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epicbuddieficrecs · 3 months

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Weekly Recap | January 8th-14th 2024

TWO MONTHS UNTIL SEASON 7!!!

I'm sorry it's late and I'm sorry if I missed anyone but my ao3 history was sortof a mess 😩 I think maybe some userscript I downloaded is fucking up my history. oh well. (or else someone has hacked my ao3 account and has been reading House M.D. fanfic?!?!? (how the fuck did I even get in my history, I don't even remember searching for anything that had House fics in the results wtf))

Complete

Followed By Ghosts by itsanapothecary (Canon Divergent, S1-S2 | 21K | Teen): Instead of hiding the truth about Daniel from their children, Margaret and Philip memorialize their lost son in every one of their remaining children's accomplishments. Growing up, neither Maddie nor Buck felt like they could escape the shadow of their brother. When Buck finds the 118, he gets a chance to be his own person, although the looming attention from his parents and weight of expectations threatens to jeopardize what he's built in Los Angeles.

no harm, no foul by callmenewbie/ @callmenewbie (Getting Together | 5K | Mature): Eddie knows how Buck feels. Buck knows how Eddie feels. So why is Eddie giving him the cold shoulder instead of talking about it?

what to do when evan buckley breaks into your house at 3:17 in the morning by oklahoma/ @malewifediaz (Love Confessions | 3K | Teen): After a night out drinking with Maddie, Buck (kind of) breaks in to Eddie’s house.

Wait For It by oliviacirce (PWP, Post-S6E6: Cursed | 8K | Explicit): Buck kind of liked not jerking off.

in a fix by rainbow_nerds/ @rainbow-nerdss (Getting Together, PWP | 4K | Explicit): Buck gets himself into a bit of a sticky situation, and Eddie helps him out.

we were lucky once (could be lucky again) by hattalove/ @hattalove (Post-Break Up | 1K | Teen): which they're not together anymore, but they can't sleep apart.

Mark Me Like a Bloodstain (Burning Red) by sirencalls/ @usersiren (Vampire Eddie, Post-S4, PWP | 3K | Explicit): “Eddie, you’re freezing,” Buck says, worry creeping into his tone. “Eddie, we need to get you to the hospital—” “No.” His voice is echoey and strange, definitively not human, and he picks up on the way Buck’s pulse quickens. Fuck, he’s scaring Buck. The human part of him is ashamed, guilty for making Buck ever be afraid of him. The vampire part of him is delighted, is even more wanting because of it, and that’s why he calls himself a monster.

Kinktober 2021 series by sirencalls/ @usersiren (PWP | 31 works | 68K | Explicit)

all that is you makes up all that is me by soyxunxperdedor/ @messyhairdiaz (Post-S6E11 | 1K | General): “I was just checking if you’re ready…” Eddie says faintly, trailing off as his eyes track the path of the lightning seared across Buck’s skin. -or- In the aftermath of a lightning strike, Buck and Eddie have a conversation.

Long Overdue by mansikka (PWP | 3K | Mature): Eddie realizes his feelings for Buck are more than platonic; what's he supposed to do now?

kiss me, kiss me (i don't know if i can let you go) by ipretendtobesane/ @useramor (Getting Together, Accidental Kissing | 10K | General): If anyone ever asks- they were both drunk. Eddie knows they weren’t, he and Buck don’t like to drink during the week, regardless of whether or not they work the next day. If they are working, they don’t want to be out of it on the job, and if they’re not they don’t want to be out of it when Christopher wakes up the next morning at 7:00am with more energy than either of them can handle. But there’s not really a good explanation otherwise. No other way to explain why, as Buck was walking out the door, Eddie leaned in and gave him a soft kiss goodnight.

til there was you by woodchoc_magnum/ @woodchoc-magnum (Hurt Buck, Married Buddie | 16K | Mature): In which Buck's appendix tries to kill him in the middle of a busy shift, and Eddie has to stage a dramatic rescue.

spread a little christmas cheer by soyxunxperdedor/ @messyhairdiaz (Post-S3E10: Christmas Spirit, PWP | 1K | Explicit): Eddie has a realization at the Christmas party and goes the wrong way with it.

do you love me? all you gotta do is say yes by fleetinghearts/ @shitouttabuck (Friends to Fiances, Crack | 3K | Teen): “It’s always pretty fun to see a former fuckboy from your grad school era bootycall list all domestic and settled down.” or, two boy best friends and an ex lover walk into a grocery store. everyone is on their normalest behaviour.

🔥 Echoes of Your Name by sirencalls/ @usersiren (Canon Divergence, PWP, Sex Worker Buck | 9K | Explicit): Of course he’s immediately wary of it. Porn videos have never worked for Eddie, so why would the audio version of them be any different? It’s the same strangers faking the same moans and whines as the other actors, just without a pretty face to go with it. Eddie thinks it’ll almost be less effective—seeing every tiny reaction that someone has to what you’re doing to them is part of the fun—so he doesn’t have high expectations. He doesn’t expect it to work.

marry me, eddie diaz by elisela/ @elisela (Marriage Proposal | 1K | General): There’s a long silence, and then, “you do that a lot,” Eddie says, looking over at him strangely. “I do what a lot?” “Ask me to marry you,” Eddie says. “I know it’s just a joke, but I feel like—” he stops and shakes his head, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

sit present in the darkness by elisela (Post-Shooting, Established Buddie | 4K | General): In the midst of stories about their jobs, catching up on what the kids have said, and making endless fun of each other, Eddie’s sitting at his seat with his phone face down on the table in front of him. Occasionally it will buzz and he’ll look around the table, pick it up when he thinks no one is watching. He types something quickly, looks over his shoulder at the kid’s table—where Buck has been since the food was brought to them—and puts it down again. Face down. Karen knows this game. She’s played it before, almost lost.

WIP

🔥 Precious & Fragile Things by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Small Miracles AU, Angel Buck | 13/? | 31K | Teen): Buck is the Fallen Angel of Petty Temptation, who has been tasked with tempting human Eddie Diaz to sin and enjoy life, but just a little. He thinks the job will be easy - get in, get out, go back to Peru to continue messing around with eternity. But when Buck arrives in Los Angeles, he finds Eddie is harder to tempt than expected, and more compelling than Buck had hoped.

🔥 and if i bleed (you'll be the last to know) by diazchristopher/ @captain-hen (Canon Divergent Season 6, Friends with Benefits | 2/18 | 9K | Explicit): or, an alternate look at season 6 where buck and eddie have been casually sleeping together since before the beginning of the season. somehow, this changes both everything and nothing at all.

🔥 Things We're All Too Young to Know by @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon, S1 through S6 | 106/? | 290K | Mature): This is a love story. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it. A look back on Eddie and Buck's lives up to now, and what led them to each other, interpreted from the current 9-1-1 canon.

Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know by JJK/ @trenchcoatsandtimetravel (Demon Buck, Canon Divergent | 9/? | 15K | Teen): Buck is a demon with the power to help with pregnancy, childbirth, and infant health. When the Buckleys make a deal asking for someone to help 'save their baby', Buck leaps at the chance as it will give him what he's always wanted: a life on earth. But demon deals are tricky and neither of them gets quite what they're after. This is Buck's journey as he navigates growing up on earth and remembering how to help those in need.

🔥 for all the haunts and homes of men by euadnes/ @kananjarus (Canon Divergent, Post-Apocalyptic, Station Eleven Crossover | WIP | 12/? | 105K | Mature | Warning: Violence): The year by the old calendar is 2025. Home is gone. Home is a failed rescue mission and an echo of a memory. Home is a lost boy living in a wooden house by the sea. But first, there was a promise. Christopher, when it's safe, I'll take you back to your father. Buck had all but given up on keeping it after the world had died and everyone in it. But just as some oaths refuse to be forgotten, so the same can be said about the endurance of love.

🔥 Right Where You Left Me by hyacinthusbloom/ @thebloomingheather (Canon Divergent, Post-S4, Angst | 21/? | 106K | Explicit | ❗️Warning: Rape/Non-con): "Therapy?" Eddie suggests. Buck almost laughs, but instead says, "I'll go if you go." Because he had fully expected him to be chicken shit, to disagree, and instead Eddie, the bastard, replies, "Deal." Or Buck never tells anyone that he slept with his therapist and deals with the butterfly effect years later.

🔥 a foundation of trust and love we cannot see by lemonzestywrites/ @lemonzestywrites (FWB, BDSM, Sub Eddie, Dom Buck | 2/17 | 24K | Explicit): “It’s like I want to explore it and dive into it, but it’s not exactly like I’m seeing someone to try this all out with,” he explains, doing his best to keep down the annoyed huff that threatens to escape him at every other word. Buck nods to himself before steadily going silent. For a minute, Eddie thinks that this is the end of their conversation. “I can show you if you’d like.” Eddie nearly chokes on his beer.

Love Ends. by rowan_wood (Exes to Lovers | 5/17 | 7K | Explicit): But what if it doesn't?

Re-read

🔥 Relationship Advice from Complete Strangers Online by HMSLusitania/ @hmslusitania (Getting Together | 4K | Teen): When he gets home for the night, Buck turns to the one source of information that’s never let him down: the internet. But where does one go for relationship advice from complete strangers online? Which is how, ten minutes later, he finds himself on Reddit with a shiny new account and username. It takes him a while after that to craft his question for r/Relationships, but he thinks he’s got it pretty accurately conveyed before he hits post.

