ALIAS Episode 18 I Sydney && Vaughn

I think the reason that Dimension 20 really scratches all those itches in my brain is that it really shows what you can do with D&D---and TTRPGs as a whole.

Fantasy High, by itself, is an incredibly compelling concept. What would D&D look like in a semi-modern setting? What would a high school that's all about teaching teens how to be adventurers look like? And the way it's done is beyond inventive, especially if you look at all the encounters in the first season---we've got a literal food fight, a high-speed road chase with tiefling greasers, a nightclub brawl with zombies, vampires, and werewolves, a skating match with a bunch of dwarven middle schoolers and a concrete golem, a high-stakes game of football (ish) with undead jocks that give off major teen slasher vibes, a fight done in an arcade where characters can get trapped in the consoles, and the final battle is done at prom. PROM! How cool is that?

And then we get to the Unsleeping City, which takes the urban fantasy elements that Fantasy High already had and elevates it. The way the D&D lore and magic is interpreted in a modern New York setting is excellent, as is the whole take on the "American Dream," magic literally coming from dreams, ideas, and the imagination. I know that I need to actually finish the UC saga, but from what I've seen and experienced, it is truly fantastic.

And the same energy carries through to the other seasons---my personal favorite outside of Fantasy High being A Court of Fey and Flowers, just because I'm a sucker for any Fey Realm content and I've been raised on Jane Austen---where the genre mashups shine through in the best way possible. I'll admit, I haven't seen A Crown of Candy, purely because I know how heartbreaking and devastating it is and I don't think I can physically handle it, but the concept of Candyland Game of Thrones is so beautifully bizarre that I totally get why people love it so much. Escape from the Bloodkeep hitting that workplace comedy vibe that we love to see in villains. Misfits & Magic being a love letter to the "magical boarding school" genre while also calling out all the weird contradictions inherent in it. A Starstruck Odyssey literally being an homage to Brennan's mom and exactly the kind of madcap and unhinged energy I need from my sci-fi. Neverafter perfectly encapsulating the true horror of fairy tales. Mentopolis hitting my noir-loving heart and personifying hyperfixation in the best way possible.

I'm not even kidding when I say that, if it weren't for Dimension 20... I probably wouldn't have even started my own campaign. I'd had snippets and ideas ever since officially getting into D&D and joining a game with some old friends (and getting back in touch with them in the process), but after I saw the Mentopolis trailer, I realized just how much variety TTRGPs had to offer. I could do a time-blending, history-meets-future campaign. I could go out-of-the-box. I could have endless amounts of options available to my friends and still tell the story that I wanted to tell. And when I sat down and watched Fantasy High---and when I got that Dropout subscription so I could consume whatever I wanted---it felt like the show was actually giving me advice. It's fantastic.

Also it helps that the episodes are usually only roughly a couple hours instead of being, like, an entire afternoon long. And that each season is 20 episodes, tops. No offense to Critical Role, but the sheer amount of content literally makes it impossible for me to get into it.

any combination of 4 and 5 (whatever suits your fancy) and rosquez 🙏

4 / 5. where it hurts / where it doesn’t hurt

2013 - Laguna Seca, USA.

“Are you seriously still catching on your breath? Is this what being old is like? I thought you were an athlete.”

With one arm still covering his eyes, Valentino blindly aims in the direction of Marc’s voice, his hand first hitting the mattress and then Marc’s side, making him giggle.

When Valentino finally moves his first arm up, he turns his head and finds Marc on his side next to him, elbow on the mattress, fist supporting his face. He’s stil naked, a couple of curls matted to his forehead, a trail of sweat glistening on his neck.

He cleaned himself and if it weren’t for the small signs, you could almost believe Valentino didn’t pull an orgasm out of him a mere couple of minutes ago.

It’s the kind of thing that serves to remind Valentino of how much younger Marc is, compared to him. How young he is, period. It goes with that honking laugh he manages to get out so often, the words he says sometimes that shows he still has hope for things Valentino has stopped believing in a while ago.

Marc has lived, though. Valentino can’t deny that. He’s lived more things (both incredible and traumatic) than most people his age. By the time you’re 20, you’re not supposed to have two world championships under your belt and to already have had to decide which part of your vision you were willing to lose to keep your dream alive.

Marc’s innocence also lies in the way he interacts with Valentino. The tentative flirting at first that eventually led to bold moves once Valentino let it transpire that he could be interested in him. The way he moved around Valentino now, uncaring of people’s opinion about them. The amount of time he wanted to spend with him, not realizing this is not how things are supposed to be with one of your closest opponents.

Valentino brings one hand up to Marc’s face to push the sweaty locks away from his forehead. “You’re insatiable, aren’t you?”

Marc smiles, his teeth bright, a contrast to his tan skin. Valentino remembers that session of testing in Austin, back in February. Himself back on that Yamaha after the two yeas of hell in Ducati and Marc already impressing everyone. All the riders had been hanging together at a bar that one night, and Marc had invented him to play darts -or, well, had dared him really, telling Vale he had to buy Marc a drink if he won- and then he stood so close to him, aiming that same exact smile at him.

Valentino had lost. He caught Jorge snickering when they met at the bar, Valentino holding one beer in each hand.

“Sorry,” Marc of the present says. “I thought you’d be able to keep up but maybe I took too much of your energy on the track today.”

Valentino rolls his eyes, poking Marc’s shoulder while he’s at it. They’d had nice battles today and that had been great even if Valentino knew he was going to have to hear about that corkscrew overtake and the parallel with his own on Casey for a while.

“Using my own moves on me like that? I don’t know if I’m proud or if that bruised my ego,” Valentino huffs. He’s joking, probably, for the most part.

(Valentino would never talk to Marc about how he’s handling his own feelings regarding his struggles and Marc’s successes this year. This is light banter, though, he’s fine.)

Marc giggles again. Valentino thinks he should stop loving the sound that much. “Aw, probrecito. I’m sorry.”

Valentino is ready to protest but then Marc is moving, leaning over him with one hand on Valentino’s cheek before he kisses the corner of his mouth. “There. Magic kiss. Ego is fixed.” Valentino might actually physically blink at him. Marc doesn’t seem to notice, kissing him properly before setting more of his weight on Valentino, slotting one leg between his. “Now I can get you ready for round two, yeah?”

Marc starts tracing a line of kisses down Valentino’s throat, his nails scraping Valentino’s ribs.

Valentino lets his head fall back on the pillow behind him.

His cheek feels the warmest where Marc’s lips initially pressed against his skin first.

It’s nice.

2023 - Jerez, Spain.

Valentino can’t pinpoint the exact moment in time he picked up a Marc Marquez radar for his brain. One day, he was still used to being the head everyone would turn to when entering a room, the next he would know where to find a certain devil no matter the corner of the room he was hiding in.

Sometimes he made it easy with his laugh that carried over. Sometimes it was pure intuition. There had never been rules to the thing. It surprisingly didn’t disappear when their relationship went down the drain.

As things stand, Valentino isn’t exactly surprised when it takes him 7 minutes of having entered a club in Jerez before he notices Marc at the bar, alone.

Tonight is a Wednesday. Valentino is pretty sure he heard from his brother that Marc wasn’t coming back this weekend, still handicapped by the hand he injured in Portugal. He might still go by the paddock tomorrow, considering how this is still a home race to him, Valentino supposes.

With his own previously acquired drink in hand, Valentino settles himself in a dark corner of the VIP section. Easily, his eyes find Marc again, moving on the dancefloor. Valentino watches as Marc’s hips imprint on the rhythm of the pop music playing in the air. He watches as people approach Marc, trying to engage him in conversations or trying to slip hands on his body, inviting him over. Marc refuses them all.

It lasts for exactly three songs and then, Marc locks eyes with him. Valentino instantly feels caught, his cheeks warming up in shame, but he doesn’t budge. Marc’s face doesn’t change. He stays impassible and emotionless like he’s always know how to be. He doesn’t stop dancing and after a couple of beats, he turns his back to Valentino, moves away from yet another person trying to have a go with him.

People used to use that -Marc’s demeanor- to put them against one another. Valentino Rossi and his big mouth and his big expressive eyes, Italian and taking up space in the room. Marc Marquez and his PR face, the tight smile that didn’t tick when asked irritating non-sense questions in press conferences, the closed-off posture that always seemed to be there to protect himself from the rest of the world.

Everyone and their mother had an opinion on which attitude was the best and which one was the less professional of the two, the less entertaining, the less in line with what fans wanted out of the racers they idolized.

Marc didn’t used to be like that. When he started in MotoGP, Marc was sunny, daring and having fun with the journalists, always wearing a smile that showed his teeth and that he couldn’t contain even when he wanted to.

They say 2015 changed him. They say Valentino changed him.

Valentino tries not to think about that. He misses Marc’s real smile more than anybody on the internet who never got to have Marc’s full attention on them.

Eventually, Valentino tears his eyes away from Marc but doesn’t move from his seat. He’s looking at his phone when somebody sits down next to him a handful of minutes later and Valentino knows who it is before he even has the time to pocket his phone away.

Valentino watches as Marc grabs his drink on the table in front of them, fully expects the grimace that passes over Marc’s face and still snickers when it appears. “That’s a gin tonic.”

Marc is still making a disgusted face when he puts the glass back down. “I don’t like gin.”

“I know,” Valentino says, following Marc’s movements as he pushes himself against the back of the bench, shoulder touching Valentino’s, knee bumping against his.

“Were you planning on watching me all night? I should make you pay at this point, seems like you were enjoying the show.”

Valentino snickers, crossing his arms over his chest. “I was just wondering how long you were going to play hard to get. That’s not really your style.”

It’s mean. Valentino knows the moment the words leave his mouth. He sees the moment they hit Marc when a dark cloud passes over his features. He quickly fixes his expression.

(Ever the PR-trained star.)

Regret burns on Valentino’s tongue almost immediately. Hurting Marc intentionally is not something he’s been wanting to do for a long time. It’s the only way he knows how to act around him, though. Especially when Marc is acting detached like that. Especially when Valentino can’t even remember the last time they had to share the same air, even less the last time he knew how to act around Marc in a way that didn’t make him want to yell out of frustration afterward.

When people ask Valentino about his relationship with Marc, Valentino always says there is nowhere for them to go. It’s the easy solution to hide the truth that is the fact Valentino doesn’t know what to do to give them a future that makes him feel at peace.

It’s not even a lie considering Marc’s apparent thoughts on the matter, anyway.

The press of their bodies together makes a long line from shoulder to ankle. It’s both suffocating and hard to ignore. Valentino doesn’t have it in him to put space between them. When Marc puts his hand on Valentino’s thigh, shivers instantly travel down his spine.

“Right,” Marc says. “That was more yours,” he continues while the fingers of his right hand play the piano over Valentino’s jeans. When he looks down, Valentino can catch the fresh scars on his skin. “But you taught me so much, Valentino, haven’t you heard?”

Valentino takes a big breath, trying to keep his brain in the game, trying to ignore the way Marc’s fingers are moving up towards his groin. “Oh yeah? Which thing do you think has been the most useful to you? Or which one did you prefer?”

He didn’t expect Marc to play and Valentino feels rusty as hell. He’ll be damned if he doesn’t try to hang for the ride, though.

“Hm,” Marc tilts his head to the side, faux-thinking. “I’m not sure.” His hand squeezes Valentino’s thigh. Valentino can feel himself getting hard.

“So what’s tonight about? You want a lesson to help you decide?”

The words feel cringy to his own ears but they’re the best Valentino can provide at that point in time. Looking at Marc, he can’t tell if Marc is affected by the situation at all and it’s maddening in the worst kind of way.

Marc considers him for what feels like an eternity. Valentino tries not to move, tries to win the duel they haven’t pronounced but are probably having anyway. They’re so close the only thing he can fixate on is Marc’s terrible attempt at a mustache. He’s about to say something about it when Marc moves, his hand going to Valentino’s shirt and his head getting closer.

Valentino closes his eyes on instinct.

Marc’s breath is hot when he deposits his next words right into Valentino’s ear.

“I already made one big mistake in the first Grand Prix of the season, might be better to wait before the second one, no?”

His eyes still closed, Valentino feels his heart ringing in his ears. And then, the warmth of Marc’s lips when they press against the corner of his mouth.

It takes Valentino a moment to open his eyes. When he does, Marc is gone.

The left side of his body feels intensely cold.

The skin on his cheek burns.

It hurts.

i‘ve been thinking lately what it means to write fanfiction, especially RPF like i have. i understand that real person fiction will always be a moral greyzone, and there‘ll always be people who are in favour and people who are against it. but. that‘s not even what i‘ve been thinking about.

what i can‘t stop thinking about recently is how fucking BEAUTIFUL fanfiction is. how much creativity and determination it takes, how much energy and willpower to see it through, and how much mental load is required for it. like, for example, i‘m currently working on something where i‘ve put my character as the youngest sibling in their family, when the person that the character is based on is the oldest in real life. it shouldn‘t be a huge difference besides the fact that i changed their entire family around and invented my own, but it makes a big difference in how my character just is. they‘re no longer the big brother type, they no longer have experience changing diapers or send their first money back home so his little siblings can buy something nice. instead, they‘re battling growing up in the shadows of their older siblings and leaving the nest last and nothing they do ever seems new to their parents. that‘s a huge difference, actually.

and so i guess what i‘m trying to say is that fanfiction writers have fucking powerful minds. they can take anyone they encounter in their lives, be that a real person or an already fictional character, and place them into a completely new place with completely new life circumstances by their imagination alone. they‘re able to think those tiny, tiny things through and give them all a place in their story. they have the power to create a completely new scenario that you haven‘t even thought of, let you hang out in it for a couple of hours and then send you on your way again. and you might not even realise just how much thought they have put into it all, into the details, until you try to recreate it and realise how much care it takes to write something.

fanfiction is beautiful. fanfiction writers are fucking great and powerful and all deserve a forehead kiss.

Challenge Modes

I admit that I like Path of Exile's compromise:

If your hardcore character dies, they are no longer hardcore. They're not instantly deleted, or marked unplayable. It's just that you can only be a hardcore character if you've never died.

Though I do also understand the Nuzlocke and Diablo system of intentionally drawing attention to the loss for maximum emotional damage. It's not about the hurt; not really. It's about the threat, and the potential for thrills coming from that.

I've been trying out Hardcore City of Heroes for a couple days. The rules are:

It's solo. In an MMO. Okay, sure. Well, we've gotta do SOMEthing with those quiet servers, right?

If you die, you're dead. Delete the character.

You must take on an arch-villain every 10 levels. If you hit level 10 and haven't defeated Frostfire, go into your settings and turn off xp.

You can't set dungeon levels to be lower-level than you are.

You can't use the auction house.

You can't use the Architect (fan-made levels), with its ridiculous power-leveling options.

My personal rule for it, in the Nuzlocke's "emotional damage" camp:

You have to spend at least 5 minutes making your character.

Like NoNat1s who - as far as I know - invented the rule set, I've also opted to eschew the movement power pools (flight, teleportation, super speed, super leaping) until at least level 14. I'm also avoiding the extra powers and enhancements from the (now free) Pay 2 Win Vendor. I don't think, as he does, that Radio Missions are actually a huge boost in solo play. They give good rewards, but the bulk of that reward is xp and you've got the arch-villains to make sure the player's actually enhancing. What the rule against them really does - and I support this - is make the player look for stuff to do. Go find badges. Seek out plot. All that. The other thing it might do, which I consider very dumb, is make players just...grind overworld trash mobs. There's nothing added to the game experience for that, but considering overworld mobs are one of your main hazards it'd be against the spirit of the thing to forbid fighting them.

I dunno how well the feeling will hold up, but I'll admit that this challenge mode did add tension and interest and hype to the first 10 levels of the game and the battle with Frostfire. You have to approach every battle with care. My character is a Scrapper called Limit Cut, and she's a mecha with an energy katana and super reflexes. I picked this specifically to increase the challenge: Scrapper is the most glass-cannon of the melee archetypes, and while its combat and Stalker's are very similar the Stalker archetype has the ridiculous advantage (in a challenge like this especially) of always getting to choose the rules of engagement by being able to hide (occasionally mid-battle, potentially dropping aggro and resetting enemy mobs).

The "cannon" side of it has come in handy; Limit Cut is really good at tearing up enemies and shredding their defenses to make it easier to keep hitting them.

But Super Reflexes as a defense style is very risky; It's entirely predicated on not getting hit, and lacks good answers to enemies that can consistently hit you anyway (like reducing the incoming damage, increasing your health pool, or healing back up quickly). If I make it past 20 I'll be pretty shocked.

There is wish for the future with the USB plug.

On top of that, as bluetooth innovation and also WiFi enhances, we will not require to connect in at all. I was in a resort area in Thailand and I plugged in my battery wall charger packed with batteries from Japan. You could linked into one in Africa merely as quickly as New York City. The global situation is amazingly intricate and also is not getting settled by any global order either. As you could picture this triggered any variety of fires as the cables were quickly overloaded with devices that everybody could not do without. Your Walmart shaver will still die if you plug it into a European socket with a bare adapter, Indians will still be reminded of the British Empire every time they unplug a laptop, Israel will have their own plug which works nowhere else in the world, and El Salvador, without a national standard, will continue to wrestle with 10 different kinds of plug. In 1904 Harvey Hubbell invented the "Separable Attachment-Plug" which was the first screw-in light bulb socket, transformed on with a pull chain.

There is wish for the future with the USB plug. However, it will be years yet prior to there is an alternative to batteries. The power situation in India is so overloaded with the quantity of digital tools there that it's normal to have regular going power failures anywhere. Many thanks to all these developers we now have surge bars that control our power use even in the situation of an electrical storm. This was adhered to by the first screw-in electrical plug, which was screwed into the very same socket as the lighting fixtures. "In the meantime, this means that things really aren't going to change. My battery wall charger might still throw the batteries throughout the area in Thailand.When electrical energy first ended up being preferred home appliances were wired straight into the power hvac system - no plugs.com. We could possibly bring with us a little package with the varying plug types with chargers that would adjust to the regional power setups.

