#to make up for no new art ive been crazy tired <- guy who has a terrible sleep schedule and chronic illness | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

disaster-fruit · 4 years ago

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could you tell us more about the brarg family au with the 3 babies and trans luci?

I definitely can! This au has been living rent free in my head since i started that drawing and I was actually sketching more stuff for the AU right before I got this ask so- I definitely can ramble more about it

This was supposed to be just a collection of a few hcs and now it’s a multi-pages word document the size of a fanfic so – Im really sorry.

I didn’t think a lot about their backstories tbh, though I have it in my mind that Luciano transition in his late teens and that he and martin either met after that or knew each other before luciano came out, lost all contact, and then met again after (and you can blame oxiosas fic for that yeah im not even subtle)

But I imagine them having some sort of meet cute and kinda progressing really fast in their relationship without realizing – yk, its just a fling, no big deal, yeah ive met his parents, yes I basically spend every weekend in his apartment, yeah I have a spare key now, ops I guess we’re adopting dogs and plants together- oh I think we’re married. Yeah. We’re married.

Ok but for real Luci does the proper proposal-with-a-ring-and-knelt-down-on-a-special-day thing and Martin is just bright red saying yes over and over again

It is Afonso (port) the first to be all WHERE ARE MY GRANDCHILDREN like… the night of their wedding.

They live in a house in a not too big city with two dogs, one cat, one parrot and all the birds that Luciano feeds and names that aren’t actually theirs. Still, they choose the house with two spare rooms because they always talked about having two kids.

In this AU they can buy a nice house and don’t have to worry about money and can raise kids like the world isn’t ending.

I think right after they got married they got in line for adoption. However, everything indicated that it would take a long long time so they started talking about the possibility of trying to have a biological kid. I think luci was the one to suggest it when he noticed martin had been thinking about it but not saying anything for a while.

Lots of boring doctor visits and confused doctors looking at luciano and trying to process it like the dumb cishets they are. Boring exams and all that, but everything is on track eventually, luci pauses his hrt and keeps his jockstrap on the drawer and they’re googling the best positions for fertility on those weird cishet sites and doing it like bunnies etc etc

Getting pregnant the natural way after years of testosterone is not the easiest thing in the world, so it takes a while. But eventually it works.

Both of them are kinda freaking out with this whole first pregnancy thing. Martin is the ultimate protective husband, and spends way too much time on the internet finding out what luciano can and can’t eat, what exercises he should do, and going to every single doctor visit. He’s very committed to it.

Luciano has to drink non-alcoholic beer and hates life. There’s a single teardrop shed every time he buys it. And drinks a lot of lemonade like it’s the same as caipirinha. Poor guy. Martin doesn’t help on that, life isn’t fair, he buys his own beer.

But he also has to drive absurd lengths to find the weirdest fruit or make the most hideous, blasphemous pizza toppings because Luciano is constantly craving absurd shit. But poor baby actually really NEEDS that chicken M&M pizza at 8am.

They’re super proud daddies though, and both their instagrams at this point are just baby belly pictures. Luci had top surgery on this au on my hc so also. Lots of shirtless pics. He looks like an old uncle with a beer belly and he’s PROUD. Just. Baby bellies all over.

Martin picks the entire baby layette. Because of course he does.

Their baby shower is a huge deal though. Their dads are there, Antonio brings an entire trunk filled with diapers and tells everyone how many tincho used to need when he was a baby, Afonso is cooking for everyone and talking about how he’s gonna be a grandfather (!!!). Iracema (pindorama) is scolding Luci about his bad habits while also quietly being a super proud grandma. Zola (angola) bought toys because she knows that’s what kids actually like, Samero (Mozão) keeps asking if they installed all the necessary security stuff in their house – we will, chill, we still have some months to go – Vera (Tomé) is teasing Simão (Timor) about him no longer being the family baby, Fatima (g.bissau) is another one who bought a huge amount of diapers, Rosinha (cabo verde) is taking pictures of everyone and everything, Sebas and Dani are discussing if the kid should speak Portuguese or Spanish, Maria brought a huge pink plushy as a gift, it’s quite a party.

Once they’re late in the pregnancy, Luciano mostly spends his time on Martin’s oversized t-shirts asking for foot rubs and not getting much sleep because the baby keeps moving. Martin on the other hand is a little nervous about being a dad, but absolutely loves feeling the little kicks and talking to the baby all the time, except when its 3am and he wants to sleep but Luci cant because of it so he just does his best to keep him company. He mostly ends up falling asleep on his chest though and doesn’t help much

I wrote all of this but I still don’t have a name for the girl lol Anyway, she’s finally born, and if martin was overprotective when Luciano was pregnant, he’s ten times more with his baby girl. Tbh theyre both kinda going crazy with this whole parenting thing, both are overprotective, tired, and have no idea what theyre doing.

Zola and Sebastian are the girl’s godparents. Sebastian isn’t very good with kids so when he takes care of his niece he either puts on a tv show and lets her eat whatever crap she wants, or relies on Daniel to do the actual taking care, since he is good with kids.

Luciano and Martin are very much neurotic first-timers and have all this schedule of what their girl can eat and when and when she has to sleep etc etc.

When Zola takes care of her, she just ignores it and does it her way. She helped raised Luci since he was a baby anyway, he survived just fine and even married and reproduced, she knows what to do better than both the dumbasses, and they never even find out.

Afonso on the other had follows everything when he’s with his granddaughter, determined to be a better grandfather than he was a father, and the baby loves him so he’s doing a good job.

They’re a very cute family yes yes

She grows up well and happy, a bit shy maybe but very smart and sweet, loves the dogs and her aunts and uncles and granddads (afonso more than antonio though)

By the way, Iracema is soft like butter with her granddaughter.

When she’s about four or five years old they start talking about having a second one, considering the age difference and all. So back to doctors, Luci stops the hrt again and they go back to trying, but again it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do it naturally after years of hrt.

But god listens to the prayers of such good catholic family, and right after they start thinking about a second child, they receive the news they will finally get to adopt a baby.

Luciano is the one to receive the news, he’s working at home when the social worker comes to tell him they can finally adopt. He’s extremely happy, he hugs the poor lady and is barely able to concentrate as she explains the paperwork that is left and the details of it because he can’t stop smiling.

He immediately texts martin saying something like “CALL ME RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO TALK” and it’s in happy caps but martin understands it wrong and thinks someone is dying or dead but then his phone is what dies so he gets home as fast as he can thinking all the worst scenarios just to find luciano jumping on him with a smile for ear to ear. It’s such a shock he takes a while to react but when he does you have two idiots so happy they can’t function.

It’s another girl, she has big brown eyes like her sister and it’s a few months old.

They quickly reassemble the crib and paint the second room to get everything ready in time to take her home, and the next week or so it’s nothing but all the family visiting to meet their new baby.

Since they managed to adopt, they decided to stop trying to have another kid. Luciano goes back to the doctor do some routine exams so that he can go back to testosterone and the doctor just awkwardly explains that, well, that won’t be exactly possible. Not for the next eight months, at least.

He’s quite shocked at that, and takes him a while to tell martin. They just got a new baby and do they even have space to raise three kids? Eventually it just escapes from him and martin is shocked as well, but ultimately both of them are just worried about their place being too small, and once they relax about that they can’t shut up about having another baby on the way to anyone.

Still, it’s not easy to manage, martin is just as worried as he was with their eldest, except that this time he’s simultaneously worried about their new baby and about Luci’s pregnancy. Poor dude needs a break asap. So he’s trying to do most of the work of caring for a little baby to spare luciano from the stress, while also taking care of him as well as he did the other time.

Luci is more chill about being pregnant, he’s done this before, he’s fine. He’s even a little too chill about it, as shown in the art, he still wants to carry their kid on his shoulder and having a few sips of martin’s beer is no big deal and honestly he’s fine, he can help with the baby, and Tincho just needs to relax and it will all be fine.

Again, poor tincho needs a break.

Some things don’t change though. Them being super proud daddies who do nothing but take pictures of their kids and Luci’s belly every chance they get. And they’re really happy and excited to have their house full and this big family.

Just a good cute family AU where nothing bad ever happens thank you very much. Yet it took me almost 2k words to say it. I have no self control and I’m very sorry. However, if anyone has their own hcs to add about this whole au, I will be more than happy to hear and talk about this AU even more than I’ve already done.

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pbandjesse · 4 years ago

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I finally got to go to work at my new site! And I really like it! But today felt like a really long day. I havent worked 7 hours in a row for a while. So I am pretty tired.

I had a really hard time last night. I was really emotional and I didnt feel good still. I cried a bunch and I just felt really dumb for feeling so sad for no reason. So sleep did not come easy.

But I woke up in a better mood. It was a very grey day. And as I was getting washed up and dressed it started snowing again.

The apartment was incredibly hot. The heaters worked to well today. But it was cold outside. I had to leave here really early to go get fingerprinted and I was nervous about driving. And while I feel a lot better, my cough has gotten more annoying. Its just like a tickle that happens in the back of my throat and its very embarrassing because there is a pandemic happening around a cough!! So I try to keep it in and then I choke and sound insane. But I got washed up and dressed and said goodbye to James and sweetP and off I went into the wet world.

The snow was very pretty. But still a little scary to be out in. It was mostly just wet though. I got to the finger printing place and had trouble finding the front door but I did it and helped the uber eats guy find the door too. We were both confused.

The girl who did my prints was very nice and it was nice talking to her. I didnt have to pay because it was for the Y so that was cool. And it was a quick process. And soon enough I was back out into the snow. Wishing I had a hat and different shoes.

I went home and it was still early. I dont love starting work at 11. As it cuts into my art and lazy morning time. But It was only 930. So I had breakfast and watched a video. I worked on a new loom. And listened to James lead their very first substitute teaching class! It was super cute hearing them talking to the kids and I just felt all proud and bubbly about it.

I wish I could have stayed and listen longer. But soon enough it was time to walk to my new job.

And it wasnt a bad walk. I brought an umbrella, as the snow was wet and heavy. It would soon turn to ice and rain though so the site stayed open. All good. It is actually a really easy walk. And it turned out when I got lost the other day I was only one street over. I dont know how I had gotten lost but I made it there with no trouble at all.

I got inside and they showed me where the academic support area was. And I got to meet the people Ive been texting with and everyone was so nice! I had a really nice day actually! Its a much smaller group, closer to my PAL location. And there were even a few kids from my last site there! So that was a nice surprise.

I had to do some waiting and while I did I ended up buying a chair on Instagram from a local antique store and its super strange. It's a dressing chair and James is gonna pick it up for me tomorrow. I'm very excited.

I spent the first hour getting acclimated and showed around. Signing things and filling out paperwork. I was a little annoyed because all the paperwork I had gotten together and printed for the last site somehow got lost again and because I dont have access to it on my phone or tablet I would have to wait until I got home to sort it out so that was dragging on me. But honestly. It was a great time.

The kids are sweet. But it was a long day and filling in that time was hard. Especially because I was feeling a little run down. I did get to lead a art project and that was a great way to introduce myself. This site lets the kids watch some movies during lunch and pick up time. And we did multiple little projects in the afternoon and went to the gyms to run around. We had peaches and cheez its for a snack and I really enjoyed the peaches. I should buy peaches more.

I really like my coworkers though so thats pretty great. The one is a woman and Im only with her for the first hour, but she seems nice. The other I am with for most of the day and he made me feel really cool but it was also because he seemed really cool. And I hope we can work together well. We brainstormed some art projects and other project ideas. And he's much more into the physical stuff then me so it was fun to watch him come up with games and things in the gym. I played catch with some girls. I did try to do the lead stretching he had but I got a crazy charlie horse in my side that scared me so I stopped after the first couple stretches. I dont know what happened but I hope it doesnt happen again.

The end of the day I was just cleaning and making plans for tomorrows project. Im going to try to get them to sew. Well see how it goes. But I have a good feeling. Its a young group but not to immature. I think it will be good.

I was happy to go home though when the last kid got picked up. My new coworkers are a little nervous about me walking home which is very sweet of them. But the sun was still out and there were lots of street lights. And I was home quick.

James had put together snacks for me so I wouldnt get an upset belly while waiting for dinner. I got the best partner. We had little pizzas for dinner. And as we were cleaning up got a frantic call that apparently a pipe from our apartment was leaking into the girls below us. Aw man. So it was a frantic figure out where that water was coming from and James figured out it was coming from the sink. So we had to turn the water off there whille I ran downstairs to talk to our neighbors and get some duct tape. Mr Will is going to come in the morning to check it out. But water damage is my nightmare so I was a little unsettled.

Once we got it sorted out things felt okay. I went and did some organizing in my studio. Worked on some art. And now I am on the couch being sad about my mouth hurting but also just enjoying listening to James play monster of the week with their friends and weaving a beautiful story and it just makes me laugh and its great.

Now I am going to wash up and get in bed. I hope its an easy sleep. For you as well. Goodnight everyone! Be safe out there.

