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livingthe24framelife · 4 years ago

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Headcanons For (Next) Next Gen Skyverse Fankids

Vera the Activist (Sky x Angel):

Inspired by her father, Vera hopes to use her status as a royal to fight for equality and monster rights. Especially for the spider people. She's tough, but very intelligent. Although she's not as into the whole multiverse thing as much as Sky, she still likes going to the crystal cave to see her interdimentional siblings. In recent years, Vera has also found a new hobby: inventing. While not good as a certain other sibling, she has made a few little robots and gadgets, such as her pet spider-bot Ruby.

Erick and Zara (Judas x Nora):

Erick-Friendly guy that wants to be a healer like Nora. He's also gay and has his family's full support.

Zara-Although Vera is friends with her and her brother, she's closer to Zara due to both of them being quite sassy and sarcastic. She also appears to have gotten Judas’ tentacle arm, which Erick is helping her with.

Petunia, Antonio and Ren (Fae x Mason):

Petunia-Sweet girl who loves gardening with her dad.

Antonio-Mysterious, quiet boy that keeps to himself.

Ren-Rambunctious little guy. Loves animals.

(They're all babysat by Erick, Zara, and/or Vera)

Alec (Damien x Melanie):

Cheerful nerdy boy that loves jumping between the two worlds his parents are from and unlike Vera, picks apart every detail about his folks' respective universes and the multiverse in general. He's also pan and tends to act extremely awkward around his crushes.

Cressida the Ice Queen and Orion the Protector (Luna x Ashton):

Cressida-Like her mom, Cressida takes her duties incredibly seriously. She's got a great relationship with her brother Orion and is very protective of him. She'll put anyone who messes with him on ice-literally. She's also close with her wolf-goat Flurry.

Orion-As it is with many siblings, Orion is the opposite of his sister. He's not that good at combat and can be a bit of a scaredy cat. But he is working on the combat part with Ashton, with whom he has an adorable relationship with. As he ages, he starts to adopt more of an emo personality like his father.

Terra (Stefan x Hana):

Cressida's best friend who balences out the princess' fighting spirit with her calm demenor. Has a great sense of fashion to boot and bonds with Stefan over their love of travelling, though Terra prefers the ocean over the land.

Solena the Super (Sage x Celeste):

Ever since she was little, Solena has been obsessed with Earth culture, specifically superheroes. She loves hearing stories about how her moms fought monsters and protected Mewni. Solena is very much looking forward to getting the wand so she can save the day like in her stories. But what she doesn't understand yet is that you don't need magic or even be a princeses to help people. (And yes, she's an MCU fan)

Venus the Pacifist (Miguel x Sunny):

Like Vera, Venus believes in equal rights for all. But unlike Vera, who doesn't mind getting into a scuffle or two, Venus sees diplomacy and negotiation as the better way. Despite this, she does realize that fighting back is occasionally necessary to defend yourself and/or others. You can usually find her practicing swordfighting with Miguel, working on controlling her Butterfly/Demon magic, or jamming to music with Sunny.

Titania the Scientist (Galexia x Lukas):

A mix of Lukas' interest in science and Lexi's quirky enthusiasm is what gave Titania the nickname "mad scientist." She's similar to Solena in that she's fascinated by Earth, but more for its technology than its pop culture. The budding inventor also seems to have inherated her mom's artistry, being able to draw unbelievably detailed design specs. Her future plans for Mewni are to have it one day be just as technologically advanced as Earth. While Titania is ambitious, she may still have a thing or two to learn about ethics.

#star vs the forces of evil #sky and the forces of the multiverse

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tony-starkrogers · 6 years ago

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stevetony fic recs

For all your post-endgame binge reading needs!

You can also check out the rest of my recs in this tag /stevetony fic rec, and my ao3 bookmarks. These are only some of the many amazing fics in this fandom - great resources if you are looking for fic are @sabrecmcstonyficrecs and @findingstony.

Get Some Now by Sineala (T, 2k) fluff, pining, get-together, cats!

Mr. July by jibrailis (E, 10k) pining, get-together

The Best Policy by cylobaby27 (M, 23k) truth spell, get-together

Even My Phone Misses Your Call by rainbowninja167 (E, 11k) post-2012 movie, get-together

Momentary Paws (or, DO NOT WANT) by velithya (T, 17k) fluff, kitten tony, get-together

don't know why it took me so long to see by goodmorningbeloved (M, 11k) identity porn, college au

"death by coffee" and other search queries by goodmorningbeloved (T, 3k) fluff, pining, get-together

finding my way back to you by theappleppielifestyle (G, 7k) time travel

with you by laireshi (M, 3k) proposal

that taste at the tip of your tongue by hitlikehammers (T, 3k) fluff, hot chocolate

absence makes the heart by fantalaimon (G, 5k) fluff, new established relationship, protective boyfriends

GQ: Prince Tony Stark by eiirene, thisissirius (G, 3k) fluff, royalty au

Dear Tony, by sirona (T, 6k) post cacw fix-it, angst, pining, get-together

When Our Day Comes by thepartyresponsible (M, 7k) post-2012 movie, get-together

I'd Dream of You by someonelsesheart (M, 5k) college au, christmas, angst

A Higher Form of War by sabrecmc (M, 292k) royalty au, historical au, slooooow burn

Someone to Hold by erde (M, 6k) eloping

when i run out of road, you bring me home by quidhitch (M, 18k) post-iw, fix-it, fluff, get-together

Triskelion Crescent by seventymilestobabylon (T, 27k) epistolary, flower shop au, get-together

Looking for Heaven by foxxcub (E, 32k) royalty au, idiots in love, sexytime

Over Sea, Under Stars by vorkosigan (T, 37k) post-cacw fix-it, texting fic, slow burn, get-together

Wait & Sea by Lenalena (E, 53k) undercover as a couple, identity porn, slow burn, get together, sexytime

Without Irony by tsukinofaerii (T, 29k) 616 verse, amnesia fic, angst

Iron Man: Unavailable, Tony Stark: In Trouble by navaan (T, 41k) identity porn

help me help you by theappleppielifestyle (G, 8k) get-together, idiots in love

Enemy At The Gates by AvocadoLove (M, 23k) identity porn, not-really-a-villain tony

When I think about you by sirona (E, 12k) sassy steve, prank wars, idiots in love, sexytime

Tony Stark Falls In Love With A Cat by shellhead (M, 7k) post-2012 movie, fluff, cats, get-together

Like Gene Kelly in the Movies by lyra_wing (M, 11k) get-together

you really got me (and you shook me all night long) by shieldmaidenofrohan (T, 3k) teacher au, fluff, get-together

Dangerous Kitchen Tools by ladyshadowdrake (E, 18k) cooking au, cook!tony and artist!steve, get-together, sexytime

Night Out by MusicalLuna (T, 1k) first date, fluff

The Foodieverse by copperbadge, scifigrl47 (series - G-T, 135k) cooking au, fluff

Thanks For the Memories by Wordsplat (T, 9k) time travel

Be No Stranger (All Your Saints and Soldiers Remix) by jibrailis (T, 6k) time travel

Emanata (The Comics Will Break Your Heart Remix) by teaberryblue (T, 30k) comics office au, artist!steve, identity porn, fluff

How to Lose a Super Soldier in One Easy Step by and_backagain, jibrailis (E, 18k) pushing daisies au

going on a ride by theappleppielifestyle (unrated, series- 14k) high school au, fluff, get-together

Neanderthals In Tights (Also Known As a Football Game) by Wordsplat (T, 3k) high school au, football player steve, supportive bf tony, fluff

Love in a Time of Amnesia by Amuly (T, 6k) amnesia fic, 616-verse, pining, fluff

The Opposite of a Problem by Sineala (T, 2k) fake marriage, fluff, get-together

The Engagement by nightwalker (T, 13k) marriage, fluff

Pulse, Beat, and Measure by Sineala (E, series - 134k) 616-verse meets Marvel Noir, slow burn, fix-it, get-together, sexytime

Captain America, Undone by laireshi (M, 3k) established relationship, seduction, sexytime

Counterpart by sara_holmes (M, 217k) kid fic, hurt/comfort, angst

Your Name on Every Wall by Sineala (T, 18k) time travel, fix-it

All Roads Lead To by theappleppielifestyle (G, 13k) mechanic au

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy (T, 63k) comic office au, identity porn

Tiny Spy Assassin Steve by copperbadge (E, series - 90k) pre-serum steve, identity porn, au

As Sharp As Any Thorn by RurouniHime (E, 47k) established relationship, hurt/comfort, angst, sexytime

1796 Broadway by rainproof, teaberryblue (M, 460k) get-together, epistolary, slooooow burn

How To Be a Truly Terrible Wingman by Wordsplat (M, 12k) friends with benefits, hate-love, get-together

Indecent Proposal by gyzym, Siria (T, 3k) proposal, fluff

A New Way For Us by ann2who (M, 24k) cacw fix-it, time travel

Soul Bomb by copperbadge (T, 2k) soulmates au

How To Excel At Supervillainy (and lose your heart to America) by Zekkass (E, 14k) not-really-a-villain tony, identity porn

Secrets of a Successful Marriage by valtyr (E, 24k) not-really-a-villain tony, identity porn

Captain !@#$*%& America by Wordsplat (T, 8k) potty-mouth steve, fluff, get-together

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by jibrailis (M, 43k) amnesia fic, get-together, sexytime

When I Think (Oh, it Terrifies Me) by celli (E, 9k) soulmates au

Stand Back, I'm Going To Try Science by Good_News_Everyone (T, 2k) soulmates au

Rom-Commed By Fate (Or JARVIS) by leashy_bebes (E, 14k) get-together, JARVIS is a good bro

A Partial Dictionary Of The 21st Century By Captain Steve Rogers, US Army bycopperbadge (E, 14k) get-together

The Twice-Told Tale by arysteia (E, 16k) time-travel, get-together

Toasted Buns by copperbadge, scifigrl47 (E, 47k) tropical island, get-together, sexytime

More Than Gravity by JenTheSweetie (T, 21k) time travel, get-together

Wanderer by 51stCenturyFox (M, 2k) sleepwalking tony, get-together

Phil Coulson's Case Files of the Toasterverse by scifigrl47 (series - T-M, 288k) team-as-family, slow-burn, idiots in love

Run Program: {x} by Amuly (series - M, 20k) bot-feels, get-together, slow burn

And The Void Would Be Calling. by jadedoll (E, 18k) dimension hopping

Flower Child by itsallAvengers (T, 24k) get-together, fluff and angst

Who You Think You Are by Tahlruil (M, 64k) identity porn, get-together

Relativistic Heat Conduction by BlossomsintheMist (E, 70k) 616-verse, hurt/comfort, get-together

But Loving Him Is Red by theappleppielifestyle (unrated, 26k) soulmates au, get-together

You're Not Stubborn (Just Impossible) by Wordsplat (M, 95k) a/b/o-verse, high school au

On My Way To Believing by pensversusswords (series- G-T, 12k) high school au, fluff

All That You Love, All That You Hate by laireshi (T, 25k) 616-verse, vigilante!steve, director!stark, angst, hurt/comfort, happy ending

Tagging some people: @itsallavengers, @nasafic, @ishipallthings, @blossomsinthemist, @sabrecmc, @sineala, @starkravinghazelnuts, @starkrhxdes, @anthonyed

#stony fic rec #stevetony fic rec #stevetony #stony #my fic recs #why yes i do read a lot of fic

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mst3kproject · 6 years ago

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Cat-Women of the Moon

That doesn’t sound like a real title, does it? It sounds like something somebody made up to make fun of dumb old science fiction movies, or at best like it should belong to a parody of such. And yet, despite the snarky tone of its Wikipedia article (which reads like I could have written it), as far as I can tell Cat-Women of the Moon is totally in earnest. It was produced by Al Zimbalist and scored by Elmer Bernstein, both of whom did the same jobs on Robot Monster.