The batteries actually bulged of the charger and also flew throughout the area, absolutely fried and also pointless. Although the power going to the USB plugs still varies, the plug itself is all the very same. Who in 1928 would take a brand-new vacuum china wholesale Wall Wifi Socket cleaner or a lamp with them on a ship to Europe? There was the destruction of Europe and also England during World Battle II and also the need to restore as quickly as feasible." This situation started long ago with folks not understanding just how the development of future global travel and also communication would impact us all.

The Brits took all their electrical devices to India yet after that they left in 1947, leaving an aged variation of their plug still being used in India today. I first discovered this in a most significant means. Here is what Harry Herman composing for "Gizmo" has to state regarding it. Hopefully it will all be undetectable in the wall surfaces and also we will not have to deal with snarls of cords accumulating dirt in those corners OR absence of standard electrical plugs.It would be OK if there were just a couple of variants in source of power and also plug configurations.So what's the problem? Any person who takes a trip understands that these handy plugs are not standardized, nor is the level of power utilize the very same

Question. Do you think BNHA has been too fast? Like. Everything that's happened, from Deku not having a quirk, to gearing up to taking on the big boss who even his mentor - who no hero has previously been able to surpass - wasn't able to defeat at full power. Has happened, pretty much, within a single year. That's... an incredibly short time-frame honestly. Would it have been better if there was more timeskips and training involved before the final battle?

a lot of this actually depends on what you mean by "too fast." because the thing is my answer changes depending on what the question actually is.

do I think BnHA has been too rushed at times? - yes.

do I think BnHA has been too short/would be better if it was longer? - no.

let me start by saying that I'm often curious about what portion of BnHA's readership has actually read the three iconic early 2000s-era series which collectively used to be known as Shounen Jump's own "Big Three" -- Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece. all three of these were long-running flagship WSJ series much in the same vein as BnHA, and in fact BnHA is often seen as a spiritual successor to them. and all three series ran for a very long time. Naruto and Bleach each ran for 15 years and upwards of 600 chapters (Naruto actually ended on chapter 700, and Bleach came close, clocking in at 686). One Piece, meanwhile, is somehow actually still running, currently at 1031 chapters. all three series include all of those bucket list items that readers of BnHA are constantly clamoring for:

loooong, long arcs with plenty of room for the plot to breathe

numerous one-on-one showcase fights for all of the main characters, and a good chunk of the supporting casts as well

training arcs where we spend time watching the heroes learn their new upgrades

and last but not least, timeskips

all that stuff. and all three of these series had one other thing in common as well: they all fell completely off the rails after about five years, and spent the next decade afterwards lingering on as shadows of their former selves. (OP is maybe the one exception, because it still has fits and bursts of energy from time to time, and actually seems to be moving steadily (if very slowly lol) towards some kind of thoughtful, actually-planned-out resolution. that said, it has absolutely had a sharp decline from its glory days, and I will stand by that hot take even if I still enjoy the series.)

there's a gap, I think, between what people imagine a long manga will be like, and what it actually is like. actually it's less of a gap and more of a chasm tbh.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to explore all those interesting plot threads and angles that he keeps glossing over and never elaborating on"

what it actually is like: you know that cool side character/sideplot thing we got introduced to a couple chapters back? here's an entire arc focused on them and their life story! unfortunately this means that we won't actually get back to the main plot and characters for approximately six months. but hey at least we're expanding our worldbuilding.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to focus on character development"

what it actually is like: FOR EVERY. LAST. CHARACTER. including all of the characters that you don't actually give a shit about, unless you're one of those miraculous but lovely people who are genuinely fond of every single one. either way, once again I hope you're good with saying goodbye to the main cast for half a year or more.

what people imagine: "a longer story would give Horikoshi more time to write realistic training arcs and develop the characters' abilities at a more reasonable pace"

what it actually is like: do you know what training montages are. do you know why they were invented. I will tell you why: because realistically-paced training arcs are actually the single most boring thing on the planet. training is literally just repetition of something. the process is always exactly the same, every single time. there's a reason why most writers tend to avoid focusing on it, realism be damned.

what people imagine: "a timeskip would make it more believable for the characters to be at the level that they're at, and would make the story more mature"

what it actually is like: we miss out on months or even years of character development. the characters for some reason always split up over the timeskip period, and so they miss out on months and/or years of relationship development with each other. every single battle suddenly becomes "here is so-and-so's shiny new upgrade, now watch as they either effortlessly win their fight, or else struggle to do so thus making us question whether all that time spent training was even worth it." and also suddenly the series is inexplicably trying to be more mature, which for some reason always seems to mean (1) more character death, and (2) romance!! and not the kind of romance tumblr actually likes, lol. we're talking that good old-fashioned forced heterosexual EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET PAIRED OFF WITH SOMEONE romance up in here.

what people imagine: "a long series would give Horikoshi more time to breathe so that he doesn't feel pressure to keep rushing everything"

what it actually is like: imagine being forced to continue doing something for literal decades of your life, long after all of your motivation and inspiration has dried up, all because your work is continuing to bring in $$$ and the fans don't want it to end. imagine just phoning it in each and every week, pulling new story arcs and new characters out of your ass until the plot has become so convoluted that there's no hope whatsoever of ending it clean, and no chance in hell of every character getting a satisfying resolution, because your cast has simply grown too expansive.

that's what long-running shounen series are like. that's what Horikoshi is trying to avoid (and in fact some would probably argue he's already reached that point lol). yes, the series has been rushed lately. a lot of people have been saying that Horikoshi is burned out; I personally have gotten more of a vibe that he is close to being burned out, and so he's trying to rush to the ending before that happens so that he can give the series the send-off he feels it deserves. I think he has a clear plan for the endgame, but the path to the endgame isn't quite as thought-out, and so he's chosen to fudge a lot of it simply because he doesn't have enough fucks left to waste on stuff that ultimately isn't important. which might not be ideal, but it is what it is.

but just to be clear, no matter how rushed things are, or how rushed they continue to be, I will always, 10 times out of 10, take this over the Naruto/Bleach/OP route. because I have seen that play out more than enough times already, thank you very much lol. and honestly, if the latest arc has taught us nothing else, it's that history would easily repeat itself with BnHA given half the chance, because Horikoshi is just as human as those other writers, and has already spent the past seven years throwing all of his best ideas at us one by one. and eventually he's going to run out, you guys.

so yeah. all good things, etc. this may be one of my most unpopular opinions, lol, but I stand by it.

Class 1 - a reacting to reader that is like Violet evergarden

TW : Killing

When they first met you.They were shocked to see an foreigner from a country in America.Oh god how can i explain, your beauty is out of the world even though you have an stoic expression plastered on your face.

Mineta be like : oh fucc an angel 🤩😇✨.You are'nt.

One time deku accidentally bumps into you and he suddenly felt a metalic thing from your hands.He just assumed that it is related from you quirk and he apologizes to you said that it was fine.

That when you changed into your UA P.E uniform.

You indeed have robotic arms attatched from your shoulders.

Everyone was like is'nt that cheating?

Bakugou was even confused on how tf did you even passed the test and got a high score and also got into class 1 - a even though you are a person with disability.

Aizawa said that your disablity does'nt matter and it is also an exception and you passed with your skills even though you dont have arms and mostly relied on your prostetic ones.Honestly he's impressed on you

h̶e̶w̶o̶n̶t̶a̶d̶m̶i̶t̶i̶t̶h̶e̶s̶e̶e̶s̶p̶o̶t̶e̶n̶t̶i̶a̶l̶i̶n̶y̶o̶u̶.

The other students are impressed on how meanwhile you kept an stoic face. Your quirk is also cool and you can keep up with the harsh standards of UA.

Iida likes how responsible and always in the state of mind even when you are criticised or made fun of.

The girls asked about your backstory and everyone is all ears one hearing it e̶v̶e̶n̶m̶r̶.l̶o̶r̶d̶m̶u̶r̶d̶e̶r̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶s̶i̶o̶n̶

You said that you lost it while saving your commander who raised you in an battle a couple of years ago.

You admitted on killing a bunch of your enemies and helping out the military in a battle field you said that you train everyday to get better and to be a and deliver a bunch of weapons on the battlefield.

The government lets you off the hook because it's considered an self defense and you are also young.

You were basically an emotionally detached soldier that settles into postwar life.

Everyone has mixed emotions like sad, scared, fazed.Iida asks if you need a psychiatrist you said you already have one (lmao man is reliefed and so is the others and t̸h̸e̸f̸a̸c̸t̸t̸h̸a̸t̸y̸o̸u̸k̸i̸l̸l̸e̸d̸s̸o̸m̸e̸o̸n̸e̸ haunts them) .

They are also ready to throw hands when someone makes fun of you.

Mineta is 😃scared😃of😃you😃.Kirishima thinks your manly and gets tearful in your backstory💪.

You also said that you were highly experienced on using military weapons like bombs, guns, hand in hand combat and teamwork.

You also complimented Bakugo on how his quirk reminded you of the explosions in the battlefield (man is shookt and he is like : is that an insult? ) he ended up blasting a loud ass explosion you just standed there not scared and seemed to bd used to it.

you be like : 👁️👄👁️ yea im used to it.

H̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶s̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶o̶m̶e̶e̶m̶m̶o̶t̶i̶o̶n̶l̶e̶s̶s̶w̶a̶r̶f̶r̶e̶a̶k̶.Y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶t̶r̶o̶n̶g̶t̶h̶o̶a̶n̶d̶r̶e̶s̶i̶s̶t̶a̶n̶t̶t̶o̶h̶i̶s̶q̶u̶i̶r̶k̶.

Deku inspires a whole ASS 3 page in his notebook about you and questions your experiences in the battlefield while fighting if you want to

You agreed and he just started interviewing you while scribbling on his notebook.You were also interested on how he documents every students or heroes analysis.You also help him on how to write more specific details to add to his hero journal.

Present mic is also ✨amazed✨ on how you can speak english fluently. Everyone in the class is kinda having a bit trouble in that subject so during break time you ended up teaching them on how to improve on that subject.

You also rivals iida's intelligence and basically beside him on the rank 2 h̶e̶f̶e̶e̶l̶s̶t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶n̶d̶.Nonetheless you two get along since you two are the most responsible students in the class.

One time you ended up getting paired with shoji and hagakure to apprehend Mr.snipe and to be able to pass to go through training camp.

DAMNNN girl your basically the only one who can be able to dodge Mr.snipes quirk.SHEESH he's having an hard time targeting you since your fast.You ended up knocking him out from behind and the team wins because of you.

He complimented you and you replied in the most calm voice "I like how your bullets tried to target me too bad i ended up dodging it." he be like : 😃🤠🗿🔫 what? (overall he's so impressed on how you had no problem dodging his bullets)

KSKSKKSJA one time monoma tried copying you quirk on the sports festival he ended up touching your robot arms not your actual skin 😂 lmao he ended up loosing to you.

The whole class 1 - a : 👁️👄👁️,😃,😂🤭,😶 tf did i just witnessed.

Bakugo said that it is the most hilariously stupidest thing that he's ever seen.

Mei hatsume from the support course department adores you.One time your arms got deattatched she ended up reparing it and upgrading it to be more easy for you to use for your everyday life.

You also like her active energy and most of all you like the way she never gives up even tho her inventions failed and she tried again and again until she improves.

The fun started when you move into the dorms.Mineta almost passes out when he sees you armless.You were like : eh whatever you will get used to it 🗿.And everyone was like that how you clean or adjust your arms 👁️👄👁️.

They asked if you needed help.You said no thank you💀 (that's a bit harsh lmao).

They were like watching you clean in and attatch it they were like : 😬,🧐,🤔😮 , they also asked if it its painful and heavy attatching it (you said no thanks to mei she ended up making you easier to move everyday)

You thanked them for being concerned and explains that it does not hurt and you just fell basically numb.

When they also got to know you better you were such an calm nice person and you only kept to yourself.One time they tried making you laugh you just kept an face like this : 🗿 s t o i c.

They also noticed that you love writing waxed letters in your typewritter. A

Everyone in the class be like why dont you just use a phone.You said you did'nt have one they were like : 👁️👄👁️ uhm.They respected your opinion tho.

You also said that you also prefer writing your letters like this because most of your comrades back when you were working in the battlefield they use it as a way communicate to their family living far away from them.

They were so touched 🥰🥺💞.

BONUS : It was valetines day and UA is throwing kinda like an Valetines festival.Aizawa said that we can do anything like throw a party, create love booth anything valentines related.

So basically iida is at the front and everyone was making suggestions on what to do while you help him write your classmates suggestions on the board.

You suddenly said that why dont we do something diffirent and not that much common.Iida allowed you to speak so you did

" I was thinking on opening an confession booth where you can express your feelings to the one you love it can be basically to anyone for example a student,your friend, a teacher or your either your parents and we will write a love letter to them and help them declare your love to each other.Probably we will need a bunch of papers, envelopes, a typewriter and a bunch of people who is skilled in writing also we need someone that is skilled in baking to make heart shaped cookies like sato ."

Everyone was : 👁️👄👁️

"I think that is too much i humbly apologi-----." before you can continue iida interrupts you and said that it is the most amazing yet unique plan to capture someones heart in valentines day.

Everone likes your idea and Momo ended up volunteering buying the items and ingredients that you mentioned and Sato volunteers to bake the cookies and Deku volunteers on making the letters with you.

Meanwhile the others helped on decorating the so called "Love Confession Booth" that is located in your classroom.

The day comes and the whole upperclassmens are stoked to see what their underclassmens valetines booth are like.

An certain student from the general studies requested an love letter to give to the one she likes . You interview her whilst typing on your typewriter and she just spatted on how she really likes him and adored him.You ended up finishing the letter she requested a few minutes ago and putted it into an pink envelope and a heart shaped red cookie that sato maked.

She thanks you and a few moments a later she broughts in a boy and said that the love letter that you made worked and they ended up together.

Now the booth was empty bakugou was like : "NOW WHAT YOUR IDEA IS SO STUPID AND CHEE------."

The ground started rambling and a crowd appears mostly a bunch of upperclasmens and underclassmens mostly of them are begging you to make them a letter and even paid you.You said it is free and there is no need to pay.

Requests started pouring in and many of your upperclassmens praised the class on making good bussiness even the upperclassmens in the bussiness course loves your strategy in thinking of such an amazing idea that is eye capturing yet diffirent.

The class is overwhelmed but all of them and you managed to survive after a long day.

Thanks to you there are many upperclassmens dating now (lmao the teachers are like : is that even possible HSHHSHSHS) the seniors also gave you the nickname :cupid💘 (JSHS lmao)

Meanwhile the whole day your face is just like this : 🗿🗿🗿ok while writing cheesy love letters.

After a long day you opened your shoe locker and ended up getting a bunch of thank you letters, flowers, stuffed toys and a ton of chocolates.

You don't like sweets that much so you ended up giving some of them to your classmates as your valentines gif

Everyone was like blushing (●’◡’●)ﾉ when you handed them a thank you letter with a bunch of heart shaped chocolates.You even gave Mineta one.Lmao he ended up crying due to joy(e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶y̶o̶u̶r̶s̶h̶i̶t̶t̶y̶y̶o̶u̶a̶d̶d̶s̶p̶i̶c̶e̶t̶o̶t̶h̶e̶a̶n̶i̶m̶e̶a̶s̶w̶e̶l̶l̶a̶s̶t̶h̶e̶m̶a̶n̶g̶a̶

Note : the gif not mine a̸n̸d̸s̸o̸a̸r̸e̸y̸o̸u̸

ORIGINALLY by : bokunosoul

Inside the Wire - Chapter 1

During their final battle with the Storm Hawks, Cyclonis is stopped just short of destroying the Dark Ace. Victory, however, eludes them. With Cyclonia fallen, and escape to the Fareside cut off, they're forced to confront the consequences of their actions.

How had it all gone wrong?

 She'd spent a considerable amount of time asking herself that question over the last month. Admittedly, her memory of the final battle was a bit hazy in places, but she had had precious little to do except think about that day, piecing all the details back together.

 Her anger had gotten the better of her after Piper and the Sky Knight achieved Perfect Attunement, saving themselves from what should have been certain death.  Actually, that wasn't quite right.  She had been angry at the Storm Hawks, yes, but her anger hadn't gotten the better of her until Dark Ace spoke.

 "Do something, you arrogant witch!"

 Yes, that's when her control had slipped, emotion overriding intellect.  How dare he speak to her like that!  She knew that he had been growing increasingly frustrated of late.  How could she not?  He didn't bother trying to hide it.  Still, that didn't give him the right to spit commands and insults at her!

 But he was right about one thing.  She had to do something if they were to avoid snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But, unfortunately, her own innate power was no longer a match for her two opponents, which left her without many options.  And so, she did the first thing that came to mind.  She drew power from the giant Farside crystal that kept her terra afloat and protected and bound it to the Dark Ace.  

 It wasn't enough.

 "More!" he demanded, and she obliged.  Still, he wasn't satisfied.  "More! More!"  She sent a steady stream of crystal energy into him until he screamed with the power of it.  Vaguely she heard Piper yelling at her to stop.  The concern in her voice made her grin.  She should be concerned!  Just a bit more power, and Dark Ace would be unstoppable!  A crackling nimbus of red energy began to surround him.  Just a little more.

 Piper was yelling something else, but she paid no attention.  All her focus was on Dark Ace.  They were so close!  So very c-

 A shockwave blasted her back, breaking her connection with the Farside crystal.  Her back collided with the solid rock of Cyclonia a millisecond before her head did, and she crumpled to the ground, dazed and winded. It took her a moment to recover enough to stagger to her feet and retrieve her staff.  She spotted Dark Ace nearby, lying unconscious, before glaring at Piper and Aerrow, who were blasting away at the Farside crystal, trying to destroy it.  Her vision was blurry, making it look as if there were two of each of them. Fantastic.  With the Dark Ace out cold, it was time to pull back and regroup. Pointing her staff at him, she levitated them both and flew, a bit wobbly, toward the fortress proper.  They would retreat to the Farside, where they could take their time to recover, gather new forces, new technology, and plan a new attack on Atmos.  This battle may be lost, but the war wasn't.  The war wasn't over.  The war would never be over until the people of Atmos finally accepted her sovereignty over them all.  That was her birthright!  Why did they have to make things so difficult?

