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ventisettestars · 1 year

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DannyMay 2023 Day 1

Day 1: Fantasy AU

I got it posted to AO3 as well.

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“Did you hear-” The maid chittered to her two coworkers.

…ny

“I did. The King and Queen Fenton are announcing another curfew-” Another chattered back.

….anny

“The Great Fae Lord Phantom shall be leading the Hunt post haste!” One made a rather accurate impression of the king. Danny was impressed.

Danny!

“So says the cards.” This time it was the queen impersonated. Not as well as the first lady though.

“Prince Daniel!”

That got his attention away from the maids. Got the maid’s attention as well and they paled at the sight of their prince. With a quick bow, they skittered off.

“Hey Sam, Tuck.”

"Too caught up in the castle gossip again?" Sam grinned.

"No. Well yes. Rumors of the curfew spread already and they haven't even announced it yet."

"Sucks man." Tucker adjusted his hat. He'd just earned it for mastering his 50th spell.

"I’m just tired of them always blaming the fae. It's a waste of the kingdom's resources. When I’m king, it’s going to be a mess to clean up. The Hunt they fear would be doing us a favor to just take them."

"Buuut it’s not real."Sam rolled her eyes.

"Nope.” Danny ran his hand down his face, clearly exhausted. “Sorry guys, I’m not in the mood to hang tonight. I’m going to try retiring early to keep my parents from trying to drag me out to see their claimed proof."

----

Danny exhaled and shed his human glamour. The first breath was always the best. The moment he reconnected to nature.

"Lord Phantom, I've readied the wolves to ride."

"Thank you, Fright Knight. I'm afraid my parents placed a curfew so it might be an uneventful night for the hunt."

"Then let's not tell the hounds and give them more freedom in their pursuit."

Danny nodded. He hated the Hunt. But it was necessary. He couldn't resist the call even if he wanted to. He'd tried. So he helped while his human side was dominant the best he could. Manipulated the cards with what little of his magic he had access to without giving himself away.

The wolves caught a scent. Foolish humans. They were his foolish humans, regardless of which kingdom they lived in. His human kingdom, or his corner of the fae wilds. He would care for them the same.

Following to see the humans his blood froze. Sam and Tucker. What were they doing? "Heel." He commanded the Hunt. "These humans are mine."

The Hunt held back as Phantom materialized in front of his closest friends. His fae nature masking any familiarity they might find in him.

"You were warned of the Hunt, were you not?…did you want to join my court so eagerly?"

"You're real." Was all Sam said as she took in his fae form. His hair that looked like fresh fallen snow, his eyes the color of spring buds.

"I am." Danny nodded. It took everything in him to not scream at them to run, so he could give chase, take them to his quarters and keep them safe. “A word of advice, Do Not Run.”

“Why?” Tucker held his staff tightly.

“Because then I will chase. I’m only considering it at the moment.” Maybe that will scare them enough to-

“I want to see your realm.” Sam blurted. “Our friend, his parents are obsessed with you. I want to prove your kind are not the threat that they think.”

Danny bit his lip, a fang almost piercing right through. He tugged on his bond with Fright Knight.

“My Lord..” The spector appeared from the shadows.

“Bring me two horses. They will be coming to court as guests. But they don’t look like they’d be skilled enough to go by wolf.”

Sam and Tucker shuttered. They were in way over their heads now.

#dp #my fic #danny phantom #Dannymay2023

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tellwolves · 7 months

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❥ for Finn and / or Danni because I enjoy suffering

memories, like the corners of my mind.

❥ -- a childhood memory

for the first time in their lives, they have their own rooms.

danni likes it, having turned thirteen that year, wanting the privacy that comes with budding adolesence. he wasn't too sure. he missed his sister, the secret conversations that happened when they were supposed to be sleeping. sneaking down the hall and sitting on the very top step, together, close enough their elbows touch, straining to hear what the adults were talking about. champagne. a record turned low. laughter.

that'll be him one day. he's sure of it. for now, he's ten years old, staring at the dress clothes mama placed out for him, like they were going to the synagogue, but it really meant that papa would be home. a night out, dinner cooked by somebody else.

the excitement had him buzzing. what a treat.

he leaves his room, whistling something mindless, hands in his pockets. give him a few seconds, and he might cut a jig. like gene kelly, he thinks, halfway to blushing. his radiant smile and perfectly combed hair.

from outside, he hears someone singing. oh, way out here, they gotta name--

a baritone. a familiar baritone.

danni half-runs from her own room. she's in overalls, her hair braided and put up underneath a baseball cap. (she's always wanted it cut short.) her eyes are wide, her mouth smiling.

it's unspoken. papa!

the voice continues: for rain and wind and fire. the rain is tess--

they sprint. down the stairs, through the foyer, through the kitchen, to the door. danni passes him, her legs longer.

this is a game they play. papa sings as he gets closer and closer to their house, so that his children would know he was home. it became all the more special, in those early years of the fifth decade, with him so far away and fighting in the war that had started barely after the big one -- the one he was born right before, so he doesn't remember it -- ended.

the fire's joe, and they call the wind--!

danni swings open the front door. both children crow at the same time: " maria! "

papa stands there, his uniform crisp and starched as if he'd just put it on, his hat askew just so. rakishly handsome. he ought to be a picture in a glossy magazine. he can see it now in his head, already an artist.

papa's grin is as big as he's seen it. danni was hugged, nearly picked up entire. a loud kiss to her cheek. then, it was his turn. papa did pick him up. his right arm bolstered his weight, the left wrapped tightly around his boyish frame. he got a kiss, too, and was kept there.

he kissed papa's cheek back, lightly. the left hand came up to ruffle his hair.

" how are my kids, huh? my, look at how you two have grown. where's your mother? charlotte! charlotte! "

they joined in on calling for her, too. what a treat.

#IM VERY 😭 RIGHT NOW #finn.#danni.#verse one.#answered.#failmilias

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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 3 years

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Field of Poppies Part 26

Summary: After being apart for six years, childhood friends Tommy and Amelia reunite under odd circumstances. Tommy is an outspoken young man and Amelia is pregnant and out on the streets. The bond of family can be unbreakable but it is tested often. Especially when Europe descends into war.

Part 26: Everything seems to be going in the right direction but looks can be deceiving.

“Morning Mrs. Shelby.”

It had become commonplace in the later months of 1918. When walking down the street, Amelia was greeted and addressed politely. Some people even went out of their way to avoid walking by her. Of course, she was just a young woman, a mother of two. There wasn’t much she could do to harm them. But it was her affiliation that brought her a level of notoriety.

Tommy had taken the income made during the war years and turned it into a budding empire. He’d grown so much power seemingly overnight.

People in every corner of Birmingham whispered about him and his brothers. They were afraid that if they spoke the name Shelby too loudly, they’d be struck down.

“Mummy, who’s that?” Max asked as they were walking from Polly’s flat back to the betting shop. A gentleman had just tipped his hat and greeted Amelia.

“I uh, I think he must work with daddy.” She answered although she wasn’t entirely sure.

“Daddy knows everyone,” Annie said.

Amelia laughed softly. “Well not everyone. But he knows many people. We grew up here with your aunts and uncles.”

��“Where?” Max asked curiously.

“That flat down by the lamppost.” She pointed down the road to her childhood home. Over time it had become just part of the landscape for her. But when she moved back to Birmingham, she couldn’t help but feel the tear in her heart when she passed by its black door.

It was where she was born, had her birthdays, spent time with her mother and father, and felt most safe.

The knocker on the door was still the one that had been there when she was growing up. The same one that Tommy used to get her to come out and play. Sometimes Amelia’s mother would close the door on him. So, he’d go around back and throw pebbles at her window instead.

Amelia felt like her life was severed. What she once had and what she now had. She could argue that she was much better off with her children and husband. But there was still that yearning for the family she once had with her parents.

She pulled herself away from the sadness and smiled. “Your father and I would play football on this street with your aunt and uncles.”

“Did daddy love you?” Annie asked.

