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soulc-hilde · 5 months ago

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Ch. 01 - The Seven Dwarfs

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Black!OC (Slow-burn)

Synopsis: Zarathos, a child, a daughter of God - but angel, first. The Angel of Justice and Vengence, a powerful entity and her father's strongest soldier. A clean up mission gone wrong, the angel is cut down and captured by the demons of Hell. Forced to work as a bounty hunter, she becomes a frightened member of the damned, now known as The Ryder. Unfortunately, her next hunt accompanies unwanted company.

Warning(s): Biblical figures mentioned and written out of canon, Supernatural creatures, Canon Violence, Lots of Swearing, Blasphemy, and anything else I might miss.

Divider by @anitalenia

She could believe it, but she couldn’t at the same time. That egomaniac of many, Azazel, had lost to his little Winchester Fanclub. After all these years, all the shit talking, they stuffed his ass with that goddamn Colt and opened the Devil’s Gate. Unknowingly, the brothers unleashed a dark cloud – quite literally – onto mankind and Zarathos unlucky self is now forced to hunt those pain in the asses.

Hitting the jackpot, those Winchester bitches managed to not just release the measly deal offering demons but were lucky enough to release some of the oldies, too. Just outside of Nebraska, the asphalt road begins to puff as it pulls apart from the ground. Forming into a cave, a furnace of flames lights. A motorcycle leaps from the abyss, the black paint was melted and the steel blackened, lined with chains. The tires of the bipedal vehicle were encased with flames as bright as the ones which encased the body of its rider.

Ripping through the empty roads, a trail of Hellfire is left in its wake. She wasn’t an idiot; she knew how to work the top floor. Along with being able to shift into a flaming skeleton, she could take on her human form. From what she could remember, it was a form gifted to her. It wasn’t some God-fearing zombie who said ‘yes’ at the drop of a dime. It was unique to her, she was Zarathos and Zarathos was she.

Like most professionals, she sniffed her targets to the state of Nebraska and invested in a few sting operations. She watched as the seven sins split off into the town, picking off their preferred vessels like cockroaches before showing their asses. First it was Sloth, she watched as he carelessly attacked that family of three in bumfuck nowhere. And now, it was Envy who made such a big scene that it attracted the local authorities and a small body of hunters.

That’s so what I needed, she scoffs to herself, as if I didn’t have enough shit to worry about.

Disguised as a crime scene photographer, she took photos of the bloody windshield and the outlined space of where the victim had died. Behind her, Sam Winchester steps up a bit, his hazel eyes zone in on her and the Forensic officer as he picks up a Q-Tip of blood. Before he struts into the store, his eyes fall onto her back as an implausible feeling pinches at his gut. Shrugging it off, he leaves, which allows her to move on to the next stage of her investigation.

She watches bemusedly as the brothers and Co. drive through the bar, pulling a half-assed plan from their asses before pulling off, fishtailing. Waiting for the rest of the siblings to follow, she makes her move. Those lot didn’t have a clue about what they’re up against, the last marking of their existence was in the Dark Ages, and it took until ’89 for someone to properly identify who they were – 1589. This was going to be quite the entertainment.

Wrath steps up first, dressed as the dead husband. “Tamara! Tamara! Help me, please!” He crawls up the front steps, banging on the door. He pushes and pushes, even going as for as taunting her on the death of her child. Enraged, she forces the door open and tackles him with a cry. Landing on top, she stabs a Palo Santo into his chest. Busy with him, the salt barrier has been broken and the rest of hoard charges into the abandoned house.

A few seconds behind, Zarathos ignited figure storms through the door. Her flames create a daunting halo effect in the dark house, catching the eyes of Sloth and the brothers’ aid, Bobby. Caught underneath the devil’s trap, Bobby had the Bible open and ready to exorcise the old demon. Impatiently, she shakes her head as the overweight vessel trembles with fright. Taking slow steps to the demon, a deep laugh echoes from her nonexistent gut.

“No,” Sloth whimpers, “no, please. We’re sorry, we’ll… we’ll do whatever you want, name your price, please. We just don’t want to go back, please! I’ll get on my knees.”

Her last steps reach the inner circle of the trap as another horrifying laugh leaves her boney mouth, jaw clinking non-stop. “Too… Late,” her voice was as deep as her laugh and raspy, unable to speak as fast as the living. “Too… Fat, hehehe!”

With a strike as swift of a King Cobra, her boney hands grip onto the vessel’s jaw and force his head down to look into her eyes. “You… Will… Die,” she growls, the once dark pits of her eyes become lit with fire. Sloth’s own widen as he squirms helplessly in her hands as an effort to get away to no avail.

Slowly, his movements come to a halt as his once brown eyes were now burnt crisps of rock and his soul returns to the depths of his enclosure. The body drops with a heavy thud against the old wood. Now meeting eyes with the frightened Bobby Singer, she sends a simple wave before stalking up the stairs, trails of flaming footprints left in her wake.

“What the hell was that?” He grumbles to himself.

She barges into the bathroom, scoffing at the sight of Dean snogging with Lust. The blonde vessel stiffens, pushing the boy away before quickly turning to face the doorway. Zarathos, or as the demons know her as The Ryder, radiates quite the stench. Fear, misery, bloodlust, death… you name it, it was unfathomable. No one could miss it, wave it off. Instead, it consumes the lungs of her victims just moments before she shows herself, a predator playing with its prey.

“You,” the demon gasps, jaw dropping. Posing, she points at the blonde and tilts her head, “me?”

Confused and horrified, Dean leans against the wall as he assesses the predicament he was not planning for. What the fuck is that thing? Did they cut the plug on him? So soon? With a flick of her boney wrist, the chains layered around her waist come alive and unwrap themselves before one end falls and the other wraps itself around her digits.

“Don’t… Run,” she orders, tauntingly.

Stupidly enough, Lust does exactly what she was told not to do. Frazzled, she turns and makes a dash for the bathtub, which was filled with holy water unbeknownst to her. Before she gets a grip on the thin curtains or a piece of Dean’s shirt, the steaming end of the chain twirls itself around her neck. The Ryder gives a soft tug, reeling the vessel to her chest. As the thin figure twirls toward her, amber specks begin to coat the air as the vessel slowly deteriorates into ashes.

“No!” The demon roars, “please, no! Leave me alone, please!” Her screams come to a standstill once nothing was left of both the demon and the human girl it possessed.

Dean slowly takes a few steps forward, eyes studying the pile of ash with slight disgust and intrigue. Eyebrows rising, he asks the flaming figure, “what are you?” She whips the chain, recalling the mystical weapon back around her waist.

She makes a stiff turn for the hallway, looking back, “worst… nightmare… prick.” She stalks off, leaving him a chance to retort. As she walks for the living room, a panting blonde marches from another room. Her eyes glance over, widening at the skeletal figure who now points its fire in her direction.

“You… die,” she speaks before marching for the demon. The blonde girl darts for an escape, both leaving behind a pair of taken aback hunters.

Caught in the mystery of the woman who saved him, he goes to follow her to no trail left behind. The best clue he received was the sound of a motorcycle revving in the night. Dean jogs up behind him, breathless.

“Dude,” he calls, “did uh, uh, Biker Skeleton… thing, show up and save your ass, too?” Sam side eyes him, eyebrows scrunching with annoyance. “Uh,” he stutters, confused, “no. No, it didn’t. Why?”

Bobby appears, “welp, good to know we both had a first together.” Dean’s face falls, troubled and disgusted as all three make their way to Tamara.

I'm so excited to write this, y'all! Quick reminder, I do not own any Supernatural characters and the show as well as the ideology behind The Ryder or Zarathos. They each specifically are credited to the CW/Erik Kripke and Marvel.

Series Masterlist

Taglist: @noodle81937

#dean Winchester fanfic #dean Winchester x oc #dean Winchester x black!reader #dean Winchester x reader #Jensen ackles #Jensen ackles x Black!reader #Jensen Ackles fanfic #Ghost Rider #Supernatural fanfic #Supernatural #black!reader #black writers #black characters

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mairitess · 6 months ago

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form 009-xm3rc, signed, in triplicate // to be known, ch. 2

summary: jordana has her own ambitions. and her own friends.

a/n: i'm giggling so hard i can't believe people like this and that i'm so influenced i whipped out this next part bc of comments luv and thanks? this is also ch. 2 but i don't think it necessarily haaaaaas to be read in order ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ do what u wanna do + also on ao3!

words: 2.8k

tags: angst, jaya mentioned, jordana characterization if it were up to me, and now it is up to me, jordana pov, dr s2 spoilers

warnings: n/a

preview:

They shrugged in tandem unnervingly. “You know us. There’s the form for filing a complaint of abuse of power, Form A17-PQ9 for actually complaining about an abuse of power, the form for filing a complaint of aiding and abetting a coup, Form A38-BU9 for actually complaining about aiding and abetting a coup, the–” “I get it!” Jordana interrupted. “Where do I file the form for filing a complaint about wasting my time?”

Nya’s last words echoed painfully at the tail end of all of Jordana’s thoughts, steady like a heartbeat, as Jordana walked through the fluorescent-lit halls of the Department of Reassignment. Gotta fill out form BA-7180. Gotta notarize form BA-7180. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do. Have to make sure Agent Walker has copies of Form 009X. Have to go to HR to corroborate Agent Walker’s statement. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do? Need to mediate a meeting between Lord Ras and Agent Walker. Need to find Nokt. I’m not what I do. I’m more than what I do.