🔥 You Could Be The One I Keep by browney3dgirl6/ @hoodie-buck (Didn't Know They Were Dating | 6K | Teen): Eddie finally get's up the nerve to ask Buck out, his best friend accepting much easier than Eddie ever dreamed. Things are better than ever between them, the two of them becoming even closer, going out on several dates—only problem? Buck has no idea they're dating, like not even the slightest clue.

#buddie #buddie fic rec #buddie fanfiction #buddie fanfic #buddie fic #epic buddie fic rec #911 fanfic #911 fanfiction #911 fic

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ef-1 · 8 months

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insane rant under the cut 🫶

Daniel is obviously going through a #moment right now so I can't really speak for the other reputation era cullings (unfollowing people) but the only one I have 0 doubts about is Zak. like imagine having the kind of temperament & patience that would put saints to shame, playing the: no, it's fine. I'm unscathed, it's all business, I get it, the entirety of my career is just collateral damage and I’ll take that in stride and its fine!!!!!! part so! Well! Like!!!! Down to a T and your wretched, fugly fucking nightmare of an ex-boss won't shut up about you, wont stop making sly, unnecessary comments unprompted- when discussing his own drivers, when discussing other teams, when discussing other fucking racing series. And you've been gone for 9 months and it's fine. You're determined to make it fine even when it's not. You're fine because it's a cut-throat sport. You're fine because you HAVE to be fine, there was never an alternative. Fine is survival. You're fine because you've been through this before (except you haven't) when you left Red Bull and Christian, jilted, said [and these are direct quotes despite how insane they seem]

“I have to admit it’s kind of been like trying to convince a girl to go out with you that’s been pretty reticent. It’s felt like that." <insane btw

“In the end we gave Daniel everything he wanted and asked for and it still wasn’t enough.”

“We’ve bent over backwards to make it happen"

And Christian said all of that while you still had 4 more months with Red Bull left. And Christian was legitimately scorned (and, terribly, he may even had the right to be because he asked you to drive him on his wedding day and he bought your nephew the same car he bought his son and he still calls your wins his favourite races), he told people as much, probably let on more than he intended to when he told the media that you told him you’re leaving A DAY before renault anounced your contract, and the proposition was so preposterous he thought you were provoking him. And he said you're running from a fight and he snidely said he still doesn't understand why you left in 2018 and 2019 and 2020 and 2021 and 2022 (<no this is not a joke) but Christian also congratulated you when you ended Renault’s 10 year podium drought, said the podium is where you belong. He congratulated you on your second podium even though that race ended in a dnf for Max and Alex finished last.

You’re fine because you’ve been through this before (except you haven’t) when you left Renault. Cyril doesn’t speak to you for weeks after the announcement is made and when he does speak TO you and ABOUT you it’s acrimonious. But his vitriol is laced with praise, he tells the media you’ll regret leaving a team which has been made more competitive by your own labours and when you’re out of his team and he’s out of the sport he meets up with you to deliver on a drunken bet made in 2019.

And you're media trained, and chillingly diplomatic for someone with such a carefree brand and you wear the horrors so fucking well, you wear it elegantly, with grace. And you shake hands and you smile when you’re supposed to and everything is made fine by the sheer force of will. Until you’re injured. Actually injured, less than 24 hours after you told the media that you didn’t need the break, that you were sick with this ubiquitous eagerness to be back all throughout summer. And you’re out again. And all your fugly fucking rat of an ex boss had to do was not use the injury that will put you out for at least 3 weeks as a vicious one liner to undermine someone else. I have no doubt that’s what did it for him :))))))

#and while I’m on an insane roll already I just want to say I called this a couple of weeks ago #I literally said I think Daniel is realising what happened to him in the sunken place. lol.#daniels bigger person thing was driving me up the fucking walls #but 2 weeks ago he said- for the first time- that he doesn’t want to talk about mclaren anymore #and now this.#thank you GOD ☝️#take this in the spirit it was intended: insane

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 months

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Red-teaming the SCOTUS code of conduct

Tomorrow (November 18) at 1PM, I'll be in Concord, NH at Gibson's Books, presenting my new novel The Lost Cause, a preapocalyptic tale of hope in the climate emergency.

On Monday (November 20), I'm at the Simsbury, CT Public Library at 7PM

Last April, Propublica's Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski dropped a bombshell: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had been showered in high-ticket "gifts" by billionaire ideologue Harlan Crow, who subsequently benefited from Thomas's rulings in the court:

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow

This was just the beginning: in the coming days and weeks, more and more of Thomas's corruption came to light, everything from the fact that his mother's home had been bought by Crow, to the fact that Thomas's adoptive son went to a fancy private school on Crow's dime:

https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus

The news was explosive and not merely because of the corruption it revealed in the country's highest court. The credibility of the court itself was at its lowest ebb in living memory, thanks to the two judges who occupied stolen seats – Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett. One of those judges – Kavanaugh – is a credibly accused rapist. Thomas is also a credibly accused sexual abuser:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/10/01/30-years-after-her-testimony-anita-hill-still-wants-something-from-joe-biden-514884

Then, this illegitimate court went on to deliver a string of upsets to long-settled law, culminating in the Dobbs decision, which triggered state laws that force small children to bear their rapists' babies:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/health/abortion-bans-rape-incest.html

That was the context for the Thomas bribery scandal, which was swiftly joined by another bribery scandal, involving Samuel Alito's improper acceptance of valuable gifts from Paul Singer, another billionaire who brought business before the court:

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

This string of scandals and outrages naturally prompted public curiosity about the Supreme Court's ethical standards, and that triggered fresh waves of incredulous outrage when we all found out that the Supreme Court doesn't have any:

https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/why-doesnt-the-supreme-court-have-a-formal-code-of-ethics/

When Congress made tentative noises about providing minor checks and balances on the court, the justices erupted in outrage, telling Congress to go fuck itself:

https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/supreme-court-ethics-durbin/cf67ef8450ea024d/full.pdf

Chief Justice Roberts went on whatever the opposite of a charm-offensive is called (an "offense offensive?"), a media tour whose key message to the American people was "STFU, you're hurting our feelings":

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/roberts-defends-high-court-against-attacks-on-its-legitimacy

To the shock of no one except billionaires and Supreme Court justices inhabiting the splendid isolation from societal norms that is the privilege of life tenure, America didn't like this. The Supreme Court's credibility plummeted. A large supermajority of Americans – 79%! – now support age limits for Supreme Court justices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want

Support for packing the Supreme Court is at an historic high and gaining ground, now sitting neck-and-neck with opposition at 46% in favor/51% opposed. Among under-30s, there's a healthy majority (58%) in favor of appointing more SCOTUS justices.

As Roberts' wounded bleats reveal, SCOTUS is very sensitive to its plummeting legitimacy. After all, the court doesn't have an army, nor does it have a police force. Supreme Court rulings only matter to the extent that the American people accept them as legitimate and obey them. Transformational presidents like Lincoln and FDR have waged successful wars against the Supreme Court, sidelining its authority and turning it into an unimportant rump institution for years afterward:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/26/mint-the-coin-etc-etc/#blitz-em

Now the Supremes are working their way through the (mythological but convenient) five stages of grief. Having passed through Denial and Anger, they've arrived at Bargaining, with the publication of the court's first "code" "of" "conduct":

https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf

It's…not good. As Max Moran writes for The American Prospect and The Revolving Door Project, the proposed code amounts to "security theater," a set of trivially bypassed strictures that would not have prevented any of the scandals to date and will permit far worse in the years to come:

https://prospect.org/justice/2023-11-17-supreme-court-objectivity-theater/

The security framing is a very useful tool for evaluating the Supremes' proposal. The purpose of a code of conduct isn't merely to prevent people from accidentally misstepping – it's to prevent malicious parties from corrupting the judicial process. To evaluate the code, we should red team it: imagine what harms a corrupt judge or a corrupting billionaire would be able to effect while staying within the bounds the code sets.

Seen in that light, the code is wildly defective and absolutely not fit for purpose. Its most glaring defect is found in the nature of its edicts – they are almost all optional. The word "should" appears 53 times in the document, while "must" appears just six times:

https://ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accountability/supreme-court-code-of-conduct-hilariously-fake/

Of those six "musts," two are not pertinent to ethical questions (they pertain to the requirement for a justice to get prior approval before getting paid for teaching gigs).

When the code of conduct was rolled out, the court and its apologists pointed out that it was modeled on the ethical guidelines that bind lower courts. In the wake of the Thomas revelations, these guidelines were a useful benchmark to measure Thomas's conduct against. The fact that other federal judges would have been severely sanctioned or even fired if they had engaged in the same conduct as Thomas was a powerful argument that Thomas had overstepped the bounds of ethical conduct.

But as Bloomberg Law discovered when they compared the lower courts' codes to the Supremes' draft, the Supremes have gone through those lower court codes and systematically cut nearly every mention of "enforce" from their own draft. They also cut the requirement to "take appropriate action" if a violation is reported.

If you are a bad judge or a bad donor, all of this is good news. Nearly everything that it condemns is merely optional, which means that if a judge can be convinced to ignore a rule, they won't have violated the code. What's more, even widespread rulebreaking doesn't trigger an investigation. That's a very weak security measure indeed.

