surreal that we’ve now been team-mates for three years, and that I know within myself that I can perform at a minimum of his level.”

Russell has raced in 126 grands prix, with three victories, four pole positions and 15 podium finishes, having spent three seasons at a struggling Williams, before stepping up to Mercedes in 2022. His highest finish in the drivers’ championship was fourth, in 2022. This season is his most successful statistically speaking, but he is further down the rankings in sixth because of the spread of drivers claiming wins.

For so long, Hamilton carried the hopes of British fans in F1, and this season Lando Norris has provided the best chance of success. Russell believes next year can be his opportunity, assuming he has the car to do so.

“I’ve been in F1 six years now, next year is my seventh, and my fourth year with the team,” he says. “I feel absolutely ready to take my journey to the next level and I feel ready to fight for a championship. I feel ready to fight against Max [Verstappen] and if we get the opportunity, I’m not going to waste it.

“I feel I’ve been ready for three years. I’m team-mates with the greatest driver of all time and if you’re ever finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton or beating him in a championship, you know that probably in 12 other seasons that would have been enough to win, or at least fight for a world championship.”

Russell has learnt to celebrate the good times with gusto when they do arrive, cancelling his flight home to party, instead, in Vegas with his girlfriend, Carmen Montero Mundt, and his team members.

The Vegas grand prix is particularly brutal on the body, as it involves travelling to the other side of the world, and then it is held at night. Before claiming his pole position, Russell took a 45-minute nap in his driver’s room.

Those challenges meant extra celebration, and something Russell had been inspired to do by a fellow driver.

“I listened to Fernando [Alonso] when he was on the Jake Humphrey podcast saying he looks back on his victories and regrets not celebrating it more [but] I’ve got to be honest, when I was out in Vegas until the early hours there’s a point of which I thought to myself, ‘You know what, I need to head back now, because I want to experience this feeling again.’ ”

Russell knows that the ability to challenge for titles is dependent on the capability of his car as much as it is a marker of his own talent. His time at Mercedes has coincided with the dominance of Red Bull and Verstappen.

“Arguably, Max shouldn’t have won the championship this year,” he says. “But the others made a few more errors and didn’t capitalise when they had the chance. I feel that we have [won what we could].

“Opportunities don’t come around every single day. This year was Lando’s chance. They [McLaren] might be there again next year. They may not. We just don’t know in this sport; nobody would have predicted Red Bull to fall off form in the manner that they have.

“There’s so much hype around Max. He’s such an exceptional driver, but the fact is, he’s won one race in the last 12 and, it just goes to show everyone is beatable because you are at the mercy of your race car. The difference with him this year is he’s won every occasion that he’s had the chance, and his rivals haven’t.”

Russell will hope that next year he has the chance to show he can capitalise where others have not.

[mariacallous]

Chinese merchant ships that appear to take an unusual interest in ocean floor infrastructure are not the only things causing disorder in the Baltic Sea. In recent months, automatic identification system (AIS) spoofing has been increasing there, too. Since these systems exist to allow ships to know where they and other ships are, manipulation that shows vessels being somewhere completely different is not a trivial matter. But Western governments can’t do very much about it—and other countries could adopt the subversive practice, too.

The Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier, has emerged as the prime suspect in the Baltic Sea cable cuts in November. After the incident, the vessel made its way westward, toward the Atlantic but anchored in the Kattegat Strait between Denmark and Sweden. It has remained there, watched by Danish naval vessels (as the ship is in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone) and sometimes by Swedish and German coast guard vessels, as well.

But other vessels are also causing headaches for Scandinavian governments. Pekka Niittyla of the Finnish Coast Guard told Reuters that ships sailing through the Gulf of Finland in recent weeks have been turning off their AIS. Lulu Ranne, Finland’s minister of transport and communications, said Russia is likely interfering with navigation systems. That matters because the Gulf of Finland and the rest of the Baltic Sea are busy waters with narrow and congested shipping lanes.

Satellite navigation systems, which help ship crews know their location and that of other vessels, are indispensable in modern shipping and to modern economies. Last year, the United Kingdom’s government calculated that Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide economic benefits of 13.6 billion pounds (some $17.2 billion) each year. Ships, in turn, are required to use AIS, which signal their location. But now Russia is interfering with those systems—messing both with the satellites that send the signals and with the AIS signals sent from some of the ships themselves.

For ships going about their business in the Baltic Sea, that means they may see a ship very nearby that, according to their radar, is somewhere completely different. “This is something that is coming in the wake of the Ukraine war,” said Nils Wang, a retired admiral and former Danish Navy chief. “We’ve definitely seen an increase since February 2022. The Russians’ ability to engage in AIS spoofing and related disturbances has increased, which seems to be a result of what they’re doing in the Black Sea. They’re becoming very good at it.”

The Black Sea appears to have served as a laboratory for the AIS spoofing now taking place. In 2017, merchant vessels traveling in the Black Sea began reporting mysterious oddities in their locations. They knew roughly where they were, but their radars showed them being somewhere completely different, often on land. An alert issued by the U.S. Maritime Administration read, “A maritime incident has been reported in the Black Sea in the vicinity of position 44-15.7N, 037-32.9E on June 22, 2017 at 0710 GMT. This incident has not been confirmed. The nature of the incident is reported as interference. Exercise caution when transiting this area.”

Since then, AIS incidents linked to Russia have accelerated. In May 2022, C4ADS, a Washington-based nonprofit, reported that it had identified 9,883 suspected instances of such interference across 10 locations that affected 1,311 civilian vessel navigation systems since Feb. 2016. Last year, suspected Russian AIS spoofing created a “Z” pattern of vessels on radar screens. (“Z” is the Russian symbol for the war in Ukraine.)

Now, GNSS and AIS disturbance is growing in the Baltic Sea—hardly a coincidence. The majority of Russia’s shadow fleet—which transports Russian crude above the price cap imposed by Western governments in response to its invasion of Ukraine—travels to and from Russia’s ports in the Gulf of Finland (the Baltic Sea’s easternmost part). Since shadow vessels operate in, yes, the shadows, they take pains not to advertise their position. That means they turn off or spoof their AIS. If someone also interferes with the navigational systems themselves, significant disorder results.

Back in 2022, Danish officials discovered that mysterious GPS dysfunctions on the ferry between the Danish island of Bornholm (which is located southeast of Sweden) and mainland Denmark had been caused by jammers in two trucks. “Disrupting GNSS and GPS is one of the things Russians are extremely good at. It’s also in their interest to spoof AIS, and it’s no surprise that this is primarily taking place in the Gulf of Finland, since it’s the primarily the Finns seeing what goes in and out of Russia’s Baltic Sea ports,” said Anders Grenstad, a retired admiral and former Swedish Navy chief.

