#their elementary schooler style friendship

[pyro-madder]

Exejinkaverse Navi profiles - ACDC square

The people have spoken for one big post, here it is ! Remember to check this (also long) post for the basics of exejinkaverse if you need, and enjoy the read i hope <3

SAITO "ROCK" HIKARI

11-12 y/o

Electopian ; first twin of Haruka and Yuichirou Hikari

Elementary schooler in ACDC Town and civil NetBattler

Navi ability is shooting energy bullets ; weapon is an arm cannon (Rock Buster)

His physical abilities are average on Navi standards, but he possesses unique “customization” skills, which let him take on various transformations to adapt to any situation : from synchronizing with a fellow Navi into Soul Unison, to harnessing the destructive power of the Cybeasts by way of the unpredictable Dark Soul and Saito Style.

Additional BattleChips : Guard, Sword, Minibomb, Hammer, Dash, AirHockey.

Additional support units : C-slider (skateboard), Rush (dog).

Originally an ordinary human save from a rare and deadly heart disease, which confined him in the hospital and would ultimately take his life at age 6, his father's researches and his twin brother’s DNA brought him back from the brink as a NetNavi. But due to minor brain damage during the operation, Netto himself forgot Saito was ever human, the secret staying between the latter and their two parents. Despite this, Saito was now free to attend school normally and generally follow his twin around, picking up skateboarding to keep up with his rollerblades. Saito was quick to befriend the Sakurai, Oyama and Ayanokoji, humans and Navis alike, but would refuse to go on the Net without any of the latter, or to NetBattle altogether. This would however come to change many years later, upon World Three’s first strike...

Saito is significantly quieter and gentler than Netto, but remains just as earnest. Kind and compassionnate, he will however not hesitate to take action upon whoever threatens his loved ones, but his hostility will be quick to fade if his opponent shows genuine remorse. He looks up to many of his fellow Navis without realizing he's a great influence on them in return. A notable case of hero complex, having already overcome death once, he strives to constantly push his limits - culminating in selfless, if not self-sacrificial behavior. Having felt like a burden for the first half of his life, Saito now thrives off feeling reliable, and may bottle up his own pain to bear the world’s weight on his shoulders. He also struggles to come to terms with his artificial rebirth - being one of a kind and unable to confide in anyone who will fully understand, worsened by the secrecy of it all. The many transformations he can undergo only add to that existencial distress, which will culminate as Dark Rock.

His codename originates from the heroic alias he'd use during his playground games with Roll.

---

HINA "ROLL" SAKURAI

11-12 y/o

Neto-Electopian ; adopted by the Sakurai

Elementary schooler in ACDC Town and competitive rhythmic gymnast.

Navi ability is emitting waves - light, sound, shock, even healing ones ; weapon is a ribbon (Roll Whip)

Though frail, training as a gymnast gave her remarkable agility. She can also float down and maintain herself a meter above solid ground. Due to her ability, her EM wave perception is also above the average Navi’s. She takes on archery in 6th grade.

Additional BattleChips : AquaTower, Roll Arrows.

Additional support units : Beat (songbird).

A rare female Navi of mixed descent ; her biological Netopian and Electopian parents died in a car accident when she was a baby. The Sakurai, old friends of aforementionned parents, took her in and raised her along their own daughter of the same age. She was the first of the group to befriend Saito upon his exit of the hospital, showing him the basics of the Navi life. Hina herself had trouble dealing with her high EM sensitivity, getting frequent headaches, possible aftereffects of the accident she survived ; Saito’s compassion had the two grow fast into a close friendship, able to confide in eachother in ways they couldn’t with their otherwise just-as-close human NetOps. With time, Hina grew better control of her abilities, the hairclips she always wears further stabilizing them.

Hina is a cheerful and energetic girl. Though she can be a bit of an airhead, she’s overall easy to get along with. Excitable, emotional, but also very caring, she sees the good in everyone - but much like her Operator and adoptive sister, knows to be firm and speak up for herself. While less of a NetBattler than her friends, as an athlete, she likes a challenge, and her strong mental makes up for her apparent fragility. She has trouble evaluating her own strength (and sometimes her worth) - on the NetBattling side, she believes being no match for Rock or Gutsman, and on the athletic side, she has to practice while wearing limiters if she wants to compete on fair ground with fellow human gymnasts due to Navis' naturally higher physical performances. Regardless, she trains without fear of stumbling or even taking a hit or two.

Her codename originates from the heroic alias she'd use during her playground games with Rock.

---

GENJI "GUTSMAN" OYAMA

11-12 y/o

Electopian ; cousin of Dekao Oyama, his parents are in Netopia much like the latter’s

Elementary school in ACDC Town and civil NetBattler

Navi ability is superstrength ; weapon are gauntlets (Guts Gloves)

Said strength comes with a size and weight far above the average, but he is a little slow.

Additional BattleChips : Guts Machinegun.

Another youth of the peaceful ACDC Town. Due to the particular situation of the Oyama, Genji and Dekao alike spent much time in a children’s home, until they were old enough to fully inhabit their family’s house by themselves. Much of Genji’s early days were spent being taught to control his absurd strength, and he took on NetBattling the very day he was old enough to do so (possibly earlier, secretly...). As he went through elementary school, he rose to first position in ACDC Town - though he never actually battled his friends Roll, Rock or Glyde, merely not interested in competing, to his slight frustration... until Rock was awoken to the thrill of NetBattles and soundly defeated him. This made Genji vow to get better as both a fighter and a person, asking Rock to become his rival ; although said rivalry is pretty mild compared to the antics their excitable NetOps get up to.

Despite the appearances, Genji is of the “gentle giant” type. Extremely self-conscious about his unnatural size and strength, taking on NetBattling helped him overcome a big part of these insecurities and allowed him to build some genuine confidence. Enough, in fact, for him and his NetOp to threaten become school bullies, until they were humbled by the Hikari twins. While not the sharpest tool in the shed, Genji is enthusiastic and loyal to a fault, and will throw himself into battle without hesitation if his friends are in danger. In fact, he’ll do his best to assist them in daily, less serious or urgent situations too, in return to them often assisting him with his homework - his grades aren’t the best, but he’s at least more studious than Dekao. While he can be a bit dense, he’s very sensitive...

His codename was given to him by Dekao to help him overcome his self-consciousness.

---

CLYDE "GLYDE" LOATH-AYANOKOJI

27-28 y/o

Kinglish (has double Electopian nationality) ; relatives unknown, probably not in frequent contact with them given his past

Head butler + pilot and mechanic of the Ayanokoji family ; formerly ““debt collector”” of the Loath family

Navi ability is boosting any appliance to its peak capacity ; weapon is a blunderbuss (Glyde Cannon)

Few match his aerial mobility, with or without his flying carrier.

Additional BattleChips : PaladinSword and Sanctuary.

Additional support units : Rafale (jet-powered glider), Birdbots (doves).

Few would believe this mild and well-mannered gentleman to have been a NetPirate. Once part of the fearsome Loath family, Clyde eluded their mass arrest after their leader’s passing and managed on his own for a while. While sailing through a gang conflict, he rescued without much thought a baby from his opponents, whom he only identified after the fight as the very young heiress of the Ayanokoji family. Understanding she’d been kidnapped for a ransom only to end up caught in the crossfire, Clyde considered taking said ransom for himself, then ultimately decided that he did not want to spend his days running and hiding from the Officials. Upon retrieving their precious daughter, the Ayanokoji would surprise him with an offer : if he quit crime for good and worked for them instead, they would legally cover for him. Figuring he might as well accept, Clyde took up the post and found this new life pleasant enough, slipping into a tutoring role for the young mistress he unexpectedly grew fond of. He would eventually come to look after her friends too, humans and Navis alike. As the Hikari twins got on the move against WWW, he subtly gave them hints and insight on Net criminality, though this backseat involvement would be enough to expose his past to the boys - who would accept him nonetheless.

Already as a NetPirate, Clyde maintained a proper and elegant image, even against his enemies towards whom his apparent politeness came off as heavily fake. To the ACDC children he’s seen grow however, he is genuinely kind, and his patience and perspicacity has had them turn to him for guidance more than once ; having known both the lower and upper social circles has given him much knowledge and adaptability. Even less of a fighter than Roll, he will however not hesitate to soar into action if his employers and/or friends are threatened, ready to protect Yaito with his life and brushing off taunts of criminals doubting his reform. Despite the passive nature of his ability and the near-complete de-weaponization of his trusted Rafale, Clyde remains an ace pilot and can be trusted to effortlessly fly himself or his friends out of a pinch.

He chose his own codename on his early days as NetPirate and kept it despite his "career change" so as to not forget the path he's taken.

---

BLAZE "BLUES" RAITT

17-18 y/o

Netopian (has double Electopian nationality) ; first son of Rosa Raitt, father unknown

Ijuuin bodyguard and Official Netbattler

Navi ability is extending an energy blade out of his hand ; weapon is a katana (Blues Sword)

Developped sharp hearing after losing his sight. His defenses are low but, light and quick on his feet, he's extremely hard to catch.

Other BattleChips : ProtoShield, four elemental swords, Muramasa, a rarely-used stun gun

Additional support units : SoundBreaker (semi-automated bike), Tango (cat).

Despite being born of an affair the father would completely step out of, Blaze was lovingly raised by his mother, her career as a cabaret singer modestly subsiding for both. When Blaze was four, she would fall in love with an Electopian man on a business trip and follow him back to his country along her son. Another boy was born from this union two years later, while Blaze was kept away from the public's eye due to his illegitimate ascendance. This relative peace wouldn't last however, for Rosa was always of frail constitution, and her health would fatally deteriorate over the following years. Shuuseki processed his grief in his own way - burying himself into work and enforcing a strict studying and training schedule upon the two boys that would practically separate them for several years. One more incident was to further derail their lives - in an attempt to protect Enzan from a ransom kidnapping, Blaze lost his sight to a criminal Navi's flashing attack. His training would resume regardless, and he'd be joined by Enzan to properly take up NetBattling, their contract officially forming on an estranged, strictly professional relationship. Blaze then followed his Operator's decision to join the Officials and lock up Netcriminals before they could ever think of targetting him again, Blaze's relentless tracking soon earning him the nickname of "Hound" in lower circles of the Net.

More "trained" than "raised", Blaze internalized at a young age that Navis were better off laying low and obeying - less they be treated as walking weapons on the loose. If having one's life decided ahead is old news in the Ijuuin household, his case was taken to the extreme and he was molded into the perfect bodyguard ; hardly able to act or even think for himself, or to carry a social interaction that isn't work-related (though it should be noted that he was never on the expressive side). His rivalry with Rock will be somewhat liberating by taking on a more personal nature and tapping into his genuine (if unconscious) love for Netbattling, alongside some heated debates on Navis ethics and, with time, calmer conversations on more personal topics. If Blaze has a natural dedication to his duty and a genuine desire to protect his estranged half-sibling, his complete lack of agency will be the core of Dark Blues' rampage as provocative self-expression. Still, only this episode will be able to start mending Navi and Operator back together.

His codename alongside his long hair are homages to his mother.

[stormblessed95]

Jikookers are living in the past. Everything you say about jikook is old, their relationship, their moments that you call "loud". These 3 months showed that Jungkook is closer to Taehyung than Jimin. Jungkook was forced by Jimin to go on vlive during Jimin bday but he chose to post a photo of Tae for Tae's bday. This is the difference. He chose to post a taekook selfie on his ig and not a jikook photo. If Jimin is Jk's boyfriend well...I'm sorry for him because it seems that Jungkook is ashamed of him. I wonder what kind of relationship you like if you support the fact Jungkook can't post Jimin face online because he hates to be associated with him. (And don't talk about concerts where they have to perform together). You should think about it. Why Jungkook doesn't like to post Jimin (the last photo of him was posted years ago...) but he can post other members like Jin and Tae. You know the answer but I'm sure you will delete this ask because the truth hurts.

Vmin doesn't exist. Tae made it clear that Jimin is only a member for him. Jungkook is his favorite person. "Members and Jungkook" means everything. Basically Tae ended vmin and jikook at the same time

Oh damn anon. I'm so sorry, you must have missed my announcement last week where I admitted that Tae and JK are actually married. The insta posts are what convinced me 🥰 thanks for your concern though! I'll link that post for you because I posted a ton of super cute taekook photos there too! You should save them, since it's all moments that ACTUALLY happened!! As well I link to ANOTHER post on that one that I think would be good for you as well. It's all about how distant Jikook were in 2021 🥰 happy reading!

My dear anon(s), you seem to forget that if nothing else, and above all else, the maknae line are friends. And they all love each other. None of them are forced to interact or not interact with each other.