A cartoon rocket blasts off for the moon, carrying – as per 50’s Movie Regulations – three or four lumpy middle-aged men and one pretty girl. After a couple of the obligatory narrow escapes on the way, they manage to land successfully, and a mysterious cave leads them into an underground city where they are taken prisoner by telepathic cat-women! The cat-women have trapped them by controlling the mind of Helen the navigator, and plan to steal the rocket ship and conquer the Earth. Our manly heroes are immune to the mind control, but not to feminine wiles or the promise of caves full of gold. The world’s only hope is that at least one of them can keep his head about him and save the day.

Cat-Women of the Moon is one of the movies that I suspect was considered for MST3K but ultimately rejected because it was too similar to another feature – in this case, to Fire Maidens of Outer Space. Besides having similarly ridiculous titles, both movies are about astronauts encountering the last survivors of an all-female advanced civilization, who want to use them as breeding stock. In both, the evil plan is undone when one of the alien women falls in love with one of the oafish Earthlings, and both contain a gratuitous dance sequence that does nothing but fill time. Cat-Women of the Moon is actually slightly more interesting than Fire Maidens of Outer Space, mostly on account of an absolutely hilarious giant spider puppet, but it’s still two thirds over before we ever see a Cat-Woman.

It is impossible to overstate how cheap and shoddy this movie is. There are moments when the sets almost fall apart as people move around on them – one astronaut almost knocks a piece of equipment over and just leaves it sitting there at an odd angle. The rocket has roomy high ceilings and corrugated metal walls, with ham radio equipment sitting around on wooden tables and canvas space suits (with helmets that don’t match) stored in lockers that appear to have been stolen from a high school hallway. The city of the Cat-Women appears to be made of bits and pieces stolen from five different Maciste movies, and a couple of those ‘Family Tree’ decorations you used to be able to buy at Hallmark.

And oh, man, that spider puppet. My favourite thing is that it’s full-sized so that it can drop on Helen from above with all its totally limp limbs flailing. I love it so much. We never even find out what it’s doing there, either – it’s just a giant moon spider, because why the hell not?

About the only visual that works in the movie is the matte paintings, which are very nice, even when they don’t look very real. Some of the lunar landscapes are very realistic and the black and white photography adds to the verisimilitude. Sadly, that’s about the only thing Cat-Women of the Moon gets right scientifically. There’s a weird moment where one guy uses a cigarette (yes, they brought cigarettes to the moon) to demonstrate… something. Possibly the temperature difference between the day and night side of the moon. When placed in the light, it bursts into flame, which is obviously impossible in a vacuum. As if to drive the point home, not five minutes later they light a match (if you’re bringing cigarettes to the moon you obviously have to bring matches) to check if there’s oxygen!

The characters also note that there’s a difference in gravity between the surface of the moon, where they have to wear weighted boots, and the Cat-Women habitat. But why would Lunar Cat-Women, who have supposedly lived on the Moon for two million years, want artificial Earth gravity? What makes even less sense is that the Cat-Women, who have telepathic powers, resort to slap-fighting each other when they’re mad! These women can teleport… surely if they want to kill somebody they can just make their heads explode by thinking at them too hard, no slapping or stabbing needed.

That brings us to the biggest and most obvious thing going on in this movie. I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now – Cat-Women of the Moon absolutely despises women and it’s not even shy about it.

We’ve got Helen, who brushes her hair and does her makeup in orbit, and stands there screaming while the men beat the shit out of the giant spider with their fists. She’s supposed to be a brilliant navigator but it turns out that was just the Cat-Women working through her. The Cat-Women’s mind control powers work on women but not on men, and when Helen is in the arms of a man she truly loves, they lose control of her, too – as in The She-Creature, it is his male mine rather than her female one that is able to resist.

The man in question is of course not the Captain, who actually respects Helen, but the gun-toting jerk Kip. There’s a bit where he manhandles her and tells her to stop complaining because “I’m not hurting you that much.” The others aren’t much better, as one of them tells a Cat-Women, “you’re too smart for me, Baby – I like ‘em stupid.” At least that guy dies.

The Cat-Women themselves are scheming bitches, except for sweet, innocent little Lambda, who decides to betray her entire civilization because she’s got a crush on Doug the radio operator. This has been happening in stories since the Greek myth about Scylla, who betrayed her city after falling in love with the commander of an attacking army, and it’s been stupid for at least that long. The men aren’t any better, either. Kip and the Captain are fighting over Helen when the fate of the world is at stake. When they manage to interrogate her while she’s not under Cat-Woman control, one of the first things they want to know is which of them she’s in love with!

The movie hates cats, too. The inhabitants of the moon are Cat-Women not because they have tails and whiskers, but because they are cunning and underhanded, purring in your lap one moment and scratching your face off the next. They say they want to be friends, but really they just want to use and discard you.

I guess stories like this represent men being afraid that women will realize they can do without them, and like Horrors of Spider-Island, it perhaps inadvertently implies that this is true. The Cat-Women were doing just fine at maintaining a peaceful civilization before these jerks from Earth showed up. Maybe we’re meant to think this is because the men can resist their telepathy – which is built on another nasty stereotype about women, the idea that they’re some kind of hive mind. How many times have you heard somebody say ‘Women Think X’ or ‘Girls Like Y’, as if it’s genetic? The Cat-Women, all in telepathic communication with each other, cannot help but agree about everything – and one she’s made contact with them, Helen becomes part of this collective mind whether she likes it or not.

Cat-Queen Alpha’s control over Helen is probably the most effective part of the story. We know we can’t trust anything Helen says or even anything she thinks, and once the men realize this Alpha is able to use even their mistrust to her advantage. Helen cannot even trust herself, as she observes when she realizes she should care if her crew-mates live or die, but does not. Not that it wouldn’t work way better if the cure for it weren’t twu wuv, but it’s a good idea as far as it goes.

Up to the last few minutes of the movie we’ve been building suspense, sometimes in fits and starts, but we do feel like something’s going to happen. Alpha, Beta, and Helen have run off with the group’s space-suits, and the men are trying to catch up with them. We’re expecting a fight for control of the rocket ship – and then Kip just pulls his gun and shoots Alpha and Beta off-screen, while Lambda dies tragically and Doug cradles her body. It’s an anticlimax that just leaves the audience sitting there going, “that’s it?” And yeah, the next thing that happens is the remaining guys and Helen get back on their rocket and head home, so that is it.

Cat-Women of the Moon is sort of lukewarm entertaining. The shitty sets and stupid spider puppet are good for some laughs, but the movie’s sexual politics are obnoxious and its ending a huge disappointment. I can’t recommend it to watch on its own, but it makes for good DIY riff material. I’m sure Mike and the bots could have had great fun with it.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #cat-women of the moon #50s

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aion-rsa · 6 years ago

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The 7 Greatest Comic Series Based on Toy Lines

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Set your nostalgia rays to the '80s. Some toy lines actually ended up as even better comic book series.

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Comic book icons and heroes have been appearing on toy shelves since the days of Captain Action and Mego. But sometimes, toys that win the hearts and minds of kids of all ages are given their own comics, allowing toy fans to see their favorite bits of plastic in action by some of the best writers and artists in comics.

Many toys have graced the pages of comics over the years, including memorable curiosities like Sectaurs, Madballs, Visionaries, Go-Bots, and so many more, but there have been a few properties that have transcended their humble plastic roots to become the stuff of comic book legend.

Here are but a sampling:

The Saga of Crystar: Crystal Warrior

Back in 1983, Marvel published Crystar, a concept they had developed specifically to sell the license to a toy manufacturer. Remco was wowed by the world Marvel had created and produced one line of figures in 1982. Marvel then followed the toys up with a comic written by Mary Jo Duffy with absolutely stunning covers by the great Michael Golden.

The toys were things of beauty, produced in translucent plastic, and the Crystal Warriors stood out on the toy shelves. Remco produced a bunch of good Crystal Warriors and an array of evil Magma people. The toy company also produced two dragons, one magma and one crystal (which is a sight to behold), a castle, and some accessories.

The story of Crystar was pretty simple: the good agents of order, the crystal warriors, faced off against the agents of chaos, the Magma people, led by Crystar’s brother, Moltar (because what else would you named the leader of the Magma people?). The world of the comic was well built and functioned within the parameters of the toys and still holds up pretty well today. Marvel must have wanted the book and toy line to succeed because there were frequent Marvel Universe guest stars in the Crystar comic including Dr. Strange, Nightcrawler (from X-Men), and Alpha Flight.

It seems that Marvel still holds the right to Crystar as the character made a cameo appearance in one of the six million Marvel Zombies series. The property might be obscure, but as far as toy/comic tie ins go, Crystar was a (I shouldn’t) diamond in the rough (I did).

Shogun Warriors

Is there anything cooler than giant Mechs? How about giant Mechs based on an ultra-popular Japanese toy line stomping around the Marvel Universe? For two years, Marvel fans got to experience Shogun Warriors as a legitimate part of the Marvel Universe proper.

Shogun Warriors was a Mattel property that united a bunch of robot toys from Japan under the same banner. There were tons of toys and vehicles produced by Mattel, in many different sizes, but Marvel only had the license for three of the robots, Raydeen, Combattra, and Dangard Ace, piloted by an American stuntman, a Japanese test pilot, and an oceanographer from Madagascar, respectively. The humans and their Mechs had many adventures written by the great Doug Moench with pitch perfect artwork by Hulk legend Herb Trimpe.

