#In the Mood TV France

[keerysfreckles]

lay all your love on me — LN4

pairing: lando norris x piastri!reader

summary: the aftermath of y/n's worst date she's ever been on, lando comes to pick her up.

warnings: one curse word, not proofread

a/n: dedicated to kayla bae 🤭🤭 comment if i should make a part 2!!!

masterlist !

⋆ ˚ ｡ ⋆ ୨୧ ˚

y/n can't remember the last time she went on a decent date. in the past year she's been on five dates, none of them doing any justice.

two of them were too busy staring at her chest from the low neckline of her dress. one wouldn't stop talking about the football game plastered on the tv behind her at the sports bar he dragged her to. one didn't even show up.

and now, the fifth date, he isn't taking anything she says seriously.

she tried explaining how she's able to travel a lot due to her brother being a formula one driver, and the bloke just laughed in her face. claiming "girls can't be that into racecars".

y/n's never wanted to punch somebody as hard as she wanted to punch the man in front of her.

he then started talking about his own career, which lead y/n to talk about hers. however, to the man across from her, having a degree in communications does nothing to improve y/n's future.

this man was suffocating. every word he uttered just made y/n's blood boil.

it got to the point where y/n simply left. she left the man there, at the restaurant, with the most dumbfounded look displayed over his features.

she couldn't stand to be there another five minutes, so she simply left. no apology, no goodbye.

the chilly monaco air did not help her sour mood, in which she didn't bring a jacket with her. the walk to her apartment wasn't far, maybe twenty minutes.

the more and more the girl thought about her date, and the previous ones, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. the past five times she's gotten dressed up, and was excited to learn about someone new, she just left disappointed every time.

y/n didn't even know why she wore the heels she has on. she's never worn them, so she's praying she doesn't get blisters the next morning.

groaning, she pauses to take off her black heels. her shoulders slightly relaxing as the pain from her feet falls into the pavement with every step.

now y/n wasn't sure if the rumbles she heard behind her was thunder, or just the roaring of engines passing in the streets.

she pushed the thought off for now, and went back to thinking about her failed dates. she didn't think it was her fault, but maybe she was just unlovable. there was a chance it wasn't the people she dated, and that she was the one with the problem.

the over consuming thoughts had now gotten best of the girl. before she knew it tears were welling up at her bottom lashes. she didn't care about her makeup anymore, choosing to wipe at the tears now mixing with her mascara.

seconds barely pass, and it was final that the rumbles y/n heard earlier was thunder. meaning rain would shortly follow after. she groaned again, wanting to do anything but walk home in the rain.

she could easily turn around and wait the storm out in the restaurant, but she didn't want to face the man she left at the table again.

she then decided to call her brother.

however her plan quickly backfired once she remembered oscar and lily went out tonight, somewhere over an hour of where y/n is now. so calling oscar was out of the question. the phone didn't even let out a full ring before she hung up.

to make matters worse, y/n felt big drops of rain hit her shoulders.

there weren't many other options y/n could give into tonight. her close friends were all in france for god knows what, oscar was busy, and y/n just wanted to go home.

call her pathetic, but y/n couldn't help but cry. her night has only gotten worse, and she couldn't do anything about it.

after mere minutes, her hair was soaked from the now heavy pouring rain, she had no doubt her makeup was fully ruined, and she was sulking underneath a flickering lamppost.

she let out a dry chuckle after scrolling through her contacts once again, now seeing the only person left to call. the only person who'd answer her tonight.

on the third ring, he picked up.

"y/n? is everything okay?"

y/n hasn't gotten asked that in a long time. so she simply let out a choked sob. she tried answering, but her voice failed her again.

"lando," she managed to get out, only to have her cries over power her words.

he was quick to ask her what happened to make her this upset. to which he only got small answers in between more cries and jagged breaths. he knew he had to do something.

"can you tell me where you are?" he asked, while slipping his shoes on before running out of his apartment towards the parking garage.

he was glad to finally get a normal answer out of y/n, as he pulled out of his parking space with a loud screech of his tires. his windshield wipers did almost nothing to help him see in the rain, only making him driver faster, wanting nothing more than to get y/n in the warm and dry comfort of his car.

he drove carefully down the street address she gave him.

then he saw it. his heart broke at the sight in front of him.

y/n sitting on a bench, with her head in her hands. heels discarded by her feet, and her wet hair sticking to her back and shoulders.

her head picked up at the headlights of lando's car, and the sound of his driver door opening.

"god, y/n are you okay?"

lando kneeled down in front of her, placing his warm hands over her knees.

all y/n could do was lean forward into lando, wrapping her arms around him for some form of comfort.

lando couldn't care less if his shirt was getting wet, he could easily put on a new one once he got home. all he cared about right now was the girl in his arms.

he helped her get to the passenger side of the door, before jogging back to the bench to grab her heels. as he threw them into the backseat his eyes moved to an extra jacket. he was internally thanking his past self for leaving this inside.

y/n shivered out a thank you, for the hoodie and at his action of turning the heat on.

the ride back was silent. a comfortable silence, mostly because lando didn't want to pressure the girl into talking about exactly what happened tonight.

after lando turned left, y/n spoke up, "wait, lando you made the wrong turn. my apartment's that way."

she pointed out the window, but lando simply shrugged it off.

"y/n you haven't had the best night," he starts by pointing out the obvious, "so you can crash at my flat tonight, okay? we can watch as many rom-coms as your little heart desires. i know how much you love those."

y/n chuckles at his ending sentence, but can't agree with him more.

as soon as lando pulls into the parking garage, he helps y/n up the stairs to his apartment door. he successfully opens the door with one hand, as y/n's shoes are hanging over his fingers in the other.

he watched as y/n crossed her arms over herself once he shut the front door.

"do you want a hug?" he held out his arms with a small smile adorning his lips.

y/n walks closer to him, her barefeet hitting the hardwood with each step before she rests her head on his shoulder.

one thing y/n loves about lando's hugs is how secure they feel. his arms always end up wrapped tightly around her, and she swears she feels her bad mood leave her body whenever she's in his embrace.

after a few moments, lando speaks up, "do you want to change? i bet i have some clothes that'll fit you."

y/n nods before ridding her face of any tears. she then follows lando to his room. she sits on the edge of his bed, watching carefully as he grabs a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"i'll be out in the living room. take your time," he speaks softly, kissing the top of her head before he leaves the room.

y/n finally lets out a sigh. a sigh filled with many different emotions. too many to count, so y/n distracts herself by changing into the much more comfortable clothes lando grabbed.

she tried running her fingers through her damp hair as she exited his room, but her hair became too tangled from the rain.

lando's small smile made it's way to his face once y/n came into the living room.

"you feeling any better?" he pats the spot beside him on the couch.

all y/n does is nod, but lando senses that something's still bothering her.

he brushes off the thought for now, as he and y/n search for a movie to watch.

after eight minutes of flicking through netflix, y/n breaks the silence.

"lan, do i seem unlovable to you?"

the question certainly caught the brit off gaurd. he took a moment to think about his response before answering, but no certain response would be the right one.

"woah, what makes you think that?"

y/n gets more quiet, becoming more self conscious of herself as she sits beside lando.

she shrugs before responding, "every date i've been on in the past year has gone wrong. i can't help but think if it's something i'm doing. that i'm the one with the problem, not all the guys i've seen."

lando's heart breaks at y/n's statement. how long has she been feeling this way about herself?

"you're not unlovable y/n. it's all those idiots that don't know what they're missing out on. you're one of the greatest people i know, and if any guy you date can't see that, he's not worth it."

lando wasn't sure where his small speech came from, but the look from y/n made his heart beat faster than it did before.

she looked at lando with nothing but adoration. a blush covered both of their cheeks now, and before y/n could really register anything her brain was processing she leaned over to quickly kiss lando.

yes, she was kissing her brother's best friend. yes, she was kissing lando after she had a horrible date.

was it a bad idea? probably. but y/n needed one thing to go right tonight. she could only pray this was the thing.

just as lando got used to the feeling of her lips against his, she pulled away.

she couldn't read the emotion on his face, making her start to ramble.

"i'm sorry. i'm so so sorry lan. i- i just needed one thing to go right tonight. and i thought maybe kissing you was the right thing to do. shit, i'm sorry. i can leave-"

y/n's sentence was cut off, now by lando pushing his lips against hers. his hand found it's way to the back of her neck, as hers balled up the material of his shirt to try and bring him closer to her.

their panted breaths mingled together as they were only centimeters away from each other. their eyes filled with adventure and lust, both wondering where this thing could lead to.

