#ketous

[afrotumble]

“Baba Ichanga” wearing traditional gelede mask and holding a baby. Sanga village, Ketou, Benin.

photo © David Paul Carr

[antimatterpod]

Anika and Liz don their dress uniforms and stand trial for the crime of … oh, something. Background bird noise and that helicopter, probably. But ALSO we are here to talk about season 2, episode 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Ad Astra Per Aspera”, including…

Gene Roddenberry would be SO MAD there’s a civil rights lawyer in Star Trek! Which is not the ONLY reason it’s great, but it’s one!

Utopias are hard work and civil rights progress via litigation is incremental, and this episode gets that

This is a Neera Ketou Stan Podcast

HOWEVER Liz thinks the writing veered into a couple of ugly tropes

What’s Vice Admiral Pasalk’s deal? Is he a Secret Romulan???

It would be interesting to dig further into genetic alteration as a cultural practice versus eugenics as a violation of civil rights

It’s allegories all the way down!

“Aliens hiding among humans” seems to be a theme this season, but NOT in a paranoid way? Aside from our new hobby of Seeing Romulans Everywhere, of course

Ortegas has a new facet to her character! She’s racist!

[fighting-and-drawing]

Heart of the Warrior Chapter 10: Enter Ueda

Fandom: Cybird Ikemen Sengoku

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Yukimura Sanada x Male!OC

     Shaving without soap was nothing new to Thai, yet he kept a cautiously steady grip on his custom straight razor as he shaved the hairs from his growing sideburns. Staring into the reflection of Sasuke's katana protruding from a hidden compartment of their merchant's cart, Thai made steady work of his shaving. Even though he always held a concern about cutting his face, he always kept his razor as sharp as it was when he first got it, his grip firm, and speed as consistent as—

     "Shit!" Thai hissed.

     A heavy hand on his shoulder pumped his arm, a thin gash on the side of his face forming. Thai winced, wiping away the blood to see how much he had cut himself. Luckily, he's dealt with gashing his face before, and this cut would eventually stop bleeding soon. Still, he was definitely bothered—hell, pissed off that it was the result of whoever had pushed him.      "Really, Kamanosuke?" Thai groaned, turning to face the brunette.

     "Sorry," the shinobi sarcastically apologized, "Didn't see you shaving there, pal. You should really be careful, y'know."

     Following behind him were the Miyoshi twins, Isa and Seikai, and Uemon and Juzou. Thai sighed, looking back toward his reflection at the katana's blade before proceeding to shave the other side of his face.      "Ooh!" remarked Isa, crouching down next to Thai, his stark eyes fixed on the razor. "What a pretty little blade, right, Seikai?"

     "Mmhm! So cute!" Seikai nodded, plopping down on the other side of Thai. "Are you gonna shave that caterpillar off your lips, too, Thai?"

     "No," Thai simply replied, focusing on his shaving, keeping down his already flustered temper. "This will stay on me until I die...or I somehow lose all my hair."      "That's a shame," Isa coyly said, "I think you'll look better without it."

     "Hey," Kamanosuke replied, "Thai needs that ugly mug of his to pass off as a foreigner. Right, Thai?"

     Thai scoffed, smirking sarcastically at a grinning Kamanosuke. "Yeah?"Thai muttered, "I'm sure that yer scarred-up mug of yours would get you strung up before you even enter Ueda."

     Kamanosuke's grin quickly turned into an angered frown. "Why, you little—"

     "That's enough," Uemon growled, holding back Kamanosuke.

     Thai rose up to his feet, kicking the katana back into its scabbard before closing the hidden compartment of the cart. Juzou threw a set of foreign merchant's clothes to Thai, the latter unceremoniously grabbing them out of the air.      "Ketou...wears...," Juzou said to Thai slowly, using hand gestures for emphasis, "foreigner's clothes...and...goes to—"

     "I can understand Japanese, you twat," Thai grunted, "Mas que porra?"

     "Just making sure." Juzou smiled innocently. "Off you go now!"

     Juzou playfully shooed Thai away, the latter scoffing as he walked a distance away from their hideout behind a few trees. After checking he was alone, even going so far as to throw a rock up into the trees, he started to undress. Grumbling to himself in Portuguese, he put on those puffy red trousers and black boots Shingen acquired from the Portuguese traders in Nagasaki, wondering to himself both why anyone would wear these goofy-looking clothes and also how he even found himself in this situation. Right—it was because of Yukimura. Speaking of...

     "—Filho de mae!"Thai cried out, hearing a twig snap under someone's foot.

     Yukimura silently stepped out from behind a tree. Thai turned back around, grabbing the linen shirt hanging from a low branch. The Peerless Warrior approached Thai, his eyes averted from his naked back. Thai started unfurling the shirt, keeping his back towards an equally silent Yukimura.      "Um...so...you're ready?"Yukimura finally asked.

     "So far..." Thai said, putting the shirt on. Anger kept trying to bubble up to the surface, but he knew he had to keep some level of professionalism. "Still tryna come up with a cover story, but since I can speak...(one...two...three?...) almost three languages, I think I can—"

     "Hey!" Yukimura suddenly called out.

     Thai turned around, suddenly face-to-face with the Peerless Warrior. Stunned, he kept still as Yukimura placed his warm hand on Thai's cheek, his fingers grazing the still-trickling blood off of the fresh cut on the side of Thai's face.      It was an understatement to say Thai was bewildered—two days ago, Yukimura was a livid nightmare that drove him scared and enraged. Now, he was looking at the concerned caring eyes he became accustomed to seeing. Yukimura was ever so calm as he took out a familiar red handkerchief from the folds of his kimono, pressing it against the wound. Thai let out an annoyed, soft sigh, looking away as Yukimura dabbed away the blood on his face.      "Did you even try to stop the bleeding?" Yukimura asked. "You're gonna get your clothes all bloody."