Things took an odd turn in Shogun Warriors #16, when the Warriors’ human handlers were slaughtered by the villainous Primal One creating an odd last few issues that were kind of ponderously depressing. Marvel’s Shogun Warriors had an ignominious end, as all three Warriors were destroyed off panel by the Samurai Destroyer in the pages of Fantastic Four once Marvel lost the license.

While it lasted, the Shogun Warriors was an entertaining book that really displayed the talents of Trimpe, a man born to draw '70 eras Japanese robots, and featured luminary guest stars like Reed Richards and Tony Stark. The oddity of Marvel destroying an in-continuity property to explain a lapsed license makes Marvel’s Shogun Warriors a great point of curiosity of the Bronze Age.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

The original Masters of the Universe toys, produced by Mattel, came packed with mini-comics of their own. These mini-tomes fleshed out the world of He-Man and his allies and enemies, and they were just the beginning of a long standing relationship between He-Man and the world of comics.

In 1982, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe appeared in a miniseries from DC that saw He-Man dwell in a much more Robert E. Howard world. He-Man was introduced in DC Comics Presents #47 written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by iconic Superman artist Curt Swan. With Swan on board, you know that He-Man went toe-to-toe with Superman, as the Man of Steel was mystically transported to Eternia. The special team-up introduced the world to Skeletor, Beast-Man, Teela, Man at Arms, and Battle Cat. The issue, which remains a hotly sought after back issue to this day, led into a three issue series written by Kupperberg, with art by George Tuska and Alfredo Alcala which briefly established He-Man’s world as an alternate dimension to the DC Universe. DC only published five He-Man stories in the '80s but they established the foundation for everything that would follow.

After DC, Marvel’s Star imprint, a line of comics for young readers, tried their hand at He-Man, but the books were watered down versions of the already watered down cartoon. Marvel also featured an odd little adaptation of the 1987 Dolph Lundgren movie where all the characters looked like their toy counterparts instead of the actors that portrayed them on the big screen (except Beast Man for some reason). The property returned to the edgier roots a bit in the early 2000s series published by MV Creations before returning back to DC in recent years, which features revamped versions of the classic characters.

But those original DC books remain some of the most beloved toy comics of all time as DC really fleshed out a back story that would become the inspiration for cartoons, films, and future comics. DC was the first to give life to Mattel’s enduring line of heroes, warriors, monsters, wizards, and whatever the heck an Orko is.

Micronauts

According to legend, one Christmas, the son of comic book great Bill Mantlo opened his Christmas presents, and lo and behold, Micronauts! As Mantlo watched his son open his toys, the writer supposedly began constructing a backstory for the little metal men. At Mantlo’s request, then Marvel got the Micronauts license from Mego and the rest is history.

Like Shogun Warriors and Transformers, Micronauts were Japanese toys from a number of different toy lines joined together under one branding umbrella. The toys were cool, but unlike many toys of that era, they arrived on shelves without much of a backstory, until Mantlo came along and crafted one of the finest examples of innovative world building of the era.

Once again, Marvel incorporated Mantlo’s Micronauts into the Marvel Universe as the heroic team consisting of Acroyear, Bug, Commander Rann, Biotron, Princess Mari, and Prince Argon, took on established Marvel villains Plant Man, Psycho Mann, Dr. Doom, Molecule Man, and Hydra agents Fixer and Mentallo, plus their own adversary Baron Karza. The ‘nauts even teamed with the X-Men in an early '80s mini-series that was quite a big deal at the time. The book featured complex characters that often flipped sides between good and evil and firmly established the team as important parts of the Marvel Universe.

It was so enduring that, despite not having the Micronauts license anymore, many of the characters that Mantlo created that never had their own toy remain part of the Marvel Universe, like Bug for instance, who was a founding member of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy! Micronauts stands as one of the greatest examples of what a skilled creative team can do with toy property. Despite its simple premise, Micronauts remains one of the best executed comics of its day.

Rom, Spaceknight

The toys covered in this article all were very successful and each made their respective companies a great deal of money. That’s what’s so amazing about Rom, which had a very successful comic series that ran an amazing seven years, yet, the Rom toy arrived on toy shelves stillborn, selling only 200,000 - 300,000 units for Parker Brothers in the U.S. The toy barely survived a year, but the comic thrived and became a regular part of Marvel’s publishing schedule for the better part of the decade.

This was thanks in part to writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema, who brought the character to life in a way that the noisy and stiff toy never could. Yes, the same writer who breathed fresh life into Micronauts, wielded the same world building magic with Rom. Rom the toy was a barely articulated hunk of plastic that made noises, Rom the comic was a richly detailed science fiction epic centered on a group of brave Space Knights taking on the evil of the vile Dire Wraiths.

Rom’s war with the Wraiths brought more than one major Marvel character into the battle and Rom was even summoned to the first Contest of Champions. Even though he didn't participate, his inclusion in Marvel’s first event book shows how important Rom was to the tapestry of the Marvel Universe in his day. The Spaceknights and the Dire Wraiths are still part of the Marvel Universe, while Rom has moved on to IDW.

Oh, and both Rom and the Micronauts are now part of Hasbro's shared movie universe that includes the Transformers, GI Joe, MASK, and others.

Transformers

Transformers is one of those toy properties that lives in perfect symbiosis with the world of comics. The comics, first published by Marvel for a good nine years, before other companies like Dreamwave and IDW took over the license, all fueled the stories and histories of Hasbro’s Robots in Disguise.

You might think that robots that disguise themselves and vehicles would be hard to justify in any sensible plot, but one would be wrong. Writers, particularly Simon Furman for Marvel, fleshed out their world in the pages of the Transformers comics, and gave each Transformer human motivations and personalities that went hand in glove with the toys kids were consuming at an unheard of rate. As Transformers remains a huge part of the cultural consciousness, the stories and characterization of the robots continue to be fed and informed by the work Marvel did for so many years.

Like many other Marvel licensed properties, the Transformers started as part of the Marvel Universe, with guest appearences by Spider-Man and Death’s Head (who first appeared in Transformers) but the Autobots and Decepticons were soon shunted off to their own reality. Dreamwave and IDW continue the legacy in many different forms and iterations feeding multiple generations of Transformers fanatics.

G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero

There has seemingly always been a comic called G.I. Joe on the stands in one form or another even before anyone heard the term Kung Fu Grip. From a syndicated strip from King Features in 1941, to a comic published by Ziff-Davis in set in the Korean War beginning in 1950, to two issues of DC’s Showcase published in 1964-1965. But it was in 1982 that Marvel began publishing a comic series based on Hasbro’s new line of G.I. Joe toys that the entire comic industry changed.

Writer Larry Hama was tasked by Hasbro and Marvel to create a group of modern day soldiers with specialties, codenames, and personalities that could drive the new toy line. Hama and a host of artists also came up with adversary for his Joes; a colorful group of terrorists with a perfectly colorful array of gimmicks. This new enemy, Cobra, would come to define the modern day Joes and bring to life a story that continues to this day in toys, films, comics, and television.

The Marvel Comics series allowed these characters to grow far beyond their static plastic origins. This was no easy task, as Hasbro continued to introduce new toys that had to be inserted into the story no matter how far-fetched they might be. At the time, ninjas like Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow became as popular as Wolverine and Spider-Man.

Many kids who grew to love comics in the '80s owe this love to G.I. Joe. Marvel even went so far as to advertise each new issue on television bringing in droves of new fans to the newsstands and into the comic shops with each animated advertisement. The G.I. Joe comic legacy continues today with multiple titles by IDW, but the original Marvel series shaped a generation of comic book lovers, making it the most important toy to comic adaptation ever published.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Culture

Marc Buxton

Dec 18, 2019

G.I. Joe

Transformers

from Books https://ift.tt/2PCSa0u

#aion-rsa #Books

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sofreakinmanyfandoms · 7 years ago

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November 12 - Of Royals and Robots

Okay, so I ended up not posting this one until I was ready to post the next one. My cat kept interrupting me for snuggles. Sorry.

Also, I haven’t said this yet, but I’ve been getting all my pictures from a site called Unsplash. They have royalty-free photos that are a lot nicer than most stock photos imo. You can donate to the photographer but you don’t have to.

Word count: 1901

Warnings: Howard is not likable and I know like nothing about science so I totally BS’d this.

Pairing: Tony Stark X Reader (Modern!Royal!AU)

Crown Prince Anthony Stark stood at the top of the steps, waiting for the car to arrive. In just a few minutes, he’d come face to face with the reality of life as he knew it ending.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if Howard hadn’t been so damn excited about it. Tony could handle doing something because it was his duty, but he couldn’t handle his father gloating over something that stripped away his son’s control over his own personal life.

Maria came up behind him and rested her hand on the small of his back.

“How is my Prince doing this afternoon?”

“Hello, Mother.” Tony couldn’t help but smile at the woman who meant so much to him. “I’ll be alright.”

“Which implies that right now, you are not,” she observed with compassion. “I know it’s hard, but maybe you’ll learn to love her.”

“Maybe,” Tony deflected, looking off into the distance yet again.

Any sweetness the moment could have had was destroyed when Howard joined them.

“Ah, such a lovely day for such a lovely occasion,” he declared, hands tucked behind his back and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “Don’t you agree, Anthony?”

“Of course, my King,” his son replied stiffly as he plastered his best fake smile on his face.

Howard continued without even bothering to listen. “The Lady Y/N’s father is quite wealthy and has a title worth coveting. This is a fortuitous alliance for the kingdom. A marvelous occasion indeed!” His hands came forward and rubbed together. “Ah, here comes her transport now. Remember, Anthony, no mention of your foolish hobbies. We wouldn’t want to scare her off with your nonsense before this marriage is official.”

Tony was sure his teeth would crack from how hard he clenched his jaw. “Of course, Sire.”

Conversation was cut off as the car pulled up and you stepped out. Tony felt his breath catch in his throat. As much as he hated the idea of an arranged marriage, he would have to be blind to not see how beautiful you were. The light caught your eyes and they sparkled, your dress highlighting both your figure and your complexion to perfection.

“My good King, Queen, and Prince,” the herald announced, “I present to you Lady Y/N Y/L/N, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kline.”

“Your grace,” you said softly, curtsying to the king.

Howard continued to beam with pride as you greeted the family. Maria was courteous and gave you a kind smile, and Tony did his best not to look too pained. Reminding himself that you were being forced into this as much as he was, he took your offered hand and gave it a kiss.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

You blushed and kept your eyes downcast. “I’m sure the pleasure is all mine, my prince.”

“M’lady, my most humble apologies for the interruption,” one of the servants who had accompanied you on your trip came up and bowed, “but we seem to have an extra trunk that we were not expecting?” He pointed to a silver box in the midst of your white luggage.

Your eyes widened and your smile grew upon seeing it. “Oh! Please be careful with that one, it’s rather heavy and very important. I was afraid it wouldn’t make it.”