Spoofing of identification signals—which can also be achieved through attacks on GPS and similar systems—is also a way of creating disorder without fear of punishment or retaliation. (It is, in other words, perfect gray-zone aggression, which is a type of nonmilitary aggression sometimes referred to as hybrid warfare.)

“This is the Russians’ way of protesting against Sweden’s and Finland’s accession to NATO and the establishment of what people call a ‘NATO lake,’” Wang said. “They’re sending the message that even though NATO dominates the Baltic Sea, they can still engage in subversive actions.” Cheerful Western talk about a NATO lake suggests the Baltic Sea is far more peaceful than it actually is, and it risks triggering not just Russian AIS disturbance but lots of other subversive activities.

That disturbance could result in collisions precisely because ships’ real location is different from what’s on the radar. That means it’s only a matter of time before there’s an accident. AIS jamming makes navigation harder for all ships, but AIS spoofing, which entails creating a false picture, presents a real danger to other ships.

“The Russians circumvent the rules that govern shipping, which undermines the maritime order that we work hard to abide by … The only acceptable reason to switch or spoof is to avoid a piracy attack or other safety concerns,” Line Falkenberg Ollestad, an advisor at the Norwegian Shipowners Association, said.

Collisions would, of course, cause harm to the Baltic Sea’s already weakened maritime environment. “AIS is meant to increase maritime insecurity,” Grenstad said. “Instead, it could cause collisions. That poses enormous dangers to the environment … If ferries or cruise ships collide, it would cause loss of life.”

Fortunately, shipmasters are skilled professionals and often detect when something is iffy with other vessels’ radar locations. “The risk is that if you’re in waters with dense traffic like in the Danish [straits] and the Baltic [Sea], the master will be confused if his GPS doesn’t work or if he sees AIS tracks that he can’t see with radar or with the naked eye,” Wang said. “That means he has to slow down to find out what’s going on. That creates delays.”

Such delays will be exacerbated by the fact that today’s seafarers are used to sailing with digital tools like GPS and AIS. “If you can’t rely on your electronic means, you have to use manual tools, but not too many seafarers are used to that anymore,” Wang said. GPS or AIS disturbance thus risks causing delays, which means delayed arrival of cargo in every subsequent port. That will result in economic harm not just to the affected shipping lines but to countries, too.

What can be done about this menace? Not very much, because NATO is hardly going to use its military might to punish some electronic disturbance. And responsible countries, like the other Baltic Sea states, would never retaliate by, say, spoofing merchant traffic in the Caspian Sea. The spoofing in the Baltic Sea will continue and perhaps even grow, and it’s already being joined by other subversive activities like the severing of undersea cables.

When it comes to navigational interference, other countries should watch the Russians’ experiments in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. “This is beginning with Russia because they’re so good at it, but it could spread to China, and Iran, and other countries that have an interest in disguising their activities,” Grenstad said. “It’s incredibly perilous for the international maritime order.”

The NATO lake was never going to be placid.

[fourormore]

[Image description: A polyam flag with the words “four or more fic-a-thon” on it. To the left of the infinity sign, there's a post-it that says "4 weeks to go". End description.]

THE FOUR OR MORE 2024 FICATHON HAS ONLY 4 WEEKS LEFT — Prompts by fandom

AO3 COLLECTION | SQUIDGEWORLD COLLECTION

Whether you've been itching to write something for that one prompt that you've been chewing on since day one or you're just hearing about this event and your curiosity has been piqued, this is your chance to see if someone has requested a fandom you're interested in. And if no one has requested your fandom, why not go ahead and leave a prompt. You never know who's watching.

Fandoms listed alphabetically with links to the respective prompts below the cut. Don't forget comments can have more than one prompt.

THIS LIST CONTAINS PROMPTS LEFT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 21st 1:30 pm GMT/UTC -4. Want to know if maybe someone has left more prompts after this? Check the main Ficathon post for more info.

A

A fandom you've never written before

Ace Attorney

Angel the series

Attack on Titan

B

Babylon 5

Buffyverse (Part 1)

Buffyverse (Part 2)

C

Chicago Fire

Chicago Med

D

Days of Our Lives

Doctor Who

Doom Patrol TV

F

Fate/Stay Night

Final Fantasy VII (Part 1)

Final Fantasy VII (Part 2)

Final Fantasy VIII

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Friends

Full House

G

General Hospital

Grey's Anatomy (Part 1)

Grey's Anatomy (Part 2)

Grey's Anatomy (Part 3)

Gossip Girl

M

Monster Prom

P

Pretty Little Liars

Psych

S

Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Saved by the Bell

Sense8

Star Ocean 2

T

Teen Wolf

The Murderbot Diaries

The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Twisters (2024)

W

Warhammer 40000

Women's Murder Club

X

X-files

Y

Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Multiple fandoms or crossovers

A League of Nobleman, Tian Guan Ci Fu, The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Ace Attorney, Any fandom, Amphibia, Doctor Who, Dracula, The Owl House, Pokemon Horizons, Stardew Valley, The Great Ace Attorney, Star Trek AOS, Star Trek DS9, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek TNG

Animator Vs. Animation, Any fandom, Deltarune, HfjONE, Omori, The Demon Headmaster (2019)

Angel the series, Buffy the vampire slayer (Part 1)

Angel the series, Buffy the vampire slayer (Part 2)

Any fandom, Angel the series, Buffy the vampire slayer

Any fandom, Charlie's Angels

Any fandom, Chicago Med

Any fandom, Danganronpa, Team Fortress 2

Any fandom, NU: carnival

Any fandom, Pitch Perfect

Any fandom, Love Between Fairy and Devil, Marvel, MDZS/The Untamed

Any PreCure Series, Delicious Party PreCure, Star Twinkle PreCure, Tropical Rouge PreCure

Beast Wars: Transformers, Detective Conan/Magic Kaito, Leverage, RWBY

Bridgerton (TV)/Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare or 1993 movie)

Caos, H2O, High School Musical: The Musical The Series, Outer Banks, Teen Wolf, The OC

Critical Role, Star Wars

Dead Boys Detective Agency, Julie and the Phantoms, Sense8, Star Trek Voyager, The Raven Cycle

Dishonored, Dragon Age

Final Fantasy VIII, MDZS, Teen Wolf, Voltron (2016)

General Hospital, MCU

Kamen Rider (various series), Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

MDZS, Star Trek, The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, Voltron (2016)

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

[zaynjmsource]

inZAYN:  A live performance from Zayn to you - for the first time since 2016. See you in the #Alienated premiere chat 👽🛸 9 PM PST / 12 AM EST / 4 AM GMT on @youtube

[lyinginbedmon]

Hey Lying! Since it's Tomorrow, I gotta ask, do you plan on doing a US election Bunker stream? I remember wayyyyy back when you had one, but I get if not this time around! I don't even remember if you did one for the previous election either lol

The Bunker stream was specifically for the 2016 inauguration of [name redacted], so people had something to watch for several hours to avoid paying it any attention, so if [name redacted] miraculously (read: most probably via massive election fraud) wins again I'll probably host another one.