Not to mention, in the last 3 months, we got the vminkook vlive, and if you took anything away from that other than how much they all love each other, you are not paying enough attention and should listen more to what they actually say, do and tell you

As well as during that vlive we were told that JK goes and seeks out Jimin at least 3 times a day collecting stamps. And when Tae went to go to Jimins room, he almost thought it was JKs since he answered the door. Aka, both taekook when they are feeling bored and lonely seek out.... Jimin and go to Jimins room to spend time with him, because they love and adore him

As well as in the past 3 months we had Jikook looking sweetly at each other on the beach in LA where we can assume Tae took their photo since he was the other one there and wasn't in this photo like he was in a different one. Where it also looks like before this, they were sitting together in the sand shoulder to shoulder. As well as all the other things they went and did in LA together too. Fans constantly spotted them out together with other members, but they 2 of them? Always together.

Or the fun they had together during ITS, the giant smiles.

And yes, JK is clearly ashamed. When he spends such a large chunk of time hyping Jimin up or complimenting him or talking about how he looks up to him or that they are lucky to have him. Such as telling him he is the king of run bts

And let's not forget also during that vminkook vlive we had Tae asking Jimin not to leave and to stay through the end. And we also had Tae telling Jimin that he is his role model.

Or literally how we started 2021 off with Tae telling Jimin how much he likes him over and over, as well as saying he likes Jimin THE MOST. And ended 2021 with Jimin calling Taehyung "my love." Lol and you are here trying to slander how much they mean to each other?

And I mean, say whatever you want and think whatever you want about those Instagram/Twitter posts. They literally called each other "bro" and left off the "my love" and have been so sweet together. You should be happy that they have been clearly strengthening their bond together! But don't misunderstand that for something it isn't, unless you are also going to say jinkook, namgi, minimoni, and vmin are also real for posting each other on their instas. And I hope you never post photos with your friends online, someone might thing you are dating each other by mistake. Lol plus, they've been pretty clear that they love each other alot, but not in a romantic sense of the word. "Punching bag" "best friend who is like a brother" "just a bts member to me" "thought of him like a real brother."

I don't care if you think any of these duos is "real" or not. But it's anti behavior to call any of them "fake." Not to mention, your whole post gives me the same vibes as this person's Twitter comments with the types of moments you dismiss and/or then hype up as loud. Only as long as it benefits whatever story you believe to be true? Right?

And I really wish you would have glanced through my masterlist before sending this, I have a post linked there that literally says "TO TKKRS" (hint, that's you). Here, I'll link it here for you though!

On the OFF chance that you actually don't have your head shoved so far up your ass it's impossible to dislodge, I invite you to actually click on all these links. I invite you to go through my masterlist for other moments too, past and present. I encourage you to get off shipper timelines and watch content and listen to your idols for exactly what it is. It's not even just about maknae line at this point, I just think it will blow your mind at how much you are missing out on.

Post over getting off shipping timelines so that you don't misunderstand things by not getting the full context of clips being posted:

Taekook love the HELL out of Jimin. That's their baby, they are his baby. Either way you wanna have it, it works. They LOVE HIM. And anyone who says anything different doesn't understand or know who they are "supporting." Seriously, they LOVE that man more than anyone.

They love Jimin so much, they practically made Jimin their muse. The Love is so strong between those 3.

Oh and this post was about the whole butter promo photo, but it also fits with everything I could have said about your JK was forced forced to go to Jimins vlive comment too

Look, Im just going to stop now. Because I seriously doubt you are going to click on ANYTHING I have linked for you here. (Come back if you want and tell me i was wrong if you did actually click on these links and stuck around to Learn a little something, please 😊 ). Where is that tweet when I need it? The one that said "Taekook would light you on fire just to keep Jimin warm?" Lol that would have been the perfect tweet to have at the end of this post! Anyway, vminkook love each other dearly and you are an idiot if you think otherwise 🥰 Have the day you deserve anon!!

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure (Blind Watch) - Episode 53

Ah yes, the cosmic-horror boss, classic. Very Earthbound of them (or like...a million other games. Parasite Eve comes to mind). I think the concept might be a little too abstract (a monster created from the dark energy of extinct digimon) but whatever. It almost seems like they’re going for an environmentalist message which is kind of weird for a digital world...

Digimon (?) introduced: Apocalymon 

Notes:

-The surrealism and body-horror in this episode were nice, low on impressive animation, but it gets points for the creepy concepts/visuals. I kinda resent having to sit through like 3 minutes of straight digivolutions (AKA reused animation), but I guess that could also be seen as a “last hurrah” since this is the final-final battle. 

-They mentioned the Ancient Dino region which I remember from the game! I guess it was in the Centarumon episode of the anime too, but I don’t remember them calling it that at the time. 

-The fact that there were other “chosen children” before these kids feels like foreshadowing/sequel baiting. Very Avatar: the Last Airbender. It’s a writing style that could go on infinitely. 

-The geometric part of Apocalymon’s design feels similar to a Neon Genesis Evangelion angel. I really like those kinds of designs where something looks so alien and incomprehensible. Kinda wish they didn’t stick a generic looking demon guy on top of it all lol. All the main villains have looked pretty samey. (Flamboyant and demonic men). 

-I actually got into a debate on Facebook about this topic before (lol): whether or not endangered species should just be left to die because it’s the natural progression of things. I honestly still don’t know the answer, I think it’s too complicated to fully be on either side of the argument. It seems like it would be different in the digiworld though because there’s no pesky humans at fault, right? 

-The kids dissolving into data was pretty unsettling and probably spooked some kids watching back in the day. It made me think of Mike TV in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Don’t really get how they’re going to un-digitize themselves, but it’ll probably be the power of friendship or something. 

-I didn’t really need a closeup of Apocalymon’s writhing pelvis...

-Lol @ the parents still standing in the same exact spot they were before. I get that that’s intentional because of the time difference, but have they just been watching the kids’ whole adventure on fast forward up until now? It might be interesting if there was like an OVA or something from their POV 

-I had to laugh when they showed the people in other countries watching the final battle. Imagine if you’re just chilling and then the end of the world comes along and the news is like “oh but don’t worry, some elementary schoolers from Japan are on the case!” Of course, as an anime fan I’d be like “sounds about right.” 

[brideofcthulhu10]

Alright I know, another unrelated post but humor me here, I need to get this off my chest.

I know this won't seem like a huge deal, but knowing this is a show for little girls it just feels so frickin' wrong for so many reasons. Hopefully this can be a warning for other parents/guardians/older siblings as well. Keep in mind I've never ever been a "cancel culture" type person just because something minescule bugs me, nor have I ever been some cliche Karen-style parent bitching to a company about "this is inappropriate so its your fault my kid was watching this!" Rather than take responsibility. I am the parent first and foremost, and yes, once I recognized the inappropriate nature of this I changed it immediately. At first I even thought maybe I was overreacting, I kept watching to see if maybe I was misreading the situation and I found it only got more uncomfortable. So yes, I did turn this off. However, it doesn't excuse that this show is still made for and marketed to little children, particularly little girls (I'm talking between 2 and 13). The purpose of this post is just a warning to other parents or people with younger siblings who may come across this show.

So today, I decided to put on a show called "Flowering Heart" on Netflix for my 3 year old daughter.

Keep in mind when I found this, it wasn't in the teens or adult section, it was on Netflix Kids. Specially the Netflix Kids page. I grew up on anime since I was little, so naturally I wanted to find some cute magical girl shows to introduce to my daughter (pass down the nerd torch).

Granted it appeared harmless enough. A cute magical girl anime from Korea about 3 best friends who meet a magical Prince from a different world, and together through the power of magical makeup compacts and friendship they work together to give people hope and fight the "hopeless energy". Seems cute enough, and I really wanted to introduce my daughter to magical girl shows, a lot of them are great for little girls. So it started off pretty good, even I was warming up to it at first.

AT FIRST.

To give you a little clarity about why I grew to dislike it rather quickly, first of all, the main character is a 5th grade little girl. A 12 year old. Now in some other animes they do have younger children as their leads. Magical Do Rei Mi, Glitter Force, Little Witch Academia, even Ghibli films like Kiki's Delivery Service or Ponyo, that's really nothing too unusual. But here is where I had a huuuge problem:

Her romantic interests? They are two teenage boys.

Yeah. I'm not talking a grade above or something. Supposedly the two male leads are 14 and 16. Even her rival? Also a 12 year old little girl, Shuela, who just so happens to be engaged to one of the magical princes (literally named Prince Trump) and is in love with him. The main character, Ari, joins her two best friends Suah and Min fight the unseen meddling of Shuela trying to create "hopeless energy".

By transforming into fully grown women.

Yes, you heard right. These twelve year old little girls are able to transform into fully grown, adult women who take the power of whatever makeup disguise they use (ie police officer, stewardess, life guard, pop idol, etc.) that varies based on the emergency of the episode (mostly situations like a figure skater who lost her motivation, or her friend is having a hard time babysitting).

This also includes several romantic interactions with our lead Ari, and her object of affections, Prince Trump.

Prince Trump, mind you, is completely aware that Ari is secretly this "adult". He knows she's a 12 year old, and actively flirts with her.

At first I thought it was a little weird the boys appeared older than the girls. I thought maybe it was just a style choice, that they were closer in age than I thought- nope. Teenage boys. I mean they don't even try to hide the age difference by making them shorter or making the girls look older like Sailor Moon (who was 14 at the start). No.

These girls look and act like 6 year olds, including their very childish outfits to make them appear even younger- despite being 12. Meanwhile these boys act, sound, and appear to be in their twenties.

Maybe I could just ignore it, suppress the utter nasty of it all and just enjoy them kicking butt as magical girls if the romance itself was an after thought. Oh no no no! You see, this is the main focus of the anime!

A love triangle (er, square) between two ALMOST ADULT MEN and two 5th grade girls (and yes, they do clarify these girls are in 5th grade and that these boys are 17).

This extends to the other male love interest, Prince Chess, who jumps from being a chubby blue hamster dubbed "Tubby" who lives in the main leader's bedroom, and a very attractive teen boy. Now he is no better, including blushing when he holds hands with Ari, and being jealous of his brother Trump when Ari goes on the ferris wheel with him. Even commenting his cotton candy didn't taste sweet anymore because she had a crush on his brother. This wasn't "he met her in her magical girl form and fell in love but doesn't realize she's a child". Both boys met her while a child, and both boys are aware even in this magically made adult body, she is actually an underage girl.

Its just-EUGH! The more I watched it the more the situation dawned on me how nasty it was. They don't play it like a cute crush or just a fling (like how in Kodocha, Sana thought her bodyguard was in love with her, but he made it very clear he's an adult and that's not appropriate). Again wrong. This is portrayed as a serious romance.

I seriously don't get why they didn't make them late middle school or high school age?! Why a bunch of elementary students are being romantically shipped with high schoolers?! It really is a shame, because the art is very cute and pretty, hell most of the characters are pretty likeable with decently done voice acting. (Granted the plot drags on for a while) But I seriously cannot get past these underage children being romanticized with teenage guys. I'm amazed that's even on Netflix and Amazon Prime! So yeah, take it with a grain of salt if you'd like, I know there's gonna be some who disagree with me because the reviews have been very split down the middle (some adore this show, others say it's obviously inappropriate), I myself am still very mixed about it as it was a good show up until this main issue (I didn't even get to the love rival almost letting a child DROWN so she could collect the "hopeless energy"). If you disagree and enjoy this show, more power to you I guess(?), this is really just to give a heads up if you or someone you know have kids and were thinking about putting this on. My advice? Just opt for Magical Doremi or Hamtaro instead.

[muckduckgoose]

Thoughts on a Rebootverse Quack Pack

((I’ve pondered to myself on and off from time to time what a loose remake of Quack Pack set in the universe of DuckTales 2017 would be like. I don’t mean a 90s-style sit-com reality conjured by magic, but like the lives of the DT17 cast when the kids are teens, and hijinks ensuing vaguely similar to in the old 90s show, but with the setting of the reboot and personalities that are written to be the same characters from the reboot but a few years older.

This got long, so under the read-more it goes!

Like, of course, Duckburg wouldn’t be inexplicably populated by humans with only the main Duck family and a select few others being the only animals. If any human characters appear in the reboot version, they’d be anthropomorphized. Maybe Donald has a house now and is married to Daisy at this point, who has a moderately successful fashion line.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie are...I’d say, 16 around this time, and they live with Uncle Donald and Aunt Daisy in the house they got, as does Della. Donald could either be still trying to find a job that sticks or has found one by now, and Della’s probably a freelance pilot when she’s not specifically flying for Scrooge. The boys, no longer living at the mansion, would’ve been enrolled back into in-class learning, which would allow us to have the high school setting. This means less globe-trotting adventures than before, but it doesn’t mean none at all. They’re just reserved for weekends and vacation time.

