#been one year since chapter 243 damn...

[soo-won]

I liked you like a dream of younger days, like a miracle.

[paigerro]

Chapter 18 Reflection

This course has been really enjoyable, enlightening, and empowering and I am sad to see it end! It’s been a very interesting time to study economics and I look forward to at least one more course in microeconomics, hopefully this Fall. Would that be the study of market behavior? It’s hard to pick out one concept or theory that was most useful. Overall, I would say that Chapter 11, which covered the Federal Reserve- it’s history, goals, and tools- really answered a lot of questions for me. It was previously a vague entity in my mind, but understanding now what exactly the Fed can and can’t do has made me, at the very least, feel like a more informed citizen. Figure 4 in Chapter 12 on page 243 showed some fascinating graphs of what hyperinflation can look like and I really enjoyed gaping at the four Eastern European economies depicted there. Chapter 8’s Figure 5 which depicts US government debt from 1791-2011 was really interesting, also. In fact, most of the charts and figures offered were incredibly helpful and I would love to see the updated versions of all of them in the next edition of this textbook. There are so many delightful little cliffhangers since this book was published before the Covid-19 pandemic. It was be a treat to see what Mankiw has to say on all of these topics in light of the recent economic turmoil that we’ve been through. This last chapter, as well, that covered the pros and cons of six major macroeconomic debates was very informative. I wish I didn’t have to return this textbook next week because I would like to be able to refer back to this chapter in particular when reading about future economic policies in the news. My thinking was changed throughout the entirety of the course! Most recently my thinking has been challenged on tax reform. I still think that taxing the pants off the ultra wealthy could solve a lot of our economic inequality, but it seems much easier said than done. Especially after our professor’s insight into the intricacies and difficulties with taxing wealthier and after reading this last chapter. The two debates that I thought most important and interesting were the debate over balancing the government’s budget and the debate over tax reform to encourage saving. It seems that, throughout my lifetime in which interest rates have been on the decline or just kept incredibly low, that there’s never been any incentive for my generation to save money. Coupled with a double boom in the housing market and the cost of living, it has seemed just damn near impossible to save for most people around my age. It feels like maybe the two go hand in hand- incentivize saving and balance out our massive government debt. The issue of government debt has seemed to just been treated like a can kicked down the road for some future generation to deal with. As I mentioned in the Chapter 17 Reflection, there are so many issues at hand that have come from this short termist approach to everything in out country. I’m not sure if I’m articulating myself very well, but the kick-the-can approach that policy makers have used over the last 60+ years is starting to feel like there’s not much road left to kick the can down. Even the textbook’s argument against balancing the government’s budget sounded pretty weak and unjustifiable to me. I’m not sure what the answer is to any of these looming economic, environmental, educational, public health and safety, social justice and equality issues is. After taking this course, though, it feels like increasing access to this information, educating the public to be more conscious participants instead of blind reactionaries, would be a good first step.

[shadowed-dancer]

Hehehehehe I made a prediction about MHA Season 5

So the synopsis for episode 102 has been revealed and manga readers are super confused because whoops we skipped an entire arc, but I think I figured out what they’re going to do and I wanted to share it incase I end up being right.

Keep in mind, all of these are just predictions

Manga spoilers under the cut

Update June 24: The title for episode 103 got leaked and it seems to be from Endeavour Agency so this whole post is probably wrong, but I’ll keep it as it was because damn did I think I was onto something. Hopefully someone out there will find my overconfidence amusing lol

This original post was written June 18, and was updated June 19

Alright so the synopsis for episode 102 is this...

And based on that description, we know that it will start at chapter 243 (where Deku goes to see his mom for New Years), and will likely extend to 244 and 245 (both chapters feature Endeavour going after that villain). BUT here’s where things get fancy.

Chapters 243, 244, and 245 all show the after effects of MVA, so I bet they’re going to cut those scenes out. This means half of the episode is going to be focused on Endeavour and the trio...

