#the European plug situation
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Simon x Billy
Year of the OTP: February
Chapter 2: The European plug situation
February prompt: Different
AN: Simon x Billy is a slow-burn m/m fic using the first-time-bi trope; turns NSFW (male/male, consensual) beginning tamely at Chapter 7 (July).
Meet my OTP: Simon Lewis, author of a best-selling paranormal book series, who keeps writing himself into his novels; and Billy Delaney, Irish handsome devil and nomadic man of mystery, who chefs internationally; and Italy. It’s sort of like a threesome. Simon x Billy is a slow-burn m/m fic using the first-time-bi trope. TW: References to the pain of being cheated on, bad language, bad humor, puns, Irish-isms, making fun of Americans, massive rewrites.
Read it all: All: on ao3 || Start: January Ch.1 || Next: March Ch.3
Chapter 2: The European plug situation
———/Simon/———
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. This is not going the way I planned. I hate it when that happens. I was prepared.
Except for the European plug situation.
First off, my bad. My responsibility, my fault, my dead phone. On day 1, in another country that speaks a language I don’t parlo. Except when I’m having an internal scolding session. Apparently, io parlo Italiano just fine when I least need it. Like when I’m conducting a conversation behind my face. Behind my fucking face. (Whose lip I can feel curling to express distaste and low key angst.)
Ugh. They have to have cell phone chargers at the gift shop. I sigh. Looking around, it’s pretty obvious that this was originally some kind of old, schmancy vacation villa. Something tells me there’s no gift shop. It’s not that kind of hotel. Under my breath I whimper, “Fuck.”
“All right?” It’s Billy. I jump because why is he standing behind me?
I pivot and fix him with my very best suspicious glare. I went to theatre school. Ok, fine, summer camp. Point is, I give good face when needed. This is one of those times, one of those faces. “Jesus! How long have you been standing there, creeper? Were you listening in on my conversation?”
“You mean, the word ‘fuck?’ That was a pretty quiet, short conversation.” He’s grinning at me now.
“Did you go to theatre school?” I clarify, “Like, ever?”
Billy snorts. “No, man. Where’d that come from?”
He’s all good humor and it’s so totally inappropriate, I try willing him to stop. His eyebrow — oh my god it’s humongous wtf — one arches while the other frowns. How does he do that? At least the top half of his face isn’t grinning anymore. That’s progress.
“What?” he demands. “Why’re yeh lookin at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’d like me to feck right off, leaving you alone to realize you’ve not got your room key.” He jangles it at me.
“That would have been the topper to a very shitty day.” Having stopped rolling (not molly - the other kind of rolling), my eyes pop out of my head. Because he has handed me the keys. “Whoa,” I say reverently. “These are sooo cool.”
I have to keep myself from fondling them. “Skeleton keys,” I whisper.
“Glad they cheered you up, man. You were havin a mope there for a while.”
My mope returns. Sort of an exasperation + anxiety x annoyance, to the power of a lingering ache in my stomach that I know from recent experience is a bone deep sadness.
“And now it’s back,” he says. “Whatever’s goin through your head can be moped over later. Mate, you’re in Italy. Yeh haven’t seemed to notice that yet.”
“Is there a gift shop?”
“Sorry, what?” he asks. Is he laughing at me?
“A gift shop.”
“This isn’t that kind of hotel, mate, sorry. Is there something I can help yeh with?”
So many things. “I just remembered the plugs are different here. I have arrived in Italy with a dead phone and no compatible plugs. I feel so betrayed.”
He laughs and his eyes twinkle. They twinkle.
At least he can tell when I’m joking. That’s a thing.
“Don’t worry, Seemon. I’ll get it sorted.” He gives a small salute and disappears into the bowels of the hotel.
Oh shit. “Wait! Billy! Billy?”
A woman appears in his place from some dimly lit doorway. She reminds me of my mother. But with fewer anxiety and worry wrinkles criss-crossing her face.
Damn. Ma would be so wounded by that thought, so I put it out of my mind.
“Signore?”
“Oh, um, si, io non parlo Italiano. I like to start all my sentences that way,” I say with an attempt at charm. Billy doesn’t get to own charming.
She gives me a strange look, and responds with the old classic “Okaaaay,” in heavily accented English. “Why do you stand in the doorway? With the baggage around you like goats.”
Apparently neither one of us is very funny in English. I feel so lost in translation.
“Come. Let me make you checked in, and we will settle you. Come in from the doorstep,” she says as she turns away with her neck craning. “Leo? Leo!”
A young man (boy?) — A young man-boy hurries out of what appears to be an office. She’s peppering him with instructions that I can’t understand. My suitcases are being pulled right out of my hands. Rude! (But helpful. I guess.) Don’t try that in New York.
While she futzes with her computer, I finally take a moment to notice the amazing carved wood segment of wall behind her. I wish I could see it in detail. Figure out what story it’s trying to tell. It has something to do with nudity. I try squinting, but that’s all I can tell from here.
A bright, clashing array of intricately painted tiles are framed throughout the room. Chaotic, yes. Neutral, no. We’ll go with chaotic good. It’s also delightful, which I’m so not in the mood for at the moment.
She tells me about the amenities, breakfast times, the famous restaurant, blah blah blah as she leads me up three flights of stairs, and down a long, narrow hallway with many doors — none of which are mine. I’m starting to lose my bearings, but it’s only one more flight of stairs, atop which she pauses to unlock a door. “It is good, Signore Laywees? You have the face of a dog who is whining.”
“Wow,” I say, taken aback. Taken-aback has now officially been added to my repertoire of faces. Officially.
“Did I say something in a way that is wrong?” she asks, with a worried look.
“I don’t know. You might have actually wanted to call me a whining dog.” I start to chuckle.
“Yes. Exactly. A whining dog. I remember for next time.”
I blink.
She nods, “Si certo. Certo. And I tell you that what is here is the finest suite at Hotel di Limoni is here.” She ushers me on to the top floor. “You look around, you. See that there are no other doors here to this floor. You are here alone.”
“Yes. Yes, I am,” I nod, thank her, “Grazie,” and close the door behind her.
———/-/———
My mood disappears instantly.
Oh my god I’m in Italy.
The room before me has pale yellow walls the color of butter imported from Irish cows. That’s specific and descriptive, Lewis, nice one. (I try to encourage the writer within, whenever I can.)
Source Right: Hotel La Tonnarella. I stayed there, but not in that room. I wasn’t trying to get in that much debt.
Everything is in shades of sea and sky blues, bright lemon yellow, and pale Irish butter, with more of the chaotic good tiles here and there working their delightful magic. The bed cover is also in pale Irish butter. I will sleep in pale Irish butter tonight. Oh yes, I will.
The overall effect is an airy room, full of light, that recedes into the background against one hell of a view.
Large french doors lining the exterior wall lead out to a massive deck. One that I and I alone can access. The doors have been thrown open, with sheer curtains rippling into the room. The breeze off the Mediterranean Sea is fresh and cool.
Oh my god. That’s the Mediterranean Sea!
Or Tyrrhenian. Whatever.
I watch as boats speed across my entire view, appearing and disappearing between the open doors. They leave their long white slashes behind them, literally left in their wake. From inside the room, they look like dashes, stuttering white lines in each window darting through the perfection of the blue Medi/Tyrrhenian Sea.
Waking up to this is going to be amazing. She would have loved it.
“Fuck her. She can’t have it.” It’s mine, and mine alone.
———/-/———
I acknowledge that I need to stop. Stop with the moping. Fuck Billy for trying to be friendly and helpful, the bastard. That charming Irishman is right and I temporarily hate him for it. But only hyperbolically.
I walk out onto my balcony and into the bright sun. I immediately decide that this is worthy of a sunburn, and shuck off my shirt.
Oof. I’ve just realized that my eyes are watering because that distinctive odor is coming from me.
One would think a shower after a sunbath would be the rational, intelligent option. Nah. Intelligence has fewer hit points than stacking a 24 hour odyssey of jet lag, rumpled hair, eau de pit, and a bad attitude. I’m winning today.
“Chin up, Simon. Chin up.” That was Ma’s pearl of wisdom for this trip. The sum total of her empathy. She didn’t even like What’ser Name. So where’s the sympathy? The empathy? Apparently empathy dims in direct proportion to the glamorousness of one’s vacation destination.
Maybe I can wash the mope off. And the headache. And the me.
Grabbing my stuff, I head for the bathroom and stop dead.
“Dove il bano!” I cry. ‘Bathroom.’ Feh! What an absolutely disgraceful excuse of a word to describe something as magnificent as this. Look at it. So majestic, while also being mindfully calming. Everything everywhere is blue, and I can’t tell the inside from the outside.