[legok9]

"Who's that girl" DWM 268 (1998)

So, who would have played the Doctor if she'd been a woman from the first? DWM rounds up the likely ladies …

Hermione Baddeley 1963-66 Renowned for unsympathetic roles in both Brighton Rock and the dour 'kitchen sink'-styled Room at the Top, film veteran Baddeley made an enthralling Doctor - part dragon, part slightly dotty maiden aunt. Eternal juvenile Melvyn Hayes was 'unearthly' grandson Stephen Vivian Pickles 1966-69 Although much younger, and never a lead, the versatile Pickles had been a familiar TV face for 20 years (Harpers West One, etc) before being cast as Baddeley's successor. Her sprightly, elfin Doctor had a penchant for dressing-up, like a St Trinian's tomboy who never left school

Liz Fraser 1970-74 A comic actress familiar from several Carry Ons, Fraser's initial trepidation at taking on an ostensibly serious role soon dissipated. Her bossy, big-sisterly show-off of a Doctor was best paired with dippy companion Joe Grant (later Playgirl pin-up Robin Askwith) Frances de la Tour 1974-81 Gangling, piercing-eyed Shakespearean actress de la Tour played a tweedy, louche, Bohemian Doctor part-based on Virginia Woolf. Caused a minor sensation when she married the young actor who played the second incarnation of Time Lord companion Roman — Peter Davison

Jan Francis 1982-84 Despite rumours that the next Doctor might be played by a man (former New Avenger Gareth Hunt is hotly tipped), the youngest actress yet is cast. Fresh from middlebrow thirties drama The Good Companions, Francis made for a sporty Doctor in Lottie Dod-style tennis whites Lynda Bellingham 1984-86 Known to SF fans for her role as Barbara the Butcher in an episode of Jenna's 7, Bellingham's controversial Doctor was a loud, hectoring grand-dame of the theatre. Unceremoniously 'regenerated' following the Doctor's on- (and off-) screen inquisition in the epic Trial of a Time Lady

Pauline Melville 1987-89 Virtually unknown fringe cabaret and cult comedy artiste is surprise choice for 'back to basics' Seventh Doctor. Fan fears that series will become showcase for childish high-jinks up-ended when Melville stories adopt a sombre, down-beat mood, performed with conviction and gravitas Miranda Richardson 1996 The eldest in a successful line of acting siblings, a favourite of BBC producers since high-profile lead debut in revisionist biographical drama of notorious 20th century 'villain', makes a bid for American network stardom via lavish new big-haired version of Doctor Who. Star Trek actor Alexander Siddig plays love interest Dr Brian

[stinkysam]

Serge “Frenchie” - Same difference ?

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : “I have a silly little thought about fluff with a male reader where Frenchie and him bond because Frenchie is french(from France) and reader is French-canadian(from Quebec)” - anon

Reader : male (he/you)

A/N : I'm not from Québec so I tried to find words/sentences the reader could use to make it more obvious where the reader is from but it's hard. I can't Google translate it 😔 I hope it's not too much tho but it was fun looking for sayings and shit // FYI the word Nice is also the name of a big city in France. Also I hope my pareil/paris joke lands ._.

You were presented to the rest of the boys shortly after they regained their anti-supes activity.

Butcher never questioned where you came from, so they all thought you were from around here as well, that is, until you got to Frenchie.

You awkwardly sat there on the couch in front of the TV next to Kimiko. Hughie, M.M, Butcher and Annie were gone.

Only you, Kimiko, Frenchie and 3 or 4 dudes hiding some white powder in various objects to export them somewhere were there.

You turned your head back, bored, watching what Frenchie was doing.

You listened closely and you could hear some music playing in French. Was it Koba laD you could hear ?

That made you wonder. Was it a random French song in his playlist ? Was he French ? Or was it both ? The way he spoke was weird too, he had like a small accent… Could he be French ?

You stood up, taking in your surroundings, stopping to let a guy pass, before walking to Frenchie slowly and looking at what his hands were working on. It looked like a bomb but the timer kept doing whatever it wanted.

“Rah, putain, cette merde veut pas marcher !” He complained, throwing his tools on the table in frustration.

You looked at him with a surprised expression, your staring grabbing his attention.

“Quoi ?” He asked, a hint of annoyance still clear in his voice.

“Criss, c'pour ça ‘Frenchie’ ?” You asked, now understanding such a name. He listens to French music and has an accent because he is French.

He looked at you, confused. What do you mean ‘that's why’, of cou- wait, did you just speak French ?

He looked at you, studying you. ‘Criss’ ?

“Why else ?” He replied, hands on his hips, his French accent sounding more noticeable to you suddenly.

“After ‘Mother's Milk’ did you really expect me to question your name ?” You crossed your arms and tilted your head.

“Fair enough, mon ami.” He chuckled. “T’es d'où ?” He asked, his right hip against the desk he was working on.

“Québec. Toi ?”

“Aah.” He nodded slowly, understanding better, scratching his chin before speaking proudly, smiling. “Marseille.”

“Nice.”

“No, no,” He started, making you frown in confusion. “Marseille.” He repeated. “Not Nice. Pas pareil.” He said, shaking his head, seemingly proud of his joke.

You stared at him for a second and spoke.

“Pas Paris ?” You replied, making him frown in confusion, quietly repeating your words before finally understanding your joke.

“Wow, it's… even worse than mine.” He said, slightly amused. His wasn't funny but yours ? He shook his head and grimaced. Down right bad.

“You go low, I go lower ?” You tried, eyes squinted, a smile tugging at your lips.

“I fear that sometimes it's better not to, mon ami. To keep your uh, dignité or whatever.”

“Mh.” You nodded, acting as if you were thinking about it before continuing. “Non. J’préfère going lower, tsé.”

“So the unfunny jokes are a deliberate choice, huh ?” He asked, turning back toward the desk, grabbing a few things and you hummed.

“Mais chu bon public, sinon.” You quickly said as if to reassure him you had a regular humor. “Tu fais-tu une bombe ? C'quoi qui marde ?”

“Je sais pas, ça me casse les couilles.” He replied, going back to his original annoyed mood.

“Can I help ?”

“You know how to make a bomb ? Or program a timer ?”

You shook your head ‘no’ and Frenchie seemed to think for a moment before nodding to himself and waving you to come closer.

“I'll teach you.”

Since that day, you, Frenchie and Kimiko were often found together, if not always.

You both liked learning things. You, how to use a weapon and reload it accordingly. Him, how to speak French Québécois.

He learned Kimiko's sign language that only her and her brother spoke, so there was no way he wouldn't want to learn yours either, even if it was close to his.

You’d teach him sayings and words. He loves hearing you swear, he finds it so funny. Though he makes sure to not laugh at you because he doesn't want your wrath directed toward him.

While you can lose your words in English and stammer, you never seem to lose them in Québécois.

Sometimes he doesn't understand you because you're speaking too fast or using sayings he hasn't learned yet. He just nods as if he's gotten it and looks at Kimiko, who has even less of an idea of what you're saying.

He has trouble speaking French Québécois because it's the same as French but with different rules and sayings and he struggles getting rid of the French rules he's learned. It sounds the same so why is it so different ?

Can't say the same about swear words. He knows them and will use them accordingly.

Everyone hates when you two are not speaking English during important discussions.

“What is he saying ?” Annie asked quietly, looking at you.

The French she learned at school was way too rusty to understand anything, like everyone else's, even though they got a few words, but understanding what you were saying ? Beyond impossible. Your accent was too strong.

“Speak slowly.” Said M.M, hoping it'll be easier. But instead of translating or repeating slowly, you continued.

“Câlisse ! On r’trouve le head-popper là pis on lui pop sa tête à ce mangeux de marde d’Homelander, pis un coup parti ; sa blonde.”

Butcher turned to Frenchie to translate but instead he spoke in French too.

“Mais tu sais où le trouver ?” He asked, not caring that the others didn't understand. Ignoring Butcher's annoyance.

“Super-powered children's orphanage ?” You replied simply.

“Qu'est-ce qui te fait penser qu'il vient de là ?”

“Nothing. Mais c't'un start.” You said as if it was obvious.

“Oi, will one of you stop blabbering nonsense and speak English ?” Butcher intervened, his patience wearing thin, holding his hand between you and Frenchie as if to physically stop you from speaking more.

“He says… we can try finding the head-popper to kill Homelander and Stormfront by checking the super-powered children's orphanage.” Frenchie finally said.

“And what makes him think they're from there ?” Butcher asked.

“As I said, it's a start. A possibility.” You replied, shrugging. “Don't know why they popped Rayner’s head, but they can't be on Homelander’s side.” You added.

“And why not, eh ?” Butcher frowned, turning toward you a bit more, wanting to know your logic.

“Because our head would've popped already, no ?” Frenchie answered, getting what you were thinking.

Everyone stayed silent, maybe you two had a point. But whoever it was who popped Rayner’s head couldn't be on the ‘good’ side either or else, they wouldn't have done it.

You had half a plan found, only the other half was needed.

Traduction - Translation :

Rah, putain, cette merde veut pas marcher. - Rah, fuck, this shit refuses to work.

