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morsking · 4 years

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And so we have concluded Lostbelt 2! Now that I’ve experienced it for myself, I have a much clearer picture about how I feel about this chapter. As I progressed one thing became very clear to me, and that was that Hazuki Minase likely did NOT have any influence with this chapter, and its weakest points can be attributed to its main writer, Hikaru Sakurai, once we more closely scrutinize her work.

For starters, I would like to apologize to the people who kept trying to tell me Minase had nothing to do with the writing of Losbelt 2. You were correct, I simply acted stubbornly because I was terrified that one of the writers I loathe the most had returned to haunt and corrupt the franchise I hold very dear to me. I insisted on blaming him for any flaws because he was an easy scapegoat and a bogeyman, and while we all agree he is a pervert and a hack who should be fired, it is simply not fair to point fingers at imaginary criminals. A person should always be held accountable only for the misdeeds they have actually committed. Indeed, we may now explore Lostbelt 2 and the integrity of its writing with a more objective perspective, or rather as objective as I can manage to be.

The overall theme of the Lostbelt is “acknowledging one’s emotions as a vehicle for personal growth”. The issue persistent in the setting of Lostbelt Scandinavia was that it was a place where only young humans were allowed to survive. These humans would be oblivious to what real growth and prosperity were really like. They were innocent, and emotionally and intellectually stunted groups of people who only knew to live for the truth of their eventual demise. They lived short, rushed lives where they would stay ignorant of basic human experiences, such as love, grudges, aging, vice, hate, competition, and companionship because they devoted themselves to living how Scathach-Skadi ordered them to. They were unable to think or decide what to do for themselves, and were thus incapable of not just taking the reins to decide their own evolution as we do in Proper Human History, but also of fathoming doing such a thing in the first place.

This is a mirror to Ophelia Phamrsolone. Ophelia was conditioned to only listen to others for purpose and direction. Ophelia doesn’t actually know how to listen to her own feelings or even what those feelings even are because she was never allowed to connect not just with herself but with anyone. Ophelia, like Surtr points out, is still very much a little girl terrified by everything around her because she has no balance, no capacity for finding her center as a healthy and normal human being would. Unbeknownst to herself, all her interactions with others are a plea for help. Her very first interaction with Mash in 2017 was asking her if she’d like to have lunch with her and Pepe because Ophelia is terrified by male strangers and wishes to connect with other women as well. Ophelia’s conversations with Kirschtaria are also her not knowing how to proceed with challenges and therefore appealing to authority both for comfort and advice. Finally, her monologues with the Alien Priestess are Ophelia venting about how she feels, as if she were unaware of what to really think of herself as her helplessness and indecision drown her in a lake of self-loathing.

These cries for help extend to the way she summons her Servants. Ophelia is noted to be incredibly proficient at evocation. Some might even call her a genius. In fact, she is such a genius she unknowingly managed to contract not just with one, nor two, but three different Servants all at once. The first Servant to answer her summon was Sigurd, the King of Warriors from Nordic mythology. The second Servant was Surtr the King of Giants and Scourge of Ragnarok (titled by yours truly), who hijacked the summoning and took over Sigurd. The third, and most pivotal, was Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor whose Spirit Origin was modified to embody the “ideal Good Fellow who could make dreams come true” rather than the actual historical Napoleon.

What these three Servants have in common is that Ophelia wished for all of them from the darkest depths of her heart. Ophelia desired capable Servants who could give her some form of direction and stability.

Sigurd, for example, is a hero renown for rescuing Brynhild and giving brand new meaning to her life by showering her with love and devotion. Love and devotion are things that Ophelia not just desires to be shown but actively struggles to adequately express to others because she has never known what it’s like to experience those things. To Ophelia, Sigurd represents “being given that which you have never known and finding fulfillment”.

Surtr, on the other hand, embodies a darker type of direction: the terror stagnation, conformity, monotony, inaction, and eternal suffering. Surtr exercises control over Ophelia by threatening to destroy the world if he is released, prompting Ophelia to flash to her childhood locked away by her abusive parents every dreaded Sunday. Surtr locks Ophelia into a state of helplessness and indecision where she has to carefully consider how she will proceed with dealing with Surtr. Ophelia has decided to lock herself in with him as a way to prevent him from breaking out of both Sigurd’s body and the physical prison inside the Lostbelt’s sun. This is a situation where Ophelia is in a constant state of stress and fear, since as a Crypter the last thing she could ever want to see is the destruction of yet another world by her hands. More personally, the death of the Lostbelt would also mean death for Ophelia, as she has failed her purpose once again and thus would have no worth as a person. However, what Ophelia cannot understand, because Surtr himself does not, is that Surtr’s destructive impulses are how he wants to show love and devotion towards her. Surtr has reasoned that since their worlds abandoned them after they failed to perform their ordained tasks, the only thing left is to annihilate them completely as retribution for their suffering. Surtr does not wish to hurt Ophelia, but because he is a being defined only by his overwhelming desire to burn everything, he cannot help her heal or grow in any way that matters. All he can offer is annihilation. To Ophelia, Surtr represents “self-destruction through a static state of being”.

Finally, there is Napoleon. Napoleon represents a pronounced antithesis to Ophelia’s entire personality. He is an upbeat, improvising, confident man who chooses to not stress over things because what he is seeing is only what lies ahead, not what lies in front of him.He also breaks her defenses by asking something so ridiculous and unexpected as her hand in marriage when they have only just met. Napoleon refuses to give in to any negative outcome regardless of how much the odds are stacked against him, as he demonstrated in Scathach-Skadi’s throne room where he refused to let Sigurd kill his Master despite being restrained by Skadi’s paralyzing rune. He demonstrates this once again when he blows his final shot at Surtr during the final battle, sacrificing his own life to give Chaldea the opportunity to regroup and bombard Surtr to bring him down. He is called the Man of Infinite Possibilities precisely because he faces the unknown head on and finds the best path to walk for his comrades to advance. He does not let fear take over his heart and judgement, he creates a rainbow as a bridge connecting the present to the bright, shining future. He is precisely the hero Ophelia needs, because he embodies “the bravery to grasp your own future and find your own direction”.

But analyzing these characters further is a post for another time. What I want to get into are the gripes I have with this Lostbelt.

