#nif exchange

[inimitablereel]

2023 Fic+Vid recs

A variety of things I liked this year, made this year. Once again, this got long, so fic recs and fandom-specific recs for dmbj are below the cut. But first a few miscellaneous vids

[vid] Cockroach Motherfuckers by eruthros, thingswithwings multifandom Immortal queer characters multi-vid! This is exactly as much fun and hopeful as it sounds. I've seen maybe 2 of the sources so you know, you don't have to have seen them all.

(We) Didn't Just Come Here to Dance [Fanvid] by FairestCat fandom: Newsies I haven't actually seen newsies, but I really liked this vid. Taking the (very dramatic) musical theater dancing and putting it to a Carly Rae Jepsen song works SUPER well, visually very fun time. Also, unions!

[Vid] Oceanographer's Choice by absternr fandom: Heroes (cdrama 2022) Bai Choufei, Su Mengzhen, and Lei Chun's fucked up relationship(s)/falling apart bad times. This vid is deeply upsetting, just a real exploration of sometimes caring a lot about each other makes everything worse. For maximum sad times, this goes well with absternr's other heroes vid, hey, I just met you, which is the meet-cutes that led to this whole mess.

[AMV] The Draw by Lovely Goblin fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena Black Rose Arc! I've watched this vid so many times really good weird and creepy black rose arc vibes really good parallels between all the different duelists

Also blanket rec that if you've seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, consider looking for vids for it. There's a bunch on ao3 (which can be easier to navigate than youtube, though there are definitely more total vids on youtube) and they're pretty much all spectacular? I was going to include one or two in this rec post and couldn't decide

The wild phonemes of 40 Eridani Keid by astronicht Fandom: Star Trek (aos/tos mashup canon) relationship: Spirk ~10k words rated E You know if you'd told me a year ago I'd be reccing a spirk fic in 2023 I would have been a bit surprised. This is not particularly my fandom wheelhouse. But you know, they're always good, and this fic is really great. This is almost an episode-fic except that nothing really happens plot-wise. But instead of a plot we get a lot of musing about geology and diplomacy and clever references to current events as history in that very trek kind of way and Spock being bitchy just for fun.

fuori dal mondo by bladedweaponsandswishycoats fandom: Qi Ye relationship: Beiyuan/Wu Xi, Beiyuan/Zhou Zishu (more plot than ship focused) ~60k words rated E This is a retelling of Qi Ye except Beiyuan is... some kind of eldritch horror, part-time. It pretty much goes beat for beat through canon (which I appreciate, I loved that book and do not like any of the current tls enough to reread) but with the added layer of whatever is going on with this eldritch thing, which is very cool and tied into canon so don't let me spoil it for you.

We're Leaving Our Shadows Behind Us by lady_ragnell fandom: Tortall - Protector of the Small relationship: Kel/Neal/Yuki ~70k words rated T Canon retelling of Squire and Lady Knight but from Neal's POV. This fic really digs into Neal as a character and the details of the worldbuilding of Tortall, especially the chamber of the ordeal. Also somewhere along the way it sold me on this ship, which I wasn't exactly rooting for when I read the books the first time.

The Untamed/MDZS

a harmony between qin and se by Alaceron relationship: Wangxian ~60k words rated E This is a gender-bent (to make it a het romance) no magic historical drama au where Wei Wuxian is a woman who's arranged to marry Lan Wangji. Honestly this is pretty far from the untamed, especially in terms of themes, though some plot elements will be familiar, but mostly it's just a really great compellingly written historical drama, that happens to have main characters with some familiar characteristics.

Like a Game of Chess by countingcr0ws relationship: Wangxian ~40k words rated T Modern au: influencer Wei Wuxian runs into Lan Wangji on a trip to Taiwan and they travel around together. I love all the little details of their trip - it's like getting to see a new place without going anywhere. Also sometimes I forget that wangxian are very cute? They're a good ship brant

The Epic Highs and Lows of High School Zine Production by el_em_en_oh_pee relationship: Jin Ling & Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling & the mdzs juniors ~7k words rated G Modern au: High schooler Jin Ling has big feelings about a lot of things, including zines, gender, and family. One of those juniors-centric fics that makes me say oh they are Teens huh.