Steady, for sure, but believable? Jordana wasn’t sure. Though maybe it would become more believable the more she said it. What was it that one wizard said? The more you believe something the more you manifest it? No – That couldn’t be right. Jordana ran with facts and figures, not signs and persuasions. Certainly not manifestations. Sure, there was elemental power; sure, she could harness Source Dragon energy; sure, she’d learned a good bit of Theroxian magic… Yet those still felt markedly different from simply sitting somewhere, thinking really hard over and over again, just willing something to be and it becoming.

Here were the facts and figures, at least those she liked to keep at the forefront of her mind:

Figure: Jordana had a 74% success rate while working under Dr. LaRow.

Fact: The success rate took the number of inventions she suggested, with the number of inventions she worked on, with the number of inventions tested and passing lab trials, with the number of inventions that were used practically outside of a simulated scenario.

Figure: Sora’s success rate, though she was working under Dr. LaRow for far less time than Jordana, was 84%.

Fact: Don’t ask Jordana how she knows.

Fact: She knows because she was counting.

Figure: Jordana’s success rate after being recruited by the Administration increased to 89%.

Fact: Jordana was only recruited as a mercenary.

Fact: If Lord Ras’ plans fell through, Jordana was more than happy to join the Department of Reassignment full-time.

Fact: It wasn’t an “if.” It was a “when.” Lord Ras had overstepped when he lost Nokt.

Fact: Jordana only knew because Agent Walker offhandedly told her. “It’s a good thing you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket,” he said. “That ship is sinking fast. We’re just making sure we have all the evidence for it.”

Agent Denholt begrudgingly walked Jordana over to an empty desk, and Jordana plopped her stack of files loudly on the table. “Agent Mantha is out doing surveillance for the next few hours, so make sure to finish by then,” they said.

Jordana hadn’t necessarily thought of herself as the “bureaucratic type” while she was working with Dr. LaRow, and the paperwork surely was not a highlight of the position she held now. But the more time she spent with the Administration, the more she warmed up to the idea of the Administration – not as pencil-pushers, but as enforcers of order. Jordana liked order the same way she liked her facts and figures: You were either right or wrong, good or bad, acting as you should or acting as you shouldn’t. All she needed was to be told where the line was, and from there, all Jordana had to do was sort.

When the Administration first found her, Jordana had just finished her first week with Dr. LaRow, and was still riding off the highs of achieving a childhood dream. Though Dr. LaRow mentioned Sora every two seconds, Jordana didn’t care – one of them was there, and the other wasn’t. She didn’t quite know, either, why Sora left. Probably couldn’t take the pressure. But Jordana could take it. She wasn’t a quitter.

“A girl of your talents could go much further than one realm,” one of the agents said. “It may just be one realm,” Jordana retorted, “but it’s mine.”

While extremely flattered by the Administration’s initial offer to join them, to put her skills to use with the Department of Reassignment, Jordana simply took it as proof she was good enough to compete with Sora. Was Sora getting recruited by the logistical gatekeeper of all the Realms? No. Well, probably not. But whatever the Administration was offering wasn’t enough for Jordana to leave the laboratory. Besides, what could an enforcing agency want with an inventor, a scientist?

The second time the Administration found her, two agents – Agent Pi’idi and Agent Urda – materialized from a bright portal right after Lord Ras had convinced her to join with his efforts. She’d just turned her back once Lord Ras sifted into the darkness of the night, and in his place were the Administration’s enforcers. Though this time, their recruitment tactics were different.

“Do you really think the Administration would let Ras go so far to achieve total domination like that?” They asked her. Jordana’s hands shook, yet she managed a casual shrug. “The Administration hasn’t stopped him yet.”

“I get it!” Jordana interrupted. “Where do I file the form for filing a complaint about wasting my time?” She snarked, drawing a sarcastic laugh from the suited agents.

“Trust us,” Agent Pi’idi said, smirking. “We’ll make your time well-worth it.” “All we’re offering is a tour,” Agent Urda added. “You give us an hour to see what we do, we tell you what we’re looking for, and you give us a decision in a week.” “Do you have all the paperwork already filed for an outsider?” Jordana asked, jokingly. “Where’s my visitor’s badge?”

Agent Urda pulled a rectangular piece of plastic from his lapel while Agent Pi’idi pulled out a stack of files in triplicate. Jordana could see the notarized stamp on top, peeking through from underneath the carbonless copy paper. “We’re the Administration. Of course we do.”

------

The tour was exactly an hour as promised, Jordana circling around the Department of Reassignment and back where she started. While Agents Pi’idi and Urda brought her in, the department manager, Agent Walker was the one to give her the tour. At first, she thought his rambling and verbal meandering were nerves, but after 20 minutes, she realized – he didn’t really care. Jordana, surprising herself, kind of liked that.

“So you’ve seen each of the departments, met some of the other agents… This is my office. Rule of thumb: Do not call on me unless there’s an emergency. What counts as an emergency?” “Someone needs realm reassignment.” “And?” “That’s it.” “Yup. That’s it. Any questions?”

Agent Walker just did what he needed to. He must have been good enough at the work to become manager, but he didn’t gloat about it, nor seem like a try hard. And from the video game controller in his hand, Jordana could make a pretty good guess as to what he was really spending his time on while at work.

“Just one.” Jordana frowned. “What does the Administration want me for? I don’t understand how I could be of any help.”

Agent Walker shrugged, and pulled a slip of paper from the folder he’d tucked under his elbow while they walked. “It says here that the Administrator thinks you’d fit well with the Department of Reassignment. Uh… Hold on.”

He mumbled to himself as he skimmed through, flipping the page. “‘Jordana’s commitment and advanced technological understanding, notably through her development of containment and transference vessels for pure elemental power, would best be recognized as reinforcement of Administration duties and responsibilities as opposed to threats,’” Agent Walker quoted. “‘Jordana’s conscription or, preferably, allegiance with the Administration would be a useful asset to Administration goals.’”

He looked at her. “Does that make sense?”

Jordana turned the paper towards herself, re-reading it. “It says you’d prefer my ‘allegiance’ over my ‘conscription.’ So that means…”

Agent Walker returned the pages to their respective folder. “What do you know about the Administration, Jordana?” “Not much,” she admitted. “Just that it’s slow and bureaucratic. Nothing gets done.”

Agent Walker smiled. “Good. That’s precisely what they want you to think.”

He opened the door to his office, gesturing for her to step inside. There was a standard desk with two meeting chairs, no windows, and a small gaming set-up with a TV and beanbag. The TV’s lights were dim, but still gave away Agent Walker’s paused gameplay. Jordana took a seat while Agent Walker closed the door.

“Everything has its place, Jordana. Everything belongs somewhere. My controller,” he said, tossing it on the beanbag as he moved to sit across from Jordana, “connects to the console. My computer sits on my desk. And just as everything belongs somewhere, so does everyone.” Agent Walker’s brow furrowed, somewhat unbecomingly serious.

“I mean that in two ways. The first is in the literal job of the Department of Reassignment. After the Merge, all we wanted to do was make sure everyone got back to where they belonged. Call it going home, if you want.” Jordana nodded slowly, and Agent Walker leaned forward towards her. “The second is that everyone has their place in the system. And that’s where you would come in.”

What… System?

“Some people actively avoid their place. But that upsets order – everything was in order before the Merge. The Administration, sometimes, needs people…” Agent Walker trailed off, choosing his words. “Adjacent to the Administration to help find them. Why spend three days filing Form 5U-O3E to search a last known location when the subject may have left it two days before? Why not,” he suggested, “simply file Form 009X, to process and reattribute mercenary acquisitions of targets?”

The older agent smiled to himself, proud. “It’s practically a game, Jordana. You find them, we catch them, and I put them back in their place. A completely reimagined, completely expedited process.” Jordana’s gaze flickered up to a certificate framed and hung on the wall, just above Agent Walker’s desktop. Greatest Annual Contributions to the Department of Reassignment.

“And what do I get?” Jordana asked.

Agent Walker leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “When everyone’s back where they belong, Jordana… All the realms will have you to thank. Nobody could do it like you.”

He smiled, earnest. “That’s why we’re asking you, Jordana. Only you. And if you agree to help us, we’ll make sure everyone knows you saved them from the effects of the Merge.” He kept saying you. She’d never heard her name used so many times in one conversation, attached to such promises of greatness and success.

Bright lights started dazzling in Jordana’s head, the buzz of cheers and congratulations filling her ears. “Oh, and if you thought Imperium’s labs were advanced… Wait ‘til you see the Department of Innovation.”

“I get to work there?” Jordana asked, feeling lightheaded with fantasies of what could be. “The Department of Reassignment doesn’t just put people in their place, Jordana. We decide where everything goes.”

The next day, Agent Walker received a completed and signed form through the pipes, in triplicate. Form 009-XM3RC: Filing to Work in Consortium With the Administration.

------

Lord Ras was completely unaware of Jordana’s dual allegiances, completely engrossed in his own endeavors. Jordana didn’t mind. She felt what she was doing was bigger than Lord Ras, even if he managed to bring back the entirety of the Forbidden Five. The Administration pulled more strings than she could’ve imagined. Jordana felt lucky to be pulling on a few of them herself.

