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forthegothicheroine · 4 years ago

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How other great detectives would solve the Chesapeake Ripper murders

A series I do sometimes. For the purpose of this post, I will be assuming Hannibal does not have protagonist protection. I will also do my best not to assume that any of these detectives have protagonist armor, either.

Columbo: Columbo is immediately suspicious when Hannibal says that he “transferred his passion for anatomy into the culinary arts.” When Hannibal talks about his hobby of collecting news clippings about church collapses, Columbo knows for sure that only a serial killer would do that. He keeps needling at Hannibal, being incessantly polite, asking a series of innocuous questions, mentioning that his wife has been urging him to go to therapy and can Hannibal tell him anything about that process? Hannibal can tell he’s smarter than he seems, but doesn’t realize just how smart. He’s also smart enough to finally come to arrest Hannibal with a full squad of burly guys with guns. Columbo is also very sweet to Abigail and they write letters to each other after the case is over.

Phryne Fisher: Phryne has an absolutely marvelous time investigating this case. Hannibal takes her on dates to the opera and fine wine tastings and they have amazing sex. She also almost has sex with Will Graham, but when he collapses on a chair and beings talking about all the troubles he’s been going through, including encephalitis symptoms, she ends up driving him to the hospital instead. Between Will’s testimony about how Hannibal has been misleading him about his symptoms and her own secret swiping of keys, she becomes suspicious and investigates the murder house. When Hannibal catches her, he promises that her death display will be the most beautiful one yet. She shoots him non-fatally and he gets arrested. (She may also be arrested for breaking and entering, but Hannibal can’t exactly claim stand-your-ground when he has a basement freezer full of body parts.) Phryne also possibly sleeps with Alanna.

Sam Spade: I’ll be real here, Sam Spade is probably going to die. His primary method is deliberately antagonizing people into giving him money, and Hannibal would absolutely put him in his ‘rude people’ recipe cards. If Spade was clever, he left a dead man’s switch with Effie, and she goes to the police with the evidence folder when Spade’s body is found posed like a statue of a bird.

Sam Vimes: The moment Sam meets Hannibal he mentally classifies him as a vampire, even though he is not technically a vampire. Hannibal keeps ‘forgetting’ and offering Sam food and drink with alcohol, talking about how harm reduction is much more viable than complete abstinence and generally trying to manipulate him into falling back down the addiction hole. Sam gets brittle and suspicious in response. Hannibal drugs him and tries to hypnotize him into believing he saw another character do the murders, but the Inner Watchman in Sam’s head comes to the rescue again and he slams Hannibal over the head with the nearest heavy art object. Sybil still afterwards insists that Sam go to therapy to deal with his rage.

L: L wastes time going on dates with Hannibal and trying to trick him into implicating himself despite already having plenty of evidence, and Hannibal kills him and puts his head in a candy store.

Poirot: When Poirot attends dinner at one of Hannibal’s parties, he knows as soon as the meat touches his palette that it isn’t really rabbit. He does his best to hide the fact that he isn’t eating, and whispers to Hastings to do the same. When he finally has caught Hannibal in enough lies, he accuses him of murder while in a room with him, Will, Alanna, Abigail, Chilton, Able and Jack. With so many witnesses, Hannibal maintains his cool and says that he’ll call his lawyer and see everyone in court. When they actually investigate his house and find the human body freezer, Poirot faints.

Philip Marlowe: Every time Marlowe tries to bother Hannibal, the local cops drag him into the station and berate him for hassling a rich person. He has long conversations with Hannibal when he does get him alone about great literature and the morality of Shakespeare characters. Hannibal drugs him and tries to convince him he witnessed somebody else commit the murders, but Marlowe is so used to being drugged and seeing ridiculous things that he doesn’t trust any drug trip memories. He is eventually able to catch Hannibal in the process of cleaning up after a murder, and both shoot each other. Both survive and Hannibal gets arrested, but Hannibal taunts Marlowe that he will go the rest of his life never meeting anyone who understands him as well as he did. Marlowe sadly agrees.

Dale Cooper: If Cooper does solve this case, it will take at least a season and a half. It will be based less on evidence and more on Hannibal having dark energy and his name coming up when Cooper picks it out of a bag of ice cubes with initials carved onto them. Abigail finally breaks down and confesses everything that’s happened to Cooper, and he tells her she’s not an evil person. He and Hannibal shoot each other; both survive. Hannibal goes to jail but continues to influence other people to commit murders from within jail. Cooper ends up in a coma, and when he wakes up, he reports visions of a feathered stag telling him that he should look for new hair gel.

Kinsey Milhone: Kinsey inherently distrusts smug rich people, and no rich person is smugger than Hannibal. She spends a lot of time talking to Abigail about their mutual family issues and becomes suspicious of how much her answers seem to have been worded ahead of time by Hannibal. She tracks him and manages to find him while he’s in the process of cutting someone up. They attack each other, and it’s pretty much a coin flip as to who survives. If it’s Kinsey, the resulting story is called C is for Cannibal.

Miss Marple: Miss Marple thinks Hannibal dresses in such a lovely fashion, and he’s so sweet to invite her over for a glass of sherry. She doesn’t attempt to look around his house or catch him in the act of murder or do anything dangerous, she just compares notes about what’s being said by him, Will and Abigail, and unravels a web of lies to find some definite conclusions. Jack Crawford and the entire FBI are humiliated that a nosy old lady sitting in her living room figured everything out before they did.

#great detectives series

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pinkcatharsis · 4 years ago

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I dunno if I should legit continue this because I can’t remember where I was going with it. Read a prompt at @sloaners anon or a comment in one of their posts (fantastic art btw go check it out!) about Tsunade adopting a bb Tenzou and well. I wrote this and it’s unfinished and yeah.

I actually don’t even have a title for it. Was supposed to be an eventual YamaIru, too. Oh well!

—

Names have power, they say.

Tenzou can agree to a certain point because his experience from his missions, his targets, countless reconnaissance on high profile politicians has proven that people tend to cower from the syllables of a name if they are a threat.

Names carry prestige more than an identity.Names give history, are the pillars for legacy provided it is a name the people can accept. More often than not, it is a vessel for fear, control

They’re also a convenient excuse for people to either sing with high praise or forget because the truth is always a pill too hard to swallow.

Sometimes it lies ignored despite its great sacrifice to stop a rampaging monster, when the womb still bleeds fresh and a goodbye too soon falls from crimson lips. It is ignored because it is easier to hate someone helpless than to acknowledge a name that saved everyone.

Sometimes it is indifferent, distant, as cold as the unreadable, white irises of its clansmen.

Sometimes it lies abandoned, walls cracking, dust collecting over blood stained tatami mats where the weight of shame fueled enough strength to slice through flesh. Shame because of a choice to save one’s comrades as opposed to prioritising the mission.

Sometimes it is soaking in blood, whispers of its massacre echoing loud, and towards the end of it, the word traitor.

And sometimes, they’re just old, only remembered through history that is a core subject within the Academy walls, a prerequisite in terms of knowledge for every Konoha shinobi. They’re faded, scattered, heirless, visually only present through the carvings of stone that towers over the village.

Tenzou is conditioned to not pay any heed to something as trivial as a name. Not when he’s been conditioned, trained extremely well, that the only thing that matters is servitude to the village. That the name Konoha is the only thing of true value.

Greater people have sacrificed themselves for the good of village and now, their heir wanders Konoha’s walls shunned, sneered, hated, ignored. Their names hardly mattered in the present -- it’s like the Yellow Flash only exists as a tier to be achieved in terms of talent, hard work and mission success and nothing else. As if the man behind the legacy hardly existed.

Legacy means nothing, Tenzou realizes, in the grand scheme of things.

When you die, you just die.

It’s okay to die nameless.

Tenzou hears about Tsunade’s arrival tucked behind the cover of an open locker door. Apparently, Tsunade-hime is in the village for a visit. And like always, she has spent her first day sitting with her former sensei, having tea until she had flung the table across the room, out the window in a fit of uncontrolled, roiling rage.

“I think it’s because sandaime is asking her to stay,” one fellow ANBU says.

“No, it’s got something to do with her gambling debt for sure,” another says.

“Monkey says it has something to do with the council pressuring her to produce an heir,” a softer voice says.

“I thought she couldn’t?”

“Or she doesn’t want to?”

The conversation explodes, only coming to a sudden stop when the sound of a door opening puts a halt on the outright gossip that Tenzou shamefully has been eavesdropping on. Someone dares throw a table out the window in front of the Hokage? And the Hokage does nothing? Tenzou thinks back to Danzou an Root -- if any of them dared show such insubordination, that would mean at least half a day’s worth of lashings under the scorching sun and then dry fasting isolation for thirty-six hours. Not many tend to survive that but that would just mean they’re too weak to remain in Root, anyway.

“Don’t you guys have better things to do?” Kakashi’s voice cuts through with a drawl. It is followed by a series of locker doors shutting, rapid shuffling and then silence. “Oi, Tenzou. The Hokage needs you.”

Tenzou straightens, tugging his clean armor on and running a comb through his damp hair. He slams his locker shut and gives his senpai a wordless nod, acknowledging the summon.

A summon that suddenly renders him not so nameless anymore.

Tsunade is a towering figure, heals almost five inches high, back straight, eyebrows narrowed, hands on her hip and staring down at him like he’s a two year old.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen,” Tenzou responds, keeping perfectly still. He isn’t intimidated by Tsunade’s persona. He’s just feeling a little too awkward because if Tsunade leaned any closer to examine him, her breasts would be ten centimeters too close to his face to be called professional, let alone proper.

“You are awfully small for a fourteen year old,” Tsunade tartly says, almost disappointed.

“I am a hundred and twenty nine and a half centimeters,” Tenzou agrees, well aware of how stunted his growth is. Danzou always factored his slow growth to the radiation and chemical exposure, a side effect to the experimentation Tenzou miraculously survived. But small doesn’t mean weak, Danzou had said, one of the few times he had been encouraging.

“Do you even eat, boy?” Tsunade scoffs.

“Yes. Five meals a day when I am in the village, continuously supplemented by calorically dense ration bars that Danzou-sama advised to--”

“Hah! Which one -- the one that tastes like sweet wet newspaper or the one that tastes like mouldy bread?” Tsunade snorts.

Tenzou finds himself stammering a little, glancing a little cluelessly at the Sandaime who is taking a very, very long drag from his pipe. Tenzou’s mouth quickly clamps shut before he can voice out his confusion. He can’t honestly say he knows what mouldy bread tastes like nor can he say he’s actually tried eating wet newspaper, let alone a sweetened one. So he goes with what he thinks is the correct response to this kind of inquiry. “The N-4150?”