DMBJ

A Little Hole in the Wall by MountainRose gen, Liu Sang centric ~8k words rated G Honestly I would rec this fic even to people who know nothing about tomb shows. One thing that really draws me to a book is descriptions of food (I have read multiple food memoirs this year), and this restaurant au has AMAZING food (and food prep) in it. Not too plotty, mostly just descriptions of delicious things and characterization via cooking.

green with an attitude by ilgaksu relationship: heihua ~8k words rated T If you are in the English language dmbj fandom and you care at all about heihua you probably have already checked out ilgaksu's fic, which has basically defined heihua for the English language fandom. My favorite heihua moments are when other people show up and give you that foil to realize how weird they are, and this fic has that both via Xiuxiu and Wu Xie. Also, a fic about dancing!

making anything last, keeping anything safe by A (mumblemutter) relationship: Wu Xie/Xiao Bai (background pingxie) ~8k words rated M Post canon Xiao Bai takes Wu Xie to explore a tomb that should be perfectly safe... (They set off a sex pollen trap.) I don't particularly ship this, but this fic was extremely well done and kind of sold me on the ship. Fun tomb, really fun characterization for everyone involved.

A World Made Over, Fresh and New by Thimblerig gen, iron triangle, Wu Xie & Li Cu ~1k words rated G If you've ever gotten specific dmbj fic recs from me, it's probably included something by Thimblerig, they're amazing at pulling in very specific canon snippets in under 5k words and I'd generally recommend going through their work by tags if you're looking for fic with underloved side characters or fic set during a part of canon that isn't UN or post-canon, which are generally easier to find. That said, this particular fic is in fact the fandom staple of post-reboot let's go look at a tomb and pulling in a big ensemble cast including some reboot folks. But it's a staple because it's a good vibe, and this is a really well done sliver of friendship and relationship building and perhaps even a tomb trap?

[Vid] Still Into You by absternr iron triangle ot3 This vid is a bop! Multi-tomb show iron triangle being in love, through the years! I've got this bookmark tagged as "joyful"

[vid] When He Died by teyla Wu Sanxing-centric This vid really leans into the weird tomb nonsense and conspiracies and builds to something quite odd, meant in the best possible way. A concentrated version of what tomb shows want to be at their best, from a horror/strange spooky things perspective. Mind the tags.

[Vid] Before I Do by absternr Xiuxiu character study A vid all about Xiuxiu being a badass - she's so clever and cunning and she will figure out and surpass her family history.

[nifexchange24]

The NiF Exchange collection is live!

Come see this year's fan creations!

[sinni-ok-sessi]

Who Can You Trust? - A Qin Banruo fanvid

I made this for Kybae for the NiF Exchange, for a prompt of an undercover/spies AU or something focusing on Qin Banruo's role as spymaster.

The number of times I had to restart a clip while making this because I got distracted by Wang Ou's face is not zero.

[bitterflames]

(the stars in your eyes.)

drawn for the NiF mini exchange! pls go check out the collection✨

[zhoudadudugongjin]

yaaaaaaasss i can finally start plotting my NIF exchange gift 👀👀

[kasasagi-eye]

I saw that the Nif exchange was announced. That means that my annual begging for suyu scraps season has begun!

[circumference-pie]

two cdrama fic offerings (written for candy hearts exchange):

wind in the leaves - NiF, 1.7k, five times lin chen lied to feiliu and one time he told the truth. lin chen and feiliu (and some mcs), rated G.

our yesterdays have lighted fools - LBFaD, 400 words, ronghao’s internal dialogue as he fights changheng. rated T.

[fateandloveentwined]

Xiao Jingrui: I once was very upset because of what you did, but ultimately, I am no longer a child who thinks he knows best. I understand now, everyone, so long as he is a person, would have things they choose and things they abandon. You only did what you chose. If I am angered and feel resentment because I have not been chosen, would there not be too much that cannot be forgiven on this earth? After all, no one has the responsibility to prioritise me, and value me above all others, regardless how much I will that to be, it cannot be forcefully acquired.

I treat you as such because I am willing. If I could be reciprocated the same regard in exchange, of course I would be joyous; that as it may be, if such regard could not be returned, there is not much to feel regretful about.

MCS: Jingrui, although there is seldom justice in this world, I hope you could forever hold true the pureness in your heart.

omg jingrui's speech at his departure in NIF, HOW DOES IT FEEL SO MUCH LIKE A BREAKUP speech and how did I never notice.

萧景睿：我曾经因为你这么做，非常难过，可是我毕竟已经不再是一个自以为是的孩子了，我明白了，凡是人总有取舍，你取了你认为重要的东西，舍弃了我，这只是你的选择而已，若是我因为没有被选择，就心生怨恨，那这世界岂不是有太多不可原谅之处，毕竟谁也没有责任要以我为先，以我为重，无论我如何希望也不能强求。

我之所以这么待你，是因为我愿意，若能以此换回同样的诚心，固然可喜，若是没有，我也没有什么可后悔的。

梅长苏：景睿，虽然这世间少有公平，但是我希望你可以永远保持这份赤子之心。

[jianghushenanigans]

10, 16, 24 for ao3 wrapped!

Hi!!

