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daddystevee · 4 years

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Worlds Collide - part 1

(steve harrington x fem!reader)

A/N: Okay, i think this is gonna be good, but at the same time im not sure. Its a good concept but im just not good at putting my thoughts onto paper. So please forgive me if this part sucks. I wanted to try writing another multi part fic, but this one might be shorter, but who knows anyways.. Enjoyyyy <3

Warnings: none yet

Summary: Modern day au where Steve and reader meet on a dating website, but things don’t exactly go according to plan.

Word count: 1.2k

part 1/?

masterlist

You tried to convince yourself that this would be good for you. Everyone needed someone, no one could take on a world as crazy as ours alone. So when your best friend and roommate told you that you should try to get out there and to sign up for this online dating website, you didn’t fight her on it.

“Alright, that should be fine.” your roommate Cami said to you, adding the finishing touches to your makeup.

“I feel like this is.. just too much.” you say getting up from the chair moving over to the vanity in her room, getting a good look at your ‘new’ face. You don’t think you had ever worn this much makeup in your life, not even for school dances.

After staring at your face for a little bit longer, you feel two hands being placed onto your shoulders, “Y/N, you look amazing.” she says turning you around to face her. “Okay, now we have to go out on the balcony to take some bomb ass selfies.”

On the other side of town, you would find Steve Harrington surrounded by 6 teens. All huddled around a small computer, each person shouting out different things.

“You should put on there that you LOVE kids. Girls love that.”

“No, I would for sure put something about puppies.”

“Oh, yeah. Puppies.”

“No, no, no. Steve don’t listen to them, add some cheesy pickup lines. Those always work.”

And so on and so on. After so long, he could only take so much,

“Alright! That’s enough.” he says a little louder than anticipated, “I’ll put down what I think would sound good.” With that, the kids go silent but continue to watch over the older boys shoulders.

Once Steve has everything he thinks would attract girls, along with a few of the things the kids mentioned, he reluctantly agrees to let the girls help pick out some of the pictures from his phone to put on his profile. Not even 5 minutes later they have several photos uploaded to his computer and onto his page.

Some of him and the kids on Halloween in their matching costumes, showing off that he does in fact love his kids. A few of him out at bars, to prove that he is a social and outgoing person. And even one with him holding a puppy from the time the kids convinced him to go look at dogs at a kennel, because puppies are cute.

After a few days of swiping through the app, you seem to be having shit luck. The guys who have super liked you, aren’t exactly your type, and they guys you’ve had even the slightest interest in never seem to swipe on you.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore Cam, it’s honestly so boring and I’m not getting any matches-” you start to say before she rips your phone out of your hand before plopping down next to you on the couch.

“That’s because you’re not doing it right. Just because you and someone match, doesn’t mean you have to reach back out to them.” she then proceeds to start swiping on almost every single guy. As she’s doing so, you do seem to be getting more and more matches, then right as she’s about to swipe left on someone you stop her.

“Wait, he’s really cute.” you say, emphasis on the ‘really’, while peering over your friends shoulder, “Steve Harrington huh? Has kind of a ring to it don’t ya think?”

She hands the phone over to you and allows you to do the honors. Upon swiping right, it’s an immediate match. You gasp and turn to Cami, with a look of complete shock on your face. You hear a ding, then a little notification comes up on the screen saying,

what are ya waiting for? make your move!

“What do I say?” you ask still in shock that someone, you thought was cute matched with you. “Oh wait, I got it.”

"Be honest. Is that dog really yours or just for props?"

You giggled to yourself at your question thinking it was hilarious, hoping he would find it funny too. But when the ‘sent’ changed to ‘read’ your laughter stopped, it was no longer funny. What if he didn’t think it was funny, what if he matched on accident? What if he unmatched because of your stupid opener.

All of your worries went away when you saw that he was typing…

“alright, you caught me. not my dog, but you're cuter than any dog i’ve ever seen.”

“Dustin!” Steve yelled, snatching his phone out of his smaller friends hand, “Dude you don’t just blurt that kinda shit out.”

“i’m sorry, that’s not something i would actually say.”

“Alright, try again lmao.”

“it’s my friends, they set me up on this app. i’ve never really done anything like this before, so they’re trying to help me out, but aren’t doing a very good job.” read

“okay, okay. how about, you let me take you out on a date and we can talk, and get to know each other. no distractions” read

A few minutes pass with no response, “Shit! Shit, shit, shit.. this is awkward, she thinks I'm an idiot.”

Steve feels a hand on his shoulder, he turns around to see Will looking over his shoulder.

“Just give her some time, maybe she’s busy. Or trying to come up with a response?” As soon as the words come out of his mouth, a ding comes from Steve’s phone. He snaps his head towards his hands and his face lights up with a smile.

“Sure, sounds good to me. Gives me a chance to do this on my own, my roommate’s been up my ass this whole time. You got a snapchat? You know so I can get in contact with you outside the app.”