“Sweet, wet newspaper. At least that old fart chose the better formula.” Tsunade rolls her eyes before taking - thank heavens - a proper step back.

Tenzou blinks once, altering between Tsunade now very put-upon expression and the Sandaime who is standing there as if he were part of the book shelf. “Hokage-sama, should I not continue consuming the N-4150?”

Sandaime rumbles an amused noise, blowing out a slow stream of tobacco smoke before he stands, rounding the table. “Why don’t you demonstrate your Mokuton skills for Tsunade, Tenzou? After all, that is the reason you were summoned here.”

It gets another eyeroll, with a bit of a scoff from Tsunade, who crosses her arms under her breasts.

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Tenzou acknowledges.

He puts his hands together, channels just enough chakra and forms a small pot in his hands, slowly filling it with roots coiling until it sprouts green leaves, topped with large, black centered white poppies.

“Oh, white poppies,” Sandaime smiles, his face wrinkling. “An interesting choice. You see, Tsunade, Tenzou here has been studying botany for a year now. He’s a bit of an artist with his gardening. Tenzou, didn’t you recently start studying architecture as well?”

“I have only started reading some reference books three months ago, Hokage-sama,” Tenzou responds, with a bit of a nod, as his fingers tightens a little bit around the pot in his hands, not quite sure what to do with his creation-demonstration.

“Hmmm,” Sandaime hums, a touch bemused before he brings his pipe back up to his lips. “Reminds you of someone, doesn’t it, Tsunade?”

Tenzou looks at Tsunade, who in a space of a heartbeat looks far too young in a show of vulnerability, as her throat bobs when he swallows. It gets washed away when he clicks her tongue and turns to look at Tenzou, giving him a once over.

“Well, no one fucks with grandfather’s DNA, gets away with it and then keep it from me. Had it been anyone else but Danzou, Root of all places, I wouldn’t take issue! When did you discover your Mokuton skills, boy?”

“A year before I graduated from the Academy.” Tenzou swallows. “I was five years old.”

“Nine years! With that creep!” Tsuande shouts.

Sandaime’s tobacco inhale had to be the longest one Tenzou has ever seen.

Sandaime exhales, responding with a sigh, “Better late than never, hmm?”

“Fine.” Tsaunde grouches. “I’ll do it. Tenzou, you can call me okaa-san when you’re ready.”

The pot drops from Tenzou’s hands.

“Eh?”

Tenzou thinks it's a good response. Given the proverbial punch to the face he’s just received.

It’s not that Tenzou wants to say he cares much for the idea of family.

It’s more like he doesn’t quite know what to do with it.

(What does family even mean?)

So Tenzou, much like every other time he gets moved around like he’s no more than a potted plant, agrees.

Not like it really matters, right?

He thinks of it as just having another sort of… superior?

A superior that Tenzou apparently now gets to live with after all of those paperwork.

In a large, inherited estate, closed off, covered in wildly growing flora and fauna. The estate does not look like it’s been lived in for decades. There is damage from the growth of vines, some of it poking through the tatami doors, and getting to the interior of the house. There are a few soda cans littered around the gate, some old, some new. Likely the result of dares from the younger crowd of Konoha.

The once heralded Senju estate that Hashirama and Tobirama and their families once resided in is now nothing more than a shadow of its former glory. Uncared for. Outdated. Obsolete.

“Well,” Tsunade huffs. “I haven’t seen this place in, hmm, ten years maybe? Maybe twelve? Tche, what a dump.”

Tsunade toes an old, faded orange soda can by her heel, kicking it further away.

Tenzou wishes he’s no more than a spore in the ground. Should he say something? He may be a Senju by name and by experimental DNA, but that doesn’t really make him a Senju-Senju.

It’s just circumstances.

“Well? What do you think, kid? You like the house?” Tsunade holds her hand out at the once upon a time regal grounds, now overgrown with weeds and littered with random junk.

Tenzou looks at the estate again and decides to go with the most diplomatically acceptable response there is in this case.

“It’s a lot bigger than my apartment,” Tenzou politely responds, as his eyes stray towards the patch of wildly growing rosary pea and oleander growing by the gate.

Tsunade’s booming laughter echoes throughout the entire compound, bemused and real. She doubles over, slapping a hand on her knee, her laugh tapering off to a bit of a wheeze. It almost sounds nervous. A little hysterical even.

Tenzou tilts his head to the side, staring up at this woman, this new mother of his, a legendary sannin, one of the most if not the best, medic there is in the country.

Would it be rude to ask her if she is okay?

“Kid,” Tsunade snorts, shaking her head, reaching out to ruffle Tenzou’s long hair. “I like your sense of humor. You and I are going to get along just fine.”

Tsunade asks to see his apartment.

And then proceeds to wear what Tenzou can only assume is her analytical face. It’s peppered with a little judgment, too.

Tenzou’s current apartment is a shoebox in size, with enough space for a single bed, a small sectioned off wall by the door turned to a makeshift kitchen and a connecting bathroom that Tsunade, no doubt, will have to carefully manage her long limbs.

“You like it here?” Tsunade asks, her lips twisting at the sight of the old hotplate on the tiny kitchen counter.

“It serves its purpose.” Tenzou shrugs.

“That wasn’t my question,” Tsaunde prompts, turning that analytical gaze back to Tenzou.

Tenzou frowns, resisting the urge to reach up and rub the back of his head in partial confusion, partial irritation. It’s a comfortable space -- what is she on about? Having an opinion on something as trivial as a living space serves no purpose in the betterment of Tenzou’s skills in the field. It has no correlation to his successful mission counts. Liking something or anything for that matter doesn’t make missions easier or harder, either.

Unsure of how to respond, Tenzou resorts to Danzou’s advice when it comes to undercover. If you’re caught in a tight spot, the easiest thing to slip out of attention is to either blend with your surroundings or mirror the person in front of you.

Tenzou goes for the mirror, sloping his eyebrows down the same way Tsunade is, relaxing his shoulder to what looks like a wary slump, canting his head just the tiniest bit to the side, and responds with what he hopes is a conclusion to this conversation, “It’s all right.”

Tsunade goes quiet for a while, before she sighs slowly and curses under her breath.

“Let’s try this again,” Tsunade sighs, gesticulating with her hand towards the entirety of the small apartment. “What do you think would make this space better suited for you? Take into consideration that you are also currently studying botany and architecture.”

Tenzou looks at the small stack of reference books he had borrowed from the public library, how he has to do most of his reading on the bed. If he had to sketch on drawing paper, he usually does so on the ceiling given the lack of floor space and a full flat wall that isn’t lined with bulging pipes or the sil of the window, with the paper taped on the corners. Makes it easier for him to get on his knees and practice his pencil sketches.

“Then that’s something you should consider when you fix our house, hmm?”

Oh. So he’s fixing it.

Well.

Okay, then.

—

And yeah that’s all I got. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#yamato tenzo #anbu tenzo #tenzou yamato #yamairu #tsunade adopts tenzou #tsunade is wine mama #senju tenzou #please help yamato

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twinkletoes-rp · 4 years ago

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6, 7, 19, 20, 30, 31, 32, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 51 (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Fanfiction Questions meme

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

Oh, geez... I’ve been involved in so many fandoms, LOL. I don’t really know if I can/should name them all. I’ll give you the ones (ONLY OTPs - doesn’t mean I don’t ship other things, too) I can think of off the top of my head.

Kiba/Hinata (Naruto), Fakir/Ahiru (Princess Tutu), Stiles/Derek (Teen Wolf), Kirito/Lisbeth (Sword Art Online), Harry/Hermione (Harry Potter), Goku/Bulma (Dragon Ball), Yusuke/Botan (Yu Yu Hakusho), Todoroki/Izuku (BNHA), (better!)Bakugo/Uraraka (BNHA), Toph/Aang (ATLA), and Adrien/Marinette (Miraculous Ladybug)!

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

(This isn’t meant to be hate on the ships I name! I just don’t ship them, that’s all! Ship and let ship! ;))

Naruto/Sasuke (Naruto), Kirito/Asuna (Sword Art Online), Ron/Hermione (Harry Potter), Harry/Ginny (Harry Potter), Goku/Chichi (Dragon Ball), Yusuke/Keiko (Yu Yu Hakusho), Bakugo/Izuku (BNHA), and Aang/Katara (ATLA).

19. Is there a ship (in your current fandom) which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

I’m not sure I have a ‘current fandom’ since I live for, like, everything at once, but maybe technically Naruto would be it?

In that case (again, no offense to anyone - and removing the ‘I wish I could get behind’ part ‘cause I do not), NaruSasu. I just...don’t get it? At all? Maybe it’s the ‘what could have been’s or whatever, but when you just take the series at face value, that relationship is...really icky, at least to me, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s so damn unhealthy, especially for poor Naruto. They were never even friends, Sasuke always treated him like shit, and yet...?! *throws hands at half+ of OG series and virtually all of Shippuden* IDK, man. Something’s weird there, and I don’t like it. Can’t support that. Naruto deserves better, damn it. (*casually links her Naruto AU fic where he DOES get better (in more ways than one), TYVM*)

20. Any ships (in your current fandom) which you surprised yourself by liking?

Going with Naruto again, so. Hmm... I guess maybe Kankuro/Tenten? I didn’t even know that was a ship until a friend showed me a really good fic, and I was hooked! lol.

Another might be KakaObi, but only in AUs where Obito survives the cave in and gets out with Kakashi and Rin and recovers, continuing to be the sweetheart he is instead of the ass he turned out to be in canon. Because he, too, deserved better, damn it!

Another is one I might have made up, not sure (mostly in the context of my Naruto AU, NGL), lol: Karin/Shikamaru! It makes sense and there are lots of compelling reasons when you break it down! You know, 'cause Shikamaru would need (or probs at least prefer) someone on his smarts level, and she's a genius, too, just in a different way. And once she mellows out, Karin's really cool, and (in my AU) she grows to eventually adore Naruto (actually fights to defend/protect him in the Pein arc!), and anyone who loves Naruto is good in Shikamaru's book! lol. Plus, she can tell him when he has his genius brain twisted in too many directions, tell him he's being an idiot and help him figure things out in her different way. lol. IDK, I like it!

30. What inspires you to write?

I just...love writing?? I’ve wanted to be an author since I was 8-9 years old, started writing when I was 11, and I’ve been writing ever since! I’m 27 now! I’ve had a few dry spells, ofc, but I always end up coming back! I just feel like writing is in my blood (partly because, I like to joke, my last name is the title of one of Shakespeare’s plays, haha)!