Amelia smiled and squeezed her hand. “I think so, poppet. I loved him very much. Almost as much as I do now.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Ada was clearly upset about something. When she was angry, she made it a point not to speak to anyone and made sure they knew it.

It became very clear when she arrived home to Six Watery while Martha and Amelia were spending time chatting in the kitchen, waiting for Polly who promised to go shopping with them after she settled some work issues.

Ada came storming into the house, slamming the door behind her. She walked through the kitchen to the betting shop doors.

“Ada?” Amelia frowned when she saw the look of anger on the Shelby girl’s face.

She didn’t answer and marched into the betting shop hell-bent on getting something accomplished.

The other two women shared a glance before Amelia stood up to follow her. She wove between the men at work to follow Ada into Arthur’s office.

There, the two eldest Shelbys were speaking with one another.

“Why are you alienating your friends?” Ada demanded loudly.

“Why are you coming into an office unannounced?” Tommy shot back.

“Are you planning on cutting ties with everyone once they stop doing what you tell them?” His sister didn’t back down.

Arthur stood up from his desk to calm things down. “Alright, alright, what’s the matter then?”

“Freddie told me that he left the business and he said that you cut Danny out as well,” Ada explained her ire.

Amelia, standing in the doorway, paused. This was all news to her.

“That isn’t any of your concern.”

“Oh, so now you’re a big-shot businessman. You don’t care about anyone.” Ada snapped sarcastically.

“Why do you care so much, aye?” Tommy demanded.

There was a hesitation in Ada’s face. As if there was something right on the tip of her tongue but she knew the consequences if she let the words slip. And right then and there it dawned on Amelia what those words were.

“Because they saved your life in France. The least you could do is repay the fucking favor.” Ada spat before leaving the office, bumping into Amelia on her way out.

Tommy and Arthur watched her leave then looked to Amelia.

“Tom?” She asked quietly.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Freddie doesn’t want anything to do with us anymore.” He spoke evenly. “Said the communist party was a better use of his time, a better cause. Doesn’t approve of our methods anymore.”

“What about Danny?”

Arthur sat back down; his eyes downcast with guilt. “The war fucking got ‘im. Ain’t the same Danny he used to be.”

“We’ve done everything we possibly can,” Tommy added.

Amelia got a bad taste in her mouth. “Rosie relies on you to help. She doesn’t know what to do-”

“And I do?” Tommy replied harshly.

She swallowed and shook her head. “I guess not.” She didn’t linger much longer after that, leaving the office before she got hurt any further.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ada?” Amelia knocked on the bedroom door again. “Ada, it’s just me, please let me in.”

Only silence met her for a few moments. Then, the door opened slowly. The young woman had obviously been crying but was attempting to hide it.

“Oh, love, I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be the one apologizing for him,” Ada muttered before going to go sit on her bed.

Amelia walked into her room and sat beside her. On the bed, there was a heap of letters. Gently, she picked some up and flipped through them. “These are from Freddie?”

Ada nodded. “I love him, Mel.” She admitted hoarsely. “And he loves me. But those bastards downstairs would never approve.”

There was no use in lying to her. Amelia was well aware that any news of Ada and Freddie being together wouldn’t go over well with the rest of the household.

“I just wish we could have what you and Tommy have. Everyone just…they just knew you’d be together. It was just something that was supposed to happen. But they’d never say that about Freddie and me.”

Amelia wrapped an arm around her sister-in-law. “I know you’re discouraged and I understand why. But no matter what they say, I say that if you truly love him, I won’t judge you. It’s about what makes you happiest.”

Ada sniffled and wiped her eyes. “They don’t want me to be happy.”

“Oh, now I don’t think that’s true. They just…” She sighed. “They just think they know what’s best for you. You know they’re very headstrong.”

“I know.”

“And there may be a day when their opinion changes. Right now, the dust just needs to settle. They’re still trying to find their place in the world again. And that may take time.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amelia began to notice that Tommy’s side of the bed was not being slept in. There were more nights in the week when he was absent than when he slept next to her. Though she was feeling neglected, her instinct was to worry about his health.

Especially with Danny’s increase in outbursts and Rosie’s panic. Amelia was more and more worried that Tommy’s mind was going too.

She decided to stay up, no matter how tired she was. The longer time passed, the more anxious she became.

Until finally, around one in the morning, she heard the door open and shut downstairs. But she never heard Tommy’s footsteps climb the stairs. So, she decided to go down herself.

A lamp in the sitting room was on and there was a scent of something burning. Although it was a strange unfamiliar scent to her.

Amelia cautiously entered the room. “Tom?”

He was sitting on the couch and placing a long pipe on the coffee table in front of him. He looked up to see his wife’s form lit up by the glow of the lamp burning in front of him. “Mel…” He slurred and began to slump down into the sofa cushions.

“Tommy.” She crossed the room quickly to see what was wrong. She knelt by him and took his face in her hands. “What’s the matter? What are you doing?”

“M’alright.” He assured her in a laxed tone. His eyelids were heavy. “It’s just…” He didn’t finish his sentence before he drifted off.

Amelia was completely unsure of what to do. It was obvious that he was breathing, but she wasn’t sure if she should be afraid, he would stop breathing. Trembling slightly, she guided his hand away from the pipe and laced her fingers with his. To calm her nerves, she counted his slow breathing as he slept.

And she sat there counting all night. Until the wee hours of the morning when Tommy began to stir and twitch in his sleep.

Exhausted, Amelia felt his hand tighten around hers. Then suddenly, he jerked awake, sitting up in a panic.

It jolted Amelia out of her tired daze as her hand was ripped out of his by his abrupt movement.

“Tommy, Tom, it’s okay.” She tried to reassure him.

Breathing heavily, he looked around the room trying to gauge where he was and if he was safe. His eyes landed on his wife and his heart rate started to steady. “Mel…” He looked slightly past her and found his pipe and opium still out in the open, making him tense up again.

Amelia wasn’t sure what to say. She wondered all night what she might ask when he awoke, but there were no words. Her chest tightened and everything came out all at once. “I stayed up all night with you.” She gasped out; the words had been stuck in her head for so many hours. “I didn’t know…I don’t understand.”

Tommy shook his head. “I don’t know how to make you understand.”

She tried so desperately to not cry. “Have you not been sleeping?”

He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward and letting his head hang. “I have if I…” He sighed. “I haven’t been sleeping upstairs because I don’t want to wake you or the kids.” He explained.

“It’s nightmares then.” She concluded.

Tommy put his face in his hands. “Feels worse.” He muttered into his palms.

Amelia rested a hand on his knee. She looked to the pipe that had gone cold hours ago. The lamp near it had been snuffed out by her hours earlier. How could this be? She was jealous of a drug. Jealous of opium. Jealous that it offered her husband relief while she couldn’t.

He lifted his head when there was a sound of a slowly plodding by the flat. “Max’s birthday is on Friday.”

She nodded. “It is.”

As the sun began to rise, they stayed there for a long while until the children woke. Nothing resolved, Tommy placed the pipe back into hiding and Amelia tried to forget she ever saw him slide the box underneath the sofa.

Permanent Tag: @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @biba3434 @kimmietea @karmezii @enrapturedbythemoon @vampgirl1997 @tarafaithe @evelynshelby

Tag list: @shelbyblinded @hanster1998 @xxbeckybeexx-blog @fairypitou

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#tommy shelby #tommy shelby fanfiction #tommy shelbyxofc #tommy shelbyxoc #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders #ada shelby #freddie thorne #ofcs #ocs #pre canon #pre season 1 #ww1 #cillianmurphy #cillian murphy #cillian murphy fanfiction #fanfiction

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jmsa1287 · 4 years

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Luca Guadagnino's 'We Are Who We Are' is a Vibrant Series Celebrating Queer Youth

the kids are all right in Luca Guadagnino's HBO series “We Are Who We Are.”

"We Are Who We Are," a new series hitting HBO on Monday, has all the best hallmarks of Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagninio, best known for his gay coming-of-age movie "Call Me By Your Name." The new show is another vibrant coming-of-age story, this time set in a U.S. military base in Venice, Italy, that follows two young teens coming into their own as they discover their sexuality and identity. And like the Oscar-nominated film, it's partly a fish-out-of-water story except one that is not solely focused on romance; in the moving "We Are Who We Are" a Guadagninio celebrates what it means to be young and cherishes the journey it takes to find self-discovery.