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palettepainter · 5 years ago

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(IMPORTANT UPDATES) Look back at 2019

Big changes for 2020! Hey there everyone! 2019 has come and gone, another year passed and a new chance for me to try and improve myself when the new year starts! As far as I know me and my family don’t have plans to celebrate New Years other then of course spending time together, but I want to post this now just so that it’s out of the way it’s posted and I won’t have to worry about. If I can be honest, 2019 towards the last few months of the year has been a real punch in the face..multiple punches. I’ve broken off connections with people who treated me wrongly in the past, had random breakdowns at school (don’t worry they weren’t seriously bad), had trouble with siblings - it’s been overall, a very up and down year for me, but sadly towards the end and in the running up to Christmas, it was mostly down. But hey, 2020 means the start of a new year and a new chance to grow stronger as a person and an artist!..Seriously though 2020, please be kind to me- As you can probably from what’s in the title, there are going to be a few big changes to my characters and stories going into 2020. I’ve been thinking about this stuff a lot ever since mid August, it’s been something I’ve mentioned to one or two people, but ultimately I had to make the choice. And now with 2019 gone and done and 2020 being the opportunity to start fresh, I think it’s a good time to make these announcements. I understand that this may upset a few of you and yes it is going to make things a bit confusing for my NGAU, but this is my choice and I’m confident that making this choice will lead to me being much more happier with what I make. 🔸I will not be continuing my Zoophobia: Next Generation book series To anyone new who doesn’t know what I mean, Zoophobia: Next Generation was a book series I started back in December 2018, which included my own NG’s and one or two OC’s from the fandoms Zoophobia and Hazbin Hotel. Since the first book the series has since gained a lot of attention on Wattpad, and believe me when I say that I am truly grateful for how much positive attention the series got! It was my first time ever writing something on my own and it felt really special to know so many of you liked what I was doing! But as the series went on, I slowly began to loose my drive to continue writing. This is something I’ve admitted to close friends, but now that I’m older and I’m more aware of errors in writing and certain ways in which writing can be written to be better, I realise that the series isn’t up to my current standards. The story itself isn’t one that I’m proud of, and as my first book series, I feel like I was biting off more then I could chew when I first started writing this series. Ive realised that the story line I had in mind would be too hard to work into both Zoophobia and Hazbin Hotel without me having to make very big changes to either of those fandoms current stories and/or certain characters personalities, and though yes it is my own AU so if I wanted I could change the characters to fit better with my story, but honestly, I don’t want to change the characters. The characters from Zoophobia and HH I absolutely adore and there isn’t much I want changed about them, so I don’t want to alter the characters drastically to the point where they become an entirely different character. The main drive of the story with the main characters didn’t pick up till around the second book, and when I first started writing, the story line wasn’t even finished, I was just going with the flow and linking one thing to the other, hoping people would like it just as much as I did at the time. And lastly, this is probably the biggest reason why I’m no longer going to be continuing the series, but the first couple of chapters of the first book where too heavily inspired by another book series: I don’t want to continue to create something, when I feel as if it’s been too heavily based around someone else’s work. I want to create my own stuff and I feel as though the first book just isn’t that, it’s not my own work, and that’s leaded to me viewing the first book as my least favourite. This means that from now going forward, any events that took place in the book series is now no longer cannon. Some headcannons will be changed and altered due to this, for one Eve’s Headcannon will be changing as she will now most likely be alive in my NGAU now, so the stories I had planned for her such and the stories I already posted are no longer cannon either: I will say also that this also counts for my Eve X Hatchet NG Diego, he will remain cannon and will most likely be alive also. As for the characters that where involved in the books such as Lucy, Maggot and Bumbuss, I’ll figure out what to do with them. I defiantly want to keep Lucy as she was the very first OC I ever made for the Zoophobia fandom that wasn’t a NG, but I’m unsure on what to do with Maggot and Bumbuss. As much as I now don’t enjoy the series, it was fun to write while it lasted, and I cannot stress enough how grateful I am too everyone who ever read, liked, or commented on the series! But from now on, I won’t be returning to the series. I held off on announcing this and the reason it took me so long to decide this was because I didn’t want to leave you guys without a conclusion to the story, the series was only one book away from completion and I didn’t want to cut off the series so close to it being finished. But again, the book series isn’t something I enjoy anymore, so I hope all of you can understand and will hopefully look forward to the further projects I have planned 🔸New books to come Though my main book series will now be ending, I have a lot of ideas for new book series. Since the second and third book I had been having ideas for stories that could take place after the series, and the reason I kept doing the series for as long as I did was because I really wanted to start work on the stories that would take place after the series was finished. One of my goals for the new year is to try and push out more stories and book series for you guys, I feel like I’ve defiantly been lacking in the story department, mostly because I couldn’t find any ideas for illustrations to go with the story, and because I always felt too tired to ever finish any stories or illustrations. None of these story ideas yet have fully scripted out story lines, so far they’re just ideas and until I can get a script done for them, I won’t be starting work on them. I want these books to be as great and they can be, and not only do I want to make something that I can be proud of, but something that you guys will enjoy as much as I do. These ideas are in no particular order, and I haven’t decided if I’ll defiantly be doing all of these just yet, but here are some ideas I’ve had for books/book series for the future: -A book with my NG Box explaining her past before she came to live with Ribbon -A book with my OC Willem and how he discovers another hybrid like himself -Nidra’s story as she grows up to accept a new family, while letting a beloved friend go to persue their own life -Junior reapers: a story/series of stories involving Lotus, Charcoal, Parfait and Rae as they go on a quest to become junior reapers Maybe a MHA + Dragonous story *Dragonous is a Villainous dragon AU created by shabiest (Instagram), I will need to get permission from them if I want to write a book with this AU* Recently I got into My Hero Academia, and you can all blame that on my cousin When I first saw the series I kinda rolled my eyes at it, I’ve never really been a big anime fan the style never grabbed me when I was younger: and all I can say is that I should defiantly have given the series a try sooner MHA is a series I’ve come too really enjoy and love, I love the characters the story the dialogue, everything about this show! I’ve said this before but what I love about the show is how it’s great at showing us a large range of characters without straying too far from the main plot, and how this show makes me feel: there have been times where this show has had me emotionally frustrated, sad and happy, and if a show or a movie can make me feel a powerful emotion (angry sad or other), then I’m down for it. I’ve since made a few OC’s for the fandom, and I’ve been thinking about making a book about it. It’s not scripted out yet, and some of my ideas play into some events in season 4 - but if you guys enjoy MHA and you enjoy my OC’s, please let me know your thoughts! And Dragonous, a Villanious AU I’ve come to adore! I’ve always been a big fan of dragons, they where my favourite mythical creature growing up! (And still are to this day), with the creators permission I’d like to create a book with the few OC’s I’ve made, this one may not happen because again I need permission, but tell me your thoughts! Merch Again, something I’ve mentioned before, and something I’ve been really wanting to do! Me and my dad have made a shirt design with one of my OC’s, so far it’s only black and white (we’ve decided to go simple black and white since it’s my first time making merch), and hopefully if all goes well we can start to make more colourful merch However this all depends on you guys: I may be opening up commissions in the future, though I can’t say when, but this will depend on you: I have a PayPal and a KoFi if you guys wish to support me and my work (no pressure though!), every little bit counts and it would mean so much to me if you guys would consider supporting me and my work, even if it’s something as small as a pound! 🔸Collabs/art trades/design trades/RP’s There’s nothing really big to say about these things, but I have decided that from now on that I will only do these kinds of things with close friends.

Finally, I want to say a big BIG thank you to everyone who has stuck around on this crazy train ride to support me. This year as I said at the beginning, has not been the best for me towards the end, and I am so grateful to all the support you guys gave me. I know that I'm not very good with replying to comments/messages, and I'm so sorry if I never got round to replying to your message or comment, but I do read the comments, I do see the wonderful things you guys say, and it's absolutely delightful to see the nice things you guys say! I want to give a big big BIG thank you to these wonderful people who have been there for me, whether it was to geek out over a show to if they where there for me when I needed support: @hazbinextgeneration - You've been an amazing pal right from the beginning, you where one of the very first people I met when I first got into the Zoophobia and HH fandom and you've been an absolute gem! You've been there for me when I was down and you've listened through out all of my nerd outs about characters and shows, and to have someone listen to me meant so much! You comment on nearly every piece of my work and you're always so kind and giving! Not only to me but to so many others! You've made me a lot and fanart and I'm sorry I don't nearly do enough for you in return, going into 2020, I want to change that! @cosmic-artzz - If you hadn't been there to listen to me and help me out, I honestly don't know what kind of situation I would be in now. You helped me cut off ties with people I honestly wasn't happy talking with, and despite being dragged into my drama over and over again, you where still there to listen to both sides of the argument and give advice on how I could make things better. You've always been a delight to talk to and I'm so happy we had the chance to become friends! I'm so sorry you get dragged into my troubles as much as you did dude! Going into 2020, I promise you I'll be more confident in putting my foot down when I feel as though I'm not being treated fairly! And lastly, I want to thank all of you! For sticking with me on this crazy journey! Here's to 2020 and hoping its a wonderful year!!

#Goodbye 2019!#Ready for 2020

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judgeanon · 6 years ago

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The Way of Masters

(art by Phil Noto)

So with her likely upcoming appearances in Young Justice and maybe Gotham and maybe Birds of Prey, I’ve had Lady Shiva on my mind again. Well... more than usual. And I managed to keep it bottled up so far but now I feel those urges again so let’s at least try to channel them into some hopefully decent comic book analysis. Today’s subject: why I can never get really behind any story that involves Lady Shiva teaching anyone martial arts.

Expect the usual copious amounts of NOT MUH under the jump:

The concept of Lady Shiva as a teacher comes from two main sources: Jim Starlin’s Death in the Family, which established her as a teacher for hire, and Chuck Dixon’s first Robin miniseries, where Tim Drake ran into her and asked her to train him. It was further solidified in Gulacy and Dixon’s Knightsend, where she helped Bruce get his kung fu mojo back after healing from his spine injury. And then there was Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey, where Shiva trained Dinah Lance to try and turn her into her successor. On top of all that, there’s New52 Shiva having trained Jason Todd, and while I have no idea if it’s been confirmed in canon, I’m like 90% sure she must’ve trained Damian at some point too. So it’s pretty much a solidly established fact that Shiva trains people.

And I personally find it to be a fundamental misunderstanding of her character.

(art by Brian Bolland)

Now, first of all, logistics-wise I have a problem with people repeatedly going to train with a known killer when guys like Richard Dragon are just, y’know, there. And while there’s a dozen of possible in-universe explanations that you could possibly wield (It’s faster! It’s harder! It allows you to learn her techniques should you ever have to fight her!), ultimately I think the best explanation is just that it’s more dramatic. To be trained by someone diametrically opposed to your ideology in stuff you want to know but have vowed not to use is an absolute no-brainer in terms of dramatic tension. And that’s exactly why I don’t like it from the start: because every. Single. Story. That involves Shiva training anyone always ends in the exact same place: with Shiva ordering her student to kill and her student refusing to. Or in Bruce’s case, just pretending he killed someone.

This is nothing but a pointless exercise in character reaffirmation that does nobody any favors. Of course Batman/Robin/Black Canary is not going to kill anybody. Tempting them with it is just going through the motions. It was old hat in the 90s, let alone now. And yet, in one form or another, it just keeps happening. And it keeps happening because none of these stories are really concerned with Shiva herself. They are stories about Batman/Robin/Black Canary getting stronger, with Shiva used as a tool whose characterization is based on the most surface-level reading possible of her. The problem is that these stories also feed into each other, just like how Hush establishing Shiva as a member of the League of Shadows snowballed into this hellscape where she’s literally nothing but a member of the League of Shadows. Lack of interest in her actual character creates and perpetuates these misunderstandings until nothing else exists. But now the question becomes, well, what is her actual character? Good question.

So in Denny O’Neil’s Question run, which I am never going to shut up about until everyone who even thinks about writing Lady Shiva reads through at least twice, Shiva physically and metaphorically kills Vic Sage, then saves his life. I’ve talked about this before but the short of it is that not only does she kill his body, but by presenting him with something he can’t understand, she also kills his stoic, narrow-minded idea of a black and white world. But once she’s saved him, she doesn’t stick around to train him. Instead, she gives him the address of the aforementioned Richard Dragon, who takes him in as a pupil. And this is where things start getting a bit floaty.

(art by Denys Cowan)

Because there’s a difference between teaching someone and helping them learn it on their own. Zen Buddhists know this. The idea is not to build a path for someone, or to guide them through it. The path is unique to every person and they have to walk it by themselves. But that doesn’t mean you can’t at least point them towards it. Which is what Richard does. Sure, he teaches Vic how to fight, but way later in the run, Richard explains how unimportant that is:

And make no mistake: Shiva is very similar to Richard in this aspect. Her interest in Vic is not about whether he can become a mighty warrior, but in what motivates him. She’s interested in seeing how Vic develops, and her reasons are, in her own veiled way, pretty much the same as Richard’s:

Right before this page, Richard explained that Shiva thinks Vic is fueled by a lust for combat, while he argues that it’s curiosity that motivates him. And the book never gives a clear-cut answer, showing Vic as an intensely curious creature (in fact, it was his curiosity about Shiva’s motivation that helped tear down his old black-and-white worldview) but also as someone prone to seeking the simplicity of punching dudes in the fucking face when the world gets too complex. Which is part of the genius of this Question run: nobody is ever that simple.

Now, it’s possible to transfer this to the exampled provided below and say that Shiva is similarly interested in Robin/Batman/Black Canary’s development. But only if you don’t really go any deeper than the pure surface. Because the difference here is that at no point through the entire Question run does Shiva demand that Vic take a life. She doesn’t want to prove to him that her way is superior, or that killing people makes you better. She doesn’t want Vic to become like her. She’s just interested in seeing how, once violently stripped of all his preconceived notions and brought back as an almost clean slate, he evolves. And it’s an evolution Shiva has respect for.

And that’s why I can’t get behind any story about Shiva as a teacher. Because just like Richard, she’s not there to try and tempt people to walk her same path of slaughter, sneering smugly at their heroic ideals of the sacredness of life. That’s a dangerously bi-dimensional reading of her that leads to endless rehashes of tired plotlines that go to the same wretchedly familiar places we’ve been to a thousand times before. There’s no deeper insight into the character of Tim Drake or Bruce Wayne to be gained by putting them in a situation where they’re forced to kill but they don’t. There’s no evolution, no characterization, there’s nothing to be gained except for a physical upgrade. And while they may not lose much from just going through the motions over and over again, Shiva gets it so much worse because her character is eroded by these nothing plots.

(art by Ed Benes)

In BoP, Simone tried to give Shiva a new reason to actively seek an apprentice, which at least demonstrates more agency on her part than the usual row of Bat-people knocking at her door. Simone’s Shiva is preoccupied with the future and creating a legacy, but again, that’s an idea I just can’t get behind at all. To have a character as steeped into Zen Buddhism and Taoism as Lady Shiva worry about life after death feels like a betrayal, and wanting to turn Dinah into a new version of herself clashes with everything explained above. And Starlin, Dixon, Gulacy, Loeb, Gabrych and Tynion IV don’t even try. It’s enough to make one wonder, is there any writer who actually paid attention when reading Question?

(art by Damion Scott)

Look, call this a reach, but I think there’s a pretty good reason why Lady Shiva’s first appearance in Kelley Puckett’s Batgirl has her wearing a purple coat that’s basically an update of her design in the very first issue of Question. And considering Puckett actually collaborated with O’Neil on the tail end of that run, it’s not even that far of a reach. More importantly, however, Shiva treats Cassandra pretty much the exact same way as she treats Vic: she tears her apart and then leaves her alone for a year so she can rebuild herself. That’s not to say it’s a 100% perfect callback. She does help Cass get her body-reading skills back, and sadly, some of Shiva’s kill-crazy personality has seeped in, making her give speeches about how Cassandra is a waste because she doesn’t kill and how if they are to fight they must fight to the death and whatnot. Which makes sense for Cassandra’s development since rejecting such notions is a big part of her character, although that doesn’t make it any less tired.