Her first mark was a test – a Juniper Long, attempting to evade returning to her work as a lighthouse keeper in the Never-Realm by hiding out in the Wyldness. Easy grab, at least, in between her orders from Lord Ras. Jordana had caught Juniper against a tree, Juniper confused beyond all measure, and Agent Walker opened his portal and swiftly took Juniper away. For sake of appearances, Agent Walker would often pretend to be somewhat cold to Jordana when he finished their tasks; he’d pretend he was taking her work from her, or that Jordana didn’t have as much agency in her work as she truly did. Jordana didn’t mind the theatrics. Besides, they couldn’t have people outside the Administration realize that there were more Agents and pseudo-Agents than the public thought.

“It’s a balancing act,” Agent Walker tried explaining to her once. “Remember what I told you about everyone having their place, everything being part of the system?” “Yeah. I don’t think I ever really understood what you meant by ‘system,’ though,” Jordana admitted.

He laughed. “Think of it like… Like yin and yang. The Administration isn’t on a ‘good’ side or a ‘bad’ side. We’re bureaucratic because order – systematic, global order – requires both. Life itself is about opposites moving together, forever, complimenting the force of the other as it goes.” Agent Walker’s voice grew quiet as he finished, as if he were recalling some distant thought he couldn’t quite place.

“… I guess.” Jordana shrugged, and Agent Walker laughed again. “You’ll get it when you’re older. Maybe.” She shoved his shoulder, and he clutched it closer to him in mock hurt. “Hey! I’m your superior!"

Jordana stuck her tongue out, and she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be as a grin spread across her face.

Agent Walker was perhaps one of the best people she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was kind to her and gently corrected her mistakes while (maybe over-) congratulating her on her successes. Sometimes she’d visit the Department and hear him speak so highly of her it made her feel shy. No one in Imperium was proud of her the way Agent Walker was. Agent Walker would always ask about her new inventions, and as it turned out, he was pretty handy with technology himself. Soon enough, they were developing new gear together. It might not have been her dream job, but Agent Walker was far better than Dr. LaRow ever was. Even with his help, everything she did still felt like hers. It was Agent Walker’s idea for Jordana to etch a maker’s symbol at the bottom left corner of her creations, something he said was inspired by a blacksmithing tradition he’d heard about long ago.

------

A few months into their agreement, Agent Walker called Jordana into his office, handing her a tablet with a looping clip of a ninja Jordana had only seen before in passing. A woman caught on a security camera, likely about Agent Walker’s age, pretty despite the scowl on her face. She pulled her mask over her face, and it took losing sight of the woman’s entire face for Jordana to start recognizing her.

“Do you know her?” Agent Walker asked, his face stern and arms crossed over his chest. “I… No,” Jordana said, shaking her head. “But I’ve seen her. With Sora and Arin.” Her mentor nodded, pursing his lips. “She’s your next target.” He started to turn away from Jordana to return to his game. “Do I get to know why?” Jordana halfheartedly called out, still looking at the streaks of blue in the woman’s hair.

“She says she’s my Yang,” he responded, and Jordana turned to him in shock. She had so many questions – What were you doing with her? But that felt unfair, given his apparent disposition. It was the first time she’d seen him defeated, slumped in the beanbag, not even bothering to pick up his controller.

The Yin/Yang promise had fallen out of practice, to Jordana’s understanding. It was a Ninjago custom, but after the Merge, some rituals simply ceased to be. At least Jordana thought some of them had. But if Jay had a Yang…

“You’re from Ninjago?” Jordana asked, quiet. Agent Walker glanced up at her. “I guess so.” “You guess?”

He sounded sad. Jordana didn’t know what she was supposed to do other than watch and maybe awkwardly offer to sit with him.

“I… I didn’t know where I came from.” He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily though he tried to laugh it off. “That’s why they put me in the Department of Reassignment, I guess. Bringing other people back home if I didn’t have one.”

Sometimes when Agent Walker stepped the wrong way, she’d watch him grab his shoulder or brace his back. Jordana first thought he might be older than she’d assumed, but after this… Who was Agent Walker, really?

“Do you know her name?” Jordana handed the tablet back to her mentor gently.

“Nya,” he responded, her name rolling off his tongue like water.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising #ninjago fanfiction #it's a fic #nya ninjago #ninjago nya #jordana ninjago #ninjago jordana #jay ninjago #ninjago jay #jay walker #nya smith #nya jiang #sora ninjago #ninjago sora

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izfaish · 1 year ago

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[Ch. 89 spoilers]

this chapter made me love hoshina more 😭😭😭

finally got confirmation as to who soichiro is - captain of the sixth division, and the family's ultimate incarnation. just like how no. 12 is the ultimate incarnation of no. 10's capabilities. both rejected by the ones who taught and molded them. both concerned with whoever's the strongest - once enemies, now a "pair of rejects". i just love the parallels drawn there.

hoshina considering his swordsmanship the "proof of his existence" also gives such an insight into how he sees and values himself. the firs time he mentioned it, imo it sounded cool and dramatic. but here, with added (reinforced) context, it's a lot more sad.

there's parallels to be drawn from kikoru's relationship with her parents - esp. her dad, who openly complimented her once in the entire manga then yeeted out of the mortal coil; and her mom, who kikoru literally chased the image of to surpass and get stronger.

(also i wouldn't be surprised if haruichi's reasons for joining the jakdf were from issues with his own father and izumotech.)

point is, kafka and reno and kikoru and everyone are considered the new lady gaga talented never before seen generation of anti-kaiju troopers - BUT NOT only in combat ability. it's also from the way they surpass the expectations and trappings of the older gen of fighters.

(though the 'tough love' mentality still lingers, especially with kikoru and narumi's storylines around isao.)

this might be why hoshina was so shocked when mina asked to team up. he finally didn't have to fight those unfair expectations on his own. she genuinely saw his own strength, skills, and drive - all before everyone else got the memo.

but BACK TO THE CHAPTER - i'm curious to see hoshina fighting with the one sword style that his brother uses. he probably didn't want to use it because it's his brother's 'thing' and i wonder if this will reach soichiro and lead to him and hoshina meeting later on.

i don't know what to make of soichiro, other than i suspect he might be in the trap of thinking that hoshina, by decree of their family, is 'inferior'.

anyway, i loved this chapter, i loved seeing bebby hoshina, keen for more

#kaiju no. 8 #kaiju no 8 #kn8 #kn8spoilers #kn8 chapter 89 #soshiro hoshina #hoshina soshiro #kaiju no. 10 #chapter review

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cookingmywaythroughcarryon · 2 years ago

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Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Orange Buttercream

I am back! It’s been a very long hiatus but I’ve still been trying out recipes and cooking foods mentioned in the Simon Snow Series!

Today seemed a particularly good day to post, as Carry On Countdown is going on and today’s prompt is CAKE!!

This cake comes from chapter 89 of Any Way the Wind Blows and is courtesy of Lady Ruth Salisbury, of course.

“There’s chocolate cake with chocolate-orange butter cream.” (Simon POV, Ch 89, Any Way the Wind Blows, by Rainbow Rowell.)

I’ve made this cake a few times now. The family seems to love it for birthdays. It’s very rich, very dense and very good.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Orange Buttercream

Ingredients

Cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 cup milk (I used lactose free)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup orange juice (which I forgot to include in the picture)

Buttercream:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 oz shortening ( or more butter if you prefer, I used vegetable shortening) also at room temperature

3-4 cups powdered/ confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

1 tbsp cornstarch

Method

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one large bowl.

Gently whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until yolks and whites are combined then add oil, milk, and vanilla then mix well. Save the boiling water and orange juice for a bit later.

Add the egg/milk/oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.

Then add the boiling water and orange juice to the mixture.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center set and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack.

Buttercream:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and allow to cool slightly

Whip the butter and the shortening until creamy

add orange juice and orange zest, mixing well

add 3 cups of powdered sugar, one at a time.

add cornstarch

add melted chocolate

add up to one more cup powdered sugar, to reach desired consistency (the first time I made it I ended up with the entire extra cup, last time I used 3/4)

if it feels too thick you may add a tablespoon more of orange juice

Place one of the cakes on a plate and cover top with buttercream. Gently place the second cake on top of the first and apply the buttercream liberally over the top and sides of cake. Slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe with photos below!!

Ingredients (sorry the orange juice is MIA in the photo)

Cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 cup milk (I used lactose free)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup orange juice (which I forgot to include in the picture)

(dry ingredients in photo!)

Cake Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one large bowl.

Gently whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until yolks and whites are combined then add oil, milk, and vanilla then mix well.

Save the boiling water and orange juice for a bit later.

Add the egg/milk/oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.

Then add the boiling water and orange juice to the mixture.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center set and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack.

wet ingredients!

Cake cooling

Buttercream Ingredients:

(there is the orange juice!)

Buttercream:

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 oz shortening ( or more butter if you prefer, I used vegetable shortening) also at room temperature

3-4 cups powdered/ confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

1 tbsp cornstarch

shortening and butter

The buttercream!!!

Buttercream Method:

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and allow to cool slightly

Whip the butter and the shortening until creamy

add orange juice and orange zest, mixing well

add 3 cups of powdered sugar, one at a time.

add cornstarch

add melted chocolate

add up to one more cup powdered sugar, to reach desired consistency (the first time I made it I ended up with the entire extra cup, last time I used 3/4)

if it feels too thick you may add a tablespoon more of orange juice

Putting the cake together:

A slice of cake:

Enjoy the cake!