     "I was planning on it until you showed up," Thai said back, averting his gaze as Yukimura kept a firm hold on Thai's face. He resisted the primal urge to shove him away, remembering their scuffle from last night.

     "Tsk," Yukimura muttered, "What happened?"

     "Why do you care," Thai blurted, grabbing the handkerchief out of Yukimura's hand before wiping off the blood from his gash himself.

     Yukimura's scowl only became more knotted up. "Hey! Of course, I care," he blurted out.

     Thai quickly threw on his shirt, turning his back to Yukimura once more. "Sure, man," Thai muttered in English under his breath, "That's why you pinned me up against a wall, jerk."

     Yukimura stayed silent upon hearing Thai's silent remark, watching closely as Thai dressed in his merchant disguise. The foreigner slicked back his hair with his hand, flipping the goofy-looking hat on top of his head. Although Thai remained resolute in his appearance, inside his knees were shaking, his heartbeat fast and powerful like an atabaque. 

     Thai turned around, keeping the rim of his hat down to avoid directly looking at Yukimura.      "Now, if you'll excuse me, my lord," Thai said unemotionally. "I got a job to do. I'll be on my way."

     Thai went ahead to step past Yukimura but was stopped by the latter’s heavy hand on his arm. Thai clenched his teeth, his face scrunching up and fists balling, not knowing whether he should force himself out of Yukimura's strong grip or just punch him. As much as he wanted to be Yukimura's friend in this understandably difficult time for him—a lost soul cast out of his homeland finally returning—the events of last night played out in his mind over and over again.      "Thai...." Yukimura breathed, "Just....when you get to Ueda, please be careful. Nothing is what it seems over there."

     Thai shrugged Yukimura's grip off of his arm, disregarding the latter’s warning as he continued off. Yukimura watched silently as Thai disappeared from his sight, letting out a frustrated sigh as he hit a nearby tree trunk with his balled-up fist.

     "What happened?" Sasuke asked, the Swift Striking Storm pulling on the cart by himself, now dressed in simple rags resembling a poor merchant, with Thai strolling by his side. Already they began to speak in English, knowing that the only other foreign languages the Japanese encountered at this time were either Dutch or Portuguese.

     "Ah, that filho de mae, Kamanosuke-san, hit my shoulder when I was shaving," Thai said, softly wiping his gash to see if it was still bleeding. "On the plus side, I finally know where my handkerchief went."

     "Handkerchief?" Sasuke asked.

     "Right," Thai explained. "When I was...well...teleported here, y'know how I fought them samurai to save Yukimura-sama's ass? I mean, you saw how messed up I was. He helped me before y'all found me and stopped the bleeding on my leg with this handkerchief and a piece of his obi. When you guys saved me, the thing was gone when I woke up. Thought they threw it away or burned it. Didn't realize he kept it."

    "Wait," Sasuke said. "You saw Yuki-kun? What did you do?"

     "Grr," Thai grunted. "Nothing happened if that's what you meant. Just...gave me this vague warning and scolded me for cutting myself."

     Sasuke nodded in silence, the gears in his head visibly turning. Thai noticed this, raising an eyebrow at the calculating ninja beside him.

     "What you thinking?" Thai asked.

     "Um," Sasuke stuttered to say. "So, are things all right with you two?"

     "Dunno," Thai simply answered. "To be fair, I don't think right now is the best time to talk about last night. Right now, I think first we do this, and then when Yukimura-sama is finally satisfied with getting a friggin' war fan, then we'll all be in the right headspace to talk."

     "That is fair," Sasuke replied. "But, with the feud between you two, I think those emotions you both carry might impede the mission."

     "It's like you said, then," Thai growled, stepping in front of Sasuke and stopping him dead in his tracks. "Just...clear the mind. Don't worry about the situation. Look, we're here; this is happening; there's nothing to talk about! Screw it! Let's just do this so we can all go home...and hope Shingen-sama won't have our heads for this sudden act of treason."

     Thai huffed as the duo started to walk again toward their destination. He rubbed his brow, letting out an exhausted sigh. He rolled his shoulders, his heart still pounding from confronting Yukimura in their hideout. And, what was with that, by the way, Thai thought. Yukimura was angry as angry gets that night, and suddenly he says he cares for him? Did he regret their confrontation as much as Thai was starting to?      He needed to get his mind off of it, allowing himself to breathe in and out deeply twice. "Uh...Sasuke-kun,"Thai asked. "What does 'Ketou' mean, by the way?"

     Sasuke gasped internally. "Where did you hear that?"

     "I think it was Juzou-san," Thai said. "I forgot their names. Why? What's it mean?"

     Sasuke hesitated, but before he could answer, he spotted something in the distance. "Thai-kun! We're here."

     Thai turned around, seeing a large town surrounding a large castle in the distance. A river tore its way through the land to the South of the castle, the sight of red banners fluttering on its walls. Thai took another breath, his already torrential heart now beating more frantically. Sasuke was about to move, but Thai held out his hand, turning around.      "W-wait," Thai said. "Give me a minute."

     "Why?" Sasuke asked. "Is something wrong?"      "Just getting in the right headspace," Thai answered.