But ultimately, the reason why I bring up Puckett’s Shiva is because he’s pretty much the only one to actually take those aspects of O’Neil’s Shiva and bring them back into the light. In a perfect world, the whole “you must kill” thing wouldn’t exist and Shiva would just be satisfied with seeing Cassandra develop on her own. And as we move further into pure headcanon territory, I think O’Neil’s Shiva would be downright fascinated by the idea of someone becoming stronger than her in their own terms rather than just by trying to be like her in every way. Sadly, Puckett’s Shiva doesn’t stick the landing, since the respect she shows for Vic’s personal growth is nowhere to be seen here. And once Gabrych takes over, we’re right back into caricature mode, where we’ve stayed for over a decade save for that one Blackest Night Question special. Which was co-written by, big surprise here, Denny O’Neil.

I understand why writers go for it. It’s simple, it’s dramatic, it’s familiar, and it gives their characters something to brag about. “Trained by the greatest martial artists in the DCU, including Lady Shiva” is used to describe even people like Cassandra who never actually trained under her. But I think it’s an error. And I find the alternative not just more gripping and compelling but also ripe with possibilities for both characters in the equation. It forces the person writing it to sit down and think what could Shiva find interesting in each character, and how they could be changed by her presence, framing it all as a two-sided journey of self discovery rather than a melodramatic ideological struggle of which we all know the ending. All you have to do is stop treating one of the most interesting characters in modern DC as a tool to make others get better at punching.

#Lady Shiva #DC #Batman #Robin #Batgirl #Denny O'Neil #Kelley Puckett #Comic books #Ramblings #First Shiva Rant of 2019 #Look #I made it to two whole days #That's gotta count for something #Right?

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heyitslapis · 7 years ago

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Ok let's see... its been about 3 weeks since i posted last, give or take a few days. And I'll just say its been an interesting and exhausting few weeks.

Still trying to completely get over my dumbf*ck feelings for Alex. I'm not really doing a super great job at that, and still get random depressive moments that last a varying amount of time, but usually i just push my pity party to the side after about 2 minutes.

On the 3rd of June, Alex went up to see part of her family and join them on a cruise to Columbia. She said wont be back until maybe the 3rd or 4th of July at the earliest. I kinda miss her, but I feel like spending a month physically apart from her will do me some good. Her and i still snap back and fourth to save our streak and to day good morning. Whenever she cant find wifi, she turns on her dad's personal hotspot so she can send me at least one snap to keep our streak rolling (we are the longest streak we have with anyone on our snapchats, and it stands currently at 261 days.) The day after she left the streak sorta died for the day, but she was able to save it cause she was in a different time zone.

Since she's been gone, we've hired several new people at work, many if which being new hosts (thank God tbh, cause this means after theyre all done training and get a couple weeks to get used to everything i can train as a server and hopefully make a little more money). One of them is Giovanni's sister (Gio is a guy that works there. Mostly does dish, sometimes hosts.) And apparently she likes me? About a week before she started they came in to eat with their mom and after they left Gio was like "Dude, i think my sister likes you."

Hey, some random girl actually has a crush on me for the first time in my life? That's cool! Right? It would be, if she weren't 17. If i were still 18 or 19, i wouldnt really care. But now that im 20, even though we only have a 2 year and almost 6 month age difference, i still feel like its weird. I feel like im in a whole new age threshold now that ive hit that 2 decade mark, and she just seems to me like a kid. Anyway, Sammy (thats her) is bi with a preference for girls. She's very forward about asking the girls at work about their sexuality (she'll be mid convo and just be like "wait; you straight?") She makes a hobby of flirting with the straight girls, because as she says it, she can easily flirt with straight girls bc she knows she wont have a chance. As soon as she knows theyre bi or gay, she cant even really talk to them. Sammy flirts with me in excess, has asked me 3 times if im straight, or if im sure that i am (homegirl has only been here like two weeks), and the reason why is because she would happily let me break her heart, and has said thats its too bad im not gay bc if i was she would let me crush her. Also has told me that i remind her of her ex girlfriend, and when i said idk if thats supposed to be a compliment or not, she said "well i really liked her, so..." Oh and btw all 3 times shes asked, I've told her im straight (yknow, bc im not out to the irl general public) and I'll just say that having to lie outloud about my sexuality does not feel that great. Thats not something ive ever had to verbally do before, and now i understand. Tbh i dont really lie, or at least i very rarely do, bc i dont like it, and i want to be seen as trustworthy. i have told my share of lies in my day, but i feel like that was in the top 3 worst lies ive ever told. Simply because i know thats not who i am, yet im saying it anyway.

Besides that, in these last couple weeks ive:

Gotten my computer hacked and almost got scamed out of the piddly $120 dollars total that is in my bank account for me to try to live off of until next Fridays paycheck, and almost got my brother's bank account hacked (looong f*ckin story. Short version, im a gotdang fool, and people are absolute bastards), so now i cant use my computer until i get it looked at, which means no art (sucks bc i wanted to draw myself a bi pride icon)

Put in 103 hours at work in the last 2 weeks

Had our only available car break down twice

Got about half of our kitchen painted. Still need to find time to finish it

Purchased tickets for a convention, and bought almost everything i need to finish my cosplay.

Have a sore in the back of my mouth thats been plaguing me for over a week (finally starting to heal. Its been hurting to do so much as talk, much less eat or drink)

Had to deal with everyone's attitudes at work (some sh*ts going on with the moon and everyones been a pissy ass lately, and im so over it)

The pain in the ass girl at work that we've been trying to get rid of for over a year called in and quit 15 minutes before her literal last shift (Father's day) and our proprietary manager told her "its bullshit that you just found out that your other job scheduled you to work today 15 minutes before you had to come here" and "dont try to come back to this store again". Im ecstatic about it tbqh and feel a small sense of victory about the whole thing.

One of my favorite gays from work had his last shift Saturday night and im still sad about it.

It may not seem like much but its just all around every other day something else small happened to add to the weird and crazy smorgasbord that is my life.

Also bless Sammy bc yesterday was Father's Day, and because of that, i was in the building of my work at 9:45am, started working to get set up at 10, opened around 10:50, and didnt stop until about 8:50pm, 10 minutes before we closed. Our proprietary manager bought us tons of pizza and snacks in the middle of our shift so that we could all take turns having a 10 minute breather, but other than that it was non-stop work and dedication to the customer. At 9:50am my brother went to the Duncan Donuts down the road from us to get the handful of morning people either coffee or bagels or whatever they asked for. I told my brother to get me the english muffin with egg and cheese, and if they had the option, to add sausage to it. Also to tell Sammy i said hi (because she works at that Duncan also, and was there yesterday morning). My brother comes back with breakfast, hands me my food and said that Sammy made it especially for me. (At that time i was also in a bad mood bc i was tired from working four open doubles in a row, and was stressed, so that really lifted my spirits a bit. The food, and the thought that someone made it especially for me.) And i'll just say she just earned my love for the next week at least.

Anyway i think thats all for now loves. I dont have a very eventful life, but i sure do have a busy one.

#my life #avatarkorvira speaks #poor sammy thinks im quote ''really cute'' and ''f*cking adorable'' and im kinda glad she thinks im straight #like her second night training with me she asked how old i was and when i said 20 she said ''damn''#then later when i asked her age (even though i alreadu knew she was 17) she refused to tell me specifically #like shed tell anyone else (including my sister) but not me #and you see at work with certain people ill be like playfully flirty with them just as one of the many ways i show friendliness #like i do it to alex and heather and marissa and molly and several others. but theyre all adults #i know for a fact sammy is a minor. so i told her im not gonna make crude or flirty jokes with her and she doesnt like that #also i just realized that i only joke flirt with girls at work #mostly thats just because im more comfortable with the gals. that and every guy there is either annoying or nasty #and i wouldnt be able to interact with them that way without them making it really gross or thinking im actually hitting on them #and if i ever truely hitting on any of the guys at work someone smack me in the back of the head bc ew #alex #sammy

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kuriquinn · 7 years ago

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A Hole In The World [2/?]

Blanket Fic Disclaimer:

Title: A Hole In The World (continuation of this prompt)

Rating: T (for now)

Pairing: SasuSaku

Beta Reader: Not beta-read; check back at a later date for edits

Author’s Note: I was going to put this up a few days from now just to space things out, but a lot of people seemed confused about whether this was a time-travel fic or not, so I decided to post this early to give you guys a better idea of where I’m going with this.

サクラ

Sakura awakens to the sound of beeping monitors and an itch in her left hand that suggests someone has put an IV in. She frowns, not used to being on this side of the scenario.

“Sakura-sensei?” Ando asks, unnaturally tentative.

“What…happened…?” she begins, her mouth painfully dry. Her brain takes a few seconds to remember the prelude to her unconsciousness, but when she does she pnaics, shooting into a sitting position. “The poisons! They have hallucinogenic properties, and could be airborne! You shouldn’t be here, you can’t risk exposure!”

“It’s fine!” Ando cries, holding up a reassuring hand. “As soon as we got your message we locked everything down, and a team was sent in with protective gear to retrieve you. The room was completely quarantined and the science team even checked the air quality before going in for you. But it was fine. You just passed out.”

“Did you scan me for poison?” Sakura demands.

“It’s not like I’ve been working here for months or anything,” Ando grumbles, but at Sakura’s warning glare he quickly adds, “There’s nothing showing up. According to our tests, your vitals are find. If there was anything, it passed out of your system before we got there. You probably healed yourself. Though I have no idea why you passed out…do you do that a lot?”

“It was probably the energy expended healing,” Sakura muses with a frown. “Though I’ve been through much worse, it shouldn’t have hit me like that.”

It suggests whatever was in those containers was a much stronger poison than she expected.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” Sakura prompts.

“I’m sure. You’re fine. A little overworked and your make-up could use a touch-up, that’s to be expected after being unconscious for five and a half hours—”

“Sarada!” Sakura gasps in realisation. She swings her feet around, scrambling to get out of bed. “I have to pick her up!”

“You don’t have to worry about her,” Ando assures her. “Your mother called when you didn’t show up. Your daughter’s fine. In the meantime, you should stay overnight and sleep a little more.”

“I can’t, I have to be there to pick her up…”

“Ehm…maybe I’m not saying this right,” Ando hedges. “Your mother said if I let you come home without getting a full eight hours of sleep, she was going to…um…do something rather unpleasant to some rather important body parts.”

Sakura narrows her eyes. “And what do you think I’ll do if you don’t let me go?”

“No offense, but your mother scares me more than you do. You’d at least come for me face to face…I think she’d kill me in my sleep.”

“One of these days I’m going to have to figure out how my mother has managed to terrify every man in this damned village,” Sakura grumbles, sitting back on the cot. She huffs and then makes a dissmisive motion with her hand. “Fine. But if I’m going to be here, I want you running every test we have. Something happened to me, even if I’m not showing symptoms anymore. I want to know what it is.”

“That I can do,” Ando agrees.

サクラ

There’s a backlog of tests being run in the lab, and although Sakura could use her clearance to speed up the process, she doesn’t like to flaunt her privilege unless she has to. There’s nothing wrong with her at the moment, and she’d prefer the labs be working on the sick and dying than her.

Instead, she heads home to shower, then goes to pick up Sarada from her parents. She ends up agreeing to stay for breakfast, which as it turns out, is a good idea; she is surprisingly ravenous.

“I don’t remember you eating this much in ages,” Mebuki remarks as she shovels more steamed rice and natto into Sakura’s bowl. “The last time you had three servings of breakfast was when you were training with Lady Fifth.”

“You’re like a hungry clock,” Kizashi adds. “You’re keep going back four seconds.”

“Grandpa,” Sarada groans, though there’s a tug at the corner of her mouth; just like Sakura used to do at that age, she pretends to find her grandfather’s jokes lame.

“Actually, the last time I ate so much was when I was pregnant with this one,” Sakura says, absently reaching over to wipe a speck of soy sauce from her daughter’s cheek. “She really liked natto…”

“Mama!” Sarada protests, craning away from her.

“Well if you weren’t eating so quickly, you wouldn’t get food all down your front,” Sakura reminds her. “What are you in such a hurry about, anyway?”

“I have training to do,” Sarada insists importantly.

“Not until you finish your breakfast, you don’t,” Mebuki returns before Sakura can do so. “You need to eat enough to keep your energy up. And that means eating slowly, so you don’t get an upset stomach.”

Sarada opens her mouth to protest, but Kizashi agrees, “Many a true word is spoken ingest.��

This time it’s Sakura who groans, while Sarada folds her arms in front of her chest. A lump forms in Sakura’s throat because she looks so much like Sasuke when she does that!

She’s even becoming more like him, in terms of attitude.

These days, Sarada has become very quiet and withdrawn, devouring the books in their house and at the library related to the shinobi arts. She knows Sasuke is a talented ninja, because of all the stories she’s heard about him; Sakura has always told her everything about her father that she could without alluding to his mission or the darker parts of his past. And it was never a question that they would raise her as a shinobi, so in many ways this sudden studious interest is a good thing. It will serve her well when she starts the Academy in a few months.

But Sakura suspects it has more to do with Sarada trying to feel close to her father by living up to the standard he set.

One of Sarada’s tomes on well-known techniques among the clans of Konoha is always open to the chapter on Shurikenjutsu; Sakura has watched her daughter determinedly try to master it in their yard. Sometimes she wonders if she should teach her Katon, if only to help Sarada feel closer to her clan’s traditions, but she can’t get past the feeling that Sasuke must be the one to do that. Not just because he’s Sarada’s father and the patriarch of the clan, but because for him it’s such a personal thing to share.

But that brings us back to the fact he has to be here to teach it, Sakura thinks sadly.

None of them expected Sasuke’s mission to take as long as it is, and she thought he would be back before it really had an effect on their daughter.

Some days, no matter how important she knows his work is, she wishes she had argued more, or that Naruto had refused to let him go. Not that Sasuke responds well to ultimatums, but ever since the war, when Naruto offers him an opinion, he considers it. Seven out of ten times, he’ll even agree; it’s the other three that are so tricky.

It’s a rare day off, and so she tries to put all of this and the issues from the hospital out of her mind, instead running errands with Sarada in tow. They pick up groceries, shop for new shoes and clothes for Sarada—she’s growing like a weed!—and stop in to see the newest Princess Yuki movie—one of the many sequels to the Princess Gale films Naruto was so crazy about when they were kids.