Turning on a shower should not be this difficult. I am a grown man, goddammit. I should be able to figure out how to turn on a freakin shower. I mean, I figured out what the extra toilet was for. Correction: Not a toilet but a bidet. Though I admit to having called the front desk about it. What can I say, Italians like to have fresh butts.
“You will not defeat me, vile mechanism of demonkind, I will not be deterred, oh no! I will have my shower, and dammit, it will be good.”
———/-/———
I am happy to report to you, oh devoted fictitious audience in my head, that it was good. It was the best shower of my life. Or at least one of the top five, as I may have better showers even than this magnificent one at some point in the future. At least I doubt I will ever smell so good again. It’s the bath stuff made from a “beneficial” mineral spring somewhere around here. I want to smell like this every day for the rest of my life.
But first. The sun.
I feel unencumbered, unrestrained. So I skip the swim trunks and just wear my towel onto my massive deck. Deck. Not dick. Deck. I do want to let it all hang out there, but then, I also want to disappear into this experience, and the specter of horrified travelers covering the eyes of their crying children is enough to reinforce my modesty. I don’t want my dick ruining anyone’s vacation, so I keep the towel on.
———/-/———
I’m drooling as I wake up on my side with my ass half hanging out. It’s not a good look.
Turns out I couldn’t care less. Four uninterrupted hours of sun, in the peace and quiet of the apocalyptic visions usually filling my head these days. Whenever I think about the book I owe my editor — Noooo! Duck! Run! Hide! — See? I can’t. I won’t. You can’t make me.
And yet I have already double-crossed myself because I’m thinking about it anyway. Yesterday I was still slogging away at Book Four’s first chapter, and hating every single word I wrote. It was a whole pile of nothing. Less than nothing. It was tripe. So I gave up and rashly trashed it, deleting the offending text while I waited to board my flight.
All of it. It’s gone. And that’s a good thing, because every turn of phrase I had managed to wrest from my uninspired noggin just failed like a lead weight. Total fail. I’m used to having a tiny, yet enthusiastic filmmaker living inside my creativity. He’s really good at pulling forth the sweeping torrent of imagery I see like a movie in my head when I’m on a roll. (Again, not that kind of rolling.) But now? I can only manage six or so paragraphs at a time, and hatefully hate every one of them. “Whyyyyyyyy?” I ask the sky.
So here’s what I know: Half my characters will eventually be about to die unless Simon saves them. With the help of super-vamp Raphael and maybe a nymph or two. Looking up, I can see the islands they call the Syranusas, after the sirens who so callously call sailors to their deaths. So now I’m thinking maybe I’ll pull in some expendable mermaids, too. I dunno.
It all just sounds so played out. At least to my eyes. Like, I’m writing another war, with all the same characters, having the same powers, and using them all the same way, to rescue the same loved ones + world from evil the same way. Except I’ve stuck them all on the Mediterranean and added a bunch of mermaids. What’s next? Introduce zombies into the series as if they actually exist — for the first time in book four? Holy hell, writer’s block sucks. God.
This is supposed to be the book that finally focuses on Simon as the main character. The fans just will not shut up about wanting one. I groan. And not in a sexy way. I mean, I know I should be flattered that they like the whole twisty ‘he’s me’ thing, but how do I write a whole book about a character I based on me? Isn’t that kind of self-serving? Cringe?
I am such a dick. Only I would write myself into a book.
My eye-rolls are practically deafening at the mere thought of it. A whole book about me who is not me. And I have only me to blame. (Other me.)
———/-/———
Read More: All on ao3 || Start: January Ch.1 || Next: March Ch.3
#year of the otp 2023#year of the otp#simon x billy#february chapter#simon lewis#billy delaney#february chapter 2#the European plug situation#chapter 2#february#the year of the otp 2023#robert sheehan character fic#tmi fanfic#tmi fic#simon#billy#robert sheehan#otp#simon is simon#pin#pinned#my pins#year of the otp event#year of the otp event 2023#year of the otp prompt event#prompt event#event#ao3 event#writing event#fic writing
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Are we still clowning on the anons trying to tell you how awful living in Europe is? Because I (a USian) saw them spouting nonsense and was like 'Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones'. Several communities there do not have access to safe drinking water at all. Texas's insistence on building their own electric grid incompatible with the rest of the country's meant that about 246 died in the 2021 winter storm. I'm trying to move to the land of bones because the US? YIKES
The US is not without its problems infrastructure wise, yes. I don't think any country is in all honesty.
Though, I think I should address how anon seemed to be getting wires crossed about the situation in Europe:
Most homes here are maybe 100 years old at most, some 150 ish, but most only 40-70 years (something something rebuilding after two world wars). Of course, you get ones built earlier that people still live in. I've known several people in my life who lived in 16th century built homes with thatched roofs. My own home is about 60 years old.
'The buildings are crumbling' yeah, they're old...so they will. But they're not falling down so there's no issue. We make repairs!
Despite their age they do have all the mod cons! Yes, including the 16th century farm houses! You see with continuous settlement people repair and renovate the existing homes, so over the years things like electricity/central heating/plumbing etc have been added.
That said, depending on when stuff like electricity and plumbing was installed it can fail. Anon said that anecdotally a socket had blown. This could be due down to age. However, it can also be down to an american adapter being the wrong voltage for the european plug socket. That tends to make them short out. I've had two american friends at uni who had plug sockets short out on them when arriving in the UK because they used the wrong voltage adapters. Nothing to do with the wiring. Mostly to do with no checking voltage requirements. I've had to do the same when holidaying on the continent. If I take the wrong one I'm gonna damage something.
While central heating and air con are in abundance in Europe, not everyone needs air con. In Northern Europe, before climate change, we experience cold winters but mild summers so our homes needed good central heating and thick walls to keep the heat in. Which they have! However, now climate change is upon us...imagine living in a house where the walls are thick and trap heat but it's 40c outside and you don't have air con still because it's still too expensive a thing to install for 3 weeks use a year at best. That's why anon has seen Europeans complaining about being too hot. The temperatures are record breaking high, and because it's not normal for it to be like that we don't have air con. Southern Europe, where it's much warmer, is where homes more regularly have air con. Pretty much every commercial building, regardless of location or age, has some sort of air conditioning and central heating system.
The 'europeans don't have central heating' probably comes from the posts about how most of us are going to freeze to death this winter due to fuel prices/shortages. We have central heating, we just can't afford to put it on. Thanks to Pusheen (fameux dictateur Russe) invading Ukraine, gas prices in Europe have gone through the roof. In the winter I used to pay £75 for gas and electric per month. Now, I pay £120 for gas alone. I live alone. My consumption is less (I halved the time I have the heating on to save money so it's -3c and I only have the heating on 2 hours a day). Many more people are in a worse off state than me. They can't afford to heat their homes at all. Add in inflation, which has pushed food prices sky high, recession, and stagnant wages, and people are dying from not being able to put the heating on. They've got it anon, but they can't afford to use it and also eat.
Moving to the 'move somewhere without bones' part of it all. Europeans are fine digging up bones and mosaics. Happens all the time, I've no idea why anon thinks we'd need to move or why we'd be mad about it. It's our history! Part of continuously living in an area for centuries means that inevitably when you dig down for foundations you're gonna find bones. That's where the Archaeologists come in! Laws here dictate that an archaeological survey must be conducted on any build site, so that if there is something there it can be properly recorded! This is so we don't end up with what we currently have where it's like 'nope no idea what's down there' and the surprise is a WWII bomb or a roman cemetery, or even a plague pit.
Actually that last one is one I've experienced. When I was looking into archaeology as a degree I went to a dig site for a new shopping centre where they'd discovered victorian ruins, a medieval abbey destroyed by Henry VIII, and a plague pit all on the same site. An absolutely wild time. These guys had to be moved or secured before the actual building work could commence. You can still go down and see the plague pit if you know the right people because the building was built in a way that preserved it.
Anyway, the digging of graves is where everyone seems to get funny with regards to archaeology. They'll accuse archeologists of grave robbing or disturbing the dead and that's so far from the truth it's unreal.
Firstly, there's so much paperwork involved when remains are found. So much. 90% of the time archaeologists don't even deal with human remains because we're digging up buildings instead. I don't know why people seem to think 99% of our work is with the dead. It's not. After finding remains, then we have to decide what is safe for them. If we can leave them in situ we will. You excavate, analyse, record the find, and then cover them back up. People seem to think we're getting to the grave site and then removing everything to keep in a box. That's only done if the remains are in danger from the construction or agriculture that's being performed there. It's a choice between saving a person's remains, or letting them get destroyed by construction work. Which do you think is more respectful in that scenario?
We don't make that decision lightly either. So many elements are factored into the decision, including the safety of the site (will someone come along and steal for the antiquities black market? See: Egypt and the reasons mummies are moved to storage when found.) and how best to keep this person's dignity. We don't want to smash through remains with bulldozers and concrete. Where we can, like that famous McDonald's in Italy with the body in the floor, we keep them in situ so they do remain in their graves. In the UK, recently, there was a huge mosaic uncovered in a field by a farmer. Archaeologists excavated it, recorded it, took a load of photos, didn't disclose the precise location, covered it back up, and then told everyone 6 months after it has been discovered just to preserve the site.
Most archaeological finds were discovered months before the public even knew about them in order to preserve the site and not get illegal traffickers trying to make money off things (again, the reason mummies in Egypt are moved to museums. it's for their safety not because no one wants them to be in their graves). We want these people and artefacts to rest in peace as much as you do. Believe it or not Archaeologists do care about the people and places they are tasked with uncovering and protecting. Sometimes you've got to move those bones because if you don't someone who doesn't care for anything but making a quick profit will dig that site and sell what they find.
Often it's a race between archaeologists discovering sites and therefore affording them security from getting disturbed, and traffickers digging in locations they know something might be and selling what they find to some rich bastard where it'll never see the light of day.
TL;DR: Europe isn't living in the Middle Ages, we're suffering from climate change and soaring fuel/food prices, and Archaeologists perform a vital job that isn't about grave robbing but about preserving and protecting the past from traffickers and giving those dead we do come across a voice in the present.
#this got long#but anon was too insistent on their bullshit yesterday that I wasn't in any mood to explain
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After derailing December's summit, Hungary has made fresh demands to Brussels in exchange for a lift on its veto on the European Union's proposed €50-billion fund for Ukraine.
The envelope, known as the Ukraine Facility, is meant to provide Kyiv with financial assistance between 2024 and 2027 to plug its ballooning public deficit, sustain essential services and pay for reconstruction efforts.
Under the original plan, the Facility was supposed to be already up and running, as Brussels has run out of financial aid for the war-torn nation.
But during a dramatic meeting of the European Council last month, Viktor Orbán waged his veto power to strike down the proposal, which is pegged to a wider review of the bloc's common budget.
It stalled the EU's support at a critical time, as Washington also struggled to overcome Republican opposition to approve a new package of military aid. The impasse on both sides of the Atlantic has put Kyiv in an increasingly precarious situation, with Russia stepping up its brutal barrage of air strikes.
However, there's a glimmer of hope: EU leaders are set to convene again on 1 February to give the Facility a second chance.
Hungary's two demands
Ahead of the make-or-break date, Hungary has touted an idea to split the package into four annual envelopes, worth €12.5 billion each, according to diplomats with knowledge of the negotiations.
In practice, the divvy-up means that EU leaders would need to give their unanimous approval every year until the cash pot is exhausted. Doing so would run counter to the Facility's aim to provide long-term, predictable assistance, as it would allow Orbán, or any other head of government, to block the aid as early as next year.
Hungary has also made an unrelated demand about the bloc's COVID-19 recovery funds, the diplomatic sources said speaking on condition of anonymity.
Under current rules, member states have until the end of August 2026 to complete the milestones and targets necessary to access all the grants and loans they have been allocated. Otherwise, the money that remains unused will be lost.
Budapest is demanding an extra two years be added to this deadline, something that would require re-opening the extraordinary legislation that set up the recovery fund. The reason for this particular request lies in the fact that Hungary has been denied access to its national plan over rule-of-law concerns and could be left with a narrow timetable to spend the funds – if it ever manages to unblock them.
Hungary's recovery and resilience plan is worth €10.4 billion, of which only €920 million have been released. Separately, the country has €11.5 billion in cohesion funds in the freezer due to a wide array of concerns over public procurement, conflicts of interests, academic freedom and LGBTQ+ rights.
Orbán has repeatedly denounced the situation as "financial blackmail" and his deputies have publicly said the more than €20 billion should be unfrozen – in their entirety – before a decision on the Ukraine Facility can be made.
The quid-pro-quo has intensified since December's catastrophic summit, resulting in what one diplomat called a "very transactional" attitude, an undisguised "trade-off."
Another diplomat noted that Hungary was "completely alone" on both the division of the Ukraine Facility and the two-year extension of the recovery funds. Germany was especially critical regarding this second demand.
Hope still alive
Nevertheless, the fact that Budapest is at least floating ideas, rather than inflexibly sticking to its veto, suggests the atmosphere has become more constructive, even if it remains fraught, and there might be limited space for a compromise of sorts.
Ambassadors approved on Wednesday a "partial negotiating mandate" to allow Belgium, the country that currently holds the EU Council's rotating presidency, to start formal talks with the European Parliament as soon as a solution on the Facility is found.
The mandate, as the name says, is "partial" because it does not include the specific details of the special fund, namely the financial figures. These gaps can only be filled once leaders meet in February and discuss the topic vis-à-vis.
If the 27 member states fail – again – to achieve a breakthrough, Brussels will be forced to design an alternative scheme outside the EU budget with the buy-in of 26 countries only to keep money flowing to Kyiv.
In a recent social media post, Orbán appeared to welcome the so-called Plan B.
"It's good to see that the European Commission is preparing a plan B for the 1st of February, according to which financial support given to Ukraine could be managed outside the EU budget," the Hungarian leader wrote. "This is a good decision! The Commission’s plan B is the Hungarian plan A!"
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All gifs by @salvador-daley
I finally have enough content to warrant a masterlist. I feel real now.
Ded & Gonne: @ded-and-gonne A tua fanfic starring Klaus Hargreeves, the Bens, and a building. Looking for gen fic? Dead & Gonne is the one for you. Latest Post: Chapter 5: A mazement
Simon x Billy: @simon-x-billy We’re going to Italy, which is a sexy country. Stars 2 boys you don’t need to recognize to love. lgbtqia+ m|m Looking for NSFW? Simon x Billy is for you. Currently participating in @yearoftheotpevent . Latest Post: Chapter 7: This is the beginning (New!) Year of the OTP: July
Ded & Gonne
All Ded & Gonne works are genfic without exception.
TWs: Klaus only dies if he really needs to. I have no plans to kill Bens.
Chapter 1: Mean Ben
Chapter 2: Got Ghosts?
Chapter 3: Klaus and Benny sittin in a tree, but strictly fraternaturally
Chapter 4: You, Klaus. You saved the world.
Chapter 5: The Eventuality of Evil loop
Chapter 6: The Evil Lair
Ded & Gonne was originally born for tua Masked Author 2022.
Devil’s Night
Don’t feel like catching up on D&G from the beginning? This is a great place to dive in.
Halloween miniseries with major plot developments for D&G
Chapter 7: Devil’s Night Part 1: Afraid of the Dark
Chapter 8: Devil’s Night Part 2: The descent
Chapter 9: Devil’s Night Part 3: The sub-sub-basement
Chapter 10: Devil’s Night Part 4: Somebody’s in the garden
Chapter 11: Devil’s Night Part 5: A mazement
Chapter 12: Devil’s Night Part 6: WIP!
The Devil’s Night miniseries was originally born for Sheehalloween 2022
header by @circumstellars
Simon x Billy
Simon x Billy is NSFW beginning at Chapter 8.
Brokenhearted boy from Brooklyn on depressing vacation to Italian Riviera meets Irish lad with secret past. TW: m|m first-time.
Purple Demon smut ranking, because they’re horny little devils.
Chapter 1: Where’s Giuseppe WTF?
Chapter 2: The European Plug Situation
Chapter 3: My red stripe of pain
Chapter 4: You’re too pretty, go’way
Chapter 5: Are you alive?
Chapter 6: You look good. What happened?
Chapter 7: Where’s the helipad
Chapter 7.5: She’s formidable
Chapter 8: This is the beginning 😈 very, very tame
Chapter 9: So that happened 😈 very, very tame
Chapter 10: Let the slings and arrows commence
Chapter 11: Whatever you say, Ma
Chapter 12: Attack of the tiny flying human 😈 half a demon
Chapter 13: wip!
Begun for Sheehanksgiving 2021 || Chapter 12 begins submissions for the Year of OTP 2023 event
© 2020-2023 firstpersonnarrator. I do not consent to my works being edited, reposted, performed, or translated.
#firstpersonnarrator masterlist#robert sheehan#klaus hargreeves#ben hargreeves#the umbrella academy#tua#tua fanfic#sparrow ben hargreeves#klaus hargreeves fanfic#ded & gonne#justin h min#tmi fanfic#simon x billy#the mortal instruments#tmi#simon lewis#billy delaney#masterlist#evil ben hargreeves#evil ben#ghost ben#gen fic#genfic#robert sheehan character fanfic#ded and gonne antiquarian booksellers and supernatural detectors#ded and gonne#books and bodies#pin#new new ben#pinned
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Blanket Permission
Technically I should be posting this on my main blog @akai-no-tsuki which is with I joined in on @dcmksecretsanta but... art blog is art blog.
This gift is for @a-pollojustice. I hope you like it. I’ll also be posting this to AO3 at some point so if you got an account, shoot it to me either in dm to one of my blogs or then in a reblog.
This story is written mainly from platonic point of view but some stuff can be interpreted romantically as well.
There was only one blanket.
Now, normally this wouldn’t be an issue if there was just the two of them. Sharing a blanket had not been strange when they were kids and not that weird as teenagers either. But they were fully grown now. And they had three other friends. Three other, fully grown men.
Which made it five fully grown men trying to share one blanket.
“To be fair, we also have only one sofa.” Hagiwara pointed out.
“There is nothing fair about that.” Matsuda snapped immediately.
“Guys, please…” Hiro tried to play the peacemaker. In vain really, Rei was half of the mind that take the blanked and Hiro both and lock themselves into one of their rooms to watch whodunnits on their phones. Problem was though… It was Date’s blanket. One, he’d brought from home. He couldn’t just steal it away.
“We all do fit on the sofa.” Date pointed out. “It won’t be a problem to spread the blanket to cover all of us.”
Why were they commiserating over the one blanket though? On Christmas no less which was the time of couples during which Date really should’ve been out there with Natalie. Simple really. They were snowed in at the dorms. And while electricity or water wasn’t cut off, it was a bit… drafty to spend time in communal lounges. They had food prepared and the Christmas tree smuggled in. They had Matsuda’s rigged decorative lights. A lot of non-romantic paraphernalia that they’d gathered, inspired by some European traditions. Date had called Natalie and cancelled the date. She had apparently been very understanding. Especially since her flight from Hokkaido had been cancelled as well and thus she wasn’t even Tokyo yet.
But that left the five of them trapped in their dorm with nigh nothing to do. Well, there were things to do, the problem was in agreeing. While they’d grown closer in the past months, they were still wildly different in personalities and interest.
Ultimately, they’d agreed on a movie night of sorts. With the intention to laugh at cheesy plots, criticise inaccuracies and maybe improve their English by listening the original voice-track instead of the dubbing. But that had led to argument just which movies to watch… and somehow, they’d ended up agreeing on Mythbusters episodes.
With that resolved though, came the seating arrangements. The one sofa and two armchairs that face the television onto which a computer had been plugged. The draftiness of the lounge. And the singular blanket.
“I’ll go make the drinks.” Rei decided then, removing himself from the situation and heading towards the communal kitchen. They had various liquors stashed as well as some hot chocolate… Maybe could try a mix of both? And afterwards top the night with some Port?
Making hot chocolate was fortunately easy, considering how limited the kitchenette was. Just one teaspoonful of cocoa powder at the bottom of each cup, two of sugar, pour hot water on top and mix. Then add a dash of milk and any other embellishments as needed or wanted. In this case, Rei took some bourbon and added it in.
As Rei was putting the drinks together, Hiromitsu joined in. The dark-haired man began taking out bowls for snacks and opening bags of crisps and salty crackers.
“What’s the verdict?” Rei asked.
“Well… we can fit onto the sofa if we squeeze… But also if you and Matsuda-san sit on top of us. Since you are the shortest ones.” Hiromitsu smiled mildly. Rei frowned. While correct… since Date was stocky and Hagiwara lanky…
“Aren’t you the lightest one of us?” Because Rei and Matsuda were both more physically inclined while Hiromitsu was excelled in kendo and marksmanship.
“So you’d rather have me in your lap than the opposite?” Hiromitsu teased.
“I didn’t say anything like that!” As kids, it was different. Wrestling on the ground, sitting together, hugging indiscriminately. They were adults now.
“Sure sounded like it.”
“Don’t twist my words!”
“Oh, never.”
The drinks got made despite all that good-natured bickering and they brought the snacks to the lounge as well. The other three of their squad had apparently come to the decision of sorts and…
The armchairs were pushed sideways in front of the sofa. And Matsuda was in process of removing the armrests of the side against the sofa.
“This looks like… a convertible sofa now.” Hiromitsu noted.
“It’ll give us more leg space.” Hagiwara smiled. “And allows us to not necessarily be on top of each other.”
“That’s a relief.” Rei sighed and laid the tray with the hot chocolate cups on the nearby coffee table.
“And this way we can all fit under the blanket.” Date nodded decisively.
In hindsight, they probably shouldn’t have fixated on fitting underneath the blanket, but as they clambered onto the sofa and tried hard not to spill their drinks… It was comfortable. Cosy really. The first episode was put running and bets were made over whether or not the myth would be confirmed, busted or even plausible. Discussion was roused, drinks drunk and snacks devoured. At one point a Christmas special began as well. Something about longevity of Christmas trees.
“Hairspray? That’d make it extra flammable!”
“Bleach will just kill the tree!”
“I’m mildly baffled over urethane.”
“None of you are commenting on the lemonade?”
“Well, aspirin will do nothing at all.”
It was unanimously decided that their own tree would be fed on plain water, no matter the final result of the mythbusting.
Hours later found them all drowsy but comfortable. Hiromitsu reached out to switch off the television while the computer had already entered sleep mode. Date was shooting a short goodnight message to Natalie. Hagiwara and Matsuda were already asleep. Rei struggled to keep his eyes open. They should clean up the dishes… but it was so comfortable underneath the blanket. And so silent in the dormitories… Hiro and Date were talking quietly on the background and…
“Merry Christmas, Zero.”
Yeah, this was good.
#secret santa#dcmk#detective conan#wild police story#squad shenanigans#furuya rei#morofushi hiromitsu#date wataru#matsuda jinpei#hagiwara kenji#fanfiction#will be reblogged#will be resposted#a-pollojustice
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another funny really long story - and kinda related to the university situation in les mis thing - that happened at my uni was that they were renovating the ceiling. Bear with me
Now the architecture building was already a design nightmare because they hired a fancy architect (shakes fist at hell ARTIGAS!!) who designed a very complex building, but when they built it they cut a Lot of corners. The result is the air circulation was null, the ceiling was partly transluscent and no teacher could project anything on the board cause it was too bright. You could get sunburnt in class and you needed to wear sunglasses indoors to draw on white paper. That's what you get when basically all of the architecture canon is european but you're designing for Brasil. Anyway
The concrete ceiling wasn't fully waterproofed and it had deteriorated since the 70s when it was built, so when I enrolled they were in the process of scraping off the top layer of concrete (and throwing all the dust inside???? theoretically they weren't but we saw them do it several times). There were also leaks constantly and the ceiling had developed several long white stalactites that I kinda loved, unrelated to the renovation this is just what happens to bad waterproofing on concrete. Also occasionally you had wall plugs short circuiting and catching fire cause of the leaks. So to sum up: ceiling was in rough shape.
So every morning you had to bring a cloth to wipe the seat and your desk and toxic concrete dust would be falling on your head all day. Classes went fron 8am to 6pm but because people loved to take extended luch breaks to smoke pot in practice lessons lasted from 8 to 8. 12 hours of very toxic dust on your head and no windows in the classrooms
(the rest of the building was very open, lest you think I hate the building. But the classrooms.............)
Instead of redoing the waterproofing in sections (shutting off one part of the massive building at a time) they decided to do it in waves, so they scraped all the dusk on top of your head while classes were still going, exposing the metal structure to rain and making horrible noise all day! Like maniacs! And then covering it after (I never made it to that era before I dropped out)
One bio student that was taking an extra class there gave up because there were pidgeos flying around and she was afraid to get some parasite from the ceiling pidgeon water. True story
So the revolting architecture students one day had enough. The student government called the company that was doing the renovation into a meeting and they demanded they change their plans. Work different hours and stop fucking throwing dust on students. The meeting led to nothing and the students decided to do a walk out.
Important to note that elsewhere, the dean was discussing cutting paid vacation from the uni's employees and teachers and there was some serious organizing going on there. The dean is an elected position and it was election year. There were a lot of protests blocking off the university's gates, it's complicated to explain but the campus is as big as a city and a lot of regular traffic passes through it
Now, the walk out of the architecture students lasted two weeks. They blocked the entrance ramps with a mountain of chairs and piled up the desks of the workshops. I also used the opportunity to climb up the desks and touch the ceiling cause I had always wanted to do that. It was a pretty high ceiling as well
During the walkout, the employee's union and the teacher's union, as well as the student government, had a massive meeting on the auditorium (I think there were about 800 people there in total) where it was decided they would go on strike and the students throughout the whole uni joined in so what was supposed to be 2 weeks extended to 6 weeks. The employees got what they wanted.
Unfortunately the ceiling renovation continued as usual. But I did take some cool pictures of the pile of chairs that's in my hard drive somewhere
All this to say that the american concept of university is very new and does not reflect my experience in uni at all. University is messy, extremely political, an administration nightmare, full of protesting and organizing and it's also full of pidgeon shit and pot. So people slacking off for 20 years to graduate, not unusual and not even that noteworthy
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Also ok sorry last thing, the public architecture course in 1968 - during the absolute toughest time in the military dictatorship - was located in the city center next to a fancy private neoliberal school named Mackenzie. Mack and FAU students hated each other. A big chunk of Mack students were fascists and FAU were all left wing and a bit gay, and so for some reason I'm not familiar with, there was a big march of FAU students and of Mack students in Maria Antonia street. There was a confrontation that led to hospitalizations and a huge backlash against the left wing side, with a ton of teachers getting fired and students being arrested. Government ended up taking that as an opportunity to move the architecture students to the suburbs in a big campus that's very hard to reach by bus so they'd stop being a nuisance
well joke's on them cause this isn't the suburbs anymore and all of the city's traffic can be easily stopped by closing one gate. Suck on that
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A followup
So apparently, if buying a car in Almaty, you have a couple choices. One is to buy new, in which case, in addition to paying a fairly big chunk relative to median Kazakhstani purchasing power, you may have to wait several months to get your hands on your actual car. Another is to go through some kind of service that appears to get you a used car from Korea, and promise only a 25-35 day wait and possibly a cheaper price.
(And then you thank your car salesmen and run off and perform at this year’s Gakku Melodies and look good doing so, but that is not the point of this post.)
Which brings up a whole new set of questions I didn’t even get to in the previous post, which was preoccupied with the implications of conspicuous consumption by our faves but not the why they had to consume so conspicuously in the first place. Which is to say: how many obstacles lie between the median car and the median Kazakhstani consumer, pop star or no, anyway? I did a search for “buying a car in kazakhstan” and found this 2016 Astana Times article, which stated that in the first half of 2016 (which Kazakhstan’s economy was a little better than it is now), the country saw 21,964 new vehicles purchased. (I’m betting “preowned in Korea” counts as “new” for these purposes.) For comparison’s sake, this site, which claims to be counting new sales, estimates that 17 million new cars were bought in the US in 2016. Kazakhstan has approximately 5.4% of the population of the US, so if Kazakhstanis bought cars like Americans bought cars, they’d have bought roughly 918,000 cars in 2016, not 45,000 cars.
You might say: but cars are dangerous and polluting and warp cities et cetera et cetera! We don’t want Kazakhstanis, or anyone else for that matter, to buy cars like Americans buy cars! Fair point. And it may be that cars simply aren’t that popular in Kazakhstan. I suspect, however, that the optimal level of car-buying in Kazakhstan (as determined by potential Kazakhstani car-buyers) is somewhere north of 50,000 cars a year, and purchases are suppressed not by low demand but by low supply, probably complicated by import taxes and limited supply chains.
Here’s Almaz Kumenov for Eurasianet in August:
Kazakh customers also face little choice these days. Popular Japanese and European brands are simply not available. Many models were manufactured in Russia, where factories have been forced to suspend production due to international sanctions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. That has caused an acute shortage of cars and spare parts in Kazakhstan.
Toyota Center Jetysu, an Almaty dealer of one of the most popular brands in Kazakhstan, told Eurasianet that it had suspended sales indefinitely due to the factory shutdown in St. Petersburg.
In addition, Russian authorities have banned the export of many types of spare parts, causing prices to soar....
Alexei Alexeyev, editor-in-chief of the Almaty-based automobile magazine Za Rulem, told Eurasianet that manufacturers from Europe have rerouted cargoes through Turkey, bypassing Russia, which has significantly increased shipping times and costs.
"Scheduled maintenance, which involves a simple change of oil, filters and spark plugs on my Volkswagen Tiguan has risen [in price] by 2.5 times this year to 192,000 tenge [$400], which is incredibly expensive," Alexeyev said. “The crisis is unlikely to end soon, we can only hope for a supply of parts from China."
So I go back to my original question: what does it mean to make an Instagram-Storied adventure out of public car buying now? Unless Ace got a break on the price by shouting out Carpride, the import-a-used-car-from-Korea service, in his Stories; in which case I throw my hands up and say, I’m overthinking this, and in such a situation I’d probably trust Eaglez’ patience and turn on my phone camera too.
(It is remotely possible that going to some trouble to buy a Korean car, at a time when Chinese auto manufacturers are apparently eager to do business in Kazakhstan, is a subtle political statement. But see above re: my overthinking all this.)
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Mvelo Mahlangu in NYC, Day 25
Last night, I made a timed plan of how I would see the museums today. I would start off by going to the Whitney just as it opened and leave in time so that I could make it to the exhibition at Apexart with Fabiola. Afterwards, I would go around the are with Ryan to see galleries and then would make my way to the MOMA, stay for 2 hours and then make my way to the Met before it closed. My plan was very ambitious, but I’d give it a try. Making my way over to the Whitney Museum, I took the bus from the apartment. Once I stepped off, I had to walk a couple blocks and I realised that the streets leading to the museum reminded me so much of what looked to me like European streets. It felt so different from most parts of NY that I had been to. It was beautiful nonetheless. I was so excited that I could now engage with art and see many works. I started off by seeing the artist Harold Cohen whose works were considered the first form or reach at AI art. His works were created by using plotters that would be preprogrammed in such a way that you could attach pens and the machine would draw lines and images based on the points he would plug in. It was fascinating watching a machine draw a picture. The Whitney Museum has balconies on each floor which allow you to go up or down a floor instead of taking an elevator, so I got to see another view and skyline of New York that faced East, towards Broadway. It's so interesting seeing New York from above or a higher perspective as opposed to being on the ground. I savoured this view and made my way back into the building and came across some modern contemporary artworks. Then I made my way over onto the other floors and came across a painting by artist Edward Hooper called 'Woman in the sun’ which I had recently seen online by chance and it intrigued me. So seeing it in person I was able to appreciate it even more.
With only a couple minutes left, I quickly made my way over to apexart for the curatorial tour of “Build what we hate. Destroy what we love”. What a powerful title as well. I had walked in just as the tour was about to start and greeted the curator Fabiola. There were quite a few other guests as well and we all stood in the Gallery section of the apexart building. Its funny because I was finally able to see this room even though I could only see a sliver of it when I would meet with Nia. So my curiosity was being satiated. The exhibition was such a beautiful and powerful ode to Venezuela, its people, and the documentation of migration out of the country. I had not known that Venezuela had one of the highest rates of migration out of the country, with people trying to seek a better life for themselves. Fabiola combed through the artists works and also gave perspective on what these migrations would involve. We looked at video work, photographs and installations which all had really heartfelt stories attached to them. My favourite was the tapestry installation by the artist Cassandra Mayela, which were stories literally woven together using fabrics donated by people who migrated over to the US from Venezuela. These fabrics were pants that people wore during the migration, shirts that people wore to their first job in the States, bags that were used to carry personal items when migrating. It was such a sentimental piece of work representing the hopes and dream of these people.
Afterwards, Ryan and I head out to go see some galleries in the area. When I first visited the apexart office, I walked passed so many galleries which made me think that apexart was situated in an area where you’d usually find galleries. To my surprise, Ryan had told me that this wasn’t the case a few years ago, with apexart being the one of the only gallery around. I wonder why so many galleries picked this area to open up. Nonetheless, we stumbled upon some interesting works which I really liked. There was one body of work that I like in particular throughout our whole galley hopping. The artists name is Paulo Nimar Pjota, whose paintings at first glance look so whimsical and ethereal. I later looked his works up and saw that his works are inspired by a mix of mythology, realism and architecture. There was an installation we had also seen at a different gallery that was exhibiting works which created optical illusions through the use of reflection. My eyes and brain could not understand what I was looking at and I thought to myself if this piece of work were displayed in prehistoric times, people would think you’re a witch or magician, hahah. Through our wandering, I got to know a bit about what Ryan does outside of Apexart and the types of art/creation he delves in. It was really interesting engaging with someone who has a foot in multiple disciplines and their process. One our way back to the apexart office, we came across the most intriguing synagogue I’ve ever seen. It was wedged between two buildings and was a complete contrast as its facade had no windows at all and looked like a concrete curved form. What made it even more beautiful was that the building opposite it had windows which reflected the suns light onto the synagogue faceted, giving it this ghostly impression of windows. Upon arriving back at apexart, I wished everyone farewell and thanked them for looking after me during my stay. It was a little bit sad, again, having to say goodbye but all the more to cherish the connections.
I immediately made my way over to the MOMA which was quite packed, and realised very quickly that I would not make it to the MET. There was too much to see, and too little time. I would keep The MET visit for another time. I absolutely loved the huge open space I was greeted with when entering the MOMA building. I made my way through the building and was amazed at how big some of the works were. It was insane thinking that all this space could exist in New York, just for art from all over the world. I did my best to pace myself but also wanted to see as much as I could. Childhood me would have been so happy to know that I stumbled on 2 huge Monet paintings of the water lilies and got a real good look at his works. I always really loved Monet's paints and his impressionist style. Moving from room to room I started getting overwhelmed by how many works there are and by so many artists I love. After having my fill, I decided to go to the MOMA store downstairs and bought a few small gifts for some friends. I really needed to start packing and cleaning so rushed back to the apartment. On the way back, I savoured my last subway ride and thought of how much I had grown from feeling so clueless to finally getting a grasp.
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Hetalia OC! Enter, Benimaru Kirkland. [Part 2]
Warnings: idk if it counts as abandonment, hospitalization
What does the term “fighting” mean to your character?
Keep on living. He spent 19 years of his life cooped inside a stuffy room in a hospital, attached to machines and tubes. Hoping for his life to change. Hearing his family considering cutting of the plug, hear the whispers of relatives of how much of a burden he was. The only few he can rely on are his nurses, who take care of his needs, ofc, he knows that they're just doing their job, still, he's grateful.
Benimaru kept holding on, until Arthur came along. They made a deal, and boom, he's London's representative. Albeit the process of becoming one is excruciatingly painful.
Does he/she believe in love?
In all his life, he never considered a partner, much less love. It held no meaning to him, yet. He couldn't remember his real family, they died in a tsunami, and left him at an orphanage in USA, until another family adopted him, the family that wants to cut off his life support.
He can't blame them, really. Healthcare is expensive. It must've been hard for them to take care and hold onto a sickly child that's not even their own.
If he's so much of a burden to those around him, who's to say that his partner is the same? Love is dead, there's only fakeness. And Benimaru thrives in half-truths, but one things for sure, he thought that he will never experience love ever again. His 'relationship' with Arthur is only boss-underling, he didn't mind it, he never minds anything. He won't burden Arthur, his saviour. Never will. Or he hopes so.
Does your oc have big plans for the future? What are these plans?
Quite a few. He is thinking of becoming a social media icon, and hiding his identity. Wearing mask that covers his whole face, not talking, but use body exaggeration. Oh! He loves dancing, he'll upload a video about it in a studio room he rented in the UK, ofc not forgetting his accessories.
When life gives your oc lemons, what do they do?
Thanked whoever gave him lemons, and use it to make drinks and desserts for Arthur and himself, perhaps the neighbours too if he makes too much.
If he/she was an animal, what would he/she be? What is the first thing she'd/he'd do when she/he learn she's/he's an animal?
A cat. He will take a shrug once he figures out that he cannot break dance, jumping onto Arthur's lap, taking a nap.
Would an unfortunately timed fart make them laugh?
First, he needs to process the situation, then doubles down to the floor, shaking from holding back his laughter, he wants to avoid Arthur's nagging about him being un-gentlemanlike.
What languages does your oc speak? What is his/her mother language?
Benimaru speaks american english, mandarin, and a small bit of indonesian. He is Chinese Indonesians(before being a representative) after all. But he's now an european after accepting Arthur's deal, that's the only thing he saw as a bummer, he would much prefer his old look, but his new one isn't too bad.
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Europe’s Green Agenda Collides With Geopolitical, Economic Reality
The European Union is coming under pressure to pare back its sweeping plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions amid fierce resistance from farmers as well as demands to boost military spending to counter Russia.
The EU has rolled out a raft of new regulations, taxes and investment programs in recent years that propelled the bloc to the forefront of the global fight to combat climate change. As European governments implement the measures, however, they are colliding with farmers, business groups and politicians who say the climate agenda is out of step with more urgent problems on the continent.
European leaders are soul-searching over how to increase defense and security as the war in Ukraine drags on and the prospect of a second Trump administration looms. Former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate in the U.S. presidential contest, has spoken positively of Russian President Vladimir Putin and promised to broker an immediate peace deal. Anxieties are running high over the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the crux of European defense.
The war has also fueled higher energy prices across the continent—a flashpoint that triggered a wave of farmer protests in recent weeks as tractors poured onto roadways, snarling traffic in what farmers described as a siege of European capitals. To end the unrest, Berlin and Paris were forced to take the costly step of delaying planned reductions in diesel-fuel subsidies for farmers.
“We can’t remain in this situation,” said Arnaud Rousseau, head of France’s main farmers union. “Europe must not disarm itself in terms of food sovereignty.”
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, ran into resistance from member states to a proposal that sought to allocate 10 billion euros, or about $10.7 billion, in fresh money for strategic technologies, including those aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
In negotiations with the European Parliament that ended with a political agreement early Wednesday morning, member states succeeded in limiting the new funding to €1.5 billion and keeping it focused exclusively on the defense industry. The agreement still needs formal approval by member states and parliament.
The pushback is a sign of how political winds are shifting across the continent. National governments are operating under tightened budgets amid fears they aren’t doing enough to address tensions over trade and immigration. Those anxieties are fueling support for far-right parties ahead of the European Parliament elections in June. They are also sending billions in military and economic aid to Ukraine as part of an effort to counter Russian expansionism.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a regulatory pause last year, warning that a flood of climate-related red tape risked driving companies to instead invest in China and the U.S., where the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to unleash hundreds of billions in incentives and funding for clean energy. Macron has also been vocal about Europe’s need to develop an industrial policy that boosts military spending on homegrown defense contractors and plugs critical holes in the continent’s weapons supplies.
The EU has mostly plowed ahead in implementing its green agenda. The bloc’s €800 billion pandemic-recovery fund requires countries to allocate at least 37% of the spending to green measures and can be used until the end of 2026. Last year, the bloc enacted a first-of-its-kind plan to tax certain imports based on their greenhouse-gas emissions and a ban starting in 2035 on the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars.
On Tuesday, the European Commission recommended the bloc set a target to reduce net greenhouse-gas emissions by 90% by 2040 compared with 1990 levels.
Wave after wave of farmer protests, however, have forced Brussels to trim some of its agenda.
The commission said Tuesday that it was withdrawing a proposed law aimed at sharply curbing the use of pesticides in farming after it was rejected by the European Parliament last year. The proposal “has become a symbol of polarization,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Last week, the commission agreed to delay the full implementation of a new rule requiring farmers to set aside at least 4% of their land for nonproductive purposes to continue to receive the bloc’s subsidies—a provision aimed at boosting biodiversity and soil quality.
The concession on farmland wasn’t enough to stop hundreds of farmers from converging outside the European Parliament in Brussels last week as EU leaders gathered for a summit nearby. The group burned tires and pulled down a statue near the parliament building, saying they were frustrated with increased regulation from Brussels and a decline in their income.
In Germany, farmer protests forced the government to announce it would stagger planned cuts to diesel-fuel subsidies.
In France, Macron’s government has scrapped plans to partly raise the reduced tax rate it applies to diesel used in agriculture. The reduced rate costs €1.7 billion a year.
Macron has bent to protest over fuel taxes before. He decided to freeze a tax on the carbon content of various fuels to quell the 2018 yellow-vest movement. The tax was supposed to rise from €44.6 per ton of carbon dioxide to €86.20 in 2022 and then €100 in 2030.
The decision cost the French government €3.9 billion in 2018, rising to €15.4 billion in 2022. https://archive.li/DAT8b
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10 Tips About Company You wish You Knew Before
But Fisker and co-founder Bernhard Koehler did not just design a automotive; in 2007 they established a new American automotive company and much of that company's ethic is instilled within the Karma, together with a stage of luxurious at the moment seen only in excessive-end sedans. The connection between these parts is tuned by way of proprietary methods crafted by Quantum Applied sciences, a company that delves into alternate gas and drive methods for civilian and navy automobiles. Mark Arold, director of vehicle and powertrain engineering for Quantum Applied sciences, stated the batteries might be recharged via traditional 110-volt AC dwelling electrical techniques, or a 240-volt AC system -- additionally found in houses and used to power large appliances like electric stoves and clothes dryers. The facility plant of the Fisker's Q Drive system -- a Quantum Technologies plug-in hybrid system that was particularly developed for Fisker Automotive -- is two 201-horsepower electric motors working through the car's rear differential. In addition, most Americans and Europeans -- about 60 % -- drive their vehicles fewer than 50 miles per day. However, the Karma's battery pack will operate the car for a range of about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) below very best situations -- remember, speed, terrain and driving style all play a role in depleting battery power to a greater or lesser diploma -- meaning no emissions for these miles.
The result's a sports activities automobile that will get about 100 miles per gallon (42.5 kilometers per liter) and looks good while doing it, too. Carbon emissions released by your engine on account of the strategy of internal combustion -- the burning of fossil fuels to create power -- float up into the ambiance, creating smog and increasing native temperatures. The Karma's charging strategy includes an on-board generator hooked to a 260-horsepower, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection Ecotec engine. Whereas driving, the Karma's gasoline engine will run the on-board generator if the batteries drop beneath a sure power level, or if the demand on the electric motors cannot be met by battery power alone. Lithium ion batteries come in a bewildering number of shapes, sizes, types and voltages, and battery manufacturers believe cracking the code to creating a actually effective battery may usher in a new energy age. Once a automotive is rolling, the energy necessary to overcome the initial inertia becomes less and less, and due to this fact, much less and fewer vitality (fuel) is used. They also pitch the automotive as "eco-chic," with environmentally-friendly elements abound, each inside and out.
Keep reading to find out extra about the Karma, the shiny new world of PHEVs and consider whether or not or not you are able to pony up the estimated $80,000 to be the first on the block to plug in your automobile at night. rose limousine service studying to seek out out. Ultimately, Darrow, on behalf of the defense, requested that the jury find Scopes guilty in order that the case might proceed to the state Supreme Court docket, where the constitutional ban could be presumably overturned. In 1986, the Georgia State Board of Paroles pardoned Frank. The mall nonetheless stands in a state of derelict repair. Horsepower and torque numbers still play a job, however gone are the times of bigger is at all times higher. The Karma's motors produce almost 1,000 foot-pounds of torque (1,356 newton-meters) -- all of which is offered instantly. Electric motors produce their most torque instantly and want less vitality to maneuver the same quantity of mass.
Like other hybrids, the Karma takes advantage of regenerative braking to help stop the automotive and benefit from the kinetic energy potential of the automotive during a coast or brake situation. Cars usually use the most vitality to start rolling after a standstill. Lithium-ion batteries offer several advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries that we see in most vehicles today. World statistics indicate pollution from cars is highest throughout brief commutes and typical around-town errands. During a brief drive, like within the case of local errands and most daily commute driving, the engines simply don't reach that critical operating temperature. For almost all automobiles, the engine and emissions management system needs to be at a specific working temperature to function at its peak effectiveness. Nissan launched the A31 collection Cefiro sedan to Japan in September 1988, sharing its transmission, engine and rear suspension setup with the R32 Skyline, F31 Leopard, and C33 Laurel - with the exception of the diesel engine, which was available only within the Laurel. The Ecotec engine is produced by General Motors and used by a number of automobile companies.
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Palestinian activist on twitter warning the global south that they will be next I'm like... we are in fact being next and it's terrifying
The other day I sat outside my apartment building at the micromercado, la vecina plugs in a big speaker in the evenings and plays salsa so people can drink outside. I got a beer, queso de hoja, y cheese triz and sat in one of the concrete cubes drinking and singing along. I just, felt so happy and at home, in a way I remember missing when I was in NYC in a terrible living environment or in texas, etc. This year I imagined myself immigrating, made plans to do it in fact. I talked to my family, I constantly imagined myself going to Portugal or another country that was feasible and I just thought about how miserable I'd be going out for drinks or a meal with a bunch of europeans who just live in their own little world and do not care about the global south beyond a supportive social media post at most. I am sure I could find a community who would care, immigrants who are in similar situations... but how could I live my life in a place where everything is fine, no war no pillaging, knowing what is going on with my people? How can I muster the will to live ripped from my land... In any case I know it might be inevitable to have to escape at some point as some of my loved ones have had to do. In the meantime, every second I get to stay here is precious.
Just sitting there listening to songs I've heard since I was a child, sounds, smells, sightings that are familiar and not foreign, it's irreplaceable. I thought a lot about palestinians. I imagine my home torn down or bombed, the micromercado bombed, the places my friends built destroyed. Imagining doesn't even come close to what Palestinians are experiencing. My heart hurts so deeply for them. I share their grief as my land is pushed towards the same fate, with mass killings in esmeraldas, mass rapings, kidnappings, armed robbery, foreign companies buying air and water reserves, mining companies killing community leaders. I do not want to lose my home but it is clear what happens when the powers that be decide they want something.
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Infertility Treated with Acupuncture - Fertility Support
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Al Zerwa Trading LLC
Valves are essential mechanical devices used to control the flow of fluids or gases within a system, such as in industrial processes, plumbing, and transportation. They play a pivotal role in regulating the movement of substances by opening, closing, or partially obstructing passages, thereby ensuring the efficient functioning of pipelines and machinery. Valves come in various types, including ball valves, gate valves, and butterfly valves, each tailored to specific applications. They are crucial components in industries ranging from oil and gas to water treatment and manufacturing.
Al Zerwa Trading LLC, situated in Dubai, is a reputable supplier known for delivering high-quality valves, pipes, pipe fittings, and more. With their expertise and comprehensive product range, they cater to the diverse needs of clients across various sectors, contributing to the seamless operation of critical systems.
About Al Zerwa Trading LLC
Al Zerwa Trading Co.LLC (AZT) stands as a prominent figure in the industrial solutions arena since its inception in 2003. They are a leading supplier of top-notch Valves, Pipes, Pipe fittings, Hydraulic clamps, Hydroline products, and essential Oilfield items. AZT's unwavering dedication to excellence has propelled them to the forefront of the industry.
Their robust affiliations with esteemed European and American manufacturers have enabled them to expand their product range and serve clients across the GCC region. Impressively, they've successfully exported their offerings to over 30 countries, earning international trust and respect.
AZT primarily serves the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical sectors, offering a diverse catalog of superior products. Their core mission goes beyond supplying products; they deliver solutions that empower industries worldwide.
In line with their vision, AZT aspires to set new standards of excellence in quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction, aiming to lead the industry. Their core values include integrity, innovation, customer dedication, teamwork, and collaboration, serving as the bedrock of their commitment to excellence.
Products Offered By Al Zerwa Trading LLC
Gate Valves:
Gate valves are widely used to control the flow of liquids or gases in pipelines. They offer excellent shut-off capabilities due to their straightforward design. Advantages include low pressure drop, minimal fluid resistance, and reliable sealing. They are suitable for applications requiring full or partial flow control and are often preferred in systems that demand tight sealing and on/off operation.
Globe Valves:
Globe valves regulate fluid flow by raising or lowering a plug into the path of the flow. They provide precise control and excellent throttling capabilities. Advantages include accurate flow adjustment, good shut-off properties, and durability. Globe valves are commonly used in applications where fine-tuning of flow rates is necessary, making them suitable for industries like HVAC and water treatment.
Butterfly Valves:
Butterfly valves are versatile and lightweight, designed for quick on/off control of flow. Their advantages include compact size, low cost, and ease of operation. They offer low-pressure drop and efficient sealing. These valves are commonly used in applications where space and weight considerations are crucial, such as HVAC systems and water distribution.
Pressure Safety/Relief Valves:
Pressure safety or relief valves are essential for maintaining system safety by releasing excess pressure. Advantages include preventing over-pressurization, safeguarding equipment, and ensuring system integrity. They find critical use in industries like oil and gas, where controlling pressure is crucial to avoid accidents and equipment damage.
Check Valve:
Check valves allow fluid to flow in one direction while preventing backflow. Their advantages include preventing reverse flow, reducing the risk of water hammer, and eliminating the need for manual operation. Check valves are vital in applications where backflow prevention is essential, such as sewage systems and irrigation.
Bellow Seal Valves:
Bellow seal valves use a flexible metal bellows to create a hermetic seal. Advantages include superior leak-tightness, protection against corrosion, and reduced maintenance. They are commonly used in corrosive or toxic fluid handling applications, where maintaining a leak-free seal is critical, ensuring safety and environmental compliance.
Marine Valve:
Marine valves are specialized valves designed for use in maritime applications. They offer advantages such as corrosion resistance due to their materials and coatings, ensuring durability in harsh saltwater environments. These valves play a critical role in controlling fluid flow on ships, regulating water intake and discharge, and managing various systems. Their reliability is essential for safe and efficient maritime operations, making them crucial components for vessel performance and safety.
Flanges:
Flanges are essential components used to connect pipes, valves, and other equipment in piping systems. Their advantages include ease of installation, versatility in joining different pipe materials, and the ability to disassemble and reassemble components. Flanges also provide leak-tight connections, enhancing system integrity. They are widely used in industries such as oil and gas, water treatment, and manufacturing, where secure and efficient pipe connections are essential for seamless operations.
Conclusion
The valve industry in UAE is important and always changing, serving various sectors like Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, and Maritime. Al Zerwa Trading Co.LLC (AZT) is a top supplier of valves in the UAE. They offer a wide range of valve products, including Gate Valves, Globe Valves, Butterfly Valves, Pressure Safety/Relief Valves, Check Valves, Bellow Seal Valves, Marine Valves, and Flanges.
