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thatanimewriter · 1 year

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VOLCANO.

➳ request: are your requests still open? If so can I ask for soma, ryo, akira and taluni with a korean s/o who cooks tongue-burning spicy food? thx <3

➳ character/s: yukihira soma, kurokiba ryou, hayama akira, aldini takumi

➳ warnings: swearing

➳ notes: hello! my requests as of now, are never closed, so yes! they are open! i just might take a while to get it out for you. also, i love korean food ;v; i enjoy seeing friends suffer to kimchi while i’m fine lmao

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

── 𝐘𝐔𝐊𝐈𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀.

suffers but doesn’t admit it

he loves eating your food

but his spice tolerance isn’t to this level

i don’t think it’s all that out of character for soma to date someone who isn’t japanese

he’s gonna expand his culinary knowledge

also he loves to throw a wrench into anyone’s normal

he probably demanded to come with you to korea for summer break

but, uhh, he has to supply his own ticket

so he never did come with, however

SOMA

LOVES

KOREAN BBQ

he wants you to make him the food though

he wants you to burn his tongue :))

he wants you to make him regret his life decisions

honestly

he wishes he could’ve predicted the topic during the rebels vs central shokugeki

because you would’ve BODIED rindou

also

you bully him for spending so much time on the toilet

and he yells at you through the toilet door

── 𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐁𝐀 𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐔.

he’s fine

he’s chilling

he competes with you sometimes

ryou definitely enjoys the multicultural nature of your relationship

lots of sharing recipes

and finding similar recipes just to see who does it better

but it always ends up a tie

because you’re both really biased

and you’d never give in >:((

but you guys like to alternate between your respective cuisines for dinner

one day it’ll be korean

the next it’ll be scandinavian

you definitely partake in spice challenges on every date

hands down

spicy ramen with like, 12 chillis on the menu which kinda lose the meaning but it’s fun anyway

to be truthful

ryou does think you can make it spicier

and you will

just for him

he loves you and your stupidly spicy foods

but he is confused how you’re fine with all your dishes and don’t break a sweat

── 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐌𝐀 𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐀.

probably the best at handling it

he is also a spicy food king

probably not to your level, but-

spice competitions all day every day

maybe not all day every day, but it sure feels like that

he is very interested in your culture

definitely started having kimchi with a bunch of his meals

but he hates your chopsticks

why are they so slippery??

it’s fine though

because you guys cook together all the fucking time

korean hotpot is his favourite

every time you give him a dish to try

he has to mentally prepare himself

because he doesn’t know how hard it’s gonna be to pretend he’s unfazed

he’d say you give him a run for his money in terms of spiciness

but you have his whole wallet

he’s fine with that though

you’re good at cooking and the flavours are still there

so he has no qualms

his tongue might have one or two complaints though

── 𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐌𝐈.

weak little baby mouth

cries because it’s so spicy

and yet he suffers every time :))

because he thinks korean cuisine is really interesting

and you’re his partner, so he’ll eat anything you make him

simp.

he enjoys the milder dishes a lot more because he can actually taste it

but your interpretation of mild is very different to his

so he’s asking you for dishes with pretty much no heat in your eyes

this is why he likes korean bbq

you get to cook together and it’s casual

also he gets to control the spice-

he truly thinks of you highly

because you’re cooking things that shouldn’t have any flavour because it’s too hot

but you do it anyway and it’s magical

you also sparked his brief hyperfixation on korean cuisine

the only reason you found out was when he asked you to make bulgogi

n you were like “how tf do you know what that is??”

but you made it and brought him to heaven without about 50 chillis

not as fun, but takumi is cute when he does a little happy dance while he chews

don’t record him though, he’ll turn all red even without the spice

#shokugeki no soma #food wars #yukihira soma #kurokiba ryou #hayama akira #aldini takumi #shokugeki no soma x reader #food wars x reader #yukihira soma x reader #kurokiba ryou x reader #hayama akira x reader #aldini takumi x reader #shokugeki no soma imagines #food wars imagines #yukihira soma imagines #kurokiba ryou imagines #hayama akira imagines #aldini takumi imagines

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hostilemuppet · 16 days

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Rock trolls exclusively eat what can be cooked in a college dorm. They have a thriving ramen industry

they dont have water in volcano rock city so they eat it raw

#ask

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joshhere911 · 1 year

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First, i want to apologize in advance for bad grammar and long paragraphs . I am not a writer, but instead a rambler at heart <3 some of this is just me straight up screaming LMAO

ALSO SPOILERS FOR THE EXTRA STORY OF PSYCHICS 1 N 2

I will not really be talking about the anime , since the anime covers most of the manga but is really quick and cuts some scenes (that i honestly thought were the funniest but it may be that i havent seen em before thst makes it funny) so i will peimarily be using the manga and novels (Extra Story of Psychics 1 and 2) as references .

Its in total agreement that saiki is a toootal tsundere, or at least i prefer kuudere for him (tsunderes are often aggressive or soft and generally alternating, whereas kuuderes are cynical and appear emotionless but of course have a soft side . Its just behavior difference but still makes a difference jn my heart <3) and of course what with it being confirmed By him in the manga its like Duh. But we dont necessarily see his soft side ? Bc of course we know his 'soft side' is generally sheep herding his friends and caring for their well being, but he doesnt explicitly like ,, say it . And im not counting what he said at the volcano and also i sort of rely on words so having a BOOK of words that i can grab at and string along to my brain is SO good for me honestly dude i love the books so unibelievebly much

Of course, like in any good saiki media the first chapters are generally getting caught up in his friends shenanigans. I was so delighted to note that it was all in perspective of saiki himself ! The first pov!! I usually dont like the first perspective , but in novels its more expected and also its saiki! (Im insane) anyways , we cant really rely on saiki as an output of his emotions to the reader bc hes an unreliable narrator, he doesn't necessarily speak out his emotions or show them that much .

Anyways, besties being besties !! Saiki quite literally follows his friends around . Everywhere . It still amuses me that even though he can just Teleport away when theyre not looking and they wouldnt find it super suspicious (hes done it before in the manga im like 80% sure) he still hangs out with them and now , in the last chapter of the first novel, we know why !! He usually says its an obligation or a social thing in a typical tsundere fashion , but in the last chapter he feels . Sad . THAT SHIT CAUGHT ME SO OFF GAURD . In this chapter , he stays home due to a premonition of his house being on fire . He takes a nap and wakes up to see kaidou and nendou hanging in his room, saying that Saikis mom let them in while she went out . They ask if hes sick and then go cook ramen for him , and he uses clairvoyance to make sure they dont set his kitchen and then his house on fire (being paranoid after the premonition, and end up caring for his friends safety) and afterwards he ends up esting their ramen and tries to send them home . He ends up getting another premonition in thst moment (doesnt explicitely say it to the readers yet), has seconds of the ramen (bc it wasnt bad) and then his friends go home, stepping on a cigarette bud that would have started the fire.

One thing that gets me when i read this chapter is that after the second premonition, he could have still sent them home ! He now knew the cause (that he now revealed) and he couldve nipped the cigarette himself but instead he lets fate do what it does best and they leave later and step on the cigarette then . Its so interesting ! And !!! Right after that, he claims he felt empty, that his room felt larger and more quiet . Of course, in his typical fashion he tries to reassure himself thst this is what he Wanted, and that he should feel happy that he could have peace and (mainly) quiet in his house now but he just . Doesnt . He says he feels lonely . And he explains thst in elementary and middle school he never had people check up on him at home, and thus he preferred the quiet. He is literally defending himself against his OWN FEELINGS . Oh my GOD that shit made me want to CRY . I feel mang emotions a lot of the time and THAT ? THAT WHOLE SEGMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF WHAT FEELS LIKE A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF LONELINESS WHEN YOUR FRIENDS LEAVE ? THAT MADE ME WANT TO CRY!! And even !! At the end, he says "I start reading a manga in my quiet room." OH MY GOD NO FUCKIN WAY .... first , he reiterates that his room is quiet ! Second, he says he starts reading a manga and considering that nendou had bought a manga for him and then gave him said manga when he first woke up, i like to think that he started reading the manga that nendou gave him !! This is SO important to me because hes being VULNERABLE !! In the manga, He never really expresses negative emotions towards the thought of his friends leaving, infact many a time he tries to play it off as a relief (he sucks at playing it off though) , so the fact that hes being OPEN about his feelings to readers about these emotions of a sort of lasting and lingering and Yearning and the fact that its Most Likely (im unsure but for now i will say that it IS) canon!! Hes so silly !!! My silly little guy! He literally says his friends are destined to be there with him!! Thats crazy!! And he proves it in the next volume !

Moving onto the next book :D first , i want to address toritsuka . Though he is fucking crazy , its important to note that saiki Still cares for him !! In the book, first chapter in pov of toritsuka, reita says that saiki looks at him with pity several times and even in saikis pov at the end he feels bad that toritsukas luck is so shit bc his gaurdian spirit(nendous dad) is never around, and even debates talking to the guy . He feels genuine pity for toritsuka , so i cant say saiki is cruel or a distrustful guy bc LOOK AT HIM!! Caring for his buddies !! Even the less honourable and more crazy ones !!! :DD

Back on topic with saiki n his friends! The last 3(or 2 n a half??) chapters are all for one arc !! THE MOST SILLY ARC ! You have probably read it and i dont want to repeat summaries of chapters if yall have, so ill spare yall the big picture!! The chapter thst makes me want to swoon so Badly is the interlude, where saiki is under the spell thing of the parallel! Saiki Kusuo, so hes supposed to be in a dream . In this dream, he is at a festival . No powers . No limiters . He doesnt even know Why he is think of powers or limiters . He thinks hes starting to have 8th grade syndrome . The FIRST person that his subconscious places into his mind to talk to him first was NENDOU! He doesnt know anyone at this festival, all he knows is that this random guy with his face blurred and black out recognized him and is dragging him to a nice hideout . And he lets him !!! Without realizing, in all his thinking, his body moves by itsef, similarly to the chapter "eat all you can!" In the first novel, he just follows and doesn't necessarily register his total surroundings (trusting his body to whoever is guiding him - he can easily fend off anyone that Tries to attack, but right now he is subdued and right now he is a sheep until he becomes a wolf) and he just thinks ! Eventually, nendou leads them to a place to watch the fireworks and is SO genuine with saiki that saiki cant help hut realize just who is leading him, who he trusts the most with his subconcious and honesltly probably dissociating body is Nendou, and he says to Us (or namely to himself but yk) that the person that will Always be there for him, esper or not, real or a dream, is Nendou.

FUCK. i FUCKING LOVE THEM . Especially considering that he had teleported to a parallel universe where Nendou didnt go to PK academy, it brings so much emotion to me knowing saiki truly believes thst he and nendou are like . A destined thing . This could be taken romantically or platonically . i dont think it matters that much, although its probably meant to be taken platonically. its so much more meaningful thst Nendou has changed the course of action in his life because he was just being Himself to Saiki, because no matter what in Every universe (namely the only two parallel universes that he has been to) Nendou has attatched himself to Saikis side and isnt really meant to let go . The only reason why this parallel universe is like the worst ever is Because the Saiki Kusuo in this universe gets Rid of nendou, and then all goes downhill. Our saiki originally thought it was a good idea(in the way that he actually was concerned on where nendou was the ENTIRE time he was in class) before he realized just how shit it is without the power of Friendship . AHHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH !!! This is what caused me to keep thinking of saiki and nendou, intimately familiar with each other and stuck with each other until the end of days, because saikis omnipresence is all for naught without nendous stupidity . In the last chapter, Saiki even says that a life Without nendo is one he doesnt prefer to be in . Saiki is on the Right track, the Most correct pathway ever , from saving the dog in chapter 1 and indulging in his friends antics in every media ever, he is Correct .

The moral of the story is now my head is exploding st the seams with need for more nendou and saiki twinning . I need more saiki listening to his friends, seemingly uncaring but then reciting their stories or giving them gifts based on what they ramble on unknowingly to him . I Need more nendou not really getting social cues, but understanding his Pals uncomfort in certain situations . I need them to be Best Friends . Twinning . Sillies !! I miss them so much and i just i just 💥 im really losing it i love saiki and his friends interacting , he Knows that he Cares and protects Them, but he is like almost Clueless that they love him back and he most definitely doesnt realize or believe he doesnt need Their protection (AND THEN NENDOU COMES ALONG AND JUST . OBLITERATES HIS WORLD VIEW(LAST CHAPTER IN MANGA))

New challenge !!! Take a shot everytime saiki says "my name is saiki kusuo, and i am an esper(psychic)/i have psychic powers(esp)" <3

#saiki k #kusuo saiki #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki and his friends #saiki no psi nan #saiki #nendou riki #nendou saiki k #shun kaidou #rambles #friendship #i actually went insane writing most of this LMAOO #this is not the first long rant ive done about a special interest of mine and it wont be the last #i love saiki and his friends #they need to hug more #dont read all of it if you dont want to my bad it gets more incoherent as you go along

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imlyfie · 2 years

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Saw a lot of Malcom Pace headcanons and gotta admit him the Stolls, Clarisse and Charlena (rip) are my most favourite side characters to ever exists.

So with that being said with Malcom introduced as Annabeth's second in command, and for Annabeth to actually reach that level with him you cannot deny to my face/screen whatever that they caused Chaos together...LIKE....????

__________________________________________

•I need Malcom being the only Athena kid who Annabeth warmed up to when she first came to camp in one of the most unideal situation a seven year old can find themselves in BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SAME AGE AND MONTHS APART but act like they're a millenia apart.

•I want Malcom and Annabeth arguing about them being the Head Counsellor and Second in command which always ends with Annabeth saying "I'm older so you should listen to me" and getting replies from her brother like "youre older by two months you blonde head"

•^^Yes because the idea of all Athena kids being blond is ridiculous and I HC for Malcom to either be Asian, Desi or black with hella interest in computing, coding, hacking and astrology. His roots are black/brown with his hair in blond highlights. He has shoulder length hair and it is his pride and joy okay?! His hair his so curly you can mistake it for instant ramen noodles when blond ngl. He prefers like honey brown at the lightest but sometimes Mitchell from the Aphrodite cabin adds in too much bleach. But when he smooths it out its beach wavy and it just frames his square jaw and cheekbones like- perfection.

• Tbh if Malcom was Asian, I HC his face claim to be RM ngl. Whoops- but it's mainly because Annabeth didn't get along with her step-family fast and they were Asian so Malcom was the first step into accepting her own life and letting go of grudges (of her step family) and learning to forgive even if it was one per cent. If he was desi his face claim would be similar to actor Prabhas.

•I need Annabeth and Malcom going off against each other while being the most protective of each other. Maybe even being the de facto parents of their younger siblings.

•Malcom shipped Percabeth since SoM after the cheek kiss and always brings it up to tease her. When Annabeth in her frustration accidentally spills about the kiss in the volcano to him, he never shuts up. He hummed the wedding march loudly and played the wedding march on his flute everytime she mentioned Percy after their underwater kiss for a week until she threatened to rip his tarot cards once.

•I want Malcom to be 100% supportive of Percabeth and give the brother/boyfriend talk to Percy and also tell him embarrassing baby Annabeth stories like how she had a baby deer phase where her legs just shot up faster than her body and she was utter clutz similar to how Sally told Annabeth and Thalia baby Percy stories in TTC.

•I want Malcom to be the rebellious kid of Athena, while Annabeth is the Stereotype kid of Athena (which juxtaposes Annabeth is very emotionally driven just as she is ambitious and a lethal strategist. Meanwhile, I want Malcom to be a stoneface tactician who loves art and is very un-Athena-kid like)

• I want Malcom to get a gift from Athena like the invisibility cap his sister got but it's a communication device disguised as an advanced apple watch which he can duplicate to give someone else the other piece hence he can talk to them, see their location, msg them and send things and shit, its conveinient because it dissappears when no in use and appears when needed. AND HE ENTRUSTS THE DUPLICATE TO ANNABETH

•Annabeth having to deal with a dozen kids lmao and then complaining to Malcom who just makes her a coffee and returns to programming like" uh huh yea okay whatever you say" pissing her off, she throws a dictionary at him. And then Annabeth comes home from quests to Malcom running to her on his knees like "please make this stop" and "now you know what I have to deal with". They eventually settle on an agreement though.

• Them coming up with sketches for builds which have security codes which are impossible for mortals to hack into.

•The summer Annabeth returned from her father's place before both of them really too a chance to care for each other, she comes home to the cabin in tears and Malcom makes her a hot chocolate before going onto his computer and hacking into Frederick Chase's bank account and going "your dad might be an asshole to you but with your word he will go broke af and all the money would be wired to you"

•This method of threat came in handy when they had to save Malcom's dad once who was a lawyer and his opposing council was quivering in fear seeing two teens coming up to them and threatening them.

• Stereotype that everytimeee someonemetons to be like exemplary Cabin Six, which is the most behaved, Malcom and Annabeth share a look and go "uh huh. Most behaved....Totally"

-Flashback to them sacrificing the eldest to get rid of the dust that was formed in the cabin library which looked like cobwebs and there was chaos for an entire week it was the Hunger Games but budget version.

-Flashback to the time when they have Friday Free for All where they either choose strategy games or plan for the chariot races which always, ALWAYS end up with screams and insults and papers pencils and every book and stationary strewn out the floor and shelves until their majestic shapeshifting guard owl scolds them. These are just TWO examples.

• Malcom was so into arguing his points that one of their sisters decks him and Annabeth has to drag his ass into the infirmary and he's like "whatever you're on my side right?" And she's like "pay me fifty Drachmas a month and I'll always choose your side"

-and they get close to Will this way and these three usually are step in medics. Ft doctor Solace and his two wittle assistants.

• Everytime Annabeth and Clarisse are going off at each other Malcom tries desperately to play mediator before everything goes to shit...and well it does go to shit. When they are older, Clarisse and Annabeth act like they are fighting to get on Malcom's nerves.

•Malcom was a hardcore Silena fanboy and held her on a pedestal because she was just so sweet and he always looked up to her. He'd piss off Annabeth with his ranting, while Annabeth pissed him with her crushing on Luke for a few years. He went through a heartbreak phase when he found out Charles and Silena mutually liked each other. Got over it fast enough.

•He was ready to pulverise Luke after his betrayal to CHB because he hurt Annabeth. And he was ready to punch Annabeth because her denial was hurting her.

• Baby Annabeth accepts Malcom much faster than Luke/Thalia/and her mortal half brothers, because they are the same age and he puts effort to know her and pesters her in the ways only brothers can, and baby Malcom is so happy he clings to her like a koala like "Yes! My life mission is complete!!"

•Annabeth curses in greek when pissed, angered annoyed or whatever negative emotion she's feeling. One time her and Malcom partnered up with the Stolls in a training game against monsters and she's so pissed that the Stolls messed up her perfect plan. They eventually win but ends with her spewing so many greek cusses that Malcom and the Stolls are redder than beetroot. Malcom, Percy, Piper and Grover are usually at the unfortunately unintentional receiving end of this treatment.

•Both are skilled in gymnastics because Malcom had to take it as a kid and went through a cultural shock when he first came to camp to find out it is not normal for everyone to know about gymnastics. So he pleads with Chiron and Annabeth rolls up her sleeves, gets her debate journal and CONVINCES Chiron. Ends up with a mortal who is clear-sighted for a tutor, funded by Malcim's billionaire dad, who teaches both Taekwondo and Rhythmic Gymnastics at camp during the months the all-rounders feel lonely because the camper number dwindles after summer. This exercise is a good way to get rid of the adrenaline in their bones. Unfortunately they only stayed until they turned twelve and the lessons stopped.

-Can you see where im going with this?!!! The possibilities are endless! (P.S. annabeth loves monkey bars. You need core and arm strength to like that torture device okay-)

•Adding to my previous hc of Malcom being an un-Athena-kid like he enjoys playing the flute(which is an instrument that Athena cursed) and is very skilled at it.

-And everytime Annabeth has a panic attack in the cabin or when he is burning the midnight oil and Annabeth has the nightmare of the cyclops or Thalia's turning, he plays the flute to calm her down.

-Their favourite pastime is to hand out by the big tree with lemonade from sunset with books until dark, Annabeth reads her architecture books while Malcom brings his flute and tries new tunes with the song books the Apollo cabin lent him. When it's dark and the stars are out, Malcom geeks out and shows her the constellations and the astrologies that accompanies them.

-Its a routine the built up well into until BoTL where everyone is more focused on war. But Post-TOA I believe they catch up to do this tradition of theirs.

• Malcom likes his using his reading glasses which double as sunglasses. And he loots hot in them. Usually when some young Aphrodite girl or Apollo boy tries flirt with him, Annabeth becomes a protective sis™. And vice versa especially when Malcom found out Connor crushed on his sister for a few years.

•Hc Malcom to be the wise grandma type of brother who is always ready to give advice. But denys when he desperately needs it himself. Annabeth is an intellectual and is able to read body languages and pick up cues. But I don't think she is wise in the sense that personally enjoys the long game, and has patience for it. She takes calculated risks and is quick and a fireball when pissed(and she gets easily ticked off).

Malcom is kinda the opposite.

-He lays back and doesn't get agitated easily. Always holds his tongue and plans for the long term, overall just a sweet granny type of brother who we can't help but love. Doesn't mean he isn't ruthless when necessary.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

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Red Team Blues Chapter One, part two

My next novel, Red Team Blues, comes out on April 25. It’s an “anti-finance finance thriller,” a read-it-in-one-sitting thriller about a 67-year-old forensic accountant who gets embroiled in a deadly and violent cryptocurrency heist:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/18/cursed-are-the-sausagemakers/#henched

To whet your appetite for it, I’m serializing chapter one, where we meet Marty Hench, and get introduced to the one last job that he needs to do to finish his 40 year career as Silicon Valley’s best high-tech forensic accountant.

Today, I’m publishing part two. Here’s the previous installment:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/17/have-you-tried-not-spying/#unsalted-hash

Here’s where US readers can pre-order the book:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/red-team-blues

Here’s pre-orders for Canadians:

https://services.raincoast.com/scripts/b2b.wsc/featured?hh_isbn=9781250865847&ht_orig_from=raincoast

And for readers in the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth:

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/red-team-blues-cory-doctorow/7225998?ean=9781804547755

And now, here’s today’s serial installment:

The Camino Real had excellent security, as well as all the amenities: a pool, a gym, and a set of spring-loaded seismic dampers set deep into the bedrock that turned the whole place into a bouncy castle whenever the San Andreas Fault got a touch of indigestion.

It was steps to California Avenue and five Michelin-star restaurants — one with three stars, two with two — and it cost him eight million, plus furnishings, which Sethu oversaw, going all in on Danish woods for a midcentury modern feel that went great with the rooftop garden that came with the penthouse unit. Sethu got him interested in trying all that Michelin star food, a far cry from ramen and slightly irregular breakfast cereals, and from there, it was the chefs’ tables, and then the private cooking classes, and then a major reno to the penthouse to fit it out with a kitchen that would have made Heston Blumenthal gasp and twirl.

They spent the month that the renos took in an exclusive lodge near a slightly active Costa Rican volcano, checking out the bromeliads and howler monkeys. He came back bronzed and fit from all that volcano hiking and became one of the great chefs of the new aristocracy, even pulling out the old alt.gourmand posts from the prehistory of Usenet. I don’t know when they became a couple, but I imagine it was a natural thing. Danny had a big heart, and he’d loved Galit with all of it, and with Galit gone and Danny still around, his heart wasn’t going to sit idly. Sethu is beautiful and brilliant and good at what she does, and those were all the traits that attracted Danny to Galit in the first place. The Camino Real’s security gave me the twice-over and then emitted me. The elevator doors gave a sophisticated sigh and welcomed me in, and the buttonless panel lit up PH, and my blood pooled a little in my feet as I attained liftoff.

Danny looked at least ten years younger than the last time I’d seen him, craggy but handsome, and the pounds he’d put on had only filled him out so he wasn’t such an ectomorphic scarecrow. He’d definitely been hitting the kettlebells, too, and his tight Japanese tee clung just enough that I could see he’d gotten some definition in his pecs and biceps. That’s hard muscle to acquire once you hit your fifties. Someone had been making Danny put in his reps.

Danny’s an intense guy who believed so fiercely in the significance and beauty and urgency of cryptography that he could easily captivate a roomful of people with an impromptu lecture on the subject, and he would not relinquish that hold until they all had to leave. He wasn’t a bore, but he wasn’t exactly normal, and yet as far as I knew, everyone who’d ever become personally acquainted with him liked him. A lot.

“Well, you don’t look like a man who got through a prix fixe at the Palmier. Even with the flights, you shouldn’t be that bilious, Mart. What’d you do, stop for Oreos on the way back to your double-wide?”

I let this pour over me as he showed me into the foyer and I shucked my scuffed old loafers, the ones I saved for personal days when I didn’t have to impress a client. “First of all, Lazer, the Unsalted Hash is a forty-foot, state-of-the-art touring bus with seven feet of internal clearance, an induction range, a deep freeze, and a sound system that can set off car alarms for a block. It is not a double-wide.

“Secondly, the Palmier was great, and I didn’t get the prix fixe — I got a taster at the chef’s table with a friend, and we stayed up later than we should have, and I still managed to drag myself here for a business conference at this unholy hour. I’m running on three hours’ sleep and digesting a good three- thousand-calorie dinner, is all.

“Finally, I don’t stop for Oreos, ever. I have a supply of 1995-vintage Hydroxes in one of the deep freezes. The original recipe contains all those great trans fats that make for excellent long-term frozen flavor and texture retention. I would offer you a package, but I won’t, because they are mine, and I treasure them beyond all reason and plan to make my stash last until I can no longer consume solid food, whereupon I plan to consume the balance in smoothie form.”

He took my shoes and tossed them into a closet and slammed the door, making a face, then burst out laughing and grabbed me in a bear hug that reminded me of those new biceps of his. “Man, it’s good to see you, Marty. Come in, come in. We’ll go out onto the roof.”

I got a quick tour of a lot of teak and curves and angles, like a set dresser had been given an unlimited budget to decorate the boss’s office on a midcentury period drama. Then he opened a sliding door out onto the roof-deck, which had some very nice landscaping and potted shrubs, a meandering stream patrolled by fat koi and fed by a two-foot waterfall, some comfortable- looking and elegant teak loungers, and Sethu.

She had an easel set up and was painting in oils, an impressionistic landscape of Palo Alto’s nimbified one-family houses and dinky main street. It was a couple of billion dollars’ worth of real estate dressed up as middle-class houses from the same midcentury dreamland as the furnishings in the living room. She turned and saw us and narrowed her eyes, just a tiny amount, before cleaning her brushes and hanging up her smock on the easel’s corner.

“Hi, hon,” she said. “This must be your friend Mr. Hench.” Danny beamed at her, an expression I remembered from his most successful demos, that prideful look he got when his code performed some miracle. “Marty, I don’t know if you ever met Sethu, back in the old days.”

“I don’t know that we were ever introduced properly,” I said. She’d let me in, once or twice, when I’d come by to see if I could pull Danny out of his tailspin. But she’d been his PA then.

“Well, in that case, Sethuramani Lazer, meet Martin Hench. Marty, meet Sethu.”

I’m pretty sure my facial expression didn’t change when he dropped that last name on me. I’d already noticed the rock on her finger, of course — a bachelor of my age and experience takes note of these things automatically, without conscious intervention. I’m pretty sure what Danny said next was that same pride speaking, not a failure of my poker face.

“Married her last year. Or rather, she married me, despite being significantly out of my league.”

“Lucky fella,” I said. “Congrats to both of you.”

He got us settled into loungers, and Sethu mentioned that she was going in for lemonade and offered us some. She brought it out in sweating tall glasses with silicone straws and then went back to her easel, far enough away that it wouldn’t seem odd not to include her in our conversation.

I sipped as Danny scrolled his phone for a moment, double-checked his notes, and took Sethu in. She was beautiful, of course, but I’d known that since I’d first met her at the door of that teardown that Danny had settled into as his final resting place. Now, though, she had the kind of haircut that some very bright topiarist had charged her at least a thousand bucks for, and with it, the kind of poise I associate with very beautiful, very accomplished women who are also very, very rich. Something in the posture, a kind of deep relaxation that you rarely see. Having a very deep cash buffer can give a woman the same tranquility as any middling specimen of manhood gets for free, the liberation from casual predation that men don’t even notice.

Danny put his phone down at last. “So I hear you did some work recently? Bonwick. Rearden Factoring?”

I nodded. “Yeah, Brian and I did some business, but it’s not the kind of thing I can discuss. You know that. He lost something, I found it, and I made him whole.” He snorted. “Marty, you don’t make people whole. Your commission still twenty-five percent?”

“It is,” I said. “And I still don’t charge anything to take a job, not even expenses or a retainer. I take the risk, I get the reward. That’s a proposition I think you probably relate to.”

“I’m familiar with the general idea.” He looked around at his penthouse garden, his beautiful young wife, his view of the strivers of Palo Alto and their Leave It to Beaver houses, all a testament to his willingness to take all the risk and his unwillingness to share his rewards. “You ever take payment in crypto?”

“I prefer fiat” — this being the cutesy word that crypto weirdos use for real money — “I have smart accountants who keep my tax bite down to a manageable slice, and I’ve got no other reason to accept distributed sudoku puzzles in lieu of greenbacks.”

“Very funny,” he said. Cryptocurrency hustlers hate it when you point out that the whole blockchain emits billions of tons of CO2 to help repeatedly compute pointless mathematical puzzles. “You’re familiar with how crypto works, though, right?”

“Danny, I love you like a brother, but I hope I’m not about to get a sales pitch for Trustlesscoin.” The only sour note in the previous night’s dinner had been a couple of bros at the chef’s table who spent the first hour talking about smart contracts. It was a hazard of any public space in SV, and I accepted it with good grace, but I wouldn’t tolerate it in private places. Life is too short.

“No pitch, but I just want to make sure you’re up to speed for what I’m going to tell you next. Forensic accounting is one thing, but when you throw in crypto, it’s a whole different world.”

Later this week (Apr 20/21), I’m speaking in Chicago at the Stigler Center’s Antitrust and Competition Conference.

This weekend (Apr 22/23), I’m at the LA Times Festival of Books.

[Image ID: A squared-off version of Will Staehle's cover for the Macmillan edition of 'Red Team Blues.']

#pluralistic #fiction #crypto #crypto means cryptography #red team blues #cryptocurrency #books #technothrillers #serials #martin hench

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pokemon-ash-aus · 1 year

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Do Ash and Indigo have a favorite food?

ash’s will forever be Mama’s Tonkatsu Ramen

Indigo loves Volcano Chicken and Ash balks everytime cause he can only andle like 2 or 3 before he needs milk. And Indigo can go through *several* plates without sweating.

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hrodvitnon · 3 days

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Been watching some Godzilla Junior Clips (little guy is so freaking CUTE 🥰🥰🥰), when this scenario popped into my mind. Vivi and Rodan’s baby learning how to take on a Titan form, but only standing as tall as Vivi. So now a giant baby volcano bird is following around this short human woman, trying to eat her ramen, thinking them to be worms.😂

Funny thing, I went to a ramen shop for lunch the other day, so now I'm picturing the baby following mama into a ramen shop, and everyone is just STARING at them, a waiter goes "is... is it good for the bird to eat ramen...?" and Vivi just goes "They're not a bird they're my child. And yes, it's safe for them to eat ramen, they're omnivorous. So yes, I'll take a miso ramen with mango bubble tea, and a spicy curry ramen for the little one, please!"

#odditycircus 2002 #in the footsteps of shamhat

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chiveburger · 8 months

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having mild bubble gut after downing a whole thing of ramen and a sanpellegrino sparkingly soda... they're mixing in there like a high school paper mache baking soda and vinegar volcano. for the amount of gut issues I've had though, this is a level 2 on the 10 scale but I still do not like it.

#borger diary

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altairtalisman · 1 year

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Chiaki's Bio

"I'll curse you if you ever cross me... just joking! ...Or am I?"

More details on Chiaki is under the cut

Name: Chiaki Nakajima

Age: 1059

Height: 160 cm (15 m in true form)

Birthday: 26 Tierna 963 (Da'asja)

Orientation: Cisgender Demisexual Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Fox Spirit (Nine Tails)

Country of Birth: Asanoku

Likes: Autumn, mushrooms, raspberries, ramen

Dislikes: Thunderstorms, tofu, humans (unknown to most)

Hobbies: Playing the bass, origami, ikebana, sunbathing

Personality: Sociable and loves to tease... at least on the surface. In reality, she's quite vengeful and quick to threaten, doesn't trust others easily, and usually prefers to be alone

Style: Casual autumn wear regardless of the season, always wears her bracelet and brooch

Abilities: Has enhanced senses in humanoid form, the ability to conjure weak and small purple flames, shapeshift into her true form as well as the ability to curse others, and somewhat knows how to wield swords

In her true form, she has enhanced senses and speed. In addition, she's able to freely conjure purple flames of greater intensity and retains her ability shapeshift into a humanoid form as well as to curse others, with the power of the curses drastically increasing the more wounded she is

Background: Trapped in the illegal fox trade, Chiaki grew up resentful of those who poached and traded foxes. After escaping the crate she was locked in due to a fire, she kept herself hidden and fed on the leftovers of corpses to conserve energy that would have been spent on hunting

At 69 years old, she encountered an injured Hisui near where she was hiding. Out of fear that the raijū's presence will alert humans to her hiding spot, she reluctantly brought them back to where she was hiding and nursed them back to health. During this period, they interacted with each other, with Chiaki learning about the tengu-raijū conflict and Hisui learning about illegal fox trades

Eventually, the raijū fully recovered which prompted her to chase them out out her hiding spot before seeking out a new one, fearing that humans were starting to grow suspicious to why their medical supplies were dwindling. At 100 years old, an earthquake devastated South Asanoku, with Chiaki surviving and gaining an extra tail in the process

With the extra tail, Chiaki was granted a small amount of powers that a nine tailed fox spirit would possess. This made it slightly easier for her to survive, especially since she had gained new, albeit limited control over fire. She decided to travel to Central Asanoku and initially settled down there, however a volcano eruption that engulfed 90 percent of Central Asanoku in lava when she turned 200 reversed her decision

Solidifying her decision to return to South Asanoku was the residents of the central region discovering her presence around the time of the eruption and immediately sought to kill her for supposedly bringing destruction to them. Chiaki quickly realised that every century, she would have to face a catastrophe if she wanted to gain additional tails. Therefore, she decided to subject the southern region to the disasters as revenge for putting her through the illegal fox trade in the past

At 380 years old, she had encountered Hisui in an abandoned residence, the latter wanting to settle down 'on land' so as to integrate into human society. Confused by the raijū's decision, as well as worried for them, she proposed that they help each other out when their lives are in danger, with Hisui accepting a tad too happily for her liking

After subjecting the south to a tsunami and yet another earthquake, the residents finally realised that the reason to why they were subjected to calamities every century was due to Chiaki's presence. This forced the fox spirit to flee, while Hisui caused a distraction for her to escape. Two years after the earthquake, she was forcefully invited into the residence of a famed swordsmith by said person

Afraid that the swordsmith was about to kill her, she threatened to set his residence ablaze, keenly aware that she would alert the residents her presence in the process. What truly shocked her was that not only did the swordsmith wish to hide her, he wanted her to stay with her. Chiaki didn't believe that he wanted 'companionship' as he so explained, but stayed with him nonetheless. Hisui eventually joined her once the residents stopped looking for them, which the swordsmith welcomed

Under the swordsmith's roof, she learnt that his family had all passed years ago from varying reasons, none of which were due to Chiaki's causing. The fox spirit also learnt that she had a striking resemblance to his late daughter, save for the hair and eye colours. For the first time in centuries, she felt sympathy towards a human and decided to actually stay with him until the end of his life instead of escaping in the middle of the night, even going as far as to accept a bracelet gifted by him

On 26 Tierna 1503, she was sent out by the swordsmith as he wanted to prepare a surprise for her birthday. Amused by the swordsmith for celebrating her birthday seriously even after 38 years, Chiaki decided to humour him by obliging his request and to enter the forest to pick edible mushrooms, something which she knew he liked