... until Hawks shows up basically out of nowhere. He’ll recommend his book to Endeavour, and at the end of the episode Endeavour will decipher the secret message. The episode will end on the cliffhanger of “what the heck did the villains do?!” and then the next episode (103) will start MVA framed as a flashback. It will basically be a “mystery” unpacking Hawks’ message, where we get to see how the villains managed to amass such power.

At the end of MVA, we will get the scenes that were cut from 243, 244, and 245. Essentially, all villain scenes will be tacked onto the end of the MVA arc, eventually leading to the point where Hawks gives Endeavour the book (adding new context to a previously seen scene, which is one of my favourite tropes). This will then lead into the rest of Endeavour Agency, with Endeavour training the kids in one episode, and the Todoroki Family dinner in the last episode.

This little set up would allot 9 episodes to MVA, which is honestly perfect. You can check out my previous prediction post if you want to see a breakdown of how that could work, but it’s outdated now because we now know what episode 102 will look like. Either way, it shows that MVA can easily fit into 9 episodes, even if the chapter distribution is not exactly as I predicted.

So what proof do I have that this shuffling and chapter-splicing may occur? Well, obviously nothing explicit, but I do have some interesting context hints that support me...

Between episodes 102 and 103, there is going to be a break because there’s no episode on July 3 (some other program is airing). In the past, MHA has done similar breaks between massive arc shifts (season 2 from Sports Fest to Stain, and season 3 from Hideout Raid to License Exam). It would be interesting if this season followed suit since, according to my prediction, MVA would start directly after the break.

As well, we have the movie coming out August 6. The movie HAS to take place just after Endeavour Agency because we see a ton of kids with their work-study mentors, but it also has to be before the War Arc because we see a hero in the trailer who is... not active after the war.

So yeah, the movie comes out in August and the studio probably assumed it would be helpful for people to know that the kids are doing work-studies again. Episodes 101 and 102 would provide just enough context for the movie to make sense.

Anyways that’s my theory. If they did something like that I think it could actually be really cool, and it would provide a super intriguing mystery for fans who don’t read the manga.

Tl;dr I predict they’ll split Endeavour Agency by putting MVA in the middle, framed as a flashback

Update from June 19th: Episode 101 just came out and there were MVA crumbs which makes me believe I’m on the right track. It seems to be hinting that the series will create a mystery build up of “how did it get this bad?” and I can’t wait!

That being said, the preview for 102 showed Hawks talking to Slidin’ Go, so it’s possible the episode won't actually cut the villain scenes like I thought they would, but they may still attempt at keeping things semi mysterious.

Check out this scene from the trailer compared to it’s manga inspiration from chapter 245. In the manga, the villain are clearly highlighted against the dark background, but in the anime they are completely shrouded in darkness. The clearest one is Toga, and you can sort of make out Twice and Dabi if you squint. I bet this scene is going to be a sort of cliffhanger leave us wondering who EXACTLY Hawks is talking to, and why. This would be a pretty good point to launch into MVA.

Thanks for reading!

[kururu418]

I posted 1,127 times in 2021

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#i have been making so many theories about bruce's disappearance and reading you fic is putting some pieces together

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Hey, King. About Hades’s eye patch, it isn’t super noticeable (took me few looks to notice when I read the chapter) but if you look closely you can see Hades has different two eye colors. By the laws of anime/manga, that usually means he’s probably got some dope ass eye power in that peeper. I’m thinking some form of death gaze or spirit summoning power.

I hadn't even noticed that. But yeah, I could see him maybe having some kind of eyes based power. Though since Adam's was already don't know if the author would repeat it. (It might be so drastically different it wouldn't matter so hey). Also, apparently he's going to fight against Qin Shi Huang

So this is gonna be a good one!

47 notes • Posted 2021-10-28 20:04:46 GMT

#4

More Future AU Kids!