Huey’s a studious...student. Hardworking straight-A student kinda guy, though not above getting into disagreements with a teacher on occasion. He’s in mostly academic-based extracurricular activities, but he’s got one sports activity to give his Duke-fueling feelings an outlet. He also works as an intern for Dr. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, who actually does have a doctorate by this point.

Dewey’s a theater kid in pretty much all regards, including actually auditioning for school plays. He’s also officially taking flight school during the summer. He’s also fairly popular at school...when he doesn’t try to force it, as he learned from Ragnarok. He’s still an eccentric Dewer, just toned down from his childhood as he matured.

Louie, of course, is a slacker kid, coasting his way through high school. While still something of a schemer, and typically offering his services out to classmates for a sorta-reasonable-for-a-high-schooler fee, he is more mindful of how his actions could potentially hurt others after the kinds of consequences he suffered as a kid due to his failure to do so in the past.

After a fair bit of persuading towards Beakley, Webby was able to enroll in school the year her brothers did. But of course, she was even less prepared going in than they were, as they at least had the experience of elementary school before moving into McDuck Manor and meeting her. But she takes it in stride, treating the experience as a new adventure. Her being Scrooge McDuck’s daughter via genetic engineering is kept from being public knowledge, and she’s found herself more comfortable calling him Uncle Scrooge anyway. Thanks to Beakley’s thorough educating, Webby ended up in the school’s gifted program and is classmates with Violet.

Lena is...I’m not sure. If Ty and Indy hadn’t already enrolled her in school after adopting her, she probably wouldn’t be enrolled now. As for May and June, they’ve begun living with Webby as her sisters and probably picked up rhyming names so that Webby doesn’t have to go by April to match. Probably like Debbie and...I dunno, what’s another ebby-sounding girl name? They regard Daisy and Donald as their aunt and uncle.

Boyd is also a teenager. Since he probably wasn’t made from some kinda special self-growing nanotech-based metal, he would’ve had to have gotten a new body to match the growth of his naturally evolving computerized mind. He’d be in a few extracurricular activities, most of which overlapping with Huey’s, and he’d be fairly popular in his own right due to how authentically nice he is. He’d also do some volunteering outside of school. His name, in spirit, still stands for Be Only Yourself Dude, but he doesn’t write it as an acronym.

Doofus has also improved overtime, due to being forced to find other ways to get what he wants outside of flaunting his money and/or forcing his will upon others. He’s mostly an awkward young man who can seem bitter at times, but now he’s more consciously aware of how his actions affects others, because he now has to be. And yet, when you get past his defenses and make a genuine attempt at friendship with him, he’s weirdly yet sorta-genuinely sweet. His relationship with Louie, and his siblings by proxy, remains and probably will always remain awkward at best.

Over on the other side of the Audubon Bay, Launchpad is fully living with Drake and Gosalyn, the latter of whom has fully committed to the Quiverwing Quack alias, while Honker still helps both her and Darkwing in heroing from the sidelines. On the school side, his high school teachers may have noticed how overqualified Honker is for his schoolwork, despite him still not being skipped ahead, and given him more fitting work. Either that or he finally does get to skip ahead and graduates early.

Depending on how successful the heroes were in finding and rescuing Waddlemeyer, he may now live with them as the family grandpa. But either way, Drake and Gosalyn have by that point warmed up to each other enough for the former to adopt the latter. And if Waddlemeyer is back, he would have (at the very least, in spirit) taken Drake as a son for a complete family dynamic.

Most of the family enemies from the kids’ preteen years are no longer an issue (and a few of the ones that still are are now Saint Canard problems), but new enemies have come up that are dealt with on the homefront from time to time. But most of the challenges the kids face come from being back in an ordinary school kid setting. But hey, just another adventure in their lives, right?))

[mementofloreo-archived]

@sorrowmarked || smoochie prompts || hehehehehe[this is cut bc it is SUPER FUCKING long. This is literally the longest thing I've written for you I think]

His team has had a couple of practice matches against the soccer club from Ken's school since they both entered high school, in part thanks to Daisuke's friendship with him. Even without any influence from dark gears or things like that Ken has managed to remain an excellent player with a wide reputation.

Daisuke is unknown, of course. There was no soccer club at his middle school, after all, so he wasn't able to play competitively. He stayed on top of fitness training, even adopting some of the rigorous conditioning routine his sister had used for prep after being scouted by a pro team. Still, with no reputation to boost him he had to earn his place on the main lineup when he entered high school.

...Which he's done, really. He's far exceeded anyone's expectations, especially his own. His drive, his vigor, and his honest love for playing have earned him a lot of strong friendships, and apparently also skyrocketed the morale and motivation of his teammates on more than one occasion. They went from a club thought of as 'not bad, but nothing special' to semifinalists at the prefectural tournament all within the course of his first year. They'd lost to Ken's school, in fact, by a single point shave in the last two minutes of the match.

At his school, first years who join the club via application and not recommendation don't play starting positions in tournament matches(common practice, really). Daisuke still managed to distinguish himself, though. When he was played as a starter in practice matches against Ken's school he was usually placed in a midfield winger position. It gave him some flexibility for movement while relying on the one thing the coach and captain already knew he had, which was stamina.

When their first tournament rolled around, he was put in as a substitute for their attacking midfielder. The position was considered the playmaker, as far as team structure. They were responsible for helping to direct the flow of the team's offensive play, connecting the defensive positions to the forward ones and managing the support for the striker, who was the primary goal scorer(and the position he had played in elementary). For Daisuke, it felt like a test, an opportunity and a show of faith all in one, and so he'd pushed himself past his limits to live up to those expectations.

His fierce, quick, and precise play style coupled with his apparently 'freakish' stamina and adaptability in the position have since earned him a place as its starter as well as the team's vice captain in his second year.

When he was ten or twelve, he'd have been gunning for the striker position. It was flashy and considered the really 'cool' position in most formations.

Now, though, he's stopped caring about looking cool. He wants to play his best, he wants to have fun- and he wants the rest of the team to have those things as well. Realizing that his play sense and his technical skill are best suited to that position when those goals are in mind, he's both content with and proud of his current place.

Ken is a striker. And in their practice matches this season his team has, as usual, come out on top(even if it's usually close).

In the prefectural finals this year, Daisuke's team drags Ken's into a lengthy and brutal double overtime- in the pouring rain, no less. Everyone is exhausted, sore, soaked and filthy. Losing momentum, losing cohesion, desperate for a goal just so things will be over.

...Daisuke, though, ignores it. His burning legs, the sharp pain of his overworked lungs, the chafing of his drenched uniform, the slick ground beneath him and the way the water impedes the ball's movement. He puts himself in a mindset as if he were playing a one on one scrimmage against his sister. She's a professional player on a high ranking team in the highest tier women's league of Japan's professional circuit and has even earned a place on its national team.

If Daisuke's stamina is freakish, then Jun's entire spectrum of skill is on the same level as a natural disaster. The ferocity and lack of hesitation she shows on the field would terrify any normal high schooler, boy or girl, and even a lot of capable players from the men's league.

Which means that even a casual match against her demands ignoring his body's pleas for a break and pushing past its screaming to keep playing at his top form no matter how exhausted he is.

That's the extent he exerts himself to in that double overtime. He's in a state where he barely even registers physical sensation because he's so focused. He barely even registers the directional tips he shouts to the other mid and forward positions, and he doesn't register at all the captain calling for everyone to follow Daisuke's lead.

There's a single thought in his head: keep moving. If he stops or even slows down for just a split second, he knows he'll keep losing steam and he won't get it back. He has to barrel forward no matter what until the game is over. He doesn't pay attention to the faces or numbers of the opposing team. He focuses on keeping the ball in play, keeping his body in motion and staying at least aware of where his teammates are, though he doesn't differentiate between them very well.

When he scoops the ball right out of Ken's grasp, turns sharp, rockets past him, he doesn't know that it's Ken. He doesn't try to close the full distance to the goal either. The moment he sees a small gap in the defense he shoots. For the left corner and with every ounce of strength he has left.

The ball hit's the keeper's open palms- and blasts right through them like they're made of paper, making a loud snap sound and spinning against the net. Daisuke watches it sail in, speechless, and slowly he sinks to his hands and knees, well past being completely spent.

His awareness comes back to him gradually in the several seconds both the players and spectators are left in shock to process the split second reversal and upset of a team that made it to the nationals last year. Even the referees take a few second to declare the clean goal. But once they do, everything erupts around him.

He hears it, registers the shouting and the celebration, the exhausted and frustrated but still impressed acceptance of the other team. And he lets himself laugh breathlessly in relief, still completely unaware that he left Ken dizzily in the dust a few moments ago. Right at that second, he's mostly glad he still pre-medicates with his inhaler before any kind of exercise and keeps it on hand as a rescue. He's going to need it.

His teammates, bless them, have the presence of mind not to jump on him the way they would normally. The captain and Ken make sure he's not injured and help him to his feet, and once he confirms he can walk with some support they help him to the sidelines. The teams shake hands, exchange congratulations. Both for a hard earned victory and a well played match despite a loss. The coaches and officials are able to get the attention of the crowd enough to let the players have some breathing room for a few minutes.

Ken informs Daisuke of exactly what he did in those last few seconds while he digs for his inhaler and then takes a long drink from his water bottle. Daisuke is a little shellshocked by it all now that he's properly registering it, but he's happy all the same. He's helped carry his team to nationals, a first time accomplishment for them.

Moreover, he had the time of his life with this match, even as exhausting as it was. The frail little kid he used to be would never believe he could accomplish something like this.

He makes a note to himself to call Jun with the news- this isn't the kind of thing he should relay via text. She'd just drop everything and call him to yell about it anyway.

There isn't a formal locker room building at this field, but there's covered areas around the benches and a lot of the seating. Daisuke and a lot of his teammates take some time to rinse the mud and sweat off of exposed skin, towel off, change into dry shoes from their cleats, put their warmups on to keep from catching cold.

Everything is so hectic that when he finally shoulders his bag and shambles off the grounds a half hour later he's completely forgotten that Hikari was planning to try and be at the match.

So when he sees her he's not really shocked, but he does sort of stare at her for a few seconds, brainless.

She's been his girlfriend for less than three months. Having her so openly focused on him is still a new experience. In general he's really not used to being anybody's first priority. He still pinches himself sometimes to make sure he's not dreaming when Hikari ducks under one of his arms to curl against his side on the train or in front of the television.

Still, he manages a weary smile, and greets her. "I'm glad you managed to make it out," he says, and his voice is hoarse, "I know you weren't sure you'd be able to see the whole game, or even be here at all."

He lifts his neck towel and wipes some lingering rainwater off of his face.

...She's a little flushed, he notes. Wearing a decent raincoat and carrying an umbrella. She's just a bit damp, where he's still pretty drenched. (the moisture and humidity add just a touch of wisp to her hair though, lift it just a little from its usual straight line. It's cute.)

A half suppressed laugh trickles out of her as she looks up at him. Daisuke's not very tall- he's right around average height- but he's strong, filling out a lot as he nears the end of his growth period, so Hikari looks almost tiny next to him now. (She certainly feels delicate when he hugs her)

Her eyes are shimmering. It's easy to see she's feeling pretty emotional right now, and she still hasn't said anything. Daisuke rifles a hand through his hair awkwardly.

"...Uh...Hikari-chan?" He asks, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she blurts, beaming, "Sorry. You were just- you were incredible out there. I think you left everyone there starstruck."

"O-oh," he feels himself flush, "Y'think? Those last few minutes I was running on autopilot, so I wasn't really-"

The rest of whatever rambling he was launching into freezes and catches in his throat. If real life came with record scratches or freeze frames, this would be one of those moments.

She's usually the one to kiss him first. He's a little shy, still, not completely confident taking the initiative with affection yet.

But this is- she's never jerked him down by the collar before. Certainly not so suddenly and so sharply that he's actually unbalanced and brought in.

It's a hell of a kiss, to be frank. Firm, held out for so long, her hands moving to his shoulders, pulling herself in as close as she can until he has the presence of mind to lift her at the waist and kiss back.

He's outright dizzy when she finally lets him break away for air, and Hikari is flushed and beaming.

"Uh," he fumbles, "Oh, uh. Okay."

She peppers his face with short, sweet little pecks until he's laughing, and then she hugs him tight.