Most of Guadagninio's films depict characters entering a new setting; like in his last picture, a remake of the classic 70s giallo "Suspiria" where Dakota Johnson's character, an America, joins a prestigious ballet academy in Germany. "We Are Who We Are" follows Fraser ("It" star Jack Dylan Grazer), a bleach-blond 14-year-old who paints his nails and takes his style inspiration from Kevin Smith. He's being forced to leave New York City because his parents Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and Maggie (Alice Braga) are joining a U.S. military base in Venice where Sarah will be the new commander. There, he meets a number of kids his age — and older — where he begins to come blossom, especially after meeting Caitlin (newcomer Jordan Kristine Seamon), who is confident around her friends but more unsure of herself when with Fraser; it's their budding friendship that is at the center of the new show where the boundaries of identity and self beautifully vanish.

"We Are Who We Are" will fill the "Euphoria" void in your TV diet despite being two very different shows. Guadagninio's new series is set in 2016 and is less about the drama and pressures teens face today; Fraser always has his phone and an earbud in his ear but he's never tweeting. Guadagninio, who cowrote the eight episodes along with Paolo Giordano and Francesca Manieri, is more interested in the beauty of being young during the time when you learn to break the rules. There are rules for everything at the military base for the young army brats living there, the rules are meant to be broken.

"I wasn't too much into 'topics,' and I wasn't too much into the zeitgeist," Guadagninio told The New York Times in a recent interview. "Instead, what I felt was interesting was a TV narrative not from the perspective of action and plot, but more from the perspective of behavior."

"We Are Who We Are" is ultimately about the choices we make and how those decisions impact those around us. The show features a diverse cast of characters who feel like they want to be anywhere else but where they are. With so many traditions and rules, there's an inherent suffocation that comes with living on an army base. Caitlin feels that pressure especially from her father Richard (Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. rapper Kid Cudi), a high-ranking soldier who expects a lot from his daughter, and her brother Danny (Spence Moore II), who is also an apparent Trump supporter. (There's a scene in which he orders MAGA hats for himself and Caitlin.)

Venice is a beautiful city but much of the show is spent on the base that resembles Any Town, U.S.A. and we only get glimpses of the city during the first four episodes HBO provided. Outspoken Britney (played by Martin Scorsese's daughter Francesca Scorsese) explains to Fraser that all the army bases around the world are exactly the same so no one gets homesick. Being a young teen who is stuck is ripe for a story and Guadagninio imbues "We Are Who We Are" with a kinetic energy that rarely comes along on the small screen. (His music taste also helps as he's rivaling Martin Scorsese for the director with the best needle drops.) Spiritually, "We Are Who We Are" has more in common with Sean Baker's freewheeling 2018 film "The Florida Project" that features a number of first-time actors than a glossy teen drama. That energy percolates throughout the series but explodes in the fourth episode when the group finds a perfect spot to party and rivals the teen party scene in Oliver Assayas's 1994 film "Cold Water."

"We Are Who We Are" says it all in the title; it is a show about how sometimes people can change their perspectives or their views but that they cannot change who they are; their essence and their true selves. Guadagninio's best work has been showcasing characters going through a deep change — as he did with is stunning 2009 feature "I Am Love" starring Tilda Swinton as a married upper-class woman who falls for a chef. His new series is up there with his best works; an ode to being young, free and breaking the rules.

#we are who we are #tv #hbo #luca guadagnino #call me by your name #lgbtq #lgbt #queer #euphoria

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going-dead · 5 years

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To (Not) Kill a Ghost

Two ghosts raced across the sky of Amity Park, weaving in and out of buildings . Danny Phantom threw an attack but the offending ghost dodged out of the way. The ghost blindly threw an attack back not wanting to slow down by looking back. If someone who lived in Amity Park were to look up it wouldn’t be an unusual sight. Phantom chasing ghosts was an almost daily occurrence and the citizens were used to it. This particular ghost on the other hand was a monthly occurrence at most, there were many theories about the relation of the two ghosts, few said she wasn’t related to Phantom at all, some said she is his sister, or his cousin, his daughter. All they knew was the two ghosts were close and from their similar looks and outfits probably died together. Or at least that was the theory.

The young ghost stopped mid air and threw a snowball that hit Phantom directly in his face. Dani laughed clutching her stomach and kicking her feet in the air. Danny wiped the snow off his face revealing a face of joking anger. “Young lady you are so grounded.” he shook a finger at her.

“You’re not my real dad!” She joked sticking her tongue out.

Danny scoffed, “You have an almost 100% DNA match to me, I’m more of a father to you than most fathers are to their kids.” Danny trailed off, “buuuuuut if that’s how you want to be.” He gave a wicked grin and formed a giant ball of snow in his hands the size of his head and readied to throw it. Dani yelped and ducked out of the way barely missing it. She shot off again Danny chasing behind her laughing.

Dani tried to visit Danny once a month depending on where she was traveling. Even when they couldn’t see each other in person they would video chat or text each other for a whole day to simulate being there with each other for a day. After Dani was stabilized she stayed at Danny’s for a few days just so he could make sure the ecto-dejecto wasn’t just a temporary fix. She stayed in his room, invisible whenever his family came in. Well there was an incident with Jazz but she already knew about the whole halfa thing so a clone of her brother wasn’t too far fetched for her. Jazz was the first to ask about the logistics of the relationship between the original and the clone. They definitely were closer than cousins, but it didn’t feel like his relationship with Jazz. It was obviously platonic that wasn’t even a question. Eventually Jazz offered the father-daughter comparison, which they hesitantly agreed to. Dani didn’t call him dad but he was fine with it. It would be hard to explain to anyone who overheard and Dani called Vlad her dad before she found out the truth so she was uncomfortable using it, but they were glad to have a name for their bond.

After a while they headed to Fentonworks landing in Danny’s room. They both transformed and walked downstairs where Jazz was making dinner in the kitchen. “I was wondering when you two were getting back, so I figured i’d just start dinner.” Jazz looked up from the stove, “we’re having pancakes for dinner.” She placed a pancake on an already tall stack.

“Do they have chocolate chips in them?” Dani asked running up beside Jazz.

“Yes they do, but don’t get any ideas Danny. It’s only because Dani is here and she doesn’t get family meals often.” Jazz waved her spatula toward Danny.

Danny shrugged and opened the fridge rummaging around until he pulled out a can of whipped cream. “Oh no, whatever shall I do?” He deadpanned spraying the whipped cream into his mouth. Then walked over to Dani to do the same.

Jazz wrinkled her nose, “You guys are already getting chocolate chip pancakes you don’t need more sugar with it. It’s bad for your bodies you’re still growing.” Rolling her eyes when they both did it again. “You two can at least set the table, I did cook all the food after all.”

“Aye aye captain Jazz.” Danny saluted phasing through the cupboard doors grabbing the plates then placing them on the table. He lifted Dani up so she could reach the cups. Just like Danny when he was her -biological- age, she hadn’t hit her growth spurt yet. Though he didn’t really grow tall, just became less short.

“So Dani how long are you staying?” Jazz asked putting pancakes on everyone's plates. The two raven haired children drowned their pancakes in syrup then scarfed them down, adding whipped cream of course.

“Probably until tomorrow? Danny said your parents are out late today teaching a ghost safety class, but doesn’t know if they’ll be here tomorrow.” She replied in between bites.

“Yep, that’s why we’re spending as much time together today. And since it’s Friday I don’t need to go to bed early. Danny nodded.

Halfway through dinner both Danny and Dani shuddered and puffs of frost escaped their mouths. “Oh come on! I know I let everyone know you were coming, even Skulker agreed to leave me alone today who the hell is it?” Danny stood up angrily.

The ghosts and Danny came to an agreement a few months back that they were not to come through the portal when Dani was over, unless it was an emergency. They might not all like Danny but they seemed to respect family. The threats from Clockwork and Pandora probably helped as well.

“Just go before your food gets warm.” Jazz waved to two heros off.

“Dani stay here and finish dinner, I can handle whoever it is.” Danny transformed and flew off to find the offending ghost.

“Pssh yeah right, I never get to fight. I’m not giving up the chance to.” Dani flew after the older ghost.

Jazz shook her head and headed to the living room to see if the news had caught wind of the ghost yet. She hoped whoever it was just forgot Dani was over. Danny always seemed happy when she was over.

The two half ghosts flew above Amity Park scrying the streets and sky for the unknown ghost. A scream tore through the air. Danny imeadintly dove towards the source of the scream. He landed in the middle of a playground that was located in the center of the town. There was another scream right next to Danny’s ear. Danny flinched back then turned to his right. He saw a woman holding a small child that was probably around five. Danny quickly glanced them over looking for any big injuries, but both seemed fine.

The woman was just staring at Danny frozen in fear. “How...What?” The woman took a step back. Dani landed behind her, once the woman saw her she gave another yelp.

“You’re new around here aren’t you?” Danny raised a brow. “Dani can you take her somewhere safe. Mo- The Fentons are holding a ghost class at the school. They can explain the whole ghost town thing.” Danny was about to turn and leave but paused. “Can you toss me the thermos?” He opened his hands in a catching position.

“I don’t have it? We were eating and I never get to fight when i’m here why would I have it?”

“Crap, grab it on your way back then. I’m sure I’ll be able to hold off the ghost until you do.”

Dani grabbed the women's free hand who flinched away. “Don’t worry I don’t bite,” Dani smiled “I’m Dani by the way what’s your name?” She asked walking the women and her kid out of the park.

Now time to figure out who interrupted dinner, a pancake dinner nonetheless. Danny mused and floated above the tree line and almost immediately spotted the ghost. It was a hulking figure wearing armor and wielding slightly curved sword. “Hey dipwad who are you? You look like the accidental lovechild of the Fright Knight and Skulker.” Danny paused, “Ew, that’s an image I which I could burn out of my head. Forever.”

The unknown ghost turned towards Danny his eyes a blazing red he snarled showing sharpened teeth. “I am Eviscerate!”

“Oh boy what a creative name I could never possibly guess what you like to do. I bet you thought long and hard about it. But let me try to guess anyway, you want to tear my organs out? Display them in your personal collection perhaps?”

“Eviscerate does not collect for when I remove the organs they are too mangled to preserve. And I will take your organs and everyone else's as well.”

“Join the line bud, you’re behind my parents, Skulker, and the government. But if you go nicely back into the Ghost Zone I might be able to bump you up the list. Though still behind my parents, I think they actually have the legal rights to my organs when I die until I turn eighteen, how does that work in my situation?” Danny paused counting the names on his fingers, “Oh there’s also Valerie, but we have an on and off truce right now.” Geeze he really shouldn’t have this many people ready to dissect him at the drop of a hat.

He was pulled out of his musings when a sword was swung at his chest. He barely dodged it and returned the attack with an ectoblast. It hit it’s mark but it didn’t even seem to stun his opponent. Dani better get back soon. He threw up a shield to intercept the next attack. Why couldn’t it have been the Box Ghost? Or even Skulker at least he knew what he was dealing with when it came to him. Danny let off another round of ectoblasts which managed to dent the armor and he could see a few drops of ectoplasm leaking out of the armor. God what did it take to actually hurt this guy? He couldn’t risk his ghostly wail there were too many buildings around and it didn’t exactly have a small area of effect.

“I got the thermos!” A young voice called out.

Danny turned towards Dani to make a grab for the thermos. That was a mistake, he left himself open for an attack and took his eyes off of his opponent. Eviscerate saw the opportunity and took it lunging at him stabbing him through the abdomen with his sword, lodging it in his gut. Danny could hear the faint yelling of his name through the ringing in his ears and saw the blue flash of the Fenton Thermos. Then he was falling and it all went black.

He woke up human and in searing pain, Dani struggling to carry him through the doors of his home. He managed to pry his eyes open and saw himself being carried into the living room. Jazz was rushing around to clear space on the floor clutching the spool of Fenton Fishing Wire. The TV was still on recapping the fight that just occurred.

“Wha-What happened?” he croaked out trying to lift his head once he was laid down.

“Don’t talk, and stay still.” Jazz snapped out, threading the fishing wire through a needle. “You got stabbed, Dani trapped the ghost in the thermos and carried you here. You lost a lot of blood.”

“I can feel that, I’m tired.” His eyes drooped threatening to close.

“Nevermind what I said about not talking Dani keep him talking! Don’t fall asleep.” Jazz barked out. She cut open his shirt wincing as she had to cut his binder as well. It was his favorite, but that didn’t really matter when he was bleeding out.

“Come on you can’t give up,” Dani cried. “Here would I go? Who would I talk to about my travels? You can’t leave me!” Dani too was now human.

“I won’t leave you” he coughed out, “I’d never do that.”

The wound in Danny’s abdomen was clotting with a strange mixture of blood and ectoplasm. Jazz had cleaned the wound as much as possible and was starting the stitches her her hands shaking. Danny’s veins were slightly glowing green with ectoplasm his human and ghost halves doing their damnedest to keep themselves (mostly) alive.

Dani took up pacing back and forth while Jazz worked to stay out of her way. Stress and worry causing her powers to act up making her body flicker in and out of visibility. Rambling on and on trying to keep Danny awake. Jazz was about halfway across the wound when the tense air and senseless rambling was interrupted.

“Jazzy-pants, Danny-boy!” Jack Fenton’s voice called out as he turned the kitchen light on. Giving the living room a dim light. Danny, now stable enough to move around a bit, lifted his head and shared a look with Jazz and Dani, who’s eyes were now reflecting in the dim light, and he could only assume his were doing the same. All three kids came to the conclusion there was no way to move Danny mid stitch without making the wound worse, and no way to reasonably excuse the current situation.

Danny rest his head back on the ground all three waiting on bated breath. “What the-?” Maddie Fenton started turning the living room light on. She was met with the sight of a strangely familiar looking young girl. But that was quickly pushed into the back of her mind when she saw Jazz, holding a needle and- was that the Fenton Fishing Wire? Crouched over a blood and ectoplasm covered Danny, with a huge gash in his stomach. The fact the ectoplasm seemed to be coming from Danny only made her concern grow.

“Heya Mom,” Danny groaned, “not exactly how I imagen-” he hissed in pain as he drew a deep breath, “how I imagined you finding out”

Jack was now standing beside Maddie. “Find out what sweetie?” She asked apprehensively.

The strange girl placed herself in front of of Jazz and Danny almost looking like she was ready to fight the two scientists. “We can explain when Danny is not bleeding out!” Jazz snapped. “Just… just go sit in the kitchen or go upstairs for now, okay?”

“But…” Jack protested.

“GO!” Jazz yelled. Her parents hesitated but complied glancing back before exiting the room.

Once the wound was closed up Danny’s healing factor kicked into full gear. He was still in loads of pain but he was able to be moved to the couch with a blanket draped over him and his head propped up with a pillow. “You can bring them in now.”

“Are you sure Danny? You don’t have to do this.”

“It had to happen eventually Jazz.”

She sighed and walked towards the kitchen. Dani took a seat at Danny’s feet her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. Danny’s eyes were darting towards the kitchen and then over to Dani. “If this goes wrong just leave, don’t worry about me okay Dani? Just stop by Sam’s or Tucker’s tell them what happened then get as far away from here as you can.”

“What? No! You almost died, I’d take you with me or I won’t leave.”

“ Yes, you will Danielle.” He said as stern as he could.

“No. I. Won’t. Dad.”

Jazz cleared her throat standing a few steps away with Jack and Maddie looking confused. Danny slowly sat up, keeping the blanket over his chest, so he could face his parents.

“I suppose I should start from the beginning huh?” Danny started. “You remember when I told you the ghost portal gave me a small shock when it turned on? Well that may have been a small understatement.” He paused trying to think of the best way to explain it. “Well it’d be easier to just show you.” Jazz started to protest but Danny rose a hand. “It’s fine, I heal faster like that anyway.”