But it gets worse. The Supremes' code also omit key definitions found in the codes that bind the lower courts. The most important definition to be cut is for "political organization," which the lower courts define expansively as both parties and "entit[ies] whose principal purpose is to advocate for or against political candidates or parties." That definition captures "nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups" – the whole panoply of organizations whom federal judges must maintain an arm's length distance from in order to preserve their objectivity. Federal judges may not lead, speak at or donate to these organizations.

By omitting this definition, the Supremes open the door to involvement with precisely the kinds of PACs, thinktanks and other influence organizations funded by the billionaires who have benefited so handsomely from the judges' rulings.

What's more, the Supremes carve out an explicit exemption for speaking to "nonprofits, think tanks, lobbying firms, trade associations, grassroots groups," and to serving as a director, trustee or officer of "a nonprofit organization devoted to the law, the legal system, or the administration of justice and may assist such an organization in the management and investment of funds."

As Moran points out, this exemption would cover – among other institutions – the far-right Federalist Society, which satisfies all those criteria. That means a Supreme Court justice could sit on the board and raise funds for the FedSoc without raising any issues with this code – not even one of those squishy "shoulds." Nothing in this code would stop Clarence Thomas or Thomas Alito from accepting lavish gifts, private jet rides, or luxury tour buses from billionaires with business before the court:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/justice-thomas-267000-loan-rv-forgiven-senate-democrats-104303972

As Moran writes, these definitional vacuums are a well-understood class of weaknesses in ethics codes. Congress gets a lot of mileage out of this ruse – for example, by narrowly defining "lobbying" to exclude things that most people understand that term to mean, Congress engage in improperly close relations with lobbyists while still maintaining that they hardly ever talk to a lobbyist at all:

https://www.politico.eu/article/jeff-hauser-opinion-watergate-european-union-qatargate/

The same ruse goes for campaign contributions – if you want to accept a lot of campaign contributions that would fall afoul of ethics rules, just narrow the definition of "campaign contribution" until all the money you're receiving no longer qualifies.

Moran closes by calling on Congress to formulate a real, meaningful code of conduct for the Supremes, one that orders Supreme Court judges not to accept corrupting gifts and to maintain the arm's length neutrality that the rest of the federal judiciary is required to keep. Rather than this new code of conduct constituting proof that SCOTUS can be its own oversight, its gross deficiencies should put to rest any question about whether the Supremes can be trusted to regulate themselves.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/17/red-team-black-robes/#security-theater

Image: Senate Democrats (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_Supreme_Court_Building,_July_21,_2020.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #security theater #scotus #supreme court #clarence thomas #red teaming #loopholes #cheap tricks #diff

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ddevilzadvocate · 2 years

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Compliation of Red Son Week 2021 drawings I did when it was still going on ‼️❤️

#monkie kid #LEGO Monkie Kid #red son monkie kid #mk monkie kid #jin and yin #mei monkie kid #MixtapeShipping #mixtape monkie kid #spicynoodleshipping

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cieloclercs · 7 months

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𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐞 , cl16 — chapter five

pairing. charles leclerc x senna!oc part. 5/? warnings. basically just pure angst 🫠 yeah it’s gonna be like that for a while 😭 swearing, arthur is such an icon in this icl word count. 5.7k

SAUDADE. in which childhood rivals turned best friends realise they were always meant to be something more

05. everything changes (nothing changes)

author’s note. so i’ve had this chapter written for about 2 months. no i don’t have an excuse as to why i haven’t posted it yet 🫠 but i figured i’m going through a bit of a dry spell in my writing at the moment so i may as well post it 😭 hope you guys enjoy, and as always, please leave a comment or reblog if you did !! <3

read it on wattpad!

previous: chapter four next ➜ chapter six

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport 8 February 2021

NOA DOESN’T SEE Charles for another two weeks. She doesn’t hear from him either, not including his brief message confirming her flight’s arrival time. He’s giving her space, just as promised, and she finds herself grateful for that. The time in between their meeting at the café and the looming date of her temporary move to Monaco is for setting the record straight. When Noa breaks the news to her parents, they immediately assume the best of the situation – they’ve patched things up, got over themselves and finally rekindled their friendship. She flushes bright red when she has to cut off her mother’s delighted cheers, and her heart aches to see the grin on her face fall. We’re not friends, she tells them firmly, despite the pain it causes her. Noa is doing this for her career, not for some distant, nostalgic memory of the boy she’d once thought the world of. No. It’s her turn to be selfish for once.

Flávia is understandably upset. Just as Pascale considers Noa to be like her daughter, she has always viewed Charles as a second son. Even though she tries to deny it on several occasions over the weeks before Noa’s flight to Monaco, she isn’t stupid. The first few months after she and Charles stopped speaking to each other, Flávia had been fairly vocal about what she thought of the whole situation. She understood the hurt that they were both feeling, but as far as she was concerned, they still needed each other. Her greatest fear was that they would both continue to grow into the cut-throat world of racing without the person they trusted most at their side. As someone who experienced how difficult life could be at the pinnacle of motorsports, even as only a family member of one of the racers, Flávia worries for them. She had Gabriel to lean on after Ayrton’s death – her best friend and the love of her life. Noa and Charles, as long as they’re apart, don’t have that.

Speaking of her father, he seems to understand her reasoning a little more. Gabriel Borges is ambitious if nothing else. He fought tooth and nail to win his championships and solidify his place in the Formula 1 hall of fame. It’s a trait he’s passed on to his daughter. Sponsorships like this are important now, with racing becoming more and more lucrative with each passing season. In order to succeed, a driver needs the backing of some of the most influential brands in the world. For a rookie, it simply doesn’t get bigger than Chanel. Both Noa and Gabriel know that this is an opportunity she can’t pass up, no matter how difficult it may be for her with Charles there. They need to make it work.

He may not necessarily agree with her ‘keep him at arm’s length’ approach, but if that’s what she thinks is going to work for her, then Gabriel will support her through it.

With Luiz and Eloísa settling into their apartment in Italy, it’s only her parents who wave her goodbye at the airport. Noa has never been a fan of flying. The seats are too cramped and the people too noisy – she can never find a position comfortable enough to fall asleep. Sometimes it can be peaceful simply watching the world pass by beneath her from the window, but eventually, miles upon miles of ocean gets a little boring. So Noa spends the first thirteen hours of her flight wide awake, silently begging the couple in front of her to do something about their screaming baby. Stopping off at Heathrow for the change over feels like a slice of heaven. Just to be able to get up and stretch her legs for a little while is pure bliss. But within an hour she’s back on a different plane, looking down over the English Channel, over Normandy and eventually, the south of France. The nerves begin to set in then. There’s no going back once this plane lands – she’ll be stuck in Monaco with the person she most wants to avoid in the world for the next three weeks. Granted, she’ll have her second family there with her too, but Noa doubts she’ll be able to shake the awkward feeling even when they’re around.

Jetlag’s a bitch, is all she can think when she steps off the plane and into the harsh winter sunlight. It makes her skull ache, beating down on her, yet offering little to no warmth – typical Europe. If only it was summer here like back home. She’s grown accustomed to heat in the high twenties and sleeping with all the windows open. Checking the weather app on her phone, she sees that right now the temperature is barely breaking ten degrees. Lovely. On top of that, Noa hasn’t slept for practically an entire day. She can already imagine the headlines if she gets photographed – Gabriel Borges’ daughter spotted wandering airport sleep-deprived and wearing no makeup! The press would have a field day with that one.

She just about manages to haul her suitcase through security before collapsing on one of the lobby benches. It’s her own fault for overpacking, really. She’s never been one to prioritise well when it comes to clothes. Noa pulls her phone out of her pocket, quickly refreshing it to see if Charles has messaged her yet – sure enough, sent seven minutes ago: I’m outside. Do you want me to come in and help with your bags? Despite the contempt she still feels towards him, Noa could have cried with pure joy. She sends back a brief yes before struggling up off the bench, all but dragging her luggage through the lobby now. She can only hope he gets here quickly, because her arms are surely about to come out of their sockets if she has to carry these any further.

When his figure appears in the distance, the nerves return. He’s dressed like he doesn’t want to be spotted, in a grey hoodie and shorts, large enough that he can practically hide the entirety of his face in the collar. No one seems to notice him. For the moment anyway. When Charles eventually spots her, he seems to hesitate for a moment – like she’d seen him do at the café, arms hanging uselessly by his side as if he wants to outstretch them towards her, but remembers at the last minute that he can’t do that anymore. Noa’s eyes are glued to the ground as she walks towards him. They meet in the middle. He murmurs a brief hello, and when she doesn’t reply, takes her bags without another word.

They walk out to his car in silence. It’s a black Mercedes G63 – inconspicuous by his standards, and perhaps those of the travellers milling around them (many of them are en route to Monaco, after all). It has black tinted windows, she notices. Charles tells her to climb into the passenger seat while he loads her bags into the back. She hasn’t the energy left to complain. It takes everything in her not to fall asleep as soon as she’s sat down, eyes drooping in the dimmed light, a hazy warmth taking over her body. She jumps slightly as Charles opens the door and slides into the driver’s seat. He starts the engine. Before Noa can really process what’s going on around her, they’ve already left the airport.

"How was your flight?" Charles asks after a few minutes, soft spoken and hesitant. An absentminded hum is what greets him.

