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shreddedleopard · 4 years

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Twelve-million more reasons Historia and Levi are part of the Endgame. With Pictures.

You can read the first post I made on this here:

10 reasons it would make narrative sense for Levi and Historia’s character arcs to end together.

(This is the mega-evolved version.)

Okay, I’m going to put this out there now, and before you judge me, please just read the posts. You don’t have to agree. This is just an idea. But it makes a stupid amount of sense, at least to me. So here's your fair warning (and now I'm being bold): If you don’t want to potentially be spoiled, Do Not Read On.

Here’s the Theory:

Historia Reiss will give birth to a half-Ackerman child, and together with Levi, from the ashes and ruins of the world Eren destroyed, they will welcome the dawn of a new age for humanity, where Ymir’s curse and the power of the Titans is extinct.

I know. I sound like some crazy, Rivahisu nut. Granted, I am, but I’m not mad enough to make a claim like this without a shit-ton of evidence, because it’s such a damn twist it feels like it can’t be true. But just humour me.

Here’s the theory, then we’ll look at why it makes sense and how it might have been foreshadowed. Please note: I have less clue how this will tie in to Eremika endgame, so I haven’t mentioned this as much, but obviously that will be the other very important side of this coin.

10 months ago (In Japan, full term pregnancy is counted as 10 months), at the banquet celebrating completion of the new railroad, Levi and Historia, having had 3 and a bit years to bond over their shared experiences and become close, may have gotten carried away together and shared one night of being a bit more than friends. She’s well into her 18th year at this point, just to clear that up. This resulted in Historia getting pregnant. Okay just stay with me; I know. I know. I sound crazy. But hear me out. So this pregnancy, contrary to the belief of the MPs and rest of the damn world, was the complete opposite of planned. Historia tells Levi, and Levi immediately panics. Because, to steal Kenny’s famous line, Levi thinks to himself ‘I can’t be some kid’s dad.’

Levi does what he always does best, and shuts down into business mode, telling Historia she will need to cover it up somehow. Historia does as he asks, probably reluctantly, because she really has developed very deep feelings for him during the timeskip, and finds some farm hand to take the blame, likely saying she made a silly mistake with some random and the father doesn’t want anything to do with the child, and so she needs a father for the child not to be illegitimate. Which is her worst nightmare, because of course, that’s what she was. Levi watches the exchange hidden in that famous hood, feeling very conflicted, because although he cares about her, he thinks it best if no one knows that it was him that got the Queen pregnant, and of course, he’s duty bound, with a vow to fulfil, so he has no time to be worrying about a family. (Silly Levi!)

How ironic this conversation would be if this theory were true. Remember, Historia was completely willing to eat Zeke if needed. Instead, she got pregnant, unplanned, nothing to do with any plot or selfish wishes, just the result of a spontaneous act of love by two people who’ve grown to care for one another a lot. ANYWAY.

Because we know Levi actually has a good heart, he feels immensely guilty for all of this; he's just a product of his upbringing and thinks he doesn’t know the first thing about families, so it's better for all involved if he not be. See where this is going? The old cursed history repeating? Making the same mistakes as our parents? Plus, Levi is bound by his duty. He is incredibly important to the military still, and he cannot just abandon this for any of his own selfish wishes. He’s supposed to be the one to vanquish the beast titan.

Cue ten months of Historia looking hella depressed and hopeless, and Levi being even more of an asshole than usual to everyone, and not really wanting to say too much at all, as well as making some terrible workplace decisions (lol) poor boy be distracted.

Look at his face 😭

Yes Levi. A month. Which means Historia is now due and you’re still stuck with beardy, without a solution and pretty soon no reason for the MPs not to turn the mother of your child into a Titan.

That’s what that face is. I thought he looked a bit weird first time I read these panels 🤔 He didn’t know about the wine. We see that later. Anyway, I keep getting distracted, stop. I’ll come back to this.

But fear not; Levi will have a choice to make.

So this is where it gets a bit more iffy for me, because I'm not sure how it would work, so this could be a way off, BUT. I believe it will come to light that the combination of Royal and Ackerman genes will somehow cancel out a person’s ability to turn into a titan and connection through paths, thus making them truly ‘free.’

The founding titan has the ability to change Eldian physiology, according to what Zeke learned from professor Xavier.

EDIT: Okay so here’s where I’ve had to tweak this a bit in light of there latest chapter. So we just had Zeke in PATHS. With none other than our second resident genius, and as proclaimed by Eren, the saviour of humanity: Armin. What do our boys have a conversation about? Reproduction and the importance of the small moments in life - it’s these little moments which matter, regardless of the desire or need to recreate. Interesting how both the leaf and baseball link back to what their ideas of ‘family’ became. If Historia and Levi were to be in the same scenario in PATHS, what would their items be? What truly means family to them both?

Perhaps Armin and Zeke realise what is needed to lift the curse of the titans - maybe a blueprint for genes which can cancel out the connection to PATHS and the founder? If only they had a child with a new type of Royal-Ackerman DNA which might fit the bill ...

Here’s Levi’s moment. He, with Historia, has created such a child - completely by accident, because of one of those ‘moments’ that both Armin and Zeke mention - moments that are simply just about enjoying what you have with no sense of how it might relate to anything bigger - a real rarity for both of them, considering their roles and constantly being asked to think about the good of humanity as a whole. What a beautiful irony, that in the moment they chose to be selfish and, to use freckled Ymir’s own words, really live for themselves, they set a chain reaction in motion that would ultimately save humanity.

Where does this leave Eren and Mikasa? Good question. I believe Eren will die once the curse is removed, because tragically he is the character that has been forced to choose humanity over his own personal relationships. As Isayama has said before, Eren is a victim of the story. Mikasa will be the last thing he sees, hence the original dream at the start of the manga, where he wakes up crying. Something like this. But probably a lot better. Yeah.

Out of the ashes of the old world, a new one will be built, but through Historia’s kindness and love, and Levi’s guilt and understanding of what was sacrificed in the past, society will not repeat the same mistakes. The final panel could be Jean holding his child, perhaps with Mikasa, if she ever manages to get over losing Eren. That would be vague enough so that Isayama was able to show it to us already without spoiling much. Or maybe Jean’s dead and it’s not him at all. I don’t know. 😭

Right. Okay. So now you’re going, sweet story, but uh, there’s no way Levi could be the father. He’s so much older. Isayama wouldn't write a moment of romance like that. Not with him and Historia. YOU’RE JUST CRAZY.

Well this is where it get’s interesting. LET ME SHOW YOU. It’s foreshadowed literally everywhere. Right under our noses.

There is so much symbolism.

Dedicate your heart to what? has been Levi’s question recently. What are they all fighting for? What is he fighting for? How will he give meaning to his dead comrades sacrifices? Is killing Zeke really the extent of it? Is vengeance the true meaning of their sacrifices? Or is it something a lot more hopeful?

The answer is shown to us in the opening credits. And the ending credits. Several times.

Levi says so himself - he keeps messing fulfilling the vow up - why? Why is he so worried about killing Zeke?

Eren has the same questions to consider. Which PATH is the right one to take - revenge and violence with the rumbling, or love ... with Mikasa. We are literally shown what their choices will be in two virtually identically designed panels, which I’ll show you. Tragically, Eren’s choice is taken from him. He is a victim to the story - he must chose the path that saves humanity. Levi and Eren have been bound together through the theme of choices, and taking the ones which leave you with the least regrets, throughout this entire manga.

The upcoming anime episodes literally plot out the timeline of Levi and Historia’s changing attitude to one another, and then Historia’s pregnancy, it’s just so cleverly subtle. Isayama even tells us when/ during what event her child was probably conceived by just dropping dates in from other, seemingly unrelated plot lines.

Zeke gives pointed comments to Levi constantly - every other line of his is either a different jab at Levi about Historia’s pregnancy, a veiled question, or a reminder that he’s under the pressure of a 10 month time limit to do something about him, or Historia will have to eat him once she’s given birth. We start to see Levi unravel because of this, and make mistakes over and over.

It’s in official art. It’s in the soundtrack. Its in music videos. There’s interviews from Isayama that, when read in light of these ideas, suddenly take on a whole new meaning.

Isayama even trolls us. He’s laughing in our faces, the madman. Like, gotchu 🤣 suckers. While we’re all on Reddit and Twitter like, ‘Levi’s character has become so stagnated! He’s making such poor choices or not giving anything to the plot at all. All that’s left for him now is to give up and die! Be at peace, your story is over.’ OOF. Or, ‘Historia has just been forgotten! She’s become such a pointless character. Isayama just got bored with her and sidelined her.’

I’m going to try and write stuff up in the rough categories below, but these might change. I’ll link them when I’m done, and then pin this post. I’m a bit of a rambler so heads up - this may take a while 😅

There’s also a ton of people I have to mention who have contributed to this - I didn’t spot it by myself. I’ll tag them in the finished post too.

Historia and Levi’s Miscalculation: A manga tale featuring the Jaeger Bros., Pt. 1

Historia and Levi’s Miscalculation: A manga tale featuring the Jaeger Bros., Pt. 2

Historia and Levi’s Miscalculation: A manga tale featuring the Jaeger Bros., Pt. 3

Ackerman-Royal Bloodline and Levi’s Choice Pt. 1

Levi’s Choice Pt. 2

Suns, Moons and Songs

Akatsuki No Requiem - Right theory, Wrong guy

The Farmer and The Cattle Farming Goddess, or WHAT’S IN A NAME.

Mistakes of our parents and breaking the cycle

Memories from the future & Levi’s Guilt

Watch this space. And hold on to your pants. If I’m right, I’m getting very drunk.

#shingeki no kyojin spoilers #shingeki no kyojin manga theory #historia pregnancy #snk #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #aot #levi ackerman #historia reiss #rivahisu

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years

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Remember I Love You

A/n: This is my first time writing for our Lee Know! So I hope you like it! I adjusted the age a little bit so the hate would be a little more realistic I hope that's okay :) (this is not edited btw sorry if there are spelling errors, I type fast)

Requested by: @petalskook (thank you for requesting bb!!!)

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: mentions of hate? nothing else maybe cussing?.....

Member: Lee Minho

Summary: Being a Soloist attracts a lot of attention. The focus now seems to be on the age gap between you and your boyfriend Minho. While it seems small to him, you can’t help but focus on what the media and fans are saying. Minho has to remind you what he sees instead of what the public sees.

Genre: angst, fluff, romance, idol!au

The green room was surprisingly hot. Sweat dripped down the back of your neck as you looked up at the TV screen. The MCs were commenting on the stage you just did and clips of you dancing with your back up dancers showed behind them. “Miss Y/n, you got a text message.” A staff member said handing you your phone.

You smiled seeing a text from your boyfriend, Minho. He was set to go on stage a few acts after you but had to stay with his members. Quickly you responded before flipping over to Twitter to post about the stage. You were shocked to find your name already trending.

Curious, you slid your finger over to the tag and scrolled through the first couple of posts. They seemed to all be about you and Minho. Your relationship was no secret. The two of you had been completely honest since the beginning.

I can’t believe our Minho is dating such an old Ajhumma

Fans Wonder About the Age Gap Between Stray Kids Lee Know and Soloist Y/n

Y/n should just stick to people her own age and leave Minho to us

She is way too old for someone like Minho. Her career is pretty much at its end soon anyway. #CancelY/n

Isn’t she embarrassed to be dating someone younger and more successful than her?

Running a hand through your hair, you tossed your phone onto the couch beside you. The age gap wasn’t that big of a deal, was it? You thought nothing of it and you assumed Minho didn’t mind. You weren’t that much older than him. There was hardly a year's distance between your ages.

“Y/n, do you want to stay and watch the stages or are you going back to the company?” Your manager asked you with a busy but kind smile. You thought about it for a moment, your eyes glancing at the phone once more. For some reason, you just felt like hiding from the world under your covers. Your shoulders felt oddly heavy now and your chest felt like there was an invisible weight on it.

“I think I’m just going to go home if my schedule is done. Will you tell Minho that I wasn’t feeling well and that I am sorry I missed his stage?”

Your manager smiled and checked your schedule before giving you the okay to leave. After giving the stylists your stage clothes back you changed and hopped in the car that would take you home. The radio played softly as one of your security detail drove you home. Your ears picked up Minho’s name mentioned.

“Oh Yes! He was on the show last week right?”

“Apparently, his girlfriend is going viral on SNS.”

“She is a little old for him.”

“She is so fierce onstage; do you think she makes him do everything at home too?”

“Oh, Noona! Why? Can’t I choose what film to watch??” The host said in a mocking voice.

“I could never date a woman older than me. I would hate not feeling masculine like that.”

You sighed and tried to ignore the jokes they were making and stared at the passing city scenery. No matter how hard you tried you couldn’t get their annoying voice out of your head. “Joonhee, can you please turn off the radio.” He nodded politely and switched off the radio. You rode the rest of the way home in silence.

You could usually handle the hate about you or your relationship, but this was just intense for one day. You sighed seeing photographers outside of your apartment. “Should I escort you inside?” Joonhee asked, ready to get out of the car.

“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you, Joonhee!” You put on a fake smile and thanked him before gathering your bag and exiting the vehicle. Thankful you left on your stage makeup, you waved to some of the reporters you knew. However, there were quite a few journalists shouting at you for a comment on the articles about you and Minho. Choosing to stay silent you simply smiled and walked into your building.

Thank goodness for doormen and security. This was just too much for one day. You glanced at your phone as you waited for the elevator to climb it’s way to the eighth floor. No text from Minho; which wasn’t unusual. He was probably performing now and had schedules later. However there several notifications from Twitter and Instagram.

The ding of the elevator brought you back to reality. Finally, you could be safe in your own apartment. Away from reporters and rumors and people who hated you for no reason. Having had enough of the world, you placed your phone on the kitchen counter and shut it off fully.

With tired and sluggish movements you wiped off your makeup in the bathroom mirror. Your eyes stopped on your forehead seeing a couple wrinkles you hadn’t noticed before. Most likely from stress but your mind couldn’t help but remind you that you were aging faster than Minho.

With yet another heavy sigh you threw the hand towel in the sink and flipped off the lights. Your heavy body flopped onto the couch and stayed there for the next ten minutes. Eventually finding the motivation to do so, you reached for the remote and turned on the television to a random channel. Some drama you had seen probably a million times was playing.