All the while, Sarada remains quiet.

Later that evening, long after one of their usual quiet suppers for two, Sakura wonders if she ought to speak up. She doesn’t often ask Sarada what’s wrong directly—much like Sasuke, Sarada will insist there’s nothing wrong—and prefers a tried and true method of wordless coaxing to encourage her daughter to open up.

Just as Sarada climbs into bed, Sakura opens her mouth to ask, only to be interrupted with a question.

“Mama, what were Grandmother and Grandfather like?”

Sakura pauses for a moment, confused, and then realises that she’s being asked about Sasuke’s parents.

“I…well…” she considers. “I never met them before. They died a long time ago.”

“Oh.”

“But I think Grandma did know your Grandmother Uchiha a little bit. Maybe she could tell you a little more about her,” Sakura suggests.

Sarada’s eyes go wide. “Really?”

“Maybe,” Sakura repeats. “I don’t think they knew each other very well. But…it’s still more than I did.”

“What about Uncle Itachi?” Sarada asks, sitting up eagerly in bed. “You met him, right?”

Sakura hesitates here.

Neither occasion was exactly optimal; in one he was a deadly enemy who would have killed them all if their presence interfered with his elaborate plans—the other was in an alternate universe where it wasn’t technically their Itachi Uchiha.

“Briefly,” Sakura says. “He was a good man and a loyal Konoha shinobi.”

“What was he like?”

“You’ll really have to ask your Papa that when he gets back.”

Sarada sighs, unhappy. “So, I’ll never know.”

“Don’t say that,” Sakura chides, tapping her daughter on the forehead in affectionate reprimand. “Papa will be home soon. And you can ask him all of this.”

I hope…

“Now, it’s time for you to go to sleep. I have to be at the hospital for the morning shift, so we’re going to get up early and bring you to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”

“I don’t wanna get up early…I’ll be tired all day.”

“So you can take a nap later.”

“Naps are for babies!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot,” Sakura laughs, and begins to rise.

“Mama, can I have a story before bed?”

She sits back down. “Which one?”

“Indra and Shachi.”

Sakura’s heart clenches a little at this.

“Don’t you want to wait for Papa to come home and tell you that one?” she asks gently. It’s always been their special story, even though Sasuke is careful to end it before it becomes too dark. Sarada isn’t old enough yet to hear the entire thing.

“You tell it better,” Sarada insists, a stubborn look on her face that is painfully reminiscent of her father.

Sakura sighs, because every day, Sarada is a little more critical and a little angrier about her father’s absence.

And yet, she always asks for this story, so as angry as she is, she still misses him an awful lot.

The whole things is beginning to affect her socially, which has Sakura worried.

She practically grew up with Boruto Uzumaki; they were inseparable. And how could they not be, given who their parents were? The amount of times Sakura would come pick Sarada up from the Uzumaki household to find Boruto, Sarada and Himawari curled up under a blanket on the couch, snuggled up like little puppies. She’s taken an embarrassing number of secret photos to show Sasuke when he returns.

But…that’s just the problem,

He left; Naruto didn’t.

Boruto and Himawari could go home at the end of the day to a mother and a father; Sarada couldn’t. And Sakura’s daughter noticed, because of course she did.

She stopped wanting to be around them, to the point where she’d pick fights with Boruto, and throw a fuss whenever Sakura tried to bring her for playdates. Not long after, the same thing happened with Inojin, who Sarada suddenly proclaimed was too weird. Ino mentioned that she started getting distant when Sai began to teach their son his Chōjū Giga.

As if it’s any mystery why that would upset her…

“Mama?”

Sakura shakes her head, coming back to the present, and says, “Alright then, if you’re sure.”

She begins to relate the familiar tale, stroking her daughter’s hair as she does until the child drifts into slumber.

When she rises, her thoughts are jumbled. She usually tells the story without thinking much about it—she’s told it so many times, and considering she’s already lived it (after a fashion), it has the same consistency in her brain as a well-loved memory.

Except it makes her think about what happened in the lab today.

The last time she started to have strange dreams without warning, she spent months reliving a past life.

That was triggered by my pregnancy, though, and I’m not pregnant now.

Honestly, it felt more like that time she and Naruto were dragged into that parallel dimension of Obito’s. Except, in that case she was actively pulled through a portal and stuck there until Naruto got them out.

So what was it? Could it be work stress?

She doesn’t sleep well that night, her mind puzzling over the mysterious contents of the box, and analysing every detail she remembers from her dream.

Or hallucination.

On top of all of that, Sarada’s worries needle at her. With that sense of helplessness in the face of her daughter’s questions, an overwhelming longing fills Sakura, for the man who has carried her heart so very far away.

サクラ

The next day, Sakura wakes dizzy and nauseous; it feels like she remembers the flu feeling, though it’s been many years since she’s been sick. Ever since she unlocked the Byakugō she doesn’t have to worry about that sort of thing.

She brings an equally grumbling daughter to her parents’ house, and heads to work, feeling like her head is a wind tunnel. The whole day she slogs through her work, delegating as much as she dares to. It even comes to the point that she is forced to hand over the C-section to one of her most promising subordinates, although she observes from the gallery in case of emergency.

At the same time, she marks down observations about her condition in a notebook, trying to find some common symptoms that will clue her in to what’s happening. Halfway through the procedure, Ando wanders in with a folder that has her name on it and hands it to her. “All of the tests we ran came back negative.”

“That’s not possible,” Sakura snaps. When he flinches, she sighs and apologies, “I’m sorry. This is just frustrating…”

“I’ll keep looking.”

“Thank you.” He begins to leave, and then pauses, a startled expression on his face. “You’re…you’re bleeding.”

“Huh?”

He points to her face and she raises her hand, touching her face just beneath her nose; her fingers come away red.

Alarm bells ring in her head.

“Do the tests again,” Sakura says quietly. “Leave no margin for error, and if there’s any test you haven’t thought to run yet, run it anyway. Even if it’s completely unrelated. Whatever’s going on might show up in an unexpected test.”

“Y-yes, boss.”

He runs off to do just that and Sakura reaches for her notebook again, jotting down another symptom.

Nasal hemorrhage…never a good sign…could the contents of those vessels have had a slow-acting neurotoxin, or—?

All of a sudden, her body seizes.

Her limbs go rigid and her head slams backward in her chair as the operating room and gallery vanish around her.

サクラ

Sakura’s world jerks and she is suddenly standing in the middle of an unfamiliar street, stumbling forward.

“Sakura!”

Someone catches her and when she looks up, there’s Sasuke again—the Sasuke from her dream. He isn’t dressed in the police uniform this time, but a high collared shirt similar to the one he wore as a genin, and neatly pressed trousers.

“What’s going on?” she demands, looking around. “Where are we?”

“What are you talking about?” he asks, his brows drawing together incrementally.

“The…I was in the…?”

Sakura continues to look around, noticing tiny details about the place that tell her she isn’t in a completely unfamiliar location. She’s been here before, only…only it was a lot emptier. Her attention pulls away from her panic long enough to consider the people wandering past; people who look familiar but aren’t. Her recognition of them is based on traits that she has come to know personally in the past decade.

Dark haired, fair skinned, black-eyed people, wearing the clan crest she adopted almost seven years ago.

“This is the Uchiha district,” she says, swallowing against the subtle, panic-induced tightening in her throat.

“Last time I checked,” he agrees, sounding wary. “Sakura, what’s going on? Is this that “pregnancy brain” you were telling me about?”

She doesn’t answer him.

“This is wrong,” she murmurs to herself, watching several children wearing uchiwa symbols on their back chase each other through the street. “This…this can’t be here. I can’t be…am I unconscious?”

“It’s happening again, isn’t it?” Sasuke interrupts, his tone anxious and accusing. “You said you were fine at the hospital.”

“I have no control over what Dream-Me says or does,” she shoots bag, aggravated and short-tempered in a way she rarely is with her Sasuke.

“That’s it,” Sasuke shakes his head. “We’re going back to the hospital and getting those tests you didn’t want. And you’re calling Iruka tonight and telling him you’re not coming in tomorrow.”

“Iruka? Why would I talk to Iruka?”

“They can find a substitute for you. They should already be looking, since your leave will be starting soon anyhow,” he continues. “This is why we talked about you taking it earlier—”

Right. In this world I’m a teacher, apparently. And—

“Hold on,” she snaps. “I don’t know how things work in this universe, but there is no reality where you get to boss me around.”

His eyes widen a bit in surprise, and then he sighs. “Hormones.”

Sakura narrows her own eyes. “You did not just say that.”

Her impending murder of her Not-Husband is interrupted when someone suddenly calls out his name.

They both turn around, just in time to see an older couple saunter out from a nearby storefront. Sasuke curses under his breath, probably unhappy that their discussion is being interrupted. But he turns and bows his head in respect.

Hold on…what? When has Sasuke ever…?

“Uncle Teyaki, Aunt Uruchi,” he greets them, allowing the woman to draw him in to a hug with an expression of uncomfortable tolerance.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you, boy,” the man says, and then turns clever black eyes on Sakura. “And who is this?”

“This is my wife, Sakura,” Sasuke explains.

Oh, good, I’m not expected to know these people.

“Er…pleased to meet you,” she says for want of anything else.

The couple exchange what is clearly an uncomfortable, significant married-couple look, as well as a silent conversation, and then paste smiles on their faces.

“Ah, yes, we had heard you got married,” Uruchi says. “Congratulations.”

“Bit of a rush, wasn’t it?” Teyaki chuckles nervously, glancing at Sakura’s middle. “I suppose we know why now.”

Catching the implication, Sakura opens her mouth to snap back at the person, but Sasuke’s arm squeezes around her shoulders in warning. She intends to shrug him off, but finds his hold on her is heavier than expected.

Frowning, she tries to pull free, only to find that she can’t.

She has no strength.

What kind of world is this?!

“Now don’t mind him, he’s being rude,” Uruchi speaks up. “We all understand that circumstances don’t always work out the way we hope. You make sure you come by this way more often, dearie, you seem like a nice girl. And we make the best senbei in the village. It won’t upset your stomach or the little one’s.”

She smiles kindly at Sakura.

“That’s assuming they come back,” Teyaki points out, and then raises an eyebrow at Sasuke. The gesture is eerily similar to Sakura’s husband’s; she really isn’t used to seeing his mannerisms on anyone else but her daughter. “I take it you’re here to speak with your folks?”

Sasuke grunts in reply—at least his dislike of sharing personal information is the same.

“I just want to know what’s taken so long,” Uruchi harrumphs. “You and that father of yours are so stubborn—”

“Well, if it isn’t the runt of the family.”

Someone appears by their side, so swiftly and silently that Sakura suspects he used Shushin; he’s curly haired, and with a smile and a casual, friendly demeanour that reminds Sakura instantly of Kakashi.

“Long time no see, little cousin,” he continues, and then ruffles Sasuke’s hair in a way Sakura has seen her husband break ribs over when Naruto used to try it.

Instead, Sasuke simply jerks away, shoving the other man and snaps, “Knock it off, Shisui!”

Shisui…I think I know that name…

Sakura tries to remember what Sasuke told her about him, long ago; an older cousin, his brother’s best friend and something to do with Danzō Shimura.

“Forgive me, princess, I didn’t realise you still took offense to having your hair messed up,” Shisui replies without a hint of bother over Sasuke’s attitude. He faces Sakura and offers her a friendly smile. “Hello there. Allow me to introduce myself since my favourite cousin is too emotionally stunted to do it.”

“Shisui,” Uruchi chides.

“That’s my name.”

“At least you know that much,” Sasuke grumbles.

Shisui doesn’t seem put off by Sasuke at all. “Hey, when are you going to stop kissing ass at the police force and come join ANBU like your brother and me?”

“About the time you quit.”

“Ouch. I’m hurt. And here I thought it was because you preferred the cushy, safe jobs,” Shisui muses. “Or has uncle taken you off the roster already?” Sasuke grits his teeth at him. “Ah. I take it that’s one of the things you want to discuss with him tonight?”

There’s something entirely too innocent about his tone.

“Does everyone but me know what’s going on here?” Sakura asks out loud.

Sasuke suddenly turns to face her, eyes wide. “Sakura!”

“What? I’m just pointing out the truth here—”

“Catch her, before she—”

“I’ve got her—!”

The world tilts like she’s being shaken and Sakura tries to fight it. “Sasuke, what the hell—stop!”

But then the familiar swooping sensation of being ripped from her sleep overtakes her, and the world shifts.

サクラ

She awakens on the floor of the gallery; Ando has been trying to rouse her, apparently, and when she wakes the first thing she notices is his inability to disguise his fear.

Ando stands over her, unable to disguise his fear.

This isn’t going away in a hurry, she realises as control returns to her body.

“Book a lab and make sure no one but you and I have access to it. And tell no one about this—I don’t want to start a panic until it’s necessary,” Sakura tells him grimly as she pushes herself to her feet. “We have work to do.”

つづく

Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated! Also, if you are in a supportive mood, I have a ko-fi button at the top of the page, or you can find my tip jar here.

Thanks for your interest in my work!

クリ

Next Chapter

#naruto fanfiction #sasusaku #rating: teen #for now #legacy of fire series #sfw #blank period #parallel universes #meet the family #sakura haruno #sarada uchiha #sasuke uchiha #mebuki haruno #shisui uchiha #ando (oc)#drama #adventure #romance #kuriquinn

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imaginesumo · 8 years ago

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holy crap its been so long since ive sent in an ask abt my favorite fairy art lesbian,,, any hcs for mina as a parent :0 ?

queenie! i’ve missed our mina talk!

Mom! Mina

- the cool mom who doesn’t ever really get angry, she leaves that to her wife (that’s right guys, WIFE) but she isn’t exactly an enabler either. She says what she means, and can be pretty blunt when the kid is acting up but she doesn’t really make them Stop or anything

- literally all she wants is a quiet and calm child but, if she doesn’t luck out, she just kind of lets them run around and do whatever until they tire out and then she hangs out with them in earnest.

- ‘mina ur kid is so well adjusted what do you do???’“i keep it away from sharp shit and the road.”

- these two have such a good time painting and stuff, Mina personally frames and hangs up or keeps every drawing her child gives her and when people come over she engages them in serious art talk about her childs abstract concept of a pikachu riding a cloud - they may not be an art prodigy or anything close, but she loves teaching them how to use new techniques and new materials

- S/O has to ban gouges, chisels, and glass blowing preemptively, and is on constant vigil on her wife and child to make sure they aren’t doing anything Too Crazy

- calls her child ‘it’ until they’re like three because she really didn’t ever think about being a mom before the kid was in her life so she’s very much like ‘no i don’t like kids, but this one? is mine and i would die for it.’

- Never fails to treat her child like a person, and her kid is really mature and secure with their sense of self because of it..

- loves talking to her kid and takes their talks 100% seriously. ‘i think the sky is angry’ or nonsense like that is met with ‘holy shit. yeah, i see that.’ and they have really deep conversations that really revolve around nothing lmao

- Mina’s nihilism rubs off on the kid in the worst way lmao, like S/O will be telling the kid to be careful on the swing set and automatically gets a ‘why mom? we’re all gonna die anyway’. The kid is absolutely fearless and doesn’t understand why one of their mom’s is always so stressed when they come home after playing on a literal volcano/petting poison types/literally anything.

- A Cool & Respectful mom, 10/10 i love her

#mod hau #trial captain mina #my favorite lesbian #mina #trial captain mina x reader #mina x reader #parent au #queeniedeenie

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gokinjeespot · 5 years ago

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off the rack #1284

Monday, October 21, 2019

Please take time to cast your vote in the Canadian Federal Election today if you haven't already. Our democracy depends on its citizens voting. If you wake up tomorrow and your side lost then I sincerely hope that we as a country can continue living our daily lives with respect and compassion. Things will change. Better for some and not for others. Let's all try to remember what it is to be Canadian eh.

Is This How You See Me? - Jaime Hernandez (writer & artist). It's been years since I've looked in on Maggie and Hopey so this new graphic novel chronicling their adventures at a punk music reunion in Huerta was a perfect way for me to catch up on their lives. The girls have always had a complicated relationship and things haven't changed too much now that Esperanza/Hopey is married to another woman with a son and Maggie is in a long term relationship with a man. I loved the flashbacks to their younger days and unlike Dan De Carlo's Betty and Veronica, these women have aged and Jaime shows that beautifully. Love & Rockets fans must buy this graphic novel.

Archie #708 - Nick Spencer & Mariko Tamaki (writers) Sandy Jarrell (artist) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). Lots of mysterious things going on in this issue as Archie and Sabrina's picnic in the woods is interrupted while Jughead and Reggie's investigation into Reggie's father's disappearance receives a major clue. These modern Archie comics are so much more interesting than the old school stuff.

Guardians of the Galaxy #10 - Donny Cates (writer) Cory Smith (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The reunion with an ex-Guardian doesn't go well but not to worry folks, Groot and his pals come to the rescue. I like the new Magus reborn. Oh, and the cover is a total fib.

Absolute Carnage #4 - Donny Cates (writer) Ryan Stegman (pencils) JP Mayer, Jay Leisten & Ryan Stegman (inks) Frank Martin (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). All seems lost when Carnage absorbs the Venom symbiote from a defeated Hulk but hold your horses folks, Eddie Brock will save the day. It's a major change for this character so you won't want to miss it.

Metal Men #1 - Dan Didio (writer) Shane Davis (pencils) Michelle Delecki (inks) Jason Wright (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Unlike the recently released Inferior Five we actually have the Metal Men in this debut issue. I'm glad I gave Dan Didio a chance because he impressed me with this story. The discovery of a sentient Nth metal might be similar to Marvel's Venom symbiote but I'm hoping the rest of this 12-issue maxi doesn't devolve into Will Magnus's Metal Men fighting this new entity.

Superman Year One #3 - Frank Miller (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) John Workman (letters). Great Caesar's ghost that was a slog. I actually fell asleep partway through this. This 3-issue mini did not deserve the prestige DC Back Label imprint treatment. The writing was hackneyed and the art was unspectacular. I got tired of the clipped, repetitive captions after only a few pages because they ran on and on. And even though this is some of John Romita Jr.'s best work there was nothing special about it. These stories of Superman's early adventures could've been done in a 6-issue $3.99 US monthly and fans would have been happy. The big blue boy scout is not a good fit for Frank Miller. The style of writing he used in this last issue is more suited to someone like Green Arrow or the Question. If he follows through with another Superman story like he teased on the last page I would think twice before spending the time to read it.

X-Men #1 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Gerry Alanguilan (inks) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This is the first new X-Team book to hit the racks following the twelve issues of House and Powers of X that laid the foundation for Marvel's mutant revamp. It introduces the good guys (the mutants) and the bad guys (human scientists hell bent on eradicating mutants). The team rescues young mutants from the bad guys and safely return to Krakoa leaving behind a lot of dead humans. Yes, no more mister nice mutant. The team consists of Cyclops, Storm, Polaris, Magneto, Dr. Reyes, Jean Grey, Havok, Vulcan, Wolverine, Cable and Prestige (I know her as Rachel Summers). Only Scott, Ororo, Erik and Lorna go on the mission so no crazy Canucklehead antics this issue, sigh. I liked this enough to want to keep reading but not enough to add it to my "must read" list.

Killswitch #1 - Jeffrey & Susan Bridges (writers) Walter Geovani (art) Brittany Peer (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This sci-fi comic book is about a future where a small minority of people can see the future. They're called Augers. The rest of humanity fears them and have them rounded up in detention centres. Sounds familiar. The main character is Major Marcella Regula who turned in her own brother as an Auger. She's the new head of security at a detention centre in a domed city built on a comet. She hits the killswitch to try and save an Auger from dying but fails. Then she helps the dead man's friends to escape. I picked this up because I really liked the art but the story didn't spark joy. I'm hitting the killswitch on this one.

The Marked #1 - David Hine (writer) Brian Haberlin (art) Geirrod Van Dyke (colours) Francis Takenaga (letters). This new book is full of magic and the art is stupendous. An ancient order of tattooed magic users tasked with fighting the forces of chaos have found a new recruit. So has a malevolent government agency after one of the Marked is banished. I cared about Saskia and her new friends by the end of this issue so I want to find out what happens to them. I'm going to read this as long as I can.

The Batman's Grave #1 - Warren Ellis (writer) Bryan Hitch (pencils) Kevin Nowlan (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Richard Starkings (letters). The opening pages did not surprise me because I know someone who has their tombstone already in place. Batman investigates when a dead body is found in a tenement building. The victim had a wall full of Batman clippings and this 12-issue maxi is off and running. I love the detective side of Batman so I'm adding this to my "must read" list.

Spider-Man #2 - J. J. Abrams & Henry Abrams (writers) Sara Pichelli (art) Elisabetta D'Amico (inking assistant) Dave Stewart (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Two issues in and Ben has met his MJ. Her name is Faye Ito and she's a pip. So much for the old secret identity. Also cue the super villain menace appearance. You won't hear me complaining that there are too many Spider-Man books on the racks as long as they're this good.

Inferior 5 #2 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Keith Giffen (plot & pencils) Michelle Delecki (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). That's enough for me. This is just too weird. If you're into weirdness, you will certainly like this.

Something is Killing the Children #2 - James Tynion IV (writer) Werther Dell'Edera (art) Miquel Muerto (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). I like Erica Slaughter, monster hunter. She gives this horror story a lot of spunk.

Contagion #3 - Ed Brisson (writer) Mack Chater & Stephen Segovia (art) Veronica Gandini & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I'll give Ed Brisson this, he sure knows how to string a Marvel maniac along. Jessica Jones was the one to entice me to read this issue and the heroes that show up to help fight the fungus next issue makes me want to read that too. And that's not to mention the Wrecking Crew either.

Once & Future #3 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Dan Mora (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). Evil King Arthur gets his Galahad while Duncan and his granny get help from a historian. I like granny's simple solution for keeping the bad guys from winning.

Batman #81 - Tom King (writer) John Romita Jr. & Mitch Gerads (pencils) Klaus Janson & Mitch Gerads (inks) Tomeu Morey & Mitch Gerads (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We're getting there folks. Bear with us. That Thomas Wayne is one tough Batman. He takes on Batwoman, Batgirl, Orphan, Huntress, Red Robin, Robin and Signal and manages to survive. Damn that no killing rule. Meanwhile, Batman and Catwoman get into Arkham Asylum to get to Bane. I liked how all the stuff leading up to this issue is explained even though it was hard to follow.

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sizzlingcrusadebouquetfan-blog · 6 years ago

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car insurance. ?

Can an Insurance company still be held liable for the after affects of a car wreck?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. My problem is this, In July 2007 A man in a huge truck with a trailer hinge back up out from a parking space, it I saw him and the only thing I could at the time is speed up so he would not hit the middle of my car. He ended up hitting the side bumper and ripped it off. I have A 1999 Cryshler Sebring. It truely was a hard hit. Well the man's insurance did pay to fix the bumper, but now everything keeps going wrong. I did mention it to the person at the shop where we had arranged for the repair. I asked to please give me an estimated how much it would cost to fix it. When the time came, She did not do so and when I asked the lady she gave me a look like there is really something wrong with my car. I give two guys a ride to the bus so they do not have to walk the mile or so and they can attest that my car was running smooth. So many things one after another have gone wrong. I have put over 700.00 and still more problems. So my question is what do you think my chances are If I take it to the manufactor and they will rule in my favor. The Insurance Co-ordinator says if they say it was from the accident then they will pay for it. Straight from the start right after the accident my car kept dyeing out, so I had to drive it like a standard car with my feet on the gas and brake at the same time. So in the end , last I have heard there is a short somewhere so I took it to Spitfire and place that specializes in electrical problems and he told me my computer is bad. First of all the things my battery kept dyeing out, my car would not start up in the mornings,I took it to Auto zone and my battery was fat, swollen no good. Bought a new one, then I took it to a man at midas , he said I needed a valve cover gasket and he showed me my spark plugs we filled with oil, fixed that. Now Midas ran a scan and said I had either a bad map sensor or a short. Changed the map sensor the car is still barely running, so then another place said it was a short but had it for two weeks and could not find the short . I would like to know , if the guys Insurance is still on the hook for all the problems I have had with the car since the accident. Now I give these two guys a ride from work each day and they knew there was nothing wrong with my car before the accident. What is the best thing I can do. Many thanks , Sylvia""

Life & house insurance on rented?

If you are moving into a rented property how does life insurance work as it usually goes against the cost of the home as it is paid off? Also, what about house insurance, would you just need contents insurance and take off building insurance as that is covered by the landlord isn't it?""

""Moving to CO from another state in a month, how do I go about switching my car insurance? ?""

I'm under my dad's insurance now (AAA).. it's his and my car on his policy. I was told by them that once I cancel it, it'll take effect immediately and be taken off the policy. I'm moving to CO on the 18th of next month and want my new insurance (USAA) to take effect on that day. If I start my policy for that day and cancel the AAA the same day, will AAA pro-rate June's insurance so I don't have to pay for the full month since my car won't be insured by them for that whole month? I just don't want to get stuck paying the bill twice in one month for both companies.""

How to buy car insurance?

im goin to buy a used car this week. this is my first time to buy the car.but i dont have a car insurance. do i have to buy the insurance before buy the car or after buy the car. if after buy car can i drive the car without insurance?

Can anyone give examples of how much their auto insurance went up in New Jersey (or another state) after a DWI

I recently received a DWI conviction in S. Jersey (my first offense) and was wondering how much local insurance companies will raise my rate? If anyone has experienced this I'd really appreciate knowing how much their rates rose. Also, is there any certain companies that give better rates to those who have DWI convictions? I appreciate any help. Thanks!""

Whats the best kind of car to get cheapest insurance for first time driver under 25?

Whats the cheapest british car insurance company for new drivers?

Unemployment Insurance in California?

I currently receive unemployment insurance. On the check stub it states that my claim expires on 07/2008, although the balance noted on there is less than what I usually receive. I believe its because the 6 month period has ended. My questions is, can I reopen up the claim? Am I still eligible to receive my unemployment insurance until my claim has expired which is 07/2008? I was told that you can claim unemployment insurance for a year, so I don't understand why I only received it for 6 months. I was with my previous employer for 7 years, so it's not like I worked wherever for a short period of time. And I am actively seeking a job, although I have a few expectations so I haven't accepted any offers plus I'm a single mother and I have to work around my parent's schedule cause its way too expensive to leave my daughter at a decent daycare that I can trust. Hopefully someone out there can help me with a few information.""

Insurance Question??

Can you get insurance if you have a salvage title????

Pasadena Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 77506

How much does liability car insurance cost for a 17 year old girl?

I know that the full insurance may be roughly 140-160 a month for me, but I was told by a friend that his insurance is only 80 bucks a months because he only got the liability insurance in which his insurance only covers the other car, but not any damage done to his own in the case of an accident. Keep in mind, he's male, and he is also 21. I'm looking to buy either a: 2000 sunfire 2000 cavalier 1995 jimmy 1998 chevy tracker 1993 bmw 325l ....and the idea is that I would get it with the liable insurance to save some money. How much may this cost me a month? I have no history of any driving infractions or accidents.""

Car insurance help!? please...?

Somebody hit my car and possibly totaled it. If it is totaled would their insurance just pay off my car, just give me a check for what its worth or both??""

Does changing the alloys to black affect insurance?

Just bought a lovely BMW 320D... It is a black colour with a tint of navy... I want to change the alloys to black... But i don't know if it will affect my insurance price as it is a modification... (I have heard that only performance modifications affect insurance not cosmetic....? But i need to know for sure...)

How should health insurance companies thank Obama?

I just found out that my health insurance, which used to have a $500.00 deductible, will now be MORE expensive and will now come with a 5,000.00 deductible!! Which means, in order to see any benefit at all, I have to fork over $7,000.00 of MY OWN MONEY!! Which basically means, I have no health insurance now yet I still have to pay for it because it is now the law! If I don't, I get garnished. Asking around, I have learned that this is happening to everybody. So instead of getting MORE people covered by health care, Obamacare is getting millions of people effectively kicked off! But because of the law, we still have to pay the insurance companies, while they are free to raise the deductible to the point where their only purpose is to sit back and collect our money. Great. So I think the insurance companies should fork over a big, fat billion dollars to Obama for the all the cash he sent them!""

""Looking for auto and home insurance recommendation in Castle Rock, Colorado?""

We will moving from Wisconsin to Castle Rock, CO in January, 2007. We are building a new home there. We would appreciate any auto and home insurance company recommendations & comments in that area for the best coverage & service at the lowest cost.""

Advice for health insurance please? (community college student with low-paying part-time job)?

I haven't had health insurance since I turned 18 and no longer qualified for my family's health insurance plan. I wasn't really concerned at the time, but now that its been a few years (I am almost 21 now), I am in need of dental care. My problem is that I don't know what my health insurance options currently are. I am a college student, although my community college does not offer any health plans for students. I do have a part time job at a daycare that offers health insurance, however its price is far too high for my income. The insurance company is Aetna, and would cost me $16.92 for the lowest medical option, plus $4.61 for dental. So that would cost me $21.53 weekly, which doesn't sound too bad, except I only earn about $120 every two weeks....reducing my paychecks to about only $76 every two weeks....which just isn't enough for me to live on considering that I pay for my own food and everything else needed. So.... does anyone know of health insurance companies that have options for community college students like me? I know state insurance may be an option, but I have a feeling I don't qualify for that since I'm not legally an independent, yet I can't afford to move out and become independent. See the nasty cycle now? lol. And no, earning more money and finding a better paying job is not an option for me at this time. I can't transfer to a college that does offer health insurance for another two years either.. If anyone can give me advice, I'd be very grateful. Thank you in advance =)""

Car Insurance.?

My dad has insurance on his '92 Ford. I will be getting my license in November. I will be driving a '99 GMC Sierra. I was wondering about how much my insurance would be every 3 months. We are insured by Shelter Insurance of Louisiana. What is the cheapest way of getting insurance? Like would it be cheaper if i went under my dads are what? Please help 16 Male Louisiana insured by Shield of Shelter. Louisiana =] Thanks

How much will my insurance be?

I only have 90 bucks on me, im buying a 1985 mazda for 700... Im going to go on my parents insurance and my older sister is also on their insure, so they're insurance will be covering 4 cars including mine... Will my insurance be under 90? Any extra payments?""

Is four wheel drive worth it for where I live concerning insurance costs?

I want a jeep cherokee as a first car and I cant decide between 4x4 and 2x4. My friend told me that four wheel drive will increace the car insurance. I already thought insurance was expensive, does anyone have any idea how much more this will increase insurance on average. Should I even get a 4x4? I'll be getting the car off craigslist so its not the cost of the vehicle that concerns me its all about the insurance. I live in florida so its not like ill be going through snow or anything i just thought it would be handy if I ever wanted to go off roading once or twice.""

Is having health insurance and Homeowner's insurance a sin in Islam?

In the US, Obama just passed his new healthcare bill that requires all Americans to get health insurance, and fines them a penalty if they refuse - but Muslims are exempt from this because they said that having health insurance is not allowed in Islam. Is that true? If so, what do you do when you get sick....how do you pay for the medical treatment? Also, the news mentioned that having homeowner's insurance isn't allowed either...but here in the US, you can't get a mortgage unless you get homeowner's insurance. I mean, if you didn't have it, and say, your house burned down, you would loose everything. Do most Muslims who live in the US have insurance anyway, even if it isn't allowed?""

What is the best insurance company!?

what is the best insurance company for me for my area.

Question about general car insurance?

I'm doing a Statistics Lab based off car insurance and i'm a little confused. I'm supposed to make a statement to my boss about charging higher or lower car insurance based on the rating the cars get. So, for the larger, and safer the car is, should I tell my boss to RAISE the insurance prices, or lower the insurance prices? I'm a little confused on the correct way to do it? Safer = Higher insurance or lower insurace? and WHY?!?!?""

Can I drive my car without my name on the insurance?

My husband and I own the vehicle and we have insurance on the vehicle with only my husband's name. Will I get in trouble driving it, even though the vehicle s under my name but not the insurance. This is mainly due to price of insurance. Me being on it will sky rocket he insurance.""

Cost of insurance for 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse?

Sorry I have been asking so many questions about cars lately :) I am leaning towards getting a Toyota Camry because they are so reliable but I have always loved eclipse spyders. I found a 2003 eclipse that is absolutely beautiful and I would be so excited to drive it. I am just wondering what the insurance would cost on it for me. I am 21 years old, live in Arizona, and I have no accidents or violations. I am just looking for a ballpark estimate of what an insurance company would charge me. Thanks!""

Liability car insurance in California?

What happens if somebody fully insured rear-ends your car (they are at fault), and you only have liability insurance (no comprehensive or collision). Do you get your car repaired by the at fault insurance company or you lose?""

Why can't I change my health insurance plan?

I tried calling my health insurance this morning to change to a better plan (Blue Shield) and they won't let me. Why is this? They aren't the ones paying the monthly payment, copays etc.""

How much will my monthly payment and insurance be for a sports car?

im trying to figure out how much my car insurance will be. im 17, ive never owned a car, have no credit history and i want to buy a 1990 toyota supra which is a sports car. the car will probably cost $5000. i just really need to know how much i can expect to be paying a month with insurance and monthly payments""

How much would car insurance cost with a 2008 kia optima im 17 years old?

i get my lisence in 2 months i live in south florida and im gunna have to pay for my insurace so i need to know so i know how much im gunna have to work

Car insurance question?

how much will it cost for a 21 year old single female per month? i just recently got my drivers liscense and i have never had a car or insurance..i have no credit and have never had a ...show more

Does anyone know the average cost for car insurance for a 18yr boy for a firebird?

Please can anyone help me out on my car insurance dilemma?

I passed my driving test on the 24th of July 2007, however I was stopped on the 25th of July 2009 for having no insurance on a car owned my mum and my younger sister who are both insured on it. I was wondering if I would get my driving license revoked. As I got told that after 2 years I would have the full 12 points on my license, and I got told by the police that the penalty for driving uninsured was 6 points of my license. I then rang DVLA and they said that I would receive the full 12 points on my driving license on exactly two years to the day i.e 24th of July 2009. They were pretty certain about it. And that any point changes would take up to a month to show up. The police men were really rude and when I asked them what was going to happen they were like you have to go court etc. So I'm just wondering what I would actually happen, would I lose my license, have a ban, go to court, etc. Any information would be helpful and most appreciated.""

How much is motorcylce insurance for state farm and is there one cheaper then state farm?

im gonna buy a bike and heard that its cheaper for a bike and its insurance then a car and its insurance... thanks for the help

Fair price for my car insurance?

Got my car insurance bill. I'm on a family plan with my mom and my sister. We did it because we were told it would save money. I'm in my late 20's, drive an older car(a '97), have never had a traffic ticket or accident, and have the basic coverage with a $500 deductible. Just the basics. It's $350 for 6 months with Grange. It went up from the last time I paid it. First, is that a decent price? Second, why does the insurance go up if I didn't get a ticket or accident?""

""How can i get my license, insurance and a car?

i don't have a car i cant buy one without getting a better job i cant get a better job with out a lisence i cant get a lisence with out insurance i cant get insurance with out a car or a lisence wtf do i do? so i need a car and insurance to get my license and i need a license to get insurance on this car that i don't have yet what do i do?? i hope there are some DPS people out there

Question re: insurance premiums and taxes?

I've read that health insurance premiums can be itemized deductions. Any others? What about accident insurance I pay for out of my pocket? I pay for both accident and sickness premiums to the same company and pay for all my policies out of my pocket. Any help is appreciated.

Pasadena Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 77506

""When starting new car insurance, can insurers decline no claims bonus due to 2 motorway speeding convictions?""

Hello, I am trying to arrange vehicle insurance. I have contacted A&L with regards to their car insurance. Basically I have just changed jobs, where I had company cars for the last 6 years with no claims. I asked A&L if they would accept this as no claims, and they said they would if I could provide a letter from my previous employers stating dates, that I was sole user, that I no longer have policy and that it expires within last 3 months etc. I have provided them with the letter which covers all areas requested. They have now replied back to me saying that they can't accept the no claims, as I have 2 SP30 (Motorway speeding) convictions within the last 5 years, which means they will not accept the no claims. Is this acceptable? I though no claims were only relinquished if a claim in made against a policy, not because I have a couple of run-of-the-mill speeding convictions. Thanks in advance, James""

Car Insurance?

Im Thinkin bout buyin a Toyota Starlet 1.3 GT Turbo, but im worried about the cost of my insurance, im 17, no penalty points, no previous convictions, Cud someone gimme a rough idea, at how much it wud be? thanks""

Poll: Do you have health insurance?

Do you think you have a 'good' insurance plan?

Car insurance so cheap........?

21st century insurance (previously aig insurance) is giving me a basic coverage for 6 month car insr quote for 280 dollars. even i had 4 speeding in the past 5 years...still is the above low rate possible

In New York: Best health insurance on the cheap?

This information is for my stepdaughter and her family. After long term unemployment her husband recently went back to work as a trucker. He might bring home around $500 per week. They presently have no health insurance, although she said a New York State program would cover her two younger children. This leaves her and husband uninsured because his new job has no health coverage. Somehow she found a company willing to insure them for around $200+ a month. What this insurance covers I do not know. (By the premiums, I don't think much) The problem is they don't have much more than the $200+ to pay per month. Can someone tell me how to find(in New York) legitimate insurance companies with affordable cost? Also how can I educate myself on health insurance, the details, so that I can advise them correctly? They're in their late 30s and in reasonably in good health. Any an all advice greatly appreciated Tony""

How much could I get a Vauxhall Astra for + Insurance?

I'm going to be driving in a couple of years and my friends brother has an Astra. I really like it and just wondering how cheap I could get one and insurance etc.

Do I need health insurance?

I am a healthy 20 year old male... I have a wife, who is also healthy, that really thinks we should get health insurance... My work offers a decent plan for $300 a month... I think this money could be put to better use... a savings account or something. The problem is of course, emergencies. I've seen plans that cover emergencies but only like 80% and they have a high deductible/monthly payment. Any suggestions/ideas??""

15; might be pregnant without insurance?

Okay yeah i know i asked this already but i didnt get enough answers. please if yu reading this answer me and NO HATEFUL COMMENTS. how much would it cost for a blodd test in florida? and would the teen clinic help me?

""17 year old having 2 cars, insurance?""

So, I got my 03 Grand Cherokee when I was 16 last year, I really love it but I get like 17mpg in it and I work part time because of school. Insurance on it isnt too bad, never had a ticket or accident or anything. I want another car, maybe a civic or something, I have about 4k saved up right now and I am looking at this civic 4 door that supposedly gets like 30mpg. Idk, I want to have both though, I go offroading with the cherokee and all that, but I want the car for a commuter. Any advice on what kind of plan I would need and all that?""

What is a private jet's insurance price? and maintenance costs? Averagely.?

For school I have to do a business plan. We are creating a fictive private jet renting company in Colombia but i can't find these informations. It is really important as i is part of our financial statements. Thank you very much.

Should we get life insurance before my husband joins the military?

Should we get life insurance before my husband joins the military. My new york life friend told me that it's better because we can get more money if we do it before he joins. My husband says that the military pays for everything and they have there own life insurance. Which is the best route to take?? I would like to just do the new york life thing now instead of wait, he is joining in January. I'm not sure if I like the USAA life insurance. New York Life is a place I know that is reliable. But this is something people don't talk about very much. So I need some help Thanks!! :)""

Why does car insurance cost more for males than females?

I'm guessing because we tend to drive more dangerously, but how is that legal being sexist like that?""

Is there a time limit for a auto insurance claim to be completed?

I was in a fender bender with another car in a parking lot a month ago. I filed a claim with the other guy's insurance agency the same day as the accident and have yet to be told if the claim was approved or denied. I spoke to my adjuster last week (as well as the week before) and they were still waiting on photos of the other vehicle. Is a month normal? The auto insurance company is Wawanesa. So my questions is...is there some kind of legal time limit for an insurance agency to approve/deny a claim in the state of California? Or might I end up waiting months to hear anything? Thanks.

16 Year Old Auto Insurance on Own Car?

hey, i am currently 16 and have had my license for about 5 months now, i am considering buying my own car, can anyone tell me an estimate of how much my insurance would be? i would be buying an older model car (1997-2002), i completed a young drivers course. Thanks""

I just got notice my insurance premiums jumped so I high I cannot pay them.?

I just got notice at work this morning that my insurance is going from 79.00 every two weeks to 179.00 and with my family which I have on my insurance went from 345.00 to 750.00 every weeks. I cannot afford this! I have no idea what to do. I only make 1700.00 a month. What can I do?

""I'm looking to buy car insurance, how much should it be? MG ZR?""

Its for an MG ZR 1.4 I cant go on my parents policies because my dads left my mum and my mum don't drive, so theres no way, plus i have no over family, so its impossible for that option. Of course it wont be cheap but i didn't expect it top be extortion, im male, so i know its higher, ive done some online quotes, it said around 6000 a year, how can a 17 year old even buy that, unbelievable, i was hoping it be around max.. 2000 even that's really high. Lol I ain't exactly rich lol. First ill buy a older rubbish car to get my confidence up with driving, then try to go for this car, its my dream car tbh, i find it beautiful. Im gonna name it Phoenix. lol. i am sad. But i was just wondering about it.. if you have any other advice about insurance, such as, what would make it cheaper ( year the car was made, door numbers etc) or what cars li should buy first.. i would appreciate it highly. Thank you in advanced. :) God Bless you all.""

Are minors required to have car insurance in California?

I'm reading the drivers handbook and it doesn't mention anything about that, it only says if you are emancipated that they require it.""

""Approximately how much would motorcycle insurance for a 16 year old boy with 4.0 GPA, Eagle Scout?

Riding a 2005 Suzuki sv650 with a $1000 deductible with progressive

Motorcycle insurance... Tell me everything.?

What can you tell me about cycle insurance as far as coverages I should get and dont need, and what I need and who do you think is the best company to get it from.. Me; 25, sportbike""

Temporary Car insurance??

Need temporary car insurance for about 3-4 weeks, our own policy runs out the middle of next month, but we have just ordered a mobility car, and it wont be here until 1st week in June. We call our current insurance company and was basically told they would charge us for 6 months and then a cancellation fee. What company offers the lowest price insurance for that short amount of time??""

""When you had your first car, how much were you paying for the insurance?

im just gathering statistics

Does your license get suspended for not paying insurance?

How much should car insurance cost?

i am 17 and live in London. i have just passed my driving test and i'm looking for a car and insurance. i am not bothered about how bad the car is but i can't find insurance anywhere which i can afford. does anyone have advice?

Do I need to change my Car Insurance? What do i need to do?

I am a foreign student in United States. I stayed at California for 2 years. Now, I moved to Indiana State. I have a car Insurance with California address. My License plate is still California's. Do I need to do anything with my insurance? When I tried to do a trial quote for changing address at Geico, the quote for new address is almost 2 times more expensive than the old one. I don't know what to do. I believe Indiana Auto insurance must be cheaper than that of California. Should I just cancel it and start a new one? Do I still need to do anything with DMV?""

On medical insurance?

I want to get medical insurance but have no idea where to start or what to even look for. My employer offers medical insurance, which I don't qualify for yet, but want to look into other plans before making a decision. Can I get some links so I can educate myself on this, or can I get some suggestions or information from you guys? Thanks""

Pasadena Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 77506

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/me-my-dad-arguing-cost-car-insurance-please-have-look-jacob-andrews/"

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Live Picks: 3/1-3/7

Lydia Loveless

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Here are our first live picks for March, Thursday to Wednesday.

3/1: Shelby Lynne, SPACE

Singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne won Best New Artist at the 2001 Grammy Awards as a result of the popularity of a 1999 album and 12 years after releasing her debut in 1989. There’s no sentence that could more accurately describe the absurdity of the music industry. But what’s often missed beyond this fun trivia nugget is that the album that catapulted Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne, remains a contemporary country blues classic that occupies much of the original material in her live shows these days. I say “original” because last year, she released Not Dark Yet, an album with her sister, the great Allison Moorer, that contains 9 covers and 1 original song. Lynne’s been touring off of the album quite a bit since its release both with and without Moorer; likewise, her set will be worth hearing for songs she’s written both individually and collaboratively.

3/1: The Robert Cray Band, Arcada Theatre

Blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray joined forces last year with legendary house band Hi Rhythm Section on the appropriately titled album Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm, and it’s his best work in years. Take the chugging “Don’t Steal My Love”, sexy “Honey Bad”, and Trump call-out “Just How Low” to show you that there’s something for everyone on the record. Tonight, he won’t have Hi Rhythm Section with him, but he’ll have his venerable band to play tracks from Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm as well as from across his entire catalog.

3/1: Wolf Eyes, The Owl

Legendary and prolific Detroit experimental musicians Wolf Eyes come to town all the time, but tonight at The Owl will be a unique celebration of improvisation. Besides band members Nate Young and John Olson, artists in the performance will include Katherine Young, ONO’s Travis, Christine Janokowicz, Sara Zalek, Ryley Walker (see below), and Ben Billington, who put together the whole thing. It’s free and not to be missed.

3/2: The Dear Hunter, House of Blues

The Dear Hunter are nothing if not ambitious. They’ve released 7 full-length albums, 5 in the same narrative universe, and one that can be listened to as a whole or split into 9 EPs corresponding to the visible colors of the color spectrum. When we saw them at Riot Fest 2015 after the release of Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise, we noticed that they were “proggy and experimental, adding keys, stellar harmonies, and stadium melodies to their pop.” Since then, they’ve released another album and an EP, but not much has changed, and presumably, their live show will remain a nice mix of styles and songs from different eras of the band.

Prog metal bands Between The Buried And Me and Leprous headline and open, respectively.

3/2: The Yawpers, Empty Bottle

Last month, we talked to Nate Cook, front man of Denver’s The Yawpers, about their latest record Boy in a Well and what might be next for the band. During the interview, he mentioned that while initially touring the album, they had played the entire thing front to back, but now, audience members can expect to hear only parts of it and, hopefully, some new material. Go to this show whether you’re a fan or whether you’ve never heard of the band.

Local rockers Miss Remember and Troy Anderson open.

3/2: Andrew Combs, Thalia Hall

Singer-songwriter Andrew Combs is still reveling in the critical success of his second album, Canyons of my Mind, that came out last year. And despite the fact that in our interview with him last year Combs revealed he doesn’t like playing live, at this point, he must have played the Canyons songs a thousand times and should deliver a pristine set.

I’m With Her, the trio of singer-songwriters Sarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins, and Aoife O’Donovan, headline.

3/2 & 3/3: Tyler, The Creator & Vince Staples, Aragon Ballroom

Last year, rappers Tyler, The Creator and Vince Staples made their most impressive albums to date. (Both made our top 60 albums of the year.) For Staples, Big Fish Theory followed another instant classic, Summertime ‘06 (which made our top albums list of its year). But for Tyler, The Creator, Flower Boy was somewhat of a revelation that its creator, who used to make shock rap, has the massive potential for empathy, sensitivity, and tenderness without losing his hard edge. While the live show for both will be as raucous as ever, especially due to their young, passionate fan base, the songs performed are certain to showcase their ability to tackle emotionally heavy issues with personality, grit, and humor.

3/3: Tune-Yards, Thalia Hall

The latest Tune-Yards album I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life is an even more upfront look at identity, gender, and race politics than anything Merrill Garbus has done before. It’s also more electronic-leaning, its beats juxtaposing shimmering synths with disco flourishes. Unfortunately, neither the topics nor the arrangements feel as exhilarating as they once did. Still, Garbus’ voice is as powerful as ever, and at least the songs have the space to allow her and her band to expand them into jams. And judging by the two performances we saw of hers the year after 2014′s Nikki Nack (at Big Ears Festival 2015 and at the 2015 Goose Island 312 Urban Block Party), it’s going to be impossible for Garbus to put on anything other than a great show.

Violinist/vocalist Sudan Archives opens.

3/4: Spektral Quartet and Wadada Leo Smith, Constellation

Spektral Quartet’s Once More with Feeling! series at Constellation offers listeners the chance to hear a piece performed twice with a conversation with the composer in between the two performances. They’ve done Eliza Brown and will perform a piece by Lisa Coons in May. Sunday will offer music by none other than Wadada Leo Smith, Pulitzer Prize for Music finalist for 2012′s Ten Freedom Summers. We saw his set with Vijay Iyer at Big Ears Festival 2016, a year that saw the release of their album as well as solo effort America's National Parks. But hearing Smith talk about his music offers audience members a unique opportunity. As someone who has interviewed him twice (never posted), including at the tail end of 2016, he sheds light into his process, something he referred to during our latter conversation as “how to turn reflections into music.”

Spektral Quartet will be performing Smith’s “String Quartet No. 9″, each movement inspired by a woman that inspires Smith: Ma Rainey, Marian Anderson, Rosa Parks, and Angela Davis.

3/5: Chance the Rapper, MCA

As part of their In Sight Out series, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Pitchfork are hosting Chance the Rapper in conversation with journalist Adrienne Samuels Gibbs. According to a press release, Chance, whose Coloring Book was one of our top albums of 2016, is expected to talk about his relationship to the arts, philanthropy, and community building. The conversation will be available as a podcast afterwards, but don’t you want to see that ‘3′ hat in person?

3/5: Miguel, Riviera

War & Leisure, the latest album from Miguel, is, as its title suggests, simultaneously political and personal, the former somewhat new territory for him. The songs are varied as usual; he’s sultry on “Wolf”, funky on the synth-addled “Told You So”, and ready for the radio on the Travis Scott-featuring “Sky Walker”. Stylistically, it’s sort of a combination of his previous two albums, the drug-induced Kaleidoscope Dream and guitar-oriented Wildheart. And while it’s not as earth-shattering and trendsetting as those two, it’s perhaps his most cohesive and fully realized effort. Monday, he’ll be playing the night after performing “Remember Me” from Coco at the Academy Awards, so let’s hope he’s not too tired. Judging by his performance at Pitchfork Music Festival 2016, it should be one of the best shows of the year.

Singer-songwriter SiR and Miguel’s brother, Nonchalant Savant, open.

3/7: Lydia Loveless, Metropolis Performing Arts Center

It seems like Lydia Loveless is getting increasingly forlorn. 2011′s Indestructible Machine was a cowpunk masterpiece, while 2014′s Somewhere Else was peak emo with the sexual frustration to match. After a year on the road touring 2016′s Real, Loveless got divorced, experienced depression, and got her life back together, releasing singles/rarities/covers collection Boy Crazy and Single(s) in the interim before another album. Expect her to pull from her wide array of great songs about heartache and drinking, perhaps with a few covers to match. (She tends to cover Kesha, Elvis Costello, and Prince all appeared on Boy Crazy).

3/7: Low, Constellation

Duluth slowcore trio Low’s last album was 2015′s Ones and Sixes, so it’s a bit weird that they’re playing live dates without having released anything new. However, last year, it appears as though they played some fresh songs on a few select European dates, so it’s possible they’ll bring them out in conjunction with the classics from the sad-sack Things We Lost in the Fire, the electronic-leaning Drums and Guns, the noisy The Great Destroyer, and their good-not-great 2010′s output.

3/7: Ryley Walker, Cafe Mustache

Wednesday is the 1st of 4 improvisational performances in a March residency at Cafe Mustache for local guitar hero Ryley Walker, who just announced his latest record Deafman Glance, out in May on Dead Oceans. For a guy whose CV is becoming as exhaustive as is exhausting the pace at which he puts out music, it’ll be interesting to see what he cooks up in a small coffee house on a busy block.

Additional dates at Cafe Mustache are March 13th, March 21st, and March 29th. Walker plays with Bill MacKay at the Comfort Station on March 22nd and opens for Calexico (who we recently interviewed) on April 25th.

Read our album breakdown interview with the artists behind Walker and MacKay’s SpiderBeetleBee.

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seanmeverett · 7 years ago

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Review of KPCB’s 2017 Internet & Tech Trends

Learnings from a product person’s perspective of a 350-page deck

I. Setting the Stage

At the pace the tech news goes these days, you’ve probably already forgotten all about Mary Meeker’s latest gem of a trends report. This year was a doozy. Over 350 pages. Analysts, get you some sleep.

The slides are embedded below to make this easier and so you can follow along with our comments of how to interpret these findings. Use this to build your own startup, innovate at the company you work at, or just to learn something new.

Knowledge is a tool that must continue to be sharpened.

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II. Advertising & Retailing

p5: global internet users and smart phone growth has essentially stopped. We’ve reached the fat middle of the market in terms of spreading and have plugged in half the human species. The only thing that’s spread further is life support (oxygen, water, food) and electricity. New enablement technology diffused? Check.

p9: adults now spend nearly a full working day interacting with tech and digital media in the US. So, you’ve got your work job and now you’ve got your fun job. The convergence has already begun. Social media marketers isn’t just some joke job. It’s a skill of the new economy.

p13: this “time spent vs ad dollars spent” chart has been out of whack for years. It’s finally getting in sync. Which means its time for a new medium to get released. Only this time, it’s going to be so personalized, it’s basically a reflection of you.

p14: the internet is our new television, is our new radio, is our new book.

p15: if you’re buying ads, trying to target a certain demo to create a conversion into a sale, you basically only have one choice: Google or Facebook.

P16–25: ads is where almost all of the money is flowing in tech. You may find it boring, but don’t forget, boring = cash flow.

p27: I’ve never been a fan of interactive or dynamic ads. It makes the user do two things they hate: 1) sit through another damn ad, and 2) you’re not going to make me interact with it?! Oy, the best ad doesn’t look, feel, taste, or sound like an ad. It’s compelling content.

p32: Google is basically the digital world’s most pervasive and compelling product. Because it makes people pay to be next to the stuff you’re looking for. In the real world, that would be like some dude following you around a museum asking if you want to go buy this paint brush or eat at Denny’s next to a picture of food. Not knocking it, it’s an incredible business, but there’s a lesson here in that the digital world has different rules than the real one. Expect that lesson to keep playing itself out over the coming decades.

p35: future ads are going to be pics instead of text. Humans process pics way faster. Pinterest and Snap might have an opportunity against the Googs here, but the search habit is so embedded in the human populace that now it’s part of the web browser URL bar. Snap nor Pinterest has that level of OS access.

p39: retail and brands. It’s not about just showing your product in context anymore. We believe it’s about creating an experience around your product that customers want to come for. An example is throwing a music festival in the summer if you’re a bottled water company. You create the context and leave your product as the only option. That’s how you reach Millennials and Gen Z. And Amazon.com is how you reach adults with kids and no free time. It ain’t rocket science, it’s just execution.

p40: Will Smith saved us from aggressive aliens. We appreciate him. And he was a former math guy so, street credibility.

p44: AR is going to be interesting. Yet to be seen how pervasive it will become from a visual perspective until we have the glasses that don’t look like cell phones strapped to our heads. Or as I call them, “Noggin Boxes”.

p45: AI Assistants, to me, are the promise of truly invisible software. Many have talked about it, but you can’t just say what you want and have it work right all the time, as well people are very uncomfortable talking to a machine in public. It just feels weird. No amount of NLP or AI is going to change human behavior. It’s going to have to jump the shark in favor of neural laces where I think it and it happens.

p53: customer support survey where people tell you what they want. I’ve got a better solution. Make your product and service so great that it makes support obsolete. I know, easier said than done, but it’s a goal that means your business is around forever. Look at Vaynerchuck. He didn’t sell wine. He sold “I’ll drive to you in a blizzard with a power generator to keep your business open and house warm”. Then you never buy from another wine seller again. That’s extreme support.

P55: that little intercom chat window is freaking everywhere.

more retail stuff with a bunch of metrics and pipelines and yaddy yaddy

P66: apartment lobbies become storage facilities for packages. Boy can I attest to this in Cali as well as NYC. It’s a really smart notice by the folks who put this together. What it means is again: Amazon is your retail strategy. Forget store fronts, websites, apps, etc. Just drive traffic to Amazon pages. Get Affiliate commissions on top of it. Reduce friction, just get the damn sale. Your brand is in front of people when they get the product home. You don’t need to own the web experience.

p68: food delivery is a huge deal. We’re tired, we’re sick of cooking, and entire startup businesses have been created on the back of a grubhub page. It’s like amazon for real-time, hot food. It’s a big deal and will only get bigger. Cheap + Healthy + Filling. That’s your magic formula.

p71: AI for clothing design of the future. Don’t count it out.

p73: people don’t want to just try stuff on. They want to get it now to wear now. Real-time is the key to in-person experience. That’s the excitement, not to wait for it to be shipped. Not a fan of the “waiting” model.

p74: Wal-Mart’s in real trouble.

p75: meanwhile, Amazon Basics is a gold mine.

III. Interactive Gaming

p81: if you’re on the internet, it’s highly likely that you game. Play is built into human nature because it’s escapism.

p82: I used to watch a room full of developers talk about and watch online gaming while they coded. This was back in 2013. Cooperative esports is not a fad, but something that’s going to be around for some time. The new sports agent will be after these huge sponsorship dollars.

p84: people in Asia like video games. No secret here.

p85: pretty even split amongst all age groups on who games.

p88–97: there’s a reason gamification works. The problem is always around defining and designing a concept called “fun”. Just because you slap points on something doesn’t automatically make taking out the trash fun.

p99: Twitch ain’t goin nowhere. Level that up with Minecraft and then add in some cryptocurrency where it becomes your job and watch a new economy blossom in a digital universe completely outside the confines of governmental taxation, which means you get to keep 33% more of that money you spent time making.

p101: I’ve never played fantasy sports but all my friends have been playing since we were kids. Weird that it took until only recently for the likes of Fan Duel to show up.

p103: more game machanics. Understanding that they exist is the first step, the next step is applying them correctly. Easier said than done. Trust me from experience running a gamification product for brands to increase engagement via social media.

p114: gaming beats social in engagement. The problem is that you eventually master the game but not your social network. So more value is continually added to Facebook, Insta and Snap while the creators of FarmVille, Clash of Clans, and Angry Birds have to keep creating hits. And content is hard.

p120: tech and sports has been talked about for decades but there hasn’t really been a breakthrough killer product that everyone swears by. Maybe the bracelet / watch that tracks steps but that’s pretty low-grade in terms of information density.

p123: state of the art for sports platforms is just analytics dashboards with some gamification added on top. But does that really increase your performance? Sure it helps to know you did a few more steps than yesterday and that you’re on a streak for working out 3 days in a row, but you kind of already knew that intuitively didn’t you? Where’s the leverage? Much like the iPhone made computing pervasive, did the Apple Watch really make sports pervasive and higher performance? It seems there’s a big hole that still exists in this area until we start tracking automatically what food goes into our body, the digestion that takes place, how exercise and sitting affects that, alcohol, work and environmental factors, and then gives you suggestions for improving your health.

p129: gamification in industrial settings is highly important. It gets talked about too much in consumer and not enough in aerospace, automotive, surgery, military, industrial manufacturing, robotics, etc.

p132: the volume of digital information created is on a power law curve, we’re still just at the very beginning.

p133: Moore’s Law still isn’t coming to a close, regardless of how many people talk about it. Because there is always room to pay more for faster compute.

p138–145: esports is a big deal. It’s growing 40% every year now reaching half the population of the United States.

p150: do trends in gaming predict future product around all of tech, much like porn used to in the video production space?

IV. Media

Editor’s note: after years of experience building online video/audio platforms, media businesses, and social apps, we are undoubtedly going to have a biased view about this section so you can either take it as we know some inside baseball or we’re bat shit crazy. So all I can promise is the unvarnished truth from my perspective.

p153: music streaming is pretty simple — make sure you have the song I want to listen to, give me some new songs I’d like but haven’t found on my own, and then charge me a flat monthly fee like $10 for it. Execute on those 3 things and you’ve got yourself some good bacon. Of course, Amazon is the real wild card here because as a Prime member, you get music plus a whole host of other things.

p154: online video vs cable tv is also very simple — give me the channels I want to watch, new movies the moment they hit the theaters, and charge me a low monthly fee. High quality is the name of the game here. Hollywood blockbusters and some personal favorites (HGTV, ESPN, HBO, Science Channel, etc). That’s it. Everything else is window dressing and noise. Apple Music is getting into Hollywood with original content. Netflix is killing the game but their library aside from originals is waning. Amazon Prime is coming in hot, and watch out for Facebook’s wildcard of a movie in a text message.

p158: streaming music subs are growing because nobody needs to buy albums anymore. Truthfully it’s Apple Music (install base of devices) vs Spotify (the O-G-riginal).

p161: Netflix subs are also growing rapidly as they expand their service globally. But the only thing that matters is getting the latest Hollywood blockbusters on their service. If they can’t continue to do that, it’s going to be a long painful death. I’m talking Avengers, Star Wars, etc. Basically, Disney. Which isn’t going to happen because they have their own streaming service.

p163: recommendation engines. Oy, have I heard the pitch for this a million and one times. Again, we’re back to “Ok this title I’ve never heard of is interesting, but what’s the new Hollywood flick I can watch?”. That has nothing to do with recommendation engines and everything to do with high quality content licensing deals with the studios.

p165: it’s YouTube vs Facebook. The former gets longer form, the latter shorter form. They’ll both battle for movie/TV-grade content but that’s Netflix, Amazon, iTunes. So there’s your split. Facebook is quick-hit social, YouTube is UGC around 15 mins, Netflix is originals and TV shows with some movies, iTunes is your Hollywood rentals and purchases, and Amazon is just the everything all the time so maybe one day.

p167: interesting that every one of the social networks is growing at the exact same MAU rate.

p171: the older you are, the more you watch. Less of a social / eventful life?

p173: pay TV will never go away because it’s more economical to pay the $100 to $200 per month for the cable, internet, TV bundle and get all the channels than trying to buy only internet service and then pay for one off channels and then movies on top of it. The reality is a mixed bag approach. Some internet, some cable, some OTT.

p176: the goal is a personalized linear channel. You tune into one TV station, let it play all day every day, and it’s filled with everything you want when you want it. Social videos, educational stuff, movies, TV, etc. Disclosure: I’ve got a patent for inventing this and for mobile live streaming.

V. The Cloud

p181: might surprise you to see the public cloud really hasn’t taken much of the spend away from a traditional data center / private data center.

p182: but AWS is kicking everyone else’s ass, which is no big surprise.

p182: security is a big deal, and as cyber becomes ever more important in the global economy (i.e., digital transformation), expect some big exits in this space due to the sheer need to protect not just information, but money.

p184: at this point, most people are familiar with APIs where as recently as 5 years ago I did some research and could find only about 10,000 public APIs in existence. Today, containerization is in a similar space. One way to think of it is like a computer dedicated to one API. Also, edge computing could be the biggest boon to digitizing our world, but the problem is fitting something powerful enough in a small space that doesn’t suck in a lot of electricity. You need efficient chips and efficient AI (i.e., connectomics).

p187: boy have I spent a lot of time on enterprise software. SAAS-based cloud products. It’s the playbook played out across Silicon Valley and internal digital transformation teams everywhere, now.

p188: at this point it seems laughable to say Design Is Important for digital products. Though the requirements for usability is much less, considering the Snapchat generation grew up with this stuff and can reverse engineer a UI just by tapping it.

p190: we don’t hear enough about cybersecurity, mostly because it’s a tight-knit group of folks who prefer to remain anonymous and protected. But it’s a big deal, especially in closed door conversations. Interpolate this to our infrastructure systems like power, water, etc and you start to realize how incredibly important this becomes.

p191: spam’s up? I would call many ecommerce shopping emails spam but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Where’s the startups that lets you unsubscribe from everything with a push of a single button?

VI. China

p195: China has nearly 4x the number of people of America with an economy and excess cash flow growing at staggering rates. Personally, I feel they’re iterating faster than the US and Rest of World in key innovation areas like AI, Space, Manufacturing and a single mobile app for the entire country. Watch out when they launch their own cryptocurrency that lets them optimize their monetary policy in real-time. I’ll invest in that ICO.

p196: service output is going up and to the right.

p197: it’s no secret that private enterprise fuels growth. China just proved it in a huge way over the last decade.

p198: focusing on health care (large population) and IT (the future). Smart.

p200–203: almost everyone in the country is connected to the internet via mobile and they spend almost all their time on it. Hello WeChat.

p204: No surprise on WeChat, but look at Tencent’s share of time. Crazy. More than half of China’s internet time is spent on a Tencent property, with a bit more on Alibaba to buy stuff. That’s like Facebook + Amazon in the US.

p209: live is a big deal over there, and has become an economy in and of itself. People are supplementing their work income with 24x7 livestreaming of their lives and getting paid by viewers with stickers and weird emojis. It’s also the place where many big companies are investing their R&D dollars because gaming and live are providing higher returns than investing in their own businesses. Isn’t that crazy? I take the money I make from my business and invest in this app over here because I’m going to get more money back. At what point does it suck up a lion’s share of the entire economy?

p210: Live is money.

p213: bikes are big in China because they’re cheap, don’t take up space, and they can fit in small spaces.

p216: bikes as the last mile of the commute. Interesting that people take a portfolio approach to traveling from A to B.

p219: expect this to explode when China releases their cryptocurrency.

p223: this is a great roundup chart to see which monetary services are getting the most users across China. Payments and Wealth Management, of course.

p229: China’s ad market doesn’t seem as fervorous as America’s. I have a feeling because the economy is more about direct payments.

VII. India

p233: it’s as big of a population as China, but a much smaller economy as their main export is software engineers instead of manufactured goods. Be careful though, it could be a sleeping giant as the GDP growth rate is the same as China. The US, while big, is only growing about 1/4th as quickly.

p234: far fewer of India’s population is connected to the internet. Only about 1/3rd compared to about 3/4th in China and almost everyone in the US. Internet penetration is highly correlated to the wealth of a nation.

p235: Android’s big there.

P236: smartphone shipments have basically flatlined.

p237: getting access to the internet is expensive for the majority of the population, hence the drag on the economy.

p242: China is selling India their phones.

p246: China is also India’s most-used web browser.

p247: US, China, India dominate the Android app store.

p251: expect internet usage to continue to increase based on bringing costs down which will have a positive impact on India’s future economic prospects. Internet > Education > Skills > Compensation > Productivity > GDP

p252: we’re all just humans regardless of the (country’s) name on the door. So yah, streaming music and video is big in India too.

p254: India’s leadership is focused on the right thing, see p251 above.

p260: a singular digital ID is smart. What is it in the US? Driver’s license and Facebook. In China? WeChat profile.

p262: payments and infrastructure are being built now. What happens when it’s fully built out?

p266–267: mobile is where all the time spent and no surprise that half is on entertainment with 1/3rd on social. Regardless of nationality, we’re all still humans.

p270: a massive portion of India’s compensation is spent on health care. Decreasing this cost + increasing access to the internet are the main two levers to increasing economic well being.

p274: VCs are investing in startups, helping to drive growth, though it has flatlined in recent quarters.

p278–279: I know that India’s young population presents a large opportunity and know some big transportation companies looking to capture that market.

p281: oh god, are you still with me? If you’ve happened across this chart, I think we’ve lost you. My fingers just got tired looking at this one.

p284: the US leads in number of years of schooling, and India trails far behind. Internet = education because it shows what’s possible and gives you the resources for free to get started.

p286: females in India aren’t working.

VIII. Healthcare

p289: have a digital helper analyze, diagnose, and prevent issues with your health is the holy grail. We’re close to that future, but knowing how lagging the healthcare industry is with tech overall, it’s going to be an uphill battle unless individuals take matters into their own hands. For examples, CIOs at hospital systems are focused on reducing sepsis which directly saves lives, but moving medical records and software to the cloud is a painful, decades-long process.

p292: health IoT including wearables are likely to expand in the coming years. Eventually the whole nanobots in your blood helping cells fix themselves in real-time is a nice thought but we’re a long, long way off from that.

p293: more blood and health tests are now available through labs, which means diagnosis is cheaper, faster, and more accurate.

p294: pay attention to sensors that are included in wearables. Without a sensor, there’s no data to analyze. So, the most pervasive (an accelerometer) will only give you number of steps. Not very helpful in helping you manage your health but I suppose it’s something. Once we get into heart rate, blood sugar, metabolism, etc we will start to unlock some pretty cool stuff. Then it requires a highly efficient, but low-powered AI like Biologic Intelligence to understand it all and detect anomalies in real-time.

p295: I’d say Google through Verily and Apple with their Watch wearable are best positioned from the big tech companies. Interesting that Amazon doesn’t really have a health-centric product yet. Now that they own Whole Foods and are pushing into groceries and food, expect that trend to continue into personalized health as part of a Prime subscription.

p299: patient data is necessary for understanding someone’s health but the flip side is pre-existing conditions and the impact it might have on you getting health insurance coverage, the price of your premium, and getting services paid for. Double-edged sword, this.

p302: look at this crazy exponential curve in medical knowledge. And there’s not much out there on the impact food we ingest has on our health. Expect this trend to continue into the future as our population gets bigger and older.

p304: personalization isn’t just for targeted advertising campaigns, biomarkers from DNA sequencing can be used to target clinical trials to get you the help you need from new procedures, drugs, etc.

p305: data, it works.

p306: the young are paying attention earlier in life. They’re listening to their parents and grandparents ailments and stories.

p309: a friend founded a telepharm startup called, well, Telepharm. He was early on the trend, but when you can’t get all the way to the doctor in person, live streaming is a great second best alternative.

p311: back to the tech adoption curve that I linked to at the very top of this analysis, of course we expect health to be adopted quickly. As we like to say in tech circles, find a problem and offer a solution. Health, when it’s a problem, is all you care about and are price inelastic.

p313: costs are decreasing.

p314–318: number of genomes sequenced are increasing. Just wait until we start capturing people’s connectomes.

IX. Innovation

p320: I take issue with this statement. It assumes that innovation is all it takes to raise capital, get big, and sell product. It doesn’t. Even scientific invention isn’t enough. You need to have relationships. Lots and lots of relationships to get capital from investors, corporate coffers, and customers. Then and only then does a product matter that someone can buy.

p322–325: US and China are dominating tech. The question is who’s iterating faster. Because that’s the slope of the line. And whichever line is steeper, predicts the winner. I have a gut feeling I know who it is.

p329–331: IPO & VC, a confusing chart with way too much going on but I think the story is it’s been more or less steady for about a decade. M&A is about the same, even though it cuts the timeline in the chart in half. Be careful, your graph axes.

X. Macro

p336: in the US we pay about 1/3rd of our income to the government. The question is what is it spent on. Unsurprisingly, health care for older people, defense so nobody hurts us, and interest on all that debt because taxes don’t cover the spending.

p337: the USA is not a healthy business if you look at it like a startup. Look at all that red.

p338: debt is highest during war. But that money gets spent somewhere.

p340: the US has the highest debt level in the world. China doesn’t even make the list because they’re printing money doing all the world’s manufacturing.

p341: giving people money and services for doing nothing is a great way to get an entitlement mentality. That’s why they’re called Entitlements and that’s where a lot of America’s income is going. It does help people who want to do something for that income, but are physically or mentally unable. That’s part of what a government is for. To help those citizens who can’t help themselves. But the fact that it’s increasing so rapidly is troubling.

p344: debt is debt. Most Americans have a bunch of debt in houses. Second is student loans. So living and educating. Not a great sign if you want to grow.

p347–348: immigrants account for a lot of value creation.

p350: as a world, we’re better off than we were. That’s progress as a species and something to be positive about.

— Sean Everett

Read more than 750 current and emerging tech analyses on The Mission’s other publication, Humanizing Tech.

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