"I know how hard you worked to get here," She murmurs, "I'm so proud of you. Congratulations, Daisuke."

He tenses just a little in response. Hearing this kind of praise from anyone is always a bit of a tearjerker for him, but from Hikari it's a million times more significant.

"Yeah," He breathes, setting her down and holding his hand out for the umbrella. "...Let's get to the station, though. I want to get somewhere I can change into dry clothes. And then maybe pass out for a couple of hours. I'm beat."

[artificialqueens]

Paper Boats, Pining, and the Sublime (Sashea) - Estuary

Summary: Sasha loves spending nights out with her best friend, Shea. Tonight is no exception. She wishes she could stop overthinking.

A/N: This is my first fic. It’s a a fluffy, pining piece and I hope y'all like it.

        Laughing loudly with little concern for slumbering tenants in nearby apartments, Sasha Velour and Shea Couleé meandered through dimly lit streets, part walking, part skipping, and part stumbling.

        "You’re sure that you know where we’re going? We’re nearing city limits,“ Sasha asked as Shea paused to ponder whether to make a right.

        "Yeah! But you have to promise you won’t bully me once I explain why we went there.” Shea replied, turning back from her decision-making to smile at Sasha.

        "You know I can’t bully you, Shea,“ Sasha hiccupped, remnants of drinking slurring her speech, "You would destroy me.”

        "You’re right bitch, but I’m still making you promise.“

        "Cross my heart.”

        Sasha knew there was another reason she couldn’t really bully Shea, one outside of Shea’s potential retaliation roasts. A reason related to how Sasha could find no real flaw in Shea. A reason that could not be acknowledged nor acted upon lest Sasha risk her friendship for rejection. A reason that was Sasha’s crippling, painful, constant love for Shea Coulée.

        Sasha was rational, she prided herself on it. She knew Shea wouldn’t want to date someone like her. Someone overly serious, anxious, and academic.

        Shea dated uber confident, runway-walking, impeccably styled women. Intimidatingly stunning women. 5-feet-long-legs women. The kind of women you could hear approach you on the street just from the sound of their clicking stilettos on cement.

        It wasn’t unusual that an amateur street photographer would ask to take Shea and her supermodel of the week’s photo. To ask to document them in all their glamour and elegance.

        When Shea and Sasha went out for Friday night drinks, it needn’t be said that there were no photo proposals.

        It was simple, really. It wasn’t that being a bald, unibrowed, peculiarly-dressed woman was bad. Sasha liked how she looked. It’s just that Shea didn’t like that. Shea didn’t want someone who looked like a statement. And she certainly didn’t want a pseudo-intellectual with a penchant for doubling down on and over-explaining said statement all the time. So there wasn’t any need to make a move. Any proposition would be laughable at best and friendship-destroying at worst.

        Despite all of that heart-crushing rationality, Sasha did allow herself some small indulgences. For instance, Sasha allowed prolonged mutual eye contact, as long as she looked away first. She could rest her head on Shea’s shoulder during a movie, as long as Shea was appropriately preoccupied with the film. On a few rare occasions, Sasha placed a delicate kiss on Shea’s hand in a show of silly, exaggerated cordiality.

        Nonetheless, Sasha’s general rule of thumb was that as soon as any of her actions couldn’t be waved away with the excuse of being an ‘affectionate friend’, it had to stop.

        She didn’t need to think about how the glittery, red mark of her lipstick on the back of Shea’s hand made her chest feel fuzzy and warm.

        Shea suddenly tossed her hair and announced: “Oh my god, my hands are so cold."

        "I told you that you should bring your gloves.” Sasha chastised, remembering her text message warning.

        "Girl, don’t look smug over my pain.“

        And before Sasha could begin to think about what she was doing, she reached out and grabbed Shea’s right hand with her left and earnestly shoved their joined hands into her jacket pocket.

        "T-to warm you.” Sasha stammered. Fuck. Sasha didn’t stutter. More importantly, Sasha didn’t grab her friend’s hands given the slightest opportunity and shove them into her pocket like some kind of middle schooler. Shea had to see Sasha’s inner turmoil.

        Shea smiled—is she smiling? Sasha’s frantic mind paused to wonder—and simply squeezed Sasha’s hand. They walked on, and as Shea chattered about the ins and outs of her most recent collection, Sasha became increasingly aware of how Shea’s hand stayed firmly wound with her own. By the third minute of Sasha’s internal count, she swore that her left hand was dripping with sweat. Shea’s hand had to feel warm now, if not a little gross. The cold air had to be preferable to Sasha’s clammy fingers. But Shea did not let go.

        Sasha never held hands like this. Typically whenever she held hands, the sweaty palms belonging to her and whatever partner she had at the time would clasp much like two business people finalizing a deal. It was practically an extended handshake. It held all the intimacy of accidentally brushing hands with a cashier. In private, Sasha didn’t hold hands much at all.

        But not right now.

        Deep within the pocket of Sasha’s fleece, each of her and Shea’s fingers carefully interlaced, weaving together. It felt as if she each needed as much hand-to-hand contact as possible. Like Sasha needed it to breathe. Like Shea was rooting Sasha other to the ground. Like if the moment Shea’s finger slipped from Sasha’s hand, she would vanish, gone like a puff of smoke.

        "Sasha!“ Shea gasped, shaking Sasha from her introspection. "We’re here.”

        Sasha looked up, suddenly noticing the transition from concrete sidewalk to a grassy slope. Further beyond, the grass hill transitioned into a sandy bank where the water of a slow-moving river gently lapped.

         "Shea, it’s lovely.“

        "I’m glad you like it. This place means a lot to me. When I was young, I’d race like, little paper boats here with my friends. When I got older, I’d come just to sit, like the river could drown out my thoughts. Emo shit.” Shea gave a small smile at the last part of her admission.

        "I wouldn’t bully you for emo shit, Shea. I’ve been there,“ Sasha promised, recalling Shea’s earlier worries. Sasha grinned, imagining an elementary-school Shea, tottering by the banks of the river, which then morphed into an older, rebellious, sadder Shea. It contrasted so strangely with the vibrant, glamorous woman she was now. Glancing at Shea now, with her plum-colored smile and twinkling eyes, impeccable style and life, it became all the more challenging to see her as an angsty teen upset with the situation she seemed to always make the best of.

        "I have something for us to do. While we’re here, just if you feel like it.” Shea reached for her purse, fumbling with the zipper as the long, lacquered nails of her left hand clacked against the metal fastening. Shea finally tugged open the bag after a long struggle of attempting to hold the purse steady and yank the zipper open with only one hand. Sasha warmed internally upon realizing that Shea’s right hand remained interwoven in Sasha’s own, regardless of temperature or how much easier it would be to open a purse with two free hands.

        "Girl, I know it’s kind of childish, but I brought,“ Shea paused and unearthed two sheets of lined paper, folded into quarters.

        "Binder paper?”

        "No! Well, yeah, but I thought we could make boats and sail them. I have markers too.“

        There is quite a lot of debate on what it feels like to die. Sasha had read much of it in fascination in a philosophical tangent. A specific side of the discussion assumes that it would be quite painful. Regardless of how correct that position really was, when noted bad bitch Shea Couleé eagerly held up two pieces of lovingly creased binder paper, Sasha felt for a split second that she was in so much pain that she had to be dying. The cavity in her chest could not fit her heart as it swelled and grew. Shea Couleé, the pinnacle of presentation, confidence, was nervously presenting her friend with a child’s crafting activity that she had grown up with. Sasha’s face lit up as her chest tightened, her free hand took one of the papers as her head pounded. As Shea’s beautiful hand slipped from her own to hand her markers from her purse, Sasha’s throat closed up, gummy with her overwhelming love. Sasha felt like her hands were full of sand, desperately trying to keep it from seeping through the cracks in her fingers. Like love was seeping through the cracks of herself. Sasha couldn’t allow that.

        After guiding Sasha through the basics of boat-folding, Shea insisted that she keep her design a secret to "prevent copying,” and turned away, covering the Sasha-facing side of her boat with her hand. Shea focused so intensely on coloring designs that Sasha was free to semi-covertly steal glances at her friend and shove her rising emotions down her throat with little fear of being caught.

        Shea had taken her to her teenage refuge. Shea had invited her to take part in an activity fondly embedded in her childhood. Shea held Sasha’s hand. And Shea had not let go.

        It felt like she couldn’t breathe. As she admired Shea’s furrowed brow, her unwavering gaze, the faintest hints of smile lines, Sasha felt like she had to look away. It was too much.

        Sasha remembered a word she learned in an Art History class. Sublime. Something sublime is not merely beautiful. It is not gorgeous. It is so stunningly magnificent that it terrifies you. It shakes you to your core. It scares you because you cannot even begin to comprehend how wonderful and immense and powerful it is. The depth and power of the ocean were sublime. The Grand Canyon was sublime. And above everything, Shea was sublime. She was so powerful and intelligent, beautiful, and deeply sweet that nothing else in Sasha’s life would ever compare.

        "Shea?“

        Turning, Shea responded, "Yeah? I finished my boat–"

        "Shea, I have to say this now. And if it ruins our friendship, I’m so sorry.” Sasha stated quickly, loathing how the slight quiver in her voice made her sound childlike.

        Leaning forward, eyebrows raised, Shea just stared.

        "Shea, I’m so… scared.”

        Shea’s eyebrows raised even higher than before. That’s not how I should have phrased it, Sasha winced at her own words. She slowly met Shea’s gaze, took a deep breath, and then continued:

        “Every time I’m with you, I’m terrified. I don’t know if anyone feels like this, or if anyone is supposed to feel like the way I do when I’m around you. I love you so much because you are so impossibly wonderful.

        And upon saying this, Sasha felt her words speed up and begin emerging of their own voalition, becoming more and more certain as they materialized in the night air.

         "You are like, the, the incomparable expanse of the universe, and when I’m next to you, it’s like I’m sitting next to all the stars in the sky, and I’m so scared. But I never want to be brave again if it means I’ll be without you. I love you because you’re so confident, and I love you because you’re kind, and I’m in love with you because you love a river and paper boats, and you share all of that with me.“

        Sasha closed her eyes and exhaled very deeply, trying not to focus on the deafening silence after her mammoth, rambling, declaration of love. But as her breath left her mouth, it caught on someone else’s lips. Lips that then pressed against her own, firmly, insistently. Lips belonging to one Shea Couleé.

        Sasha’s hands eagerly fumbled for Shea’s waist and pulled her closer, reveling in the kiss and cursing her fingers for obviously trembling.

        The kiss felt so good.

        So much of Sasha’s life lived under the contradiction of celebrating her style and uniqueness but still internally feeling that it made her unworthy of love. So she had to shove it down. To repress it and restrain it. But in one swift movement of her lips, Shea took the crumbling remains of the wall holding back Sasha’s love and obliterated it. Sasha’s love just burst, expanded, surrounded. Sasha wanted to just bask in all of it and to bask in how Shea felt the same way.

        "Look down,” Shea whispered against Sasha’s lips. Despite feeling slightly reluctant to stop kissing so soon, Sasha followed Shea’s instruction. Her eyes widened as she saw a paper boat placed on her lap. The paper boat had a pink heart on the side and large, bold blue letters that said: I love you.

        "Really?“ Sasha gasped, holding Shea’s waist even tighter.

        "Obviously.”

        "Shea, it was rhetorical,“ Sasha gently stroked Shea’s long, thick hair off of her face. "But, you brought me here… with the paper… to tell me you l–”

        "Yes, now shut up you goddamn egg,“ Shea laughed, hushing Sasha with another kiss, pushing her back against the slope of the hill, cradling her head.

        Now, it’s almost always true that parties involved in an event or occurrence are typically biased when referencing the incident. It is absolutely true that Sasha is biased when looking back on this particular event. But when describing that kiss on the hill, Sasha would say that it was positively sublime.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #167

Hey, I’m not dead!

Yeah, sorry that took a while. Had a lot of real-life shit to work through, honestly. In any case, I finally sat my butt down to really crack down on yet another fun-tastical chapter. Tomoko’s actually doing what a lot of quasi-incel degenerates are afraid to do in high school and is taking an actual stab at self-improvement. Will karma rear its ugly head, or is the series now beyond that point?

Chapter 167: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Spend My Time Wisely unlike me

This is a really pretty shot and...that’s about it. Real pretty. 

Oh dear! The friendship disease has disrupted Tomoko’s gremlin-like body clock and has her waking up early like a healthy human being!

Reminds of that one Gintama episode. You know, that one with Kagura and the sick kid and you don’t care, do you?

