#one ice rink i played at had pokemon in the ice?? for some reason???

[hitory--chan]

SasuHina Month 2021

Day 1: The beginning of us

Of playdates and dinosaur cookies

 Sasuke bit his lower lip, feeling shy for the first time in his short life.

 His eyes roamed the entire landscape in front of him, but they fervently avoided looking to his right side, fearful that if he did, then he might never look away again.

 That´s was what his older brother told him would happen if he did, and Sasuke, barely a seven years old boy, was terrified just thinking he would spend the rest of his life feeling the whirlwind in his tummy, the warmth of his face and the tickling sensation in his throat that told him he would throw up at any moment just by looking at his new neighbor.

 Instead he looked at Itachi, his seventeen-year-old older brother, who was sitting across from him as he talked animatedly to the girl's caretaker beside him about things he couldn't understand and didn't seem to match the rhythm of his lips.

 The four of them were at the park, sitting at a picnic table taking a break from the playdate that the older ones arranged for the two youngers who were now having a snack before going back to play each for their part, like they had been doing it for an hour.

 That day when both couples met, Sasuke had refused to let go Itachi´s leg, hiding his face in the fabric of his brother´s pants to avoid looking at them and let out a furious blow on the older's thigh when he heard him laugh with Kö - as he learned the man's name was - after Hinata - that's what she was called - asked them if his tummy hurt.

When Itachi and Kö left them in the middle of the playground to sit and watch them from a distance, Sasuke had done his best to avoid looking at Hinata, feeling inexplicably annoyed when she stopped trying to talk to him about what they should play.

 But now it was difficult because they were sitting together and there were a lot of interesting noises that caught his attention but he couldn't look for where they were coming from, because if he did, he would have to turn to Hinata’s direction and he would undoubtedly look at her.

 He couldn't allow that.

 So he keep eating the dinosaur cookies he´d brought especially for this occasion, feeling his tongue dry after putting a Pterodactyl, a Stegosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus Rex in his mouth at the same time, so he reached for the apple juice box he'd left on the table with one hand, but he squealed in surprise when his fingers collided with others as small as his, and before even think about it, he turned his head and froze when his gaze locked onto the pale eyes of the girl.

 A few seconds went through in complete silence, until he began to cry.

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 He didn't speak to her until they were both twelve years old.

 Honestly, it hadn't been his intention, the words that were hovering in his head had simply left his mouth without any warning.

 "Digimon is better than Pokémon"

 She looked at him in horror, as if he had just said the worst insult that could be said to a person, clutching the strap of the Jigglypuff crossbody bag in her hands.

 He bit his tongue and instantly turned away from the metal fence that separated his house from the rest of the world, determined to walk back inside his house and put his face in the first bucket of water he could find, but before he took a third step he heard her speak.

 "D-Digimon is a copy of Pokémon"

 He slowly turned around, feeling personally insulted.

 They both began to have a heated discussion about why one show was better than the other, launching arguments and counter arguments that were moved to the living room of his house after he invited her in to continue arguing while they ate cookies and drank lemonade as an Itachi´s courtesy, who simply walked into the room and put the refreshments in front of them when they were organizing a schedule in which they would watch both series together to showoff which one was the best.

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Only a year later he realized, with the help of his brother, that he might be in love with her.

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At fifteen he took her hand for the first time.

 It happened while leaving school.

 He was walking a few steps behind Hinata when some older boys, seniors, approached and started harassing her.

 Like everyone in his class, puberty had caught up with Hinata.

 But while the other girls in his grade had barely defined their waists or their breasts just started to grow, Hinata had had to adjust her clothes and change bra sizes at least half a dozen times.

 And those changes certainly caught the attention of the boys at school and men on the street, who didn't care if she was still wearing her Togepi-themed stockings or the sheer number of pokemon-faced pins in her backpack, instead of stopping them, they actually seemed it cute and reason enough to try more insistently.

 Sasuke was bothered by that, but he didn't interfere because he believed she should be brave enough to stop them herself.

 Well, that changed when he saw how they tried to pull up her skirt.

 With a sudden wave of fury and taking advantage of his recently developed high -average stature for boys his age- in addition to his robust body, he walked faster, pushing the boy who was most actively teasing her aside and grabbing her hand to move her away with fast steps from that place.

 He only stopped when they arrived to the park and nearly collided with the ice cream man, just realizing her fingers had slipped between his and closed around. He squeezed her hand and stroked with his thumb as best he could in an attempt to comfort her when she rested her forehead against his shoulder, preventing him from seeing her face.

 She mumbled something and he laughed, motioning for the ice cream man to come over them, letting her choose the most ridiculously large and expensive ice cream that this ice cream man could offer.

 Later when they returned home, they watched a Pokemon marathon even though it was supposed to be Digimon's turn, as they had christened Fridays years ago.

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Several weeks later, when she was no longer emotionally sensitive about what happened on that occasion, he confessed to her.

 To his surprise, she did not reject him.

 They started dating.

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The first time they had sex, it was the night of the prom, which neither of them wanted to attend.

 They were seventeen years old, but they both felt ready to take that step in their relationship.

 And, well, they hadn't planned on doing it on that particular night.

 Instead of going to the prom, they preferred to celebrate on their own by going on a date to the ice-skating rink in the center of town. He fell a lot, he wasn't afraid to admit it, he had humbly accepted his legendary inability to handle any kind of rollerblades that might exist, but ice-skating was one of Hinata's favorite activities, and he would sacrifice his butt any day as long as he could watch her laugh happily while trying to teach him to skate.

 When they were finally exhausted they went out to eat and then decided to walk home in the cloudy night, ignoring the thunder that warned of the impending storm.

 They were close when it started raining loudly, drenching them from head to toe hopelessly before reaching Sasuke's door and entered the house, where they were all alone.

 They went straight to Sasuke's room. He pulled her towel over her head and began to dry her hair while Hinata took off her coat and helped him get rid of his. They hugged for a moment as they looked into each other's eyes, the space between them disappearing as their lips met.

 But the defining step was taken by Hinata, who pushed him onto the bed to sit and then climbed on top of him, kissing him again as she worked to remove her blouse and unbutton his pants.

 That night the cold parts of his body began to heat up with the touches they gave each other as they fused into one.

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 Having a long distance relationship was difficult, people always said it but they did not believe their relationship was so fragile that they could not bear a few kilometers between them.

 But being in universities so far apart from each other proved to be a more difficult challenge than they could bear. They were barely twenty and twenty-one years old, adulthood was still very young for both of them, and the process of adjusting to this new life was proving more complicated than they had ever thought.

 He didn't notice the decline in his relationship with Hinata until it was too late, but looking back, there was no other possible outcome.

 The first few months there were many love calls, talking almost every night until one of the two could not carry on anymore. But the further the semester progressed, the more difficult it was to talk, the calls went from being daily to inter-daily, then only on weekends.

 One call a week, one every fortnight or once a month.

 When they talked… well, they didn't talk, they argued.

 They argued over trifles or jealousy until one of them couldn't take it anymore and hanged up the phone without any warning.

 Then it happened.

 "I think we should break up"

 Sasuke was livid upon hearing that.

 His brain stopped registering the other words she said through the loudspeaker, and instead it repeated them cruelly over and over again, mocking him.

 I think we should break up.

 We should break up.

 Break up.

 He did not say anything and pressed the red button on his cell phone, wasted no time and blocked her contact from both his phone and any social network they might have in common and then threw the device against the wall, destroying it in one fell swoop.

 He didn't sleep an eye that night, not the night after or the night after that.

 And when he finally got to sleep, he dreamed of her.

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 Now Sasuke is twenty-six years old, he had finished his studies two years ago and returned to his hometown, got a good job and paid for his own apartment where he lived comfortably.

 Hinata hadn't come back, not even for the holidays.

 Kö had told him that she had stayed to do a specialty, that she was fine and happy. He wanted to see it for himself.

 So he looked for her on networks just to remember that he had blocked her, so he unlocked her phone number- which he had never deleted, and even if he had, it would not be a problem, since he remembered every digit of her number - and he unblocked her from Instagram, her Facebook was gone, it seems she had deleted her account.

 On Instagram there was nothing new, the last photo published had been three years ago, and reviewing the previous publications he noticed she hadn’t deleted the pictures both of them were together.

 He tried calling her only to find out she had changed her number, and that the one he was calling now belonged to an older man with a severe cough problem.

 He didn't try anymore, there was nothing more to try.

 He had to focus on the present.

 He is now a lawyer, the uncle of three little terrors whom he loved with all his soul even though he constantly complained about how loud they were.

 Soon they would be staying at his house to take care of them while Itachi and his wife went to another city to finish the transmissions for the adoption of a fourth child, the second that was not biologically theirs.

 That's why he was at his childhood convenience store, the only one that still sold the dinosaur cookies that had him so obsessed as a child, which his nephews absolutely loved and demanded every time they visited.

 He paid for a large quantity of them and thanked the clerk, opening one of the cookie packages for him as he turned to leave.

 The automatic door opened and someone rushed in, bumping into him and knocking the cookies onto the floor. He was about to insult them, but that person beat him to it.

 "I am so sorry! I'll pay for the cookies”

 He froze, recognizing that voice instantly.

 "Hinata?"

 "Sasuke?"

 His black eyes met her clear ones and the little breath that had remained inside was expelled from him. After years without seeing her, she still seemed like the girl - woman, he corrected himself - more beautiful his eyes had had the privilege of resting on.

 "It's been a while"

 He wanted to kick himself for commenting on the obvious; instead he bit down hard on the inside his cheek in the sneakiest way possible.

 "Yes ... quite ..." she looked at the floor and so did he, where the cookies had already beaten the five second rule more than a minute ago "I'm sorry again for your cookies" she said, this time with a little humor in her voice.

 "No problem, I have more" he replied, raising the bag in his hand, emphasizing his words with that action.

 Silence fell between them, uncomfortable as it had been in his youth when he had refused to speak to her during all those play dates Itachi had made for him without asking, but the lack of words or active movement allowed him to observe her more closely, listing all of the characteristics that had changed during those years without seeing her.

 Her plump cheeks were no longer as prominent, giving her face a more pronounced shape. Her eyes were still large and expressive, but even in the poor light of that establishment he could make out the darkened skin under her eyes. Hadn't she been sleeping properly? Was she working too hard? It had also seemed she had grown a little more, or perhaps he had shrunk, he was only sure that she did not reach the tip of his nose before. He couldn't tell from her baggy clothes - old habits hardly die - but she was probably thinner than before if her face was any indication of it.

 Before he could continue searching for the differences between the her of the past and the present, the door opened again and they were both forced to move to make way for whoever came in.

 "It was good to see you, Sasuke" she said and he could see the sincerity that was expressed on her face at her words. It was a goodbye, he knew it, and the storm raged inside of him as she walked around and past him, beginning to move away from him.

 It was a full-blown impulse when he leaned back and grabbed her arm, sliding his hand quickly towards hers noting the lack of any jewels that could make him reconsider his actions, secretly grateful for the lack of any kind of rings.

 "I know a place," he started, his brain working a mile for minute searching for the right words to say "It's near here and they serve decent food, maybe we should go there to catch up?" he said, increasingly unsure of his own voice and ending in a question, something uncharacteristic of his usually blunt attitude.

 Instead of answering immediately, Hinata looked at him searching for something that he couldn't even guess what it was. Maybe he was wrong and she was with someone? Maybe she was looking for better words to reject him, she was that considerate.

 He tried to lower his hopes, but it was difficult when her own hand closed momentarily around his before releasing it again, perhaps it had just been a small spasm, nothing intentional.

 But when she smiled and her hand closed again, the weight of his shoulders and the nervousness of his body disappeared, being replaced with relief when she said...

 "Lead the way"

#SasuHina #SasuHina Month 2021 #Sasuke Uchiha #Hinata Hyuga #day 1 #the beginning of us #sasuhina month

[csykora]

Ooh, ooh. Please tell me all about TJ and how he turned the Caps into a buttsmack-loving, hansy, "babe"-ing team.

Ah, you are asking the NHL’s eternal question:

“Wait, why did the big men just highstick each other in the nuts?”

Ball torture is a big part of a game that’s supposedly played with a puck. 

We can thank the tireless work of the league’s spanking expert, Timothy Lief Oshie (Keeway Gaaboo in Anishinaabemowin, or “TJ”, after a character in 1979’s The Champ, a sports movie that the New York Times once described as “unholy” and “these movies don't mean to deal with the world as it really is, but as it should be, a place where there's no pile-up of emotional garbage too big that it can't be washed clean by a good cry. My problem with 'The Champ' is that I didn't cry. The garbage accumulated."

Clips of the character TJ crying have been found to be “one of the most depressing movies” you can show somebody, and are used in psychological studies. His mom thought Oshie looked like child actor Ricky Schroder, though.)

He is best known as Osh-Babe, like a Pokemon, for the sound he makes.

TJ was born in Everett, Washington, but moved to his father’s hometown of Warroad, Minnesota when he was fifteen to train with his father (Coach Osh) and cousin (Olympian and Red Wings star Henry Boucha).

I have a duty to show hockey tumblr pictures of Coach Henry and Coach Henry’s mustache every year.

He is also cousins with Gary Sargent of the Minnesota North Stars and great-nephew of local legend Max Oshie, because Warroad is a town of 1,700 people who are all cousins and also all Olympians.

For new hockey fans: Warroad is called “Hockeytown USA” because the US men’s team has never won gold without a player from Warroad on the roster. The reason for this is that the town has three rinks (two indoor, one outdoor) and ice time is free. Apparently the only barrier is that sometimes people forget who has the town key to the rink and they have to jimmy the door. 

Little TJ went from having to drive across the Washington/Canada border and paying $20 dollars per hour to skating every day of the year. The first thing Coach Henry did when TJ arrived was make him scrimmage against his local star player. They got so frustrated at not being able to beat each other that they sat down on the ice and burst into tears. The other player is now US Olympic, Boston Pride, and PWHPA star Gigi Marvin.  

Anyway, TJ played college hockey, then for the Blues and for Team USA in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where he became famous for being a statistical freak and loving his teammates very, very much.

Here he is haring off the ice and all the way down the hall to crush Vladimir Tarasenko after his first career hat trick. After crushing Tarasenko’s Team Russia in 2014, TJ stopped to comfort him.

I don’t have video of TJ’s involvement with Vladimir’s butt, but there were at least a few proto-smacks.

Anyway, that summer TJ was traded away to the Washington Capitals, and the spankings started.

Several people deserve credit for the Washington Capital’s complete lack of personal space before TJ arrived. The first, of course, are Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, who shared everything from their name through their bubblegum, clothes, and chairs.

The next is Nate Schmidt, who at the time was d-partnered with John Carlson. John Carlson once hugged Nate Schmidt so hard it felt “like getting hit by a linebacker” and “I really felt I was going to eat popcorn with the people in the third row….It was awesome.” Nate Schmidt decided to express his love by composing a Carly Dance, which he would perform for Carlson before every game.

Then backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer told Schmidt he worried Nate was making the Caps’ other senior defenseman, Matt Niskanen, feel less cherished. Together they created a Matty Duet, which they performed at Niskanen while, I assume, the rest of the team had to hold him down.

There was also Tom Wilson, who also hits people very hard. After his first season Alexander Ovechkin was so impressed with Wilson that he nicknamed him “Destroyer”. Tom Wilson I guess blushed and said “No, you!” because started calling Ovechkin “Destroyer” right back. It’s since been shortened to “D”, so if you’re listening to pregame or bench chatter and hear someone yelling that it means either of them.

Since his arrival, TJ has adopted and escalated Schmidt’s pregame dances into elaborate dance-handshakes.

First, and this isn’t directly relevant but it kind of is, TJ is a really big fan of electrotherapy and brought it with him from St. Louis. So before games he and John Carlson like to go into a dark training room and stick electrodes on each other. TJ especially likes putting them on his face. 

(via the Washington Post)

(He uses an Accelerated Recovery Performance machine, or ARP, which is just a TENS unit you can get at CVS. I quite like TENS for pain and it can be very relaxing, so I think it does help him in that sense, but the company selling it as ARP for training purposes is some vintage 19th century snake oil. At one point TJ also stuck electrodes on long-suffering family dog Jay Beagle, who was gracious to his face but concluded, “I just don’t know if it actually works. I don’t like doing things that don’t help, you know what I mean?”)

Emerging from his electric dungeon, TJ has a unique dance-handshake with every member of the team. Each one is based on a joke or something he’s noticed about them, and they are expected to perform it with him in order before every game.

After that, they break out into secondary traditions as TJ supervises: Wilson and Ovechkin bodyslam and scream “D!” onto each other’s faces, during the playoffs John and Ovi square up and hit each other in the jock a ritual number of times, and so on.

...in retrospect maybe I should have pinned John Carlson for more of this, or at least that the Washington Capitals like it when John Carlson humiliates them physically. John Carlson now thinks he can demand his D-partners dance for him, much to Kempny’s confusion.

Anyway then they go out to the ice, where Kempny gamely tows TJ into position for Tom Wilson to whale on his ass and/or balls with his stick. The force and placement of blows vary depending how they’re feeling tonight. TJ returns the favor until they fall to the ice in fake or sometimes maybe not so fake agony. 

When TJ recovers enough he’ll sneak over and steal a spank of the plushest and most precious hockey butt of all: goalie butt.

According to Lars Eller, “it’s little things we have fun with. We don’t do it for anybody else, but for us as a group…just a good way for us to start practice off with a laugh and smile.”

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #407

“sugar pop, sugar pop, baby here i come, straight to #1″

Do you follow any special diet? (dairy free, vegetarian, gluten free etc.) No. What’s your favourite summer activity? Swimming is all I really enjoy about summer. Who was the first person to break your heart? It wasn't in a romantic sense obviously, but my dad. First band you obsessed about? I've only ever *truly* been obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne as a band, haha. First place someone took you on a date? I want to say a local skating rink. It was a group thing. How many doors are in the room you’re in? Two, if you include the closet door. Has anyone ever drawn a picture of you? Yes. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Quite a few. Which movie villain do you find the most terrifying? Well, if you've seen the scene where Pyramid Head literally rips a woman's skin off like a sheet in Silent Hill... u kno. I genuinely do find him to be a terrifying monster though, all bias aside. Humanoid monsters with ambiguous faces unsettle me. I wouldn't want that knife swingin at me, either. Do you get grumpy when you’re hungry? Yuuuup, I sure can. Do you stick your tongue out often in pictures? I have done that maybe twice in my whole life. Which one of your family members are you closest to? My mom. If chocolate was an illegal drug - would you be a drug addict? Nah. I'd be able to survive if it was illegal, but it would suck. Are you proud of your parents? Yes in some areas, no in some others. There are things both have said and/or done that I can't say I'm proud of them for, but overall, I am. Do you say “soda” or “pop”? "Soda." Are you shy about singing in front of people? YUP. I just don't do it. If you could get backstage tickets to ANY concert - which would you pick? Ozzy. :') It'd be fantastic to tell him thank you for his music that has always brought me joy and comforted me, and also let him know for sure just how strong he is and that it is absolutely not overlooked to still be nailing out an album while fighting Parkinson's. I'd probably start blubbering like a baby while rambling at some point, haha. Which is better: orange or grape soda? Orange. I don't like grape soda. Do you sleep with a sleep mask? Well, you could sort of call it that, ha ha. I have to wear an APAP mask to subdue my sleep apnea that causes wild nightmares/terrors. Do you like techno music? It's actually grown on me the past few months. Have you ever been drunk? No, I've never quite reached that point. I've only been tipsy. Are you mad at your best friend right now? Nope, got no reason to be. Do you know anybody with a pet snake? Yes, including myself. Is there any drink that you absolutely MUST drink cold? WATER. ABSOLUTELY WATER. I canNOOOOOOT do room temperature water anymore. It's gotta be pretty damn cold for me to drink it like it's nothin'. Have you ever painted anybody's nails aside from your own? No. Do you ever donate to the less fortunate? Mom likes to donate our old clothes and stuffed animals. Did you buy an American flag after 9/11 to put on your car/house/ whatever? I was a little kid when this happened, so. I don't know if my parents did. Honestly, do you have any Hilary Duff on your MP3 player? HA, I do. I love "Who's That Girl." When was the last time you had an ice cream sandwich? Wow, probably years... I really, really want one now, ha ha. Have you ever caught a friend cheating on their bf/gf? Well, my sister's friend, anyway. I was just sitting on the computer in the living room and there they were on the couch just casually making out. Do you enjoy doing math? Fuuuuck no. Do you think your mom has secrets she’s never told you? Oh, I know she does. There are things she's done that I know I have plenty of missing details from, but I don't ask because I know they're sensitive subjects. Do you own anything you don’t want your parents to know about? No. Do you pose in your pictures or just smile? I usually just smile. Do you use scented soap in the shower? Yes. It smells like cinnamon rolls and it is HEAVENLY. Did you ever want to be a fashion designer? No. Who was the last person you danced with? Enjoyable? Ha, Sara. Yeah. Dark or light colored jeans? Dark, 100%. I never wore light jeans. Can you take apart a computer and name all the parts? No sir. Can you take apart a car and name all the parts? That's an even bigger "no." Have you ever purchased a lotto ticket? No. What is the longest amount of time you've spent playing Monopoly? Idk. Have you ever witnessed a tornado first-hand? Thank fucking Christ I haven't. I am terrified of them. Have you ever colored your eyebrows? No. Have you ever taken another person's prescribed medication? Pain medicine, yes. Have you ever played golf (not miniature golf)? No. I'm not interested to, either. Have you ever gotten dressed with the windows open? I definitely don't believe so. Have you ever taken a shower outside? At the beach, yes. If you could call it a "shower." Have you ever been to a junkyard? No. Have you ever watched the History Channel willingly? No. If you could get the cell phone of your choice - what would it be? Probably a current iPhone. Apple is such a rip-off, but damn is the camera good lmao. Do you hand out candy to kids on Halloween? This will be my first Halloween in this house, so I really don't know if trick-or-treaters happen here. Do you like huskies? Love 'em, but I could neeeever own one with all that fur. What do you smell like? I'm always self-conscious over if I smell like sweat because of my hyperhidrosis. I hope not. Do you take your dog for walks? I don't have a dog. I used to take Teddy when he was younger, though. He loved those, but I stopped when I noticed his arthritis kicking in. Have you ever went paintballing? No. Seems stupid to me, honestly... Like that shit seems painful, so like, why??? What kind of movies are you drawn to? Horror and fantasy, mostly. I don't watch movies often. How often do you update your Facebook status? Just about never because I either just have nothing to say or am afraid of saying something stupid. I only ever share posts or pictures that appeal to me. What type of pet would you like to have? A Brazilian Black tarantula. :( I will whine about that until the day I get one, ha ha. I would also really, really like a plains hognose and a woma python. What breakfast are you most likely to have? Cereal. When you're starting to feel sick, you: It depends on what kind of "sick," but odds are I'm heading for the medicine cabinet. What colors are you most drawn to? Pastel ones. :') Light and pretty. What deadly sin are you most likely to commit? Sloth. When you're away from home, what makes you feel at home? "Having my stuff with me, like my laptop." <<<< Same. Do you prefer to lounge in a hot tub or swim in a pool? Swim. How many books do you have out in the public areas of your house? None. Who makes a better burger, in your opinion? Sonic. @_@ What do you like best about the holidays? Seeing my niece and nephew so excited. You think your eyes convey: Boredom, probably. Besides screaming for ice cream, what else do you scream for? If a bug surprises me by being on me. Well, depending on the bug. Do you like fried chicken? Noooo, it is so gross to me. What do you think of belly button piercings? They are SO cute imo. I want one, but I think it would look hideous on me. Maybe if I was actually thinner. Not saying bigger people can't wear belly button piercings, I just don't think it would look good on me. Do you like plain Lays potato chips? They're my favorite! I especially like the ruffled kind. Is there a big screen television in your house? In the living room, yeah. Would you rather no heat in winter or no A.C in summer? No heat in the winter, EASILY. I can't handle no A/C when it's hot. At least if you're cold, you can bundle up with tons of blankets. Have you ever had braces? I did for a long time because we couldn't afford to take them off. Do you do your own laundry? No, honestly. Mom likes to just do it all together, so I let her do it. Which do you prefer: English, Irish, or Australian accents? Irish. Is there anything on your bedroom door? Yeah! I got a "Meerkat Lover St." sign for my door. :') What is the best vegetable? Broccoli. Guys in eyeliner: Hot or not? That shit is h o t. Have you ever seen your favorite band live? No. :( Do you drink water or soda more often? Ugh, soda. Did you collect Pokemon cards back in the day? I didn't deliberately, but only because I was awkward about asking for Pokemon stuff because I thought people thought I was weird for being a girl and being obsessed with it. I think I got one pack. I really, really wish I'd been less self-conscious about that passion. Pet turtle: yay or nay? I'm personally not interested. Did anyone famous come from your town/city/school? Yeah, but I'm not sharing who. Have you ever seen a celebrity on the street? No. Have you ever pretended to be sick? To avoid school sometimes, yes. Can you ice skate? Never tried, too scared to. The blades terrify me. Do you have your nose pierced? No, but I want to have it redone. Do you loooove Tim Burton movies? I sure do! What arcade games do you like to play? I haven't been to an arcade in forever... but I liked the racing ones. What's the most expensive gift you've ever gotten for someone else? I'm not sure. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom, or your dad? At this moment, probably my dad. We haven't hung out in a long time. What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? I'd be happy for her and tell her she'd better let me know if the person ever fucks up so I can kick some ass, ha ha. Are you easily confused? Very. I'm slow to understand things. Where was your MySpace/Facebook default taken? My bedroom. Can you whistle with your fingers in your mouth? No. I've never understood how that works. Do you like peanut butter? Love it.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''bubblegum bitch'' by marina and the diamonds

[allthingsmisty]

Translation on Takeshi Shudo’s Anime Novelization on Chapter 3: The Four Sisters of Cerulean City

Please go read pokemonthenovel/2bamaster’s translation! It has a full translation. I’m only commenting on certain parts.

For context, Takeshi Shudo was the lead writer for the Pokemon anime from 1997-2002. He also wrote the first 3 Pokemon movies. He wrote a few novelizations containing more background information on the anime in 1997 and 1999. He passed away at age 61 in 2010. These books are very difficult to find.

pokemonthenovel/2beamaster on DreamWidth kindly translated the chapters of Shudo’s writing. For previous chapters, see here. Please go leave nice comments!

Onto the commentary!

“Even the foul mouthed Misty had finally run out of insults and become quiet as of late.“

Foul mouthed Misty!! Let Misty say fuck!

This path leads down to Cerulean City.” Brock said as he spread out his map. “Then this path will take us to a different city.” Misty pointed to the other path. “I want to go to a city with a gym.” Ash replied. “In that case, Cerulean City has a gym.” Brock said. “Then it’s decided!” Ash began walking. “Hold it right there.” Misty grabbed Ash by the back of his collar. “You haven’t even caught a single new Pokémon. You should give it a little longer before your next gym challenge, perhaps ten years?” Misty had a point.

“perhaps ten years” is too funny!

“By trying to stop him, you instead spurred him on. Nice work with the reverse psychology.” “But I really don’t want to go there.” Misty muttered. “Eh?” “I don’t want to go! Screw Cerulean City! But I have to now, otherwise he’ll never pay me back for my bike... Ugh, that damn Ash... I won’t forgive you for this!” Misty chased down the path after Ash. It seemed that Misty has issues with Cerulean City itself beyond having to go along with Ash’s gym quest.

Misty said damn 🥺

Tourism Guide ... Cerulean City A city of water and flowers... It’s considered the Kanto region’s equivalent of the Atami Hot Springs. At the base of the dormant volcano, Mt. Furuhanada, it has long since been known as a hot springs resort. Also thanks to the hot springs and geothermal energy, the area is known for a temperate climate where flowers bloom in abundance.

It’s really cool Cerulean City was inspired by Atami Hot Springs in Shizuoka Prefecture!

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Cerulean in Cerulean City’s name refers to the great fields of flowers it has. The word Cerulean may also refer to a cerulean hue, the word sounds as though it may describe a pink or reddish colour, but in actuality it’s more purplish or blue, a fact you may want to keep in mind. Flowers come in many colours. Anyway, Cerulean is a city that is inseparable from flowers. In fact, Cerulean City has no rice or vegetable crops, but is surrounded by fields of flowers. Truthfully, with all the volcanic ash in the soil surrounding Cerulean, about the only thing other than flowers that could actually grow would be potatoes.

Fields of flowers sounds so lovely! And potatoes are an interesting note!

Translator Note: Hanada can be written as 花田 meaning flower field.

A Well Known Insulting Song ... Cerulean City is a city of roses The women who live there have mighty big noses If you don’t want a flower you can have a potato Cerulean City, we advise that you don’t go Additionally, the Cerulean River which flows through the soft volcanic ash soil has its path vary throughout the year and occasionally floods, but don’t be concerned as it simply irrigates the fields. ... Cerulean City is a city of water And just like the water are many its daughters They rage and scream and howl like a storm Cerulean City, you have been warned

I wonder why Shudo had the need to add this detail. It’s interesting. The first part makes me think if he have a bad experience in Atami, I wonder?

Translator Note: The insulting song just said "flowers" rather than roses originally and the reference to noses was a pun on nose and flower both being read as "hana". (So either "The women who live there have mighty big noses" or "The women who live there are as pretty as flowers".)

As for the second part, it can be compared to people generally see Misty.

Though the flow changes continuously from year to year, it’s resulted in scattered swamplands, new branches of the river and natural waterways, Cerulean River and the flower filled Cerulean City have beautiful scenery renowned throughout the country, until recently it was a popular spot for honeymooners in the Kanto region. In the golden era, there was a railcar that ran from the city painted with flowers called the Flower Romance Car. Though speaking of tourist hotspots, since the olden times various places like game arcades, mysterious circus tents and bars have opened to part tourists from their money, and many kinds of people began to drift through for various reasons. In no time at all, Cerulean City had become somewhere that was no longer safe for young newlyweds who wanted some time alone. Nowadays, Cerulean City’s detractors would describe it as an overpriced, terrible, unsettling excuse of a hot spring town.

Interesting. Shudo’s perspective makes me think he didn’t have good experiences there. Its history sounds really nice. However, Shudo does tend to have pessimistic thoughts throughout his novelization.

Cerulean City has many old hot spring inns. They may generally be overpriced, terrible and unsettling... They get very few customers, and on the inside they’re cheap, terrible and unsettling. Besides just being a place to relax and take a bath, the one thing hot springs really need is to be effective at healing sickness and injury. With this in mind, a lot of customers who book cheap inns in Cerulean City bring their own pots and kettles in order to do their own cooking while they recover from their ailments. Hidden among the recesses on the outskirts of Cerulean City lies the Kareobana Hotel, one of the inns mentioned. Though beyond the others, it is an extremely cheap hotel to stay at. It’s so cheap as the roof is slanted, the wind howls through the walls and the electricity doesn’t work.

Interesting to note.

Ash was spending that night at the Cerulean City Pokémon Center, the next morning after breakfast he headed straight for Cerulean Gym. As you would expect of a place called Cerulean City, there were flower beds on most street corners. Both sides of the streets were lined with hotel terraces, blooming with flowers. “It’s beautiful. As I’d expect of a place called Cerulean City.” Brock murmured, thinking out loud.

Misty gave a blunt response. “They’re fake. The flowers are plastic. It keeps those nasty bugs from eating them.” “Hmm. They don’t look fake to me.” Brock cocked his head right before Misty lashed out in anger.

“They’re so obviously fake! You’ve grown up surrounded by boulders and rocks, so you wouldn’t recognize a real flower if it smacked you in the face, Brock.” Brock’s eyes widened after Misty’s outburst. “Hey, it’s not like I’m Ash. Try cooling it on the attitude.” “You’re both the same. Ash, Brock... Let’s go to Cerulean City... Oh, it’s so pretty... You’re making me sick.”

The flowers are fake! I love how Misty says “it keeps those nasty bugs from eating them.” 😂It makes sense the flowers are plastic given the volcanic ash that falls.

Would this be a metaphor how Misty sees right through its’ fakeness (aka her sisters)?

Ash, who had been walking ahead of them, turned back to speak. “Come on, quit fighting. I want to get to the gym. I don’t care whether or not the flowers are real, as long as the gym has Pokémon and I get a real badge.” “Shut up! I have no inclination to listen to some eccentric miscreant who only likes Pokémon.” “Don’t use such big words. Seriously, who even says inclination?” Ash responded irritably, wanting to just go to the gym already. “What was that!? You damn Pokémon nerd... you want a piece of me?” Misty snapped back.

I love how Misty has an extensive vocabulary! And Ash gets frustrated he can’t fully understand her! I’m getting major Anne of Green Gables vibes from this exchange.

“I get that you’re interested in me... But I’m a busy woman and if you continue to harass me, I’ll have to put you under arrest. Like when I saw you with that other girl.” “Arrest... The way you say it really gets me going, officer. If I were a bad man, I’d gladly go down for you.” Brock said this with a straight face. Jenny couldn’t help but crack a smile at this. ... Geez, this guy... Ash was losing his patience. Hanging around at this point was only increasing his chances of getting arrested for real. ... She’s going to charge us with obstruction of justice at this rate...

This is so funny! Brock is too thirsty for Officer Jenny! And Ash thinking to himself Brock’s antics will get them both arrested is hilarious.

... Is this really Cerulean Gym? ... Ash had reached the Cerulean City coastline. The map said that Cerulean Gym was located here. However the gymnasium-like building standing before Ash displayed a flashy sign. “Three sensational sisters, underwater revue. A heart pounding, fluttering dream awaits...” The sign reminded him of the signage for a circus that had come to a festival in Pallet Town a long time ago. The word heart pounding seemed to fit more than fluttering. Nobody was at the entrance. There was a vending machine selling tickets. There was a light saying Available Now, so it seemed that something was going on inside. Ash bought a ticket and went inside. Suddenly, he could hear chanting. “Daiiiisyyyy!” “Alright! Violet!” “It’s Lily, I’ve been waiting for her!” There was a crowd on the other side of the door. There was waltzing music playing, like at an ice skating rink. But inside was more like a movie theatre than a skating rink. If you were to call this place a movie theatre, then the movie playing would be called Depths of the Deep Blue Sea. However, what at first glance appeared to be the screen, was in fact a glass water tank. There were roughly a dozen men pressed against the glass looking at what was inside the tank. These men were responsible for the chants. ... What the...? heck is this...

This is not too different from the anime except for a few details. Pikachu isn’t into the performance. And the fans being all men isn’t surprising. It’s the fan club.

Then a woman’s voice announced over the speakers. “Everyone. Thank you once again for coming so early to see the three sisters underwater revue. Now it’s time for the finale. First up, Lily, give your regards...” The men’s cheers grew louder. The bubbles cleared, the thing in the tank was waving. Getting a good look, it was a woman in a sparkling swimsuit. The fins on her feet were diving flippers. Her long pink hair floating around her had obscured the fact she was human. ... Darn. Just a human... Also, ugh, a girl... Ash was disappointed. Ash always found himself at a disadvantage dealing with women, including his mother. And since meeting Misty, his dealings with them had only become worse.

Ash is being a kid here. 😂

Looking at her, the woman in the water was a great swimmer. Though she didn’t need to be wriggling about so much... She’d be better off swimming in a straight line... It’s no wonder she was mistaken for a Pokémon... It’s clearly confusing... A man would be much more straight to the point... Ash wasn’t impressed. Just like yesterday, Pikachu was beginning to doze off by his feet. Sensing no danger, the nocturnal Pikachu decided on a daytime nap. The announcement continued. “Right, next up, Violet...” This time, a purple haired woman jumped in. ... What kind of person has purple hair... That’s one of the things he hated about women. Ash recalled when he was four years old, his mother Delia had dyed her black hair to brown. ... Ash had thrown such a fit that his mother hadn’t dyed her hair again since.

Wow. Damn, Shudo sure takes Ash’s charm as a protagonist away here. I know Indigo League Ash is more bratty and childish. But here, it makes Ash sound sexist and unlikeable.

He could hear women talking. “Lily, you were a little sloppy.” “As if you weren’t, sis.”

“It’s only to be expected when there’s such a small turnout.” The blonde woman sighed as she brushed her hair. Ash watched intently from the shadow of the curtain. “We get a lot more customers during the evening session... I’ll be on point for that one.” The pink haired woman tossed her hair. “But if we’re not always giving it our best, we’re liable to slip up when it really counts. Let’s all get some perspective here...” The purple haired woman spoke as she pulled at her hair.

Their audience were only twelve men. We knew the anime showed the sisters performing as their main source of income.

Underneath the hair, black hair was visible. The pink, purple and blonde hair were wigs. All three of the girls real hair was black. With a feeling of relief, Ash spoke without thinking. “Right. They’re just wigs...” The women all turned to look. Then all three spoke in unison. “Don’t look!” Ash flinched. However, the woman who had been blonde looked at Ash and shrugged. “Though I guess there’s no harm in looking. There’s nothing to hide.” “You’re right.” The woman who had the pink hair laughed. “We can’t be so slack about this. This boy had to have been a customer. He could have become one of our fans when he grows up. We’re the stars of Cerulean City, we need to act like it.” The third woman put her soaking wet purple wig back on and gave Ash a bright smile. “Sorry kid. If you’re wanting an autograph, you have to go through our manager.” “Hold on, since when did we get a manager?” The woman with the pink wig mockingly asked the one in the purple wig. “Silence! Lily! Don’t crush the kid’s dreams. Stars are supposed to have managers.” The purple haired one snapped irritably. “Now, now, seeing the three sensational sisters at each other’s throats is going to taint his vision further.” The blonde woman calmed the other two.

I believe many fans will be satisfied with this headcanon of Misty’s sisters wearing wigs. Ash’s reaction is so rude and childish.

I love how Violet is seen as the more serious sister here! In the anime, it’s Daisy. Violet has a little more character here.

Ash had no patience for watching some unknown women bickering. “I don’t want your autograph...” “Eh?” The three women stared at Ash in surprise. Regardless of anything else said, it seemed that all three were convinced he’d come for autographs. “I’m here for a badge.” “Oh... They’re available from the vending machine then.” The purple haired one said, seemingly a little disappointed. “That’s not what I’m after.” Ash pouted. “What I want is a Gym Badge. Where has the Cerulean City Gym gone?” The three of them stared blankly at Ash. “You must be an aspiring trainer then?” The blonde asked Ash with an exasperated expression. “That... is the only reason I’m in a place like this.” “I see, a place like this, not the nicest way to put it. Geez.” The pink haired one shook her head.

Damn, Ash is so rude here. 

“Boy, this is Cerulean Gym.” The purple haired one stated. “Then where’s the Gym Leader... where are the Pokémon?” “We’re the Gym Leaders... I’m Daisy, the eldest.” The woman in the blonde wig. “I’m the second oldest, Violet...” The purple haired one. “Third daughter, Lily...” The one in the pink wig waved. “To be precise, one of us is the leader. We rotate on a weekly roster, or sometimes just draw lots.” Ash wasn’t content to keep quiet after hearing that. “Can a Gym Leader do that kind of thing?” “What kind of thing... our revue?” The second daughter Violet asked raising her brow a little. She seemed a little thick. “I mean... you just kinda swim around a little bit...” “Boy, that’s what you call art.” Daisy said gently. “Indeed, we are the three sensational sisters of Cerulean City. Purveyors of beauty and art.” The third daughter, Lily, said with a smile.

I think most of us knew Daisy was the oldest followed by Violet and Lily.

“I don’t care about that. I’m Ash from Pallet Town. I came for a battle. I came for a badge. Fight me.” “A kid from Pallet Town, huh... Geez.” Daisy looked at her sisters. “If you want a badge that badly... it’s fine, right?” Lily asked Violet, who seemed to take her duties the most seriously. “Sure. Have a badge.” Violet stated plainly. “Eh...? What?” Ash was disappointed as dispirited. “You’re the fourth kid passing through from Pallet Town. We’ve seen a lot of you lately.” Daisy sighed. “Three others came?” Ash let out a sigh. Ash’s rivals from Pallet Town were all still ahead of him. “You see... Cerulean City is known for its flowers. Get it? Therefore, us three sisters are like flowers.” Lily said sweetly. “Though most of the flowers are fake these days.” Violet whispered. “Let’s not bring that up.” Daisy said.

Violet is so funny! She has a lot of potential. She’s so self-aware!

Misty having anger towards the flowers in Cerulean clearly makes sense. Everything is fake and Misty had the need to get away from it.

“Besides, it’s a tourist trap filled with hot springs. This is somewhere people come to relax. We barely get any serious gym challengers. Most people are here to play. We’re hardly what you’d call a proper gym. At least not since mom and dad abandoned us.” Violet spoke as if it was something that didn’t concern her. “They ran out on this place too?” Ash was astonished. First Pewter Gym and now this place, it seems a lot of parents are abandoning their kids. I mean, at least I had my mom, maybe I was luckier than I realized... he may have thought. “Basically, even though our parents ran off, by keeping up the pretense we’re still a gym, we’re able to make a living. Besides, anyone over the age of ten is a legal adult in this country... our parents have no obligation to us and are free to do whatever they want.” Violet said to Ash. “But we’re still young. We don’t want to spend our entire life at this stupid gym. We want to see the world and live a better life.” Lily’s eyes sparkled as she daydreamed. “So that’s when we realized. We’re beautiful young women. We didn’t need a Pokémon Gym to make a living. We could focus on our looks, brush up any imperfections in our faces and escape this little hot springs town. With our looks and our special swimming routine, we’ll be the stars of the world’s best underwater show. You get it?” “Not at all. Why would you brush any part of your face other than your teeth?” It was a serious question for Ash, but all three sisters sighed in succession. Heh, heh, heh...

Now this was the info I was looking for! We knew Misty’s parents existed, but not any specifics. This detail is still somewhat vague but it alludes their parents left due to being tired of being at the gym.

I wish we got more details about what their parents were like. It seems Brock’s chapter got more background info.

“Anyway, I want a battle.” “Geez, fine. The other three kids from your hometown totally wiped us out.” “Wiped you out?” “This is a town of flowers and hot springs. We’re hopeless in a serious battle... As a result, we’ve just lost three battles in a row. The last kid in particular was so serious it was a little scary.” “I’m serious too.” He wasn’t going to back down after hearing that the other three had won. “Which is why, just take the badge.” Daisy pulled out a pendant kept near her chest. There was a blue coloured badge attached to it. “Here, the Blue Badge. Proof of victory at Cerulean Gym.” “But don’t four consecutive losses mean you have to shut down the gym?” “That’s the rule. But there’s three of us. If we all have a turn, we’ll be okay to last through twelve losses. By which point we’ll be stars and finally leave this place.” “I guess that makes sense.”

This part isn’t surprising. We all know how Misty ended up at the gym in the end so this explanation eludes to that. This was written in 1999. Misty’s departure in Japan was in 2002.

“Sisters are a great thing to have.” “I’m an only child.” Ash murmured. “That’s a shame... But cheer up. You get to have this badge...” “But...” “No need to hold back... We’re all part of the one big family known as humankind.” Violet and Lily also smiled kindly. He felt a little guilty about it, but Ash really wanted the Blue Badge in front of him. Just as Ash thought to say... Thank you... “Hold it right there!” A girl’s harsh voice came from behind. Even the dozing Pikachu, who had followed Ash, was surprised by the voice and jolted awake. He had sensed danger in the forcefulness of the voice, Ash turned to see Misty standing with clenched fists. “Sis... What do you think you three are doing?” Misty glared at the three sisters. “By sis... You mean, what?” Ash asked Misty. “Ash, for this battle... I’m your opponent.” “Why are you...” “This shouldn’t come as a surprise... I’m the world’s greatest beauty, the name’s Misty. And I am in fact, the youngest daughter of the Cerulean Gym.” “That’s a surprise...” Ash whispered honestly. It was ludicrous for Misty to call herself a beauty next to the three beautiful sisters. She had to be at least five years younger than them... It was like comparing a child to an adult. “Which means that the three sensational sisters of Cerulean City are actually the four sensational sisters.” Misty puffed out her chest.

There she is! 

“More like three sensational sisters and something extra.” Lily muttered under her breath. A girl can’t overlook such an insult no matter how quietly it’s said. “What was that...” Misty glared at Lily. “I’ll say it clearly then. You can’t compete with us, who was it that made a grand gesture of cutting ties and leaving home again?” Violet stated in place of Lily.

Not too different from the anime version.

“I’m not going to let you ruin the gym dad left behind, just because of some dumb idea of becoming stars.” Misty spat back. “Dad this... Dad that, it’s always about dad with you. Listen up Misty, dad abandoned the gym. We’re free to do whatever we want with it... Dad gave up on the gym so he could choose his own path in life.” Lily said looking into the distance. “I don’t want to hear it.” Misty kept shaking her head. “If my sisters aren’t up to the job, I’ll protect dad’s gym myself.” “You’re ending your time away? You’ve already ended your relationship with us, Misty.” Violet said. “Weedy little Misty, so cute alone in her corner.” Lily shrugged. “I will defend the honour of Cerulean Gym!” Misty said, clenching her fists. “Alright. Let Misty do what she wants...” Daisy said to Lily and Violet with a strained smile. “There’s no need to argue with your sister about the gym. Right?” Violet and Lily smiled back and nodded. “Thanks, sis.” Misty bit her lip as she turned back to Ash.

!!!

Misty is closer to her dad! That’s too cute!! 🥺🥺🥺

I never would have guessed she was closer to her dad, but it def makes sense now. Ugh, my heart!!!

Unfortunately, Misty is in denial about her father’s abandonment. She is still a child who’s in the phase of admiring their parents. It’s only a matter of time when that view shatters for Misty as she ages.

It is very interesting Misty doesn’t talk about her mother. In the previous chapter, she ragged on Ash being a momma’s boy. Does this mean she didn’t have a good relationship with her mother? Maybe her mother was more like Misty’s sisters?

This makes me wonder if Misty’s sisters wear wigs. Could this be a habit they picked up from their mother?

More importantly, we’re aware Misty’s hair is the real deal. Part of me thinks that maybe her father had red hair like Misty as well?

This is all speculation at this point, but it’s fun to wonder about! However, I do feel for Misty here. Having parents that abandon you at such a young age really messes you up. :(

“Over here, atta boy, Ash.” “Atta boy, really... Don’t talk down to me like that... I’m Ash.” Ash responded. “You’re about the size of a Rattata, so atta boy seems appropriate. Afraid to take me on since I know exactly how strong you are?” Rattata was a Mouse Pokémon even smaller than Pikachu. Misty was clearly provoking Ash. “Pika...” Pikachu let out something resembling a laugh. Ash couldn’t help but be mad now.

This exchange is really funny! Even Pikachu couldn’t help itself.

Translator Note: “Atta boy” was “kora” in Japanese, a somewhat scolding form of “hey”. I changed it in translation to lead into the Rattata pun.

“I’ll take you on. Pikachu. You’re up.” But Pikachu acted as if he didn’t hear, and instead opted to scratch the electric pouches on his cheeks. “Seems Pikachu isn’t in the mood. I guess that means he likes me. Which means... Your only remaining Pokémon are Pidgeotto and Butterfree. I’ve already won.” Misty smiled.

I love Misty and Pikachu in this. It’s not as cute as the scene in the anime, but still funny regardless.

“Ah, no fair!” Ash shouted instinctively. Ash and Misty faced each other from opposing sides of Cerulean Gym’s large water tank. This was Misty’s hometown, Cerulean City. A large water tank.. Misty’s Pokémon were likely to be water types. Flying Pokémon like Pidgeotto and Butterfree wouldn’t be able to fight underwater. Additionally, Misty already knew all of Ash’s Pokémon. On the other hand, Ash was only aware of one of Misty’s Pokémon, the Goldfish Pokémon Goldeen, which he had seen at the Pokémon Center. With all that in mind, Ash knew he was at a disadvantage. “What’s wrong? Are you giving up? I’ll let you pull out if you want.” There was something unnatural about Misty’s intonation. ... To pull out now would damage my pride. ... Alright, if my opponents are water types, they probably can’t fly in the air. Which means we’re probably going to have a stalemate..

Misty’s cockiness here is really great!

Ash threw a Poké Ball. “Go, Butterfree, I choose you!” The Butterfly Pokémon Butterfree leapt from the Poké Ball. “You’re going ahead. In that case, I’ll use Staryu!” Misty threw her Poké Ball. From the Poké Ball hitting the water’s surface, a Pokémon called Staryu appeared, which true to its name resembled a starfish. However, Ash checked his Pokédex. “Staryu... The Star Shape Pokémon.” ... Star Shape, huh... Do stars really have a shape, they look kinda blobby to me, though it’s certainly a starfish. Additionally... “There’s no distinction between the male and female, so any two can mate.” It added. ... So, there’s no mother or father, just two parents. ... Huh, that’s pretty weird. Despite his difficulties relating to girls... the idea of a relationship with a boy was strange for Ash to contemplate. Ash absentmindedly let his mind ponder these thoughts.

Ash really is a child.

Having figured that Staryu couldn’t fly, Ash had become complacent. The Pokédex continued... “Staryu’s signature move is... Water Gun.” It said. Water Gun? ... Did it just say Water Gun? ... Suddenly, from the water, a spout of water shot like a fountain aimed at Butterfree. It was literally a Water Gun. And not like one of the toys. The water was shot with force stronger than a fire engine’s hose. Butterfree was hit by the water, the water pressure knocking him back, slamming him into the gym’s ceiling. ... Damn it! Staryu can attack a flying target... Ash went pale. Ash had watched Butterfree’s development, from his time as the Worm Pokémon Caterpie, his evolution into the Cocoon Pokémon Metapod, risking his life to protect Ash from the Poison Bee Pokémon, and evolving right in Ash’s embrace from Metapod into the Butterfly Pokémon Butterfree... He was the first of Ash’s Pokémon to have ever evolved during their time together. It was terrible to see him suffer. But the only other choice available was Pidgeotto. There was no way it could fight underwater. But, there was no other choice. After all, it was better to prevent Butterfree taking further damage. “Butterfree return!”

Poor Butterfree. But damn, Misty’s Staryu took it out in one hit! That’s a big difference from the anime.

Ash recalled Butterfree to his Poké Ball, and sent out the Bird Pokémon Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto flew gracefully to dodge Staryu’s Water Gun. However the gym’s ceiling restricted how high it could fly. Additionally, the ceiling was still within Water Gun’s range. Pidgeotto’s wings may also be more resilient to water than Butterfree’s wings. But, as long as Pidgeotto was unable to enter the water, it wouldn’t fare any better than Butterfree. And eventually over time it’ll tire out. At which point, it’d have to land. While the Pokémon underwater can sit still and not tire at all. The flying Pokémon wouldn’t stand a chance in a drawn out battle. Staryu stopped shooting the unnecessary Water Guns. Time passed. Pidgeotto’s wings began to flap less, it spent more time spreading its wings and gliding. It was clearly beginning to tire. Ash bit his lip. Ash also looked at Misty. ... Ash... Stop this... Accept defeat and throw in the towel... Throw in the towel and abandon the match. Misty knew how this would end, Ash’s stubbornness was just like the stubbornness that had driven her from her home, and it was miserable. More than anything, she felt bad for Pidgeotto who was still hovering.

This is a big difference from the anime. Ash didn’t even get past Staryu. It’s clear Shudo saw Misty more skilled than Ash in her element.

They say that women can be fickle, I wonder if that’s the same for me too...? Misty wondered. Earlier Misty had deliberately provoked Ash to fight. But she felt differently now. Watching Pidgeotto flying about, her vigor had vanished. But why? Anyway, what she really wanted more than winning, was to see the end of Pidgeotto’s suffering. ... Maybe I should quit the match... Misty thought. ... I can’t do that. If I think like that, I’ll never be a Gym Leader. I need to protect the honor of dad’s gym. But if I really cared about protecting the gym, I shouldn’t have left home, I should have worked harder here at the gym.

Oh :( It’s sweet Misty’s considerate of Ash’s Pokemon. She clearly displays a lot of empathy.

I think it’s fair to say the gym was under their father’s control. It’s really great to see she shows a lot of self-awareness at such a young age.

The excuse she had used for leaving the gym is that she found her sisters to be insufferable. Nothing she did was ever good enough for her sisters, who cared more about the dream of becoming stars than anything to do with the gym. But was that the truth? Despite their complaints, her sisters were still here, running the gym to this day. Even with “The three sensational sisters underwater revue”, they were still running the gym. ... Maybe they care about the gym even more than I do. After all... If they hated the gym that much, they could leave without a word just like dad. ... Just like I did... I couldn’t stand being in the gym around my sisters. Just because they’re all a few years older, they became the three sensational sisters of Cerulean City... Rather, when Misty started primary school, they were known as the three adorable sisters... But Misty, had always been weedy little Misty... Pathetic in comparison to the beautiful flowers... People had called her a cute little girl, but never pretty... or beautiful... nobody had ever said that. ... These things start to get to a girl after a while. And so, she gradually turned against her sisters, who had raised her in their parents absence, and eventually ran away from home.

Oof. This is so sad. Poor baby. :(

Can I really claim to care about the gym at this point? ... Hold on a minute... Misty smiled. I’m literally fighting, right now, with a gym badge on the line... I’m really thinking about this now? I guess I really am quite fickle. I suppose, I’m not cut out to be a Gym Leader. At the very least, this doesn’t really feel like winning.. Maybe I should end it... If I throw in the towel on a match I seemed sure to win, maybe I’d seem kinda cool. Forget weedy little Misty... Never standing out... Yeah, yeah. Having somehow convinced herself, Misty was seriously considering throwing the match. That’s when it happened. “Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize to interrupt your business with some business of our own.” A woman’s voice echoed through the gym.

She’s so self-aware. This is really great. It’s a shame Team Rocket interrupted the match.

More interestingly, we didn’t even see Starmie. Not that I expected it to show up given the anime’s distant treatment of it, but I suppose it shows how skilled Misty is. Here, it’s clear Ash would have lost to her.

“This is for you.” Daisy presented Ash with the Blue Badge. “Eh? ... But, I didn’t beat Misty.” “Yeah, he didn’t beat me, and I was so close to winning.” Misty pouted, having apparently forgotten that not long ago she was considering throwing the match. Daisy nodded. “I get where you’re coming from, Misty. But Pikachu saved our gym from Team Rocket.” Pikachu was grooming his wet fur as if nothing had happened. “Besides...” Violet spoke, looking at Pikachu. “Seeing this Pikachu’s power, our water type Pokémon wouldn’t have stood a chance. If this boy had used Pikachu from the start, you would have no chance of winning, Misty.” “I’m with our big sisters, you’re outnumbered...” Lily smiled. “No fair.” Despite understanding her sisters point, Misty wasn’t pleased. “... You’re sure about this?” Ash was conflicted. They spoke about him using Pikachu to begin with... But Pikachu had made it clear he didn’t want to fight. It’s not like Ash himself chose not to use Pikachu. Pikachu had refused to fight. “It’s fine. Ash.” Daisy took Ash’s hand and placed the Blue Badge in his palm. “Don’t you agree?” Daisy asked her younger sisters. Violet and Lily nodded. Daisy addressed Misty directly. “You didn’t lose, Misty. We’re bestowing this badge as the Gym Leaders ‘the Three Sensational Sisters’. Okay.” Misty shrugged.

This is in line with the anime version.

“Are you really okay with this?” Ash asked Misty. “I’m not the Gym Leader... Do what you want...” “This is difficult.” Ash was still wavering. Misty shouted in anger. “Stop being so indecisive. When a girl deliberately offers you something, you take it... Pathetic, you’re a complete failure as a man.” “Alright! I’ll take it, thanks.” Ash was truly grateful. But he wasn’t going to forget what Misty said about him. “Okay, I’m not accepting this as being from you though!” “I would never want... to give you anything!”

Hilarious! We all know Misty ends up giving Ash gifts later on, so this line was sweet to read through.

Misty smiled as she continued speaking. “There’s something I’d like you to give me though.” “Eh?” “My bike!” He weakened as she said that. “Don’t think that I’ve forgotten. You take what you’re given and won’t return what you owe... You’re no different from Team Rocket... a thief... maybe that cop from earlier should arrest you?” Misty pressured him. Ash had difficulty with how to respond with Misty’s sisters present. “Now now... It sounds like you two have a history...” Daisy came in between them.