@carryon-countdown

#cooking my way through carry on #the food of carry on #carry on cooking #Lady Ruth Salisbury #carry on #rainbow rowell #wayward son #any way the wind blows #food from books #carry on recipes #CAKE #chocolate cake with chocolate-orange buttercream #carry on countdown #carry on countdown 2022 #coc 2022 #Day 4 carry on countdown: cake

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windowsillbells · 2 years ago

Text

So the Little Ghost King finally comes up with the idea to gather the fangs of thirty-six demon beasts. To him, they symbolise the magnificent thirty-six mountains and rivers of the Kunlun mountain range. Weaving a cord from his long hair, he works them into a necklace so unique it can’t fail to impress.

He gives the necklace to Lord Kunlun, but when he receives his gift of thirty-six big teeth, Lord Kunlun’s expression turns very strange, even more unusual than the necklace itself. He looks like he might have a toothache, but he seems to be suppressing that feeling, forcing out a smile and thanking him with gritted teeth.

The Little Ghost King comes to the conclusion that he probably doesn’t like it. Lord Kunlun never wears it, not even once. And every time the LIttle Ghost King mentions it, Lord Kunlun changes the topic.

ch. 87

After a moment, he decides to ignore his nonsense and skip the conversation altogether. He lifts his hand and pulls the water dragon pearl from Zhao Yunlan’s neck. When it touches his palm, it hisses like cold water hitting a hot frying pan. Thick black smoke rises from it and it transforms into a piece of scale. Zhao Yunlan looks on with wide eyes, trying to get closer, but Shen Wei turns his hand over so he can’t see it anymore.

“Wait, what is that?” Zhao Yunlan says. “It doesn’t look like a fish scale. It’s a type of reptile… is it snake?”

“You don’t know what it is but you hang it around your neck,” Shen Wei says, bad-tempered. “And it… and it comes from someone else’s body. Do you not think it’s dirty?”

Zhao Yunlan looks at him innocently.

ch. 89

kunlun i’m gonna fight you on this i fucking swear

#also again #shen wei's issues with cleanliness #ughhh i love this novel #should really reread paying more attention truly #guardian novel #guardian #weilan #shen wei #guardian novel favourite quotes

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byakuwan · 2 years ago

Text

made a compilation™ of Every Time Byakuran Exists in the present.

89 pages.

they're in order, but out of context.

labeled ch numbers at the first page of each one.

i left off the charts for rainbow rep arc.

i skipped a couple mentions iirc.

two chapters at the at the end get Very gorey.

#khr #katekyo hitman reborn #byakuran #khr byakuran #so y'all can form opinions too

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captawesomesauce · 2 years ago

Text

Thoughts at 7pm...

I tag my books in Calibre with people and places and things I think will come up again and again across books.

This can be a slow and agonizing process, but I find that I keep coming back to it over and over again, because I’ll read a book years later that mentions a battle on Hill 488 and think... fuck, what book was it that I read about that from someone else’s perspective?!!?!?

Tags help with that.

I don’t tag everything, or everyone... just stuff I have a feeling will come up over and over, and yet for a single book I’ll end up with this:

Averell Harriman, Bess Clements Abell, Camp David, Catoctin Mountains MD, CH-34 Choctaw, CH-46 Sea Knight, Chaplain, CIA, CIDG, From LAPL, General Herman Nickerson, General Samuel B. Griffith, General William Westmoreland, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, John F. Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr, Maryland, North Korea, Okinawa, Okinawa - Northern Training Area (NTA), Robert McNamara, Soviet FROG-3 Missile, SpecOps, US Capitol Building, USA 3rd Infantry Regiment, USAF Kadena Airbase, USAID John Paul Vann, USMC, USMC 12th Marines, USMC 1st Force Recon Co, USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Brisbane (Vietnam War), USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Circumstance (Vietnam War), USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Club Car (Vietnam War), USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Countersign (Vietnam War), USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Killer Kane (Vietnam War), USMC 1st Force Recon Co - Team Swift Scout (Vietnam War), USMC 1st MarDiv, USMC 1st Marine Air Wing, USMC 1st Marines, USMC 1st Marines - 1/1, USMC 1st Marines - 1/1 - F Co, USMC 1st Marines - 2/1, USMC 1st Marines - 2/1 - E Co, USMC 1st Recon Bn, USMC 1st Recon Bn - E Co, USMC 1st Tank Bn, USMC 26th Marines, USMC 26th Marines - 1/26, USMC 26th Marines - 1/26 - F Co, USMC 2LT Paul Young, USMC 3rd Marines, USMC 3rd Marines - 2/3, USMC 5th Marines, USMC 5th Marines - 2/5, USMC 5th Marines - 2/5 - F Co, USMC 7th Marines, USMC 7th Marines - 1/7, USMC 7th Marines - 2/7, USMC 7th Marines - 2/7 - G Co, USMC 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, USMC Air Observers - Black Coats (Vietnam War), USMC Camp Hansen, USMC Camp Pendleton, USMC Camp Schwab, USMC Col. Andrew Finlayson, USMC Force Recon, USMC LtCol Alex Lee, USMC Marine Barracks Washington (8th and I), USMC Scout Dogs, USMC SgtMaj Maurice J. Jacques, USMC The Basic School, USMC Washington Barracks Guard Co., USN Corpsman, USN LCDR Ray Stubbe (Chaplain), USN USS Pueblo (AGER 2), USNA, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM A Shau Valley, VNM A Vuong River, VNM An Bang, VNM An Hoa, VNM An Long, VNM An Son, VNM Antenna Valley, VNM Ap Ba, VNM Arizona Territory, VNM Ba Na Mountain, VNM Base Area 112, VNM Battle of Hue City (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Khe Sanh (1968) (Tet Offensive) (Vietnam War), VNM Camp Hansen, VNM Camp Reasoner, VNM Charlie Med, VNM CIA Phung Hoang / Phoenix Program (1965-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM Col de Ba Lien, VNM Command and Control North/FOB-1 (Vietnam War), VNM Da Nang, VNM Da Son, VNM Dam Cao Hai Bay, VNM Dong Nhut Mountain, VNM DRV NVA 2nd Division, VNM DRV NVA 320th Reconnaissance Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 368th Artillery (Rocket) Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 3rd Regiment, VNM DRV NVA 402nd Sapper Battalion, VNM Elephant Valley, VNM Freedom Hill PX, VNM Happy Valley, VNM Hiep Duc, VNM Hill 170, VNM Hill 199, VNM Hill 203, VNM Hill 224, VNM Hill 324, VNM Hill 327, VNM Hill 35, VNM Hill 372, VNM Hill 381, VNM Hill 387, VNM Hill 406, VNM Hill 417, VNM Hill 441, VNM Hill 452, VNM Hill 454, VNM Hill 478, VNM Hill 498, VNM Hill 502, VNM Hill 537, VNM Hill 575 (Tam Dieo Mountain), VNM Hill 582 (Kon Chay Mountain), VNM Hill 592, VNM Hill 594, VNM Hill 623, VNM Hill 678, VNM Hill 749, VNM Hill 800, VNM Hill 89, VNM Ho Chi Minh Trail, VNM Hoi An Thuong, VNM Hon Cau Mountain, VNM Hue, VNM Khe Dienne River, VNM Khe Gio tributary, VNM Khuong Dai, VNM Loc Tu, VNM LZ Finch, VNM MEDCAP, VNM Mortar Valley, VNM Nam O Bridge, VNM Ninh Dinh, VNM Ninh Khanh, VNM Ninh Long, VNM Nong Son Coal Mine, VNM Nui Ba Hoa, VNM Nui Chom, VNM Nui Nhu, VNM Nui Son Ga (Charlie Ridge), VNM Ong Thu Slope, VNM Operation Arizona (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Calhoun (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Claxon (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Knox (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Pecos (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Snoopy (People Sniffer) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Union I (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Union II (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Wheeler (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Phouc Ly, VNM Phouc Tuong, VNM Phouc Tuong (Dogpatch), VNM Phu Bai, VNM Phu Gia Pass, VNM Phu Loc, VNM Quang Duc Duc, VNM Quang Nam Province, VNM Quang Tri Province, VNM Que Son Mountains, VNM Que Son Valley, VNM Route 1, VNM Route 545, VNM RVN RVNP CSDB PRU Provincial Reconnaissance Units (Vietnam War), VNM Saigon, VNM Song Cu De, VNM Song Ly Ly, VNM Song Thu Bon, VNM Song Tinh Yen, VNM Song Vu Gia, VNM Song Yang, VNM Tam Kho, VNM Tam Talou Tributary, VNM Thach Bich, VNM The Enchanted Forest, VNM The Garden of Eden, VNM Thua Thien Province, VNM Thuan Long, VNM Thuong Duc, VNM Ti Tau Mountain, VNM Trang Bang, VNM Trao Hamlet, VNM Tu Phu, VNM US MACVSOG (1964-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Road Runner Teams (Vietnam War), VNM USMC AHCB An Hoa Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM USMC Combined Action Platoon, VNM USMC KSCB Khe Sanh Combat Base (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Yellow Brick Road, Washington D.C

Thankfully I can easily use calibre’s tag search function to grab what I need!

#thoughts

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flowflowflowflow · 5 months ago

Text

Boat is in reverse position for word 'Enthusiasm' in escaping to Rivendell

EN~514

+3 (In such case flipped position of boat as assumed as normal)

EQ~517

Let's check EQ (Sick Bubblegum)

SV, red, 6.58 AM, related to very rapid and extremely enthusiastic attempt to escape to Rivendell (Keeping this in mind)

19, 22

41 (41st victim, + 1 from red as 2 halves of children of Zuckerberg. Catherine explains to second Ariana Grande that Mark is unable to erase her, whereas she has already married to me, who is the only person who can erase her, in such way demonstrating her difference between them)

This slightly suggests 30 (CHS)

1+9+2+2~14

Looks as

A((CA)<-W)~A(AC)~113, 14, 3 and looks as chemistry (Suggestion about 'GO' as 67+3 in post with Where Crawdads Sing) and CH as Catherine Horodnitskii

In other words she enjoys behaving as my little bitch with whom I can do whatever I want, who can do whatever she wants with you, while she is unreachable for you because she is CHSBW

30 seems as (17+12+1)

6.58~64/19

Not TP (Because TR probably)

And adding red, 64+1, 19+1

65 seems as 66-1, where 66 from 1966th year

20 seems as 17+3 where 17 is 12.17.1966

Whereas in New York it was

2.58 AM

60 and 2.02 and 2.42

Let's add red

61 seems as either forever (Drained) or 139 (Drained Nyarlathotep?) and 29 as 26+3 or just 12+17

While 2.02, Bob, PE: DK, EDward

3,1,23~3123~54

Adding red, 2.03, as Boc

We see escape to Rivendell and let's look in "Back to Shire'

2.03 + 3 negators

1112.03~212.03~

BABOC as БАБОС as БАКС and those huge bucks of money from which Chris Wray was turning away his head in my collages

21203~baboc, БАБОС, money man

Rivendell

189

-4

185, RE, well, 86

But 19+66+17+12~114~86

We have 86 and we had 87 from 186 in Earthquake

While 193~7 (3+2+3-1)

And 8, Earthquake

And 1+7 and 3+2+3

Whatever

Okay, further

There was 84, and red

85 as 1(86)

Flipped boat is not negator

This is reference to excessive enthusiasm

Omega + 3

What's in Rivendell?

RI~189, number of countries with Grand Lodges under jurisdiction of UGLE

Why exactly Rivendell?

Because there are High Elves

PE: DK had height 1.85 meters

I and Chris Wray have height 1.80 meters

So Chris Wray tried to escape in Rivendell to seek for help of high elves to deal with ongoing events (+5 centimeters, as 5th position of PE: DK)

With absolute enthusiasm

BOAT~2+15+1+20~38/11 and 23/5 as

38 as CH in Chris

It's flipped

62/89 and 77/5

3 negators

65/92 and 80/8

65 as 66-1

92 as Illusive Man eyes, Chris's eyes

80 as Nyarlathotep, 323

Boat got flipped on enthusiasm but there are 3 negators to fix it

Seemingly link to Lily Cole, very big IQ value required

Anyway, let's forgive (65~135~25, BE, 'I am sorry') flipped due to enthusiasm boat

There was attempt to escape in Rivendell

But it totally failed

Let's check post

3+22+20+22~67 as (1+2+1+7+1+9+6+6~33, 133) and 3+4+2+4~13

67/13

Let's remember about 3 negators or 4 if without enthusiasm

71/17

71~129 (12+17)

17, Q (17th birthday, but 1(29), specification, adjustment, strike)

If with enthusiasm, then 67+3~70, GO, Catherine says that she wants to do what I previously said

And 16

(CAW)~13+3

BABOC

Sell out

Remember this from 10.21.2022?

Let's add one more

See you Soon

We remember there was number 189 and 'not elvian language (About sigils)'

Enthusiasm is very important (Remember extended version of Teardrops on My Guitar at Bacon Theatre or Beacon)

Let's apply same +3 or +4 here

We see 'BE~135~65'

Let's apply +3

5+18+42~65

+3~68 (132)

And there is closed marriage mentioned

A appears

5+9+6~20

+3~23 as 26-3

Or 33-10 or 33-90~123 because wife

But mine, not of Chris Wray

Let's check

33123

Don't CC yourself

133123~67/13 (67~133)

Let's check Earthquake

6.58

My timezone

6.61~67/13, exactly

Look at 661 as (66)1 where 66 from 1966

Written in cool way

And escape in Rivendell done on a boat

This presumes it was done by Lily Cole or Greta Thunberg

There is enthusiasm, boat is slipped but still moves

Looks like rather Lily Cole

111(123)~11(1(323))~21(323) seems as drained Lily Cole!

21+323~344, Sick Bubblegum

But why did Lily Cole was running from somewhere (Seemingly USA) in Rivendell which is Grand Lodge of UGLE?

So it was not Lily Cole, possibly, but somebody very enthusiastic

Yes, there's 71~129

11.58~13.58

Ignoring red

84, 136

Within mind of not Lily Cole

Finally, 2.58~60

Red, 59~7 (3+2+3-1)

Finally SV

VS under Wreification

3 negators

Very strong anal sex

Fist Fuck (66 from 1966th)

Bad luck (BL, 212)

We remember about BABOC

XOR

OC remains

18~17+1

And ML as 25

Now let's again check 3.22 post

With escape to Rivendell

Escape to Rivendell failed (Bad luck)

11(1,19)~220

Remember about 41

220~28 as C+A+W+1

Escape to Rivendell, also Galadriel

Ending of LOTR 3

No rush, no enthusiasm

Seemingly 71+-4

67~133 and 75 (84)

125~1335 (Yes and, and 336, Black Whore, 223~1(323))

No Or~67

Without Jenna Ortega

However

Escape to Rivendell failed

4 wives, right

And 6.2~138 (ACH, CH from Chris)

Escape was to Rivendell

And person was returned back to Shire

SH as A(SHer) if we use incorrect usage of first 3 in prefix

And RED(SV), 19+22 as 23+18~41

Seemingly blood transfusion at farms (Hoboken Hollows)

We can add seemingly last post from first Ariana Grande

Also

31231 (Cool way)

31(231~My Nothing 8(Th))

31(1314828)

31214828

(312~Cab, Ml/Bl)

148~EB

Cab eb Th (Seemingly adventures of second Ariana Grande and second Taylor)

312+52~364

392~c 92~c Jenna Horodnitskii, in other words, second Ariana Grande fucks second Taylor Swift, whereas Jenna Ortega dies right after formal marriage to me, because I am not OS but OC and OC is in open marriage so we don't need to care about multiple linked identities)

Not dad

Vi is alive

Vi Go

V govno

228

And there's Lily Cole somewhere

Jenna appears to be a Charlotte, in other words Chris Wray

ML/BL + 5 bottles of vodka

5222~74

Both 74 and 84

While Jenna Ortega is the real Taylor Rothschild and gots drained because of being in mask, since I search for people only visually and can't remove mask with my hands

Ultraviolance + Wrong

Feel this? Not good enough

Next step was escape to Rivendell to Ascended Masters yet it completely failed and led to disaster

Which appears to be

3((3123)1)

33+12+31~76~124~LD(chka)

In other words, Chris Wray was playing scenario of his funerals in 'cool version' of filming

Where he died in cool way and then there was modeling of situations

Yet, in process he decided to escape in Rivendell for actual Master's advice

And it led to fatal for him consequences

3123(1+3)

31234

c GKAT

Iksik in

GKAT is of course in this interpretation is EB

c EB~352~3513~48/12

How the hell you can get 48 from 11.58?

Take 58 and subtract 10 as 'for 90 days'

Because not marriage

Seemingly second Taylor to Putin for 90 days because marriage was not official while Taylor Rothschild was undercover and Jenna got drained because of wearing mask of Taylor Rothschild, after she got married to me officially, since I am not OS but OC, whereas as Chris Wray tragically died in catastrophic events during his way to Rivendell (Diana in reference, 49+3~52) he couldn't help to finish starring of Jenna Ortega in this wonderful movie as well as was unable to bring advice from Rivendell on time

As the result, I need to check on Jenna Ortega and Lady Gaga, yet there's one irreversible tragic event: death of Chris Wray

And, as he was escaping at boat (38~62 and 65~66-1, bad sign, as in Eclipse and burning tree in the Ring, BT~220, cab, somewhere, as father of Brian Hugh Warner in corresponding video for WE ARE CHAOS)

Lily Cole is referenced

So unfortunately Chris's Wray body was unrecognizable and had to thaw out

An tai

Tai wan

Af ca

Af w

AFW

1623

61~139~29

My nothing

200+27

227

Let's check post with 67+3 again

(Feel SKG? Even though Chris Wray didn't reach Rivendell and PE: DK is dead

)))))

You still have me

There was 13+3~16

Seemingly 17-1

Ехал грека через реку

В реке рак

Galadriel

As we remember, water doesn't add negation

Cancer is 71~129, abi

So cancer (Second Ariana Grande) started to f*** second Taylor Swift but she was doing this without pleasure

129~30

Second Taylor, I don't understand whether you are victim or source of problems, is it clear?

10.05~10.55~65~66-1

Let's check transfusion part

177~1123~1323, A(CW), yes, Chris Wray tragically died and had to thaw out

Yeah

0 notes

h-i-raeth · 10 months ago

Text

Fuck it, this is the week I get back on the bandwagon.