The hours passed by as if time was moving through tar or glue. You watched as the shadows grew longer across your apartment floor and the sun slowly disappeared, leaving you in a dark apartment. You were hungry but not hungry enough to get up to go to the fridge. You were cold, but not cold enough to go get a blanket. So instead you sat there on your couch, staring mindlessly at the TV.

The front door opened with a loud noise and your boyfriend charged into the room, his brows furrowed. “Hey! Not answering messages and calls is my thing! I’ve been texting and calling you for the past three hours. What’s the deal?” You blinked as he turned on a lamp, eyes not used to the light from being in the dark.

“Sorry...”

He stared at you in disbelief. Sorry? That was all he got? You just didn’t really feel like talking or doing anything really. You hated to admit it, but the comments had gotten you pretty depressed. He watched you shift on the couch under his unrelenting gaze.

“Is it your time of the month or something? What’s up with you?”

“Minho- just leave me alone. I have had enough of today.” Having reached your already short limit, you got up off the couch and headed to the bedroom. His grip on your arm stopped you.

“Y/n-...what’s wrong? Tell me.”

His voice softened and he looked a little concerned. His thumb brushed the skin of your arm softly. It was Minho’s way of saying: I’m comforting you but I’m too badass and tsundere to actually do anything so I’ll do this instead.

“Minho, I’m not in the mood. Just go do your own stuff.” You said pulling away from your boyfriend. Before you could even reach the hallway he called out again.

“Y/n L/n, if you don’t tell me what the hell is wrong in the next ten seconds I’m withholding sex for the next three weeks.”

You turned slowly and rose an eyebrow at his words.

“Minho- honey, you are in no position to make that demand.”

He sighed when you turned back around and entered the bedroom. Starting to get a little frustrated, he followed and shut the door behind him. Your back was to him as you sat on your side of the bed. He noticed how heavy your shoulders looked and how tired you seemed. You were so full of energy when he saw you perform. What was wrong?

The sounds of his footsteps padded across the room. He kneeled in front of you, taking your hands in his. Your eyes stayed focused on your lap, not wanting to look at him. “I’m doing my best not to be frustrated with you because I know you are hurting. I’m trying to help, my love.” His voice was gentle as he stared at your sorrowful face. You let a few more minutes of silence pass before deciding Minho wasn’t going to give up anytime soon.

“Do you think I’m too old?”

The question kind of shocked him. He definitely had not expected this to be what was wrong. Were you too old? What kind of bullshit was that? You started to pull your hands away when he stayed silent. Quickly, he grabbed them back and laced his fingers with yours

“Too old for what? To win another Song of the Year? No. To order off the kid's menu? Yes.”

He smiled seeing your lips threaten a tiny grin. “I’m being serious, Minho. Am I too old for you.” He looked in your eyes, a sad smile coming over his face. It hurt him that you would say something let alone believe something like that.

“Why would you say such a thing?”

“All these articles and posts are saying I’m too old for you. That dating an older woman makes you less of a man or something. Do I really do that?”

Minho scoffed and sat next to you on the bed. “Y/n, we are both in our early twenties. You are not too old for anyone. I would still love you if you were thirty-two and I was twenty.”

He sighed, seeing your gaze drift away from him. He pulled your hands closer, making your attention come back to him. “Don’t listen to them, pabo. Listen to me. I love you. No matter what. Even when you don’t answer all thirteen of my calls.” He smiled finally seeing you laugh.

“So- Repeat after me. I,”

“I,”

“Y/n L/n,”

“Y/n L/n.”

“Will never ever question my incredibly hot boyfriend’s love and affection ever again because of internet douchebags.”

He smiled seeing you fully laugh, eyes sparkling again. You sighed, this time with relief as you looked back at your boyfriend. Your kind, somewhat unorthodox boyfriend. “I promise.” It was his turn to laugh when you kissed his cheeks in thanks.

Requests are open my lovelies! Just send an ask or message me!

Masterlist

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setsureadsshit · 4 years

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Lost At Sea: A List of WIP’s I am finally letting go of [ Part 1 ]

Finally going through my subscriptions on AO3 and clearing out the fics that haven’t gotten an update in too many years or have been orphaned since the last time I looked at them but what chapters were posted are worth reading as long as you don’t mind being left frustrated. Could also be considered a final plea and/or thank you/love letter to the authors for having written them at all, I don’t know how many parts this will take because I have like, 7ish pages of subscriptions on AO3 lmao so just, you know *hand waves* settle in the ride with me.

With the Bodies in the Gutter by TriDom

Summary: Derek works with the FBI to dismantle sex trafficking rings from the inside out. It's grueling, but he never believed that the wear on him outweighed the good he and his team did. Until he finds his mate with a new group that had been taken. He jeopardizes everything to get him out, only to have to turn his back on him before his mate is even awake.

Last Update: 2017

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf; Sterek

Personal Notes: At 16 chapters it gives you enough progress to kinda feel satisfied. It dropped off at a kind of lull before ramping up into the next crisis action which also helps I think. Only mildly unsatisfying for not getting to the true “happy ending” but I’m not mad about it.

Where Is My Bright Future by Steamcraft

Summary: au: Derek and Stiles meet at a German camp.

“My name…” The boy trails, then grimaces. “Stiles Stilinski.”

Derek’s eyebrows rise. “Stiles. Nickname?”

Stiles nods. “You English, how is it… Butcher.”

That surprises a laugh out of him. Stiles looks startled at the sound, heart racing, before he tentatively smiles.“You laugh, but its true.”

Last Update: 2015

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf; Sterek

Personal Notes: I read this a long time ago and I remember it being both really good and really heavy but also getting a little lost in the middle. It’s got 14 chapters though so, like the fic above I feel like it’s a satisfactory read even if there isn’t a real ending.

When Sparks Fly by LunaCanisLupus_22

Summary: “Derek,” Stiles thunders. “Were you ever going to tell me your house is trying to hook us up?”

Derek's head snaps up, eyes wide and scenting the evident crackle of magic in the air.

Or the one where spark!Stiles moves into an enchanted apartment block owned by a grumpy alpha and is completely oblivious to the building's efforts to matchmake them.

Last Update: 2016

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf; Sterek

Personal Notes: This one is a little harder to categorize because it started out as a like, 2 chapter completely completed fic - and then the author came back and added more? So it’s unclear if they plan on coming back and adding more again since they’ve left it uncompleted but you know *hand waves*. In any event, it’s a definite good read, one of my favorites, highly recommended.

Where A Mask, Be A Hero by A_Whistful_Writer

Summary: Oliver Queen had started a crusade in his father’s name, alone. It was bitter, harsh and unrelenting. He was left with scars and bruises that only seemed to double with each passing day. But then he found companions in his fight. Laurel, Diggle, Felicity, Roy. They made things more bearable, and for a while, he was happy, even though there was a gaping hole in his heart. Something was missing.And that was when Oliver met Barry Allen.

Last Update: 2018

Fandom & Main Pairing: Arrow/The Flash ; Flarrow

Personal Notes: It’s honestly just a retelling of the first however many seasons of each show but with a little more OTP filling. The later chapters kinda lost the plot and I was hoping it’d pick up again and really start rolling but I’m throwing in the towel on this one.

The Fault Is Not In Our Stars - Orphan

Summary: After a long and wretched campaign, Asgard has conquered Jotunheim. To ensure King Laufey's cooperation and later friendship between the kingdoms, Asgard takes home the apparent heir to the throne, Loki Laufeyson. Loki is, unfortunately, anything but complacent.Based on the art by stunningly talented Wantstobelieve: http://wantstobelieve.tumblr.com/post/18102496999/guess-who-just-watched-troy-again-yup-that

Last Update: 2013

Fandom & Main Pairing: Thor ; Thunderfrost

Personal Notes: I had hoped this would be a case of the author regaining their writing inspiration with a new Thor movie on the horizon and promptly forgot about it for...a long time, lmao. I’m glad that the author chose to orphan the story instead of simply deleting it because it may only be 8 chapters but they’re very well written and the story is compelling, even unfinished.

Time Will Crawl by coldhope

Summary: Inspired by one of kaciart's amazing drawings: the Winter Soldier faced with a pre-serum Steve Rogers and--conversely--1940s Bucky Barnes coming home to find Captain America lurking in the kitchen.

Last Update: 2014

Fandom & Main Pairing: Captain America (MCU) ; Stucky

Personal Notes: It’s only two chapters which isn’t long enough to *really* get attached to something but the concept was interesting enough to hold my attention/hope that it’d get continued.

The What’s And How’s of Raising Werewolves by kit_cat

Summary: Stiles is twenty-five and shares his bed with a five-year-old werewolf who calls him mommy. This isn't how he expected his life to turn out.Or in which Derek is a kindergarten teacher, the Hales are alive, Danny is overly romantic for a five-year-old, and Stiles has somehow Magicked his way into being the legal guardian of three werelings all under the age of ten... and may or may not be on the run from a league of werewolf kidnapping hunters.

Last Update: 2017

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek

Personal Notes: So I’m...technically not giving up on this one since it’s gone 3 years between updates before and really like this story so I’m going to hold onto this hope for a little while longer but it’s a very very slim hope. This is a fic that does NOT leave off with a satisfactory feeling even though it’s 9 chapters in, those 9 chapters really are just the place setting and maybe a charcuterie board or two while guests mingle but you could start smelling the main course from the kitchen.

Trust by trufflemores

Summary: "Barry reels Oliver in for a hug. Oliver grants him three seconds, pulling back with his own irrepressible smile, knowing he looks like young-and-in-love which is ridiculous because he's not. Maybe, a tiny, impulsive part of him argues, he wants to be."

Last Update: 2017

Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Arrow ; Flarrow

Personal Notes: I have spent I don’t KNOW how many months on and off trying to find this fic again, only to discover I’ve had it the whole fucking time! Specifically, the way trufflemores describes how they interact - giving words to all of the silent conversations they have, how they translated Barry and Oliver’s body language to so perfectly into writing. Like, even after I stopped watching The Flash (and had long since stopped watching Green Arrow), I still watched the crossover episodes because watching Barry and Oliver (and later Kara) interact was always my favorite thing. Honestly, watching both teams together was always so much fun - the episodes were just fun, but I digress. I don’t honestly remember where this fic leaves off but it was fairly episodic so I don’t really know that it needs an end per say, reading it shouldn’t leave you too dissatisfied.

The Propinquity Effect by SwiftEmera

Summary: Oliver Queen pretty much ignored his bisexuality, until he clapped eyes on Barry Allen.Unfortunately, Barry is a social pariah, and Oliver's mother is currently running for governor, so Oliver is pretty much trapped in the bisexual closet, unable to come out and associate himself with Barry for the fear of tarnishing his mother's campaign. However, when their teacher pairs the boys up to work on a Psychology project based around the subject of sexual attraction, Oliver's willpower to keep his distance is strongly tested.

Last Update: 2015

Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Arrow ; Flarrow

Personal Notes: I’ve been re-reading most of these as a final send off but this one I’m just not in the mood for unresolved angst. It’s really well written, the characters are really well adapted for the AU, but just knowing it isn’t finished and probably wont ever be I don’t want to invest my energy into something that doesn’t have a conclusion - for better or worse and this is the kind of fic I *need* to have an end.

#Sterek #Teen Wolf #Stiles Stilinski x Derek Hale #Arrow #The Flash #Flarrow #Barry Allen x Oliver Queen #Thor #Thunderfrost #Thor Odinson x Loki Laufyeson #Captain America (MCU)#Stucky #Steve Rogers x Bucky Barns #Lost At Sea

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phantomwarrior12 · 7 years

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And Then There Were Two

This one is for the RVB Angst War ( @rvbficwars ). I was prompted by the lovely @alphachurchiisms, thank you so much for this prompt! I enjoyed writing it! (Also, thank you for helping me figure out my ask box, I was noobing bad. XD) The prompt was: How did the mercenary trio break up? Put your own spin on it.

Summary: “He has a family, Felix. Let him go.” Isaac survives the fall from the Communication’s Tower and recalls their final mission with Mason.

The untold tale of the termination of the mercenary trio.

Warnings: Canon-style of swearing. Angst, cause that’s kinda the point.

Story will also be posted on AO3 under PhantomWarrior99.

Enjoy!

Saudade Masterlist

Part 2.5

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It's a time he never wanted to remember, a time when everything was simpler, when he had a family, or, something resembling a family.

He could see the memories whenever he closed his eyes. Late night recon missions, witty exchanges over bottles of beer, even dinner with Mason and his family. A soft smile spread across Isaac's lips, quietly remembering Sam's first encounter with Mason's oldest daughter, Melody.

She couldn't have been more than three, an energetic, curious child who shared Mason's midnight black hair and her mother's emerald eyes. She'd wandered up to Sam, hoisting herself into his lap. Isaac would envision the look of discomfort on Sam's face, eyes widened in surprise, expression reduced to complete and utter confusion as the girl began the braid his hair.

He could remember Megan Wu's quiet chiding of the child and Mason's outburst of laughter. Sam had simply remained motionless, too stunned to react and unwilling to disrupt the child's efforts.

"Can I get you anything else?"

The sudden reappearance of the bartender thrust him from his thoughts. He slowly glanced up from his third bottle of beer, drained blue eyes dragging themselves away from the deep brown bottle to the concerned gaze above him.

He shook his head, struggling for balance as he fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket. His fingers clumsily slipping the bills out of the leather folds, lazily tossing them onto the bar, before snatching his drink up and heading towards the door.

"Uh, sir? You forgot your change--"

Isaac waved his hand dismissively over his shoulder as he stumbled out of the bar and started the short trek back to the abandoned apartment.

He was tired, so very tired of it all. The fighting, the nightmares, the bitter reminders that his best friend, the man he'd so cautiously named his brother, had betrayed him. Chorus had been a hell all its own, an agonizing reminder of the war he'd thought they'd left behind.

They. No, he was alone. Again. It wasn't they. It was him. It would always be him.

First, Mason had left. He could still hear Sam defending him, "Damn it, Felix, he has a family-"

"--and what about us? We're not good enough for him? We're not his family?"

"I don't expect you to understand. Just--let him go. His duty is to his wife and children."

He'd been wrong, of course. Mason had a responsibility. It wasn't just to Megan and his kids, it was to him and Sam too. Hadn't they been a family all their own before Mason met his wife?