     Thai stared at the town, knowing by the time he set foot inside, it was time to play the part of the foreign merchant. At first, he knew what was at stake—yet another simple reconnaissance mission. But, with even more lives on the line, along with Yukimura's, this made Thai even more anxious. In each hand he cracked his knuckles one at a time with his thumbs, trying to control his nervous breathing.      "Ten seconds....ten seconds...." Thai mumbled to himself silently.

     He shook his head, hitting the side of his legs with his fists while growling from the back of his throat. Even in lieu of fight music on blast and an energy drink, he hopped up and down, shaking his hands and feet, prepping himself as if he was entering the Octagon.      "All right....all right," Thai said to an observant Sasuke. "Let's do this."

     "Thai-kun," Sasuke asked. "Are you sure you're all right?"

     "I'm fine," Thai grumbled. "I just...I was never good at acting."

     Sasuke was on day surveillance and Thai at night, a perfect plan. Thai planned to steal the gunbai outright on the first day to save everyone the trouble of a few-day heist, even. However, as they came closer to the castle, they noticed something off about their surroundings. It was not as if the townsfolk were starving and poor like the ones Thai observed when infiltrating Jinpachi Castle. If anything, it was the opposite.

     The town was prospering. Civilians, farmers, and all manner of the townsfolk were lively and thriving, intermingling with the two disguised ninja. Eyes were diverted toward Thai, people gasping as it was probably the first time they had seen a foreigner enter their bustling town. The shops, restaurants, and houses were neatly maintained, other merchants peddling their wares and shopkeepers selling their stock with smiles on their faces as profit was made easily.      The duo looked at each other, thinking that an occupied town by the enemy would not have looked as bright and colorful as it was here. Sure, maybe it could be, but everything seemed too normal for a town occupied by enemy invaders. Even the interactions with passing samurai guards and townsfolk was filled with honest respect, rather than hidden malice.      "Interessante," Thai muttered to Sasuke. "What do you make of all this?"

     Even Sasuke was stunned, trying to remember what became of Ueda during the Sengoku. "You're right," Sasuke softly said. "It's almost as if the Sanada—"

     "—are still rulin'. Mira."

     Their eyes widened. Thai's mouth slowly dropped agape as he stepped forward to get a better look at the gate that stood in front of them. Red banners lined the gate from the ground and under its arches, all bearing the signature six-coin crest of the Sanada Clan, all in pristine condition.      "Que diabos está acontecendo aqui,"Thai said.

     Sasuke gasped. "Thai-sama," he said, beckoning to him.

     "'Sup?" Thai asked, keeping up his guise as a foreign explorer as he stepped next to Sasuke.

     "I remember now," Sasuke whispered to Thai. "Shinano is under Oda Control, but not because of an invasion. The Sanada Clan was always loyal to the Takeda, but after their destruction, they switched their loyalties from daimyo to daimyo. It seems that even though I saved Shingen-sama, most of the Sanada still shifted allegiances from their fallen lord to the Tokugawa, who are aligned with the Oda. That is why Yuki-kun is banished. He's their apparent black sheep."

     Thai took a double take at the Sanada banner in front of him before turning to Sasuke. "So, if...he...is with us...then who the hell is running the Sanada Clan here?"

     Sasuke thought for a moment, rubbing his chin until the figurative light bulb lit up above him. "No doubt his older brother," Sasuke whispered. "Nobuyuki Sanada."

     "What the...urgh," Thai grunted, the two now facing the banner in awe. "Talk about a sibling rivalry."

     No wonder Yukimura couldn't just bring an army and take back Ueda. He would be declaring war on his own people, and would essentially be setting out to take his own brother's life. Even if he was to surrender and come back, he would have to align himself with the very person he hated.      Thai chewed his bottom lip, the situation he found himself in now getting even more convoluted. The stress, twists, and turns started to frustrate him even more. He rubbed his brow and looked at Sasuke.      "All right, look. This...th-this doesn't change anything," Thai said aloud, "We gotta go. We can't just stand around here with our thumbs....well, looking like idiots. Let's go."

     "Understood," Sasuke said.

     The two walked under the ominous gate, suddenly being stopped by two samurai guards, a deja vu experience for Thai. He was almost expecting them to demand for their identities with extreme prejudice, their eyes scanning them from head to toe before zeroing in on the foreigner.      "What is a foreigner doing here?" One of them asked, Thai mentally translating what the guard said into English.

     "He is a traveling explorer from the West," Sasuke piped up in his native tongue, bowing deeply towards them, signaling Thai to do the same, the latter taking off his hat. "He simply wanted to come and experience the prosperity of the Japanese."

     "Who are you, then?" the guard sternly questioned Sasuke.

     "I am merely a simple merchant, my lord," Sasuke said, bowing once more. "Master Thai simply took an interest in my hard work and knowledge and requested that I shall guide him through my travels."

     The guard grumbled, nodding at the other to search his cart as he stepped up to the smaller Thai. Thai simply nodded at the guard, hiding the fear the guard's sharp glare gave him. Thai cleared his throat, bowing after saying in garbled Japanese, "Uh...nIcE...tO...MeET yoU."

     Magically, the once stern guard laughed boisterously upon hearing Thai's butchered Japanese. Thai joined in on the laughing, Sasuke giving off a nervous chuckle. He lightly smacked Sasuke on the shoulder, the latter keeping an eye on the guard inspecting their stock in the cart. "Ei," Thai said, his speech slow and exaggerated, hand gestures firing off left and right. “Tell him....that I want....to stay here and observe...the daily life of the Japanese people.'"      "Umm..." Sasuke muttered, afterward translating what Thai said to Japanese towards the samurai guards.