What she didn't expect to see when she returned was the swordsmith adorned all across the walls, along with a threatening message written in blood about how the swordsmith deserved death for being a traitor towards Asanoku, which had a human majority, by hiding Chiaki. Realisation then dawned on her that humans would easily turn on a fellow human if they didn't share the same beliefs as the majority, and in a fit of vengeance, she sought out the murderers to exact revenge

With the murderers dead, she decided to eliminate the illegal fox trade by indiscriminately murdering all fox poachers. Hisui tried to persuade her to spare those who had to feed their families, but the latter refused on the account that her kind had to be sacrificed for human survival. A year after successfully murdering 85 percent of the known fox poachers, she decided to turn to mass killing the Southern Asanokians after learning from Hisui that they wanted her head

With two natural disasters threatening to wipe out both Chiaki and the residents, the Southern Asanokians formed an alliance with Western and Central Asanokians to hunt the fox spirit down. While against the mass killing of humans, the raijū sided with the fox spirit and helped in defending themselves. Eventually when Chiaki was 722 years old, most humans gave up hunting Chiaki, and by extension Hisui, though Chiaki's distaste towards humanity refused to budge

On a rainy day five years later, Hayato appeared in the residence that they were living in. The fox spirit, aware that humans respected tengus, was wary towards him, but didn't show it in order to get Hayato to lower his guard. Hisui, on the other hand, was curious that the tengu was alone and that he showed no hostility towards the raijū, to which both species have an unspoken hostility towards each other. With this in mind, the raijū persuaded Chiaki to let the tengu stay with them until the rain let up, the latter reluctantly agreeing

As agreed, Hayato left them once the rain stopped. Hisui then expressed concern for the tengu, explaining that she had heard that North Asanoku, which is where tengus and raijūs were able to co-exist albeit uneasily, were starting to express anti-sentiments towards each other. Amused by the conflict, Chiaki offhandedly commented that both species were acting like the humans that they both saw as lower beings

In 1728, the Tengu-Raijū War broke out and news reached the fox spirit, who asked Hisui if they were planning to participate. The latter said that they were enlisted, but refused to do so and even retaliated by eliminating key figures. Chiaki was surprised to hear that raijūs could be killed, and assumed that they were immortal due to being made of lightning. Throughout the war, they monitored news about it as Hisui feared that the war might spill over to the humans, who would then resume the hunt for Chiaki

Two months after Chiaki's 785th birthday, news that a peace treaty that would end the war was announced but before it could be signed, Hayato was betrayed and shortly left for dead after a misunderstanding from the raijūs. This prompted Hisui, who was secretly in attendance to witness the treaty being signed, to save the tengu and bringing him back to their residence, where this time, the fox spirit was much open in letting him seek refuge out of sympathy of witnessing betrayal from someone of the same species

Eventually, the Tengu-Raijū War ended only for the Asanokian Civil War to surface. This took the fox spirit by surprise as she had wrongly assumed that the residents had backed away from her out of fear, when in actual fact, the human Asanokians were allying themselves so as gather enough numbers to overwhelm the fox spirit, and by extension the raijū given their loyalty towards her. The war allowed Chiaki to indiscriminately kill the humans, though by that point she wasn't entirely sure if she was killing them because of the war itself, or because of her hatred towards humanity. Either way, she didn’t care and took joy in doing so, much to Hisui’s dismay

The civil war also resulted in calls for all non-humans to be eradicated, spurring Hayato to negotiate peace between all sides but failed. In order to protect Hisui, she offered her life in exchange for the non-humans' freedom. The humans agreed to the offer, declaring that the fox spirit would be executed once Asanoku had stabilised and thus bringing the civil war to an end in 1810

Due to the instability the war had caused, mainly due to her destructive actions, she was in jail for decades. She was aware that the humans deliberately kept her in a cage-like cell to remind her that she was supposed to be sold into slavery as planned, fuelling her resentment towards them

The only source of entertainment was Ragnar, who kept trying to interact with her despite the latter not wanting to do so. Nonetheless, she was intrigued by the guitar he kept playing to fill the silence and was mildly disappointed to hear that he had been released, though ultimately relieved that she didn't have to keep on pretending that she didn't understand him

In Dia'ae 1900, her execution date was announced to be on 27 Itis that very same year. Not wanting Hisui to experience what she had gone through centuries ago, she plotted to escape the country and seek asylum somewhere that had no relations with Asanoku at all. On the execution day itself, she was able to successfully escape by murdering her executioners as a distraction and promptly fled to Xhing'Tien, where she spent 63 years planning her escape to Roxanza

She was eventually discovered by the Xhing'Tienese near a cataclysmic landslide, something which didn't often happen. This forced her to flee onto a ship nearby, which brought her to East Wulfenz. Immediately, she sought refuge at the hotel with the intent on murdering anyone who planned to send her back to Asanoku. She was greeted by Hana, who explained that she was fully aware who the fox spirit was. The dullahan then proposed that the hotel would take her in on the condition that she worked for them, and rejecting the proposal would result in the employees doing their best to make Chiaki's likely escape troublesome

With no other options, the fox spirit reluctantly accepted the proposal, aware that the employees were significantly much more capable than humans and there was a very real chance of them overwhelming her. Once the proposal was inked and signed, Chiaki was assigned to the front desk where she's constantly tortured. Or so she claims...

True Form:

#Hallowed Hotel #Chiaki Nakajima #tw death mention #tw mass murder #tw war mention #Altair draws

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