 Behind her, a large explosion sounded.  They had succeeded in destroying the Farside crystal.  No matter, there were more where that came from.  She was halfway up the stairs to the doorway to the Farside when a streak of blue zipped past her, and suddenly Aerrow stood at the top of the stairs, daggers drawn and pointed at her.  

 "Going somewhere?" he asked lightly.

 She dropped Dark Ace and pointed her staff at Aerrow, aiming at his heart.  "Get out of my way."

 "You know I can't do that."

 The crystal on the end of her staff began to glow as she powered it up, preparing to fire.

 Something tapped her on the shoulder, and she glanced over to see that it was Piper's staff. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. Surrender, Cyclonis."

 Her grip on her staff tightened, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Aerrow. "You can't win," he said reasonably. "We have you surrounded, and any minute now-"

 The fortress shuddered, and Aerrow continued with a victorious little grin, "The guys are going to take out the pontoons. Cyclonia is going down."

 A second, more violent shudder followed closely on the heels of the first, and she looked outside to see that Cyclonia was, indeed, beginning to slowly sink toward the Wastelands.

 She, however, would not be going down without a fight. They were stupider than she thought if they expected her to surrender peacefully. She might as well tie her own noose while she was at it to save some Atmosian hangman the trouble.

 The only path forward for her was through that doorway. So she fired the burst of crystal energy she had charged at the Sky Knight and bolted for the door before he had even begun to dodge out of the way. She wished she didn't have to abandon the Dark Ace, but she had no choice. He'd understand.

 But she only made it a couple steps before she was hit from behind.  She fell, muscles seizing up as electricity coursed painfully through every nerve in her body.

 Vaguely, she heard Aerrow ask, "You got this?"

 And Piper answered, "Yeah.  Go deal with the Dark Ace."

 "Oh, Piper, you stole my trick," she said through clenched teeth when Piper finally let up. Once able to move again, she flipped onto her back, bringing her staff up to block Piper's downward swing.

 "I've been waiting for the chance to pay you back after that demonstration you gave me on Terra Tundras."

 "You know, that offer I made you then still stands. It's not too late to join me. The Farside really is quite the sight to behold. Come with me and see for yourself."

 "Tempting," Piper deadpanned. "But I think I'll stick with the side that isn't literally crumbling down around us."

 With a twist of her staff, Piper disarmed her. She flung out a hand, willing her staff to return to her, but Piper dealt her a sharp clip to the temple, breaking her already wavering concentration.

 "It's over. Now get up. Our ride's here."

 "No. I'm going down with my terra."

 "That would sound a lot nobler if I thought you meant it, but the door to the Farside is still active, and there's no way we're letting you run off and plan a second invasion."

 Reaching down, Piper grabbed her by the forearm and hauled her to her feet before herding her to where the Condor hovered just outside. Aerrow was already there, forcing a barely conscious Dark Ace onto the ship.

 "You let me go through that door, and I swear to you there will be no second invasion. You'll never see me again. C'mon, Piper, we can both get what we want."

 "No," Piper answered with grim finality. "You have a lot to answer for. And you will."

 Cyclonis rolled her eyes. Must the Storm Hawks be so insufferable all the time? Slowly, subtly, she tried again to summon her staff. A sharp jab from Piper's staff staggered her. "Don't," Piper warned.

 Once onboard The Condor, Piper kept her staff leveled at her. "Crystals. On the ground. Now."

 She slipped a few crystals out of concealed pockets and set them on the ground.

 "Good start," Piper said with amused exasperation. "Now, the rest of them."

 "It hurts that you don't trust me," she said, pressing a hand over her heart.

 "Finn," Piper called to where he stood, aiming his crossbow at Dark Ace while Aerrow bound his hands behind his back. "In my room, on the shelf above my lab table, is a lead box. Can you go get it for me, please?"

 "Uh, sure," Finn said and ran off to do as she asked.

 "Keep your hands where I can see them," Piper told her. "And no sudden movements. I'd hate to have to zap you again."

 "I'm sure."

 Momentarily, Finn returned with the box. Piper flipped open the lid and withdrew a metal cuff studded with a small purple crystal. Grabbing her hand, Piper closed the cuff around her wrist, twisting the key that was already in the lock and pulling it out. The key itself was strange, with dual tines possessing different bittings, suggesting a locking mechanism that was decidedly more complex than what you'd typically find on a shackle.

 As for the cuff itself, a cursory study of the crystal revealed it to be a leecher.  Of all the diabolical...

 Her carefully cultivated nonchalance evaporated as she yanked at the cuff, trying to pry it off, but it fit too snugly, and the lock was too sturdy.

 "Relax," Piper said with a smug smile. "The leech crystal's so small it will only interact with crystals that are within arm's length of you.  So, you have nothing to worry about. Right?"

 Cursing under her breath, she rid herself of the rest of the crystals she had hidden on her, dropping them to the ground and taking a few hasty steps back to put a safe distance between herself and them. This day was disastrous enough. She didn't need to lose a hand on top of everything else.  

 "Your invention?" she asked wryly.

 "Built specifically with you in mind."

 "How shockingly sadistic of you."

 "Glad you approve."

 Honestly, she would appreciate how ruthless Piper was being if she weren't the one on the receiving end of it.

 "Are you two done with," Finn slowly circled his hand, gesturing to the space between her and Piper, "whatever is happening here? Can we lock them up now? I think, uh, Stork will feel more comfortable once they're locked up. And Radarr. You know how much she freaks out Radarr."

 "Almost," Piper told him before turning her attention back to her. "Hands behind your back."

 "That won't be necessary," she replied.

 "That's really not for you to decide. Don't think I've forgotten that you're still a threat, even without crystals."

 "Am I? I seem to recall you saying that I fight like a girl."

 Piper narrowed her eyes at her. "Hands behind your back. We don't need you trying to cause trouble. Or freeing Dark Ace so he can."

 She raised her chin imperiously and uttered two words that were, in hindsight, foolhardy under the circumstances. "Make me."

 In humiliatingly short order they did, indeed, make her.

 Hands tied behind her back, she was slung over the shoulder of the team's Wallop, who carried her to the room they were to be held in until they could be handed over to the authorities on Atmosia. Dark Ace walked behind them, his face a carefully impassive mask. Aerrow brought up the rear to make sure Dark Ace didn't try anything.

 Once in the room, they were sat on chairs, back-to-back, and another rope was secured around them both. Someone had been watching too many cheesy old action-adventure movies. The Storm Hawks left, and the door closed and locked behind them.

 She turned her head to look at Dark Ace, but he was staring straight ahead, making his intention to ignore her clear. To be fair, she didn't blame him for having nothing to say to her. She couldn't come up with anything to say to him, either. Nothing productive, anyway. It had been a long while since either of them had had anything kind to say to the other.  They sat in uncomfortable silence, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall.

 She sighed after a while. The light was too bright, and her head was throbbing in time with the ticking of the clock. She leaned her head back against him and closed her eyes, only to have him flick a finger against the back of her hand, hard.

 "What?" she asked, annoyed.

 "Don't go to sleep."

 "Now you're issuing me orders, too?"

 He made a frustrated noise and fell silent.

 She leaned back against him once more, only to have him lean forward as far as the rope would allow. Admittedly, that wasn't extremely far, but it made him a less comfortable headrest. "I mean it. Your eyes were glassy when they brought us in here. Did you hit your head?"

 "Yes, but it's nothing. I'm fine," she said, shrugging off his concern.

 "No, you're not; you're probably concussed. So, like it or not, you're not getting any sleep for the next few hours."

 "What does it matter? They're just going to execute me, anyway."

 That shut him up for several minutes.

 "You don't know that," he finally said.

 "It's what I would do."

 "But you didn't."

 "Only because I had the crystal prison. That was meant to be a fate worse than death."

 "Still, don't borrow trouble."

 She shrugged. "I'm being realistic."

 "You're being morbid."

 "Since when does that bother you?"

 "It's bothering me now. Are you even trying to get free?"

 She wasn't.  Even if they managed to get untied, they were still locked in the room, on board the Condor, without their weapons.  No Talons.  No Nightcrawlers.  And she couldn't access any crystal energy with Piper's infernal cuff on her wrist. Well, she could, but…there would be unpleasant consequences.  It could be worth it if escape were assured, but the odds were currently stacked against them.  

 Still, no doubt managing to untie themselves would at least irk the Storm Hawks.  After enduring their petty pranks for the last six weeks, it could prove at least somewhat gratifying.  And it would pass the time.  Silence fell between them once more as they worked to loosen the ropes that bound them.  Eventually, Dark Ace broke the quiet by chuckling to himself.

 "What's so funny?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder at him once more.

 He shook his head.

 "What?" she pressed.

 He turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye and, smirking, said, "Make me."

 She could feel heat creep into her face. He was making fun of her, was he?

 "It's not funny," she said defensively.

 "It was," he argued. "In fact, I can't decide what was better: The fact that you said it, the looks on the faces of the Storm Hawks when you did, or the look on yours a split second later when you realized that you had just made a grave miscalculation."

 "I'm delighted to hear that my pain amuses you," she said with all the sarcasm she could muster, which was considerable.

 "Oh please, the only thing that was really hurt back there was your pride. And you have more than enough of that to spare."

 "Ah yes, because I'm an arrogant witch?" She scoffed. "You know, it's not like you have any room to lecture others about excessive pride."

 He didn't immediately respond, and she caught herself grinding her teeth as she waited for him to say something. She forced herself to relax. It was a stupid nervous habit she'd tried many times to break, but she had never had much success.

 "You should know better than to take anything said in the heat of battle to heart," he told her.

 "That's not a thing. You just made that up."

 "At least I didn't warn you not to face Piper in battle lest she slip through your fingers again. Right in front of her, no less."

 She winced slightly. Her response to his request to fight Aerrow one last time had been needlessly cruel. There was really no excuse for it. She drew in a deep breath, steeling herself to apologize, but her jaw clenched again, and her throat felt too tight, and the words refused to materialize.

 She released the breath slowly, took in another, and tried again. "Well, given our current predicament, maybe you should have," is what came out of her mouth instead.

 They were both terrible at apologies.

The Artist’s Way: Writer-director Radha Blank ruminates on creative frustration and rejuvenation in her debut feature, The Forty-Year-Old Version

Fair warning: This interview with Radha Blank isn’t business — it’s personal. Right now, like at this very moment, Radha is being introduced to the world as the writer, director, and star of the remarkable new Netflix film The Forty-Year-Old Version. But I remember Radha in the 1990s, smashing open mics at Brooklyn Moon in N.Y.C., rocking a fitted N.Y. Yankees cap and big hoop earrings. I remember her jumping into cyphers and catching wreck (read: she can dance her ass off) at Club Kilimanjaro. I remember sitting in the audience of her play Seed in 2011 and thinking, Damn, homegirl can write. I remember witnessing the rise of her emcee alter ego and one-woman show RadhaMUSprime at Joe’s Pub in 2014 and thinking, Damn, Radha can rhyme. AND she funny AF. Because Radha was (and is) a part of a close-knit artists’ community, I also recall her hustle, the keeping-the-lights-on-while-trying-to-make-your-dreams-come-true shuffle we know so well. Radha worked as a teacher, she wrote for children’s television and for shows such as Empire and She’s Gotta Have It.

So when The Forty-Year-Old Version won the U.S. Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance earlier this year, the community rejoiced! This wasn’t just a win for Radha, it was a win for the people. Here was a film rooted in Radha’s own story, about a woman at 40; a Black artist trying to get her stories told — as a playwright and as a rapper; a daughter grieving the death of her mother. Radha told her story her way, down to shooting the streets of New York on 35mm film in black and white. The result is a whole, liberating mood. There’s even a nod to Prince’s Purple Rain.

Karen Good Marable: First of all, Radha, congratulations! The Forty-Year-Old Version is amazing. Your success feels so much like a win for Brooklyn. A win for us all. Thank you for writing it. Radha Blank: I really did make it for us — us being Black women, Black women of a certain age, Black women artists of a certain age. I didn’t think I’d be starting a whole new career in my 40s, but I think it speaks to what’s possible if you let go of other people’s ideas of where you should be in your life. If I listened to other people and gave credence to their ideas, I would not be here.

Amen. When you were younger, did you have the boxes to check, i.e., “I need to get this done by 30, I need to get this done by 40”? Were you that girl? RB:

I think I was that girl. And I always say this about aging: It’s never really about the person; it’s about other people’s perceptions that you then take on. I thought by 40, I would be married with a couple of kids, all of my work being published, theaters asking, “Can we do a revival of this play now?” I really thought once I decided to be a playwright, which was probably my mid-20s, I thought, Oh, by 40, I’m going to be set up. I will have a house. And I do have a house, but that came from Cookie and Lucious Lyon. They got me a house.

Come through, Empire. RB:

I feel like we’ve all been conditioned to think that 40 is: You’re an adult, you’re accomplished, you’re established. What me and my character share is there’s still all of these “who am I” moments, questions around identity. Especially when my mother died, I really had to figure out who I was, because so much of my life as a woman, as a person, as a Black American, as an artist, was tied to this woman. When she died, I really had no sense of myself. So I feel like my personal experience propelled me toward telling the story. We just don’t see women of that age saying, What do I do next? Am I happy? Is this enough?

Your mother — curator, visual artist, cinephile, and arts teacher Carol Blank — figures prominently in the film. She is a goddess and a guide, but she also represents a complicated lesson in what it means to be an artist. RB: Oh, listen, I feel like everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from my mother — from my frustration as an artist to being a teaching artist for so long. That’s where I learned how to be a director, honestly. I didn’t go to film school. I did stand-up comedy and all this performance stuff, and my first example was my mother. She knew how to turn a phrase or a joke to get the kids interested, and if they weren’t, she wasn’t going to push it. I learned from her first, and I tried to match her energy.

I don’t know what my mother went through when she turned 40, as an artist. I know she was a mom of two by that time, but I gathered — especially because she was a teaching artist for so many years — that she was hustling, jumping between these different roles, trying to make sense of something for herself. In that way, I feel like the movie and my journey as an artist brought me closer to her. I was like, Oh, this is what you had to go through. And then you had two kids on top of that?

In the film, your character is also a teacher. As much as she tries to model support and positivity, sometimes the frustration seeps through. One line stayed with me: “Don’t think that because you created something, people will appreciate it.” RB:

Yeah, I have been bitter. I was able to transform that into a film; it gave me a story to tell. But I did feel that theater as an institution didn’t pay off, there wasn’t much of a dividend. I had done a play in 2011 called Seed, and everyone was like, “Girl, this is your breakout! This is your moment! This play is going on Broadway!” None of that shit happened. Theater was not responding in the same way. I was quietly devastated by it, and I think the movie is my exploration of the why. How come things didn’t happen for me? Here’s someone who has been trying for 20-something years and my biggest accomplishment was 10 years ago when I was 30. That’s why I invented the 30 Under 30 award for my character: The idea that accomplishments are amplified by one’s proximity to youth. There’s no 50 Under 50 award. Or 60 Under 60. Being young and doing something as an artist seems more of a cause for celebration. You know what I mean?

There’s also this theme of displacement that runs through the film. In addition to your protagonist feeling out of place in the classroom and in the theater community, she’s also setting a play, Harlem Ave, that deals with gentrification. RB:

So, my parents were gentrifiers in their own way in the late 60s and 70s, when they moved to the south side of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They didn’t displace people, because what they and their artist and jazz musician comrades would do is take over dilapidated spaces that were considered unlivable — broken-down lofts and factories and storefronts — and create community. There was an investment in engaging the community that came before you, whereas now I think gentrification really is just about an opportunity for the person moving in — “Oh, look at this dope, cheap brownstone that I can get” — with no regard for what came before.

Right. RB: The same thing happens with these artistic institutions: They find a dilapidated space, they revive it and put a million dollars into it. Then when it comes to programming, the people on the stage don’t look like the people outside of the gate. They’re thinking of their silver-haired patrons, because those people can afford a $100 ticket, and that is who I feel most of the theaters cater to. So when diversity shows up on the stage, it’s a version of diversity that protects the audience from feeling bad about racism or sexism. They can still remain in a comfortable place, so they can come back next week or next month and see something for the $300 membership.

But then you brilliantly juxtapose said institutions with the battle rap in the Bronx. RB: I wanted to show these different hubs of art in New York. This film is about capturing an authentic New York experience, and so we shot that battle rap scene at a warehouse space at the tip-top of the Bronx. Art and culture are happening in these spaces that we’re not always focusing the camera on and that don’t have the multimillion-dollar renovation fund of a downtown theater. But this is theater. This is art.

Is that battle based on an actual show? RB:

Yes. Well, we recreated that. Babs Bunny, who people may recognize from Making the Band, created this brand called Queen of the Ring. If you go on YouTube, you’ll see their battle raps. I would watch them because I just needed to see women slaying shit and not being proper or polite. I just wanted to put it into a cinematic world.

Your pen is equally hard-hitting, Radha. Rhymes like “Poverty Porn” and “This Some Bullshit” do so much in revealing character, advancing the narrative. RB:

Thank you. I mean, I feel like if we’re stopping to listen to a song, it should still be about advancing the narrative. We’re still moving forward, riding on this person’s frustration, but into the next scene, next act, or what have you. I think it comes from being a playwright, making sure that everything is earned and not just thrown in there for novelty or because it’s colorful and interesting. I feel like RadhaMUSprime is probably an explosion of her consciousness, the things that she’d been suppressing.But yeah, I’m an emcee. I rhyme. The beautiful thing about the film is I didn’t have to become a professional rapper. I don’t feel like the movie is 8 Mile. I say the movie is 2 Mile,

because she’s not trying to go that far. She’s not trying to be a hip-hop star. For her, hip-hop is a meditation and it shows up in many ways, from the trap beat floating outside her window, to her freestyling in the mirror, or with the dudes in the basement cypher at Arlene’s Grocery.

In some ways, the moral and artistic struggles of The Forty-Year-Old Version remind me of Hollywood Shuffle, Robert Townsend’s 1987 classic. RB:

I appreciate that you bring up Hollywood Shuffle, because I know that because I’m Black and I’m shooting in black and white, people always make the comparison to She’s Gotta Have It. But I feel like my film calls back to Hollywood Shuffle, about a Black artist confronting the white gatekeepers on who gets to tell a Black story and how.

Exactly. And like Townsend, you wrote, directed, and starred in your own first feature film. How was that experience, and do you think you would do it again? RB:

I wouldn’t say I regret being in my film, but I think that there’s probably more of a fascination with my film because I’m in it. And I have too much respect for actors to call myself one. I don’t come from training. I don’t sit in these auditions day after day. I don’t have to endure seven callbacks for a role. I just think that when an audience is familiar with a face, it might make it easier for them to go down the line with this person. So while I don’t plan on being in another one of my films, I do plan on mining my family legacy for storytelling, and on telling stories where music is a driving force.I really want to be an auteur. I’m hoping that my stories get quieter. Very quiet, but very potent. A slow burn, but such a beautiful payoff. I want to make work like that.

Amen.

Photographs:

Radha Blank on set, t & m

Radha Blank with her fellow cast members

My brain fogs usually end with me babbling.

This morning @delicatelygloriousphoenix allowed me to babble to them about a thought I had.

And then... It just kept going.

I’m still tired. Here’s a cut version of that conversation.

I had a thought before bed last night 'cause I'm finishing up the extras to SVSSS.

What if someone was reborn into Mo Dao Zu Shi and had to save everyone?

What if Jiang Cheng was the person they were born into? I can't remember the scene properly from the novel, but right before WWX interrupts the summit meeting on Koi/Carp tower, drinks LWJ's booze and accuses Jin Zixun of his labor camp is when this person becomes the new Jiang Cheng. He himself interrupts WWX's rant that nearly falls into a fight and demands that he/Lotus Pier are allowed to keep the rest of the Wens because they burned the place to the ground and therefore have a right to them to rebuild the place.

The argument is quick, and JC is like "I'm taking them" and drags WWX out in surprise. But he turns to LWJ and is like "You comin'?" so of course LWJ comes when he's actually invited to do so. They run off to the camp. JC tries to hurry to get there before Wen Ning is stabbed. They do get there earlier than in the show/novel, but WN is already stabbed (but not dead).

They drag the Wens and an unconscious WN out of the camp. WWX doesn’t go nuts because WN isn’t dead yet and JC is there to lay down some tsundere harshness in his stead.

They have to stop at a village before they get there where Wen Qing can work on her brother and the Wens can rest. JC buys them all rando threadbare robes so they don't stand out as Wens anymore.

Lan Xichen shows up at some point to see if he can't... not so much help as his position won't allow him to take sides on this, but there to 'check on his brother.’ When he gets there, he’s pushed to the inn room where he sees JC focused at WN’s side. He’s giving him spiritual energy while WQ rests nearby. That's LXC’s first little spark of  "Ah, JC is nicer than he first appears."

The Wens are supposed to be 'laborers' to help rebuild Lotus Pier, but JC's really just wanting to make sure that WWX isn't forced off to Burial Mounds and becomes an icon of hatred like the show/novel. And he doesn't have to remove him from the sect entirely.

However, he tells a distracted WWX that he obviously has ideas with his new powers and gives him leave to seclude himself to practice/create/invent but in a safe environment. Jiang Yanli is happy that her brothers are not alone yet able to pursue their separate interests/areas of need.

LXC suggests Gusu taking the Wens as well as 'laborers' since Cloud Recesses was also burned down by the Wens. In reality, they have more safe space for the Wens, it's harder to ambush the 'labor camp' when it's on a mountain peak.

This is where the ALIVE yet healing Wen Ning and Wen Qing ask the Lans to take care of A-Yuan as they are not in the best situation to take care of a child at their camp. This is where LWJ and the frequently visiting WWX basically adopt him.

I mean, if the Wens aren't in danger, WWX has no reason to go back to the burial mounds so of course he’d come to check up on the Wens a lot. Which just means hanging out with A-Yuan and the bunnies often. If LWJ happens to be there with him all the time... well... who’s to say what that means?!

Meanwhile, JC is trying to handle his sect with only a bit of help from WWX here and there, although Wen Qing shows up a lot, as does LXC as a gesture of goodwill and to help the young new sect leader.

JC enjoys being a leader and the System provided him with knowledge and ability to train his new sect. He used to be a salaryman when he was alive, this is far more exciting and much more stimulating.

JC is pretty oblivious that both WQ and LXC are absently crushing on this confident and warmly grumpy JC. He just thinks they like visiting him to talk sect leader stuff or night hunt or... maybe he even thinks they’re his friends.

BUT JC knows his mission is not done, as the System keeps reminding him.

He needs to make sure Jin Guangyao doesn't marry his sister but he can't break OOC or share his knowledge of knowing that JGY and Qin Su are siblings... so he subtly courts Qin Su instead to basically cock block JGY.

Which surprises all but whatever. JC has changed since becoming sect leader, or so they say (really, JC is a different person entirely but ya know).

JC is okay with it, saying Qin Su is a decent woman and pretty enough. He'd be okay if they'd end up marrying, although he's very aware that JGY might try to murder him for taking the girl he likes but he's got his defenses up.

The courting goes on for awhile and JC keeps blocking JGY’s advances where he can but doesn’t go further with his own.

A few years later, JC hosts a birthday party of four year old Jin Ling, with little Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen among others... so it's a mini sect leader party, too. All of this without going OOC, he's still a grumpy sect leader but he's less feared (like, in the novel, JC was a friggen murderer! He tortured and killed anyone he thought was using WWX's methods or was his incarnation!). People actually seem to like him!

Late night at the party WWX, JC, LWJ, and LXC were hanging out. They suggest going on a boat together because a lot of lanterns were going to be let off in the lakes for JL’s birthday.

JC 'accidentally' spills tea on LXC's robes so he has to excuse himself to change. The others wait by the boat and JC is like "Oop, I changed my mind. I'm going to do something else" and kicks the boat off with LWJ and WWX in it and walks away. He chills in a pavilion a little bit later, watching the lanterns on the water and a few boats out there when LXC comes back. He doesn't even ask when happened and joins him, watching the boat that their brothers are in. LXC and JC haven't talked about it, but they both low key ship LWJ and WWX so they're of agreement.

This event triggers the Wangxian relationship quest. JC is pretty happy that they don’t have to wait 13-16 years before they get to enjoy each other’s company.

And that's when JC himself starts to admire LXC. Not that he hadn't before, they had become friends of sorts from both rebuilding their sects, passing advice to each other, and generally get to complain to each other as young sect leaders. JC kept distance though, knowing LXC’s sworn brothers are his confidants but now and again LXC even lets on a bit of that drama (realizing how much NMJ and JGY are at odds) when JC mentions "they just gotta fuck and get it out of their system"

But yeah, it's during that conversation that JC is like "LXC is actually really attractive and fun to talk to..." crush style.

Then a new mission starts! JC has to team up with LXC to get JGY and NMJ together. All the while JC is loosely courting Qin Su still. Wen Qing has since moved on with her affections (WQ is fast realizing that everyone is gay and instead goes to make out with Mianmian because yes lesbians!).

So LXC realizes that he likes JC but doesn't think he'd be interested because of Qin Su and Wen Qing.

Meanwhile, JC is like "The author said the only gay couple in this novel was WWX and LWJ but!!!?!?!?!??!?!? everyone is gay!?”

At WWX and LWJ's wedding, LXC and JC spy on JGY and NMJ who end up kissing behind a tree. They're tipsy but success! JC gives LXC a high five which amuses LXC because 'wtf is a high five? that's so cute, what a grumpy dork'

JC outright stops courting Qin Su then, which pisses off her sect, that is in close ties with the Jins, which turn their anger towards the Jiang sect. So JC has to fight with the Jins in a political battle, and his sister is preggers with her third kid so she can't help much.

But it's finally JGY that stands up to his father to stop bulling smaller sects. No hard feelings for stealing Qin Su then dumping her, apparently.

It's about this time when Mo Xuanyu shows up and is like "you're my daddy" Lady Jin already hates her husband's illegitimate children but now she's furious, especially after her friend tells her that Jin Guangshan raped her and Qin Su is ALSO an illegitimate child (another reason JGY decides he doesn’t hate JC for cock blocking him).

All this combined, Jin Guangshan is shamed off his throne. Jin ZiXuan takes up a lead and JGY (now renamed Jin Ziyao as is the proper generational name) decides he's happy with not being an asshole (since he's getting good dickings with his boyfriend NMJ and Lady Jin has finally stopped bullying him) and decides that he'd be content, even happy, being his brother's advisor rather than dethroning him for sect leadership.

But of course there's gotta be drama. Shi Su and Jin Zixun are not the smartest of people but they've teamed up with Xue Yang who has a bit of the Iron. Together, they start to plot against the sects to overrule them, because they're dumb idiots with a semblance of power.

That's about as far as my brain went when I fell asleep and then this morning when the brain fog focused on that instead of on work while I was waking up.

Just something about 13 years later, JC and LXC are pretty close but not lovers yet, when something-something adventure and JC and LXC become a thing in a similar manner that WWX and LWJ did in the novel. RANDOM CONFESSION TIME that other people have to point out to them!

The following is related conversation but I don’t want to put my friend’s part so... it’s disjointed. Sorry not sorry I’m tired.

Continued conversation about wangxian being together:

because JC already knew they'd be together from the show/novel, and LXC shipped them, so they teamed up to get them to confess

That's what I meant when JC forced them onto a romantic boat ride together.

They weren't parted from the Wen fight stuff so instead of fighting at Nightless City, they had time to realize their feelings and not die instead of confess. ;p

Conversation... conversation...

So for so long JC doesn't know he's into guys (LXC in particular, kinda like SQQ in SVSSS) but just like JC in the novel, he gets himself blacklisted from the matchmakers. Meanwhile, this whole time his very close friend, LXC (they're really close now since JGY and NMJ are a couple so he doesn't like to third wheel it and instead spend his time with JC) things that JC is straight and lowkey crushes on him for 13-16 years before WWX and LWJ have to spell it out to them.

but Lan have a-yuan as adopted heir

He'd (JC) probably ask Jinli if one of her kids could be heir

What if Jin Zixun tries to take the sect leader throne or something. He'd be next in line if jin Zixuan didn't die and JGY didn't step up.

Bold of u to assume i have a title in mind (prologue, part 1/?)

Pairing; bakugou katsuki x reader

A/N; new au: reader’s sending out surveys and somehow one respondent makes it into a competition; reader is not paid enough to deal with this. So many wild assumptions, even the economics major in me is reeling. Many corners were cut. I’m mostly sorry. only ooc in this household. shoutout to @lady-bakuhoe whose incredible existence was the impetus for me to write a fic for the first time in 2 years. will i continue this? who knows!

edit: part 2 is here (x)

Your eyes are drawn to the little black text box that pops up in the bottom right corner of your screen - a new email. The subject line - a reply to the email you haven’t even finished sending to all the recipients yet.

You click into the notification, expecting it to be one of the business students critiquing your survey design - but no, it’s… from the Hero Course. Funny, since they’re usually off training, and you have to nag most of them multiple times to answer emails, even with the giant “[ACTION REQUIRED]” tag in the subject line.

You sit up from where you’re lazily draped over the bed, kicking aside the blanket as you decide to act more professional when you’re technically still on the clock for work. You shuffle over to the desk, gently placing your laptop on top of it before you’re much less gentle with how you plop yourself into the chair.

The survey was an exercise for the Support Course - meant to develop your communication skills with the heroes you would one day aid in their work. That meant designing a survey that your heroic audience would actually take the time to answer accurately, while providing you with feedback on your designs. 

Your specialty was in aerodynamics and chemistry - and the Hero Course student you most wanted to design for was Bakugou Katsuki. It was just your luck that he was also probably the worst “client” to work for… at least from what you’d heard from your classmates. Abrasive, picky, and downright destructive of his equipment - those were your classmates’ chief complaints about him. But while of course, you understood their annoyance at having to remake his costume every time he ran off into a new scuffle, part of you was attracted to the qualities that others seemed to hate. He was aggressive, and harsh on his support items, yes, but he demanded the best out of his own performance, too. It went both ways. Personally, you appreciated that he knew exactly what he needed, and you’d be happy to try to deliver-

It absolutely sucked, having two desires conflicting like this - one, to dive headfirst into your inventions, to create boundlessly, to really make an impact on the world through the users of your gifts - but the other, to simply create without having to interact with others. You envied people like Hatsume, who seemed to have endless energy to pour into marketing, to not just make, but also share. You? 

You had an equal ratio of 3D print files and trashed concept art, and a 100:0 ratio of ideas to actually publicized ideas. 

Sure, you’d tossed some small inventions into the metaphorical ring before, to some praise and interest from major support companies, but you’d always been too damn shy to really push anything to come out of those initial sparks of interest. 

You opened the email, drafting the survey you were originally planning to send out to Todoroki. He could wait.

Above the answers - quite thoughtfully composed, actually - was a note. 

“Is this the fastest reply you’ve gotten?” 

I quietly snort. Seriously? Not everything has to be a competition. But based on the way he acted in the Sports Festival (and everywhere else, let’s be honest)… you’re not entirely surprised.

You pause, curiously skimming his answers, slowing down every now and then so you can reciprocate his thoughts with your own, already brimming with fresh concepts to incorporate into existing designs. 

And... as much as you’d like to spiral into sketches and notes on how to buffer the shock wave effect of his large explosions on his own body, more complex biologic drug compounds to prevent any pulmonary issues from his quirk, and the possibility of adding an automatic shock wave source to his hero costume that would provide destructive interference with any aftershocks of his explosions that might put too much pressure on his body - 

First.

You check the reply time - he replied nineteen minutes after you sent the initial email. 

You hit the reply button.

“Dear Bakugou - 

Thank you for the prompt and thorough response! Unfortunately, Midoriya responded to the last survey in eighteen minutes - just a minute before you. 

- Y/N”

You hit send, and navigate promptly to the drafted email you were working on just before this one. While you could just mass email everyone, you’ve found that personalizing the emails generally gets better response and completion rates. Still, you’ve barely typed out Todoroki’s name before another notification pops up - 

“Did I beat it yet?” is the entire contents of the email.

You can’t help but smile a little - and you almost just reply with a short “Yes : )” and leave it at that, but…

This opportunity doesn’t come every day. You look at the clock - technically, you could stop now if you wanted. Even on school nights, you’re encouraged to generally stop working before it gets too late, to refresh your mind periodically. Still…

You open your files, navigating to the folder you have for Bakugou. While you have a folder for pretty much every student in the Hero Course, you’ve spent much more time designing possibilities for Bakugou’s costume, the potential of a better aerodynamic and versatile all-around tool for him to use in battle.

- Not that you’ve ever really shown these designs to anyone, let alone the person they were customized for.

But…

Screw it.

You attach a couple of files to your reply email.

“You beat the record.”

You make no written mention of the files - hopefully, he’ll see them anyway, because you have no idea how to introduce them out of the blue. Honestly, he’s probably too busy to study them too in-depth, and it’s just as well if he doesn’t notice the attachments, anyway. Maybe they’re not that useful after all.

You hit send again. 

It’s hours later when your phone lights up and dings with another notification - you sit up groggily in bed, trying to reach for it while cursing that you forgot to turn your notifications off overnight - when you see it’s another reply from Bakugou. Instantly, you’re awake, as if the man himself had come into your room and directed an explosion into your face.

Did he see your designs?

You scramble to tap on the email in your inbox, accidentally clicking into a reply from Kirishima that you instantly close out of, before you stop, and it’s as if the night has its own inertia in the still silence. 

“Can I talk to you about these tomorrow?”

Your throat goes dry - you swing your legs out of bed, and toddle to your desk again, turning on the room lights on your way. Flipping up your laptop screen again, you open all the 3D print iteration files, the word documents of notes, the code and corresponding comments, the CAD models, from Bakugou’s folder - there’s no way you’ll be able to sleep tonight.

Then, finally, you respond.

“What time?”

Hiccanna--100 OTP Questions, Part 2

So I said I would finish this OTP question meme someday--and I decided, entirely on random impulse, that “someday” is today!!! My Hiccanna-centered account has not been producing enough Hiccanna content lately, and this simply WILL not do.