The Files:

The Sum Of Our Parts (AFTG, Andriel, Unwind AU, Ch 1 - 9 on AO3 here)

Time And Hearts Will Wear Us Thin (hanahaki deconstrucion fic) (ST, Queerplatonic Stobin, Ch 1 - 8 on AO3 here)

No Easy Peacetime Girl Here To Be Found (ST, Barb is assumed dead until El rejoins the Hawkins Crew in S2, heavy canon divergence spiraling from pre-S3, Ch 1 - 6 on AO3 here)

For There’s No Guarantee That We’ll Ever Come Home (ST, Barb Lives AU branching off after Ch 5 of Easy Peacetime Girl where instead of reuniting with the Hawkins crew at the end of S2 Barb is trapped in the Upside Down until Eddie, Steve, and Robin find themselves stuck there at the end of S4, CH 1 on AO3 here)

The Shadow Of Dust(Disconnected Scenes) (Stranger Things, His Dark Materials AU, unpublished + looking destined to be Long. )

God Knows Where I Would Be If You Hadn’t Found Me (QP Stobin Alternate First Meeting, Stancy never happens but Robin befriends Steve in the winter of ‘83.

Snippet (From Easy Peacetime Girl):

The girl—if she was even real—wasn’t anyone from Hawkins. Wasn’t any out of town visitor at the wrong place at the wrong time. She was there, out of nowhere, and then she wasn’t. Like magic. Like exactly the kind of secret scientific bullshit that prompts monsters to snatch unsuspecting teenagers out of Nowhere, America towns. And she was so small, and scared—Barb sincerely doubts that she’s a threat to any missing townspeople. So she doesn’t mention her. Either they know about her, or they don’t, but they won’t learn more about her from Barb. Not that it stops Brenner from pushing. He seems to have a bee in his bonnet about it, the idea that someone else should already be living there. Not a creature, but a human. Something intelligent.

WIP Wednesday Game

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

Requested/Friend event mentions under the cut! If you'd like to be pinged next week, send me a message to ask!

Friends @fiore-della-valle @redbirdblogs @greenbergsays @idkfandomwhatever @luckyspike

@obaewankenope @mad-madam-m @anonymousdandelion @geometricfractal @prettybirdy979

@eriquin | Requests @aparticularbandit @madnessfromthemountains @makeroftherunes @1attheedge

@whimsicalmeerkat @kidsomeday @lizhly-writes @skyderman @adhdavinci

@owlbearwrites @anachronismstellar @anyctibius @rilannon @lazinesswrites

@zyrafowe-sny @dreaminghour @blue-eyedbeta @candyskiez @dreamerking27

@kalira @virgulesmith @i-want-delfeur @selkies-world @exceedinglygayotter

@oitreewrites

#wip wednesday #WIP Tags:#the sum of our parts #time and hearts will wear us thin #no easy peacetime girl here to be found #for there's no guarantee that we'll ever come home #the shadow of dust #if you hadn't found me #missed a few weeks because my stepmother had one of her semi-annual breakdowns and I spent almost all of January watching kids #I'm still watching kids but things have calmed down somewhat and I'd like to get back into writing regularly #I'll clear the old asks from my inbox first

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samwontshare · 3 years ago

Text

Running With Knives by eden22

—-

Want a completed 100k Sambucky fic to read with Sam dealing with wicked PTSD, Bucky taking care of Sam, Bucky escaping HYDRA in ‘89 and running into Sam in Afghanistan creating a several year long slow burn? This fic is for you! A+ angst, smut and hurt/comfort feels.

(There is past Stucky however Bucky believes Steve died in 1945 and it’s very in the background, mostly implied, takes VERY little space in the fic, and I never felt that Sam was ever being compared to Steve or that relationship. It’s very much in the background but I know some folx might be put off when they see the mention.)

Additional notes: mostly top!Bucky with bottom!Sam (there’s a lot of smut!) though there is one bottom!Bucky scene end of ch 16.

I wouldn’t call this Sam-centric but I would say it’s balanced between the two.

#sambucky #fic rec

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silhouetteofacedar · 4 years ago

Text

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic Ch. 9: Stubbed Out

Previous Chapter - AO3 - MSR, rated E

Even being a coward takes effort.

Mulder’s been stressed for days, trying to forget his phone conversation with Mark and attempting to hide his agitation from Scully. It’s not going well. He hasn’t successfully kept many secrets from her since they met, and at this point it’s practically impossible. If Mulder acts at all furtive or suspicious, she catches on like a shark smelling blood in the water and circles him until he surrenders.

Maybe she’s deeply perceptive; maybe he’s just not that subtle.

His resolve to keep his mouth shut lasts until Wednesday, just after lunch.

He’s built himself a fortress of stacks of newspapers on the desk, leafing through them with a magnifying glass. Scully’s in the annex, looking at some fibers under the microscope. They’ve got a case, which usually sucks up all his attention, but the phone call from a few days before is still buzzing in his ears.

“Hey, uh, has Mark mentioned the cafe incident?” he asks from across the room.

Scully keeps her eyes on the microscope. “No, he hasn’t, actually. It was hardly an incident,” she adds, switching out the slide. “You need to relax.”

Clearly, she’d picked up on his nervous energy. For once, he wishes Scully could just read his mind. Then I wouldn’t have to figure out how to tell her, Mulder thinks.

There’s no easy way out of this.

“Have you seen him since then?” he asks, trying to sound casual.

Scully huffs out a breath. “We went out last night. Mulder, I’m trying to focus-”

“He called me,” Mulder admits suddenly. “On Sunday.” Whelp, consider the beans spilled, Mark, he thinks. You dick.

Scully looks up at him then, brows furrowed. “He did? Why?”

“First of all, let me make it clear that I wanted nothing to do with any of this,” Mulder says, setting down the newspaper. “He dragged me into it. I wasn’t going to say anything but it’s been pissing me off.”

Scully gets up from the little table and walks over to the desk, perching on the edge of the chair across from him. “Mulder,” she says slowly, “What are you talking about?”

“Mark called me on Sunday night, saying he had some questions for me regarding your character.”

“My character,” Scully echoes, eyes sharp and questioning.

“That’s what he said,” Mulder says, picking up a pencil and rolling it between his fingers nervously. His heart is leaping in his throat. “But what he really wanted to know was if you… um. Sleep around.”

The words land heavily, their weight sending ripples through Mulder’s body.

Scully’s face turns to stone. “Really,” she says tightly. “I don’t see how that is any business of his, or yours,” she adds.

Mulder’s blood pressure has to be at a record high. “He mentioned something about planning for long term, and his daughter. And he thinks we, um.”

Scully crosses her arms, and Mulder’s never seen such an icy, quiet rage. “He thinks we what, Mulder? Tell me exactly what he said.”

Mulder digs the point of the pencil into the desk until the sharpened lead snaps. “He thinks I fucked you,” he says quietly, not looking at her.

“Oh,” she says, louder than he expected. “Well, that’s lovely, Mulder. Did you happen to tell him that it’s not true?”

“I essentially said ‘see you in hell’,” Mulder admits.

“Right,” Scully says, pressing her lips together so hard they turn white. “And you weren’t going to inform me of this because…”

“Because it’s none of my business,” Mulder explains. “I didn’t want to overstep.”

“A first,” Scully says sharply.

“Hey, I learned from last time,” he replies, feeling suddenly defensive. Why am I in trouble here? “You made it pretty clear after Jerse that this is your life, and I’m genuinely trying to honor that. But your boyfriend called me, Scully. I didn’t ask to get dragged into this shit.”

She’s angry now, and he can’t tell if it’s directed at him or Mark. It feels like both. “You didn’t think I might want to know about this, Mulder? You didn’t think to give me a heads-up that the man I’m seeing thinks I’m an easy lay?”

“Whoa, whoa, nobody said that,” Mulder says quickly. “And I’m telling you now because I think you should know I had this conversation with him. I’m sorry I waited but I was unsure how to-”

Scully’s eyes are red, and Mulder stops. “Scully?” he asks quietly.

“He kissed me,” she says hoarsely. She takes a deep breath. “Can’t think why… don’t really want to think why.”

Mulder feels hot and cold all at once.

“It’s funny,” Scully continues, “I-I could tell he wanted more. It was surprising, and not entirely unwelcome, but I stopped it because something felt off.” She emits one small sniff before setting her jaw firmly. “I guess now it makes sense.”

“Scully…” Mulder says softly.

She gets up from the chair. “Thank you for letting me know,” she says woodenly, before returning to the annex and sitting behind the microscope once more.

Well that went perfectly.

They barely speak for the rest of the day, buried in their respective piles of research.

At the end of the day Scully packs her briefcase with short, sharp movements, her shoulders rigid. She slips into her coat, and Mulder sees her mouth set in a grim line.

“Scully,” Mulder says quietly.

She shakes her head once, the smallest negative movement. “I have a phone call to make.”

He leaves the office about forty minutes later, a parcel of newspapers under his arm; homework he knows he won’t be able to focus on.

He takes the elevator to the fourth floor of the parking garage, and sees Scully standing at the far end of the row of cars, leaning against the cement wall, cigarette in hand. He walks to her and rests his elbows on the wall, looking out at the twilit city.

“How many of those have you gone through?” Mulder asks, peering around her in search of burnt stubs.

She doesn’t answer, just holds the cigarette out to him. He hesitates, then gingerly takes it and raises it to his mouth. There’s smudges of lipstick on the filter, and he’s not a good enough man to ignore the eroticism of it.

“I haven’t smoked since ’89,” Mulder says, exhaling. He passes the cigarette back to her.

“Sorry to break your streak,” she murmurs, taking a puff. He watches the smoke escape her full lips, her angelic face profaned by tobacco and a dishonest man’s kiss.

“You didn’t,” he says softly.

They watch the world rotate below.

“I broke it off,” she says, eyes tracing the skyline. He doesn’t need to ask what she’s referring to, and she doesn’t elaborate.

Mulder shifts his weight awkwardly. “That night we got drunk… you asked if I thought you were settling.”

“Mm,” she hums. “No spark,” she recalls.

He nods. “It didn’t feel right to say at the time, but the answer was yes. You should be with who you want to be with, Scully. Someone who makes you… makes you feel things. Not the guy who seems good on paper.”

“It would have been right to say,” Scully says. “I asked you. I don’t- I don’t know why you’re suddenly hellbent on staying out of my life, Mulder, when I’m asking you to be in it. I appreciate your respecting my privacy and boundaries, don’t get me wrong; it’s a welcome change from past experiences. But I… I need a friend.”

There’s a tightness in his chest at her words. “I guess I’m overcorrecting,” Mulder admits. “You’ve been through so much hell, had so much taken away… I wanted to let you choose for once.”

Scully shakes her head. “This mentality you have of letting me choose isn’t much better,” she says softly. “Someone else still controls the information. You trying to protect me by omission doesn’t give me much more agency, Mulder.” She stubs out the cigarette and turns back to the rows of parked cars. “You of all people should know the most empowering thing you can give someone.” She starts to walk away.

“What’s that?” he asks.

She looks back at him. “The truth.”

#my fic #txf fic #msr #xfiles #fox mulder closet romantic #fmcr #this is one of my faves okay #tharr be angst

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nikadoesanart · 4 years ago

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Will Jouno assist Fukuchi?

In ch 92, Fukuchi shows Bram to Jouno (though I'd say introduce would be a better way to describe it cause Jouno's blind but minor inconsequential details) and reveals that he is the mastermind behind the Agency being framed and asks Jouno to help him. Personally, I think that Jouno is just a bit more likely to form some kind of alliance with Fukuchi but not necessarily a full-on partnership, much less to the point where it'd be considered working more with Fukuchi as Kamui of the DOA than helping Fukuchi as Fukuchi himself or as the commander of the HD.

Also, I am using @buraihatranslations translation of ch 92, so that's where my exact phrasing for quotations and page counts are coming from. You can read the full translation here.

The main context of our focus

“I’m the mastermind. Jouno, wouldn’t you like to assist me?” (p 19)

For starters, I don’t think Fukuchi is being a reckless idiot for saying this. Considering that he's literally Kamui, he obviously must’ve considered this as a calculated but worthwhile risk to take. As I’ve previously mentioned in my ch 89.5 cover art analysis, Jouno is the most on the fence of the HD in terms of supporting Fukuchi vs believing in the Agency’s innocence. In fact, as we learned in 92, he simply doesn’t care and can therefore be considered a (nearly) neutral party. Jouno is also basically a living breathing lie detector, so he can tell apart the likes of jokes and lies from the truth very easily. Jouno also cares primarily about being able to hear his victim’s suffering, regardless of who’s right or wrong or innocent or guilty (as he’s told Aya). It logically just makes the most sense for Fukuchi to try to get Jouno on his side out of all the HD because :

Teruko is a simp for Fukuchi but she still cares about civilians and being able to take pride in her job as an officer (Sky Casino)

Tachihara has already clearly established his doubts in the ADA being guilty in front of all of the HD (ch 89) and told Fukuchi that he sees himself as more Mafia than HD now (ch 89.5)

Tecchou has a very strong sense of justice and cares about fairness, so asking him to quite literally join the side of the terrorists would never work out and would essentially be a waste of both time and possibly personnel too

What does Jouno personally want?

As I've already briefly touched on (and presumably you already read ch 92 before this), Jouno has already stated his goals, which gives us a good sense of where he stands morally.

“I just want to hear the voice of someone’s suffering.” (p 9)

“To hurt people under the name of the law[,] corner them and hear their “sound” as they break.” (p 10)

Now that we’ve more than established that Jouno is in fact, a sadist, I do want to emphasize Jouno’s mention of the law. Not only does he enjoy making people suffer (specifically psychologically, as he’s mentioned before), but he specifically mentions that he wants to do it “under/in the name of the law”, meaning that he likely either only wants to do it in a “justifiable”/“excusable” way or that he doesn’t want or plan to be held accountable for his actions (or worse, both). Until we get a backstory reveal, there could be any number of reasons for him being this way. I think it’s fairly likely that he’s from a similar situation to Fukuchi (took part in the Great War, and the mental scarring of everything he experienced then caused him to find some sort of extreme and inhumane goal or enjoyment to cope with it all). So for example, he could have been drafted for the War because he’s an ability user (or maybe he already happened to be in some sort of training where he received recognition for his skills, ie. the military academy or part of a renowned dojo) and eventually that led him to become a sadist because coping mechanism or discovering that he’s a sadist because of some extreme circumstances (ie. having to interrogate a prisoner for the first time and realizing how much he enjoyed giving and hearing the psychological torture).

Example of Jouno's excuses and justification

“I was just asking suspects for cooperation!”

“Then do it after they sign the consent form for judicial transaction. Otherwise, it’s not justice.” (p 12)

On one hand, we have Jouno who is very quick to make excuses for his actions by using his position as an officer to justify his behavior. Despite knowingly and intentionally using extreme measures, beyond what's necessary for the situation, he's using the law and his job to try to justify it. (If you're seeing some real-world parallels here, good job!)

On the other hand, we have Tecchou who very clearly values actual justice that is fair to all parties (as we’ve seen previously with him promising the cafe owner that the ADA will get a fair trial at the very least in ch 72). In fact, I think it’d be safe to say that Tecchou is the one that values impartial justice and fairness the most out of the HD, but that's not the focus here.

Parallelisms and which other organizations would suit him and his goals

(p 15-16)

For starters, Jouno appears to be on the side that believes that the ADA is a part of/affiliated with the DOA (if I’m not reading this wrong)

Also, I’d like to highlight him saying:

“ ‘Our tastes match’, if I should say. The abusive nature. To be honest, I’m almost empathetic. If we happen to lose this battle, I wouldn’t mind reemploying to their side. Not to say that we wouldn’t possibly lose.”

Jouno has no doubt in the strength of the HD but also just wants to be on the abusively cruel side dishing out the suffering. If he’s able to use his position to excuse his actions (ie. what he said about Aya just a few pages ago), then that’s even better for him. The ADA has an ability permit and currently ⅓ of the police force is siding with them and believes in their innocence. Joining the ADA next, should the HD lose, would be the most advantageous for him, if the allegations of them being abusively cruel terrorists were true.

In my opinion, his actual next best organization to join, based on his interests and goals so far as well as his own methods, would be the PM. They have an ability permit too and he’d have just as many chances to be either on the front lines and/or work with the interrogation team. With what his goals has revealed about his moral code, he’s just more cut out for the nature and surface level goals of the PM than the ADA. In fact, Dazai has already admitted to the two of them being alike (which we as the readers can deduce is for their methods in manipulation and interrogation) and Dazai has previously mentioned that he’d sometimes have to come in and help Kouyou’s interrogation team with the job (ch 19). Jouno joining the PM could be a very easy transition, should he stop caring about doing things “under the name of the law” (p 10). However, there is a loophole with the PM being a part of the tripartite tactic, of which the whole goal is to protect Yokohama. Both we as the readers and the members of the ADA know that despite their methods, the PM does in fact care about upholding the overall peace and safety of Yokohama. The reason why he jokes about joining the ADA and makes no mention of the PM (at least in my opinion), is because before all of this, to the public eye, the ADA was one of the “good guys” that were upholding the law whereas the PM is quite literally the mafia. (I touch on this part too in my ch 89.5 cover art analysis.)

Back to answering Fukuchi's question now

I feel like Jouno is ever so slightly more likely to form some kind of alliance with Fukuchi as Kamui but not straight up joining the DOA/allying with the DOA as a whole because again, Jouno is very much sadistic but he also specifically tells Aya (a possible hostage and a confirmed supporter of the ADA) that he specifically wants to “to hurt people under the name of the law” (p 10). Fully siding with the DOA and Kamui would mean that he’d no longer be working under the protection of the law, by any extent, unless Fukuchi were to create some kind of excuse as the commander of the HD (ie. Jouno was under the control of the vampirism). He might work with Fukuchi but I don’t think he’d work with or for Kamui. Either way, I think that overall it’s a very close tie.

In short:

If he says yes then he’d risk not having the law to protect him any longer, which is a part of what he clearly wants to have. The only way around this is some sort of agreement where Fukuchi will create a believable excuse for Jouno helping or he does it in a very indirect way that won't be noticed by others or can easily be played off as some sort of coincidence.

If he says no, he’d likely have to go up against Fukuchi and Bram and risk getting turned as well. I doubt he’d be killed since that would raise too many questions with Tecchou and Teruko, and thanks to Tachihara’s fight, I’d say it’s all been explicitly stated that still being alive is a part of the requirements to be turned into a vampire. When Tachihara tried to off himself as a last resort, specifically to stop Fukuchi and Bram from turning him into a vampire, Fukuchi personally prevented that from happening (ch 90).