C'pour ça ‘Frenchie’ ? - That's why ‘Frenchie’ ?

T'es d'où ? - Where are you from ?

Toi ? - You ?

Pas pareil. - Not the same.

Pas Paris. - Not Paris.

Dignité. - Dignity.

Non. J’préfère going lower, tsé. - No, I prefer going lower, you know.

Mais chu bon public, sinon. - But I’m easy to please, though.

Tu fais-tu une bombe ? C'quoi qui marde ? - Are you making a bomb ? What's not working ?

Je sais pas, ça me casse les couilles. - I don't know, it pisses me off.

Câlisse ! On r’trouve le head-popper là pis on lui pop sa tête à ce mangeux de marde d’Homelander, pis un coup parti ; sa blonde. - Fuck ! We find the head-popper then we pop this shit-eater Homelander’s head and his girl’s too while we're at it.

Qu'est-ce qui te fait penser qu'il vient de là ? - What makes you think he comes from there ?

Mais c't'un start. - But it's a start.

[epicnessunfolds]

I was in the mood for something light to watch last night. I remembered My Lady Jane started streaming and checked it out. Honestly, I didn't watch the trailer nor read about it - I saw a quick shot from the trailer, though, I think.

Anyhow, I expected it to be a period drama tv show and I was blown away by the intro because it is... not it. It just uses real historical figures and real events then adds a shape-shifter twist and sometimes ridiculous dialogue and scenes and whatnot. And My Lady Jane ended up being exactly what I needed.

I've finished six episodes and I'm reluctant to binge the last two because I don't want the season to end, lol.

A bit of spoilers below about pairings in the show and their intimate scenes.

Also, I'd like to point out the ridiculousness of the sex scenes between Mary and Seymour as well as Frances and Stanley and then there are the scenes between Jane and Guildford. All of them did a really good job of portraying the characters' dynamic. But what I didn't expect this series to do was for the actors of Jane and Guildford to go all out with the moans, especially the guy. I can't remember one series that I watched where the man was vocal.

[sitp-recs]

HI Liv. I hope u are having a great day.

I was wondering if u have well written fics with not a lot of smut? I don't want T rated fics. I want M and E rated, but I'm not in the mood for reading A LOT of smut recently (I don't know why tbh). I really really need good fics in my life rn

and thank you so much

Hi anon! Sure thing, here are some M/E plot-oriented fics with less focus on the smut. I tried to include different lengths, hope these work for you:

Still Life (M, 3k)

Between the Power Lines by @tackytigerfic (M, 3k)

For Harry Potter, all roads eventually lead to Draco Malfoy. Or: this is not an AU! It's just Harry and Draco meeting by chance in an imported food shop in Connecticut and going on a road trip together. Featuring motels, cacti, Americana, and a hefty dose of pining.

Harmony (Left-Handed Melody Remix) by mindabbles (M, 6k)

He is the last person Draco was expecting, but then again, this is not a place Draco ever expected to be.

Clear As Mud by scoradh (M, 10k)

Set post-war and post-Harry's-conscience...

Two Zinnias and the Scent of Lemon by @the-starryknight (M, 16k)

The Ministry didn’t turn bad overnight. Harry didn’t suddenly turn rogue either. Between covert Legilimency links and Polyjuice disguises and running and running and running, Draco has forgotten what it is like to have a safe harbor that isn’t a person. If there’s an art to fighting back, then they’ll find it hand in hand.

Nice Things by aideomai (M, 22k)

The first thing that happened was Theodore Nott came back from France.

Open For Repairs by @drarrytrash (M, 35k)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things. feat. sad boys in jumpers and more ABBA than is probably necessary

Turn From Stone by @harryromper (M, 45k)

Harry knows there’s nothing he can do to stop Hermione (war hero, historian, author of the reissued “Hogwarts: A History”) once she sets her mind to something. Even an extremely risky last-ditch effort to restore the ancient castle and lay its newest ghosts to rest. What he wasn’t counting on was her insistence that Draco Malfoy be part of the plan.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

Take the Air by dysonrules (M, 51k)

Someone or something is attacking Muggles and leaving them for dead. Auror Harry Potter is assigned to the case, but with his usual partner unavailable, he is stuck with the most annoying Auror ever to walk the halls of the Ministry.

Timecode by Rasborealis (M, 73k)

Harry Potter has been dead for two years, and Draco would laugh in the face of anyone claiming differently. Well, anyone but Hermione Granger.

Among Ancient Pines by @graymatters (M, 74k)

A fic about challenging assumptions, discovering self-worth, the silver lining in failing to meet expectations, and finding friendship, love, and purpose in a small Alaskan town that’s steeped in magic.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

The Ordeal of Being Known by @lou-isfake (M, 146k)

When Auror Potter is anonymously cursed with silence by being forced to hide his own voice inside his mind, there's unfortunately only one person in the country with the qualifications to fix it: Certified and Licensed Healer Legilimens, Draco Malfoy, specialist in Mind Curses and Afflictions. It's obviously a terrible idea, a disaster waiting to happen, but Draco's never been able to back down from a challenge... especially from Potter.

The Secret Keeper by @the-fools-errand (M, 225k)

On Halloween 1981, Albus Dumbledore made a decision that would change the course of history, concealing Harry Potter’s survival at the hands of Lord Voldemort underneath a Fidelius Charm. But when Harry comes of age in the Muggle world, Dumbledore realises too late that the fate of the world may depend on a boy who has never held a wand.

[tina-mairin-goldstein]

The lovely @sarcasticsciencefictionwriter made this beautiful mood board for my fic, La Sposa del Mostro. I want to show it off!

Tags and summary for reference.

Summary:

Alpha. Psychiatrist. Victim. Liar. Few people knew what Bedelia Du Maurier actually was. Few knew why she had left with Hannibal Lecter after the red dinner. It was beyond professional curiosity. Beyond desire. Beyond wishing to understand the darkness within herself. It was because she owed him. Not only for telling her version of events, but for allowing her to live the life she had enjoyed until she found him in the aftermath of his own creation. She was La Sposa del Mostro. The bride of the monster. And this was her story.

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom: Hannibal (TV)

Relationship: Bedelia Du Maurier/Hannibal Lecter

Characters: Hannibal Lecter, Bedelia Du Maurier, Original Child Character(s)

Additional Tags: Bedelia's POV, Her and Hannibal's time in France and Florence together, They've been married since they were young, a/b/o dynamics, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Verse, Pregnancy, Mpreg, Discussion of Abortion, Sexual Content, Omega Hannibal Lecter, Alpha Bedelia Du Maurier, Hannibal has both sets of reproductive organs, Canonical Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Cannibalism, No beta we die like Bedelia doesn't

Language: English

[phoenixcatch7]

The thing with stories of any type is that everything is a translation. Sometimes literally, from the author's own head, from another language, from book to TV.

Then there's things like visual metaphors, props and fake backgrounds, set pieces, onomatopoeia, paragraphs of description that everyone will visualise slightly differently, animated contortions, unrealistic but helpful sound effects, camera angles to emphasise mood.

In fantasy or scifi settings you can't even assume they're speaking the language you do. That their culture is exactly what's shown and nothing more.

So much of what makes up good world building is shorthand, is making it work to the audience, is using something in the right context rather than digging up every detail that would make or break the illusion.

A character in a magical world, or even simply a non English speaking country, would not use the same curse words. Leather could be presumed to be cow but could just as easily be any number of bizarre creatures. Booking a hotel could require a very different system to one we're used to. Champagne, the word, wouldn't exist without France but it carries the meaning of expensive alcohol for celebrations and parties, the readers would understand what it means.

Tolkien did it with LOTR and it was a masterpiece. The prevalent themes of dark and light being mere shorthand for expansive good and evil, used to convey the messages it needed rather than entirely new words the readers wouldn't intuit? The characters not even going by their actual names? A whole entire conlang that never even gets mentioned in the actual story??? That's a man who has a grasp on how tightly interconnected the world, history and culture all reflect each other. I mean of course he did, it was his job, but what he did was nothing short of fantastical.

All this to say, I believe this is the root of all world building. Cohesive, well balanced, feasible, detailed-but-not-too-much, no words that'd break a reader's/viewer's immersion, expansive enough, realistic, resonant, coherent, believable. All of it, whether fantastical or realistic, stems from one thing.

Is this a good translation of what you had in your head?