QUESTION SOURCE: https://the-moon-dust-writings.tumblr.com/post/159857601812/100-otp-questions

LINK TO PART 1: https://hiccanna-tidbits.tumblr.com/post/635744326176129024/hiccanna-100-otp-questions-meme-part-1 51. Does either of them know how to fight? I mean...canonically yeah, they both do??? Lol I mean Hiccup has his fire sword and obviously would know how to fight with the weapons he makes/invents, and Anna literally just instinctively grabs a sword to protect her buddies in Frozen 2 and I mean we all really love Sword Anna anyways and also she PUNCHES A MAN OFF OF A BOAT so long story short yes they can both fight 52. What do they do for Valentines Day? Anna rents a rom-com and pulls Hiccup down onto their couch to watch it with her, and he kinda internally groans because he figures it’ll be something super sappy and cheesy and Anna will just be squealing with delight the whole time. Legit as soon as the first scene begins, Anna begins brutally roasting the main couple. Turns out it’s a really terrible rom-com and Anna rented it solely to make fun of it. Hiccup is like “aight this definitely wasn’t what I was expecting but I’m on board” Also Hiccup gets Anna like 3 boxes of fancy chocolate because...do I really need to explain? Anna gets Hiccup a particularly aesthetic floral arrangement for their kitchen table, something she knows damn well he secretly likes but would never admit XD 53. Who swears more? Anna, for sure. This tends to surprise people, but Anna is actually a notorious pottymouth when she gets comfortable XD Hiccup has a pretty big and borderline pretentious vocabulary, and so he tends to express his frustration in more...articulate ways when things don’t go his way. Like he’d stub his toe and just say “wow, I’d literally rather saw off my other leg than have to deal with this right now” while Anna, in the same situation, would let loose every curse word known to man XD 54. Who has the better comebacks? Hiccup, absolutely. His smart-ass comments to every conceivable situation on earth go absolutely unmatched. Anna can’t help but envy how he can almost instinctually pull out a near-perfect snide remark within seconds, whilst she, at best, thinks of the ideal comeback in the shower 3 days later. 55. Who would start a fight with another parent at a bake sale? I feel like Anna would seek out the most passive-aggressive, bitchy, entitled Karen and just wait with barely-concealed anticipation for her to say something super awful so Anna can just nail her in the face right in front of all the other moms Hiccup and their kids, meanwhile, can’t help but be awed at their wife/mother’s impressive Right Hook 56. Who reads buzzfeed? Anna. Hiccup keeps being like “you know half the stuff on there is total bullshit, right?” and Anna just shrugs like “who cares? It’s entertaining!” 57. Who is the hopeless romantic? Anna, good god, ANNA. After the whole Hans debacle I imagine she’s a bit more subdued about so openly showing this part of her personality, but at heart she just can’t stop being a romantic. Once Hiccup catches wind of this, he naturally makes a point of frequently surprising her with Grand Romantic Gestures and such, which makes Anna’s entire face go bright fuckin red as she cries out “NO STOP WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS YOU’RE TOO NICE” 58. Do either of them know how to do a handstand? Nope! They’d both fall on their faces and it would be hilarious. 59. Who can rap better? I love the idea of them both being looped into a rap battle somehow and Anna just dreading it immensely because she figures they both really suck and then when it’s their turn Hiccup comes out and busts out the BEST, MOST SAVAGE RHYMES Anna has ever heard COMPLETELY ad lib and the poor girl just goes completely catatonic with shock for like 10 minutes. 60. Do either of them want to go sky diving? See initially I was gonna say Hiccup definitely would not because it would give the poor boy an anxiety attack, but then I remembered he basically skydives in canon??? And Anna strikes me as a bit of adrenaline junkie too, so fuck it--yeah, I think they’d both enjoy it. 61. What do they usually text about? They talk a lot about movies, games, books, and shows they both like, I imagine--Hiccup especially likes to overanalyze them to ridiculous extents and Anna thinks this is adorable. The rest of the time, they send each other dumb memes and talk about random animal fun facts. Anna likes to brag that her boyfriend knows more lizard trivia than anyone else on the planet, and how many lizard facts does YOUR boyfriend know? Probably little to none, you big loser. 62. Who is the dramatic one? Anna is INCREDIBLY dramatic. Although Hiccup certainly does have a “dramatic flair,” as he puts it, I still think Anna can out-dramatic him, at the end of the day XD Although perhaps admittedly not by much. 63. Is either one confrontational? Anna certainly can be. She’s usually pretty friendly, but if she ever feels like she’s being challenged, demeaned, mocked, or generally not taken seriously, she’s ready to go to WAR. She certainly not as soft as she might look! I imagine there’s situations where someone is being a dick to either Anna or someone else and Hiccup has to physically hold her back to keep her from just decking them XD 64. What is their favourite cuddle position? Probably just good old-fashioned spooning. Hiccup actually really loves being the little spoon (because Anna just makes him feel so damn safe), but he is loathe to admit it. They also have one I like to call the “Needy Cat,” where Anna just goes and completely drapes herself over Hiccup when he’s sitting on the couch. He’s usually in the middle of doing something else, and is forced to find ways to play video games/read his book/watch his show around Anna XD 65. Who are their favourite musical artist(s)? Hiccup has exactly 3 music moods--pretentious classical stuff (to listen to while working on inventions), obscure underground 90s hipster bands no one’s heard of (to play air guitar to when no one else is home), and some more well-known emo/alt rock stuff (to sing along to in the car dramatically). I can see him liking Panic! at the Disco, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, that kinda stuff. Anna, meanwhile, likes the trashiest, most generic-sounding pop music and refuses to apologize for dancing to it in the car XD She is most DEFINITELY a Swiftie, no question. She also likes some “edgier” bands like Paramore and Hey Monday. She went through a hardcore Avril Lavigne phase in middle school and she still totally listens to her but is embarrassed to say it. Also I feel like Anna would be into 90s/early 2000s boy bands??? She relates to the boys’ endless pining and just flips the genders in her head so the songs are about Hiccup (before they start dating obs) XD I AM DEFINITELY NOT SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE HERE, NO SIR 66. What are their parenting styles? Anna would probably be like...kind of stern, when she needs to be, but intensely nurturing as well, if her relationship with Elsa is anything to go by. Hiccup would be a pretty laid-back, chill dad who would probably try too hard to be cool and make no end of absolutely horrible dad jokes XD They both lowkey seem like the kind of parents who would end up letting their kids get away with a lot though lmao 67. Who would be the more laid back one? Hiccup probably. I mean, he IS the pacifist/diplomat guy, besides have you MET Anna??? Girl absolutely has NO chill. 68. Who listens to more vulgar music? Anna, surprisingly! Hiccup just kinda enjoys what he enjoys and doesn’t really feel the need to “prove” anything by listening to songs that swear a lot. Anna purposely listens to vulgar music to feed her hidden rebellious side and because it makes her feel badass XD She honestly kinda hates being written off as 100% wholesome and innocent all the time and will readily pull out the “I’M NOT A SWEET LITTLE FLOWER I SANG ALONG TO THAT SONG THAT JUST SAID FUCK SEE” line whenever given even the slightest chance XD 69. Do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know? Kind of depends on when in both their timelines they meet. If they meet in the middle of HTTYD 1 or Frozen 1, they probably wouldn’t tell the other right away that they have a dragon and an ice-powered supersister, respectively XD I definitely think they would as they came to trust each other, though. Also I read a headcanon that Hiccup has burn scars from the Red Death incident where he lost his leg, and that’s why he wears so much armor and generally long sleeves--and I kind of love that. So maybe Hiccup would be cagey with Anna about how he lost his leg and that whole incident for a while before he finally opens up to her about it. Other than that I feel like they’d be pretty honest with one another, other than maybe trying to hide the more embarrassing parts of themselves to impress the other person XD 70. Who is their go to couple for a double date? Jackunzel, obviously! They’d probably all go to an arcade or an amusement park or something else pretty fun and high-energy. 71. Do they tip the waiter/waitress on their date? I mean yes, they’re not huge assholes????? 72. How do they work out a fight? I imagine Anna tends to get more worked up and yelley and loud, while Hiccup doesn’t raise his voice much at all but can say some damn cutting things if he wants to. Since Anna probably gets angrier, I imagine she apologizes first, whether or not the fight was actually on her or not--it’s just kinda this girl’s default to apologize for everything XD She’d probably say sorry for yelling and probably overreacting, while Hiccup would also be EXTREMELY apologetic if he realized he crossed a line with one of his jabs at her. I imagine a lot of what they fight about is Anna doing some impulsive Dumb Shit^TM and Hiccup just being like “oh god DAMMIT that’s DANGEROUS you can’t just go WORRYING me like that!!!” and Anna getting offended because she kinda views this as him being a little overprotective and not trusting her to make her own decisions. Ironically, Anna occasionally also gets mad at HICCUP for doing Impulsive Dumb Shit, so he’s not always nearly as much the Voice of Reason as he thinks XD Hiccup also sometimes gets mad at Anna for not taking better care of herself (take it from a fellow ADHDer--we tend to Wallow in Despair sometimes, or straight-up forget to do basic care things like eat lunch XD)--I have an IRL friend who reminds me a lot of Hiccup and he’s ALWAYS getting on my case about not eating enough, not drinking enough water, constantly berating myself, stuff like that. I imagine Hiccup sometimes slips into Mom Mode with Anna when she gets in a bad spot, which she appreciates after the fact but kind of annoys her at the time because she wants really badly to be independent and all that. Basically TL;DR most of Anna and Hiccup’s fights can be resolved by Anna and Hiccup agreeing to next time Use A Brain Cell before they do a thing, or Anna agreeing to take better care of herself XD 73. Who brings home an illegal pet? In literally every AU possible I like to think that Hiccup brings home some variation of illegal pet XD I mean, it’s probably just a dragon (”just a dragon” is never a string of words I imagined myself using in that order like what do you mean JUST a dragon lmao) in a standard crossover timeline, which he basically does in canon, but I do love the idea of a modern AU Hiccup showing up to their apartment with some kind of weird exotic monitor lizard from Bali and being like “I found him in an alley, he’s gonna live with us now” and Anna is like “D: Is someone gonna arrest you???” And Hiccup is like “Nah, no cops followed me home” and Anna’s like “Okay!!! :D” and then goes to PetSmart to buy a big fluffy bed for her new scaled friend XD 74. What side of the bed do each of them sleep on? I honestly don’t think either would care much, and they usually sleep in a tangled-up mess anyways so by morning you can’t really tell who started on which side XD 75. What is their favorite photo of them two together? One from before they got together: I’m just imagining a big group photo with the Entire Squad (Rapunzel, Jack, Merida, Moana, etc.), and Anna has her arms laced around Hiccup’s neck and her chin on his shoulder and a GIANT smirk on her face. Meanwhile Hiccup is laughing and trying to push her off, but his cheeks are BRIGHT fucking red and he’s trying really unsuccessfully to hide it because he’s a pale boi. Anna loves it because you can so CLEARLY see Hiccup’s blush, and she loves to tease him about how flustered he got around her. Hiccup loves it because it reminds him of what was probably the first time Anna was THAT openly cuddly with him, and how exhilarated and giddy he felt the first time he had her that close to him. 76. Who takes longer in the bathroom? Probably Hiccup, if only because I HC him as a bit of a germophobe who is a tiny bit obsessive about washing his hands sufficiently. 77. Who has more songs on their ipod? Anna, mainly because literally every time she hears a song she likes she’s like “!!!!! Gotta download it!!!!” LITERALLY EVERY TIME. And she wonders why her ipod is always running out of space XD 78. What movie did they first see together? As of the Modern AU Hiccanna one-shot I wrote ages ago, Revenge of the Ancient Dragon Masters! XD If we’re talking movies that actually exist, I imagine it would be a Marvel movie, a Star Wars movie, or some super-fancy-CGI high fantasy epic. 79. What do they like to see each other in? You mean like...which of the other’s outfits would they find the sexiest??? Aight, I’ll take a stab at this. Anna gets literally SO fuckin thirsty every time Hiccup wears his dragon rider outfit (the one from HTTYD 2), like it shows off his cute skinny body in the most perfect possible way whilst making him look like a badass and oh how Anna DREAMS of feeling him up in that! (One day, she finally gets to! XD) She’s also very into the scale armor from HTTYD 3 when she’s in...a very different kind of mood XD As for Hiccup, his favorite outfits of Anna’s are probably her coronation dress and her queen dress, mainly because he loves how she looks in green. He also really likes her travel outfit from Frozen 2, mainly because it’s sexy AND practical and damn, he’s gotta admit, that’s a nice shade of purple and she absolutely SLAYS in it XD 80. Who makes jokes during inappropriate times? Honestly both of them??? Like neither are great at picking up social cues, and Anna canonically DOES do this in Frozen! (Remember her comment about ice-selling being “a rough business to be in right now”???) I can see both of them attempting to lighten a tense mood by making an ill-timed joke, hoping to make things less uncomfortable, and they end up making everything MORE uncomfortable XD Honestly sue me, I love the idea of these two idiots bonding over how terrible they are with social cues in general 81. At what age do they discuss the possibility of children? I imagine not til like...their early 30s, if ever. Like I mentioned in the first part of the questionaire, I actually am not sure if they would even want to have kids at all, but if they DID decide to, it definitely wouldn’t be until they’re older and have settled down a bit, and have (somewhat) gotten both of their lives together. 82. What do they love about each other the most? Hiccup loves Anna’s energy and optimism, and how she’ll basically cheer him on and believe in him with all her being no matter how high the odds are stacked against him. And oh boy does he LOVE how hard she can kick ass when push comes to shove, and how goddamn overprotective she is of him. The sword skills and the general willingness to punch problematic people in the face are definitely up there as well. She’s like the perfect blend of fun and badass, and there’s never a dull moment with her for him. Anna adores Hiccup’s connection with animals and general animal skills, especially with the more less-loved and “scary” of the world’s creatures (i.e. dragons lol). She also loves and admires the shit out of his intelligence and inventiveness, and wishes she could make contraptions half as cool as what he turns out. And, of course, she loves that he’s a pretty humble dude who's actually pretty insecure about his accomplishments, and isn’t some cocky guy wanting to shove them in everyone’s face. And, of course, she loves his sarcasm and his dry sense of humor, and few people can make her laugh as hard as Hiccup can. Before she met him, she had no idea pessimism could be this entertaining XD 83. Who is the one that sees the big picture, while the other focus’s on the small details? Hiccup is very detail-oriented--he has to be, in order to make any of his contraptions work! Anna is very much focused on the big picture and gets stressed and exasperated trying to keep track of details--she figures she’ll either sort through the details as she goes, or Hiccup will help do it for her XD 84. What would they write on their partner’s social media’s for their anniversary? One of my IRL friends wrote “Happy anniversary bro, you’re pretty great” on his girlfriend’s instagram for their anniversary, and she wrote back “Happy anniversary, you’re a good buddy, I love you” and I just XD That’s the EXACT kind of weird dorky nonsense I can see Hiccup and Anna doing for their anniversary tbh 85. Who is bad at math? Anna, bless her soul, needs a calculator for literally EVERYTHING. Hiccup kinda trained himself to be decent at doing math in his head, since he often has to calculate measurements for his inventions and whatnot, but Anna is absolutely atrocious at it and generally would like overly-complicated numbers to not be anywhere near her. 86. Who googles everything? Probably Anna, mainly because she’s pretty forgetful and doesn’t trust her own memory half the time so she feels the need to verify everything on the internet XD 87. Who does stuff on impulse? Anna 100% canonically does, although Hiccup has some shades of this too more than he would ever admit, in fact, for someone claiming to be the Voice of Reason 88. How do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation? Hiccup’s approach is probably just to try and distract Anna and take her mind off of it, which he’ll do by either trying to make her laugh, telling her a story, or explaining one of his inventions to her (which she never gets bored with btw, because everything that boy gushes about is fascinating to her <3). Basically he figures if he entertains her enough, it’ll take her mind off of whatever is freaking her out and she won’t fixate on it as much. Anna’s approach is more to accentuate the positives in a bad situation (although like I mentioned in Part 1, not really in a condescending “count your blessings, it could be worse!” kind of way, but more in a “I hope he’ll feel better if he focuses on happy things” kind of way, if that makes any sense?) and also focus on when Hiccup DID do great and utterly kick ass and tell him he’s always better than he thinks he is. 89. What is an inside joke they have? If anything, him calling her “Tiger” as a pet name (which I think I mentioned briefly in Part 1??? Can’t remember) is this, because in my mind it developed because whenever Anna is about to do some Dumb Shit, or punch someone she really shouldn’t in the face, Hiccup has to physically hold her back like “Whoa, slow down there, Tiger!” This happens so frequently that eventually it just gets shortened to him nicknaming her “Tiger” and all their friends are kind of baffled as to why XD 90. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all? Hiccup barely even needs to start talking in funny accents or imitating his dad before Anna is just DYING laughing. She thinks he’s the funniest damn person on earth. He honestly gets a kick out of her impressions too--she can do some pretty amusing ones, if that deleted coronation dress-up scene from Frozen 1 is anything to go by. So the feeling is mutual!!! They’re super good at making each other smile and laugh with little to no effort!!! 91. What is their favourite holiday? I feel like Anna especially would get REALLY into Christmas/Yule, mainly because of how much Elsa can spice it up with her powers. And judging by the OFA short, Arendelle gets very hyped for the holidays in general, so it’s probably hard NOT to have a good time. Anna probably also like Mayday a lot because the dancing, the spring cheeriness, and the flower-related festivities are definitely to her taste. Hiccup just likes the energy and general vibes, and would rather sit back and relax and watch Anna dance around and have fun XD Also dun best believe they BOTH get hella into Halloween, because they’re dramatic motherfuckers who loves to dress up, and it gives Anna an excuse to buy a shitton of chocolate and eat all the leftovers XD 92. Who is the one that is calm and collected while the other is angry and destructive? Lmao Anna is definitely the “berserker” of the two of them. She DOES tend to get destructive when she’s angry, if being ready to fight a giant-ass snowman and smacking a wolf in the face with a lute is anything to go by. Hiccup is definitely the calm and collected one, and very rarely gets genuinely angry. 93. What is their favourite board game to play? Does Dungeons and Dragons count??? I can totally imagine Hiccup being hyped up over that or some other super nerdy RPG game and being so enthused to show it to Anna, who just falls even more in love with him after seeing how EXCITED he gets about it. Of course he’s super eager to teach her, and TBH Anna has a really hard time getting it at first because DAMN these rules are COMPLICATED, but after she finally gets the hang of it, she realizes she absolutely LOVES DnD and RPG games in general (I mean...have you SEEN OFA??? Girl gets just a little TOO into reminiscing about her old play-pretend toys XD) and she and Hiccup constantly geek out about it together. 94. Who accidental sets something on fire? Anna, 100% also this is an ever funnier question if applied to Hiccanna in my Fire!Anna AU 95. Who has the car ready while the other is robbing the store? Anna is waiting while Hiccup robs the store, if for no other reason than that Hiccup is much better at Stealth Mode than Anna is XD Anna’s uncoordinated ass would probably knock over like 5 shelves’ worth of merchandise before reaching what they were actually trying to rob XD 96. What artist/group did they go to for their first concert? I M A G I N E  D R A G O N S lmao Look what can I say Anna likes the Imagine and Hiccup likes the Dragons 97. Who sleep talks? Hiccup. He mumbles about dragons a lot. Sometimes he jolts awake randomly and just yells out “THE DRAGONS ARE IN TROUBLE!” and Anna has to calm him down after she dutifully manages to not burst into laughter at this. Doubly funny if this takes place in a Modern AU. 98. Who is the more social one? Anna! Hiccup generally prefers to either keep to himself or hang out with animals. 99. What are their karaoke songs? For some reason I feel like anything by P!nk??? Idk why, but I can see them like rocking out and singing along to p!nk songs together and getting really into it. Also basically anything by The Killers and, at Anna’s request, The Chainsmokers (Hiccup thinks this is very basic music indeed but goes along with it for her sake XD). AND “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons. And they sing it LOUD. 100. Who would get up on stage and make a fool of themselves just to make the other laugh? Highkey both of them??? I kinda feel like Hiccup moreso though, if his little comedy routine imitating his dad in HTTYD2 is anything to go off of. He definitely wouldn’t be averse to making an idiot of himself to amuse Anna, especially since she’s so damn cute when she laughs. Anna, for her part, loves returning the favor, and is all about trying to do all sorts of Goofy Antics to amuse her boyfriend. And she’s overdramatic af, so she gets WAY too into it XD

“Inosuke learns how to read”

I have no idea what this is supposed to be.