Tony found himself captivated by the light in your eyes. It was a shame that you’d actually have to get to know him; he’d like to see you smile more often, but was sure all joy would disappear once you found out exactly who you were about to be bound to for the rest of your life.

----------

You looked around the room you had been shown to, the room that was to be yours until the wedding. Dinner wouldn’t be for another three hours, so you had a couple to settle in before you had to get ready. The first thing you did was open the silver trunk, not bothering to suppress your squeal of delight.

Your father had put all your books in that trunk and informed you that you were not allowed to take them with you. What prince would want a bride who reads such things? He had made arrangements to have them burned once you left, but Wanda must have bribed her brother and boyfriend to sneak it in with the rest of your luggage.

On top was your favorite book, “The Elegant Universe” by Brian Greene. Picking it up, you hugged it to your chest as a few tears began to track down your cheeks. Your education, while comprehensive, was limited mostly to the arts, but you found science captivating and had taught yourself as much as you could through books and the internet (although you preferred the feel of paper in your hands so you could mark it up with your notes). Giving up your studies, even if only for a time, had been what you were most regretting about having an arranged marriage.

With a contented sigh you settled against the massive pile of pillows on your bed and opened your current read, “Reality Is Not What It Seems” by Carlo Rovelli. Unpacking could wait; reading would help you relax before really meeting the people who were about to become your family.

----------

Tony tried not to tense up when you arrived for dinner. You were every bit as stunning as you had been upon your arrival, and he felt more than a little awkward as he pulled out your chair for you and took his seat across the dining room table. Fortunately for him, his father was perfectly willing to carry the conversation.

“Lady Y/N, I hope your accommodations are to your liking?” the king asked you.

“Oh, yes, sire,” you answered softly, your cheeks lit up with a slight flush. “The room is beautiful, especially the color scheme.”

“The queen decorated it herself, didn’t you, my dear?” There was no mistaking the pride in Howard’s voice at your approval.

Maria nodded and continued to fix you with her kind smile. “I did, but please feel free to make it your own in any way. If there’s anything you would like to change, you are more than welcome to.”

You hesitated for a moment before asking, “Would it be possible to have a bookshelf added?”

“Of course, dear!” Maria’s face lit up at the request. “You read?”

“As often as I can,” you admitted, “without interfering with my duties, of course.”

“It’s wonderful for a young lady to be well-read,” Howard declared, and Tony had to fight back an eye roll. “What is your favorite book?”

“Surely your majesty has more important things to think about than what I enjoy reading.” That blush was back, and darker than before. Tony found himself curious that the topic of reading should bring it out.

“Nonsense! You are to be family; anything you enjoy is important.”

Tony choked on his wine, apologizing quickly and clearing his throat. That was the biggest lie he’d ever heard Howard tell, and that was saying something.

“If you’re sure, your majesty…”

“Of course I’m sure.” Howard quickly cut short his glare at Tony to smile back at you.

You nodded. “My favorite is ‘The Elegant Universe’ by Brian Greene.”

Now that, Tony wasn’t expecting. This was a conversation to which he could contribute.

“I take it you agree with his assessment of the theory’s shortcomings, then?”

The surprise that flashed across your face quickly changed to delight. “For the most part, yes. While a beautiful theory, it is still a theory and all flaws must be explored until the day comes when it can be tested.”

“But what about…”

Conversation revolved around string and superstring theory for the rest of dinner, the two of you bouncing facts and opinions off each other. You were both so wrapped up in enjoying the conversation that you missed the soft looks Maria gave you both and the only moderately-veiled displeasure on Howard’s face.

----------

You took your betrothed’s arm for a stroll about the garden, an activity his mother had suggested so the two of you could further get to know each other. While the conversation had flowed easily enough during dinner, the first few minutes were spent walking in silence until you finally spoke up.

“Now that you know my rather unconventional hobbies, may I enquire as to what you enjoy in your free time? Do you study science as well?”

“Robotics, currently,” he replied with a small smile. “I’ve got one fully-developed bot and I’m training my second. But I’ve studied most scientific fields to some degree.”

You paused. “You built your own robots?”

“I mean, they’re not that great.” Suddenly he’s a blushing mess. “Just one-armed claw bots. They help with tools and fire safety and stuff.”

“My prince, that’s amazing!” You silenced his embarrassed ramble before it could get too far. “Can I see them?”

“You’d…you’d really want to?”

“Of course,” you said, beaming at him. “I’d love to.”

----------

Tony almost couldn’t take it in. You were playing fetch with DUM-E and YOU while he started on his third bot, BUTTERFINGERS. No one ever wanted to spend time with him in his lab before, much less someone who loved science like he did.

It had taken all of five minutes in the lab for the two of you to agree that formalities were not going to work. He told you to call him Tony and you told him to call you Y/N/N, after which you both relaxed a good bit.

“Sorry, baby, that’s all for now. Stop, that! We’ll play again later, I promise.”

He found himself completely distracted from… what had he been doing again? Oh, right, building a robot. He found himself completely distracted from building his robot as you petted his completed bots and talked to them like they were alive. No one had ever done that before, not even Jarvis back when he was alive, and to Tony’s surprise he found himself about to cry.

“What part are you working on now?” you asked as you joined him by his workbench. “Tony, are you all right?”

“How are you so perfect?” The question was out before he could filter it, and he felt a need to elaborate. “You like my bots, you love science, you’re so beautiful… I’m dreaming, right? Any moment now I’m gonna wake up and there will be this ugly, cranky witch here to marry me and I’m never going to be happy again because I got a glimpse of someone perfect and nothing could ever compare to that, ever.”

Your cheeks were lit with a soft pink as you leaned in and brushed a light kiss against his mouth.

“Does that feel like a dream?” you whispered.

“No. Thank God.” And with that he leaned back in and your mouths were devouring each other, pouring all your relief and joy at finding each other into the kiss, clutching desperately to each other as if it would all disappear if you let go.

----------

The next day, the kingdom was introduced to the future princess. All anyone could talk about after the announcement was how the prince had stared at his bride-to-be as though she’d hung the stars.

I can do this, Tony thought. I can love her. I really can.

#30 days of avengers one shots #tony stark #tony stark x reader #reader #x reader #au #royal!au #modern!au #tony stark needs a hug #i hate howard #maria is okay #the bots are always wonderful #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #masterlist #i still suck at tagging #and i need a hand massage

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a-fools-jester · 7 years ago

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Hello there! I really love your writing! You capture the characters personalities and interactions very well and I always enjoy your stories. You said you wanted irondad prompts, so maybe something like Peter finds an abandoned kitten one day before going to work ((let’s be honest: just hang)) with Tony and doesn’t know how to tell him/worries he’ll be annoyed so he just tries to hide the cat while he’s with Tony, but Tony notices him fidgeting etc. and is just like “kid wtf?” Until Peter caves

In Peter’s defense, the kitten was alone and obviously abandoned, left in a box next to the garbage bin he used to keep his backpack webbed to while he was out being Spider-Man. The little fella had orange fur and pretty green eyes. “Hey, I’m Peter,” he whispered to the kitten, rubbing him behind the ears. “What’s your name, hmm?” He checked the back of the box for a phone number or a name, but alas, he found nothing but the words FREE TO A GOOD HOME.Problem: he was running late for his Stark Internship. He and Mr. Stark had always met at 4:30 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, an unspoken agreement between the two of them that Peter would come in for “work” that day. Problem number 2: he was most definitely not going to leave the kitten in a box next to some dumpster but he had no time to take it anywhere else. MJ was too far, he wasn’t close enough to home, and Ned was allergic to cats.