That said there is a regular Lying strem tomorrow at 4 PM EST/9 PM GMT anywho where I'll be doing funky things to make nebulous metaphysical village brains mind control bug people.

And also building said bug people some cute houses.

[redbullcateringfiction]

Chapter 8 -

Cantata

Arabella is the executive assistant for Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. 10 years into her career, it looks like the tide is changing, and she's beginning to question her relationship with him. Is it something more, or nothing but an idea lingering in her head?

F/M, Fluff, Boss/Employee Relationship, Romance, Pining, Love, Slow Burn

Eight chapter below the cut or click here for AO3

Click here for the previous chapter on Tumblr, and click here for a list of all chapters

(Total: 34872 words thus far)

Where I wander: An opinion by the ‘bitch’

Thursday, March 12th, 2021 6:20 GMT

Author: Arabella Lazaar

Edited by: Jeffrey Martens and Shane Coughlan 

Editor’s note, March 12th, 2021: Arabella Lazaar is the former partner of Irish rock band Four Odd Bottles singer Cathal Lynch. Their 3 year relationship was not public knowledge until October 13th, 2019. 

If I were to recall every moment during our relationship, I would not question where I went wrong. 

Formula 1 is filled with huge personalities and names. There’s no doubt many fans could tell you how they imagine their favorite drivers’ to be, and I can assure you they would be 90% correct. Being in Formula 1 requires being surrounded by glass walls at all times. Your most intimate self is constantly on display. This was something I never enjoyed. Afterall, I suffer from agoraphobia. Seeing into the distance, and seeing the crowds of people is terrifying. I have forced myself to be in these situations. In God’s name, why?

I’ve always loved formula racing, but I never thought I could be an integral part of it. I never had the skills nor talent to be a driver or engineer. I, however, think I have quite the head on my shoulders. Micromanaging people and information became second nature to me. It’s a natural skill that one develops when their anxiety tells them to avoid everyone and everything. So, I saw an opportunity in Formula 1, and put my effort into joining a team. I set aside every fear I have to put my brilliance on the table instead. 

During that process, I learned that if I am constantly moving (as it is a job requirement), and hiding behind those big personalities, those glass walls become a comfort. I could be entirely isolated while surrounded by people, because no one cared about me, really. I could also be socializing with some of my favorite people. Above all else, I serve as an important cog in the well-oiled machine that is Mercedes-AMG. It was the dream I sought out. 

In 2016, I came upon Cathal Lynch, and our romance began to bud. Nothing new. Just another person to hide behind so I could continue to value my loneliness. This is the moment where I went wrong. Cathal had been correct from the beginning: There was no way to keep our relationship secret forever. We had two incredibly different opinions on this. I believed it could be managed for a long time. Until a wedding, at least. Cathal waited just days before asking if he could reveal me to the public. This became a constant item of discussion. In the meantime, every song Cathal released was a reflection of our relationship. The trips to Morocco to visit my extended family, our house in Brackley covered with his white cat’s hair, and of course, my career. Every time a song was written, and released, I would panic. It was all pieces of information that would lead people to me. The glass walls started to show their cracks. 

Then, in 2019, they finally crumbled. I was now a microcelebrity. Yes, I had spoken to a few Formula 1 magazines, but my Instagram had never been on television. This was an entirely new world for me. Cathal did not help me navigate this new world. The strain on our relationship was too large, and Cathal moved out of my home in Brackley just a week before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This was 2 years ago now. With the collapse of the life I knew, I tried to embrace the disaster. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but when I looked around, all I saw was the shambles. 

Wherever I turned though, Cathal was there. 

And so I wonder, where can I wander? Cathal follows me everywhere. My job is micromanagement, and Cathal’s seems to be micromanaging me. Every song seems to center around some sort of belief I was using him. I will not apologize for something I did not do though. 1 break up album is understandable. 2 break up albums is uncomfortable. 2 albums and 5 singles is a deliberate assault on a person’s life. I don’t know how he walked away from this so hurt, and I would like to apologize. I would also like to never see him again. 

Perhaps, that is what makes me a bitch to him. I am a bitch (as it is a job requirement). I will accept that. I have developed a hardened exterior in no small part due to the previously described situations. I will not accept the assertion that I was nothing more than a woman seeking out fame. I easily could’ve found it in my own job. I chose not to. 

I cannot continue to maintain my isolation though, that much is clear. Cathal hasn’t left me alone for 2 years. An essay won’t stop gossip and an army of fans to spread it. This latest incident is proof by itself. Even had the song not been clearly targeted at me, enough speculation would have led people to believe it was. So, I believe I should address at least one other item:

I choose to own the label of bitch, but no woman should have to make that decision because a man decided to label her as one. In the interest of fairness however, I believe Cathal Lynch should accept the label of ‘misogynist.’ 

As written through correspondence with Arabella Lazaar and Jeffrey Martens. Arabella Lazaar is currently the personal assistant to Mercedes-AMG team principal Torger “Toto” Wolff. Jeffrey Martens is her legal counsel and acquaintance. 

Comments on this piece are unavailable.

~

“Black screens are going up,” I heard over the headset, and immediately took it off. Nothing was going to be happening for a moment.

“Fucking hell,” Toto sighed. “Gearbox issue, we’re not even on the road.” He looked over at me, and I saw a smile creep over his face.

“Let me show you what Bono sent me,” He smirked, raising his eyebrows. He handed over his phone and I saw a tweet.

PopCrave 

Cathal Lynch temporarily banned from Formula 1 races after releasing “Bitch,” and showing up to his ex-girlfriend’s job. Video below.

I looked at the video thumbnail. There he was in his stupid Red Bull shirt, but his hair looked different. He had clearly cut it, and his eyes looked tired. He no longer had the shaggy, boyish look he had when we broke up. Instead, he looked like a real celebrity. I clicked on the video and listened closely.