I know Japan prides itself on its cheap, quality goods, but Tomoko is a real penny-pincher, eh? Well, she’s a Gen Zer, so I can’t complain.

Not sure if this makes me sound like a perv or whatever, but hot damn, the detail on this model is stupidly good. I mean, just look at the patterning on that bra. You can really tell when Ikko’s really getting into the art.

They’re really milking the armpit fetish, aren’t they?

Tomoko...sweetie...my girl...

You don’t even have a dick. I mean, sure, you could find it fascinating from a purely educational, not-applicable-to-you perspective. And yeah, I suppose it could be useful if you were to start a sexual relationship with a noncanonical male. But to be honest, I can’t help but take it as more signs of your gender dysphoria here. 

I mean, hey, whatever floats your boat.  

Well, they say kids learn more about practical knowledge out in the real world than in school, don’t they? 

Then again, coughgoogleitcough.

I always thought Tomoko was just having some kind of psychosomatic experience when she talks about being de-energized from a lack of sexual stimulation. 

Now I’m inches from calling that shit an actual, physiological withdrawal.

Ah, the good ol’ days. Back when future prospects felt like a lifetime away and you could spend days on end dicking around, lamenting the need to get serious, and disregarding your resolve right after because you secretly didn’t really care.

...I gotta stop projecting.

Despite Tomoko proving time and again that she can be a crass-hole with a negative outlook on life, it’s when she does childish things like laying your head on your arm when studying and cuddling her plushies that her innocent side pops up and you realize that Tomoko’s a legitimate cutie. 

Fake-smoking? Tomoko, stop! If you keep this up, you’ll turn from a deconstruction of a cute, moe girl to becoming an actual cute, moe girl.

I only just noticed that Tomoko’s wearing a “happy” shirt. Remember when she was sporting the “alone” shirt back in year one? Even her clothes get character development.

Oh, shit. Your girl Yuu-chan talking this whole cram school thing seriously even though she’s at a disadvantage. You see, this is why Yuu is literally the best. Despite being at the “top” of the school clique food chain, she has not once ever felt like “bottomfeeders” like Tomoko and Komi were below her in any way. Sure, she knows they’re weirdos, but she makes those acknowledgments without judgement, and all while putting herself on the same leveling field. She doesn’t love them ironically–she loves them sincerely, and that’s why Yuu is awesome. 

Sorry if this turned into a ramble, but Yuu only gets like, one panel of dialogue nowadays and I wanted to make the most of it. 

Tomoko be raising that “phone-call” flag like a motherfucking chad. 

...

...

...

Oh, sorry. I saw Yuri with her hair down and lost track of time.

...

...

...

Damn, Yuri’s pretty.

Black leggings at home? That’s exactly the kind of conservative attire Yuri would wear and only Yuri could look amazing in. Seriously, If Ikko hadn’t become a manga artist, she would have made a damn fine fashion designer.

And Tomoko be crushing that “home-visit” flag like a motherfucking chode.

I could make a pretty tasteless joke about how “haha, Yuri will never look at you like you’re trash like she does at Tomoko,” but, 

a. it’s just the angle of the smartphone like Yuri said, and

b. you’d probably prefer to get denied like that, wouldn’t you?

I can’t help but wonder if Tomoko realizes just how homoerotic she sounds. Like, does she have any inclination that her borderline-sexual harassment jokes could easily be misconstrued as flirting? Sure, she might be using the old excuse that “we’re both girls, so it’s fine right?”, but given that Tomoko at least knows about LGBTQ+, you’d think it would have at least crossed her mind.

Or maybe, on a sadder note, Tomoko doesn’t see it as flirting because she really does have zero faith in her own attractiveness...  

There is no heterosexual reason for this exchange whatsoever.

Alright, so I’m a dude, so...hell do I know. But do girls typically not wear bras when just lounging around the house? I know Tomoko is the kind to just wear tank tops if she can help it, but I always thought that was a characterization unique to her, and that other girls wear bras for the comfort and support like any other undergarment. I mean, sure, Yuri’s kind of reserved, but I wouldn’t think wearing a bra at home would be considered an oddity, yeah? I ask this out of genuine curiosity, but I’ll stop before it gets too creepy.

Side note, you can officially tell when Yuri gets pissed by her nose crinkles.

I could give a long, analytical spiel about why Yuri didn’t give Tomoko a straight answer and speculate on what she was doing, but I eventually realized the answer was actually really simple:

It didn’t fucking matter to the story.

The last time Tomoko had one of these “I know!” moments, she ended up trimming her pubes on a class trip. But surely Tomoko’s character growth wouldn’t allow something like that to happen again, would it not?  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Adorbs.

Can’t fight awkward with awkward, can you?

Tomoko, what are you playing at? You just said that video chatting was erotic and tried to get Yuri to lewd herself for you. And now you were planning to appear on-screen totally naked and you somehow don’t see any sexual implications for this at all? Finding it funny would be an elementary schooler’s mentality. If you seriously have no confidence in your sexuality, then sweetheart, you need some help. 

You ever notice that Tomoko can lie through her teeth when trying to screw with people, but when lying to be nice, it sounds so phony? I think that says a lot about the kind of person she is.

Ya’ll knew I was gonna add this panel, didn’t you?

I was never one to go crazy about blushing anime girls ‘cause to me, it always felt like it stemmed from some sadistic desire to see girls look uncomfortable. So while I can’t get behind it for reasons like that, I can admit that Yuri’s blush is fucking precious and I think that’s because I love seeing her so emotionally transparent for once. It feels rare, raw and well-earned after all this time, so yeah. A++ 

Oh, Tomoko, if only you knew that skill often has nothing to do with it. Yuri’s not embarrassed because she sucks at humming, but because you saw a side of her that she only lets out in private. Trying to reassure her is a good move, but putting the girl on blast like that is not going to end well.  

I felt like the vibration alone would’ve left a huge-ass crack on Yuri’s phone screen. This whole moment is like eleven tiers of funny because even though Tomoko is probably miles away, the impact of Yuri’s punch still jostles her. It also helps that we can visibly see Yuri’s fist come down mere millimeters from Tomoko’s mug. 

There is no escaping her wrath, Tomoko.

I feel you, girl. For me, nothing beats a good ol’ burger and fries after a hard day of studying.

Careful there, Tomoko. If there’s one thing that studying has taught me (other than I hate it), it’s that you could get serious burn out if you go all-out on the first day, especially if you’re typically not a regular studier. Always make sure to get dem breaks in. 

That sounds like the kind of line you’d see in a mainstream shounen action manga like [ ]. I don’t even have a direct reference here, so feel free to fill in the blank.

Hey, with Tomoko’s luck, I was expecting karma to hit her harder than Truck-kun in an isekai anime, so I consider this a small loss. 

Man, remember when we were young and had ambitions as high as the sky, and we all wanted to change the world by being firefighters, astronauts, idols, and presidents?

Kind of sucks that “financial stability” has become our goal in life as we enter adulthood. Perhaps that’s just the mindset creative-types like Tomoko have towards the STEM industry when it’s hard to see what makes that world so personally fulfilling. 

Oops, my opinions are starting to seep in, so let's move on.

Nooo, don’t do it, Nico Tanigawa Tomoko! Don’t sell out your passions for financial security even though it’s a totally viable career decision! How else are we going to validate the pursuit of our artistic dreams?  

How in the hell is Tomoko balancing that drink? I’m willing to let it pass for rule of cute, but I don’t care how secure that cup is. One wrong move and those practice sheets are done for. 

Jesus Christ, Nemo is on some otherworldly dimension of cute right here.

I don’t even think Tomoko is trying to one-up her or anything. This is already the most effort she’s given to study in a single instance, so I think she genuinely just wants to share this personal accomplishment.

You know, while it’s already been established that Tomoko and Nemo have different tastes in anime, that doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t watch the same show, right? Just for different reasons. While Nemo would watch her cute slice-of-life series earnestly, Tomoko would probably watch them ironically MST3K-style. In any case, it’s a good way for them to find some common ground.

Bruh, Nemo must be over the fucking moon for this opportunity. Think about it: when was the last time she’s had someone to watch anime with her? After concealing her power level for so long, this could be the first time Nemo has had a fellow anime fan to geek out over a series with. And not just discussing it afterward, but actually reacting to a live episode together.  

Nemo may give Tomoko all kinds of shit, but this is actually what she wanted all along, wasn’t it?

Boy, Tomoko sure gets pretty demanding when she’s sleep-deprived, huh? I’d hate to see how loose her inhibitions get when she’s stark-raving drunk.  

Is this referencing the Quintessential Quintuplets anime? I don’t know anything about it other than that’s a kickass title.

Hey now, Tomoko, beggars can’t be choosers. Let Nemo give you the play-by-play at her own pace. She’s even acknowledging that you hate the source magazine without a hint of judgment. She’s gonna go places.

At first, I thought all this recent armpit content was just an incidental joke. Then I thought it was the mangaka slyly inserting their fetish into the series. Then I realized the series turned the joke on its head and made it a meta-reference about their very thing their readers were accusing them of. 

Well played.  

You ain’t slick with that leg service, Nino Tanigawa. Just sayin’.

Seriously though, I love the dynamic going on in this conversation. Tomoko and Nemo are approaching the discussion from different outlooks, the former looking at it from a degenerate’s perspective and the latter looking at it more optimistically. But even so, they’re not trying to “get the upper hand” like they might've done before. They’re simply having a totally organic talk about what they do and don’t like about the series, while still recognizing each other’s personal preferences. For once, it’s completely devoid of passive aggressiveness and it really shows how earnest their friendship has become.

At some point, I think Tomoko’s consumed so much near-pornographic content that pretty much all anime, manga, VNs, etc. looks like the same hentai to her.  

Every fiber of my being says that this is a reference to Komi-san Can’t Communicate, but it could just as well be the mangaka shooting themselves in the foot for a good joke. In any case, I do like how they point out shy, socially awkward girls is a rising trend that borders on romanticizing communication problems. 

Does that make Watamote a hipster manga since it did the whole “social anxiety girl” shtick before it was cool? 

I wanted to make a pretentious joke about how basic that anime sounds and how I’m so above a show that panders to the masses, but even I like junk food, so I’ll spare you the hypocritical humor.

If Ucchi caught a glimpse of this, she’d probably explode right on the spot.

I spent a good five minutes trying to decipher how Tomoko’s sleeping expression could be seen as “happy”, and I realized that it’s not that she looks happy. It’s that she doesn’t look unhappy. I’d imagine that those plagued by anxiety and stress have it evident on their face when they sleep, so the fact that Tomoko fell asleep in relative bliss must mean she’s had a pretty satisfying day. To top it all off, this is one of the few times someone–and Nemo of all people–has seen Tomoko in all her vulnerability. 

And you know what? Nothing bad happened. No punchline undermining the moment, no sarcastic quip, no embarrassment. Just genuine sweetness and it really speaks to the series’ faith in its heartwarming moments.

As a final note, I just wanted to thank everyone again for their patience. I’ve been trying to put a fresh spin on this, making it a little more comedic since its honestly getting harder to “analyze” without constantly repeating myself. It’s a lot of fun, and I hope you guys enjoy it for what it is.

[lynxgriffin]

Isn't the deltarune cast elementary school aged? It's fine to think friendships r cute but it's weird when people get invested in the idea of romantic relationships between kids

No, they’re in high school. They have high school style work, they talk and behave like high schoolers, Toriel says “you’ll be going to university soon,” to Kris, which is something you say to a high schooler. And, for better or worse, high schoolers start getting invested in romance. 

[itakesurveys]

Survey 285

What type of bread did you use on the last sandwich you made? i eat everything on a wheat wrap, no joke. 

& What was on said sandwich? i made a garden veggie patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles & onions. 

How many doors are in your house? hmm, 10 for 12? 

Got any bad habits? If so, what are they? yes, i bite the inside of my cheek when i’m anxious. 

What was the last compliment you recieved, that made you smile? the boy just turned around and called me cute randomly :) 

Do you ever lie to your friends? yeah. everyone lies. 

If so, do you feel bad about it after? depends on what it is. 

Think you need to lose weight? How much? i don’t need to lose more weight. since last November i managed to lose 35 pounds. i would love to lose like 10 more but i’m not gonna stress about it.

When was the last time you watched a VHS movie? oh my, years. i can’t even guess. 

What event would you go back in time to see, if you could? britney spears dream within a dream tour in like 2001.

Do you remember the last thing you said you wanted? i want to have a good weekend. 

Who was the last friend you hung out with&what’d you do together? bryanna, my only real good friend. haha, 14+ years of friendship, and we were out celebrating after her wedding. 

Who is the person, other than a spouse, that you are closest to? my mom. 

