Illusiveone
patreon
240: Redoing my Life, Billions and Billions
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 20:19:40 +0000 UTC“So what do you think?” Matt asked.
I leaned back in my chair, hands laced behind my head. John was on the call too, both of them looking very eager.
“So… it’ll be three of us doing this?”
“Yes,” they said in perfect unison.
Matt leaned closer to the camera. “Think about it, this'll be so much fun to do.”
What they had pitched me was of all things a podcast. Not a normal one, either. They wanted to do it in character, like an in-universe radio show broadcasting out of Gotham, talking about the “events” of the DCU as if they were real: street-level gossip about Batman sightings, speculation about Superman, wild conspiracy theories. And all of it played straight.
I’ll admit, my reaction was muted at first. But as I sat there, I started to turn it over in my head. It could actually work something for the hardcore audience. A meta-narrative outlet. Even better, a place for me to bleed some of my creative process into the public without it looking like studio PR.
Considering I had access to every actor and actress in this universe, we could even sneak in some cameos. It would give the fans a taste of the bigger picture a way to tease, to mislead, to feed the mythology.
I rubbed my chin, grinning. “I think it would be fun to do.”
John sat forward. “So you’re in?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Let’s do one. See where it goes.”
Matt clapped his hands. “Okay, but you’re writing the script.”
I blinked. “What script? Let’s just do it off the cuff. See what happens.”
They both laughed at my words.
We spent another ten minutes hashing out small details, then we cut the call.
My monitor glowed in front of me, and I turned back to what I’d been working on before the call on screen showed a script, one written by Gillian Flynn.
I met Gillian Flynn about a year ago and expressed my interest in working with her, and she expressed interest in working with me as well.
A month ago, I finally pulled the trigger. I came to her with an idea. Mostly because of the whole Cassie thing, I remembered something.
Misery.
In my old life, Stephen King had, of course, written it—a brutal little novel about obsession, control, and madness. But in this world, King never wrote it. There was no book. No movie. Nothing.
I pitched it to her as both a screenplay and a novel dual development: my idea, her writing. She agreed instantly. Gillian thrived on psychological torment, and Misery was right in her wheelhouse.
I didn’t even mind not writing it myself. The truth was, I didn’t have the time anymore. Between DC, Netflix, Midas, and a dozen other things, I had to learn when to hand things off. Gillian wasn’t just the right choice; she was the perfect one. It would be a Gillian-and-Daniel novel and script in the end.
When I finished correcting the last batch of changes, I sent the notes back to her. Once this was done, it would go into production immediately another Midas project.
And it wasn’t the only one. The next five years were already mapped out. Some projects small, cheap. Others big, sprawling, expensive gambles.
I had some scripts Paul brought biopics and horror. I was already planning to make Midsommar and The Witch. And World War Z; I was close to getting the rights.
I had movies planned with Nolan, Greta Gerwig, and Edgar Wright. And then there was Dune—the crown jewel. Acquiring the rights had been a war in itself, but I won.
The next five years were going to be big.
Of course, to make this all come true, I had to survive some big problems coming my way, the biggest being the entire Cassie issue.
Margot and I had gone to the D23 dinner last month and came to the assessment that Cassie needed to be dealt with, especially that we needed to plan this out. She had those crazy eyes when she saw me come in with Margot… fucking scary.
The Disney dinner had been good for me, other than the whole Cassie thing. I managed to lock in conversations with a few higher-ups, even people in Lucasfilm. I met Kathleen Kennedy. I already knew her husband, but this was my first time meeting her.
From it all, I came to the realization that Star Wars was once again a disaster waiting to happen.
The sequels had no plan, just like last time. They were throwing things into production blind, hoping nostalgia alone would carry them. I’d seen it play out once before, and now I was seeing it from a different perspective. The brand itself had had problems since the prequels, and it was now headed for a big disaster.
Bob Iger had been very friendly. He’d all but said he wanted to work together, and I made sure to make my interest in Star Wars very clear. I was also having second thoughts about being involved at all—since the Star Wars fanbase was going to be, let’s just say, explosive in the next few years, it could be a big headache and challenge for future Daniel Adler.
But then again, that was for future Daniel Adler to deal with.
Present Daniel Adler had bigger problems. Cassandra-sized problems.
The door opened, snapping me out of my thoughts. Margot stepped in.
“Carter is here...Lucia too,” she said.