Cathal was leaving the paddock, and a bunch of media had already surrounded him. “Cathal, Cathal. Why are you leaving the paddock today?” One called out. He stopped and spoke into the camera, as I knew he couldn’t resist. 

“I was apparently ‘banned’ due to some violation. I don’t know what. My team is on it. It’s absurd. I bought my ticket. The song was planned to be released months ago. I apologize though to all the fans who might’ve expected to see me here,” He groaned out an obviously prepared reply. He knew why he had been banned. No way he couldn’t. 

“Cathal, did you see Ariana Lazaar’s response?” Another reporter called out.

“Huh?” He asked walking towards them.

“Did you see Ariana Lazaar’s response?” 

“Arabella? You mean Arabella? And no, what response? She hasn’t said anything,” Cathal answered.

“10 minutes ago on the Guardian,” The reporter explained.

“What? What’d she say?” Cathal asked.

“She called you a misogynist,” He responded. I could see the gears in Cathal’s head turn. “Mr. Lynch, do you have a response? Cathal, do you have a response?”

“That bitch.”

I could hear a collective ‘whoa’ come from the crowd of reporters as Cathal flipped his sunglasses down. The reporters chased him down as he climbed into his car and drove off. I looked up at Toto, and immediately laughed when I saw his huge smirk on his face. 

“Nice response, by the way. PR is absolutely in love,” Toto explained. 

“I…I appreciate that,” I smiled.

“I’m so very serious. I think he just ruined his own career, and you get to keep that pretty smile on your face,” Toto said, before suddenly looking around. “Where’s Netflix?”

“Not here,” I shrugged. 

“They’re not going to put this in, right? No point, right?” He asked. “It’d be weird.”

“If they do, they’re not interviewing me,” I nodded. 

“Where’s Susie? Do you know?” 

“Uh…not sure actually.”

“Let me text her. Keep your ears open on the headset, will you?” Toto asked, stepping away from the computers.

“Will do,” I nodded, putting the headset back on. It was a series of chaotic conversations between engineers as everyone desperately tried to understand the electrical failure occurring in one of the cars. Less time on the road is less time to practice, and suddenly everyone was moving, calling, chatting, arguing, and complaining. If I took the headset off though, I would find it to be entirely silent. Maybe a door would creak open every now and then followed by pounding footsteps, but otherwise, it could be eerie during a time like this. The only time you’d find this room silent otherwise would be the delayed breaths as we all sat waiting to hear a driver was okay after a crash. 

This was not silent out of fear though, it was silent because a good chunk of the engineers had run off to settle things on the car directly. The others were too busy staring at analytics on their computers. I recall one time when an assistant from Red Bull learned that I sit in the paddock and listen to things on the headset. I told him quite simply that when Toto isn’t here, I’m his boots on the ground for all things administrative. When Toto is here, I’m still his boots on the ground as he literally flies around taking care of everything else. He should have to worry the least about resource management and being sure he’s kept up on everything. I can handle the rest.

Suddenly, I felt a tiny tap on my leg, and looked over to my left and saw Jack.

“Oh, hey, Jack!” I smiled. I saw Susie was standing right behind me, as Toto ran off to handle something. “And Susie.”

“He saw you from across the room and went straight to practically begging to see you,” Susie grinned.

“Yeah? You missed me?” I asked, picking him up and putting him on my lap. “Here, let’s get you a headset. You might be able to hear your dad.”

I grabbed a pair that was too big and nearly falling off his ears. I held it with my hand as he grabbed on to either ear so he could hear.

“Y’know, Toto’s pissed about the car. I think he needed to see Jack to remind himself he can’t break any necks,” Susie nearly whispered. 

“An electrical failure this soon is not exactly a ringing endorsement for the season,” I complained. 

“Yeah and Red Bull is on our ass.”

“Gotta focus on our car first,” I shrugged.

“Hey, I was thinking. It’s been so long since we caught up. Did you want to grab a tea or something when you get a break from the action?” Susie offered. 

“Uh…yeah, yeah. Of course,” I smiled. In a bit of a sad way, one of my only female friends is my boss’s ex-wife. At least they’re best friends, and at least she is just lovely. To be clear, I would choose to have more female friends. It just happens that I work in a female dominated field in a boys’ club. All of my colleagues who I find myself trying to impress and work against, are women. All of my colleagues who I have to work with and build a strong relationship with happen to be men. Except, really, Susie. Maybe a few others here and there, but our relationships just don’t mesh. 

“Too busy?” She asked.

“No, no. I’ll make time. I’ll text you,” I explained. Jack gently pulled the headset off his ears. 

“Bored,” He shrugged.

“That was quick,” I smiled at him. “Well what do you want to do?” 

He shrugged again. 

“Do you wanna watch me mess with…my calendar?” I asked. He nodded, much to my surprise.

“Oh! Alright then,” I responded, and went to my calendar on the computer in front of me. Susie chuckled and sat in the chair next to us. I kept one ear on the headset, the other on Jack and Susie, my eyes on the calendar, one arm around Jack’s back with my cellphone in my hand as I shot off text messages, and the other hand on the computer mouse. This type of multitasking is something they try to train into you during your training. I had been lucky enough to become particularly well versed in it at a young age, helping my parents manage the hotel. Little things here and there. Grabbing the phone while they showed someone around, or playing concierge for the guests. Then, when I came back while getting my training, I actually got the title. The idea of a tiny hotel in Ameland having a concierge was cute enough to bring guests. I mean, the island doesn’t have much, so all I really did was help them manage a little bit of travel to and fro, and tell them where to catch the best views. People still appreciated it…I think.

~

“Isn’t it nice to have the family back together?” My father asked. 

“Yeah, pay no mind to the fact that Chadi has ran off to the nearest bar,” Nour laughed.

“Why is Chadi even here?” Farah asked. “He never shows up. Of course, Arabella offers a ticket to Formula 1 and he decides to show up.”

“I mean, at least he’s here,” I groaned.

“Thank you, Arabella,” My mother nodded.

“Besides, I give you guys tickets all the time. It’s not like this was the only time and Chadi used me or something.”

“Yeah, because Chadi would never do that,” Farah laughed.

“What are you talking about, Farah? Do you suddenly know him better than the rest of us?” Nour asked, leaning in. 

“No, but I know our parents better than the rest of you.”

“Oh, listen to the favorite babble on,” Chadi slurred, suddenly appearing at the table. He pulled out the chair directly next to Farah, and smirked.

“Sorry, I tried to tell him to go back to his hotel since he’s drunk but he wouldn’t have it,” Mehdi spoke from the doorway. As the newest addition to the family, why did anyone allow him to play bouncer? 

