#japanese does it spark joy method

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[screamingay]

finally started watching tidying up with marie kondo and ended up cleaning a part of my room that i'd been ignoring for years.. her power

[tooquirkytolose]

What was that anon talking about who's marie kando

marie kondo is a japanese woman famous for her konmari method of cleaning clutter with the motto of asking yourself: Does this spark joy? if the answer is no, you toss it. I reblogged a post saying to ask yourself this and unfollowing/blocking/unfriending people on social media if the answer is no

[wehavethoughts]

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Review!

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing By Marie Kondo Translated by Cathy Hirano Ten Speed Press, 2014

The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.

Here we go: let’s dive into the KonMari method and talk about the book that sparks joy! The tiny hardcover has no images, only text, and does stray from the “design” lean of the media I’ve reviewed thus far. However, it certainly is found in the Home section of many libraries, and ultimately does respond to one of my main queries with the DesignMod page, that is: how do we relate to the material objects around us, and how do they relate to us? The space of a home is certainly connected to your heart space and mental space.

Overall, this book gets 5 of 6 joyful geese. Without pictures, I got a little cerebral while reading, taking notes and asking questions like I do when I’m researching for a paper/article. This isn’t what threw me off, however. While Marie Kondo is ridiculously charming and her acknowledgement of the precious relationship between people and our things is truly key (*chef’s kiss), I can’t help but get frustrated at how she talks about throwing things ‘away’. More on this after the positives.

Many people around the world are familiar with the name Marie Kondo. The first things that come to mind are often a) neat folding techniques, and b) the question, “does it spark joy?”. There are many nuggets of wisdom across these pages. Here are some of my faves:

Do not even think about putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.

...we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of. 

...always think in terms of category, not place.

To quietly work away at disposing of your own excess is actually the best way of dealing with a family that doesn’t tidy. 

The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat.

The point in deciding specific places to keep things is to designate a spot for every thing. 

Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.

...arrange your storage so that you can tell at a glance where everything is…

As someone who grew up in the USA, I appreciate the KonMari method’s attention to reducing excess. Kondo also discusses the benefit of individually honing decision making skills as well as the ability to articulate your preferences. Her process asks that you hold each of your possessions one by one, an incredibly intimate opportunity to listen to why you are holding onto it. Being able to do this is definitely a skill; I’m sure you know someone who “loves” practically anything, or perhaps someone who is rarely satisfied. Asking if an item sparks joy is a good alternative to more proscriptive decluttering solutions, which necessitate that you keep a fixed number of items, or that you buy specific items. The KonMari method instead is very subjective, which I think is fab. 

The book includes biographical anecdotes from Kondo in addition to a detailed explanation of the very specific process that is the KonMari method. She doesn’t shy from bragging about her business’s success, which leads me to my first critique. It must be understood that the KonMari method is heavily branded. She is a true phenomenon, starting from working with clients in Japan to a series on Netflix, a collection with The Container Store, and beyond. The website includes items like storage bins that one should purchase for a tidy home, even though her content suggests using old shoeboxes. This is something that she has worked very hard to develop. I think this book is a good resource for people wanting to learn about Kondo’s story as well as the particulars of her approach to tidying. However, I can’t help but notice capitalist vibes in how much is being sold. 

My main critique lies in the discussion of waste, or lack thereof. It is positive that the method focuses on deciding what to keep in contrast to what to get rid of. The process is definitely more joyful that way. However, a huge part of the excess we possess is the excess we discard. We can consume so much because it’s so commonplace to throw things away, whether it’s because they are broken or because we now like something else. I’ve learned a lot about the institutionalized systems profiting off of waste production from the Slow Factory Foundation. Simply “recycling” or even “donating” items does not assume much responsibility, especially because many items designated for ‘charity’ end up in landfills, burned, or shipped to poorer countries to deal with.

Maybe you’ve heard the term fast fashion, which refers to business models in which inexpensive clothing is produced rapidly by mass-market retailers to keep up with trends. These systems exist in the Global North and usurp communities in the Global South by ways of landfills, under-paid labor, and general pollution. In many ways, the production behind any home item has become fast. Ask yourself, “how many items do I own that I can name the person who made it?” It’s a tough question for the average American. I’m Italian, and the situation there is similar, although home spaces in Italy are much much smaller. 

I’m curious about the perspective on waste in Japan. Kondo developed her method when working with Japanese clients, primarily middle-aged, professional women. My point with this criticism is simply a worry regarding people living in the Global North who are less invested in minimizing waste, that they will take this book and discard things without acknowledging that there is no “away” when you throw something out. Kondo briefly touches upon how discerning what sparks joy should also be considered before buying anything after the big tidy. Nonetheless, I wish there were more consideration of class and economic status, that for many people with limited resources, they don’t have the luxury of getting rid of things they simply don’t like.

Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will be left only with the amount that fits perfectly in the space you currently own.

Overall, the book is very helpful and easy to read. Kondo’s approach is clear but also subjective, an excellent recipe for a deep transformation to restore balance and harmony in the home. 

With loving curiosity, 

DesignMod

[vettechvalerie]

Have you heard of the Konmari Method?

Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizer and author of “the life-changing magic of tidying up” became very popular when her Netflix series “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” hit.

The Konmari Method includes four lessons: Clothing, Books, Papers and Komono.

In the clothing lesson, you take every single article of clothing you own and put it on your bed. With each item, you hold them one by one in your hands and ask yourself “does this spark joy?”

In the books lesson, it’s the same idea. Gather all of your books, hold each one in your hands, and ask yourself “does this spark joy?”

The papers lesson is a little different, you take every coupon, receipt, bill, document, etc. and sort them. The papers that aren’t important, you get rid of. Sentimental papers should be stored in boxes.

The komono lesson is an accumulation of every single miscellaneous item. This is split into categories when organizing your entire home: general (DVDs, CDs, Cords, Remotes, Craft Supplies, Pet Supplies, etc.), kids, office, kitchen, decor, garage, bathroom, and cleaning supplies.

I have midterms in 2 weeks and felt my bedroom was unorganized, which is just going to cause me more stress during midterm week.

Today was the first and second lesson, clothing and books. I have successfully gotten rid of a 30 gallon bag of clothes. I used Marie Kondo’s folding methods and folded the items I didn’t want hanging. Especially to make my closet look less cluttered. As far as books go, I only have my full collection of Harry Potter novels that I kept. This is the result of my closet!

[bidrums]

When I was three my parents introduced me to a little game called “Stay or Go?”

It’s a simple game with a simple concept and simple rules:

You make a small pile of items. You pick one up and ask, “Stay or go?” If it’s “stay,” you put it in a pile and leave it in the room you’re in. If it’s “go,” you put it in a different pile. When you’re done with the large pile, move “go” to your designated area for the items you’re getting rid of.

You can play this by yourself or with a partner. But whoever owns the items needs to be the one deciding “stay” or “go.”

Now, you might be thinking that said game would be a nightmare to play with a three-year-old and that the “stay” pile will always have the most items. And yeah, “stay” was the biggest one for many years.

However, it was a game that I loved playing.

I would play it for hours with my parents and even now they’re some fond memories.

And we stopped playing together and I stopped asking the question out loud, but I still will play it when I want to clean out my room. And we actually still say, “I’m going to clean my room and play Stay or Go, so we should plan on donating Goodwill soon.”

A few weeks ago, I decided to watch the Marie Kondo show on Netflix because people were talking about it and I was interested in what she had to say about tidying and if she had any tips and what exactly “spark joy” meant.