“Guys! I did it! She wants my snapchat!” Steve says looking to the teens who are sitting around a laptop, watching Netflix, paying no attention to him.

“yeah, totally. it’s stevethehair”

“Okay, hold on I'll add you.”

You go and add him on snapchat, the two of you hit it off instantly, and start to plan out your date. He’s planning on taking you to this diner named ‘Benny’s’ for dinner later in the week, due to busy work schedules throughout the week.

As the days go by, and you spend your time on your bed watching Cami go through the clothing in your closet. Walking from room to room pulling pieces of clothing together to make a full outfit.

“You don’t wanna over dress, but you also don’t want to under dress. You feel me?”

You nod your head when your phone vibrates on your leg. Picking up the phone, the smile that was once on your face slowly turns into a frown.

Cami turns around with a pair of jeans and a cute crop top to go with it, but notices your face and drops all of the clothes.

“Wait, what just happened you were so happy like 2 seconds ago.”

“It’s Steve. He just canceled.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington imagines #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #kait writes #Worlds Collide #worlds collide au #au #fic #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things au #steve harrington au #modern day stranger things #modern day fic

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leverage-ot3 · 4 years

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notable moments from The Juror #6 Job

leverage 1.11

it took them three (3) years to get the vargas case on trial ??? that’s so long, the court system is fucked up

- - - - -

Hardison: You are Alice White. It's one of the aliases I made for you, vegetarian, bookkeeper. She had a pretty wild time at her sister's wedding in Phoenix. You should check out her facebook page.

eliot smiling at that rb if u agree

- - - - -

Nate: No. No. Jury duty - A place where you have to follow instructions.

Sophie: Where you have to consider other people's point of view.

Eliot: There's gonna be normal people there, Nate.

eliot emphasizing that there would be NORMAL people there lmfao

- - - - -

the fam sitting together eating pizza we love to see it

- - - - -

Sophie: you know, she's never done that before.

Nate: What, stormed out? Come on.

Sophie: No, asked for our help. (walks out)

(Nate looks toward Parker, then back at Hardison)

Nate: What? Listen, there is a reason we put her in a jury trial.

(Hardison mutes game)

Hardison: You know, man, when I was a, when I was a kid, I was like 8 years old, I had a foster mom who was Jehovah’s witness. She used to dress me up in a suit and a bow tie and take me door-to-door to spread the word. Black neighborhoods, white neighborhoods, didn't matter. I would kick, I’d scream, or whatever, but she would say "Alec, you need to learn how to talk to people." See, everything I learned about people, I learned ringing doorbells and-and-and being in a bow tie. Parker never had that. I mean, jumping from a skyscraper, she's cool. But making small talk? It’s-it's like pure terror. Just cut her some slack.

(Eliot hurries in with a six pack of beer)

Eliot: How about them Cowboys? What'd I miss? (flips his beer)

Nate: Nothing.

(Nate looks at Parker, who is dialing her phone)

like I love learning about their backstories but I can’t believe someone made hardison be a jehovah’s witness

- - - - -

parker is wearing flannel again

- - - - -

Nate: Not if we steal it first. Who plays chess?

Eliot: I play.

Nate: Yeah, of course you do. A chess game has three stages, right? I mean, you got your opening, middle, and end game. In the opening, you want to take control of the board, and you want to line up your attack and you want to protect the king, which, ironically, is the weakest piece you have

nate isn’t even surprised that eliot plays chess. he’s just like yeah, that adds up.

- - - - -

(Eliot is in a dumpster while Hardison is on the ground looking through garbage bags)

Eliot: It's your turn to be in the dumpster.

Hardison: No, man, no. I-I have-I have peanut allergies. What if somebody threw in some extra crunchy Skippy? Then, you know, it's just a (wheezing) all up in my vocal area, man. Do you want to give me mouth-to-mouth? No, none of us want that. Hell no.

(Eliot throws a trash bag at Hardison’s head. Hardison looks up, angry)

Eliot: Heads up (laughs)

they’re idiots

+ ALSO hardison is always in danger of triggering fake allergies,,, this, the rashomon job,,,

- - - - -

Hardison: Quint's on the hook. He went to Mumbai international limited's website to check out Sophie.

Nate: It's a real company?

Hardison: Cover story's better that way. Just, uh, changed this... (hits button on remote, which changes a picture on a website) to this.

- - - - -

Sophie: Okay, today did not go well, but that's all right. You know, we learn when we fail. We're gonna-we're gonna go back to basics, and we're gonna do a little role-playing. Gonna start with-with persuasion techniques. So, Eliot (tosses him an apple) has an apple. Alice (tosses her an orange) has an orange.

Eliot: I love apples. Apples are my favorite fruit.

Parker: Good for you, sparky.

Eliot (to Sophie): I-I don't have to sit here and take this crap.

Sophie: Go on. Just do it for me.