First Mason, now Sam. Now--now he was all alone. Hell, hadn't been the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

He stumbled his way up the stairs, discarding the now-empty beer bottle into the lobby. He crashed through the aged door, shuffling along until he'd collapsed onto the worn mattress, until his heavy head met firm cushion, until his eyes drooped shut, begging sleep to overtake him.

Until his mind sent him back to that fateful day. Their final mission.

----------------

"Can we please just shoot him?"

"We don't get paid if he's dead, Felix." Sam returned shortly.

Isaac sagged against his seat, arms folded across his chest, irritation etched into his features.

"We're almost there anyway. It would be a waste of ammo at this point." Mason remarked, eyes drifting from the slim mercenary in the passenger seat back to the road.

"It'd be more satisfying." Isaac grumbled, scowling ahead.

"You're only saying that because he mocked you." Mason returned, a hint of humor gracing his tone as he turned into the police station.

"Unless you have a better idea to cover equipment costs, I suggest you keep your weapon pointed away from him." Sam supplied, climbing out of the car to retrieve their captive.

Isaac waved his hands sarcastically, mimicking his partner's comment with an eye roll. Mason smirked slightly, nudging his shoulder before climbing out of the car to assist Sam.

The process had been surprisingly quick. Their captive, a man convicted of multiple homicides, had been worth a large amount of money. It wasn’t until they reached the docking bay that the silence was broken.

"So, last mission was a unanimous success, huh?" Mason slung the massive duffle bag over his shoulder, avoiding their eyes, looking anywhere but his partners.

Sam nodded his silent agreement, checking the equipment in his bag, ensuring the weaponry was secured for travel.

"We'll find another one soon enough." Isaac returned, oblivious to Mason's hesitance, "I caught wind of a company looking for some mercs--something about a planet and alien technology--"

Mason slammed the trunk shut, catching the slim mercenary's attention, "You all right, Wu?"

His fingers tightened around the strap slung across his shoulder, eyes darting to Sam for help. The solemn expression etched into Sam's features mixed with a quiet nod provided little assurance, yet communicated just enough to urge him to speak. He redirected his gaze back to Isaac, "There's not going to be another job, Gates."

Isaac arched an eyebrow, arching an eyebrow, leaning against the door of the car, arms crossed expectantly across his chest, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm retiring. Megan's got another kid on the way, and--she needs me." Mason returned quietly, grey eyes darting to the cold cement beneath him.

Isaac's eyes darted to Sam, who met his gaze coolly, all emotion drained from his eyes, nothing more than a solemn stare. "You knew about this?"

"We've discussed it." Sam returned evenly, voice unflinching.

Isaac stiffened, surprise quickly replaced with rage, "And you didn't tell me. We're partners. We. Fucking. Communicate."

"Gates--Isaac, we didn't want to--" Mason began.

Isaac cut him off, "What the hell, Wu? How long ago was this decided?" His gaze flickered between his partners, his brothers, the only family he'd known in years.

Mason scratched the back of his head, eyes diverted to the cement, "A couple months--"

"A couple of months...that's fucking fantastic!" He paced away a few feet, turning suddenly to shatter the car window with a fury-induced blow, "Dammit!" He spun back to the face the two mercenaries, dismissing the dull throbbing in his hand, "We're partners. I don't care if it's minuscule details, we communicate! You're the one who taught us that, Wu, you said that partners communicate and what did you do? Oh, wait," Isaac allowed a callous laugh, cold, echoing in the quiet parking lot, "you communicated. You told Ortez over there, but not me. What? You don't trust me?"

"Gates--" Mason managed one word before Sam jumped in, thoroughly fed up. He stepped past Mason, hands gripping the v-neck of Isaacs dress shirt, tugging him close, "We didn't tell you because we knew this is how you would react. You're selfish. You're stubborn. We needed you to be willing to do your job, if you had known, you would have fought us the entire mission. We would have never caught that murderer because you wouldn't have wanted to let Siris go."

He shoved the stunned mercenary away, his back meeting the car after a few short, stumbling steps. "It was information that was on a need-to-know basis, and you didn't need to know until now." Sam's voice dropped, a sharp echo in the night.

Isaac started to respond, "I wouldn't have--"

"Wouldn't have what? Wouldn't have pushed Siris to stay? Wouldn't have altered the events of this mission? Wouldn't have fought this?"

Isaac fell silent, eyes directed to the ground, unwilling to meet either man's gaze. Sam watched him sternly for a moment before turning to face Mason.

"Take the ship. Felix and I will find another means of transport." His voice was cold, if Mason didn't know any better, he'd dare suggest tired or resigned.

"You sure?" Mason's question sounded almost tentative, gaze flickering past Sam to Isaac's defeated form.

Sam gave a quiet nod of confirmation, "Go." He held out his hand, giving Mason's hand a solitary shake, a wordless goodbye.

Mason cast one final glance towards Isaac, managing a quiet phrase, "See you around, Gates."

He was met with only silence and a cold shoulder.

Isaac sunk to the ground, glaring at the cement silently as he listened to the retreating boots on pavement. He sat in silence as Sam turned to face him, snatching his bag from the backseat and tossing it to the lean mercenary on the ground.

"Grab your gear. We're leaving." Sam commented shortly, lugging his own bag onto his shoulders by the strap.

Isaac remained motionless, stiff as he fumbled with the strap of his back, silent fury burning in his chest.

"Felix." Sam's tone was sharp, unrelenting, stern. "Get up."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, jaw set as he lifted himself off the ground, slinging the bag across his shoulders, gaze focused on their old ship lifting off and shooting skyward.

"Let's go." Sam started towards another platform, expecting Isaac to follow. Isaac started after him, allowing a few feet of space between them. He waited until they'd secured another ship, until they'd loaded their gear inside, until Sam seated himself in the pilot's seat, until they were roaring out of the space port before he spoke.

"Don't ever do that again."

Isaac's sharp remark caught Sam's attention, he noted the quiet, yet aggravated tone. He arched a questioning eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Don't ever hold information back. Next time it could get us killed. Next time--if you ever do it again, I'm out. You'll be on your own."

Sam stole a glance at his partner, the tension in his jaw, the solemn expression he knew was masking his rage, the way he stared straight ahead with a fury-laced glint in his eye.

Sam waited a moment before he spoke, "Understood."

"He shouldn't have left." Isaac murmured, picking up the data pad, pulling up information about Charon Industries.

"Damn it, Felix, he has a family-"

"--and what about us? We're not good enough for him? We're not his family?"

"I don't expect you to understand. Just--let him go. His duty is to his wife and children." Sam settled back into his seat, hands carefully maneuvering the ship into slip space.

Isaac dared a glimpse of his partner, detecting the pain in his partner's eyes, the pain he no doubt took painstaking precautions to hide. He could never hide the emotion in his eyes, every other part of his body could be relaxed, but his eyes bled sheer agony.

After all their time together, Isaac could read him like a book, or, at least he thought he could.

After a long moment, Isaac turned back to his data pad, skimming over the information and gauging the profit.

He brushed aside the knot in his chest, the aching regret and forced his voice to its usual sarcastic, nonchalant tone before he spoke.

"So, how do you feel about genocide?"

------------------

Part 2.5

#isaac felix gates #felix mcscouty #felix #rvb felix #samuel 'locus' ortez #rvb locus #mason wu #mason siris wu #rvb #Red vs blue #rvb angst war #my fanfic #sam ortez #samuel locus ortez #samuel ortez #siris rvb #osiris rvb #phantom writes #felix series-saudade

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kingdomofbretonxrpg · 4 years

Photo

Congratulations, Steph! We are delighted to welcome Taney Hana to beautify (and sleep with) the citizens of the Kingdom of Breton. Please complete our after acceptance checklist. We are looking forward to seeing you develop her! Please send in her blog within 48 hours.

Out of Character

Alias: Steph (or Natty if you already have a Steph)

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 31

Timezone: EST (US)

Anything else? I’m a teacher so while I will likely be extremely active this month that will change Aug. - May. Though I anticipate I should still be able to meet activity requirements, if that changes I won’t ghost, I’ll communicate what’s going on.

Character

Name: Taney Hana - She does not use her last name, but if she needs one: Derrien (you can change that if you’d like)

Birthdate and Age: 17 April + 31 years old

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

Faceclaim: Rooney Mara

House Affiliation: Anjou

Profession: Owner of a exclusive private tattoo parlor, Asmodeus, Artist + Tattooist

Claim: Unclaimed

Children: None

Designation: Dominant

Sexuality: Identifies as “sexual” but we can call it pansexual if we need a deeper label

What is their symbol?: Has a sword with roses tattooed on the back of her right arm, but she has a lot of tattoos, so she’ll usually also wear earrings, necklaces, and rings with swords. If she’s wearing any shield symbol it would still have swords paired with it.

Kinks: Everything.

Anti-kinks: Taney’s never tried anything she didn’t enjoy and is open to trying anything 3 times before giving up on it. However, I’m not willing to write any play with bodily fluids other than blood; pretending to be adult/parent-child/step-child, incest, stepcest, etc.; pretending anything involving being a minor or assaulted. If the mun writing opposite wants to post a canon that their character came over and they pretended they were in some professor-student ‘give me an A if I xyz,” then they have my permission to godmod.

Biography:

There comes a time in every person’s youth when they go from playing with toys and being carefree to learning about the real world and worrying about something or other. For Taney, that happened a bit earlier than it had for everyone else. Her father was less than discrete when it came to cheating on his claim. Those submissives weren’t all completely competent, either. When it came time to put him in line, the man was nowhere to be found. His claim was left home alone with Taney and her older sister, Whitney. The shame of it all seemed to be unrelenting, taking a major toll on the girls’ mother. As submissive after submissive from every city he ever took a ‘business trip’ to seemed to pop into their lives looking for Master Derrien - some of which had children, it was Whit who took on the responsibility of raising Taney. It was saying a lot. Taney had always been a handful and as she went into school it was of little surprise that she’d be in near-constant trouble those first few years. At first, she wouldn’t stand for anyone speaking ill of her father, then her mother, then her sister or herself. Eventually everyone got what she was putting down, but nevertheless, it forced her to grow up.

When she was fifteen, nine years later, her father turned up for an unannounced visit. With no words exchanged about her mother and the obvious arrival during that transition time between school and when she would get home from work, Taney would later look on that moment and think that she should have known things were going to go down hill. Taney had already changed a bit and become very independent as that was the only way to survive a friendless childhood where your family name was known all too well. She took to sketching, drawing on herself in class, rarely doing anything she was told. Bad behaviors only made worse when, in these secret visits, her father tried to convince her that she could go live with him in the City of Lights with a new mother that would love her very much. He went on about it and tried to explain arranged claims to her, it wasn’t the first time she’d thought about love and the dom/sub dynamic, but she had learned right from wrong. It also helped that Whitney didn’t seem to be buying into a word he said either. Pulling a knife and lighter, she kept on her person in case she ran away and needed it, Taney stabbed his hand and lit his sleeve on fire. The punishment for the attack was both literal and social. People either admired her or feared her and, with some unwilling therapy, she was lucky enough to face long term repercussions for the attack- mostly because it led to the delayed punishment of her father.

With money running low, Whit joined her mother and had taken up a job at Castlebrac while Taney bounced around from school to school. Simply put, it wasn’t enough to cover their father’s debts and mother’s habits. Once Taney was of age she made the decision, albeit one her mother and sister would deem to be ungrateful, and dropped out of school to complete a general education degree and get out of dodge. Taney had very little knowledge of the ‘real world’; she had practically no ambitions. Nevertheless, the desire to walk away from Breton and never look back seemed more appealing than anything else. So she waitressed, did an office admin gig, played guitar in a mediocre cover band for weddings, this and that, until she’d saved up a decent amount of money. Moving to California for a while she lived on the streets and sold her body for drugs and money. State by state and country to country, she said she’d try her luck in some place new and always did put in a decent effort- at least at first. Taney worked as a bartender, tattoo artist, mechanic, technician, and drug dealer as she made her way around the globe, a young woman consumed by wanderlust and living in hostels or cheap motels until the money ran out.

Taney arrived in New York at twenty-four and it would be the first place she managed to live a whole year. Something about putting down roots encouraged her to spend every bit of strength to stay sober and clean, smoking and drinking remaining her only vices. Noted as short tempered but sweet once you got to know her, Taney was the hostess at a bondage bar in the city called Paddles. Though her everyday look wasn’t as rough and tough as it used to be when she lived on the streets, she still had a very particular air about her- especially when she was at work, and sometimes when she’s not- particularly in the bedroom. Her ability to flirt (or taunt) people into curiosity led to two things, a career change back into sexwork and an unaddressed addiction to something more taboo. However, after an unsavory interaction with a famous client, the company offered an exorbitantly large settlement, giving her an opportunity she never thought she would have. The settlement meant more than an opportunity to travel or leave the job, it was her ticket home.

Feeling like the runaway gig was officially a bust, she tried to reach out to her family in Breton. Whit was the one that told her their mother was ‘gone’ and left it at that. The bitterness of being left behind never sat right with Whitney and the chasm between the sisters only grew when Taney offered her part of the settlement as a way for Whitney to find her own path. Whitney agreed to take what Taney was offering, claiming that it would help her settle some debts. Then, while Taney decided how she wanted to make her way back to Breton, she got a call from a member of House Anjou. Whitney was missing, debts certainly not paid and when she’d been told her mother was ‘gone’ it was a similar scenario. Taney settled into more traveling rather than going back. Maybe a part of her was looking for the family that abandoned her- or she’d abandoned. All the while she honed her craft as a tattooist, growing a clientele through social media and word of mouth. After half a decade of tying up the loose ends her family left behind, Taney bought a small shop with a two bedroom flare over it. Breton, despite all the bad memories she’d had there, was home.