Wisteria Spiderbite, the eldest daughter of Slick and Bloom. Much like her father, she is a bit of a loose cannon, preferring to goof off and seek out a fun time rather than tend to her responsibilities as a royal. She is a flirty, fun, and excitable young woman who loves testing out her skills on the battlefield. Though not a titan, her biology and nymph abilities make her one of the most powerful young warriors in mewni. Though she loves combat, her healing abilities are unrivaled by anyone, save her younger sister Azalea. She has an interest in Dorado Butterfly, who she often tags along with on missions alongside Fum and Sandor. She is one of the only ones who could be considered a friend to Scent Johansen, and the two meet together and spar regularly.

Sandor Slayton, the son of Breeze and Wyot. Though a talented and incredibly capable young man, he is lazy and would prefer to blend into the background, only putting forth effort whenever his mother or princess Sagitta pushes him to. Because of his laziness and demeanor, people often question if he deserves his spot among the Zodiac’s ranks, and he is often challenged for his spot. But when serious his opponents quickly find out that his skills and abilities are nothing to be laughed at. His magical ability the “Primordial Eyes” didn’t seem to come from either of his parents, and are a mystery. And though powerful it comes with quite a backlash. With his friend Sagitta now going off to become a scissor enforcer with her grandmother Hekapoo, he is usually sent along with Dorado, Wisteria, and Fum on missions.   

See the full post

48 notes • Posted 2021-01-11 21:50:18 GMT

#3

Olivier Agreste

Finally got some pics of my next gen OC Olivier Agreste commissioned from @harchibudytgorichi! They came out awesome as usual! Him in his normal outfit, his volleyball uniform, and his outfit when he’d doing hero work as Yin Lang. Here’s a few others I got to go along with it!

Olivier going in to dig up a nasty spike. He might be an outside hitter, but he’s always trying to improve all of his skills as much as he can. And with receiving being one of (if not the most) important parts of the game, he’s always trying to be ready whenever the ball comes his way.

See the full post

56 notes • Posted 2021-04-17 18:34:46 GMT

#2

65 notes • Posted 2021-11-06 03:05:51 GMT

#1

That’s too damn bright!

654 notes • Posted 2021-05-20 09:49:47 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[badassbaker]

Private Security-Chapter 5

Warnings for this chapter: Parent death, terrorist activity.

This is our last ‘set up’ chapter. We finally get some real interaction after this...

Chapter 5

Matthias’ POV

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the amber liquid swirling in the rocks glass next to me.

I didn’t drink often, but sometimes, a night of bourbon was called for. This was one of those nights.

I fucked up.

Yes, Linnea had been reckless. Yes, she had made my job harder…momentarily. But she had reached out. And what had I done? I’d been an absolute bastard to her.

I didn’t need to let her in. She hadn’t earned that privilege...yet. But I could have at least treated her like a human being.

In the midst of her angry speech this morning, a few things she said had seeped through the cracks in my façade.

She asked what I would do if the people I loved needed me.

Little did she know, I couldn’t answer that.

I cared about the people I protected. I had deep respect and pride for my team. My Ranger unit meant the world to me. But, love? There was no one.

Rarely did I think about my childhood, but Linnea had brought old memories to the surface. 

_____________________________

December 21, 1988…the day I grew up.

I was 6 years old.  

A device was detonated on board Pan Am 103 during a routine flight from London to Michigan. 243 passengers, 16 crew members, and 11 civilians on the ground were killed that day. Two of those 243 passengers were my mother and father. We had flown to England as a family two weeks before Christmas to see my mother’s parents. I very rarely got to spend time with my grandparents; and after much begging on my part, my parents agreed to let me stay and spend the holiday in London. The condition was that grandma and grandpa would fly back to the states with me after Christmas for a long overdue stateside visit of their own.  

That visit obviously never happened.

I remember very little of the days and weeks following the crash. I remember feeling scared and confused about never getting to see my parents again; but in a way, I was one of the lucky ones. I can’t imagine having gone through a tragedy like that as a teenager or young adult. The emotional scars that I bear are not nearly as noticeable as they would be had I been a few years older.