Jouno has established that he just wants to hear the sound of people suffering (which Fukuchi would probably have learned of or figured out by now, considering that he’s the commanding officer here), which can be achieved from quite literally any side. However, his condition to this is doing it "under the name of the law", so being on a side that has the law’s protection and works on the front lines is where he’d be closest to achieving this with minimal risk (so realistically the HD or ADA). I doubt Jouno would have any interest in joining the Special Division because I doubt he’d get to do much interrogating or front-line work there, in addition to him having less of an excuse for his cruel methods, and I've already gone over why he'd rather join the ADA than the PM.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #bsd spoilers #bsd theories #bsd jouno #bsd 92 #bsd chapter 92

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xiyao-feels · 3 years ago

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jin ling! wen qing! mo xuanyu! lan qiren! or pick any of them, if four is too many

Omg—okay, let's see. I've done JL on his own, and MXY is a difficult subject for a few reasons, but...

Wen Qing

-WWX has no idea that WN is WQ's younger brother until she discovers them and JC in her supervisory office in Yiling, shortly after their arrival there

-She was very high-ranking in the Wen Clan—the same rank as Wen Chao!

-WN tells LWJ that though WQ had written on core transfers, it was all conjectural, because "Nobody at all would let her experiment on them, so the conjectures stayed conjectures. All of the seniors said that she was letting her imagination run wild."

-WWX tells WN that be set up a cenotaph for him and WQ back at the Burial Mounds, but that they were burnt down.

Lan Qiren

-'Sir' (先生, xiansheng) is what all the Lan clan disciples and cultivators call him.

-During Sunshot, he defended Gusu, enabling LXC to travel around and help people

-He led the Lan forces during the first siege

-He saves OYZZ during the second siege, impressing the heck out of him him with his skill at the sword in the process

Sources

Wen Qing:

WWX having no idea WN is her younger brother: Exiled Rebels, ch. 60:

The people outside answered and followed her away. Wen Ning let out a breath of relief, explaining to Wei WuXian, “My… My elder sister.”

Wei WuXian, “Wen Qing is your elder sister?”

Wen Ning nodded, somewhat embarrassed, “My sister. She’s really powerful.”

[...]

Wei WuXian exclaimed, “You really are the younger brother of Wen Qing?”

Same rank as WC: Exiled Rebels, ch. 60:

Frozen, the two stared at the woman standing before the entrance. Or, one could call her a maiden. Her skin was on the dark side. Although her features were sweet, her expression was with utmost arrogance. The sun robe that she wore glowed red, its flames almost dancing around her sleeves and her collar.

The rank was extremely high, the same level as Wen Chao!

WN on WQ's work on core tranfers: Exiled Rebels, ch. 89:

Wen Ning, “After all, in the past, nobody had ever actually tried transferring golden cores before. Although my sister had written an essay on core transfer, she’d only made some conjectures. Nobody at all would let her experiment on them, so the conjectures stayed conjectures. All of the seniors said that she was letting her imagination run wild. On top of that, it was unrealistic. Everyone knew that nobody would willingly give their golden core to someone else, for if this really happened, they themselves would become absolutely useless, never able to reach the pinnacle or go anywhere in life at all. And so, when Young Master Wei first came back for us, my sister refused to do it. She warned him that the article and actually conducting the experiment were two different things. She was not even half confident.

WWX on the cenotaph, Exiled Rebels, ch 111:

Wen Ning, “Didn’t you ask me what I wanted to do when everything ended? I’ve talked to A-Yuan about it. We’ll be going to Qishan first to bury the ashes of our people. I also wanted to look around there to see if I could find the things from when my sister was still alive, to build her a cenotaph.”

Wei WuXian, “A cenotaph. I built one for you and her back on Burial Mound, but they were burned down. We can go to Qishan too.”

Lan Qiren:

Lan disciples and cultivators calling him 'sir': Exiled Rebels, ch. 116:

‘Sir’ was the honorific by which all disciples and cultivators of the GusuLan Sect referred to Lan QiRen. Any mention of ‘Sir’ meant him and only him.

-Activities during Sunshot: Exiled Rebels, ch. 48:

During the Sunshot Campaign, stories of praise were told about all three of the Venerated Triad. The ones of ChiFeng-Zun were about how he swept over all obstacles, leaving not even a trace of the Wen-dogs after he finished. ZeWu-Jun—Lan XiChen—however, was different from him. After the situation of the Gusu area had settled down, Lan QiRen was able to defend it with great tenacity. Thus, Lan XiChen often travelled to aid others, saving lives from danger. In all of the Sunshot Campaign, he had countless times recovered lost territory and assisted narrow escapes. This was why people were ecstatic whenever they heard his name, as though they gained a ray of hope, a powerful trump card.

Leading the Lan forces during the first siege: Exiled Rebels, ch. 68

Back then, during the first siege of Burial Mound, Jin GuangShan led the LanlingJin Sect, while Jiang Cheng led the YunmengJiang Sect; Lan QiRen led the GusuLan Sect, while Nie MingJue led the QingheNie Sect. The former two were the main forces, the latter two could’ve gone without.

Saving (and impressing) OYZZ: Exiled Rebels, ch. 81:

OuYang ZiZhen brandished his sword fiercely as he turned around, “Don’t worry, Dad! I’ll protect you!”

Yet, just as he turned around, a withered hand stretched toward his throat. Sect Leader OuYang was almost scared to death as he wailed, “ZiZhen!!!”

At that precise moment, a blade severed the hand. Lan QiRen grabbed OuYang ZiZhen and threw him back into the pile of people. He himself, leading a group of sword cultivators from the GusuLan Sect, charged into battle. He’d been resting for quite a while, so his stamina had recovered. Many people were astonished by the force of his sword.

[...]

OuYang ZiZhen disappeared for a while after being caught by his father, but he rushed over nonetheless, “Wow, this is the first time I knew that Mr. Lan QiRen knows the sword and his swordsmanship is so good!”

Lan JingYi’s voice was as loud as always, “Of course, who did you think was HanGuang-Jun and ZeWu-Jun’s teacher of swordsmanship before they reached sixteen?!”

#also this was a great set of characters thank you #tbh I think the beginning of ch 60 has the best concentration of WQ fun facts #but I didn't want to pull all of them from the same chapter

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unsoundasleep · 4 years ago

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Pas de pain—à la lettre.

Reading about economic stuff casting light on Valjean’s early life. Valjean was arrested in 1795; here’s some context about bread expenses in the dramatic years leading up to that. This info comes from ch. 2 of Aftalion, The French Revolution: An Economic Interpretation (originally, L’Economie de la Révolution Française). Aftalion feels that a lack of market intervention would have best served the nation, a thesis I’m unconvinced and at times deeply unimpressed by*—but the data’s useful, so, without further ado…

Household of a Parisian worker ca. 1789.

• Daily income examples: laborer, 20-30 sous; journeyman mason, 40 sous; joiner or locksmith, 50 sous. • Average food budget: about half the income buys bread; about a sixth buys the rest of the diet (vegetables, fats, wine). • A family with 2 children needs about 8 pounds of bread per day. • The price of a 4-pound loaf of bread might rise from 8-9 sous to 12 or even 20 sous. [Unclear if this last number represents the ’89 peak.]

Life cycle of the grain price.

Grain prices fluctuate dramatically in the last decades of the ancien régime. The price range of grain from a certain harvest is determined by how plentiful that harvest is. The price is at the low end of that range just after the harvest, August-September, and rises as the grain of that harvest is consumed. In the scarcity period, May-July, the grain price may be double the average price for that harvest. Small cultivators must sell all their grain early, during low prices, because they need money immediately and/or lack storage space. Also, withholding grain from the market to await higher prices was condemned as “hoarding” and restricted by regulation—and this would aggravate the price swings, as you can’t take grain off the market to lift a low price, and you haven’t got any left to put on the market and lower a high price.

The 1788 harvest.

The harvest of 1788 was damaged by a heat wave and stormy weather (including a hailstorm in July). Necker, the king’s economy guy, ordered 45m pounds of grain from abroad; but this caused panic, and stockpiling aggravated the shortage. (Aftalion has looked into the grain prices and considers their height not totally justified by the harvest damage itself.) Bread and corn prices reached an all-time peak in ’89, causing riots along the way. Meanwhile, unemployment had increased, apparently due to a 1786 Anglo-French trade treaty that exposed relatively undeveloped French industry to English competition.**

* I was especially miffed by Aftalion’s remarks in this chapter about the destitute being unable to comprehend that uncapped scarcity prices would’ve helped them in the long run: there is no long run for people who are daily fighting off death with a stick.

** Occasions for more unimpressive logic from Aftalion: although the weather alone and weather-plus-panic “seem equally plausible” explanations for the ’89 shortage, Necker’s heinous market-meddling was totally the key that “determined the course of the revolution;” and yes okay free trade was hurting French manufactures but the treaty would totally have improved the French economy after the French inevitably caught up, which “it is possible that” they were in the process of doing; and, this obvious friction period in the manufacturing sector is no reason to think that there would be a similarly deadly friction period for the above-mentioned poor and their bread prices. QED.

#my reading #textual reference #valjean x story #agriculture #economy #france x ancien regime #france x revolution

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