#ffs this is the same problem with mirage/five

[oneirataxia-girl]

gonna take a nap, then maybe I’ll do some homework then I’ll go back to fc searching

[rhysand-vs-fenrys]

It is so hard to judge by little summaries, so I forgive me if it comes off as a mean question; I want to read one of the Avengers fics to try, but what is a longer summary to help choose me?

Nah, you’re fine! I get it! I actually hate how short the summary allowance is on Fanfiction, but since I used to post fics there first, I was kind of locked into it and just copied them for the AO3.

Here is a little more info on each without spoiling anything:

Project: Echo (Part 1 only)

For 8 months following “The Winter Soldier”, Steve and Sam have been desperately hunting for Bucky while keeping as low a profile as possible (in case Tony finds out, since he knows that Bucky killed his parents). After realizing he’s hunting down information on a Hydra project known as “Project: Echo”, they track him to Astana, Kazakhstan. He is half-mad, and agrees to come back to Avengers Tower on the condition that they help him find the test subject for “Project: Echo”, a young teenager.

Steve and Sam are met in Astana by Natasha, who brings word that Tony analyzed a Winter Soldier programming chair and is willing to allow Bucky into the Tower and even help fix his arm. Knowing that Bucky went through hell to create The Winter Soldier and it was all involuntary, Tony is uneasy around him, but doesn’t hold him personally responsible (what “Civil War” fucked up).

While they are getting Bucky back up to form, a monstrous creature attacks from the shadows, something that appears to have followed the Avengers back from the Kazakhstan Hydra base. It is the product of a disaster that ended “Project: Helius”- which was conducted in the same wing of the base as “Project: Echo”, but many years before. The monster appeared to have been contained in the Hydra base, but when Bucky attacked to find the girl from “Echo”, he accidentally unleashed it.

They find the girl from “Echo”. After suffering two years of horrific physical and psychological torture designed to break her and turn her into a Hydra soldier, she essentially shut down and was eventually put into cryo freeze. She exists in a persistent vegetative state (or something similar), even when thawed. Her lack of consciousness makes her a perfect host for the Shadow-beast attacking, so it turns its sights on her.

Throughout “Project: Echo”, you also see the rise to power of Hydra Commander Thomas Dennison, former supervisor for “Project: Echo” who wants nothing more than to kill both the girl and Bucky. He raises an army to take New York and slaughter the Avengers…. if the Shadow doesn’t kill them all first.

“Project: Echo” is largely based in the thriller/horror genre for Part 1, with Parts 2 and 3 taking other genres as their lead. Eventually the girl regains most mental functions but is still heavily traumatized, so Part 2 has a gentler tone because it is mostly about recovery and treatment.

Project: Echo can be found at @valkyrie-echo

“Avengers: Valkyrie Wars” (Part 1 Only)

(Prefacing this by saying that it’s based on a series of joke letters between my best friend Samantha and I, so when I novelized them into this story, I kept our names (she wouldn’t let me use her name if I didn’t use mine too). So yeah, there’s a Kristen…)

This one takes place only five months after “The Winter Soldier” (AKA before the fuck up that was “Age of Ultron”). Bucky was brought back into the Avengers rather quickly (again, Tony was understanding and is actually making friends with Bucky), and is undergoing intense therapy, which includes keeping a journal of any Hydra or Commando memories that surface as well as a list of those he remembers killing.

For the past four months, Steve has been secretly seeing Samantha- a graduate student seeking her PHD in Archaeology and Native American history. Steve met Samantha when he went to her university to consult a renowned psychologist about seeking a therapist for Bucky. Samantha is an orphan, only close to her foster sister Kristen, who also happens to be a therapist specializing in extreme cases of PTSD.

Samantha is taking part in a dig for Native American artifacts near her university, and a mirage seemed to draw her to a specific area. Despite not finding any artifacts, Samantha is driven to keep digging, though she feels a growing dread. Eventually, she unearths a large, mysterious metal box. It has the rippled grain of Damascus steel, but no visible seams and none of the other students on her dig can see it. When she touches it directly, she blacks out for seven hours and wakes in the hospital.