Eliot (to Parker): You have an orange, all right? Now, convince me that I want the orange, not the apple. I'm gonna take a bite. (slowly brings the apple to his mouth and takes a bite)

Parker: I put a razor blade in that apple.

Eliot (spits out the apple): Are you serious?

Parker: Maybe. But do you know what doesn’t have a razor blade in it? This orange. (smells the orange) Don't you want it? (tosses the orange at Eliot and leaves)

Sophie: You fell for that? (exits room)

CHAOTIC OT3

- - - - -

Hardison: O- Okay. Um... you know, I have photos (places a file on the bench) that I would like to introduce from a vacation, the opposing counsel water-skiing. It's all from his website - very public.

Louis: I object.

Hardison: As well you should. You shouldn't be doing that. Seriously? I mean, he doesn't have the body.

r o a s t e d

- - - - -

Parker: Wait! Wait a second. That was a secret. You just told me a secret, right? That's something friends do.

Peggy: Well, I guess so. You're the nicest one here.

Parker: Really? I mean, thanks.

her S M I L E your honor

- - - - -

Earnshaw: Lunch is almost over. Get back to the trial. (opens folder) Joseph Miller, Georgetown pre-Law, Harvard law with honors! This can't be right. This guy's hourly rate has to be more than what our grieving widow makes in a month.

Assistant: Ma'am, it all checks out. Unless Gloria Vargas found some guy who created a CIA Level cover story and fake identity

hardison is just that good and we love to see it

- - - - -

Earnshaw: Wait. Who's that?

Assistant: The guy talking to the Vargas lawyer?

Earnshaw: No. Her. Raid Quint’s computer, his calendar, his e-mails. Pull out the call logs and the GPS records from his phone. I want to know who that is.

- - - - -

Quint: Earnshaw says if we settle, we open ourselves up to other lawsuits.

Sophie: We don't care about more lawsuits. With a billion people in the work force, a few deaths won't raise an eyebrow.

Quint: Government won't crack down?

Sophie: Mr. Quint, it takes five years to get a parking permit

that’s fucked

- - - - -

(Donnie is standing in front of a green screen)

Nate: Good. He's good.

Eliot (turns off camera): What I tell you? (hugs Donnie) Thank you for coming in on such short notice, Donnie.

Donnie: Ah, dinna fash yersel, laddie. What are friends for?

Eliot: Exactly. Beer's on me soon.

Donnie: Oh, you remember tha. (exits)

Nate: He's very good.

Eliot: What I tell you

we love getting more insight on eliot’s past and who his friends are/used to be

- - - - -

hardison, parker and eliot walking to the door and nate and sophie seeing them off like parents (even parker with her packed lunch!!!)

- - - - -

Hardison: Oh, incident. Okay. (referring to file) Would that happen to be the incident on flight 732 out of St. Louis, where you-you fondled a flight attendant's buttocks? Or would that happen to be the incident on flight 1433 out of Chicago, where you drank 17 tiny margaritas, you took your pants off, you stood up on the drink cart, and you sang, quote, "I'm a sexy monkey"?

Patemkin: I have no recollection of that.

Hardison: I'm not surprised, because it was not one, it wasn't two, but it was 22 incidents of drunk and belligerent, grab-assy behavior that landed you on that list.

Judge: Mr. Miller.

Louis: Objection!

Hardison: No, you know what, your honor? The US Government has determined that this man is not qualified to ride on an airplane, like Osama bin Laden. How is this jury supposed to rely on him to render a sound medical opinion

IM SCREAMING

parker looks so proud of him

- - - - -

Parker: Oh, sweet mercy, cooked flesh. (takes a bite of burger) Can we have fast food every time we make the bad guys go away

let parker eat as much meat as she wants 2k20

also, eliot is sitting right next to her and finally got to watch his football 😌 we love to see them sitting together

- - - - -

Nate: Did you realize what you just did? What you did? You won a jury trial without cheating.

Hardison: Without chea--I hacked a government no-fly list and used it to humiliate a witness.

Nate: Excessively. "Cheating excessively" is what I meant. But, I mean, think about it, I mean, if you applied yourself, Hardison, you could be anything you want.

Hardison: You know what? I could. I could. You know, next week, I think I’m gonna be an astronaut.

Nate: Well, that's not really what I meant. I meant if you studied, you’d--

Hardison: Yeah, if I--Who needs to study? You know, I’m gonna be a surgeon. A surgeon – ER. Surgeon.

HARDISON IS A GENIUS AND CAN DO ANYTHING HE WANTS SEND TWEET

- - - - -

(Parker gets a text and checks her phone)

Parker: Hey, it's Peggy from the trial! She wants to have coffee next week. Alice made a friend.

Eliot: I'm gonna tell you one more time. You made a friend, not Alice.

Parker: Oh, cool. Well, think she'd want to steal a painting with me?