“Honey what are you-” Maddie was cut off as two rings of light ran up and down her sons body replacing jeans and bare torso with a black and white hazmat suit, ice blue eyes with a toxic growing green, and the black hair she ran her hands through when he was younger and scared replaced with an ethereal ghastly white. In the place of her son was Danny Phantom. Jack looked frozen and Maddie brought her hand to her mouth. “The ghost portal killed you? We killed you? You’ve been a ghost this whole time?”

“Well...not exactly. I’m half ghost, the ghosts call me a halfa. Half a human, half a ghost. I still need to breathe and I still have a heartbeat, I just have a few… extra things as well.” Jack looked grief stricken, “We tried to kill you. I tried to kill you. I talked about how I would tear you apart right in front of you at the dinner table! You call yourself Danny Phantom for fucks sake, Phantom, Fenton. How could we be so blind.”

“Hey there are kids present dad!” Jazz pointed at Dani.

“Wait you’ve been fighting ghosts this whole time, no wonder you don’t get any homework done. You...fight...ghosts. Young man! You were stabbed what are you doing in our living room and not at a hospital? Jazz isn’t a doctor!” Maddie ran to Danny’s side, the sudden movement made Dani look like she was ready to throw punches any moment.

“Well hospitals don’t really know how to treat half ghosts.” Danny gave a small chuckle. “Plus the Fenton Fishing Wire works a lot better than normal stitches, it stays together in both forms so…”

“Well those stitches are very sloppy. Come on Jack help me bring him down to the lab.”

At that statement Dani practically shoved Maddie back and placed herself between her and Danny. “I won’t let you take him!” She snarled her eyes flashing green.

“What do you think I’m going to- no wait who even are you?” Maddie asked. “And why did you call my son ‘dad’?”

“Oh she’s my clone. We figured it was the most fitting relationship title.” Danny shrugged a shoulder.

Maddie looked like she wanted to ask more but saved the questions for later. “Anyway if we don’t redo those stitches. It’ll get infected, or at best just leave a really bad scar. And the lab has better supplies than a D.I.Y. first AID kit. Come on Jack help me move him gently.”

“You’re going to have to turn human again sweetie. I need to see how bad the wound is internally.” Maddie said once Danny was set on the lab table. He complied groaning as his organs were once more needed. Maddie cut the stitches open unthreading the wire used. “I’m going to have to tug at the skin a bit okay? I need to see if anything vital was punctured.” She slowly pried open the gash wincing at her sons gasps of pain. She glanced over at Jack, “Grab the suture needles and the fishing wire.” As she looked at the exposed intestine she noticed that it was already mostly healed despite being stabbed only a short time ago. The intestine seemed to be faintly green, probably because of the ectoplasm that seemed be be mixed with his blood. She wondered the ratio of blood and ectoplasm and if it was different in both forms. But right now it was her job to fix up her son. Everything else could wait until later.

#Danny phantom #my fic #phic #angst #dani phantom #jazz fenton

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twopointroux · 5 years

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take me out to the ballgame

ok Listen, i’m on vacation rn and very much in the midst of writing a very long addition to the baseball’verse, and this ficlet stems from what happens in the fic.

Sean yawns as he enters the room, looking at the ground for any stray legos. Successfully reaching the bed, Sean crouches down, his eyes level with the messy mop of brown hair. The animal patterned sheet covers most of the young girl’s face. With a mischievous grin, Sean blows a puff of air to the girl's head before whispering.

“Raleigh, time to wake up kiddo.” Sean runs a hand through the soft hair, smiling at his daughter. The girl groans, a small hand coming up to grip Sean’s and push it away. Swiftly, Sean's fingers slip through the blanket to tickle her. The child giggles, squirming away. They both laugh loudly as Raleigh shoves her father's hand.

“You gotta get ready or else Papa’s gonna leave without us. And you don't want to miss your first baseball game do you?” Sean quirks an eyebrow, and the girl sits up immediately, a shocked impression on her face.

“No!” It's more of an exclamation than an actual answer but Sean nods anyway. The three year old jumps up from her bed, rushing past her kneeling father. Sean can hear her feet running to his and Danny’s room.

Sean stands, heading to his own bedroom where he finds Danny sitting in bed. A large smile takes up his face as Raleigh goes on and on about how she'll be the “best daughter ever.” Danny looks at Sean with the same smile, while patting the space next to him. Sean doesn't hesitate in dropping onto the bed, making his kneeling daughter wobble a bit. Raleigh, still smiling, scoots closer to sit evenly between her dads.

“Danny,” he says, yawning a little.

“What are you doing? You should be getting ready!” She doesn't need to be twice, because just like she left her room, Raleigh is running down the wooden floor to her bedroom. Sean keeps an ear open in case she slipped because of her socks. He should've warned her about that.

“Last time I checked, I was the one who was supposed to tell her.” Danny looks far from upset, with his smile still firmly in place. Sean can’t seem to find it in himself to chirp his husband. Instead, he feels the urge to lean in to kiss him.

“It must've slipped my mind, darlin’.” Danny laughs loudly at the endearment, his head tilted back so Sean’s lips pressed against his neck.

—

“Dad, Daddy, I can't see!” Raleigh whines, tugging at Sean's shirt as they look for their seats. It's just the warm ups, not much to see either way. Sean stops, scoping the three-year-old into his arms, using his free hand to grip Danny's. Eventually they find their seats and Raleigh has switched from talking his ear off to staring at the players.

“They're so close Papa, can they hear me?” Her voice is timid and she immediately reaches out for Danny, the realization hitting him. Sean smiles, but doesn’t move to get out of his seat. They’re just going to sit here for a few minutes before making their way to their suite. For a moment, Sean’s glad that the friends they invited cancelled because this was Raleigh’s first game and he would rather it be with just him and Danny. It is her first game and you can be damn sure Sean was spoiling his kid. And it wasn't like he gave up his soul for these seats, he’s a professional athlete. Plus, it didn’t hurt to also spoil his husband too. He still can’t believe he got the guy he’s been pining after and they’ve been married for years now.

It's sunny out but the breeze makes up for the sun beating down on them. Thankfully Danny lathered Raleigh in sunscreen. Sean sets his arm around Danny's seat, leaning back.

"Cotton Candy! Cotton Candy!" Raleigh's head snaps up at the mention of sweets, and Sean can see her blue eyes pleading with Danny's.

“If you get cotton candy now, you can't have any ice cream later, bud.” She pouts, sitting back in Danny's lap, bringing a grin to Sean's face. Looking around, Sean flags down one who's selling beer, asking if Danny wanted one, he declined. Kicking his feet up on the seat in front of him, Sean relaxes before the game starts. He can hear Danny and Raleigh talking next to him, but he's lost in his head. All of a sudden, Sean feels his hat leaving his head, revealing his hair. Sean finds Danny and Raleigh giggling, his Red Sox hat now covering Raleigh’s smaller one. Danny’s still sits backwards on his head.

“Give that back to me ma’am.” Sean's hand dives for it, missing on purpose. The game goes on for another minute with Danny’s hat coming into play as well. It isn’t long before the reporter makes his way over to plop right down next to Sean. They knew this was coming, mostly because the news of their relationship is still going strong from the end of the season. Seeing that him and his family are all the way in Portland watching the Sea Dogs, reporters here have it easy when it comes down to reaching him.

The reporter does have the decency to ask them if they’re up for an interview, but he figures it’s a little late when a camera man makes his way over. Raleigh hands back their respective hats as the interviewer begins his interview. He asks Sean about his postseason plans, the Commissioner's Trophy celebrations, and everything in between. Raleigh stays mostly silent until the interviewer begins to speak with her.

“Are you excited for the game?” It’s something simple, but Sean watches as Danny whispers softly in her ear. Raleigh nods her head yes to Danny before returning to the camera.

“Yeah it’s my first game.” She says excited, probably warming the hearts of everyone in there stands right now. The adults chuckle and the interview ends. As Sean makes eye contact with Danny, it’s easy to agree that it’s time to move to their suite.

“Where are we going Daddy?” He hears from Raleigh who hold hands with Danny as she jumps up each step. Sean throws his empty cup away and responds.

“We have a special room just for us to watch the game.” He grabs into her empty hand and the three of them make their way up the escalator and around the complex to find their suite. A nice air is going and it cools Sean’s skin immediately. Raleigh tugs to move toward the railing but they both have a tight grip. She complains but slowly, Sean takes her while Danny moves to grab a drink for himself and her.

The time flies by before the game starts.

They left the suite to sit out and watch the game. With his own legs kicked up, Raleigh lays comfortably along Sean's chest. Danny and Sean make small talk as more and more people arrive, the seats around them filling.

Sean looks at Danny and then back at the top of Raleigh's head, placing a kiss at the hat. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else than here.

#fic #you don't need context to enjoy #baseball au #kurienen #original character raleigh

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hygieneticmarketing-blog · 6 years

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19 Startup Books Every Founder Should Read

ook, we love blog posts as much as the next person. (Maybe even a little bit more.) There’s a lot of knowledge startup founders can find on the internet. But when it comes to real deep dives, you can’t beat a good startup book.

“Imagine your personal network was filled with titans of industry — from marketing mavens to business moguls,” Benjamin Evans, startup founder and lead designer on Airbnb’s Anti-Discrimination team tells Startups.co. “How much easier would it be to level up in business and life if you had the best insights available to you whenever you needed them? Well, I believe that’s the value of books. In my ideal world I’d have a network filled with my role models — from Seth Godin through to Richard Branson — on hand to help me overcome the challenges in my professional life. But those people are obviously are incredibly busy. I’ve come to see books as a way to get on-demand access to the insights I need from people who have achieved what I want to achieve.”

However, there are many, many startup books out there. How can you know which ones are the best and are actually worth your time and which ones should never leave the Amazon warehouse? One great way is to ask your friends which books have helped them on their own journeys as startup founders. Which startup books do they keep turning back to? Which ones helped them break through a wall they were facing or taught them a skill they didn’t even realize they needed?

But for those of you who don’t have any friends (Just kidding! We know you’re super popular!) or you’re looking for something outside of your own network, we asked our friends about what startup books they love. (And we have a lot of friends — the Startups.co community includes more than 1 million registered startup founders and their teams.)

Here are 19 of their absolutely must-have startup books.

1. “WILL IT FLY?: HOW TO TEST YOUR NEXT BUSINESS IDEA SO YOU DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY” BY PAT FLYNN

“Will It Fly? When you’re starting, the first thing to figure out is if your initial idea is viable and as you’re growing you have to keep testing your new ideas. I talk to a lot of strangers about In the Mood and get amazing feedback – from what they say and sometimes what they don’t say!”

-Trisha Stone, Founder, In The Mood

2. “VENTURE DEALS” BY BRAD FELD

“Venture Deals offers a unique balanced perspective on deal terms and intricacies from both the investor’s and entrepreneur’s perspectives. It’s the first book I recommend when entrepreneurs are embarking on their first fundraise so they can negotiate term sheets with knowledge and insight.”

-Elizabeth Galbut Perelman, Managing Partner, SoGal Ventures

3. “THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO” BY ATUL GAWANDE

“As a bootstrapping co-founder, I’m always wearing multiple hats and it can feel easy to be overwhelmed. The Checklist Manifesto helped me look at the basic steps for all the things I had to regularly do and organize in a thoughtful and manageable way. Additionally, it allowed me to seamlessly delegate to others without the same anxiety I previously had. Lastly, it’s just a fascinating read!”

-Rachel Trobman, CEO/Co-Founder, Ouchie

4. “AN AWESOME BOOK! A LITTLE BOOK ABOUT DREAMING BIG” BY DALLAS CLAYTON.

“An Awesome Book! is another important book, not a traditional startup book but an inspirational one, I read to my kids. It reminds us not to dream of the ‘practical’ but to have magical dreams like we did when we were kids, dreams that can change the way things are, that make us feel like we don’t know up from down, dreams so big they roar!”

-Trisha Stone, Founder, In The Mood

5. “RADICAL CANDOR” BY KIM SCOTT

“I love the book Radical Candor. It helped me realize the importance of being honest and sharing feedback to my teammates, and the best way to do it effectively. It made me understand the positive impact radical candor can have on my team. It’s stuck with me and I am now much better at verbalizing praise and criticism.”

-Nisha Garigarn, founder at Croissant, Getcroissant.com

6. “HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR IDEAS INTO SOFTWARE PRODUCTS” BY POORNIMA VIJAYASHANKER

“How to Transform Your Ideas Into Software Products is very practical for ideation and prototyping, and it’s the first place I turned when starting my consultancy even though my ‘product’ is presently a service more than a piece of software. I’ve seen significant revenue growth within weeks at past startups after implementing her deceptively simple advice, and find it especially great for getting new projects off the ground. The focus is on product, not code.”

-Jessica Graves, Founder & Data Scientist, Sefleuria

7. “SETTING THE TABLE” BY DANNY MEYER

“Setting the Table by Danny Meyer has had a tremendous influence on me and my entrepreneurial journey. The book focuses on how experiences should make users/clients/customers feel, and I firmly believe it is the cornerstone for any successful business. The best products have intangible qualities that go beyond utility; they’re able to excite you. This is what Meyer has done so well with his restaurants and what I think every successful company must do to win.”

-Anne Hong Gottschall, CEO/Cofounder of Revelr

8. “THE HARD THING ABOUT HARD THINGS” BY BEN HOROWITZ

“Ben Horowitz’s The Hard Thing About Hard Things provides the transparency and empathy all entrepreneurs require to navigate our inevitable missteps.”

-Virginia, Founder, Sailo

9. “THE SPRINT BOOK” BY JAKE KNAPP

“I worked at Google for years and became a sprint master. I ran sprints for teams there and at Airbnb for product design teams. I also used this to pivot the design of my sex education app, Romp. We rethought the entire design with a group of designers, engineers, and enthusiastic users.

Got some amazing ideas and the group produced a concept that was the centerpiece of the new design! The Sprint Book helped me rally the collective strengths of the group at a time when I didn’t have a fully staffed design team.”

-Hannah Hughes, Founder, Romp

10. “BUSINESS MODEL GENERATION: A HANDBOOK FOR VISIONARIES, GAME CHANGERS, AND CHALLENGERS” BY ALEXANDER OSTERWALDER AND YVES PIGNEUR

“I originally got Business Model Generation for a class in college, and pulled it off my bookshelf when starting tabú. It helped me organize my thoughts and think strategically about the different aspects of our company, and how we could build a business that provides lasting, meaningful value.”

-Mia Davis, CEO & Founder, tabú

11. “THE STARTUP OWNER’S MANUAL” BY STEVE BLANK

I like The Startup Owner’s Manual because it is grounded with practical, tactical advice and emphasized sustainability from the beginning. It includes some (obvious) concepts like talking to your customers and the Business Model Canvas, so it’s nice that it’s like a ‘one stop shop’ manual vs. focusing on one method only (e.g. Lean Startup).”

-Maria Yuan, Founder and CEO of IssueVoter

12. “THE LEAN STARTUP” BY ERIC RIES

“The Lean Startup is an incredible book because it recounts the experience of Eric Ries. He highlights his mistakes in an effort to help you avoid making the same mistakes. He discusses the importance of understanding your target audience, creating an MVP, focusing on actionable metrics, and knowing when to adapt and iterate without wasting too much time. All of his advice is extremely valuable, and helpful in order to avoid common founder mistakes.”

-Lauren Foundos, Founder & CEO, FORTË

13. “START WITH WHY” BY SIMON SINEK

“It might not necessarily be a startup book per se, but Start With Why by Simon Sinek was a wonderful read at the start of my business. He explains that really how starting with your ‘why’ and keeping it at your core is incredibly important when building a successful business with customer loyalty. Amazing read that I still go back to all the time.”