“What am I going to do with you, little guy?” he asked the kitten who did nothing but cling to his shirt with his little paws. Well, that was that then. There was literally no other choice. “Alright, alright. Stay in my backpack for a little while, okay? I’ll leave it open for you so you can breathe but you can’t jump out, okay?”Once little Jam was secure and content, Peter put the backpack on his chest, wrapping his arms around his little secret and running as fast as he could towards the compound. He made it in record time (thank god for being fast) and skipped security, going straight to the elevator. “Alright, it’s 4:37. Not bad, Jam. Not bad at all,” he cooed before he paused. “You’re gonna have to stay in my bag, alright? I’m not sure if Mr. Stark would… well, I’m not sure how he’d feel about having a cat around.”The moment he said it, anxiety filled his stomach with lead. Did Mr. Stark have a cat allergy?Would he be annoyed with Peter for being late and having nothing to show for it except for a small stray kitten?Was this Mr. Stark’s line of everything he was willing to accept? Peter shuffled from foot to foot, putting the backpack behind him. Mr Stark had accepted that he was a teenager with only a little bit of teasing, had accepted the fact that he was a mess and didn’t obey orders while taking down the Vulture with exasperation and mild frustration, but what if he thought this only proved how immature and unready Peter was to be an Avenger? What if he decided Peter wasn’t a good fit to be Spider-Man?Okay, perhaps this wasn’t one of his better ideas.He clutched the straps of his backpack with white-knuckled fists, keeping his head bowed when the elevator opened. The lab was as it always was, and Mr. Stark was hunched over one of the worktables, examining the robot he was working on building. Mr. Stark looked up, meeting his eyes with a nod before he turned back to the robot and gestured for Friday to turn on some of his ‘Brain Stimulating Music’- which, in Peter’s book, meant Old Man Rock.Thankful for Mr. Stark’s distraction Peter took a seat and placed Jam on his lap, opening the zipper a bit to make sure that the little guy didn’t have any trouble breathing. “I need to work on this bot for Pepper, so you go ahead and do your thing for now. I’ll call you when I need you.”Peter nodded, taking out his math book and breathing a small sigh of relief.It can’t be that hard to hide a kitten for a couple hours. Right?The minutes ticked by slowly as Peter did his homework, working on his Pythagorean theorem worksheet for Ms. Benny and studying the scatter plots for Ms. Ann. Some days, he really wished his school didn’t make all the students take math and “advanced math” at the same time, which really didn’t make very much sense. Why didn’t they just teach everything in one class instead of separating things into two subjects?Because now Peter was mentally questioning his existence in two classes instead of one. Smart as he was, he just really didn’t like math. Science was his favorite subject, but math? Torture. Ned would often roll his eyes when Peter let his opinion on the subject be known because even if it was torture, he usually got good marks. But still…Whoever invented math must have been a sadist.As Peter struggled and stared at his textbook with the blank expression of a student going through finals, Tony observed the kid arachnid. He was being weird. Less bubbly and talkative than usual, fidgety, not meeting Tony’s eyes, didn’t ask about what Tony was building. Something was off about him. Tony didn’t like it. It made him feel on edge.Was the kid hurt? Going through something? Upset?They’ve been in the lab for almost an hour now and the kid hadn’t done anything except sit at one of the worktables and do his homework silently which was so unlike him that it made Tony immediately suspicious. The lack of stories about his day and questions about whatever and quips only made Tony even more suspicious. And the fidgeting…“Alright, out with it,” Tony said after waiting another fifteen minutes for Peter to offer an explanation, eyes narrowing when Peter jumped and met his stern gaze with wide eyes. “What’s going on with you?”“Me?” Peter asked, frowning, trying to not panic as Jam crawled out of the backpack on Peter’s lap. “There’s absolutely nothing- nghhh! Um, nothing wrong with me. Sir.” Peter shifted, wincing in discomfort when little Jam decided on using his shirt as a scratching post. The shirt he was currently wearing. The thin shirt which did not protect the soft flesh underneath it in the slightest. Luckily, the work table was high enough that it kept his lap and lower body hidden from Mr. Stark across the room. Not so luckily, Jam kept on scratching his stomach and it hurt.Tony’s eyes narrowed further, looking almost like he was trying to use X-ray vision on Peter. “You’re being really quiet, you came in late, you’re being all-” he gestured vaguely over Peter as he shifted to try and inconspicuously get Jam to stop. “-this. Tell me what’s wrong. Is it May? Her new boyfriend? Some boy at school bother you?”“What? No!” Peter responded immediately, frowning sourly at the mention of May’s new boyfriend. Jake the Joke was what the name Peter put him down under in his contacts list. Ugh. “It’s got nothing to do with Aunt May or Jake or school. There’s nothing wrong, Mr. Stark!”His wincing was not helping his case.Tony walked forward, putting down the screwdriver and scratching his beard. He had a look on his face that Ned and MJ had once called the Dad Face when they came over and Tony saw the nasty bruise on Peter’s jaw. “Listen, Peter…” Tony began, crossing his arms that he suddenly had no idea what to do with. “I’m not usually a heart-to-heart type of guy, alright? Emotions give me acid reflux. They’re not my forte. But if you need someone to talk to, I am here and I will listen and probably give you advice. I’m not sure how reliable said advice will be but it will be given. You’re my mentee and I take my responsibilities seriously- or, well, seriously for my standards. So why don’t you tell me what’s wrong so we can figure out-”Tony stopped, blinking in bafflement, and Peter’s mind supplied him with a vine he saw that was relevant to his situation- the one with Jessie J going n-n-n-n-n-no no no no NO NO NONO.“Is that a kitten on your lap right now, Peter?” Tony asked, voice torn between being angry and laughing. “What the fuck, kid?”“Mr. Stark, I can explain-”Tony gestured to the cat. “Explain nothing! You’ve been here for an hour being all weird and I thought you had some type of problem and it’s- A cat! You brought a cat to the lab! Jesus. Anxiety issues, remember? I honest-to-god thought there was something wrong.”Peter nodded, shifting and placing Jam on the table now that it was out in the open. “I know, sir, and I’m sorry but Jam was alone and he was next to a garbage can and I was already- I was already running late so I just took him and ran here. I wasn’t sure if you’d let me take a cat in here or get mad so I just… didn’t tell you.”“Jam?” Tony repeated, bending over to look at the little ball of fur closer. “You named it?”“Yes?” Peter responded, looking sheepish, eyes soft in that horrible way that Tony firmly believed should be illegal. That was unfair. Peter using his puppy-dog eyes meant that Tony’s chances of being angry were greatly reduced by 40-50 percent.Jam took Tony’s lack of attention to move forward and nuzzle closer to him and he sighed. Goddammit. He really wanted to be upset about this entire thing but it seemed the universe wasn’t going to allow it. “Alright, maybe he’s not too bad for a little mouser. Are you going to take him home?” He looked up, catching Peter’s shifty eyes with a frown. “Well, actually…”“Oh no! No no no no, sir! Under no conditions is this creature going to stay here with me!” With his record, the thing would be dead within a week. Most things he came into contact with often suffered from that fate. Or maybe the kitten would make Tony fall into a false sense of safety and contentment and then run off with a team of strays, leaving Tony all alone again. Cat-tain Apurrica. “Mr. Stark, please? I’ve always wanted a pet and Aunt May always said no because our apartment complex doesn’t allow them-”“Then move. Easy peasy. I’ll pay for the entire goddamn transition if needed, but this-” “-and- and it would only be for a little while until I can either convince Aunt May or Ned or maybe MJ-”“-cat is not going to stay with me!”“-to let Jam stay with them. Please, Mr. Stark! I promise I’ll be super duper good on missions and I’ll do anything you want. Please.” There was a beat of silence. Tony met Peter’s eyes, which were cranked up to 11 on the puppy-dog scale. Again, unfair, but Tony was also doing his best stern glare so it might be a little bit more acceptable. Tony spent the silence telling himself every reason why he should not let the cat stay in the compound with him.He wasn’t fond of cats. (Not completely true, his mother had one.)He was too busy. (Not busy enough to keep his mind clear.)He was irresponsible. He wasn’t good at taking care of things. (True.)He couldn’t even take care of himself very well. (Also true.)He didn’t care about some stupid cat Peter brought in and wasn’t going to be the sole caretaker of it simply because Peter asked. (Well…)They stood there in a silent staring contest, a battle of wills going on between them. “Please?” Peter said after a few moments of silence, eyes pleading. “Anything?” Tony asked, putting his hands in his front pockets, his expression thoughtful. “Anything.”With a defeated sigh, Tony nodded. “Alright. You’re going to go with Pepper to the upcoming gala. You need some experience being at social events like that anyway, and I definitely do not want to go.”“Isn’t that the one that's… dedicated to you?” Peter responded, perplexed. “You're… not going to attend the party that’s specifically meant to show you how much you mean to the world?” Tony nodded jerkily. “Having hundreds of thousands of people confess their love to me got tiring after a few years. You’ll be fine.”Peter considered his options. He really, really didn’t like parties that were big and grand, but… “If I go you’ll let Jam stay here?”“You have my word.”Peter bit his lip, nodding. “I’ll go.”Tony flashed him a thumbs up, grabbing a screwdriver and tossing it Peter’s way. Peter caught it easily, not needing to break eye contact with Tony. “Come here, show me what you can do with this bot. Work your magic.” With a grin, Peter walked forward, carrying Jam and taking him to the other worktable so he could be nearby while Peter worked. Tony watched him with an intense look, but it wasn’t awkward like it would be if it was anyone else because it was Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark kept watching him as he attached the two servo ports to the serializer, only humming from time to time in approval or surprise at his choices with the robot. The hours passed quicker after that and when day turned into night, Mr. Stark suggested he stay and give May a text to let her know. They put on a movie and ordered a pizza, sitting in the lounge with Jam laying down between them. Mr. Stark got Happy to buy some cat supplies and the bemused man did so with only a few quips, bringing Jam some food, a bed, toys and a purple collar with a heart nametag that said ‘If lost, return to Spider-Man or Iron Man’. Peter remembered how the compound had been like when he’d first visited, how empty and gray, like the very walls were hungry for light. It felt like a lonely place to stay, let alone live in. There were too many empty spaces, empty rooms, empty silences with nothing but music and one person’s breath to fill it.Peter watched as Jam nuzzled up to Mr. Stark and Mr. Stark had rolled his eyes at that, but Peter saw the way he was smiling at Jam with a fond look in his eyes.Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Sorry this took a while to get done! I hope this is okay because fluff is sorta not my forte hahaha 😅

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beeftony · 7 years ago

Text

Failsafe

Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 2032 Characters: Catra (She-Ra), Entrapta (She-Ra) Summary:

Catra and Entrapta formulate a plan based on a piece of First Ones' tech... after it traps them together in Entrapta's lab.

Author’s Notes:

So after binging this show, I became possessed by this idea and had to let it out, which after several months of having to force myself to write felt really good. I've been having Catra feelings this whole week, so you all get to suffer too.

It was a rather childish drawing, excused somewhat by the fact that it had been drawn by children. Though imperfect in its portrayal of things like background, perspective, and basic anatomy, the pure, unbridled imagination of it all shined through regardless. It depicted two figures flying, unassisted by any sort of aircraft, raining destruction down upon a forest. The horrors that they had imagined inhabiting the Whispering Woods were not so frightening when rendered in crayon, with their tongues lolling out and big x’s where their eyes should be.

Things had played out differently in real life, of course, but at least that last part of the drawing had come true, in its own way. Catra glared at the paper as she walked down the hall, before crumpling it into a wad and tossing it to the side. She’d found it while cleaning out her previous quarters after her promotion to Second in Command afforded her a much better living space. Just when she finally thought she’d erased all remnants of Adora’s memory from her surroundings, something else popped up like a bad penny.

She groaned and continued her rounds. The sound of excited typing and giggling could be heard a short distance away, and before long she entered a large room that had been converted into a laboratory. Half-stripped bots and other spare parts lined the tables, along with a motley collection of tools, note-paper, and absurdly tiny sweets. At the far end of the chamber, in front of an enormous computer, Entrapta was lost in her work, oblivious to almost everything around her. And yet, she still noticed Catra’s arrival, waving at her with a piece of her prehensile hair.

Catra heard skittering behind her, and stepped quickly to the side as the Princess’ pet robot marched into the room, extending a limb towards her and passing something into her hair.

“Oh hey, Catra. Emily says you dropped this.” She tossed it over her shoulder, and Catra caught it on instinct, discovering to her chagrin that it was the same paper she’d disposed of earlier.

“I didn’t drop it,” she replied, hurling it to the ground. “I threw it away.”

The robot dubbed Emily obediently picked up the paper, then handed it back to Entrapta, who passed it to her again. And she caught it without thinking, again.

“You shouldn’t litter. Say, do you have a litter box? I’m curious how far the cat thing goes.”

“I am not answering that.” She stuffed the paper into a stray pocket. “Fine. I’ll incinerate this later.”

“Suit yourself. So what brings you to my lab?”

“Checking up on things.” She moved closer, standing to her left, while Emily flanked the Princess on the right. “What are you working on?”

“Well, besides that data crystal you recovered for me, there was a piece of First Ones’ tech I’d been working on for a while.” She motioned to a small green crystal that vaguely resembled a sawblade, with visible cracks that had been carefully welded into one solid piece. “I just got it put back together and I was about to run some tests. Wanna see?”

She crossed her arms and shrugged. “Sure.”

Grabbing the crystal with her hair, Entrapta inserted it into a port on the computer, then began clacking away at the keyboard again. “Now, the code in this can be a teensy bit malicious, so I’m working with a few more safeguards this time around. Emily, if you wouldn’t mind waiting outside?”

The robot was unable to nod, but turned around and skittered out of the lab, waiting just outside the door.

Catra raised an eyebrow, and the Princess lowered her welding visor before explaining. “Last time I tried plugging this in, it turned all my bots super aggressive. It even made She-Ra act a little weird. She transformed back into Adora and got so spacy even I looked put together by comparison.”