After my parents’ death, I stayed in London with my grandparents for about a year. I understood some things that were happening, but it was hard and I was sad. I think it would have been healthier if I had more people around me, but I was an only child and really didn’t know my extended family. I was a very lonely kid. My grandparents did not handle the loss well. I now know that the media circus surrounding the bombing had a lot to do with that; but looking back, I appreciate that they did the best they could. They were older and couldn’t care for a young child long-term. Plus, the grief of losing my mother destroyed them. After a year, all I wanted was to return to the states. I wanted to be back at school, back near my friends, around things that I knew.

I returned to the US and entered the foster system. I was lucky enough to spend time with great families, but I never felt as if I had a “home”. I guess that’s why I was so eager to enlist in the military as soon as I was able. The guys in my unit were my family. They’re still my family. I would do anything for them and I knew they would do the same. Is that love? Maybe. It’s certainly the closest thing I can equate to that emotion.

Joining the military was an escape, an attempt to find a purpose for myself in the world. I didn’t actually need a job. Once Libya accepted responsibility for the terrorist attack, compensation was offered to the families. I learned at 15 that I would get millions of dollars for the death of my family. Blood money. To this day, I’ve never touched it.

Being a protection specialist suits me. I’m damn good at my job. I guess wanting to keep people safe comes naturally after what I went through as a kid. There were no survivors on Flight 103. There was nothing I could have done. I guess that’s why I try now to do as much as I can. Having experienced so much loss, both of my family and during my years in service, keeping people safe matters to me.

But it never goes beyond the job. I don’t get personally involved. There are studies out there that talk about foster homes disrupting “attachment relationships”. I guess I’m a prime example of that. The whole ‘don’t let people get too close because you might lose them’ scenario.

Staying distant has been easy. I’ve never wanted to get close to any of the people I’ve worked for. Until now.

When Linnea was yelling at me this morning, yes, I had felt annoyed and honestly guilty about how upset I’d made her…but there was something else. Those brown eyes lit up with fire when she was angry. And for lack of a better word, she was sexy as hell.

I keep trying to remind myself that she’s a kid. Ok, not a kid, but being the daughter of my employer, it’s hard to think of her as an adult. I’m 10 years her senior, but this girl is not your typical 24-year-old. She has seen the world, the good and the bad. Just like me, she lost family at an early age, but she hasn’t let it dictate the direction of her life. Truth be told, I’ve been intrigued since the day I was handed her file. She’s smart. She’s strong. She knows what she wants. And fuck it; it is immensely appealing to me.

There have been women over the years, of course. But none of them have ever held any kind of place in my heart. Not that I use them. I would never. Women are beautiful, alluring creatures and I craved them as much as any other heterosexual male out there. Any lady I ever chose to spend time with, had my respect; and I tried my damndest to make her feel good. By all reports, I did a pretty great job in that area. But there hasn’t been anyone in a while. The last time I was with a woman was before I started this assignment, so…almost a year ago.

Keeping myself constantly busy made the lack of action tolerable, so I really hadn’t thought much about contact with a woman; until I’d literally tackled one to the ground last night, that is.

  Yes, I’m attracted to her. But it’s not just that. There’s a possessive feeling that has bloomed in my chest. I don’t want anyone else protecting her. I want to be the one to keep her safe.

I need to make this right. I have to apologize.

What I don’t know right now is how much damage was done by turning her away this morning. Does she hate me now? Has she already talked to her dad about what a dick I was? If so, has he already called the Secret Service offices to have me replaced?

Ugh…this is impossible. I should turn in for the night, but I’m not sure yet if I need more bourbon or if I’m already past the point where I should have stopped. Maybe I should just…

*Ding*

It’s a text alert from one of my guys about tomorrow’s schedule. 

Linnea and her dad have planned to take advantage of a rare day off for him and are going hiking at the nature preserve.

More importantly, they need me ready to go by 10 AM.

Ok...so…not fired. This is good.

It’s time to show her that I’m not some heartless asshole with a gun and an earpiece. To do this, I’ll need to let her in.

Shit. Opening up? Being a ‘good guy’?

Definitely the most dangerous job I’ve ever signed up for…

___________________

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