Asmodeus didn’t open as soon as she’d bought the place. Taney had a lot of work to do fixing it up and used this as an excuse to ‘come back quietly’. For the most part she assumed people didn’t remember her, the little sister of the ruined family. Everyone except her had some sort of track record. That wait was spent coding her website, posting promos, and perfecting her watercolor technique and improving her skills in the other styles she had learned in her travels that clients may want. There were some circumstances in between that truly changed her life, a gaslighting non-committal relationship where she saw the person she thought she could open up to show their true colors, casting doubt on her trust in the concept of love and commitment once more. Taney truthfully knew she wasn’t the typical person to catch feelings for. She was promiscuous and happy about it, volatile and reckless, and eccentrically honest. There were just two people outside of her family that could claim to have ever known her beyond the surface and she’d wholly burnt those bridges upon her departure from their respective cities. In her stubbornness refusing to become shackled by societal norms and labels. Though she’s very obviously happier than she’s ever been, she still struggles with her health, including sex addiction, and trusting people- let alone letting anyone in. Many have tried, no one has succeeded or come out unscathed. Be careful what you wish for, if you’re curious to get to know her, she’s likely to pounce- as she’s equal parts sarcasm, quick wit, and horny as hell… a place which she’s inarguably the Queen.

#bretonaccepted #taney hana #rooney mara #accepted

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illtalktoyoureyes-blog · 7 years

Text

PODCAST BROS. AU

I. Bros being bros and podcasting about nerd shit.

II. The podcast has approximately four listeners, the most dedicated among them being Mike's mom. (Mike has repeatedly told his mother not to listen because it "makes him nervous.") This number fluctuates depending on the time of day, the weather, and the amount of disparaging remarks Dustin makes about the DC cinematic universe.

III. There is much discussion of comic books, superheroes, table top games, film adaptations, sci-fi and fantasy authors, ethics in journalism, cosplay, the Nintendo switch, what the hell is taking George R. R. Martin so long does he understand his readership will probably be dead before he publishes another book? and other topics salient to college-age nerds under the impression their dedication to their hobbies could someday pay their bills.

IV. Following in the illustrious footsteps of Matt Bessar, they live-stream their Saturday night D&D games. (Dustin: Hey guys, just wanted to give you a quick update. Mike's basement is still disgusting.") The results range from palatable mediocrity to hitherto unseen levels of chaos. The comments page would be a mess...you know, if people left comments.

V. Their first guest is an amazing, unbelievable get. El Ives has written four volumes of the Wizards of Gale series- a staggering, gorgeous epic chronicling the coming of age of a young psychically gifted warrior traversing a galactic wasteland in search of her true purpose-in the last three years. She's gone on national tours, topped sci-fi best-seller lists, and was proposed to roughly thirty-seven times at New York comic-con. Naturally, the dudes freak out, but Mike's is the most memorable melt down. He talks to himself in the mirror in a pre-interview hype session, he drops his note cards, stares for inappropriate lengths of time, and generally makes everyone ridiculously uncomfortable.

VI. After the stress of her tour, the casual atmosphere of the podcast (with the exception of the host who makes tense, terrifying eye contact with her before avoiding her gaze for the rest of the day) is a novelty El is reluctant to relinquish. This explains hanging around Hawkins ("You're welcome to stay at our place." Dustin volunteers before Mike can open his large, endlessly stupid mouth.) despite having deadlines, and interviews and a whole life in Manhattan. They take her to all their lame hang-outs and Mike dies several deaths due to sheer embarrassment (Humiliate Wheeler To Death Tour 2017!)

VII. This is the thing. The thing is this: despite the fact that they've been doing this for like, four months, and no one is even really listening Mike is still absurdly nervous on air? Lucas and Dustin are naturals and Will chimes in when he really wants to make a point (he's often drowned out by the intensity of Dustin\Lucas debates but whenever he manages to incline his chin toward the mic and deliver his statements in the softest, least antagonistic voice ever created, his points are salient and logical and even occasionally border on poignant) but it take s Mike at least fifteen minutes to get comfortable uttering opinions he has no trouble voicing off air. It's disconcerting and weird, and he's envious of the casual way his friends interact on air. They're natural, as if there aren't any disparities between their on air personalities and their real life ones. They're completely comfortable, Mike has to calm down, close his eyes, remember his pre-air inspirational speech, really center himself before he can engage in way that's even close to natural. (Even then, his voice is a touch too high, his sentences come out blunt and semi-intelligible, and his jokes feel more like passive aggressive indictments of other people's moral characters than "ha ha" funnies. These delightful and attractive flaws are only exacerbated by the prolonged presence of one of his literary heroes who, in addition to being funny, clever, sincere, brutally honest, and genuinely down for anything re: appearing on a D&D role-playing channel with four losers, has the audacity to love Ray Bradbury and Farscape as much as he does. It's the fucking rudest.)

VIII. To make matters worse, she loves his friends. Lucas is the most charming mother fucker alive (dude has a certificate!) and Mike hates him for the ease with which he makes El laugh so hard she cries. He then hates himself for hating Lucas, up until the asshole does it again and El looks happier than a ten year old who was just informed she gets to live at Disney Land. Witnessing the vast depths of El's joy is probably the purest experience Mike ever has. Said joy is a product of Lucas recounting any number of stories starring himself as the witty, amazing, bad ass of their high school tenure. So, dilemma. She and Will exchange book recommendations, karaoke Fridays at Lester's is forever altered the moment she and Dustin duet on a gentle, soul-melting rendition of Head Over Heels (they're terrible singers, but the power man, the subtle emotive, power) and Lucas, Lucas is everywhere, buying her drinks, and talking about how there are certain paragraphs in book three he wants to live in, and complimenting her buzz cut, and constantly and at all times making her laugh so long, and hard and with her entire body and it's so fucking unfair Mike can't actually-

IX. In local news, Lucas and Dustin are living in a shoebox across the river from Mike's house. Will is over so often he is repeatedly mistaken for a piece of furniture. He has his own shelf in the fridge (the middle), his own snacks in the cabinet (fig newtons are more than fruit and cake) and coconut shampoo he's neglected to take home and which is become the official property of the estate. Dustin likes to think of his abode as a sovereign nation, wants desperately to draw up a constitution and design a flag. Lucas likes to think of his casa as a Dustin-free zone, and is disappointed upon opening his door and finding reality has very much crushed his hopes and dreams. There is very little sleep, the occupants are lucky to claim several consecutive hours of unconsciousness. Instead, there are twitch marathons, Netflix binges, LOTR re-watches, and intense, lengthy debates over the merits of Zack Snyder being shot into space verses the efficiency of simply setting him ablaze.

X. Will is fond of lying on the couch, or on the window seat or on the floor next to Lucas' mattress and telling him all the ideas that his ridiculous brain ushers forth when he can't sleep. Lucas gently reminds him of the graphic novel he's kind of, sort of, a little bit working on-the thing he starts last year and politely but stubbornly refuses to show him any more pages once Lucas becomes a living, breathing reminder that Will could maybe think about possibly publishing it because It's Good. To be fair, saying the words aloud, letting them take shape in the air is almost like working on it. It's very, very close.

XI. Eventually, Mike realizes that contrary to initial reports, he's actually jealous of two people. Yes Lucas making El laugh is fairly fucking infuriating, but so is the knowledge that Lucas is trying so hard to make someone laugh, and that that someone (for reasons he is painfully, intimately familiar with) is NOT him. Pre-graduation, post-two a.m. silent, sexuality-specific realization that takes place in an Arby's parking lot, Mike and Lucas are the most accurate visual representation for best friendship that has ever, or will ever live. Their bond is unshakable, the stuff of Census Bearu legend, the canniest, most argumentative, absurdly affectionate, gleefully contrary pairing so robust and unrelenting it caused even the most patient members of their tight-knit Indiana State study circle to routinely throw up their hands and avert their eyes, yelling, "That's enough! Put it away!" One sunny, late-fall afternoon, they're picking up the thread of an ongoing Alien vs. Aliens debate (Lucas: I'm so glad your mom's not here to listen to her son humiliate himself like this. It would break her heart.") which has ascended to the intensity level that warrants standing very close and screaming as though they are not standing very close, when quite suddenly, they are no longer arguing. The discovery of another item in a long list of things they are hopelessly good at when they combine their talents, takes up the entire afternoon and most of the evening. The surprised, but strong, and ultimately righteous sense of joy\awe is conflated by the subdued, giddy knowledge that what has been in the past for Mike a rare and somewhat lackluster experience, and for Lucas, a little less rare but equally mediocre 'event' currently feels like the wide expanse of potentiality specific to scientific exploration. So there's that.

XII. It doesn't last too long, when he allows himself to think about it Mike abjectly refuses to liken the duration of the event to anything stupid, like a metaphor about supernovas. That would be dumb. And crass. And in poor taste. Plus, he hardly ever thinks about it ever, so there's that. Anyway, Mike dropping out of Indiana state and returning to the cocoon of his mother's basement is a completely unrelated event that never ever needs to be recounted, not even for posterity, except to say that it's unrelated to anything going on in his life at the moment. And it's okay, because he and Lucas are still ridiculously close friends and it's never even awkward except for the few occasions wherein Mike succumbs to jealously, before becoming confused about exactly whom he's jealous off. After he figures it out, he's moody and distant and the podcast gets Weird in only the way Mike can make it. El is confused, 'cause once the dude stops staring and actually says a few words to her, he's kind of cool in this completely doofy way. Lucas eventually plops on the end of Mike's bed, allows Mike to put his dirty, uncivilized sneakers all over his fairly expensive pants and makes a fumbling preamble that might as well be called Intro to Awk Con. It goes okay. Mike's just tired and Lucas co-signs with a sigh, and a story about his sister, and they talk around it because it's still-they-can't-There's grumbling about the complete absence of something that could even be mistaken for a fan base, and Dustin's rants, and a general consensus on the awesomeness of El and they both feel better after that.

XIII. Lucas might have a supremely underdeveloped thing for Will? It's like, super embryonic, not even worth thinking about much less trying to explain out loud to Will's face while he stands there looking cute and curious and hesitant about the stupid notebook he's been doodling in for like a year, even though what little bits Lucas has seen of the novel that Will's mortified about having written is so good he'd buy it tomorrow if Will would only deign to finish the damn thing. Yeah. So El hangs around Hawkins, after slaving away in his emotional garden wearing a wide-brim hat and too much sunscreen, Mike manages to grow the courage necessary to ask her to dine at his mom's house (yes, his mom has had El over for dinner roughly a thousand times, and yes her laugsana with the signature sauce has become one of El's favorite dishes, but owing to the fact that Mike has spent ninety-five percent of those roughly thousands of evenings in his room melting down and wishing he was a person who could handle this shit, they don't actually count.), Will finishes his summer drawing course at the learning annex, because his phone storage is unable to contend with the sheer volume of photos he takes of and with El in the last couple of weeks\months (?) Dustin gets Instagram and instantly gains a thousand followers, and Lucas comes to the conclusion that's actually amazing at this podcast thing? Like honestly, he's very talented. And he's never taken one communication course!

XIV. El heads back to New York, promising to visit when she can. Mike admirably hides his heartbreak, and gallantly takes his frustration out on a pacman machine during their afternoon at the arcade. (Mike Wheeler: Frustrated Bisexual) A couple months later, they all receive signed copies of the next Wizards of Gale book with special messages scribbled on the inside covers. A couple of weeks before that, they post their El interview, and the site it takes Dustin two, painful, sleepless weeks to build experiences a significant amount of traffic for the first time in its uneventful little life. Everyone freaks out and facetimes El who's mid interview on the Teresa Watkins show, and that's how they attain their first television interview. (El: I'm sorry, this is so unprofessional. Do you mind?)

XV. Bros being bros, podcasting about nerd shit. (Dustin: How were you received by the dudebro cheeto dust contingent? I assume they're treating you well? They're super classy individuals.)

XVI. Oh, and Hopper is El's manager\literary agent? Okay? Okay.

#weird occurrences #I'm fairly certain this will be story number iii.

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charlesjening · 6 years

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The Definitive Guide to Choosing a CPA Review Course

I’ve been writing about the CPA exam for, yeesh, it’ll be 12 years this summer. TWELVE YEARS. I wish I could say that’s like half my life, but I’m old now so it’s more like a third of it, which is still a pretty sizable chunk of it, all things considered. In that time, I’ve been asked hundreds, if not thousands, of questions about the exam, and while a lot of them are repeats — which part should I take first, what part is the hardest — one of them has always been tough for me to answer: which review course should I buy?

I struggled with answering this in my early days on Going Concern back in 2009 because at the time, I was still on a CPA review company’s payroll. You can see my dilemma. As much as I’m sure my boss would have loved for me to answer that question with his name, I dodged the question and focused instead on helping people prepare for the exam with whatever tools they had.

Many years removed from that job now, I feel comfortable revisiting that question and offering some insight. Keep in mind, I’m not going to throw out company names here, there are plenty of websites (many of which get a cut when you follow their affiliate link to buy said course, not that there’s anything wrong with that) that can lay out the pros and cons of each course. No. What I’m going to do here is help you figure out which kind of candidate you are and then suggest the type of course you need from there.

See, Mister Rogers lied to all of us when he said we were special. Really we’re not. We all sort of naturally fall into a limited number of boxes. If we didn’t, there wouldn’t be such a thing as marketing or advertising or insidious algorithms that somehow recommend something for us to buy on Amazon before we even realize we need or want it. Sure, we’re all technically unique, but at the end of the day, people and machines smarter than all of us can easily reduce us to a basic formula based on sex, age, race, income level, and likely some other digital footprint stuff that I shudder to think about knowing the weird crap I look up on the Internet. Moving on.

One of the most important things you can do as a CPA exam candidate just starting out (or one who has been on this journey for some time but not having success) is to take a long, hard look at yourself as a student and figure out how you learn if you don’t know already. Considering you’re a college graduate if you’ve gotten this far, chances are you probably already know what kind of learner you are, but just in case, it’s important to understand how you learn and what you need to learn best.

For the purposes of this guide, we’re going to break things down into five distinct personality types. You may find that you fall into more than one group, in which case feel free to mix things up, but if I’m as good at this as I claim to be, then whichever group resonates most with you is the one you belong in and will find the most success with.

The Procrastinator

A large majority of you are going to fall into this category simply because what kind of sick maniac can manage to get excited about the CPA exam? Of course you’re going to put this shit off, it sucks. The Procrastinator is marked by a distinct lack of time perception (“wait, how the hell did 18 months just pass me by?”) and a superhuman ability to accomplish a ridiculous number of tasks unrelated to the task at hand (your apartment will never be as clean as it is when you are studying for the CPA exam).

