Rule #31: Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited of what could go right

Change is always hard, no matter who you are. From something as simple as changing from one brand of shampoo to another, to moving from one city to another. In that moment you're probably consumed in your anxieties & fears with your imagination running wild. Whose to say what could happen?

"Is that the last of the boxes, dearie?" A short elderly woman asked from her position, perched atop a step stool behind the small kitchen island where she continued to slice the vegetables in front of her.

"Yes Grammy. This is the last one" The equally short albino wandered passed with a large cardboard box clutched in her hands; headed towards the guest bedroom.

"And thank God for that" An elderly man grumbled with his lips twitching up into a smile as he shuffled into the living room and ran a hand down his sore back.

"Oh just drink your tea, Grumpy" Grandmother handed him a cracked mug and matching kettle.

"Yes dear" Grandfather moved over to the kotatsu with items in hand before twisting to search for the TV remote.

How can one tell if you've experienced change, you might ask? By the marks they have gathered of course. From the physical scars that litter their flesh like freckles to the emotional ones hidden behind fake smiles and pained eyes.

The albino sat on the end of her sunken bed of her new bedroom, amongst the scattered cardboard boxes plastered with colourful labels depicting her name and what lay within. The nearest box read:

HAGAKURE TORU

SCHOOL

With a sigh, she pulled it close, unfolding the flaps so she could sift through what was inside. It was the very first item atop the pile of mix-matched uniforms that made her pause. It was a large-and she meant large-yellow yearbook, simply entitled: Class 3-E: Memories with Koro-Sensei.

Unbidden tears gathered in her eyes and a fond smile twitched at the corner of her lips as she flipped through the pages of the tome, the spine worn from its constant use. Toru had graduated from Kunugigaoka Junior High School only a few months prior, but it still felt like a lifetime ago.

A small smile made its way onto her face as her gaze drifted from one image to another, each depicting a happy scene from the passed year. There was just so many memories & advice packed within this one book, and each one filled her with emotion as she looked through them all. And all personalised just for her.

Toru huffed a laugh at the image in front of her. She remembered that day; it had been Kayano's idea. In the picture, Koro-Sensei was in the middle of swan-diving into the giant pudding the class had crafted, an expression of pure bliss spread across his face.

Koro-Sensei never did anything by halves, She fingered the page, worn by her constant rubbing. But then again, neither did we. The next image showed Koro-Sensei hog-tied and hanging from one of the trees outside the classroom as everyone took turns trying to hit him. He looked liked some sort of strange piñata.

Despite this, you might find you've come to enjoy these changes. Embrace them, even. But I suppose in the end, that's what we do; adapt to survive and all that. What else would you expect? We're only human after all.

Reluctantly putting aside the yearbook, Toru pulled out a somewhat crumpled set of papers that she tried to smooth out as best she could. They were forms for the entrance exam that would take place soon at UA High School.

It was one of the reasons why she was here. Here in Musutafu, living with her grandparents for the foreseeable future instead of back home with her parents in Tokyo, where she would have undoubtedly attended one of the local public high schools.

The first incident was in Qingqing city. An extraordinary child was born who radiated light. After that reports of people with superpowers had popped up across the globe. No one knew what was causing these Quirks, but before long, the supernatural became the totally normal.

Next she pulled out a smaller box containing several items from the year before. Inside there were the Anti-Sensei weapons (green rubber-like knives and a pair of BB-shooting M1911A1s) as well as a couple of cases of Anti-Sensei ammunition-rubber-like bullets that reminded her more of paintball pellets than anything else-that she had collected from the year before. Aside from the weapons, an ultraviolet torch lay nestled among the rolls of ammunition, the purple lens glistening against the pellets despite being turned off.

Dreams became a reality. The world became a superhuman society with about 80% of the population possessing some uncanny ability. Our streets looked like scenes from comic books as cities swirled with chaos and confusion, a new profession dominated the collective consciousness. It was an age of heroes.

Sometimes she wished that she had been born with a transformation-quirk; one that made her stand out, but in a good way. It was selfish of her, she knew that. But still… alas, she held both a mutation & emitter Quirk instead. So it was that her disembodied clothes floated through the streets like a ghost possessed, her own body only visible in UV light. People always stared like she was an animal at the zoo; more so here in Musutafu than back home, even amongst all the other strange oddities in the city.

With the rise of superpowers came the explosive increase in the criminal activity. While governments were stuck trying to figure out how to reform laws with Quirks in mind, courageous people started performing heroic acts to keep our city safe.

Her thoughts then drifted to the first few days she had been exploring the city, where she had heard more whispers about her appearance from random strangers than she could ever want. It was rather sad that she could count the number of greetings and warm welcomes she had received, on the one hand.

Despite this however, Toru still enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies of the city. From the apartment blocks stacked together like they were made of legos to the lush green forestry parks that were dotted around the place.

She had also taken to pursuing the different merchandise stores that sold everything hero related in her need to familiarise herself with her future career. Even going so far as to purchase a couple of plushies of two of her favourite heroes (Edgeshot & Electoplant) that now sat against her pillows along with the yellow rag doll octopus she had made.

Protecting us against the villains who abused their powers for evil. With overwhelming public support, heroes found an official place as peacekeepers overseen by the government. Those who performed the best, were paid the most and got all the fame and glory. Their careers depended on them to stay in the spotlight.

Her grandparents, having been the ones to suggest such a career, did all they could to encourage her growing interest. Even showing her an old video of All Might, the top hero, as he rescued people from a burning disaster zone. The video in question, was some shaky disaster footage from the debut of All Might. It didn't show much about the hero, but it served its purpose well enough.

In turn, her grandmother had also pulled out some of her old training manuals for Toru to go over when she got the time. Although both her grandparents held somewhat insignificant Quirks (what with her grandfather being able to create small scale illusions and her grandmother could shift her density); they still served them well.

However when Quirks first came into the public eye, there were many research studies conducted and doctors discovered a link between the bones in a person's foot and the likelihood of them having a Quirk.

Moving away from the forms in her lap, making a note to sit down and fill them in later, and the weapons in the box, she pulled out one of the Anti-Sensei knives. A green, rubbery knife with faint white lettering engraved along the blade. Falling backwards onto the bed, Toru clasped the dagger to her chest as a fond smile made its way onto her face and her thoughts turned from future heroes to past assassins. She missed her friends from 3-E dearly, but now she had the opportunity to make new friends here.

People with powers have only one joint in their pinky toes; their bodies having evolved into a more streamlined version of the human form. As a result, those who had two-jointed pinky toes were unlikely to develop Quirks. That was 20% of the population.

Onwards and upwards, as her mother liked to say.