Pretty much anything can inspire me to write, though. I’ll see a pretty flower and be like “OOH, that flower could feature perfectly in this chapter in this way!” and then write 1k about that! lol. Or I could read a review of one of my new chapters and end up thinking of something I’d never considered before and then write almost 3k on that alone (looking at you, middle section of Ch 6 of my Naruto AU, lol)!

Basically, if it sparks joy, I’m gonna write something! X’D

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

Nicest?? Hmm... I mean, I’ve had a lot of things said about my writing... Not sure I can really narrow it down? lol.

I guess the nicest things I’ve ever been told are when I make people cry (espec multiple times!) and actually feel the emotions the characters are feeling, that the characters and their development feel so real that it’s like they’re real people instead of fictional/they’re written so much better than the creator himself wrote them. (Been getting those a lot on my Naruto AU, actually. lol.)

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you?

I tend to prefer silence while I write, but sometimes, my house is loud and people keep breaking my concentration (house of 5, lots of animals, not the quietest, lol), I sometimes listen to music. I usually prefer instrumental, and then usually Naruto or Wolf’s Rain (sometimes Princess Tutu, too) instrumental tracks. The Naruto one I like best also has rain sounds mixed in, which is great because I love the sound of rain! Woo! (Here’s a link to that one if anyone else wants in on this! ;))

39. What is your greatest strength as a writer?

Emotions and getting into the nitty-gritty stuff therein. As an extremely visual, emotional writer, I’ve always been able to feel the emotions of the characters pretty much exactly how they’re feeling it in the moment and then put it on paper. I also make people cry a lot with my writing and get them to feel what the characters do, so that’s awesome! It’s always my goal to get my readers to feel things because then I feel like they’ve really connected with the story and characters I’ve written!

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing?

Transitions are dicks. Sometimes I struggle ‘cause it’s been, like, two seconds or five hours, and I don’t know how to show that, lol. If I can, espec with the last one, I just fade to black. lol.

Also, sometimes I feel like I use the same sentence structure a lot, mostly the ‘..., but...’ format (at least lately). It’s really annoying, and I worry my readers notice and get annoyed/think I suck because of it. lol.

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

“All the ways I say ‘I love you’” by Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21 (Fandom: Ninjago)

“Paradise Lost” by AnchoredTether (Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender (Zootopia-esque dark AU))

“where my armor ends” by dalniente (Fandom: She-Ra Princesses of Power)

“of cats and curses” by faerialchemist (Fandom: She-Ra Princesses of Power x Fruits Basket crossover)

“Mischief is its Own Reward” by dalniente (Fandom: Megamind)

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

I don’t really read Naruto fanfic too much anymore, so like...I guess, technically, another main fandom of mine right now is Fruits Basket, so: without a doubt, @kyosohmastan ! They’re my absolute favorite Fruits Basket fanfic author! Everyone’s so in character, the writing is so sweet and feelsy, steamy when it needs to be, and I really love the writing itself - it’s just so well done and beautiful and I die happily when they post a new fic or chapter? Ahhh! Plus, they’re just so nice and talented in so many ways, we have the same opinions on certain things (like Kakeru Manabe is Too Much(TM) for us, haha, no offense to those who like him! lol.), and I just really, really feel blessed to know and read their fics! Love them so! <3

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

I’m not sure which ship this is talking about? Hmm... But a ship I definitely think (have always thought) needs more attention is Kirito/Lisbeth from Sword Art Online! It’s so slept on, and that is a damn fucking shame because they’re so healthy and sweet and have so much more amazing potential than they’re given credit for (way freaking more than the actual canon couple, just sayin’, no offense to anyone who likes the pairing)! I have written a good few metas (and a fanfic) on the subject (some/most of which are on my Lisbeth RP blog, actually, lol)! If anyone wants to discuss/RP/anything involving this ship, please let me know! Would love it!

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

I’m not sure I have a favorite fic. But one that I always come back to (all of her (mostly G1) My Little Pony fics, actually - first found them when I was, like, 12, and have kept rereading over and over through the years, haha) is A Mother in Her Eyes by LoveLikeElena on FFN. It takes place in the author’s own MLP universe, but I love said universe so much, and her takes on the characters are amazing and so sweet! I love her look at the serious subjects that follow the characters through her ongong MLP series! <3

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

Fanfic readers have become really, really lazy. No one reviews anymore, maybe leave a kudos here and there if you’re lucky (I have a major love-hate (more hate) relationship with kudos...), and it’s so, so, so discouraging to us writers! I wish they knew how it felt, to be honest, espec the ones you know are reading, but just...don’t comment. It’s ridiculously disheartening to work so hard on something for days, weeks, even months or years on something, only to get basically nothing in return. It’s like posting into the void, and it sucks ass. It’s part of what made me quit writing for a good few years, actually, and I’m so sad to see that it’s still a thing. I comment on everything I read because I know how it feels and how much it hurt! It hurts like hell, especially because I remember how it used to be just 6-8 years ago when everyone commented! I desperately pray the fanfic/content consuming world fixes that really soon or we might lose some really amazing writers! Please, even an emoji or keyboard smash! I don’t care, I’ll take anything (and I know I’m not the only one)! <3

#answer #dancibayo

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indiepoptime · 6 years ago

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STRAY KIDS SUPERHERO AU

i started this when i didn’t have wifi or a sketchbook and thus my phone’s notes app was the only thing i had to entertain myself. i didn’t get very far, but decided to finish because we got a fandom name recently (hello fellow stays!!!) and also our boys are coming back so soon and i’m E X C I T E D as hell

anyways i’ll keep one before the cut as a teaser and the rest under it so this post doesnt get too long. this isn’t in age order like i usually do it because....idk. it felt right to do chan first.

hope y’all enjoy this one as much as my day6 one from a bit back!!

Bang Chan/Chan:

—the batman type of superhero who everyone thinks has some insane power/ability but really is just a normal dude armed with his smarts, charisma, and a small collection of taser guns

—is one of the only members without a secret identity (he barely has a costume. it’s literally a black onesie at best; he wears what he can change into fast) but the members still spy on him because they think he’s lying about not having powers

—works from home in graphic design so that he has the flexibility to do both daytime and nighttime shifts as a hero (we see his priorities here—he still doesn’t get enough sleep)

—doesn’t kill and actively tries to rehabilitate his opponents while he fights them

—villains hate him because they find him irritating, except the ones who he’s managed to actually reform (who, to be fair, still find him irritating but don’t hate him because he’s made their lives better) and who are now grudgingly his “allies” through a variety of physical and figurative debts

—the of-age members have a drinking game where they’ll take a shot after work every time chan ends a battle by calling to a villain by name and taking them out to ice cream/boba/fries (still in costume)

—won’t shut up about how much he loves his team to the point where he’s on probation for public appearances because he’ll inevitably give away a member’s identity. regardless, he’s the undisputed leader and every single member trusts him with their secret identity if they have one

Woojin:

—student with a part-time job as a barista and also as a superhero

—running joke is that he didn’t mean to be on a superhero team, but chan joined his chill study club and turned it into a vigilante club without him realizing what was happening until it was too late

—he just goes with the jokes, but secretly can’t remember how he was pulled into this whole superhero mess either. the thought concerns him a little (but not that much)

—speedster who complains about his “slowness” anyways, leading to his being called either the grandpa or the bear (perpetual hibernation; the members joke that one day he will actually sleep through his own life) of the team

—hard-carries the team in a silent, un-flashy way—a lot of his work in battle is done speeding from place to place, stealing weapons, changing the position of mines and traps

—complains about the members a lot, but genuinely views himself as their personal guardian and would gladly sacrifice his life for them even if he’s somewhat clumsy about it

—the members still give him shit about the one time he rammed into a glass door at the speed of sound and shattered it all over himself (thank god for armored suits) to save jeongin from what he thought was a villain but was actually just a large bird/tree/telephone pole (the story’s gotten muddled over the years)

Lee Know/Minho:

—a professional dancer who’s been in the industry for years, though he’s only recently come out of the shadows as a backing dancer and into the spotlight as a solo act; the development of his powers over fire and electricity have allowed him to put on some pretty impressive performances

—woojin meets him one day in his coffee shop and, after recognizing him from his dancing, asks him about his powers and advertises his club to him. after a few drops by the shop, minho decides to pay the club a visit and essentially adopts all the members as his unspoken proteges

—his fighting style is a mixture of dance and martial arts, which he learned when he was younger, plus a few neat tricks with fire that allow him to hover and propel/flip in the air

—“why are you afraid of heights—you literally fly!”

—“IT’S DIFFERENT OK”

—he’s by far the most popular member with the public, most of whom have not quite made the connection between the graceful fire dancer on stage and the aggressive but also elegant fighter that he becomes in battle. a few of his fans have obviously connected the dots, but are fiercely loyal to his brand and consider it their little secret

—nevertheless, he’s not at all afraid of losing his secret identity and simply keeps it because he can

—he tells the members that he’s already a celeb anyways, so it doesn’t really matter, and happily posts little hints to his identities on all of his social media (he’s got sites for Nightstriker (his superhero name—as pretentious as possible) and himself) while the other members stare on in shock

Changbin:

—rich as h e c k; the one facet of batman that chan lacks

—an amateur graphic novelist with a passion for collecting things: he’s got at least 200 stuffed animals, boxes upon boxes of antique marbles, and enough superhero suits (that he had custom-made depending on his mood and age) to last a small lifetime

—he’s wanted to be a superhero since he was very small, since he spent a lot of his youth reading books and comics, but didn’t develop powers until later in life so he turned to novel-writing as a way to become a hero in fantasy

—when he was 17, his power over shadow finally started to manifest, catching him off guard. at first he could only do small things like blind people or turn the lights off without moving, but eventually he learned that he could literally control people’s bodies by manipulating their shadows

—he went to woojin’s club out of fear, afraid that his powers were too dark to control, and that he couldn’t be the hero he wanted to be if he couldn’t control them

—the other members but especially minho took him under their wing and showed him that there were multiple sides to his power that he could harness in order to achieve balance: the darkness of shadow, but also the light around it

—once changbin gains control over his powers, he considers it his debt to shower the other members with ridiculously luxurious items from home. he’s never quite known what to do with all of his wealth, most of it inherited, so he just keeps buying stuff for the people who helped him

—minho’s not sure what to do with the fancy gold-lined bidet that suddenly appears in his backstage bathroom, but he goes with it

Han/Jisung:

—a childhood friend of changbin’s who re-entered his life when he needed an illustrator to help him with his graphic novels