“Why are you still here?” Chadi asked. 

“Well, I am married to Nour. I know you missed the wedding, but what? Are you such a drunk you can’t remember that?”

“Shut the fuck up, with all due respect, Mehdi,” Nour groaned. “It’s not your job to keep anyone in or out of the family despite what Farah may have told you.”

“Everyone, shut up!” My father shouted. “Chadi, we love you. but you can’t show up drunk and argue with your sister.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did everyone miss what she said about me?”

“No we heard it,” I complained, rubbing my temple. 

“Then you should say to your favorite daughter to keep her mouth shut sometimes!” Chadi shouted at our parents.

“Favorites? We don’t play favorites,” Our mom spoke, softly. 

“Raise your hand if you went to boarding school,” Chadi smirked. Nour and I raised our hands with Chadi.

“The favorite child gets the stellar education of Burgemeester Waldaschool? Meanwhile, the only one of us who is rich went to Saint-Denis and played squash because she was anxious.”

“Only one of us? I’m sorry, are you in my pocketbook, Farah?” Nour asked. “Your husband is a brain surgeon, fuckhead.”

“Watch your mouth,” My father warned.

“Stop fucking critiquing us and get on this one,” Nour answered, pointing at Farah.

“Farah, be nice,” My mother sighed.

“Be nice? That’s it?” Nour asked. “C’mon, you’ve got something better than that in there/”

“Leave mom alone, Nour,” Farah argued. “She hasn’t done anything.”

“Actually, our parents have done everything,” Chadi slurred. “When you think about it.”

“What the fuck are you even talking about, you fucking drunk?” Farah interrogated.

“I think what Chadi is saying-” Nour began.

“I can speak for myself, fuckhead,” Chadi interrupted. “They chose you to be the favorite, me to be the prodigal son that has yet to return, and Nour to be the envious older brother. And Arabella to be the anxious one who sits there twisting her fucking hair and not saying shit.”

I slowly took my hands out of my hair. I mean, yeah, he was right.

“Why are you mad at Arabella? She is literally just sitting there,” Nour asked.

“Because she’s literally just sitting there. She’s not saying anything of value and just watching this thing go down,” Farah groaned. Farah turned to me, eyebrow raised, and hair falling out of her bun. Chadi turned to me, with his body clearly wanting to slump over. Then Nour, the most cleancut one at the table, turned to me with a slightly crazed look in his eyes, like he smelled blood and was ready to go after it. Then my parents. My mother and father both turned to me, instead of speaking up and trying to solve this problem. 

“Listen, everyone needs to shut up. I brought you all here. You didn’t have to come, any of you. You chose to. Farah, just accept the fact that you’re the favorite. Our parents can barely admit it because it’s true. I’m sure you went through shit too though, I guess. Chadi, you’re drunk. Go back to the hotel, and just fucking sleep it off. And Nour, stop just fueling drama because you want to see the family blow up. And mom, and dad. At least realize that Farah is your favorite. Maybe if you admitted it, all of us would calm down or something. And I will keep playing negotiator since that’s all you guys want from me. But everyone, otherwise, shut the fuck up. Actually, y’know what. I don’t care. I’m leaving,” I complained. I stood up and left the table. No one came after me. Why would they? They were probably too self-absorbed to have even heard what I said.

~

“We’ve had Bottas on the road for 5 or so laps right now. We don’t have a lot of time left in the morning session,” Someone called from the radio. 

“How many laps can we get in?” Toto asked.

“Maybe 10? 15 total?” A response rang out.

“We’ll take it. It’s day one, he needs to be on the road,” Toto groaned. Toto turned to me and rolled his eyes. “Well, at least he’ll have those. He’s going to absolutely have my ass later.”

“He’ll learn to live with it,” I shrugged. 

“It would be better for him to learn to live with Max and Charles.”

“Speaking of Charles,” I gestured towards the screens. “Car’s down.”

“Well…and there it goes. Red flag. Alright…6 laps from Bottas?” Toto shrugged. “Pfft. This is just uber good, yeah?”

“I’m going for lunch in a few,” I sighed, taking off the headset.

“You’re going to be in the garage for the afternoon session then?” Toto asked, tapping my shoulder so I could turn around to face him. 

“Nope, my weekend is in the motorhome.”

Toto raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, I’ll be back, but I’m talking shit with Bono when I get back,” I sighed. Bono looked up from his place to the left of Toto and raised an eyebrow.

“Who are we talking shit about?” He asked, putting down his papers. 

“Toto,” I whispered.

“Alright, you two,” Toto chuckled. “But before you go, Arabella. Give me something to distract myself for a moment. What do you want for your anniversary?”

“A pen would actually be nice,” I sighed, taking out my phone and scrolling. 

“Still on about a pen. Anything else?” Toto groaned.

“There are good pens, Toto,” Bono nodded. I suddenly realized I had way too many notifications for me to continue comfortably looking at my phone. Even if just to make myself look busy.

“A fountain pen?” Toto asked.

“Oh, I would never use a fountain pen,” I sighed.

Toto threw his hands up. “Then what good of a gift is it?”

“I mean, she writes a lot,” Bono shrugged.

“She writes a lot. No worries, Arabella. I’ll make sure you get a pen. It will be the best gift you’ve ever gotten," he winked. For a moment, for that moment, everything was about what he had just said. Of course, our relationship is professional. At best, friendly. However, it would be irresponsible for me not to admit though that a part of my cold exterior could be melted away by the simple gesture of someone wanting to do something nice for me. Was that just part of my seemingly growing crush on him? I don’t think it matters. What it really says though is how desperate I am for someone to care about me. 

“You see how her eyes just lit up? I think she really does want a pen,” Bono laughed. 

“Maybe,” I cringed at myself. I could just imagine my doe eyed look for a few seconds. Toto just smirked though, implying that at the least, he didn’t notice the ‘desperate’ part of my expression. 

~

“Yeah, uh…do you have a recommendation?” The security guard sighed, looking me up and down. 

“Yeah, uh…Lewis Hamilton?” I mocked.

“The attitude is not cute on you,” He responded, looking through the list. “Well, just because you’re on the list, doesn’t mean you get to come in.”

“Then what’s the point of your list?” I groaned. 

“Do you think you’re Grace Kelly?”

“Do you think you’re the secret service?”

“I am,” He sighed, quickly flashing his ID. Oh…

“Alright, Schatzi,” I heard from behind me, as an arm wrapped around my shoulders. “I thought you’d already be on this boat, huh?”