“Well now I’m definitely interested,” she said, leaning in. “You think you can weaponize it?”

“That’s the plan. I just have to—” She was cut off by a loud, blaring alarm. The crystal turned red, followed by all of the computer monitors. The door slammed closed, and Catra could hear a heavy lock sliding in behind it. A flurry of information whizzed by on the computer screens, then everything went black. “Crap.”

She heard something crackle next to her, and Entrapta held up a glowstick with her hair, passing it in front fo the computer and peering around the room.

“What the hell just happened?

“The failsafe kicked in.”

“Huh?”

“Before you walked in, I was isolating this computer from the rest of the network so it wouldn’t infect the whole system like last time,” she elaborated. “When the code from the artifact tried to gain root access, the failsafe I programmed cut power to the system and quarantined the virus. It’ll take a few minutes to lock it down and reboot.”

“Pretend I don’t understand anything you just said,” replied Catra. “Then dumb it down some more.”

“The system shut down to protect itself,” she translated. “It won’t start up again until it’s safe. In the meantime, we’re stuck here.”

“Yeah, I gathered that when the door locked.”

“So you did understand.” She caught a glint of cunning in the Princess’ eye, and saw her smirk. “You play dumb, but I think you know way more than you let on.”

Catra huffed, crossing her arms. “I just don’t like it when you talk all that science-y mumbo-jumbo. Makes my head spin.”

“But you figured out what I meant,” she replied. “Even before I simplified it for you.”

“Whatever.”

“Just be glad we’re not fighting a crazy killer robot right now,” she said. “With all the upgrades I’ve made to Emily I’m not sure we’d survive in such an enclosed space.”

“I’ve gone toe-to-toe with She-Ra and come out of it just fine,” Catra insisted. “I can handle anything.”

“Yeah, well She-Ra doesn’t have a killer instinct. Emily can smell fear. I programmed her to.”

Catra craned her neck back, eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“She already had an olfactory sensor for testing air particles. Adding the ability to detect pheromones wasn’t too hard.”

“Do you ever stop tinkering with things?”

“Nope.”

Tapping her foot in the darkness, Catra raised her eyes to the ceiling and waited. Entrapta pulled out her tape recorder.

“Day Twelve. Or was it Fifteen? This place really needs more windows, though that would compromise operational security. The artifact’s origins and intended purpose remain a mystery. It appears to be designed to overwrite other systems and replace them with its own. But why does it fill machines with so much hostility? Was it intended for sabotage against an enemy force, turning their own armaments against them? Or is the damage sustained by the crystal responsible for a degradation in code that—”

“Gah, enough! I don’t care what it’s for! I don’t even see what use it would be!”

Clicking off the tape recorder, Entrapta shrugged. “Well, like I said, you could sabotage an entire enemy network with it just by slipping it into one of their computers. If they rely on robots, you could turn their whole army against them as well. Although Brightmoon wouldn’t really be vulnerable to that kind of assault.”

“We would.”

“Exactly! Now aren’t you glad I isolated us from the rest of the network?”

“Not enough to enjoy being stuck in here with you.” She tapped a claw against her chin. “You mentioned the artifact infected She-Ra. How?”

“Through her sword, I think. It short-circuited her transformation and left her mostly incapacitated. Glimmer had to carry her around.”

A sly grin crept across Catra’s face. “That’s good to know.”

“There’s more. I’ve never gotten a close look at her sword, but it’s definitely First Ones’ tech. It shares a lot of properties with Runestones.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. That’s how she restored the Moonstone and all the other Runestones after that thing with the Black Garnet.” The smile grew wider. “Meaning if we got this thing in contact with the one of the other Runestones…”

Clasping her hands together, Entrapta jumped around excitedly. “That sounds fascinating! And potentially world-ending. But super exciting overall!”

“World-ending?”

“The Runestones keep the planet in balance. Infecting all of them could mean there’d be no world left to conquer. But it’s worth finding out!”

Catra blinked. “On second thought, using it to mess up She-Ra’s day is probably a better plan.”

“If you say so.” She quirked her lips to the side. “What’s the story with you and her anyway?”

“We grew up together,” she answered, glancing away. “Right here. Then the minute she got away from this place, she decided to leave it all behind.”

“Ooh, backstory! Can I record this?” Her hair hovered over a button on her tape recorder.

“No. But don’t worry about me. Her leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me. She was always Shadow Weaver’s favorite, but with Adora out of the way I was finally able to prove my worth to Lord Hordak. Adora always thought she had to protect me growing up, but she was just holding me back. Now that she’s gone, I’m stronger than ever.”

Entrapta squinted, then tilted her head to the side. “I kinda see what you mean. I only joined the Princess Alliance because I thought it would give me a chance to find out more about First Ones’ tech, but I learned more here than I ever did with them. I’m happy with where I’m at.”

“So am I.”

She turned around, leaning in and examining the currently lifeless computer. “Still, if you’re gonna bottle up all those feelings, you should figure out where to put them. Compartmentalizing is only healthy if you have an outlet for all the negative stuff.”

Catra blinked, taking a step back. “What? I’m not bottling anything up!”

“I may not interact with people much,” said Entrapta. “But I’ve spent a lot of time observing them. If you don’t find somewhere to let all that fire out, eventually you’ll burn up.”

Lunging forward, she grabbed the Princess by the shirt and slammed her against the computer monitors. “Listen, you. I—”

She stopped short as the computer lit up, followed by the rest of the room. Ignoring her, Entrapta clapped her hands together excitedly. “Yay! We’re back online!”

Catra let go, and the Princess dropped down into her chair, clacking away at the keyboard like no time had passed. “Okay, no damage to core system files. Virus is contained and the crystal can be safely removed.” She did so with her hair, placing it back on the desk where it originally sat. The door opened, and Emily skittered inside, where Entrapta embraced the robot in a big hug.

“Finally.”

“You see? Once you lock up and throw away the negative parts, the whole system works better.”

Rolling her eyes, Catra walked out the door. “Just don’t kill all of us with that thing. Or at least give me a heads up first.”

“You got it!”

Marching through the hallway, Catra took the scenic route to her new quarters, passing by cadets and avoiding Scorpia. She wasn’t in the mood for her particular brand of cheeriness after the experience she’d just had. Finally, she crested a staircase and opened the door, collapsing on a bed that was entirely too large compared to what she was used to. After tossing and turning for a few minutes, she stood up, walking out to the balcony that looked over most of the Fright Zone.

Retrieving the paper from her pocket, she undid the crumpling as best she could, but it could never be perfect again. Not like it was before. She stared at it for a while, letting the memories wash over her, before crumpling it again and drawing her arm back, ready to hurl it over the balcony.

But she couldn’t.

Unrolling and flattening it out once again, she grabbed a small dagger from one of the shelves, and stabbed it through the paper, into the wall. It was the last thing she saw before she fell asleep.

#she-ra #fanfiction #catra #entrapta

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imascientistofmusic · 8 years ago