About twenty minutes in, I thought, “Oh! She’s playing Stay or Go but like, with philosophy!”

The KonMari method of tidying encourages putting a set group of items, picking each one up individually, and asking yourself, “What value does this bring to my life? What purpose does it have? Does this improve my life? Does this item and the purpose it serves make me happy by staying? Or will it serve a better purpose by going?” And if you choose “go,” you thank it for being in your life and put it in the “go” pile.

Maybe this is because I’ve done a similar thing for most of my life, but I honestly don’t understand why people are throwing such a hissyfit over the whole process she encourages. She wants you to live your best life and she wants you to have the best living space to achieve that.

“But she thinks books are-”

Good, if they serve a purpose in your life and have a positive impact by being in your house. That’s what she thinks about books. I’m not through the entire season, but there was one episode where one of the people was crying and having a hard time even beginning to go through the books because he had such a strong attachment to them and had a hard time thinking about letting them go. Marie noticed this and asked him what he was thinking. He said that he loved books and that he’s always loved them and he’s never seriously thought about getting rid of any of them before.

And Marie nodded in understanding and held up one of his books and asked, “Do you love this?” and he nodded and talked about how it was one of the first books he truly loved and he reads it again every two or three years. 

She nodded, set the book down, and said, “Okay. Then keep it.”

And as he slowly went through the pile you could see him realize that he didn’t need to get rid of any books if he didn’t want to and he fell into a groove and tidied up his bookshelf quickly.

He kept most of his books.

When Marie saw the bookshelf, she talked about how neat it looked and how nice it was and didn’t mention about how he barely got rid of anything because his books made him happy and he organized the space so it reflected that.

“She ignores the fact that some people are mentally ill and can’t-”

No.

She doesn’t.

There was a woman who lost her husband and couldn’t bring herself to touch his things. She brought this up to Marie.

Marie told her that she didn’t need to touch his things if it distressed her. That she didn’t need to try powering through it and could leave it alone and not touch it. That they would not focus on it at all if it distressed her. Because she wanted the house to be neat and tidy and be comfortable and happy, and attempting to reach that goal with emotional distress wouldn’t work.

She constantly makes sure that the people she’s helping are comfortable and not distressed and are focusing on being as comfortable and happy as possible.

“Well the people with severe hoarding disorders or OCD or depression-”

Listen.

Listen.

I am mentally ill. I am ADHD and have depression with a large helping of severe anxiety.

Even when my room is clean, it’s not clean.

The cleanest my room has ever been has been when we were moving and all my things were in boxes in another room. I am disorganized and my room is a mess on good days. When I’m in a bad place, you can barely walk. As in, you have to tiptoe to move around. There are times when doing laundry is basically impossible for me and I have so much dust to the point I’m avoiding an entire wall because I will start coughing. If something means something to me, I will keep it and not let go of it and the longer I own something the more likely it is I will keep it well past its life expectancy and usefulness because I’ve held on to it this long, might as well keep it longer.

After watching her help other people, I’ve realized that some of my most favorite possessions, the things that I refuse to get rid of, the things I cannot imagine giving up, are not worth keeping. And I have actually thought about how the next time I cleaned they would be the first things I got rid of because they were actually reminding me of times in my life that were painful but also had some happiness so I kept them even though thinking about those things hurt.

After watching a show about helping people organize their homes and the many uses of tiny boxes hoisted by a short Japanese woman who wants people to be happy and fulfilled in life.

I have been playing Stay or Go with those objects for 10 and 11 years now and always picked Stay because I couldn’t bear to let go of them and only now have I realized that I will be happier and will heal much more if I don’t have them.

She doesn’t say “If you have X mental illness, do Y” but she doesn’t have to. Because that’s not what she is set out to do. She says that it’s not for everyone and if it doesn’t work then don’t feel bad. 

At the end of the day she wants you to be mindful about your living space and organize it to your comfort levels and gives hints and tips.

And if you don’t like it, that’s okay.

But don’t be mad at people for liking it.

And don’t tell us that we can’t play “Stay or Go.”

[redsamuraiii]

Marie Kondo & Minimalism

Pic : Pinterest

We have lost the art of simple living. We have too many material possessions, too many choices and too much to eat, that we waste and destroy so much. Minimalism is not about living in poverty and sleeping on the floor of an empty room, it’s about possessing little or just necessities and simple decorations that is enough to make your home clean and comfortable.

For many of us, material wealth is an expression of selfhood, proof of our existence or success to show to the world that we’ve made it. So we tend to associate our identities and self-image with the things we possess, the car we drive, the job we have, the house we live in, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the phone we use, the degree certificate we take and so much more.

How often do we asked ourselves, do we buy things because we really need or love them or because you think it might impress others who will see them? Do we post social gathering photos on social media to show our appreciation of our friendship or to show others what kind of friends we have and to portray the type of person we are? Do we buy a particular car model because it’s economical, practical or pleasing to the eyes? Or do we buy them to show others that we could afford such a brand? 

In the end, we became unhappy with our own excessive and repulsive purchases because we buy them not for ourselves but for others, or buy them simply because we were too stressed at the time that we went on a shopping therapy. And you start asking yourself all this now as you get older, when your list of bills start to get longer and your store starts to get crowded with items you don’t even remember why you bought it or when was the last time you actually used it. 

It’s no wonder we get so stressed easily working at home now during the pandemic and no wonder minimalist guru such as Marie Kondo have been gaining popularity, because people not only need help in sorting out their stuffs but sorting out their cluttered heart and life as well, to achieve the inner peace with just the minimum.

Source : The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story

We all know who she is by now and one thing I do not understand is the hate she’s been getting since she became known to the world. Interesting fact about her is that her videos have already been circulating YouTube about five years ago but she only became famous now after her shows came on Netflix. 

From what I understand from these haters or skeptics is that they have a misconception about her, thinking it’s just a tidying up method that anybody can do or has been doing for ages, so they do not see the logic that people need to read her books and watch her shows to know how to clean up your own house. 

What they fail to understand is that it’s more than just cleaning up your room, it’s about recognizing your attachments to your belongings and identifying yourself. It’s not just about cluttering up your cupboards but your life as well. Not letting objects define your self worth. You do not need things that you do not need, just to impress others on social media for likes or make yourself feel better.

When you dig out your stuffs, you can tell which are the ones that you bought simply because you really want it, because you like the color or design or its comfortable or it makes you look great? And the ones that you bought simply because of the brand or trend because you want to show off to others to give them an impression that you are this or that kind of person? This is what she’s trying to imply, separating things that you really love “spark joy” and those that you don’t even remember or know why you bought it in the first place now that you look at it again. It could be you bought it ten years ago when you were younger because you wanted to make a fashion statement but now you’re more mature and realize what a waste of money that was.

Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist world that is constantly shoving consumerism down our throats daily with advertisements and social influencers telling you to get this and that just so you could be in trend with everyone else and do not want to be left out. And when you can’t afford to get those things like everyone else you become unhappy, depressed and angry. 

You wanted to dress like them, you wanted to look like them, you wanted to live in a big house like them, you wanted to drive a branded car like them, you wanted to have the perfect lover like them, you want everything about them from their lifestyle to their personality that you lost yourself and your identity of who you really are as a person and what really makes you happy. Despite all the things that you already have that you need, you’re still unhappy because you’re obsessed in getting things that you want simply because others have it too! So we put in extra hours at work for that extra cash sacrificing things that really matter such as spending time with friends and family. We lost the human connection to objects that’s supposed to make us feel happy. 