“Oh,” I muttered, glancing at the clock. “They’re early.”
She came right over and sat down on me practically pinning me in my chair.
“So you’re really going through with this?” she asked, eyes searching mine.
“Yeah.”
“You do know that if it doesn’t work out, you’ll be ruined.”
“Maybe.”
She gave me a look half unimpressed, half worried. “Okay, so what did you think of my proposal?”
Oh yeah her proposal. Margot wanted in on my big-money splurge. She wanted me to buy an Australian cricket team.
She wanted me to buy a franchise in the BBL.
The Big Bash League. Until now, it had been run by the states, but they were shifting to privatization, selling off the teams one by one. And Margot wanted in.
Specifically: the Brisbane Heat.
She wanted me to buy it so she could run it herself. She came armed with all the talking points: the IPL in India, how insanely profitable it was; how, since the BBL was similar and getting more and more popular, it could be very lucrative in the coming years. Hugh Jackman and other big Aussie names were rumored to be buying in. Margot wanted to be one of them.
I couldn’t fault her logic. Not only was it an investment, it was also a statement to be taken seriously as a celebrity back home, to stand out, to carve her own space.
“Forty-five million,” I said flatly.
Her eyes widened. “Forty-five million?”
“That’s it.”
“That’s it?”
“Okay,” I said.
Margot went from stunned to ecstatic. She practically jumped on me, kissing me hard. “Trust me,” she said between breaths, “it’s going to be great.”
“We’ll see where it goes,” I said with a smirk.
She pulled back, glowing, and I added, “But this will be all on you, Mags…”
“I also want something else from you for doing this.”
“Oh? What is it?” she asked, getting closer.
“I want more say over the house.”
Her eyes narrowed immediately, catching the smirk on my lips. “Fine,” she said, reluctantly.
We shook hands like professionals sealing a deal then, less professionally, she tugged me in for another quick kiss.
“Now go,” she said. “Don’t keep them waiting.”
I adjusted my shirt, ran a hand through my hair, and walked out with her.
=====
In the living room, Carter was already seated with his team. Lucia was there too, now working under him.
I spread my arms as I entered. “Welcome, people who handle my money.”
“Daniel,” Carter said warmly.
Lucia greeted me as well, and the others nodded or murmured hello.
I sat down on one of the couches.
“Alright,” I said, hands clasped in front of me. “Let’s get to business.”
“So I expect this is about something more than the Golden State Warriors buy-in?” Carter asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ve been thinking about some big-money moves, and I need your big brains.”
Lucia smirked faintly. “Well, we’re as big as they come.”
“Of course, Luce.” I nodded at her. “But what I’m about to propose… most of you will not like.”
Her brows knit as she glanced at Carter, then back at me. “Alright. What do you plan, Daniel?”
I looked directly at Carter. “Carter, as of today, I’m worth 2.8 billion dollars. And you said I could get a loan up to one billion.”
Carter’s lips pressed tight. “Not recommended… but yes. With your Netflix stock as collateral, it could be done.”
I gave a small nod. All those early investments in 2009 and 2010 Netflix, Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, real estate were finally paying off. Add in Midas, Caleb’s fashion line, John’s gaming company, Stardust, and DC Studios, and the number kept climbing.
Lucia broke the silence. “The three-hundred-million-dollar loan you wanted? That can be arranged easily.”
“Three hundred?” I shook my head. “No. I don’t want that. I want eight hundred million.”
Lucia’s eyes widened. “What?”
Even Carter shifted in his chair, his voice lower now. “Daniel… why?”
“Because for what I’ve planned, I need that much.”
Carter leaned forward. “Is Mr. Morgan not covering the Warriors deal with you?”
“He is. And I still plan to invest with him,” I said calmly. “But I need the rest of the money for other ventures.”
Lucia’s tone sharpened. “What other ventures?”
I leaned forward on the couch, meeting her gaze. “First: sports. That includes the Golden State Warriors, and…” I let the pause hang. “…buying a cricket franchise in Australia.”
“Cricket?” Lucia repeated, almost incredulous.
The room shifted; one of the younger analysts muttered under his breath. Carter looked skeptical but curious.
“Yes,” I said firmly. “The Big Bash League is opening to private ownership. Margot’s been wanting to buy in. If its Indian counterpart is any indication, this is going to be very profitable.”