-Kirsten La Greca, Founder, ROSA GOLD

14. “THE WAR OF ART” BY STEVEN PRESSFIELD

“The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, which taught me that it’s the challenging path that we’re meant to follow and how to combat self-doubt. There is no better book to help you defeat Impostor Syndrome.”

-Kiki Schirr, CEO/co-founder, WeKiki

15. “BUILD YOUR DREAM NETWORK” BY J. KELLY HOEY

“Where I am today is entirely thanks to the people who are part of my life, who support me, who lift me up and make what we do with the Monarq Incubator possible. Kelly Hoey has written a manual called Build Your Dream Network on how everyone can surround herself with the right kind of people and every founder needs to read it.”

-Irene Ryabaya Co-Founder Monarq Incubator

16. “GOOD TO GREAT” BY JIM COLLINS

“As a CEO I learned a lot through what Jim Collins demonstrated in Good to Greatto be the key qualities of CEOs that make a company successful. I particularly like how he highlighted that good CEOs focus on the team, not themselves, and have a long term vision for the company beyond their own tenure.”

-Yorick Ser, CEO of CampusGroups

17. “PRETOTYPE IT” BY ALBERTO SAVOIA

“Not a book, but a manifesto. It’s important to gain actionable market feedback at every step of iteration. Pretotype It offers guidance and examples of how to get the inputs you need before investing in an idea or next stage of product development.”

-Amanda Patterson, CEO, The Call List

18. “START ME UP!: THE NO-BUSINESS-PLAN BUSINESS PLAN” BY EBONG EKA

Review of Start Me Up!: “A clear, no fluff, handbook covering a variety of issues budding as well as seasoned entrepreneurs face. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on fears and doubts, becoming an expert in your niche and raising money. This is a book I will refer to often. Highly recommend!”

–Tony Rogers Jr, Author of Visionary:Making a difference in a world that needs YOU

19. “THE 10X RULE” BY GRANT CARDONE

“The 10x Rule and Start Me Up! are both no-nonsense and straight to the point with actionable information you can use immediately. Right now. Today!”

-Kelly Ann Collins, CEO of Vult Lab

Updated: 3/30/18

20. “LOST AND FOUNDER” BY RAND FISHKIN

In Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World, Rand Fishkin, the founder and former CEO of Moz, reveals how traditional Silicon Valley “wisdom” leads far too many startups astray, with the transparency and humor that his hundreds of thousands of blog readers have come to love.

Building a library of the best startup books is an excellent way to tap into the knowledge and research of success stories who have gone before you. Think of it as your own startup school — one that costs a heck of a lot less than college these days.

#Marketing #contentmarketing #socialmediamarketing #internetmarketing #marketingstrategies #digitalmarketing #onlinemarketing #online #Entrepreneur #strategy

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swipestream · 6 years

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Cobra Kai Kicks Lost in Space’s Ass!

Lost in Space, Netflix’s revamp of the classic SF TV series, is so abysmally bad that there’s no end to the possible critiques one could lodge against it. The biggest complaint—and, ultimately, the only one that matters—is that it’s boring. Tedious. Excruciatingly bland and stupefying.

In fact, the only thing that broke up the boredom was my visceral dislike for all the characters. Each and every one, a Wesley Crusher. An entire family, an entire show, of people so aggravating and unlikable, that if I sat next to one on an airplane, I’d choke them out before we hit the runway. I hated them, and I hated every minute I had to spend with them.

Folks, when writing something, strive to create characters that are likable, or at least interesting. Unlikable and boring is pretty much the nadir of character design, and Lost in Space hit that jackpot each and every time.

The show was so awful, it isn’t even worth spending the time to analyze why. It was shallow, it was insipid, and by the end I was just begging for it to be over.

So let’s flip to the other TV series I watched this week: Cobra Kai. YouTube Red’s sequel to The Karate Kid—the good one, not the modern reboot—put up two free eps, and since they looked pretty good, I decided to subscribe to YouTube Red. Wait, I’m not insane: the first month is free, so I’m not giving YouTube money or anything crazy like that.

Thankfully, Cobra Kai wasn’t as bad as Lost in Space. I didn’t hate all the characters, I was interested in where the story was going and, though it’s not the best thing on television, it is pretty good, up until the very end. That last episode, though… phew. (Spoilers to follow.)

Set 34 years after the original movie, Cobra Kai follows Johnny Lawrence, the blonde pretty boy who took the lead in bullying fresh-faced Daniel LaRusso. In the years since losing the All-Valley Karate Tournament to Danny, his life has gone straight downhill. A freshly-unemployed drunk, surrounded by TV commercials and billboards for LaRusso Luxury Motors, he’s a bit bitter about where his life ended up. Fresh out of options, he decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo to a fresh generation of students.

Though rivals, the series takes pains to show that both characters are struggling with their own set of problems, and both deal with them badly. Drunk one night, Johnny spray paints a penis on one of Danny’s billboards, and Danny retaliates by manipulating Johnny’s landlord into doubling the rent on the Cobra Kai dojo. On the plus side, both men become senseis to teen students, passing on their respective forms of karate.

The show dips deep into the well of nostalgia, and as usual for this kind of thing, mirrors events from the first movie. Johnny intervenes on behalf of an embattled student, Miguel Diaz, saving him from a beating by a crowd of karate-trained high school bullies. Diaz then becomes Johnny’s first student when he reopens the Cobra Kai dojo. Danny likewise takes in a student (Johnny’s estranged son, a budding juvenile criminal), teaching him the same way Mr. Miyagi did 34 years ago, wax-on, wax-off and all. And, of course, both students meet at the All-Valley Karate Championships.

Which is where the wheels come off. To Johnny’s disgust, the only students he can attract at his dojo are the losers, freaks, and nerds of the school. The series takes great pains to show how they’re the despised and belittled rejects of the high school social scene, but under Johnny’s tutelage they gain confidence and self-respect. Diaz even gets to shine in a well done karate showdown with the four bullies, pummeling them into submission in the middle of the school cafeteria.

The entire show depicts everyone as just people, no true villains and no absolute heroes. (In fact Johnny, for all his flaws, is the most consistently decent person in the show. He’s in a bad situation because of past mistakes, but tries diligently to straighten out his life and get back on track.) Yet, for reasons, the last episode needs some unalloyed villains, so the Cobra Kai kids—the losers, freaks, and nerds—are recruited for the task. They cheat, belittle opponents, and explode in rage when they lose. This, despite Johnny telling them not to. They’re all around bad sports.

The series could have been about flawed men finding peace in teaching others how to rise above their flaws. In helping kids get their lives together, Danny and Johnny could have learned how to do the same. Yet, in order to set up a White Hat vs. Black Hat final confrontation (and, apparently, to set up the show’s next season), the series abandons all the themes and events it’s been building to, in favor of a cheap ending that blesses Danny’s student with unearned grace. It’s a morally incoherent cop out. The series had so much potential, but squandered it in the last episode.

Lost in Space lasted ten hours, but felt much longer. Cobra Kai lasted just over five hours, and was a pretty fun watch, up until the bizarre ending. On about 1/1000th the budget, it’s 1000 times as fun. I don’t know that I’d exactly recommend either, but if forced to chose, I’d suggest Cobra Kai over Lost in Space any day.

Cobra Kai is about karate. Lost in Space felt like I was getting my ass kicked with karate.

I know which I’d chose.

Jasyn Jones, better known as Daddy Warpig, is a host on the Geek Gab podcast, a regular on the Superversive SF livestreams, and blogs at Daddy Warpig’s House of Geekery. Check him out on Twitter.

Cobra Kai Kicks Lost in Space’s Ass! published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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allcheatscodes · 7 years

Text

skate 2 xbox 360

http://allcheatscodes.com/skate-2-xbox-360/

skate 2 xbox 360

Skate 2 cheats & more for Xbox 360 (X360)

Cheats

Unlockables

Hints

Easter Eggs

Glitches

Guides

Achievements

Get the updated and latest Skate 2 cheats, unlockables, codes, hints, Easter eggs, glitches, tricks, tips, hacks, downloads, achievements, guides, FAQs, walkthroughs, and more for Xbox 360 (X360). AllCheatsCodes.com has all the codes you need to win every game you play!

