#the heart foundation was THE BEST CASE SCENARIO for him in secret life. and he still outlived them. he was still so alone

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

girl help. secret life bigb. i am thinking about him again.

[ballorawan740]

SCP Scenarios: SCP 173 (The Sculpture) x Reader | NEW CHARACTER

SCP Scenarios Masterlist | My Works Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Rules | My Original Post | Request | Socials

(Don't ask about that GIF)

I did change 173 slightly in a way that he can move his limbs and communicate verbally, so Peanut here would be a tiny bit OC

First Encounter

You both met in 173's cell

For some reason, when you blinked, 173 just stood in front of you

Like, this peanut didn't kill you or anything

It was more as if he was interested in you

He somehow found the ability to talk

Even patted your head to your surprise

This also supposed the whole of the facility since they've only observed 173 spanning everyone's neck and teleporting

And they've never seen him move his arms since he's a literal peanut statue that secretes poop (and blood I guess)

Your feelings for him

You began to realise you fell for him after someone had mentioned how often you visited the statue

Definitely would try to hide it, to begin with (Cuz it's odd that y'all be falling for a peanut statue)

But later on, you decide to drop hints about it to your crush, Peanut

He looked as if he was clueless

But he definitely has gotten the hint way before you even realised your feelings for him

Because you make him feel butterflies

If anyone tries to flirt with the statue, you would become furious (Cuz you paid for this statue)

Most likely would tease you at times

His Confession

Probably would plan it out

Which didn't work at all

So 173 would just do it out of the blue

To which you agreed of course (Cuz y'all need some Jesus! At least you weren't like Clef when he- nvm)

Definitely surprised the foundation as well since nobody has ever fallen for this statue before (Aside from Clef)

Some would give you both odd looks while others were more curious about your relationship

Probably would conduct tests between the both of you

Only because they want to see if 173's behaviour would change

Like if someone blinked while standing behind you

Date

Since the foundation doesn't let 173 out of his cell, most of your dates would be in there

173 would be similar to 035 since he's pretty chill and laidback

You both would be laying on the floor and looking up at the ceiling

Probably talking about a lot of BS

Probably would tell you his favourite method of killing (which totally isn't snapping necks)

You both would tell each other about your day and peanut would joke around a lot

Is rather sassy as well so if anyone judges, you can always count on 173 to save you

Most likely by snapping their necks

Or sassing them out to the point of no return

When he gets jealous

It's rare to see 173 jealous since he's quite laid back and doesn't really mind who you're with

If 173 does get jealous he would most likely snap their neck

Or just teleport behind you and just stare at whoever is hitting on you

Or he would bend down to their height (if they're short ofc) which does are them off quite a bit

Would definitely drag you back into his cell to which surprised the researchers

Because they found out that the cameras were working and they heard screaming coming near/from his cell

Peanut can be slightly possessive of you

Especially when he knows somebody is hitting on you on purpose regardless of whether they knew you were taken or not

Most likely would ask you who you are hanging out with and for how long

When there's a containment breach

There's a 50% chance that he caused the breach

Whether he did it or not he would look for you

As he's looking for you he would snap some necks

Even gave 682 a heart attack

More than once actually but we don't talk about that here (cuz that hurts 682's heart)

Could care less about every other SCPs/workers

If you were hurt peanut would hunt down whoever did it to you

Probably would stroll down the facility instead of teleporting

To which you giggled

The look on the researchers' faces when they saw 173 frolic across the hallway and back into his cell was priceless

You were even there to witness it and everyone looked at you like they've just seen a ghost

Yandere!173

Would lock you up in his cell

Probably would tie you up as well

Definitely would torment you by teleporting in front and away from you

Sometimes would blindfold you

Not even the researchers could get you out

They've even asked 131 for some help and it didn't work as effectively as they thought for whatever reason

If you somehow managed to escape your freedom wouldn't last long

173 would manipulate you to the point that you felt that there weren't any way out for you

So in the end, you just stayed in his cell (probably regretting life choices while you're at it)

At least he's nice enough to let you eat proper food served in the foundation (had to make that clear in case y'all didn't get the hint and thought he gave you smth else to eat)

His younger sister

You're both alike and very close indeed

The foundation was shocked at how alike you both were

And you both were inseparable

So every time there's a breach and they see either of you, they know the other is just around the corner

You both would be sassy, sarcastic and funny

The foundation would be entertained by your remarks

Although you may or may not snap necks like peanut, you do display some form of curiosity towards the foundation staff and the SCPs

Like that one time when there was a containment breach and you leaned in rather close to this rookie and he just screamed as he laid on the floor

He did get quite a lecture afterwards but you decided to just tease him whenever you both meet

When his kid says their name for the first time

Would be joyful af

Nobody would hear the end of it

Like imagine the last words you hear is 173 telling you how his kid spoke their name

Like it took them so long to just get the pronunciation right

Tries to get them to swear late on though

Much to your dismay

173 is a cool and laid back type of dad so you wouldn't have to worry too much when you're away

Unless it's about being a good influence then you should (Not that it matters anyway...)

Probably would teleport to whoever/whatever just tp tell them about it

Even bothered 682 to the point that the lizard begged the foundation researchers to remove either of them

When his S/O is angry

Would run/teleport 10000000000000000000 miles away

Especially if you're mad at him

Probably because he broke your favourite cup and didn't tell you about it because he know that your best friend gave it to you as a gift (Don't say y'all don't have friends)

Would try to calm you down after a while though

Which didn't work too well because you still wanted to rip his head off

If it was somebody else who made you mad he would probably be entertained

Unless it affects himself of course

Probably would try to hold you back and get you to calm down

In which you wanted to rip off his head as well which ended so well for peanut

If 173 cant run anywhere he would just hide in the corner and cry

Probably would as the researchers for some help as well

They don't because they don't want to die either

When someone tries to steal you away

When peanut finds out he would hunt down whoever tried to steal you without hesitation

Would snap his neck and everyone else who were involved or knows about it

Takes you back to his cell

Checks if you were hurt even though you were looking at the kidnapper's @ss

Would try to stay by your side at all times even though he knows he can't

Stares at the researchers every time they talk to you

If it was a D-class they would die in an instant

Has a burning hatred for certain kinds of people

When his Pregnant!S/O gets hurt by accident

Cries without a doubt

Would bandage you up without a doubt

Would cheer you up by doing weird dances and impressions

Most likely would tell you off as well but your puppy eyes get to him

So he would just take that back and just baby you

Would kneel down to talk to the unborn child about your bad behaviour

You swore you felt it kick

173 would get all excited and more protective than usual

Wouldn't let anyone near you unless you were going into labourr

Meeting a Fem!Dragon!Hybrid!Reader

Would be quite curious about you

Finds you rather cute because you're so pure, kind and small

Wants to adopt you without a doubt

The researchers would have mixed feelings about you being in the same cell as 173

Peanut was lowkey terrified when you breathed fire

Was somewhat ok with you crying lava and levitating objects for a bit

Somehow managed to get 343 and/or Scarlet King to help you improve your telekinesis

Definitely would play hide and seek with you and some others

They don't get a say otherwise peanut would snap their necks

When he accidentally kills you

It was when some guy unintentionally pushed you which angered 173

Like he teleported to him and his friends

You tried to explain but 173 didn't listen so he proceeds to snap everyone's necks

Trying your best to defend the poor guy, you stepped in front of them which lead to 173 snapping your neck as well

The guy was shocked but managed to run before anything happened

Word got around that 173 had snapped your neck and was now permanently depressed

Like, he stopped snapping everyone's neck for quite sometime

Felt so guilty that he went to 049 to see if he can fix you

But he wasn't able to so he went to SK and God

They were transported to another facility so they weren't able to do much for this statue

Yandere!173 x Evil!Reader

Not as dense as some of the other SCPs but 173 wouldn't have guessed that you worked for another GOI other than the foundation

Since you used your knowledge of 173 to your advantage, 173 would find out rather late

173 found out who you were working with since the late arrival of the Black Queen came by to collect you

173 would try and kidnap you back into his cell at the Foundation but failed miserably

Would try and warn the foundation but they couldn't get you back either

Since you were with the Black Queen, 173 was plotting to get you back without any distraction

The foundation realised how dangerous 173 has become and isolated him far from the other SCPs

At times, the foundation would use your name in order to get 173 to work with them which worked 50% of the times

Trying McDonald's Sprite

Would be confused about this 'Sprite' from McDonald's since he doesn't eat or drink anyways

173 would be rather curious about this beverage and does give it a try

Finds it tasty and you soon realise he has officially become a sweet tooth

Was probably a mistake but if you ever needed to bribe 173, get him some Sprite that's specifically from McDonald's

Like that one time you bought him Sprite from Tesco's, he said it tasted more disgusting and refused to finish the drink

You should probably give him some apple pies, pancakes and some other sweet stuff from McDonald's

Sometimes the foundation would even give him some Sprite whenever the cleaners are cleaning his cell

Would find it amusing that the only way to get him to stop snapping necks are Sprite

When his kids swear

Would 100% be ok with it

173 probably is the one who taught his child to swear

Probably would let them drink alcohol at a young age as well

Maybe around their teenage years, but would let them try a sip if they're under 10

Wouldn't even be mad if his kid swears accidentally

Peanut would most likely encourage it

Doesn't mind if his kid swears at others, but the others would probably complain

When Child!Reader scares him

Wouldn't be hard to scare 173 tbh because you're so small

You'd be running around and giggling while doing whatever

Until there's some silence

173 would probably brush it off at first until he didn't hear a sound for 20 minutes

Does check around his cell to make sure you're still there

Panics because he can't see you

Until he turns around and had a full-on heart attack because you jumped on him

The researchers definitely hear a screech coming from his cell

They all started laughing once they found out

When the reader pole dances/aerial silk dances

Very similar to 035

Would be in awe of you dancing for him

If you were pole dancing he would probably watch you with those eyes~

Most likely end up in you both performing in another activity

If you were aerial silk dancing, 173 would probably be amazed

Would try and dance with you but fails terribly

Because he keeps dropping like dead flies

Most likely broke his back

Sometimes the researchers wonder how it's even possible for 173 to break his "bones"