—equipped with a raging imagination since he was very young, jisung’s powers actually manifest while he’s working on one of changbin’s comics: he accidentally imagines one of the monsters from its pages into being

—changbin and him end up having to fight it and, after changbin helps a stunned jisung defeat the monster with his darkness powers (which jisung previously didn’t know existed), he offers to take his friend to woojin’s club to help him control his newfound abilities

—like minho took changbin under his wing, chan takes it upon himself to help jisung reign in his wayward imagination and bend it to his will. as someone who has to remain calm at all times and evaluate the situation to take advantage of it because of his lack of powers, chan is in a unique position to help jisung concentrate

—once jisung is able to handle his abilities at least to a certain extent, he excitedly provides the club with their own building, furnished with plush furniture and a frighteningly large sunflower lamp in the living room. he refuses to compromise on both the lamp and the building’s fuchsia walls and insists that if they want something different they’ll have to buy it, which changbin immediately does

—his favorite weapon in battle is a giant yellow hammer that he created, which he’s happily named j.won to foreshadow his impending victories. his members are tired and have basically given up on him

Hyunjin:

—if minho’s fame as a celebrity dancer is discounted, then hyunjin would win as the most popular member simply because he’s STELLAR at hiding his identity and everyone is curious as hell

—literally has no clue how popular he is and doesn’t believe it when the other members tell him

—everyone thinks he’s significantly older than he actually is because he has a very dark costume that covers his entire body and a green jeweled mask that covers his face (the jewels came from changbin; the green was hyunjin’s idea)

—his power is poison, and he’s damn good at using it. not only can he erode/poison an enemy by touching them, forcing them to grow progressively weaker throughout a battle; he can also use words to poison: his power allows him to discover his enemy’s worst fear and use it to weaken them

—like changbin, he came to the club out of fear, but not because he was worried that his power would overcome him, but because he worried that controlling and using it made him a bad person

—under the guidance of chan and changbin, he learns to limit his powers and use them to curb evil/violence without crossing the line himself

—when he first came to the club, he was attached to changbin at the hip because he felt a kindred spirit in him, but eventually he would start to absorb the joy of some of the other members, especially jisung and felix (who were usually around changbin anyway)

Felix:

—having come from abroad and found himself both directionless and moneyless, felix turns to stealing in order to provide for himself. he breaks into changbin’s home thinking that he and his family aren’t there, only to find changbin wrestling himself into one of his many superhero suits (the family outing, while true for the rest of his family, was a distraction for changbin to change)

—after the shock of that first meeting, changbin “invites” (more like grudgingly accepts) his intruder into his home and offers him a full meal, as well as a free shower and some nice clothes before going out on his mission

—somewhere down the line changbin realizes that he’s adopted a younger brother somehow? and it’s actually kind of nice?? once felix is cleaned up and not stealing, he’s very smiley and cute and follows changbin around the house everywhere offering to help

—eventually, changbin isn’t able to keep felix from coming along with him to one of his club meetings, wherein felix gains a bucketload of new role models

—chan is SO COOL, especially because he doesn’t have powers, and because felix thinks that he also doesn’t have powers, he spends every meeting trying to get chan to teach him stuff

—eventually, the team takes felix aside to try to figure out if he DOES have any powers (since, changbin insists, if he’s gonna keep coming with me we gotta keep him NOT DEAD. I HAVE BROTHERLY DUTIES)

—it doesn’t take them long to discover that felix definitely does have powers, and that they were kind of obvious: he can turn himself intangible at will, and he does it unconsciously. it’s how he’s been getting into houses undetected

—woojin takes him as his apprentice, since his powers are fairly similar (SO COOL, says felix)

—jisung calls him Filly Pryde and insists that this should be his superhero name when he goes public—the rest of the team wants to die in that instant

Seungmin:

—the only member of the team who actually came to the club on his own free will and wasn’t brought in by another member

—was a HUGE fan of the superhero team before he joined; he followed all of their public appearances and kept newspaper cuts of their battles in his room, as well as identity graphs where he’s hunted down info about all of the members and tried to figure out who they actually were

—when he joins, woojin comes to the apartment that he shares with his mom and sister and seungmin is a frenzy of COVER UP EVERYTHING THEY CAN’T KNOW THAT I KNOW hi im seungmin

—while hyunjin trained himself because he HAD to, seungmin built up his seemingly useless power to make it into a superhero-worthy skill. he can control paper, but has trained himself to have limited control over different types of trees (those that are made to make paper, which he’s taught himself to recognize on sight)

—he’s also extremely skilled at using paper folding/origami as a weapon using speed and the angle of the edge of the paper. basically paper-cuts on steroids

—changbin makes the mistake of hazarding a joke about seungmin’s ability when they first meet, before seungmin almost saws his nose off (and also berates him with hundreds of embarrassing incidents from past fights that seungmin somehow still remembers)

—he and minho have a bomb combo move that involves minho lighting trains of paper knives on fire and it is, in felix’s words, the best thing on this good earth

I.N/Jeongin:

—seungmin’s protege

—jeongin’s power is the most obvious of the whole team’s: he’s got 4-foot angel wings that are probably still growing. when they first sprouted, he was almost beat nonsensical before seungmin paper-cut his bullies into near delirium and then told jeongin that his wings were the most awesome thing he’d ever seen

—seungmin then brought jeongin home, made him a variety of beautiful paper capes and shawls to hide his folded wings, and then went to the club to have jisung make him a bag whose straps could fit his wings through them, as well as fabric copies of the paper designs

—after a while, jisung began to question who he was making these extravagant gifts for, and had woojin & chan ask seungmin to bring his protege to the club

—afraid that his team would think jeongin was either too young or ill-prepared to be a superhero, seungmin spent an entire night preparing a 20-slide ppt presentation complete with images and research for his case, as well as a few days training jeongin in basic battle skills

—he needn’t have been worried though; chan falls in love with jeongin instantly and forces the rest of the team to accept him as well, which doesn’t take much forcing at all once the kid smiles

—“WHAT IS THAT PEST??!” demands a villain, gesturing at a flying jeongin

—“THAT’S OUR BABY!” chan yells back

#stray kids #skiz #stray kids au #bang chan #woojin #seungmin #hyunjin #felix #jeongin #jisung #han #in #minho #lee know #changbin #my writing

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aurimeanswind · 6 years ago

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Your E3 Predictions!—Sunday Chats—6/3/18

I’m very excited about this week’s Sunday Chats because it’s all about E3 predictions! This time next week, we’ll BE INSIDE E3! I’ll have seen Microsoft/EA/and Bethesda’s pressers come the next Sunday Chats, and I’ll be writing about them, probably! I may or may not do a Sunday Chats, but we’ll see!

To catch folks up, this week has been a full-force build up to E3 for me. A new Episode of Get Acquainted posted, with my friend Brandon Gann, who is just an incredibly wonderful and amazing loquacious individual, and we spend two plus hours talking E3! We had a ton of predictions and great conversations around all of them! You should give it a listen!

http://irrationalpassions.com/brandon-gann-e3-predictions-get-acquainted/

On this week’s Irrational Passions Podcast we had my other good friend Logan Moore on to make some E3 BETS! Nabeshin was kind enough to put together 25 amazing bets for us and a ton of lightening round bets on top of that, and it was super fun. You can watch the video version of that WITH bonus content right now, and the fully edited version will post on Tuesday.

youtube

So it’s all about E3, but before we get to that, a little personal update.

Personal Update for June

So any one close to me will no that the last week of my life has been exceptionally difficult. Some folks close to me, both physically and emotionally have been making decisions that have been pretty toxic, I can’t lie. It’s led to a pretty unhealthy living situation that I’d rather not get into, and whether things blow over, get worse, I’m not sure. I obviously don’t want to spill any personal juice here, but anyone who has seen me out here tweeting like the dramatic boi I am on the inside about how I need some good vibes, that’s a general overview of the situation, if you were concerned.

I’m thankful for all my close friends out there texting me, checking on me, and making sure I am doing okay, even if I’m not. It is upsetting that this just so happens to coincide with the busiest time of the year in video games, so if this bleeds over into our content over on Irrational Passions I apologize. Sometimes its a bit unavoidable.

Anyway, I appreciate you all taking the time to interact and be a part of my silly Selfie Saturdays or Sunday Chats, it means the world. I’ve been working hard with the team @ Irrational Passions to make some really fun stuff, including a new show that acts as a spiritual successor to our roundtables from 2017 Game of the Year talks.

That’s all we need to dwell on in regards to the bummer business, let’s get to games!

What’s on Tap

Moonlighter

So I just started this tonight and I have to say: right away I just love it.

The idea is you live in a small town that neighbors these ancient ruins that lead to these very dangerous dungeons, and once upon a time travelers and adventurers used to come here to explore those dungeons, and merchants would sell supplies and goodies to gear them up for those journeys. Eventually it grew too dangerous, but you are someone who Moonlights as an adventurer and runs a shop on the front end.

You dive into these dungeons and get awesome treasure and loot and goodies to then sell in your shop to expand your shop, get better weapons and armor, and continue deeper into the dungeons. It’s an amazing idea, and it’s executed on so well.

The game sustains such a great and rewarding loop, and it’s also got tons of charm and amazingly well executed on pixel art.

On top of that the UI is also just very good? It’s super slick and smooth.

I’m only a couple hours in but I just adore it. Mike Burgess, producer at IP, did a video review on it that I saw the first cut of today and it’s actually what sold me on it. See it soon!

Detroit Become Human

I’ve already said so much about this game I’m exhausted. I love this game.

It has so many issues and in spite of all that, I genuinely adored my time with Detroit.

Our roundtable discussion was about this very game, so look for it soon.

Dark Souls Remastered

This game is still so good. I think I may like it even more than Dark Souls 3, a game I picked up just very briefly a few weeks ago.

I’ve now got the power to fast travel and am just warping around and exploring again. I even dipped my toe into the DLC area which I have never seen before.

It’s excellent, and seeing it run smooth has been super rewarding for me, a longtime fan of the title.

Your E3 Predictions

Let’s get to it! This week, something I haven’t done in a bit, I asked you for your boldest E3 predictions, and while some of you gave me a good joke, a lot of you came back at me with some great predictions!

Let’s get into it!

Remember to look for my tweet on Sunday afternoons/evenings with #SundayChats in it and respond to it with your reply to be a part of Sunday Chats!

Now listen, I know this was clearly written as a joke Sam, but I think that this announcement is coming, just not here. It’s a PSX announcement, if ANY, because that’s the only place it can be really gernally accepted as an “announcement”. It’d get a big riot of an applause.

I’d love this. I think they have such a “robust” (#branding) library of handheld games that it’d make too much sense to carry them over to their now partially handheld big console.

Will it happen? Well, I mean Nintendo has said no virtual console on Switch. But they’ve changed their mind, even if it has been rare, in the past before. While it could happen down the line, this up coming direct is about 2017, so I don’t think we’ll see it there.

Nah John.

You need to stop.

But... Well

I mean maybe?

MAYBE.

Maybe?

Finally. Some announcements we, as “hardcore gamers” care about.

Some cars

Fuckin.

On stage.

The cars have sex.

And birth a motorcycle.

I love this Peter. I mean, for some reason I guess folks think that Emma Stone will be the female actress pulled into Death Stranding, and I think there will likely be a big female reveal at some point, I don’t know why everyone thinks it’ll be Emma Stone? I bet there is a good reason out there, I just don’t know. I’m not complaining, Emma Stone is great.

I am definitely with you on the “deep dive”, though I don't think there will be a long explanation of things, just a nice gameplay demo. My theory I posited on Get Acquainted was like an 8 minute trailer that leads into about four minutes of gameplay at the end, but it’s just enough cinematic that we’re convinced there will be no gameplay, and then BOOM. There is.

I could see them saying 2019 at the end too, though I doubt they’ll hit it.

YOU DONT BRANDON GOODBYE.

Nah of course.

We talked about this on our show, obvs, everyone please go listen to it, but NO FINAL FANTASY 7. IT WONT HAPPEN. Square Enix needs to figure that shit out, and so they’ll come back to it when it, and more importantly, THEY’RE ready to.

Here’s hoping for some dope Xbox Avatars.

I mean, it’s gotta be the time, right? I need to know what this Resident Evil 2 Remake looks like. I know the director was out there talking about it not terribly too long ago, and it just feels like ages since we heard about it. With Capcom announcing RE7 and then releasing it 6 months later, on top of Monster Hunter World’s recent success, they are on a great path! Time to continue it!

As for DMC 5 I mean everyone seems convinced it’s coming and I just don’t care.

I love the Rocksteady prediction, because they’ve been cooking that bad boy for a good long while. I hope it’s Superman because I have supreme faith they’ll knock it out of the park. Maybe even an origin story? I’d love to see Rocksteady do one of those.

And I do, also, believe that Shadows Die Twice is Tenchu.

Dishonored getting a reboot I just don’t see happening. I think it’s time Arkane moves onto some new IP. Something that is hopefully a bit more eye-catchy so they get get back into a popular circle, then maybe spend a few years making iterations of that. Maybe in a few years past that they can return to Dunwall and take another crack at Dishonored.

Doom 2 can be wherever the hell it wants and I am HERE for it. But judging by the sounds of things that may not be at this E3, and that’s okay. It makes me sad, but it’s okay.

Man. I fucking wish.

Them or Bioware. I’d love to have just an original story told at Hogwarts where you create your character and go through 7 years at the school and it’s great and it has dialogue wheels and it’s great. Feed me Bioware.

It’d never happen tho.

This would be very cool. I feel like this Star Fox Grand Prix rumor is too big to ignore, but it’s still a little far fetched. I wonder how they’d sell it, if it is real.

Honestly, not that far out there. Kingdom Hearts don’t give a fuck about Red Dead.

Here is my thing, I just don’t think an ARMs character will make it into the Smash roster because no one cares about ARMs and I don’t think they’d be crazy interesting. Who would it be? Twintelle? I mean she is super cool, but who knows!

THey’d make great assist trophies, and I know that’s a slight but I’m sorry.

PUT GENO IN.

Anyway, if they put Banjo and Kazooie in I’d literally start crying right then and there, and it may happen, who knows, but I would. I’d cry.

I think there could be a direct apology. It depends. I think within 15 minutes or so we will know if EA has changed their tone or not. Hell, within 2 minutes we’ll know. If they want to actually be well regarded, they need to start making big moves, and right now, they’re not. Period. Come out and own up to what you’ve done wrong, or GTFO. They need to make up ground on the PR front, even if they’re still making money hand over fist.

I’m sorry times are tough Silver, but know that I’m sending good vibes your way!

I wonder if Microsoft would make such a bold move. Regardless, it’s a great bold prediction. I hope that they are gonna give it some more time, and let this generation cook a little more. I’m digging my Xbox One X, and them implying a replacement is coming next year or so would bum me out.

Finally. The battle Royale Battle Royale we’ve all been waiting for.

And as the dust settles, there’s sha’boi Griffin. Standing on top. Winner of them all.

And let’s not front: I’d kill to listen to Donald Glover sing Parappa songs.

Thank you all so much for your predictions! I’ve had a ton out there all week, and the Get Acquainted Episode I think has them out there in the best way. Go check them out! Either way, I’m so excited for E3, not necessarily to see if my predictions came true, but just for the hype of it all and my inevitable editorial after its all said and done about my thoughts and feelings coming out of it.

So. Big Sunday Chats update. I may be making a BIG CHANGE to Sunday Chats in the coming weeks. There is some ironing out I need to figure out personally, but I just wanted to give you faithful readers a little heads up. This could be something that becomes a proper part of IrrationalPassions.com, and for that, I’m very excited. The biggest thing is it may mean I start soliciting questions on Saturday! Stay tuned for my twitter for that.

It wouldn’t be a big change for you all, so don’t stress about it too much, but I wanted to seed it out there.

I love you all and your support, especially in these dark dog days of summer I am in. Thank you for the perpetual good vibes.

I hope you all are here for the E3 hype, but if not, that’s okay. Regardless, thank you for reading, and

keep it real.

(the Naruto kick not only continues, but never ends.)

#video games #E3 #E3 predictions #video gaming #gamign #video #games #gaming #predcitions #easy allies #bets #naruto #moonlighter

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inawickedlittletown · 5 years ago

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Walking The Wire (151/161)

Summary: Tony Stark always knew about Peter Parker. He didn’t know that Peter was going to get superpowers and become Spider-Man, but he always knew about Peter because Peter was his son.

This will span from pre-Iron Man up through the rest of the MCU (eventually including Infinity War) and will be for the most part canon compliant except where I’ve taken some liberties and interpreted canon a certain way.

Pairings: Pepper/Tony, Tony/Steve (endgame), Tony/Mary (past)

A/N: If you want me to tag you when I post new chapters let me know. This fic is also on AO3

I used Collider’s MCU timeline to stay canon and the title of this fic is an Imagine Dragons song that is just so fitting for Peter and Tony

@findmeinthestarss

Masterpost

Chapter One Hundred Fifty

Steve leaned against one of the work tables. Tony had gotten busy with his armor again after they got back from the past and Asgard. After arriving back and receiving a message from Carol, they decided it was best to just take a few days to rest. They were going to go for the next two stones back to back. It also meant they had time to prepare and Tony was working on things for everyone because soon they’d be going up against Thanos and they all had to be prepared and at their best.

Steve for his part just stayed where Tony was. In the lab or in the kitchen or in their room. Sometimes he brought a book along or some art supplies but they never kept his attention for long.

“At some point, you do need to get some rest,” Steve said when he checked the time and realized they’d been in the lab for far longer than he expected.

“I just have to finish this and this suit is done,” Tony said.

Steve reached over to brush Tony’s hair back from his forehead. “I’ll give you one more hour, Tony. You need to sleep.” Tony leaned into his touch.

“And here was I, I thinking that it wasn’t just sleep you wanted.”

“Sleep,” Steve repeated with some amusement and then he pressed a kiss to Tony’s head, but he stepped back and let him get back to work.

It was a little over an hour before Tony finally got up and closed everything. He stretched his arms and actually yawned.

“So, it’s possible that I am actually tired,” he said.

“I didn’t think you’d ever admit that,” Steve said with a grin. “And I can promise we might have a good morning to look forward to.”

Tony laughed at that but didn’t say anything as they walked towards their room and then Steve who had been ready for bed for a while now just watched Tony as he changed and brushed his teeth and then slipped into the bed.

“You know, a part of me didn’t think we’d get this far,” Tony said.

“With the stones?” Steve confirmed.

“Yeah. And we’re sort of going in blind on this next one.”

Steve intertwined their hands. “You worry too much. It can’t be worse than any of the others. Clint made a good point earlier. We have four of the stones and it might make a difference if we actually use them.”

During a meeting to figure out their next trip into the past, Clint had brought up that they had four stones and that it was possible for them to do something with even just the four stones. While it was a good point, Steve also knew that the stones were powerful and they didn’t know the consequences of using them -- even on their own. They also needed all six to face Thanos and to return everyone that had been dusted.

“It’s risky,” Tony said. “Rocket said that he and the Guardians only managed to hold the Power Stone and not die because they held hands and because Quill is the son of a god or something.”

“But Jane had the Aether in her,” Steve pointed out.

Tony nodded. “And Loki used the scepter without much trouble. Maybe they’re different even from each other.”

Steve could tell that Tony was getting drowsier the longer they were in bed, the warmth and the softness of the blankets pulling him into sleep. His eyes were drooping as he tried to keep their conversation going.

“Perhaps -- we’ll need to use them...eventually, after all.” Tony yawned and Steve reached over to caress his face with his fingers -- easing his brow and lightly touching his eyelids. Tony moved closer and slowly fell into sleep, his head on Steve’s shoulder and his even breaths ghosting over Steve’s neck. Steve watched him for a while before he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

---

Bruce dropped onto his back on the mat next to where Thor was already lying. They’d been doing a bit of meditating which Bruce had always found calming after a bit of yoga and which he hoped would help with his Hulk problem. He’d found Thor in the gym lifting weights, but once he saw Bruce, he’d moved over to join him in doing a few yoga poses which was more comical than anything. The meditating had gone a little better.

“You doing okay?” Bruce asked and nudged him.

Thor hadn’t really spoken to anyone about what being back on Asgard had been like for him. When he turned his face to look at Bruce, Bruce could tell that Thor wasn’t feeling especially great.

“It was strange being back home. Seeing all the people. Heimdall. Even just the palace,” Thor said.

“I know,” Bruce said and he did sort of understand it. Perhaps not like Thor did, but he’d been there before and he’d seen Asgard be destroyed. He’d watched the people they rescued be killed.

Some had gotten away but not all and Bruce just hoped that they were okay and that Valkyrie would eventually reach out to them. They’d all been a bit too busy to try and find her and send a signal but Bruce had told Carol to look out for Valkyrie and the remaining Asgardians.

“If we had gone earlier I might have seen my mother,” Thor said after a moment.

“Tony went back to see his son as a baby. You can go and see anyone you want.”