10. What work was the quickest to write?

Not counting any of the fics that are under 500 words which feels like cheating, it was probably After summers of fasting, I feel hunger at last, the first Xuyao fic I wrote and also the first fic I wrote this year, which I wrote over the course of a single video call with @nemainofthewater back in april

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

My most common tag is 'Whumptober 2023' which... I probably should have seen coming given I did write a full 31 fics which is almost half of my total number of fics from this year

24. Did you write any gifts this year?

Many! Birthdays gifts for @luzzeagain (untamed crossovers co-written with nemain) and @nemainofthewater (league of nobleman canon-ish and crack), horrible whumpy omegaverse xiyao for @wishthefish, and also I did several exchanges, although the only one that's been revealed so far is fandom 5k (stay tuned for fic in a box reveals and then yuletide and NiF-ex! (and fffx in the new year. if i ever finish that))

ao3 wrapped post here

[luzzeagain]

Fandom ask game

(@thebansacredbanned tagged me)

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

31 (what, really? How?)

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

78,0008.

Gotta love the 8.

3) What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Nirvana in Fire, at the moment, plus occasionally nonsense for whatever show I am currently watching (see Mysterious Lotus Casebook). Most of what I write never gets anywhere near AO3: it’s all in comments or email or, these days, group chat.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The first two are co-written, and the third is not actually by me – and in all three cases, the writer/cowriter was someone with a much bigger fandom following than me, so claiming them feels rather like cheating. Which leaves

The Sorceror and the Demon ( NiF) – Fei Liu origin story The Appleby File (Yes Minister/Sherlock)  - Mycroft meets his Civil Service match Fledging (Crash Landing on You) – How does anybody survive the appalling standards of kdrama first aid?

Tactics in the field (NiF) Jingyan/MCS h/c. I’m not sure the likes are purely for the writing, here

Yalta (Cabin Pressure) The one with the otters.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, unless it’s an anonymous exchange – not that I do exchanges, but I write treats. People have taken the trouble to comment! It’s polite to respond!

6) What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don’t really do heavy-duty angst. Ask a tricky question is probably the angstiest overall, despite also being one of the shortest. A Meeting of Minds has a spectacularly angsty end-note, despite being mostly fluff. On the other hand, I once spent ages writing a scene that I thought was really edgy and angsty and was congratulated in comments on how funny it was. Not my forte, is what I'm saying here.

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I tend to write humour, so… most of them? A long-expected party is the only one I’ve ever done that set out with the MCS lives! premise, though, and ends that way, too.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Not hate, as such, I’ve had a couple of comments where the discussion didn’t go in the direction I was expecting it to.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No. The fade to black is a very very useful device. If I did, I’d spend all my time worrying about whether people accidentally had three hands and it would not be sexy at all. In veneno veritas is probably as close at it gets.

10) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

All the characters in all the things I have ever read or seen live in a continuous extended universe where they are always running into each other. I like using fic to explore the absurd, and crossovers are a great way of doing that. The ‘Paddington in Jin Ling’ one is *probably* the craziest, though I’m also fond of ‘Lin Chen vs Vogon Poetry’. Neither of them are ever coming to AO3, though.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so, and I can’t think why anyone would.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

There’s a Russian translation of The Appleby File. Is Yes Prime Minister popular in Russia?

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

It is no coincidence that the only fics over about 3k are co-written. I write mostly to make my friends laugh (or occasionally scream),  and tend to run out of steam on my own.

14) What's your all-time favorite ship?

HMS Surprise, if Scarab is too small to count (Oh, all *right*, then) Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, though I don’t write it, or even read much in the way of fic. It’s complicated and spiky and soft and there’s so much trust there, and it continues to change and grow over the entire series. I don’t really read for ships though. Your favourite ship’s unusual? Convince me. I can be convinced of most things.

15) What's a wip that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

The Cabin Pressure/Crash Landing on You ostrich heist one. There’s some good stuff in there. And a lot of ostriches.

16) What are your writing strengths? Editing – I’ve just corrected the spelling in the question. More seriously, in English language fandoms, I have a good ear for voice, but it’s a long time since I’ve written in any. I like to think I can do a killer closing line.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Starting anything. I am a world-class procrastinator. And I hate tag-wrangling, but who doesn't?

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I wouldn’t, personally.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

There was a very bad James Bond serial I wrote for my brother when he was doing his GCSEs. I don't think I know anyone to tag, but feel free if you're interested!

[convenientalias]

fic stats meme

I was tagged by @seamayweed apparently???? Thanks seamayweed!