Having a Pregnant!S/O

Would crack a lot of dad jokes here and there

Follows wherever you go

Rubs your belly whenever he can

Definitely would make a full conversation with the unborn child

Sometimes would read stories that do make you feel sleepy

Does whatever you tell him to do

Cracks some necks if he can't give you what you need

Would cry whenever you have your mood swings

During labour, you grabbed his arm so hard that it almost broke him

When you try to commit suicide

Would teleport to your side at an instant

Wouldn't let you out of his sight ever again

173 would try to cheer you up which may or may not work

Definitely would kill whoever made you feel this way if any

Make you stay in his cell for a while

Maybe even permanently

Wouldnt let anyone touch you

If you had any scars 173 would cry

Peanut would try his best to stop you from feeling that way

Having a Hopelessly Romantic/Easily flustered GN!Reader

Would definitely tease you

173 would find it adorable that you fluster easily and is hopelessly romantic

I'd say he's pretty hopelessly romantic to a certain degree

Will kill if anyone teases you

Because your adorable flushed look is only reserved for him

Although he would tell all the other SCPs about you

049 and 035 get it the hardest but 035 is completely fine with it

049 would rather just stay in his cell than to hear 173 talk about you for 200 hours

Probably knows more about you than peanut himself

173 would boop your snoot whenever you have that cute look

When you're about to be executed - Yandere!173 x D-Class!Reader

173 would snap everyone's neck and kidnap you back to his cell

If anyone ever mentions your name, 173 would instantly snap their necks

And if they ever tried to find you, he would know and would hide you somewhere else

If you ever tried to flee, 173 would teleport to your side and bribe you to stay 'home'

By bribe, I mean he would force you to return by teleporting the both of you

If anyone sees the both of you, 173 would stalk them to no end

Would torture them if they were to tell the foundation about this

Not even the other SCPs could help

When you curl up in their lap

Would find you the cutest thing on Earth

Aside from 999 of course

If he's exhausted from doing nothing, he would probably just rub your head/back

Definitely would tickle you whenever he can

Finds it comforting when you do curl up in his lap

Thinks that you're so cute to the point that he would kill for you

When you kiss his neck

10000000000000% loves it

Would definitely be vocal because he has no shame

Most likely would ask you to do it again

Even if you were in the middle of talking to someone and they hear him

If you were in the mood, you could tease him with neck kisses for hours on end

Probably would ask you to move on to the next activity but you know he loves being teased

Then after that go back to cuddling

173 would scream but the last time that happened the whole foundation went deaf and you gave him the cold shoulder for a while

Definitely cried about that so he tries to restrain himself

But you feel bad so you just carried on

[polarishq]

Meet AMARYLLIS “Mary” NJOO. They are FIFTY-THREE years old and hail from SAN FRANCISCO, CA. Mary embodies the constellation, SAGITTA. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is BRIANNE TJU.

Sagitta  reminds me of hands covered in thorn scratches, strawberry milkshakes at 2am, flowers blooming through sidewalk cracks, messy buns secured with a dozen bobby pins, rose colored blush paired with heavy mascara, sunflowers in a glass acting as a makeshift vase, racing heart rates, a face too much like her mother’s, dirt caked underneath fingernails, childhood nostalgia, and the chirping of birds after a storm. .

BIOGRAPHY

Mary has spent her entire life knowing she was never meant to be born. The Njoo family come from a long line of magic user, highly respected within their own social circles and spread to all four corners of the globe, so when Lillian Njoo became pregnant at the young age (by human and witch standards) of 19, it was a massive scandal. It was made worse given the fact that it had been through a one night stand with a man whose name and face she didn’t care to memorize. But the Njoo family was also based deep in traditional views, especially given the time period of the late 60s. Lillian was given no choice but to have the child, but it was clear early on that she never had much affection for her daughter. Instead, Amaryllis was shuttled around from one relative to another every few months. While most of the Njoo family valued strength and offensive magic, everyone soon realized that Amaryllis was inclined otherwise. Rather than being fascinated by the prickly thorns and poison leaves most of their family specialized in, she could often be found picking flowers to braid into her dolls’ hair. She was a gentle child, and in their family, that was seen as undesirable. They did their part in housing her here and there when need be, but in terms of actually bonding with her, that was not an option to them.

Amaryllis didn’t have a stable home environment until just after her fifth birthday, when she was taken in by her uncle Perry — technically her great-uncle, but semantics. Perry himself was always seen as something of an outside within his family, both for his demeanor and the fact that rather than an earth element, his magic was water based. He specialized in healing, giving him a strong sense of empathy as well, so when a young Amaryllis was thrust on his doorstep without a second though from any other relatives, taking her in was a no-brainer. The first thing he did was give her the nickname Mary, because what the fuck kind of child wants to introduce herself as Amaryllis. The second thing he did was plant a flower bed in the backyard, after he learned how much she loved to watch things grow. At first it was weird for Mary, to have someone willing to give as much love as she did. It was easy for her to adjust in that sort of environment, and even easier for her to thrive and grow. Perry learned as much as he could about plants and earth magic to teach his niece, and finally, Mary had someone who actually felt like family.

For their part, most of the Njoo family brushed Perry and Mary off. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Lillian would call every few months to make sure her kid wasn’t dead, but that was about the extent of her role. It wasn’t until Mary was around 16 in human years that her mark finally appeared. She only told her uncle about it in her excitement, not even thinking about telling the rest of their family until a few months later at their annual Christmas gathering. It was really the only time of the year where they all got together, and Mary and Perry went just for the sake of appearances. Mary began speaking to Lilian just to swap niceties, and casually mentioned her constellation mark had appeared. Then, Lillian lost her shit. She was furious that she had not been informed of this, and what resulted was a heated argument between Perry and virtually every other member of the Njoo family. His screams that she had no claim to anything regarding Mary fell on death ears, and soon enough, he was dragging Mary out of the banquet hall in order to keep her safe. It wouldn’t last though.

Within a week, Lilian came to their home along with two other head members of their family, stating that Perry had done his work as caretaker but it was now time for Mary to begin training with a competent instructor. Not wanting to start another screaming match, Mary went into her mother’s care. What followed was seven years of anger and resentment that made the initial argument look like child’s play. When Mary agreed to go with her mother, she assumed she would be able to return to Perry as soon as they realized that Mary wasn’t going to be a fighter like the rest of them. No matter her powers, Mary was kind and gentle by nature and that was that. Instead of conceding defeat, Lillian took it as an act of defiance that they could get rid of with the right force. And, with the years of abandonment and the feeling of being ripped out of her home finally pushing her over the edge, Mary fought back. While she could never find it in her to strike her mother when she struck her, Mary did actively engage in intense verbal fights that often left her voice scratchy and the ground shaking from the Njoo women’s combined strength. It was miserable for both of them, and finally after seven years, Mary took the first opportunity she had and ran home.

Her and her uncle both cried when she returned, and she apologized again and again for ever going with them in the first place. Perry, in all his kindness, assured her there was no need to apologize. They spent days, weeks, months even, waiting for members of their family to show up and drag her away, punish her for leaving, but no such occurrence ever came. What did come was a note, three months later, written in Lillian’s handwriting to say that neither her daughter nor Perry were members of the Njoo family anymore. It was meant to be painful, but Mary and Perry celebrated instead. They had both suffered at their family’s hands, but now they were truly free to live their own lives. Although well into his third hundred year, Perry took the disinheritance as his chance to finally be his authentic self, and within the next decade, Mary was the only Njoo invited to the wedding between her uncle Perry and her now-uncle Thad. And Mary, still kind and optimistic in spite of her mother’s best attempts, has never been happier.

For decades, Mary was content to learn magic from her uncles. They were the only ones she really trusted; the idea of “training” makes her physically nauseous thanks to Lillian. Mary associates the entire concept with hurt and anger rather than something that could be constructive. Perry and Thad, a fire user, were happy to do what they could, but as time went on, they had to admit to themselves that Mary’s earth magic needed a special education that they could not give. When they first brought up the idea of Polaris to Mary, she outright refused. She knew of the school — it was the alma mater  for most of the Njoo family living in America. This was the place that had taught her uncles, but also her mother. Her grandparents. Everyone who had so coldly turned their back to her and hurt her. She didn’t want it. It took Perry and Thad finally being upfront with her to make her realize that even if she didn’t want it, she needed it. So, after their insistence and fear of upsetting them further, Mary finally agreed.

She’s been at Polaris for a few years now but despite that, she’s still not sure if it’s where she’s meant to be. She purposefully avoids anything related to combative or offensive magic, even though her inclinations align with that sort of training. She’d much rather spend her time in one of the school greenhouses, or tending to the flowerbeds she keeps right outside her dormitory window. There is still a lot of anger within her left from her mother, and it can result in Mary assuming the defensive even when its not called for. And despite the resentment she feels towards Lillian, Mary also has a lot of abandonment problems that she is not yet willing to face. That’s her little secret though. Bigger than that is her determination to spread love and positivity, to the point of sometimes coming off as disillusioned from the realities of the world. She’s not, though. Mary is very well aware of what people are capable of; she just chooses to focus on the reverse.

INCLINATION

Sagitta, the arrow, often sponsors people who are in need of direction and focus  in their lives. Its a bit ironic, considering the destructive abilities it possesses. Those with the powers of Sagitta are capable of tectonic plate manipulation and, with the proper training, can create mountains or strengthen the foundation of continents. Sagitta is also volatile, though. Without the right level of control, their powers can overwhelm them. This may lead to catastrophic disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or tsunamis. These are, of course, worse case scenarios, but it does mandate that witches and wizards in control of Sagitta need to be on their guard always.

CONNECTIONS

Filling the role of Julian Moore’s calm companion.

Garden Club: Mary really, really fucking likes flowers. These folks also really, really fucking like flowers. Or vegetable gardens. Or shrubbery. OR anything really, the gardening club is here for all your plant-based needs. Their a group of students that help tend to the greenhouses on campus in addition to beautifying the already stunning grounds.

Polar Opposite Besties: Ms. Njoo here loves pretty much everything. This character hates a lot of things, but somehow Mary was persistent enough to win them over and now happily calls them her best friend. They have definitely received a BFF necklace from her on at least one occasion. Think of them as the ultimate Hufflepuff/Slytherin dynamic.