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Im a huge fucking nerd

final LYRICS FOR ENDOLPHINS AND MC FOUCAULT EP Welcome to Kirby’s Memeland (MILLIPEDES FOR THE MOLEMEN) Got it so hot y'all give me standing ovations while I'm spamming the squat[1] like my whole family's Croatian if my dad's Jackie Chan[2] am I Hispanic or Asian? please understaånd this equation ()[3] me no panic just blazing at any random location i’m your romantic liaison killa Beys in formation[4] the doctor's[5] now handling patients I put the wots in tarnations[6] I put the spots on dalmatians I move the block with my cadence Now time just stops when i say shit But the beat goes on cause i made it Alex Strong[7] in the paint and Singing So Long[8] to fake friends We can roll out the Save ends[9] Y'all kittens tryin my patience I need to find an oasis Pass me that blunt and i'll face it Why y'all stuntin so basic? Im kinda something like LASIK[10] take your quirk and erase it[11] If there's something to say then I'm Malcolm Little and Dakin[12] Welcome to Kirbys Memeland[13] Im a giant herbing with green hands[14] Defiantly serving up steamed hams[15] Yo shuhei hold up i got remands[16] Misery[17] in the moment Missouri in the mornings[18] Mysteries in the motions Miss her seas in this ocean[19] (oh shit) ALL AT ONCE (HOW HARD JAMES HARDIN GOES WHEN HE GOES HARD IN THE PAINT) One day i’ll kill all the white men take back the land we’re missin[20] Im Diego's street art and they're banksy's vandalisms[21] Like the second coming of yeezus[22] and he's risen Built a religion for giant robots[23] called it animism[24] My flow is so fucking preposterous Patrol the land rarer than rhinoceroses[25] Get your heads out the sand yall lookin like ostriches Didn't kill the cat[26] but we checked it into hospice I know yr feeling that and baby one i got this My boys swing the bats like my last name was ausmus[27] Best rappers who aren't black you know i top the list prophets foretold my path (my birth) it was an (heavenly) auspice Imagine how hard james hardin[28] goes when he goes hard in the paint Well i go harder than that On my level you ain't I'm smart as The Bat[29] I'm like double your rank I just started to rap But the devil remains In the details im valued retail theyre resale[30] i'll continue my never ending quest to impress you[31] I’m obsessed with the things that pens do Allah bless this mess because i swear i intend to Decompress and recollect about fucked things that friends[32] do Parenthetically my memes are better than y’all’s Im aesthetically[33] hiding in vectors too small Interjecting my dreams while dissenting all leans[34] Exquisitely dining on minds here at the end of all things [35] We bout those movers and shakers We bustin loose of the matrix[36] I get my fruit at bodegas Im bound to move to NEW VEGAS[37] Matthew McConaughey (HARRY AND THE HUMAN CENTIPEDES) Another space time anomaly[38] An Interstellar[39] odyssey Alright alright alright Im Mathew McConaughey Im unfuckingstoppable the impossible possible The whole world's my hospital not a gd thing is inoperable[40] Credentials are laudable Essentially i got it all Took a look at the d And then called an audible[41] Obliterate any Obstacle Precipitate like waterfalls Instigate a kinder cause Evicerate a haunted ghoul[42] When i fucks with physics the laws get more lax my words carry weight like the world's biggest snorlax[43] Come at me son yr gonna need more VATS[44] carried this town[45] for So Long[46] im getting a sore back their love for me like a tree to the Lorax[47] My lyrics paint pictures so i call them a Rorschach[48] my bones are telling me bad weathers on the forecast a storm is rolling in this is the calm before that Past five centuries all of them regrettable[49] Just like entropy i am inevitable[50] I was meant to leave my head it was full Fundamentally i'm so far ahead of these fools Down five hennessy's trying just to deaden this pulse[51] Iron sentry's lining the edge of the mall[52] 100% dying to dismantle this wall[53] Johnny five empathy no disassemble this bot[54] Quintessentially im X at the head of this school[55] Intermittently you slept in my bed it was cool incidentally we had sex in the end of the pool Human centipede[56] that ass it was my edible[57] G.O.A.T. (NIETZSCHE DIDN’T KILL GOD, I DID) Like JD[58] I’m the GOAT[59] Billy[60] hashtag Swag[61]gert[62] Worlds most accurate fact checking rapper This is a game to me Chutes and ladders[63] Here's where the bangers[64] be girl you know i had ‘er My flow the yangtze[65] i spit venom black adders[66] Opposite of banksy[67] or some bullshit “all lives matter”[68] Fuck the president[69] that dude cant get any badder[70] Cooking up some poppy tea[71] mix it up like cake batter HEY DON'T LOOK AWAY DON'T LET IT GROW ON YOU IT'S NOT OK Engrave the following on my headstone: “They[72] died getting head stoned peepin Tombstone[73] While eatin a tombstone pizza[74]" I’ve gone full blown nietzsche[75] said hello to the abyss "it was good to meet ya"[76] Behind this mask's a terrifying creature[77] Who would gladly cook you up and eat ya Every track i’m on mc foucault's the feature Threat level dragon[78] when im hittin the road again Like shang tsun out here looking for some souls to bend[79] Other rappers words are last years memes im so over them Like neil in the 80s its the weight of the world im shoulderin'[80] Tho ive been there once couldnt tell you where denver starts and boulder ends[81] Rockin california fishes like them pennsylvania colder pens[82] I spit fire like dylon[83] and i left the studio smolderin Sitch is Dire like sylons you used to know as older friends[84] Minds expired with prions[85] when i take theirs skulls and open em Im entirely high on the spirit taking time up and folding it[86] unlike battery acid im so hella caustic[87] Such flattering assets with a tongue so toxic Made saturn's rings spin on a cosmic cross stitch My staggering spit it god agnostic[88] [1] “Why do Slavs squat?” is a satirical catchphrase associated with imageboards and forums discussing Eastern European people and cultures http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/why-do-slavs-squat-slav-squat [2] My dad and jackie chan are aging to look like the same person [3] I use medical marijuana to treat anxiety [4] Beyonce - Formation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDZJPJV__bQ [5] My initials are DRB and so many folks call me Doctor or Doctor B [6] “What in Tarnation?” is a rhetorical question meaning “what in damnation?”, which is often associated with Americans living in the Southern United States expressing incredulous bewilderment. http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/what-in-tarnation [7] Drummer of Endolphins and one of the progenitors of this particular beat [8] So Long is my queerpop band SoLongNaota.Bandcamp.com [9] A saving throw in D&D http://dnd4.wikia.com/wiki/Saving_throw [10] Corrective laser eye surgery [11] Boku No Hero Academia character Shota Aizawa “eraser head” who’s special power is erasing others’ special powers http://bokunoheroacademia.wikia.com/wiki/Shota_Aizawa [12] Church of The Three Cats is at the corner of Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little) and Dakin in Lansing, Michigan [13] Gamboy title Kirby’s Dreamland but with memes [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Giant but with Weed [15] Simpsons shitpost classic http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/steamed-hams [16] Once I beat magic the gathering hall of famer Shuhei Nakamura in a Grand Prix with a timely remand [17] The first Endolphins release was called North of Misery as a nod to their being in Iowa [18] In 2015 I toured with Endolphins and had two amazing mornings in St Louis, s/o to KPAX and calcifer [19] Sometimes you meet someone who forever changes the way you think about things like water, and then you drown in thoughts never actually able to grasp anything completely again [20] im native as fuck http://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/24777.pdf [21] Artist Diego Rivera vs Banksy [22] Kanye West's ego messiah and eponymous album [23] giant robot anime trope for example: neon genesis evangelion, flcl, gundam... [24] Animism but with Anime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism [25] Rhino’s are near extinct everywhere https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/rhino_population_figures [26] Slang for giving a person with a vagina multiple orgasms [27] Detroit Tigers skipper Brad Ausmus [28] James Hardin is a professional basketball Superstar [29] Comic book protagonist Batman [30] Price you get for selling an item new (retail) vs used (resale) [31] A certain person who since i have met has inspired most of my creative endeavors [32] See directly above [33] in a way that gives pleasure through beauty [34] biases [35] Comic book character Galactus, Eater of Worlds https://marvel.com/universe/Galactus [36] 1999 science fiction film The Matrix [37] 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas [38] My favorite Star Trek trope [39] My favorite Matthew McConaughey film [40] See note #5 [41] In american football a quarterback will notice something about the defense and change the play at the line of scrimmage, this is called an audible [42] These are hearthstone cards [43] Snorlax is a very large and heavy pokemon that can only be moved by playing a special flute [44] Vault-tec assisted targeting system in Fallout video game franchise, the more skill points one has the more they can do in combat before an enemy reacts [45] I have been a pillar of the diy community in lansing michigan for 20 years [46] So Long Naota/Collective see note #8 [47] Dr Seuss character who is the protector of nature [48] The Rorschach test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. [49] Since Europeans have arrived on the shores of North and South America they have brought only misery and genocide [50] The second law of thermodynamics requires that, in general, the total entropy of any system can't decrease other than by increasing the entropy of some other system. Hence, in a system isolated from its environment, the entropy of that system tends not to decrease. [51] Drinking is a mostly self destructive behavior for myself and I tend to only do it when i wish to self harm [52] Episode 3 of the 1997 anime Beserk [53] Fuck borders fuck walls freedom is not possible when they exist [54] 1986 film Short Circuit about a robot that gains sentience and learns of death the term for which is dissassemble [55] Professor Xavier from the X-Men comics who runs a school for Mutants [56] 2009 Dutch body horror film Human Centipede tells the story of people sewn mouth to ass [57] Analingus [58] The Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle or JD aka thrashkitten member of the sooper swag project [59] GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) is a term used in hip hop to talk about the best rappers ever [60] A billy is a male goat [61] #swag is a song by rapper GMCFOSHO who is a friend of mine [62] Jimmy Swaggert was a televangelist who was defrocked for multiple prostitution scandals [63] Chutes and Ladders is a metaphor for life. As such, it is arguably the most philosophical of all children's board games. Based on the ancient Indian game Snakes and Ladders. The historic version had root in morality lessons, where a player's progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes). [64] Banger is a term for a particularly moving composition [65] The Yangtze is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. The river is the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. [66] A venomous snake that lives in europe and east asia, also a nod to the lyric earlier about chutes and ladders (snakes and ladders) [67] “Some have criticised the "obviousness" of Banksy's work, and accused it of being "anarchy-lite" geared towards a middle class "hipster" audience.” [68] A slogan used to silence the #blacklivesmatter movement [69] Donald Trump [70] 1998 Arcade game Bad Dudes vs Dragon Ninja later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System known widely for its intro cut scene in which the protagonists are asked if they are bad enough dudes to save the president [71] Poppy tea is any herbal tea infusion brewed from poppy straw or seeds of several species of poppy. For the purpose of the tea, dried pods are more commonly used than the pods of the live flower. The walls of the dried pods contain opiate alkaloids, primarily consisting of morphine. [72] I am non-binary and use they/them pronouns [73] 1993 Western Tombstone starring kurt russel and val kilmer [74] Very cheap frozen pizzas of dubious quality [75] Nietzsche claimed the death of God would eventually lead to the loss of any universal perspective on things, and along with it any coherent sense of objective truth [76] Nietzsche once said: “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” [77] Nietzsche also said: “All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity.” [78] 2015 Anime and Manga One Punch Man’s shout out to Neon Genesis Evangelion describing a monster that is a threat to multiple cities [79] 1992 Arcade Fighing game Mortal Combat’s main villain who stole people's souls [80] Neil Young's sleeper Weight of The World from his amazing foray into new wave on his criminally unheralded album Landing on Water [81] I visited colorado for the first time on tour with Endolphins and tho enjoyable it was mostly mountains and urban sprawl and legal weed [82] The 2016 battle for Lord Stanley’s cup between NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins and [83] Chappell show sketch about Dylon who thought he was the GOAT because “dylon spit hot fire” [84] Battlestar Galactica plot twist [85]Kuru is a very rare, incurable neurodegenerative disorder that was prevalent among the Fore people of Papua New Guinea. Kuru is caused by the transmission of abnormally folded prion proteins, which leads to symptoms such as tremors, loss of coordination, and neurodegeneration. Most people who develop it are cannibals [86] The quantum physics theory of time travel [87] Acids are corrosive and bases are caustic [88] God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it? — Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125,

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marco42james · 7 years ago

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Computational Thinking and Math for Elementary Grades

Steve Floyd on episode 249 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Fun, exciting tools and techniques can help very young kids understand math and learn computational thinking. Today’s guest, Steve Floyd, tells us how.

Sponsor: FREE MATH RESOURCE The US Matific Games are coming this February. Try Matific free now and sign up to join their Math games.

Matific is a fantastic site full of math manipulatives and customized playlists of activities to help students at every level master math. This fun, gamified site is sponsoring Math games this February and students can compete to win prizes for themselves and your school. Set up is easy, send them their class rosters and they’ll have you set up in 24-hours. This is a great way to try out matific, help your kids boost their math skills and have fun. And its free!

Listen Now

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Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Computational Thinking and Math for Elementary Grades

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e249 Date: February 8, 2018

Vicki: Today we’re talking with Steven Floyd, from London, Ontario, Canada. He was named one of ten 2017 Computer Science Association Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Today we’re going to talk about teaching computational thinking for K-6.

Now, Steve, a lot of folks talk about Computer Science and teaching coding with the older levels, but what kinds of computational thinking should we be teaching the younger kids?

What kinds of computational thinking should we be teaching younger kids?

Steven: It’s been actually really quite interesting. We’re looking at some of the concepts and some of the things that students are doing in the older grades.

I know for myself with a few of the project we’ve been working on, we’ve been saying, “Can we get the younger students to engage in these same types of thinking?”

Obviously, they’re doing simpler tasks, maybe they’re not as complex and in depth, having tor but the type of problem solving they’re doing — the type of debugging, and having to sequence their instructions and reiterate and do trial and error — all of those things that we see the older students doing, we’re finding that with the newer technologies we can get these younger students doing the same thing.

It’s been really cool, It’s been really interesting.

Vicki: Steve, do you have any favorite tools that you like for the K-6 crew?

Favorite tools to use with younger kids

Steven: We’ve been working with the Bee Bot. It’s a small little bee. It has about six buttons on it. You program it to go 15 cm forward, turn 90 degrees left. Then you just hit GO, and the bee executes the instructions.

We’ve used that with even junior kindergarten kids. They’re usually doing spatial reasoning tasks and trying to get it to go around a grid.