Thor shook his head. “Seeing Loki was hard enough. I didn’t even warn him.”

They were quiet for a long while and Bruce just let the silence go on without breaking it. It was hard sometimes to remember that Thor had truly lost everything. His home. Most of his people. His family. Harder to remember that he wouldn’t get his family or his home or a lot of a his people back if they did win against Thanos and change what his snap had done.

“I keep wondering,” Bruce said eventually, “if Valkyrie got far or if she turned to dust too.”

“After all of this is over, I’ll need to find her and those that are left,” Thor said. “I will create a home for them -- whoever is left.”

“I’ll help you. I’d like to see her again.”

Thor nodded. “Has -- has The Hulk decided to come out yet?”

“I haven’t tried to turn in days,” Bruce admitted. In truth he was scared of what might happen, but he also knew that he needed the Hulk.

“Might be handy to have the green guy around,” Thor said.

“Because he’s your favorite, right?” Bruce asked.

Thor shook his head and scoffed. “No. That’s not true at all. I prefer you, Banner.”

Bruce laughed. All of his work to try and figure out his Hulk problem had done one thing for him, it had made him understand the beast within a bit better -- enough to sort of remember the Hulk’s memories. It was all a bit odd.

“Didn’t do much against Thanos,” Bruce said and he hated that it was true. He and Hulk had both failed against Thanos.

“We were all defeated,” Thor said. “I didn’t go for the head.”

“We will this next time and when I finally do go green we’ll have to have a rematch. We’ll see if you can actually win against me.”

“I did win,” Thor said.

Bruce just grinned.

“I did,” Thor insisted. “I’m the strongest Avenger.”

---

Carol arrived a few days later while they were all gathered for lunch and planning. The thing about the Power Stone was that as Nebula explained it -- Thanos had tasked her and her sister, Gamora, to find it.

“When Quill went after the stone, we were going right after it too. We were on loan to Ronan and he sent some of his Kree soldiers after it. Quill got to it first. Gamora was tasked with taking it from Quill.”

“So it’s complicated,” Natasha said.

Rocket had cackled at that, but Nebula glared at him. “The stone was taken from Quill when we were all arrested and after that we had it on us but we were on the move until we defeated Ronan and saved Xandar and the Nova Corps.”

“And where did it go from there?” Tony asked.

That was when Carol arrived. Tony saw her through the window as she came down from the sky.

“We left it with Nova Corps,” Rocket said. “It wouldn’t be ideal to take it while we were in prison or from Nova Corps.”

Tony thought that Rocket was probably right. It would be too well guarded and it would be more trouble than they needed to deal with. Their options was going to the cave or waiting to take it from Quill, Gamora, and Rocket when they were all fighting for the stone. Either way, retrieving it would be a little bit messy. Tony wasn’t entirely happy with the idea.

Carol stepped into the room then and she nodded at them, but her eyes landed on the screens with the information Friday had for them displayed.

“If the stone is with the Nova Corps, that’s where we should get it from,” she said.

Rocket laughed again and he stood up. “Aren’t you supposed to have Kree blood in you or something? Aren’t you listening -- the Kree are not--”

“I know Nova Prime,” Carol said. “Knew. Thanos destroyed Nova Corps. I also know the Kree. The question is whether I’ll know her when we go. You’re forgetting that I have been protecting other planets and other civilizations for a long time.”

Having Carol onboard made the whole thing seem better and easier. Tony was glad to have her and he could tell that the others felt the same way.

“Okay, then,” Rocket said. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” Carol said.

Clint coughed. “So, um, who are you exactly?”

“Carol Danvers,” she said and extended her hand out to Clint.

“Oh, you’re Carol. Captain Marvel. I guess you’re giving our old Cap a run for his money.”

Carol grinned and then shrugged.

---

Bucky was telling Peter more about Wakanda. Although Shuri had been able to paint a good picture of her home, it was more interesting to hear about it from Bucky who was essentially an outsider but had also lived there. And been dusted there.

“It is pretty amazing,” Sam said. “It’s different than a lot of the places I’ve been -- although I guess this whole being a stone thing sort of beats it when it comes to oddest.”

Time was still moving and not moving and it felt weird to Peter the longer that they were stuck in the stone. For Gamora it seemed different. She didn’t seem to see the stone the same way the rest of them did and Peter didn’t know if it was because she had been there longer or because she just understood it better.

She explained it to them about how her father -- Thanos -- had decided that getting the stone was more important than keeping his daughter alive.

“That isn’t love -- and doing that would break anyone. It would destroy anyone to give up a person they love and yet for that bastard it was just another thing to do.”

Peter thought that she was wrong and Mantis seemed to think so too and Peter had to remember that Mantis had actually felt Thanos’ emotions. She would know better than anyone.

“Even if he did love me,” Gamora said, “he still did this.”

Peter had to give her that.

Steve for his part just stayed where Tony was. In the lab or in the kitchen or in their room. Sometimes he brought a book along or some art supplies but they never kept his attention for long.

“At some point, you do need to get some rest,” Steve said when he checked the time and realized they’d been in the lab for far longer than he expected.

“I just have to finish this and this suit is done,” Tony said.

Steve reached over to brush Tony’s hair back from his forehead. “I’ll give you one more hour, Tony. You need to sleep.” Tony leaned into his touch.

“And here was I, I thinking that it wasn’t just sleep you wanted.”

“Sleep,” Steve repeated with some amusement and then he pressed a kiss to Tony’s head, but he stepped back and let him get back to work.

It was a little over an hour before Tony finally got up and closed everything. He stretched his arms and actually yawned.

“So, it’s possible that I am actually tired,” he said.

“I didn’t think you’d ever admit that,” Steve said with a grin. “And I can promise we might have a good morning to look forward to.”

“You know, a part of me didn’t think we’d get this far,” Tony said.

“With the stones?” Steve confirmed.

“Yeah. And we’re sort of going in blind on this next one.”

“It’s risky,” Tony said. “Rocket said that he and the Guardians only managed to hold the Power Stone and not die because they held hands and because Quill is the son of a god or something.”

“But Jane had the Aether in her,” Steve pointed out.

Tony nodded. “And Loki used the scepter without much trouble. Maybe they’re different even from each other.”

---

“You doing okay?” Bruce asked and nudged him.

Thor hadn’t really spoken to anyone about what being back on Asgard had been like for him. When he turned his face to look at Bruce, Bruce could tell that Thor wasn’t feeling especially great.

“It was strange being back home. Seeing all the people. Heimdall. Even just the palace,” Thor said.

“If we had gone earlier I might have seen my mother,” Thor said after a moment.

“Tony went back to see his son as a baby. You can go and see anyone you want.”

Thor shook his head. “Seeing Loki was hard enough. I didn’t even warn him.”

“I keep wondering,” Bruce said eventually, “if Valkyrie got far or if she turned to dust too.”

“After all of this is over, I’ll need to find her and those that are left,” Thor said. “I will create a home for them -- whoever is left.”

“I’ll help you. I’d like to see her again.”

Thor nodded. “Has -- has The Hulk decided to come out yet?”

“I haven’t tried to turn in days,” Bruce admitted. In truth he was scared of what might happen, but he also knew that he needed the Hulk.

“Might be handy to have the green guy around,” Thor said.

“Because he’s your favorite, right?” Bruce asked.

Thor shook his head and scoffed. “No. That’s not true at all. I prefer you, Banner.”

“Didn’t do much against Thanos,” Bruce said and he hated that it was true. He and Hulk had both failed against Thanos.

“We were all defeated,” Thor said. “I didn’t go for the head.”

“We will this next time and when I finally do go green we’ll have to have a rematch. We’ll see if you can actually win against me.”

“I did win,” Thor said.

Bruce just grinned.

“I did,” Thor insisted. “I’m the strongest Avenger.”

---

“So it’s complicated,” Natasha said.

“And where did it go from there?” Tony asked.

That was when Carol arrived. Tony saw her through the window as she came down from the sky.

“We left it with Nova Corps,” Rocket said. “It wouldn’t be ideal to take it while we were in prison or from Nova Corps.”

Carol stepped into the room then and she nodded at them, but her eyes landed on the screens with the information Friday had for them displayed.

“If the stone is with the Nova Corps, that’s where we should get it from,” she said.

Rocket laughed again and he stood up. “Aren’t you supposed to have Kree blood in you or something? Aren’t you listening -- the Kree are not--”

Having Carol onboard made the whole thing seem better and easier. Tony was glad to have her and he could tell that the others felt the same way.

“Okay, then,” Rocket said. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” Carol said.

Clint coughed. “So, um, who are you exactly?”

“Carol Danvers,” she said and extended her hand out to Clint.

“Oh, you’re Carol. Captain Marvel. I guess you’re giving our old Cap a run for his money.”

Carol grinned and then shrugged.

---

“It is pretty amazing,” Sam said. “It’s different than a lot of the places I’ve been -- although I guess this whole being a stone thing sort of beats it when it comes to oddest.”

She explained it to them about how her father -- Thanos -- had decided that getting the stone was more important than keeping his daughter alive.

“That isn’t love -- and doing that would break anyone. It would destroy anyone to give up a person they love and yet for that bastard it was just another thing to do.”

Peter thought that she was wrong and Mantis seemed to think so too and Peter had to remember that Mantis had actually felt Thanos’ emotions. She would know better than anyone.

“Even if he did love me,” Gamora said, “he still did this.”

Peter had to give her that.

Chapter One Hundred Fifty Two

#peter and tony #peter and tony fic #mcuwriting #mcu fic #iron dad #iron dad and spider son #stony #stony fic #marvel

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mermaidsirennikita · 7 years ago

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June 2017 Book Roundup

This month, I read thirteen books, some of which were total disappointments, one of which really surprised me, and one of which was easily among the best followups I’ve read in a while. That was my favorite book of the month, Kiersten White’s Now I Rise, the second in her Conqueror’s Saga. As that is a sequel and definitely requires reading of the first book, And I Darken, I also want to recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. A sweeping historical fiction novel, it tells the tale of a glamorous Hollywood icon with plenty of secrets, and showcases a unique romance that surprised me--but also made me very happy. Hopefully, I’ll find something just as good next month!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. 4/5. When Starr and her childhood friend Khalil are pulled over by a cop, the worst happens: the unarmed--innocent--Khalil is killed. Starr is the only witness, and she’s torn in several different directions. Her parents are worried about her safety, and her father’s gangster past makes things a bit more complicated; protesters want Starr to come forward and defend Khalil, who is being labeled a drug dealer and a “thug” by the media; and Starr herself goes to a predominantly white private school, and isn’t sure what her friends would think. Obviously, “The Hate U Give” deals with a lot of content that I as a white girl really can’t properly comment on, and that’s one of the reasons why I gave it four out of five stars--I can’t speak to its accuracy. But from what I’ve heard from friends who can, it’s viewed very positively, and it seems to reflect much of what we see in cases involved unarmed black men being shot by cops--with a personal spin. Starr is a deeply relatable, human character. I felt empathy for her, while at the same time not feeling like she was too perfect. The story is written so lovingly, and Starr’s entire family felt like people I would actually meet. The conflict of the book isn’t just surrounding the main plot, but Starr’s parents’ differing views on what their children need, and Starr’s father’s past. Starr’s dad, Mav, was a GREAT character. He’s exactly the kind of person that people uneducated about these issues need to see: an innately good person with a rough past, trying to do right by his family while at the same time dealing with some understandable demons. The only thing I can complain about is Starr’s boyfriend, who struck me as the most annoying type of white boy. And she deserved better, no questions asked.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. 4/5. This romance novels sees schoolteacher Dougless crying in an English church right after being dumped and abandoned by her boyfriend. Her tears seem to bring Lord Nicholas Stafford from the sixteenth century--though he’s not quite the knight in shining armor she expected. Nicholas is remembered not for his accomplishments, but his many affairs and his eventual execution; and he wants to go back to his time, but not before figuring out how to prevent all of that. Dougless agrees to help him, but like... you can guess about what ensues. This book is considered a classic in the romance genre. It was written in the late 80s, and that does show; while Dougless isn’t anti-feminist, she’s definitely a product of an adjustment to feminism. She wants her boyfriend to take care of her WITHIN REASON, and he’s such a tool that you can understand why. The thing is that the book has a fluffy, wish fulfillment quality that is impossible to resist. Deveraux makes Nicholas sexy, but isn’t above making fun of him, and critiquing him for that matter. Dougless experiences noticeable character development, and while the book is imperfect, it’s highly enjoyable.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. 4/5. Teenage coder Dimple isn’t planning on following her mother’s plans and settling down anytime soon. So she’s thrilled when her parents pay for her to go to Insomnia Con, a coding contest with a prize that involves her idol. Little does she know that Rishi is also going to Insomnia Con--and though she has no idea who he is, their parents have been planning on the two of them getting married for years. Traditional, dreamy, artistic Rishi knows that he’s supposed to get to know Dimple and someday marry her; and he thinks she knows that too. (She does not.) So when the two meet, there isn’t exactly the instant connection he expected. But after they become partners for the contest, they get to know each other--and understand each other. This YA romance was adorable, and probably one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Sandhya Menon is writing about what she knows, and it shows. Rishi and Dimple are able to bond over their shared cultural backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same person--the expectations Rishi’s parents have for him are different because he’s a boy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. He reacts to his parents by embracing his culture and putting aside his dreams, while Dimple becomes aggressively rebellious. Their chemistry is perfect, and I became invested in their relationship very quickly. This is a great approach to the “arranged marriage” genre, and is a bit more lighthearted than other recent versions I’ve seen.

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris. 2/5. While driving late one night, Rachel sees a young woman pulled over on the side of the road. Soon after, she hears about a murder--and realizes that not only did she see the woman just before she was killed, but that she knew her. Then Rachel begins forgetting small things on a daily basis, apparently having a breakdown; but the specter of her mother’s demise from early-onset dementia hangs over her as she grows increasingly paranoid and sure that the killer is after her. This book was profoundly disappointing. It had the makings of a good domestic thriller, but I called almost every single thing that happened, and the pathos of it all weren’t that deep. Even when it seemed as if it was going to get interesting for a minute, it didn’t.

Once and for All by Sarah Dessen. 3/5. Louna (omg Sarah Dessen protagonist names) is the daughter of a famous wedding planner, jaded about love both due to her cynical mother’s outlook and the tragic ending of her first real relationship. Then she meets Ambrose, the outgoing son of one of her mother’s clients. In order to keep him out of his bride-to-be sister’s hair, Louna’s mother gives him a job for the summer, and as Louna and Ambrose bond, they begin to challenge each other in unexpected ways. Honestly, this was a feel-good book and it was cute in the way that Sarah Dessen books always are, and cheesy in the way they always are (lol her protagonist names I mean...). But while I remember “Saint Anything” being good, I honestly disliked “The Moon and More” and I feel as if nothing of hers has really hit me since books like “Just Listen”, “The Truth About Forever”, and of course “This Lullaby”, which is one of my all-time favorites. Ambrose was really cute, but his conflicts with Louna seemed super contrived--and for that matter, at times he seemed like a Dexter (”This Lullaby”) rip-off. Louna had a sad backstory, but it never connected with me partially because she never connected. Again, it’s cute but I wasn’t super invested, and the investment in the main relationship--or at least the main characters--are key to really loving a Dessen book. I also feel like Dessen usually benefits from building a romantic relationship between the characters ahead of the last 25% of the book (see: “This Lullaby” and “Just Listen”). Otherwise, she needs to amp up the sexual tension in a palpable way to get people invested faster (see: “The Truth About Forever”). The tension between Ambrose and Louna just wasn’t there. Hope this author gets her mojo back soon.

The Forger’s Spell by Edward Dolnick. 4/5. This non-fiction book takes on the story of Han Van Meegeren--a failed artist who managed to dupe the world with his forged “Vemeer” paintings. Most notably, Hermann Goering, Hitler’s right-hand man, was a buyer of one the fakes. Really, Van Meegeren’s story is the backdrop for a deeper investigation about how forgeries happen in the art world. Dolnick does a good job, though I didn’t agree with all of his assertions--he describes the famed art critic’s “eye” as something that does exist, albeit after a lot of training. Really, the “eye” seems to be dismissed by many today, whether or not you’ve been trained. He also seems to go along with a lot of ideas that are those of a connoisseur, and applies them to art critics and art historians in general. While some art historians specialize in connoisseurship, not all connoisseurs are art historians; in fact, connoisseurship seems to be falling out of style, and my school didn’t bother much with it. I also feel that he could have done a better job of differentiating between the historian and the critic. Overall, the book is a good examination of the psychological aspects that go into forgery, but this is very much a book about history. Today, Van Meegeren probably couldn’t have pulled this off--not simply because the art market has more resources now in terms of scientific testing, but because it seems to me that art historians are now being trained in a very different way in a post-Panofsky, post-Schapiro world. We’re told to be highly skeptical at all times, and while it’s possible that the old guard would have still fallen for a fake Vermeer, I think that many younger art historians would have been more inherently skeptical. Anyway, I clearly geeked out over this book and found it highly interesting.

The Warrior Queen by Lavinia Collins. 2/5. An Arthurian retelling and the first of a trilogy, this book focuses on Guinevere’s early marriage to King Arthur following his defeat of her father’s forces. Pretty sure this was self-published or published by a small indie publisher, and it showed. This book is quite short (it’s bound in an omnibus as part I with the rest of the trilogy, but it seems that it’s listed on Goodreads as an individual novel too) and while it’s not terribly written, there is some repetition that an editor would have (or should have) caught. It’s not a bad book and I think that if you’re looking for more of a simple romance, it’s okay. But as it is, it runs extremely quickly and the character development suffers. For that matter, while the Lancelot romance is very present, Kay takes Lancelot’s role in places where he shouldn’t, and Morgan le Fay seems to be a typical schemer. Not for me.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 5/5. Aging Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo calls upon Monique Grant, a no-name journalist, to write her biography out of nowhere. Monique understandably wants to focus on Evelyn’s seven marriages--which one was the love of her life, anyway? Evelyn reveals herself to be much tougher--and much more scheming--than she initially might have seemed. And there are plenty of secrets to be revealed, including her connection to Monique. I really, really liked this book. It had elements of grand romance and tragedy, while at the same time retaining the feel of a tell-all. The reveal of Evelyn’s greatest love was well-done, and I believed in the ups and downs of the relationship. You can definitely choose the starlets from whose lives Reid drew. It’s well worth the read, and I plan on trying Reid’s other books soon.

Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu. 2/5. Lucky (short for Lakshmi) is a part of a traditional Tamil family, and as such has married Krishna to please her mother. The thing is that both Lucky and Krishni are gay, and simply protecting each other’s (and their families’) reputations through their sham marriage. Then Lucky learns that Nisha, her childhood friend and first love, is getting married. As Nisha and Lucky reenter each other’s lives, they find themselves unable to resist each other, while Lucky’s life implodes around her. This is a short read and the prose is very pretty, but I found Lucky to be pretty dull. Krishna was the character I wanted to know more about, to be honest; or even Nisha. It felt pretty paint by numbers, but perhaps that’s because I’m not from the same cultural background as Lucky. Not a bad book, but I just didn’t connect to it.

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser. 1/5. Caro is descended from generations of river sailors, all of whom worship the river god. After her father refuses to transport a crate--who knows what’s in it?--Caro agrees to do the task in order to gain his freedom. Aaaand so on. I think I hated this book so much in part because it could have been a lot more. But it was so slow. And there was cliche after cliche. And there were frog people; listen, I know that some of y’all are probably down for actual green frog people who catch flies with their tongues, but I don’t play D&D and I’m not there yet in terms of geekdom. Also, the romance was insufferable, and tongues actually tangled. This book was published by Bloomsbury, I assume there an editor involved, and THEIR TONGUES STILL TANGLED. That was when I knew this was a one star book.

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone. 3/5. This non-fiction book tells the story of four sisters of Provence--Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice. Marguerite was married off to Louis IX of France, which in turn led to Eleanor becoming Henry III of England’s bride--Sanchia and Beatrice’s queenships would come later down the road. So to call them the sisters who ruled Europe is a bit misleading, but it makes for a great title; and it truly is remarkable that a fairly unassuming noble family would produce four girls who would all become queens. As you might imagine, the fact that this all took place during the thirteenth century means that Goldstone has to make some leaps in logic based on her research, especially in regards to the comparatively minor Sanchia and Beatrice. I know little about the subject so I can’t speak to Goldstone’s accuracy, but all in all it was a nice pop history read.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. 2/5. Shortly after the end of World War II, American Charlie St. Clair travels to Europe with her mother to take care of a “little problem”--her out of wedlock pregnancy. At the same time, however, she wants to figure out what happened to her beloved cousin Rose, who went missing during the war. During her search, she meets Eve--a woman who served as a spy during World War I. The story takes on their alternating perspectives, as Charlie struggles to find Rose and Eve grapples with her past. This kind of crushed me, as I am such a big fan of Kate Quinn’s Mistress of Rome series. I never really bothered with her Giulia Farnese books, because I knew that through no fault of Quinn’s they wouldn’t work for me; but this disappointed me. I’m not the hugest fan of World War I and II as historical eras, and I certainly love Ancient Rome a lot more. But this could have been so compelling. It takes so long to start, however, and Eve’s perspective was less interesting than Charlie’s, to the point that I kept wishing that I could skip Eve’s chapters entirely. By the time the action and romance really began, I was so zoned out that it didn’t matter anymore.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White. 5/5. The followup to the already-great start that was “And I Darken”, “Now I Rise” continues the dual stories of Lada (the fictionalized female equivalent of Vlad Tepes/Vlad the Impaler) and her brother Radu. While Lada is struggling to reclaim her throne in Wallachia, Radu remains a servant of the Ottoman Empire and its sultan, Mehmed--the man he secretly loves. Of course, Mehmed is obsessed with Lada--almost as much as he’s obsessed with Constantinople--and Lada is sort of obsessed with him back, but not as much as she’s obsessed with her birthright. This book sees the incredibly twisted trio get even darker. I really appreciate that Lada, Radu, and Mehmed aren’t super great people; Radu is less blood/power-thirsty than his sister and friend, but he is very manipulative and at times places his desire for Mehmed above loyalty to his sister. (Which is fucked up, as Mehmed would probably sell Radu to Satan for one corn chip if that corn chip was Lada, who in turn never knows how to feel about Mehmed because boy is hot but boy is also about as twisted as she is.) I love this series so much because of the moral grayness and dualities of all of these characters. Even when they did things that I really didn’t agree with, I still understood why they did them. For that matter, the supporting characters (especially Nazira, Radu’s equally gay wife) really upped the game of this book. This series is an absolute must-read.

#books #book recommendations #book recs

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topicprinter · 6 years ago

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To me, being an entrepreneur is like MacGyvre, an 80s action TV show where the main character would always use the things around him to escape from his enemies. He’s the type of character that would turn a dildo into a grenade launcher to blow a hole out of the prison wall, then use the bricks as body armor to protect himself from the onslaught of 100+ police officers shooting at him and actually survive.The art of entrepreneurship is the ability to use the limited resources around you to build something greater than you could’ve ever imagined. Whether it’s leveraging Facebook, Reddit, or Youtube, if you provide something of true value, your business will speak for itself.In this article, I specifically want to discuss how to start with no money andstill manage to build wealth in the right way. This formula will allow you to earn the money you’ve always wanted to earn and use it to fulfill your greatest dreams and beyond. I will explain my points by using my personal experiences. By the way, I’m never going to sell a book (I’ll only give them away for free).Phase I: Starting Out with $0When I dropped out of high school, I had $10,000 saved up (it was entirely money I made myself) from some methods that, while they didn’t really harm anyone, were not completely legitimate. Now, the goal of this article is to focus on building legitimate businesses, therefore I will save the experiences I did to earn this initial $10,000 for another post.With that being said, I didn’t spend any of my savings to start my first legitimate business, Appsitude. I was afraid to invest any significant amount of money in any business idea because I was worried the $10,000 I saved up would disappear quickly. As the story goes, I dropped out of high school in December 2014 and posted craigslist ads offering app development services (with no knowledge of how to code).Within 2 weeks of posting my first ad I’d gotten my first client for $16,500, with $7,500 paid upfront. I used some of this initial $7,500 to pay for developers in India and a designer. They completed the project and within three months I had around $100,000 worth of contracts (that were paid out over the course of the year and early 2016).When you start any business idea, I highly recommend you do something that costs very little to start. If you can make it succeed organically on its own (without paying money for ads, etc.), then you have a great potential business. Now when I say don’t spend any money, if you feel the need to have a website landing page or the sorts, it’s okay to spend that $50 (or more) to get it going. I’m not saying refrain from spending any money. My only point is that you should spend as little as possible to validate the concept.My point is that you should test the idea by offering the service/product to others as if it’s already been made to test their reactions. A friend of mine told me that he “pretended” to have a painting company and ended up getting £300 painting gig for 2 hours of work. This is a great example of a test on a small scale.Now imagine that my friend began marketing his services on Craigslist and other relevant sites. He could then start getting more gigs and begin contracting them out to other painters while making a nice margin (without doing the painting himself). This is the exact model I had for Appsitude.I started an app development company because it was a validated market where I knew I could get contracts that were almost risk-free for me (since I only had to spend money if I earned money).I didn’t want to build my own app and try to make it viral because I knew that it’d be expensive (relative to the $10,000 I had saved up) and very difficult to do since I felt that it wasn’t my path. If you have a lot of money saved up, it does not mean you should spend a lot of money just to get a business going. I’ve found that the most successful businesses are the ones that originally started with minimum capital.For example, you may look at certain video game companies announcing their skyrocketing sales and all of a sudden everyone assumes it means the company is doing well. At the end of the day, profit is the only thing that matters (if you want to make it succeed). It doesn’t matter if you sold $50m copies of your video game if you spent $65m to build it. Another example is of the many startups that have raised ridiculous sums of money (which often lie about how much they raised) and focus on gaining users rather than profit. At the end of the day, receiving investments in your company is still considered a profit if it means you have earned new money to accomplish what you want.Despite what I just said, I do plan to start a video game company at the end of the year and I want to make all of the games completely free (although extremely amazing and high-quality). I will “lose” millions of dollars but I’m willing to make the sacrifice in order to bring amazing fun for everyone and myself. So, as I’m saying, doPhase II: Now You Have MoneyOnce you’ve started your first business that has been reasonably profitable, you will likely start thinking of ways to make your business grow larger or pursue other ideas.When Appsitude starting making hundreds of thousands of dollars, I began realizing that, while it was a profitable business, I wanted to follow my passion. This turned out to be Cazza, my 3D printing construction startup.I used the leftover funds from Appsitude to invest in designing our new technology for Cazza. In March 2017 we’d started really running out of money (since I stopped working on Appsitude at the time) and thankfully we received our first 100k investment.Since I’d already made money before starting Cazza, it allowed me to understand the principles I needed to follow for any potential business I wanted to start. I always spent as little as I could on Cazza to maximize our results and not run out of money. As you may know, I ended up losing most of the funding after my ex-business partner stole it, but that isn’t a big deal because I always bounce back. The main point of Phase II is that once you have some experience and feel confident enough to invest your hard-earned money into a new idea (that requires money to get it going), you should do so.I’ve heard so many stories of people earning a lot of money in a random field, whether investment banking or something else, and they go invest a lot of their money in a shitty idea. They waste millions of dollars on a business concept that could’ve been validated for $1,000. You cannot lie to yourself if your business model is not going to work. You must also remember that just because your business hasn’t taken off yet, it doesn’t mean it never will.It is up to you to decide whether or not your business idea will eventually succeed. I launched the first version of Kelsey Coin in January and it had almost no users. Even as of writing this article today, we only have 51 users. The total investment was around $25,000 for building all of the platforms I want, and I still have not yet made a profit. The thing is, I don’t care because I know that this business model requires certain things to be achieved before it will take off. Kelsey Coin alone, while amazing, depends on Black Market World and World Home (which gives more places to use Kelsey Coin) in order to gain a larger following. Until these two other platforms are launched, Kelsey Coin will not become the massive success that it will soon become.There are also certain industries that are a lot harder to get into than others. Unless you feel really confident in your ability to market music and make money from it, entering the music industry (even as a label) is very difficult. The reason I say this is because it is very possible to do well, but there are far more things you must do in order to make a profit. I look at the music industry as this: the artist will get paid for shows, endorsements, and a cut from the amount of people that listen to the artist’s music on places like Spotify. Now, unless you manage to make massively viral videos like 6ix9ine, it will be very hard to make a lot of money in the music industry. 6ix9ine is a 6-figure artist who does well for himself although it can be hard to stay at the top without doing certain things for attention. I have a lot of respect for 6ix9ine and I fully support everything he’s said on the news, even if it was for trolling/attention. Why? Because I’ve done the same.Now keep in mind, the other issue with the music industry is that you have to continuously make hit songs that justify people paying you $30,000 for one show. Of course you can leave a legacy where old songs you made 10 years ago bring money in today, but it’s not the best way to depend on remaining financially successful. At the same time, the music industry is filled with leeches who want to take a cut of every dollar you make. This is the same as other industries, but in my personal experience, the music and movie industries are quite vicious.I’m entering the music industry (and soon film industry) but I’m doing it out of my passion rather than trying to make money. When I say this, of course I’m not saying it’s bad to make money from the music industry, I am just specifically saying that I personally don’t care to make money from it.The thing is, once my music does take off, it will help my other businesses earn more money, so it always positively affects me in other ways even if I don’t earn money from Spotify plays or shows. Although, if someone is adamant they want to pay me for a show, I won’t say no.At the end of the day, you must always face the realities of the business you are in. You should always keep a positive attitude, but don’t blind yourself from the truth. One of my friends has a million-dollar revenue “blockchain” company. He knows that the hype of blockchain will soon disappear. Instead of lying to himself that the business will always continue to make the same amount of money it does now, he is already preparing himself for the next stage of his business and other ideas along the way (because he’s smart).Phase III: The World Is YoursOnce you have all of the money you could’ve ever wanted and more, it’s time to give back (and even before then it’s nice to give back). I never realized how much money can make people happy. In November 2017 I went out with my friends from Canada and we talked to random homeless people in Hollywood. We listened to their stories and gave them help if they needed. It completely changed my life.I realized that a lot (not all) of homeless people are more normal than I thought. It gave me a very positive outlook on the world because I realized that very soon we will be able to completely end poverty. When I first began Cazza, I knew we’d be able to reduce construction costs and help build proper housing for everyone in the world. The difference is that I didn’t realize how big of an impact it would be until I met the actual people I’d soon be helping.There will be a certain stage in your life where you will begin to see beyond money. A lot of broke people like to say that my life is surrounded by money but this is an ignorant statement. They assume that because I’ve become financially successful, my life only revolves around my net worth. The irony is that I am one of the least materialistic people on the planet and I could lose every material thing to day and not have a care. As I said on another post, I know this to be true because it has already happened to me. I won’t go into details of the things I’ve done for people even after I lost it all, but I know one day they will tell others what occurred. I don’t care about having my name as the person who is “oh so generous,” I simply want people to know that if I can be generous while on my last dime, so can they.At the end of the day we are all humans and we have to work together to continue bringing a beautiful future for the world. There will be a day where people no longer feel the need to screw other people over because they won’t feel desperate for money. I believe, this day will come sooner than any of us imagine.

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