Now, I could lead you on through a couple more paragraphs before I wham you with what this all means in a much higher metatextual level, but I don’t have the time nor the creativity to do that so I’m just gonna give it to you straight. This square between Ophelia, Sigurd, Surtr, and Napoleon is the storyline that matters most in Lostbelt 2. Scathach-Skadi matters little despite her own parallels with Ophelia and being the Lostbelt King, and the situation with the Lostbelt’s inhabitants matters even less. Why?

Because Lostbelt 2 is Sakurai coming full circle and writing an otome game like Fate/Prototype was meant to be before Fate/stay night became a thing.

SHOCKER!! SOUND EFFECTS OF SURPRISE!! DRAMATIC KAZOOS GALORE!!

Now, that’s exaggerating a little. Or maybe not that much, actually.

What Sakurai was doing was applying conventional otome game tropes into the setting not just what she’s familiar writing for, but because Lostbelt 2 is inherently an incredibly self-indulgent project.

There is a classic trademark otome fantasy at play here: the fantasy of multiple men being devoted to a female main character a player can relate to. There is no denying there is a certain appeal to the idea that there are several handsome men all willing to devore their entire lives to a person. Sigurd, Surtr, and Napoleon all embody certain otome game love interest archetypes. Sigurd is the cold, composed, intellectual man who is actually earnest, just, affectionate, and wise. Surtr is the dark-hearted troubled man with fiery disposition struggling with expressing love. Napoleon is the strong, confident, borderline pixie manic dream boy with almost zero brains but plenty of empathy and... *ahem*, physique to make up for his seeming lack of tact and intelligence (he’s a himbo is what I’m saying but that comes as no surprise). The problems arise with Napoleon himself, however. Napoleon hounds Ophelia with marriage proposals she refuses time and time and again. When he proposes to her in front of Chaldea for the first time, the narrative has Mash take Napoleon’s side and urges you to do the same because Sakurai believed the reader would’ve caught on to what’s actually going on between Ophelia and Napoleon.

The issue here is that Sakurai’s clues up to that point had been far too hidden for the player to make a proper connection, and it’s not until AFTER the proposal that the player discovers Napoleon is predisposed to fall in love with whoever summons him because that’s what Ophelia wanted out of an ideal Servant. Because of the poor execution in presenting all these factors that completely recontextualize the relationship between Napoleon and Ophelia, when Sakurai has Napoleon say “You did not reject me therefore you DID agree,” we jump to the conclusion that Napoleon is engaging in extremely reprehensible behavior and ideology reminiscent of dangerous and abusive men IRL rather than take it as harmless flirtation from a well-meaning oaf of a man as he tries to break the shell of his beloved. Sakurai invokes a very dangerous trope that does more to excuse misogynistic behavior when done incorrectly rather than successfully appear as a romantic gesture of attempting to liberate a loved one from the clutches of isolation and victimhood.

On a larger scale, the application of these tropes is where Lostbelt 2 starts to suffer, and that’s where Sakurai’s writing further begins to resemble Minase’s. Sakurai spent so much time building these interpersonal dynamics that she spent the least amount of effort actually building upon the situation of the Lostbelt and Scathach-Skadi’s character and motivations for keeping the Scandinavia the way it is.

Upon scrutiny, it’s not very difficult to pick apart the setting and make a mark out of the glaring logistical inconsistencies of maintaining a population of only 10,000 humans for a span of 3,000 years by having them reproduce at 15 years old at the latest to execute them at 25. Anyone with a passing understanding of biology would know that forcing children to carry babies to term can lead to terrible health and psychological complications that would certainly end up in a lot more miscarriages, stillbirths, and failed attempts at impregnation than actual successful births. The problem here then is rather evident. Sakurai wanted to use the fact that all these children are young, innocent, naive, gullible, and ignorant to draw a connection to Ophelia’s own psychological and emotional circumstance. However, she realized that because she was writing a setting that obligated her to work around a 3000-year gap between Ragnarok and the present day. She needed something that would compromise the need for a realistic system that would ensure the reproductive viability of a human population through such a long period of time and the thematic vehicle of childhood and repression of growth as a way to connect Ophelia to her environment. This compromise ended up working for the absolute worse because she chose the worst possible system she was aware was the worst possible system she could’ve come up with and therefore decided to forsake that part of the plot without going through the implications of it and leaving the specifics to the reader’s imagination so they could sort it out in her stead.

This unwillingness to properly explore the problematic implications of Scathach-Skadi’s system not only deprived the player of a possible engaging storyline where child endangerment, a common theme in the Nasuverse, is explored and criticized through a different angle, but also actively hurts Scathach-Skadi’s connection to the player because we never get the opportunity to debate with her about her ideology and the state of the Lostbelt. We never hold her accountable for enforcing such a brutally predatory and dehumanizing system that targets children, instead Sakurai opts to build her up as a flawed, self-absorbed mother figure desperately trying to combat the extinction of the remnant of her world who also never really learned how to deal with the revelation there is an entire life she did not get to have in this universe that we MUST sympathize because she occasionally sees through the characters and acts kind towards them until the time comes for us to fight her in earnest as a matter of principle completely divorced from the question of how she’s managed her Lostbelt. The fact Scathach-Skadi’s model of sustainability does not work is made obvious by the fact it takes place in a Lostbelt, what we are trying to get at here is that it does not work from a writing standpoint because of all the different holes you can poke on it before you’ve punched through the paper screen entirely and revealed the superfluousness of it all.

There is nothing inherently bad about self-indulgent storylines. If I’m being honest, if Sakurai wanted to use Ophelia and Musashi as self-inserts to fantasize about romancing the different kinds of characters she finds attractive, more power to her. But the problem surrounding Lostbelt 2, which is the same problem that plagued Septem and Fate/Extella, is a veritable lack of restraint from her part as a professional writer in charge of a multi-billion dollar mobile game. What the writing room over at Type-Moon has to realize is that they are no longer a small doujin writing circle that can get away with whatever they want because they operate under obscurity. They are visible to the entire world and will be held accountable and criticized as professionals by consumers and their peers in the industry. A little bit of self-fulfillment in a published work never hurt anyone, you can cater to yourself most of all with your professional work (I mean, just look at She-Ra), but you must be sure that in your pursuit of indulgence your work does not suffer for it and ends up alienating and disappointing your fanbase and giving them the wrong impression of what you stand for.