We do a lot of work with Scratch Junior, a free app on iPads and things. You can get an grid and X-Y coordinates on there. Students are doing storytelling, where they’re having to decompose their story into smaller chunks and then code the story.

Those are the two big ones that we’ve been using. The we usually move to Scratch, somewhere around grade three or 4. That’s a nice transition for the students, because it’s still block coding, but it adds a little bit more complexity.

Vicki: I actually have some of my older students do Scratch. It’s a great way to introduce them to all kinds of computer science concepts before you’re ready to go into actual coding.

Today we were doing a project, and one of them said, “This is math! This is geometry!”

I mean, there’s a whole lot of math in this computational thinking, isn’t there?

There’s a lot of math in computational thinking

Steven: There is. It’s just a natural fit.

Sometimes we’re teaching specifically to the students to learn coding, to learn about loops, or to learn about a variable. But a lot of other times, we’re using coding to have students experience math.

So in Scratch you can have the Cartesian planes, or in Scratch Junior, you just have XY coordinates. It’s a really cool way for students to sort of experience math.

There’s a professor here in London, Dr. George Gadanidis, and he does a lot of work on math and computational thinking.

Instead of having students write down responses and being told how mathematics works, they’re getting a chance to sort of construct that knowledge by using these tools. It’s really, really interesting to see.

We even had a grade 7 classroom (in which) this young girl was just so excited. She called her teacher over, and she started doing a dance when she got the cat to move to the right coordinates. I thought it was kind of cool, but we see that sometimes in our computer science classes…

The teacher saw me afterward, and he just couldn’t believe that she was doing that, that she saw herself — at least temporarily — as a mathematician. She had never had that kind of success. It’s really cool to see thing like that happen.

Vicki: Steve, do you find that there are teachers that think that kids can’t really understand these concepts — like elementary kids really understanding XY coordinates?

Are there teachers who think younger kids can’t understand this?

Steven: There are, sometimes. We’ve been doing a lot of getting teachers to just do it.

Rather than having these really long sessions where we introduce the concepts, and we’ve got these slideshows, and we’re explaining the theory behind it all… What we’re finding is that we get teachers to come in and just grab the tools right away, start doing something that might be step-by-step.

They quickly learn it that morning. Because they’ve learned it just that morning, first off all it builds their confidence in teaching it, but also they realize that when they go to teach it to the students they’ve just learned it themselves.

So actually they’re a little more prepared to teach it to the students because they can empathize with the learning process. They understand the barriers that the students might face, because they just faced those barriers earlier that week when they were learning it themselves.

So it’s been really interesting. There is that sort of growth mindset you have to instill in them. But telling them to have a growth mindset doesn’t always work. We find just that handing them the tools, getting them to have some success with it — makes them realize that they can handle this.

Vicki: And there’s nothing like when the child says, “OK, I want it to go over here. I want it to go over there.”

Calculating those X and Y coordinates — which really kids of most ages can do — and then realizing that they can make the physical robot go here or there based upon their program.

Steven: Exactly. I think it was Seymour Papert that said, “These are tools (or objects) to think with.”

Tools to think with

That’s what these computers are. That’s what these robots are. That’s what these little lines of code are. They’re just tools to think with.

The students will type in the stuff to get the robot to here or to there, and it doesn’t work. But they’re understanding eventually WHY it doesn’t work. They are being able to construct their knowledge a little.

They’re realizing, “So THAT’S what X coordinate means, and THAT’S what Y coordinate means.”

We’re hoping to look into, maybe, does that transfer onto other tasks? So when they’re doing tasks on paper or something, that involves X-Y coordinates — having constructed that knowledge with the robot — does that lead to greater success? That would be really interesting to see.

Vicki: Steve, you’ve given us one example of a seventh grade girl. Do you have an example for us where the light bulb went on? You just realized, “Perhaps we’re underestimating the abilities of our elementary kids.”

Do we underestimate the computational thinking abilities of young kids?

Steven: We were in a grade three classroom, and we were doing X-Y coordinates.

What we had going on was that a few of my high school students were teaching the grade threes. So we had this program where our high school students came in to teach, which was really cool to see our high school students being leaders like that.

We had told the teachers ahead of time what we were going to cover. The teachers had said, “That’s a LOT of material. It’s a grade three class, and it’s an hour before recess. But we’ll see how you guys do.”

And they were just blown away at how quickly the students picked it all up. We eventually — because there was time left — went up to the board and started talking about rotations and translations and reflections to these grade threes. I think we called them flips and slides and turns at first.

By the end of the lesson, the students were using this terminology. The teachers were just amazed. And some of the students would record themselves. So when their cat was doing a rotation, they would record themselves saying “rotation.”

At the end, we sent a few students down to show some of the other teachers, and they were just playing in the program, basically labeling with this audio, each of the translations, the reflections.

It was a really cool experience for the students — and also for the teachers there to say, “Wow! They’re covering a lot. And it seems like they’re really understanding it. They’re able to say it in their own words afterward.”

Vicki: Wow! You’re really making us think!

So, Steve, as we finish up, could you give us a 30-second pep talk on why we need to have computing and computational thinking in the elementary grades?

Steven: There’s always that argument for jobs and for the labor market — which is a great argument. We want our students obviously to have skills that they can find employment. We want the labor market to be full of people with IT skills.

And that’s… that’s exciting… that’s good…

I know a lot of teachers don’t seem to get up in the morning, not passionate about their work (being) simply to fill the labor market. They want students to be developing as human beings, developing as citizens.

It’s not just about the jobs of the future being based in IT

And I think that’s what’s sort of underestimated with coding and computational thinking. The natural things that happen — things like innovating and creativity, and the way students are collaborative (almost automatically, when one student has something working and another doesn’t) — the idea with these coding and computational thinking tasks is that often there’s not one right answer.

So students learn that there’s more than one possible solution.

They learn that they can get feedback right away from their programs. They can try quickly.

They say sometimes, “You can fail quickly, and you can fail cheaply, because you can just change the code and try again, and change the code and try again.”

So it’s my hope that students are learning these skills and they are realizing that they can apply these to other areas of their life. They can be creative, innovative, collaborative. They can be problem solvers in other areas.

The other big one that really interests me is sort of media awareness. Maybe it’s media literacy, or just knowing a little bit about how the world works.

Knowledge about coding transfers to other areas of students’ lives

Once you understand a little bit of computer programming code, you start to look at things a little differently. You understand how the traffic lights might be working in your city, or how they could work better. You understand why you get certain ads sent to you, maybe in email or maybe certain things pop up when you’re using the internet because you were shopping for shoes the day before.

You start to understand those algorithms, and I think it just makes you a “critical citizen,” I suppose… a critical thinker? I think those are the things that we’re not quite focusing on yet, with coding and computational thinking. But it’s definitely beyond the jobs.

Vicki: And I would encourage all of our listeners to also pick up a book called Humility is the New Intelligence.

Basically, the next big disruption of jobs is going to be intelligent machines. It’s going to displace a significant number of jobs.

Part of the thesis of the book is that the jobs that will be left will be those requiring creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and working with other people — things that machines cannot do very well at all.

These are the things that we have to teach — how to interact with these intelligent machines, how to program, but also how to do these other things.

I think that it’s more than just coding. It’s more than just computer science.

And Steve, I like what you said about, “It’s not just about having jobs and all that.”

That’s important, but I think it’s about being relevant and employable because you CAN solve problems, you CAN create, and you can collaborate with people as you do these things.

So… teachers get out there and plan for computational thinking and coding and adding that to you K-6 curriculum.

Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford [email protected]

Bio as submitted

Steve Floyd is a high school Computer Science and Computer Engineering teacher from London Ontario ,Canada and was one of ten worldwide recipients of the 2017 Computer Science Teachers Association Award for Teaching Excellence in Computer Science (http://www.csteachers.org/?page=StevenFloyd). He has worked on a number of coding, computational thinking and mathematics projects with elementary and high school teachers https://www.teachontario.ca/community/explore/teachontario-talks/blog/2016/08/30/driving-student-engagement-in-mathematics-with-coding-and-programming) and along with his wife, Lisa Floyd, he co-hosts TV Ontario’s Coding and Computational Thinking in the classroom online hub (https://www.teachontario.ca/community/explore/coding-in-ontario-classrooms).

Blog: https://stevenpfloyd.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @stevenpfloyd

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Computational Thinking and Math for Elementary Grades appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/computational-thinking-math-elementary-grades/

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thorstbench · 8 years ago

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The tag-meme I keep forgetting to do, pt 328930238297 (IM SORRY JO)

Deez rulez: answer 30 questions and tag 20 people

@deadeyee tagged me <3

Nickname(s): Ems, Emenems, Emi Gender: I am not sure anymore Sign: Capricorn Height: 170, prolly a tiney bit more? (5′7-ish) Time: 16:36 Birthday: December 26th (I know. I know.) Favorite Bands: FOB, The Neighbourhood, Unlike Pluto, Twenty One Pilots, LP (no, surprisingly not Linkin Park) Favorite Solo Artists: Jesse Rutherford, Bruno Mars, Sia, Halsey Last movie I watched: A Monster Calls Last show I watched: Rick & Morty // The Punisher (yes I did a mixed binge watching fight me) When did I create this blog: September 2014 (actually started using it, I’ve been having it for way longer) What do I post: Voltron, Dragon Age, art, bad puns and a lot of poc ppl lately (I’m v done w/ white-y’s, y’all), cats&dogs and Sebastian Stan ofc What did I last Google: how to write Blade of Marmora Other blogs: not that I use, nope Do I get asks: I got one, like two weeks ago? I know, shocker. Why did I choose this URL: Im v imaginative, as you can imagine Following: I broke my not-more-than-x rule, whops. 125 atm [sweats] Followers: it goes from 779 to 781 depending on how many p*rn bots decide to randomly harrass me (u g h) Average hours of sleep: too many Lucky number: I’m gonna stop you right there. Luck. I ain’t got none. Instrument: uhhhhh, piano? What am I wearing: a t-shirt with #GEEK written on it, my DRRR!! sweater direct from Japan, work-out leggings & a pair of shoes my mom insisted I’d buy but wtf I just wanted slippers. Dream job: ahahahha errrr, anything to do with science / psychology / teaching? Favourite Food: it should be illegal to ask an Italian their ONLY favourite food. I just can’t name just one, deal with it. Last book I read: Dragon Age Asunder by David Gaider (still have to finish it though, ugh I’m a lazy reader) 3 favourite fandoms: the ones w/o a stupid discourse going on (haha, gotcha)

I’m a lazy person so I won’t tag anyone, sigh sorry too much work for one day(?)

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #thank u for the tag bby <3 #hikku on air #fandom friends

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succeedly · 7 years ago