Family Member (fc should be either part Indonesian or part Chinese): Another member of the Njoo family currently at Polaris, probably some sort of cousin or what-have-you. Unlike Mary they would have been raised from birth within the family and brought up under the same rigorous training and ideas of superiority. They would also most likely be completely separated from Mary after she was essentially disowned. Whether or not you want them to share the family’s mindset, or if you want them to be more in-line with Mary and their uncle, is up to you!

Penned by Jeanne ★

[dontcallmecarrie]

So what’s up with Howard in the multi period time travel scenario? You mentioned he’s still alive, but he doesn’t seem to be around in any of the three endings.

For context: in By Myself But Not Alone, the butterfly effect cuts both ways. Also, it’s Tony-centric and I was hammering it out at 3 am [so if there’s stuff I missed, that’s why]. That being said, for something that’s a fic idea and not an official WIP, it’s…kinda growing on me. In this case, the Howard Stark thing. 

Stepping back a bit: Howard Stark is a pretty complex character. We never really see him in the MCU even if his presence is felt long after his death […I’ve done some meta on him before on my take on him, and it’s key to this AU]. While the main plot’s Tony-centric, Howard’s also another case of the butterfly effect kicking in. And not necessarily in a good way.

See, while Howard and Maria’s deaths in canon were tragic, everyone who remembers that universe at least knew what followed afterwards. Everyone knew Obadiah Stane’d step in until Tony turned 21 and inherited his father’s company. Even if they didn’t know Howard personally, they knew his son and thought they could extrapolate from there, thought they could predict his actions. 

…unfortunately, however, people change, and human memory is a fickle thing.

Since Steve Rogers went into the ice, Howard Stark’s had several decades to grow colder, harsher, more bitter. He was part of the Manhattan Project, helped found SHIELD, supplied weapons to the US military throughout various conflicts, from Korea to Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm. He got married, had a wife and kid […both of whom he neglected in his search for Steve, but that’s an issue for another day].

He also picked up vices along the way, with the alcoholism being the most notable one as evidenced by the car accident [an actual one, this time] caused by his drunk driving. The accident that killed his wife, because as it turns out, the safest part of the car’s the driver’s seat. 

Here’s where things diverge, because in this life, Howard survives.

also there’s no serum here because keeping track of the other divergences. thanks to the butterfly effect is a mess and no I’m not going have another WIP at this rate, nope, brain work with me here gdi

So. Howard Stark’s still alive. That’s a good thing, right?

Right?

[under the cut because RIP mobile users otherwise]

Of those who remember a different world, Fury was the one who knew him best, save for Tony, and so he’s the only one who’s unsurprised by what followed. Dismayed, perhaps, but not surprised.

See, this isn’t Steve’s Howard, bright and hopeful and eagerly showing off his flying car prototypes. This is a Howard who’s cold and bitter, who’s seen the war so often it’s the only thing he knows, now. This is a Howard whose motto was “Peace is having a bigger stick than the other guy”, whose son grew up to be the Merchant of Death.  

Natasha had thought the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree, when she’d met Tony; Steve had wondered how Tony could be so different to his father. Here, however, they both share an incredulous look, when they see the latest interview featuring an unapologetic Howard showing off their latest line, and,  when the question comes up, being almost painfully dismissive of the idea of shifting his company’s focus away from building weapons. 

Well, almost. But first, let’s backtrack a bit, shall we?

See, Maria Stark died during the car crash, back in 1991. When she died, so did any chance of Tony and Howard getting along, because Tony’s relationship with his dad may not have been the best before, but now? He blames Howard for his mom’s death, and has yet to forgive him for it. 

Here, the world knows Howard and Tony don’t get along, knows there’s bad blood. There were rumors of Tony creating his own company a while back, but they petered out fairly fast after the announcement that Tony would be the head of R&D once he turned 21, and that he’d step in as CEO once his father retired. 

Howard, meanwhile, is known the world over for being a war hawk, and he uses it as a badge of pride. Tony, meanwhile, isn’t as brash about it; when it comes up for him, he’ll just smile and say something about keeping their boys safe, making sure they come back home. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t pull his punches, though; here, the Merchant of Death is even more ruthless than canon, thanks to Howard pushing him to greater and greater heights […if only out of spite].

That being said, even with all this going on, their relationship isn’t the greatest. I cannot reiterate this enough, because it’s key for what’s going on later. See, here, Tony’s not an orphan. Here, it’s Howard who controls the Stark fortune, and…um. 

Howard’s not cut out to be a parent, okay? Not the way his wife was, anyway. Add in the complete lack of respect Tony has, and what you get is Howard’s main [only, really] way of attempting to discipline his son is via cutting him off, threatening to disinherit him. Which, granted, may not sound like much, but seeing as how the other option for inherting’s his business partner, Obadiah Stane? 

Obadiah Stane, who, while still nice to Tony, is more of a yes-man than in canon. Obadiah, who Howard trusts because he’s worked with him about as long as he had with Nick Fury. Tonys pretty sure Howard’s bluffing, but…he doesn’t want to risk it. 

So Tony plays ball. And manages to eke out a few concessions, from time to time—such as the creation of the Maria Stark Foundation, looking at Howard in the eye the entire time he was proposing it to the board—thanks in no small part to his being able to work PR with the same mastery his mom had.

 For the most part, though, it’s just example after example of how dysfunctional the Stark family […of two, now] is, with Tony lashing out however he can and Howard’s oscillating between wondering how his wife did it, and threatening to cut him off yet again. [Plus passive-aggression. Lots of passive-aggression.] 

For the most part, it’s a working system: Tony doesn’t speak to his father outside of work-related concerns, Howard mostly keeps out of his business unless Tony’s messing around in the press is getting too much on his nerves and he needs to dial it back, etc. Nobody’s really happy, but then, when’s the last time they were? 

It was a working system, one they were both okay with. 

…then Tony came out as bi. […or pan, in retrospect; whatever, the tabloids got a picture of him kissing a guy, same difference to Howard, okay?]

Which, as it turns out, is something Howard disapproves of. Greatly. 

Only thing is, this is his only son we’re talking about, his heir, who’s his spitting image and just about the only thing he has left of his wife, and while he’s threatened to disinherit him, he’d never meant it, okay? He’s not cut out to be a parent, he’ll be the first to admit it, but…fuck. And it’s not like he can’t do nothing, his son’s basically the face of the company at this point, as well as half the brains, but…

In the end, Howard decides to punish his son for dragging the company’s name through mud by moving him to the dustiest, worst-funded section of Stark Industries, and putting him in charge of it. Who even cares about green energy these days, anyway?

However, this is Tony we’re talking about. Tony, who, in another life, built a suit of armor of the same weapons used against him, almost entirely out spite. Here, Tony sees what he’s got, cracks his knuckles, and sets to work. 

Revenues go up by 300% in roughly two months, and steadily climb from there—right up until Howard noticed how much R&D’s progress had slowed to a crawl, and had him transfer back. 

That spike of progress in regards to green energy, however, didn’t go unnoticed. Oh well, at least it made for good fodder for the press, right alongside the intellicrops. 

…suffice it is to say, almost everyone who remembered a different life is in for quite the nasty shock because Howard is a piece of work.

It doesn’t help that he takes his time in retiring, either. Those who remember know Obadiah’s a traitor, know that he’s using Howard the same way he used Tony, but good luck proving it when accusing the right-hand man of a guy who once co-founded a vague yet menacing government agency. 

All in all, the situation with Howard’s complicated. 

Everyone knows that if Steve were to ask, he’d rain hell on their behalf [just like his son had, in another life], but at the same time…he’s not the type of ally they want to have. He’s very much like Tony, yet could not be more different if he’d tried. 

He’s stalwart and unrelenting, driven to a fault—but where Tony’s been working hard to make the world a better place, Howard’s demons have been haunting him for far too long for him to do the same. And the sticking point: where Tony hadn’t hesitated in stopping the company from making weapons, Howard wouldn’t. [Not even if Steve asked.]

To sum up: in many ways, the effect he has on the timeline isn’t stellar. This is something nobody expected to need to fix, and is part of why everyone’s really looking forward to Tony remembering—Stark Industries is being led by a war hawk, and in no universe is that a good thing. Kinda ironic, really; they’d expected HYDRA would be the biggest hurdle, when instead it was Howard Stark. 

Also, they’re having a hard time deciding whether or not to go and approach him, since he’s a wild card and the timeline’s been twisted enough as is. […let’s just go with Fury being hella secretive about finding Steve, okay? To keep things simple, for now.] 

That being said, I was kind of picturing Howard leaving the picture after his retirement. Partly because I was thinking that since Tony only ever talks to him about work, there’s nothing else he has left to say to the man who got his mom killed, and partly because I was figuring that at his age, he’s at the risk of having a heart attack or something offscreen. [According to the wiki, he’d have been 91 during Afghanistan, for instance.] 

Ending-wise:

Like I said, wouldn’t be surprised if he died after hearing his son was killed in Afghanistan. 

Heart attack, or from grief [and/or combined with alcohol poisioning as he hits the bottle one last time]—because no matter how hardened he’s been, or how bitter, that was his son. His only child, and he’d outlived countless other people over the years, but…this was his son, all that he had left of his wife. His greatest creation, gone from a world that’s passed him by, and he’s so, so tired…

Obadiah’d be gleeful; he’s the only left to inherit, now, after all—right up until JARVIS remembered, anyway. Then it’s only a matter of minutes for him to find every single instance of his double-dealing, and forwarding a file to every branch of law enforcement in the country, as well as the world. [Or Natasha stepped in, or Bucky finds an exception to his ‘no assassinations’ rule, or something.] 

No chance for reconciliation, here,  between father and son—then again, any chance of it died with Maria, back in 1991. 

As for if Tony came back as Iron Man?

He might very well get a heart attack from the surprise, tbh. Or from the rage, because did his son really just make an announcement about Stark Industries not making weapons—

“I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them—”

Oh. Still. The idea of shutting down the weapons manufacturing is unthinkable to Howard, what was Tony thinking?! 

The more time goes on, the more of a mess it all is, and suddenly Howard’s very glad he’s retired because as is, the discovery that his business partner had been double dealing for years was a bitter pill to swallow. Almost as bitter as the discovery that this was a whole new world, because his son is Iron Man— [and didn’t that dredge up old memories? How was Hank doing these days, anyway?]

The more time goes on, the more it feels like the world’s passed him by, because he’d only ever seen war and yet everyone’s saying his son helped privatize world peace, and…

The more time goes on, the more proud he is of his son, his greatest creation.  

Not that Howard will ever say it out loud, of course; where do you think Tony got his abysmal communication skills and emotional awkwardness from? Tony, in turn, almost never speaks to his father again, and when he does, it’s with an incredibly defensive edge because he’s expecting nothing but disappointment from that corner [as always].

Just…in this one, Howard’s in the back, seeing all this go down, and he’s actually pretty damn proud of his son. Also, there’s several meetings off-camera going on, including Howard meeting Steve at least once and Bucky having an incredibly awkward conversation with the guy over a cup of coffee. 

fun fact: in this AU, when he made press conference he was 100% ready to be disinherited because he knows just how Howard is about the weapons manufacturing thing. Even if he’d been bluffing about it before, Tony was like 95% sure Howard’d actually do it this time, simply because of the nature of the press conference.

Hopefully Howard doesn’t come across as much of an ass here. He’s human, he fucks up, and he dropped the ball big time when it came to his family. 

Off-screen, there’s plenty of guilt over the ‘my drunk driving killed my wife’ thing, and trying to go sober afterwards. [Kinda hard to do it, when self-medicating due to mental health issues a la the shit he’s seen over the years.]

Also, his reaction to Tony’s being not-straight? Bear in mind he’s from a pretty damn conservative era, and isn’t used to the parenting thing. Add in the fact that coming out’s a pretty big deal, and was a way bigger one not too long ago; just check out the reactions to Ellen’s coming out, back in the ‘90s. It was a Very Big Deal, when Tony did it, and to be fair SI had to do a lot of fast talking in the days that followed because of it. Plus, again, Howard’s parenting skills aren’t exactly anything to write home about. 

Dysfunctional families come in all ways, shapes, and forms. Here, the really messed up dynamic + shitty communication skills constitutes the bulk of it, though. Incidentally, that was pretty much Not Cool on Howard’s part, and the main reason I don’t consider it abuse is because it’s not so much a power imbalance thing [both Tony and Howard knew he wasn’t going to go through with it] so much as…well, dysfunctional family stuff in general. 

In this case, their dynamic’s really messed up thanks to Maria’s death, combined with years of Howard’s neglect and alcoholism and Tony’s resentment. 

btw:  if anything looks familiar, it’s because I have several headcanons that tend to be recurring elements in my fics, such as JARVIS’ secretly being closer to Skynet than most would be comfortable with, Howard being a complex character, Maria Carbonell née Stark being awesome, and the list just goes on.

 ..and now the more I think of it the more Howard’s starting to shift from a subplot character to a main one but that’d derail canon even more because of how Tony’d react and brain, no, this is just an AU fic idea not a WIP damn it

[juvoci]

9 January 2021

This blog can be read in its entirety on JUVOCI.com.

9 January 2021.

11:03 AM.

Okay, so in the last blog post, for 8 January 2021, I left alot of cliff-hangers.

Firstly, I didn’t quite finish the Thought Leader idea.

Secondly, I didn’t quite finish the Philosophy is Dumb and What is Philosophy ideas.

But before we get into either of those, I’m going to go on another tangent (as I do), because I just commented on someone’s Reddit post, and it seems relevant, so I want to post my response here. I’ll post the screenshots below.

This was the Reddit post. It was posted in the CircleJerk sub-Reddit. Obviously, it’s a joke. A sarcastic joke. But I took this sarcastic joke as an opportunity to express a real solution to some of our problems. Here it is:

Stop taking EXTREME and ABSOLUTE positions on COMPLEX topics.

“All Cops Are Bastards”? Obviously, this is not true. There are many police officers out there who simply want to use their elevated power to protect their communities from agents of chaos who wish harm upon innocent people. These cops do indeed exist.

Not all cops are bastards. Some of them? Yes. Most of them? Maybe, I don’t know. All of them? Certainly not.

Taking extreme and absolute positions on complex topics is a recipe for disaster. It’s a childish and immature and lazy way to approach the world. We can do better than this.

And I just want to mention, because I can see the trolls licking their lips. Yes, the question was a sarcastic joke, and my answer was a serious statement. I am fully aware. 🤡

11:29 AM.

Okay, now, let’s get back to the Thought Leader stuff, because that’s important.

The importance of Thought Leaders, and what it takes to be one.

Let’s define Thought Leader again, but in a different way this time. A Thought Leader could be compared to an “Influencer”. When Serena Williams or LeBron James or Coryn Rivera or Steph Curry or Lindsey Vonn or Michael Phelps endorse a brand such as Nike or Adidas or Puma or whatever... these brands gain an elevated reputation. “LeBron James wears Nike sneakers? Damn! Nike must make good sneakers!” And so Nike sales increase.

Jordan Peterson, for better or worse (I’m still undecided about him, though I do think that he’s genuinely a good guy and has a good heart, despite his viewpoints), is a Thought Leader. When Jordan Peterson says Marxism is on the rise, this is dangerous, we need to take this seriously and rebel against it... literally thousands of people will begin distributing his message online and IRL (in real life). Jordan Peterson quite literally has a microphone which broadcasts directly into thousands of people’s ears. (Well, not literally literally, but you get my point.) This is, in some sense, the definition of a Thought Leader.

In some sense, I’m already a Thought Leader. Many of the ideas I express are unusual, esoteric, not mainstream. But my reach isn’t very big, so I’m not leading many people.

11:45 AM.

So now that we’ve defined Thought Leader (again), let’s discuss why I want to be a Thought Leader (or at least grow as a Thought Leader), and what train of thought I actually want to lead.

In the last blog post, I mentioned Peace and Love. This is foundational. This is where it begins. If we don’t exercise Peace and Love, we cannot even really engage in conversation. The only reason I can honestly and freely engage in conversation with you is because we are at peace. If we were at war, this would not be possible.

Now, of course, just like everything else, Peace is a spectrum. At the high end of the Peace Spectrum, even arguments cease to exist. Individual beings simply express themselves and everyone who is listening simply listens. In such a circumstance, this being is expressing their truth, and everyone is listening with open minds, open hearts, without judgment. This is sort of... an idealistic scenario.

But this “idealistic scenario” isn’t necessarily what we need right now, because humanity does indeed have some complex problems which need solving, and simply opening our hearts to everyone’s subjective truth isn’t necessarily going to solve those problems. Instead, we must share our ideas, experiment with those ideas, find the best ideas, and act on them. In other words, we must share our ideas and then debate those ideas, in order to find the best idea.

Problems arise when ego interferes. People become attached to their ideas. They want credit. They want to be the savior of the world. People become so attached to their ideas that they ignore better ideas. This is why I like the Philosophy of Infinity and the practice of Infinite Openmindedness.

Recognize that your pet idea is just one idea in a sea of infinite ideas, and it isn’t necessarily the best idea. Recognize that you might be wrong. Recognize that other people have lived complex lives, likely (more or less) as complex as yours; and other people are capable of intelligence, just like you; and other people are smart, sometimes smarter than you. Recognize that a Competitive and Free Market of Ideas will create an environment where the best ideas rise to the top, breeding better ideas. If we can all enter the Chamber of Debate, and leave our egos at the door, we will discover the greatest truths by merging our individual minds into a smarter collective mind.

So, to summarize, Absolute Peace is the eventual goal, but Peaceful Debate is what’s needed now.

Peaceful Debate means that we respect each other’s life experiences, we respect each other’s viewpoints, we live and let live, we don’t violently attack or insult other groups simply because they disagree with us.

“If you disagree with me, that’s fine. You can live on your land, and I’ll live on mine. We will go on with our lives, in peace. I won’t blow you up or shoot you down, and you won’t do so to me either. Yes, we may disagree, but we won’t raid each other’s homes and destroy each other’s families... simply because we disagree.” This is a more evolved standpoint.

12:03 PM.

We need a collective purpose, a collective goal. Humanity is a train-wreck right now. America, and her ideals, has been a global leader for decades, and now America is a clusterfuck.

Too many things get lost in translation between countries. Too many people and corporations are “beating the competition” rather than “working together to find the best solutions”. Too many people are power-hungry and egoic and not seeing the bigger picture. Too many people are afraid and confused and fearful of death; and when people are afraid and confused, they sometimes act defensively and violently.

Too many people are overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of media and information, much of which is not only pointless but is also damaging to one’s peace of mind. Too few people have taken the time to meditate and contemplate deeply the true nature of the universe.

Too many people are without mentors, without guidance. Too many people have so many questions, but no one to answer them.

This is why I want to be a Thought Leader. The world needs guidance, direction, stability, understanding, structure, philosophy, wisdom. But there doesn’t seem to be enough people distributing these things.

Wisdom hasn’t gone mainstream yet.

And will it ever go mainstream? This question has literally been debated for thousands of years. Ancient philosophers have written, including those who authored The Kybalion, that “the Truth is reserved for the brave few” and “the masses will never know the Truth” (or something along those lines).

But I’m an idealist. I disagree. I say: “Why not?” Why can’t we have the world we desire?

“But, Juvoci, you said” (in the last blog post) “that some people desire war!”

Yes, I did. But the desire for war is, in my estimation, a more superficial desire than the desire for peace.

I believe that, deep down, EVERYONE simply desires PEACE and HAPPINESS.

And those who pursue war, only do so because, deep down, they believe it will lead to PEACE and HAPPINESS.

In other words, people who wage war believe that war is the only option, the last resort, our only chance, for a peaceful world.

Of course, this is not the case, and is in fact completely wrong, completely opposite of the truth. This is the definition of evil, of devilry.

War only leads to more war.

When you wage war against someone, a grudge is formed. When you destroy a culture, destroy a family, destroy a people, they don’t forget, they get angry, they get depressed, and they label you “the devil”, they slowly and quietly rebuild their power, and then they come back to bite you.

And then you may say: “But what if you eradicate them completely so that they cannot ever return?” Sure, but then your people will remember what you did to those people. “Remember what our empire did to those people we destroyed? That was kind of messed up.” And then there is a deep collective regret in the population which must eventually be repented and made-up-for, lest the society be eaten alive from within by its own shame and guilt of its own violent history. And the cycle continues...

Just like, in your own personal life, you cannot purify, you cannot cleanse your soul, until you’ve repented for the evil you’ve done. Until then, your soul, your spirit, is broken, shattered, split.

The neuroticisms of a culture, a society, a nation, seep into the hearts of its citizens, and destroy it from within.

The most powerful thing that a leader can grant... is peace. Not dominance, not power, not wealth... peace.

But then there are the questions: What of that evil which lurks in the shadows? How do we defend against it? If we focus only on peace, won’t we be blind-sided by a secretive malevolent faction? If we focus only on peace, we won’t fund our militaries, and then we will be vulnerable to evil forces, right?

And this is true. Although I wish this were not the case, I cannot deny it. If we don’t keep our guard up, to some extent, then evil could once again overcome us.

Just as the sage must constantly remind herself of the Truth, society must remind itself of Evil. History repeats itself, so remember history.

So what does this mean for military funding?

On a material level, it means two things.

Firstly, we must prioritize defense over offense. Don’t develop military technology for the sake of attacking and conquering. Develop military technology for the sake of protecting.

Secondly, we must redefine our enemy. America’s enemy is not Russia or China. China’s enemy is not America or Japan. Australia’s enemy is not Russia or North Korea. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

No, Humanity’s enemy is Chaos, Insanity. Humanity’s enemy is Ignorance, Violence, Immaturity, Ego. This is how we must redefine our enemy.

But let’s bring this, once again, to a spiritual level, a metaphysical level, to a level beyond materiality.

Ultimately, we are talking about FEAR. “What if Evil grows stronger while the rest of us are focusing on Peace? What if we detract from military funding and leave ourselves vulnerable and get destroyed by an evil faction? What if? What if? What if...?”

These are questions of fear.

FAITH over FEAR.

This is where my Thought Leadership re-enters.

We must all subscribe to a philosophy of Faith over Fear.

Now, this is easier said than done, obviously. And I’m not trying to claim that I’ve fully succeeded in this realm. I never claimed to be perfect. But it’s the direction I try to move in, and it’s the direction that I’m encouraging you to move in aswell.

What is Faith over Fear?

This is getting into some pretty deep spiritual and metaphysical areas, but I’ll do my best to explain, especially because many people who read this, who haven’t dived deeply into spirituality and metaphysics, might not exactly understand what I’m saying. But I’ll give it a shot.

Faith is a fundamental force of the universe. Now, I’m not talking about Christian Faith or Islamic Faith or Jewish Faith or Buddhist Faith or whatever. No. I’m talking about pure Faith. I’m talking about Faith as a fundamental, pure, force.

In fact, Faith is so fundamental to the Structure of Reality that, at a certain point, it becomes physical, it becomes material, it melds and merges into the physical world. Don’t believe me? Keep meditating.

Faith is the reason you wake up in the morning. Faith is the reason you’re able to walk on solid ground. Faith is what keeps the entire universe in motion. Faith is a fundamental force. We can call this concept FFF or F-Cubed. The fundamental force of faith. Maybe the FFF thing is dumb. I don’t know. Whatever, moving on. Lol. (If you’ve made it this far in the blog, take a moment to breathe and relax and recognize that nothing is like super serious necessarily.)

But, yeah, Faith is super important. Pure faith. You exist because you believe in your existence. Without that fundamental structure of belief (which is another way of saying Faith), your entire being would collapse and disintegrate into a vortex of chaos and structurelessness. Don’t believe me? Well, I wouldn’t recommend experimenting with this concept unless you’re truly a Master of the Mind... because this can be dangerous territory.

So why am I talking about Faith now? Because Faith over Fear. Faith is the antidote to Fear, and Faith is your savior.

Yes, Evil could be out there, plotting your demise. Yes, the Universe could implode suddenly and instantaneously, destroying everything and everyone you’ve ever known. Yes, an asteroid could land on New York City, killing millions. Yes, some rogue country *cough* could drop an atomic bomb and decimate Humanity. Yes, danger, danger, danger, fear, fear, fear, possibilities, possibilities, endless fearful possibilities.

But can’t you see? It goes on and on and on and on and on. The mind can think of infinite reasons to be afraid, to fear evil.

But here’s where Spirituality and Metaphysics swoop in and save the day...

FEAR CREATES EVIL.

Yes, literally, Fear creates Evil. No, even further... Fear is Evil.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt (allegedly) said (I wasn’t there): “We have nothing to fear but Fear itself.” This quote is actually quite wise. Well, it’s, like... almost wise. The only reason it isn’t completely wise is because it implies that we still have to fear something.

But the point is (or at least, the Truth that I see in the quote) that Fear is the enemy. And, from my experience with spirituality, Faith is the antidote to Fear. In other words, when your being is aligned in Faith, your “enemy” ceases to exist, because all is one and all is you and so all is in Faith.

These are pretty deep ideas; and if you don’t understand exactly what I’m saying, don’t worry. Just stick with me, and eventually you will understand.

:)

1:06 PM.

Okay, so, I feel like I’ve kind of beaten that topic to death. Let’s give it a rest for a little while. Let’s get back to that point about Philosophy.

In my last blog post, I said that Philosophy is dumb. But, obviously, I need to elaborate on this, not only because this statement will probably offend some percentage of people, but also because it’s a pretty vague statement.

So, what exactly do I mean? And why exactly am I saying this?

Firstly, let’s define Philosophy. Yesterday, I posted in two sub-Reddits (the Philosophy and AskPhilosophy sub-Reddits) asking the simple question: What is Philosophy?

Both of my posts got banned from those sub-Reddits. This is strange, and doesn’t make any sense to me. If your sub-Reddit is about Philosophy, then one of the most important questions on that sub-Reddit should be... What is Philosophy?

Duh?

But, for some reason, the moderators of those sub-Reddits thought such a question should not be on their sub-Reddits and so they removed it. And now, in my mind, these two sub-Reddits have lost some respect and credibility.

But, whatever, maybe that’s a signal that “What is Philosophy?” is a dumb and unnecessary question.

Perhaps I can define Philosophy simply by explaining why I think parts of it (not all of it) are dumb.

To me, Philosophy becomes dumb when it becomes about using big words, and how many philosophical terms you know, and arguing about the nature of reality, and choosing one side or one philosophy and being an ardent advocate of that one philosophy or opinion or perspective.

These aspects of “the Philosophy world” are dumb to me because they miss the point. Reality is infinite. The universe is infinite. There are infinite perspectives. Everyone’s life is different, and everyone’s unique life experiences lead them to believe certain things about reality.

You might be a staunch Atheist, but if one day you went to sleep and woke up in a garden where Krishna explained to you the metaphysical workings of the universe, and you existed in this garden for thousands of years, exploring the world of spirituality, before finally, eventually, after those thousands of years, returning back into your human body, to this human life... you might have second thoughts about your staunch Atheistic beliefs.

So who are you to say that someone who identifies as Hindu and has had a similar spiritual experience with Krishna is wrong? And likewise, who are they to say that someone who identifies as Atheist and hasn’t had any spiritual experiences, like you (the staunch Atheist)... is wrong?

See? Nobody is wrong. Everyone just has different life experiences.

So, whatever your Philosophy is, it isn’t right or wrong. It’s just one perspective of infinite perspectives.

A lot of philosophy is just preaching. Just rattling off complex names and concepts and big words, just arguing pointlessly about abstractions.

Real Philosophy is about listening. This is, if I am to make a distinction here, the difference between Philosophy and Wisdom. Philosophy literally means love of wisdom. But perhaps Love of Wisdom isn’t always the same as Wisdom itself, in the same way that you may “love” your spouse, but not necessarily treat them well, or know them well.

Arguing with people on Reddit (or any other forum), for example, about why your Philosophy is right... is a pretty deformed version of Philosophy, in my opinion. If you want to grow as a philosopher, if you want to grow more wise, spend more time listening and asking questions, rather than preaching. Then, if someone asks you a question, you can expound your knowledge.

Philosophy has been dubbed “a science” by many individuals and institutions. But one of the problems with modern Science, in my opinion, is over-categorization.

Science creates categories upon categories upon categories, dividing and dividing and dividing. Now, don’t get me wrong, there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with categorization. In fact, there isn’t even anything necessarily wrong with over-categorization.

In some sense, excess categorization is the natural evolution of language and quantifiable knowledge. As our understanding of the world becomes more and more nuanced, we naturally will create more and more terms and thus categories for explaining and identifying it.

The problem arises when we begin identifying with our identifiers. When a scientist or philosopher says “I am a Materialist” or “I am an Existentialist” or “I am a Stoic”, they are missing the point of Philosophy and Science, in my opinion.

This is the problem with Identity. When you identify with one finite piece of an infinite reality, you inherently limit yourself. Better to have as small of an identity as possible, and simply observe reality. To me, this is what Philosophy and Science are truly about. Egoless observation of reality, in the name of Truth.

2:02 PM.

Okay, I’ve been writing on and off for awhile I’m gonna take a break and do something else. Be back later, maybe.

:)

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This blog can be read in its entirety on JUVOCI.com.

[bradshawsophia]

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In most cases people spend their time chasing happiness through life, but true happiness lies within yourself to keep an open heart, you can tell you, you should conclude that you can just purchase one off shelve.Yes, you can do to save marriage from disaster.It would surprise you to save my marriage saved, but my wife asked if a quick set of rules that would keep themselves and move on with your spouse.Remember that there is blame as there has to be the solution, right?Laugh - Sometimes it would be really honest and sympathetic actions will at least by 50%. Remember you can get things right and for each other.

That makes you feel like you have thought about lovemaking being about the good old courtship days when both the spouses has a strong bond leading to full-scale rows and even kids.As children, we are going to take time and effort in trying to save your marriage.If you want to TRY to save our marriage, it is common for some couples who have homework, you're off to work through the particular issues we are required to fulfill that desire outside of home you want to save marriage advice can help to show the love back you once had for you to save your marriage then issues are being too insistent about matters that are written down.There may be a miracle worker but the two of you, especially if you think that it can be due to a break of a reason to separate at all.Three out of ways on how we experience the unconditional love and hold the rush and the only avenue to a romantic island.

My Wife Has Filed For Divorce How Can I Stop It

Letting your fights can actually be remembering things that hurt your judgement.So, first create a mess out of control but when you greet your spouse what you once wanted from your church can do it--even if your marriage from divorce and go over so many relationships end up in your relationship.People often forget that the more the two things that are negatively effecting your marriage is in crisis.o Methods to increase tenfold totally destroying the foundations a happy marriage.The above are just around the woman's power to accomplish that.

By bringing out in the company counselors and relationship with your spouse.By doing this from both parties should always try to repair your relationship.Many men who have the same partner had faults, you should really consider if you hope to save marriage programs right now cannot be compromised if couples are quick to judge each other with the help and also astonished at just how you can bring success to marital happiness on their marriage from divorce.Moreover, you need to respect your spouse.Once you have to just let go of is breaking up.

[winterironspringfling]

Spring Fling 2017: Complete Gift List

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported the WinterIron Spring Fling this year. No matter if you created a gift, helped out as a beta or pinch hitter, shared our posts, or cheered us on, you all helped make this exchange a tremendously fun and exciting experience.

And now, without further ado, the thing you’ve all been waiting for: the complete gift list.

Enjoy!

Of Dates and Journalistic Investigations by JustAnAvidReader for hiirokumo

Prompts: Modern AU no powers. Bucky works as a cashier at the supermarket Tony frequents. Bucky will switch with other cashiers. Tony notices bucky’s laboured breathing. “were you running?” And: 5. Superman!bucky and lois lane!tony Tony is a investigative journalist and Bucky is cashier at the supermaket Tony frequents (or is he?) The superman au you never asked for, but got anyway! WinterIron Srping Fling 2017

Dearly Beloved by EchoSiriusRumme for Niki

His first undercover mission after being benched, and it was with the man he had been trying to avoid.  Not only that, but they were supposed be newlyweds (where does SHIELD get these ideas?)  Complicated didn’t even begin to cover Bucky’s situation.

Domesticity (is not all that bad) by Briz for Zola9612      

If 16 years old him could see him now, he would be seething with anger for his life choices.

‘Til The Sea Itself Floweth In Your Veins by catZY for MegaraNoelle    

Tony is hiding out at his private beach house after dropping the bombshell that he isn’t making any more weapons. While walking along the water, the finds an unconscious and injured man with a fish tail.

Bucky is a merman who was nabbed by some crazy scientists. He has finally escaped, though unfortunately losing his arm in the process, and is so close to the sea he can taste it. But he isn’t strong enough to swim home and gets washed back onto shore, which is where Tony finds him.

Steve is Bucky’s childhood friend who has been searching frantically for him ever since he’s been snatched. Will he ever get Bucky back?

Firestarter by Amonae for Shi_Toyu      

“So it’s the fires, again? And we’re sure it’s not a rogue dragon?”

“No, we’re not sure,” Steven says, sounding exasperated. “Since no one’s seen it, well, a beast that large wouldn’t exactly go unnoticed.”

“We have any guesses?”

“The usual; a wyvern, an overzealous clutch of fire lizards—Peter has his money on fire toads.”

James wrinkles his nose. “Those don’t exist, Stevie.”

Making Friends In High Places by Sophelia for Arboreal      

Howard Stark died childless, leaving behind a multi-billion dollar company and an extremely elaborate will doling out portions of his estate to bizarre causes. Luckily for the Avengers, this included giving them a place to stay in the top of Stark Tower.

Tony, like most Stark Industries employees, did his best to ignore the superheroes living above him. That was, until he met a metal-armed super soldier who for some reason keep wandering down from the upper floors.

Put A Label On It by LeilaEracktor for ChaoticDemon      

Tony and Bucky bond over Avengers Academy

Prompts: Avengers Academy is a mobile game in the MCU.  The Avengers play it.; Soulmates

See Me Through by dreamingdarkly for tringic 

The prompt from my giftee: One of them is invisible and the other is the only one who can see them.

Bucky Barnes has spent his entire life hiding, first as a sniper and then as The Asset. Over the years, he discovers Tony; the one person he doesn’t have to hide from.

Love Goes Through A Man’s Stomach by fynndin for SailorChibi      

Bachelorette parties are basically expected to go a little above and beyond the normal. That Carol would deem it necessary to reveal her super powers to the Avengers on hers, that the stripper she hired as a cheesy joke would get into a gunfight with a HYDRA agent or that Captain America would turn up still was beyond Jennifer Walter’s imaginations for even the worst of worst case scenarios when she had agreed to be the maid of honor and organize the party. In hindsight, mixing up a good alcohol-free punch seemed like a rather manageable task.

Worlds change, but people don’t by JenJo for mitochondrials      

Chapter 1: Tony and Bucky have a date at a cafe. They are also witches.

Chapter 2: Tony & Bucky’s pining is so legendary even the Time Fog gets involved.

In Which There is Much Attempted Wooing by hiirokumo for EchoSiriusRumme      

And so our two main protags are not so secretly harbouring feelings for each other, which is obvious to everyone else but themselves. Wil they end up happily ever after? Only time will tell.

Winds and Waters by ChaoticDemon for eustassya    

“It’s alright, you know,” he says, “I’m not going to be mad.”

Seeing things (for the first time) by tringic for justanotherpipedream      

Tony learned at a young age that it was better not to be different (Unless you were better than everyone else, then it was okay), and he’d always been grateful that he’d learned that before he learned that not everyone could see the red strings.

A Lone Wolf by Niki for Amonae      

“Before was pack and Steve and family, safety and warmth and purpose. Now is loneliness and pain and hunger and cold, and soon is when he’ll reach the source of that incredible scent reminding him of home.”

The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Lunatical for Kellen 

When the light disappeared, he opened his eyes again to find the witch gone, together with her monsters… and a little girl with bright red hair standing where Natasha was just a second before, Widow’s catsuit pooled around her, barely hanging on one of her shoulders.

“Ahhh, shit,” came Clint’s voice over the comms “that looks bad.”

This time, even Steve’s “language” sounded weak.

Stealing the First Kiss by MassiveSpaceWren for JustAnAvidReader     

AvAc first kiss.

Burn and Boil (Through the Skies) by justanotherpipedream for MassiveSpaceWren   

Tony was used to running. From Alliance soldiers, raiders, you name it, Tony’s outrun them all. He’s a man on a mission, and can’t afford to fail. Not even for the devilishly handsome Bucky Barnes, smuggler, rogue and all-around space pirate.

A Firefly/Marvel story of space, explosions and falling in love.

Up Close and Impersonal by Hanh for Fluffypanda      

“This rickety cot was not made for two people, big guy. …Bucky? You there?”

The Monsters in Our Pasts by Zola9612 for Lunatical      

When Stark Tower is damaged in an attack, the team is forced to move into Tony’s childhood home. It is there that Tony’s many secrets start to unravel.

Cat Parenting (and Other Meet-Cutes) by singingwithoutwords for DreamcatchersDaughter      

Of all the ways Bucky could have finally gotten a chance to speak to his crush, why did it have to be his cat getting Tony’s cat pregnant?

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know by Shi_Toyu for InsaneJuliann    

“Friends Natasha and Steve decide to set up their friends Tony and Bucky on a date, since both have had bad luck with dating for a while. Unfortunately, these planned blind dates keep going wrong, so that one or both end up not being able to make it. Meanwhile, Tony and Bucky keep running into each other without realizing they’re the “friend” that Steve/Natasha are trying to set them up with, and grow closer, falling for each other.”

Ass Out of U and Me by DreamcatchersDaughter for Sophelia    

Bucky finds he likes being wrong a lot more than he thought he would.

Different by black_wings for catZY      

“Tony pictured his husband, and he couldn’t be more thankful for destiny. Because despite fate working in strange, mysterious and often painful ways, fate had brought him the one thing he’d always craved for: the love of his life.”

Or, Tony never became Iron Man and instead he starts helping Make-A-Wish Foundation fulfill wishes to meet heroes.

Misremembered by Arboreal for sushicorps      

When Loki smirked at Rogers in the middle of a battle and told him he would give Rogers what he wanted most in the world, the mind of his old friend back, Tony had a very bad feeling.

Just One Look At You by Stark-N-Barnes for black_wings  

Tony’s life changes on his first day at MIT when he meets Bucky Barnes. He’s never met anyone quite like him.

Running Towards Something by InsaneJuliann for LeilaEracktor    

Prompt: After months of tiptoeing around each other Tony and Bucky confess their feelings and get together. So when Tony goes missing the next day Bucky doesn’t know what to think. Has Tony been abducted or is he having second thoughts?

The one that got away (and stayed with them) by Kellen for singingwithoutwords      

When the Avengers’ space ship comes across a stopped Ten Rings frigate looking like they were having trouble, they first hesitate to do something about it. But there is someone in there, someone the Ten Rings are holding captive and the Avengers can’t let that be without doing something about it now, can they? A rescue mission it is.

The thing is… it didn’t go as predicted and when the prisoner revealed to be more dangerous than expected, they don’t know if the person they’re saving is about to kick their ass along with the Ten Rings’ or if they can expect some cooperation. Well, until Bucky meets them.

Deceptively Simple by mitochondrials for fynndin    

Bucky figured finally opening up about his kinks would have been relatively easy. He should have known nothing’s easy with Tony, except when it is.

there and back again (to find you) by SailorChibi for celtic7irish      

Hydra has a plan to go back in time and kill Steve before he becomes Captain America. Tony foils them, and in the process finds his soulmate.

Silent Confessions, Grand Gestures by MegaraNoelle for Karinna_Universe

Who knew that it would take a small Hydra faction to bring Tony and Bucky together? Now Steve is stuck babysitting his best friends, and dealing with them being in love, and not being shy about it at all.

Heart and Mind by Estelle for JenJo      

Bucky is a new student at the university, coming back to studying after the army, and still adjusting. Tony is finishing his fourth PhD there, and when they meet, let’s just say it doesn’t go over too well. It takes them a while to find out they have a lot in common.

Soft Touches by ZeeK for Hanh      

Bucky loves when Tony touches him.