"It was alright." she murmurs back, fighting off the sudden urge to yawn. There's an edge of discontentedness in her voice, an air of frustration and annoyance about her. Noa has always hated flying, he thinks. Even as children all those years ago, she'd kick up the biggest fuss possible before so much as stepping foot on a plane. His mother always joked about it being because she can't sit still for more than a few hours, which, he supposes, had a fair amount of truth. Charles knows it's because the whole thing made her anxious. He's held her hand at takeoff enough times to have realised it, even if she never spoke the words to him out loud. The memory almost makes him smile. Then he remembers where he is, and his jaw clenches shut.

“Just to let you know, Maman, Arthur and Lorenzo will all be home when we arrive.” Charles is, once again, the one to speak up when they lapse into silence, “They’ve planned a, uh, sort of welcome home – welcome back meal.” He relays, glancing at Noa anxiously out of the corner of his eye. She’s slumped in her seat. The only sign she’s even listening to him is the tiny hum she lets out. “I can tell them you’re too tired to do it today, though, if you’d like. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind pushing it back to tomorrow –“

“No, it’s fine.” Noa cuts across him quickly. “That’s really sweet of them.”

Charles nods. He thinks back to that morning; helping Lorenzo pin up the ‘welcome home’ banner above the archway leading from the kitchen to the living room; watching with a wistful smile as his mother set out a tray of paçoca, the little cylinders of peanut butter Noa used to love when they were younger, on the kitchen table. Where she managed to get hold of them Charles doesn’t know, considering they’re a sweet pretty much exclusive to Brazil. He tries not to think about how Noa will react to it all. The thought digs up old memories he'd rather stayed buried, for the sake of his heart.

“If you want you can get some sleep now. I know you’re probably jetlagged.” He speaks up again after a beat of silence, quieter this time, “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

Noa doesn’t reply for a moment. She’s still turned away from him ever so slightly, but as he glances to the side, he can see her expression reflected in the window. Her bottom lip is caught between her teeth, biting down hard from the looks of it. He doesn’t know if it’s his imagination, but her eyes appear glossy, brimming with unshed tears. There’s an ache in his heart that he’s not sure how to properly describe. Cathartic might be the only word close enough. It hurts, but at the same time, it’s almost freeing.

“If that’s ok with you.” She finally speaks, after what feels like an age. Her head turns to the side until she’s looking at him. Charles keeps his gaze on the road, but he can see her in his periphery.

“Of course.” He mumbles, a little hoarse. His heart is screaming at his head to turn, to smile at her, to show a little of the warmth they used to share for each other, in the wildest, most fanciful hope she may be reminded of it and find it in herself to forgive him there and then. In the end, he doesn’t turn. Instead, he hears the faint rustling of fabric on skin as Noa curls up a little to the side, leaning her head against the window. It falls silent again. Now Charles is the one with glossed over eyes, battling himself.

“Thank you.” Her voice, melodic as ever, cuts through the quiet. This time he does turn – but she’s not looking at him, already half asleep, eyes closed and fluttering ever so slightly underneath their lids. He watches her until he runs the risk of coming off the road. Charles knows she’s already asleep before he has the chance to say anything in reply.

Noa tends to have very vivid dreams. She remembers many a time closing her eyes and being greeted with an explosion of colour, scarlet race cars screaming down asphalt tracks, her flag: emerald, gold, deep blue, waving her across the finish line. A glinting trophy is thrust into her hands, and she lifts it high into the air, watching the crowd raise up their arms with her – a sea of red and yellow. But today, Noa closes her eyes and sees nothing but darkness. Charles is nudging her gently awake, it seems, less than a split second after falling into her slumber. Bleary-eyed, she sits up. The Leclerc house, her second home, sits gleaming in the frosty winter sunlight like a beacon. A thrill of excitement grips her heart. It’s been so long since she’s seen Pascale and Lorenzo – far, far too long. Her head turns, a half-smile on her face, to find Charles watching her. It falls. The sky seems to darken.

“You ready to go?” he asks. Noa nods solemnly, waiting for him to open the car door and climb out before sucking in a deep, shuddering breath. When she too steps out onto the pavement, her expression is steeled.

Charles is holding her bags in either of his hands. He gives her a look that, after years of knowing each other, she can interpret in an instant – Don’t even try it, I’m taking them in for you. She feels a small surge of gratefulness, but every positive emotion seems to be drowned out by her crushing nerves right now. Noa’s not exactly sure why she feels so nervous. These people are her second family, after all. Maybe it’s the nagging fear in the back of her mind that too much has changed; that things will never go back to the happy, perfect way they used to be.

The doorbell ringing brings her back the present. They’re stood on the front porch now, shoulder to shoulder, tense and stiff. Noa pulls at a loose thread on her joggers, focussing with absolute resolve on the door in front of her – paint peeling away ever so slightly at the edge. She knows if she brushed her fingers over it, they would come away dusted with white paint flakes. A second, maybe two passes. The door swings open.

All her nerves simply melt away as soon as she sees Pascale; arms already held out wide and motherly, eyes glistening with soon-to-be-shed tears, and the most genuine smile Noa has ever seen anyone wear. She looks only slightly older than she remembers. A few more wrinkles perhaps, a couple more grey hairs, but in essence, exactly the same. Constant. At least this much hasn’t changed.

“Ma fille!” My girl. Pascale gasps loudly. She’s rushing forwards, pulling Noa inside and engulfing her in a hug before she even knows what is happening – but the familiarity of it is so easy to melt into. The young woman rests her forehead briefly against her shoulder, suddenly unable to stop smiling, when before she’d been wondering how she would manage to fake one. Of course, she’s known all along how much she’s missed Pascale. The woman has been like a second mother to her for practically a decade. But being here now makes her realise the full force of the emotion. It feels like returning home after a long vacation, when all you want to do is sleep in the comfort of your own bed and relish in the sensation of being utterly safe. That’s how Pascale feels to Noa. Safe.

“Oh, look at you!” she gasps again, pulling away to place her hands on either of Noa’s cheeks. “You’ve grown so beautiful!”

In the two years it’s been since she last saw the Leclercs, Noa has blossomed. From a scrawny eighteen-year-old with skinny elbows and seemingly untameable curls, she’s truly grown into herself. Thanks to training, she’s attained the ‘athlete’s build’ she always craved as a teenager. Days spent soaking up the Brazilian sun on Ipanema beach have bronzed her skin, giving it an almost golden hue. Perhaps it’s the salt air, but even Noa’s unruly curls seem to have matured – instead of going frizzy in the heat and falling messily over her eyes, they now frame her tanned face perfectly. Honeyed streaks of blonde run all the way through to the ends. She looks different, she knows that. But it never hits her until she meets people again who have been absent from her life for years.

“Thank you.” Noa can’t help but giggle. Pascale merely holds her tighter, seemingly inspecting every inch of her face for anything else that may have changed. She can see the surprise and the elation in her eyes – but there’s sadness too, an odd mixture, as if she’s battling with regret. Noa supposes it’s to be expected. They went from seeing each other at least every month to all but no contact for two years. Pascale is as affected by it as she is.

As soon as Noa is released from her grip, she turns to face the other Leclerc brothers, who have been watching the whole time with fond smiles and wide eyes. She goes to Lorenzo first, since Arthur has already seen her fairly recently. The eldest of the brothers opens him arms to her gladly, and she steps straight into them. Lorenzo has always been like her protector. As the boys got older and, as boys tended to do, teased her or played too rough (case in point Arthur almost drowning her at the beach one time), he was always the one to give her a hug and scold them afterwards. With only little brothers (Charles didn’t count, as her best friend), Lorenzo was to her the older brother she never had but always found herself wishing for.

“Woah, how much have you grown? A foot?” he says, pulling away only slightly so her arms are still clasped around his back, and his come to rest on her shoulders. Noa giggles softly. It was a long standing joke that, even at eighteen, she barely rose to the height of Charles or Lorenzo’s shoulder. Miraculously, her long-awaited growth spurt arrived once most girls her age stopped growing entirely. Now she stands at a fairly respectable five foot six – though still short enough for Lorenzo to use her head as an arm rest, he quickly realises. Noa waves him away with a playful glare.

“Did he talk to you in the car? Or was it deathly silent?” he asks, not even needed to use Charles’ name for her to know exactly who he is talking about. His eyebrows raise as if he’s joking, but Noa can sense the hard edge of frustration in his voice. She smiles at him sheepishly.

“I wouldn’t know. I fell asleep.”

Lorenzo snorts. That’s all they say on the matter, because Arthur is soon weaselling his way in between them to give her a welcome hug. Apparently, a minute is far too long for his brother to spend with her whilst he’s stuck waiting on the sidelines.

Charles’ feet padding on the carpeted staircase draw Noa’s eyes unwillingly to him. She hadn’t even noticed him exit the room, too caught up in reunions and holding back tears to pay much attention to her surroundings. He’s taken her bags up to her room, he tells her. She merely nods in reply. The tension doesn’t remain for long – Pascale doesn’t let it. Soon enough, everyone is gathering in the kitchen, all proud, knowing smiles from the Leclercs and gasps from Noa as she catches sight of the ‘welcome home’ banner strung up across the archway. She’d known, of course, that they were planning something, thanks to Charles’ warning, but she didn’t expect something like this. They’ve brought another long, wooden table from God knows where into the room, placing it end to end with the main kitchen table to make more room for the spread set out across it. A white floral tablecloth covers the wood, and on top of it, tiered stands of seemingly all the food she could ever eat – fresh strawberries, watermelon, French cheese (which Noa had been introduced to by the Leclercs, and was shocked to find she actually loved), pineapple, even some chocolate and cupcakes (something she’ll later say is just a one off to her nutritionist), and finally, in the very centre, a bowl full of paçoca, her favourite childhood sweet. She remembers Charles calling her strange for essentially eating peanut butter on its own – but even today, it really is her one weakness.