Anyway we’re popping the biggest bottles when GudaMoth becomes canon this December.

#fate series #fate grand order #fgo #fate/grand order #fate go #homecooked meta #WOW THIS WAS LONG #for some reason sakurai ends up bringing the best in me even at her worst #IF I MISSED SOME THINGS IT'S WHATEVER IT'S 4:20 AM

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makeste · 5 years

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Top 10 Favorite Deku Moments

so it’s Deku’s birthday today!! and since he is the best boy in the world and I love him, I am going to do one of those “top ten favorite...” lists for him just like I did for Kacchan back in April. these are going to be in chronological order, and the last two will be spoilers, so I’ll label them to make sure no one gets caught unawares.

happy birthday Deku. and this post turned out to be super long, like 4000 words, so I’m sorry, but you deserve it though.

1. “Most of the top heroes show signs of greatness even as children.”

okay so before I get started, let me just warn y’all upfront that a full four out of ten of these moments will involve Bakugou. I’ve said before that the relationship between Izuku and Katsuki is full stop my favorite part of the series, and this is absolutely still true, so yeah.

that being said, what makes this particular scene one of my favorites isn’t just that it’s an important moment between them (I’ll get into that relationship more two entries down); it also just so happens that this is the crucial moment which everything else in the series can ultimately be traced back to. this is the moment that inspires All Might to hand his power down to a quirkless middle-schooler, because despite being virtually powerless, Izuku proves that he has the heart and soul of a hero. he moves without thinking, without any kind of plan. it’s extraordinarily stupid, and incredibly selfless. it doesn’t matter to him that he has no way to actually fight this villain. it doesn’t matter that less than an hour ago, Bakugou was taunting him and burning his notebook. it doesn’t matter that he could easily be hurt or killed. the only thing that matters is that someone needs help. that’s it. it’s that simple.

what makes Izuku a hero is that he is literally incapable of standing by and not taking action in moments like this. he acts on reflex to save others. his instinct in moments of danger and despair is to help, in any way he can. that’s the core of his character. and it shines through in this moment, and All Might sees it immediately, and it spurs him to take action, and from here on out everything changes.

2. “He didn’t utilize his full power. He just concentrated it into his fingertip...!”

fast-forward to the first day of superhero school, and our boy finds himself immediately in a tight spot again because his teacher is a stern and unsympathetic asshole whose way of showing consideration for his students is to mercy-expel anyone he deems not up to par. problem is, Izuku can’t actually use his new quirk without blowing himself up from the inside out, and he’s competing against what is probably the most gifted group of students U.A. has ever had. this is what is commonly referred to as “a pickle.” a jam. a quandary, if you will. if he breaks all his bones to pass the test, Aizawa will flunk him anyway. what’s a little green hero to do.

Izuku solves this problem in a typical Izuku fashion, meaning that his solution is somehow reckless, self-sacrificing, and frankly brilliant in its simplicity. rather than break all of his bones, Izuku sacrifices one (1) bone in order to launch a baseball into space, thus proving he can adapt his quirk to be useful without taking himself out and just adding to the problem. it’s worth noting that this is only his second-ever time using One for All, too. the fact that he has never had a quirk in his life up til this point and yet manages to control OFA to this degree on just his second go-around is damn impressive.

but what’s even more impressive is the way he simply outsmarts the test here. he calmly takes in the situation, thinks about the options at his disposal, and arrives at a logical solution that most people wouldn’t even have considered, because it involves intentionally breaking his own finger, which is an absurdly self-destructive thing to do just to pass a damn fitness test. but it works!! and it impresses the shit out of Aizawa too. and I just really love this moment because it’s such a perfect example of Deku both being smart and also just plain not giving a fuck and being the plussest ultra ever omfg.

3. “I can’t say much. But you should know this, at least...!”

so now we come to the second moment on this list involving Kacchan, and already there is a pattern emerging here: namely, that these moments of conflict and then reconciliation between the two of them inevitably end up being some of the most pivotal moments in the series. this particular scene comes on the heels of their battle in All Might’s first hero class, during which Deku soundly defeats Bakugou and makes it clear beyond all doubt that HE IS HERE!! and not going anywhere and Bakugou is just going to have to deal. Bakugou does a very poor job of dealing, however, and spends the rest of the afternoon super-quiet and caught up in his inferiority complex and convinced that Deku has been hiding this from him their whole childhood just to fuck with him.

most people, when put in a similar situation, would be all “fucking serves you right tbh” and just brush it right off. but Izuku doesn’t. or more accurately, I should say that he can’t. once again he acts on pure instinct when Kacchan’s welfare is involved, and this time it results in him blurting out his biggest secret -- a secret he was sworn to by All Might himself -- simply because he can’t stand to see Kacchan so miserable and he can’t bear the thought of him believing that Izuku really had been tricking him.

this is so extraordinary to me for a number of reasons. first and foremost, because Izuku’s altruism knows absolutely no bounds. he and Kacchan are on possibly the worst terms any two people could be on. he has absolutely no obligation to tell him this. but he does, anyway! just to make him feel better! second, there’s the fact that he doesn’t intend to do it, but it just comes blurting out. Izuku’s feelings toward Kacchan are complicated, as we know. and yet whatever the reason may be, Izuku demonstrates again and again that it’s a relationship he wants to hold onto, and he does his best to protect and preserve what little pieces of it he can.

and lastly, this is now the second example of what will become a well-established theme in the series of Izuku going out of his way to save Katsuki. he does this again and again. he tries to help him after he falls from the log bridge. he rushes to save him from the sludge monster. he tells him about his quirk. he nearly fails their final exam because he goes back for him after All Might knocks him out. he runs into a forest full of villains to try and save him in spite of having two broken arms. he goes to Kamino with Kirishima and the others knowing full well it could get him expelled. and he fights him at night in Ground Beta even though they get into trouble for it later, because he sees how much pain Katsuki is in and he can’t turn his back on him.

over and over again he puts himself in harm’s way for Katsuki’s sake, fully expecting no gratification to ever come from it, but doing it anyway. because he’s a hero, and because heroes don’t ask whether or not someone deserves to be saved. they just save them. this to me is the most incredible aspect of Izuku’s character. his heart is just that big. he is exceptionally, impossibly selfless and forgiving and good. and that’s just who he is. and Bakugou is lucky enough to be on the receiving end of that, whether he likes it or not, and ultimately over the course of these repeated encounters, he ends up changing for the better himself. and this moment in particular will, eventually, lead to the two of them actually reconciling for realsies when Bakugou finally figures it out and is subsequently inducted into the OFA Scooby Squad of Destiny. so yeah. this scene is so fucking important I can’t even begin. god I really went off on a tangent there. anyways.