Sophie: Start small, Parker. Try coffee.

that’s so cute and means so much that she made a friend that even went as far as REACHING OUT to HER !!!

and she doesn’t reject the idea!!!

okay but also if a girl as pretty as parker asked me to steal a painting with her with that smile on her face, bitch you bet I would,,, I am but a simple bisexual with a weakness for pretty ladies

#leverage 1.11 #leverage 1x11 #the juror 6 job #the juror number 6 job #leverage season 1 #season 1 #notable moments #leverage #mine

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dacergirl369 · 5 years

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s14 trailer breakdown!!!

okay so from the trailer there are six clear episode plot line we can see- a zoo episode, a laser tag episode, what i will refer to as the ‘melon episode’, dines out 2.0, a noir episode, and an episode where he whole gang seems to have a corporate meeting and then watch a movie at a private screening that they find *very* exciting. So, let’s go through what we can see about these plotlines from the trailer and what we can piece together from bts info, and then look at what’s missing from trailer and what this could mean. buckle in, because my ted talk is about to get started. in the essay i literally will. Let’s go.

So, we have an episode list, but only the description for the first ep, “tg gets romantic”. we know that in “tg chokes” the gang goes to guiginos at least once due to a scene rob leaked on instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1NBx6-HOxM/?igshid=yg2ql5uyu4w1, https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zgApEHXhv/?igshid=1ge7qkgw5bm0d), so let’s start there.

We can see the entire opening scene for tg chokes on robs instagram, which shows us the gang are back at guiginos for a meal all together (which is also shown in the trailer). But the trailer has another guiginos scene (where dee appears to have a reaction and the waiter appears to use an epipen on her), where the gang (bar charlie and mac, who both only own one quote unquote “nice” outfit), are all wearing different outfits. So we know they visit guiginos at least twice this season. These more than likely happen in the same episode (what i called “dines out 2.0” before but we know is actually called “the gang chokes”).

Moving on to the laser tag episode. It’s... a laser tag episode. Unfortunately I don’t have much to say about it, but it’s a very clear plotline featuring the whole gang. It’s hard to tell if they wear the same outfits at another point because of the vests, but based on dees shirt i don’t think so. This plotline most likely takes up most or all of an episode (maybe dee day? my girl seems to be really enjoying the laser tag, so maybe?).

Then we have the noir episode, which we know is “the janitor always mops twice”. A whodunnit where the premise is to find out who diarrhoea poisoned frank. features the whole gang + the waitress, based on cast instagrams.

Then we have the screening episode (?) which i will go on record as saying i believe will be the thundergun episode (thundergun 4: maximum cool), but that is just personal speculation and not really based in any “facts” or “real world observations” or whatever pussies and people with small meat base their predictions on. we see the gang in a meeting in a corporate style office (the scene where charlie thinks the window is a two way mirror) and then later towards the end watching something on the big screen in an empty cinema and cheering (wearing the same outfits as before). Personal prediction: they’re gonna try convince a studio to let them make thunder gun 4 like they did with lethal weapon. i WOULD like to point out that in robs instagram pictures with dolph lundgren he is wearing a grey v neck shirt sleeve t shirt and in the shots i just mentioned he was wearing a baseball shirt with a print on it, so just keep that in mind when assessing the realism of this theory. But those might have just been backstage or after shooting pics. Anything is possible in iasip.

Okay, next I’m gonna talk about the zoo episode. This is the first episode i’m gonna discus where there are gang members missing from what i can figure out of the plotline. So, we have a very clear story in the trailer of mac and charlie going to the zoo, seeing the meerkats, charlie pisses on mac. Later in the trailer, frank is shown tormenting a gorilla. dee and dennis do not appear to be at the zoo with them, and kaitlin and glenn don’t seem to have been on set at the zoo based on social media posts. dee and dennis are only seen alone together in one scene during the trailer, which is this puppy (0:05), where they appear to be at some kind of fair/stand/protest or something? I’m not sure what it is, but dee appears to be texting while dennis laughs mockingly at her, so potentially (WILD SPECULATION ALERT) the zoo episode is the gang texts and dee and dennis have the main plot of this episode. this is the only dee and dennis solo scene in the trailer however we do have unaccounted for plotlines so this could be a part of that and their plot in this episode may not have a shot in the trailer.

Finally (not finally, but lastly out of the plotlines i have lovingly sherlock-ed together), we have the melon episode. This is probably the episode the trailer gave us the most information about, and we can out together almost a whole plotline from these shots. This seems from the trailer to be crickets only episode of the season, although there is a video of david hornsby on robs instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1zEOJjnPG8/?igshid=yfciekezwnc3) of him wearing a different outfit, so maybe there’s another episode in store for rickety cricks this season.

The gang appear to be watching a show in the bar, dennis tells them to shut up so he can watch, they gasp and remark how much they love the show, although dee says the plot is absurd. Dennis says humans are stupid and should be eradicated, which is met with agreement. Seems like we’re gonna have some good ol fashioned meta references this season, folks! Anyways, after this they somehow stumble across franks melon in a safe, ask him and it, and drop it from a ladder (from which cricket catches it). they also seem to be looking at the office computer while dee gags. this looks to be a classic “gang finds a thing and is surprised and intrigued by it so investigate but in an idiot way” episode, although we don’t know what frank is up to during this melon madness. he doesn’t seem to wear that shirt at any other point during the trailer. hmmmmmmm frank wyd

that brings me to the end of clear episodes in the trailer, but there are a few other things that, while they don’t really fit in with any specific plot, gives us a little info about what else is going on this season.

we have a plotline where frank is in the waiters house with him and his mother, not sure what the gang is up to but we see frank wear that shirt earlier in the trailer with charlie. we don’t not see charlie wear his shirt again in the trailer so it’s most likely a plot not in the trailer. there’s also a shot of frank and charlie in their pjs in their apartment, potentially from the first episode (tg gets romantic) as according the episode description it appears to be the episode this flyer is from (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ZZB-PnDeB/?igshid=nta7myvov0t2), which would make sense for the boys in their pjs, although they could really do that at any point in the season. we ALSO see mac and dennis in their apartment, also in pjs, talking about lunatics. this is likely from the same episode as the charlie & frank pj shot to mirror them, which strengthens the argument that it’s from the first episode due to both sets of guys having the same set up and problem just in different ways (both advertise for a person to come live with them, it goes wrong). dee is also there in this macden shot. maybe she is the lunatic in question? idk. we have dee and mac on what looks like a basketball court, dee is dancing, and after that we also have mac and charlie in the macden apartment and mac tries to swipe charlie’s boaba. i have no idea about these, so i don’t have much to say. just thought i’d bring em up.

NOW, onto what we didn’t see in the trailer. we KNOW there is an episode with poppins because of this instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/B01Cqu4nwMK/?igshid=1cc2y1uvonml0). none of the outfits these three are wearing come up in the trailer, so i’m forced to believe this is an episode we have not seen any shots of yet. not sure what dee and dennis are doing. it could be that shot i mentioned before in the zoo section, but we can’t be sure. we didn’t seem to see anything about the global warming episode that has been teased, either.

so let’s recap what we know (or what i think i know). there’s ten episodes this season. we can deduce six coherent plots from the trailer (laser tag, noir, zoo, melon, chokes, potential thundergun). we know there’s an episode with poppins with mac charlie & frank, and the global warming episode. the first episode is tg gets romantic, which we have the description of and most likely those pj shots. so that’s nine plotlines overall we seem to have a grasp on right now. i believe the one we don’t have any info for right now is the finale, and that both the plot details and the shots are being kept under wraps so that the finale is more hard hitting when it comes out. i do believe they’re gonna go hard, we’re living post mfhp, anything is possible, and last seasons finale is an awful lot to top. i can’t even guess at the finale plot. i am so excited.

so that’s my official trailer breakdown and review, i hope this was coherent and if you know anything else or know that im wrong about something please tell me, i’m just so excited i want to have as clear a picture as possible bcs i can’t wait to know what the seasons gonna be!!!!!!

((thank you to @lesbian-mac for listening to my two hours of trailer related rambling and telling me to post this lmao <3))

#iasip #its always sunny in philadelphia #always sunny #dee reynolds #dennis reynolds #charlie kelly #mac mcdonald #frank reynolds #sunny #macdennis

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gearsforyears · 7 years

Note

Prompt Request: Danny and friends discovering an in-universe phansite dedicated to speculating about the local ghost boy and his shenanigans.

This??? Was so??? Much fun??? To write?????? Thank you so much for the prompt!!! ;w;

“Danny! You have to see this!”

Said halfa in question groaned; he, Sam, and Tucker were busy trying to get homework done before patrol that night. And with the way his grades are currently? Yeah, getting distracted was something he didn’t need at the moment. But Tucker stretched his arms way above his head, letting loose a groan as Danny heard his bones pop, “Hey, you guys up for a five minute break?”

Sam curled her toes to get some feeling back into them before standing up, “Yep. How about you, Danny?”

Despite the urge to do his homework like he was determined to do, Danny had to admit that a break sounded amazing. They had been doing Precalculus for a good hour, and his brain needed rest, “Sure. But we should get this finished before patrol…” He warned.

“Oh, c’mon Danny; we’ll get it all done before tonight,” Tucker rolled his eyes. Sam was walking out the door already with her arms above her head, fitted comfortably in Danny’s sweatshirt and a pair of Tucker’s cargo pants. The technofreak still had no clue how she got a hold of their clothes when they weren’t looking, but he dismissed the suspicions to keep talking, “Besides, Jazz sounded excited about something.”

Sam looked over her shoulder, “Let’s just hope it’s not a new psychology therapy session theory she wants to try out on us.” She shivered before continuing, “I still remember the last time she tried something in those college books of hers on us.”

It was Danny’s turn to roll his eyes at his friends before ushering them out into the hallway and hurriedly making their way into Jazz’s overly pink room. Said sister was curled up in her chair in front of her computer screen, her face red and a smile plastered on her face. Danny wasn’t sure what was making her convulse in the manner she was, but after a moment realized that his sister was laughing.

She pulled her orange hair up into a tight bun and wiped any stray tears from her eyes before leaning out of the chair to stand up, “Y-You guys have at it. I need to get something to calm me down…” She let out a laugh behind a hand, “By the Ancients, the comments are hilarious.”

Danny raised an eyebrow at the curse, recognizing as something that he says too often for his own good. But the surprise quickly went away as he saw the black, white, and green background of Jazz’s computer screen. He sat down in the chair and read the blog title, ‘The Phantom Conspiracy!’

Tucker let out a small breath he wasn’t sure he was holding before jumping into Danny’s lap to see the computer better, to which Danny groaned at the unexpected weight, “You’re too heavy, get off.”

“Stop whining!” Tucker cheekily smiled, “Besides, I’m not that heavy, and you have super strength.”

“Get used to it, Danny,” Sam smirked before collapsing on top of both of them, making the two of them groan beneath her, “Either you make room, or you deal with the two of us.” She popped her gum loudly to make her point, earning her a glare from the two boys below her.

They settled into the chair quickly, Danny supporting both friends’ weight on his legs. As they all found a comfortable position, the three juniors read a few of the articles to themselves.

“Danny, Danny, click on that one! It’s all fanfiction about you!” Tucker pointed and practically yelled. A click later, and the techie was guffawing, getting himself drunk on the giggles that the new page produced, “People ship you with other ghosts! Look, even with our infamous Red Huntress! And Box Ghost!”

Danny rolled his eyes and clicked away from the page, not wanting to have Tucker beg him to read some of the more smutty stories on the site. How was that even allowed on a public internet server? He wasn’t even human! Sam leaned over the two of them and pointed to a tab that Danny clicked, “The Phantom Experience? Why does this sound like a spa treatment?”

He gave out a sigh as he clicked on the page, already feeling slightly uncomfortable with the entire website. Danny vaguely wondered who would even start a blog like this, and how the hell was it so popular?! “Is this… An origin story?”

“WHAT?!” Danny and Tucker leaned in closer, and Tuck read the article out loud for everyone to listen to, “‘Danny Phantom, the mysterious ghost boy, had appeared almost two years ago to save the residents of Amity Park. But where did this ghost come from? There aren’t any reported deaths of people who look exactly like the ghost-’ Dude! This is totally an origin story!”

“Well? What does it say?” Danny asked, with a newfound fervor. With all the other supers in the world, he didn’t want people to think he had a lame origin. What if the freaking Batman found out if he had a horrible backstory? (Although, Danny still wasn’t too impressed that he him having half-died is his origin, seeing as Superman came from an entirely different planet, but he could deal with it).

Sam scanned the page quickly, and pointed near the end, drawing their attention to a hand drawn picture of the halfa with a section under it, “It says here that you died thousands of years ago!”“That doesn’t make any sense!” Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. A groan escaped his lips as he covered his face with a hand, feeling his cheeks and ears flame up a bit at the inaccuracies, “What feasible proof is there?”

“Remember ol’ Vladdie man taking the Infimap from the Far Frozen clan?” Danny looked up, slightly horrified that someone traced him back that far, “Looks like someone in Rome wrote about you, and same in ancient China, and again in Salem. People seem to think you liked to lay low then, but now feel a duty to protect this place in particular because of all the ghost attacks.”

“Why would anyone want to know my history that badly?” He murmured. Danny had to admit that he felt almost violated at the blogger’s want to find out more about him. He looked at the author and saw a familiar name, “Paulina?!”

Sam nodded, taking the mouse and clicking on a few other articles, “Seems like she’s written a majority of these, actually.” The goth leaned in closer to the screen, “She’s not that bad a a writer. Huh.”

“Can we get back on topic here?” Danny practically groaned, rubbing his temples. He was going to need so much aspirin to get rid of the headaches this was giving him, “I thought this was supposed to be funny, not mortifying.”

A few clicks, and Tucker got them to the comment section of the origin story that Paulina had written out. Said technofreak slipped off of the armrest and landed directly in the center of Danny’s lap, making him cringe while Tucker stared at the screen in awe, “Oh. My. God. Wes posted about you being Phantom online!”

Sam leaned closer as well, deciding to ruin Danny’s night more by falling into Tucker’s lap so the both of them were once again crushing Danny beneath them. A majority of the messages were from Wes Weston, the brat that was constantly trying to get Danny in trouble and casually spread his secret around like the common cold. But she had to admit, the conversations in the comments were hilarious.

WWeston: Phantom isn’t that old! He’s fucking 16! It’s Danny Fenton, you guys are all idiots!

Beauty Queen: Wes can i post one thing on this blog without you claiming this every time?

StarQuarterback: theres??? proof??? in the article??? about phantom being in rome? wes can you stfu

WWeston: I have literally seEN FENTON TURN INTO PHANTOM HES NOT THAT SECRETIVE ABOUT IT HE DOESNT CARE IF YOU SEE HIM

Beauty Queen: Are you just jealous because Phantom was crowned honorary homecoming King and you werent?

WWeston: 1, YOU GAVE THE CROWN TO PHANTOM and 2, I WOULDNT BE JEALOUS OF A FENTON

KwanL: God, wes, just let it go.

Beauty Queen: He’s totally jealous of Phantom, someone make some fanfiction of these two omfg

WWeston: HES FENTON AND IM NOT FUCKIN GAY

StarQuarterback: It’s not gay if he’s dead, bro. We got you a tshirt about it man

WWeston: I burned it. I’m not wearing anything involving that half-ghost freak! And it’s stILL GAY

KwanL: What the hell are you talking about???? Phantom is a ghost, it’s impossible for a half-ghost to exist. Get your ass out of fairytale land mr.basketball

Now was when Danny had finally found the entire endeavor of reading these worth his time away from homework. Wes had an account on a Danny Phantom blog to rant to others about how he was half-ghost, and the best part was no one believed him. How stupid could people get?

And Mr. Basketball? Danny had to remember to use that line next time he saw the redhead approach him with his newest conspiracy about him. He looked over to see Sam on the floor, clutching her stomach, and Tucker, who was still seated in Danny’s lap, was halfway out of the chair, tears streaming down his face. A knock resounded in the room, and Jazz came back in with cups of tea for everyone, “T-To soothe your throats from… pffft… the laughing.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Basketball,” Tuck’s statement sent everyone into another round of laughter, and Danny had to admit. Sometimes, it was good to take a break.

#Danny Phantom #i had so much fun???? Thank you so much anon!#DP #phandom #samantha manson #tucker foley #Jazz fenton #Danny fenton

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ultralifehackerguru-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/im-brad-smith-ceo-of-intuit-and-this-is-how-i-work/

I'm Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit, and This Is How I Work

Brad Smith knows karate. Not “business karate” or any overwrought metaphor about teamwork; he literally teaches karate. Or at least he used to before he became chairman and CEO of Intuit.

Intuit is the financial software company that owns and operates TurboTax, probably the most idiot-proof way to file your taxes. (I speak from personal experience, as I’m definitely bad with money and taxes. Using TurboTax feels like playing a soothing video game.) They also own the popular personal finance app Mint, and were the original developers of Quicken. It is more than worth mentioning, though, that nothing is without controversy; Intuit has been criticized for lobbying against making filing your taxes easier. But let’s get back to the karate.

Brad Smith has been with the company since 2003, has served as CEO since 2008, and credits much of his success to the lessons he discipline he gained at the dojo as a young man as well as the career advice given to him by his father. We caught up with Brad to learn a little about his background, how he manages his time, and some of his favorite inspirational movies. Here’s how he works.

Location: Mountain View, CA Current Gig: Chairman and CEO, Intuit One word that best describes how you work: Passionately Current mobile device: iPhone 7 Current computer: MacBook Air

First of all, tell me a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.

I was born and raised in Kenova, West Virginia, population 3,500 if you round up! From an early age, the community played a key role in my life. I began studying martial arts at a local dojo as a sophomore in high school, and the discipline it taught me continues to impact my life to this day. After graduating from Ceredo-Kenova High School, I attended the US Military Academy at West Point for one semester, but my West Virginia roots pulled me back home. I went on to graduate from Marshall University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing.

After graduating college my dad advised me to always pursue what makes your heart beat the fastest. He [also] said I should always make my job choices based on the franchise and not the role. In other words, look for purpose-driven companies that would challenge me and provide me with stretch assignments so I would continue to grow. He told me not to focus on title or the money, because that would change over time if I worked hard. Finally, [he said to] understand that there will be good days and bad days, but if the good outweigh the bad, you are on the right course.

I learned at an early age through my martial arts training—where, as a black belt and teacher, you are measured on the progress of your students—that I loved getting things done through a team as opposed to being an individual contributor. This led me into people management and my first job at Pepsi. I went on to work at ADVO and ADP before joining Intuit in 2003. I held various roles within the company before becoming CEO in 2008, and chairman in 2016.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

Time is our most precious and limited resource, therefore managing my time is my most important priority. A productivity tool that helps me is color-coding my calendar so I can see how I’m spending my time against my “100-point plan.”