Carter leaned back, arms crossed, studying me. “That’s… unconventional.”
Lucia’s lips tightened into a line. “Unconventional is one word for it.”
“Yeah, Margot will handle the cricket details later. But let me move on…up next games”
“Do you plan to buy more video game companies?”
I shook my head. “No. Not video games. I’m thinking board games and tabletop. I’ve got some ideas for new ones myself… and I want to buy a company called Games Workshop.”
Lucia’s head snapped up. “Games Workshop? As in Warhammer’s Games Workshop?”
“Yeah.” I knew Lucia was interested well, her brother was, and she was into the lore. She’d even made some characters for our D&D games based on Warhammer Fantasy.
She exhaled sharply. “Daniel, I don’t see any path other than a hostile takeover if you want Games Workshop. They’re known to be very independent. I don’t think they want to sell.”
“That’s the plan,” I said simply. “A hostile takeover. I think two hundred million will do it.”
Carter muttered under his breath. Then, louder: “It will be difficult.”
I waved my hand. “Time to start hiring people who do this professionally, Carter. I really think this will make me a lot of money.”
And I knew it would. Games Workshop would explode over the next decade; there was a lot of money to be made.
Carter straightened in his seat. “Alright. What’s next?”
“Real estate. I want to put more money into it. Then the rest about four hundred million left I’ll split into tech.”
Yes—tech. That was my big plan to make billions; this was the perfect time to do it.
“What specifically?” Carter asked, leaning forward.
“Building some Data centers…Imagine Adler Cloud services,” I said.
The room reacted instantly. Carter groaned, another analyst actually laughed, and even Lucia pinched the bridge of her nose.
“That’s not a good idea, Daniel,” Carter said.
I lifted my hands. “Just think on it—that’s all I ask. Give me a reason not to do it, and I’ll make my decision after. But the next one—I definitely want to make happen.”
Lucia eyed me. “And what’s that?”
“I want to make an app.”
She smirked. “An app? Like that one Jeremy Renner made?”
I blinked. “What? No. I want to make something I know will be worth billions in the future.”
Their skepticism was evident, but I pressed on. “You all know what Vine is, right?”
Lucia nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Carter raised a hand. “I’m familiar.”
A couple of the younger analysts chimed in too—yeah, they’d used it.
I leaned forward, hands spread. “I want to make something similar. Think about how people consume media right now. On Instagram, it’s mostly pictures with some short videos. On YouTube, you search for what you want and then watch a long video five, ten, maybe thirty minutes.”
I paused, making sure everyone in the room was with me.
“People want to be entertained instantly. That’s where my idea comes in. Instead of picking what you watch, the app feeds you an endless stream of short, addictive videos fifteen to thirty seconds each. Comedy skits, dances, pets, music, tutorials, anything. And every time you swipe, the app learns what you like, so the next video is even more tailored to you.”
I could see Lucia’s eyes narrow, Carter leaning back, the analysts exchanging glances. They were listening, even if skeptical.
“Vine,” I continued, “but smarter. Longer. Imagine YouTube, but bite-sized.”
“I call it… TikTok.”
.
.
.
This was a chapter focused on the financial side of things.
I don’t really have plans to focus on Daniel’s tech ventures; they'll stay as background moneymaking investments like the rest. This story is, of course, focused on entertainment after all.
But Daniel has indeed decided to curse the world with brainrot while gaining billions.
Oh, and with the BBL. I made a change so that they decided to privatize in 2015, something they’re only considering now in 2025. When I thought of Daniel investing in sports, I came across the BBL. Since it’s in Australia, and Margot’s Australian, I thought it would be fun to include.
Comments
June Soriano
I just reread this chapter, too bad that Star Wars is still going to be messy even with George Lucas still having a say in the development of the story.
TehStorm
Nice chapter! I am curious if Damson Idris will have the same impact on black culture as chadwick boseman had. On this universe at least, Idris should be the first - modern - black superhero to hit the screens.
Cinema Man
Fucking Star Wars grifters I HATE them anyway if Daniel decides to go ahead he needs to make sure Disney has his BACK and build a dream team of writers, producers, and directors to wage a war of excellence against those fake elitist fucktard "fans" 👿👿👿 anywho 40k nice for all I can dislike some of Ward's fanboying some of his other writing changes was PEAK the Necrons having personalities/dynastic rivalries was a *chefs kiss* perfect addition.