4. “And Todoroki... isn’t you!”

so here’s another battle which highlights Izuku’s willingness to go to absurd and horrifying lengths to sacrifice himself for the sake of others. this entire fight is nothing short of ridiculous. Deku is ridiculous. let me break it down for you. Todoroki comes up to Deku before this fight and is all “hey I made a vow to never use my left side in battle because my dad only had me to use me as a tool to defeat All Might and he basically ruined my life.” in response, Deku says he’s aiming to become the strongest hero and so he’ll definitely win. he then proceeds to break his own fingers to blast Todoroki with repeated OFA attacks, all the while screaming at him that everyone is going all out and doing their best, and it’s arrogant and disrespectful of Todo to think he can beat their determination with only half of his power.

Deku has absolutely zero regard for his own well-being in this fight -- by the end of the battle his bones are in splinters -- and his teachers observe that even if he does win, he won’t be in any kind of shape to move on to the next match. basically, he throws aside all of his own ambitions and even his own sense of self-preservation (if he even has one; it’s honestly debatable at this point you guys), all for the sole purpose of helping Todoroki realize that his power is his own and not his father’s, and to break free of the revenge-tinted tunnel vision keeping him from following his own dreams. the whole thing leaves Todoroki awestruck, and even though Deku eventually loses the fight, he gains a friend for life, and Todo fans everywhere are in his debt.

real fucked up what he did to his fingers, though. but it just goes to show that nobody is perfect.

5. “I’m here to save you, Iida!”

I freaking love this moment you guys, and I can’t even explain why. except that who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned last-minute shounen save? Iida is seconds away from meeting his death at the hands of the world’s most annoyingly long-winded Ninjas Turtles cosplayer when Deku drops in out of nowhere and just socks the guy square in the jaw. it is satisfying as fuck. honestly that would have been awesome enough, but what makes it even better is that Horikoshi goes into some detail to explain that Deku didn’t just coincidentally happen to find Iida at the exact crucial moment, but actually used his Big Hero Brain to deduce Iida’s location through a series of shrewd observations and insightful hunches. and he turns out to be bang on the money, and that moment where Stain is reeling from the punch and Iida is looking up at him like, “Midoriya?!” and Deku sticks the landing in slow motion and says “Bingo!” in fucking English is just so fucking badass, guys. not to mention that this is also the debut of his Shoot Style on top of everything else. to sum up, this is one of the best entrances in the entire series, and just one of the coolest things Deku has ever done, IMO. you’re cool, Deku.

6. “You clocked me with all of your heart.”

yeah so you may at this point be sensing a pattern with some of these moments. yet again Deku does something stupid and risky because he sees Kacchan in trouble and all logic and reason immediately fly out the window. in this case it’s even more ridiculous, because Katsuki is not actually in any real danger at all, and by going back for him Izuku completely loses sight of what Katsuki got himself all beat up for in the first place. and yet he does it anyway! again! without thinking! like, he makes it maybe two steps away, and then he overhears Kacchan’s teary-eyed overdramatic and determined speech, and he immediately goes “oh fuck this I can’t do this” and turns back and grins maniacally at All Might before soundly punching the shit out of him. it is complete nonsense. there is no reason for it. Katsuki himself is furious when he finds out about it later. but does Deku care?? no, he does not care. and do I? no I do not because it’s the best and I love it.

7. “Let’s do our best, okay?”

this scene is feels city you guys. feels o’clock. zero dark feels. I almost put the “you’re next” scene here instead, but in the end this scene won out because (1) hug!! and (2) this is really the continuation of all of those emotions anyway, and it’s where the catharsis is at.

so let’s break this down since there’s a ton going on here. Deku is wrestling with the grief of knowing that All Might the hero, the Symbol of Peace, is gone forever. the pillar he and the rest of the world relied on to always be there isn’t there, any more. that sense of security is gone. and that’s a hard enough thing to come to grips with on its own, but put it together with the knowledge that he is the one who needs to step up now and fill those shoes, before he ever expected to, before he’s ready, and I can only begin to imagine how overwhelmed he must feel. and then on top of that!! All Might tells him he’s proud of him and relieved that he made it out of Kamino unharmed! and he tells him that he’s going to be there for him and that they’ll face the challenges up ahead together.

so for poor Deku, when you put that all together, we’ve got (a) that sense of loss, (b) fear and anxiety over the unknown difficulties to come, (c) various imposter syndrome feelings that he might not be good enough to handle it, (d) whatever misplaced guilt he may be dealing with for being one of the reasons All Might lost his power, however inevitable it might have been, and last but not least, (e) the deeply profound and humbling feeling of being loved and supported by the man he loves like a father, and knowing that no matter how scary things get, he won’t have to do this alone. so in spite of everything else, there’s that sense of relief and gratitude there too. he can do this. it will be okay. his dad is there.

all of that emotion, packed in one tearful hug. no wonder the kid is crying his eyes out. I would be too. in fact I did, and have no shame in doing so, and I would do it again. good job Horikoshi.

8. “This fight may very well have been a meaningless one... but...”

motherfucker did I not warn you there would be four different BakuDeku moments in this?? and that’s with me reining myself in too to be quite frank. that’s just how it is. it’s my list!!

anyway, so I’m not sure whether or not an entire fight counts as a “moment”, but I’m putting it out there anyway because I’m incapable of narrowing this down any more than that. I could have an entire separate list of Top Ten Deku VS Kacchan Part 2 Moments and I’m sure I would still wind up leaving something out. I love all of it. the whole damn thing. it’s such a huge turning point for them both. they finally sort everything out. truth bombs being hurled left and right. it’s so good. agh.

but here are some of Deku’s highlights: (1) immediately shifting from trying to talk Kacchan down to fighting him outright with no hesitation once he realizes what the fight is actually about, (2) despite knowing how Kacchan feels, allowing himself to be just a bit selfish for once and get caught up in his own rival feels and trying to prove his worth as All Might’s successor, (3) complimenting Kacchan in the middle of the fight because of course he does, (4) openly admitting how much he admired Kacchan growing up and that he thought he was amazing, (5) getting so worked up that he loses control for a moment and jumps to 8% in one of the most badass moments of the whole series, (6) acknowledging to himself that even though he really shouldn’t, he kinda digs Kacchan’s rougher “I’LL KILL YOU, ASSHOLE” side anyway and emulates it without thinking when he forgets himself and that Kacchan is his image of victory, and lastly, (7) being a sneaky bastard and throwing a punch in with his shoot style knowing full well it will catch Kacchan off guard, which it fucking does.

Deku goes hog wild in this fight. he has a grand old time and even manages to achieve a new power-up, because he and Kacchan always do manage to bring out the best in each other, when they’re not bringing out the worst. you can’t watch this fight and fail to notice how insanely fired up Deku is compared to his usual fights. he is into it. he is ready and willing to throw down. he is here to kick ass and take names!! this is the impact Kacchan has on him. thirty fucking seconds into his therapy fight and Deku's maximum power output has increased by a whopping 60%. holy shit. mad lads.

it’s something not lost on All Might, who wraps things up by patiently explaining to the two of them how much they can learn from each other. and the whole thing concludes with the two of them becoming, as All Might puts it, “proper rivals.” that’s right, their rivalry is now officially approved and sanctioned by the motherfucking Symbol of Peace. well done, boys. these two are going to be absolutely terrifying when they grow up.

***SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA PAST THIS POINT***

9. “...But you were there.”

okay so I have this indecisive kind of thing going on with whether or not I think All Might is actually going to die, and whether or not I want to see it happen. some weeks, like this particular week, I am on the side of BITCH DON’T YOU DARE because everything is goddamn sad enough as it is, Horikoshi, and I don’t need any more reasons to lie awake at night crying over fictional characters! but then there are other days when I think about how devastatingly, breathtakingly heartbreaking it would be, and for some reason I think, shit, yeah, he’s gotta do it. go ahead and hurt us good. make us feel things. leave no survivors. just fucking wreck our shit, go on ahead.

but then I read this scene again and think, there’s something so incredibly powerful about the fact that All Might started out the series believing he was going to die and being resigned to that fate and making preparations for it, only to be completely blindsided by the love he has for this boy and what that ends up doing to him. his love for Izuku gives him the strength to fight against fate. it gives him the resolve to look the grim reaper in the eye and say “to hell with this, I’m going to live.” it’s his reason to keep going. it’s his purpose. and god but that’s some powerful shit. characters saying “fuck you” to destiny? I am weak as hell for that, hell yes give me more. give me all of that.

and then Deku in this scene. pleading with All Might to keep living. “you have to live to see that moment, when I can tell the world, ‘I am here!’” promising him that no matter what happens, when the time comes, they’ll bend fate together. “without fail.” and just, holy fuck. when he says it, you really believe they can do it. because if anyone can figure out a way to conquer the inevitable, it’s this kid.

10. “Senpai... if I said that I would give you my quirk, would you...?”

last but not least, today just happens to be Mirio’s birthday as well, so it only seems fitting to end with this moment, which in the span of a single page neatly sums up why both of these kids are worthy beyond a doubt of being the next Symbol of Peace. Deku selflessly tries to offer Mirio his quirk, and Mirio instantly rejects him. doesn’t even know what’s going on, really, but just rejects the offer out of hand. “no thanks. then you would be the one subjected to this hardship.” and we can’t very well fucking have that, now can we. nope. not on Mirio’s watch. never mind that he just lost his quirk and his mentor within the span of the past twenty four hours. he wastes no time in coming to Deku’s aid in spite of that, assuring him that he did great and that everything will be just fine. so just smile already!!

but the fact that Deku was even willing to make the offer just once again goes to show how astonishingly good he is. he knows better than anyone what it’s like to be quirkless and powerless. he knows exactly what Mirio is going through. what’s more, Mirio is absolutely right that Deku did fucking amazing and totally saved the day and without him they would have all been screwed! but all Deku can see in this moment is how deserving Mirio is, and so he decides that in order to help him, he’s prepared to make what for him is the ultimate sacrifice. the power that All Might gave him. his dream of becoming the greatest hero. everything he’s worked for up to this point. he’s prepared to throw all of that away if Mirio just says the word. there truly isn’t a selfish bone in this kid’s body.

but Mirio says no. because Mirio is also selfless. in conclusion we had just better hope the two of them never wind up reaching a door together at the same time, because the ensuing battle of who holds it open for whom could singlehandedly bring this series to a dead halt. the ultimate stalemate. they are too good and we don’t deserve them.

so anyways, that’s it! happy birthday kid. and here’s one more for the road.

11. “Dear Midoriya...”

a story in three acts. character development. growth. god bless.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #all might #bakudeku #bnha meta #character rant #essay #makeste reads bnha #bakugou's birthday post was only 2800 words #I don't know if I'm getting more long-winded or if it's just that I rant about bakugou more often in general #and deku not as much #so I ended up having more to say #that could well be it #anyways this should tide me over for a nice long while now lol #deku meta #bnha top ten #bnha ranking

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paceypeternathanslawyer · 7 years

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Carmen Cuba Interview for Deadline

Q. What were the first pieces that fell into place in casting the series?

A. Because the Duffers were an unknown entity and it was meant to be a small, little thing—and there weren’t any famous kids that we would attach that would help gain us any visibility—it was clear that Joyce and Hopper were our starting points.

For a million reasons, it didn’t take us long to become ridiculously excited about Winona Ryder as Joyce. Once she was on board, it gave us an opening to be free with where we went with Hopper, because for a show that’s small, you only needed one anchor, really.

David was someone that had been around doing incredible work for years. Once everyone saw his audition, we knew—he was undeniable, especially opposite Winona.

Q. What was the process of casting your young leads? How many kids did you see throughout the process?

A. In the movie we did together, it was basically three people in a bunker—parents and a kid. We’d worked together in auditions with kids, so I knew what kind of kids they responded to, and I also knew how they, as directors, work with kids.

The place that we started was discussing whether or not these could be kids that we found in an open call, who had no experience, or if we thought they should have some experience. We also, by the way, did not have very much time to cast this. Some movies have a six-month search for the one kid who’s the lead; that was not the case.

We opened it up to kids all over the world. We saw nearly 2,000 kids internationally, but we didn’t do any open calls. We agreed that with the time constraints of shooting a TV show—their first show, that they were going to be writing, directing, and showrunning—that probably what we were going to end up with were kids who had at least some experience. That’s sort of where we drew the line.

In the end, a few of them were on Broadway for years at a time, and they each had done at least one significant role. Millie was on a BBC miniseries where she was unbelievable; Finn [Wolfhard] had done an arc on a TV show, so none of them were inexperienced.

Q. Was there an extensive process of chemistry reads, with the casting of your child actors?

A. Absolutely. For some parts, we only had one actor, which is the Gaten Matarazzo part. He was the only one. For the others, we had at least a couple, and then we just mixed and matched.

It actually was very clear once you got them in a room. The idea was that, in this case, you really were casting a group, as opposed to one at a time. It wouldn’t have worked to cast one at a time.

Q. Did Netflix express any anxiety with this process? Even with your adult leads attached, you had to find child actors who, together, could hold up a series.

A. We always knew it was ambitious to expect that we would find kids that were going to be able to pull this off. At the same time, remember, it was a tiny show. They are very free—or at least they were at the time—with their tiny shows.

Their expectations were probably much lower than it seems. The scripts were great, the Duffers were exciting, and we had Winona. They trusted the team. Sort of from the very beginning, we were finding kids that we loved, so there was a level of comfort.

Q. With Stranger Things, all of the kids you cast became world famous almost instantly. It must be greatly satisfying to help actors bridge transitions and rise in their careers.

A. I think that’s exciting for anyone involved in what we do. It ranges from introducing kids who no one has seen on a particular platform before, but also giving [visibility to] David Harbour, someone who most of us would recognize if you said, “Oh, you know. That guy who played the other newscaster on The Newsroom.”

Getting to give someone like that a platform—someone who’s been around, who’s such a brilliant actor who people in the business know, who’s really been toiling and working—is really exciting.

Q. What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far with this project?

A. Listen, a lot of what we cast is locals in Atlanta. I oversee all of that. To find actors who are at the same level as all these other people, and that can hold scenes opposite them, is always a challenge with any location. I will say that I think we’ve had great luck in Atlanta—each year, the pool there has gotten stronger and stronger. That’s where we found Shannon [Purser], who plays Barb, and that’s also where we found Joe Keery. Those two people, who were really pivotal characters, we found them there, but we really had to dig. We really just kept on pushing, but that’s to be expected.

I think we really took care with this one to just keep digging. We didn’t settle on any single part, down to the one-year-old in the family that doesn’t speak.

Q. Now that you’ve established the world of Stranger Things with Season 1, how have the challenges of casting shifted?

A. I’d say an interesting challenge was that when we were casting Season 2, the entire world was obsessed with the show, which meant that we had big name actors who wanted to be on the show. There was, on one hand, the excitement of “Such and such wants to play a role. How do we fit them in?” which we tempered by staying really true to the show. Maybe the challenge there was not getting sucked into the idea of being able to have access to way more people than we did in Season 1, and staying true to the authenticity of what we had already created.

The real challenge, when you got down to it, was finding people who could be as strong and as dynamic as the ones who we cast in Season 1 who everyone fell in love with. It’s kind of crazy: When these kids become so iconic so quickly, it’s tough to imagine any other kids slotting in next to them, but I think we did. I think the people we found are their own force.

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

Video

youtube

SELENA GOMEZ - BAD LIAR [7.29] Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Claire Biddles: That borrowed Talking Heads bassline works so well in the context of contemporary pop that I'm amazed it hasn't been used before. In "Bad Liar," the paranoid creeping of "Psycho Killer" is twisted into coquettish flirting, but I wish the excellent tentative almost-spoken verse built up to a recognisable hook or chorus, rather than an empty punchline. Still, this is sexy and fun, and I'll probably play it tonnes over the summer. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: Given that Top 40 radio is a nonstop supercut of variations on tropical hell, one cherishes the novelties that make it through. Like, Bruno Mars is reliable; no matter what R&B corpse he re-animates how shamelessly, it will sound like nothing playlisted before or after it. And as ludicrous as Harry Styles' Mick Jagger cosplay is, at least it, too, sounds like nothing on the radio. But who would have thought Selena Gomez would be an outlier? The Talking Heads sample is great, but predictably so. What makes "Bad Liar" is how unpredictable its referents are. Much -- too much, given her prior work -- has been made of Selena Gomez's supposed vocal limitations, but her delivery's perfect for "Bad Liar"'s introvert in a feedback loop of shame-crush, latching onto the closest brilliant bassline for borrowed confidence; the effect's a little like Christine and the Queens. The verses evoke the twitterpated word-vomit of Maria Mena's "You're the Only One," which also felt like a sugarcube dropped into pop radio. With stream-of-consciousness like that you get Trojan clunkers, but you also get perfection like "if you want you can rent that place, call me an amenity, even if it's in my dreams," a whiplash from coyness to self-loathing to wishful thinking much like Transister's similarly obsessive "Head." It's the greatest Carly Rae Jepsen single Carly Rae Jepsen is too far gone maximalist to ever release; it's a damn good thing for my hopes of having listened to anything else that this didn't come out in [SPECIFIC MONTHS LOST TO CRUSH REDACTED]. [9]

Ryo Miyauchi: "Bad Liar" sounds like "Hands to Myself" turned inside out with the awkward insert of "I mean I could but why would I want to?" of the latter as the former's main form of delivery. Her clunky speech makes more sense narrative-wise in this flustered pop where she's way too occupied to keep beat. Perhaps she's taking cue of Talking Heads' nervous stiffness as much as their bass line. [5]

Maxwell Cavaseno: There's nothing in particular about "Bad Liar" to pinpoint about why it feels just so weird. Yes, there's the crisp and spartan production which does bear a certain resemblance to the beat and brittle quality of "Psycho Killer". You also have Gomez's conversational mumble of a murmur, vocal tone sounding like the rubber stopper on cheap chairs squeaking against linoleum floors (in a good way), occasionally processed into dazed vocal space-outs. It's got a slackness despite all of the rhythmic tension that refuses to either become purely laconic or tight, and with that weird sort of in-between you've got something that truly doesn't resemble anything you'd expect to hear nowadays. [7]

Thomas Inskeep: Best vocal of her career. Best single of her career. Best song of her career. And certainly the most surprising: I might not've caught the bassline sample unless I'd already read about it. Gomez is big enough now that she could've gone down any "one size fits all" route with a new single and been rewarded with a summertime smash. But instead, to her credit, she swerved where it wasn't expected. This is jagged pop, underproduced in the best way, and basically a success across the board. Which might be the most surprising thing of all. [8]

Ramzi Awn: The most impressive thing about "Bad Liar" is that Selena Gomez now has a brand. A perfectly good ear worm cloying enough to justify its crush, the single was the top streamer on Spotify upon its release, and it's easy to hear why. Ms. Gomez, a co-writer of the song, is carrying a mature career on her shoulders, and "Bad Liar" helps to establish her as a true contender in the business of making music. Featuring Ian Kirkpatrick, who wrote and produced one of Britney Spears' strongest songs of late ("If I'm Dancing" off the recent Glory), her vocals are on point, and the song is made for earbuds on the beach. [9]

William John: Selena Gomez' vocals are often criticised for their bloodlessness, but in the midst of the foggy doom of "Good For You,", or at the moment where the coquettish verses to "Hands To Myself" are interrupted by the bridge's ominous synth, they provided successful contrast. The production on "Bad Liar," unfortunately, is far less striking. The chorus instrumentation in particular sounds like something from a fifteen-second web advertisement for private health insurance or home loans. Whether the Talking Heads sample is intended to signify obtuseness or a reverence to art rock royalty, or a combination of the two, I'm not sure. In any event the song's vacant dullness overrides any kudos it earns. [3]

Alfred Soto: Stumbling up the sidewalks of a city, like the anonymous frightened person in Suzanne Vega's "In Liverpool," trying to immerse in her Spotify playlist, the character in "Bad Liar" interrupts herself with asides, rewritten statements, and ebullient admissions (it helps that I thought she said "Guess I'm a bad lawyer"). The detritus of pop culture: musical cues from Laurie Anderson and Talking Heads compete with hand claps and a throwaway about the fall of Troy. A genuine wtf moment. [7]

Leonel Manzanares: The "Psycho Killer" bassline is an attention grabber, for sure, but it's Selena's incredibly confident, breezy, sultry delivery that turns this into an absolute Song of the Summer candidate. "Bad Liar" sees Gomez doubling down on the soft-but-solid approach of previous single "Hands to Myself," and boy does it pay off. Gomez' singles track record is one of the finest in mainstream pop, and every release plays to her fundamental strengths -- her mild, charming tone, especially -- without being too repetitive. "Bad Liar" feels like those elements have been finally taken to the highest point -- it's the sound of consecration. [8]

Stephen Eisermann: Having been referred to as "extra" and "the most" many times in my life, it shouldn't come as any surprise that I love this song. It's campy and try-hard, yes, but I choose to believe this is what Selena was going for. I mean, she can't actually think anyone buys these faux-clever lyrics (lol at the Battle of Troy reference) and anime-character affect she's put on her voice, right? And even if she does, this is something I can groove to and her attempt at actually singing after the second chorus reminds me of one too many of my failed shower belting attempts, so that makes this... relatable? What I'm trying to say is: I know this is bad, but it's a serious guilty pleasure and has secured a spot on my summer playlist, much to the chagrin of my friends, I'm sure. [7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Producer Ian Kirkpatrick fills the dead space on "Bad Liar" with just enough musical quirks to keep your brain entertained as it's lodged into the "Psycho Killer" bass groove. He doubles down on the minimalism that was explored on "Hands to Myself" while striving for a mood that's just as tantalizing. The miracle here is that he succeeds in spite of Selena Gomez's anonymity, something that's plagued her since day one. Her presence is retooled such that her vocal affectations and winding melodies are reduced to their bare musical elements. When a song privileges that over anything else, and extracts every bit of driving momentum possible thereafter, you get a bonafide dance hit. And as such, this should be played LOUDLY. [8]

Will Adams: Following in the sonic concept that made "Hands to Myself" great -- immediate closeness via minimal reverb and clipped percussion -- "Bad Liar" finds Selena Gomez whispering to herself in a tight space, her emotions slowly chipping away at the walls around her. The pivotal moment comes when she unexpectedly bursts out with "Oh, baby let's make!" and the walls implode. If ever there were a sound to describe the knee-shaking anxiety of a crush forcing you to show your hand, this is it. [7]

Mo Kim: Most of the points are for that blood rush of a chorus, "i'mtryingi'mtryingi'mtryingi'mtryingi'm trying" one of the most simple and effective earworms I've heard all year. But there are small pleasures to be found in every corner of "Bad Liar," from the blink-and-you'll-miss-it allusion to the Battle of Troy (like, what?) to the moment on the bridge Gomez's voice swells into barren want on "OH BABY LET'S MAKE" before snapping back into the same register of studied indifference she's been playing for the entire song. It's a remarkably rich emotional portrait, wrought from little more than a clever hook and some very smart vocal choices; more importantly it's a song that'll sound as crisp in winter as it does now in the throes of summer. [9]

Joshua Copperman: Michaels/Tranter/Gomez, with producer Ian Kirkpatrick, create something obtuse but mesmerizing, with handclaps, vocal layers, and that inspired Talking Heads sample coalescing into an extended reverse-onomatopoeia for "bop." Michaels and Tranter recently worked on Linkin Park's underwhelming One More Lights, and it makes me wonder if Gomez was always the secret ingredient; everyone seems to bring out the best in each other here. There's Michaels' quirky way with a phrase (what even is the "battle of Troy" line?), Tranter's campy humor (leave him alone for five seconds and he's off writing "Cake By The Ocean"!), and Selena's thin, flexible voice that reshapes itself, Dollhouse-style, into whatever it needs to be for a given song. The initial online reaction was that Selena went 'experimental' here, but that's not fully accurate -- in fact, it's highly reminiscent of Regina Spektor's more polished music. It's not until the final minute, where Selena moans that "oHh bAaby" line, that "Bad Liar" truly comes into its own, and the trio reaches its current apex as a team. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#Selena Gomez #Bad Liar #TSJ Best of 2017

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mariaaklnthony · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Accelerators have appeared across the country and around the world. Their goal is to push startups further along — to help them grow into their potential and start benefiting the economy. Accelerators also want to share in developing disruptive new technology. In a Harvard Business Review article titled “What Startup Accelerators Really Do,” Booking Institution Nonresident Senior Fellow Ian Hathaway explains:

“Startup accelerators support early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship, and financing. Startups enter accelerators for a fixed period of time and as part of a cohort of companies. The accelerator experience is a process of intense, rapid, and immersive education aimed at accelerating the life cycle of young innovative companies, compressing years’ worth of learning-by-doing into just a few months.”