[dailyrickastley]

Diana forgets her pain on night to remember

"PRINCESS Diana forgot the heartache of her mother's second divorce last night and danced to the music she loves. She dressed to boogie in a traditional gold silk suit for a rock gala in aid of the Prince's Trust. Diana arrived to wolf whistles from the crowd and saw Elton John, Rick Astley, Mark Knopfler, Phil Collins, Wet Wet Wet, T'Pau and Eric Clapton at the Albert hall. "The Princess looked happy and beautiful and both she and the Prince Charles were in an extremely good mood," said an onlooker. The Royal Couple gave a personal thank you to guesting Clapton, who celebrates 25 years in the music business this year. The rock legend was speechless when they gave him a specially-commissioned miniature silver guitar on a plinth. Later the Prince and Princess were invited to a party at the Kensington Hilton with all the stars plus actor John Hurt and actress Anita Dobson. This was Diana's first public appearance since her mother, Mrs Frances Shand-Kydd, issued a statement at the weekend that she had split up with her husband Peter - who swept her off her feet more than 20-years ago when she was still married to Earl Spencer, the Princess's father. The annual Prince's Trust concert in aid of underprivileged youngster has become the top charity pop event of the year. TV rights alone will bring in almost £1 million and tickets sales will add at least another £200,000. The concert will be shown on Channel Four on June 23. On top of that, Pepsi-Cola handed a cheque for more than £200,000 to Phil Collins, a trustee of the Prince's Trust, before the concert began."

[timetravelstudies]

whats a good starting point for a guy who wants to get into led zeppelin!!

HEHEHEHEEHEHE… hello anon, come in come in….. sit on this nice cozy chair dont mind the leather straps on the armrests heheeh……..

ok in all seriousness. And ill try to keep this as short as i can. theeee lz experience is hearing them play live, rather than the studio recordings. This may sound weird to hear from a guy born 20 years after lz stopped doing shows lol but theres a LOT of material out there that u can watch/listen to if u wanna get (what i assume is a fraction of) the experience. Probably the easiest thing to find and in best quality (though in my exp the quality of online streams is still atrocious, maybe theres some hq torrents though?) is “the song remains the same”, a concert film of three dates they played at MSG in 1973. but theres also videos floating around of their concerts at Royal Albert Hall 1970 and Earls court 1975 (you can check yt for these) plus a few odds and ends here and there (im a big fan of this tv appearance in france 1969, though this was super early on so their performance “style” isnt yet well defined, esp wrt plant, but the actual playing is still peak imo)

as far of audio-only live recordings go, theres of course the album version of TSRTS, the BBC sessions album (of various radio appearances they did through the years), and the album called “how the west was won” with live versions of many of their more popular songs taken from a couple dates in california in i believe 1972. These are all on spotify or yt or wherever else u listento music. Theyre also really well mastered (and remastered, and re remastered…) bc Jimmy Page is anal like that. So even if theyre live theyre great quality and u can hear every instrument distinctly.

ALSO theres like a million lz bootlegs out there, which is like its own niche subfandom(?). A bootleg is an illegal recording that fans made back in the 70s and then spread around and/or sold for money. the digital versions of many of these are available on yt and archive.org but theres also a huge marked of selling them, the og 70s vinyls are especially prized. idk much about lz bootlegs bc i never could listen to a single one all the way through as all the noise bothers my brain lol so if anyone reading this does and has tips please share<3

I spoke about live stuff bc in my opinion, and also according to members of lz, fans, various music critic type people, basically everyone agrees lol lz studio songs were just kind of the first iteration of what would then mutate and stretch into a more loose, longer, live experience. Imo lz, studio or live, is some of the best music ever made point blank period, but its definitely not for everyone, in that you have to be able to get in that classic rock/prog rock* type of mood of songs lasting anywhere from 6 minutes studio to 35 minutes live, and taking you on this weird journey with ebbs and flows, rather than having a tight structure that is easier to follow and listen to like all pop music ever. i mean this in an entirely value neutral way: a pop song, whether from 1965 or 2015, is easy to listen to bc IT carries YOU through the listening experience, whether you want to or not, whereas for instance a 20 min version of dazed and confused live requires you to willingly be there. Its not work or effort, exactly (at least not to me) but it definitely requires a different type of attention.

and btw maybe you knew all this already lol but i said it incase you or anyone else who ends up reading this doesn’t know a lot about rock

ANYWAY, of course theres also the actual studio albums. i dont think theres any specific way you should listen To them, like my friend has been going thru them chronologically but back in the day when i was just getting into lz i just jumped from one song or album to another as the mood struck me (which is how hoth ended up being the first lz album i ever heard… i think itd finished torrenting first and i liked the cover and took it on my ipod on holiday with me, and now its my favorite album of all time & engraved on my very soul lol). If you want MY recs of the stuff i like best, i have this recruitment playlist where i put a mix of my fave lz songs and the ones i think are must-listen for any new fan.

Ok so i ended up writing a bunch anyway LMAO. ty for the ask lmk if u have any specific questions ❤️

[hatter-and-dodo-in-wonderland]

I must know a day in the life of Jervis

A day in Jervis' life

(I asked before he goes to work)

Note: As Jervis is here in France (read the pinned post) he has to change his name and find a job. Currently he is a neurologist for children and works for a clinic.

Morning:

Waking up at 7 am, directly takes a shower because he really HATES smelling bad at work (one day he was almost late, so he didn't have the time for a shower and then a kid said he smells bad to her mom ). Then he is getting dressed with clothes he prepared the day before.

Time for breakfast, without forgetting the tea, most of the time he makes toasts with butter and jam. One day we ate chocolate muesli and we noticed some cereal were stuck in the mouth (+I have braces 💀), so we stopped to take them.

Brushing the teeth, the hair and looking at the mirror to know if his face is clean and presentable.

Prepare his bag, with a phone, the keys, the computer, the files he took for home, etc... And the lunchbox with the food he made yesterday, generally a hot plate and a yoghurt.

He stays here, talking with me or watching TV before going to work at 8:30 am. He takes the bus to arrive at ≈8:45 am and prepares his work.

He starts at 9 am, studying on patients' IRM (and other things I forgot the name of, it's about the brain's O2 and CO2 transmission).

Noon:

LUUUUUUNCHTIIIIIIIIIME !!!

If the weather is sunny, he goes to the park next to the clinic to eat, he loves going outside now, as before he was afraid to get out as a Wayne Tech's neuroscientist, because Gotham is a dangerous city (then he was getting out more as the Mad Hatter).

If it's rainy, he stays in the clinic, even if his coworkers want to share the moment with him, he's still the coy Jervis Tetch.

After eating, he takes a walk (or not) until 2 pm at the end of lunchtime in the timetable.

Afternoon:

Visits are more numerous because children and parents coming to plan visits in their schedules are more available in the afternoon, especially when it's 5 pm.

He takes some files and his laptop to take his work at home. He finishes at 6 pm.

He takes his car and returns home.

Evening:

Ahhhhh now I can relaaaaaax 🤤.

He goes in the room and takes off his stuff, then joins me on the sofa and we talk a lot. He enjoys his free time to make a new hat, draw or again continues to make a Cheshire Cat bot, but he just made the blueprint. When my sister (4 years old) came and saw the drawing of the bot she pointed it with her finger and said "Meow meow cat!!!". Jervis' heart was melting of cuteness.

He takes a shower and then we eat dinner. Then he prepares his lunchbox with leftovers from the dish and chooses his clothes for the next day depending on the weather.

We go to bed and talk a lot AGAIN, read, sleep or else, it depends on the mood.

Good niiiiight!!!

His schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:

9 - 12 pm | | 2 pm - 6 pm

Weekend:

Freedom!!!

Little drawing he made of his job attire

[hughiecampbelle]

Howdy howdy! First I just wanted to say; Congrats on 10,000 followers! You deserve it!! Your hard work, creativity and dedication are so present in everything you do, and it's so inspiring. I wish you lots of luck in your future projects ☺️☺️

May I please ask for a romantic ship for The Boys?