     "Hmph," the guard grunted, seeing that the other guard found that the cart was not hiding any illegal items. "Fine," he sternly said. "Tell your master that he may stay, but know this. Keep to yourselves and don't cause trouble, or I won't hesitate to cut off both your heads where you stand."

     Although Thai understood what the guard said, he hid his reaction as Sasuke repeated back to Thai in English what the guard said, Thai nodding behind a fake smile. "That's perfect," Thai said, giving an "ok" signal with his hands before placing them behind his back. "If everything is in order, then, let us proceed to the marketplace."

    Sasuke lifted up the cart handles and accompanied Thai as he scooted himself past the non-moving samurai guard and continued towards the inner town.       "You think they bought it," Thai said, hiding his shaky breath and shaking behind his nervous smile.

     "I believe so," Sasuke said as Thai put his hat back on. "Operation Mission Impossible is still a go."

     "Right," Thai sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let's find a place to set down, and for now I guess we just play merchant. We stay operational for an hour, and then you dig up some intel while I divert attention."

     "Sounds good," Sasuke said. "Showtime!"

     Yukimura, now dressed in simple farmer's clothes, looked out from atop a hill and down towards the valley where Ueda Castle and its town lay. Propping up his kasa hat for a better view, he took a moment to observe the calm of his surroundings, the wind rippling through the verdant green grass and the winding river, the smell of flowers and hay, the bright blue sky barely dotted by wisps of white clouds. The town seemed to bustle with the excitement of the normal afternoon hustle, the castle well maintained. The surrounding farms seemed to be alive with rice ready to harvest and numerous farmers worked under the beating sun to get their harvest. Fishermen stood alongside the banks of the rivers for their catch.

     It was exactly how Yukimura remembered Ueda to be. He took a deep breath in, closing his eyes, letting the calm rest his beating heart.

     Saizou stood next to him, looking towards the castle with his vigilant eyes, the rest of the men checking their surroundings closely behind the duo.

     "What did you tell him?"Yukimura asked.

     "We're here for a golden gunbai," Saizou said. "The same excuse as for the others."

     Yukimura sighed, turning to Saizou. "I went off on him for lying to my face and I turn around just to lie right back at him..."

     "You were a lot angrier with him than I previously anticipated," Saizou said, "This may complicate matters, although, if he were to leave us after this mission, I don't believe he would go as far as to try and join our enemies. As far as a threat he would be to us, I think he would rather leave to go back from where he came from."

     "No, he wouldn't," Yukimura said. "There is no home for him to go back to."

     Saizou crossed his arms, peering back towards the town. "Then that's something you two need to talk about later, but for now, we must focus on the mission at hand."

     "Right," Yuki said, looking back towards the town. "I just hope those two are all right."

     Finding a spot in the marketplace, Sasuke and Thai quickly set up their makeshift stall, Sasuke attempting to sell his "wares" while Thai sat back and observed the crowd. Although there were many who searched through the goods that they peddled, barely anyone asked to purchase anything from Sasuke. On the outside, he seemed perfectly normal, but inside, Thai must have figured that even he was figuratively foaming at the mouth for failing to sell anything consistently for the already long hour of peddling.      "Well," Thai groaned, chewing his bottom lip. "Even with my foreign appearance, it seems that we are unable to sell anything. Have you even tried to up-sale anyone?"

     "I'm doing my best," Sasuke calmly said, "Although, I must admit that our wares are not suitable to sell off so easily. I doubt I can even sell a pen to anyone here."

     "We ain't in Wall Street," Thai laughed. "We’re in Japan during civil war times. Just...sell stuff as if they can't find anything better the next stall over."

     "But," Sasuke interjected. "I saw some more elaborate wares just down the street."

     "What are you talking about?" Thai said, getting up from his seat. He walked over to the kimono he eyed back in Kasugayama, picked it up, and unfolded it in front of him. "Just this kimono alone can sell! Look at it and memorize because I want to hear them exact words I say—a deep, vibrant color; the twisting cranes on top the light colors of the flowing river; the smooth touch of the fabric. Sell it with exaggeration, Sasuke-kun! Com paixão, Esquilo! Você tem que vendê-lo como se eles não encontrassem nada tão bom quanto isto em qualquer outro lugar."

     Sasuke was about to say something, probably trying to think of a reference to slip inside, until he noticed the townsfolk and merchants around them suddenly bowing in Thai's direction. Even the samurai guards bowed, the hairs behind Sasuke's neck shooting up in alert.      Thai also noticed this after seeing Sasuke's shock, his eyes darting from person to person, hiding behind the outstretched kimono.      "....Sasuke-kun," Thai whispered. "Hey, what's happening?"

     Suddenly, the kimono in front of him started moving, something protruding from the fabric. Thai's head snapped back in the direction of the kimono, his breath held as he saw a lump moving around the kimono, a small, dainty breath of awe emanating from behind the kimono.      "Sutekina kimonodesu ne, Nobuyuki-san," said a soft woman's voice from behind the kimono.

     Thai's eyes widened. (N...N-Nobuyuki?)

     He slowly lowered the kimono, the sun shining brightly in his eyes before they could readjust to the light. A woman dressed in her own elaborate kimono stood in front of him, a taller man with dark hazelnut hair in a deep crimson kimono standing just behind her. The woman let out a quiet gasp upon seeing the surprised Thai, Sasuke letting out his own gasp before deeply bowing towards the man and woman. Thai noticed this, stuttering before bowing, still holding up the kimono.      The woman giggled, the man letting out a huff as the former scooped up one of the kimono's sleeves, feeling the fabric between her fingertips.      "Ah, sumimasen,"the woman said. "Nanban desuka?"