I allocate my time in a 40-30-20-10 split: I spend forty percent of my time running the company through operating mechanisms and product reviews; thirty percent building our organization’s capability and leadership bench through 1:1’s, skip levels, and leadership development forums; twenty percent on outside-in learning by engaging with fellow leaders in roundtable discussions, forums and board rooms; and the last ten percent on personal growth and development, meeting with mentors and learning from others I admire. Color-coding my calendar holds me accountable and allows me to measure whether I am on track or off, so I can adjust if needed.

What’s your workspace setup like? Coffee shop with laptop and headphones? Home office with a standing desk?

I have a seated desk for when I’m focused on getting work done, a table for in-person meetings, and a video conference screen so I can meet face-to-face with people around the world.

When I’m in my office I’m surrounded by photos of my family and special memorabilia that represent the influences in my life, like my framed We Are Marshall poster, a Marshall University football, and a model of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable—with a Latin inscription that reads “leadership through serving others.” My home office is similar, with family pictures and signed photographs from my favorite movies including Forrest Gump, The Godfather, and Gladiator. Family and fighting for causes greater than oneself have always inspired me!

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or life hack?

The tip is simply-stated, but requires real commitment: never touch something more than once. For example, my email inbox is cleared every day, despite receiving several hundred emails that require action. It is not managed or sorted by an assistant. Instead, I practice the principle of read, act, file, or delete. To stay on top of it, I schedule forty-five minute meetings (versus an hour), which allows me fifteen minutes in between meetings to quickly read and act on any incoming messages.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Call me old school, but I’m a pen and paper kind of guy! If I write something down I won’t forget it.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why?

Google Home, because it has the power of Google search at voice command. Conversational user interface (CUI) is enabling us to do things faster than ever from shopping to getting our news, and these types of gadgets have won me over. I’ve just been looking for the one that can understand my West Virginian accent, and luckily they keep getting smarter!

What everyday thing are you better at than everyone else? What’s your secret?

I’m not sure I am better than everyone else at anything, but I do write poetry. My wife and my two daughters each have poems that I’ve written for them framed on their walls. My wife has one that was written before our wedding, and another that I wrote when she chose to leave her profession to be a stay-at-home mother. Each of my daughters’ poems were written the night of their birth. While they aren’t world-class poems, they are sincere expressions of my love and gratitude for having them in my life, and for helping me strive to be a better man each and every day.

What do you listen to while you work? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe talk radio? Or do you prefer silence?

While I am a musician myself (guitar and sax) and I am constantly inspired by music, it has its place in my life. I tend to work in silence, which allows me to focus 100 percent of my concentration and energy on the task at hand. However, during a break or at home, my playlist is quite eclectic—80’s rock, contemporary country, and some classical music tossed in for good measure. Lyrics matter most to me, so good songwriters are a plus!

What are you currently reading? Or what’s something you’d recommend?

I’d highly recommend a book I recently read called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. It’s full of amazing, inspirational stories that show that anyone, regardless of I.Q., talent, or background, can succeed if they have grit—a blend of passion and persistence. I’m a big fan of this school of thought—one of my strongest personal beliefs is that it doesn’t matter where you went to school. This book makes all of us underdogs feel like we’re just as capable as anybody else.

How do you recharge? What do you do when you want to forget about work?

Spending time with my wife and daughters is my favorite way to recharge. I also love to go to the movie theater. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been touched by the power of movies, and I find some of my greatest inspiration comes from them.

What’s your sleep routine like? Are you a night owl or early-riser?

I’ve always been a morning person, so on a typical day I get up early, around 5:30 or 5:45 a.m. I work out every morning, I do P90X and I watch [CNBC’s] Opening Bell. Then I read a couple of papers: The Wall Street Journal and the Huntington Herald Dispatch before getting into the office around 8 a.m. I usually get out of the office a little after 7 p.m., get home, have dinner, and spend time with my wife. I’m in bed about 9 p.m. That’s the program!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My Dad is no longer with me, but the best advice I ever received was from him on making tough career choices. He offered three simple guideposts:

Surround yourself with people smarter than you: According to Dad, this was important for choosing where you work, because it ensures that you will constantly be learning and growing. With this in mind, I have always been drawn to work in organizations where the bar is high.

Volunteer for assignments no one else wants: Once you find the right environment, volunteer to work on the hardest and most unwanted problems facing the organization, because that’s where you’ll stretch yourself and be forced to grow in ways you wouldn’t have planned. In addition, every boss has something that no one wants to do, and if you volunteer to take it on, it will distinguish you from others and establish you as the “go-to person” for tough problems.

Finally, make sure you can pay your bills: The last thing Dad told me was to never prioritize big dollars and big business cards over the principles above. He cautioned that if I did, I would most likely find myself in a position where the number of bad days outweighed the good ones. As for paying my bills, Dad was always someone who fulfilled the promises he made. For him, bills were a promise of payment. So he closed by saying “but always try to make enough to pay your bills!”

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. The How I Work series asks heroes, experts, and flat-out productive people to share their shortcuts, workspaces, routines, and more. Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Andy.