I'm 22, non-binary (AFAB, if that matters) pansexual/romantic, and polyamorous (no preference for gender)

General personality stuff:

MBTI is INFP

Ennegram types 2, 4 and 8

Zodiac: Taurus sun, pieces moon and rising

Hogwarts house- Hufflepuff

I'm in college- Women and Gender Studies major with a Queer Studies minor

My goal is to go into harm reduction/community + advocacy work : )

Dreams for the future; ideally a semi-active lifestyle where I can pursue my interests- I'd like to have a home gym, a gaming set up and a crafting room one day. The work I'm going into will likely be very emotionally draining so ideally I'd have the free time to relax/recharge by playing games, doing art, and hanging out with my partner. Something I'd really love to do one day is get really high and go into an aquarium or planetarium

Favorite places I've been; Costa Rica, Italy, Santa Cruz/Monterey (specifically the boardwalk and aquarium)- I'd love to visit France and Japan someday

Pet peeves; I strongly dislike when people have an inflated ego and genuinely don't care about/respect others. Hate capitalism/pro-capitalist arguments and People who don't recognize larger underlying issues or who choose to ignore key information when looking at an issue

I hate when people are condescending and cruel. I get super annoyed with people who don't follow road safety or who are just rude drivers

Appearance: I'm 5'3, chubby, and kinda muscular. I have lots of scars on arms, chest, and legs. I have mid-length brown hair that I usually wear in a half-up style. I like dying it but bc I'm working right now, the ends are just bleached. I have dark brown eyes, some freckles/moles/scars littered across my face, and round cheeks. Fashion consists of graphic tees (with puns, memes, and trippy art) and jeans or shorts/cargo pants. I'll wear lots of different kinds of jewelry, including fun earrings, chains, and chokers. My style is casual/comfortable. I put effort in, but prioritize comfort lol

Hobbies/likes- theatre/acting, going to the gym, roller skating, playing video games, listening to music (and singing along.. Badly), smoking weed, watching TV shows and movies, drawing/coloring hanging out with friends, Writing, reading, going to museums/amusement parks, taking care of/watching animals, making bracelets/jewelry, surfing/swimming

intellectual interests; extistentialism, law/politics, current event/media analysis, anything to do with space or the ocean, animals/environmentalism, studying languages

Positive traits: my friends have told me that I'm smart, funny/goofy, sarcastic, polite, thoughtful, strong, patient, trusting/trustworthy, empathetic and compassionate. My friends generally come to me for advice and I've been told I'm a good listener. I also like make myself useful (doing dishes, wiping down counters, laundry, etc) I'm passionate and very excitable and it makes me pretty talkative (when I want to be). Sociability depends on my mood. Sometimes I sit back and enjoy group dynamics, other times I participate more in conversation

Negative traits: I'm pretty self conscious/ insecure, and indecisive because of it. I definitely have a tendency to be envious. Bad habit of taking stuff personally and dwelling on issues that I should let go. can get annoyed/frustrated easily, especially if I'm overstimulated. I'm also jumpy and gullible. Communication is very important to me in all my relationships, but when I get depressed, I tend to isolate.

I show my love through acts of service and prefer words of affirmation. I enjoy doing things for my loved ones and making sure they can relax, feel safe, and be happy. I'm not exactly sure how to describe my type so I'll list a couple characters I simp for lol- Wolfwood (trigun), Aki (chainsaw man), Percy (Vox Machina), Levi (attack on Titan); I guess how I'd describe them is- sarcastic, closed off but vulnerable, funny, brooding, obsessive, sensitive

Misc stuff

- Right now, some of my favorite media includes The Boys, Trigun, The Office, Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty, Adventure Time, Breaking Bad, Hollow Knight and Arcane.

- Games I usually play include Overwatch, League (I'm ashamed), Hollow Knight, Pokemon and Harvest Moon

- Currently Attempting to get through a book called The God Problem. Super interesting but goddamm it's thick

- I collect a lot of stuff. I have a Ton of comfort items- my posters, stuffed animals, collectible figures, etc.

- When I first meet people, I'm overly formal and will crack a few jokes, but once I'm familiar with someone, I cuss a lot and enjoy playful teasing, but I always encourage to set boundaries if they need to.

- I'm a big over thinker. I can be pretty independent and self sufficient (sometimes) but I'm also very very insecure and doubt myself a lot. I've got lots of vocal stims and am pretty fidgety.

- I listen to a lot of different kinds of music but I think the main genres I listen to are indie and alt rock

- some of my favorite artists include khai dreams, Hozier, Mitski, Maneskin, Queen, and The Weekend, and I really enjoy musical/cartoon scores and soundtracks (especially Adventure Time and Steven Universe)

- Fave songs right now are Stress Relief (late night drive home), Good Luck Babe (chappel roan), Don't Look Back (kotomi, Ryan elder), First Time (Hozier), and Die For You (the weekend)

I did my best to flow along with the rules you laid out- hopefully I didn't miss anything- I apologize if I did. I know this is really long, so I apologize if it's overwhelming. Please don't feel pressured to answer. Take care! 💛

-thatstonedwriter

Marvin loves your intelligence. Whether you're talking about politics and law or the best way to undermine Vought, he's absolutely blown away by your thought process. He's always bragging about how smart you are to anyone who'd listen

Everyone else you work with (maybe there are one or two exceptions) tends to think about what they want and act on it compulsively. You're level headed, thoughtful, something he wasn't used to at first, but instantly fell for

You and Marvin are constantly doing things to make each others lives easier. You might wash the dishes one night while he folds the laundry. Showing up at the office with coffee and something sweet when he pulls an all-nighter. Small gestures that mean so much and that show your love

Dealing with Butcher means being told hurtful things and being expected to brush it off like it's nothing. Knowing it'll hurt you deeply, Marvin makes it clear to him (in private of course) that you're off limits. He can be an a--hole to him all he wants, but he draws the line when it comes to you, no exceptions

Marvin definitely takes inventory of all the things you collect (posters, trinkets, etc.) and, no matter what, finds something to add to it. He finds tons of small, cute things that remind him of you. They're left on your desk or on the counter in the kitchen where he knows you'll see. Usually there's a little note attached in his pristine handwriting, always with a heart by his name as if you didn't know it was him who'd left it there

I hope you like it my love!!!! :D Xoxoxo💜💜💜💜

Want to request a ship?

[mariacallous]

In July 2016, Ekaterina Zhdanova’s star was rising. The glamorous socialite and entrepreneur, who had opened a series of hotels and leisure businesses across Moscow, was splashed across the cover of N Style, a Russian fashion and culture magazine.

“I dreamed of business since childhood,” she explained in the now inaccessible interview, as she described her ambitions and love for Russia. She partied with famous Russian TV and pop stars, and posed with expensive watches over the coming years—a world apart from her upbringing in a Siberian town.

But Zhdanova had a secret, and the first cracks were beginning to show.

As her social clout grew, she posted on social media about buying “huge volumes” of cryptocurrency, asking sellers to contact her. “It all depends on the mood,” Zhdanova told N Style when asked if she was a risk taker. “I'm probably a chameleon.”

International authorities believe she was much more than that. At the end of 2023, the United States government hit Zhdanova with economic sanctions for her alleged role in a crypto money-laundering operation used by Russian oligarchs, ransomware gangs, and other criminals. Today, Western law enforcement officials have gone even further, claiming that Zhdanova has acted as the head of a sophisticated money-laundering network that swaps cash for cryptocurrency, the likes of which law enforcement has never seen.

On Wednesday, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA), along with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), as well as authorities in Ireland and France, revealed that they have taken action against two massive Russian money-laundering networks that handle billions of dollars every year and have their tentacles in more than 30 locations.

The two alleged money-laundering networks—identified by a law enforcement action called Operation Destabilise—include the Smart Group, which officials say Zhdanova runs, and TGR Group, a series of companies led by George Rossi, who is either a Russian or Ukrainian national, according to authorities. The networks are distinct but often work together, officials say. As a result of Operation Destabilise, OFAC has imposed new sanctions against Rossi, four associated companies, two other members of TGR staff, and two individuals authorities say are linked to Zhdanova.

Over the course of several months, officials from the NCA provided WIRED with rare detail into their investigation and how the alleged money-laundering schemes operate. This includes tracing illicit transactions from Russian cybercriminals, finding payments linked to Kremlin propaganda outlet RT, and identifying links to organized crime in South America and the notorious Irish Kinahan crime group. The NCA also says the money laundering has also funded Russian espionage, although it refused to provide any more information.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the laundering, according to investigators, is how huge sums of Russian cryptocurrency are sent to criminal groups, often drug gangs, operating across Europe, where operators swap it for equivalent sums of cash to help obscure the money’s origins. In short: Criminals are trading bags of cash for crypto.

“This methodology of money laundering is new,” Will Lyne, head of cyber intelligence at the NCA, tells WIRED.

In addition to the newly issued sanctions, Lyne says Operation Destabilise has disrupted all parts of the money-laundering pipeline. The “head” of an intermediary network that works with one of the money-laundering groups has been arrested, the NCA says, and authorities have arrested dozens of people internationally and seized tens of millions in cash and crypto in the UK over the past two years.

Crypto Shuffling

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 1,000 days ago, the country’s economy has been squeezed by sanctions—and cryptocurrency payments are banned domestically. However, increasingly, digital currencies are being used to move Russian money internationally.

“There is growing evidence that Russia is embracing cryptocurrencies and other alternative payment systems in order to circumvent sanctions and transfer funds around the world,” says Ben Cowdock, a senior investigations lead at the UK branch of anticorruption organization Transparency International. “While the Kremlin’s been closed out of the conventional banking sector, this does not mean it can no longer make international payments.”

Money laundering plays its part. By its very design, laundering is vastly complex and deceptive—and that can be exaggerated when crypto is used. Broadly speaking, money laundering takes place in three phases: placement, where money is added to financial systems; layering, where sums are shuffled between accounts or crypto wallets to hide its origin; and integration, where “clean” money can be spent freely.