“Oh, meu Deus.” Oh my God. She whispers. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth, holding back the half-sob she can feel bubbling up in her throat. “This – this is too much. You really didn’t have to –“

“Noa.” It’s Arthur that cuts her off, rolling his eyes fondly, “Just let us do something nice for you. Call it a late birthday gift.” He adds with a smirk. Noa scoffs. A part of her had thought maybe they wouldn’t remember her birthday – of course, she was wrong about that.

“This is amazing.” She speaks up softly after a moment, “Thank you so much.” Her throat closes around the words ever-so-slightly, vision blurring, heart aching in the best way possible. Pascale moves forward to pull her body into hers, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

“We missed you so much, petit ange.” She murmurs, “We’re just glad to have you back with us.”

I’m glad too, Noa thinks. She’s not naïve enough to believe it will all be smooth sailing from here; not as long as the pair of sad green eyes burning into her back remain. But this, she believes fully, this she can deal with. Reuniting with her second family has been a long time coming.

They eat like it’s the old times, bar Noa and Charles’ playful bickering (fallen flat, almost dead now). Pascale insists on piling her plate as high as possible, mumbling something about athlete’s diets being too sparse (or at least, that’s what she could make out with her questionable French vocabulary). Arthur doesn’t spare a thought before diving straight into the cupcake and chocolate stand, ignoring his mother’s protests about him letting their ‘guest’ choose first. Lorenzo opts for the fresh fruit more than the confectionary. Charles tries to resist the pull of sugar, better than Arthur admittedly, but his attempts are short lived. By any right, that amount of food should never disappear as quickly as it does – but before they know it, every last morsel is gone. Noa sits back in her seat, deep in conversation with Pascale about latest goings on in her family life, finding her eyes growing heavier with each passing second. Everything around her feels pleasantly hazy; comfortable. It’s the same way she feels sat at home with her parents and her brother after a good meal, lounged on the living room sofas watching cheesy Brazilian telenovelas. Like she’s safe to just be herself.

Pascale tells Lorenzo, Charles and Arthur to collect all the dirty plates and begin the washing up. They know that refusing isn’t an option, so it isn’t long before she and Noa are alone. It must be mid-afternoon by now, the Brazilian woman thinks, but her limbs are as heavy as if she’s stayed up all night and well into the morning – which, she supposes, technically she has. Pascale is observant enough to have already noticed, luckily for her. They’ve spent all of five minutes talking in the living room when she tells her to go up to her room and sleep off the jet lag.

“Oh, but –“ Noa is quick to interject, “I haven’t even asked how things are going for you yet.” She says guiltily. Pascale has been so fixated on catching up with every single moment of the last two years she has missed, that there hasn’t even been time to cover anything else. Noa is acutely aware that the last time they saw each other, it had only been a year since Hervé passed away. She knows as well as anybody that sometimes the people that look the most put-together are the ones who are struggling the most. She just wants to make certain that Pascale is doing ok – truly ok.

“I’ll still be here tomorrow.” The woman reassures her with a gentle chuckle. Noa’s concerned expression falls into a tired, but content smile. That’s the beauty of it – right now, they really do have all the time in the world to catch up. Until of course the new season begins. But three weeks before her soon-to-be packed schedule feels like a lifetime.

Noa retreats slowly upstairs, not so much as sparing a glance towards her unpacked bags, or even attempting to change out of her airport clothes before she collapses onto the bed, and almost immediately falls straight to sleep. The ease with which she already seems to have slipped back into life in the Leclerc house (which almost feels like home) is unexpected, but by no means unwelcome. She just hopes she’ll be able to carry that feeling of safety with her into the coming weeks, when undoubtedly, some difficult conversations will need to be had.

By the time the Leclerc brothers have finished the washing up – a difficult task, what with Charles and Arthur squabbling over who gets to dry the plates and who has to do the unpleasant job of actually washing them, whilst Lorenzo, serene as ever, allocates himself the task of sorting the various items of crockery away – Pascale is sat alone in the living room. She looks calm, quietly assured, but at the same time, they can sense a level of disappointment that wasn’t there before. Charles fears, before his mother’s gaze even turns in his direction, that that disappointment is meant for him.

“Où est allée Noa?” Where did Noa go? Lorenzo asks, taking the seat next to Pascale and looping his arm fondly around her shoulders. Arthur, not so delicately, throws himself face down on the long sofa facing the television, leaving Charles to occupy the lone arm chair on the other side of the room. It’s ironic, that he’s separated from his family that way, when he’s been feeling separated emotionally for far longer.

“A l'étage. Pour dormir.” Upstairs. To sleep. Pascale answers, soft-spoken as ever. Lorenzo nods, as Arthur flips his body around on the sofa so he’s no longer lying face down, but rather looking up towards the ceiling.

“Ah. Le décalage horaire?” Ah. Jet lag?

“Oui.”

Charles stays quiet. He knows full well his family are waiting for him to say something – maybe they’re not sure what, but then again, he isn’t either. Noa hasn’t spoken a single word to him. All of her attention has been directed towards his mum and her questions, or to his brothers and their playful teasing about how much she’s grown. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that he knows she’s doing it on purpose. Most of him doesn’t blame her, but there’s a small part in the back of his mind that feels almost…betrayed. It takes two to end a friendship, after all. Noa didn’t exactly attempt to salvage the wreck they’d made.

“Well I think that went pretty well.” Arthur speaks up first in French, staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his stomach. Charles looks over, trying to catch his eye. He must sense it, but his gaze remains turned away. Another beat of silence passes.

“She’s quieter.” Lorenzo says thoughtfully. He’s right too. It’s not just in the way that she doesn’t talk half as much as she used to, it’s something in her demeanour as well. There used to be a spark in Noa’s eye that Charles would look towards whenever he needed cheering up. Now when he searches for it, there’s layers upon layers shrouding the once happy memory. Like he’s peering through thick fog, trying to make out a landscape he’s long since forgotten.

“Je ne suis pas surpris.” I’m not surprised. Arthur muses. All eyes turn to him, Lorenzo frowning, Pascale already prepared to question what exactly he means by that. Charles thinks he knows. “Oh, come on. It’s obvious isn’t it?” the youngest of the Leclercs scoffs, sitting up from his relaxed position on the sofa. His eyes are dark, frustrated, perhaps even angry. “First he takes her chance at being offered a Formula 1 seat – with Ferrari, her dream team.” Arthur begins, jabbing a harsh finger in Charles’ direction. He winces, “Then her mother almost dies, and she has to give up her career just to be with her. She’s a Senna Borges. Racing is in her blood. And we all know how hard she worked, just to fall short at the final hurdle – not even through her own fault.” He takes a pause to breathe, eyes now blazing. Charles, Lorenzo and Pascale sit watching in some kind of fascinated horror. It’s rare to see Arthur so worked up. He’s always been the kind of person that can make light of any situation, no matter how grim. But there’s something about Noa and the cruel hand she’s been dealt in life lately that makes his blood boil.

“Now she’s finally made it to Formula 1, where she deserves to be, but she’s also stuck with the person who ruined that dream for her the first time around.” He goes on, turning now to Charles, “Look, I don’t care about what happened between you two. There’s nothing you can do to change it now. But Noa is like a sister to me, and as long as you both refuse to talk to each other, we’re never going to feel like a family to her again. Like we used to.” Arthur speaks, almost alarmingly softly, his jaw clenched hard, “For once just stop being so selfish and look at this from someone else’s perspective. Preferably hers. You know you owe it to her after –“

“Arthur!” Pascale’s voice cuts through the tense atmosphere like a knife, silencing her youngest son immediately, “Do not call your brother selfish. You don’t understand the full story – none of us do.”

That seems to bring him back to his senses. Everything falls silent, but also on the brink of chaos, teetering on a knife edge. Nobody except Lorenzo notices the faint tremor in Pascale’s hand, which he tries to quell by rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Charles is sat, rigid back, white knuckles, in the arm chair, glaring at Arthur from across the room. Meanwhile the aforementioned blinks as if he’s just awakened from a trance.

"Je suis désolé." I’m sorry. He murmurs, “I don’t know what –“

“Maman’s right.” Charles cuts him off tersely, “You don’t know the full story. You don’t know the things I said to her that night, or the things she said to me…” he trails off, breathing shakily even at the memory of it, “But you’re also right. I took the opportunity of a lifetime from her. She has every right to be angry at me, every right to hate me. That’s why I’m trying to make this right – and believe me, Arthur, I am trying. It’s just…it’s hard.” Charles’ gaze drops to the ground, almost shamefully, “So much has changed.”

Guilt is the most overwhelming part of this whole mess. Even though much of the misfortune that Noa has endured in the past two years has been entirely unrelated to him, he still can’t help but feel partly responsible. Perhaps it was his actions, something at the time he considered to be a mercy, that began the snowball effect. Perhaps if he’d never accepted Ferrari’s call, even though he so desperately wanted it, everything would be as perfect as he remembers. There’s so much uncertainty it’s impossible to predict. But Charles knows, at least from his side of the story, ever since the moment Noa walked out of his life, it’s gradually been growing duller and duller and duller. In a sick sort of way, he half hopes it has been the same for her.

