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dreamyfanfix · 2 years

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Chapter 1: Episode 6

It has been said that reformed rakes make the best husbands. That is the common phrase among dutiful mamas who wish to marry off their sons to well-off ladies of the Ton or perhaps of the desperate mamas who would seek any man with a title to wed their 'delightful' daughters.

Although it is uncommon it so happens that ladies are known to turn away titles for love in the marriage mart. It has been seen as a naive decision but happy matches are so far and few between. If life is not short it is long and one can only respect ladies who choose to not live miserably long.

As it was Lady Mary Sharma who caused a scandal when she refused what was not a love match in her season, one can only assume her lessons were instilled in her daughters as the incomparable of the season Miss Edwina seeks a more amiable match this season than the Viscount.

This author cannot help but praise the young lady for understanding the worth of a diamond. The other eager mothers of the Ton owe Lady Mary their thanks but this author cannot help but think that it was the eldest Miss Sharma who this renowned Rake was unable to defeat.

- LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 1814

"Put the paper down and engage in conversation with us Kate." Lady Mary said.

Kate had been scouring all the society papers as she tried to get a hint if anyone knew of what really caused the Viscount to end his betrothal with Edwina. Many gossips deemed him an unreformed rake who was scared off by the prospects of actually having to settle down. Other papers spoke of multiple more suited suitors for Edwina but it seems that Whistledown believed Edwina to not be in love with the Viscount. Kate knew this not to be true.

Yes, Edwina sought a love match but Edwina had seen that in her betrothal to the Viscount. It is that fact that pushed Kate to abandon her feelings of thwarting their courting and engaging with the Viscount instead. That and she and the Viscount could not stop finding each other in compromising situations and Kate had yet to admit how much it truly thrilled her.

Edwina was not happy about being abandoned by the Viscount so easy but Lady Danbury could not help but remark that if the Viscount truly liked her he would not have been turned off by her lack of dowry or the financial standing of her family. Although the Bridgertons were a well-off family with plentiful connections and wealth they were not like the Cowpers who looked down on those of lesser standing in society.

Kate hated to admit it but she feared less about her sister's broken heart and more about how she was aware of how much her family needed her to make an amiable match. Kate wished to spare her sister from the pressure of looking for a wealthy or titled gentleman to wed her but now it seemed Edwina was determined to get back to being called upon by suitors.

Lady Danbury and a footman holding a bouquet of tulips walked into the drawing-room. Lady Danbury knocked her cane to get the attention of the room and says "It seems the Sharma name has officially weathered the storm of a broken betrothal. Although a bit scandalous it seems it pales in comparison to Lord Fife being caught in the closet with Lady Weevil."

"Are those flowers from one of Edwina's suitors," Mary asked.

"No, these here are for Miss Kate Sharma." Lady Danbury finishes and all eyes are on her when the footman deposits the bouquet in her hands.

Kate immediately reaches in for a card she looks over it once and a part of her refuses to be disappointed by the recipient.

"Well, who is from didi ?" Edwina asked.

"Baron Koji. He wishes to call upon me when we open the manor to suitors again," Kate is confused, she does not remember ever meeting a Baron Koji or seeing him amongst a list of Edwina's suitors.

"Would he be perhaps related to Margaret Koji?" Mary asked.

"Yes. He is her son," Lady Danbury said.

"I remember Maggie, she debuted and almost immediately married. It caused quite a scandal when she gave birth to her son not 6 months after her wedding day." Mary says before taking a sip of tea "Although I remember her and the Baron were really in love. Every time I saw them together at balls they seemed so much in their own world that I resolved to want the same for myself." Mary sighed sadly and Kate grabbed and squeezed her mother's hand. Eventually, Mary looks at Kate and asks "I did not know you had charmed the Baron,"

"I am not sure if I did. I am not even sure if I had met the man." Kate said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Maybe not but you did make an impression on one of her maids. She was the one who joined you on your hunting excursion with the gentlemen at Aubrey Hall." Lady Danbury explained.

"I cannot believe I made a good impression on the overworked maid." Kate scoffed remembering how she first struggled to ride and then hated having to wade through the forest for most of the day."

"Well, the Baronness was never one to take a liking to softly spoken ladies of the Ton ."

"I do not remember seeing her at Aubrey Hall," Mary said.

"She did not attend for the whole day's festivities but if the Baron is requesting to call upon you then the Dowager Baroness encouraged him to do so," Lady Danbury said.

"This is splendid Kate. I have been worried about how lacklustre your season has been and I am glad you finally have a suitor." Mary said leaning into Kate's side with a wide smile.

Lady Danbury began to walk to a chaste "And if Miss Sharma is able to ensnare the Baron then all your worries about financial stability for your family will go out the window,"

Kate must have been taking too long to answer because Edwina spoke up and said "Kate should not have to feel pressure about ensnaring the Baron,"

"Why? Is there another suitor she wishes to tell us about?" Lady Danbury looked at her pointedly from across the room.

"No." Kate said quickly and then cleared her throat "It would be foolish to disregard such a well-spoken for suitor,"

Mary squealed beside her and began to speak about all the things she remembers about Baron Koji and his estates so Kate could use them as talking points for when he calls upon her.

Kate meanwhile was looking everywhere but at Lady Danbury.

Anthony realised that he went about his search for a wife wrong this season. He knew this now. It did not matter because luckily his swift decision to call off the betrothal actually left him and Edwina relatively unscathed. Anthony knew that she would be able to find a suitable match for herself and the guilt he had every time he was in her presence was finally subsiding. Anthony wished he could say the guilt he felt was about the fact that he was putting on a facade to win her over or that he knew he would never love her but if he was honest the guilt he felt in the presence of Edwina always led back to her older sister. Kate.

Anthony remembers the first time he felt that pang of guilt when he was with Edwina. It started when they were in the drawing-room at Aubrey Hall. Lady Danbury and his mother were chaperoning and Anthony and Edwina were making small talk, Anthony always directing questions to her giving her the ability to speak endlessly. Edwina laughed at a joke he had made, he was quite proud that he was able to charm her so and he could not help but think 'Oh Kate is going to hate how well I and Edwina get on.'

At the time the thought seemed harmless but it still made Anthony feel guilty because why was he thinking of Kate while speaking with his future wife. He remembers the second time he felt guilty it was after the bee incident, Kate had been in her room sick for a few days and Edwina expressed concern for her sister, Anthony could not help but enthusiastically agree with her and even encouraged her to check on her sister. Edwina was so moved by his care towards Kate and Anthony felt guilty again cause he wished he merely cared about Kate's well being because he cared about Edwina, that was not the case. After the day of hunting and the ball, Anthony was always feeling guilty in the presence of Edwina.

The thing was that guilt had now spread to Kate as well. He proposed to her sister in front of her, with almost no regard for her. Anthony liked to think of himself as a gentleman but from the moment he proposed to Edwina and every moment since he was nothing but a coward and if Anthony wanted to get back to being the least bit a man of honour he should admit his failings early.

He was not the only one who had mistakes. Kate could also feel the pull they had and she still chose to play the ever dutiful sister. Edwina did not know about what had almost transpired between them and frankly, she will never have to. When Anthony rode to Danbury Manor that day he was unsure of what decision he was going to make. Call off the engagement or not?

When Anthony saw Edwina again he was filled with guilt once again when he saw her face, so eager and full of hope, and he had to be honest. He told her that the only reason he wished to marry her was that he felt like she understood him, he felt she understood the roles they had to play.

FLASHBACK:

"I am aware of the roles we play, my Lord. I am ready to fulfil all those duties by your side. I am sorry about the revelation from our dinner with the Sheffields but you must know I had no idea and I truly care for you." Edwina said almost on the verge of tears.

Anthony winced and said, "Miss Edwina if I must be honest, I have been looking to cancel our nuptials from the moment I proposed." Edwina gasped and he could hear Lady Mary in the background put her cup of tea down aggressively but Anthony had to continue "I do not think we actually are a good match,"

"We are a good match otherwise why did you choose to court me? You must have felt something for me?" Edwina asks almost desperate and it breaks Anthony's heart a bit because she reminds him so much of Daphne at that moment and he wished he could make her problems go away.

"At first you were the first lady who met my criteria but then your sister presented herself as an obstacle and I fear my competitive side took over. Every moment from then onwards was merely about proving your sister wrong. It is not you who should apologise but me. I am sorry for dragging this as long as I did."

Silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity before Edwina finally said "I think you should take your leave now Lord Bridgerton,"

It was the first time Anthony could describe the Diamond as stoic and for a minute she reminded him of Kate. Another pang of guilt and Anthony stood up and said "Very well. My apologies to you as well Lady Mary" He said and bowed in her direction on his way out.

It has come to this author's attention that Danbury Manor is once again filled to the brim with suitors for the Sharmas and one cannot help but find the comedy in it all.

How will the mamas of the Ton deal with their fiercest competitor being back in the race?

- LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 1814

Bridgertons having a picnic was not an unusual sight but this time around the family had an extra person with them, Cressida Cowper. Anthony had called upon Cressida over the last few days and asked her to join along on the family picnic.

The Bridgertons were not happy with the addition of Cressida but Anthony had no choice. He wished not to seem like a liar and give up his pursuit of a wife so early in the season and Cressida met his new criteria, she was well accomplished, smart or devious as one would say but more importantly there was no chance that Anthony would fall in love with her. But even more importantly Cressida, being the way she was, did not seem like she could love the Viscount either.

The picnic was a bit chaotic as Bridgerton picnics are known to be but Cressida does not seem like she is going to let it get to her. Every time one of the siblings spills or begins fighting she puts on this fake smile and pretends she is more than capable to endure. It was quite impressive.

Anthony tries to engage with Benedict in conversation when he sees Benedict look at something over his shoulder. Anthony turns and then he sees it.

Kate Sharma on the arm of Thomas Dorset, they were clearly promenading. Behind them were Edwina and Lord Lumley and behind them were Lady Mary and Baron Koji.

Cressida must have seen where Anthony and Benedict were looking cause she spoke and Anthony was thankful that for once Cressida was a renowned gossip "Ah yes the Sharma sisters have been quite popular lately. I think a proposal is in the future."

"Between Miss Edwina and Lord Lumley or Miss Sharma and Mr Dorset?" Anthony asked trying to sound nonchalant but his heart rate was quickening.

Cressida seemed to enjoy sharing information because she smiled genuinely for the first time in what seemed like hours "Well if you must know Lady Denver said she saw Baron Koji purchasing a commission for a ring for Miss Sharma. She said he spent extra on incorporating rubies into his family's betrothal ring."

At this point, even Anthony's mother had abandoned pretending like she was not interested in their conversation and asked "You mean to tell me, Baron Koji is going to propose to Miss Sharma?"

Cressida sighed almost wistfully "Shocking I know but she already has his mother's approval which is the hard part, they get on quite well, he has estates all over Asia which includes India so she would be able to return home as a Baronness,"

What was starting as a bit of anxiety was now turning into full-blown panic as Anthony then said "But she is promenading with Mr Dorset right now,"

"Well, the Baron could just be asking Lady Mary for her approval to propose," Cressida then sighs again "Then again she is always on either Mr Dorset's arm or the Baron's. I do not know why she would even bother with a second son when she could easily have a Baron,"

Benedict then clears his throat and Cressida looks at him and puts on her fake smile again "Not like you of course Benedict Bridgerton, you are a catch for many ladies of the Ton ."

Anthony could not hear anymore of it so he changed the topic it did not stop him from noticing when Newton went off his leash and Kate went chasing after him. Kate tried to catch up to him but it was the Dorset who was able to catch the menace of a dog. Gregory and Hyacinth wanted to go say hello to Miss Sharma and Newton so his mother graciously took them on her own.

It had been days and Anthony had not been seen outside of Bridgerton House. He was fighting a losing battle with the panic he was feeling in his chest. He had tried to drink his weight in whiskey but it would satiate, he tried to fence but it only riled him up more, Colin even gave him some weird tea but all it did was have him hallucinate images of Kate and it caused him to be in quite a state. There was nothing to be done and Anthony wished not to trouble his brothers anymore.

Reading through correspondence on his desk, in his study and his footman entered with a formal letter. The seal was one of the House of Lords so Anthony knew that this must mean the death of one of the members. Anthony sucked in a breath and skimmed the letter:

`...the tragic death of Lord James Henry Dorset of Somerset.

Lord Dorset was a great advocate for farmers and shopkeepers and is survived by his mother the Dowager Lady Victoria Dorset and his younger brother the ninth Lord of Somerset Thomas Micheal Dorset and the youngest Mr David Lucas Dorset.`

Anthony hated these kinds of death announcements. They reminded him of what happened to him after his father's death. James Dorset was a great man but he was often awkward and cared too much about his job. It was the reason he never married. He felt bad for Thomas Dorset, Anthony knew better than anyone what taking on a role like this unexpectedly could do to someone. Then again maybe it was not unexpected, Dorset did seem to be actively participating in the marriage mart this season and it is not like he would be the first gentleman who tried to secure a wife and heir before taking their place in the House of Lords. The stress of the job had a tendency to kill men prematurely.

Anthony did not fear death. He knew it was an inevitability from the moment his father died. Anthony tried to shake the thoughts of grief and panic off but it was not working. Dorset was no longer just a second son, he was a man with a title. A worthy competitor. For the Baron and for him?

If Anthony could just see her, even for a moment, he knows the fear rising in him will be tamed.

So Anthony saddles a horse and makes for Danbury Manor the closer he gets the more he can see that there is a spectacle outside. Many horses and mini fireworks as well as a wall of tulips and lilies spread across the front entrance.

Anthony sees Baron Koji approach a surprised Kate while Edwina and Lady Mary look on in delight. He cannot hear what the Baron says but he bends down on one knee and presents a ring to Kate who looks taken by the ring. The Baron looks at Kate and Kate gestures for him to stand up. 'Is she saying no?' Instead, Kate smiles and the Baron put the ring box in her open hand and takes her other hand to kiss. He does not appear shaken or fearful he must not have been rejected. 'But did she say, yes?'

Anthony waits until all the carriage with the Baron leaves before approaching Danbury Manor. Kate is out front and seems to still be admiring the ring wistfully.

Anthony does not know what takes over him but he jumps off his horse and runs up to Kate and almost yells "Did you agree to the Baron's proposal?"

Kate looks so shocked by his sudden appearance that all she can say is "Anthony?"

"Did you agree to his proposal?" Anthony asks less forceful but still filled with panic

"Why is it any business of yours, my Lord?" Kate asks incredulously, she keeps turning to look at the back of her, almost to make her escape.

"You cannot marry him. You cannot. You must marry me," Anthony hears a double gasp at the back of Kate but all of his focus is on her.

"No. You. Cannot. Do. This." Kate says to him taking steps back after each word.

Anthony sees her trying to leave and Anthony feels like he cannot breathe. Kate must recognise his panic as the same as the day she was stung and tries to calm him "It is alright. Just breath." She puts her hand over his heart and he puts his hand over hers and tries to calm down. "I did not say yes to the Baron. I told him I wish to think about it."

"Kate you must-"

"Anthony do not ask me again. You are panicked. You look like you have not slept in days. Go home. I am sure after a good night's rest you will rethink all of this,"

"Kate I-"

"Kate has spoken Lord Bridgerton. It is time you leave," Anthony looked over Kate's shoulder to see the stern face of Lady Mary and knew not to say anything more.

It did not matter anyway because as soon as Kate was out of his focus she rushed inside screaming for Edwina. He had messed it up again.

It seems this here author has a lot to make amends for dear readers as it appears that the most sought out lady of the Ton appears to be not the Diamond but the sister.

See it has come to this author's attention that the eldest Miss Sharma has received a total of 3 marriage proposals this week. She must be quite the lady after all. The first proposal was done by Baron Koji in a most spectacular and extravagant display, the second was done by Viscount Bridgerton. Oh, the scandal. It appears both gentlemen waited until the poor new Lord Dorset was out of town dealing with family affairs to make their move. Quite underhanded.

Lord Dorset returned that Monday and proposed to Miss Sharma in an intimate setting.

Who will she choose? I know I am most interested.

- LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 1814

Kate had never liked being the centre of attention and even though Edwina promised her that things would be different if it one day happened after the events of the day, Kate remained unconvinced.

It started with Lady Mary trying to mediate the tension between Edwina and Kate. Edwina who did not appear angry but confused and hurt kept asking Kate how she could steal the Viscount from her.

Kate promised that she had tried to convince the Viscount to marry her and that seemed to incense Edwina even more. She claimed Kate always pitied her. Kate tried to tell her that it was love and that only did things because she was devoted to Edwina and this family.

It did not matter because Kate and Mary were carted off to Bridgerton House for tea. Lady Danbury accepted the invitation on their behalf, mostly to get Kate out of the Manor as Edwina and she had been having screaming matches for the past couple of days.

The afternoon starts out lovely while Mary and Violet speak, and Daphne and speak about flower arrangements and her baby.

Lord Bridgerton enters a little later in the afternoon and asks to escort Kate for a walk around the gardens. Daphne volunteers herself as a chaperone.

The walk was awkward at first. Daphne held farther back than necessary and Kate wondered if she approved of her being alone with her brother knowing what she knows now. Kate and Anthony stop at a gazebo in the gardens and Kate marvels at the beauty of the grounds.

Kate takes a seat on the available chaste and Anthony paces in the gazebo. While Kate waits for Anthony to say something she notes that she no longer can see Daphne and gets nervous. "Is there something you wish to say, my Lord?"

"Anthony please,"

"Is there something you wish to say, Anthony?" Kate asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"I wanted to know how you are doing?"

Kate relaxes a bit "I am doing okay. I am a bit overwhelmed. I did not see my season going this way,"

"Things rarely go the way we plan," Anthony says with a smirk.

"Are you talking about your plan to find a wife?" Kate asked smugly.

"Yes. I thought I knew what I wanted in a wife and then I met you and I changed my mind. All of sudden she had to be competitive or it was not fun, she had to be dutiful or she would not understand but more importantly, she had to be a Bridgerton in disguise. I want you to be my wife Kate. I mean it." Anthony gets on one knee in front of her.

Kate looks off to the left and then looks at him with tears in her eyes "I want you too, Anthony," Anthony sighs "But I am going to marry Thomas," Anthony looks shell shocked.

Anthony takes his hand and cups the back of her head as his lips took hers in an explosion of desperation and desire. She gasped against his mouth, and he took advantage of her parted lips by sliding his tongue between them. He groaned, his lips leaving hers to taste the slightly salty skin of her neck. He whispered into her neck "Tell me he can make you feel this way and I will end my suit,"

Kate brings her hand up and puts it on his chest "It is not about desire. It is about the fact that I love you," Anthony looked shocked again "Maybe you do love me but I cannot be sure. All I know is I cannot trust you with my heart. I need to take my own advice and find someone who cares for me but also who will not let me down or hurt me the way you have,"

Anthony stands up and Kate immediately misses the heat of his body. "No, Kate. You cannot do this,"

"Why not?" The question was daring him, she knew it and he knew it but for the first time, since she had met the Viscount, he did not rise to the challenge and instead rushed from the gazebo. Kate called out to him but eventually, only Daphne came to comfort her.

She cried and cried but after some time Kate and Daphne got up and went back inside. Kate had to prepare for her new life as the Lady Kate Dorset.

#Autocorrect Bridgerton Season 2

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booknerdateen · 3 years

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My favorite lines/scenes from Six and Crows and Crooked Kingdom (Contains SPOILERS)

“would have liked to see that”

“would have liked to steal that”

“You wouldn’t waste the ammo”

“And he’d be dead halfway through forgive”

“It’s about sending a message. What’s the point of a dead guy with forg written on his chest?”

“Compromise. I’m sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets.”

“Well, I’ve got a lager and a skillet of eggs waiting for me at the Kooperom, so I can’t be the one to die tonight”

“No mourners”

“No funerals”

Among them, it passed for “good luck”

“I like it when men beg, this isn’t the time for it”

“Greed is your god, Kaz”

“No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my servant and my lever”

One minute he made her blush and the next he made her want to commit murder

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat”

Matthias was dreaming again. Dreaming of her.

“Scheming face”

“Definitely”

What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?

Many boys will bring you flowers.

“You came back for me.”

“I protect my investments.”

“I’m glad I’m bleeding all over your shirt.”

“I’ll put it on your tab.”

If Pekka Rollins kills us, I’m going to get Wylan’s ghost

“Nina Zenik, as soon as I figure out where you’ve put my knives, we’re going to have words”

“Van Eck writes to Wylan every week, and Wylan doesn’t even open the letters.”

“What do they say?”

“You’re assuming I read then.”

“You didn’t?”

“Of course, I did.”

“What do you want then?”

You inej, you

“Saint, we’re actually doing this.”

“I’ve spent every minute of every miserable day wishing to be off that ship. So why do I suddenly miss it?’

“I’m going to pay someone to burn my kruge for me.”

Jesper looked mournfully at his guns. “Such potential waste.”

Every morning he complained that she was impossible to wake.

“It’s like trying to raise a corpse.”

“The dead request five more minutes.”

The whole Matthias telling Nina he likes her and it doesn’t want to

“If you two keep fighting, you’re going to get us all killed, and I have a lot more card games I need to lose.”

“Any other impossible feats you’d like us to accomplish?”

The barest smile flickered over Kaz’s lips. “I’ll make you a list.”

“Well, we’ve managed to get ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We’re either geniuses or the dumbest son of bitches to ever breathe air.”

“And I’m already in jail, so don’t tempt me to commit homicide.”

“You’re cuter when you’re smart.”

Wylan’s cheeks went pink.

“Saints.”

“That bad?”

“No, you just have really ugly feet.”

Ugly feet that got you on this roof.”

“If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket. The world deserves a few more moments with this face.”

Matthias the tulip

“Wylan, your thoughts have taken a very dark turn. I fear the Dregs may be a bad influence.”

Jesper not wanting to kill unconscious men. Wylan suggesting to wake them up to kill them.

“Just girls?”

“No. Not just girls.”

I. Should. Let. You. Die.

“Kaz, you creepy little genius, the plan worked. You got us a tank.”

“Let’s go.”

“Me?”

“No, the idiot behind you.”

Kaz threatening a little girl if she tells that he’ll murder her parents and the dogs

“It’s a chemical weevil. It doesn’t really have a name yet.”

“You’ve got to give it a name. How else will you call it to dinner?”

“That’s why we call him Wyaln Van Sunshine.”

Jesper telling the crows that the whole city wants kill them and not half the city

She thought of Jesper toying with his guns, Nina squeezing the life from a man with the flick of a wrist, Kaz picking a lock in his black gloves. Thugs. Thieves. Murderers. And all worth more than a thousand Jan Van Ecks.

“You know, Wylan, one of these days I’m going to stop underestimating you.”

“And I know that look, Kaz. Don’t you dare start those wheels spinning.”

Inej forehead smacking Van Eck

Kaz shoving Wylan against the wall threatening him

“Where do you think the money?” scene

“A chemical weevil. But Wylan still hasn’t named it. My vote is for the Wyvil.”

“That’s terrible.”

It’s brilliant. Just like you.”

“Do not lick Wyvil. Does someone want to write that down?”

“Are we that predictable?”

“Yes.”

“An explosion?”

“I suspect Van Eck will notice that.”

“A very small explosion?”

“You just want to blow something up.”

The crows discussing over how much their heads are worth according to the wanted posters

Kaz sneaking a drop of the Wyvil onto the floor and like “see you on the other side” as him and Wylan fall down.

Jesper Llewellyn Fahey

Wylan “reading” his father’s letter/will out loud embassing Van Eck about his assumptions

The crows putting the roses on Matthias’ chest

Inej threatening Pekka Rollins in his sleep

#booklr #bookish #bookworm #bookaddict #books #bookaholic #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #book #book quotes #bookcommunity #six of crows #crooked kingdom

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majesticnerdynerd · 3 years

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WIPWCW #4

So... I’ve skipped the last 2 weeks of check-ins because I simply forgot, LOL *dumbass* Here’s a new check-in for @wipwc-wednesday!

Weekly WC: counting the last 2 week ~13k I’ve finished epiosde 12 of Reichenbach Falls, my superwholock fic. Besides that, I’ve reviewed all chapters of my potterlock fanfic, Harry Potter and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which accounts for like, 85k words.

WIP Status: RF is doing great, I have started episode 13, so my pre-writing schedule is coming along nicely. My potterlock fic is on the line to start pre-writing a few chapters ahead too, at least 4 but preferably more. My spn flower shop series are on hold for a bit

Chapters: I’ve written a total of 5 complete first drafts for 5 individual chapters. I have also published the whole 8th episode of Reichenbach Falls called ‘National Treasure-Trove’ where John and Irene sought out the town’s original founder and uncovered a conspiracy, and Sherlock helped Sally Donovan solve minor cases while Greg stayed in county jail after a pair of kids pranked him. Yep. Poor Greg.

Favourite Characters To Write This Week: I have to say writing John Watson is quite interesting. Giving him the background I did, it’s easier to relate to him and put a few lessons forward eventually. Then Greg Lestrade, he is an interesting guy who has a lot of secrets of his own so >:D

Favourite Snippet/Scene: This is from episode 8, Reichenbach Falls, where John found an official file documenting the infamous coverup

THE O’LEARY COVER-UP

‘Let it be known that Balexander O’Leary, famous in his native Reichenbach Falls for rolling down the hills stark naked and let wild racoons clothe him until he got fleas and for drinking sewage water, thinking it was a magic potion granting him powers to see Jesus Christ and fight him until his second coming on Earth, was chosen to become the first US-allowed official mayor of Reichenbach Falls. O’Leary often spoke in a series of babbles and unintelligible yells, usually screaming his trademark phrases: ‘That sign can’t stop me because I can’t read!’ and ‘Baghferumehamamahaaaaaa! The winged oats are attacking!’’

“Oh my God, he predicted a meme and spoke in keysmash?” Irene said in awe. John grunted a response, his brain focused on the rest of the text.

The rest is under the cut! See you next week, folks!

‘The fabled founder of Reichenbach Falls was, in fact, a fraud. His last miserable, and completely unaccounted for moments on Earth were spent suffocating in a barrel filled with pickled water as he attempted to transcend to the lost world of Atlantis. Whether he’d achieved it or not, no one cares, because Balexander O’Leary was a [CENSORED] hated by everyone who got a whiff of his cologne and personality. He will not be missed.

‘The true founder of the town appears to be a mysterious man who allegedly travelled here from the future year of 2012. Also known as Alexander Hirsch, or King Awesome-Sauce, the eccentric miracle man went crazy the first night he discovered the town’s whereabouts. He claimed that he had had a bet with a friend in the future, which consisted of burning his old, ugly red jacket that was burned under a Full Moon while Hirsch and his friends danced around the bonfire, chanting Satanic verses such as: ‘Hola-Ola-Antilopa-Mola-Dona-Pepsi-Cola!’ or ‘We’re all weevils in a captain’s biscuit!’ In other words, he had sold his soul to an unspecified deity or demon, and thus Reichenbach Falls was created.

‘Hirsch was also famous for riding into the White House and battling Thomas Jefferson and his pet alligator with an army of alloted deer, three of which were constantly addicted to petrol. Hirsch claimed his German surname granted him the magical ability of a Disney Princess, and used his powers most accordingly.

‘Unfortunately, Hirsch’s 21st century antics held no purpose in the late 1700s, and he went crazy in less than a month, drawing odd sketches of two siblings in a mystery town. He was impeached by a group of thug squirrels who took over Reichenbach Falls in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a forestocracy as a protest against deer who licked their nuts (unspecified which kind). The squirrels were gunned by woodpeckers who avenged the local mafia family of beavers, and peace was once again established, but in the meantime, Alexander Hirsch disappeared. The last time the locals had seen him was on the back of a half-paraplegic deer with abhorrent singing abilities as Hirsch yodeled a weirdly familiar theme song of his made-up world.’

#WIPWCW #check in #Reichenbach Falls #Harry Potter and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #john watson #sherlock bbc #irene adler #greg lestrade #johnlock #Johnlock fic #potterlock #superwholock

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majesticnerdyvee · 3 years

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in which somebody comes back, John and Irene dig up the archives to get dirt on Janine, they wander into a cemetery to find a secret entrance, Irene finds a red rose, and there is Alex Hirsch stuck in tempered chocolate

THE O’LEARY COVER-UP

“Oh my God, he predicted a meme and spoke in keysmash?” Irene said in awe. John grunted a response, his brain focused on the rest of the text.

The entry ended there, supplied with illustrations of Balexander O’Leary, a very feral and grumpy-looking man. Under him was Alexander Hirsch, sporting a spectacular goatee.

Irene and John stared at the page, speechless. Neither of them moved for a while. It was John who broke the silence.

“That was… I expected everything, but not… Did it say forestocracy?”

Yes, Alex Hirsch is in Reichenbach Falls. I had to do him justice by outnumbering his craziness level, so... you’ll see what happens next, but he isn’t the mystery person in question!

#Reichenbach Falls #johnlock #john watson #irene #irene adler #alex hirsch #king awesome-sauce #that's his legit nickname #smh #Sherlock #sherlock BBC #sherlock fic #case fic #episode 8 chapter 4 #Nicolas Cage

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vmheadquarters · 5 years

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What a long and strange trip it's been for Veronica Mars. After first debuting in 2004, the show's initial three-season run was split between two networks (UPN and The CW) before it was ultimately canceled with a cliffhanger ending in 2007. Cut to seven years later, when a movie continuation was released by Warner Bros (after being largely funded by fans via Kickstarter), followed by a series of novels and a comedy web series that lasted all of two months before ending.

Now the series is back, thanks to a revival on Hulu. A brand new season following the no-longer-a-teen detective Veronica Mars premieres on the streaming service on July 26. Is it worthy of the very vocal fanbase that has kept interest in the series alive for 15 years, though?

No, it's not. This isn't the Veronica Mas you know and love. Instead, it's a toxic nightmare that exists in the husk of the old show that makes me--a fan of the series since the first episode aired on UPN--hope that it's never brought back again.

The problems with the new Veronica Mars are easy to miss at first, especially since the show looks mostly the same. The major players are there, with Enrico Colantoni and Jason Dohring joining Bell as series regulars, playing her dad Keith and her on-again/off-again boyfriend Logan, respectively. And familiar faces are scattered throughout the episodes, including sporadic appearances by Percy Daggs III (Wallace), Francis Capra (Weevil), Dick (Ryan Hansen), Max Greenfield (Leo), and far too many more to name.

Once you dig past the surface, though, these episodes feel all wrong, and it all starts with the rocky relationship between Veronica and Logan. As always, it's not the healthiest. The big difference between this take on Veronica and Logan and where we've seen them in the past, though, is that it's not Logan making the relationship incredibly unhealthy; it's Veronica. In the new season, she's become fixated on the troubled and sociopathic person Logan was, rather than the adjusted and happy person he's striving to become through therapy. It makes her the toxic ingredient in a relationship that was always potentially poisonous for both characters.

This is one of the new season's biggest sins. In the past, rooting for Veronica was never difficult, even when she made questionable choices. In the end, she was always trying to do what was best, or at the very least, wasn't acting out in an attempt to harm others. This new Veronica exists in a space where she seemingly isn't happy unless the person she loves most is miserable. In the story of her relationship with Logan, she's the villain. To be clear, she's somehow worse than the guy who produced bum fight videos as a teenager.

Trying to evolve Logan into a well-rounded human is a wise call for the series and something that should have been done much earlier, when he became the ongoing love interest for Veronica. Doing so at the expense of the titular character, though, is a mistake that is hard to bounce back from.

The other main relationship in Veronica's life, the one she shares with father Keith, isn't as bad as it is completely strange. At first, it's exciting to see more of the father/daughter banter that drove their scenes in the original series, and the duo of Bell and Colantoni still has great chemistry. However, it doesn't take long to realize that the dynamic between these two characters hasn't evolved one iota since Veronica was 16 years old, which is very odd. Teenagers and adults in their 30s have different relationships with their parents, and that's something that probably should have been reflected in their interactions. Still, it's hard not to love Colantoni's Keith. He remains TV's coolest dad.

There are also a handful of new characters in the mix, including ones played by Patton Oswalt and JK Simmons. Both actors appear in recurring roles, as a pizza delivery person and an associate of "Big Dick" Casablancas (remember him?), respectively. Izabela Vidovic plays a teenager named Maddy that seems to have the same instincts Veronica did as a teenager. The actress, who has appeared in episodes of Supergirl and iZombie, shines in her role as a young girl who loses a loved one and looks for her own brand of justice.

Let's talk about the story, though. My biggest issues with the new season center on how the characters fans have grown to love are used--or barely used, in the case of Wallace. And while a great plot might be able to salvage that, the mystery on display in this new season is messy and confusing because the writers try to do way too much in only eight episodes.

The main storyline revolves around a series of bombings terrorizing the citizens of Neptune during the coveted Spring Break season the town relies upon--something that has never been mentioned in the franchise before. As is usual with this franchise, there are a number of twists and turns that unfold as Veronica attempts to figures out who's behind the bombings. While some of those twists may keep you briefly engaged, there are others that are completely unnecessary. If they don't serve the story, they have no business being there.

There are also several branching subplots. One deals with a Mexican drug cartel, while another with the never-ending class warfare in Neptune. Then there's the aforementioned Maddy's quest for vengeance, a subplot in which Veronica makes a new friend, and there's even some time dedicated to the internal politics of a conspiracy theory club's meetings. In the end, it's just too many stories to try to tell in eight episodes, especially when creator Rob Thomas and the show's creative team is also dedicating large amounts of time to Veronica and Logan's relationship as well as a side story about Keith's health.

As with many revivals, there's also a parade of cameo appearances, some of which are tied to the ongoing plots and others that happen for no rhyme or reason. They're fun to see in the moment, but they happen too late in the season, so any excitement at seeing those characters is lost amidst trying to stay on top of various concluding plots.

In the end, this is Veronica Mars in name, but feels like a season of the show that isn't meant to appeal to the fans who have yearned for more. Back in September 2018, Thomas tweeted a message to fans about the revival, which hinted at that. "I will say this: the movie was nostalgic. The Hulu limited series isn't going to be," he wrote. "Hardcore So-Cal noir. One big case. Eight episodes to tell the story. This is a detective show."

He's right. This is, at its base, an eight-episode story about a detective trying to solve a case. And sometimes the way she goes about it might remind you of Veronica in years past. However, when looked at in that light, it's a mediocre story on its own, due to the show's insistence on doing too much in a mere eight episodes. As for his insistence that this isn't about nostalgia, outside of the innumerable cameo appearances--all of which are for nostalgia's sake--that's a fair statement to make. Not because the new season is trying to be something new, though. Instead, it's because the way the titular character is written often makes her feel like a stranger.

It's possible that, should Thomas and Bell decide to run one more lap with the property, Veronica Mars could return to some form of its former glory. Figuring out how to rebound from this season, however, might be too big of a mystery for even Veronica to crack.

Veronica Mars Season 4 premieres July 26 on Hulu. The first three seasons are also available on the streaming service.

#veronica mars hulu revival #vm spoilers

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sorcery-fight · 4 years

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here is my brother telling a biased and american centric recent history, but things got replaced with pokemon

The year is 1776 and the Dwebble declare their independence from the Inteleon empire fighting in the dwebble revolution for their independence eventually winning and gaining their independence for the 13 colonies of dwebble and then after that in 1812 the sandslash declare war on the dwebble the newly formed dwebble empire and fight the war of 1812 with that but we both win at the same time they send the roofers down the truth in their search for Western expansion but with meanwhile in a year up the slack ass or decide they want more liberty equality and fraternity and at overthrow the aristocracy and king

OK to the swablu for a revolution which is shortly before axew Bonaparte comes and sees his power but meanwhile once again on the Americas, dweebles think less of the shiny dwebbles and enslaved them until they fight a Civil War were the northern to be able to come up on top and sign the 13th and 14th amendment giving the freedom to the shiny dwebble more rights but then president sneasel lincoln that the third is assassinated by an angry crabominable Jackson. takes a cursola again bashing reconstruction but then nothing happens until Etiwanda loon reunion nights this one at the swallow Inn Empire reunites and then a little bit later, oh yeah, during all this time there is the wheezing revolution were the wheezing is industrialized everything with bronzer and magneton klink klinklang and then after the snom revolution of 1905 Apom shoots a phantump in single parasect sparking World War I. which eventually all the countries of Europe fight in before the allied powers come up Hydreigon forcing that I forgot with Germany is Empire Hydreigon to sign the treaty of Electabuzz forcing Hydreigon to give up the land of magmar as well as pay heavy reparations. However during this time as well with the ood mustache he is very not happy about this and is countries to feet so he goes to art school but fails miserably but he becomes more important later. At the same time the snoms are even more angry and launch the snommunist revolution of 1919 eventually overthrowing the tzar before fighting in the snommunist in the Civil War against the white Snom before establishing the snomunist union. and snommunist across all of Russia during the same time in dwebble miss plays the balltoy market causing the great the big sad of 1919 before a president wedwebble Roosevelt comes in with his new deal and saves it. but back in Europe Hydreigon as well as with this weird guy with a mustache takes power after burning the Parasect and stunfisk March before establishing the Hydreigon empire deeming that him and leader. he then goes and invades the countries of elgyem and market to golduck. to for more land and control of the Hydreigon people before ultimately invading seviper sparking World War II as the Allied powers of inteleon will just change. inteleon we had rainbow beers inteleon is now inteleon. and France is swablu was the oil it is wow empire and other bedroom empire declare war on the mesprit empire for their annexation of seviper which they finally had enough after years of just accepting and not doing anything like the centrist they are and eventually World War II begins. and they fight and it's very bloody but then Genger bombs Pearl Harbor and causes dwebble to enter World War II against it for the allied forces along with other snommunist empire on and then eventually they win but after it's very bloody and everyone dies. including a genocide of the Geodude people. but after that the geodude their own state but that's very controversial I had an excellent end of life for us and it's a fight still going on today. but after World War II the very odd Hydreigon killed himself with a mustache and everyone was happy. and then and then begun the cold war between the dwebbles in the snommunists as a fight for power through proxy wars in Africa. including of the heart of aerodactyl Stan which was very bad at the same time they were developing cloister weapons that could annihilate the entire world in just one blow/ and things got very hot during this time and I am weevile a president John and John anti-Kennedy the third assumes the presidency before he was assassinated I was assassinated and was it taken over by Komala Johnson who signed the civil rights act giving the dweble all the shiny we will see even more rights allowing them to vote in certain Congress even more meanwhile the snommunists have developed their own rocket and are aiming for the lunatone. which scares the rebels who launch their own program called Wassa. and so they do that and eventually the dwebbles get to the Luna tone they land on the Luna town planting the flag winning

planting the flag winning the space race. very angry but they keep tensions down as the cold war rages on The cold war rages on other countries are rebuilding establishing fairy thriving social democratic societies around human need rather than human greed while America is capitalism not America I mean dweble and snommunists is authoritarian which is very bad everyone's bad we should nuke everyone. but during all this the 70s and 80s happened then came a very dwebble Ronald gave all who is very bad and trickle down economics is a myth. who eventually through peace deals lowers the nuclear arms capacity but everybody lies about that. and then in the snommunist empire a shiinotic Gorbachev takes power. and an extra form such as swoobat and woobat for more openness and a free economy. but eventually that causes revolution and the entire union collapse is eventually leading to the biggest country, but I'm in assuming off Geo political power that it had but then it's kind of boring there for a bit so then not much happens the US has some things a president Bill CinderAce did not have sexual relations with that woman. and then I found President George Eiscue that comes into power but this is not long after the after his up controversy elections. the 9/11-where terrorist from the terrorist group unown crash plane twin gmax duraladon and spark the new war on terror. in which we will country in Vegas petil in 2001 and in 2003 then with the neutral country if they're claiming that they had weapons of mass destruction this whole war was later determined to be a farce only for the enrichment of the power of the military industrial complex in the money which they return to the politicians who enabled it. but then after that Bush Bush whoever Bush was becomes very unpopular and is then voted out in 2008 by Barack quilava who is also a total farce as in a faux progressive who claim to be for progress but he's really a radical centrist shell who voted with the Republicans, and is basically a 1980s Republican which is also even worse so that's why we hate quilava. but not much happens and then in the summer a scrafty bin laden is killed from the owner of a terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the twin gmax duraladons. but then quilava leaves in 2016 with the election of Donald raquaza or who claims to protect the borders from the evil electrode people down south and establish new trade deals against the corphis people who also had a revolution in the 1960s where shelgon-zo Don kills landlord is good .and the statue so then in 2016 also during the same time there's a primary for that the Democratic we will nomination between Hillary Sedra and a good Bernie Tangler who is burned by the establishment and screwed over. and yeah but that happens that's exactly why a rayquaza one the election who then took power and then is it more fascist authority. and that is world history explained through Pokémon now gamefreak make this game.

#mine #pokemon #i stayed up l night editing this because we recorded using diction and nothing was correct

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bloggingbeetles-blog · 6 years

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May 2018 Monthly Report

Week of April 30-May 4

On Monday, I went through a lot of safety training. This includes reading MSDSs, JSAs and Protocols for the lab. Did you know that hand lotion has an MSDS? The whole lab got together to go over what work we had coming up and exactly how we would do it as well as learned current pest-control techniques that many farmers use. Some of our goals for this summer included:making a wire-worm field-guide for Alberta, finding more effective ways of controlling wire-worm, and studying cereal leaf beetle as a crop pest. My Co-op term started off a bit rough because my security clearance didn’t go through quite on time for me to start the job, however, my lab technician and I temporarily remedied that by signing a temporary volunteer agreement form which stated that I agreed to work as a volunteer until all the paperwork got figured out and I would be reimbursed once that happened. Unfortunately for me, that meant I wouldn’t get key card access and would have to be accompanied by someone in my lab until that point. Our lab technician and scientist also mentioned a few other safety and comfort concerns such as dressing appropriately for field work and always reporting incidents or close calls (even paper cuts).

On Tuesday, we all went to get new steel-toes for field work. I ended up choosing a water resistant Helly Hanson pair thank goodness because I ended up walking through a few marshes in our fields. After that, I suggested that our technician give the other students and I a tour of the bug museum on site. Entomology wasn’t my first choice for my co-op so I had quite a bit of learning about insects to do. I learned that many “bugs” are actually beetles or insects and calling them bugs actually seems to offend some people. I’ve been chastised a few times for calling a ladybird beetle a bug and a shield bug an insect! Lightly of course.

On Wednesday, I got access to the work computer, learned that only loose pants are allowed in lab. After lunch, we packed the two work trucks for Thursday’s field routes and went on a road trip to Chin to sweepnet for Cereal Leaf Beetle. We found very little in the field of winter wheat and it was somewhat discouraging until we decided to sweep that ditches where our technician told us they overwinter. In the ditches we had better luck but still found very few.

On Thursday, the other two students started their Green Defensive Driving training, however I was unable to because my security clearance still hadn’t come through. so my technician sent me off to another Entomology lab to help them for the morning. while there, I patched pea leaf weevil cages and searched for them in soil samples. At about 10:00 am they sent me back to my lab where I did some lab dishes. My technician was impressed by how quickly I did them so who says working in a cafe with a broken dishwasher doesn't count as experience ;) Later in the day i aerated some vials by drilling holes in the caps, swept for CLB again (found a pitiful amount again) and then counted and aspirated them.

Finally, on Friday, I washed last season’s cheesecloth used to store our insect specimens and got some paperwork done with the office. We also swept for CLB again unsuccessfully.

Week of May 7-11

Monday- Set up Vernon baitball traps which are pots of vermiculite with a layer of germinating wheat seed that are installed beneath the soil surface in field that attract and trap wire-worm. Because they are installed underground, I had to use a soil corer to pull a perfect cylinder of earth out of the ground to bury them and boy oh boy was that a treat for my lazy, out-of-use, first year of university muscles. our scientist called a particular part of the soil coring “the birthing” because it was so difficult.after that, we checked the Vernon Pit-fall traps for click-beetles which are the adult form of a wire-worm. I also got one whole hour of overtime!

Tuesday- Got access to my work email, washed more cheesecloth, cut apples for Monday's live-trap click beetles which we were going to ship to B.C. then went into the field to set up more Vernon pitfall traps with non-toxic antifreeze (dead trap)

Wednesday- We had an entire field day. We collected Live from the pitfall traps with our scientist and then went to our other fields to measure and soil core them.

Thursday- In the morning, we had a safety orientation with the safety officer in which we were told about past mistakes that were avoidable. I CONTINUED WASHING CHEESECLOTH. and then we measured and installed baitballs in another three fields.

Friday- We were supposed to go out into our Wurz and Lethbridge fields to install our pitfall comparison study, however, it rained heavily and we didn’t want to risk trampling the wheat or tearing up the field so we had to stay in the lab. There wasn’t much left to do so our technician allowed us to work on our co-op homework/objectives. One of the most important objectives for me was to build a presence in the research center by doing my best work, introducing myself to others, being friendly and presenting myself as a hard-working and intelligent individual. After a while, our technician found a few tasks for me including WASHING CHEESECLOTH and editing/printing labels for Berlese funnels and soil core containers. The other students got trained on how to drive the work truck but once again, i could not drive the truck because my security clearance hadn't gone though so I hadn’t done my GDD training.

Week of May 14-18

On Monday, I washed more cheesecloth. For the first time, we had a more successful sweep for cereal leaf beetle. After we got back to the lab I helped the other lab technician in the green house with the winter wheat. The wheat had a disease so we immersed the wheat plants in a dilute hydrogen peroxide solution.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we collected both live and antifreeze pitfall samples and collected soil cores from the fields 3 meters east and west of the pitfall traps.

On Wednesday, I was in the lab with our technician as the other students went out on a field day. I started the morning off by updating and printing more labels for the next week and going to the store for lab supplies (coolers to hold soil core samples so any arthropods within wouldn’t die in the heat, ice-packs and band-aids to replace the used ones from the first aid kit). After break my lab tech and I headed to the controlled environment building to collect samples from the Berlese funnels and replace the old soil with the previous day’s soil cores. On the way back to the station, I mentioned to my lab tech that it would be interesting to work with the cattle or sheep on the station and he said that if I kept working the way I did, he and my scientist would be happy to be a good reference or recommend me to more animal-focused labs. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working with insects and it is really rare to get a work environment/team that works so well together and has a good dynamic but as a future vet student, it would be nice to be working with animals.

On Friday, it rained again. Because of the rain we weren’t able to set up the pitfall comparison study again. After we finished the work that needed to be done indoors, (Berlese funneling, dishes, and label prep) we were allowed to leave early for the long weekend which wads nice. I got four hours of work.

Week of May 21-25

Monday- a statutory holiday

Tuesday- I went into the field with my lab tech and another student and soil cored 3 meters north and south of the pitfall trap. After 2 weeks it was time to collect the baitballs. We dug them up and put them into 1L containers to be sent to another lab for processing.More labels.

Wednesday- Also ended up being a field day for me and another student. We ran into several problems in the field from not being able to see our traps despite them being staked and marked with neon flagging tape to walking through a bog and getting bitten by mosquitoes. The day was long and we ended up getting back to the station around 6:00pm I was slightly grumpy about getting my feet wet.

Thursday- I finally received approval to complete my GDD. A lot of the course was pretty common sense such as appropriate following distance, speed limits and hydroplaning.I finished a lot faster than my lab tech thought I would so I started preparing baitballs, Berlese funneling, and washing dishes.

Friday- I scheduled Friday off to attend a funeral. Unfortunately that meant I missed the first Friday without rain and the pitfall comparison set up.

Week of May 28-June 1

On Monday, I went out on a field day and collected soil cores and pitfall samples from three fields with another student. After that, I got some training on how to drive the truck just because it is such a large vehicle and takes up a lot of space.

Tuesday was the first day i operated the Berlese funnels without our lab tech. I was a bit nervous that i would forget a step or some supplies and screw up but to my delight, I managed to pull it off with the other student without a hitch. Perhaps I should stop doubting my own capabilities so much. But, to be fair, I did write out a checklist before I left the lab so i had a little help. After successfully Berlese funneling, I updated and printed the labels for next weeks soil core samples and Berlese funnels as well as recycled the outdated spares.

Wednesday was a day for a lot of first including how to sex cereal leaf beetle ( it’s not how you’d expect). It involves looking at a small triangular piece of their body on the ventral side of their abdomen and seeing whether it is concave or convex. IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT but now I think I have the hang of it. We also set up the cages that would hold our sexed and mating pair beetles so we would have a 50/50 ratio of males and females.

I was out in the field on Thursday. It only got up to 7 degrees Celsius and poured rain onto us. I was cold and miserable for most of the day but we definitely got our fields done faster than usual.

On Friday it rained again so we stayed inside to operate the funnels and collect mating pairs of cereal leaf beetle. Another student and I were confused because they were mating so quickly and abundantly until our lab tech walked into the 10 degree room and realized the temperature had risen to 21 degrees. So that explained their hyperactivity. Apparently the cooling system for the entire building went down. At first, our lab tech wanted us to leave the room so our body heat wouldn’t add to the problem, however we thought that maybe if we tried really hard we could get all the mating pairs we would need for the study so we pushed on until 3:00pm but still only managed to get another 132 mating pairs (66 short). Right before 4:00 the cooling system was up and running again.

June 4-current

Yesterday was a lab day for me so I operated the Berlese funnels and introduced myself to another scientist in the CEB. He was also an entomologist working with livestock pests. We also went out to complete Friday’s fields fro last week.

Today I went into the field and drove the truck for the first time. The work truck is an F-250 with an eight foot box so needless to say it’s a bit different than my Chevy impala. I was a bit nervous to drive it to the field sites for the first time but i quickly got a hang of it and parked it perfectly at the blue goose gas station. We got back to the lab early so we started sexing cereal leaf beetle and aspirating out more mating pairs. We got all the mating pairs we need for the study and I can officially say that I can confidently tell you whether or not a cereal leaf beetle is a male or a female.

What I learned: Stop underestimating yourself so much. You are a capable human being who can handle herself and should have no problem asking for help when needed. You are nervous for practically no reason whatsoever. Introduce yourself more often and try to be more social in the workplace. People enjoy conversation. If you are having a crappy day in crappy weather and situations, just get the job done as quickly as possible so you can get back in the truck, get dry, and take a sip of coffee. Hours: 202.5 regular (7.5 per day), 9.75 overtime

#beetles #work #summer job #co-op #work experience

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towncalledkingdom · 7 years

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Moments whirled in Caracal’s head as she struggled to rise from the dark. “Time to pay for your crimes” a Privateer officer whispered as she tipped and wheeled. Eleanor’s daughter stepped into a metal suit, an insect titan of light bursting from the stage behind her, pincers raised and mandibles twitching. A dark woman in a green scarf stood behind Mamba with her brother. Caracal’s father throws one of Eleanor’s men to the ground, scarred hands falling- deep brown before rising red. Screaming. Fury. The faces of her conquered enemies rising and glaring in a spinning arc around her. A blind man kneeling with palms raised. The mask. The gleaming white mask, some spirit of the outside world. A needle of strength. Another of weakness. Eleanor’s sneer.

The visions crumbled as Caracal’s eyes snapped open. The featherfall touch of a hand on the doorknob outside her cell was enough. She was on her feet before it began to swing inward. Clean white light poured in around an average human frame, harsh on the woman’s still-adjusting eyes. “Sit,” said the figure, pointing to a small table with two opposing chairs at the other side of the room past Caracal’s bed. She wanted to fight. Instead, she sat.

The figure stepped into the cell and closed the door behind them. They pulled out the chair across from Caracal and, setting a thick book and a slim silver case on the tabletop, sat down. She didn’t want to blink the way she was blinking. She wanted to look fierce, strong, in charge. But seeing herself in the shining black lenses of Mercury’s mask left little doubt as to who held the power here.

Caracal clenched and unclenched her jaw in the tense, silent moments that followed. She shoved a scrap of paper across the table toward Mercury. Scrawled in neat, flowing ink were the words “It’s time.”

She dug her thumbs into her eyes. “You think you could have given me a little more warning ahead of time?” Mercury did not speak, just took the note in a glove and turned it several times.

“Hey! How about a little cooperation, huh? I’ve been locked up for days and you finally show up all stoic? How about a little mutual respect?” Still silent, Mercury pushed the book and silver case in her direction. She opened the case. Four shining needles stood in a uniform line like a box of crayons. She closed the case. Mercury nodded toward the book. The eyes of a furious predator glared hungrily from the cover. “The Caracal Cat,” she read aloud. Inside the front cover a message had been written in neat, heavy ink. She continued to read. "Some say the desert lynx- the Caracal cat- is the fiercest of all felines. It's ears hear all, its powerful legs allow it to jump to incredible heights. You are the Caracal cat. You will take it as your totem on the day you are named. You will train harder than your peers. When they leave for their beds you will be fighting. When they rise in the morning you will be fighting. You will stalk the training yard. In the dojo they will fear you. At celebrations they will forget you. When the time comes you will hunt down each who threatens you. You will bend them to your will. You will not see your father again until you rule his people. Then we will find you. Then we will help you wrest him from his cage."

Caracal paused. Mercury had not moved. She picked up the silver case, turning it in her free hand. "You stopped sending these after the Tournament." Mercury's head dipped in acknowledgement. "Why? Didn't you want me to be strong? Aren't you the one who wanted me to rule in the first place?"

Mercury spoke for the first time. "You've done well. We were pleasantly surprised with your willingness to cooperate."

Caracal's eyes narrowed. "And now? Will you remain true to your promises or have I been caught in an elaborate deception?"

"Both, I suppose," mused Mercury. "But now comes the fun. Caracal, you're going to have to forget everything you know if you want to see your father again. The woman you were is dead and buried. People will look for her, yes, and they will be disappointed. Caracal is no more."

"I've only just been named Alpha! I am one of the most powerful human beings in Kingdom! Why would you have me spend years training for something only to rip it from my hands?" she fumed.

Mercury stood and walked to her, peering down from the voids where their eyes should have been. "That title is your ball and chain. Stay in place and watch the world crawl by. Wait for news of an old, scarred man passing away behind prison doors. Or, come with us. Allow us to elevate you. You think you know power? You think a couple of punches and beating your chest will ever allow you to shake the world?" Mercury bent to her level, placing their face so close she could hear soft, ragged breath behind the enameled mask. "If you are so powerful now make your move. Throw me down and rush out the door."

In spite of herself, Caracal was busy trying to see through the lenses in Mercury's mask. They were spotless, impossibly deep as if they had been forged from actual human pupils magnified a thousand times their original size. She pushed her chair from the table and stood. "Leave Phylla to Eleanor's kid and the rest of those back-stabbers," she sighed. "Let's go get my dad."

"We will," Mercury promised, opening the door and holding it for her, "but first I'd like to introduce you to your team."

"Hold on- what team?" she asked, scrambling after them. "Your going to send your people with me?"

"Not exactly," Mercury chuckled.

They walked down a long hall with sagging walls and half-melted paintings. Rooms branches off in either direction. The whole place smelled like new construction and wood rot. Between the peeling wallpaper, unlit bronze braziers, and bright, clean light the place gave her the distance impression of a wealthy person opting to move into a long-vacated home. A dark woman in glasses sat in a red chair staring at an enormous map outside of one of the rooms, not even glancing at them as they passed. "Who was that?" Caracal asked.

"Stop asking questions," Mercury replied. The hallway ended at two heavy wooden doors with thick iron handles in the shape of winged boots. A thin trickle of dirt fell from the ceiling as Mercury rapped on one of them. One popped from its place and Mercury pulled it open.

The room was small and dim, mostly an empty concrete pad with a pool table and a semi-circle of chairs. Several men stood in various places around the room or sat in the chairs speaking quietly to one another. Each of them was dressed in a drastically different outfit. Most of them sat in chairs. Caracal's eyes locked on the man in the center, a serious older gentleman sporting a Privateer Officer's uniform. His name was stitched into a front pocket: Berwald.

Caracal swore. "What is he doing here?" she cried. "Why on earth would you bring him into this?"

Berwald narrowed his eyes. "Are we going to do this every time I meet someone, now?"

A big young man dressed in a full suit of metal gave a condescending little laugh. "You think people are just going to forget about everything you've done because you tell them you quit?" He stood slowly to his feet and lumbered over to where Mercury and Caracal stood, reaching out a gauntlet in greeting. "I hear you're looking for your dad. Sounds like we're in the same boat. I'm Merrick, my friends and I were dragged in here on our way to... somewhere else. Mercury tells me they might even be holding our dads in the same place."

Caracal nodded but did not shake his hand. He looked like a child given muscles too early. "Nice to meet you, Merrick. I'm..." she flashed a look at Mercury. She struggled to think of a name. If she could no longer be Caracal, then who could she be? No animal names. "I'm..." her face grew hot. "Cara," she blurted.

"Miss Caracal!" cried a voice from the back of the room. A man wearing what appeared to be an enormous weevil came bustling out from a narrow doorway. "I didn't realize you were here already!"

"You flushed, didn't you?" boomed a giant of man who stood polishing an out-of-date Phylla light suit.

"I'd better double check," cried the Weevil-man. "Don't leave, Miss Caracal! I have questions!"

"So do I, sir," she sighed. "So do I."

When the Weevilsmith reappeared everyone had taken their seats in the half-circle of chairs. Merrick pulled a seat out for Caracal and she accepted without complaint. Mercury hushed the Weevilsmith before he could open his mouth.

"There will be time for questions later. First, I would like to welcome each of you to your new faction," Mercury began. Rhino grunted at the word. "Rhino. Weevilsmith. Merrick. Berwald. Each of you chose to leave your factions. You are defectors, and will be known as such. Take pride in those choices. You may hold the very keys to Kingdom in your hands. And leading the Defectors, we have the former Alpha: Caracal. That is the last time she will be called that. Caracal is dead to Kingdom's citizens, and will soon be forgotten."

"Didn't sound like Kestrel or Mako had forgotten her," said Berwald.

"Leave that little problem to me." Mercury seemed to smile beneath their mask. "You five will have enough to worry about. You will obey your leader, Enko, explicitly because she will be taking her directives from us."

Rhino raised his head sharply at the mention of the new name. "Enko?" his eyebrows lifted. "You don't mean..." he turned to look at the woman. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"No time for questions, my friend," Mercury continued. "Merrick and Enko- we will do everything we can to bring your fathers out of this safely. You need to understand, however, that your mission is bigger than that. You are the moving parts of a plan that has been in motion for decades. You must follow my directions or you may not see them out of this alive."

Rhino sat whispering below his breath. The Weevilsmith was attempting to ever-so-carefully hold a shining trading card in Enko's line of site but failing miserably. Berwald's arms were crossed over his chest, face unreadable. Both Merrick and Enko looked ravenous.

"There's something else I need all of you to understand," Mercury hesitated, turning toward Berwald. "The situation inside Eleanor's domain isn't just dangerous. It's going to stick with you. If what Berwald has told us is true, you'll need to prepare your minds for the worst."

Enko pulled a slim silver case from her pocket. She drew a needle from it and plunged it into her arm, hissing as she pushed the plunger. Merrick's eyes widened. Berwald watched without emotion. Enko placed the empty syringe back in its place and stood to face the Defectors. She turned to Mercury.

"When do we start?"

#chapter 7 #ATCK #defectors #Berwald #mercury #roach #Enko #caracal #weevilsmith #rhino #phylla #mantis #merrick longfellow #eleanorsucks #wyrm

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