She also stress out about the dangers of nostalgia because if you are too entrenched in the past, you’ll never be able to get rid of the old things and you’ll only accumulate more stuffs that you don’t need. You’ll feel more constrained and stressed out living in a “storeroom” you call home. Most importantly, you won’t be able to move on in the present because you’re still living in the past. 

I have only started learning more about her recently as I have never been the sort that gets on stuffs while its trending and the only reason I start to learn more about her now is purely out of curiosity and interest as I believe there is more to her than meets the eye. I find her “anti-consumerism” refreshing because I think extreme consumerism is what making people very unhappy today.

Also because I believe that no matter how many years of experiences that we have or all the knowledge that we acquired thus far, no matter how smart we think we are, there is always something new that we do not know about. Life is a continuous learning process, it’s all about learning, discovering new things and taking a step back to re-look at things from a different perspective.

Learning doesn’t stop, which is why I find it amusing when the haters, critics and skeptics say they don’t need to know about Konmari when they’ve been cleaning up their entire life. To me that’s like saying, “This has always been the way we do things around here, we don’t need improvisation or innovation, thank you.”

Be it as it may, what I’m trying to say here is to just be respectful to others and their beliefs no matter how weird or ridiculous that may seem to you. If you think it’s not something meant for you or interests you then by all means, you’re free to walk away from this. No one’s forcing you to stay put. 

I just don’t get why they choose to stay and make fun of something they do not understand that works for the fans. 

At the end of the day, it is who you are as a person that defines you. Not your material possessions, not your career credentials, not your academic qualifications. Strip them all away, and ask yourself who you are beneath it all?

I end my thoughts with a quote by Sen no Rikyu, a historical figure considered to have had the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony.

“How much does he lack himself who must have many things.”

[maulusque]

Cody gets Rex a book about the magical (space) japanese art of tidying up. Rex gets really into the ‘spark joy’ method

Rex: *holds helmet* this sparks joy

Rex, holding his blasters: THESE spark joy

Rex, bodily lifting Fives: does this spark joy?

Rex, bodily lifting anakin: this does NOT spark joy *yeets anakin directly into the airlock*

Rex, lifting ahsoka above his head: THIS DOES NOT SPARK JOY

Anakin, muffled, from the airlock: YOU CAN’T THROW OUT YOUR LITTLE SISTER REX

[darkpoisonouslove]

“I Know You’re the One Who Can Spark Eternal Joy in My Life”

Summary: Welcoming Valtor home after a long day feels like the right thing to do with her life and even though there are still obstacles around them that do not spark joy, Griffin knows it is her place to be his family. And that is exactly what she wants to be. Part 7 of “Sparks of Life”.

This may have been inspired by the meme about Marie Kondo but hey, if it sparks joy, who am I to argue, right? XD

Griffin heard the ring, her heart doing that little jump just like the elevator did right before it stopped at the thought of Valtor coming home. And it wasn’t even six o’clock yet when she glanced at the corner of the tablet. She’d just tapped on the video she’d wanted to watch but she couldn’t care less about it now that he’d arrived, and unusually early at that. He was spending more time at home with her lately and while she could never complain about it and was absolutely ecstatic to have more of him to herself, she couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted the change in routine.

She left the tablet on the coffee table, her efforts at pausing the video unsuccessful but she could always rewind when she came back to it. That was of no consequence to her mind that had only one thought left in it and it was all woven from the want to be engulfed in his arms.

He seemed just as impatient as her, for he was right there in front of her when she got up from the couch and turned to meet him, his arms finding her waist instantly and drawing her into him, prompting her to wrap hers around his neck and hold on tight. There was nothing she’d love to do more and she could spend all her life in his embrace so she saw no problem when he only pressed himself closer into her and drew her into a kiss, his lips on hers the perfect way to say hello.

Their tongues came out to play as well and she was soon holding back a moan, the strain in her he could feel making him pull back, for they both knew just where this would end if he didn’t. And while she had no problems with that, she’d like to get to see him first, ask about his day and tell him about hers, get the chance to melt in his softness before she did the same in his passion. Not that she didn’t want that, but she craved the emotional closeness and the connection they had out of the bedroom too. She craved everything as long as he’d be there to share it with her.

She took a deep breath before letting the smile take over her face and opening her eyes. “Welcome home,” she said, her voice small from the lack of oxygen but it only made the words sound more intimate, like they were only meant for the two of them which really fit since that was exactly the case. The penthouse was their home and theirs only and she loved how secluded it was, raising above all the other buildings around like a tribute to their solitude and they were in their own universe. It was all she wanted. So she made sure to greet him properly every time he came home – with a smile and a hug–that was accompanied by a kiss more often than not–and words to tell him how glad she was to see him if her actions hadn’t already done that.

“My day was just made,” Valtor said as he moved his hand to cup her cheek, the other one still wrapped around her but in expression of affection still and not in a desperate attempt to make sure she wouldn’t slip away. They’d been there but she was glad to see the sinking fear disappear to make space for the open tenderness he was touching her with now. “I’ll never understand how you can do that with just one sentence,” he said as he looked at her, his eyes full of deep gratitude and a small smile pulling at his mouth. It was a breathtaking sight, especially when she knew it was just gentle instead of timid.

“I think your own heart might play a part here as it’s beating with love for me,” she said, tugging playfully at the lapel of his coat. He hadn’t even taken that off in his hurry to hug her. “It gives me the power to work all this magic that has you so entranced,” she said, leaning in slightly, their lips almost touching again, before she pulled back, giving him a knowing smirk as he followed her movement, striving to reach her. They’d get too tangled in each other, though, if she didn’t move now. “You must be so hot,” she said, her tone all laced of mischief despite her own best intentions but she couldn’t help it. The opportunity was too good for her to pass up on it. “Perhaps you should take this off,” she said as she tugged at his coat only to let go of it and step away the moment he released her to let her pull it off of him. She’d love to help but the moment she started undressing him, they’d lose dinner, not to mention any conversation they could have if she just stayed focused. There was enough time for everything now that he’d come home earlier than normally.

Valtor gave her a disappointed look as she sat back down on the couch but was quick to remove his coat and, after throwing it carelessly over the furniture, join her.

“What are you watching?” he asked as the sound from the video finally registered for him and he looked at the tablet, his eyes reading over the subtitles while Japanese filled the penthouse as she settled for just observing him for a moment, adoring the sight of his concentration, especially after the long day she knew he’d had. He was overdramatic at times but he didn’t lie about how stressful and tedious his job was and she admired him for the willpower to keep at it as she knew she couldn’t have done it if she’d been him. She had paperwork, of course, but her students were what kept her spark alive when it came to her job. So she was even more flattered he was taking serious interest in what she was doing and putting effort into learning more about it when all he probably wanted was to curl up at her side and let the world melt away. She knew she wouldn’t be opposed to that.

“I’m watching a video about Marie Kondo,” she said. “She’s a tidying expert and an organizational consultant.” That was about as much as she’d gotten from the video before he’d come home and interrupted. “What? Faragonda told me about her philosophy and I got curious,” she explained when he gave her a questioning look, which, frankly, wasn’t misplaced. The parts of her life that were a mess she preferred that way, and the others were organized already as could be evidenced in the books lined up on her shelves and the order in her closet. But she was glad Faragonda was taking steps in freeing herself from old burdens, as the method she was now following wasn’t only about organizing but about helping you let go of things that don’t bring joy in your life anymore. And she was thrilled to see Faragonda finally starting to realize she needed to move on from situations and people that didn’t need her and didn’t deserve her and her efforts.