But enjoy.

Hana belongs to @pandabobachan

Rin belongs to me uwu

Hana sat across Inosuke as she teaches him how to read. Rin was beside her, enjoying Inosuke's suffering as he struggles to read a word.

"Alright, Inosuke, what does this say?" Hana smiles, pointing to a word written on the paper.

Inosuke squints at it, "B-bo...boooaa...-" Someone help him.

"It's 'boat', you idiot" Rin konks him on the head. Before anyone could even blink, the table flew across the room. Hana tried to restrain Inosuke from trying to rip Rin's hair out.

"WHO EVEN CARES ABOUT READING! IT'S NOT LIKE I NEED IT FOR DEFEATING DEMONS!!" Inosuke gives up, then proceeds to stomp out of the room. Hana follows after him.

I mean, he's not wrong.

Rin stared at the mess he made. Looks like they're going to get in trouble again.

"W-what happened?" Tanjiro, who had just entered the room with Zenitsu, asked. He then noticed the broken table at the other side of the room, "Oh"

Rin shrugged, "That's not my problem now," she peaced sign, "later!". Then she walked out of the room, Zenitsu following after.

"Rin-chaaaan~" He did one of his weird giggles. But for some reason, Rin find them cute-

"What do you want?" Rin whipped around, glaring at him, trying to hide her obvious blush.

Zenitsu only pouted at her, "Where are you going, Rin-chan?"

Rin's facial expressions soften, "I'm going on a mission...like, really far away from here" she scratched the back of her head, "So I had to take the train for that..."

She started to have Vietnam war flashbacks. She shivered.

Zenitsu whined, "But Rin-chaaan! You're going to be far away from me!"

"Quit your whining, I won't be gone for too long anyways"

Zenitsu was about to comply more, but Rin already went ahead and shyly kisses his cheek, before stumbling away from him.

Tanjiro went out the room to see Zenitsu fainting. He walked over his body, "Zenitsu, wake up! We're going on a mission!"

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

Rin sat on a booth, farther away from everyone else so she wouldn't be disturbed. But then she started to hear Vector's theme song from Despicable Me.

A strange looking man wearing an orange jumpsuit sat in front of her, smirking, "Hey"

Rin ignored him and continued staring out the window.

He got up and tiptoed beside her, "I'm thinking about applying to be a tsuguko of a pillar going by the name 'Vector!'"

She only scooted away.

He continued, "It's a mathematical term represented by an arrow in both direction and magnitude!"

Rin was now already at the far side of the seat.

Vector slid next to her, "VECTOR! that's me! Cus I'm stopping demons with both direction and magnitude! OH YEAAHHH!"

Rin wanted to beat the shit out of him right now, but decided to preserve her energy for the actual battle.

Seeing as she is ignoring him right now, he still continued, "Check out my new weapon..." He then pulled put a gun, "PIRANHA GUN! OH YESSSS"

Rin looked at his weapon, isn't that dangerous? But then again, she remembered that her squad has Inosuke in it.

"It shoots out live piranhas! Ever seen one? NO! I invented this myself, want a demonstration?"

She doesn't even need to answer that because he had already shot it and it accidentally hit a person. He started screaming and immediately ran towards the very front part of the train.

Rin shot up from her seat and was about to run after the person, but the train stopped. Everyone on the train starts panicking.

Rin screeched, "WHAT HAPPENED-?"

"THE CONDUCTOR DIED!" A random stranger screeches back.

Rin fell to her knees, "nOOOOOO- HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO GO TO MY MISSION?!"

Then she turned to glare at Vector, who just slowly hid his gun and pretended like nothing happened. She grabbed him by his collar, ready to throw a punch at him.

"YOUUUUUUUUU!!!"

Vector starts sobbing, "NO WAIT PLEASE!! I HAVE CHILDREN"

"Rin! Please him go! He PROBABLY didn't do anything!" A voice that sounds like Tanjiro said, catching her off guard.

She turned around to see Tanjiro, behind him were Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Hana.

Wait what.

"What are you all doing here?" Rin furrowed her eyebrows. She is beyond confusion now.

"I guess we're all sent to the same mission" Tanjiro chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

That kind of explains it.

"Attention passengers; please remain calm, this isn't the first time that our conductor has died. We'll fix this issue which will take a couple of hours. So in the meantime, listen to this really calm music used in Titanic."

A loud screeching noise was heard from the speakers. Everyone started screaming and covering their ears, begging for it to stop. That totally calmed everyone down.

"Damn, I sure do wonder how they're going to fix this situation" Hana said, munching on her hot cheetos that she has taken out of nowhere.

Rin groaned and went to a different train cart so that she can do something while they're stuck here. Zenitsu follows after her, "My love! Look, I'm here with you right now! Why don't we just enjoy each other's companies- wait what the-"

There was a rave going on in this cart. Rin stared at it in disgust but decided to enter it anyways. It probably has food in and drinks in it, better than Hana's hot cheetos anyway.

Zenitsu followed her in confusion as she starts eating the food on the tables. "Hey, Rin...are we really supposed to be here?"

Rin didn't answer him, only stuffing more food in her mouth. She honestly doesn't know what she's eating, but holy shit these tasted good. Zenitsu only watched her as she drank something from one of the cups that were placed there.

"Hey! You gotta try these!" Rin offered him a drink, but he refused. He's probably still thinking that they weren't supposed to be eating or drinking in here. She shrugged and drank the whole thing by herself in one gulp. She felt a little tipsy after drinking that, but she can still manage.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" Someone yelled, but Rin didn't even care, she just continued refilling her cup, completely unaffected. That is, until Zenitsu grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the place, causing her drink to spill. Once they were out of the place, he noticed that Tanjiro and the others are nowhere to be found.

'Oh God oh please oh no-' Zenitsu starts hsving a mental breakdown internally.

"nOoOOoooOOO, wHy'D yOu do THaaAT-" Rin whined, throwing weak punches at him, none of them affecting him. Zenitsu sighed, pulling her arm over his shoulder to help her walk properly. Rin complained, saying that she can walk properly by herself.

He doubts that.

Zenitsu sets her down on a booth, then started to think of ways to handle this. It wasn't the first time that he is handling his drunk partner. It's just that Tanjiro was there to help him. But now he is nowhere to be found.

He just decided to stay and watch over her to prevent her from doing stupid stuff. Right now, she's trying to get out of his iron grip so that she can go back to that cart. Rin didn't know when he got so strong to hold her down without struggling, but holy shit that just turns her on-

I CANT BRETAGE WTF

Anyways, this wasn't the 'enjoying each other's companies' that Zenitsu pictured earlier. He starts to pray for Tanjiro or the others to come back.

Soon, Rin started calming down and is now dozing off to sleep. "N-nOoo i dOn'T waNnA sLeeP...yet...." lmao too late bitch you're snoring off your fat ass now.

Zenitsu was thankful that she finally fell asleep. Now all he needs to do is keep praying for the others to come back.

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

Rin finally woke up from her sleep. She immediately sat up to look at her surroundings. She noticed everyone else sitting on different beds next to hers. They looked like they just came out of a warzone or something.

"Holy shit...what happen to you guys?" Rin asked.

Tanjiro struggled to sit up, "Well...Inosuke-"

"Makes sense"

"B-but I didn't get to finish-"

"Rin-chan! You're awake!!" Zenitsu came in the room and was about to run and hug her, but he realized that he's holding something. So he walked over to her and placed them on her nightstand before hugging her.

"So uh,, what day is it?" Rin asked, trying to free herself from Zenitsu's bone crushing hug.

"One" Inosuke said.

Hana sighed, "What he meant to say is, it's just been a day since the train incident"

Everything suddenly comes back to Rin. That Vector guy. Hana's hot cheetos. That rave party in the cart. Her heads started to hurt just by thinking about it.

Zenitsu noticed how she's holding her head, so he gives her a painkiller that he had brought in earlier.

After drinking the painkiller, she tried processing everything again. Then she realized that she's supposed to be on her mission right now. She then proceeds to wonder where the fuck they are.

"If you're wondering, we're actually in the village for our mission now" Han said. Wow- it's like she read Rin's mind or something.

"Yes, I can read your mind" Hana smiles at her.

"Wait what-"

"Nothing, anyways, let's just stay and rest here for a bit before we yeet out"

"I DON'T WANNA SIT AND WAIT, I WANNA KILL SOME DEMONS NOW!! " Inosuke screamed, jumping out of his bed.

"Inosuke, calm down! Remember your breathing exercises!" Tanjiro panicked and got out of his bed to restrain the angy boi, "Try doing some Yoga too!"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS A YOGA, I DON'T WANT TO DO IT"

"Do the dang Yoga!" Hana intervened.

"I SAID I'M NOT GOING TO-"

Rin rose up from her bed (which made Zenitsu fall because he was sitting on her) and started stomping on Inosuke.

"Uh guys, I'm pretty sure this isn't how yoga went" Tanjiro said.

"STOP! THIS ISN'T CALMING HIM DOWN!" Hana screamed. Zenitsu starts screaming aswell as he tried to pry Rin off Inosuke, but he somehow managed to get into the mess.

Hana looked at Tanjiro, who just laid back down, "Aren't you going to do anything?"

Tanjiro pulled the covers over him, "It doesn't matter, they're not going to listen to me anyways"

He has a point. With that, the two of them went back to sleep as if nothing is currently happening.

Meanwhile, Inosuke managed to run away from Rin and Zenitsu. Rin ran to chase after him, screaming, screeching and yelling can be heard from outside the room. Zenitsu tried to follow after but he realizes that there was also no point in that, so he just went to bed too lmao

Inosuke and Rin ran to the front desk, the lady in charge starts screaming, thinking Inosuke was a monster because of his mask. He hisses at her and proceeds to climb on the walls, away from the place.

What did Hana see in this creature.

Rin starts running after him outside the inn they were staying. Inosuke stood there, completely frozen and staring at something. “Come on, pig head, let’s go back in-” She was cut off short when she saw what was in front of them.

A demon. A huge one. A bunch of letters that can be formed into words looked like they were tattooed into his skin. The letters are also moving and shifting, forming new words. Rin wonders what his demon art is. But anyways, she wasted no time in grabbing her blade, preparing to swing at him. 

Inosuke went behind to inspect something from the back of him. Rin swing her blade to the demon’s neck, but he dodged, kicking her side. She slams to the wall, the impact made her vision a bit blurry. She looked over at Inosuke, who was still looking behind the demon’s back. 

“MWUAHAAHHAHAHAH!! THAT THING WON’T WORK ON ME!! THE ONLY WAY TO DEFEAT ME IS IF YOU SAY A MAGIC WORD”

“Please die” Rin groaned, laying down somehow comfortably on the broken debris of the wall. 

“NICE TRY! BUT THAT’S NOT IT, THE WORD IS MERELY IMPOSSIBLE TO THINK OF!!” The demon does a jojo pose, continuing, “ONLY PEOPLE WITH MASSIVE IQ CAN BE ABLE TO THINK OF THE WORD”

“Hey this spells boat!” Inosuke happily says, pointing to a word behind his back. He is proud of himself for remembering what had Hana thought him. Everything fell silent for-

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MY WEAKNESS”

“wait what” 

Then he explodes. Bits and pieces of body parts of the demon came flying everywhere, those whose mouths were open were blessed with demon limbs. 

“I have so many questions right now, but I’m gonna sleep” Rin grumbles, closing her eyes to peacefully rest around the splattered insides of the demon. Until she heard a bunch of footsteps running over her. 

“OH MY GOSH RIN IS DEAD” A voice laced with worry said, who Rin assumed was Hana. She still didn’t budge, to exhausted to even open her eyes. Another voice that sounded like Zenitsu’s spoke, “MOVE!! I KNOW HOW TO DO CPR!!”

Rin’s eyes shot back up sitting up instantly, “nO WAIT- MMPH!!”

Ah too late. Zenitsu had already performed his so-called ‘cpr’ which is literally just kissing her. He pulls away after, inspecting Rin’s now wide awaken face. “HEY IT WORKED- OW!!”

Rin repeatedly smacks him on the head, a furious blush plastered on her face. Meanwhile, Hana runs up to Inosuke with the most worried look on her face, “What happened?!”

Inosuke smirks under his mask, sticking up his nose in the air in pride, “The great Lord Inosuke has defeated the demon!!” Then he victoriously laughs. Hana giggles, hugging him tightly as she nuzzles her face against his chest. 

“Wow...you’re so strong hehehe”

Inosuke scoffs, “Of course I am! Who do you think I am?!”

“My strong Inosuke~”

“YES!! PRAISE ME MORE!” Inosuke cackles more, picking her up and spinning them together. A matching blush adorning both of their cheeks. Tanjiro felt single now. 

“Hey uh...sorry to interrupt but how exactly did you defeat it?” Tanjiro nervously intervenes, thinking it was rude to interrupt them. Inosuke didn’t seem to mind that much though.

“That’s easy! I just simply have big IQ!” Inosuke snickers, pointing at himself pridefully. Everyone else doubts that. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Hana looked at him in confusion, then they looked at Rin. She shrugs, “I don’t know guys, I had a concussion earlier and started seeing....things”

She shivers, after having another Vietnam flashback for a split second. Everyone else decided to just ask her later after her headache have subsided. They headed back to the inn, not even bothering to clean up the demon limbs or the broken wall.

8 Steps: How To Do In 2 Hours, What Most Do In A Week

Regardless if you work from home or commute to an office, many discover it can be a battle to focus, be productive, and finish every one of their assignments.

Since becoming a self-employed marketing specialist (on February 16th, 2020), I've constructed an effective full-time business, launched various side hustles, finished numerous enormous tasks for a few clients without a moment's delay, and worked far less than 40 hours per week while venturing and spending much more time with my family than I ever had before.

Yet, my secret isn't earplugs, espresso, "more self-control," or an enchanted time-management application. (Truth be told, I don't utilize one single efficiency apparatus by any stretch of the imagination.)

In this article, I'll show you the specific, exceptionally intense techniques that caused me to soar my efficiency and get magnificent outcomes without depending on “willpower”.

It's entirely conceivable and regardless of whether you're self-employed or an employee, these tips will help you as well.

1. Stay away from productivity killers

Regularly, individuals attempt to help their efficiency by adding a wide range of assets:

Time management app, calendars, site blockers, productivity books, and so on

Yet, making an inadequate framework more proficient doesn't prompt greater productivity.

Before you add more, start by deducting things that kill your productivity.

It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential. — Bruce Lee

Rule Number One: Never check your email or messages first thing in the morning.

55% of Americans check their email before they even go to work.

The problem with checking your emails or messages so early is that it puts people in a state of reaction: It fills their head with tasks, stressors, and mini-fires they need to put out before they even had a chance to do all their top priorities.

And since they see their emails before they’re at work, they can’t even do anything about it yet! So, it stays in the back of their mind all morning and they can’t be fully present.

(Later in this article, I’ll show you how to check your email in a more productive way.)

Rule Number Two: Limit all notifications.

Loads of individuals' phones are an interruption factory — with a wide range of alarms, messages, updates, and notification, it resembles having an infant in your pocket. 

However, it's unimaginable for you to focus like this. 

To start with, people are awful at performing various tasks. Regardless of how hard you attempt it, in the event that you get a notification like clockwork, you can't zero in well on the thing you're doing. 

Second, if a notification pulls you away from your work, when you return, you'll burn through a great deal of time as your mind has to readjust to what you were doing, and returns to a similar level of productivity before the interruption. (You lose throughout 23 minutes each time, really.)

Third, checking your notifications resembles a drug: 

Each time you check a message, email, alert, and so forth, your cerebrum discharges dopamine, a compound that causes us to feel better. 

In the long run, your body gets dependent on these chemicals and you begin wanting it — and the best way to fulfill that hankering is to check Gmail, Instagram, Facebook, and so forth 

An exceptionally basic arrangement is simply to set your phone on flight mode or "do not disturb" during explicit times, particularly toward the beginning of the day. 

For the individuals who need to take this to the next level, I energetically suggest disabling all unimportant notifications from all applications on your phone.

Rule Number Three: Don't sit in front of the TV, read the news, or check/utilize social media before anything else in the morning. 

Productivity is tied in with achieving your most elevated priorities, efficiently and effectively. (Take it from a marketing professional, who’s predominant chunk of work ties back to social media at some point)

Activities for your boss. Building your business. Making a side business. Composing the book you've for the longest time been itching to compose. Preparing for a long-distance race. Getting a degree. 

Odds are, be that as it may, your most elevated needs are not Instagram, messages, and viewing SportsCenter. 