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

Most hits: Villainesses Must Stick Together, a My Next Life As a Villainess fic shipping Katerina Claes/Original Katerina Claes. I'm shocked?? I can't believe its 1) a oneshot, so no multichapter advantage, and 2) a Yuletide fic I wrote for a fandom that is still Yuletide eligible. Also, femslash self-cest. Theory: It may be winning bc I posted it very shortly before this webnovel got an anime adaptation and therefore is the fifth fic ever posted for the fandom. Anyway, I'm still fond of this fic so it's kind of nice if weird to find this out.

Second most kudos: Steak, Cabernet, and the Blindingly Obvious, a Nick/Gatsby fic. Much more predictable to me, my Gatsby fluff/crack all benefits from the assigned reading crowd lols.

Third most comments: Like having fangs is something to regret, my MCTNA OT3 werewolf fic. My top 4 in this category are all multichapter, no surprise there. I remember I was pleasantly surprised by the number of comments I got on MCTNA fics--y'all are so nice and encouraging. This fic was really fun to write, partly bc of that and partly bc werewolves and BangSeonHwi, how could it not be fun.

Fourth most bookmarks: See second most kudos.

Fifth most words: Temptations of trouble on my tongue, a NIF Prince Yu/Mei Changsu fic with vampire!MCS. I'm a bit surprised I've written four fics longer than it (two for MCTNA in 2021, what a year). Anyway this one wasn't really meant to be this long, but I say that for all my longfics. I wrote it partly for Halloween and partly bc I truly believe Prince Yu would be a vampirefucker.

Least words: A tie between two drabbles, without the shell and steve is not a responsible enough adult for this (or is he?). The first is for Mulan, mostly introspective. The second is for Stranger Things for an exchange and is crack. I think the second is marginally better (I'd gained a little more experience writing very short works by then). But I wish I could cheat and just show off all the 200 word fics I've written which I like a lot more. (Jk I will cheat, I always cheat!! Nine Orchid, After Arnes Hours, A Tianquan Murder, and riverside scene are all double drabbles. And if you read one of my drabbles and then you read one of them, you can really see the difference a hundred words can make. I really admire ppl who master the drabble proper. So fuckign hard.)

[deepestbluesky]

wip ask game

tagged by @aiyexayen

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you asks with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

i actually took this as an inspiration to clean up my wip folder, which was much needed!!! so, here's what we're left with (in alphabetical order, bc i did minor edits on a few of these while remembering what they were). for once i am in fact listing all of them instead of only giving yall the recent ones. please note that this is AFTER i moved 20+ docs into other folders (like 'abandoned' or 'just ideas')

2023 [redacted exchange fic] - ACTUALLY LOL TURNS OUT I MISTAKENLY NAMED THIS DOC 2033

and really feel the part

batfam au extra scenes

batfam emelan au

batfam lan au - lmao i should change these to have a more coherent/consistent word order, huh 😂

batfam sports ficlets

batfam witcher

briarwoods hwz followup?

cass and dance

cass omegaverse au

clark and bruce omegaverse gen

dick and damian and stargazing

dick/kory strength

dps/lqq modern au

fem zzs and jby marriage negotiations

fjord/eadwulf

gmm in GV

han ying genders

hy + tyk wenzhou

jby third life

jc+lwj political marriage - with 8 comments i need to read/resolve lol I AM SO CLOSE

jester mamma mia

jyl/jzx/lqy

kori/donna titans

lwj in wwx's colors

m9 publishing au

nif/shl crossover

sect heir jyl

theater au writing I GUESS - that is indeed all the title of the doc

this will not go well

uhhh idk yet dick and jason

vax/scanlan cc arc

vex/zahra lovm

what is han ying even doing here

[redacted bc this is a shared doc between minna and i and i think neither of us have actually... written anything in it...]

yunmeng bros reconciliation

zzs in ch21 of qi ye

as usual idk who hasn't been tagged yet but please tell me if you post one bc i want to be nosy and stare at everyone else's lists

[sinni-ok-sessi]

2024: Fanwork Retrospective

I made some stuff in 2024! And I think quite a lot of it was good! This was the year I tried to get better at vidding, and I had a lot of fun with that, so I hope I'll make more vids next year (if only my computer stops crashing).

Things marked with a * are things made for exchanges.

Nirvana in Fire

*the future moves under our feet (12k, Lin Chen/Mei Changsu/Xiao Jingyan, T)

A Minor Catastrophe (2k, gen, G)

*Best Laid Plans (1k, one-sided Xiao Jinghuan/Mei Changsu, T)

*Who Can You Trust? [a Qin Banruo fanvid] (gen, T)

The Disguiser

Never Better (3k, one-sided Ming Tai/Ming Lou/Ming Cheng, E)

Snowfall

between the devil and the devil you know (4k, Li Yingliang/Shen Zhiheng, E)

hold me like water (4k, one-sided (?) Li Yingliang/Shen Zhiheng, T)

dinner and a show (4k, Li Yingliang/Shen Zhiheng, E)

creatures of the same coat (4k, Li Yingliang/Li Guisheng, E)

when the blood on your hands turns to water (5k, Li Yingliang/Shen Zhiheng, E)