“Yeah, I did too, Toto,” I sighed, looking at him. First kiss, second kiss. Just a brief touch on each cheek. The security guard looked at me in the eyes, and then back at Toto, before stepping aside to let us in. Toto let go of me, slipping into the crowd, as I began to follow him. Right before I did though, the security guard grabbed my arm.

“Now I have to know…who are you?” He asked.

“His assistant,” I shrugged. The security guard watched as I slipped into the crowd, but not quite disappearing before I blew a raspberry at him. I’m childish…but who cares at this particular moment. I’m on a billionaire’s super yacht, at the request of the best F1 driver in the world and another billionaire, and within my sight right now is Prince Albert. I took my fingers through my hair. I straightened it for the first time in a very long time. I stepped further into the party. It's hard to feel comfortable when surrounded by people like this, but nevertheless, I couldn’t help but savor the moment a little bit.

My anxiety was creeping up though. I could feel it. I quickly moved towards one of the servers and grabbed a glass of champagne, and chugged it. I grabbed another before they even moved away. I refuse to not enjoy myself, no matter how much alcohol it takes. The good thing about being unrecognizable is that no one is really desperate to talk to me. So, I can float through the party like a ghost…wait…why did I come then?

“Hey, Arabella!” I heard from deep in the crowd in front of me. The British accent and ability to remain soft spoken while yelling was impossible not to recognize. I pushed through the crowd, following the hand waving to me.

“Oh, hey!” I smiled. Lewis gave me a nod, and smiled. 

“I swore to God, I saw your boyfriend floating around here,” Lewis said, looking around.

“Are you sure it wasn’t Lewis Capaldi?” I asked.

“Oh, you know…it might’ve been. They do look alike, don’t they?” He sighed. “Is Cathal here?”

“In Monaco? Yeah. Here at the party? Likely not. We try to split up our engagements. Avoiding speculation and all that.”

“Ah, yeah. Not fun dating celebrities, is it?”.

“I mean…it’s great,” I smiled.

“You don’t have to lie,” Lewis laughed. “But, I’m glad you could come. Sometimes these parties feel a little…weird. It’s like 20 year olds and 50 year olds. Nothing in between. Except us, I guess.”

“Yeah, it's definitely interesting. But this isn’t my first party in Monaco…maybe the most elite one I’ve been to though,” I cringed, looking around.

“Oh, one thing I did want to mention. I am having a less elitist party tomorrow. Less princes, more fun. Bring your swimsuit, bring Cathal, it’ll be great. Less intense at least. I’ll text you the details.”

“Cathal? I don’t know…I…”

“Don’t worry. We know discretion. Despite what it may seem like, there are ways to keep things quiet. Promise,” Lewis winked.

“Thanks,” I smiled. I took a deep breath and looked around the party from my position. “I’m…going to go mingle. I’ll catch up with you when I see you.”

“Got it. See you tomorrow,” Lewis smiled.

I stepped in the direction of the exit. I appreciated Lewis’s offer, and maybe I would go tomorrow. Today though, I just am not sure if this is the environment for me. I can’t say I find this to be particularly comfortable. I’m not famous, and I don’t want to be. I barely got let in the door. I shouldn’t be here. I just shouldn’t-

“Are you leaving already, Arabella?” I heard Toto behind me. 

“Oh…yeah,” I answered, turning around.

“Well, before you go, at least let me introduce you to some people. I was just telling everyone about my amazing assistant, and they were just saying how they have to put a face to the name.”

I walked directly to the right of Toto, and waved to the group of men he was talking to. 2 hours later, I was still on the boat. Sure, I didn’t belong with the celebrities, but maybe that’s not my niche in places like this. But I can definitely play assistant in places like this. And I kind of love it. Sharing stories of messy conversations and quadruple bookings, all while showcasing how damn good I am at managing it? It gets no better.

Tag list: @daddyslittlevillain, @littleheaven

[chrollogy]

about: yue !

meet the writer behind the fics :> interested in my genshin version?

hellooo !! as you already know, i go by yue, i’m twenty two years old, my pronouns are she/her and i’m an intj !!! i’m southeast asian (filipino) so feel free to speak to me in tagalog since i’m still quite fluent :3 my timezone is gmt +12 so i’m most likely active when everyone else is sleeping hence my lack of interaction with fellow moots :< also!! i’m really into 35 mm photography (since 2019) and i love collecting cameras <3

i got into writing when i was around the age of 10-11 where i wrote cliché highschool fics back when i first got into kpop :< i had three writing phases which were asianfanfics (aka the very first platform i used to publish fics), wattpad (where i mainly focused on long series), and finally tumblr (my current platform !!)

fun fact! i have ten ear piercings (three on each lobe. left: rook, and tragus. right: daith, and helix). i love dyeing my hair (notable colours: red, purple, blonde), and i currently have two tattoos :3

fun fact 2! am a huge matcha lover !! i make my own matcha every morning (with the whisk and all) but i’m slowly running out rip

fun fact 3! i’ve been on tumblr since 2016 but i was a kpop-centric blog back then, and only posted moodboards LMAO then i got into the anime side on 2021 :3

currently watching: black butler (s4), kimi ni todoke (s3), hunter x hunter (e119 — CA arc)

games i play: genshin impact — AR 57 WL 8, ASIA server. love and deepspace — LVL 41, ASIA server; 81000767553 (ex-hsr, ex-obey me player)

fandoms: haikyuu, genshin impact, black butler, hunter x hunter, love and deepspace, jujutsu kaisen, kimi ni todoke, tokyo revengers, attack on titan, demon slayer, obey me, play it cool guys, the apothecary diaries, blue lock, buddy daddies, romantic killer, howl’s moving castle, girl from nowhere

hobbies:

writing, reading, sleeping <3, going gym, watching anime & sports (a rugby fan !!), simping for a blonde msby setter, disappearing from time to time

dislikes:

summer, waking up early on a winter morning, bugs n insects especially spiders, those little clustered holes (yes i have that phobia), people who rush me lol

yue core 📸

[florences-rp]

Flo here !

Hello all you lovely people, I'm Flo, 29, She/Her, GMT timezone.

I looking to make some new RP partners on Discord ONLY.

Things about me and the RP.

I typically play the males over females, however given the right plot, inspo and partner I might bring the females out of retirement!

I love to plot and scream over the muses, so even better if you wanna simp over our babies

I'm down for most things when it comes to the RP, so don't feel shy about throwing ideas and thoughts out!

I have basic details of muses, as I prefer being able to throw whatever I want at my guys and gals instead of sticking only to what has been written for them. If we create something amazing, I may create a full bio for that muse just for us.

I have a busy work & personal life, so please don't expect instant replies from me!