Do you know when to use ‘to’ & 'too’? ehhh, i think so. 

Who do you currently live with? my boyfriend but we are moving this month to our new place!  

Favorite board game? life!

If you watched it, who was your favorite 'Hey Arnold!’ character? hmmm.. i guess Arnold. 

Have any good school pictures? or do they all just suck? my photos were mostly always good. 

How old were you when you had your first kiss? first kiss was in like 1st grade inside the coat closet. 

Do you ever wonder what people think when they look at you? alllll the fucking time. 

Do you like trying on clothes or not? & Why? i don’t like trying on clothes unless i have money to buy them. 

What are your thoughts on marriage? i’m good with it but i don’t understand why people rush into marriage.

Don’t you think gay marriage should be legalized through the United States? dah. 

What was your favorite toy as a kid? legos, toy story woddy doll, hot wheels. 

Do you still play with it or have it? nah. 

Are you currently IN love with anyone? yes <3

Difference between loving someone&being in love with someone? Yes or no? yes. 

Don’t you hate when reruns on TV are in a random order? yeah, i never understood why they do that. 

Do you ever watch any crime shows? here and there. 

If so, which do you watch the most/is your favorite? i wouldn’t know their names. 

Ever smoke pot? mhm.

Don’t you hate when people you love/care about annoy you with stupid crap? yesssssss.

Do you ever get frustrated&say 'nevermind’ when people just don’t get it? all the time. 

Still have feelings for an ex? no.

Have you ever SERIOUSLY considered any kind of plastic surgery? yes. 

What was the last thing you cleaned&why? the floor because i spilled a redbull. 

Don’t those weightloss pill commercials just irritate you? i guess. 

Before taking this survey, what were you thinking of? thinking of taking another survey. 

How long have you lived in the current place you’re living? 2 years. 

Do you plan on moving anytime soon, if so where? yes, moving this month to our new place. it’s a whole house! woo. 

Does blood make you queasy? yes. ew.

Do you ever walk alone at night just because, or does that freak you out? no no no. 

What happened in the last TV show you watched? dudeeee. vanessa is fighting the dark one (Van Helsing) 

Do you ever correct grammar/spelling errors your friends make? never. and people who do should just the fuck up and live. it’s very judgy. 

Or do you just not care about that stuff? ^^^ 

Don’t you think things are getting wayyy too pricey? yup. rent in this area has gone from $900 a month to well over $1500. 

Facebook, wasn’t 'become a fan’ better than 'like’? whatever. facebook sucks. 

What do you think was the best year you ever had? idk. maybe 2009. 

Are you more of a follower, or a leader? Be honest. leader. i don’t follow anyone ever. 

Are your dreams/nightmares in black&white or color? when i was a kid i had most in black and white. it was so odd. 

Or do you not even remember any of them? i don’t remember my dreams very often anymore. 

Have you ever wanted to be some sort of hero outside of videogames? nah. i don’t want to be around in dangerous situations. 

Will you admit that you’re at least somewhat superficial? sure. 

Most attractive actor/actress that comes to mind right this second? hmmm.. no idea. i don’t really fan girl over actors. i’m more about pop girls. 

How often do you go to the mall closest to you? like never. i don’t think i have been inside a mall in like 3 years. 

What physical features can you just not stand about yourself? hmmm.. i guess i could have a better nose. 

Do you still count with your fingers, even if only every so often? 100%

The last flavor of gum you chewed? no idea. i don’t chew gum.

Have you ever gone on a road trip with just friends? no.

What was the last thing you had to drink & was it yummy? i’m currently have a nice cup of tea <3

What word or words do you think you say the most? “xo” i know it’s not a word but if you text me.. you understand. sample of how i text: “ hey babe xo what do you want to do after work stoooopiid xo 💖” 

Without trying, do you act differently around different friends? not even a little. 

What was the last thing you drew/wrote on your own or someone elses’ skin? i haven’t drawn on anyone's skin. 

Did you know your nose continues to grow/get longer as you get older? i know... that’s scary. 

The last time you spent money, what was it on & how much did you spend? food. well, breakfast. we got; 1 hot banana coffee, (1) iced caramel mocha iced coffee, (1) blue berry muffin, (1) jelly creme doughnut, (1) bacon egg and cheese on an asiago bagel. i think it was like $14.89

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on one piece of clothing? idk. when i was in high school Abercombie was huge. that’s all i wore and before it was cheap like it is now. i use to spend like $145+ on jeans, $85.00 on polos, and $100+ on hoddies. which i know isn’t a lot of money now but for a high schooler it was. since then my style has changed and i don’t see the need to buy fancy designer clothes or whatever. I buy most of my clothes at Marshals or Target, or TJ MAX or Amazon. 

Don’t you believe you’re not really a vegetarian if you still eat chicken idc. 

Who was the last person you avoided/ignored? i don’t know. 

In elementary school, were you more of the bully or the bullied? i was only bullied in 8th grade and a little in high school but as a kid in elementary school i was a popular kid around the playground. haha. 

Do you like when a spouse is clingy, or can you not stand that? l love it. 

How much do you say you walk in a week outside of school &/or work? idk. 

Don’t you hate when someone says they’ll text/call/IM you later&they don’t? no. haha because the person you hate is me. LOL.

Did the last person you talked to in person annoy you in anyway? nah. 

Where are you sitting right now? on my bed :) 

[blouptalking]

Dear Friends: Rina & Maki

Yoshi (story), Watanabe Anyu (art)

1 volume (completed)

drama, slice of life, psychological

TW: suicide attempts, self-harm

“There's the affectionless father and the overly affectionate mother, and then there's the beautiful 18 year old high schooler Rina.

"Friends are just meant to be used," is what Rina says when she is caught having sex with her friend's boyfriend. Rina has such a low opinion of friends, but when she is hospitalized her classmate from elementary school, Maki, appears before her, wanting to continue their free-of-charge friendship from long ago. In this day and age, just what is the meaning of friendship?(...)”

(Source: StarryHeaven)

Story: 3/10

I think this story doesn’t even deserves a 3/10 but I feel bad giving it a 2/10 so I added 1 point... The plot was somewhat good. I mean it’s a classic hospital story: two young girls fighting illness together and becoming friends but the way the story was discussed and the trashy characters just ruined the manga. I didn’t felt sad, I didn’t felt any empathy toward any characters, I just felt disgusted. There is no development, the story is not well paced everything happens at once and there’s never an explication, there’s always sad flashback and discourses about friendship and what real friends are but it just made me cringe because it was really bad...

Art: 4/10

I personally hate this type of art style. Big eyes full of light and small faces, very thin bodies that sometimes don’t respect anatomy. I can read mangas with any type of art style but I really struggle with this one in particular. Also the way the panels are cut, I sometimes feel like there’s too much informations on one page. It reminds me of Nana in a way (this is one of the reason I haven’t read Nana yet).

Cast: 0/10

I hated Rina with my entire heart. Bad main character. Horrible main character even. She was so mean and so annoying during the entire story for absolutely no reason. She literally is a bitch with her friends and her parents. I didn’t felt an ounce of empathy or sadness towards her. I honestly wish more bad things happened to her because she really pissed me off. The second character Mika was a little bit less annoying but still forgettable. In the end both of them pissed me off. They ruined the story.

Enjoyment: 0/10

I hated every seconds of my reading. I didn’t stopped because it’s only one volume so I finished it very quickly but the 30 minutes I passed reading this manga was an entire nightmare for me. I would not recommend this at all.

Overall: 1/10 (for the effort ig)

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff’s Best of 2017

WARNING: I’d like to thank everybody who was here for me when times were low. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Cartoons; the one thing that I will continuously watch until I go blind. 2017 was an emotional handful and an exhausting trudge, can’t deny that, and I’m counting down the best cartoons/animations I’ve seen and loved this year in no particular order. Only two rules, no sneak previews of future projects (sorry to Unikitty and Hideo Kojima). Here we go....

10. HANAZUKI: FULL OF TREASURES

This was a sleeper hit tbh. The fact all the episodes were free on Youtube blew my mind, but having a well structured story with a lovely cold space color palette, actually relatable characters, and a sinister undertones below its tender, colorful charm to be as a nice headliner to when Friendship is Magic came back in spring. It was an inviting start for the year, and with the guy behind Motorcity and Superjail taking the helm and having two more seasons being produced, Hanazuki is something I find is in good hands come 2018.

9. LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA

Four long years. I waited FOUR long goddamn years...and fuck me was it worth it. A spectacle is what I can call Little Witch Academia. Almost every episode dazzled me with its stage made bravado and confidence that always made me say, “Okay. Let’s make it til’ the next week”. Even when things got serious, LWA knew how to have fun and make the most of its concept. There is a sense of predictability sometimes, but the series would still throw you some good curve balls to never lose your interest. What did lose my interest was Netflix’s sorry excuse of a dub. The movies: fine. But Netflix, try that again, with any other anime, and I will rip your nuts off.

8. Now I might be cheating here since it’s not a cartoon, but shit it might as well have been

CUPHEAD

The effort that went into this is phenomenal, beyond the many other games of the year no doubt. While not everything is animated, I could tell they were cutting corners in some areas, the frame BY frame animated enemies, bosses, and effects made this one of the most visually colorful and alive games to date, next to Mario Odyssey. Not only was this game a frustrating yet joyous romp to start and finish, but the music and art flawlessly channeled the essence of a time where the word “cartoon” was only starting to make good progress. My favorite character would have to be Satan King Dice, whom is an animated homage to great musician and composer Cab Calloway. His stache, his clothing, even his Cheshire grin captured the cool, jazzy vibe Calloway always provided in his performances. He and his fight was the highlight of Cuphead for me and I hope this game, if a sequel isn’t possible, is well remembered for its unexpected excellence in how a video game can look.

7. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS/L-EGGO BATMAN

Faithful is what I can describe these two. Captain Underpants was just an awesome book to elementary schooler me, but to see a well animated, well written movie about a dude in his underwear was nothing short of a simple yet powerful masterpiece. As for Batman, this is one of the three truest DC and Batman movies around this time, and it has a gay undertone with Batman and the Joker’s relationship (how can you not pull that off, Suicide Squad?). While not a big fan of lego myself, The Lego Movie put my faith WB making another one equally as good, and they did not disappoint. It’s a shame it got snubbed at the Golden Globes, it deserves the award more than the Boss Baby. Plus it had a Superman that didn’t bore me while having a terrible CGI lip job that’s only made worse by his two way dick nose....

Justice League costed 300,000,000 dollars.............

6. DANGER & EGGS

To me, this series felt like one of the few steps forward the world took to make the LGBT+ community feel more welcome and inspired in public outlets; a small step, but progressive none the less. It is a colorful and lively action comedy, a first to be created by a transgender person, where you can see a non-binary character, a pride fest, diverse background characters of orientation and ethnicity, and it feels like they are a part of the world and not footnotes that states that you should respect queer, bi, ace, and so on based on a say so. It’s a show don’t tell type of series and it brightened my summer before I had to remind myself that college exists and is expecting me.

5. TANGLED: THE SERIES

*ring ring* “Hello?” Ye, Disney? How fucking dare you?

My hype for this was undoubtful. I love Tangled the movie, I consider it one of my favorite 2010 disney flics beside Wreck it Ralph and Moana. And when the art style was up for a preview for this (?), I just sat and waited until it finally premiered and damn. I never stopped loving it, but it is until episode 16 where the series starts to hit high note after high note with the direction it’s going for the story. The fact that this all takes place not long after the movie makes the thought where Eugene and Rapunzel finally get married feels all the more earned. It’s working its way to a happily ever after, I adore this show, and this makes me appreciate Frozen a bit more for how far that’s fallen in the world after its one year of fame. Seriously, Gigantic had to get chopped, but Olaf can still live? Give me a break, Disney.

“Sir, I understand your enthusiasm....but this is Domino’s.” Then I will have the 5.99 large with Salchicha and pepperoncini with a liter sprite on delivery.

4. MADE IN ABYSS

This was so beautiful, so awesome, and much better than...

I wasted my life and I cannot say that I will ever reclaim that time proactively again the Anime

Made in Abyss is like Hunter x Hunter except Gon’s more booksmart and Kilua’s a timid robot. The bond between Riko and Reg was a fucking dynamic and heartfelt where Riko’s helps build Reg up and Reg kept Riko and himself safe with his bodily arsenal. That and this series has the best world building where they not only give the low down on almost everything about the titular abyss, but the atmospheric environments and the designs of the inhabiting creatures made this a unique world to want to explore myself. It knew what to show, and knew what to share. When things got serious, I actually tensed up at the thought of shit truly going down; they knew how to soften the terror while maniacally instill fear in us for the safety of the traveling kids. I want to recommend this link to an awesome breakdown of how great Made in Abyss was. However, as it seems that a season two has gone down the abyss as well, and I’m afraid it can’t come back up.