Genghis Khan [a Snowfall fanvid] (Li Yingliang/Shen Zhiheng, T)

Hornblower

*Sea Change (4k, William Bush/Archie Kennedy/Horatio Hornblower, T)

I wrote 10 fics this year, for a total of 43, 633 words, which is apparently my wordiest year yet on AO3, apart from 2010, when I did two big bangs and failed my C4 maths module

This was my first year doing Yuletide, which I enjoyed so much, definitely planning to take part again next year, and my third year of the NiF Exchange, this time as both participant and mod, which was great fun and only occasionally very stressful.

Things I am most proud of include: the future moves under our feet, which, while far from my first NiF fic, felt like the one with the most in-depth character work; Sea Change, because I have had Horatio Hornblower living rent free in my head since I too was an anxiety-riddled 17yo, and it felt good to finally get some of that on the page; and creatures of the same coat, because everything is awkward and awful in it.

Also, because I do love a song lyric title, I thought it might be fun to make a playlist of every song I've ever cribbed a fic title from, which you can find on Youtube here: words words words

[news365timesindia]

By Subhash Chandra Agrawal Shocking incident of adulterated ghee having been used in prasad of laddoos in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam during earlier regime raised big concern about purity of desi ghee and other milk-products sold for consumption by masses. There are reports of even synthetic milk sold in market. Allow sale of only branded milk at least in metro cities With government-owned Mother Dairy and co-operative giant Amul apart from some other private companies now dominating National Capital Region of Delhi in supply of milk and milk-products, sale of only branded milk may be permitted in the capital city. There are other reputed co-operative giants like Vita, Verka, Sudha, Saras and Nandini dominating sale of branded milk and milk products in respective states. Therefore, sale of only branded milk may be permitted in cities with availability of plenty branded milk. Discourage production khoya-based sweets and encourage home-made paneer Consumption of khoya during festive-season of Diwali in Delhi much exceeds all probable capacity through practical availability of milk to produce so much khoya. Demand of khoya in festive season evidently can only be fulfilled through adulterated khoya available in open market. Apart from launching a massive educative campaign through electronic and print media against use and exchange of sweets during festive season (sweets are otherwise harmful in consumption with ever-increasing diabetic patients in the country), every effort should be made to increase production of branded khoya by reputed manufactures in public, private and co-operative sector. Regular checks with sweet-dealers for checking adulterated khoya can discourage confectioners for not making khoya-based sweets. It is indeed ridiculous that GST-rate on sweets considered harmful for health, is just 5-percent while on other food-items, it is 12 or 18 percent! Sale of unbranded paneer should also be discouraged through massive educative campaign launched by central and state governments to use home-made paneer from branded milk. Mother dairy and Amul having appreciable market-share in Delhi should also arrange door-delivery of khoya for bulk-purchasers on advance-booking. Mother Dairy markets khoya. But because of extra-ordinary fat-content, its product is not only costlier but is much hard to use. Mother Dairy should decrease fat-content in khoya to make it softer with its price comparable with that of khoya sold in open market by unorganised sector. Fat-content of khoya can be used for production of ghee and butter to increase profitability. Packaging of milk and milk-products should be in true metric spirit Namaste India branded milk marketed in Delhi by NIF limited has adopted anti-consumer practice through gimmick packing of its milk in packs of 950 mltrs and 1900 mltrs printed in tiny little alphabets to look alike packs of one and two ltrs respectively to befool customerss. Other milk products marketed by other milk-companies including like Mother Dairy and Amul are at times in odd packings like 400 mltrs or gms, 250 mltrs or gms, 450 mltrs or gms etc Milk and all milk-products including also Ghee must be compulsorily packed in true metric-spirit compulsorily in either packs of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and likewise gms, mltrs, ltrs and kgms only as the case may be. Bigger milk packs presently packed in packs of six ltrs then can be packed in packs of five ltrs. Rule should cover Ghee also which should be packed in big packs of 10 or 20 kgs or ltrs rather than of 15 kgs or ltrs as at present. Moreover, products like Ghee should be uniformly packed in packs of ltrs only and not in kgs to avoid confusion. Consumers are confused in comparing prices of different brands where some marketers pack in ltrs while others pack in kgs. Co-operative giant Amul ranking 15th in top 100 most valuable food brands in the world – needs to be encouraged further in larger public-interest of India It is a matter

of pride for cooperative sector in India when Amul ranked 15th in top 100 most valuable food-brands in the world according to the Brand Finance Food and Drink 2021 report with private-sector Britannia being the only other Indian company to find 54th place. Both these companies should be encouraged and entrusted in larger public-interested. For example, long-awaited implementation of tender-results of handing over loss-generating Delhi Milk Scheme to Amul requiring to be done urgently. With too many complaints coming in mid-day meal programme in schools and railway-catering, Amul (and Britannia too) can be entrusted to supply packaged food-items for mid-day meal programme and railway catering. Central and state governments are already providing huge comforts to certain newly emerging companies by allotting land and tax-concessions. These should be provided at least to cooperative giant Amul if not to private sector Britannia. Such encouragement will not only be in public interest, but will also induce healthy competition amongst other Indian companies to find place in top 100 most valuable food-brands in the world. Top management of public-sector companies like Mother Dairy and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) should be pulled up for being so behind Amul and Britannia despite heavy public-money invested in these public-sector companies. Panchamrit by Amul : Should be entrusted to prepare Prasad for famous Hindu temples Co-operative milk-giant Amul has ntroduced Panchamrit, a holy mix of milk, curd, honey, powdered sugar and ghee which is used to offer to deities in Hindu temples to be later consumed as prasad by devotees. Considering use of adulterated ghee at in prasad of laddoos in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam during earlier regime, calls for entrusting reputed co-operative giants like Amul and public-sector companies to prepare prasads in famous Hindu temples of the country. Loss-making Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) should be immediately transferred to Amul as per tender-results for best utilisation of DMS resources including its milk-booths Co-operative giant Amul had won over Mother Dairy to take over Delhi Milk Scheme DMS running in heavy losses at an annual lease of rupees 42.30 crore against rupees 42.20 offered by Mother Dairy for 30 years with 7-percent annual increase in lease-amount in the bid opened on 27.11.2018. DMS started in the year 1959 having already piled up losses to tune of rupees 900 crores was decided to be given by central government to some market-leader. Presently 564 DMS booths scattered on prime public-land throughout the capital city of India are being grossly misused as private shops (photo of a DMS milk-booth attached) by the licensees in corrupt partnership of DMS-personnel by authorisation to sell products other than from DMS. It is to be noted that Mother Dairy booths in Delhi-NCR sell only Mother Dairy products, a big reason for success of Mother Dairy. However, in case Central Government does not accept Amul-bid, then it should merge DMS together with all its 564 booths with government-owned Mother Dairy. DMS, a “White Elephant” on public-exchequer with regular reduction in its utilization capacity from 43.20 percent in the year 2019-20 to 21.60 percent in the year 2023-24. Mother Dairy should also be declared public authority under RTI also because it is part of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) which is already a public authority under RTI Act. . Writer is Guinness World Record Holder for writing most letters and RTI Consultant

[news365times]

By Subhash Chandra Agrawal Shocking incident of adulterated ghee having been used in prasad of laddoos in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam during earlier regime raised big concern about purity of desi ghee and other milk-products sold for consumption by masses. There are reports of even synthetic milk sold in market. Allow sale of only branded milk at least in metro cities With government-owned Mother Dairy and co-operative giant Amul apart from some other private companies now dominating National Capital Region of Delhi in supply of milk and milk-products, sale of only branded milk may be permitted in the capital city. There are other reputed co-operative giants like Vita, Verka, Sudha, Saras and Nandini dominating sale of branded milk and milk products in respective states. Therefore, sale of only branded milk may be permitted in cities with availability of plenty branded milk. Discourage production khoya-based sweets and encourage home-made paneer Consumption of khoya during festive-season of Diwali in Delhi much exceeds all probable capacity through practical availability of milk to produce so much khoya. Demand of khoya in festive season evidently can only be fulfilled through adulterated khoya available in open market. Apart from launching a massive educative campaign through electronic and print media against use and exchange of sweets during festive season (sweets are otherwise harmful in consumption with ever-increasing diabetic patients in the country), every effort should be made to increase production of branded khoya by reputed manufactures in public, private and co-operative sector. Regular checks with sweet-dealers for checking adulterated khoya can discourage confectioners for not making khoya-based sweets. It is indeed ridiculous that GST-rate on sweets considered harmful for health, is just 5-percent while on other food-items, it is 12 or 18 percent! Sale of unbranded paneer should also be discouraged through massive educative campaign launched by central and state governments to use home-made paneer from branded milk. Mother dairy and Amul having appreciable market-share in Delhi should also arrange door-delivery of khoya for bulk-purchasers on advance-booking. Mother Dairy markets khoya. But because of extra-ordinary fat-content, its product is not only costlier but is much hard to use. Mother Dairy should decrease fat-content in khoya to make it softer with its price comparable with that of khoya sold in open market by unorganised sector. Fat-content of khoya can be used for production of ghee and butter to increase profitability. Packaging of milk and milk-products should be in true metric spirit Namaste India branded milk marketed in Delhi by NIF limited has adopted anti-consumer practice through gimmick packing of its milk in packs of 950 mltrs and 1900 mltrs printed in tiny little alphabets to look alike packs of one and two ltrs respectively to befool customerss. Other milk products marketed by other milk-companies including like Mother Dairy and Amul are at times in odd packings like 400 mltrs or gms, 250 mltrs or gms, 450 mltrs or gms etc Milk and all milk-products including also Ghee must be compulsorily packed in true metric-spirit compulsorily in either packs of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and likewise gms, mltrs, ltrs and kgms only as the case may be. Bigger milk packs presently packed in packs of six ltrs then can be packed in packs of five ltrs. Rule should cover Ghee also which should be packed in big packs of 10 or 20 kgs or ltrs rather than of 15 kgs or ltrs as at present. Moreover, products like Ghee should be uniformly packed in packs of ltrs only and not in kgs to avoid confusion. Consumers are confused in comparing prices of different brands where some marketers pack in ltrs while others pack in kgs. Co-operative giant Amul ranking 15th in top 100 most valuable food brands in the world – needs to be encouraged further in larger public-interest of India It is a matter

of pride for cooperative sector in India when Amul ranked 15th in top 100 most valuable food-brands in the world according to the Brand Finance Food and Drink 2021 report with private-sector Britannia being the only other Indian company to find 54th place. Both these companies should be encouraged and entrusted in larger public-interested. For example, long-awaited implementation of tender-results of handing over loss-generating Delhi Milk Scheme to Amul requiring to be done urgently. With too many complaints coming in mid-day meal programme in schools and railway-catering, Amul (and Britannia too) can be entrusted to supply packaged food-items for mid-day meal programme and railway catering. Central and state governments are already providing huge comforts to certain newly emerging companies by allotting land and tax-concessions. These should be provided at least to cooperative giant Amul if not to private sector Britannia. Such encouragement will not only be in public interest, but will also induce healthy competition amongst other Indian companies to find place in top 100 most valuable food-brands in the world. Top management of public-sector companies like Mother Dairy and Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) should be pulled up for being so behind Amul and Britannia despite heavy public-money invested in these public-sector companies. Panchamrit by Amul : Should be entrusted to prepare Prasad for famous Hindu temples Co-operative milk-giant Amul has ntroduced Panchamrit, a holy mix of milk, curd, honey, powdered sugar and ghee which is used to offer to deities in Hindu temples to be later consumed as prasad by devotees. Considering use of adulterated ghee at in prasad of laddoos in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam during earlier regime, calls for entrusting reputed co-operative giants like Amul and public-sector companies to prepare prasads in famous Hindu temples of the country. Loss-making Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) should be immediately transferred to Amul as per tender-results for best utilisation of DMS resources including its milk-booths Co-operative giant Amul had won over Mother Dairy to take over Delhi Milk Scheme DMS running in heavy losses at an annual lease of rupees 42.30 crore against rupees 42.20 offered by Mother Dairy for 30 years with 7-percent annual increase in lease-amount in the bid opened on 27.11.2018. DMS started in the year 1959 having already piled up losses to tune of rupees 900 crores was decided to be given by central government to some market-leader. Presently 564 DMS booths scattered on prime public-land throughout the capital city of India are being grossly misused as private shops (photo of a DMS milk-booth attached) by the licensees in corrupt partnership of DMS-personnel by authorisation to sell products other than from DMS. It is to be noted that Mother Dairy booths in Delhi-NCR sell only Mother Dairy products, a big reason for success of Mother Dairy. However, in case Central Government does not accept Amul-bid, then it should merge DMS together with all its 564 booths with government-owned Mother Dairy. DMS, a “White Elephant” on public-exchequer with regular reduction in its utilization capacity from 43.20 percent in the year 2019-20 to 21.60 percent in the year 2023-24. Mother Dairy should also be declared public authority under RTI also because it is part of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) which is already a public authority under RTI Act. . Writer is Guinness World Record Holder for writing most letters and RTI Consultant

[perrysoup]

Boom Supersonic lands Saudi investment that takes it over $700M in total funding

Boom Supersonic has landed financial backing from a fund connected to Saudi Arabia’s royal family in a deal the experimental jet company says takes it over $700 million in funding for the business.

Denver-based Boom Supersonic aims to make faster-than-sound passenger jets at the factory it's building at PTI Airport in Greensboro. Bounder and CEO Blake Scholl predicts will revolutionize international travel by cutting trans-oceanic flight times in half.

Last week Boom Supersonic confirmed closing a financing round that included a strategic investment from the NEOM Investment Fund. NIF is a funding offshoot of a Saudi Arabian royal family’s effort to foster economic development, technology innovation and ecological preservation in a swath of northwest Saudi Arabia touching the Red Sea coast.

Details of the investment in Boom, including its size and what other funds may have participated in the round, were not provided. The plane maker’s parent company, legally called Boom Technology Inc., hasn’t officially reported raising an equity investment round since 2020.

Boom Technology filings to the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission outline raising equity investment totaling just over $171 million in five investments between 2016 and 2020 but nothing since then.

Boom's total funding was most recently estimated at $208 million by Crunchbase, a digital venture capital database.

The company's announcement of $700 million in funding described the money being both investment and “other forms of capital.” Boom Supersonic termed the agreement with NIF an opportunity "to make the Gulf region dramatically more accessible through the power of supersonic flight.”

Boom Supersonic has landed financial backing from a fund connected to Saudi Arabia’s royal family in a deal the experimental jet company says takes it over $700 million in funding for the business.

Denver-based Boom Supersonic aims to make faster-than-sound passenger jets at the factory it's building at PTI Airport in Greensboro. Bounder and CEO Blake Scholl predicts will revolutionize international travel by cutting trans-oceanic flight times in half.

Last week Boom Supersonic confirmed closing a financing round that included a strategic investment from the NEOM Investment Fund. NIF is a funding offshoot of a Saudi Arabian royal family’s effort to foster economic development, technology innovation and ecological preservation in a swath of northwest Saudi Arabia touching the Red Sea coast.

Details of the investment in Boom, including its size and what other funds may have participated in the round, were not provided. The plane maker’s parent company, legally called Boom Technology Inc., hasn’t officially reported raising an equity investment round since 2020.

Boom Technology filings to the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission outline raising equity investment totaling just over $171 million in five investments between 2016 and 2020 but nothing since then.

Boom's total funding was most recently estimated at $208 million by Crunchbase, a digital venture capital database.

Blake Scholl is founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic.

Paul Cordwell, provided by Boom Supersonic

“Our goal is to bring the world closer together through faster flights,” Scholl said in a statement. “We’re excited to collaborate with partners and investors around the globe as we work to realize our shared vision.”

U.S. air carriers United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) and American Airlines (Nasdaq: AAL), and Japan Airlines, have paid deposits to Boom to reserve Overture planes for future purchase. Boom is also working with Northrop Grumman to develop a military and government version of the supersonic jet.

Saudi fund backs 'bold entrepreneurs'

The NOEM Investment Fund invests in viable commercial projects and “moonshot ideas enabled by cutting-edge technologies” and seeks “deep partnerships with like-minded investors and bold entrepreneurs working on the world’s most complex problems,” its website says.

The northwest region of Saudi Arabia has been dubbed NOEM by Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of the Saudi ruling family. As the founder and chairman of the NOEM board of directors, he has outlined a vision of $500 billion invested to transform that part of his kingdom into a global innovation hub.

NIF’s website describes it as engaging in both venture capital investment, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions.

Majid Mufti, CEO of NEOM Investment Fund, said: “The NIF strategy is designed to align NEOM’s development objectives with those of innovators and institutional investors, de-risking opportunities for them to participate in creating core global growth businesses and a thriving economy in NEOM.”

Part of NIF’s focus is finding private sector investments “to unlock solutions that would be piloted and scaled-up” in the NOEM development zone and eventually exported to the world, the website says.

Boom Supersonic declined to answer whether its investment agreement includes a possible presence in Saudi Arabia or the sale of planes. Boom Supersonic spokeswoman Aubrey Scanlan repeated the statement about making the Gulf region “dramatically more accessible” but provided no more detail about how.

The company also declined to specify whether the investment came in the form of equity financing, which would mean the NIF fund owns a stake in the business, or in another form of financing.

Boom's Overture plans advancing on several fronts

Boom Supersonic is nearing the first test flight in Mojave, California, of a single-seat test jet meant to confirm design choices and technologies for the Overture passenger jet it’s designing. Overture is meant to fly as many as 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 speeds across oceans. It would be the first supersonic passenger airliner since the Concorde retired in 2003.

The company is also building a factory its $500 million factory at Piedmont Triad International Airport where Overture will be assembled. The project is ahead of schedule, according to Boom, which plans to ramp up hiring for the plant in 2025.

Boom named Boeing veteran Scott Powell to lead its engine program earlier this year.

In Centennial, Colorado, where most of Boom’s staff of more than 250 is based, the company is putting together its Iron Bird facility, where a functional, grounded replica of an Overture will be tested and refined.

The company’s XB-1 test jet has been granted permission by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly, and the company has been steadily building up at the Mojave Air and Space Port to that initial flight.

Boom aims to have its first Overture passenger planes flying in 2026 and its first flights with passengers occurring in 2029.

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