“You do know she could never hate you, right?” Arthur speaks up softly. Charles’ gaze lifts from the ground, eyebrows furrowing inquisitively, “Mon dieu you’re both so stubborn.” He laughs humourlessly, shaking his head, “Noa may act like she can’t even look at you right now, but I know her just as well as you do. Maybe even better now, if you can’t see it.” He arches an eyebrow, “She’s hurting, Charles. You know what she does when she’s hurting? She pushes the people she cares about the most away.”

Winter break, 2014, Charles thinks. Of course. How could he forget?

“I’m just saying,” Arthur goes on, “If you mess this up any more than you already have, then she will end up hating you. But I can see it. Right now, she doesn’t. Not even close.”

Later, Pascale says something to him of the same effect. Hurt can fester. There are only two ways that things can go from here, with them both being kept so close to each other for the first time in so long. Either it brings them closer together – they work through their differences, overcome the mountains that stand in their way, and emerge on the other side even stronger because of it. Or, they’ll push each other away.

“I know what I would do if I were you.” Pascale tells him solemnly, “But you two need to figure this out on your own.”

It’s easy to say that, Charles thinks, when you haven’t made the mistakes they’ve both made. It’s so easy to imagine himself explaining how he thought he’d be protecting her by not telling her Ferrari had approached him. In his mind, she’ll listen and understand, and everything will go back to the way it used to be. But every time he runs the words he might say to her through his mind, he draws a blank. What mere words can salvage the ruins of a near decade-long friendship? What words can do justice the longing he feels to have her back in his life, not just as a distant memory, a relative stranger, but as his best friend. And even if he could find the words, there’s no guarantee Noa will even listen to them. Despite everything, she seems set on keeping her distance. Maybe Charles doesn’t blame her. Or maybe he wishes she’d fight a little harder.

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canonicallyobserving911 · 1 year

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Eddie Diaz is an awesome dad!

Eddie is an awesome dad who will do anything for his son Christopher. He left El Paso, TX after his parents tried to convince him to leave Chris with them but he relocated to Los Angeles, CA. He moved so that he could give himself and his son a fresh start. Eddie bought a house and he had a familial support system in his abuela Isabel and his aunt Pepa because they were already living in L.A. He attended the LAFD academy and after he graduated at the top of his class, several different firehouses wanted to recruit him.

He’s sacrificed so much for Chris including quitting his job in 2021 right before Christmas because Chris was scared Eddie would get hurt again or worse he could die while working as a firefighter. He does his very best to be there for his son and he works hard to provide for him. Eddie is an awesome dad and he’s demonstrated how awesome he is as Chris’ dad for years.

2x2 “7.1” – Eddie took Chris to school before he went to work.

2x4 (2) “Stuck” – Eddie got ready for work while Chris got ready for school.

3x4 “Triggers” – Eddie comforted Chris after he had a nightmare about his mother.

3x13 “Fools” – Eddie had a conversation with Chris about skateboarding after Chris fell off one of his classmate’s skateboards while he was at school. Eddie explained to Chris that everyone has things they can’t do and he used himself as an example. He explained how Chris’s science teacher told him how Chris was good at growing plants but Eddie admitted he wasn’t.

3x18 “What’s Next?” – Eddie and Chris attended May’s graduation party and Chris went away from home for two weeks to attend his first summer camp.

4x2 “Alone Together” – Eddie spent time with Chris while Carla read Chris a bedtime story on FaceTime.

5x6 “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1” – After being held at gunpoint by an escaped convict, Eddie went home and spent time talking to his son.

5x10 (2) “Wrapped in Red” – Chris had a nightmare about his mother and Eddie rushed into his room after he heard him scream to check on him. Chris told Eddie he could be dead next year and Eddie quit the 118 so Chris wouldn’t have to worry about him.

5x11 “Outside Looking In” – After Eddie quit the 118, his new job wasn’t what he hoped it would be but he stuck it out so Chris didn’t have to worry about him. Chris asked him if he missed being a firefighter and Eddie said he did. During a conversation with Eddie, Chris told him he should return to firefighting and explained how it is scary sometimes but he could be brave.

5x14 “Dumb Luck” – Chris asked Eddie if he was one of the things that makes him sad and Eddie responded, “NEVER!”

6x4 (2) “Animal Instincts” – Eddie got a call from Chris’ school explaining that Chris had been skipping his science club meetings. Eddie took away his video games but one night Chris waited until Eddie fell asleep and he played the games anyway. Eddie listened to Chris when he said he didn’t want to be treated like a baby anymore and he reminded Chris that he couldn’t be disrespectful after he called Eddie a jerk.

6x7 “Cursed” – Eddie took Chris to his surfing lesson.

6x8 “9-1-1 What’s Your Fantasy?” – Eddie helped Chris get ready for his first school dance and he waited outside of the school with Carla until the dance was over. He was so proud of his son and he had tears in his eyes.

#eddie diaz #christopher diaz #911 fox #911 on fox #911onfox #911 meta #911 s6 #911 season 6 #911 season 6 speculation #911

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vro0m · 6 months

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RBR's organisational make-up at the top is a mess tbh, but it's also why if Horner is making a move, he's making it now.

Currently Mark Mateschitz owns Red Bull Racing, but appears to be taking less of an active role than his father did. Mintzlaff oversees all of Red Bull's F1 teams, all their football teams, plus their ice hockey investments, as well as other stuff, plus the Red Bull Media House and its extreme sports properties.

Christian Horner is listed as both CEO and Team Principal of RBR. However, in May 2021, Max Verstappen's manager, Ray Vermeulen said of making deals with Red Bull: "There is only one man who decides - Dietrich Mateschitz. Helmut Marko is his right-hand man and has a blank cheque for Formula 1."

You've also got the incident in 2020, when Honda announced their 'departure' from F1, only a week after Christian Horner said about them needing to work more closely together. When Marko was asked about it, his response was: "Mr. Horner is a team principal, but not involved in strategic matters. Mr. Mateschitz and I have known for a long time."

It seems inconceivable that any other CEO in F1 wouldn't have the final decision on their drivers, so it certainly seems, at least until the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, that Horners role as CEO/Team Principal has been quite unconventional.

So then you have Helmut Marko. 'Special Advisor', 'Dietrich Mateschitz's right hand man'. But of course, Dietrich is dead. My opinion is what we see here is the delayed but inevitable struggle to fill the power vacuum. And I can't help but think that whoever can get Oliver Mintzlaff onside will take it.

Sorry it took me a minute getting to your ask I was stuck looking for drivers who left championship-winning teams.

Thank you for the rundown. From what I read, Marko doesn't get along with Mintzlaff so it seems he could really be in a tough spot. Also there was always the whole thing about the other teams questioning what his role is because he's not under the cost cap because he's just a consultant or whatever his official job description is.

The way I understand it, but tell me if I'm wrong, Mateschitz gave Marko the position because he was like "heyyy my friend let's make business and money together" or whatever and because the big boss gave him the position himself and they were friends Marko could do whatever he wanted however he wanted (and clearly say whatever he wanted) and nobody could say anything. You're not gonna complain about your big boss's bestie.

But now Mateschitz being dead, actual businessmen who are trying to do actual business are looking at him like "why are we paying you and why are we even listening to you exactly?" and of course Horner would be more than happy to be able to run the team the way he wants and is supposed to be able to as the TP.

It leaves the question of what does the son think/can do/would do about it as the owner? Does he care about his dad's friend or something? Can he veto a possible termination (and again : would he) even though he's not actively running the company? I guess we will see.

#f1 #2023 #helmut marko #lauda4theback #vro0m's asks

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lacrimosathedark · 2 months

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Allow me to show you an example of why I loathe Jade Nguyen aka Cheshire.

So her first interaction with Lian since her childhood is in Catwoman, where she helped defend Alleytown during Fear State.

This scene is in Catwoman 38, which was released on December 21 of 2021.

Cheshire then appears in Task Force Z 3 on December 28 of 2021 where all of that softness she shows Lian is fucking gone.

Maybe two weeks after defending Gotham, acting as a hero, and actually introducing herself to her daughter who I have no doubt she loves dearly, here she is casually poisoning her allied henchmen and taking great joy in nearly killing Red Hood.

Even before this, in Batman Secret Files, we have the appearance that showed me how unrepentant she is.

She's just having so much fun toying with him, and she's already killed the diplomats he was trying to protect from her. She's just...I Do Not Like Her.

And Jade acknowledges she isn't fit to be in Lian's life herself. In Detective Comics 1077, in a story fittingly titled Toxic Love, Lian turns up to her current residence with Solomon Grundy in tow after escaping captivity. This is Jade's internal monologue.

"You turn up on my doorstep bloody and bruised. You are exhausted and seeking help, and so I say-- "You'd better come in." I do not call you "daughter." We both know I do not have that right. But perhaps you have already become more like me than I ever wished for you. [...] You are uncomfortable inside my home. You should not be... It should have, by rights, been your home as well. I make tea with the hands that should have held you as you took your first steps. A month ago, I held a man's throat in these hands. I felt with my thumbs for his carotid, so the poison lacquered to my fingernails could reach his brain before his security forces could apply first aid. These were never hands fit for child-rearing. I'm sure you can see that. The day after I left you on the steps of a church, I killed a revolutionary and his wife in their bed. I did it quietly. So their son sleeping in the next room did not wake. So I could spare him. Before you were born, I would not have bothered. I remember fearing I had been contaminated by motherhood. That it had made me weak."

Jade Nguyen unmistakably loves her daughter. But she also unmistakably loves what she does. And what she does is kill people with various poisons. And Lian, before being dropped at a Gotham church, was raised by superheroes. Her dad is Arsenal, her godfather is Nightwing, she spent a lot of time with "Auntie Donna" and the other Titans, Ollie and Dinah adored her, Mia babysat her. She takes great pride in her family being heroes. Her mother is the antithesis of all of that.

Roy is known for loving things that are bad for him.

Jade herself is toxic. She is ruthless and cruel and only ever expresses any regret when Lian is involved. She bombed the entire country of Lian's babysitter. Lian was basically a toddler but she was so hurt. She loved her mom so much and was furious and so sad that her mother was hurting someone she cared about, killing people those close to her loved.

Jade Nguyen is not, has never been, and will never be a good person. Some people may find her an intriguing character, and tbh I probably would too were it not for Roy and Lian because I have an Alice obsession, I love cats, and poisons are fascinating. I'm not saying she's a bad character. I just hate her guts.

#DC Comics #Jade Nguyen #Cheshire #THIS IS NOT A NICE POST #I hate this woman #Catwoman #Task Force Z #Detective Comics #Lian Harper #Cheshire Cat

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coraleethroughthelookingglass · 11 months

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Ten Year Fic Favourites

As I mentioned in previous posts, last week marked the ten year anniversary of me posting fic online so as a way to celebrate, I thought I’d put together a little list of my favourite pieces that I’ve written over that time.

2013 - Heart (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated G, 7 Chapters, Fairytale AU)

Only a true champion and an act of love can bring back one lost to the snow and ice.

My very first challenge fic, this was written based around Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen (and I think was posted around the same time Frozen came out - and after the multiple times I’d read the original, by the time I saw that film, I was highly disappointed in it)

2014/2015 - From Winter to Spring (Series, Modern AU)

Rush Hour Crush - (Dacey Mormont/Robb Stark, Rated T, One Shot)

Returning to work after Christmas may bring the same rush hour problems for Dacey but it also proves to be a little more interesting than normal due to the red headed man she quite literally runs into.

Sugar Plum - (Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Rated T, One Shot)

Sansa has jitters before performing in The Nutcracker in front of one of her idols, Olenna Redwyne-Tyrell. Luckily Margaery is there to make things better.

The first fics I posted that weren’t for Jaime/Brienne, both are just very fluffy and sweet. The first is a meet-cute, the second more of an established realtionship.

2016 - 33 (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated T, One Shot)

A Westerosi Battlestar Galactica AU mashup. One of my all time favourite things that I’ve ever written.

2017 - Found in Forbidden Nights (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth/Cersei Lannister, Rated E, One Shot, Canon Divergence)

And my other all time favourite thing I’ve written, which feels very strange to say given that when I wrote this the GoT fandom was plagued by shipping wars and a threesome with these characters was almost unheard of. I feel very proud that I challenged myself with this fic and came out the other side a better writer.

2019 - Carry on My Wayward Son (Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth, Rated T, One Shot, Modern AU)

The Jaime and Brienne hunt monsters in the Supernatural universe fic no one asked for but I really wanted to write anyway 🤣

2020 - All Veth’s Fault (Caleb Widogast/Jester Lavorre, Rated G, One Shot, Modern AU)

My first, and so far only, step into Critical Role fanfiction, this is a Caleb/Jester meet cute at a modern day music festival. It came after a long period of writer’s block and was something that came together very quickly.

2021/2022 - El Tango De Rose (Rose Tico/Armitage Hux, Rated G, One Shot, Modern AU)

Written slowly during my pandemic writers block but not posted for a long time (since I’d psyched myself out of posting at that time), this is a Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing AU where Hux is partnered with Rose and has to learn to dance the Tango.

2022 - Poison and Wine (Galadriel/Sauron, Rated T, Part One of Exiles)

My first Haladriel/Saurondriel fic written for this prompt by Scriberated - So… *awkward silence* who’s going to write the fic where shit goes to shit and in desperation Galadriel agrees to marry Sauron to save what’s left of middle earth? This was honestly meant to be my one and only fic for this pairing but clearly I was only deluding myself as I’ve written so much more since!

2023 - The Decurion’s Wife (Galadriel/Halbrand, Rated E, WIP, Roman Era AU. Part of the Time and Time Again Series with my amazing friend @somebirdortheother)

And this brings me right up to date as I’m currently working on chapter 4 of this Roman Era AU. This is the one fic I think I’ve done the most research for and it has been an absolute delight to learn about so many things about Roman Era Britain and the lives of soldiers and civilians up on Hadrian’s Wall.

The likelihood is if I’m still writing in another ten years I’ll have found other ship(s) to explore (or who knows, maybe I’ll have actually written a novel!) but for now this is what I have. And through all the inspiration and writers block, all the tears and laughter, I really couldn’t have kept going without all the love and support that each fandom I’ve dipped a toe into has given me. I know writers say this a lot, but for anyone who’s ever felt weird in leaving a comment on anyone’s fic - please don’t! Even two or three words can mean so much. And that kudos email makes me smile every time I see it. It’s a little thing but it means a lot. I love you guys and I think after ten years, I can confidently say - I AM a writer 😊😊😊😊

#the joys of writing #ten year anniversary #jaime x brienne #sansa x margaery #dacey x robb #game of thrones fanfiction #critical role fanfiction #caleb x jester #trop fanfiction #halbrand x galadriel #sauron x galadriel #most of my weird AUs altogether #thank you to everyone who’s gotten me to this point

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sizzlingpatrolfox · 6 months

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Yes, I'm watching her set for the third time in three days.

I didn't like this song when I listened to the album but she's charming here and how does she sing like that, so flawlessly... it's crazy. So now I like this song 😁 "wanna meet his mom just to tell her her son sucks" she went OFFFF.

youtube

Can't believe that I let myself fall for an industry plant omg

ALSO!!!! While watching I remembered this little, interesting fact:

With 164k sales, 'FACE' by Jimin debuts at #2 on BB200, recording the biggest debut by a k-soloist on the chart, and the biggest sales week for a debut album since 'SOUR' in 2021.

My little rookie guy, making the numbers of an industry plant with the support similar to that of a broke company.

I also remember making a joke before face that Jimin was about to come up with the new sour or red, and whether it was this sales thing or the radio stuff with all too well, face was actually involved in conversations regarding red and sour. Sometimes a woman just knows.

#Youtube

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justinsentertainmentcorner · 9 months

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Charles J. Gans at AP News:

NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday. Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. The last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalog rather than hit records.” He released more than 70 albums, bringing him 19 competitive Grammys — all but two after he reached his 60s — and enjoyed deep and lasting affection from fans and fellow artists. [...]

He not only survived the rise of rock music but endured so long and so well that he gained new fans and collaborators, some young enough to be his grandchildren. In 2014, at age 88, Bennett broke his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart for “Cheek to Cheek,” his duets project with Lady Gaga. Three years earlier, he topped the charts with “Duets II,” featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording. His rapport with Winehouse was captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Amy,” which showed Bennett patiently encouraging the insecure young singer through a performance of “Body and Soul.” His final album, the 2021 release “Love for Sale,” featured duets with Lady Gaga on the title track, “Night and Day” and other Porter songs. For Bennett, one of the few performers to move easily between pop and jazz, such collaborations were part of his crusade to expose new audiences to what he called the Great American Songbook. [...]

By his early 40s, he was seemingly out of fashion. But after turning 60, an age when even the most popular artists often settle for just pleasing their older fans, Bennett and his son and manager, Danny, found creative ways to market the singer to the MTV Generation. He made guest appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman” and became a celebrity guest artist on “The Simpsons.” He wore a black T-shirt and sunglasses as a presenter with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the 1993 MTV Music Video Awards, and his own video of “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” from his Grammy-winning Fred Astaire tribute album ended up on MTV’s hip “Buzz Bin.” That led to an offer in 1994 to do an episode of “MTV Unplugged” with special guests Elvis Costello and k.d. lang. The evening’s performance resulted in the album, “Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged,” which won two Grammys, including album of the year.

[...] Long associated with San Francisco, Bennett would note that his true home was Astoria, the working-class community in the New York City borough of Queens, where he grew up during the Great Depression. The singer chose his old neighborhood as the site for the “Fame”-style public high school, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, that he and his third wife, Susan Crow Benedetto, a former teacher, helped found in 2001. The school is not far from the birthplace of the man who was once Anthony Dominick Benedetto. His father was an Italian immigrant who inspired his love of singing, but he died when Anthony was 10. Bennett credited his mother, Anna, with teaching him a valuable lesson as he watched her working at home, supporting her three children as a seamstress doing piecework after his father died.

Musician Tony Bennett died at 96. Bennett collaborated with Lady Gaga very late in his career to make him relevant to younger audiences. #RIPTonyBennett

#Tony Bennett #Obituaries #Celebrities #Lady Gaga #Music

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newstfionline · 8 months

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Sunday, August 27, 2023

Jackson Hole: Fed policy collides with reality in the most unequal county in America (CNN) Central bank officials from across the world have descended upon Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week to discuss policy decisions that will shape the economy for years to come. But as they talk about inflation and the economy in the abstract, residents of the popular vacation destination are very much feeling the realities of their policies. That’s because Jackson Hole is the most economically unequal place in the United States, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The snow kissed peaks and verdant valleys of Jackson Hole aren’t just awe-inspiring. They’re also symbolic. Among the top 1% in Teton County (where Jackson Hole is located), the average annual income is a jaw-dropping $22.5 million. The median household income in Teton County in 2021, meanwhile, was about $94,000, according to the US Census Bureau. The annual August symposium of global financial leaders and economic elites wouldn’t happen without the servers, cooks, drivers and hotel and event staff who make it function—the same people feeling the hard impact of elevated inflation, high interest rates and a softening economy the most. “If you look at income, Jackson Hole is really a microcosm of the nation’s wealth inequalities laid out across these dramatic landscapes of the Mountain West,” said Kenan Fikri, director of research at The Economic Innovation Group, a bipartisan policy organization. “It’s a ground zero for understanding how inflation affects the budgets of lower-earning households when they’re already financially stressed.”

Trump’s Mug Shot, a Presidential First, Is a Merch Bonanza (WSJ) First came the mug shot. Then came the merch. Within hours of Donald Trump surrendering himself to authorities in Fulton County, Ga., items plastered with the glowering former president in his signature suit and cherry-red tie were all over Etsy, eBay and the custom-design site Redbubble. Trump’s own campaign got in on the action: On Thursday evening, it sent out an email, soliciting $47 donations in exchange for a T-shirt printed with the mug shot above the phrase “Never Surrender.” His campaign’s online merchandise storefront now includes shirts, beverage coozies and a bumper sticker featuring the booking photo. The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was also peddling a $30 T-shirt and a $16 coffee mug printed with the mug shot, saying that proceeds from the sales would go to his father’s legal defense fund. Etsy makers began listing T-shirts that said “Legend” and “NOT GUILTY” beneath Trump’s image. In near-record time, Trump’s mug shot has joined Che Guevara’s bereted visage, sneering Bart Simpson and the goofy Minions as a wearable meme—the sort of image that will be found in souvenir shops and thrift-store racks for years to come.

Ecuador election: As run-off looms, voters crave genuine change (Al Jazeera) From her small convenience store in northern Quito, Tanya Vazquez is consumed by fear. Her modest shop has been robbed three times in the last few years, she said; in one case, the perpetrator fired a gun towards her husband, although the bullet missed. One of their sons was also robbed and assaulted in the street. “I am very afraid, with all the crime that’s happening,” Vazquez told Al Jazeera from behind the shop counter in the Ecuadorian capital. “I just hope that whoever the new president is can at least give us some security and stability.” Indeed, as Ecuador grapples with rising crime and political violence, many in the country are craving change. Snap elections last Sunday were overshadowed by this month’s assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, a prominent anticorruption candidate. The election will head to a run-off on October 15. These elections represent a pivotal moment for the small Andean nation, but it remains an open question as to whether either candidate can deliver the change voters crave.

A miracle:’ Virginia man meets Chilean family 42 years after he was stolen as newborn (USA Today) It has been 42 years since María Angélica González saw her son. He was a newborn. A nurse told González he needed to be put in an incubator because he was premature. Not long after, she returned with devastating news: The baby was dead. For 42 years, that’s what González believed. For 42 years, it has been a lie. Gonzalez’s son, Jimmy Lippert Thyden, was stolen from González, adopted out to unwitting parents in the United States and raised in Arlington, Virginia. For 42 years, Thyden believed he had no living relatives in Chile, where he was born. Then one day in April, Thyden read a USA TODAY story about a California man who had learned he was stolen from his mother in Chile and illegally adopted out to an American couple. It got Thyden thinking: Could the same thing have happened to him? Within weeks, Thyden learned the truth. And last week, González finally got to hug her son. “It’s a miracle from God,” González, 69, told USA TODAY during a video chat in Spanish as she sat with Thyden on Saturday. “When I learned that he was alive, I couldn’t believe it.”

Legal Troubles for Sarkozy (Foreign Policy) It’s been an eventful week for former world leaders facing legal problems. On Friday, magistrates in Paris ordered former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial on charges that his 2007 election campaign received a $54 million illegal contribution from former Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi’s government. The one-term president has denied wrongdoing alongside 12 other co-defendants, including three of his former cabinet ministers. He will be tried in 2025. This is far from Sarkozy’s first indictment rodeo. The 68-year-old leader has been convicted twice for corruption and influence-peddling. In May, he lost his first appeal for a 2021 accusation alleging he tried to bribe a judge. His three-year prison term was brought down to just one trip around the sun, which Sarkozy can fulfill under house arrest. He still faces a second probe into allegations that he received a payment of $3.2 million by Russian insurance firm Reso-Garantia in 2019 while he was working as a consultant.

Nerve agents, poison and window falls. Over the years, Kremlin foes have been attacked or killed (AP) The attacks range from the exotic—poisoned by drinking polonium-laced tea or touching a deadly nerve agent—to the more mundane of getting shot at close range. Some take a fatal plunge from an open window. Over the years, Kremlin political critics, turncoat spies and investigative journalists have been killed or assaulted in a variety of ways. None, however, has been known to perish in an air accident. But on Wednesday, a private plane carrying a mercenary chief who staged a brief rebellion in Russia plummeted into a field from tens of thousands of feet after breaking apart. Assassination attempts against foes of President Vladimir Putin have been common during his nearly quarter century in power. Those close to the victims and the few survivors have blamed Russian authorities, but the Kremlin has routinely denied involvement—as it did on Friday by saying it was “a complete lie” it had anything to do with the jet crash. There also have been reports of prominent Russian executives dying under mysterious circumstances, including falling from windows, although whether they were deliberate killings or suicides is sometimes difficult to determine.

UNICEF says a year on from Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, millions of children still need support (AP) The United Nations children’s agency on Friday warned that a year on from Pakistan’s devastating floods, an estimated 4 million children continue to need humanitarian assistance and access to essential services as a shortage of funds remains a hurdle in recovery. The warning from UNICEF comes as authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province are racing against time to evacuate people from areas affected by the overflowing River Sutlej. Since Aug. 1, rescuers have evacuated over 100,000 people from marooned areas in the districts of Kasur and Bahawalpur. More than six months ago, dozens of countries and international institutions at a U.N.-backed conference in Geneva pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan recover and rebuild from last summer’s floods. But most of the pledges were in the form of loans for projects, which are still in the planning stages.

A Crisis of Confidence Is Gripping China’s Economy (NYT) Earlier this year, David Yang was brimming with confidence about the prospects for his perfume factory in eastern China. After nearly three years of paralyzing Covid lockdowns, China had lifted its restrictions in late 2022. The economy seemed destined to roar back to life. Mr. Yang and his two business partners invested more than $60,000 in March to expand production capacity at the factory, expecting a wave of growth. But the new business never materialized. In fact, it’s worse. People are not spending, he said, and orders are one-third of what they were five years ago. “It is disheartening,” Mr. Yang said. “The economy is really going downhill right now.” For much of the past four decades, China’s economy seemed like an unstoppable force, the engine behind the country’s rise to a global superpower. But the economy is now plagued by a series of crises. A real estate crisis born from years of overbuilding and excessive borrowing is running alongside a larger debt crisis, while young people are struggling with record joblessness. And amid the drip feed of bad economic news, a new crisis is emerging: a crisis of confidence. A growing lack of faith in the future of the Chinese economy is verging on despair. Consumers are holding back on spending. Businesses are reluctant to invest and create jobs. And would-be entrepreneurs are not starting new businesses. “Low confidence is a major issue in the Chinese economy now,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist for Macquarie Group, an Australian financial services firm.

Syria’s south rocked by protests amid anger over fuel hikes (Washington Post) Protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad have spread across southern Syria in the days following a government decision to slash fuel subsidies, amid growing desperation as hyperinflation sends prices soaring. As the relatively rare protests gained force under a government that has applied brutal tactics to keep its population in line through more than a decade of civil war, young activists crept through the streets of the southern city of Sweida at night, affixing makeshift fliers to shuttered storefronts, encouraging civil unrest. The protests began Aug. 20 at a central roundabout, with a chant of “Syria wants freedom.” A demonstrator spray-painted a message on the roundabout’s edge, giving the gathering point a new name: “Dignity Square.” The demonstrations have since spread, as have photos and videos of them, some evoking the protests that filled the country’s streets in 2011 as hopeful masses demanded the ouster of Assad. Years of conflict were to follow.

Power returns to most of Kenya after a 14-hour outage (AP) Electricity was being restored in most parts of Kenya on Saturday, 14 hours after the longest outage in recent memory, the majority government-owned power distributor said. There was still no clear explanation for the outage that hit on Friday night, shutting down the country’s main international airport, affecting major hospitals and even the president’s office compound. The outage came just weeks before Kenya’s government hosts the first Africa Climate Summit, where energy will be key on the agenda. Kenya gets almost all its energy from renewable sources, but infrastructure and alleged mismanagement remain an issue in the country of more than 50 million people.

#headlines #news

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