3. LET’S BE HEROES!!

Is it safe to call this the M.U.G.E.N. of cartoons? Just an all up mashup of stuff I love in a Saturday morning? Campy, action, and laid back, this is something I can be sober or grab some kush and I would be enjoy the show just the same. They even have references you might not have ever heard of, but might like the search. OK KO’s a popcorn cartoon, it’s not for everybody, but it established itself well into the modern CN era when Adventure Time finally has to move on. 

2. SAMURAI JACK

Getting this out of the way: episode 6 toiled the final season of Samurai Jack for me. Not gonna go into detail, but if that episode was remade, I would have been more satisfied looking back. However, that does not stop me from saying this is how a revival should be, this is how a reboot should work, THIS is how you can bring nostalgia back. Samurai Jack was great back then, but this season, wrapping up the loose plight of our boy trying to get back to the past and defeat the demon Aku, was satisfactory to many fans. Even those who’ve never heard or remember Jack could just enjoy this as a dynamic mini-series; it gives you context of what happened before without having to recap the original plot of it. For non fans, it’s mostly about an ageless samurai, longing to return to his own time, stuck in the future for over 50 years to the point of losing his honor and his mind. It’s a binge worthy 10 episode season, originally intended to be a movie, and aside from polar opinionated finale, this made Samurai Jack feel great to love again.

1. TRUE AND THE RAINBOW KINGDOM

This is a personal choice from me because 2017 was an honest to god terrible year for me; nothing but turmoil, season to season, and the struggle to cope with that despair in a way I felt actually could help. However, this small series here boosted my spirits because even with it being a show for little kids that I originally wanted to watch as a joke, the competent, enthusiastic spirit it had just moved me in a way that cartoons that I love for eons could only try to do on a whim. It’s not the best made cartoon, it’s not something I sincerely recommend to you all, but it helped me realize that the best thing about life is finding and seeking things that don’t just distract you from the hard and testing times reality puts on you, but gives you a moment of honest bliss and happiness that can influence your outlook on looking forward to better things because things like this, cartoons like this, CAN make you feel better. 

*sniff* Which is why, the actual cartoon of the year....

1. is STEVEN U., BABY!

Just kidding, guys! You will NEVER win, Steven!

TEEN TITANS GO! WINS IT AGAIN, BABYYYY! ONCE AGAIN BABY (i don’t even like it no more...), YOUR NEW FAVORITE SHOW (i don’t even fucking like it no...) RISES TO THE TO-

But Steven Universe in Space, though. That’s when it’ll be great again.

[thepracticeofthought]

My History

Most things require context so it would make sense that I sort of paint myself as a character before we enter into the realm of my mind.

I was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and was there for less than two years before I was moved to Michigan for a myriad of reasons, for the next six or so years I was raised with my younger sister by a mother who was mostly away at work and a disillusioned depressed father who was no less that reckless with our upbringing. It was one of many reasons my parents got divorced.

Meanwhile in school I made and lost friends like paper airplanes in my early years of elementary school. Gaining one, then a few, before losing them all for another one.I was pulled back in third grade and winded up taking the second half of second grade and the first half of third grade twice. I participated in the boy/girl wars back in the day, what a fiasco. I may have even participated in bullying a girl out of our school (something I only horrifyingly remember now). In the wake of this event I settled on three friends who I clung to for the remainder of my elementary school years.

Noteworthy events in my elementary school years after that:

 A kid made fun of me for being gay specifically ‘liking dicks’, but I didn’t get it so I just joked along.

I had a number of crushes which all ended horribly, teaching me early that romance was to be repressed until only the most opportune times.

I gained a nostalgic love for dominoes because that was the pizza they served on pizza days.

I was really bad at multiplication tables so much so that I was taken out of the class to study them.

I re-met an old friend from my first time through third grade who came out as trans since I had last met her. She got everyone to bully me near the end of fourth grade and let me into the girls bathroom one time. (She apologized to me years later and I wish her luck in her endeavors.)

I believed very firmly in ghosts until someone pointed out that that didn’t really make sense. It was very hard to get over it.

My friend group always started tag during recess

One of my friends allegedly made out with me while I was asleep during one of my birthdays. To this day I don’t know if that happened or not, but it taught me about the need for consent and I realized I didn’t really care.

I talked politics with my friends for the first time in fifth grade. It was odd.

Two of my friends were jewish, the other was catholic, but I never knew what I was when it came to religion.

I also participated in a home made movie with my friends which was cool.

I joined a boychoir and met a new friend.

Now I take turns to describe my two houses. My father started dating a woman who would eventually become my step-mom only a number of months after the divorce. My father was very stressed and got a cheap condo in a bad neighborhood far from our school. He shouted at me a lot and his parenting style was both dismissive, judgmental and hostile. I took the brunt of the force from him and my step-mother through our middle-school years, but the threats they levied against my sister in later years were far worse in every way. 

My mother was also quick to get back into dating but she’s far more headstrong than my father, and once she allowed herself, far more aware of what she wanted out of a relationship. Unfortunately, what she thought she wanted she couldn’t find, a self-confident and healthy person. Instead, she introduced my sister and I to multiple unfortunate cases, the worst of which I’ll call Dan. He gave me a nerf gun for my birthday and then I accidentally shot him in the eye, so he threw me up against a wall and my mom made me apologize for it. To be fair, my mother had no idea what the whole story was until years later when I recounted the story to her, and my mom made Dan go home that night.

As for a school life, I got pretty sick early on in sixth grade, in a really lame way. We thought I had a cold, so I stayed away from school for a while only to return to school and instantly get sick again. I visited doctors and this went on for about a month before they realized that I had mono, ‘the kissing disease’. The closest I had gotten to kissing at that point was denying blatant advances from girls, so we theorized that I got it from singing in boychoir. Imagine telling that to middle-schoolers when you get back from a three month break from school. My only friends were in boychoir for a long while but they were great friends so it was good.

Maybe good is an exaggeration, my middle-school years were some of the hardest years of my life. I never stopped feeling happiness, but life was a very painful gray sprinkled with hard to find happiness. I’ll list now some things that happened:

All of my elementary school friends and I lost touch. One went to a different school. One became horribly depressed and I didn’t know how to help him, then he transferred while I was sick. The last gave me an ultimatum, struggle to become popular with him, or don’t talk to him (and, yes, he is still a huge ass).

I became friends with a dude who I learned many years later was autistic, but at the time I just figured was ‘not so good at social interactions’.

I became friends with a dude I used to bully in elementary school, who was strange, but passionate.

I became friends with another dude, who was wholly unremarkable, and he was my best friend in middle school, though confident he didn’t feel the same toward me.

I was hit on by a few girls, and as-per-usual, did not reciprocate for one reason or another.

I fell in love whole-heartedly with the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show, completely separate from the internet hype. I actually discovered the show on a trip to the Dominican Republic since it was on the only channel with English on it. My sister and I watched it to bond. The friendly, understanding nature of the show reassured me that my approach to trying to solve interpersonal issues was well grounded and re- taught me some important values.

I discovered pornography somewhere along the line.

Highschool arrive and I immediately joined the robotics club with my favorite friend from middle school and we were instantly separated as I quickly Domino Effect-ed my way into another large friend group of people one year older than me. Here I met my best friend, objectively. I got into League of Legends, my friend group avoided doing work in robotics and I faded into a happy monotony for three years.

My home life had stabilized. For a long time my mother had been living off my grandparents money, but she had hit the jackpot with a few jobs in a row and was only climbing. As for my father, he had given up on his second dream and had allowed himself to get some easy certificate for something computer related and got a stable, reliable job. My step-mother also made money a lot easier for him and the marriage only made things even easier.

As for emotionally, this is where the abuse story becomes my sister and honestly it’s not my story to tell, but I felt both helpless and enraged at how they treated her. They’ve gotten better, but my step-mom has never really stopped being bad for my sister.

My last year of high-school my friends were all gone from school. I saw most of them online or at hangouts (half of them went to the local colleges), but at school I became friends with a number of people I worked on projects with. I drove them home since I had a car. We climbed buildings illegally in our spare time, eventually getting caught later in the year.

Finally, college came around and I got in somewhere with my mothers full support so I went and now after so many existential crises about my purpose, love, and the life we have. I feel the need to express myself here, on the internet.

[half-filled-inkpot]

Reply 1997 and Reply 1988 contrast

I wrote this a long time ago but found it again and thought of spreading the love for the Reply series. If anyone has been hesitating and wondering if watching the series is worth it, it totally is. One of my favorite series and I don’t regret watching it. Also just adore the soundtrack for reply 1997. Feels so strange how many years ago the series was, but both are classics! 

New Installment In the Reply Series--improving, or just going downhill?

The reply series only goes back in time to revisit the nostalgic past. This time, the leap is almost a decade before the first installment of the series, "Reply 1997." I don't know how long this series will go. The charms of reflection and mysterious husband is a signature move, but when will it get old? The greatest charm of each new show is the time period and the significant culture and trends. To think that the latest '88 series targets the older generation is largely misleading. While I personally can associate closer to the more recent setting and lifestyle of the 1990s, I do embrace the life style of South Korea in the late 1980s.

Friendship

Of course, there is a band of kids that are close. This group is predominantly male and were all childhood friends unlike the mixed group of Yoon Jae, Shi Won, Joon Hee, and Yoo Jung. Of course, there is always a perfect child where Taek's meek and mature side seems like a reflection and parallel of Joon Hee’s character. Both of them are wanted as the son-in-law. It's cute, and I personally loved how Taek had  a larger role than Joon Hee and how Taek's development with his Baduk skill was expanded overtime.

Family

The family setting of the protagonist has an older sister and a younger brother where she often quarrels in silly but violent fights with her domineering and condescending sister. While it may be relatable to a certain degree, there is really only enough shouting that I can take, and I find that the writers could develop more somewhere else rather than using so much screen time for fistfuls of hair.

Aside from that, I did enjoy the family relationship. As the middle child, Deok Sun may get the short end of the stick: never a fried egg  in the morning, the forgotten one, and the self fender that defends herself from being bullied by the other boys around her. The favorite and infamous sound of goat bleating occurs at all the right times such as when Deok Sun is the child that was forgotten to be saved when the family suspected Carbon Monoxide or when the youngest brother must follow his sisters' orders and avoid being caught between the two. All too often, he serves as the interlocutor that must relay the messages. Funny enough, he conveys the messages verbally and physically, passing on the hits Bo Ra beats on him for Deok su and vice versa. But he is much softer than his sisters.  

I think the portrayal of family alongside the sacrifices was touching and cute. The topic of grievances and how adults must bottle emotions for the sake of the children around them. The death of the grandma was something relatable, and it brought me to tears. Although she was briefly introduced, the actors and writers evoked such strong emotions as the children waited until the last child came before uniting together in grievance. The sad fate of how one child is too far and too late to come, but everyone still waits patiently was touching. Similarly, SunWoo continuously struggles with the death of his father. Kind hearted and nurturing, he cares for both his sister and mother by going through such lengths as eating and lying that his mother's food is delicious. Taek also struggles with this absence of an important figure in his life. Because of this, he is an adult-like child explained by the voiceover of Deok Sun. My complaint about this series is that while the voice overs are seemingly deep, I feel like they are hits and misses. Some aren't nearly as insightful and as parallel to those in 1997. Said with a quiet and soothing voice, the insights are fleetingly interesting. The scene hardly leaves an impression. Comparably, the voiceovers in 1997 fit perfectly with the scenes where the acting was also striking. Years later, I can remember how meaningful the words are and how effective they are with the scene to match. However, the main difference may be content. In Reply 1997, the theme was first love, something enrapturing in high school days. Perhaps I wanted to relate to those high schoolers. But, I've heard around the block, that there is a serious and mature quality in Reply 1994 and 1988. I prefer a laid back, comedic relief, so my personal preference towards Reply 1997 clouds the actual quality. In the end, I believe it is up to the viewer to determine how each show fits their preference. Personally, I prefer the abundance of insight from both Yoon Jae and Shi Won in that of the Reply 1997 series, and I found their words more striking as I am in the similar stage of life as they were. (I also love first installments and originals more than sequels. Just my personal preference)

Cast

Comparably, I originally was chagrined by the cast of 1988. I do not like the group dynamic as much as that of 1997. Protagonist Deok Sun is a rowdy and robust girl who always seems to be fighting for dominance with a constant curl of her lip and continuous screaming. Right from the start, her immediate reaction is to scream. While Shi Won was also rowdy and a fierce girl, I don't think she was as loud. She'd raise her hand and Yoon Jae would seem to instantly get the message. With only a curl of her lips and a low growl, Shi Won might have established her dominance long ago, and Yoon Jae was always head over heels for her.