The box vanishes, leaving behind a Valknut (the graphic above). Steve brings Thor in to identify the symbol, which traces back through Asgardian history along paths of mayhem and destruction. Eventually, he determines the box Samantha found was a long-lost weapon belonging to one of the Norn: Three monstrous Valkyrie generals who rose from the dead to breed destruction across the realms. Their weapons, when brought together, are said to be able to unleash an army capable of wiping out the cosmos.

Thor’s hammer Mjolnir is the reforged Laevateinn, the broadsword used by the Norn Urda. If the Avengers can find the Swords of Skuld (what was in the box Samantha found and lost), they can use them to summon the Scythe of Verdandi.

There are only two problems in their plan: As they consulted with “Odin” (who at this point is Loki), he breaks into Avengers Tower and seizes Samantha, believing she can lead him to the Swords. The other little snag? 

The Norn are rising. Namely Verdandi, long considered the most lethal of the three, who has the ability to see anything that happens in the present.

The Avengers are forced  to ally themselves with Kristen, Samantha’s foster sister. Kristen has strong ties to Hydra via patients she treats, and the Avengers cannot be sure which side she is truly working for.

As the Valkyrie, Loki, Hydra, and the Avengers all race to find the Swords of Skuld, they will face opposition from Skuld and Verdandi themselves- and history may not be as clear-cut as it seems.

“Valkyrie Wars” is an adventure story, and one of my very favorite things I have written! A lot of elements of my Original story were tested here, it’s probably the closest anyone can come to reading my Original!

“Valkyrie Wars” isn’t available on tumblr yet, but you can find links to the AO3 and FF versions here

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Cardinals pressing fantasy questions: David Johnson again set to sizzle in the desert

Fantasy owners who select David Johnson No. 1 overall will be pleased with the end result. (AP)

3-Point Stance: Wideouts Brown, Fitzgerald are not fantasy football mirages

As the mercury rises, Brad Evans and Liz Loza will tackle pressing fantasy questions tied to every NFL team. Read, ponder and get a jump on your offseason research. Friday’s topic: The Arizona Cardinals. 

As his superhuman pool jump showcased earlier this offseason, David Johnson appears to have rapidly recovered from a major Week 17 MCL injury. Adding confidence, he admitted he was “full throttle” in March. Without much competition for touches, and cemented into a three-down role, he’s slated for a mammoth workload… though some wonder if the Cards’ staff will try to preserve him. OVER/UNDER 349.5 total touches for the near consensus No. 1 overall fantasy pick this fall.

Liz – OVER. Do I believe a hyper-athletic 25-year-old can average 19 totes and 2.5 catches per game over the course of a 16-week season? Yeah, I do. That’s two fewer touches per week than he managed in 2016. Bruce Arians has been desperate to find his workhorse, and now that he’s landed an All-Pro talent like Johnson he’s not going to pump the brakes, especially given the team’s rapidly closing Super Bowl window. Don’t overthink this one. Draft Johnson and ride him to the finals.

Brad – OVER. It’s still hilarious how many people clowned yours truly for ranking Johnson No. 1 overall last draft season. Deniers spouted nonsense about overall sample size and believed crusty Chris Johnson actually posed a significant workload threat. Intelligent.

Johnson egged every detractor’s face through volume, multidimensionality and efficiency. Outside of setting the pace in fantasy points per game among RBs, he ranked top-three in receptions, red-zone carries, total touchdowns, yards after contact, evaded tackles and opportunity share. In layman’s terms, he was a throwback in the Eric Dickerson vein, a true three-down back who excelled in virtually every situation. Still only 25 years old and with only one rigorous season on the resume, he will again be the focal point. Bruce Arians’ 30-touch per game declaration for DJ may be slightly hyperbolic, but an uptick from the rusher’s 2016 workload (23.3 tch/g) is completely realistic. Functioning behind a top-10 offensive line, he is undeniably the No. 1 overall pick this year. If you disagree, your line of questioning is cloudier than John McCain’s. FF: 2,289 combined yards, 19 TDs.

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OVERVALUED, UNDERVALUED or PROPERLY VALUED. Provide stances on distinguished receiver Larry Fitzgerald (49.7 ADP, WR25) and bounce-back candidate John Brown (96.0, WR43). 

Brad – UNDERVALUED. Fitz is to wide receivers what Tom Brady is to quarterbacks or Frank Gore to rushers, a nearly invincible asset who defies the erosive impacts of aging. Though Father Time hasn’t skipped a day of work, the ageless wonder continues to hit the juke button. He bounced back from rocky seasons in 2012 and 2014 with consecutive top-15 efforts in which he topped 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. Entering his Age 34 campaign, he is the personification of “slot machine.”

Fitzgerald’s 6.8 YPT will turn many away, but he should again tally 140-160 targets and rack abundant receptions, many inside the red zone. Really, he’s an older, wiser and cheaper version of Jarvis Landry (32.8 ADP, WR17). Betting against a 95-1050-7 season isn’t recommended, especially with his bosom buddy, Carson Palmer, still kicking.

PROPERLY VALUED. Numerous pundits took to Twitter this offseason imploring owners to plop their rumps back on the Brown bandwagon. After last year’s disastrous season and entrenched as one of Arians’ outside starters, he only has one direction to go, but a major rebound shouldn’t be assumed. It’s highly unlikely Palmer, at 37 years-old, will uncork with the success and regularity of 2015. Brown’s absence played a part in the passer’s unsightly 7.1 YPA last year, but a dramatic spike isn’t in the cards.

Stefon Diggs finished WR43 in standard leagues last fall sporting a 84-903-3 line. I believe Brown finishes in the 5-7 TD range, but his yardage output should hover around 800. In other words, anticipate only a modest profit, if any. Keep in mind, he’s already dealing with a hamstring injury.

Liz – PROPERLY VALUED. Despite his advanced age, Fitzgerald continues to work as a powerhouse for the Cardinals and fantasy managers alike. Racking up over 1,000 yards in back-to-back campaigns, the vet has been a top-twenty producer for two straight years. While his TD total decreased in 2016, nearly a quarter of his targets were in the red area of the field, proving his value near the end zone.

Entering his fourteenth year in the league, Fitzgerald has already stated that he wants to end his career in Arizona. Two months shy of his thirty-fourth birthday, it’s likely that 2017 will be his last active campaign. Given the Cardinals’ narrow Super Bowl window, I fully expect Fitz to ball out… for the first two thirds of the season before wearing down. He’s a fine WR3, but I’d try to sell-high before Week 10 (vs. SEA).

OVERVALUED. I dig that Brown is proactively trying to build chemistry with Carson Palmer, living with the team’s QB again this offseason. But I’m wary of speed guys with bad hammys. It’s been a recurring problem for Brown since his rookie year. In fact, two days into minicamp and the team’s perceived No. 2 receiver is already having soft tissue issues. That’s no good, especially with a younger and faster option just behind him on the depth chart. Perhaps Brown bounces back to 2015 form, but I’d rather take a flyer on John Ross or Danny Woodhead, both of whom are being selected around the same time.

MINING FOR GOLD. Every year daring treasure hunters traverse the harsh environment of the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix in search of the legendary Lost Dutchman’s fortune. Channeling that adventurous spirit, what deep sleeper could produce statistical riches for owners in challenging formats this season?

Liz – J.J. NELSON. The younger faster option I mentioned? It’s J.J. Nelson. Last year, after the Cardinals’ Week 9 bye, when it had become clear that Brown’s physical issues were mounting, Nelson stepped up with aplomb. Scoring five TDs over seven weeks, the UAB product became a DFS darling. He also emerged as a playmaker for Arizona, averaging nearly 19 yards per catch. With the Cardinals receiving corps looking decidedly thin, and Brown’s health still in question, Nelson will be a factor heading into 2017. He’s worth a flyer deep into the double-digit rounds of 12-team drafts.

Brad – CHAD WILLIAMS. When Fitzgerald compares anyone to Anquan Boldin, fantasy fans, particularly of the dynasty variety, take notice. In late May, the veteran paralleled Williams to his former teammate marveling at the youngster’s strength and fly-trap hands. High praise.

At 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, Williams has the size and profile to leave an indelible mark. His dynamite SPARQ score, which measures a player’s across-the-board athleticism, landed in the 99th percentile. His on-field production also impressed. Suiting up for Grambling in 2016, he smashed the competition at the FCS level totaling 90 receptions for 1,337 yards and 11 touchdowns. Some consider him a developmental prospect, but he owns terrific base skills. If Brown or Nelson succumb to injury, Williams will undoubtedly be a hot waiver commodity.

Chuck passes at Brad and Liz follow them on Twitter @YahooNoise and @LizLoza_FF