    "U-uh...hai," Thai stuttered to say, noticing the life of the town started to become normal, the daily grind coming back to life. "Uh...kore wa boku no...hon'yaku-shadesu," Thai said, signaling for Sasuke to come over.      "Ah...." the man said, stepping towards Thai. "Anata wa chōmin ga hanashite iru gaikoku hitodesu. Anata no namae o oshiete?"

     "He's asking for your name," Sasuke said to Thai, the latter almost forgetting about his guise.

     "Right," Thai said. "Um...Thai to imasu."      "Thai..." the man repeated. "O-Sanada no han'ei o jikkan shitai nodeareba, kono shōnin o gaido ni suru hitsuyō wanaideshou."

     Sasuke was visibly shocked upon hearing this, Thai realizing that they may have played the part of an explorer and guide too close to their chests. Both Sasuke and the woman talked faster than Thai could translate mentally. 

 "Mōshiwakearimasenga, kakka, Thai-sama wa eigo shika hanasemasen. Kare o rikai dekiru no wa watashi dakena nodesu," Sasuke quickly said, bowing again.

     "Kare wa Porutogaru-go mo hanasemasu yo ne?" quickly interjected the woman. "Watashi ga kita toki, kare ga hanashite iru no o kiita."

     Thai gulped, realizing that everyone heard the Portuguese Thai threw in his speech for flavor. The man and woman talked quietly to one another, the woman giggling as the man sighed. He suddenly reached inside his kimono and threw a small bag of coins to the ground in front of Sasuke.      The man growled something at Sasuke, the latter unable to say anything. Sasuke then turned to Thai. "We have a problem," he said aloud in English.

     "Why, what's wrong? He just paid for a kimono, right?" Thai asked, keeping a smile on his face.

     "He said that you no longer need my services," Sasuke grimly said.

     "C-can he do that," Thai said, keeping up his disguise. "W-What!? I paid you!"

     Sasuke opened the bag of coins, showing Thai the large amount of silver inside. "He's buying me out apparently," Sasuke said. "That, and the kimono. He's going to invite you to stay at—"

     "Then, let's just say I paid you more," Thai said.

     "Nani ka mondai ga arimasu ka?" the man suddenly said, shocking the two.

     "What'd he say?"Thai asked.

     "He's asking if there is a problem," Sasuke said.

     "Yes, there's a fucking problem," Thai guffawed, "Who does he think he is?"

     "That's...um...." Sasuke hesitated to say. "Lord...Nobuyuki Sanada."

     Thai swallowed his tongue, remembering hearing his name from the woman. "Oh, right...."Thai nodded. "What are the friggin' odds."

     "Se tudo estiver em ordem, então venha connosco," the woman said upon hearing what Nobuyuki said. "Vai experimentar melhor a nossa prosperidade connosco." The woman beckoned Thai to come, saying that it would be a far better experience with them than Sasuke.

     "O-Oh....sim. Claro...," Thai nodded nervously with a smile. He turned to Sasuke, clapping his hands together. The two knew there was nothing that could be done. Thai's anger started boiling again, but he knew he had to hide it. When he wanted to infiltrate the castle, he didn't think it would be like this. Sure, he would be on the inside, but the room for error started to increase exponentially. Even if he could sneak a look at their plans and steal the gunbai, he saw no room for an escape plan, at least from here.      An escape plan? Now he had to think of one, too!? Thai chewed his bottom lip, a frustrated smile forming on his lips. So many things flooded his mind, anxiety and worry mixing with fear and fury. Whatever happened to a simple reconnaissance mission?

     Screw it.

     "Well, Sasuke, it's been a fucking pleasure," Thai said in plain English, shouting at Sasuke while hiding his anger with excitement and hand gestures. "But, right now, I have to go and mess around with the enemy for a while, probably get murdered along the way because I accidentally did some stupid shit like look at confidential records or something. Umm....tell everyone to get out while they can and just forget everything about infiltrating the castle for some stupid war fan. Will I be back? Who knows—Life's a mystery. See 'ya!"

     "B-but Thai—"

     "Forget it! It's done! That's final! Do me a favor, and just get back home safely. I promise I'll try and escape, but you need to listen to me and get everyone home right now. Understand? Good. Bye!"

     Sasuke stood frozen as Thai and Nobuyuki conversed, ending with them and the woman leaving alongside an entourage of samurai guards. For one, even though it was in a language that no one in Japan has ever heard, Thai blatantly saying their plans of infiltrating Ueda out loud shocked and even scared Sasuke. Even worse, Thai was now alone with the enemy with Sasuke unable to help or guide him.     He grew dreadfully fearful. For him, it was not about getting everyone back to Kasugayama safely, but also Thai and the woman they were waiting for back to the safety of the future. If Thai were to...

     Sasuke kept that thought out of his head. There was nothing he could do except for continuing to sell the wares until dusk. He quickly packed everything up, exiting the town as calmly as he could to avoid suspicion before making his way back to the hideout, making sure he was not tailed by any spies. Upon his return, everyone was shocked to see Sasuke back so soon, his breath heavy and sweat dripping down his face.

[whateverbringsyouthroughthenight]

“Baba Ichanga” wearing traditional gelede mask and holding a baby Sanga village, Ketou, Benin

[nonaespinosa]

Petya Dubarova, 17, sobredosis.

Pepi Lederer, 25, caida.

Pamela Moore, 26, herida por arma de fuego.

Elise Cowen, 28, caida.

Sylvia Plath, 30, intoxicacion por monoxido de carbono.

Antonieta Rivas Mercado, 30, herida por arma de fuego.

Alejandra Pizarnik, 36, sobredosis.

Victoria Benedictsson, 38, exanguinacion.

Danielle Collobert, 38, desconocido.

Heather Lewis, 40, desconocido.

Safia Ketou, 44, caida.

Anne Sexton, 45, intoxicacion por monoxido de carbono.

Alfonsina Storni, 46, caida y ahogamiento.

Deborah Laake, 47, sobredosis.

Katherine Lawrence, 49, ahogamiento.

Virginia Woolf, 59, ahogamiento.

Tove Ditlevsen, 59, sobredosis.

Amelia Roselli, 65, caida.

[tianshiisdead]

I'm going to break from form and write a book review in order to get some thoughts out

/)/) ( . .) ( づ♡

Imperial Twilight (The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age) by Stephen R. Platt

So I want to preface by saying this is hands down one of my favourite books on the topic of early modern Chinese history and just books in general, it's well researched but really digestible and not at all a dry read. It uses a mix of overarching narration and zooming in to follow specific events in order to communicate history on very intimate terms, it's not boring and the writing is simple and clear, it's really nice.

The reason it's skyrocketed up to favourite book status is really the fresh perspective it brings on a very well-worn subject. Published in 2018, Platt really goes in and directly refutes certain misconceptions commonly peddled by others in the field (an example being the issue of the ketou in the Macartney Embassy and the constantly parroted misinformation about 'two arrogant empires' without differentiating between the powerful Qianlong China Macartney saw and the chaotic Daoguang China that was invaded later on) using primary sources such as Qianlong's personal correspondences and letters before and after the Macartney Embassy, journal entries and letters from the people involved, etc. There's also not much apologia or 'both sides'-ing which is a breath of fresh air, some people in the field too often forget being unbiased does not mean finding any reason, no matter how tenuous, to blame both sides for an event with a clear aggressor.

I only have two major points of criticism, the first being a little personal. There's a few mentions in the introduction and conclusion of the apparently common point of Chinese nationalist propaganda that the British 'forced the opium down China's throat' and the author takes something of a condescending and dismissive stance toward that, one that I found a little insulting coming from someone who entertains 0 analysis of why that propaganda might have such a hold. Not to say it's an incorrect thought necessarily, just that people believe it due to a great national trauma and to put it on the same level as British beliefs about the inevitability of their victory over the 'backwards and childish' Qing is, hm, interesting.

Secondly is less personal I think. Platt spends the book trying to convince the reader that the Opium Wars were not at all an inevitability because 'foreigners and Chinese who came together at Canton found far more common ground than conflict' and champions the idea that the British were, initially, ashamed of and generally against the wars even as they were being fought. To this end, he mentions that China was not forced to legalize opium after the war and that many of the demands of the people leading the army did not reflect the demands of the government. However... China was forced to legalize the opium trade during the second opium war (also known as the arrow war) only a decade later. The second war was directly born out of the lack of resolution of the first war, and involved many of the same players... I find it interesting that Platt goes as far as to use 'Opium War' (singular) in his descriptions, and not 'First Opium War'.

In any case great book highly recommend etc.

[rivvyelf]

7/29/23 "Chapter 1" Update

Total Words in Chapter: 8994

Total Words Written Today: 2189

Excerpt (drunk history from Wang Jin):

"I have a guess on what '吳下阿蒙' means, Ma," slurred Wang Jin. "You're cleaning up your own vomit this time," Ma commented, then smiled. "But go ahead, Jin'er. Amuse me." "When the Empire was fractured due to a bunch of ball-less eunuchs driving the elves into hiding and that fatass Dong Zhuo ruining everything, three kingdoms emerged out of the chaos. In the Wu kingdom, there was a general named Lü Meng. That guy was a badass. But other people didn't think so because that guy was illiterate. Then, after the Drunkard King of Wu said, 'Hey, my beloved Lü Meng, go read some military books. I'd be a dumbass if not for reading. Not saying I want you to turn into a weakling scholar like the ones I really want to beat up right now, but can you please read the Art of War and other stuff? I'm getting tired of listening to Lu Su trash your ass in council meetings. "Instead of beating Lu Su to a pulp like I would've done, Lü Meng studied and became such a learned person they outdebated everyone in the kingdom, especially Lu Su. Lü Meng did not lose any muscles though, lifting weights and running every day while studying, so they still could fight, like me. Lu Su eventually prostrated before Lü Meng and [i]ketoued[/i], begging for forgiveness. "So I think 吳下阿蒙 means a dumbass becoming a smartass through studying hard. Like I'm doing. Except you always called me a smartass, Ma."

Productive day today and we're getting close to the end of this chapter! Tomorrow I'll finish it and revise it, then I need to revise chapter 2 accordingly before I post "Chapter 1".

Couldn't resist putting some Romance of the Three Kingdoms references in here.

Parts of what I wrote made me cry so... we'll see how it goes with the readers :P

[kingonews]

SBEE : ONIGBOLO, KETOU, EWE, ADAKPLAME, SODJI ET ENVIRONS PRIVEES DE L'ENERGIE ELECTRIQUE CE JEUDI DE 12H A 15H.

Dans le but d’améliorer la qualité de service, la Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) entreprendra des travaux de maintenance sur le réseau électrique qui vous alimente. Cela pourrait entraîner des perturbations dans la fourniture de l’énergie électrique. Ces travaux auront lieu ce Jeudi 13 juin 2024 de 12h à 15h. Nous comprenons que cela peut être inconfortable et nous vous prions de…

[worldgirlsportal]

This Real Benin Girls WhatsApp Numbers collection covers Benin countries. You will get all types of countries Benin Girls, WhatsApp contact numbers to list.

Benin Girls WhatsApp Phone Numbers for Friendship Chat Love in Cotonou, Abomey-Calavi, Djougou, Porto-Novo, Parakou, Bohicon, Kandi, Lokossa, Ouidah, Abomey, Natitingou, Save, Nikki, Dogbo, Cove, Malanville, Pobe, Savalou, Sakete, Come, Bembereke, Bassila, Banikoara, Ketou, Dassa-Zoume, Tchaourou, Allada, Aplahoue, Tanguieta, Hevie, Beterou, Grand-Popo, Guilmaro Girl Profile.

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[shiyuusora]

Tentang Lian [6]

Sudah lama sekali sejak terakhir kali memainkan guzheng ini. Aku sangat merindukan masa seperti ini. Sesekali aku memejamkan mata menikmati suara dawai yang kupetik. Suara rinai hujan menambah syahdu melodi yang terdengar. Tiba-tiba saja, seseorang menutup mataku dari belakang. Dasar, anak ini …

“dari ukuran tangan sudah pasti kaubukan Toru,”ucapku sembari memegang tangannya. “kulitmu juga cukup halus, sedikit berbeda dengan Ryu …”kemudian meletakan keduan tanganku kembali diatas guzheng yang sejak tadi berada di pangkuanku. “ini kau’kan, Xiao Er?”mencoba menebak seseorang yang tengah menutup mataku.

“haah~ Lian-ge selalu saja bisa menebaknya,”ia memasang wajah merajuk lalu duduk di sampingku. “wajar’kan?”imbuhku. Suara hujan mengisi keheningan saat ini, tak lama Xiao Er menyandarkan kepalanya di bahuku. Aku membiarkannya, mungkin kegiatannya hari ini cukup melelahkan hingga ia menyelinap keluar untuk sekedar beristirahat dan bertemu denganku. “Lian-ge?”tegurnya menegakkan posisi tubuhnya, melihat kearahku. “ya, Xiao Er?”

“bagaimana reaksimu jika ada seseorang yang menyukaimu?” “menyukaiku? Tentu saja aku merasa bersyukur karena masih ada seseorang yang menyukai diriku.” “meskipun ia seorang pria?”Aku mengangguk kemudian berkata,

“suka itu hak setiap orang. yang merubahnya menjadi masalah itu jika dia memaksakan seseorang untuk memiliki perasaan yang sama dengannya. Toh, suka itu memiliki ragam. Suka sebagai teman, suka sebagai partner kerja dan lain sebagainya.” “bagaimana jika aku menyukaimu sebagai sebagai kekasih?”

“whoa, aku apresiasi kejujuranmu padaku..”menoleh pada Xiao Er, sedikit tersenyum. “aku hanya bisa menyampaikan dua hal padamu. Perhatikan saja dan jangan lakukan apapun sebelum aku selesai berbicara..” memperingatkannya.

“pertama …”aku memberi jeda sesaat. Ia menatap, tak berbuat apapun. Meletakan guzheng-ku diatas lantai dan memberikan sebuah ketou padanya. Sekilas dapat terlihat mata membulat karena tindakan yang aku lakukan.

“aku sangat menghargai perasaanmu terhadapku sampai kapanpun. Kedua …” bangkit dari posisi ketou, menghusap kepalanya.

“aku akan berdoa semoga kebahagiaan selalu mengiringi langkahmu bersama orang yang juga menyukaimu. Kuharap, kau tak membenciku setelah aku mengatakan ini.”

“Mana mungkin aku membencimu. kau dapat memegang ucapanku, ge!”ucapnya terdengar panic.

“Xièxiè, Xiao Er..” 

[ketospiration]

[arablit]

9 Short Stories by Algerian Women, in Translation

9 Short Stories by Algerian Women, in Translation

This series is supposed to highlight 9 short stories available online — as it did, last week, for Sudanese and South Sudanese women writers. However, it was difficult to find more than a handful of short stories by Algerian women writers, in English translation, online: There are already only a few short stories by Algerian women translated to English. Most of these were originally written in…

[janamonji]

7 Words that Can Carry Anti-Asian Implications

7 Words that Can Carry Anti-Asian Implications

This year, I’ve become increasingly disconcerted careless language usage that can support anti-Asian sentiments. I don’t see these necessarily being included on lists and I also see and hear people, including people of color, using them inappropriately. The words are:  Hippie Inscrutable Noh mask Karen Kowtow Oriental Nip, Nippy Swastika Hippie and Moohaven and Swastikas After watching the…

[mairiedeketou]

Examen de BEPC 2022: le Maire Lucie SESSINOU donne le top aux candidats de la commune de Kétou La première autorité communale de Kétou a officiellement lancé, ce lundi 13 juin 2022, les épreuves écrites de l'examen du Brevet d'Etudes du Premier Cycle(BEPC). C'est le Centre de composition du CEG 1 KÉTOU qui a abrité la cérémonie officielle du lancement de cet examen dans la commune Kétou. Accompagnée du Chef dudit centre, ainsi que d'autres membres de l'équipe de supervision, *le Maire Lucie SESSINOU* a servi aux candidats les copies de la première épreuve de ce lundi 13 juin 2022. ''A 08h 00 nous avons lancé le partage des épreuves aux candidats, après leur avoir conseillé de bien lire et comprendre les épreuves avant de commencer par écrire'', a confié le Maire Lucie SESSINOU après le dit lancement. Aussi, n'a-t-elle pas manqué de rappeler le nouveau défi que s'est fixé la commune. ''Nous souhaitons que tous les candidats réussissent pour cet examen et que la commune de Kétou occupe la première place dans le département du Plateau'', a ajouté le Maire en souhaitant bonne chance à tous les candidats au BEPC session 2022. Quant au Chef centre du CEG 1 Kétou, Il a rassuré les parents des dispositions prises pour garantir le bon déroulement de l'examen. ''Nous sommes là depuis hier pour vérifier les dispositions pratiques dans les salles pour que les enfants puissent composer dans un environnement plus ou moins sain'', a souligné Akambi Abiodoun BANKOLE, Chef centre du CEG 1 Kétou. Il exhorte, cependant, les parents à être très actif et pragmatique durant ces trois jours de d'évaluation. '' Nous avons des candidats de 13, 14, voir 12ans...., Les parents doivent s'assurer de la présence de leurs enfants au centre aux heures de composition et les ménager jusqu'à la fin de l'examen'', a prié le chef centre du CEG 1 Kétou. #bepc #ketou #wasexo #examen #2022 (à Mairie Kétou) https://www.instagram.com/p/CewJL-xrSa8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[andrehoraart]

E̩lé̩gùn Òs̩ùmàrè #osumare #ketou #elegun #orisha #orixá #andrehoraart #oxumare https://www.instagram.com/p/BnHLwS2FvFH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vumxbyo1joj3

[thelibraryiscool]

Short Story Project – Week 3

What I read this week – as before, no ratings, but I’ll still say if I recommend (R), strongly recommend (S), or don’t recommend (D) a story:

1. Safia Ketou, “La planète mauve”  [The Mauve Planet] (D) "Ensuite, elle appuya sur un bouton dissimulé sous la table. Aussitôt un bruit de vagues accompagné de cris de mouettes emplit la pièce. L’ambiance s’en trouva détendue. Alym poussa un soupir de contentement." [tr. below the cut]

2. Juhea Kim, “Body Language” (R) “Claire breathed in the cold, bracing air and felt her spirits lifting. She marched on cheerfully, enjoying the crunch of the salt and snow under her boots. The cold heightened her awareness of her body, and thinking with her body was something in which she’d always excelled. Her body said, stop obsessing for godsakes and focus on moving yourself across this patch of ice. The cold forced her away from the languor and misery of her feelings; and that was why she needed this winter to hold as long as possible.”

3. Amparo Dávila, “The Breakfast,” trans. Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson (R) Then there was music again. Out of the walls, the roof, the floor, there came flutes, trumpets, clarinets, saxophones. It was a dizzying rhythm. A long rough shout, or a jubilant laugh. I felt dragged along by the beat, getting faster and wilder. I couldn’t stop dancing. The carnation had possessed me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop dancing; the carnation had possessed me…”

4. Vasily Grossman, “Сикстинская мадонна” [The Sistine Madonna] (R) “Мы встречали ее в 1937 году, это она стояла в своей комнате,  в последний раз держа на руках сына, прощаясь, всматривалась в его лицо, а потом спускалась по пустынной лестнице немого многоэтажного дома...  На  двери ее комнаты положена сургучная печать, внизу ждет ее казенная автомашина… Какая странная настороженная тишина в этот серый,  пепельный рассветный час, как немы высокие дома.” [tr. below the cut]

5. E. Lily Yu, “The Time Invariance of Snow” (D) “And the palace too cracked as the Queen’s crown cracked, from top to bottom, like a walnut shell.”

6. Maïssa Bey, “Cafés morts” (R) “Les hommes ne nous regardaient pas ou du moins ne nous regardaient plus. Nous étions maintenant de leur côté. Ils avaient tous les yeux fixés sur la route, attendant le passage d’une voiture pour la suivre des yeux jusqu’à ce qu’elle disparût dans le virage suivant. Figés dans l’attente, dans l’immuabilité d’une vie hors du temps.” [tr. below the cut]

7. Sofia Samatar, “Fairy Tales for Robots” (S) “It is perhaps appropriate that you will awake in this blue, majestic spot. You represent history’s transition from Caliban to Ariel—for Ariel, who can operate at a distance and in several places at once, is clearly a servant with internet connectivity.”

8. Jung Young Moon, “Not the Foggiest Notion,” trans. Bruce Fulton & Ju-Chan Fulton (D) “But I was never able to build a perfect igloo – it always collapsed midway through. There had to be a way to make a perfect igloo but I never bothered to find out. Building an igloo out of sugar cubes was awfully tiresome, and there were times when trying to rebuild the continuously-collapsing igloo left me feeling played out. When building the sugar-cube igloos I kind of thought that if I weren’t in the writing business I’d still feel clueless about my life, but not this clueless.”

1. Then she pressed a button concealed under the table. At once a sound of waves together with the cries of seagulls filled the room. The atmosphere loosened up. Alym let out a contented sigh.

4. We met her in 1937, it was she who stood in her room holding her son in her hands for a final time, saying goodbye, peering into his face, and then climbing down the empty stairs of a mute multi-story building... A wax seal has been placed on the door to her room, a state automobile awaits her below... What a strange, wary silence at this gray, ashen hour of daybreak, how mute the tall buildings.

6. The men didn’t look at us, or, at least, no longer looked at us. We were now beside them. All of them had their eyes fixed on the road, waiting for a passing car that they could follow with their gaze until it disappeared at the next bend. Frozen in waiting, in the immutability of a life outside time.