The issue is, when individuals start the morning by consuming data, they haven't stepped toward their main objectives and they're as of now filling their brain with (generally) pointless, distracting stuff. 

None of it will assist them with achieving their greatest errands. Furthermore, more regrettable, things like the news cause individuals to feel more negative, stressed, and pessimistic, further influencing productivity. 

Yet, there's a reason behind why such a large amount of this is centered around your mornings…

2. Overcome the most important time of the day 

The secret to soaring your efficiency is exceptionally straightforward: 

Overcome the initial three hours after you awaken. 

This is the point at which you're generally innovative, engaged, ready, gainful, and stimulated. 

That is the reason it's essential to secure your mornings and try to benefit from those hours. 

Here's how:

To begin with, require a couple of moments at the very beginning of your day to do an amazing morning schedule. 

It may appear to be strange to invest energy in the first part of the day not to work, but rather to prepare yourself to work. However, I guarantee those couple of moments will change your productivity.

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six of them sharpening my axe. — Abraham Lincoln

A few plans to "sharpen your axe:"

Meditate. Go for a stroll. Eat healthy. Peruse something motivating. Compose your objectives on a handy-dandy journal. Stretch. And so forth

It doesn't need to be muddled (or long), however plan something to help you feel 100% prepared — mentally, physically, and emotionally — so you're engaged, inspired, focused, and driven.

At that point, when you begin working, you'll have a huge load of momentum to take out the entirety of your assignments.

Second, try not to settle on an excessive number of insignificant choices and, instead, do the same routine consistently.

That is really the mystery of world class level competitors/athletes:

They do the exact same ludicrously, exhausting, boring schedules throughout each and every day.

They eat the same healthy foods. They do the same exercises. They do the same warm-ups.

Once more, mornings are the point at which you are generally beneficial and focused. Try not to squander your psychological energy on minor choices. "What am I going to eat? What am I going to do? What am I going wear? Where am I going to go?"

In all actuality we just have a restricted measure of significant level for mental execution every day.

By doing the same things consistently, you can utilize that elevated level of cognitive energy on the things that matter since all the minor task of your day are on auto-pilot.

Third, accomplish extraordinary work.

After your morning routine, you may have somewhere close to 2–2.5 hours remaining from your initial three hours. That is the point at which you will accomplish your best work.

The remainder of this article will show you how.

3. Why you need to make teeny-tiny assignments

Many individuals think they battle to complete their assignments on account of laziness or an absence of willpower, inspiration, or determination.

In any case, frequently, the explanation is undeniably more straightforward!

For instance, somebody's plan for the day may resemble:

Compose blog article

Build a website

The genuine issue is each task is so overwhelming!

To compose a blog article or construct another site, it could take somewhere in the range of 3 to 30 hours!

Each errand is so huge and inconclusive, there's no foreordained length or approach to quantify its fulfillment — but to complete the entire damn thing. (I speak from experience; can’t you tell my frustration?)

Also, in the event that it winds up requiring 30 hours, it'll remain on your to do list for a few days, if not weeks.

Instead, break them into explicit, noteworthy errands that can be executed in less than 60 minutes.

For instance, rather than "compose a blog entry," it very well may be "compose an outline," "make a draft for the intro," "compose 10 ideas for the title," "compose 200 words," and so forth

These are explicit, significant, and quantifiable.

Much like with sweets, teeny-tiny is better:

With smaller tasks (ex. 20-minute long), you have certainty you can complete them. In any case, if your assignment is to assemble a site (which can require days, weeks, or months), the finish line might as well be in the North Pole.

When you make your errands "teeny-tiny," you'll finish a greater number of assignments in less time than previously. By observing yourself finish more things, you'll pick up momentum and certainty.

When you have a significant plan for the day, it's an ideal opportunity to orchestrate them the correct way…

4. Prioritize like a pro

One of my most extraordinary lessons came from the "80/20 Rule."

Otherwise called the "Pareto Principle," it clarifies that about 80% of your output comes from about 20% of your input.

For productivity, that implies 20% of your work makes 80% of your outcomes.

A few people, however, simply do their daily agenda in any order. So, they may complete a great deal of errands before their day's over, yet get little outcomes (assuming any).

Actuality is, in everybody's plan for the day, there's only a couple of things that have the "greatest value for your money."

So, pick the 3 most significant things — no more than 3 — and put those at the top.

At that point, do those 3 things each in turn and don't do whatever else on your list until you finish those 3 things.

By doing these basic things first, you get the most outcomes every single day.

Once more, you have the most inventiveness, focus, and mental energy in the mornings; so, devote your best time of day on your highest priority tasks.

To figure out your best 3 tasks, try asking yourself:

What three things totally can't stand by until tomorrow?

What are the three things that on the off chance that I finished, but did nothing else, would have the option to get by with?

What are the three things that will have the greatest effect on my life?

Assuming, in any case, you have 5 basic assignments that all should be done today, locate the two things that, in the event that you don't do them, have the slightest repercussions.

At that point prioritize the other three.

(Figuring out how to prioritize will change your productivity, and in addition your life.)

5. Why limiting your time can zap your speed

Have you ever had a whole month to do something minuscule — and that "miniscule thing" winds up requiring the whole month?

There's a law for that.

It's designated "Parkinson's Law": Work expands to fill the time necessary for its completion.

In other words, whatever time you give yourself to finish an errand, it'll take that measure of time — regardless of whether it's 30 minutes, three hours, or three weeks.

Along these lines, to help your efficiency, don't give yourself more time to complete something:

Give yourself less.

Make a forceful time limit and perceive how quick you can do it. Clearly, you need to do a good job, but try to push yourself in terms of speed AND quality.

You'll see that the errands that once took "quite a while" really complete significantly quicker.

More, frequently, you'll really make a superior showing since you're giving your full concentration and focus to hit a pressing time limit.

This is the way you utilize Parkinson's Law for your own benefit.

6. Take interval mental breaks

It gives you stretched intervals to be super-engaged and undistracted while additionally giving you breaks to recuperate and reenergize.

Regardless of whether you're working, composing, or learning, taking regular breaks is essential.

It resembles working out at the gym: You need rest between practices so you can do it again and still have perseverance, strength, and force.

You can do a work duration of 25 minutes — with a brief 5 min break — I for the most part complete 50 minutes with a 10-minute break.

Throughout this break, however, it's essential to really "take a break" and not simply browse email, check social media, or occupy yourself.

Normally, I'll go for a stroll to walk my dog, do yoga stretches or even basic calisthenics to stimulate blood circulation throughout the body; at that point, I reset the clock and go once more.

7. Improve your performance with music

You did your morning schedule. You have your organized daily agenda. You haven't browsed through your emails or messages. You set 50 minutes on your clock and are prepared to tackle the day.

Now what?

Here's a simple tip to help you take your working capacities to the next level:

Tune in to the same music on repeat.

Here's the reason why it’s so effective:

Instead of continually hearing different songs, which urges you to tune in to the words, by tuning in to the same one, you melt into the tune, quit zeroing in on the words, and simply feed off the energy.

My secret sauce is to listen to Binary sounds. Search “Binary Work/Study Music”, it’s far less distracting and gives you more focus to work. (I’m doing it as I compose this article piece!).

8. Conquer the last challenge

The past productivity systems are incredibly amazing and intense.

Yet, here's a severe truth:

Regardless of how well you plan your day or the number of productivity systems you use, in the event that you hate what you’re doing or don't know enough about what you're doing, you won't be productive.

So, on the off chance that you attempt these tips and still battle to complete things, ask yourself:

Do you really want to do them in the first place?

Is there something you're anxious about or afraid of?

In any case, while there are times you need to beat internal opposition — particularly when attempting to transform yourself — some of the time it's an indication of a more profound issue.

Possibly your body, brain, and gut are attempting to reveal to you something.

Talking from personal experience, the last time I opposed accomplishing work, it was on the grounds that I was in an occupation I hated and I wound up quitting (which additionally fixed my depression and allowed me to educate myself more on the thing that mattered most to me).

I can’t tell you for sure, but I do recommend taking some time, digging deep, and seeing where that opposition is coming from. You might just discover a whole new your

I can’t wait to see the greatness you will accomplish.

The 2010s Decade of PokéAni (An overview - Part 2 of 2)

← Continuing on from the first half of this PokéAni 2010s overview....

2015: Serena cuts her hair to chase a dream

February 12, 2015 Serena’s character arc had a rocky start with her not really sure what to do after becoming a Pokémon trainer meeting her Fennekin for the first time. I was really excited when her character was first announced, but I wanted to like her more than just being “that pretty girl who has a crush on Ash”. Maybe it’s because I’m not that shippy of a person, nor a romantic type of guy whatsoever but I didn’t want a main character to just be defined as a potential love interest. With her development slowly leaning towards a clear goal on wanting to become a top Pokémon Performer, I was happy she was finally carving her own path. However it was this specific episode that marked a major turning point for her ambitions, and made me truly invest in the new and improved Serena.

It was finally Serena’s debut as a Pokémon performer competing in her first Pokémon Showcase in Coumarine City, along with her friend, rival, and fellow-performer, Shauna. The performers in this showcase are divided into groups, and only one from each group gets to move on to the next round. Going into the first round, Serena was nervous yet confident. It was a Pokémon styling contest, and Serena put a lot of care and effort into making Fennekin look as cute and gorgeous as possible. But maybe it was a bit too much...

As they walk down the runway showcasing Fennekin’s fashion, everything went well and both were having a great experience in their first showcase...until something terribly went wrong. Fennekin accidentally trips over its ribbon while walking the runway which ends up scattering all the decorations Serena had styled over her. She made a crucial mistake in making the ends of the ribbon too long, thus costing them the round and ultimately eliminated her from the competition. Shauna was able to advance from her her group easily, and all Serena could do now was watch the rest of the competition from the stands. Shauna ended up winning the Showcase and her first Princess Key. It was devastating defeat going into your first performance having to lose like that. On the outside, she tried to put up a good face for her friends comforting Fennekin and even congratulating Shauna on her first victory.

But in the inside, she was grieving and blames herself for not realizing the error she made while styling Fennekin. Even Ash knew that she would be alright all along knowing her strength. The following early morning when no once was watching her besides her Pokémon, she decides to let it all out and break down in front of the ocean. It really broke my heart seeing her crying like that knowing that she really did care about pursuing a performer career. Fennekin and Pancham immediately try and cheer her up as they engaged in a lovely group hug. After understanding the disappointment in defeat, she knew that this was a part of every dream. You can’t be successful without making a couple of mistakes and that it’s okay to cry sometimes to let the bad stress out. No one is perfect, and that same goes for some of Ash’s gym battles or what happened to some of May and Dawn’s contests in the past. It was all part of the process of chasing her newly found dream and Serena finally realized that. It was just the beginning, and she wants to keep going until she gets to Aria. She decides that going forward in this new chapter, there needs to be a change. She got her big scissors out and starts trimming her own hair (for her to do that on the spot without a mirror, she was pretty darn impressive to properly cut her hair like wow lol) as Palermo watches in the distance from her limo. She knew that was the same performer with the tripping Fennekin. It’s possible she saw potential in her that early. Serena rejoins her friends and surprises them with a new look!

If you ask me, I like this new outfit of hers way better (and I think girls with shorter hair cuter ^///^). Also you can’t forget about the blue ribbon Ash gave her prior to this, it was a really cute touch knowing that he helped her get stronger through her personal journey as a trainer. Now that’s fitting ;) You know even though it was spoiled early on that she was going to have a redesign, I’m really happy on how they did it and it wasn’t just random day where Serena decides she wanted to cut her hair. I’m no girl, but apparently (I researched this) when a woman cuts her hair shorter, it symbolizes a change or a major life event that has happened. To Serena, it was a major shift in her character after the embarrassing loss. She eventually went on to win future performances evolving her Braxien, and even got to be friends with Aria! Remember, Serena is MORE than just AmourShipping...she is our Kalos Queen <3

Honorable mentions from this year: There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to 2015 PokéAni. Ash had 4 gym battles that year, including his battle with Clemont which I was very hyped about. To the point of him temporarily leaving the group to prepare himself at the Lumiose gym, that’s how much he cared about being in the best battling shape for Ash. There was that infamous “date” episode that Ash & Serena had, Meowth & Bonnie being stuck together, Cosplay Pikachu everywhere, Trevor trying to get a picture of a Moltres, and the debut of Sawyer, the Treeko trainer who was fascinated by Ash. One of my personal favorites too was when Bonnie wanted to ‘keep’ a Tyrunt/Tyrantrum (matched her pajamas too :3) she helped and befriended but unfortunately already had a trainer </3 It was a year of a couple of catches like Ash’s Noibat, Serena’s Eevee, Clemont reminiscing the time he caught a Bunnelby, and of course the lost Goomy. Within months after Ash caring for the Goomy, he was able to evolve it to a Goodra but had to leave it behind when they finally found its homeland it had to watch over with a Floette. We got two more Mega Evolution Specials before it merges with the main anime the following year, but we did get start of the XY&Z arc where Ash’s (then) Frogadier would fulfill a prophecy to save Kalos from a great danger. When they met up with Sanpei in the Ninja Village, Frogadier would finally evolve into Greninja. It would be the year when Team Flare would initiate their plans, attempting to capture all the Zygarde cores. There was one specific Zygarde core that Bonnie was able to befriend and bring it along with them naming it Squishy/Puni-chan. If you thought 2015 was awesome, wait until what PokéAni does in 2016!

2016: Gym Leaders assemble - the last line of defense

September 15, 2016 The fallout following the Kalos League took a dark turn when Lysandre broadcasts Team Flare’s manifesto to create a new world order, where only the “chosen ones” will join them. Alain, feeling betrayed with Lysandre’s true nature, decides to team up with Ash and the others to take down Team Flare. Lysandre’s gone mad, and even Malva thinks that this is too much. On other side of the story, Mairin with Serena, Professor Sycamore, and Hoenn League Champion Steven, rescued Chespie/Hari-san from Lysandre Labs.

While all the chaos is going on outside, Clemont reclaims the Lumiose Gym from Xerosic at the cost of terminating his good ol’ Clembot/Citroid assistant he invented for the Gym. I can’t remember how sad I was on robot’s death and nearly cried on it...they really made this scene heartbreaking for Clemont to push that shut down button. You can see the bot’s loyalty towards him volunteering to sacrifice himself for the greater good. But thanks to their bravery, Team Flare no longer controls one of their Zygarde (Z2). Squishy was also able to show its true form (50% so far) when it called upon the other Zygarde cells under Team Flare’s control, but thanks to Bonnie’s bond with it, she was able to breakthrough that mind control by singing Puni-chan’s song (don’t think the dub has an actual name for their version) she often sings when they’re together. The development Bonnie had with Squishy throughout this whole arc was fantastic, because it gave her more responsibility and sense of friendship even after Squishy was under the control of Team Flare destroying every thing. This was her own trial to prepare her for what’s to come when she eventually becomes an official Pokémon trainer and own an overpowered Zygarde in the future xD. Squishy also trusted Bonnie as a human it can rely on.

With Team Flare looking to be defeated, there was one more threat looming over Kalos. What was that threat? A ROCK. But no ordinary rock, it was The Giant Rock (Meaglith) that Lysandre created based off Primal energy form a beast like creature similar to Zygarde’s 50% forme. It was his last ditch effort in creating a new world, and we have never seen anything this catastrophic from an evil boss since probably Cryus. The Zygarde-like rock beast even absorbed Mairin’s Chespie which makes it even more difficult for them to stop it. It’s destination was the Anistar City Sundial to trigger a massive explosion that could destroy Kalos and the world! Everyone joins up to stop this calamity from happening, but is their strength with Mega Evolution enough to bring it down?

Then, the epic back-up finally arrives! The whole Kalos crew is here with Champion Diantha uniting all the Gym Leaders (minus Clemont/Clembot) within the region. They even got their own solo introductions. This never happened in the previous regions of the anime, where the Gym Leader would just appear once battling with Ash, but in here they interjected themselves to the Zygarde’s story arc. This really reminded me of what happened during the climax of the Black & White games, where the Gym Leaders joined forces to stop Team Plasma. But this isn’t Unova, this is Kalos, and this is their last line of heavy defense against Lysandre! With 2 League Champions, a Blaziken Mask, Ash-Greninja, Z2′s army of cores, and 7 Gym Leaders, this Giant Rock wont stand a chance! When Zygrade finally reached its 100% forme, it uses Core Enforcer to end Lysandre’s evil plot once and for all (RIP him btw). From Steven Stone’s assistance, to Clembot’s sacrifice, to Team Rocket’s aide, and Diantha leading the region’s top gym leaders, this was an epic way to end the XY&Z saga with. For them saving Chespie, and bring back peace to Kalos.

Honorable mentions from this year: The closing year for the Kalos ended in epic fashion before taking flight to Alola. Who could forget the episode where Serena wore or should I say cosplayed as Ash? She even almost got to a dance with him during Monsieur Pierre’s party. She wasn’t able to, but at least got to evolve her Eevee into a Sylveon! Clemont also had a new bride that Bonnie wasn’t too fond of (despite her asking multiple ladies to ‘keep’ for him) when her jealousy kicks in. Ash’s Noibat also evolved into Noivern, and briefly reunited with Goodra. Serena got all her Princess Keys needed to compete in the Pokémon Showcase Master Class, and even went head to head with Kalos Queen Aria for her title! She was unsuccessful, but it still won’t stop her from getting better. It was also the official birth of Ash-Greninja when he had a battle with the Kalos Champion, Diantha! Ash finally meets our Mega Evolution protagonist Alain and gained a new rival for the League. Before the Kalos League, he struggled a bit with getting his final badge from Wulfric eventually perfecting Ash-Greninja. In the Kalos League, he had a great battle with Sawyer (who can now use Mega Evolution), but came up short against Alain in the finals. It was a loss everybody was bummed about, and it would take another 3 years for him to compete in another league...we’ll get to that :> But the farewells were unforgettable. Greninja had to be let go in order to destroy the reappearing roots with Squishy and Z2 protecting Kalos from further calamity. And I know y’all can’t forget about the ‘kiss’ heard around the world when Serena leaned in for her parting gift to Ash <3 Him and Clemont have one final battle (just like how the XY series started) before heading back to Pallet Town...”And to our own way”. But 2016 had to end on a happy note, where we see Ash finding a new home in Alola enrolling in their Pokémon School program. Upon arriving, he was blessed with a Z-ring from Tapu Koko, an Alola deity, because he saw something in our boy. Through his class he made 5 new friends, got a Rotom Dex, a little Rowlet birb chilling in his backpack, and meeting a feisty Litten. WHAT. A. YEAR. !!!