For you, the key is guided study. Avoid self-study at all costs unless you’re using it to supplement your main review course, as this is a surefire way to ensure absolute failure. Even better if you can join up with a few friends and study together. Most review courses offer a path through each section, so your job here is to find the least boring one since a dull, droning instructor is only going to turn you off even more than you already are.

The Smartest Kid in Class

Hey, smarty pants, why are you even reading this guide? You don’t need me to tell you what to do. You’re probably going to get an Elijah Watt Sells award just for showing up at Prometric so let’s not waste our time here. Your options are wide open but don’t confuse your overachieving for automatic mastery of CPA exam concepts. What you’ll want is a review course that offers more than just lectures but tips and tricks for scheduling, studying, and making the most of your experience. A smaller review course company may be able to offer you this somewhat personalized experience, though let’s be real, you could get your lectures from a bum in a dumpster behind 7-11 and you’d probably kill this thing. Throw a bunch of names into a hat and go for that, done.

The Follower

You don’t even know why you’re going for your CPA. Maybe it was your dad or your eighth-grade Algebra teacher who suggested you major in accounting, and next thing you know you’re buttoning up your blue shirt for your first day as an intern at [Big 4 firm] and studying for the CPA exam.

I probably shouldn’t say this but when it comes down to it, all review courses are pretty much the same. They get the same info from the AICPA and the only real difference is in the delivery of information (after price, of course). So go ahead and take that “big name” review course everyone else uses, that’ll serve you just fine. Or go for the second- or third-biggest course. No need to overthink it, just like your chosen career path, just pick one of the popular ones and off you go.

The Perpetual Student

You’re that weird kid in school who always did extra credit, not because you needed it but because learning is fun for you. You’ve got three Bullet Journals and your IFTTT routines make my Echo Spot look like a lazy stoner who can barely manage to play the right Spotify playlist half the time.

Any of the major courses will likely work for you, but you’re going to want to look for the ones that offer the thickest books and the largest banks of practice questions to work through. Obviously you’re also going to want supplements when you inevitably run out of MCQ to race through, so feel free to add flashcards or a supplemental study guide. Don’t feel bad about mixing and matching different review materials, it’s totally fine.

The Shoulda Been a Lawyer

You, my friend, are going to have a rough time no matter what review course you use, so the best thing you can do is look for the most bang for your buck. You absolutely sucked at Intermediate Accounting and some days you can’t even remember which side debits go on. Honestly I don’t know why you’re even doing this to yourself at all, but if you absolutely insist, then your best bet is to look for a review course that offers the longest course time and, when available, optional extensions. While you’re at it, you might as well find a review course that offers a “past student of other CPA review course” discount since it’s likely you’re going to be bombing this thing long after your first course expires and a second delivery method might not be a terrible idea.

You’ll also need as much support as you can get, so find the course that offers many, many hours of lecture along with copious amounts of study materials for you to utilize both during lecture and as a study guide in your spare time. Good luck, I guess.

In closing, as mentioned above (but it bears repeating): ALL REVIEW COURSES ARE BASICALLY THE SAME. At the end of the day, they’re building study materials and lectures around the very same concepts that everyone is tested on, so it’s not like one course can be that wildly different from another. The main differences come in price, quality of instructor, quality of materials, and student support. If I’m being completely honest, a large majority of CPA exam candidates can pass with any materials if they’ve got the motivation to get it done. Sure, having a fun instructor or extra MCQ can help, but even the best CPA review course is garbage if you don’t have the drive to get through it.

You can totally overthink this and drive yourself crazy trying to pick the “right” review course OR you can just find the one that feels right to you and get started on a journey that ultimately comes down to you and what you’re willing to put into it. Your choice.

The post The Definitive Guide to Choosing a CPA Review Course appeared first on Going Concern.

republished from Going Concern

#Technology #Finance

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fenton-bus · 6 years

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PODCAST BROS. AU

I. Bros being bros and podcasting about nerd stuff.

XV. Bros being bros, podcasting about nerd stuff. (Dustin: How were you received by the dudebro cheeto dust contingent? I assume they're treating you well? They're super classy individuals.)

XVI. Oh, and Hopper is El's manager\literary agent? Okay? Okay.

#modern woe aus #outlines and outliers #stand by goonies: the extraterrestrial #Hellscapes for Kids!#in media res #junior mystery inc

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v-le · 7 years

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Kmusic: My Decade-Long Journey with Kpop

Foreword: I had been working on this post for a few weeks now, in between university and everything else. In the middle of its composition, Kim Jonghyun of SHINee passed away and shocked the world. I, too, was appalled, and I don’t think I will ever properly recover from his death. I want to dedicate this post to him. This story is about how kpop has grown with me in life. This story defines everything I have ever thought or felt about kpop and that now, very much includes Jonghyun’s passing. 수고했어, 종현아.

Book 1

I can’t really recall it, but the very first kpop song I’ve ever listened to was either “Nobody” by Wonder Girls, “Genie” by SNSD, or “Gee” by SNSD. I was about seven years old around then. My cousin had shown my sister these songs and she, too, quickly got swept into the music. For the first years of this exposure, I had heard a myriad of songs ranging from Super Junior’s “Sorry Sorry”, SHINee’s “Replay” & “Ring Ding Dong” & “Lucifer”, Taeyang’s “Wedding Dress”, Big Bang’s “Gara Gara Go”, Infinite’s “BTD” & “She’s Back”, 2NE1’s “Fire” and many many manyyyy more. These songs would waft out of my sister’s speakers whenever I was using my computer next to her’s in the computer room. And during those first years, I flat out hated these songs. I didn’t understand anything they were saying. They sounded obnoxious. And these boys that my sister was obsessed with weren’t even that good looking. I can recall that she was specifically infatuated with Donghae of SJ during that time. I can also recall going as far as to mock some of these songs, especially “She’s Back” by repeating “cheese pack” in an annoying tone back to her. Despite my detest for kpop during these several years, I unknowingly picked up a lot of knowledge on it. I could name many groups and recognize many of their songs, all from the fact that my sister played so much of it and I had seen her computer screen many times. Nonetheless, I complained to my mom, that I didn’t understand why she listened to that stuff when she couldn’t even understand it. My mom had told me that it was totally fine, it’s simply about the beat of the music, and that you didn’t have to understand it to like it. I remember feeling a little upset because she defended my sister. All in all, during these years of premature kpop exposure, I was petty, unrelenting, and simply immature. I didn’t like kpop.

Book 2

I remember for some reason, reasons unknown, one day when I was at my friend’s house in 5th grade, I decided to show my friends “Ring Ding Dong” for fun. I remember a few days before that, I had watched the “Wedding Dress” MV for the first time on my own and I cried, too. During these next months, my pettiness towards kpop began to dampen and I started to get pretty good at recognizing groups and songs, and maybe even some faces. The only issue was that I tried immensely hard, as if my life depended on it, to not let my sister see what I was up to. I knew that I would receive massive backlash from her, for being such a hypocrite. So throughout 5th grade and a little bit of 6th, I started to dip my toes in a little, into the infinitely large pool that is kpop. I slowly and secretly, grew minuscule fondness for some songs, but not enough to want to add them to my music library. I kinda liked kpop.

Book 3

In the early days of middle school, a really good friend of mine loved Super Junior to death. Another friend of mine listened to some kpop, but only a little bit here and there. One day they showed me a song from LEDApple and I can officially say that they were the first group I completely fell for. LEDApple had such a different, dynamic and unique vibe to them, that I almost felt like I had triumphed over my sister. I had found and enjoyed a group that she probably did not know at all, and their music was actually really really really good. Personal favorites include “Time’s Up” and “Someone Met By Chance”. Much later, they released “Sadness” and I was even happier with that song. I quickly learned the names of all the members and I considered them my favorite group of all time. LEDApple was my introduction into this “fangirling” gig that kpoppers lowkey highkey have to keep up with. With LEDApple, I learned:

How to memorize members

That MV meant “music video”

How to watch every single video of them that existed on youtube (although for them, it was minimal because they were so unknown)

That subbers were a thing, and for specific groups, too

How to watch variety shows of them

How to memorize birthdays

That Koreans have a different age system than internationally

That they wear excessive makeup

And much, much, much more

I would consider LEDApple to be my “first” for everything. I really did cherish them as a group, along with their music, and I slowly learned the do’s and dont’s of kpop during this phase. More than LEDApple though, I quickly became even more aware of more groups and songs, and I started to favor some more than others too. I liked kpop.

Book 4

My love for LEDApple started to dwindle as I discovered and started to really like more groups like MBLAQ, Big Bang, SHINee, SNSD, B.A.P, B1A4 and especially Infinite. I completely fell for Infinite as I listened to songs like “Paradise”, “Be Mine”, and “Can U Smile”. And yes, as I listened to more of their discography, I recognized some songs as the ones my sister had played in the past as well. Then, they released the Chaser and it was game set from there. I remember searching up Infinite’s profiles, comparing the images with their MVs and matching their names with their faces. I remember when I first saw Woohyun in Be Mine, I thought that he looked like Harry Shum Jr. AHAH how wrong I was…. I also remember struggling a little bit because the profile pictures I used were from their debut, with their slicked back hair and white button shirts and suspenders :’). Soon enough, I became very familiar with everything Infinite-related and I eventually claimed them to be my favorite group of all time (and to this day, they have remained as so). I really liked kpop.

Book 5

This book becomes a little hard to explain, simply because I feel like my emotions seemed to be mundane externally, but inside, I know that they were deep with a sort of affection that words can never fully explain. My love for Infinite was immense, driven, and completely pure. I did not have a favorite member, because no really, I just couldn’t choose one. All their songs were absolutely amazing; Infinite taught me how to fall in love with even the non-title track songs. Their entire discography is the only discography of any artists that I know like the back of my hand. Their choreography was always on point; they prided in being 99.9% synchronized with knife-like moves. I really, truly thought that they were all handsome in their own, unique way. Their personalities were genuine and interactions were always hilarious and the brotherhood between the boys ran as deep as blood. Their early days were the brightest ones that I can recall, and I am so grateful to have watched them develop since. They were extremely relevant within the industry, and “The Chaser” lifted them to even newer heights. I clearly remember their 2nd anniversary as well. I remember thinking to myself, that they were “SO YOUNG!!”, with Sungjong being just 18 years old at that time (which is exactly how old I am now, YIKES). Awaiting a comeback after The Chaser era was definitely an eventful one because I was so expectant and excited and it was the first (of many) that I experienced as a full-fledged fan. It took them nearly a year, but they eventually returned with “Man in Love”, and then “Destiny” immediately afterwards, and then on November 11th, 2013, I had the miraculous blessing to see them live in concert. It was my first concert ever and it was during their first world tour, as mere 3-year idols. 2013 was a year of big feats for Infinite and it all really was just a blessing. A mere five months later, I would again, see them, at the LA Kpop Festival on April 12th, 2014. Boy, was it a time to be alive as an Inspirit. During these few years, everything I did, in my life, really did revolve around them. My school projects, artwork, everything, had to relate to Infinite somehow. I made poems about them, I had collected a total of 24 posters of them on my wall, and I had also racked up physical copies of their albums, my first one being Infinitize on July 29th of 2012. When they posted fan events like the Infinite Love Letter Contest, and when the members used Google+ and when every little thing happened, I was there, and I was supporting them endlessly. As I transitioned into high school, Infinite released more and more things, and my love for them never dwindled, even for a second. When I went through rough times, in all the ways imaginable, Infinite was always there. In the beginning, I had made folders for photos of each member, otps, and the complete group on my computer. I even named the OT7 pictures folder “What I Live For ~”. My passwords all had to do with Infinite. I named all my devices like my computer and such “IFNT7”. The phrase “My love is Infinite” was my favorite of all time. Just the sight of some colors translated into Infinite to me. Every. Little. Thing. My heart belonged to Infinite more than ever. I loved and cherished them, and still do (but maybe not as blatantly), with a burning passion. And not just them, but I really did like other groups like ZE:A and T-ARA to name a few, during these times, but Infinite truly meant the world to me. I loved kpop, especially Infinite.

Book 6

During those fangirl days, I was not completely blinded by love to a point where I was oblivious to the future; rather, I was apprehensive in a way in which I knew that when I got “older”, I “wouldn’t love them as much”. I didn’t doubt that I wouldn’t stop listening to kpop, but I knew that i couldn’t be a diehard fangirl forever. And so, around 2015 ish is when school started to kick my butt, and i really did completely disconnect. Disclaimer though: I was still endlessly thankful for and in love with Infinite. I was so proud of them no matter what, and I supported them from the sidelines with a burning heart. In fact, despite the fact that the amount of attention I dedicated to them decreased, my love for them grew nonetheless. I was so so so thankful that they were just alive, whole, and still doing music. Together. However, I was physically and mentally incapable of keeping up to date with everything, not only Infinite-related, but kpop-related, during that time. I had realized that this was probably time to prioritize things in my life, and not feel so obliged to the whole kpop thing anymore. And so, with Infinite, I tried my best, but of course I did not try hard enough. I did enough to keep up with kpop releases and such, but that was about it. I had no time for shows and small activities and interviews, and all the things that I was an expert on in the past. I no longer had time to check thru all the infinite tumblr blogs I had bookmarked. Instead, I began to turn to the simpler things, as in the music. I realized that if there was one thing that was worthy of putting effort into, it was the music. I began to only care about the music that the kpop industry was churning out. And let me just say, that during this time was probably the beginning of the death of 2nd generation kpop as well. I started to dislike the style of music that Kpop was turning towards, and I noticed how saturated it was with random groups that couldn’t even leave a mark. I also noticed its immense rise in overall popularity: Kpop was becoming more and more mainstream at a rapid rate, and I was having none of it. Instead, I began to venture into k-indie, acoustic, soul, and simply put, healing songs. I turned to artists like Eddy Kim, Davichi, Baek Jiyoung, Kim Feel, Echae En Route, Roy Kim (one my truest loves), Ggotjam Project, Clazziquai Project, Urban Zakapa, Kassy, Fromm, and many, many, many more. I have had the blessing to watch these almost-nobody artists grow, release more music, gain a tad bit more recognition, and simply become even more amazing than they already were back when I discovered them at their early stages. (Sam Kim would debut later, in 2016, and blow me away as well. In fact, all the Antenna Angels). The music from these artists, kept me alive in a similar, yet different way, than Infinite had in years past. I didn’t need to know their faces or ages or personalities or honestly, anything, about them, to feel instantaneously better. These artists and their songs were healing, in a way where the only thing that truly mattered, was their voice.

A quick story about Kim Feel, who has come to be my all time favorite artist whom I would die for: I came across a song from Younha called 없어, and it blew me away. It was gorgeous. A hip hop duo, named Elupant featured in this song and I simply became aware of their name through this track. A few months later, Elupant would release the single Crater featuring. Kim Feel. I gave the song a chance because I vaguely knew of them, and I was once again, blown away. I did not know who this vocalist, Kim Feel, was, but I knew that he was indescribably amazing at singing, and something about his voice was just so different. For months, I wouldn’t even know what Kim Feel looked like. I barely knew that he was a singer because I had only seen his name from that one song, and his WIkipedia page didn’t even exist at that time. Then, in mid-June of 2015, I saw somewhere on Facebook that Kim Feel was releasing his first mini album, and that’s when I finally got some decent exposure to him. I finally saw what he looked like, how he placed second on SSK5, and how he had released several singles here and there in the past. His mini album, Feel Free, was everything I didn’t know I wanted, and I loved it to death. Later, he would go on to perform on Immortal Songs 2 and literally make me cry ugly tears from just one performance. Kim Feel is an artist that I got to know and fall in love solely through his voice and music and nothing else. That is the true beauty about singer-songwriters. He is an absolutely amazing artist and has come to be my most cherished one. Unfortunately, he is currently serving in the army right now, but my soul will always belong to Kim Feel and his music.

I didn’t really like kpop anymore.

Book 7

I want this part of my story to simply be about my current thoughts on kpop, in this moment in time, over a decade after first being exposed to this entire culture. In this book, I will pick apart the sort of darker sides in the Korean pop music industry, which are easily overlooked amidst the fervor of fans and idols and flashing lights. This is a perspective that I have come to hone throughout years of observance and trials and growth, and simply maturing into an adult alongside the ever-changing industry itself. My view of kpop has come to change in a way in which I no longer support several aspects of it. There are simply things that go on within the industry that I want nothing to deal with. Things that I have may have enjoyed in the past are now things that I do not need in my life any longer. Please remember that kpop goes beyond music and idols. It is a lifestyle. For many people, it is a way of living about their daily lives: listening to their favorite group’s music, watching countless videos and shows of them, keeping up with their daily whereabouts and activities, knowing their birthdays and family members and personal details, and simply associating themselves with their favorite group in any way possible, as much as possible. For many kpop fans, it goes beyond liking a group’s music: it is liking their looks, personalities, habits, style, affiliations, it is liking everything. It is true that this isn’t the case for nearly every fan in kpop, but I think it is safe to say that it is a common practice amongst many kpop fans. People come to live for these groups, but of course, there is nothing wrong with that. No one knows how to breathe and wake up every day and live for a kpop group better than I do. But I want to make one very important point clear: Kpop is a market and everything is a concept. Now, let me elaborate a little bit more.

1) It is a factory.

I do not recall it being this bad in the past, but nowadays, I can say for sure that groups are debuting left and right, nonstop, almost every week, or even every day. It’s just too much. Too saturated. Talent is exploited.

2) Most of these kids lack talent.

I know that every single new rookie isn’t completely talent-less, but in such a relentless industry, and especially nowadays with the sheer amount of people trying to break through, all these girls and boys look the exact same to me. Long ago, I gave up on getting into and keeping track of rookies. I decided that they I preferred my golden groups, the ones that defined that my own kpop era, and that they were the only ones I really had time for anyway. I am not saying this applies to all of them, because of course there are always exceptions. Take the latest show, The UNIT, for example. These people are supposed to be already debuted idols, looking for another shot at fame. Yet, the most jarring thing I noticed, especially with the females, is that they can’t even sing. Is that not a basic? These girls were out there on stage belting flat notes left and right and it was atrocious. It blew my mind, because even on P101, trainees who haven’t even had “experience” like those idols had, could sing significantly better. I don’t remember when the standard to become an idol dropped so low, but it is outright disappointing to me. For me personally, a nice face or some cool dance moves or a wholesome personality is not going to make you worthy of being an idol. You have to be a performer. And if you can’t even accomplish the basics, as in pull off the right notes, then why even try?

3) There is a lack of self-expression.

This is something that could be argued from several angles, and I am glad to agree that the stereotype has been changing more and more these days, towards a better direction. But if we are to speak straight from the debut days of Boyfriend or Infinite, or even SNSD for example, then the story is a little bit less complicated. It is simple: many of these groups are forced to do things that they do not necessarily want to or choose to do. Although it varies, almost every aspect of these people’s lives is controlled by their companies. The songs they sing, the dances that they dance to, the clothes they wear, the places they go to, the food they eat, the people they have to meet, and sometimes, even the things they say. These are very frequently not 100% under the artists’ complete control. And that is simply… pretty hard to grasp, but certainly true in most situations. Hence the “everything is a concept”. Because it really is. Many of the things that these artists do are a part of a concept that they must pull off, an image that they must present to the public, whether that is their true self or not, little do we ever know. Hoya’s talk about his departure from Infinite and Woollim does a really good job of exposing this sort of culture that goes on behind the scenes. Of course, nowadays at least, many artists are receiving more musical freedom and even the opportunity to partake in the very creation and composition of their own music.

4) Kpop idols are HUMAN.

This is one that I want to emphasize as if my life depends on it. Time and time again, I think the fact that kpop idols are human is something that people seem to completely disregard. I have never seen a fanbase as cruel and scrutinizing as the kpop fanbase. It almost downright scares me. Sasaeng fans are a reality that I wish did not exist, because they are just so rude, inconsiderate, and intense. Those manic, excessive fans really make me fear for idols’ wellbeing. Furthermore, there are so, so, soooo many incidents in which a Korean artist would do this or do that or say this or that and the situation is completely, totally, blown out of proportion. I have read articles about complaints that made absolutely no sense. I want to make this clear: Nobody's perfect, and neither are kpop stars. They will make mistakes, more than once if anything. But how, in the world, in any universe, does that give people permission to write hate comments at them? To bash on every little thing about them? To write petitions for them to leave their respective groups completely? Why do people think that is okay? Why do people not understand that, just like you and me, and anyone else, kpop stars have feelings. Is that so hard to believe? That no matter how small of a word or phrase you use to hurt them, you are instilling hate regardless. And that is not okay. It is never okay. Because they are human. The world, fans, no one, will never really know what is going on in an idol’s life. I do not want to make this part solely about Kim Jonghyun, but I think it is only right to mention him here. It was stated time and time again that Jonghyun was suffering from severe depression, to an extent where he took his own life. And the entire kpop world fell into complete shambles since then. Does this make it more transparent for everyone? That hate comments, that inner feelings and emotions, that all of these things are very real aspects of idols’ lives. It is so extremely hard, for me personally, to watch these idols become decreased to shoddy titles and names over the smallest of incidents. The hate needs to stop. Kpop idols are humans. Please.

5) The exhaustive work schedules.

This basically stems from the whole humanizing kpop idols thing. But I absolutely despise of the fact that is it common for idols to faint on stage, become hospitalized for over-exhaustion, or take breaks to recover. I have one simple question: Why do we have to work them until they reach that point? Are their bodies and capabilities expendable objects or something? Why is it okay? Why is it common for crying out loud? These people are literally worked to their limit, for several weeks on end. Once again, I’d like to point out that they are not invincible gods with undying strength. They are humans. There just has to be something done about the ridiculous work schedules that these people have to deal with. It just is not okay.

6) Companies are milking fans for their money.

This one is a big statement. It is not necessarily completely true for every single company, but it is definitely not wrong in any way at all. Think about why a company would start up a group in the first place. To give these hard working people a chance in the limelight out of generosity because they totally deserve it? No, of course not lol. There is a win-win situation within a lot of these groups, or at least the more successful ones. They earn lots and lots of money, a large portion of which goes straight to company, while also becoming famous and etc etc everything else they’ve always wanted. But companies are playing a game at the same time, marketing these groups to any extent possible. Ever wonder why groups frequently venture into the Japanese market? Ever wonder why groups have to release 4952548 different versions of one simple album (which is totally a newer-generation-of-kpop trend. groups in the past never did this)? Ever wonder why Lee Soo Man purposely created a multicultural group when it probably would’ve been much easier to just make a purely Korean one? Everything in the kpop industry, and I mean everything comes down to money. That is the reality of it. It is a market.

6) The music no longer sounds like kpop to me.

With the massive rise to global stardom that a lot of current day groups have acquired has come the musical shift into which, in my opinion, the overall sound of kpop is very much more westernized. Many groups are following the trend of releasing music that is edm, trap, tropical house, dupstep, etc -oriented. And for me, I’m not digging it. I fell in love with kpop because of sounds like Big Bang’s and Infinite’s older music. But now, the music is so completely different. A lot of these songs honestly just sound like something I would hear playing on the American radio. Which may just be the goal anyway. But for me, if kpop just sounds like everything else now, why would I listen to it? I originally liked it because it was different, and didn’t sound like everything else I was already hearing. But now it just does. Sigh.

7) There has been a complete generation shift.

This is something that I talk about extensively to my friends and peers. I’d like to say that it is something that I am very passionate about. There isn’t a day in which a part of me isn’t internally mourning about the death of my kpop generation. I think the generational shift becomes more and more apparent as time goes by: look at the groups that were active 5 years ago, and compare them to now. Are any of them even the same? Probably not. And that sort of reality pains me a lot. I understand that it’s simply about growth, getting over it, and moving on. But I’ll always reminisce from time to time. Here are the groups that defined my generation of kpop, and what happened to them:

Big Bang: indefinite hiatus (TOP is in the army, w/ the others well on their way)

SHINee: active (this one breaks my heart even more because not only did I constantly commend SHINee for staying whole and active, despite their apparent downfall in popularity and relevance, I was just always thankful for their undying perseverance as an older generation group. The loss of Jonghyun completely broke my heart because it was a reality I never wanted to believe in. I’m still in shock and it really does hurt to think how SHINee’s name will now forever go down in tragedy rather than legendary)

SNSD: indefinite hiatus (this one is a little hazy. It has been stated that the name of SNSD lives on, despite the members being in different companies. A sliver of hope remains for them)

2NE1: disbanded (first they lost Minzy, and then they completely fell apart)

LEDApple: disbanded (or at least i think so?? The members moved around all over the place and I’m pretty sure no one is left)

2PM: indefinite hiatus (Taec is in the army, while the others are doing their own thang for now. I have faith that they’ll return as 6 one day, though. Fight on, 2PM <3)

B1A4: active (i got to see them in feb, too, bless up)

ZE:A: indefinite hiatus (all the members are in separate companies. Minwoo & Taeheon returned from the army already while Kwanghee, Heechul, and Siwan are currently serving. The rest have been doing their own things as well. In fact, Kevin resides in Australia now. They have stated several times that despite being in different places and companies, the group has not officially disbanded yet. It warms my heart to think that there is still hope for them.)

U-KISS: active (they lost Kevin and AJ and Dongho in the year past and I know they’re still managing to stay alive with the addition of Jun as well)

Teen Top: hiatus (L.Joe was caught up in some messy legal stuff with his company and seemed to have left the industry as a whole in a rather ugly way… it definitely hurt to watch this pan out in the way that it did… nonetheless, Teen Top is basically still irrelevant anyway, despite the multiple comebacks they’ve had in years past.)

4Minute: disbanded (;__;)

Super Junior: active (this is such a blessing, honestly, to have Super Junior alive and active, despite alllllll the shit they’ve been through these past years. I know they’re definitely on the older side, but these guys are absolute legends and it makes me so happy to see them still together, even if just partially)

f(x): indefinite hiatus (their last release was in 2015 which means it’s almost been 3 freaking years since we last saw them active as 4, after Sulli’s departure. Wow… I really do hope to see them soon)

Apink: active (but barely relevant…They were also once 7, until Yookyung left in 2012, I believe.)

Girls Day: active (but not as relevant as they were before, either. Their recent, occasional releases have been decent, but not good enough to be big. They also technically lost a member before, too.)

BEAST: active as Highlight (They lost Hyunseung, and then they all left Cube. Miraculously, these boys kept themselves afloat and even established their own label together, as five. I am honestly so happy for what they have accomplished and even though it sucks that we’ll never hear the name BEAST in same way or affiliation anymore, these five guys are still going strong. I think they proved to me that they really do enjoy being idols, which is kinda rare considering how long they’ve been active in the industry)

VIXX: active (and probably one of the most relevant idols out of this list)

Miss A: disbanded (it was unclear for a while, but also pretty obvious because each member went their separate way. But JYP recently declared their disbandment official)

Sistar: disbanded (they were active for exactly 7 years, debuting and disbanding on the same exact day. This one definitely hurt)

BAP: active (they took a long hiatus somewhere in between, but it was well-deserved considering how ridiculously active they were back then. They still come back quite often nowadays, but it is unfortunately safe to say that they no longer leave the same impact as they did years before)

KARA: disbanded (despite adding Youngji after Nicole and Jiyoung left, they couldn’t last long enough. this one also hurt because of how spot-on their music always was for me.)

MBLAQ: indefinite hiatus (the name itself still lives on, and they never officially declared disbandment. but MBLAQ is probably one of the only groups that will go down in pure tragedy in my heart because I really did, truly, love them to death at one point. The departure of Lee Joon and Thunder threw this group into shambles and they barely managed to come back once as a trio, until their company disintegrated before our eyes and screwed them over even more. These boys used to be top of the top, dominating the industry in every way possible, musically and in variety shows, too. But lately, in fact, not even that recently, G.O. had taken to his personal social media to reveal the mistreatment and basically the complete shit they had to go through as idols. He was utterly traumatized by his experiences in the industry, to a point where he never wanted to sing again. But he talked about how the other 2 members gave him strength, as well as the few fans that were left to support him. MBLAQ literally dissolved into ashes right before my eyes, yet no one, and I mean no one, has been talking about this. They honestly just went through so much and have lost a lot as well. It hurt so bad to watch such an amazing group fall apart so fast, without even making a sound. Fuck the industry.)

Wonder Girls: disbanded (these legendary girls first faced the departure of Sun, and then Sohee. Sunmi was added into the mix after a very long hiatus, but they lasted for about 2 years until they officially disbanded)

T-Ara: indefinite hiatus (this group has faced a ferocious path of ups and downs. First with Hwayoung, and her departure, then with Areum and her departure as well, and then the very sudden departure of Soyeon and Boram. The four remaining members have decided to not renew their contracts with their current agency, but it is unclear if T-Ara still really exists at all at this point.)

Block B: active (and thankfully pretty relevant, I think)

Boyfriend: hiatus (Donghyun is on the Unit right now. I know they haven’t been super active in the past years, but when they tried, it was lackluster. They’ve definitely lost a lot of the momentum they once had years ago :( )

After School: indefinite hiatus (so many members have “graduated” in the past years, that only five are left now. I honestly can’t recall the last time they released music, but I can tell it’s been a very long time…)

CN Blue: active (but unfortunately very irrelevant anyway. They celebrated their 8th anniversary recently though! Congrats (: )

Rainbow: disbanded (so so so sad…)

Infinite: active (bless the heavens. Hoya’s departure shattered my world and I was admittedly a sobbing mess for several days on end. But their impending comeback is going to warm my heart and ears, I just know it. It’s been a good one whole year and a third since I last saw them come back. I have definitely missed their once steadfast presence. Welcome back, my loves <3 )

Welp, that was quite refreshing, to take a quick peek at the histories of these groups that once defined my middle school years. It definitely hurts to count how many times I had to write “disbanded” or “indefinite hiatus” because of how unclear and shaky a lot of these groups’ futures look. It has been pretty obvious for a while, that with the progressive crumbling of this once sturdy, strong, and seemingly invincible gang of groups, a new era of groups has been ushered in to take center stage and render the rest of the once-legends weak and irrelevant. Groups that used to make headlines on the daily basis and smash charts consistently are now barely hanging onto existence in the industry. It is quite painful to watch. There are many times where I just want to go back to those days where the names and faces and songs that were “mainstream” were the ones that I could actually recognize and enjoy. Now, it is quite the opposite. Adieu, my generation of kpop.

I just really don’t like kpop anymore. (but I still like Korean music! :) )

#kmusic #kpop #korean pop music #the untold story #this took a really time tbh #but it has been on my mind a lot #maybe this is like my final farewell to my once beloved kpop days aha #it will always hold a special place in my heart #but ive just kinda moved on from that phase #it's just not the same #but at least infinite is coming back!!#(:

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magnaturbaestinurbe-blog · 7 years

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PODCAST BROS. AU

I. Bros being bros and podcasting about nerd stuff.

XV. Bros being bros, podcasting about nerd stuff. (Dustin: How were you received by the dudebro cheeto dust contingent? I assume they're treating you well? They're super classy individuals.)

XVI. Oh, and Hopper is El's manager\literary agent? Okay? Okay.

#featuring: Newberry Award-Winning New York Literary Darling El #Slowly Realizing He's Found His Vocation Lucas #Mike Wheeler: Frustrated Bisexual #Benevolent Taste-Making Nerd Lord Dustin #and Coming To Grips With The Fact That He Possesses Actual Talent Will #outlines and outliers #ordinary stuff #junior mystery inc.#Stand By Goonies: The Extraterrestrial #in media res #modern woe aus

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topicprinter · 7 years

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A recent thread debated and discussed the merits of writing. The conversations steered more towards content creation or whether writing is a necessary condition for success. What seemed missing were comments about the intrinsic value of writing and it’s relationship to living a meaningful life.I want to share a perspective that doesn’t seem common in this community.Reading and writing for me are as necessary as eating healthy, being active, and maintaining strong relationships. I read and write to maintain my mind, process my memories, introspect, and, at times, make connections between domains that influence my business, content, and client services. I read and write for life, which my work is but a small part.I travel the world full-time while running my business helping students apply to American universities. I have a popular college admissions blog and Youtube channel, I write guest articles, and I occasionally share original content on /r/applyingtocollege, a subreddit I help moderate.But 99% of what I write may never been seen by the public and has little direct relationship with my business. I estimate that I write 600,000 – 800,000 words each year. Some days I write nothing, others I write 5,000 words. Once, in early 2015, I wrote 20,000 words in one day.For every 10,000 words I write, maybe a few pages are worth sharing or meet my own standard for “good” writing.I don’t have a travel/lifestyle blog, I never post on the travel subreddits, and I am more like a backpacker who happens to work. I rarely interact with digital nomads nor do I identify as one. It is also very rare that I make posts like these, sharing what are otherwise private habits. In short, I haven’t turned my lifestyle into a brand or commodity.I write 2-3 times per week an hour or two each time. I write about the previous few days, my thoughts, interesting people I met, etc. What I write isn’t so important than doing it.Here are my journals from 2014-2016 and the ones from this year.Sometimes, in the process of writing, I have new ideas for content. I sketch videos, scribble potential blog posts, organize myself, etc.It took me over a year to get my “process” down and many hundreds of pages before I actually began to enjoy writing by hand. Writing is hard and often unpleasant work. Many days that I need to write I don’t feel like it, but I write anyways.I tally various things to help me remember how long I’ve spent in certain places, and I also keep a list and a few words where I spend each day.After I finish each journal, and at the end of each year, I reread my writing and I take pictures of the pages. My process is introspection meets the scientific method. I upload these pages onto the cloud. I regularly dig into old material to produce new ideas. I transcribe some of the information into word documents like which countries I have visited, people I’ve met, and where I was each day.If anything happens to my journals, they are preserved. My mom has an envelope with my will and bank accounts. She also has the master password and a list of friends and family that accesses everything I’ve ever wrote in the past ten years. I am building my legacy now.I also write on my computer. Word processing allows you to be less intentional than writing by hand. I find I more carefully choose my words and write more economically by hand. I spent the first half of 2016 writing 40-50 essays about my travel and lifestyle. I produced about 40,000 words and subjected them to a few rounds of edits. I haven’t done anything with it although they may be the foundation for a personal site or future book. I write more for myself than I do for others.Every writer has their own process. A lot of people ask how I write, but what works for me is unlikely to work for someone else. The most important thing is simply to write something, anything. Write about how you don’t like writing or don’t know what to write.I find writing with tools you enjoy helps. When I can, I buy Moleskine lined journals. I recently started writing with a Lamy pen. I enjoy Lamy because it writes smoothly and doesn’t bleed. I tend to put too much pressure on my pointer finger and strain the tendons, so a quality pen makes the process more enjoyable.I recently published a comprehensive guide to UT-Austin’s admissions process that also provides insight into selective admissions processes at universities nationwide.I wrote my book because I am fascinated by college admissions. It is personal, and I have unconventional views that people find are worth sharing. From brainstorming to publication, it took me five months to produce the final 250-page end product. I had to teach myself the entirety of self-publishing. It consumed my life for the first half of this year.My book is the summary of my academic and professional career. The passive income is nice, and of course it has helped my business. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else during the first half of this year than write my book. I don’t recommend anyone to write a book unless their soul is in the game.You should never write a book because you think it will make you money. It probably won't be a very good book nor make you much money.By writing so much prior to tackling my first public project, I was prepared. It’s like a swimmer who trains for years before competing in the Olympics. Despite a ton of self doubt and insecurities, I am proud of the book I eventually published.I am converting the lessons in the book into a course on Teachable that will have a lot of neat premium content that isn’t out there in the college admissions world. I will release this within two weeks. I have an outline for my next book also on college admissions. Perhaps in the next year, I will share my more personal writings. My book and other professional content is only a small fraction of my total writing output.I read a lot. I have averaged 45 books per year, and this year I may hit 60 or 70. I keep a record of each book I read in my journal.Here is the list of every book I have read since moving abroad.You may notice, with a few exceptions, a complete absence of the sort of books regularly referenced here. I prefer the classics, philosophy, and modern literature.I take Nassim Taleb’s approach that almost anything newly published probably isn’t worth reading because it hasn’t been tested by the passing of time. If a book was published twenty years ago and we are still reading it, chances are they may be onto something. It’s no accident people still read Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People almost a hundred years later.I have no interest in an eReader, and because my life fits into a 44 liter backpack and 9-10kg (roughly 20 pounds), I make the sacrifice to carry my books around. At any given moment, I may have 2-7 books.I give them away, write notes and leave them in hostels, and sometimes DHL them to friends who may enjoy them. I read whatever comes my way especially when I don’t have access to quality literature like in the Caribbean, Bolivia, and Mozambique where I ran out of books. I also didn’t buy my first smartphone until last summer.I love going to book stores, and it gives me a challenge each time I need to find something to read. I have met a lot of amazing stories meeting book store owners or falling into books I had been seeking. Not having access to Amazon makes me appreciate more those books that speak to me.I read because I like to continue my studies started during my undergraduate career. I studied the humanities and social sciences. I never took a business or an education course yet I am running an education business. I learned how to think, digest material, and make connections between different domains.Because of my education, I live more meaningfully. In turn, I am also successful professionally. When students write about any myriad topics, chances are I have read or have at least a passing familiarity of their content. Reading makes me a better editor.By reading while writing, I made a lot of seemingly unrelated connections and integrated those perspectives into my book. I more regularly wrote and edited in flow states, but 80% of the time I was writing very mechanically and not so creatively. If you write when you only feel motivated or creative, you won’t produce much. Writing without reading won’t get you far either.I’m pretty old school, but my process works for me. What works for you?Thanks for reading. Feel free to ask any questions.From Holland

#/r/entrepreneur #reddit

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frettboard2016-blog · 7 years

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Nine Days With an Absurd $nine,000 Gaming Laptop

New Post has been published on https://frettboard.com/nine-days-with-an-absurd-nine000-gaming-laptop/

Nine Days With an Absurd $nine,000 Gaming Laptop

There may also exist inside of you a preference that burns white warm for the Acer Predator 21 X, but you may by no means buy this PC. It is not for you, because in case you need this PC, you possibly can’t have enough money it, and if you may have enough money it, you’re probably antique enough to not want to spend $nine,000 on a PC that weighs as a great deal as a small toddler, and might even pick out up after itself.

But if you’re reading Gizmodo you’re nevertheless enough of a gadget fan to want to at the least recognize the $nine,000 PC. To that cease, I spent 9 days operating nearly completely with Acer’s ode to excess.

Here is its tale.

Day 1: The arrival This is certainly one of 300. “Why is there a dragon on it,” a person asks. “Why shouldn’t there be a dragon?” Our workplace supervisor seemed suspiciously from me to the box, which is the dimensions of 3 ten-12 months-olds squeezed collectively. “It’s a PC,” I defined.

While the workplace manager was incredulous, others were extremely joyful. “I need to sit within the container,” a colleague shouted even as snapping pictures.

Following the covered instructions, I managed to open the large cardboard box—as well as the almost indestructible Pelican case contained within. Desiring not anything more than to sport, I plopped the Predator 21 X on my knees as I would a MacBook. Fortunately, I used to bicycle plenty, so I’ve got sturdy thighs that don’t weep underneath the load of 19 kilos of pc—easily 4 instances the common weight of a PC.

When I informed inquisitive on-lookers the fee, they looked at me aghast. Why does a $9,000 device exist? I didn’t have a great solution.

So I pulled the trackpad out of its slot and showed human beings that it could be flipped over and used as more than a few bad. Everyone agreed that changed into very neat.

The trick earned the laptop its first “wow” unrelated to length or price.

After an hour and ten minutes of use, the computer died. It turned into after 5 pm, and I did now not want to locate outlets for the pics (two!) necessary strength components, so I left it on a coworker’s desk and went home.

Day 2: Set up Tobii eye trackers are usually chunky, but on a laptop this huge it disappears into the hinge. When I was given to the office, I sooner or later discovered shops for the 21 X’s two 330 watt strength resources and began to apply the computer in earnest. It comes with Tobii Eyetracking, however, it didn’t look like operating. The Nvidia six drivers were out of date too.

Nvidia GeForce unhelpfully uninstalled its drivers, and the PC broke for twenty minutes. I uninstalled the whole lot with the Nvidia name. Reinstalled. Inexplicably, the attention monitoring began running on the third restart.

After three hours of futzing with drivers and settings, I got Rise of the Tomb Raider strolling. My coworkers crowded across the laptop shouting their recommendation on how to walk in a direct line. Take a second, remember when there has been handiest one controller for the SNES at a shut eye party. This moment became like that, but burlier.

Yet there was precisely one coworker who did not care. She was the only who informed me to mute the computer earlier while she’d had sufficient of Windows notifications exploding from the computer’s four speakers and two subwoofers.

In case you didn’t think there was a subwoofer or. Now she turned into indignant because the paintings day turned into over and those had been peering at a PC. “Let’s move get beer” she bellowed.

The horde agreed. I saved my game and closed the PC. The battery turned into still not fully charged.

Day three: Making my way downtown, component 1 The wearing case. “You are taking this at the educate.” It turned into no longer a proposal. My boss and I agreed which you couldn’t evaluate a PC without checking out its mobility—how easy it changed into to p.C. Up and move around.

In the case of the Acer 21 X, it is a chore. Thanks to the mild curve of the show, the lid does now not sit flush, so the 19-pound computer can’t simply be shoved in a bag. The 21-inch show might crack. So I packed it again up into the Pelican case and headed home an hour and a half early.

No one questioned this.

A female supplied to help me deliver it down the second flight of stairs to the train, but I declined. “I want to try this for myself,” I said. With a MacBook Air, for contrast. On the educate, every person eyed me like you constantly eye the asshole with big baggage on a rush hour teach. It changed into most effective four:45 pm on a Thursday, but the teach crammed up to the closer to Brooklyn we got. When I arrived at my stop, I had to muscle my manner to the door and pray the wheels at the case didn’t roll over a foot. I am too delicate to be shouted at by cranky commuters.

Off the educate, I made it up one flight of stairs, a line of annoyed passengers forming at the back of me. A guy wordlessly held out a hand and helped me up the second one flight of stairs.

New York is nicer than you’d count on it to be. The MacBook Air looks as if a toy perched on a pinnacle of the 21 X. It is.Four miles from the train station to my domestic. The sidewalks aren’t the easy and smooth ones of the Flatiron District. They’re damaged with concrete jutting up out of the floor. On the day I delivered the Predator home, it had just rained, and at the same time as the streets had been dry, puddles of brown, stagnant lousy lay in a pedestrian’s direction at each intersection. I lifted and dodged and moved quickly domestic. The transport weight of the field is 70 kilos, and among the Pelican case, electricity supplies, and a 19-pound computer I turned into positive I turned into dragging all 70 kilos behind me.