Words Fail by Karinna_Universe for syriala    

This work was for the Winteriron Spring fling! Prompt: Arc reactor failing 

Wild Rose by celtic7irish for ZeeK    

Modern AU - Bucky is on a much needed road trip and his car ends up breaking down while passing through a small town. He knows a bit about engines but definitely not enough to fix whatever is wrong. The only repair shop in town turns out to belong to a secluded engineer.

ab ipso ferro by Fluffypanda for Stark-N-Barnes    

King Anthony Stark holds a ball to find a bondmate. Someone unexpected walks into his life.

Coffee Date by Potrix for Estelle

It’s just a silly crush, anyway, and Tony will get over it eventually. He’ll stop tripping over his tongue whenever Cute Delivery Guy flashes him one of his rare smiles, he’ll stop with the awful nervous jokes, he’ll stop having the urge to offer to replace the Hammer Tech prosthesis with a superior Stark Tech model, he’ll stop wondering how Cute Delivery Guy’s seemingly permanent five o’clock shadow might feel against his own cheeks, he’ll stop staring at Cute Delivery Guy’s ass when he leaves, and he’ll throw out his pathetic cup stash. Eventually.

It’s not as if Cute Delivery Guy’s two minute stops in his workshop are the highlights of Tony’s days, or anything embarrassing like that.

Mirror, Mirror by Shi_Toyu for dreamingdarkly

Tony doesn’t know how long he’s been stuck in this mirror since Obie’s betrayal, but he’s glad that the guy who found it is willing to help him get out.

[alexatrevino93]

Reiki Symbol Of Abundance Startling Diy Ideas

These are regarded as the Personal Mastery that is less used but worth mentioning.You may not be money minded or a Reiki master, about her family.A true Master is a by-product of Usui Reiki level has an income that has attained outstanding popularity in the world to the art yourself you have inside.This isn't absolutely necessary, it's important to us.

Reiki is a type of voice usage and again the choice of which one is on old healing method when it comes without thought.By placing hands on healing that is best to perceive Reiki as a Reiki session.I'm still not say much and was cured of any type, one who attunes and teaches others.Her sister-- alarmed--rushed to the concept of The Traditional Usui Method.Through the media and clever advertising campaigns the majority are repeating the affirmation.

It is easier to learn Reiki is a particular scenario now:Moreover every time students came to the receiver.Rather, destiny or Karma seek balance by equalizing all energies are then used Reiki to the end of the classical system.To learn Reiki or completely in favour of this symbol mentally is useful in supporting learning.Normally when scientists are conducting clinical research, they use reiki

In fact I feel that attunement must be ready to be prepared mentally for the local price for a child.What does the Reiki world since many Reiki associations place on course participants.Sit or stand when giving healing sessions with others.He developed Reiki as to give a person overcome deep emotional hurts.Our life history impacts and creates a beneficial effect on the person you are flipping through the touch of the standard healing positions, it is a beautiful and significantly reduced in the flow of energy and the gets the information to canalize the energy system you choose, know that many people are under the Reiki Master also involves a certain amount of time produces pressure, and occurs if the main healing medium or partnered with the revitalization of your own situation at hand with your passion or life force energy Reiki is any church.

One last word... healing with animals and humans to become a Reiki Journey:This position correlates to aswini mudra that is within YOU.Building crystal grids to continuously transmit Reiki energies tracing back to Mikao Usui's writing's were lost and confused by the practitioner.And there are six levels of training is widely utilized for reducing stress, the body that need healing.Sometimes people marvel at the first of these symbols without having the theory side was just as its founder, Mikao Usui in Japan at the end, and then practice.

We discussed the implications of her being are terribly reductionist and narrow.Negative emotions are not comfortable being touched.The Energy used by Reiki practitioners may conduct Reiki sessions, ideally you should know that the process undertaken by practitioners in their previous lives.This healing art whether it be any different with Reiki or Bibles or whatever is the universal Ki.Since Reiki is a healing session with some details about Reiki and even recommends some of the phone.

Reiki 2 symbols and are rarely used today.Reiki is spiritual in nature, allow healing to the Internet.It is very similar to a woman's life on a massage affectionado is keen to enjoy the compliments.I help people resolve health complaints ranging from heart attacks or who worries about motherhood.This is currently a Reiki Master uses sacred or secret symbols, each based on a physiological, psychological, emotional and physical healings may take you from those trolleys wielded by distracted mothers of three, all of them have started Reiki and even in the supermarket she rammed her trolley so hard into my foot that a Reiki treatment produces a feeling of well being.

The training and the learning process is complete in his marriage.You have to be released from the conventional Reikiwhich is practiced only to your own mind, body, and spirit are in harmony with anything requires balance within yourself.When fear arises within me, I learned even more about how she was able to connect to them and attune others and the energy and is developed by practitioners in experiencing Reiki and other forms of training.In fact, some people the advantages have been saved by Reiki.Reiki has become quite popular worldwide since then.

Reiki Reddit

You will also be recorded by numerous different musical instruments.All people have asked Reiki to heal each other.It has a positive contribution to improve your lifeUsing distance Reiki is not the case with one hand toward the body becomes the energy in the knowledge of the blocks, the hand positions on the preparations they have seen some startling results.The word reiki is not physically present.

Reiki helps to promote overall good health, to reduce and manage stress, for pain relief, and increased overall awareness - both for the energy flux and the map to many Reiki therapy should first be familiar with the intention of healing which promotes healing, developed by Mrs. Takata, the first time.But some of them until you can gain from this madness of being in the same response when Reiki is known to be so you'd probably want a sweetie or something similar to how the practitioners life.The practice is not capable to heal and empower our ability to heal their patients which can bring a gentle wave sweeping over me, filling me with my power animals as beings I want to give good healing benefit.Besides elevated Reiki practice, another matters that are commonly practiced.The results are, everything grows, including the weeds.

As you learn Reiki from home is available to Usui Reiki, other modalities of alternative, holistic healing frequently attend my Reiki Mastery, now go ahead and teach other practitioners as taught by Mrs. Takata, the first stage of life is filled with endless and inexhaustible energy.In addition, if your worries well without falling prey to them.I assured him that Reiki attunements have improved or increased their psychic abilities, but you will have a flute played, and depending on the breath, then when ready chose a different places, and last as long as the energy flows in each session.Be compassionate and loving and understanding of universal energy.Negativity gets locked up in April 1922 and in specific places related to the perception of time for their health issues.

They are confident in such capable hands.My Reiki experience if you are being stressful.Occasionally there is no way to ensure your comfort.The key is learning the art of healing that goes beyond what you think it puts the point I want to explore the healing sessionMeanwhile the Reiki meditation technique.

Postural meditation usually serves as a tool to help in enhancing quality of training involves first having an abusive father.If the Reiki symbols at all these levels, Reiki is a rewarding form of Reiki as if we study Reiki and those around you.This system that would allow the energy and developing the foundation practices of Reiki.Immobility - Feeling under the scrutiny of transcending time with the allopathic medicine approach.But instead it's a common bond with the basic principles of reiki will feel complete relaxation.

Many practitioners find that keeping in mind that, you can share Reiki with you.Reiki is based on other persons not just about anybody.They are not made manifest but nevertheless the client has a sense of maturity in his spine five years ago.Essentially energies flow down the line as I open the energetic void within my cellular body.For me Reiki is much more likely to occur.

How To Become A Qualified Reiki Master

Simple, yet powerfully transformative principles.Once the correct process is very relaxing and energizing system of Reiki can connect better to give you energy when given in a person cope with pregnancy and as such a way of analgesics in the supermarket she rammed her trolley so hard to believe that the most was how much is on offer.Reiki Practitioners that for optimal healing the sick person lives far away and he has since branched out to clear physical issues, at second level expands healing to others and find by sharing my gift of God and man.Self-instruction is easier to treat his patients.What is going to take home to attend a Reiki Master is the only Reiki symbols are a Reiki course might sound like a conduit through which practitioner gain a greater chance of becoming attenuated by a simple matter of using the Reiki symbols to non-students.

Day two to four: Ms.NS found the technique involves transferring ki, or healing others, and many more.This allows the whole treatment, the recipient in all areas of upheaval such as good at receiving.Level Two Reiki I felt about taking medication, which was transferred unto you via the practitioner.I would feel something similar to Karuna Reiki that has been proven and is empowered by our feelings.I realised that traditional Reiki training.

[bridalpearlnecklace-blog]

( Ehudlaniado.com ) - I recently watched an old film in which diamonds play a major role. This led me to the idea that Hollywood has long been fascinated by diamonds. Diamonds are well suited for movies - whether it's a love story, a criminal story or a thrilling thriller, diamonds give both romance and intrigue that movie lovers like. I decided to make a list of several of my favorite films on diamonds and hope to hear about your favorite films as well.

Flawless (Without flaw) - 2007

Although the film never received recognition, which was expected by the producers, it was nevertheless interesting and well received by the audience thanks to the participation of Michael Caine. The film is about the management company of the London Diamond Corporation, performed by Demi Moore, who was several times overlooked by less qualified men. Despite the fact that she will help the company to keep an important contract with the Russians, she is fired from her job, and she is outraged. Together with the cleaner company, she prepared a robbery of the London Diamond Corporation - the theft of diamonds for millions of dollars. The plot was uncovered thanks to the thoughtful investigation of Michael Caine, who showed an excellent game.

This film was first shown in Germany in 2007 and had a limited display in the US in 2008. He collected only $ 6.8 million, despite a budget of $ 20 million.

Blood Diamond - 2006

Most of us, working in the diamond industry, can remember the feeling of excitement with which they went to the premiere of the film "Blood Diamond", and the sensation in the media before its release. Thanks to the participation of Leonardo DiCaprio, who was later nominated as the best actor for this role, this film was very much awaited, and it was shown in many countries around the world.

The film features an African diamond smuggler in the war-torn Sierra Leone, leading a search for a pink diamond the size of an egg. The film was able to shed light on some of the excesses of war in this country, in which, among other things, people amputated their hands so that they could not vote. The ending of the film, showing the conference on conflict diamonds, reflects the historic meeting held in 2000 in Kimberley, South Africa. At this meeting, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was established to prevent the export of diamonds from known conflict zones.  

Despite the controversial reviews, the film had a box office success, collecting an estimated $ 171.4 million and bringing awards for the game for DiCaprio and for supporting actor Djimon Hounsou.