“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten the books,” Valtor said as his eyes remained on the screen in front of him, though she couldn’t blame him, considering that that was the only way for him to understand what was happening in the video. He had a few other languages besides English mastered but Japanese was not amongst them so he needed to rely on the subtitles. Something she was surprised had not irritated him already since he usually could understand whatever he was watching even without help from those–she might have exploited his abilities to get him to translate some poetry for her, more for the experience of hearing his voice forming the soft words rather than for the content itself–so as a rule, he wasn’t fan of having to have his attention focused on them.

“I wanted to see if I’d find something for myself in this idea,” Griffin said. “I hardly have any space left on the shelves,” she added when he looked at her, ready to argue that money was not the problem. She could argue with that but they’d mostly reached a consensus on the topic these days and there was no point in further debating except for a reminder or clarification here or there when something brought it up.

“Are we in need of another remodeling?” Valtor asked, a smirk on his lips that she did not quite appreciate, considering what they’d had to go through when they’d been adding a kitchen that should have already been there but for some reason it’d been missing. There’d been people all around the penthouse and their secluded paradise had been overtaken. She had no desire to repeat the experience even if it meant she’d get more book storage space. She’d just have to make do with what she had, perhaps donate some books that she didn’t need anymore. That could be her own attempt at tidying up. “Or does that not spark joy in you?” Valtor asked, smirking at her displeased expression as he very well knew the answer. “Your little trick before did not spark joy in me,” he continued, still playful but there was a heavy layer of seriousness that did not allow his voice to rise quite to the level of mirth it’d been at before and it made her heart sink as if it’d been filled with lead.

“No?” Griffin asked, her bewilderment as overexaggerated as she could make it in her attempt to get the joy back to him. “Does this spark joy then?” she asked as she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips, not quite a peck but not too deep a kiss either as they were still in danger of getting too lost in the world of each other’s beings. It was a constant threat with them and while it didn’t scare her, she wouldn’t have the time to pay any attention to his thoughts if she let herself succumb to it every time she felt it tugging at her.

Valtor hummed, turning to her now, both on a physical level and attention wise, his hands on her again but not before he’d made sure the noise from the video was stopped so that it wouldn’t distract them. It looked like his will was gone all to work and he couldn’t find it in himself to hold back from touching as much as he wanted.

“What about this?” Griffin asked as she kissed his cheek, trying to hold both their attention where it needed to be but failing miserably with his hand on her thigh and the other one tracing her neckline, not to mention the low sound of confirmation that left him and drew her to his neck. “And this?” she asked, her own voice dropping as she did the same and moved downwards, her lips kissing at his throat only to feel the vibration of a quiet moan move through her whole body. And she was gone, just like that, his eagerness too infectious for her to stand a chance against it.

He pulled her closer and she let him, her hands moving to the buttons of his shirt to get more skin exposed to the caresses of her lips as it was his mouth moving over her now, and his hands joined it too, roaming over her body and pulling at her to have her straddling his lap. And he would’ve gotten her right where he wanted her if the ringing of his phone hadn’t interrupted.

Valtor sighed, moving away from her quickly and nearly shoving her farther from him but she couldn’t get offended when she knew he was doing it to protect her from the crushing burden of his job. “This does not spark joy,” he muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, the device almost flying out of his grip at the jerky motion. He froze for a moment as he looked at the screen before turning to look at her, the apology acute in his gaze. “I have to take this,” he said and got up, heading for the fading light coming from the balcony.

Griffin followed him with her gaze, her mind racing with the puzzle pieces it’d been given. His reaction made sense as he hated it when work got in their way but there was something else there. And the few letters she’d seen from the caller’s ID were making her jump to conclusions. It wasn’t like him to spoil the surprise if he was planning one, but on the other hand, getting a call from the jewelry store could mean many things. Of course, after Faragonda’s countless remarks, her mind immediately hopped in engagement territory but it could be anything else. And she wouldn’t mind, the monad necklace he’d given her still one of her most treasured possessions. Yet, her heart still accelerated dangerously at the thought of him putting a ring on her finger to make the union between them official.

She was his, completely and without question. And she didn’t need silver or gold, or a signature to know it and be happy. He could very well never feel ready to ask her if she’d be his for the rest of her life as she knew how much he feared the potential for rejection a question like that carried and she understood completely. She was okay with it as she was secure enough in the feelings between them not to need him to prove anything when all the evidence was right there, captured in the ice of his eyes every time he looked at her. And even despite that she couldn’t help but wander through the fantasy of getting to call him her husband and hear him call her his wife. It wasn’t something she’d been able to imagine before she’d fallen in love with him, and she couldn’t imagine it with anyone else even if she wanted to. And it was yet another confirmation that she didn’t need him to put a ring on her finger and she would never pressure him to do it. But it did spark joy to think about it, and think that it was possible. One day, when he could find it in himself to reach without fear for what was waiting for him. She truly wanted it, wanted to see him believe in their love the way she did and not let the three monsters that he’d called family and the fear they’d instilled in him cripple him anymore. Because she knew that was the only thing standing between them and being an official family. But she was his family anyway, and she would always be, bound to him by her feelings that were far more powerful than anything else he could ever find.

Valtor ended the call soon, almost in sync with the sun sinking in the horizon to disappear as if it’d never been there. And the same happened with her inner debate now that he was free of anything else and that invited her to capture his attention once again.

Griffin slipped out on the balcony herself, earning a smile from him the instant she was back in his world and the welcome made her want to never leave which was exactly her intention. It was why she kept following him and waited for him to come find her after all the obstacles they’d been through. Their road hadn’t been easy but there was nothing easier, nothing more natural to her than loving him.

Valtor offered her a hand and pulled her into him again when she took it, wrapping her in his embrace once more which was the only logical course to take now that there wasn’t anything to keep him away from her. “Sorry,” he said, looking away as if it was too hard to handle the reassurance in her gaze that he didn’t need to be. And he didn’t need to be but it wasn’t really him who decided how he felt so she wouldn’t judge him for wanting to be considerate. If that was what the apology was for. “This won’t be forever,” he said, making it clear he was talking about anything else but work because as much as he himself wanted it, he couldn’t pull himself away from that. No more than he could leave her. And she didn’t understand but she tried to respect it just like she did with every other part of him as she loved all of them, all of his being.

“This will be,” Griffin said and leaned in to let their lips meet again and join together in a show of their love. And there were no stars in the sky yet, but the endless darkness was a better witness anyway with how utterly inconsequential it was to the happiness they shared.

[hearthandhomewitchery]

A Witch Watches: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo

First, I’ve decided to shorten this to A Witch Watches, because really HGTV is a wasteland at this point and I rarely watch it anymore.   But there are lots of great home/garden/cooking shows elsewhere I want to talk about.

Second, anyone who follows my blog knows my absolute disdain for minimalism and might therefore suspect that I would absolutely hate this show.  They might look at the clutterbitch and cottagecore that makes up a good part of my feed and wait gleefully for me to rip into her.

Well, they would be wrong. 

I have to admit, I wasn’t too interested in her book when it came out and had really little interest at first in the show.  I had watched shows like Hoarders and Clean House enough to know that they were always a bit painful for me to watch.  It was always the same--some well-meaning “organization expert” asking some poor soul when was the last time they used something or wore something and then tossing into a sell or throw out pile, while you could see the person’s heart break just a little.

However, the buzz around the show grew and grew.  And it was, indirectly, related to the stuff I talk about here.  So I figured I would give it a go, steeling myself for more misery, prepared to hate it.

I loved it! SO MUCH!

But before talking about why I love it, I want to address why I think she’s gotten so much hate.  First, there is a very racist/xenophobic component that lots of others have addressed much better than I could.

The other is that early on the whole minimalism “movement” latched on to her as one of their own.  For those who find the movement classist and cruel, it is easy to dismiss anyone associated with them as the same.  Even I made that mistake in my post on Clutter vs. Junk.

While Kondo’s personal aesthetic is minimalist, that isn’t her purpose.  Her method is about learning to connect to the things you do have and be thoughtful about them.  I found her approach was much more in line with my own approach than what I had previously come across.

So onto what I love about Marie Kondo:

Emphasis on the spiritual connection to our homes and belongings.

Kondo starts every session by kneeling on the floor, spending time connecting to house and asking permission to tidy it up.  She encourages her clients to thank the items they are removing.  There is throughout the show and emphasis on the energy the items we surround ourselves with and how it affects us.  Hearth and home witchcraft places a special emphasis on our spiritual connection to our homes.  I’ve previously pointed to the Japanese cultural connection to the home and its spiritual connotations when talking about my Ghibli influences.  So, it was nice to see Kondo try and introduce the concept to a western audience.

It’s not about usefulness.

Rather than the typical “Do you use this?” type questions I’ve seen other de-clutterers use, Konda asks two simple questions “Does this spark joy?” and “Do you see this as part of your future?” The first question acknowledges that we have a connection to our possessions beyond usefulness.  Indeed, Kondo breaks down her tidying into different categories and sentimental items get their own category.

The second question helps look at purpose, rather the “usefulness”.  It gets to the why of the person is holding onto it.  The one that really spoke to me was the guy who collected sneakers.  He had a roomful of expensive shoes he had collected over the years and never worn.  On most shows, the expert would have told him to get rid of them.  In this case though, he instead chooses to get rid of the shoes he wears all the time.  His wife is dismayed at first, but he explains he had these shoes he loved but wasn’t really enjoying.  So he picked out his favorite pairs of the expensive shoes to keep and actually wear and enjoy.  He then got rid of the excess of his shoe collection that he didn’t feel a connection with or those that had fallen apart.

Recently, I reorganized my closet and ended up taking everything out so I could put things according to category to find them easier (ie skirts, pants, blouses, etc).  As I went through my things, I found so many cute and fun pieces I had never worn.  I have been a stay at home parent for almost a decade and over time my everyday clothes had drifted to yoga/sweat pants and t-shirts and jeans when I had to leave the house.  I thought about getting rid of all these clothes I loved but didn’t wear, but it made me really sad.  Instead, I resolved to make an effort to wear them more when I left house.  Even if I’m just grocery shopping, I feel much stronger and myself wearing those clothes.  It help me realized there really is power in adopting an aesthetic.

No Shame. She keeps things positive.

Kondo never shames people for being messy.  Indeed she doesn’t treat messiness as a failing, simply something that happens and an opportunity to change things up.  Getting messy is indeed actually part of her process as you take everything in one of her categories, put it in a pile, and then go through it.  She also understands that you have to be in the right frame of mind to tackle a mess, that its ok if it sits for a bit until you’re ready to deal with it.  We see this in particular with the woman who was a widow--Kondo adjusts the order of her system so the widow can tackle the areas she feels most comfortable, knowing that she is still grieving.

Also, this isn’t a makeover show.  People’s homes still look pretty close to what they were when they started.  Indeed, sometimes the homes seemed perfectly fine to me when Kondo and her translator arrive and I wondered why she was there.  Often it was more about the energy of the home and feeling lost and disconnected from their belongings.  And after watching, even though the homes visually look the same, the feeling--the energy is what really changed.

I mean this show is really all about joy and in particular about bring joy into your life though connecting to your home.  I highly recommend it and Kondo’s method if you want to bring some order to your life.

[lauralot89]

I said I was gonna do a rant so here it is

For those who’ve never heard of KonMari, let me explain so that this makes even the slightest bit of sense.  KonMari is a method of household tidying and organization created by Marie Kondo and detailed in her books The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Spark Joy, and The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story.  And very recently, her Netflix original series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo premiered, so now we can marvel over the real-life version of Mary Poppins in high definition.

No seriously, look at her.  She’s the cutest person in the history of ever:

But because we can’t have nice things, the same bullshit complaints that popped up every time one of her books made the NY Times Bestseller list are back, and they’re as annoying as ever.

Let me preface this by saying that minimalism as a lifestyle, in this day and age, does have an inherent and inextricable element of classism to it.  The fact that you can throw away a bunch of stuff and tell yourself “I’ll replace it if I need to” is a luxury that many people don’t have.  I understand that, and I have no objection to criticism in that aspect, although I’d argue that KonMari isn’t technically a minimalist philosophy.

No, what I object to is people deliberately or maybe just stupidly twisting her message so that they can make it sound ridiculous and unattainable.

The principles behind KonMari are incredibly simple:

You probably have too much stuff.

You probably don’t know how to figure out what you actually need.

You probably don’t know how to organize the stuff that you do need.

And that’s it.  But apparently these are CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS that require people to start writing op-eds into major Western newspapers praising the JOY AND HUMANITY OF CLUTTER, or dismissing the whole idea as woo on the level of treating infections with essential oils, or claiming that it’s misogynistic, or whatever else they can find to whine about.

Why are we like this?  Are people just so threatened by the idea that maybe they could improve themselves somewhat that they have to lose their minds over a cute little fairy of a woman telling them how to fold shirts?

The OUTRAGE I see about how KonMari apparently tells people to throw out all their books and movies and hobbies.  The big long articles about people who pared their life to the bare minimum and still weren’t satisfied.  KonMari won’t make you happy!  It’ll ruin your life!

Hey, geniuses: As is stated ad nauseam throughout the books, the focus is on what you keep, not what you give away.  You’re meant to keep everything that sparks joy, whether that’s a hundred possessions or a hundred thousand.

But ah ha!  “Spark joy!”  What kind of flower child nonsense is that?!  My scissors don’t spark joy!  Better throw them out and just fuck myself if I ever need to cut anything again, I guess!

Ugh.  Yeah, a pair of scissors may not be a particularly joyous item, but there is a certain satisfaction in using the pair of scissors that slide through paper like butter instead of the ones that mangle it into abstract origami.  It’s almost like the books even go into detail about possessions that aren’t necessarily joyous or exciting, but are necessary.  But I guess instead of reading that, people were busy making up new chapters in their heads about how you’re supposed to throw out all your spices or your children or something.

And then there’s the criticism that dismisses the whole book as woo.  “She thanks her clothing before she donates it!  She talks to her house!  She thinks socks need to rest!  She’s a lunatic, like I’d ever take part in that nonsense.”

Okay, so when people say stuff like that they’re arguably veering into xenophobia, and it’s gross.  Marie Kondo is Japanese.  About seventy-nine percent of Japanese people have Shinto beliefs.  And while not everyone who practices Shinto believes in animism (the idea that objects have souls), it’s not like it’s unheard of either.  Could you stop being a smug asshat for five seconds and remember that other cultures exist?

And even if you don’t believe in animism, again, all you have to do is actually read the book and it’s clear to see that she’s just suggesting that you “thank” your belongings to help assuage any guilt you might feel over giving up a bunch of perfectly good possessions that you paid for and never even used.  And when she says socks need to rest, she’s saying that socks in use are stretched taut around the weird shape of the human foot, constantly dealing with friction from the foot and the shoe, and it’s better for the elastic if you don’t ball them up when storing them.  That’s it.  Calm down.

And now apparently she’s enforcing rigid gender roles?  Even though I’ve read her books and there’s nothing in them about attracting a man with your superior tidying abilities or properly caring for your husband’s things or assuming the reader’s gender or any of that.  I mean, I guess the plot of the manga was a romance and the protagonist was sparked into learning to tidy because of her cute neighbor’s disgust with her filthy apartment, but even in that book when KonMari asked what she wanted from life, Chiaki’s answers were all about her career and contentment and direction, and nothing to do with Cute Neighbor Boy.  I’ve watched two episodes of the Netflix show so far, both with married couples, and the husbands had to do the exact same work as the wives.

Does KonMari work for everyone?  I have no idea.  Probably not.  But those books are right about a ton of things: that we’ve been told to tidy all our lives without really ever being taught how, that we often store our possessions in such a way that we have no idea of the quantity of what we have, and that tidying a bit at a time doesn’t work because you can’t see any progress being made.  Hell, she doesn’t even claim that your house will never have clutter again.  She talks about how her own house has clutter pile up when she’s busy, but it’s easier to straighten up now that every object has a designated spot in her home.

And she’s right.  I did the KonMari method last January.  I’m the laziest person in the world and I only tidy once a week, if that, even after these books.  And yet it never takes me more than half an hour to get my home in order now, and most of that is time spent washing or sweeping.  It’s not because I don’t have stuff.  I have stuff.  The families on her show still have shelves full of books, multiple closets with clothes, boxes of baseball cards, and all kinds of other possessions.  It’s just now we know where they go, and how many we have.

When you’re not stressed about getting your clutter under control, you have more time to do other shit, whether that’s hang out with loved ones or do hobbies or whatever.  A month after I tried the method, I signed the contract for my own home so I could get out of my abusive household.  Maybe it was just a placebo effect.  Maybe I’d have done it anyway.  I don’t know.  But I know KonMari helped me get my priorities in order and see that I could accomplish things, and I’m forever grateful for that.  So could everyone please just calm the hell down?

[lemonsharks]

I do not like the konmari method and I never pass up the opportunity to remind the konmari cult that it is imperfect. Nothing personal, OP.

The konmari method falls down HARD on the poverty axis (and tbh it is not great on the ability axis/requires a huge expenditure of emotional and physical energy all at once to execute as written).

The ability to not have to keep half broken shit around because it still half works and you can't afford to replace it?

The assumption that someone can get rid of a thing they hate that still works, or that can be fixed, for so frivolous a reason as 'does not spark joy' is classist as frick.

As is the non-engagement with the shame of not having the skill to fully fix the thing, or the money to buy the supplies to fully fix the thing, and so having to use the half-broken thing.

The thigh holes aren't visible on the pants and you *should* patch them right now but you don't have thread or an appropriate material to patch with, let alone the knowledge of how to do it?

You hate them but they're not unwearable so you wear them and hate it.

All the pants have thigh holes.

New pants cost $27 and used pants cost $5+, IF the thrift store has them in your size. When you've budgeted down to the cent and pants aren't in the budget, you wear the hole pants and hope they last for another month or two until you can retire the worst of them and wear their non-hole replacement until they too wear out completely.

Your roommate ruined both your chefs knives, to the point of taking big ol chunks of metal out of the blades? You hate them but you can't drop any money on a new knife when you're half an inch from straight up stealing groceries instead of just entering their codes as a cheap produce item.

Those knives were my knives, and I used them for two years in their broken state, when I was in college. I got a 3 day pay rent or quit notice every month for three years, couldn't find a job because I didn't have work experience, and--HA, there's a kick in the teeth--I didn't have the money to move home.

(Financial aid--barely-covered tuition, so I stayed and I hated it.)

The hole pants were my pants, which I kept because new pants are $27 dollars and used pants are $5 but I had a needle and could get enough fabric offcuts and a spool of shitty thread for $2.50 if the holes grew enough to show while walking and I had no choice BUT to patch them.

Because this is what you do when you're 'dont have bus fare to get to the food pantry' poor.

You make do and you make things last past their lifespan and you hate it and you try to calculate how many calories you own in your pantry once and not over and over again trying to eke another day or two out of the math.

The dented can of green beans does not spark joy but you're going to eat them anyway.

And you hate it.

Keeping only things which spark joy is for people with disposable income.

And yes she was originally writing for a Japanese audience and yes she was a shinto shrine maiden but I do not believe for one second that Japan doesn't also have poor people who deal with the ugly reality of poverty and making do.

And you know what? The survival skills you pick up on that kind of poverty stay with you. Ask people who've been in it this:

"You know that anxiety spike you get when you throw out a pair of pants with holes in the thighs? Because you can't see the holes unless you're right up in there and they could be repaired if you end up needing them later?"

They'll have an answer somewhere in the neighborhood of: "Mood."

me, reaching into my dresser drawer for black pants: I hope this isn’t the pair with big holes worn in the inner thighs

Marie Kondo, gently over my shoulder: why is a pair of pants you find unwearable still in your dresser drawer

me: oh shit that’s right!! The dresser is for clothes that under some circumstance I might conceivably wear!!

Marie Kondo, beaming proudly: Yes, that’s correct!! These pants must have been your favorites. How wonderful that they were so comfortable and practical that you wore them out. But now since they no longer function as pants, you should move them from the drawer where you keep your functioning pants!

me: Yes thanks I got it they’re in the fabric basket now

Marie Kondo, fading back into the darkness: I love what you’ve done with the kitchen!!

[irarelypostanything]

Why is Marie Kondo so Popular?

I am one of many people who owns a copy of Marie Kondo’s first book, which I like to tell people I enjoy more for writing style than for content.  It sounds like criticism, and it is, but I think there’s more to it than that: With her simplistic writing style and the calm tone she conveys, Marie Kondo manages to take something like cleaning and make it feel like an entire philosophy.  There have been plenty of books written on cleaning before, and many of them employ the scientific, technical writing style you might find in a car manual.  Marie Kondo doesn’t do this.  Marie Kondo might as well be writing a typical self-help book, or a philosophy book, or a detailed memoir.  It feels more like a self-help book, or a philosophy book, or even a memoir than it does a how-to guide.

I think that the incredible popularity Marie Kondo has experienced in the last few years, internationally, is something amazing.  I’d like to talk to the roots that I think this phenomenon may have, though I have not researched her life at length.

When you hear her describe cleaning, you’ll begin to recognize that she’s somewhat atypical in her approach.  She doesn’t just sort, she hold items, asks herself if it “sparks joy,” and then either cleans or folds the item with love or discards it before thanking it.  There is no scientific backing I know of for why you should do this.  It would probably be, scientifically speaking, much more efficient to just discard items based on when you’ve last used them.  Here, I think, is where her style becomes brilliant:

Japanese culture has been heavily influenced by Shintoism, a polytheistic religion that associates objects (including natural objects) with spirits.  In Christianity, and by extension much of western culture, plants and animals were very clearly made to be beneath humans.  God created man in in His image; the plants and animals serve man.  Miyazaki, I think, is someone who created artistic works that fed on the same deeply-held desire that Marie Kondo appeals to: A return to a world where our possessions are sacred, where everything has a spirit, where the world isn’t a collection of resources to be extracted and discarded, but a very alive thing that we can coexist with.  I think that Marie Kondo just takes that and puts it inside our homes.

Still, it might be a stretch.  I don’t know if Marie Kondo is Shinto or even influenced by Shintoism; some aspects of her book, and the first episode of the Netflix series, are extremely specific and systematic.  The main thing I got out of the book, practically speaking, were laundry folding techniques; the main thing I got out of the first episode was the “spark joy” concept (which actually influenced software developers at Facebook to develop apps to scrub memories of your ex...another fascinating avenue to explore in perhaps a later post).

Compare Marie Kondo to a popular YouTube channel by someone named Melissa Maker.  I love Melissa’s channel, but the style is completely different.  Melissa is fascinated by the uses of household items like baking soda and white vinegar; Melissa Maker is systematic, methodical, scientific, and carries out the cleaning process with the precision and accuracy of a serial killer eliminating evidence at a crime scene.  

Melissa Maker is like science; Marie Kondo is like spirituality.  By these two combined forces, I may finally muster the motivation and strength to wash the freaking dishes.

[sturdy-nerdy-stitchery]

I've been watching that new Netflix show with Marie kondo about tidying up! Well some of the show gives me stress because it reminds me of all the clutter and crap that we have in our house...but... It does help in ways to get me organized! These are all my cross stitching cloth and needles... 90% of this was donated by my next door neighbor because she no longer used it! She also gave me a gallon Ziploc bag full of DMC thread but all my threads already organized so I don't need to worry about that LOL!

Marie Kondos method is to keep things that spark joy... Keep things that you truly love and that you want to have around... And if it doesn't interest you anymore or doesn't give you that same feeling like picking up a new puppy then get rid of it and I've already got rid of quite a few things that are going to head to Goodwill!

But I'm really pleased with this box because before I just had them in a tote bag just shoved in there and now everything is where I can see it.

Will I use these tomorrow? no... Will I use the next week? Probably not... Will I use them in a year? I highly doubt it but maybe! The thing is... Cross stitching gives me joy and I don't want to get rid of this stuff because I want to use it one day when I'm not so tired...

I would highly recommend the show for any and all Crafters were following my blog...Yes it may give you anxiety to watch... But when it comes down to it she does have useful tips on how to keep organized and I think it'll be really useful for all your crafting stuff when a lot of us might tend to throw it in a box and forget about it...

Heredia comes from an Asian mentality living an area where space is limited even including your living space until you have to organize your space effectively and only keep the things that you truly want to keep... A lot of times in this day and age of specially As Americans... We tend to buy things because it was on sale or because we have the space or because we want it or because it was the deal of the day... Our house just fills up with so much stuff

But if you think about it... A lot of Asians good. Japanese, Koreans, etc.... They don't have a lot of space to work with and so they have to really think deeply about what they want to keep, especially when their space is limited and they can't keep every single thing they want or buy... And I think that's where Marie Kondo's mentality comes from... Not a minimalist "get rid of stuff" kind of attitude but to value quality over quantity. You can still have more than 30 books as long as those books give you Joy and quality in your life.

I'm only two episodes in but I'm already using some of her techniques and advice! I'm making use of the small space I have in my office... And it's really small... So that I can utilize all my space efficiently

so I encourage all of you Crafters to go out there... to go to your spaces start work on organizing! Start getting rid of things that you thought you were going to use but it it doesn't hold your interest... find new ways to display your things or the store them so that they're not just piled in a messy bunch.

I know you can do it!

[sashico]

A bit of spin off from the other day’s Konmari topic. I believe the tidying up is very important, and good for some people with Konmari Method. However, I feel pretty strange (and somewhat uncomfortable) when I saw the Netflix show. A pile of trash bags outside of their house and a person smiling in the clean house… Don’t you feel uneasy? Is that okay to throw away items if she/he does not see it in their house…? It is like “I am happy as long as my territory is clean (safe, wealthy, and comfortable for that matter)”. ☆ This society is based on the economy build by mass-production and mass consumption. I receive the benefit from it too. However, the true point of “decluttering” is to understand why the person clutter things. The ordinary Japanese don’t clutter much because (unfortunately) we don’t have much space to clutter, but at the same time, I believe they know what is the core in their life - to balance. Getting rid of items from the personal space may give you spark “satisfaction”, and I hope the satisfaction lead people to have a new routine of not getting “soon-not-to-be-Sparking” items. ☆ Some asked me if Konmari method is more like Japanese culture. Some media introduce her method as Zen type method. I am not an expert, but as long as I know, the Japanese are kind of opposite - stingy and type of hoarder. At least, the Japanese in the past didn’t have a choice to throw away item. The result is Boro, as you may know. Even if a piece of fabric bring the “Spark Ew”, they kept it for the practical reasons - Survival. The core is the same in both Sashiko and Konmari Method - Appreciate what we have (had). The difference is either upcycle or throw away (or decide to keep the items bring joy). I try to upcycle as much as I can because it is my social experiment (I haven’t bought any cloth since 2017, :D). (This is the personal note by Atsushi) ☆ 先日のこんまりさんのお話から、「現代の社会は大量生産と大量消費で成り立っている」という原則を踏まえて、少しだけ膨らま��ます。断捨離にも似たこんまりさんの片付けは、とても効果的だと思うのです。でもね、どうも「ゴミ袋一杯に詰められて外に積み上げられた服」と「綺麗になった部屋で笑顔でいる人」を目にすると、先進国と後進国というか、なんか「自分の目に映らなければ良いや」的な感じを受けてしまうのです。なぜモノを買ってしまうのか……という所から考えなきゃと。 ☆ #Sashiko #Decluttering #Upcycle #Repurpose #刺し子 #こんまりメソッド https://www.instagram.com/p/BtvxKh5lpbA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mb0622thadgj

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 094

Episode: Futari wa Precure Max Heart 43 - “The Final Winter Break! A Special Lesson For Zakenna?!” Date watched: 12 November 2018 Original air date: 25 December 2005 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/OnbQjul

hai chiizu

I was actually surprised by the broadcast date of this one because without any mention of Christmas in the episode, I figured it had already passed. I know it kind of comes and goes how much they talk about it in a given season, GoPri and Maho Girls stand out in my memory as being the most Christmasy, but this just skips right past it. Odd. (I did some looking into Japanese Christmas traditions and while they certainly differ from American or European traditions, I would have thought they’d acknowledge the day itself somehow) Anyway it’s time for some more tying up loose ends and more mysterious connections between Hikari and the boy in the mansion.

Nagisa and Honoka have officially passed on the mantle of leadership in their respective clubs. The new lacrosse captain is Maki, whom we’ve seen a few times. The new science club president is a girl named Nagai that I don’t remember ever seeing before, certainly not by name.

Both of our protagonists are sad that they’re not in the clubs anymore (side note: why are they passing the baton before the end of the school year?) and reflect on the good times they had over the last year. Maki is having a bit of a hard time connecting with the team, so Nagisa gives her a bit of a pep talk encouraging her to do things her own way rather than trying to emulate Nagisa, and maybe be a little more gentle with them, and this perks her up. Yuriko, Shiho, and Rina are all acting a little strange towards Nagisa and Honoka, inviting them to the school the next day (during winter break) at 3:00 without saying why, and even Akane and Hikari are in on this super secret plan. However, when Hikari goes to check the refrigerator to make sure they have enough supplies for.... whatever they’re making, she sees the Dusk Zone. In the Dark Mansion, Hikaru is looking out the window when suddenly his view changes to the Garden of Light.

Baldez has already stated that his is a game of mutual influence and growth.... followed by darkness consuming everything. Is this part of his plan? Hard to say. However, nothing further comes from this strange vision of the worlds of light and darkness right now.

At school the next day, Nagisa and Honoka show up to a surprise party! The lacrosse and science clubs have teamed up to thank their captains for the past year of service, bequeathing them with bouquets, confetti, and even food provided by Akane and Hikari in the form of a giant cake and, of course, takoyaki. Yuriko wants to get a picture of it before they dig in, but she starts to pass out.... and so does everybody else.

Yes, it’s Zakenna time. Viblis has conjured up a big one this time, made from classroom equipment like rulers and a chalkboard. It even fires chalk as missiles. The warriors of light rush outside to face it, and they hit it with their usual barrage of punches and spinning kicks. I’m kind of regretting not analyzing the fights more thoroughly throughout this project but, too little too late. The animation is set up that they seem to be moving kind of slowly and it’s.... weird. There’s a point where Shiny Luminous gets blown away from the other girls and she falls for what feels like an eternity. Viblis confronts her and thinks this might be her chance to finally destroy her (apparently not having learned a lesson from episode 40) so she gets ready to blast her, but this causes Hikaru over in the mansion to react again, the dark power swirling around him and arising between Luminous and Viblis, knocking them both back. (While the attack is indiscriminate, it makes you wonder if Hikaru is more benevolent than the dark forces want him to be.) Luminous recovers herself and then Lulun activates the shield of light defense that knocks back the Zakenna charging at her.

Black and White take this chance to summon the Rainbow Braces and finish it off with Marble Screw Max Spark. Viblis jumps in and tries to block it but, once again, she is unsuccessful. I’m not sure why they keep trying honestly. As the dust clears, the girls realize they need to get back to the classroom before everyone wakes up.

The celebration resumes and the clubs once again thank Nagisa and Honoka profusely for all their hard work and leadership over the last year. They walk down a hallway with their club members lining both sides and Yuriko at the end, ready to take a picture. The pair poses but then everybody decides to jump into the picture at the last minute, and we get this.

buncha goofballs

After the party is over, the trio are at Akane’s and Lovelan states she’ll be returning to the Chairect now. They don’t even show the usual light show of her entering it so clearly they don’t care so much about advertising this toy anymore. However, before she went in, she said “A lot of things may happen from now on,” which unsettles the girls. Nagisa and Honoka don’t know about Hikari’s bond with the boy in the mansion, I’m not sure they really understand who he is, but they are starting to realize that collecting all the Heartiels and resurrecting the Queen may not be the end of their troubles, especially because they’re not sure what will happen to Hikari. Hikari herself starts to cry, but says she just felt tired for a moment.

Nagisa and Honoka reflect on the power of darkness that surged during their fight, saying it was different from anything they’ve felt before, and Hikari observes that something has begun to awake in the boy. They all look on nervously as the screen fades to white.

Succession is a big theme in this episode. Maki struggles with succeeding Nagisa, trying to emulate her coaching methods while putting her own spin on it. Nagisa faced the same trouble early in the season, unsure of how to be a good captain to her team, and she imparts her advice: be yourself, be friendly, and have fun with the team. Don’t try to be a leader so hard that you lose sight of why you play in the first place. She doesn’t say this outright, but this is similar to the situation in episode 39 at the lacrosse finals with the rival captain who drilled her team to perfection but had almost forgotten the sheer joy of playing. Maki was close to going down the same path with Verone’s team but she had the self-awareness to realize the team wasn’t responding well to her, especially when Nagisa stopped by to watch, and she asked for some advice.

I wish I could say we knew half as much about the politics of the Science Club succession but Max Heart has chosen to sideline Honoka’s club life in favor of Nagisa’s, to the point where I only know the names of two other members. One is Yuriko who carries over from the previous season, and the other, Nonomiya, hasn’t appeared since episode 9, except possibly in the background. If Nagai, the new Science Club president, has appeared at all this season or last, she was certainly not emphasized at all. I would have liked to get to see her a few times and watch her grow up to be able to inherit leadership of the club, like we saw with Maki. Sadly, we are not blessed with this opportunity and I highly doubt we’ll ever see her again, with only 4 episodes left in the series.

Hikari struggles with her own succession crisis of sorts: is she the successor to the Queen of Light? Is she the replacement? Will she disappear when all 12 Heartiels are collected? These are important questions, and Nagisa and Honoka have them on their minds as well. Hikari is their friend in a way that the Queen never was, and she has her own value and worth as a human being. They don’t want to lose her, and I wish they had explored the ramifications of this sooner. As my friend @sailor-rurouni pointed out, the girls have not been actively pursuing the Heartiels all season, they just show up, hang around for a few episodes to watch the girls embody whatever one of the Queen’s Wills they represent, and then enter the Chairect. The girls aren’t actively invested in finding the Heartiels, they don’t worry when it’s been a few episodes since one showed up, but neither do they reject them in favor of keeping Hikari around. If you’re going to have a macguffin quest, make it feel important. I would like the show a lot more if they would take a solid stance on the Heartiels and the Queen’s resurrection, rather than just letting the chips fall where they may and only now, when there’s just one Heartiel left to find, starting to wonder “Oh shit what’s going to happen to our friend that we’ve made over the last year once we do this? Is there a way to keep her around and resurrect the Queen at the same time? What does she feel about all of this? If she says yes is that only because she’s too nice to speak her own mind on the matter, because she feels like resurrecting a person that she has never met is more important than her own thoughts and feelings?” Having written all of that down, it kind of reminds me of Roxas from Kingdom Hearts, being a part of Sora and having to return to Sora’s heart to reawaken him so you can proceed on your quest. It’s a similar case of a derivative being having their own sentience and sapience, at risk of being lost to revive the original person. It’s an interesting ethical dilemma, and Max Heart has not explored it at all. At the risk of loosely spoiling things, we know Hikari is present for future crossovers, not that those are highly concerned with canon (especially given the absurd way some of the newer shows have ended.... like Dokidoki) so you sort of already know things are going to turn out okay, but the journey is as important as the destination, and the journey has really sucked in this area.

Also at issue is Hikari’s connection to Hikaru, how her growth affects him and what the cause of this growth and development is. Does Hikari get stronger and more defined the more Heartiels they collect, or is it a natural consequence of her existing for all these months? How does Baldez know her growth is connected to Hikaru and would he be able to grow if they defeated Hikari? Is his power, in counterpart to hers, simply a consequence of the need to balance light and darkness? If they were allowed to stay in the same space for longer than a few minutes, what would happen to both of them? The questions surrounding Hikaru’s growth really should have been addressed sooner, I feel.

All of that being said, I do like this episode. Watching the girls grow up, mature, pass on the leadership roles that we saw them first take at the start of this series, and reminisce about the experiences they had growing into their titles is enjoyable because I enjoy spending time with these characters, in their world. They’ve built a connection with the audience, we know by now that it’s almost time to say goodbye and they’re preparing for the next stage of their lives.

I don’t have much to say about the art or animation except, again, I found the fight choreography to be a bit slow and lacking in intensity. I don’t know if it’s a low framerate or what but movements that were meant to be fast and have a lot of impact felt more floaty. The scene at the very end, after the party, had a nice use of color and lighting.

Sunset scenes have that ability. Maybe it’s cheating but it does present that air of uncertainty about the future. Also, while we’re here, I want to give a shoutout to Hikari’s winter coat in the above picture. Akane has one too, but they’re these cool longcoats with pink fur lining and the Tako Cafe logo on the left breast. Longcoats are always cool and I like the notion that Akane’s stand has an official winter uniform. I think Hikari also has a winter blazer for her school uniform like Nagisa and Honoka are wearing, but we don’t see it in this episode. Maybe the next one.

There are four episodes left, can I finish this show by the end of the week? Find out next time on Precure Daily!

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