2017: Stoutland’s final days with Litten

April 6, 2017 In possibly one of the most depressing and emotional episodes the Pokémon anime has to offer, the wild Litten that always stole Ash’s food finally gets to be apart of his team. But what made this little kitty finally gave Ash a chance to train it after escaping him so many times when he tried to reach out to it?

Ash tried to help the loyal Stoutland Litten was living with after following it from stealing his groceries, but due to Stoutland’s old age and declining health, there wasn’t much Nurse Joy could do. The tree shots with the falling leaves throughout the episode pretty symbolize the time Stoutland has left.

Litten, bringing back his mentor to their old spot after spending the night at the Pokémon Center, still wanted to spend as much time with Stoutland and master the Fire Fang move it was trying to learn. Then the leaves were out, and the finals days of this Stoutland were up. Litten slept with his friend one last time, and even had a dream of Stoutland attempting to chase after it going off in the distance. This symbolizes Stoutland’s departure from being under its care.

It wasn’t directly shown, nor mentioned, but it is clear to me that the Stoudland had passed away. *sobs* The gloomy rainy weather, and the dark tone shown during this part of the episode signifies the sadness and mourning every character that was involved during Litten’s struggle to find help for its good ol’ friend, not immediately realizing that Stoutland was gone for good. Meowth tried to communicate with his fellow feline to understand what it was feeling, while Ash even spends the entire duration of the rainfall with Litten even though it refused his food offer many times and didn’t want his help. This definitely took me into a feels trip because it is rare for this anime to even do an episode about a death of a Pokémon, even though it was indirect with how they presented it. Not mention, every time I was on my Stoutland ride Pokémon when playing Pokémon Moon (to help detect hidden items), ridding the big doggo always made me think about this particular episode. ;_;

Eventually the rain stopped, and a rainbow bloomed in a distance that made Litten feel better remembering the good memories it had with Stoutland. Finally, Litten decides to give Ash a chance, but didn’t want his pity over what happened. Litten was a tough little cat and wanted Ash to earn its respect through battle. Litten finally joins Ash’s team after battling with Pikachu and successfully catching it. Ash was also able to feed Litten after accepting it as its trainer. This was probably what Stoutland would have wanted for Litten.

Stoutland knew what kind of trainer he was and wanted Litten to go with Ash to finish the training they started. Besides mastering Fire Fang, they did a lot more in the future to come. When Litten saw the rainbow and familiar cloud formation, both smiled in peace. Stoutland knew that Litten was in very good hands. The memories learning and training with Stoutland are never forgotten, as Litten embarks on a new journey with brand new friends and a caring trainer.

Honorable mentions from this year: The first fully fledge year of Alola! Ash owning the first discovered Dusk Lycanroc in the anime verse, Lana getting her own Z-ring and how can I not forget Brock and Misty’s (especially MISTY) big return to the anime when the class went to Kanto! We had new Pokémon caught added to the main cast such as the birth of Lillie’s Snowy/Shiron, James’s touchy Mareanie and Kiawe’s Alolan Marowak. It was Gladion’s debut year becoming Ash’s new rival. Ash’s Z-Crystal collection kept on growing bigger through his adventures in Melemele and Akala Islands, and even clears its respective grand trials. We were also introduced to a little Cosmog turned Solgaleo, Nebby. The bad guy in Faba to steals Nebby however to summon, an Ultra Beast (Nihilego) that would eventually consume Lusamine (just like in the games, only she is less obsessed here). Thus, a Z-Powered ganbaLilie was born to save her mom! With the help of her brother and friends of course. We had family matters like Sophocles thought he was moving a way for good, and fun little fillers like the pancake and Charjabug races, or raving with an Alolan Dugtrio blonde wig. A personal favorite of mine was when Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio had mini-adventure of their own, and outsmarted Team Rocket nasty schemes. Speaking of Team Rocket, we got a short glimpse of them versus a trio of Team Skull members. Kukui’s class activities like the baseball teams, camping outdoors, switching Pokémon partners with fellow classmates for the weekend, and sleeping over at the professor’s house were awesome too! Their field trip seeing the beautiful white-colored Aether Paradise, and traveling through the mysterious Ultra Space were treat as well. We got to see the development of Kukui and Burnet’s pre-married relationship, which wasn’t featured in the games…AND WE GOT A PROPOSAL AND WEDDING OUT OF IT! There’s a reason for the animation change, and to be honest I’m happy that they did! The art style definitely fits the tone and theme of the jolly Alola region. In conclusion, 2017 was a pretty cool year if you ask me!

2018: The People of Alola vs. Necrozma

September 13, 2018 The conclusion to the Poipole/Necrozma arc is probably the biggest highlight for this year. In Japan, this marked a major end of an era because this was also the final episode on a Thursday night (for 20 years!) since the series was officially moving to Sundays starting with the episode after this (~pika ;3). 

From Gladion joining the Ultra Guardians, to Team Rocket’s Matori Matrix attempting catch a fused Necrozma, to Nebby returning to assist with the mission, to rescuing and healing a weakened Lunala, to visiting Poipole’s home world and hear a Naganadel talk in their minds…I’m at the edge of my seat! The Masked Royal’s identity was first exposed here too when Faba fought alongside Kukui to ward off the Matori Matrix. Luckily Faba can keep a secret. The whole time this arc felt like it could be one Pokémon movie. This should probably make-up for why there really isn’t an Alola region based Pokémon movie for this series specifically. But going back on topic, the entire region of Alola was still in crisis as Necrozma absorbs all the Z-Power the Ultra Guardians tried to strike back with. At this point, Nebby was already fused with the Necrozma and they knew that they had to separate them just like what happened with Lunala. So what does everyone do in a time like this? UNITE! Not just the Guardian deities, not just the Ultra Guardians, not just the Aether Foundation, not just the Kahunas participating in the Manalo Festival, but Alola as a whole teamed up in various locations where citizens swarmed together and gave their “light” by doing Tapu Koko’s pose to bring Necrozma back to its original form, The Blinding/Radiant One! Nebby has been freed, and rejoins the Ultra Guardians.

In one last Ultra stand, Nebby (with Ash holding Solganium Z) and Lunala (with Gladion holding Lunalium Z) gave one final blow to Necrozma with some Ultra Aura. After unleashing the combination of Z-moves, Ultra Necrozma rises from the light and uses its power to restore all the damage that has been done to Alola, thus ending the chaos ensuing in the region. The Matori Matrix did try to go to Ultra Space when an Ultra Wormhole opened, but Tapu Koko was like “not so fast!” eventually forcing this Team Rocket unit to retreat.

Not only did they save Alola, but also brings back light to the Poipole home world. Of course the most emotional thing out of all this was saying goodbye to our little sticky Poipole friend who had remain in its home world. It left its home world to find a better home, and it did when Ash gave Poipole a spot in his team and is even an official member of the Ultra Guardians squad. Now that the home world has been restored, Poipole knew it needed to stay and protect its original home from further threats. As the Ultra Wormhole closes with Nebby and Lunala accompanying the Ultra Guardians back to Alola, Poipole painted Ash & Pikachu’s face as a sweet goodbye gesture. The flashback scenes, and the music in the end was absolutely magnificent to top it all off! This teary goodbye even had me tears. We’ll forever “like, like, love” you, Poipole <3 Maybe Ash will see it again one day...oh who am I kidding xD If you’re up to date with the anime, you know already what happens in the future ;]

Honorable mentions from this year: The year of Ultra Guardians! They’ve had multiple missions in bringing back the Ultra Beasts to where they came from.  Anime debuts of Ilima, Mina, and the long-awaited Hau make their respective appearances. We also got to see James “fighting” a Toxapex, Lana & Mallow’s childhood past, Lillie getting her first Z-Crystal and even Rotom Dex joining the set of Detective Laki. There were significant evolutions like Ash’s Litten evolving to Torracat starting its rivalry with Masked Royal’s Incineroar (while Burnet fangirls over them) and Mallow’s Steenee evolving to a Tsareena. And how can I forget Sandy/Nagisa? Those Eevee mini-specials ultimately led it to Alola for our great Lana to catch! The Ula’ula trials were highly significant too when Ash trained with Acerola and tested his strength against Kahuna Nanu. Specials include Mallow’s big brother visiting home, and the 2-parter with Dia and his Zeraora in the mysterious Ultra Ruin. For Team Rocket, they temporarily get an Alolan Meowth, but got a permanent family member with a Stufful later on (Bewear’s child!). I’ve gotta mention the fun ones too like Ash dressing up as a female nurse the class helping Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, the class making their own school play, and Faba accidentally shrinking Ash, Lillie & Sophocles. Finally, in another emotional themed episode, Molayne showed everyone the beauty and sad reality of the Minior Pokémon at the Hokulani Observatory. Such a strong theme of having precious memories with a sad outcome due to the nature of that certain Pokémon :( Just look at the variety! I could still go on, but in summary was 2018 one heck of an ULTRA year!

2019: Ash wins the Alola Pokémon League 🏆

September 15, 2019 In the last highlight of this 2010s decade, it may probably be the biggest one. Ash vs. Gladion. Pokémon League finals to determine the first ever champion of Alola. I’ve already made several posts about this (maybe one too many) in my blog, so let me quickly reiterate the significance of this special event one last time. First thing I have to mention, is that Ash’s rivalry with Gladion has been amazing from the get-go. From their first meeting at the beach by Kukui’s place with a feisty Rockruff that wanted to battle, to the Manalo Stadium battling for a prestigious championship title with Ash’s Lycanroc fully controlled over its rage with dirt. It wasn’t a traditional full 6-on-6 battle, but the 3-on-3 showdown still gave us one heck of battle! It may not be considered the best battle of all time, but it was still an amazing and fun match between two trainers who promised each other to meet in the finals of the big stage since the start of the League.

The laugh they shared, the flashbacks that was shown to us (with the awesome Type: Wild! music playing in the background), and their storytelling on who wants the W more makes you invested, and cheering for Ash all the way to finally win a major Pokémon League. Ash’s newly evolved Melmetal showcased it’s new strength but still wasn’t able to beat Gladion’s Silvally. Then, when Zoroark and Pikachu knocked each other out, it was the 1v1 Lycanroc battle that really put this friendly and competitive rivalry full circle.

Ash has NEVER defeated Gladion…until this moment. He’s been training for this, and it finally paid off. The two Lycanroc’s took no prisoners and went back and forth with one another. In the final blow of that match, Gladion’s Lycanroc used Counter against Ash’s Lycanroc that was charging towards it, but then our big brained hero fights back with their own Counter attack.

Never have I heard of countering a Counter in the Pokémon universe, but using it in this one moment nobody expected, was a perfect opportunity to swerve fans with Ash almost losing the match but ultimately gave the hypest and sickest counterattack ever that would knock out Gladion’s Lycanroc to the wall. And for the first time since the Orange League, Ash is a Champion. Only this time it is a way bigger deal! Mostly because this is a game-based series which has more meaning when it comes to the Pokémon League. He proved non-believers wrong thinking that the Kalos League was the closest he’ll ever get to victory, but I always knew he would win this one since this League started. If you look at my Twitter, I predicted it since last July and this is speaking from a person that DIDN’T believe he would have won at Kalos (I must be good at League predictions then lol). But even Ash himself couldn’t believe it. The moment his named was announced the victor and everyone cheering him, it took a moment for him to process it all until he realized he won the whole shabang. Old fans, new fans, and casual viewers a like were buzzing within 24 hours after this episode released in Japan that caught mainstream media attention. People who have never seen a Pokémon anime episode in their life (or a subbed episode for that matter) past the original series, wanted to see how this episode went down to see a childhood hero achieve a major trophy. 

This is how big of a pop-culture icon Ash & Pikachu was among many generations of fans since the show’s launch internationally. To me personally, it was the reason why I’ve always watched this anime for years since 1998 as a kid and NEVER stopped watching (took a few breaks here and there growing up but still have been consistent and up to date! Never grew out of it whatsoever ...why would I even made this decade post?). I was waiting all that time for him to win the big one and he finally did it in 2019. The long journey was worth watching all those episodes (NEVER skipped a “filler”). I doubted at times, but deep down I know I always believed. I grew up with Ash and he feels like an imaginary brother. Seeing him hold that trophy felt like my childhood had closure. He became the FIRST EVER champion in the Alola anime-verse and no one can take that away from him. BUT, the journey isn’t over yet. Remember, his dream is to become Pokémon MASTER, NOT a CHAMPION which people often treat the two as the same. He probably still wants to go to more places, so he can get stronger and be friends with even more Pokémon. Finally, I’m glad that it was Gladion who was Ash’s opponent in order to get the title. The boys and the doggos shake hands in the end as sign of respect for one another. Unfortunately, Guzzlord had to ruin the closing ceremony afterparty…but our Alola Champion and his friends were able to take care of that properly :)

Honorable mentions from this year: Another marked an end of an era, but a start of a new one too! From overcoming his final Grand Trial and gathering his Z-Crystals, Ash was ready for the League. If you ask me, this was one of the best Pokémon Leagues ever because of how much importance each competitor played a role in that tournament, and the match-ups were good. It wasn’t just filler characters or last minute rivals. Alola had a lot of great characters! I couldn’t stress that enough. But besides the historic Alola League, we also saw the continuation of Brock & Misty’s trip to Alola, the class’ crash-course golf lessons with none other than Kahili! Ash catching a rare Meltan that appeared out of nowhere, Guzma’s debut that EVERYONE was excited about, Ash challenging Ryuki’s Kantonian Gym, Lana’s fully evolving Primarina (thanks to hooking a Kyogre mind you!), Mallow’s meal for Tapu Koko, and Matori’s unexpected visit to the Team Rocket base in Alola. Ash even time-traveled to the past and met Kukui when he was little. It would ultimately build up to the actual final full 6-on-6 battle between Ash faces Kukui (just like in the original Sun & Moon games), and it was a 5-STAR BATTLE in my book for this 5-PARTER battle. Seriously, they didn’t had to make an exhibition match that good but they did, and Ash WON that too! Ash’s Incineroar evolved and Pikachu finally defeats Tapu Koko in a battle. For the feels portion of this year, Mallow briefly reunited with her mom and getting a Shaymin to care for in the process. The whole side-arc with Lillie, Magearna and a missing Mohn had a huge impact on our young miss. She got a Z-Ring out of it, just like everyone else in the class with their respective focus. And, the final episode of Sun & Moon was probably the most emotional farewell episodes in the anime’s history similar (or even greater) than Brock & Misty’s goodbye in Johto for you nostalgia fans out there. Everyone in the Alola crew knew what to do post-League, but for Ash, he wanted to explore the Pokémon world more, which transitions to the new on-going series today. 2019 of the Pokémon anime will never be forgotten!

LET’S GO to the 2020s and beyond!

We already got a taste of what the new series brought us late 2019, from Pikachu’s pre-series background story to our newly appointed research fellows, Ash & Go. It is was Lugia brought these two together, and are now living under the same roof. And with Go having his newly caught Scorbunny by his side after that Gigantamax Snorlax incident, it shows us a little taste of the cool new adventures await them when traveling in the Galar region. It’s also refreshing to see updated animation within Kanto where they’re home base is at, and I absolutely cannot wait for them to go back to other past regions with this fresh new art style. With Go’s goal to catch every Pokémon there is for him to index, he’s bound to meet Mew again one day! He’s literally every Pokémon games’ protagonist and I’m glad we have a main character like him who actually focuses on catching them all. As for Ash, he’s still our Ash carving his own unique path on his continuing journey to become a Pokémon Master because it’s more than being the strongest trainer and more than just catching Pokémon.

Some people may not be invested in this series yet, but it’s okay as it is still new! Everyone has that “pacing is slow” excuse from EVERY anime series, or it may not just be your cup of tea. But, I’m sure it will definitely pick up the pace sooner or later especially with the upcoming episodes announced (as of this posting) getting a Koharu-focus episode and the debut of Galar Champion Leon facing off against another League Champion...the return of Lance! Now that’s hype...and that’s what I’m looking forward to in this series more returns and cameo appearances hopefully. They gotta make it special of course and not just some fan-service to please series-specific fans. Oh, and Ash competing in the Galar gym challenge too of course! In addition to that, we can look forward to the new movies in the 2020s! We already got a preview of the 23rd PokéAni film, Pokémon the Movie - Coco...so we Tarzan now?! and it looks like they’re still continuing the AU-verse Ash instead of using the canon series’ universe. I mean if The Power of Us was great, you gotta give this movie a watch too! This is what I love about the anime because it separates itself from their game counterparts. The anime is doing its own thing with their original stories to tell.

WOW! What a decade. I’ve put in a lot of time reminiscing my experience watching the anime this past decade on these 2-part posts, and I had a lot of fun. From being a high school student all the way to being a full-time working adult...time truly flies by quickly. If you’ve read everything I had to say (I’m sure there are a few typos I probably missed), then thank you for your time (and sorry for the dash spam lol)! Feel free share your own favorite PokéAni moment decade in the replies if you choose to do so. Also, check out the strawpolls I made for what you think the best Pokémon anime battle and movie is in the 2010s. Now, it’s time for us to GO to 2020 and the next decade of PokéAni to witness multiple generations of new Pokémon series to come (hopefully they’ll still be making them by the end of 2029...and your boy P J will still be watching as a 30+ year old adult, heh). Alrighty, let’s have some fun! ϞϞ(๑⚈ ․̫ ⚈๑)∩