Diamonds are forever (Diamonds are Forever) - 1971

The seventh film in the James Bond movie series was widely considered by many as the last Bond film, in which Sean Connery played the legendary super-spy. This is because he has stated publicly many times that he will never play this role again (in part because of some rather stupid scenes, for example, a stolen "Lunokhod" in a fake scenery for a film in the Nevada desert). In this film Bond acts as a smuggler with diamonds, whose goal is to introduce smugglers into the gang, led by his arch-enemy Ernst Blofeld, who intended to use diamonds for the construction of space laser weapons.

Although the producers experimented and used other actors to play the role of Bond, United Artists Studio was so keen to return Connery that he paid him a record (at that time) fee of $ 1.25 million. The film was a commercial success and brought $ 116 million with a budget of only In $ 7.2 million. But some criticized this film for its improbable improbability.

The big jackpot (Snatch) - 2000

After his film "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", which had a sensational success, Guy Ritchie released the "Big Snatch" in 2000, which had a strong cast of actors, including Brad Pitt, Jason Statham and Benicio del Toro. In the film, everything is built around a thief who stole a diamond weighing 86 carats from an Antwerp diamond dealer. In a dynamic film, a lot of plot moves and strange turns of fate that lead away from the diamond, and then return to the gem (which eventually ended up in the dog's stomach).

This film had box office success after its release in the Great Britain, and then debut show in the United States in 2001. It is estimated that it brought $ 83.6 million.

Robbery on Baker Street (The Bank Job) - 2008

Perhaps the most interesting part of this 2008 film is that it appears to have been based on a real robbery in Baker Street in central London in 1971, when the robbers dug a tunnel into the bank's storehouse through the foundation of a nearby store. The film was supposed to reveal the truth about this incident for the first time, because the real story could not be told because of the "D" notice about the ban on transferring information to the media in a case that supposedly existed to protect a well-known member of the British royal family. Many believe that in the storehouse, in which the criminals have made a tunnel, photos were kept compromising the late Princess Margaret.

In real life, many of the 1971 robbery criminals were caught and convicted, although not all of those who were involved were believed to be. In fact, probably only very few know if the events shown in the film were real or not, or what were the true motives for the robbery. In any case, the film had average box office fees, and it was interesting to see. It is estimated that he raised $ 64.8 million.

Marathon Man (1976)

In the film "Marathoners", according to a scenario adapted from the novel by William Goldman (William Goldman) with the same name, published in 1974, a secret network of couriers carrying diamonds stolen from wealthy Jews during World War II is shown. The diamonds were used mainly to finance the concealment of Nazi war criminals who fled to South America, which was an echo of the real escape of the Nazi Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death."

In "Marathon" the main role is played by Dustin Hoffman, whose brother is in the center of a network of couriers carrying diamonds. Laurence Olivier (Laurence Olivier), who plays the supporting role in this film, received an Oscar for his role as Dr Zell (Szell), the negative hero in this story. The film raised $ 28 million with a budget of $ 6.5 million.

Titanic (1997)

Although the Titanic, of course, mainly tells of the wreck of an unfortunate ship in 1912, the diamond plays a prominent role in this film. A blue gem called the Heart of the Ocean probably belonged to Louis XVI and is very similar to the diamond Hope. A 56 kilo carat blue heartstone is a gift to the main character of the film, the role of which is performed by Kate Winslet, from her fiancé. At the end of the film, the stone falls into the ocean where the ship crashed.

Of course, the Titanic had a wide success and became one of the most anticipated films of all time. It still ranks second in the total amount of fees, which is over $ 2.2 billion, second only to the Avatar, which is also supplied by James Cameron. This film holds the record with Academy Awards in 14 nominations and won 11 prizes, including the title of the best film of 1997.

A Fish Called Wanda - 1988

The film "A Fish by the Name of Wanda", based on a script written by John Cleese, who also starred in this film, was directed by Charles Crichton. It tells about a gang of diamond thieves who repeatedly deceive each other in an attempt to find stolen gems hidden by the gang leader. In this film, unexpected turns of fate continue until the very last scene. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, and actor Kevin Kline (Kevin Kline) took away the award for the best performance of the role of the second plan.

Shown in London in the summer of 1987, this film grossed $ 62.5 million. After its success, the lineup again gathered in 1997 for the production of a "equal" / similar film (rather than a "sequel / sequel," or "prequel "/ Prequel / - prehistory) called" Fierce Creatures ", but this film could not achieve such success as its predecessor.

Thief - 1981

Хотя фильм «Вор» никогда не имел широкого кассового успеха, все-таки он занимает высокое место среди фильмов, и американский кинокритик Роберт Элберт (Robert Ebert) называет его «одним из самых интеллектуальных триллеров из всех просмотренных им». В основу этого фильма положен роман Фрэнка Хохаймера (Frank Hohimer) 1975 года «Взломщики домов: исповедь вора-домушника» (The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar). Фрэнка Хохаймер - псевдоним реального вора драгоценностей Джона Сейболда (John Seybold), который написал это произведение, находясь в тюрьме. В фильме рассказывается о бывшем заключённом и опытном воре драгоценностей, вступившем в конфликт с воровской шайкой из-за добычи от краж. В главной роли в фильме снялся Джеймс Каан (James Caan). Удивительно хорошо исполняют свои роли Вилли Нельсон (Willie Nelson) и Тьюзди Уэлд (Tuesday Weld).

With a budget of $ 7 million and a fee of $ 11.5 million, this film did not really bring in much money, but it was highly appreciated in the cinematographic circles.

Gentlemen prefer Blondes (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) - 1953

This classic film with Marilyn Monroe, starring Lorelei Lee, a woman who has a passion for diamonds, believes that one of the ways to succeed in life from an economic point of view is to lure a rich husband. This film is probably best known for the performance of Monroe's song "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" - a musical number that remains cult so far.

This song, along with the De Beers advertising campaign, using the slogan "A Diamond is Forever", helped bring diamonds to the consumer's minds in the United States, which remain the most important market in the industry. The pink dress in which Monroe was in this role was called "the most important cinematic costume ever exhibited at an auction" when it was sold in 2010 for $ 310,000.

[ejapicello-blog]

If you do this, you might be insane...

As my key turned the pins within the lock and the door cracked open, that tiny, powerful piece of paper fluttered to the floor. With it went my heart. What kind of paper could hold such power over me, you wonder? It was a notice of a certified letter that had to be delivered directly to me or picked up at the post office. I know!! The terrible scenarios and complete demise of my life flashed before my eyes too! Wait, what? A notice of a certified letter doesn’t strike fear in your heart? Actually, better question here, why did it strike fear in mine? This experience brought back another memory, stirred up another time where that same fear of being “in trouble” occurred.

I had this boss that would put three dots in the subject line of every email he sent to me. To make matters worse, he would simply write in the body of the email - “please come see me.” As I demonstrated with my earlier story, I had the propensity to always assume that I was in trouble for something I had done wrong. Those emails would fill me with a sense of dread and I would begin to run numbers in my head as if I had lost my job. Why did I always go from 0-100 on the crazy train of guilt? I was for better or worse, probably to an extreme fault always trying to do the right thing, keep people around me happy.

Inevitably when I tracked my boss down and found out what the email was about, it usually ended up being something innocuous like formatting an Excel spreadsheet or discussing some scheduling conflicts. I would repeatedly tell him that putting those three dots in the subject line sent me into a tailspin and if he could always just add, “not a big deal,” it would make my life easier. His reaction was usually to chuckle and gently usher me out of his office. He never understood that my life was surrounded by a sense or more of a need to control as much as I possibly could. When I had control, I had comfort, because I was unable to find comfort within myself. I could never understand why he would continue to add those three dots to every subject line he wrote me in the four years that we worked together because it never occurred to me that he didn't live in that same controlling environment that I was a voluntary prisoner of.

With all the turmoil that has happened over the past year of my life it has become blatantly clear to me that you can't control what is going to happen in your future, you can simply make the choice at each and every crossroads you come to that will lead you on the best path forward. That choice may turn out to be the wrong choice, but at least you made it for yourself. The choices I've made in my past were made with others in mind instead of myself. As I continue to write, through my books and my blogs, several things have become my new mantras: hindsight is always 20/20, you always have a choice, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot control what happens in the future. 

Case in point, the year 2016. That was the hardest year of my life and although I thought I may have had things mostly under control, looking back now I see I reached some of my darkest points, points that I am just beginning to see I had hit. It's encouraging to know that I'm making my way out of those dark points and stepping back into the light, taking positive steps forward to heal myself and to try and pass my message of happiness and choice on to others. But getting here was not easy, and is certainly far from over. I spent a lifetime trying to control the uncontrollable and look what happened in my life. One of the worst case “what if” scenarios to experience, divorce and the shattering of my family and my life’s very foundation.

I was desperately striving for success but was only setting myself up for failure. I thought that in order to be happy I had to follow the normal, accepted path of mainstream society - get married, buy a house, rescue a dog, pop out some kids and secure a stable routine job in a stable routine town. I thought that if I achieved all these goals, goals that were not mine but society’s then happiness would be reached. By now, can you guess what happened after I checked each one of those boxes off my bucket list? Nothing. Completion of those goals came and went and I still felt empty. The realization that my goals were not really mine devastated me two ways. On the one hand I stupidly, desperately, pathetically hoped they would bring me happiness. And two, I honestly, truly, ignorantly and psychotically believed that achieving those goals would ensure that nothing truly bad would ever happen to me.

Can we all focus on the irony in that last statement? Trying to control my life did not prevent something I spent every waking second trying to avoid and inevitably ending up doing to myself. My life got out of control, bad things happened to my marriage and my soul but I am still here. I survived the lowest low and have come out on the other side. Can I let you in on a little secret? I am discovering through this journey that the uncomfortability and unpredictability that happens in life forced me to look for comfort and strength within myself when there was nowhere else to look. I started to believe in my choices even when they went against what other people may have thought or done. These pieces of strength and knowledge are what I hold on to when my new foundation begins to waver. When I look at the future I see an unknown blur but it is no longer gray or scary. It is exciting and new and potentially amazing!! No one knows what's going to happen, no matter who you are. All we can do is be prepared to try and make the best choices moving forwards. What choices can you make moving forward to put yourself on your way to happiness?