I do write NSFW + SFW RPs, but I'm happy to RP your comfortability!

What I am looking for in a partner

You must be 21+ and have your age listed somewhere.

Someone who wants to create some amazing plots and have some fun!

Someone who is laid back, chill and just wants to experience the beauty of writing stories together!

you’re looking for yet another survivor of the rp dark ages, when we were definitely way too young to be writing some of the things we were (2011-2016)

Plots, genres and the delight

enemies to lovers

friends to lovers

toxic exes

young parents

arranged marriages

famous x non famous

vampires, werewolves, gods, sirens, witches etc

love affairs

poly

ALL THE ANGST!

fluffy & cute

dark, dirty and dangerous

If you like the look of this and wanna chat, then fire over a message and we can chat <3 You can also find my discord server here which has all my info and the muses x

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Pride Month: 아가씨 (2016 | South Korea)

Stream Time: June 14th @ 8:30pm EST/1:30am GMT.

See below the cut for details and trigger warnings.

Summary: A con man tries to use a pickpocket to scam a wealthy woman.

Language: Korean.

Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes.

Rating: R with graphic violence and gore, torture, domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, sexual grooming, nudity, and graphic sexual scenes.

[beardedmrbean]

Haiti's government declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs stormed a major prison. At least 12 people were killed and about 3,700 inmates escaped in the jailbreak.

Gang leaders are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whose whereabouts are unknown since he travelled to Kenya.

Gangs control around 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Gang violence has plagued Haiti for years.

A government statement said two prisons - one in Port-au-Prince and the other in nearby Croix des Bouquets - were stormed over the weekend.

It said the acts of "disobedience" were a threat to national security and said it was instituting an immediate night-time curfew in response, which started at 20:00 local time (01:00 GMT on Monday).

How gangs came to dominate Haiti

Haitian media reported that police stations were attacked, distracting authorities before the coordinated assault on the jails.

Among those detained in Port-au-Prince were suspects charged in connection with the 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse.

In the capital, gangs have erected barricades to prevent security forces from encroaching on their territory, while their strongholds in Port-au-Prince's vast shantytowns are still largely on lockdown.

Schools and many businesses are closed, and there are reports of looting in some neighbourhoods.

Police have set up roadblocks and there is much uncertainty on the streets.

The latest upsurge in violence began on Thursday, when the prime minister travelled to Nairobi to discuss sending a Kenya-led multinational security force to Haiti.

Gang leader Jimmy Chérizier (nicknamed Barbecue) declared a co-ordinated attack to remove him.

"All of us, the armed groups in the provincial towns and the armed groups in the capital, are united," said the former police officer, who is accused of being behind several massacres in Port-au-Prince.

Haiti's police union had asked the military to help reinforce the capital's main prison, but the compound was stormed late on Saturday.

On Sunday the doors of the prison were still open and there were no signs of officers, Reuters news agency reported. Three inmates who tried to flee lay dead in the courtyard, the report said.

A journalist for the AFP news agency who visited the prison saw around 10 bodies, some with signs of injuries caused by bullets.

One volunteer prison worker told the Reuters news agency that 99 prisoners - including former Colombian soldiers jailed over President Moïse's murder - had chosen to remain in their cells for fear of being killed in crossfire.

They have now been transferred to a different prison.

The US embassy in Port-au-Prince on Sunday urged its citizens to leave Haiti "as soon as possible". The French embassy said it was closing visa services as a "precaution".

While Haiti has been plagued by gangs for years, the violence has further escalated since President Moïse's assassination at his home in 2021. He has not been replaced and presidential elections have not been held since 2016.

Under a political deal, Mr Henry was due to stand down by 7 February. But planned elections were not held and he remains in post.

A spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said it was "monitoring the rapidly deteriorating security situation" with "grave concern".

They said the path forward "lies with free and fair elections" and violence serves "only to delay a democratic transition while... upending the lives of thousands".

Speaking to the BBC's Newsday, Claude Joseph - who was serving as acting prime minister when President Moïse was assassinated and who is now head of the opposition party called Those Committed to Development - said Haiti was living through a "nightmare".

Mr Joseph said Prime Minister Henry wanted "to stay as long as possible in charge".

"He agreed to step down on 7 February. Now he decides to stay, despite the fact that there are huge protests throughout the country asking him to step down - but it's unfortunate that now those criminals are using violent means to force him to step down."

In January, the UN said more than 8,400 people were victims of Haiti's gang violence last year, including killings, injuries and kidnappings - more than double the numbers seen in 2022.

Many health facilities have stopped operating because of the bloodshed.

Anger at the shocking levels of violence, on top of the political vacuum, have led to several demonstrations against the government, with protesters demanding the resignation of the prime minister.

[starwarsbookclub]

Hello There Readers,

Happy Pride month everyone! As June comes to a close, it is once again time to decide our reads for a new month. Our theme for July is VACATION! All stories feature excursions, parties, or special occasions. The novel and comic polls are now live in our Discord Server, and you have until 10pm GMT (5pm EST, 2pm PST) on June 27th to vote for what books we'll be reading together. Our options are listed below. 

NOVELS

1. The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis 2. The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton 3. Canto Bight by Saladin Ahmed, Rae Carson, Mira Grant, and John Jackson Miller

1. Lando (2016) 2. Han Solo: Imperial Cadet (2019) 3. The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular (2022)

If you would like join the book club, send us an ask & the admins will give you an invite! We look forward to reading with you!

May the Force Be With You, - Star Wars Book Club

[newsverse]

Trudeau says Americans are realizing Trump’s tariffs on Canada would make life a lot more expensive

Updated 12:37 PM GMT+5, December 10, 2024

TORONTO (NV) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that Americans “are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive” and said he will retaliate if Donald Trump goes ahead with them.

Trump later responded by calling Canada a state and Trudeau the governor.

Speaking at an event put on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau also said dealing with Trump will be “a little more challenging” than the last time because Trump’s team is coming in with a much clearer set of ideas of what they want to do right away than after his first election win in 2016.

The U.S. president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs.

“Trump got elected on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive,” Trudeau said. On the weekend, Trump appeared in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where the president-elect said he can’t guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers.

[deceitfulcharmer]

———  basics! ♡

(PEN)NAME:  Katie

PRONOUNS:  She / Her

ZODIAC SIGNS:  Libra

TAKEN OR SINGLE:  Single!

TIME ZONE:  GMT+0, UK

———  three  facts! ♡

I love fibre arts! Knitting, crochet, cross stitch—I switch out between them so I don't get bored xdcgf

I keep fish: I have an asshole male betta called Darth Maul and he likes to bite fingers. I also have a pond outside with six goldfish but it's winter so they're all hiding at the bottom rn :(

I draw sometimes but not nearly as often as I'd like.