The dog and cat were both alarmed by the monstrosity that took up house in our living room. That night my roommate arrived home. She noticed the laptop on my lap and couldn’t take her eyes off of it. “Is it like…For army?” she asked. Her voice changed into a whisper, barely heard over the hum of the device.

No. It changed into now, not for a navy.

Day four: I can not sense my feet

Powering on. The journey domestic had really affected me. Like the quality friend in a 19th-century novel, I became plagued by a cough and a sniffle and a weakness of indeterminate origin.

My only salve changed into the PC. I determined an area for its two plugs, settled it on my lap, and downloaded Mass Effect: Andromeda. The gadget did no longer just like the internet in my home and it took an hour, three tries to repair the internet, and one restart to download the game. $nine,000 buys a whole lot of PC, but it couldn’t solve fundamental issues of laptops plagued by means of weird net and old drivers.

The laptop rested on my thighs and destroyed all sensation underneath my knees.

“I cannot experience my feet,” I texted a friend at three:30 pm. Playing the game at the 21 X’s keyboard and the usage of its trackpad became a examine in painful frustration. I couldn’t get comfy. The Cherry Brown mechanical key switches had been great, and the trackpad gave me 0 problems, but the spacing among the keyboard and trackpad felt all incorrect, especially whilst the PC became sitting in my lap.

I, in the end, gave up and determined my Xbox One controller.

Gaming became immediately greater pleasant.

Day five: Never thoughts, everything hurts I played Mass Effect for longer than I must admit in a polite organization, and no less than the gaming overall performance is superb. The twin Nvidia GTX 1080 video cards and the dual 512GB SSDs in a speedy RAID 0 configuration, plus the 64GB of RAM and the Kaby Lake i7 processor method that is handily the quickest PC on the planet—with the aid of specs on my own. It had 0 troubles giving me a hundred and twenty frames according to 2d at the 2560 x 1080 21-inch show. And with two Nvidia GTX 1080 playing cards, it would be genuinely not possible for recreation play to lag

As lengthy as the laptop was plugged in. After a totally uncommon lavatory break, I sat go into reverse, balanced the computer across my lap and become startled to look the game had slowed to a move slowly. I end. Restarted. Played again. It was nonetheless slow. Then I found out the plugs had disconnected, and I changed into strolling on battery strength. I plugged lower back in and balance turned into restored The energy elements. You may want to swing them over ahead with the aid of their cords and likely kill a person. Until my controller commenced to randomly disconnect every short time. As if the PC knew I’d been gambling Mass Effect for 12 hours and needed a wreck. I got aggravated and powered off for the night.

Day 6: It’s hot in here The emblem lights up whilst the computer is on. Neat. It becomes over eighty degrees outside. The warmth didn’t trouble me, till I balanced the PC on my knee. Then I was reminded of summers in Texas, my god daughter sitting in my lap, all sharp bones and sweat and a furnace that could rival anything burns on your basement.

The laptop is like a toddler I can put in a container on the give up of the day.

The discomfort grew too bothersome for me to disregard. I attempted putting it on my secretary desk, however, it became too big—too heavy—to be supported. That gap. I ultimately gave up and went and performed Mass Effect on my ordinary PC. I straight away missed the expanded subject of imaginative and prescient the 21 X afforded me. The 21:9 ratio is actually awesome for gameplay—even on a smaller 21: at nine display like that of the 21 X. Moving to my 50-inch 4K TV ought to have meant the whole lot would feel bigger, however even as the belongings rendered by using the game had been large, the sixteen:9 ratio felt definitely claustrophobic.

Yet I persevered to play, due to the fact I did now not miss the heat, or the disconnects, or the crushing weight of capitalism on my thighs.

Day 7: A day of rest I stone couch, and labored hard at my task, and I used the 21 X as a stand to keep my telephone.

It was better this way.

Day eight: Making my manner downtown, part 2 My dog has a fear of packed bags. I am continually aware of it, distracting him with treats whenever I must % a bag for a ride. As I dismantled the X-21’s energy supply and carefully packed it back into the case, I seemed up.

The canine notion I changed into going for properly.

But I became now not. Instead, I took a Lyft to the workplace and an elevator up the stairs. “Is that a computer?” a co-employee laughed.

“Yes,” I stated.

Day 9: Goodbye old buddy I shot photographs in the afternoon. The pc felt heavier than standard, its fans and lovely little beeps have been a cacophony overwhelming the quiet hum of the newsroom.

The 21 X isn’t always a device intended for silence. It isn’t a system meant to be overlooked. It catches eyes, and earns feedback, and traces my arms when I want to transport it.

When I left that night time, leaving behind it, I felt no regret. It had reaped the reward it become constructed to earn. I had written approximately this $9,000 laptop, experienced it, so you—and your credit card—do not should.

Even now, long after it’s been put away, I nonetheless struggle to apprehend who it’s far for. It might be for those who spend $a hundred,000 on a car or a $5,000 on a cellphone. Yet, this is luxurious completed inside the plastic of peons. It’s a weird creature that cannot aesthetically attraction to the only-percent, even though they’re the simplest ones who should afford it.

So perhaps it is for the game enthusiasts. The obsessive individuals of the PC gaming community who fear over benchmarks and specifications like maximum of us worry over pricetags. Its sheer strength and the glowing lighting fixtures could be appealing to a gamer. But it can’t be upgraded. In 4 years, it’s going to, absolute confidence, be obsolete, its energy a rival only to smartphones or destiny all-in-one VR headsets. And for this reason, this will be a horrific buy for a gamer.

I think it’s miles best for you. The individual who read this assessment and continues to be reaching for their pockets, keen to have a $9,000 communique piece taking on all the area on their table. God rattling is it something to speak about.

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trendingnewsb · 7 years

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Period A Week Early Is No Longer A Pain If You Know All These.

However essential the monthlies are to procreation and female health in general, having them is always a pain.

As women, most of us have a love-hate relationship with our periods. We love it when they happen on time and are neither late nor early, and do not cause us too much of discomfort or hormonal hullabaloo; but still hate having them in general.

And while a late period could put us into panic if we are sexually active and practicing birth control (pregnancy scare!), having your period a week early is just as bad. If you have had a regular cycle up until now, it’s usually a tad alarming too. Here’s all that could be behind you getting your period a week early…

Hate Getting Period a Week Earlier?

Having a sudden early onset of periods can be quite the pain, literally and figuratively for it ruins so much. Be it that weekend you were planning with your significant other, or a quick vacation, or even that all-important job interview/presentation you had planned to ace – unexpected periods can put a spanner in your works, literally and figuratively.

Other than taking you unaware and causing embarrassing bleeds that show through your clothes, getting your period early also means that you need to figure out the hows and the whys behind it, instead of getting yourself all worked up.

How The Normal Period Cycle Works?

Not every woman’s period is the same, and normal periods tend to be a little different for everybody as well. Most girls will start their periods in their pre-teens or early teens, say 11-13. That said; it’s fairly normal for a girl to start having her period anywhere from eight years old to say about 15.

A period cycle is counted from the first day of a period to the first day of the next period, mostly this is 28 days, especially if you are on the pill and regulated by it.

However for adult women, normal cycles can range from 21 to 35 days while for teens this could 21 to 45 days as well. [1]. The actual menstrual flow aka your period could vary as well and the bleeding could be as little as two to three days or as much as a whole week.

Mostly though, within three years of you starting your first period, your periods should have stabilized into a cycle you know is yours. And it may not be run of the mill “normal” to begin with.

Sometimes your cycle may also vary, be 27 days or sometimes 30 and another time you may get only a 24-day respite before you start with your menses again. This is still normal [2]…

When Should I See A Doctor About My Periods?

To heavy or too light a flow, a debilitating pain during the period and sudden irregular cycles after years of having normal ones are times you should head to the doc about your periods to rule out any hormonal or health issues.

Also if your period skips a month or two and you are not pregnant, if you feel sick after tampon use or even the fact that you are 15 and still not had your period yet could all be cause to make an appointment.

Reasons For Getting Your Period A Week Early

So we have established that sometimes, getting your period a week early is basically no biggie. There are so many different reasons for getting an early period, including harmless ones like a change in diet or physical exercise, stress, weight, sleep or any other little or big change in your routine.

Face it, the human body is a weird thing indeed, with plenty more weirdness that science is still at a loss to understand. If you have been through any changes in life, and your period comes early, be happy that your body is well and responding to that external stimuli. It really is no big deal.

Reason 1: You Are Stressed

Stress tends to affect periods in weird ways. Too much of it can throw your body out of whack and cause stress hormones to rise, which in turn affects the pituitary gland that in turn affects the ovaries – causing early periods, late periods and even missed periods [3]…

If you have got your period a week early, see if there is anything in your life stressing you out, and then try to make positive changes around it to regularize your menstrual cycle [4]

Reason 2: You Have Lost Or Gained Weight

How much you weigh can affect your periods in myriad ways. Simply because how much you weight affects hormone production and so in turn changes your cycle for good, or bad.

A sudden weight loss brought on by too much of dieting, a hardcore exercise routine or even an illness can cause your till now normal cycle to shrug off its responsibility and go haywire.

Similarly, a serious weight gain, which in turn could also be a sign of hormonal imbalance to begin with, can throw your menstrual cycle out of gear and cause you to get your period a week early, or even a week late [5].

To regularise your period, stay within healthy weight parameters and eat balanced meals.

Reason 3: You Have Started Or Stopped Birth Control

Be it those tiny pills, that IUD or any other birth control mechanism, these things try to regulate your cycle through hormones and may temporarily cause a hormonal imbalance in your body, before it all simmers down to normalcy (and in the case of pills, lighter periods that are like clockwork!).

Starting or stopping birth control can cause your periods to misbehave and come early, late or skip a time entirely [6].

Reason 4: There Has Been A Change, Any Change

So while things like these are completely unrelated to your periods (or so you may think), sometimes just a change in your lifestyle can bring about a change in your period, causing you to get your period a week early, a week late or mayhaps none at all.

Pregnancy can bring about spotting (and sometimes, unfortunately, a miscarriage as well) and you may mistake this for an early period, especially if you are unaware about you being pregnant.

You might have popped a morning after pill (Oh my god I forgot my birth control). Or you may have started a diet, or stopped one, or just hiked yourself silly, or moved cities… You may suddenly be having an active sex life, or broken up with the love of your life, breaking your heart in the process.

Many an extrinsic factor can affect your period, and frankly, it is okay that your body is aware of these changes and accordingly responds to it [7]

Reason 5: You May Have An STI/STD

So in case you were bit adventurous in the sack with the wrong kind of guy, you may have landed up with an STI – and sometimes STIs remain sneakily inconspicuous with the only symptom being bleeding between periods, which you may mistake for an early period.

However if your “early period” has a way lighter than normal flow, its time you think about your bedroom activities and head to the doctor [8].

Reason 6: You Have Pre-Existing Gynecological Issues

If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, uterine fibroids, endometriosis (abnormally heavy endometrium) and or any other uterine or ovarian issue, irregular periods may just be part and parcel of your life.

If you have not yet been diagnosed but have faced irregular periods for long, its time you did go and get yourself checked to rule out any minor or serious underlying health issues that may be causing those irregular periods [9].

So that’s it, the reasons behind you getting an early period can be something as simple as stress, or as serious as an STI/STD. Remember to rethink all that has happened to you before making any snap judgments and feel free to visit the doctor in case you feel that something is up… The key is not to panic and find out the underlying cause, so that you can make positive changes around it.

Reference

[1]^Womens Health: Menstruation & Menstrual Cycle[2]^Kids Health: Irregular Periods[3]^Everyday Health: Managing Stress During PMS[4]^Everyday Health: Anxiety Tips[5]^Only My Health: Correlation Between Irregular Period And Weight Gain[6]^Young Womens Health: Birth Control Pills All Guides[7]^Elite Daily: 8 Reasons Why Your Period Came Early[8]^Girls Health: STI Symptoms[9]^The Surrey Park Clinic: Period Problems

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Text

Period A Week Early Is No Longer A Pain If You Know All These.

However essential the monthlies are to procreation and female health in general, having them is always a pain.

Hate Getting Period a Week Earlier?

How The Normal Period Cycle Works?

A period cycle is counted from the first day of a period to the first day of the next period, mostly this is 28 days, especially if you are on the pill and regulated by it.

Mostly though, within three years of you starting your first period, your periods should have stabilized into a cycle you know is yours. And it may not be run of the mill “normal” to begin with.

Sometimes your cycle may also vary, be 27 days or sometimes 30 and another time you may get only a 24-day respite before you start with your menses again. This is still normal [2]…

When Should I See A Doctor About My Periods?

Reasons For Getting Your Period A Week Early

Reason 1: You Are Stressed

If you have got your period a week early, see if there is anything in your life stressing you out, and then try to make positive changes around it to regularize your menstrual cycle [4]

Reason 2: You Have Lost Or Gained Weight

How much you weigh can affect your periods in myriad ways. Simply because how much you weight affects hormone production and so in turn changes your cycle for good, or bad.

A sudden weight loss brought on by too much of dieting, a hardcore exercise routine or even an illness can cause your till now normal cycle to shrug off its responsibility and go haywire.

To regularise your period, stay within healthy weight parameters and eat balanced meals.

Reason 3: You Have Started Or Stopped Birth Control

Starting or stopping birth control can cause your periods to misbehave and come early, late or skip a time entirely [6].

Reason 4: There Has Been A Change, Any Change

Pregnancy can bring about spotting (and sometimes, unfortunately, a miscarriage as well) and you may mistake this for an early period, especially if you are unaware about you being pregnant.

Many an extrinsic factor can affect your period, and frankly, it is okay that your body is aware of these changes and accordingly responds to it [7]

Reason 5: You May Have An STI/STD

However if your “early period” has a way lighter than normal flow, its time you think about your bedroom activities and head to the doctor [8].

Reason 6: You Have Pre-Existing Gynecological Issues

Reference

The post Period A Week Early Is No Longer A Pain If You Know All These. appeared first on Lifehack.

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2oMEVJW via Viral News HQ

#IFTTT #Viral News HQ

0 notes