Use the links above or scroll down to see all the Xbox 360 cheats we have available for Skate 2.

Check PlayStation 3 cheats for this game

Genre: Sports, Skateboarding

Developer: Electronic Arts

Publisher: Electronic Arts

ESRB Rating: Teen

Release Date: March 3, 2009

Hints

80,000 Points Trick

Ok guys, put the cheat letsdowork and it will unlock Big Black then go to the place where there are the huge ramps start going down and do the cannon ball and he will bounce far.

Anyone Else Achievement

Find the object used in the battle at the Lighthouse Park. Go west, and find the big blue bench. Drag it over, and position it lengthwise so that it is out of your way. Start the Throwdown, and choose the other skaters. Selectthe Lighthouse as the venue. Your opponents will bail because of the bench. Execute double or triple kickflips. The pros cannot copy them.

Cheats

Turn On 3-D Mode

Enter the cheat code: strangeloops

Unlock Big Black

Enter: letsdowork on the extras menu to play as Big Black.

Unlockables

Unlockable Locations

S.V. Dam Complete all the Thrasher Mag challenges to drain the dam.

GvR Plaza Complete all Street Challenges to unlock the Etnies GvR Plaza.

S.V. Stadium Complete all Tranny Contests to unlock the S.V. Mega-Ramp Stadium.

Monster Skate Park Get Sponsored and complete Team Film Challenges until you get a demo sesh with Rob Drydek, After completing this earn $200,000 to buy the park.

Training Park Complete all Team Film Challenges to unlock the Training Park.

S.V. Summit Complete all the Death Races to unlock the peak of Cougar Mountain.

Play As Dem Bonez

Successfully complete all the Hall Of Meat objectives in Career mode to unlock Dem Bonez in Freeskate and Party Play modes.

Unlock Legend Crown

To unlock the Legend Crown, reach Legend Level in online play.

Achievement: Juggling Chainsaws

First, go to Cougar Mountain. If you already went there and don’t feel like climbing it again just go to Start-Challenges-Landmarks-Cougar Mountain-Teleport. Then once there, hold the X button until your character kicks three times then hold on tight! Also you can get an achievement if you go maximum speed for at least five seconds!

Easter eggs

Currently we have no easter eggs for Skate 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Glitches

Going Home Glitch

First you go to a house 2 stories or lower. If you go to a higher house it won’t work. Now do the no-comply glitch or the ollie glitch if you would say it like that. NOTE:THIS MAY TAKE A FEW TRIES. NOTE:IF YOU DO THIS ON A 1 STORY HOUSE YOU CAN’T GET OUT EASILY. If you go on a 2 story house you might fall off the map, stand on the 2 floor, or stand on the roof with your legs going through for a small amount of time then you bail.

Funny Glitch

When you are on your board press y and the press RT – you should throw your board, now jump, hold RT and press y repeatedly. Sometimes it wont work but when it does it is pretty funny.

Fling Glitch

When you are in the game Pull and hold one trigger till you are almost grabbing the board. Then YOU MUST PUSH MONGO depending on the trigger you held down! As soon as you push the button immediately ollie while holding the trigger! If you did it right you will fling out of control and into the air!

Olie Glitch

How to do this glitch is kinda hard so don’t get frustrated. You hold down RT or LT so your not grabbing the board, quickly press A and do an olie at the same time. This glitch is very good for hall of meat challenges, (especially online. ).

No-comply Glitch

First you must be in regular stance for this to work, and you must be completely still. First you crouch down enough to where you almost grab your board but don’t. Now you have to do a no-comply while crouching by hitting X and quickly Ollie-ing. If you do it write you will be sprung in the air spinning.

Freakout Glitch

First you need to do a Ollie and do a double grab, then in the air you let go of the left trigger and immediately hit B and you will spin around uncontrollably. Note:you wont spin around wildly sometimes but you randomly fall in the air.

Pop Up Glitch

This must be done on flat ground and away from edges.Pump once or twice and press Y and wait for a complete stop and press Y again and quickly pres and hold down LT+RT+B and you should be about 50 feet in the air.

Guides

Currently we have no guides or FAQs for Skate 2 yet. If you have any unlockables please feel free to submit. We will include them in the next post update and help the fellow gamers. Remeber to mention game name while submiting new codes.

Achievements

Achievement List

On Top Of The World (20) Perform an invert on one of the highest points in the city in career mode

Skater Evolved (5) Get off your board in career mode

I Like To Move It (5) Move your first object in career mode

That’s the Way (20) Beat all of Danny Way’s film challenges

GVR Champ (20) Win the GVR Contest

Big Air Champ (50) Win the San Van-a-Slamma

Still Alive? (5) Win a Deathrace in career mode

Race Hero (20) Win all races in career mode

Where’s my TV show? (20) Beat all Rob Dyrdek challenges

SBM Cover (30) Get the cover of The Skateboard Mag

Thrasher Cover (30) Get the cover of Thrasher

Meet Slappy (5) Meet Slappy

How you like them apples? (20) Acquire all phone numbers for the pros

Anyone Else? (20) Beat all the pros at Throwdown challenges

New San Van Hero (20) Call Mikey 10 times

Perfectionist (50) Complete all paths in career mode

Pull the Plug (15) Drain every pool and fountain in career mode

Real Estate Mogul (50) Purchase all property in career mode

Spare Parts (50) All Hall Of Meat paths complete

Fully Sponsored (50) Obtain all sponsorships

Urban Legend Too (40) Own all spots in career mode

The Architect (5) Upload a created spot

The Critic (10) Rate 10 community videos and photos

Pwn some n00bs (15) Win an online ranked match

Active Skater (20) Successfully complete all online freeskate activities with your created skater

Online Legend (50) Achieve Legend Rank Online

Online Pro (25) Achieve Pro Rank Online

Amateur Skater (15) Achieve Amateur Rank Online

Graphically Extreme (5) Add a custom graphic to your skater

Dethrowned (20) Download and own a community-created spot

Skater’s Choice (20) Win the Skater’s choice award in an online ranked match

Juggling Chainsaws (20) Wipeout at high speed in career mode

Skitched Up (5) Skitch for 1000 meters or 3000 feet in career mode

Make it Big! (15) Use Big Black’s service 10 times in Career Mode

Running Man (5) Escape a chase off board in career mode

DIY (35) Spend 30 minutes moving objects in career mode

Good Samaritan (20) Knock down a security guard chasing another skater in career mode

Need for Speed (50) Maintain maximum speed for 5 seconds in career mode

Sandbag (20) Break at least 15 bones in a single wipeout in career mode

Gender Bender (5) Change your skater’s gender

Grasshopper (20) Perform one grass gap of at least 10 meters or 30 feet in career mode

Stairmaster (20) Perform one stair gap of at least 12 meters or 36 feet in career mode

Uninsurable (20) Break 100 bones in career mode

Playing Nice Together (5) Complete your first online freeskate activity with your created skater

Cooperation is key (10) Complete 50 online freeskate activities with your created skater

Taste The Mongo (20) Mongo Push 5000 times in career mode

Film School Dropout (25) Complete all film and photo challenges at Oliver Elementary

Parking Lot Attendant (25) Complete all film and photo challenges at the Parkade

Center of Attention (25) Complete all film challenges at the Community Center

Best in Class (25) Win the Best Trick Contest at Oliver Elementary

Best Trick Valet (25) Win the Best Trick Contest at the Parkade

Community Jammer (25) Win the Jam Contest at the Community Center

A Budding Star (25) Complete all film challenges at Rob’s Fantasy Factory

Jam Fantasy (25) Win the Jam Contest at Rob’s Fantasy Factory

Skylight Superstar (25) Drop into Rob’s plaza through the skylight

No Hard Hat Required (25) Touch the top of the contstruction full-pipe

#1 Maloof Goof (100) Win the Maloof Money Cup street contest

Vert Vertigo (100) Win the Maloof Money Cup vert contest

BOOM Goes The Dynamite (25) Ride out the left camera crane

Pitch a Tent (25) Get on top of the tent in the half-pipe

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