Please note that the information in this blog is based on general knowledge and perceptions, and it doesn't provide specific details.
For more detailed information about the company and its services, you can visit Tradersfind. Tradersfind connects manufacturers, suppliers, and businesses with customers and sellers. It has an easy-to-use platform where buyers can easily find and contact Al Zerwa Trading Co.LLC for the services they need. Tradersfind is a valuable resource for people looking for information.
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Apple's 2023 iPhone Event Recap: New Devices and Updates
Apple's highly anticipated 2023 iPhone event has come and gone, leaving tech enthusiasts buzzing with excitement. While some of the announcements were expected due to prior leaks and rumors, there were still plenty of exciting developments to dissect. Let's dive into the key highlights from the event.
The New iPhone Lineup
As always, Apple's iPhone lineup took center stage. This year, we were introduced to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Notably absent was the iPhone SE, which many were hoping to see, but rumors suggest it might join the lineup next year. The biggest surprise came in the form of a significant change: Apple bid farewell to the Lightning port across the entire iPhone 15 lineup in favor of USB-C, a shift driven by European Union legislation mandating USB-C charging ports on mobile devices sold within the bloc.
While this change means that your collection of Lightning cables and accessories will become less relevant, it also brings increased compatibility with other devices. You'll now be able to use the same cable to power up your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or even the new AirPods Pro case. Additionally, USB-C offers faster data transfer rates than Lightning cables, making it a win for those who still plug their phones into computers.
In terms of screen sizes, the iPhone 15 and Pro models have retained their predecessors' dimensions. The base iPhone 15 and the Pro feature 6.1-inch displays, while the Plus and Pro Max boast larger 6.7-inch screens.
Revamped Design and Display
Apple has introduced an all-new design with rounded edges for the iPhone 15. Notably, the dynamic island that debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro has been extended to the entire lineup this year. The iPhone 15 boasts a 2,000-nit Super Retina XDR display, which is twice as bright as the previous generation iPhone 14. This brightness enhancement delivers up to 1,600 nits for viewing Dolby Vision video and other HDR content.
The camera system on the iPhone 15 also received a significant upgrade. It now includes a 48MP main camera, an ultrawide lens, and a TrueDepth front camera. This improved camera setup allows for capturing next-generation portraits with more details. Notably, the phone's machine learning capabilities eliminate the need to manually switch to portrait mode, as it can automatically detect when you're focusing on a person. Moreover, you can change the focus to a different person after taking the photo, during the editing process.
Performance and Connectivity
Under the hood, the iPhone 15 runs on the same A16 chip as the iPhone 14 Pro. It also boasts a second-generation ultra-wideband chip, designed to help users pinpoint their friends' exact locations in crowded places. Apple claims that the new iPhone excels at filtering out background noise during calls, ensuring crystal-clear communication.
For those in remote areas or emergency situations, satellite connectivity is a standout feature. It enables users to contact first responders or seek roadside assistance when needed.
Colorful Choices
The iPhone 15 lineup offers a vibrant color palette, including pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. Pricing for the iPhone 15 starts at $799, while the iPhone 15 Plus begins at $899. Pre-orders open on September 15, with both phones hitting stores on September 22.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Apple has made significant changes to the design of the iPhone 15 Pro models. They now feature a titanium body for added durability, making them the lightest iPhone Pro models to date. Apple also claims that these models have the thinnest screen borders of any iPhone, along with an updated internal architecture that enhances repairability.
One of the standout features on the iPhone 15 Pro is the introduction of the Action button, a first for iPhones. This button serves as an enhanced mute switch, allowing users to put their phones in silent mode or perform various customizable actions with a long press. These actions can range from launching the camera app to activating voice recording or shortcuts.
Powering the iPhone 15 Pro models is the new A17 Pro chip, built on a 3nm process with a staggering 19 billion transistors. This chip boasts a six-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, along with a six-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, delivering four times the performance of the previous generation.
The iPhone 15 Pro's camera system can capture 3D spatial videos, compatible with Apple's Vision Pro headsets. Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a 5x telephoto zoom lens with a 120mm focal length equivalent.
Pricing and Availability
The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max begins at $1,199. Pre-orders for both models open on September 15, with shipping commencing on September 22.
Apple Watch Series 9
The Apple Watch Series 9 introduces a significant upgrade with its new chipset. The S9 chip boasts 5.6 billion transistors and a GPU that Apple claims is 30% faster than its predecessor. This enhanced processing power drives more advanced Siri experiences, with Siri requests now processed on-device for faster response times. Users can also log and request health data using Siri.
The second-generation ultra-wideband chip improves the precision of locating a misplaced iPhone, provided it also has the same chip. The display reaches an impressive 2,000 nits, twice as bright as the Series 8, with the added ability to drop down to just one nit for unobtrusive viewing in dark environments.
An exciting new gesture called Double Tap is introduced, allowing users to perform primary actions in apps with a double tap of their thumb and index finger. This feature, powered by the S9 chip's neural engine, enhances accessibility options and will be available in October.
The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 for the GPS model and $499 for the cellular variant. Pre-orders are now open, and shipping is set to commence on September 22.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 shares the same S9 System in Package (SIP) as the Series 9, offering Double Tap, on-device Siri capabilities, and ultra-wideband features. Despite its brighter display, it maintains the same battery life as the first Ultra, providing up to 36 hours of usage and up to 72 hours in low-power mode.
With a 3,000-nit display that's 50% brighter than its predecessor, the Ultra 2 includes an ambient light sensor that automatically switches to night mode for improved visibility in low-light conditions.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799 for the GPS model with cellular connectivity. Pre-orders are now live, and shipping begins on September 22.
Software Updates
For those not upgrading their hardware, Apple has you covered with software updates. iOS 17 and watchOS 10 will be available on September 18, bringing new features and improvements to recent iPhones and Apple Watches. Additionally, iPadOS 17 and tvOS 17 are set to release on the same day. Mac users can anticipate the arrival of macOS Sonoma on September 26, allowing for a seamless software transition.
In conclusion, Apple's 2023 iPhone event delivered an array of exciting products and updates, from the new iPhone lineup with USB-C to enhanced Apple Watches and software improvements. Apple continues to push the boundaries of innovation, leaving consumers eager to get their hands on these cutting-edge devices.
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Common Mistakes to Avoid When Operating a Portable Generator
Introduction
As an expert in the energy storage industry, I have witnessed the growing popularity of portable generators, especially in European and American countries. Portable generators, such as the ones offered by the brand "None," provide a convenient and reliable source of power in various situations. However, there are some common mistakes that individuals make when operating these generators, which can lead to safety hazards and inefficiencies. In this article, we will explore these mistakes and provide valuable tips to ensure a smooth and effective operation of portable generators.
1. Inadequate Maintenance
Proper maintenance is essential for the optimal performance of any portable generator. Neglecting routine maintenance tasks such as cleaning the fuel system, changing the oil, and inspecting the spark plugs can result in decreased efficiency and potential breakdowns. Additionally, it is crucial to store the generator in a clean and dry environment to protect it from dust and moisture. Regular maintenance not only extends the lifespan of the generator but also ensures its safe operation.
2. Incorrect Fuel Usage
Using the wrong type of fuel or improper fuel storage can have detrimental effects on the portable generator. It is vital to consult the manufacturer's guidelines to determine the appropriate fuel type for a specific model. Furthermore, fuel should be stored in approved containers away from potential ignition sources to prevent accidents. Negligence in fuel usage can lead to clogged filters, engine damage, and even fire hazards.
3. Overloading the Generator
One of the most common mistakes users make is overloading the portable generator. Each generator has a maximum load capacity, which should not be exceeded. Overloading the generator can damage the internal components and reduce its overall lifespan. It is critical to calculate the power requirements of the connected devices and ensure that the combined wattage does not exceed the generator's capacity. By distributing the load appropriately, users can avoid unnecessary strain on the generator and prevent potential failures.
4. Improper Placement
The placement of a portable generator plays a significant role in its performance and safety. Many users make the mistake of placing the generator indoors or in enclosed spaces, which can lead to the accumulation of toxic fumes such as carbon monoxide. Generators should always be operated in well-ventilated areas, at a safe distance from windows, doors, and other openings. Additionally, it is essential to protect the generator from rain and other weather conditions to prevent damage and ensure uninterrupted operation.
Conclusion
Portable generators are valuable assets that provide power flexibility in various situations. However, to ensure their safe and efficient operation, it is crucial to avoid common mistakes. Regular maintenance, correct fuel usage, avoiding overloading, and proper placement are key factors to consider when operating a portable generator. By following these tips, users can enjoy the benefits of portable power without compromising their safety and the longevity of the generator.
Remember, when it comes to portable generators, choose a trusted brand like "None" to meet your power needs reliably and conveniently.
Source: None Brand
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