The same article notes just how fast accelerators have grown. Hathaway identified 172 U.S.-based accelerators between 2005 and 2015 that together invested in over 5,000 U.S. startups. In that time, the companies involved raised $19.5 billion in funding. If you are debating whether you should apply to an accelerator program, consider these real-world ways that accelerators have enabled startups to succeed:

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

This benefit is illustrated by at least one member of the Ameren Accelerator, which is powered by the University of Missouri System and UMSL Accelerate and focuses on energy technology startups. Rebate Bus, which participated in the accelerator’s first cohort, has hired four full-time staff members and two interns from the Ameren Accelerator program. Rebate Bus CEO Joe Pater says, “UMSL Accelerate has given Rebate Bus a huge boost in development, marketing, and with the growth of our team.”

The company, which is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is now establishing its operations team in St. Louis. To do so, it set up shop in the UMSL Accelerate office space at the conclusion of the Ameren Accelerator program. Rebate Bus found this an ideal way to help bridge the gap while it locates a permanent office in St. Louis. It plans to move from the accelerator’s space sometime during 2018.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Accelerators aren’t just for startups. Even companies that have been around for a while can transform themselves for the digital age. Consider how ManageHub Accelerator assisted L&R Lawn Equipment and Repair. While the company had been founded many decades earlier, the owner recognized that he needed to make his business sustainable for a new environment.

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

“Before using ManageHub, our business was chaotic at best. We had no idea what others were doing, and we had people doing the same jobs at the same time. Our operations were so out of line that it was costing us thousands of dollars without even knowing it. Now we are more organized, more creative, more efficient, and have a process to handle every situation that arises, making training easier and profits soar.”

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Startup SpotHero worked with the Techstars Chicago accelerator in 2012. During their participation in the program, the startup’s founders realized just how much the company benefited from all the connections the accelerator provided. SpotHero co-founder and CEO Mark Lawrence notes:

“Mentorship might seem like an obvious part of an accelerator, but we were surprised by how many incredibly talented mentors we had access to during the program. From the founders of OpenTable, GrubHub and CDW to the CEOs of publicly traded companies, we spent time learning from some of the most successful people in the world. We met with about 100 mentors 1:1 so we could really get to know them better, pick their brains, and learn from their experiences. Whether it was entrepreneurs, marketers, salespeople, or lawyers, each one forced us to start thinking about how these different specialties come together to form a profitable business. We developed strong relationships, and suddenly we had people, besides our families, who were invested in our success.”

SpotHero’s founders might eventually have made such connections on their own. However, they wouldn’t have had such a large group within their reach to help them so quickly. That proximity and number of connections sped the startup’s development.

Getting A Different Perspective

As a startup founder, you live and breathe your business idea and tiny company. That passion is great. However, it can also blind you to certain things that a second pair of unbiased eyes can see. This might include limiting your audience, product, or service or finding a better price point for your offering. Maybe you are even going in the wrong direction. An accelerator can point you in the right direction even if that means pivoting.

In 2013, the Digital Greenwich accelerator worked with Student Tutors to help the startup look at its business idea differently. According to the accelerator’s case study on the startup, Digital Greenwich was able to advise the startup on areas where it had previously been struggling. Student Tutor CEO Abrar Akhtar explains, “It’s definitely been beneficial to participate in the program and go over strategies with the business advisor. We’ve been trying to work out how we can get as many new customers on board, and working with the business advisor has led us to develop a clear plan that allows us to target this potential clientele.”

Practicing Until Perfect

When you are working on your own in a vacuum, you don’t make the time to do things that can help you succeed. One of those is honing your pitch to investors or crafting the best messages for your marketing campaigns.

Working with an accelerator, you can both practice your pitches and get feedback that can help you improve them. Credential Cabinet participated in the JFE Accelerator, which provided this benefit among many others. Co-founder Ely Greenberg explains:

“Because we were in an accelerator, we also got to pitch in front of ‘mock’ investors before the pitch event. These were investors who could provide unbiased feedback. There is no ‘correct’ way to pitch. There are many articles about what to say and what not to say, but basically it boils down to telling a captivating story, demonstrating that you have a great team and product, and that you’re serious about building a great company. You should know the material on your slides, as well as the supporting facts.”

As a result of their accelerator experience, Credential Cabinet’s founders believe they improved their pitching skills due to the advice and feedback they received. They also learned about what didn’t work so that they could avoid those mistakes in future pitches. Overall, their confidence about pitching to investors increased.

An accelerator program can offer the perfect combination of mentoring, learning, access to funding, and strategic guidance. This environment allows founders to get the support they need to take their companies in the right direction for success.

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

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#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

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waltercostellone · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

http://ift.tt/2F4J7BQ

#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

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joannlyfgnch · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

http://ift.tt/2F4J7BQ

#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

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aracecvliwest · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

http://ift.tt/2F4J7BQ

#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

0 notes

jeanshesallenberger · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

http://ift.tt/2F4J7BQ

#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

0 notes

pattersondonaldblk5 · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

http://ift.tt/2F4J7BQ

#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

0 notes

dustinwootenne · 6 years

Text

Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

Building A Team and Setting Up Shop

Accelerators can help startups meet new people who have the potential to become members of their teams. They can also help founders find a location their growing businesses can call home.

Now Ameren Accelerator wants to offer the same kinds of support to other startups. It’s currently accepting applications for members to participate in its second cohort.

Learning At A Faster Rate

Working with an accelerator, L&R learned quickly about the new economy and technology and was able to improve its processes. According to Steve Seder, L&R’s director of operations:

The program helped L&R learn how to change what it did and take advantage of the new business realities. Its ManageHub experience marked a true transformation for the company.

Making More Connections Faster

Getting A Different Perspective

Practicing Until Perfect

The post Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success appeared first on ReadWrite.

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#Five Ways An Accelerator Can Propel Your Startup To Success

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