———  experience ! ♡

I started roleplaying on Tumblr in around 2012 with a Sebastian Michaelis blog, then I made this one in December 2014 and wrote for TFA Megatron for just over four years before my writing muse lead me elsewhere. My other primary canon muse is Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez who I've been writing since 2016, and half the cast of an original story co-written with @monsterkiisses ♥

———  muse preference !  ♡

Villains, mostly, lmao. I like getting inside their heads and letting them loose~

———  FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT! ♡    

FLUFF:  It depends on the muse! I'm not so much a fan of tooth-rotting fluff for Megatron, but I'll absolutely take him learning to be soft for someone.

ANGST: For character development purposes, sure! Angst for the sake of angst doesn't appeal to me so much, but if it has a point, then -grabby hands-

SMUT: Yes. Only within ships, but yes ♥

PLOT / MEMES: I'm a plotter at heart but I don't mind getting the ball rolling with memes~

stolen from: @gladiatorspxrked tagging: Steal it from me ♥

[winwintea]

i'm a weishennie who stan wayv fro their music in 2019. domino, all for love, horizon, say it their all music was so good. after lc departure i understand they want to new start and change the group music identiy and i love phantom and omy but they are definetly weak title track compared to their previous songs. but gmt and the highest are whole mess. they sound like a newly debuted nugu bg declined songs. go higher is probably worst song i ever heard from nct as someone who stan nct since 2016. but wayv stans acting like their group is releasing back to back masterpieces and shit on nct dream songs and wayv is thriving because sicheng is not there. they are so hypocritical. i just saw on twitter a hhendery stan called dream's last single as worst sm release from this year, their fans really has been so corny but no one fight with them because people pity wayv everytime and ignore these rude comment.

NO BC I FULL ON AGREE I CAN SAY THIS NOW IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THIS WAY

go higher is actually the most underwhelming wayv song ive heard its so like they're trying to be aespa ???? but failing??? miserably??? it feels like they tried to toss in supernova, armageddon, and wish by nct wish into a pot and this was the result. and then u have xj trying his best to carry with his crazy vocals but it's not the same as it once was 😭

i've been a stan since 2018, ever since winwin moved from 127 to wayv and since he's my ult i had to support, and i grew to love the group... but i'll admit i haven't been keeping up with wayv as much as i have other groups since the lack of winwin content is making me feel really really guilty 😭😭😭i know it's not true weishennie behavior but somtimes the charm has lost it's appeal when your fav is inactive. like i didn't even stream the highest when it came out...

i also get so so so so annoyed at like solo unit stans who think its okay to bash other units. idgaf if you only stan dream or only stan wayv, but why are you going to shit on other units when they're all literally in the same group?????????????? we're like a family?

i'll have to disagree with u anon on one thing though... phantom is my second fav wayv title track after moonwalk i ate it up fr fr

[head-post]

Harris ahead of Trump in fierce debate

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris forced her Republican rival Donald Trump to get defensive in a combative presidential debate, according to Reuters. (Updated 11 September at 11:20 a.m.)

A former prosecutor, Harris, 59, repeatedly prompted Trump, 78, to deliver a series of responses about his suitability for office, support for abortion restrictions, and legal challenges.

Eight weeks before the election and days before early voting begins in some states, the debate offered both candidates a rare opportunity to make their case to a television audience of tens of millions of voters. The candidates clashed on immigration, foreign policy, and health care, but the debate contained few specifics.

Instead, Harris managed to focus on Trump, leading her allies to cheer and some Republicans to acknowledge Trump’s challenges. He repeated his claim that his defeat in the 2020 election was due to fraud, called Harris a “Marxist” and argued that migrants have caused a surge in violent crime.

The candidates also traded accusations about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, though neither gave specifics on how they would seek to end each conflict.

How it proceeded

The debate, hosted by ABC in Philadelphia, began at 01:00 GMT on Wednesday with a surprise handshake between the two opponents, who had never met before. Harris approached Trump at his lectern, introducing herself by name, marking the first handshake at a presidential debate since 2016.

The candidates began the debate by focusing on the economy, an issue that opinion polls showed favoured Trump. Harris criticised Trump’s intention to impose high duties on foreign goods, while praising her plan to give tax breaks to families and small businesses.

Harris lambasted Trump over his criminal conviction for hiding secret cash payments to a porn star, as well as other charges and a civil judgement finding him guilty of sexual assault. Trump denied guilt and again accused Harris and Democrats of orchestrating all of the cases without evidence.

The vice president delivered a lengthy criticism of abortion restrictions, speaking passionately about women who did not receive emergency care and incest victims who could not terminate their pregnancies because of state-level bans. She also stated that Trump would support a national ban.

Harris also tried to link Trump to Project 2025, a conservative political plan proposing to expand executive power, repeal environmental regulations, and make it illegal to transport abortion pills across state lines. Trump responded that he had “nothing to do” with Project 2025.

In turn, he criticised Harris for constant inflation during the Biden administration’s term. He said it “has been a disaster for people, for the middle class, for every class.”

Meanwhile, American musician Jonnie King suspected Harris of cheating, accusing her of using an audio earring.

Kamala Harris war wearing Nova H1 Audio earrings tonight whic are wireless earphones during her debate with Donald Trump. This is why she was seen continuously taking notes with her pen during the debate, when it was explicitly agreed upon before that there would be NO notes.

Early outcomes

Pop star Taylor Swift told her 283 million Instagram followers immediately after the debate that she would support Vice President Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the 5 November election.

Online prediction market PredictIt 2024 showed that the likelihood of Trump winning during the debate dropped to 47% from 52%. Harris’ chances, meanwhile, rose to 55% from 53%. The polls also show that the vast majority of Americans have already made up their minds, leaving a small portion of undecided voters.

In a sign of confidence in the outcome of the debate, Harris’ campaign staff challenged Trump to a runoff in October. Afterwards, Trump took the rare step of going to a nearby “spin room.” He later stated:

This was my best debate. She wants it because she lost. I have to think about it, but if you won the debate, I sort of think maybe I shouldn’t do it. Why should I do another debate?

The meeting was particularly important for Harris, as opinion polls showed that more than a quarter of likely voters felt they did not know enough about her. She entered the race just seven weeks ago after President Joe Biden left office.

Presidential debates do not necessarily change voters’ minds, but they can carry profound implications. Biden’s poor performance against Trump in June forced him to abandon his campaign on 21 July.

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