The NCA’s Lyne says the two money-laundering networks are helping Russian elites to use their money outside of Russia. “This is definitely being utilized as a vector for sanctions evasion—and it’s perfect for that,” Lyne says. Investigators say the networks operate in different parts of the laundering chain: The Smart Group, allegedly run by Zhdanova, is at the top of the funnel, dealing with money from Russians, plus directing cash exchanges involved in the layering. The newly sanctioned TGR companies are often involved in integration, it is alleged.

NCA investigators started unraveling the two networks at the end of 2021, Lyne says, after spotting that ransomware payments linked to the Ryuk group were allegedly being further channeled to Zhdanova. At around the same time, authorities intercepted the first cash handovers in the UK. The lengthy investigative process used staff from across the NCA and drew upon open source data, messages from seized mobile phones, cryptocurrency and blockchain tracing and analysis, and physical investigative work and surveillance.

Through the Smart Group, Lyne alleges, Zhdanova can take Russian cryptocurrency from elites or ransomware groups and start routing it around the world. This often happens using a broker, known as an international controller, in the UAE, which has positioned itself as friendly to cryptocurrencies. The head of an international controller network has been arrested as part of the law enforcement action, the NCA says without providing any more information on their identity, location, or specific activity.

The money-laundering groups, officials at the NCA say, frequently use the Tether stable coin (known as USDT), which has a $130 billion market cap and is reportedly being investigated by the US government for the cryptocurrency’s potential to be used in money laundering and sanction violations.

According to details shared by the NCA, both the Smart Group and TGR have a “heavy exposure” to Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which was itself sanctioned by the US in 2022 for its links to cybercrime and illicit payments.

After The Wall Street Journal reported that Tether is under investigation, the company called it “wild speculation” and denied having “knowledge of any such investigations into the company.” A spokesperson for Tether tells WIRED it “unequivocally condemns the illegal use” of stable coins and works to combat money laundering, including having frozen all cryptocurrency addresses included in the sanctions against Garantex.

“You see direct exposure, so point to point, from Garantex to these criminals’ accounts,” says the NCA’s tactical lead for Operation Destabilise, whom WIRED granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of their work. The tactical lead says the two networks have copied techniques from traditional laundering processes, but using crypto means they don’t have to worry about banks detecting the activity and freezing payments.

“There’s so much layering that goes on,” the tactical lead says. “They’ll send funds through maybe three or four crypto addresses that we believe may be their own cold storage addresses before they go into an exchange,” they say of some of the activity around TGR. The groups are involved in the movement of “single-figure” billions of dollars each year, the official says, adding that it is hard to calculate an overall figure due to the layering.

Kathryn Westmore, a senior research fellow at the defense and security think tank Royal United Services Institute, says money laundering is often built upon trust and personal relationships, but the two networks have “industrialized money laundering” on a scale that hasn’t previously been understood. “I don’t think anyone could anticipate the size and complexity of this operation, the huge amounts of cash involved, and the number of different organized criminal gangs which used the services,” Westmore says.

As well as moving money—using cryptocurrency and through more traditional Russian financial systems—the Smart Group allegedly also coordinates with cash handlers in European cities. “Smart are orchestrating those cash-for-crypto swaps,” Lyne says. The network could, for example, arrange for Russian cybercriminals with cryptocurrency to exchange it for cash held by a drug gang in the UK, before the money is further laundered. Criminal gangs can, the NCA says, use the crypto to further buy drugs or guns.

A cryptocurrency investigator at the NCA, who also asked not be named for security reasons, showed WIRED a review of cryptocurrency wallets that have been allegedly linked to the Destabilise investigation. One wallet had more than £800 million ($1 billion) linked to it; another had £169 million. “The amount of activity is huge—it is daily,” the investigator says.

Zhdanova’s alleged involvement in crypto laundering was revealed in OFAC’s November 2023 sanctions. At the time OFAC claimed she laundered $2.3 million on behalf of a Ryuk ransomware affiliate; was asked by a Russian oligarch to move more than $100 million in wealth to the UAE; helped another Russian to obscure payments of more than $2.3 million to Western Europe; and provided tax residency services and UAE identification cards for Russian clients.

Operation Destabilise investigators say that Zhdanova, along with members of the TGR companies, used cryptocurrency and the traditional UK finance system in March 2022 to move more than £2 million ($2.5 million) into the country to buy properties for an elite Russian client. They allegedly tried to hide the source of the funds and bypass customer authentication checks, according to the NCA.

The sanctions issued by OFAC also name two other individuals, Khadzi-Murat Magomedov and Nikita Krasnov, who allegedly worked with Zhdanova as part of the money laundering. The NCA claims Zhdanova and Magomedov would broker deals, while Krasnov would work with courier networks in the UK. Magomedov could not be immediately reached for comment, and Krasnov did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Investigators believe Zhdanova may have split time in recent years between Russia and the UAE. A review of available material from data breaches provided by Constella Intelligence shows Zhdanova’s Gmail address, which was previously published by OFAC, is the last seven digits of her phone number, and is linked to a Telegram account called Smart Group.

On Telegram, the Smart Group account has been a member of Russian-language channels focused on cryptocurrencies and life in Dubai and the UAE. The account has posted publicly about hiring a personal assistant and childcare issues in the region. Other publicly available information linked to Zhdanova shows a 13-room Moscow hotel for sale; a Facebook page for a travel business with one “like”; and a variety of online accounts from Chess.com to Instagram, where she has several thousand followers.

Zhdanova did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment. The Smart Group Telegram account displays a message saying it was “last seen a long time ago.”

The NCA says that Zhdanova is in “pre-trial detention” in France, after she was arrested for separate offenses—it did not detail what those suspected offenses are. A spokesperson for the French Gendarmerie declined to comment, citing an ongoing judicial investigation.

Bags of Cash

Towards the end of 2022, investigators followed a van from Kensington, in London, on a 300-mile round trip to Oldham in the north of England. Saju Sasikumar, an operations manager with the NCA who has been involved in Destabilise and showed WIRED surveillance footage captured during the investigation, says when the vehicle arrived back in the capital, bags removed from it contained more than £200,000. An associated apartment, he says, contained a cash counting machine and empty bags, while another address contained around £400,000 in cash.

Officials ultimately identified Semen Kuksov, now 24, and Andrii Dzektsa, now 28, who were sentenced to five years in jail each after pleading guilty in February this year for their role in this money laundering and organizing cash couriers. Over a 74-day period, the NCA says, the pair helped launder £12.3 million. Information provided by the NCA says it has connected cryptocurrency wallets to Kuksov that have received more than £30 million and that he has allegedly coordinated with Krasnov, the associate of Zhdanova.

Sasikumar says Kuksov, who is the son of a former Russian oil executive and admitted to running an “underground” cryptocurrency exchange to investigators, abandoned his work phone, allowing officials to download data from the device and get a glimpse of the operations. “He was conducting cash handovers on a very global scale,” Sasikumar says.

On the phone they found evidence for cash exchanges all across Europe, including in cities in Germany, France, Portugal, and Spain. Cash couriers were hired through advertisements in group chats, with people putting in bids for each of the handovers, Sasikumar says. “There’s clear instructions about what happens,” he says, adding that individuals could be given a percentage of the cash transfer they were involved in. Kuksov’s operations used ripped bank notes as tokens during the cash handovers—both sides of the swap would have part of the ripped note and then match them up before money changed hands.

Vast sums of crypto being shuttled between digital wallets can be traced, but it is not as blatant as stuffing thousands of bank notes into gym bags. In total, Operation Destabilise has led to 84 arrests, with more than £20 million of cash and crypto being seized by UK law enforcement. Across the country, at least 22 criminal actors have been linked to the money laundering, officials say, with one courier network conducting 55 cash handovers in just four months.

The UK, and London in particular, has long been a home to dirty money and laundering, with cryptocurrencies apparently increasingly being linked to cash in the capital. When cash has been handed over by the money-laundering networks, investigators observed an almost immediate movement of cryptocurrency for the same amount. Lyne estimates the networks may have moved more than £100 million in the UK every year.

The NCA says it and international law enforcement bodies have arrested multiple couriers linked to the money-laundering operations. The NCA points to a case where a courier, Fawad Saiedi, was found with more than £250,000 in cash in his car in November 2021—he was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty in May 2022. The NCA says it is believed he processed more than £15 million and was “directed” by Zhdanova and Krasnov.

Across the UK, investigations have uncovered a van with more than a dozen washing powder boxes containing £1 million in cash, a vehicle with £350,000 under its passenger seat, and another van with £2.1 million hidden inside a door. Of the 84 arrests, the NCA’s tactical lead says that the majority of the potential prosecutions are still ongoing.

Close Connections

While investigators say the Smart Group is involved in moving money and other assets largely from people in Russia, the second money-laundering network targeted by Western officials operates at the other end of the spectrum. Law enforcement officials say George Rossi and TGR are allegedly involved in integrating money into financial networks.