However, as I continued watching the series, I discovered the bond and the precious friendship within the group. They all are unique individuals that compliment each other. No role is replaceable, and their is an honesty in their friendship. When Deok Sun needed help for the talent show after her friends became injured, the boy's willingness to self sacrifice their pride at the risk of getting caught only shows how much Deok Sun has wrapped them around her finger. And while they may yell at each other, they protect each other as Deok Sun hides the whiskey, Jung Hwa saves her, and they are brutally honest with Taek after his defeat at Baduk despite the rest of the adults dancing around the subject of his loss. Whether one of them falls down, their once disputed differences are set aside in an attempt to help each other up. But that doesn't mean puppy cheesy love. There is still the feeling of playfulness of laughter and laxed attitude. The friendship in Reply 1988 is an older, more developed one.  All of the kids have grown up together all their lives, so they know each other well.  While we see the bond with Deok Sun and the boys, we all see the bond between that of the boys only.  It is interesting to get a tour of the second cast and have an insight in their lives, which is evident in both the adults and Jung Bong’s own side story.

While it is understood that Yoon Jae and Shi Won were always friends that grew up together, there is no sense of timeline where the additional friends came in.  That is something I wish I could see more of, and something that Reply 1988 properly showed. Secondly, I wanted to see more of the progression and aging of Yoon Jae and Shi Won. I wanted to see how there elementary days and middle school days evolved them into their high school selves.

Time and development

The drawback is the slower development in 1988. With hour long episodes and 4 additional episodes, the writers took an excess amount of time creating a long drawn out but deep development. So they used an excess amount of time quantity for detailed quality. Perhaps a good thing but also a negative thing. I liked the compactness in 1997. The quick watch allowed made the time investment in rewatching easier. To rewatch all of 1988 might not be worth it with such long episodes. I hardly like rewatching since I think about all the other new shows that I have to finish and catch up with, so it requires quite an investment from me, a fickle audience who only watches and does what she feels in the mood for---whether it be books or anything else.

The longer development includes a larger cast, involving the parents and their own growth: raising kids, dealing with their own parents, and having issues with their own significant other. The audience can delve into the relationship between the neighboring parents, and it is sweet how the women bond over their families. The positive aspect in 1988 is how college life and high school life is explored briefly with Bo Ra's own side stories. This series seems to focus more on family life for everyone on the block, an exception to Reply 1997. The familial roles and interdependence are explored. Kids rely on moms to keep things in check and to help them along in life, and while at one point kids establish responsibility and independence, they will still choose to call for their mothers, and the mothers will always answer the call, both as an act of obligation as parents and an act of love as mothers.

While there is familial development, there is also the love between future Duek Soon and her husband. In the visits to the past, the chasing of love and the bachelorette days are enthralling and entertaining. Amusing to watch the young love of teenagers, I cringe at the future version where a crude, seemingly distant man is with a now calmed woman who has lost her fire. Their love for each other seem to be a calm coast, lost in the fiery flickers of passion. Disappointingly, a part of me loses the interest to ship them nearly as much as I shipped Shi won and Yoon Jae. Despite knowing each other for their entire lives, the calm but loving nature and fiery passion never seemed to fade.

Presentation

The story flows in a general chronological time line with little skipping around, a differentiation from Reply 1997.

Love interest

All the relationships as of yet continue with the teasing behavior. My favorite thing about Shi Won and Yoon Jae's official relationship was that they didn't change dramatically. They didn't become extremely lovey and dovey. Shi won remained in control, caving in every now and then to spoil Yoon Jae. But their relationship still maintained that of their previous relationship--that of best friends. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

As we get a reflection of their current 2015 self, Duk Seon and her lover remain as bickering as ever. The difference is that while Duk Seon is energetic, she's not as belligerent, as if she has been pacified. Her significant other remains indifferent, and I wonder where his love has gone over the years. It seems like his younger bachelor self was much more active in pursuing his love.  Simply both with age and success, he has been drained of energy  so soon, disappointingly. I didn't find the urge and sense to follow their love lives afterwards like I had in Reply 1997 where their passion seemed undying. The older versions were inaccurate with their younger selves, and I couldn't trace the timeline due to the jarred characterization.

Simply the screenwriting of present day 2016 love seemed out of place.  If they rewrote the relationship between the two characters, I think I would be much happier.  Secondly, I wish there was a cameo of Shi Won and Yoon Jae. Simply a 9 year age gap(more or less) the cameo may feature a relatively recent baby family that would be so cute!!!!!

The experience of watching Reply 1988 was a fulfilling one. Comedic, sad, deep, and loving was everything I could ask for in a rom com and a family drama.  Jung Hwan’s sad fate represented puppy love but also the repercussions of inactive pursuit. There are times in life where things are unfair. Such an idea was once voiced in Reply 1997, and Yoon Jae had to play the games to gain success.  

While Yoon Jae triumphed in his own story, Jung Hwan represents the other side where not everyone can succeed by being complacent.

[delectablymaximumwitch-blog]

PSY 205 Week 8 Exam 2

Click Link Below To Buy:

 http://hwaid.com/shop/psy-205-week-8-exam-2/

 Course  Life Span Development

Test       Exam 2

Attempt Score  150 out of 150 points  

Time Elapsed     1 hour, 46 minutes out of 2 hours.

Instructions        This exam consist of 50 multiple choice questions that cover the material in Chapters 6 through 10.

•             Question 1

3 out of 3 points

               The WISC measures ________, while achievement tests measure ________.

•             Question 2

3 out of 3 points

               John and Martha have clear rules and expectations. When a child breaks a rule, they listen to their son or daughter's side of the story before deciding on a consequence. According to Baumrind's parenting styles framework, John and Martha are probably:

•             Question 3

3 out of 3 points

               Who is coping with a social clock issue?

•             Question 4

3 out of 3 points

               According to Susan Harter, self-esteem first becomes an important issue for children:

Answer                                                

•             Question 5

3 out of 3 points

               Why did high school make adolescence a defined life stage?

•             Question 6

3 out of 3 points

               Theresa, your best friend, tells you she thinks she is a terrific athlete but hates the way she looks. What might you predict about Theresa's overall self-esteem?

•             Question 7

3 out of 3 points

               Marsha has a new pimple on her chin, and Frank, a boy she finds very attractive, sits down beside her in the cafeteria. Marsha is mortified and tells her mother that she must transfer to another school because she cannot go back to class the next day. Elkind would label Marsha's assumption that Frank noticed her pimple and her reaction as evidence of:

•             Question 8

3 out of 3 points

               Which person is showing prosocial behavior?

•             Question 9

3 out of 3 points

               Dr. Jones is lecturing on college and careers. Pick the statement he should make.

•             Question 10

3 out of 3 points

               A colleague of yours has a child who is regularly in trouble at school, and she is considering sending him to a wilderness program for teens with similar problems. Based on the text discussion of deviancy training, what might you advise?

•             Question 11

3 out of 3 points

               You are a nurse who works with teens with eating issues. Based on the text, pick your main challenge.

•             Question 12

3 out of 3 points

               Children who are temperamentally “at risk” are MOST likely to thrive when:

•             Question 13

3 out of 3 points

               Ruth is artistically talented and would like to be a professional painter but realizes this field is highly competitive and artists rarely make a living wage. After considering several possibilities, she has decided to become an art teacher, since she also really likes children. According to the identity statuses framework, Ruth is in:

•             Question 14

3 out of 3 points

               Corinne's son Josh wants to get heavily involved in his high school drama and voice clubs and she is worried, because her child is not a great scholar. Based on the text research, what might you advise?

•             Question 15

3 out of 3 points

               From an evolutionary point of view, pick the MAIN advantage of teenage risk taking:

•             Question 16

3 out of 3 points

               Which child is apt to recover MOST quickly from his parents' divorce?

•             Question 17

3 out of 3 points

               Give each child the correct “diagnosis” or label in order: “Judy is extremely anxious and depressed.” “Jane acts disruptively and regularly gets into fights.”

•             Question 18

3 out of 3 points

               According to Erikson, our life task during adolescence and emerging adulthood is deciding:

•             Question 19

3 out of 3 points

               Which teen is MOST likely to suffer from depression and poor self-esteem?

•             Question 20

3 out of 3 points

               Your daughter gets an A on her science test. According to the research, your response should be:

•             Question 21

3 out of 3 points

               Bullying-prevention programs focus on:

•             Question 22

3 out of 3 points

               Above all else, what REALLY makes teenagers feel totally loved?

•             Question 23

3 out of 3 points

               Petra is stunted and living in a developing country. Compared to a typical U.S girl, Petra will:

•             Question 24

3 out of 3 points

               Which situation involving an 8-year-old child would you be MOST likely to witness at a toy store?

•             Question 25

3 out of 3 points

               Which response involves induction?

•             Question 26

3 out of 3 points

               If were only “so so” in your school abilities but have become huge success in life because you have terrific street smarts, you would agree MOST with:

•             Question 27

3 out of 3 points

               If John has reached formal operations, pick his UNIQUE NEW talent.

•             Question 28

3 out of 3 points

               Erik Erikson felt that an important task in our twenties is to develop a sense of:

•             Question 29

3 out of 3 points

               Since entering middle school, Julie's grades are dropping, and all she cares about is being in the “popular crowd.” Julie's behavior is:

•             Question 30

3 out of 3 points

               Helene tells you that in the nineteenth century, girls menstruated at an average age of 16. Now some girls reach menarche as early as age 9. Helene is referring to the:

•             Question 31

3 out of 3 points

               Which phrase BEST describes the transition to adulthood among U.S. young people?

•             Question 32

3 out of 3 points

               Pick the earliest VISIBLE sign that a boy is reaching puberty.

•             Question 33

3 out of 3 points

               Pick the core difference between friendships and popularity.

•             Question 34

3 out of 3 points

               Compared to other Western nations, U.S. teenage pregnancy rates are ________.

•             Question 35

3 out of 3 points

               According to Susan Harter, which child is MOST vulnerable to low self-esteem?

•             Question 36

3 out of 3 points

               Teachers in schools that “beat the odds”:

•             Question 37

3 out of 3 points

               You are devising a questionnaire to predict which female elementary schoolers are apt to reach puberty earlier. Which item should NOT be on your list?

•   ��         Question 38

3 out of 3 points

               Pick the MAIN reason why reaching concrete operations tends to produce “self-esteem” issues.

•             Question 39

3 out of 3 points

               Carlo is the MOST aggressive “out of control” child in kindergarten. Predict Carlo's likely fate in elementary school:

•             Question 40

3 out of 3 points

               Which child is MOST likely to be resilient?

•             Question 41

3 out of 3 points

               As you are taking this test, it's so, so easy to look at the next person's answers, but you decide “No.” For each kind of reasoning pick out the correct level of moral development using Kohlberg's categories: (1)“I won't because I might get caught”; (2) “I won't because I believe that cheating is morally wrong”; (3) “I won't because I took a pledge to uphold the school's honor code.”

•             Question 42

3 out of 3 points

               Calista was highly intellectual and self-confident in elementary school. As she travels into high school (in a normal public school) and finds herself in the “brains crowd,” Calista might become:

•             Question 43

3 out of 3 points

               Which baby is MOST vulnerable to maltreatment?

•             Question 44

3 out of 3 points

               Emerging adulthood refers to:

•             Question 45

3 out of 3 points

               According to the research, what kind of adolescent is BEST set up to master the difficult challenges of college?

•             Question 46

3 out of 3 points

               Dale wants a cupcake, so he shoves Tom aside. Tom reacts by bopping Dale over the head. First, label the type of aggression each child is showing and then identify which boy will be MOST angry.

•             Question 47

3 out of 3 points

               If you asked a typical 13-year-old “What is your most important priority?, he would be MOST likely to answer:

•             Question 48

3 out of 3 points

               All of these 23-year-olds fit a CLASSIC emerging adult pattern EXCEPT:

•             Question 49

3 out of 3 points

               The MAIN peer problem for early-maturing girls is having:

•             Question 50

3 out of 3 points

               Nancy, a graphic designer, describes her job this way: “Time flies. I get so absorbed in finding just the right logo to best convey what the customer wants that, before I know it, the day is over. I don't realize that I'm one of the few people left in the office until the janitor comes to empty my trash can.” Nancy is: