#season 1 is my fav cause the girls are the focus

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Im cyring n shaking i cna’t omg Even if they aren’t end game at least confirm Yuna is in love with Nari TT0TT you can’t kieep playing wiht my heart like this TT0TT

[drprettyboyspence]

Lilapsophobia

Dr. Spencer Reid/reader 

Summary: The reader is the newest member of the BAU and she just happens to be terrified of tornadoes. Her best friend and secret crush Dr. Spencer Reid helps her when she starts feeling overwhelmed on the jet. Takes place during the jet scene in Season 7 Episode 7 “There’s no place like home”

words: 1.4k 

warnings: minor description of plane crashes, nothing else to my knowledge! 

a/n: The jet scene from this episode is one of my fav scenes and I wanted to write from the perspective of someone feeling a little anxious due to the nature of this episode. Hope you like it! 

lilapsophobia (n.) - the abnormal fear of tornadoes or hurricanes, considered the more severe type of astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning. 

The jet shakes once again and I take into consideration the winces on the faces of the team, even Hotch. That’s how I know this is bad, Hotch’s straight face almost never breaks. I glance out the window to my right, the sky outside so gray it almost appears green, only reminding me of the constant warnings I received as a child, “If the sky is green during a thunderstorm, go down to the basement and don’t come out.” Great, if only my family could see me now, about as far from a basement as I can possibly get, 35,000 feet in the air. The clouds are swirling in huge arcs outside the jet and each second it seems the wind is getting stronger against the flimsy wings. We’ve been summoned to Wichita, Kansas,  responding to the recovery of two young boys found in the rubble of recent tornados. I’m the newest member of the BAU team, the youngest too, joining the team at only 24 years old. The whispering had started almost immediately, finally Dr. Spencer Reid had met his match, Agent Y/n Y/l//n.

 I had been extremely nervous to meet the famous Dr., scared that he would see me as competition, that I was trying to take his place, or that he would look down on me. I could not have been more wrong, Spencer and I have become the best of friends in the months I’ve been working with this team and secretly, I have a bit of a crush on him as well. That’s something I refuse to tell anybody, not even the girls of the BAU, who I have become extremely close with as well. The clink of water glasses shaking on the table brings me out of my memories, forcing me to direct my attention to Spencer who has begun speaking,

“You know, if this unsub is using tornadoes as a forensic countermeasure then Kansas certainly is the ideal setting. Tornadoes do pose a significant threat, during this year’s super outbreak back in April there were 336 confirmed tornadoes in just several days resulting in over 300 lives lost.” Great, that makes me feel so much better. I glance at Spencer in shock, how does he say stuff like that in such a calm manner, all I can picture is this plane falling out of the sky right about… 

“Hey! Tell us something good mama.” Morgan says as Garcia’s face pops up on the screen. I don’t think I’ve ever envied her more than I do right now, safe on the ground in her bat cave at Quantico, thousands of miles from any type of tornado. I try my best to focus on the information she feeds to us through the monitor, having uncovered valuable information about the two victims that will help us solve the case. I know I need to use my brain, this isn’t the time to let a silly childish phobia get in the way of my job, even if, as Spencer just said, tornadoes do pose a significant threat. Garcia clicks off after Emily says something about the unsub fetishizing the missing limbs, what I would give to press a button and be transported to safety. The jet shakes the most violently it has yet and Rossi grimaces, grasping onto the side of his seat tightly as I hear the click of Spencer’s seat belt, the knowledge that the brave genius is feeling anxious only making me feel worse. Rossi begins forming a cross over his body, prompting Spencer to remark

“I didn’t know you were a bad flyer.” Well Spencer neither am I but something about being 35,000 feet in the air in a small aircraft with the genius next to me spitting out facts about the danger of tornadoes might just make anybody a bad flyer. 

“I’m not, I just hate turbulence.”  Rossi responds and I can already sense what’s coming next, cue the statistics from Dr. Spencer Reid that are sure to make exactly no one feel better about our current situation. 

“You know, turbulence very rarely causes planes to crash.” Oh well that’s good at least, I think as I loosen up my grip on the seat slightly. 

“That does me absolutely no good at the moment, thank you.” Rossi sassily responds. I’d laugh if I wasn’t so terrified in this moment. I usually find Spencer’s outbursts cute but right now I’m too on edge to hear one more fact about the probability we are all going to die a fiery plane-crash death. 

“What we really need to worry about are micro-bursts.” Oh no. Rossi and I share a quick panicked look as we both know what’s coming. “The sudden downburst of air associated with thunderstorms, but a small craft like this if we hit one of those at the wrong altitude, boom, pulverized.” I feel as though the room is spinning when he says that, how does he seem so calm? 

“I beg of you to make him stop.” Rossi says to JJ from across the plane. Suddenly I feel as though I’m going to be sick, quickly jumping up and stumbling my way to the bathroom, leaving Spencer asking me if I’m okay. Once in the bathroom I strangely feel the smallest bit more stable but all of the stress is adding up and I start crying. I know it’s ridiculous, I’m an FBI agent, I put myself in life-threatening situations every day, but I’m terrified of tornadoes. 

“Y/n, are you okay?” I hear the soft voice of Spencer outside the door and I frantically try to wipe the tear streaks off my face to no avail, it’s painfully obvious I’ve been crying. I reluctantly unlock the door, not wanting Spencer to see me like this. He shields me from the rest of the team, FBI profilers are nosy as hell. He closes the door behind him and if I wasn’t so overwhelmed right now I would laugh at the fact that I’m locked in a jet bathroom with my crush right now, our friends on the other side of the door probably wondering what on earth is going on. “Oh Y/n, what’s wrong? Is it that thing I said, I’m quite sure we aren’t going to hit any microbursts. I’m sorry I’ve upset you.” 

“No, no, Spence, it wasn’t you, ugh this is so embarrassing, I’m just, uh, I’m really scared of tornadoes, have been since I was a little kid, I’m just overwhelmed, I’m really sorry about this, it’s ridiculous.” 

“Y/n, why didn’t you tell me you had lilapsophobia, 1 in 10 people have a fear of extreme weather, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Here, let’s get out of this cramped bathroom because you just know we’ll never hear the end of it from Morgan.” He wipes the remaining tears off my face as I nod, feeling so much better with Spencer here with me. We leave the bathroom and Spencer leads me to the couch, sitting down with me. It’s like he knew I was feeling extremely exhausted all of a sudden. 

“Why don’t you try and sleep for a little Y/n, we won’t be landing in Wichita for a while and we need you at your best to solve this case, I can’t function without my partner in crime-solving, you know that.” My eyes are getting droopy even as the plane continues to shake, I feel safe in Spencer’s arms as he begins to stroke the back of my neck, hoping to relieve some of the stress I’m under. 

“You don’t have to do all of this Spencer, really, thank you though, it’s so sweet of you, but I should take care of myself.” I say, but it's painfully obvious I’m melting into Spencer’s touch, finally relaxing for the first time since I heard about this tornado-centered case. 

“Nonsense Y/n, there’s nothing to be ashamed of as I said before, and I’m never going to stop taking care of you, remember that sweetheart.” He then places a quick kiss on my forehead, not caring about the teasing we’ll receive from every member of the team, even Hotch, and god forbid Garcia if she ever catches word of this, we’ll never hear the end of it, well maybe I don’t care anymore. Just before I fall asleep in Spencer’s embrace I think, for the first time in my life, I’m ready for whatever lies ahead in Wichita, even tornadoes. 

[firstofficer-williamyiker]

Ok, ok, ok, ok. I am way too focus on this but I really really wanted to list out every Star Trek ship (from TNG, DS9, and VOY cause those are the ones I have seen most of) I could think of and give my opinion on it. Why? Because I don’t wanna do my math test. Lets go down the spiral of hyperfixation and little impulse control. (FYI, this became a long ass post, so read through if you want or don’t lol)

Let’s start from the beginning. 

The Next Generation: (aka gays that all share one smart brain cell) 

Picard x Crusher: Honestly, I like their chemistry, and if it became canon I would be alright with that. No real strong feelings on this ship.

Picard x Q: The epitome of enemies to lovers slow burn in 300k words. The sexual tension is too much to handle, I absolutely adore these two. They probably fucked once and Picard regrets it immeasurably. 

Picard x Riker: Nah, not for me. But you do you dudes.

Riker x Troi: Again, I quite like these two together. Two Bi Icons getting together, I’m here for it. 

Riker x Worf: Eh, Worf isn’t really a fav of mine so that makes me bias against this ship. It cool tho.

Riker x Crusher: *war flashbacks to when Crusher had sex with a Trill worm that was inside currently inside Riker’s body* Haha, fuck no. 

Troi x Crusher: Two queens getting together and tearing down the patriarchy, I stan.

Troi x Tasha: I tend to block out season one of TNG from my mind, but honestly, I like the vibe.

Data x Geordi: My OTP for this show. It should have happened. Rick Berman is a coward. They are just so sweet and they understand each other like no one else. A few of their scenes in this show made me cry. I ship

Data x Tasha: Nah, I don’t vibe. Would have been better as mlm and wlw solidarity. 

Worf x Troi: They had a few cute scenes together in the later seasons, I don’t hate neither super enjoy.

Deep Space Nine: (aka no straights in space)

Sisko x Kasidy: I liked them better in the early seasons. I think the writers low-key forgot about Kasidy until she was convenient plot device. 

Kira x Odo: I preferred it in the first few seasons where Odo had a little crush on Kira and it was kinda adorable. But after their relationship had become canon in the later seasons I was kinda disappointed.

Kira x Jadzia: I am here for this ship, two powerful women ready to take on the world together but also have their own insecurities that come up as the situation arises. Immaculate, I want it.

Dukat x Kira: Fuck no, they are enemies. Idk why the DS9 writers thought it would be a great idea to pair THESE two together. But thank god for Nana Visitor for being such a queen. 

Odo x Quark: Again, another amazing enemies to lovers ship. I love seeing those two on screen together, their chemistry is just *chef’s kiss*.

Miles x Keiko: Miles is like, the token heterosexual on this show. He loves his wife, his kids, and his job.

Bashir x Garak: Fuck yeah, OTP of this show for me gang. It was so heavily implied and it would have been so cool to see, especially in the 90s. But oh well, at least we got the actors writing and performing fanfiction for us.

Bashir x Jadzia: Yeah no, I wouldn’t ship them romantically. And the writers definetly did not favors to Bashir when they make his crush on her a bit creepy in the early seasons. But would be a BROTP for me.

Bashir x Ezri: Hnng, I don’t like. It just feels like Bashir is trying to date the Jadzia he never had and I don’t like it.

Jadzia x Worf: It’s fine, I guess. I don’t really see the chemistry.

Ezri x Jake: I mean, it’s better than Ezri x Bashir, but like, Dax has known Jake over 3 lifetimes and watched him grow up soooo, nah.

Jake x Ziyal: I am a fan. I think these two would have been really cool together especially since they are both artistic people with Jake’s writing and Ziyal’s painting. They could have done some really cool stuff together. Plus, it would make some interesting family reunion moments between Dukat and Sisko hehe.

Jake x Nog: Again, I am a fan. Tol and smol dynamics are what I am here for.

Garak x Ziyal: No

Voyager: (aka gays lost in space)

Janeway x Chakotay: The of the few straight ships I would die for. I am quite disappointed that nothing ever formed between the two because it would have been really cute and oh my god the tension the writers made between the two. I feel baited for this ship, AND IT’S A STRAIGHT SHIP! I’m sorry I have feelings about this. 

Janeway x Seven: Not a top ship of mine but I definitely see the chemistry here and I support it. 

Janeway x Paris: I only bring this up because in like season 1 or 2 they have axolotl children together because the writers were probably high as a kite when they came up with this idea for an episode. But a hard pass. 

Janeway x Coffee: I’m pretty sure this is already canon and I stan. 

Chakotay x Seven: I haven’t completely finished Voyager yet but I heard that this is the endgame for the two and WTF. I don’t see or understand it and it makes me upset, like really upset.

Chakotay x B’elanna: I’m just glad this wasn’t canon. I more just bring it up because I remembered B’elanna had a crush on Chakotay in the early seasons before Tom. And like, I get it because if Chakotay was my commanding officer I’d probably crush too girl. 

B’elanna x Paris: It’s a canon ship that I honestly kinda like. There are some moments where I’m like “oh no” and other where I’m like “YES”. But overall, I enjoy it. I just feel like there is something missing.

Paris x Kim: Fuck yea, I love these two together. Two bros turned lovers I am fucking here for it my dudes. But again, I feel like there is something else missing here.

B’elanna x Paris x Kim: Oh hell yea, I found what was missing. This is my personal OTP of Voyager. In my head I think Kim and B’elanna are just really close friends who do engineering things together. While Paris is in the corner, loving them both, but also setting the Delta Flyer on fire for the third time this week. I haven’t really looked into the Voyager tag (because spoilers) so idk if this is a popular ship. But I think they all have some really fun chemistry and I enjoy it. 

Paris x Delta Flyer: This just came to my head 20 seconds ago as I wrote the last one but I’m pretty sure this one is already canon. 

Kim x Seven: Nah

Seven x The Doctor: Hmm, do I dislike it as much as I do Seven x Chakotay? No, I do not. But do I like it that much? No, no I do not. I ship them as friends.

Tuvok x Nelix: No, not really. Opposites attract is not really my cup of tea all the time.

Nelix x Kes: Oh damn, I almost forgot about Kes. I know this is canon but where did this come from. The writers NEVER EXPLAIN IT! And then they never explain why the later broke up. I just... I just don’t understand. 

I doubt I have covered every ship, these were just the ones that came to me while writing this. Also, these are just my personal opinions please don’t come for my knees.

[baddyxangel]

well...that was an...experience.

spoiler

ok babies so i finally finished ALL of teen wolf and umm...wow . im gonna go ahead and share my thoughts, i think im gonna split this into 2 posts 1 where i talk about the characters individually and 1 where i just speak in general

6B never happened, I've never heard of it, never seen it, never touched it, never smelled it and i dont think i wanna see anything anymore.

starting with our MC we have scott, the indecisive, pure, irritating, "true alpha". now my problems with scott are honestly just preferrence but still somewhat justified . if you're familiar with comics you know that we always have our hero who believes and tries his best to save EVERYBODY including his enemies, and he is the "if i kill them i'll be just as bad as them" type. now the issue i have with this trope is that its just annoying and naive , I've always been more of a wonder woman type myself personally i dont see this issue with killing 1 person who has killed hundreds or dozens. Scott in most cases is very...bland ? very cookie cutter goody two shoes type, naive and a little bit soft, and for how gassed up true alphas are he is EXTREMELY underwhelming and one is his only saving graces for me is me being attracted to him.

he lets some of the most dangerous people in his universe roam freely because there is a "line" he wont cross and while i get those are his morals and his code i just personally couldnt fuck with it if i was in pack. his innocence meshes more well with ignorance. AND FOR FUCKS SAKE LET THIS MAN BE FUCKING SINGLE

also this was added in post: he's best on screen when he has other people with him to actually show he had some kind of personality besides "me help people" is what I've noticed. specifically stiles, derek and isaac tbh. i think one of my fav scott moments is "im the hot girl 🙂" and isaac saying "yes you are 👍🏽"

Stiles now we all know stiles, the best friend, the brains of the operation, the sarcastic and funny one who lightens the mood. Now stiles is one of my favorites (surprise surprise) because he's not infuriating to me i dont think I've ever been frustrated with mr.stilinski. he's essentially scotts polar opposite but not really if you get what i mean ? idk i love him, moving on.

Allison- i like her. got on my nerves after her coocoo ass momma died but y know. i thought her and scott were cute and i would've liked her to stay alive

Lydia- my favorite banshee, smart, but for some reason is always being taken hostage, attacked, injured, and put into extremely horrifying situations and i dont think i like that.

Kira- personally my fav of scotts Gf's, i think she's cute, right amount of awkward, strong, interesting and i would've loved for her kitsune to have been able to kill somebody. jeff davis obviously did her dirty with her storyline that was apparently finished even though...we still didnt get to learn that much about her powers ? whatever im upset.

Liam- dont like him . moving on. also the long hair didnt grow on me and i dont think it will.

Jackson- eat shit and die.

coach- we love you.

monroe- i could write an entire 2 hour movie script on this hoe. bitch killed 1 hellhound and start feeling ha pussy and thinking she hot shit fuck this lil girl was annoying, moving on before i keep typing.

gerard- you got what the fuck yo old ass had coming to you

peter- we love an anti hero with a sense of humor 💕 and idc he would've wrecked everybody shit in season 1

kate- girl...you are a mess of a hoe. lemme stop there before i write a book on her too.

chris- ily

melissa- someone give her an award ASAP

sherrif- you were very on and off for me

derek- baby i missed you so much, leave scott musty ass and come pack this puss-

dread doctors- these fuckers used to put fear in my soul when i was little

deaton- i dont like how he's used as a plot device.

desert wolf- LMFAOOOO

malia- i like her because she's impulsive but sometimes those impulsive tendecies make me wanna stomp her head in the ground.

deucalion- also used a plot device after his season and then died for no reason. im so sorry for what this show did to you

im missing a lot but if you drop your opinions and names in the replies i'll share my opinion on whoever i missed

Thoughts on Theo? theo- hated his manipulative ass but he is so fine so it hurt me to be screaming and cursing at my tv when he was on screen. originally i was extremely irritated and annoyed when they brought him back cause i dont think he needed to be redeemed like at all, even though i appreciate that i can love him without him being a piece of shit it was unneeded i think . id still fuck him tho

scott pissed me off cause... is theo just a great liar or does scott just hate stiles ? why would he believe theo so easily yet not ask for stiles part of the story ? its like he forgets that stiles doesnt have claws and fangs and shit so of course he's gonna do what he does to survive when y'all can't protect him 🙄 i swear their werewolf hearing only works when the plot needs it too (ik they probably need to focus to enhance their hearing but still it's so annoying-) the season is essentially based on misunderstandings tbh. everyone's lying for no reason at all. but i do like how we actually get to see the effect of their mental health but this is also what i mean when i was talking about scotts fluctuating intelligence and how he's only smart when the plot needs him to be, how does he go from being the dimmest bulb in the box to being able to be in AP biology or whatever class it was. it makes no sense at all

”scott pissed me off cause... is theo just a great liar or does scott just hate stiles? why would he believe theo so easily yet not ask for stiles’ part of the story?” Because Scott McCall is a toxic friend and an even shittier werewolf (he couldn’t even detect Theo’s cheap lies and let himself be played like a fiddle throughout Season 5) And because Stiles doesn’t cater to Scott’s delusions of werewolf Jesus-hood and doesn’t stroke Scott’s ego like Theo does. Scott simply chose to believe the worst of his neurodivergent best friend – the boy who risked his own life to save his whiny ass countless times – because it suited his agenda, and because he’s pissed that Stiles didn’t share his own trauma with him like Scott wanted and demanded. SCOTT: We can’t kill the people that we’re trying to save! There’s always a choice! And yet Scott has no problem conspiring with Deucalion (Boyd and Erica’s murderer) behind everyone’s back to assassinate Josh and Tracy AND trying (but failing) to kill Gerard – selling Derek and his Pack out to the hunters, violating Derek, and using Derek as his own personal murder weapon to achieve that – just because “He threatened my mom! I had no choice!” A True Hypocrite indeed

[ain-t-bovvered]

15X12 Commentary

Bunch of tired and caffeinated Europeans ( plus a sleepy American) scream together, and then die and try to get on with their day ( lol AS IF)

@smol-and-grumpy​​​​ (Nat)

@dean-winchesters-bacon​​​​  (Kat)  

@waywardbaby​​  (Zee)

@ain-t-bovvered  (Giulia)

Nat: welp i guess we'll start?

Giulia: Ye

Zee: I know we’re not ready but yes

Nat: count as usual?

Giulia: U r the only one ready snort

Zee: Shush I’m faking it

Nat: 3

Nat: 2

Nat: 1

Nat: go

Zee: The recap

Giulia: Already hate it

Giulia: ...kaia

Giulia: Ok but i loved dean shout there

Giulia: But i also don t give a fuck about kaia

Nat: i could make a list of people i don't give a fuck about

Giulia: Why the empty has a dick

Nat: earth 2

Giulia: Look how much-waisted air time

Nat: this better go somewhere

Zee: What is he on?

Giulia: Oh look das me every time a clerk looks too clingy

Zee: President Hillary Clinton

Giulia: Nice

Giulia: Radio shed ads look like mediaworld *winks in italian*

Zee: Can he shut up?

Giulia: Nerd

Giulia: Oh and another nerd

Nat: weird that on every earth people are still dumb as fuck

Giulia: The World

Zee: Oh no

Giulia: Yeah that looks my kinda world

Giulia: Aaah beard dean

Zee: Other toys

Nat: He can't even make a world that's gonna function

Giulia: I can get what I want from a hundred worlds

Giulia: What she said

God/ ME A DESTIEL SHIPPER ABOUT DESTIEL ENDGAME: Dean says I'm not gonna get the ending I want. And I don't know. Maybe... I...I mean, that shouldn't matter, right?  I've gotten what I want from hundred of Sams and Deans. I could get what I want from a hundred more. And I don't care.

Nat: you can see the green screen. I mean him standing before one

Giulia: Amazing

Zee: Clear the board

Giulia: Can he clean this one too. I think he’s already doing it

Nat: our world

Nat: how do you know. still, he doesn't take out the dumb

Zee: Vegan

Giulia: ...vegan lasagna *cringes in Italian*

Giulia: Because he feels for them. Between similars u no

Giulia: Aah veins

Zee: I still don’t like it

Giulia: Ah so we are actually where we left off. I can tell u where my head is

Zee: I can tell you where I want his head to be

Giulia: Ooooh nice

Giulia: Look at Jack hair tho

Giulia: BABE

Nat: "I HAVE SPEND TIME WITH HER" *wink wink nudge nudge*

Giulia: 50k

Giulia: Scythe kink

Nat: ouch

Zee: FOCUS

Giulia: Bottom Dean

Nat: on what? dildo scythe?

Giulia: Please comment and reblog

Giulia: Hey

Giulia: No OnE

Zee: Is jack chubbier?

Giulia: Don t talk to my son like this

Zee: Sam should stop doing that thing with his face

Nat: He's just older

Giulia: I can count his gray hair

Giulia: ...

Giulia: AAAAAAAAH beautiful

Zee: How domestic

Giulia: Babe

Zee: Look at that little smile

Giulia: SO CUTE

Giulia: thank you for a small bubble of happiness. That shook my soul a bit

Zee: They seem a little happy. I’m scared. Oh there it is

Giulia: That’s a fancy-ass whiskey bottle. I want it

Zee: Kaia came looking for the spear

Giulia: Cute where is cas

Zee: Babysitting

Giulia: Of course she kicks their asses

Giulia: I wanna choke him too

Nat: they can't even fight one small girl. they're getting old

Zee: Can he get any deeper?

Giulia: What she said

Zee: THE VOIVE I MEAN

Giulia: Oh come on HOW CONVENIENT

Giulia: they pulled a Mary Winchester

Zee: Snort

Nat: i don't know what to think about all this

Giulia: Oh looks it’s us after the coronavirus. Eating lizards

Nat: I mean

Giulia: I just watch

Nat: I would eat it 🤷🏻‍♀

Zee: Dean said not tasted kinda decent

Nat: do I have to

Zee: YES

Giulia: SNORT

Zee: SEE? Babysitting

Giulia: ...listen….How in the hell...War Strategist angel of the lord cas loses at force 4. Fuck off

Giulia: Always makeup on point

Giulia: Not Kaia not helping

Nat: oh I see jody had time for lash extensions

Giulia: She must not be in quarantine

Giulia: ...La piegatrice mondiale. What a horrible translation

Giulia: Oh dean has nice hair. I wanna pull it

Zee: This is going so well

Giulia: Look at cas hair

Nat: He always goes like "Cas-tee-el"

Giulia: Tee-el

Zee: Are you only looking at hair?

Giulia: Cas sounds so done

Zee: But so good

Giulia: WHAT A SOFT LOOK I HATE IT DON T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT

Giulia: A bit of a smokey eye on Kaia, What she used? Burned sticks? charcoal? Burned lizard’s tails?

Zee: Is it me or Jody looks older and Cas looks younger?

Nat: sorry but not Kaia can go fuck herself

Giulia: WHATEVER

Nat: so much airtime

Giulia: WASTED

Giulia: ...Shouldn’t he be strong af

Nat: I hate that the female's make up is always on point.

Zee: He’s gonna do something stupid

Giulia: Definition of a Winchester

Giulia: What a dad tone

Nat: I like Merl. Merl is me

Giulia: HEEEEY

Giulia: AHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Giulia: AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Nat: Winchester dumb

Zee: Winchester dumb

Giulia: what a mood

Nat: she's my fave character

Giulia: I love her

Nat: i want her in all the ep

Giulia: I stan her

Nat: give her more air time

Giulia: She’s the smartest in the room

Giulia: What a sassy reaper. Like my fav sassy demon

Giulia: I love how the Winchesters are there watching, being all: yup, that’s our dumb kid

Nat: Winchester stupid

Zee: They know she’s right

Giulia: DONT BORROW MY ANGEL LIKE A BATTERY

Zee: Dead angel walking

Nat: I seriously thought Cas holds out the cup he ejaculated in like in a sperm bank

Giulia: Can I unread this

Nat: No u can't, that's what happens when I’m in lockdown

Giulia: Look at that cutie with his cute backpack

Nat: boy scout dean

Zee: Sam’s smirk

Giulia: Babysitting again

Giulia: BS angel chivalry

Giulia: SHE’S SO DONE

Giulia: love it

Nat: she should have said "in your own time"

Giulia: Me and you have all eternity, they don’t

Giulia: ...wasting seconds of intense glares

Giulia: Oh look the gremlins again

Giulia: The last healthy Italians vs the infected ones

Giulia: Last Toilet paper’s rolls and dumb scared people

Nat: snorts

Zee: You’re on a roll

Giulia: Dean eyelashes are fluttering in the wind. Sam needs a hair elastic

Nat: I wish something else would flutter in the wind

Giulia: my fucks

Zee: Hey kid

Giulia: WHY ARE THEY HUGGING

Zee: It’s before corona

Nat: I thought they didn't like each other that much

Giulia: Exactly. They have like 0 relationship, I don’t understand

Nat: It's weird.

Nat: if she should hug someone it should be sam. but what do I know

Zee: Have y’all understood the point of all this? Cause I haven’t

Giulia: Literally none

Nat: I’m bothered by all the other things

Giulia: She had time to do her eyelashes

Nat: so we did literally waste an ep with getting Kaia back, like for real? I watched this?

Giulia: ...AH

Nat: you know the last season could have been so fucking good

Zee: Wtf?

Giulia: K

Nat: ah

Zee: She found out

Giulia: What a meme

Giulia: Billy: last season

The reaper: my joy

Giulia: Death is angry

Zee: I was busy In Italy

Giulia: Oh wow

Nat: Merl had one job

Giulia: The writers had one job

Nat: Billy is us because she has no patience in them wasting an ep freeing Kaia

Giulia: Then u killed me

Giulia: Smoulder time

Giulia: Aaaah a baby

Zee: What?

Nat: Meh

Giulia: Why

Nat: God's destruction is Jack

Giulia: Another meme

Giulia: Writers

Giulia: Us asking if season15 will be amazing

Nat: right

Giulia: Go watch the promo

Nat: is that a fiat

Giulia: That’s a 500, my old car snort

Nat: Are they gay antiques, dealers

Zee: Apart from the reaper everything else was pretty lame. We waited almost two months for that?

Giulia: We went through corona for that

Nat: they look like gay antique dealers. especially being outraged when Sam has to lose the man bun

Giulia: With their cardigans and shit

Giulia: We should all live together. Yikes. They gonna die

Nat: they would scream

Giulia: High pitched

Zee: Tf did I just watch ? Loved deans bracelets tho

Giulia: They’re Jensen’s . Probably

Giulia: Oh maybe they are sam and dean that grew up as men of letters

Zee: Gay men of letters

Giulia: Can they get hot and bothered by Castiel?

Zee: Maybe not both of them

Giulia: Nah Nah both

Zee: Will the angel be gay too?

Giulia: There will be no angel probably. Also, Angels are probably sexless so who cares.

Kat: Y’all finished?

Giulia: Yup

Zee: Yes

Kat: And?

Giulia: WHERE IS THE FLAVOUR

Zee: LLLAAAAMMMEEE

Nat: I wasted my time

Kat: Yeah. Who gives a flying fuck about Kaia. Literally no one

Giulia: guess they are tying the loose ends

Kat: No one has thought about her in 2 years, she was a dead end

Giulia: Idk what the point was

Kat: Idk to have Jack use his powers for some reason? Surely they could have found something better

Giulia: Idk man. Between this fucking virus and jib and life and this writing, I’m very much blegh. I mean I love my boys. But

Zee: Let’s just hope they give them a decent ending and not something so lame that it will ruin everything

Nat: You love them and you want the best for them. not half-assed writing

Giulia: Yeah

Nat: lol what show have you been watching the last season

Kat: Yeah. It’ll be ruined. I have no hope of anything else

Nat: I don't have much hope but also that will maybe make me feel better when it's not as bad as I think it will be

Zee: I know but I can’t let it drag me down

Giulia: Yup

.

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[theemdiary]

MID JUNE

SONGS:  

golden thing - Cody Simpson

Better in Blak - Thelma Plum

Solid Gold - PNAU, Kira Divine, Marques Toliver

Say You Weren’t Mine - Maddy Jane 

Addicted to the Sunshine - Lime Cordiale 

TV SHOWS: 

Atypical - Netflix, watched 1 season in a day. 

Currently watching Real Housewives of New York and Beverly Hills but have to wait for the new ep each week. They are my favs. Also Real Housewives of Cheshire and Vanderpump rules but they are not my favs hahah

Footy is back! Collingwood drew with Richmond on Thursday night. I’m currently reading the book “The Good Life” by Martina Cole. It’s an easy read but apparently not easy for me as it’s taking forever to get through, I need to allocate more time for reading in my spare time. 

Since getting a new phone (iphone 11 Pro Max yeah boiiii) I activated Siri and she is my new best friend hahahha. I have an aux cord in my car so siri is a gem when it comes to changing the song, all I gotta do is ask her to do so rather than me being silly and touching my phone whilst driving. 

Playlists! I feel proud cause I’ve made 2 new on my spotify! YASS. I enjoy listening to them on the way to work and whilst I’m on the computer. I feel like I’m becoming a cool indie girl cause all the songs are like the artists that play at festivals here in melbourne hahahhah watch out guys I’m becoming cultured (insert an exciting squealing crowd).

Works going well, I’ve finished my 3 months probation period! 

Saw my beautiful high school friends on Friday night. It was one of their birthdays and her best friends organised a surprise party, we were all invited which was really sweet. There was a fantastic cheese platter out and most of the girls had wine. I sipped on my V energy drink in a classy way hahhaha and had a ball. We all just chatted with many laughs, so comfortable in their company. It’s like we’re one big family. A few of us dance towards the end of the night to ABBA, was such a great night. 

Caught up with a friend yesterday at the Coffee Club and went around the shops looking at clothes and shit. I need to do some serious shopping. I have clothes but I have no clothes LOL. I want to start being smart and get some staple clothes that are quality and well made. I can do this know that I have an income! fuck yeah.  

I’m feeling quite run down these days. I need to focus on my sleep and try to get a routine of exercise happening. Remember to eat healthy and stop munching on all the junk!! Drink lots of water and green tea. I’ll feel better inside and out once I start making better choices. 

Off to my sisters house with the family tonight for a roast dinner. Looking forward to some family time with my big sis.  

[bsbear]

The Voice 9/23 Commentary & Spoilers

Disclaimers and Notes

1) Don’t share my notes outside of my tumblr (that means reblogging as well). My tumblr is now private to those with tumblr accounts. 1iota has been more strict with not letting spoilers come out this season. If I see my notes shared around, I will stop sharing.

2) My memory is probably 80% accurate. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photographic memory lol so don’t come at me if I am wrong at times with the artist outcomes.

3) Don’t ask me about artists not on Team Blake or Gwen as I focused on those artists more. Guilty.

Random Commentary

1) Kelly does talk as much as you see on the show, even more so what you see edited on tv. She is very expressive and emotive. She even cries more than Gwen, no joke.

2) Kelly and Gwen get along great. They chat a lot during breaks. Gwen even got Kelly some coffee/drink during a break. During another break, the back of Kelly’s dressed hiking up her butt without her noticing and Gwen saw and helped pull it down properly. Blake probably gets out of his chair the most to come talk to Gwen or Kelly/Gwen. 

3) Blake is not weak as some people online implied. One gotta remember that with Adam and Blake, they can go at each other hardcore. Blake doesn’t have that dynamic without any of the current panel. And despite what Kelly says, Blake does not give Gwen artists, he pitches just like usually for artists he wants. Just because Blake doesn’t insult any of the current judges the way he does Adam, doesn’t mean he’s weak. Plus, you have to remember you are not seeing the full pitches of the coaches, just the edit tv version.

4) Blake goes for bathroom or for munchies break the most lol.

5) It’s kind of annoying how the show at times edit the auditions and it’s obvious who the artist is gonna pick. Like give us suspense and lets us hear all the coaches talk a bit.

Artist Commentary

Key:   *** = artist going to the live shows (these are people I am 98 % sure are going to the lives, don’t ask me about other artists without the asterisk marks cause either I am not sure on them  or they aren’t on team Blake or Gwen so I don’t focus on them

Episode 1: 9/23/19 (Monday)

Katie Kadan (Team John ***)

This was the singer that I liken to Jordan from season 9 but with personality. The studio audience liked her a lot. And the coaches rave around her too. People that write Voice recaps also seem to live her as well. If Kelly wasn’t blocked, Katie would have went with Kelly for sure. Personally, I think she is talented but belting voices like hers usually gives me a headache and I do think the rave around her is a bit much.

Jake HaldenVang (Team Gwen ***) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FMIhJDKtI

Jake’s voice sounds even better live. It really has power and cuts through. I am loving that team Gwen has a rocker going to the lives this season. I mentioned multiple times that this season has a lot of good singers so he gotta show some personality so he stands out. He has kind of quiet personality that I have seen thus far. I hope to see his rock out in the later shows.

What’s funny about Kelly saying going team Gwen  during this season, sometimes the coaches won’t turn for an artist because they feel it’s more toward a certain coach’s lane. They play nice cept with Blake lol.

Jay Miah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKn9WJRjB98

I am surprised no one turned around for him. I didn’t see his audition. Watching it now , I would think he would get at least a chair. This just comes to show you that when it comes to picking artist in the blinds, there really isn’t a formula or rhyme or reason.

Brennan Lassiter

Don’t remember much about her besides being a country singer. She just sounds like another country singer to be honestly. She doesn’t make it to the lives. She should have picked Blake, better chances.

Rose Short (Team Gwen ***) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMM0ORsUAqE

Omg, one of the best audition hands down. Rose’s family is such a riot, you can literally hear them from where the live audience was sitting, it was so freaking funny. Kelly’s boo boo about John had the coaches and audiences in stitches. I was pleasantly surprised that she picked Gwen as I thought she was gonna go with Kelly. She has a big personality but vocal wise I’m not connected.

Will Breman (Team John ***)

Will is another standout artist on John’s team. He is very much a performer as you will see in the battles and KO. Gwen was gonna sing Hollaback Girl before she said she was just joking. If Gwen did a ND and one of her well known songs (not Hollaback) Will might have chosen her, it definitely would have made it tougher to pick.

Alex Guthrie

He was ok. Not much to say. Both Kelly’s and Gwen’s pitches were good in the lives. Gwen pretended to fight with Kelly but that didn’t last long, it was in a joking manner.

Kat Hammock (Team Blake ***) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCCDpVbvOCU

It was a tight pitch fight between Blake and Gwen for Kat. This audition happened the second to last day of blinds taping. To those that cringe a bit when Gwen does her wanting a little girl pitch, just get use to it. It’s like wanting to stop liking puppies lol. To those that say Blake is weak and gives into Gwen, this battle shows you it’s not that case…

She’s the artist that I have been saying reminds me a bit of Dia from season 1. Not a showy artist, one that is artistic and put her own unique spin on songs. She’s my favorite from team Blake.

This is the taping when Gwen slaps Blake’s butt. It was a nice surprise to see lol. What’s funny is that Blake doesn’t even react or finch or anything. Like does he feel it or is he just so used to Gwen groping and loving up on him that it’s a regular thing……

This was also the taping where Blake and Gwen side hugged during a break and he kissed her forehead.

The kiss that we saw when Blake kissed Gwen when he was in his chair happened at this taping too. The kiss happened before  auditions started. Blake was on his phone and Gwen came over and just leaned over the front of his chair. She didn’t say anything. It took him a few seconds to notice she was there and then he leaned in for a kiss. That moment was so cute because she didn’t like demand his attention or anything, just waiting for him to notice her. The kiss was brief and then auditions started so Gwen went back to her chair.

They also said I love you a few times in this taping and have walked to break or from break together a few times. It’s just lovely to see them like magnets with each other.

Marina Chello (Team Blake ?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCdgvJYROOA

Don’t remember if she goes to lives or not. I keep confusing her with another artist. She has a good voice but she sounds even better live, it didn’t translate over on tv.

Kyndal Inskeep (Team Gwen ***)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lwCPMgaiDc

Her backstory connected with me the most and I thought she was very authentic and brave for being so vulnerable on tv. I didn’t see her audition but I so wished I did cause I imagined there were more goodies that happened that got edited out. I saw her battles and knockouts and was impressed. She sounded country in her battles and then she sounded a bit pop and Sia-ish when she did a Sia song during the KO. She and Jake are my favs on Team Gwen vocal wise as I lean more toward unique and different singers.

[chibivesicle]

Is Asirpa’s character trying to be too many things for GK readers?

As I have been reading GK and having a great dialogue with many other people about the series, I have had a few ideas stewing in the back of my mind.  When I first started watching the anime, Asirpa was really my fav character b/c she was interesting and seemed to go against a lot of bad tropes that could be applied to her.  I like strong and independent female characters, so I was glad to read about her.  I started reading the manga and I really liked her character and began to have mixed feelings about how the anime had decided to depict her.  I have already written about how I was disappointed in the second season of the anime here:   https://chibivesicle.tumblr.com/post/181363749182/do-you-like-golden-kamuy-anime

I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how I’ve wanted to construct this argument.  I’ve decided to tackle this by examining different aspects of Asirpa. 

1.) Asirpa as a representative of the Hokkaido Ainu

When Asirpa is first introduced as a character in the manga, we have Sugimoto looking up at her as he thinks “An Ainu!” when they fight the bear that had not gone into hibernation and was a fallen kaumy.

She then takes him to her kotan and introduces him to her Huci, uncle Makanakkuru and her cousin Osoma.  At the beginning of the manga, Asirpa is the readers guide to all things Ainu.  She explains things like how her father made her menomakkiri for her.  The concept of these personalized knives will come back in regards to Kironranke’s makkiri as “evidence”.

I obviously can’t speak for all other readers of the series but I perceive Asirpa’s character to be the guide to all things Ainu at the beginning of the manga.  This likely was due to the fact that her character is Ainu and before the series was stable enough to not worry about being cut.  Keep in mind that reader reviews and polls do make or break a manga series.  I don’t think Noda was going for tons of other characters (Japanese or Ainu) at beginning to not overwhelm people.

She explains natural and weather events as well as hunting skills to Sugimoto (who really would have died many times over).  For example the sudden temperature change with a drop of 30 degrees C here:

Explaining tureunpe for Sugimoto here with her Huci.

I really don’t want to dwell on this first point a whole lot.  I think it is pretty clear that Asirpa is the reader’s introduction to the Hokkaido Ainu and she explains things to Sugimoto (and in turn to the reader). 

What Asirpa’s character does not do, is explain racism or forced cultural assimilation.  The random man from the whore house tries to threaten her by selling her into prostitution here, pointing out that she doesn’t have a tattoo yet (which were already banned by the Meiji government).  Thankfully, since she is a strong female character she is able to defend herself and even gets extra comments from the girls stating that she showed the man who is the boss at that moment.

When Sugimoto and Asirpa catch Shiraishi with their modified squirrel traps, Shiraishi refuses to talk as Sugimoto questions him.  This then leads Shiraishi to make the common racist remark that Asripa is a “pet” of Sugimoto’s likely in reference to the comment by Japanese that the Ainu were dogs (Ainu sounding similar to Inu (dog)).

Sugimoto is quick to attack Shiraishi’s racist remark as he physically threatens to break Shiraishi’s jaw but Asirpa simply states the following:

But other than these two early instances in the manga - most of the depictions of the Ainu are in the context that they are just doing Ainu things in the background.  They live in their kotans and they are still hunting and fishing as they always have.  This is clearly misleading since many of their practices were already being attacked by the government including the arrow traps but likely depending on locations this was difficult to enforce.  Various info boxes in the manga report historical records of certain cultural practices still happening much past the time period when the government had already banned them. 

To make a manga that would appeal to a wide audience one would have to walk a fine line of being historically accurate in regards to the terrible suffering faced by Asirpa and her community at that time and not making that the major aspect of the manga.  The story is supposed to be about their quest for the gold not generations of cultural genocide.  I don’t want to just ignore the historical injustices but at the same time the author is writing a story for a major reader base who likely don’t their own history in this area so . . . . yeah.  I can’t tell how much of this is a result of the cultural context that the manga exists in where Japanese would not be a blunt about this topic even if many of us readers would want it to be much more upfront about these issues. 

2.) Asirpa as a Leader

Throughout the manga, there are characters who have different skills and roles as leaders.  In previous posts, I have used the terms large L, Leader vs small l leader.  This has been my person way to distinguish between characters who have the ability to lead small groups of people vs those who have grand ideas or the gift to really inspire and lead many people for a cause that is far greater than they are.

The big L leaders that are adults in the series to date are:

Wilk/Noppera-bo/Asirpa’s father - he was a Russian Partisan, the child of a Polish political prisoner and a Sakhalin/Karafuto Ainu.  His goal was to create a confederation of the different cultural groups in the Northern Far East to fight colonialism and imperialism.

Tsurumi/Hasegawa - former Japanese spy operating in Russia, turned military commander.  de facto commander of the 27th.   He wants to make Hokkaido an independent military state, that he is the dictator of as well as to manufacturer arms and medical supplies for WWI.  He is a very charismatic leader and acts as a second father to many of the “lost” members of the 27th.

Hijikata - the not actually dead, former Vice commander of the Shinsengumi.   Looking for a battle to truly fight and die in?  Does he also want to establish another longer lasting Republic of Ezo?  Will he take the concerns of all of the people on the island into consideration or was his relationship a marriage of convenience between him and Wilk in prison.  Yet he can inspire men to follow him to death with little effort and is clearly charismatic as a leader.

Sofia - Wilk and Kiroranke’s partisan leader.  Mastermind of the the assassination of the Tsar in 1881.  Respected leader of Russian revolutionaries.  Likely still looking to overturn the Tsarist government.  Perhaps, she will shift her focus to Hokkaido now . . . .

The small l leaders that are adults in the series to date are:

Ogata - tactically astute and observant sniper formerly of the 27th and traitor to Tsurumi.  Works well in tricky combat situations; e.g. Nikaido as his spotter, sniping and directing yakuza in Barato, defending against the 27th in Yubari, aiding Sugimoto against Koito, saving everyone on the mountain pass, rescuing Tanigaki in the swamp, shot out at the onsen etc.  Sadly, no one takes him seriously even though he as been a good team member.

Tsukishima - the “mom” of the 27th.  Tsurumi’s right hand man from Niigata, does some of his dirtiest deeds, and current leader of the small expedition team to Sakhalin/Karafuto.  Tsukishima is intelligent and hardworking and knows some of his men well, for example Koito, so he was able to find underhanded ways to motivate him (those bromides of Tsurumi) but at times really struggled how to command and as a result control both Sugimoto and Tanigaki on Sakhalin. 

Yulbars/Kiroranke - the only Ainu male character who was referred to as Kiroranke Nispa by Asirpa.  He planned the stealing away of Asirpa at Abashiri with his cat partner in crime, Ogata.  He leads the journey to Karafuto/Sakhalin with Asirpa, Shiraishi and Ogata so that Asirpa can remember the key to the gold as he educates her about her father’s past and also introduces her to Sofia.  His background and skill in explosives as well as having the goal to free Sofia shows some leadership skills but made both Shiraishi and Ogata uncomfortable and ultimately neither of them trusted him but Shiraishi still cared about him as a friend.

Between these two groups of leaders, Asirpa clearly falls into the first, the big L Leader group.  She throughout the story thus far has mediated and shaped the various teams and groups that she has been a part of.  She respects most of the characters (she does care about Shiraishi but I worry about her copying Sugimoto’s bullying of him).  With all of the Japanese male characters, she does not refer to them as Sugimoto-san or Shiraishi-san etc, she just calls them by their last names which says a lot about her personality.  Only Kiroranke was spoken to with respect keeping the Nispa title, which is in part likely to the fact that Kiro was Wilk’s best friend and almost an uncle to her. 

Asirpa was able to get anti-social characters like Ogata to participate in her “team building” activities and she always praised him when he assisted in hunting related things.  Even if most of the other characters either stayed away from Ogata or fought with him (Sugimoto) she always treated him fairly. 

I think her best example of persuasive leadership to date was with her ordering Ogata to protect Tanigaki in the swamp.  Now other people will argue that Ogata didn’t do this b/c Asirpa told him to and instead will read it as an Ogata-Sugimoto conversation.  But I will always see this as an order coming from Asirpa.  Why?  Asirpa is the one who orders Ogata to protect Tanigaki.

Ogata is in a very powerful position, he’s atop the grain silo, he’s in a very relaxed position with his body language, and he’s got his rifle at ready.  Everything about this shows that Ogata is the one in the safe position.  Yet, Asirpa is the one who says this.  Sugimoto wouldn’t think to ask Ogata to protect Tanigaki, later even when they are looking for Anehata in the swamp, Sugimoto tells Asirpa never to order someone like Ogata to save him in a similar situation since he doesn’t trust he would nor does he think he would do it.  Ogata retorts back that he needs a reason to protect him and he correctly states that Tanigaki is following them on Tsurumi’s orders.

Sugimoto fills in part of the background that Tanigaki did not kill Tamai and co as Ogata has concluded and that they were killed by a bear (set into motion by Sugimoto’s actions).  I find Sugimoto’s lines to Ogata to be self-projection.  At this point, Ogata has not willingly ate brains so Sugimoto thinking of an Asirpa punishment that he would not want to have but Ogata is likely not swayed by this.  He later does eat reindeer brains and nods that they indeed taste like Yuk with Asirpa on Karafuto/Sakhalin.

Instead, there is a panel of a very firm looking Asirpa, she’s got a sweat drop but the entire time you can see that she’s kept eye contact with him.  She also explained that Tanigaki just wanted to go back to the Matagi and was healed by his time with her Huci.  Ogata does a major cat stare down at Asirpa, but he does state that his options are limited.  Asirpa only breaks eye contact with Ogata after she follows his gaze to the group of Ainu men who are certain Tanigaki is the culprit, and she realizes that they need to hurry to save them.

Yet, despite his stand off with her, he ultimately saves Tanigaki just as she had requested and did not harm anyone in the process and even sacrificed his cloak and his rifle case with his decoy.  That is saying a lot for a man who hides himself in the cloak and was likely already thinking about where he will get another case to cover the rifle. . . 

The key point is that Asirpa was able to convince Ogata to do something and she didn’t need to manipulate him or bait him with something.  He followed her orders.   Flashbacks seem to indicate that Tsurumi was in part likely ordering Ogata to perform certain actions but with a reward attached, Asirpa’s lack of manipulation was likely a factor that convinced him to follow her request.

3.) Asirpa as an innocent

The cast of GK is full of grown men who are broken to varying degrees and dealing with the impact of PTSD in the first major event of what we would now call modern warfare.  Sugimoto survived by fighting with a level of brutality that made him seem like a demon.  Tanigaki ran away from home in a quest for revenge and as a tondouhei in the 7th fought in the war.  Ogata is a man who was damaged from his very birth and somehow ended up in the 7th (we still need to know his reason for enlisting or if he was drafted).  Kiroranke passed himself off as an Ainu volunteer but once his Partisan past is revealed, it shows he’s been though countless traumatic events.  Tsukishima had a similar background to Ogata with a broken home and was on death row after the Sino-Japanese war.  Hijikata is a ghost of the former shougante and missed his chance to die at Hakodate.  All of these men have killed others and none are dealing with ways to heal, instead they’ve all thrown themselves in the hunt for the gold since many of them are good at killing.  Recent events revealed that Kiro truly was attempting to acquire the gold for the future of the native peoples. However, Sugimoto is doing this for the money (and the woman he loves), Tanigaki is doing it to run away from facing his problems and revenge, Tsukishima is doing this b/c he feels likely trapped by Tsurumi, and Ogata, well, his still unclear motives changed on the the ice but a part of him likely figured he’d be good at this b/c he thinks he’d be good at it since Ogata thinks he is broken.

The entire time, Asirpa has been traveling around Hokkaido with these men who have killed and will kill again while she has kept her vow to not kill anyone in the process.  Again, I’ve already pointed out that Asirpa has occasionally drawn her bow at other humans in the story making her walk a fine line.  This finally comes to ahead when she accidentally shoots Ogata in the right eye.  She is “saved” by Sugimoto’s quick thinking even though his scream is the event that startles her and causes her to shoot him in the first place. . . .

Sugimoto wants to keep Asirpa’s innocence in the whole situation but the longer this quest goes, the more and more chances she will have to either violate her “no kill” policy.  The entire concept is hypocritical and likely we as readers are supposed to wonder how she maintains her own personal values in such a dangerous game.

There are other innocent characters in the series; Shiraishi, Inkarmat, Cikapasi, Enonoka and Ryu I guess.  I mean Ryu is a dog so it is hard for him to do evil human deeds.  Shiraishi, while not a morally upstanding member of society, is one of more innocent adults, he has not harmed another person and he has become loyal and dependable.  Inkarmat also has not killed anyone (as far as we know) and instead thought she was acting with the best intentions for Asirpa and Wilk; but she is a trickster so her methods are similar to Shiraishi.  Cikapasi is younger than Asirpa and is being forced to take care of himself and others.  His encounter with Enonoka has been positive for him, he’s seen a more mature peer and she’s gently getting him to become more responsible for his own fate.  I think the character growth for all of the above is that they have much easier tasks to achieve; learn to help and care for others, let go of the past and how to become more responsible.

What is different between these innocent characters and Asirpa is that no one is as driven to uphold their moral code as she is.  Asirpa wants to understand who her father was, why he entrusted the gold to her, and what she will do with the “power” derived from it.  Asirpa doesn’t just have to uphold her personal values, she has to do it in the context of a quest where her father designed it so that you would have to murder and skin a man to get the answer you are looking for.

Asirpa’s innocence also puts her relationships with other characters in an unequal balance.  Ogata wanted to release her from the stress of being the key to the gold, Sugimoto is lying to her to protect her from the very same thing.  These characters are seeing the need to protect her innocence as a reason to not be honest and straightforward with her. 

4.) Asirpa as mixed race

So Asirpa is first introduced as a Hokkaido Ainu character. But very quickly it is revealed that her parents are both dead and that she has a unique appearance, where she has blue eyes - like her father.  When Sugimoto first meets Hijikata, he makes a comment about how she must have some Russian blood in her background.  Slowly it unfolds that Hijakata knew that Noppera-bou was not a Hokkaido Ainu, revealing to Nagakura, Ushiyama, Ienaga and Ogata that he is a Partisan fighting against the Russian government and that he likely has other comrades that are hiding among the Hokkaido Ainu [Kiroranke].

Her eye color is frequently referred to - when she first meets Inkarmat, she mentions that her eyes are just like her father’s. 

All of this is linking Asirpa to her father and how her eyes are a direct physical trait to him and how she is to inherit his legacy.  In chapter 73, Asirpa has her dream about her time with her father and he speaks of how she is mixed race and that this is beautiful and important.  Interestingly, he refers to his blood as being different (as a Polish-Karafuto Ainu) with that of her mother a Hokkaido Ainu.  The mixing of these different people resulted in her and that she will be a new woman for the future and she will lead the Ainu b/c of the strength that she has from this combination.

This is the first half of the flashback that she will finally remember as they are attempting to reach Russia with Kiroranke, Sofia, Shiraishi and Ogata.  What is most important though is that Wilk is a person who saw strength through diversity and that this would be the best way to save their people from the imperial and colonial powers and the death of their cultures and absorption into these empires as minorities lacking the rights of the ruling majority. 

Wilk’s link to Russia is very subtly mentioned here as Sugimoto, Shiraishi and Ogata are crossing over the Daisetsuzan mountain range.  Asirpa sets up a small rodent trap and explains that it is used by a small indigenous group in Russia uses to catch squirrels.

Asirpa is a Hokkaido Ainu, there is no way she would have learned about a trapping method used by a native group in Russia from her community.  Only one person would have taught her that and from the very beginning of the manga we’ve known that she was taught by her father.  I wonder if this is a reference to Kiro being a Tatar who grew up on the Amur river or another group as well. . . .

All of these events are subtle clues to Wilk’s backstory and what he was hoping to achieve for the native peoples of the region.

Besides Wilk being a mixed race character, Kiroranke is another main character who is mixed race as well.  When he is trying to convince Inkarmat that they are on the same “side” he states that his son are Hokkaido Ainu and therefore their causes are the same.  Only much later does he explain his background as a Tatar on the Amur River with Karafuto Ainu heritage as well.

As Kiro reveals more about Wilk’s past for Asirpa, the revolutionary trio of Wilk, Kiro and Sofia emerges, a team that drew from the strength of each of their commitment to the cause as well as making a very effective team.  Their team shows that women can be excellent leaders, that the unique background of each one of their lives brings out the best possible result and that they are a prime of example of diversity = strength.

Therefore, it couldn’t be any more obvious that Asirpa falls into this group where she will be a successful person and leader b/c she has the background to do so.  If she just lived a simple life in her kotan, never learned to hunt, was not educated by her father she would not be a character with the ability to change things far beyond herself.

5.) Asirpa as an “idol”

As the story unfolds, the two main male characters, Sugimoto and Ogata independently figure out what her father’s plan for her future is; that she was being trained to be a populist revolutionary with a skill set to fight imperial powers through guerrilla warfare in the “frontier”.

This first comes out in chapters 136 & 137 when Sugimoto finds Wilk at Abarashi and confirms his identity by showing him her menomakkiri.  Sugimoto then asks him why he set her up to be a major player for the gold.

Sugimoto wanted to avoid having the two meet since he doesn’t want Asirpa to come to terms with the fact that Wilk tattooed all of those prisoners and hid the gold and he killed his fellow Ainu comrades.

Wilk trained Asirpa from the start to become a partisan, or a Hokkaido version of a partisan at least based on the info that is revealed at this point.  Wilk working with HIjikata, leads Sugimoto conclude that Wilk wants to use Asirpa the face and the leader of an Ainu independence movement and aid in the creation of an independent Hokkaido.  He accuses him of setting her up to be an Ainu Joan of Arc.

Sugimoto is clearly upset with this as he sees Asirpa as a little sister and he has made it clear through his actions that at times, he feels that as an adult he gets to make decisions that are good for her even if it means withholding information or protecting her.

After Ogata shot and killed Wilk and injured Sugimoto as well, he continues to journey north under Kiro’s leadership for Asirpa to remember the key to the gold based on Wilk’s past and also the goal to break Sofia out of prison.  Ogata has been observing Asirpa for a long time by this point, he immediately figured out who Asirpa was in Yubari, one of the few times he’s hand an internal dialogue.

As they travel north, Ogata has his fever dream flashback involving Yuusaku and the hypocrisy at the heart of Yuusaku’s philosophy instilled in him from their father.  Asirpa and Ogata are both linked to their father’s visually by inheriting their eyes and the fact that both of their fathers had high expectations for their children.  The irony is that Asirpa is supposed to become a leader like her father and up until this point she has been successful in being a leader and having the skills to lead in the future.  In contrast, Ogata is the abandoned son, who likely has the skill set to be a military leader that his father so desperately wanted which was clearly lacking in Yuusaku.  This leads to the awkward conversation in chapter 187 that he has with her as he loses it after she rejects him. . . What is most important about this is that unlike Sugimoto, Ogata bluntly calls out Asirpa.  She has sworn that she will not kill anyone in the fight for the gold.  But as their group learns more and more about Wilk’s unwavering dedication to the creation of a confederation of indigenous peoples of the far North East, it becomes clear even to Asirpa that she was trained in more than just hunting animals as any Ainu would.

Where Ogata likely gets his mental wires crossed is when he thinks that Wilk told Asirpa that she should not kill other humans.  Thus, he sees Asirpa as just like Yuusaku, keeping his hands clean b/c Hanazawa told him that he alone must remain pure and not kill. 

To date in the story there has been no scene or flashback where Wilk has told Asirpa that she must not kill others.  As far as we know, Asirpa’s no killing policy is both an Ainu policy but also her own personal moral code.  Until other evidence is revealed in the manga, I’m going with that.  When she and Sugimoto first met, she made it very clear that she won’t kill in the quest for the gold and that she saved Ogata from Sugimoto b/c he promised her that he wouldn’t kill him in that instance.

Both Sugimoto and Ogata think that her father was setting her up to be an idol/martyr for the Ainu cause, but both are projecting their own problems onto her in this idol position.  It is true that Wilk raised Asirpa to be a leader with an obvious partisan/revolutionary slant but he also instilled in her sense of the importance of her cultural identity and heritage and how they should preserve it against greater powers.

6.) Asirpa as a female character with agency

The cast of gk is dominated by male characters and definitely fails the Bechdel test, as Asirpa’s motivations are about her father (a man) and she is working with a man who she has a kid crush on, Sugimoto, and is interacting with very few women such as her Huci, her cousin Osoma and Inkarmat.   Inkarmat only becomes involved with her b/c of a man, Wilk, so until the moment on the roof of the prison that Inkarmat realizes it is about Asirpa and not about Wilk. 

The good thing is that Asirpa is a female character with agency and there are other female characters also with agency in the cast.  She sees herself as a partner with Sugimoto and they have been reunited and have re-established their partnership.  When Sugimoto abandoned her in Otaru, she rescued him and then punished him with the sutu.

I’ve stated in other meta that their partnership is still unequal and Sugimoto is “protecting” her by not telling her the full details but he at least isn’t treating her like a complete inferior in the partnership.  But Asirpa entered this partnership viewing it as an equal so we know that her own approach to it has to do with her own involvement. 

Asirpa has been able to order various adult men to do as she has asked, she gets them to pitch in to the cooking duties, saying citatap, and contributing to the team which is another remarkable skill.

This overlaps with another concept where Asirpa acts as a mother to all of these lost boys.  She is always looking out for everyone and she has all of them obeying her like little chicks lined up for citatap feeding time here in chapter 119.

She has lost her family, so it is clear that one of her roles is to try to reform a family, just her family consists of a bunch of emotionally damaged Japanese war vets, a petty criminal and Inkarmat and Cikapasi to an extent.  This is not exactly the best family to have but is what is happening with the people she encounters.  One could write a lot more about Asirpa as a mothering character but I don’t want to dwell on that concept here.

Asirpa is not a character with agency in a vacuum, instead her decisions are being influenced by the adults around her.  She was whisked away to Karafuto/Sakhalin by Kiro and Ogata to contribute to the Partisan cause but this really gave her distance from Sugimoto to realize that he was also influencing her decisions more than she was aware of which is good.  The sad part is that Kiro died and she almost killed Ogata to get this perspective.  In some ways this is very realistic, everyone influences each other through relationships and encounters.  A good way to approach her agency is that she is almost like a child ruler.  She inherited the secret to the gold and now adults are trying their best to use her for their own self interest.  This in part has forced her to face issues the average kid wouldn’t have encountered at her age but this is part of the role her character is playing in the manga.  I also try to remind myself that the concept of kids being immature and not little adults is a very new concept for most socieities so even though we as readers know that she is being asked to make decisions on things she shouldn’t, at the time it is less unusual.  Yes, research has shown that kids and teens are different physiologically compared to adults with a lot of that in their brain development.  But that was not known at the turn of the century so treating her more closely to an adult isn’t unusual or odd.  Keep in mind Kiro became involved with the Partisans only a few years older than she is. . . .

Thankfully she isn’t the only female character with agency.  Inkarmat wields a high amount of agency in the series, she is a drifter and uses that to her advantage.  Unfortunately, she is motivated by her memories of her time with Wilk as a child and has spent too much of her adult life chasing after him or perhaps the memory of him  . . . she wears his mother’s clothing and keeps using her divination to try to give her an answer about Wilk’s fate than what the facts have told her.  But she does her best as a woman in a society where she lacks a lot of power to try to influence the hunt for the gold.  It really is a shame that she and Kiro were unable to find something to unite them, but Tsurumi worked hard to make sure she would doubt him as much as possible.

Enonoka is another female character with agency.  She is a business savy Karafuto Ainu girl who is also very good at ordering others to do things for her.  She uses her knowledge of Japanese to help with this and I like that she is a strong character as well.  I love the scene where she makes the deal with Koito for the use of the dogsleds and shakes his hand.

Sofia is another female character who is the leader of the Russian Partisans.  I was hoping for more from her character with her introduction and brief time with Kiro, Ogata, Shiraishi and Asirpa.  But she will be back, Asirpa said she would fine her when she needs to and I think that will be the case.

Last but not least, Umeko, Sugimoto’s love also is a character with agency.  She chose Toraji and when Sugimoto returned, she supported Toraji and pretty much showed that she would support him not matter what happened even if Sugimoto beat his ass.

Out of all of these women, Asirpa is the woman with the most possible power and agency.  This leads into my last point.

7.) Asirpa as the future.

Asirpa is supposed to represent the future of the Ainu.  This is embodied in the name that Wilk gave her.  She would be a new and innovative leader for her people.  She was trained in the ways of hunting like a boy would have been but is a girl.  Based on the previous 6 points, they all combine to make Asirpa a character who is set to inherit the “future” and the power that comes with it.  She hasn’t been as damaged as the adult characters but she will be altered due to this entire experience.  She is the one who ultimately is the key to finding the gold and the decision to find it will likely come down to her.

Will she fulfill her father’s goals for her?  Likely not, as she learned from the journey but will continue to question if the gold is something that should be found.

So I just described many of the roles that Asirpa is playing in the manga.  What does this all mean and how do I as a reader feel about this?

I think that Asirpa’s character is doing too much in the manga in the context of the story. 

I don’t think it was done intentionally, but as the story developed she got more roles and events tied to her.  I personally think this is a disservice to readers b/c she’s too multifaceted and I fear many readers will simplify her role as to not find all of these angles to be too confusing. 

The anime took this approach - Asirpa became an Ainu girl who is super cute and is tied to a man who is a former Russian revolutionary who wanted her to have the secret to the gold to lead the Ainu. 

This is something that I really have been thinking about seriously since it is hard to get a grasp of how her character is being understood in the context of this being a Japanese manga.  Do Japanese readers look at Asirpa the same way that I’ve listed above?  Do they see beyond the fact that she is cute?  I was talking with a friend of a friend in Japan who is Japanese and he simply saw Asirpa as a cute spunky female character.  Did he see her as a girl torn between her culture and the forced assimilation of her people and lost of her culture and racial discrimination?  Likely not.

In dialogue with American Ainu, I have also learned that Asirpa is being used as a cute mascot for cultural tourism where her family is from in Hokkaido.  It seems like a misuse of a character who is playing all of these complex roles in the manga to be reduced to a friendly cute native welcoming you to be a cultural voyeur as you eat Ainu cuisine and say “Hinna hinna.”  You can visit her culture but she can’t actually practice her culture.  This seems to be a quite the difference from what her character is doing within the manga.

I wonder if she makes a good icon b/c she is a cute, nonthreatening native welcoming you to enjoy her culture but not fighting back for her rights?  I keep dwelling on the idea that a lot of readers in the English language fandom did not like Kiroranke’s character.  Is this b/c he is a threatening man who was fighting back against the government and imperialism?  What if Asirpa were actually a male character?  Would a male Asirpa being fulfilling all of these roles in the manga that she is?  Likely not.  One part of me likes the fact that Asirpa is mixed race, this is a good thing to bring up to Japanese readers who still struggle with their own approach to mixed race people and still stick to the idea that they are a homogeneous people and nation forgetting that they have a poor history with native peoples that have been oppressively ruled by them for centuries.  The other part of me would have preferred she be a normal Hokkaido Ainu and instead be linked to Wilk being a Partisan Ainu native who worked with Sofia and Kiro as a non-mixed race Karafuto Ainu.  By having Asirpa, Wilk and Kiro as mixed race it still leaves non-mixed race Ainu out of the story as having less power and agency.

[comicteaparty]

November 4th-November 10th, 2019, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from November 4th , 2019 to November 10th , 2019.  The chat focused on Princess Pop by carcarchu.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Princess Pop by carcarchu~! (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/princess-pop/list?title_no=173793)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until November 10th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. What do you think Kizumi’s secret is that she seems to be hiding? Why is she convinced it would change how others saw her? Additionally, how does Ritsu know the secret and why is Ritsu willing to keep it a secret?

FeatheryJustice

Just started reading but I wish I knew more about the poor girl who left her spot for Kizumi. Must be so disappointed later.

carcarchu

@FeatheryJustice I actually have plans for her but it'll will take forever to get to them at the pace i'm going

FeatheryJustice

Ohhh! I'm glad, I want her to be actually really good and it's like the feels bad moment if she just was able to stay in line long enough she would have been able to get in XD

Also so far I don't trust Rain, bubbly girls make me scared XD

carcarchu

ok this is somewhat of a spoiler but goldie (girl who's spot got taken by kizumi)'s entire character gimmick is that she has horrendous luck. in season 1 she tried to audition but got horrible food poisoning and couldn't make it too. basically her greatest enemy is herself

FeatheryJustice

RIPPO I love her

RebelVampire

@carcarchu Just so you know, spoilers get archived along with the rest of the chat. So make sure it's something you don't mind the public knowing before posting spoilers.

carcarchu

Yep it's no problem! Thanks for letting me know!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Given Yuna originally didn’t do so well at the beginning of her own season, what do you think changed how she sung and eventually caused her to win? How will this play a role in Kizumi’s story?

snuffysam

3) Hmm... I'd say my favorite character is... Luna. She's abrasive, but she's very practical rather than just being mean for mean's sake, which I like. Like, I find it interesting that Luna's deciding to be Kizumi's friend even after she (allegedly) tried to screw her over, because Luna knows Kizumi can be helpful to her. 4) My guess as to how Yuna's story plays into Kizumi's story is that Yuna sees herself in Kizumi. Like, she sees the potential for Kizumi to go beyond like she did (which I'm guessing is why she was disappointed in Kizumi's team performance). As for what specifically caused that change... no idea. Could be something like "she sings from the heart", or perhaps a really rigorous singing practice regimen?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. What do you think Ritsu’s story is given how cynical and serious she is about the world of idols? Do you think her mind can be changed, or will she continue to suffer through everything?

jaciopara

5) any panel with Luna being a snob in it. Shes my fav. We stan a queen 6) shes gotta have some kind of like,, tragic my parents were celebrities bg or like a bad experience with kizumis kind of hopeful personality

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene so far has probably been the group session where Kizumi enacts her plan to have everyone just skip solos. It was nice to see Kizumi and Luna work together, and I kind of liked that someone not Luna was the "villain" in that moment. It really spoke to the fact that no matter how nice all the girls might be, they're all also rivals. 2) I feel like Kizumi must have some past as a celebrity. Either through her parents, or maybe she had been a failed child star. Or maybe she was a baby in a diaper commercial. I kind of feel like this isn't her first time singing though, granted probably the first time singing for people on such a large scale. Which I think this must be how she knows Ritsu. Ritsu recognizes her for showbiz way back in the day.

3) My favorite character is probably Kizumi. I like her overly polite attitude, because I kind of relate to that in a lot of ways. That and I respect her attitude to just want everyone to get along. I also like that this is kind of a double-edged sword, where sure she can play peace keeper, but then she get walked all over and dragged into contests she didnt want to be a part of. So I just really like this cute and sweet aspect about her. 4) I feel like Yuna must have had some transcendental experience. Like maybe before she wasn't inspired and that although she tried her best, she didn't have the right motivation to win. And then she met a singer who really inspired her and who changed how she viewed singing in general. And instead of something that sounds nice, she strived to make her singing something that changed the hearts and minds of those around her. As for how this plays into Kizumi's story, given this mysterious Nagato figure, I assume that is who changed Yuna's life. The joke dark theory I have is a storyline ripoff from one of my fave mangas where the singer made herself sing better by tapping into sad emotions. Which she made herself sad by killing people close to her. So maybe that's what Yuna did.

5) It's definitely the illustrations from Yuna's performance. https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/princess-pop/chapter-12/viewer?title_no=173793&episode_no=15 I like the color schemes used, but legit, I am super biased this time in terms of favorites. I just honestly really love Yuna's outfit. I could look at that outfit all day. <3 6) I feel like Ritsu was happy go-lucky, maybe kind of like Kizumi, and then got super betrayed and super burned because showbiz is cut throat. And I also feel like she must have people around her who have put intense pressure that she has to succeed as an idol. So Ritsu feels trapped while also incapable of showing trust. So this makes her cyncical and mean because that is not a fun way to live. I feel like Ritsu's mind could be changed, but I think she either has to be convinced to trust again or convinced that showbiz is dumb and do things that make you happy. I feel like either is a challenge, but I do think Kizumi could help her since they have this mysterious past connection.

carcarchu

@RebelVampire THANK YOU for your long and thoughtful comments!! i won't say how close you got on some of your theories but it was a joy to read them!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. What do you think this story has to teach us about rivalry, competition, and how people handle it? In what ways do you think rivalry will get the better of the characters, and what ways will they triumph over those obstacles?

redbeanbunny

1. Favorite scene is definitely Kizumi making the plan proposal to Luna, and their meeting afterwards. It's one of the most intriguing personality bits we've seen of Kizumi, and it's cool to see that Luna isn't a cookie-cutter prissy rival. Kizumi is a nice girl but she's not just passive! I'm so interested in what Kizumi will bring to the table in the future! >:3 (alsoluna'soutfitsareallstylish) 2/4/6. I think Kizumi may be related to Nagato, the singer Yuna likes, whether he was a relative or maybe someone who she met up with randomly and joined during singing sessions. IDK, maybe in a park somewhere lol? There's no way she would just be a wildcard singer with no training or interest! Yuna was probably fibbing a little bit about seeing herself in Kizumi, she really made a connection between Kizumi and that singer even if it was just through her voice or style. Maybe Kizumi didn't want to be judged for being related to a celebrity. Or maybe... when she was a child she accidently did something in the past that prevented Nagato from continuing to sing. Depending on what it was it could possibly make people angry with her and she avoided a great opportunity for it. Is it really a coincidence her home is so near the filming site of this contest? :3c I think Ritsu knows about it from childhood bc showbiz and is angry at Kizumi for giving up on something she worked hard to get but was easily given to Kizumi, and maybe she knew Nagato too so thought that Kizumi wasted his efforts on her. Maybe she was involved secretly maybe accidentally and this contributes to her anxiety? Who knows.... but someone is definitely putting pressure on Ritsu maybe forcing her to stay in the biz.(edited)

redbeanbunny

3. My favorite character so far is Luna. She's kind of mean, but she's direct, confident and knows what she wants. Not to say she's not complex, but right now being straightforward makes her stand out from the cast. But my favorite design is definitely Yuna. I think I need to know more about everyone. 5. Probably the last panel of Ritsu in the group concert. Her pose is so powerful. It's so different from her backstage anxiety, makes me wonder about her! (I also love the endcard of Kizumi in a black dress and pink teddy jacket ) 7. It was short, but definitely Luna and Kizumi for the aforementioned reasons. They both have potential to be successful for different aspects and really compliment each other! Like Rain is nice too, but I feel like she doesn't have much going for her right now and it's also a reason she didn't have the presence to bring together her team. Marina is hilarious (I'm sorry for laughing at your suffering Marina but I can also relate to people not pulling weight on a big production T^T...) and I thought the scenes where she was reacting to Kizumi to be great, even if it's more as commentary than them interacting. 8. I think there will be lessons about taking what you're given and working with it to solve problems and move forward. You can only go so far without support, but you can't just go with the flow with others. You can already see the differences in the group elimination. I'm not really sure what the winner of Princess Pop gets, but maybe the girls will find something else out of their time on the show.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Who exactly is Nagato, and why is Yuna so obsessed with them? What does this have to do with Kizumi? Additionally, how might Yuna’s obsession bias how she judges the contest, and what consequences might there be for that?

RebelVampire

7) I enjoy seeing Kizumi and Luna interact the most. At first, I thought they were gonna have the typical bully/rival relationship. But then not only did Kizumi willingly say "Hey, let's work together," but then Luna through a curve ball saying, "Hey, let's be friends." Nothing about their relationship is typical for what their characters would normally be expected to do, so I like this aspect of figuring out exactly what their relationship is. 8) I feel the story shows us that there are two ways we can go about rivalry. We can use rivalry to drive us to a better place and use it as motivation to do better, in a respectful and friendly manner. Or, we can let rivalry and competition bring out the worst in us in the most self-absorbed way possible. Sadly, I think this comic is true to life in that we've seen a lot more of the worst than the best, and that when it comes to competition, we should probably prepare for the worst (and not think ourselves immune). I feel like the characters will are going to overcome the obstacle of having to hate your rival. But I think there's going to be lots and lots and lots of betrayals as characters have to pick between new friends theyve known a short time and their lifelong dreams.

9) I've really enjoyed the inclusion of bits from the last episodes in the new episodes at the very beginning. I know this is one of those things people will feel really mixed on, but I think in terms of not reading the comic in bulk, it's super helpful in the presentation. Sometimes people need a refresher if it's been a while, and the moments are pretty short so it doesn't hurt the bulk read all that much either. 10) As I theorized earlier, I think Nagato is someone who Yuna was moved by and influenced her own singing to the point she won the competition. I would say that maybe Kizumi is Nagato's reincarnation, but not sure that's the direction this story is going. Maybe Nagato is one of Kizumi's parents or something though. Also, yes. Yes this obsession will totally bias Yuna. We already saw it happen since she criticized for not being able to hear each singer individually. And I think the others will pick up on the fact she has a preference for Kizumi and get super mad at Kizumi for that. It's legit probably just gonna make Kizumi's life hell. ;_;

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Given recent events, why do you think Luna is suddenly interested in being Kizumi’s friend? Is it genuine, or does Luna have ulterior motives? What do you think Luna’s backstory is in general?

jestershark

11. I think this comic's strengths are definitely in the character interactions -- like all good idol competition shows! I also think one of the most compelling things is the subversion of some of the expectations that you have going in. 12. I think Luna is both interested in Kizumi and in it for her own purposes-- I think she's genuinely curious and interested in Kizumi, but maybe thinks of it as more of a self centered move.

redbeanbunny

9. I think a plus point is that everyone has a really unique style that i think matches their personalities, even ahen wearing different clothes. I also like when the artist tries to do something fancier with panels for moments like showcasing Ritsu in the group song or for Yuna singing. 11. I think the comic's strength is where some of our expectations of characters are challenged, while keeping it light-hearted though. 12. I think its probably that she's genuinely interested! I mean Kizumi technically reached out first after all. But she'll probably be okay with some messing and around and manip, but not malicious. Its competition. And you know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer xD

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. At the end of the day, who do you think will win the current season of Princess Pop? Will it be Kizumi or someone else? What do you think will become of the winners and losers?

RebelVampire

11) I think this comic's strengths are how it kind of defies expectations. There are a lot of moments in the comic where you think the story is gonna go one way based on past story flows and general character types. But then it doesn't. Instead, it takes you to a new place, so each plot point is really interesting to explore since the outcome keeps you on your toes. 12) I think Luna sees Kizumi as useful. So instead of trying to oust Kizumi from the start, she's decided keeping Kizumi in the competition longer is more interesting and more beneficial in the long term. As for this longterm benefit, it's hard to say. Maybe Luna feels that Kizumi's lack of cutthroat passion to slay the competition at all competition makes her sort of a weak leak when it comes down to individual competitions. So Luna can essentially focus on getting rid of the opponents she feels are stronger first and then easily oust the weaker links, so to speak. As for Luna backstory, I feel she's the type of person who must of had parents who put constant pressure on her and told her winning was the only important thing. So Luna developed a personality that was highly geared towards being self-confident, snobby, and a little bit manipulative, since those are the things most likely that have helped her in the past to win.

13) I am actually looking forward to Kizumi coming to a head with her roommate (whose name escapes me atm). But either way, I feel the roomie is not as innocent as she pretends, and I want to see their relationship pushed as the competition gets more heated and they both come to accept they can't both win. 14) I don't think it'll be Kizumi. I feel like though the experience will inspire Kizumi to go on to have a singing career, I think ultimately it'll be someone else who wins. As for who, I'm torn cause I need more backstory. I think it's gonna depend on who reason for singing is simultaneously sad but filled with surprisingly innocent and sincere passion. I feel like the winners who wanted a singing career will get that. But I think a lot more of the girls will discover showbiz sucks and instead pursue other things that fulfill them more. Cause kind of how we see through Ritsu, showbiz looks glamorous from the outside, but is 100% not for everyone and constantly exposes you and make you vulnerable. And I think they'll also learn you don't have to have a professional singing career to sing for fun and spread music around, especially when the internet is all powerful.

Kabocha

It's gonna take me some time to answer questions, but I'm going to answer them out of order! Huzzah! 14. At the end of the day, who do you think will win the current season of Princess Pop? Will it be Kizumi or someone else? What do you think will become of the winners and losers? You know, I'm kind of hoping it's Luna? Ritsu might have the skill, but I think being showbiz is going to destroy her emotionally. Kizumi may make it to finals, but I feel like she might just step back at some point for someone else to win. Seems like her type, especially since she's only going forward with this because her dad suggested it might be a good idea. (Besides, what happened to the REST of Kizumi's life, anyway?)

3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor? My favorite character... I like Rain, honestly. She's so cheerful, and has such starry eyes... ...Literally, too. She's a cute. A shame it looks like she's going home. I wonder if we'll see her some more? Maybe on the outside, she'll exchange numbers or contact info to talk to Kizumi.

2. What do you think Kizumi’s secret is that she seems to be hiding? Why is she convinced it would change how others saw her? Additionally, how does Ritsu know the secret and why is Ritsu willing to keep it a secret? I kind of wish I knew what her secret is! I feel like the audience drama could be heightened by knowing what Kizumi's deal is, and seeing what the potential fallout for the other girls knowing that is. In any case -- I feel like maybe she and Ritsu met in school, but Rebel's suggestion of her being a model or celebrity in the past makes sense too. Maybe there was a singing competition for school or somesuch, and Kizumi did well there, but Ritsu understands the stress of being popular and saw how it ate Kizumi then, and will probably eat her again. Or maybe the secret's just as simple as "Well, you took goldie's place" and that's it. And everyone kiiiinda knows that, but...

4. Given Yuna originally didn’t do so well at the beginning of her own season, what do you think changed how she sung and eventually caused her to win? How will this play a role in Kizumi’s story? Someone in her life died. ...I dunno. I don't think we have enough information at Yuna to really theorize, tbh. But I mean, clearly Yuna had something happen, and it made her want to change. So she did. It could just be realizing that the prize money coulda been used to help someone? Or having the career woulda been beneficial to meeting her goals? Who knows.

9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention? THE DRESSES Gawsh, they're cute! Just... hhh. Yuna's dress during her special performance kind of inspired me so maybe something will come of that. Who knows.

Kabocha

7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you? I really like Kat and Lobelia - and I'm curious to see how they play off one another as siblings. Will they do any sort of duet outside of the group? Will they simply go solo? What if one of them wins? How's that gonna affect their relationship?

Honestly, I can't see that going well in some regards, but hopefully they'll find a way to work it out since they're siblings.

Kabocha

6. What do you think Ritsu’s story is given how cynical and serious she is about the world of idols? Do you think her mind can be changed, or will she continue to suffer through everything? I'm inclined to think that Ritsu just has issues with getting panicky in crowds. It might not be anything more complicated than that, and she's just like, "LISTEN, if you don't do well with crowds, this is NOT THE JOB FOR YOU" But I suppose we'll seeeeee~.

Kabocha

12. Given recent events, why do you think Luna is suddenly interested in being Kizumi’s friend? Is it genuine, or does Luna have ulterior motives? What do you think Luna’s backstory is in general? You know, I wonder. Luna seems like the type who might avoid making friends just on principle. In competitions like these, it would be difficult to keep friendships made among contestants, so it's just better to be standoffish. I wonder if she expects Kizumi to be less likely to backstab her if they're friends? It's hard to tell.

mathtans

I thought the topic for the comic looked interesting and I needed a break from doing report cards so I'm going to participate this week. O.o Will peek at questions before other answers.

1. The scene where Kizumi calls her dad stands out to me, I think because it helped to ground everything in a sense of reality. Having parents is a thing. Also amusing that he was a fan of the show.

2. Kizumi is secretly an android. ... Okay, no, but not sure aside from probably relates to her family. Ritsu knows her from way back, so that makes sense, and I think all of them would hold off on saying things they could use for blackmail. O.o

3. I'm leaning towards Rain. I like her mix of seriousness and goofiness. Also, nice entrance ducking down from the bunk above.

4. Yuna may have been like Kizumi in terms of just going along for the heck of it, until she realized she might have a shot - or possibly didn't want to see someone else win. So that could connect.

5. I kind of liked the Halloween costumes, am I allowed to pick that even though it wasn't canon? Though in general I like how the art flows down the page, a bit like how one's eye would when looking at someone singing. And there's some neat extra arts at the end sometimes.

6. Ritsu may have family issues, could also be why she wouldn't out Kizumi for family issues. She may feel like she has to suffer for her art.

7. I rather like the Kizumi/Yuna interactions. Feels like there's always something under the surface there. What with Kizumi feeling like not measuring up and Yuna kind of dancing around straight answers.

8. I feel like the plan of "flying under the radar" works well when there's multiple rivals, as we kind of saw, but that only works for so long. Not sure what else it will get into. I could see some of the more naive characters falling for ruses.

Kabocha

Yuna? Straight answers!? That would involve Kizumi actually asking a direct question, too XD

mathtans

9. I guess I already mentioned the flowing down the page matching the tracking of an eye. I also think that some of the art reuse is well done, not simply as a quick recap to start, but callbacks to people singing, or in the dream sequence... that was clever. And some of the explanation font stuff (like 'applause') doesn't come across as weird or goofy.

Kabocha: Heh. You're not wrong. She only really seems to have opened up to Rain, and then only in part.

Kabocha

Yeah. I kind of wish Kizumi would come out more with what her deal is - it would save her a lot of drama! But on the other hand, this comic does give me a very shoujo-manga sort of feel, and those sorts of misunderstandings are a pretty staple trope in the genre :3 So it's not a bad thing, it'd just be interesting to see where it went, yanno?

mathtans

10. I don't recall the Nagato thread, I've been reading very sporadically over the past week.

11. Well, the topic seems to have drawn me in. And it seems to have a good sense of which characters to bring to the forefront out of what is theoretically an oversized cast. I'm not great at this sort of analysis. O.o

12. Oh, Luna definitely has ulterior motives, but I think for the moment the offer is genuine in that she sees Kizumi as being someone who would hold her own. And better to be friends with that sort of person than on their bad side. The ulterior motive being a belief that she could win if it came down to the two of them. Something like that - Luna seems to be a strategist too.

13. It'll be interesting to see how the field gets narrowed, as it is the writer managed to cut the field in fifths with one contest. Pity about Rain, I'm wondering how she's going to handle things. Also some of those helpers/employees in the background got full bios, I'm wondering when and how they'll pop up again.

Kabocha: Also good points there too. And yeah, though I like that there's not so much misunderstandings at this point as much as secrets.

14. Goldie will win, in the most bizarre twist ever. Seriously though, uhhh? Maybe it'll be a tie. That'd be a twist too.(edited)

Kabocha

That's fair Math~ And oh god, if Goldie came back.. That would be really interesting

The final showdown is between Kizumi and Goldie! That could be amazing.

carcarchu

Ahahaha very interesting analysis's guys~ it's very difficult to sow all these seeds and then have to wait so long to be able to pay them off, i hope it will all be worth it in the end!

Kabocha

It'll definitely be interesting to see as it goes on!

I have to admit, that starry dress that Yuna wore was sorta inspiring in a weird way. It's sparked the urge to make some new brushes, too so we'll see what comes out of that. XD

mathtans

Been reading through the other comments. Interesting idea about Ritsu having been burned in the past, I can see it. (It's interesting how she was set up as a rival and then Luna became an additional wild card.) I didn't mention Marina, and that's an oversight because she was a fun character.

mathtans

Also, how could I NOT end by doing ships? With so many wonderful female characters? I mean, there's the obvious Kizumi-Rain, but I'm not sure I see that going beyond friendship. Kizumi-Yuna has potential. Ritsu seems like a bit too much of a lone wolf... whereas Reeni could pair with any of them, she's precious. Luna-Yuna I like for the name alone. (Lyuna?) But part of me likes Luna-Kat, having secret romantic walks in the morning.

redbeanbunny

13. I'm excited to learn more about Ritsu and Luna, and I hope some healing from Ritsu. They say that ppl are most critical of the flaws they have in themself, and for now she's still lashing out at Kizumi. Also to get to know the other contestants. I have no idea who the cannon fodder is right now and who will actually stay and make it to the end. For all I know Luna could get booted in the next round (noooo...). I think there are so many ways things could potentially go. And not to be shallow but more outfits for the gals, please!! Excited to see how things roll from here on out ^^ 14. We haven't met everyone yet, have we? So there's still others to consider. And I think that the other bickering characters haven't revealed their full potential yet. We don't even know the interns that well yet and what they have to put in. I mean there has to be a reason they have names I assume others will be getting their time to shine, so to speak. I just have this feeling the winner won't be Kizumi or Ritsu,,, but eh that's my gut. Who will win is one thing, I wonder who will actually continue their singing career. Maybe someone will get an image change (Ritsu? maybe she'll switch to a different style in the future). (Also Kizumi and Luna duet please at some point!). I think the real wildcard has yet to show up, kind of like how Yuna suddenly changed in the middle of the competition. This is one of the reasons why I'm so confused about what she sees in Kizumi (besides the whole Nagato thing and Kizumi possibly being his protegee). Could be Rain even. You know, like those shows that bring back the old contestants to raise the tension(edited)

Kabocha

13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

I'm looking forward to getting ANSWERS! What is your deal, Luna? As far as final thoughts, I look forward to see how this goes forward. I'm glad I read this week's comic, honestly :3

FeatheryJustice

I didn't have time to finish reading but I have to say I like the concept at least

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Princess Pop this week! Please also give a special thank you to carcarchu for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Princess Pop, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/princess-pop/list?title_no=173793

carcarchu’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kurumadraws

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

how are you feeling about the latest odd girl out chapters?

*giddiness* Odd girl out ask! TT0TT (just a heads up, I'm fast passing but only the eng ver cause I don't know Korean, tho I am looking ahead slighty on the Korean page to see what it's looking like)

I'm mixed. Season 1 was my fav because I liked the girls....and cause I ship Nari and Yuna.

Season 2 is good....it's focusing on Nari....but it involves romance with two guys...who aren't Yuna! (I like llama boy more than dog boy tho-I don't feel like looking their names up tbh sorry TT0TT). The girlies taking a backseat focus for Nari with these boys, and sometimes JUST the boys being the focus......is saddening (I thought this was GIRLS world! TT0TT).

BUT, it's eased a bit by the fact that the writing is still good. The stories are still interesting imo. And the author still does a good job delivering a complex and intricate narrative with a bunch of chars.

Right now I'm happy we're focused more on Nari's cousin. I'm more invested in Nari's family drama as well as Yuna's (I hope we get more info on her whole dad situation and such....in due time at least TT0TT). And I think the cousin was featured in Season 1 (at least during a Yuna arc iirc, she was a least cameo'd, same with the two boys iirc).

I'm trying to enjoy it now before we focus more on Llama boy again (cause I THINK some more focus chapters of his are coming up). I'm glad Nari's cousin is getting some focus, so we can run her through the ringer and feel Nari's kindness overload her. She needs to have her eyes opened and pegs taken down. TT0TT

I've re-read Season 1 a good number of times (at least until the end of Yuna arc). I haven't felt the need to re-read Season 2 juuuuuust yet.

(side note: I really wish they'd publish some of the side stories TT0TT had to find an indonesian version and google translate that to experience it *sobs*)

How are you feeling about the new chapters anon?

[cjcarpenter1]

My Review Of The Johto Series aka Filler With A Dash Of Plot

So the Johto Series of the pokemon anime starts off with “Don’t Touch That Dile” and ends with “Hoenn Alone” even though “Gotta Catch Ya Later” seemed more like an ending and “Hoenn Alone” a beginning for Advanced just with no May.

Anyways long story short Ash, Misty, Brock, Togepi, and Pikachu all get lost on the way to Professor Elm’s lab and stumble upon the silhouette of Suicune. Meanwhile Team Rocket steals a Totodile from Professor Elm’s lab. Fast forward a bit and Ash, Misty, Brock, Officer Jenny, and a Nurse Joy all go to find the Totodile, they battle Team Rocket, rescue Totodile, and the world is back to the way it once was. Ash registers for the Johto League and Professor Elm & Nurse Joy have a few cute moments that I would have liked to see play out in future epsiodes.

-MY FAVORITE PARTS-

So my favorite parts of this filler heavy series were The Whirl Cup, The Baby Lugia, and The Larvitar. The Whirl Cup took the focus off of Ash for a few episodes and Misty was on center stage. The Baby Lugia arc was right after the Whirl Cup and Ritchie came back as well as Butch & Cassidy, it was a cool few episodes and I like to think that the father of Baby Lugia was the one from 2000. And the Larvitar Arc, bless this little thing, it was so cute and precious. Larvitar should’ve stayed with Ash, being better developed in like 8 episodes than the rest of the Johto Team were to this day, and it was a bittersweet goodbye.

-MISTY-

Okay Misty was great btw. The show ever since maybe the Togepi episode started treating Misty like a character rather than just “the girl” of the group. They always had her do things but she didn’t really make a difference like her next incarnations do. Johto however gave Misty several episodes and she actually made a difference and did things to progress herself and others. The Whirl Cup arc was basically hers and she did beat Ash, showing just how good a Water Pokemon trainer she had become. Her episodes with Sakura were so good and I truly do wish she would have also joined the group. She really did shine for me in in “Whichever Way The Wind Blows” when she gave that speech to the Bellossom and Vileplume that they were meant to be that way and that it was up to them what they did with that. She was so great, but alas, I knew what came next. “Gotta Catch Ya Later” oh that episode will always break me, it was the end of the Trio and the resolution to Pokeshipping as the forefront and those flashbacks and her goodbye song killed me. Most people saw that as Ash friendzoning Misty but they way I saw it was he said “Ours wasn’t coincidence. I don’t believe it could be just a coincidence that I met you out of all people. I guess what I mean is even though that happened I think that we were meant to meet and become friends.” He has never said that to anyone else to my knowledge and this goodbye was only rivaled by that of Sinnoh. Misty may have been the only companion other than Dawn (I guess she had that thing with Buneary modeling) that didn’t want to leave, but she did and I do think that it was a good thing for her and showcased just how much she had grown. She literally left as an angry child proclaiming to never come back until she was a Water Pokemon Master. In the end even though she wasn’t a master this lead her on the right path just look at Chronicles and Sun & Moon. She progressed just fine without Ash and even though I will always have a soft spot for Pokeshipping, Misty left to take care of her gym and she progressed because of it.

-BROCK-

Brock returned after the Orange Islands because for some reason we all really like him. He really didn’t do much in Johto though. He had a few episodes here and there, but he really was just kinda there for the most part. They honestly didn’t seem to catch him up like they did in Advanced and Sinnoh. His moments in “Just Waiting On A Friend” & “The Little Big Horn” we’re wonderful. But the one thing I couldn’t stand was that he just gave Vulpix back to Suzie! Like excuse me I don’t care about Suzie and I don’t care that Vulpix spent the half a season being brushed and doing nothing else! I loved that Vulpix just as much if not more than Pikachu, it was like Brock’s little carry Pokemon! Like it was so great and he just gave it back like it was nothing! Like if you want to give it away just wait a season and give it to May for contests! That being said Brock really didn’t do it for me this season.

-ASH KETCHUM-

Oh little Ash, why must you be so you. I really was spoiled by growing up with Mentor Ash & Strategist Ash, I liked him but he was kind of still growing into Mentor Ash (which I loved btw). He was definitely better than he was in some seasons but his team was struggling. By the end his “Johto Team” consisted of Pikachu, Heracross (whom he barely used), Bayleef (I hated her), Cyndaquil (my fav), Totodile (should’ve been Misty’s), Noctowl (how shiny), & Phanpy (bless this little thing). It wasn’t the best team, it wasn’t really even a great team, but he still had Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Muk, & Snorlax on the back burner when things got serious. Unlike Unova, Hoenn, Kalos, and so far Alola, Ash brought back his older Pokemon for some gym battles and the League. That being said his “Original Series” Pokemon should probably all count as 1 consecutive team instead of like 2 1/2. Overall Ash was still kiddish but he matured greatly as Johto progressed.

-THE RIVALS-

There was really only 1 rival. Gary. Like Casey, Ritchie, Sakura, whoever else. Like they didn’t show up in the League. So oh well I loved Sakura, Ritchie was okay, Casey was a bit irritating at times, and Gary was still great. Gary, even though his character kinda did a 180 was so great. Like I don’t know why but I love Gary and him being nice and respectful was so wonderful in the end. Also that 6v6 league battle with him and Ash was so good!

-TEAM ROCKET-

They were so, meh. Like they got so much better in Advanced, Sinnoh, & Unova. Like it was just episode after episode of filler with their schemes that always were foiled and they blasted off again. They were just so stagnant after a while. Episode after episode scheme after scheme. Like I get why they were struggling with Johto. Not gonna lie though I kinda wish they got rid of Team Rocket instead of Misty. Like give them a good ending with a bomb ass whole Team Rocket plot and keep them in Kanto & Johto and have them come back in Battle Frontier when they actually went back to Kanto where Team Rocket is based. I’m just saying at least in Unova Team Rocket wasn’t in every episode.

-THE ENDING- (the 1st half is how you end a generation btw)

“Gotta Catch Ya Later” messed me up and to this day I’m never ready for that episode even when I know it’s coming. So basically the group arrives in Viridian City at the Pokemon Center that Ash, Misty, & Pikachu all blew up in like episode 2. And they learn that Misty’s bike was fixed by the Nurse Joy from that episode but she’s gone (not gonna lie Episode 2 Jenny & Joy were my favorites) and Misty’s sisters call her to tell her they won a cruise (please tell me it’s the same cruise from Sun & Moon) and they’re bouncing so she’s gotta get back. Misty then gets sad because she’s gotta leave the group (aka you love him Misty). Then she gets a flashback which we won’t even get into how much flashbacks effect me. And then Ash with his duncey self says it’s great which upsets Misty and she runs off. She then walks all sad and shadow faced and then runs into a trio of awful people and they antagonize her for a battle which she accepts. She beats them in 1v1 but then they cheat and just when it seems like Misty’s luck has run out Ash & Brock arrive to help and they all prove just how much of a team they are and how much they respect Misty as a Water Type Trainer. Then Team Rocket shows up for some reason (cue basic Team Rocket plot). Turns out they hired the trio to beat the gang. Team Rocket blasts off and then Misty thanks Ash for being such a good friend and the mood once again hits the feels. On the road again Misty has FLASHBACKS AND A SONG (it will always kill me and I could sing that song anytime anywhere.) and I’m hit with THE FEELS. And she talks about coincidence meeting Ash which he corrects (see the last part of Misty’s section of the review). Really wonderful love it so much but then there’s Brock ruining the mood cause he’s back in like 4 episodes and they all decide that they’re best friends and they split up which is only the 1st HALF OF THE EPISODE. The group parts ways and Misty finally knows how Ash feels about her and departs for Cerulean where her Chronicles episode picks up. And everyone cries while they go their seperate ways. Ash gets home meets up with Gary and then gets caught in the reliable pit trap by Team Rocket. Ash then uses the cloth and utensils that Brock and Misty gave him to escape proclaiming “I am not alone. My friends will always be there for me.” And he escapes. Proclaiming once again “I always have my friends with me!” And Team Rocket goes blasting off AGAIN. Ash thanks Brock and Misty and that night decides to leave for Hoenn.

-RATING- 6/10

To be honest it was long and filler heavy but the focuses in the plot oriented episodes and having Brock & Misty do things in the fillers helped a lot. Honestly the ending helped a lot to boost this up so it’s probably tied with Best Wishes for me.

[livetolean]

‼️TOP TIPS to navigating wedding season‼️ So I mentioned in my story yesterday-that we have 10 weddings to go to this year...😱🤯 & we’ve been to ONE☝🏽 already. (one of the invites we got yesterday was from my absolute FAV new couple friends that took this pic back in the bahamas🌴🌊🤩) - So I HAVE to explain how I stay SANE, while my lovely partner in crime/human usually eats his face off😘 (love you too the moon & back) Cause ya girls got BIG GOALS, & I just don’t bounce back as fast as I used to in college & my binge-ing days🙈😬 And it’s TOUGH when there’s so much good food- I always just want one of EVERYTHING tbh. - I swear, now I’m like a GRANNY or something. Cause food & alcohol takes SUCH a huge effect on me, plus, I just don’t like FEELING that icky full feeling after WAY over eating.🥴 ✨So HERE are my TOP TIPS to enjoying yourself while still staying on TRACK✨ 1. Plan ahead! If you can, find out what’s for dinner, and eat all the stuff you can’t get or won’t get-BEFORE the wedding. (I usually load up on greens & my superfoods Bc weddings usually don’t have tons of those;) 2. CHOOSE your battles. Maybe you have the glass of wine- but skip dessert? It’s all about balance. You don’t NEED everything. But you also don’t need to SKIP everything. 3. Be mindful of your portions & your plate! Weddings love to get fancy with MASSIVE plates, so just be aware of how much your eating. Do you really need the WHOLE ENTIRE 10oz steak? Maybe eat half & give your hubs the rest;) 4. Don’t go so fast. Weddings are about the people. So focus on THAT. Focus on the dancing & the celebration. Not how fast you can scarf down your food😂🙊 #guilty - Can any of my ladies out there relate?🙋🏼‍♀️do these tips help??? (at Nassau Bahamas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUt4roh-iH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ocp1p1js937r

[hup123hup123slapslap]

What do you think of the Kyuranger cast so far?

Kind of a write-up on my thoughts of both the cast and the series as a whole, whoops. 9 thoughts on kyuranger

1) too few girls

2a) too few humans

2b) I am not a fan of 5 of the hero characters being full-time suit acted (the commander is being counted here ‘cause spoilers) like honestly ??? I know what I REALLY love out of tense, serious scenes, a nice pan over to a blank non-emotive face, that’s reeeeal nice

3) All the behind the scenes stuff of the 5 human(ish) characters though is A++ they are all adorable

4) As for the characters they play, my reservations are gone (wasn’t feeling Naga, Lucky, or Stinger at first) and I am ON BOARD

5) Hammy is one of the best things to ever happen to me

6) It is going to be a hot fucking mess, let’s be honest. It’s the season with the most heroes ffs. 9 full-time rangers, ?+ extra rangers, and this from a series that can struggle to handle 6. Awesome.

7) The ONLY benefit might be a lack of focus on the red ranger, which has been an increasingly big issue

8) The suits look great though. At this point, it’s already gonna be a blender of madness, so just give me like 20 more rangers just for the pretty suits, thanks

9) I think I will totally love Kyuranger, but I think it’d be a miracle for it to be in my top favs

[blarkejonsa]

I wanted to address the not bad writing part, and please this is not hate just my pov of today's clip. People say it's still Imane focus cause she is tied to marles and elu drama, but in this clip we saw just how weak that connection is. Both of those dramas are literally happening behind the closed doors. Yes she might have some part in them but they are not her business. It's just the problem of the couples, which they will solve between themselves and Imane will just be told about them (1/2)

2/2 My point, it shouldn't be the most important storyline in Imane season in episode 8. I wouldn't mind having these, even tho it would make sense not to bring Charles back cause they pretty much resolved it in S3 with Manon dumping him, but if they had to have him, they shouldn't have made the state of the relationship of the main muslim girl's friend the most important plot point this far into the season. So the pacing of this conflict is def not a great writing choice. Hope this made sense

Hi again!

Sorry if i was carried away in my ramblings and gone offtopic a little, i kind of have a habit of doing that. No, it’s okay i know it’s not hate from your part, i wasn’t adressing you in any way, just some other people. 

I certainly see your point, from my perspective i think Imane is tied to the elu and marles drama, but you’re right that this connection is not that strong. She brought Charles back, so i guess this will have some consequences for her in the end... This whole storyline was never my fav in the og and for sure is not here too, that’s why i enjoy it only to the certain extent. Yes i still agree that this drama shouldn’t have been such a big part of a diffrent main season, especially muslim main. I think the main problem is the same like in og- this can be the last season, so they just have to resolve some things even if they are not so much connected to the Imane. Sometimes i saw posts criticising the og for the fact that when the main character has changed, they were not showing enough of the previous mains, that they were too much disconnected from the plot, and we couldn’t see their growth past their seasons. I kind of agree, and because of that the last season of og was messy. Julie just suddenly had to throw in and resolve too many things which she ignored before. I feel like in skamfr they had no choice in that, at least they tried to gave Manon and Emma more screen time in s3, so that disconnection from the previous mains is not super visible, but in s4 yeah...there is too much Manon, and i wish that drama around her could be resolved earlier... I have a feeling that in last episode there won’t be a splitted pov, so we will get 1 one more ep for Imane, so there’s some hope for more screen time for Imane and her only.

[gulmoregirls]

we really can’t take any more of this chris/lorelai and logan/rory shit. Me an mom. She hates lor and chris together, and chris himself. And she liked him at the beginning.

Plus, she never really had a strong position about rory and logan, even because they have cute scenes and all, but she always made it clear it was a boring match, and that rory didn’t deserve half the things/surprises logan prepared for her. The thing is we were watching this is us and after they reference gilmore girls in the second episode, we started talking about it. She said: “and dean? he divorced the blonde lady and disappeared, thank god... and i didn’t like it... that rory’s boyfriend is back, don’t like them” a whole MOOD

so I ask her THE question. The thing that divides the whole fandom. I asked her what was her team and explained the concept.

She said “Team Jess, obviously. The only possible one” OMG SHE’S AND INTELLECTUAL. Thank God i have another literati in my house, cause i would not stand a narco (i told her this and she felt offended LOL the hate for dean is real)

Bonus info: She’s not liking the last season, not only because of the couples. It’s indeed the weakest of them all, possibly because the palladinos weren’t working on it. Ofc they destroyed my life, but they did it while making the show interesting. The last season is boring, i have to take my mom’s side on this one. According to her, even the Luke’s parts and the grandparents’ appearances are boring. The only ones that remain funny and interesting are Sookie, Michel, Lane and Kirk. I agree!

S7 could have done better to our favs. They deserved a proper ending. Lane’s pregnancy, all this chris/lor thing (i would accept it if they were endgame, i wouldn’t like, but i would understand. instead they waste so much time of the last season to focus on a relationship that won’t even last), out-of-character rory and weird Luke. I pay it my respects because it’s the final season of one of my favourite shows, but the other ones are way better. 1-4 was everything, and even the other ones weren’t so bad. but unfortunately the last one got me disappointed. well... it happens