NCA officials say Rossi has used identity documents from other countries besides Russia, including Ukraine, and a LinkedIn profile lists him as the founder of TGR. He’s also a member of a startup organization in Dubai, and his companies have previously partnered with blockchain and cryptocurrency events in Dubai. He has also faced bankruptcy proceedings in the UK in recent years.

OFAC announced sanctions against the founder, as well as Elena Chirkinyan and Andrej Bradens, who also goes by the surname Carenoks, both of whom work for TGR—Chirkinyan is described as Rossi’s “second in command.” Four companies tied to Rossi and TGR have also been included on sanctions lists: TGR Partners Ltd, TGR Corporate Concierge, TGR DWC LLC, and Siam Expert Trading Company Ltd. The companies, on their websites, claim to provide a range of financial services, events management, and similar corporate services.

“What TGR will do is provide an interface to be able to take illicitly generated cash and put it into the legitimate banking system, although that might be in jurisdictions of risk for example,” Lyne from the NCA says. In 2023, the sanctions claim, TGR’s Chirkinyan allegedly helped transfer funds out of Russia, from Russian state-media media outfit RT, which has been widely sanctioned by Western governments, to help fund a Russian-language media organization in the UK.

However, the sanctioned TGR companies are likely the tip of a dense iceberg, with multiple legal identities linked to the brand name or company records. Archived versions of the now sanctioned TGR Partners’ website have in the last few years claimed the business has “partner” offices in the UK, Singapore, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the UAE, Latvia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and the US. (The most recent version of the website only includes the UK and UAE addresses.)

TGR Corporate Concierge, which was also sanctioned, was previously called TGR Wealth Solutions, according to public company records. Many of the businesses linked to TGR—which also includes those not sanctioned by officials—share the same phone numbers, legal addresses, and similar website designs, a WIRED review shows.

Bradens also owns at least 50 percent of Pullman Global Solutions LLC, a Wyoming-based entity, according to OFAC.

Rossi and Bradens did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Chirkinyan could not be immediately reached for comment.

The companies have a limited public presence. Many of the websites do not contain many specifics about what the businesses do and often include boilerplate-style text. The TGR Partners website also includes a peculiar series of blog posts from early 2020, listing the most expensive wines in the world, Europe’s best virtual museums and galleries, and the winners of the 2020 Oscars. “I think that is very typical of traditional money-laundering typologies, where a website will simply be lifted, a new company will be put on there, and the images and text won't necessarily correlate to what the company purportedly does,” the NCA’s tactical lead for the operation says.

While both TGR and the Smart Group are separate but linked entities, the tactical lead says there may be times where they work together using “each other’s specific capabilities” for those they work on behalf of. The official says that social connections likely also help to power what they do and generate business, and that some of the networks, and those linked to them, are likely still operating.

“Street-level harm is being enabled and is being powered by these types of networks,” Lyne says, emphasizing that the NCA operations, US sanctions, and arrests internationally have limited the entire network. Officials say that during their investigations over the last two years, they have seen individuals being more reluctant to operate in the UK, as more arrests have taken place and the risk of laundering has risen.

With Zhdanova also in French custody, there could be greater limits on how the networks operate. Although with legal cases ongoing, many details about the total money movements in recent years remain unknown, but Zhdanova’s chameleon nature appears to be coming into focus, as are her alleged ambitions.

“Sometimes I worry that I lack a flight of fantasy,” she said in the 2016 N Style interview. “Then I lie down and always come up with something at night.”

[justforbooks]

Hassan Nasrallah

Ruthless head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah who led his movement for more than 30 years

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, has died aged 64 in an Israeli bomb attack on the movement’s HQ in Dahiyeh, Beirut. His death came after 11 months of conflict between his fighters, based in Lebanon, and Israel.

On 7 October last year Hamas militants from Gaza entered Israel and killed more than 1,200 people. The next day Nasrallah ordered cross-border bombardments on Israel, and a limited conflict of attrition followed. This month Israel dramatically escalated matters by assassinating Hezbollah leaders, infiltrating the group’s security apparatus, hitting tower blocks and sabotaging pagers, walkie-talkies and arms silos, while rebuffing US calls for a ceasefire.

Over three decades Nasrallah, politically astute and often ruthless, transformed his Shia Muslim community, the largest yet most marginalised of Lebanon’s 18 sects – Muslim, Christian and Druze – into Beirut’s powerbrokers. His “party of God” also grew from a local militia into a disciplined body active elsewhere in the region.

Adored by supporters, Nasrallah was essential to Hezbollah’s success. His state-within-a-state runs schools, clinics, scout troops, support for farming, an alternative banking system, armed checkpoints, prisons, radio and TV stations and telecom networks.

Central to Hezbollah’s ethos is muqawama – resistance to Israel and its allies.

Hezbollah claimed credit when in 2000 Israel ended its 18-year-long occupation of southern Lebanon. The militia armed Palestinian factions during the second intifada of 2000-05 (the first having come in 1987-93); it trained Houthi rebels in Yemen and Shia factions in Iraq and Bahrain.

Nasrallah’s fighters became the most powerful non-state military in the Middle East. Hezbollah’s estimated 60,000 troops and 150,000 Iranian-supplied rockets eclipsed Lebanon’s national army.

In July 2006 Hezbollah fought a month-long war with Israel, with more than 1,100 dead on the Lebanese side, and more than 160 Israelis killed. Once hostile Sunnis hailed Nasrallah as the restorer of Arab pride. Their mood changed when in 2012 his forces joined President Bashar al-Assad and Iran in an internal Syrian war that killed half a million mostly Sunni civilians.

In October 2019 many Shia joined protests against him after gross mismanagement led Lebanon to the brink of bankruptcy. Foes blamed Nasrallah for overseeing the same corrupt political system he had once condemned.

Despite championing the Palestinian cause, Hezbollah did little to ease insufferable conditions for Palestinians in Lebanon. Then in August 2020, there was an explosion caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate in a part of Beirut harbour under Hezbollah control.

The blast killed 218, rendered 300,000 people homeless, and caused billions in damage, leading demonstrators to hang Nasrallah in effigy.

Hezbollah had a turbulent role in other aspects of Lebanon’s domestic affairs. It was the only civil war militia that had been allowed to keep its weapons after fighting ended in 1990. Nasrallah became Hezbollah secretary general in February 1992, the day after Israel assassinated his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi.

He was re-elected in 1993 and repeatedly thereafter. Nasrallah rejected UN calls to disarm after Israel withdrew in 2000 and prevented Lebanon’s army from guarding the southern border.

In 2005 a car bomb in Beirut killed Lebanon’s former premier, Rafik Hariri. UN investigators named Hezbollah and Syria as likely culprits. Two months later massive “cedar revolution” protests forced Syrian troops out of Lebanon after 29 years of domination.

Yet Nasrallah choreographed a pro-Syrian alliance with Michel Aoun, a Christian former renegade general newly returned from exile in France. Hezbollah scored well in June polls, and two members joined the cabinet for the first time.

When Lebanon’s pro-western prime minister, Fouad Siniora, rejected Nasrallah’s demand for a blocking veto, Hezbollah shut down parliament for 18 months. In May 2008 Hezbollah gunmen crushed opponents in Beirut, Sidon, Tripoli and Aley – contradicting Nasrallah’s promise never to attack fellow citizens. Still, many Lebanese adored him for defying Israel and affirming their dignity.

Others resented his outsized influence. They said he was an Iranian proxy who killed enemies, including Shia intellectuals, brought starvation to besieged Syrian towns, and recreated the schisms of Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war. That conflict, and especially the Israeli invasion and occupation of 1982, inspired the young cleric to choose a political path.

However, the greatest impetus was Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. As the Lebanese analyst Saleh el-Machnouk put it, by 2020 Lebanon had become a “mafia-militia nexus [where] Iran uses Hezbollah as a subcontractor”.

Born in Bourj Hammoud, then a mainly Christian Armenian town, Hassan was the eldest of nine children of Mahdiyya Safi al-Din and Abdul Karim Nasrallah, a grocer. Hassan devoured Islamic texts while his siblings played football. When war erupted in 1975, the family fled to their ancestral village of Bazourieh, near Tyre. Hassan joined Amal (“hope”), the mostly Shia movement that opposed traditional elites, whether Shia, Sunni or Christian.

In 1976 the penniless 16-year-old left for the famous Iraqi Shia seminary in Najaf. Al-Musawi, a fellow Lebanese exile, became his mentor. After Iraq expelled Lebanese students in 1978, Nasrallah studied with Al-Musawi in Baalbek, in the Beqaa Valley, and joined Amal’s politburo.

By 1982 younger Shias such as Nasrallah were deserting Amal for Khomeini’s camp.

Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards based in Lebanon turned these radicals into Hezbollah. Its affiliates conducted suicide attacks in 1983 that killed more than 300 US and French peacekeeping soldiers. They later fought Amal and kidnapped westerners such as Terry Waite for the benefit of Iran.

In 1989 Nasrallah moved to Iran to study at the seminary in Qom. Back in Lebanon, in 1991 he grudgingly accepted the Syrian-backed Taif power-sharing accord that formally ended the civil war. A month after he became secretary general of Hezbollah, it was accused of killing 29 people at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires; in 1994 another assault on an Argentinian Jewish communal centre claimed 85 lives.

Hassan never stood for election; instead, the speaker of parliament and former rival, the Amal leader Nabih Berri, conveyed his views to the world. Nasrallah admitted Tehran was Hezbollah’s chief sponsor. Nonetheless, foreign intelligence claimed that the party benefited from narcotics traffic, an illicit diamond trade and millions more from expatriate tycoons.

Nasrallah cemented his image as a consensual national figure with Maronite Christian clergymen. He promised not to impose theocratic rule on a religiously diverse and often secular public and arranged for Hezbollah to contest elections between 1992 and 2022.

He displayed a dignified response when his son, Mohammed Hadi, died fighting Israelis in September 1997. Nasrallah helped Lebanon’s national army crush a revolt by Sobhi Tufaili, an anti-Iranian populist and first secretary general of Hezbollah, four months later. He tutored Al-Assad before the latter became Syria’s president in 2000. He also returned from Israel 29 Hezbollah captives and 400 Palestinian prisoners in 2004.

Often, however, the moderate facade would slip. Nasrallah praised Holocaust deniers and in 2001 reportedly called Jews “miserly and cowardly”.

In 2008 Nasrallah’s de facto deputy, Imad Mughniyeh, was blown up in Damascus. After that the leader avoided public appearances, and coordinated regional strategy with Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s external operations chief, himself killed by a US drone strike in 2020.

After another two-year shutdown of parliament, Hezbollah ensured that it elected Aoun as president in late October 2016. Following Lebanon’s economic meltdown, however, Nasrallah’s coalition lost its majority in assembly elections in 2022. That same year Hezbollah agreed a maritime and gas field demarcation agreement with Israel. But showing solidarity with Hamas after 7 October, and so displacing 65,000 Israelis in the north of the country, led to his death.

Nasrallah’s wife, Fatima Yassin, and their children Jawad, Ali and Mahdi, survive him; his daughter Zeinab died in the same blast as him.

🔔 Hassan Nasrallah, political leader, born 31 August 1960; died 27 September 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[2p-hcmaker]

could you do the sleepy s/o but with the allies?

2p! America: "Ohhhhh come onnnnn...." While he finds it cute, Allen likes to be out and about, so he struggles with his s/o's sleepiness. He'd never blame them, but it really puts a damper on the mood when he's ready to explore but your passed out on the couch. He would suggest scheduled nap times in an attempt to avoid getting disappointed.... and help you.

2p! Canada: "Works for me." Matt tends to keep himself busy, but when he's lazy, he's lazy. Cuddling up in bed watching tv as a storm rages overhead is a dream come true for him. The teddy bear is absolutely fine napping the day away.

2p! France: *Hasn't noticed* This man sleeps more than what should be humanly possible. He barely has a good grasp on time itself, so even if he saw you asleep he would just assume it was normal. Though recently he has noticed how often he wakes up next to you, so he might be getting the hint.

2p! Russia: "You make a good point." Viktor is well aware of how much he works and knows he should slow down every now and then. He's never really been able to rationalize it with himself until you came around. Wherever he finds you, he'll put down what he's doing and relax, either sitting down or moving you to a bed. He appreciates the reminder to slow down, even if you don't realize it.

2p! China: "ᶠᵁᶜᴷ ʸᴱᴬ." Perfect Boyfriend Scenario Achieved! He's so pleased with himself for becoming that Wattpad boyfriend he has read about, and oh man is he about to shove it in everyone's face. H loves to take those "oh my s/o fell asleep on my chest oh no" pictures and "accidently" send them to Allen. Outside of that, he loves cuddling and picking someone up bridal style, even if he's not that good at it.

2p! England: "This is a perfect excuse." Someone who's falling asleep everywhere is the perfect excuse for Oliver to redecorate. The plushest couches and the softest blankets now fill every room. While he also doesn't want to hurt you by enabling, he'd also hate to have you be uncomfortable!

[francaistoutsimplement]

The political tides in Europe are turning against the Empire A radical change in mood among the people is more and more evident. Is it a tsunami in the making? (Alex Krainer's Substack)

On Sunday, 29 December 2024, Croatia held presidential elections. The incumbent President Zoran Milanović won the first round in a landslide against the pro-globalist challenger Dragan Primorac. Primorac was strongly backed by the ruling party, the Croatian Democratic Union, led by the Prime Minister Andrej Plenković who has been a loyal supporter of NATO, US, UK and EU policies. In winning the Presidency, the ruling party would have captured all of Croatia's key institutions of government.

(Another) Putin’s stooge wins

To push their candidate over the line the ruling establishment and the media relentlessly demonized President Milanović as Putin's stooge and a pro-Russian player on account of his unwillingness to engage Croatian troops in NATO's excellent adventures in Ukraine. Well, their cunning plan backfired spectacularly and Putin's stooge won nearly 50% of the popular vote vs. less than 20% for the pro-freedom & democracy challenger. That's about as close as it gets to a landslide in Croatian politics.

It would appear that, not only is there no appetite for the Empire and its military misadventures, but below the surface, the mood toward Russia is changing, and changing in a big way.

Ballet or twerking?

On Christmas eve, Milan's La Scala theater gave the performance of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet. This wouldn't seem exceptional: the ballet is a masterpiece and the music is among the most famous and most beautiful in our cultural heritage.

But barely three years ago, everyone across Europe was falling over themselves to cancel all things Russian, including the performances of Tchaikovsky's music and university courses in Russian literature. Last week La Scala not only presented Tchaikovsky's ballet, it did so based on Rudolf Nureyev's choreography and invited a Russian conductor, Valery Ovsyanikov of St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre to direct the orchestra. To boot, Italian national TV broadcast the whole performance.

I am not a ballet fan, but La Scala's production was done so beautifully that I ended up watching a good chunk of it. The music, the scene, the costimography and the music were a feast for the eyes and I remained glued to the TV for a good half of the performance (otherwise I never watch TV anymore). It was a wholesome contrast to the twerking and other such lewd spectacles like the opening and closing ceremonies of Paris Olympics - the kind of demoralizing cultural poison we've come to expect in the West.

Are the countercurrents gathering?

I couldn't help wondering if there wasn't something purposeful in La Scala's choice of production and artists this Christmas: a deliberate and explicit rejection of the Western devious junk culture as well as the forced, mindless hostility against Russia. If so, it seems that the same cultural countercurrents seem to be gripping many nations as the recent elections in the United States, Slovakia, Romania, Georgia, Hungary, France, Germany, Croatia and Moldova have shown (yes, Moldova too).

It may be that in spite of the loud banging of the war-drums in mainstream media, and among our political class, very different currents are gathering below the surface. These currents might continue to gain strength; it’s what our ruling establishments like to label as Russia's malign influence. More likely, the truth is that ordinary people got tired of the lies, hatred, hostility and the wars, as well as the intellectual and cultural junk food that's become the pervasive staple among Western nations. This is a hopeful sign, because escalating the wars could prove difficult for the imperial establishment. What if peace starts to break out all over the place in 2025? It’s a worthwhile idea to pray for and struggle for.

[drawnecromancy]

Wahoo i got tagged by @logarithmicpanda

Last song I listened to : ur just horny by GAYLE (spotify link)

Last book I read : Life in a Medieval Castle, by Joseph and Frances Gies, 1974. For Hélianthe and Atropa reasons.

Last movie I watched : A Better Tomorrow by John Woo. It was fun ! Randomly sat through it bc my dad put it on the TV while i was at his and mom's house.

Last TV show I watched : uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh i have no idea. The last time I mentioned watching a TV show in Mal's DMs was apparently that one time I watched a couple episodes of Mixte, a France 2 TV show, when I was at a friend's place. Which was a couple months ago by now. Idk, i don't watch shows.

Last thing I googled : "pride and prejudice movie costumes" (i wanted to check what the era it's supposed to be set in is called because idk shit about england's cutting of history regarding costumes)

Last thing I ate : Chocolate eggs

Amount of sleep : Generally 8 hours ? Sometimes 10 if i am very tired AND have been properly taking my ADHD meds.

Sweet, savory, or spicy : It's a tossup between sweet and savory tbh, depends on my mood

Currently reading : Life in a Medieval Village, by Joseph and Frances Gies, 1990. Also for Hélianthe and Atropa reasons lol

Tagging : uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh @nerdlemons @strawberry-possum @isabellebissonrouthier but like no pressure lmfao