“He weakened as she said that.” 😂

“Misty. How would you like to be Cerulean’s Fourth Sensational Sister?” “Eh?” Misty was speechless. “You could fill in as Gym Leader instead of your disappointing sisters.” “If there’s four of us, four times four is sixteen, so we can weather out a longer losing streak.” Lily at some point had pulled out a pocket computer to calculate this. “Eventually, our youngest sister Misty will be the last one standing.” Violet murmured. “By that point, the three of us will be worldwide stars with our underwater revue...” Lily laughed with a smile. “Uh... um.” Misty was flustered. The gym is important to me... but... but... Misty shook her head over and over. “I’m not strong enough to be a Gym Leader yet... And I’m not old enough to be beautiful yet... Ah, right, Ash hasn’t compensated me for my bike yet... There’s so much more I have to learn yet...” Misty listed off her excuses... yet, yet, yet... about 40 of them all up about why she couldn’t stay with the gym.

!!! Daisy offers Misty a spot right away! That’s a big change from the anime.

So sweet!! Daisy’s aware they are disappointing battlers and saw potential from Misty.

I do like that Shudo humanizes them more here and makes them more relatable. On the one hand, who wouldn’t want to leave their home as time goes by? That’s normal. But at the same time, the sisters are aware they have to stay. It sucks their parents put them into this position. It’s selfish of their parents.

Obviously, the sisters aren’t perfect. I believe they handled the situation the best they could in this case. They clearly aren’t suited to be in parent-like roles. No sibling should ever be placed in a parental role.

This is very different from the anime where they emotionally manipulate and ridicule Misty. The cherry on top is when they force Misty to become the leader without any sort of talk earlier. Here, it’s done in a more sibling-like tease, but at the same time, Misty’s a child.

Misty’s thoughts through this is adorable. 🥺🥺

As she watched Ash and Misty leaving Cerulean Gym, Daisy whispered to herself. “Misty, weedy little things do grow best in the fields...” “I guess they say the grass is greener on the other side...” Violet commented. “But, I am a beautifully blooming Lily...” Lily put on her wig from the underwater revue. “And I’m Daisy...” She had her blonde wig. “I’m Violet.” She patted the purple wig she was already wearing. The three took their underwater revue poses and smiled.

Aww. This is bittersweet. 🥺

Translator Note: “Weedy little Misty” is “カスミ草” (Kasumi-sou) in Japanese, the Japanese word for the plant baby’s breath. The kanji 草 typically means grass or weeds and can also be used to describe something substandard.

Daisy’s comment about weedy little things growing better in the wild was originally “Baby’s breath grows better in the field”, a play on the saying “Chinese milkvetch grows better in the field” (やはり野に置けレンゲ草), which Violet corrected the saying to. Without a similar English equivalent to correct it to, I simply had Violet state “I guess the grass is greener on the other side...” instead.

I already knew this information beforehand, but it’s useful to know a little more context on Misty’s Japanese name, Kasumi.

Highlights?

Misty cursing. No, I’m serious. Let Misty say fuck!

Background info on Cerulean City (Hanada City). I expected this given the previous chapter with Brock’s. Shudo’s writing makes it seem like he had a bad history with its real life counterpart city, Atami. Perhaps?? The poem about Cerulean was bizarre.

The flowers being fake and made of plastic is a clear interpretation of how everything in Cerulean is artificial. The part with Misty’s thoughts revealing how no one has called her beautiful like her sisters is saddening. It’s clear this was why Misty left. She didn’t want to be surrounded by artificialness anymore, but also had the self-awareness that she isn’t as a good as she thinks.

More characterization on Daisy, Violet, and Lily (especially Violet). Violet was a dark horse here.

Misty being a daddy’s girl. It’s really sweet!! Misty mentions defending the honor of Dad’s gym, but no mention of her mother. (In the previous chapter, she dragged Ash for being a momma’s boy.) Meanwhile, the sisters tell Ash both of their parents abandoned them. It’s clear Misty had a closer relationship with her father.

Misty winning the match. It’s eluded but very clear. The fact that we never saw Starmie appear clearly displayed Misty’s skill. I do agree with Misty’s sisters she would have stood little chance if Pikachu battled.

Misty saying she’d never give Ash anything when we all know she gave him her handkerchief and lure much later on. ;)

Disappointments?

Ash’s characterization. Instead of being childish and bratty, Shudo displayed him in a very sexist light. Reading through those parts was really difficult. It took away a lot of the charm of what made Ash so admirable in the anime.

Not enough background info on Misty. I feel like we got more information about her in Brock’s chapter than Misty’s. Weird. The end of the chapter put the focus back to Brock with his journal. There was a portion focused on Team Rocket, but I didn’t care about that honestly. We all knew their plot in the episode “The Waterflowers of Cerulean City” where they stole a giant vacuum and tried to drain the pool’s water. Instead, it would have been cooler to provide information on Cerulean Cave from the games and elude to Mew & Mewtwo, but that’s just me.

Not enough information on Misty’s parents. I noticed Shudo provided far more detail on Brock’s parents with their personalities and background. I think it would have been great to know more about what they were like. We barely scratched the surface and unfortunately, the chances of us finding out more about Misty’s parents are slim to none. Shudo passed away in 2010.

Overall Thoughts?

It was an interesting chapter for sure. I would have liked more parts to focus on Misty, but something is better than nothing. It’ll be interesting to see future chapters! It’ll be great to see how other people respond to this long awaited translated chapter on Misty and her sisters.

Thanks for reading!

#misty #trainer misty #gym leader misty #pokeshipping #pokeani #ash #brock #daisy #violet #lily #takeshi shudo #commentary #meta

[furimmerfrei]

Title image credit: Panthers Images

Miika Wiikman is in his second season with the GMB Nottingham Panthers and is arguably one of the best net-minders in the Elite Ice Hockey League. This season he has won silverware for the club along with the rest of the team and secured the Continental Cup for the Panthers, making them one of the first British clubs to ever do so as well as qualifying for the Champions Hockey League for next season. Though as always, this interview seeks to take you Behind the Mask and into the mind somewhat of the man who wears it.

Wiikman was born in Sweden to Finnish parents. He actually has dual citizenship, but it was in Sweden that he grew up. He went to school there but once he’d finished with school he went to Finland to play hockey back in 2003 . I asked him what made him leave Sweden and move to Finland in order to pursue his career. 

“This was back in 2003, the goalie coaching in Sweden wasn’t really at the same level as it is today. I knew Finland was the leading country for goalie coaching and I pretty much get a better offer from a better league in Finland, Mestis. It’s their second league and I didn’t really have any good offers after Juniors in Sweden so I thought I might as well try it and it’s also my Mum’s hometown actually, so we spent a lot of summers there so it was a place that I knew and it was pretty easy to go there. I knew they had a really good goalie coach with a really good reputation so there was really nothing to think about. Just sign and go there. I only stayed one season there, I had a really good season and then I got a contract with a really good league, with the SM-liiga. I played three seasons there for HPK.” 

I asked if he had a favourite team from the Liiga. “Not right now, though of course the first team I played for HPK, great memories. I won the championship there and everything, It’s a smaller club, they don’t have the same money as those big teams like IFK or Helsinki. So yeah, HPK is probably the closest to my heart. I was also with Saipa for a couple of months and that was a really, really nice club, good club, great people around the team and it was fun to play there for a few months.” Miika explained.

Photo credit: Panther’s Images

Next we move on the the Panthers and talking about the Elite League. Claire Bentley wanted to know if he would he want to play again next season with the Panthers? “Yeah, absolutely.” No hesitation in his answer. “I mean if I don’t have any really good offers from like KHL or the Swedish Elite League or Finnish League then I don’t really see any reason to go anywhere else. I mean, I like it here, my family loves it here too.”

The move to Nottingham, how was that for him in comparison to where he was before? “Well I played in Slovakia and Slovenia the year before and it was a horrible experience.” He still hasn’t been paid for his time there and this doesn’t sound like he’s an isolated case in that repect, as Desbiens of the Steelers has also played there and didn’t get paid both with the Olimpija Ljubljana. “I’m close to giving up on that too.” He comments when I mention that it might take a while and possibly won’t ever come his way.

Photo credit: Panthers Images

Back to Nottingham; and we talk a bit about his family life here, thank you for Audrey Davis for the question. “My son he goes to school here and he’s there for more than half of the day.” I asked him about if there were any places he liked to go with the family in Nottingham.”He loves to go out and search for Pokemons, but he’s so tired when he comes back from school that we don’t go out much. When we do that’s pretty much what we do. It gets us outside and walking everyday and we go to parks and do stuff, like play football. Actually we just came back from the rink just now since he’s got half term so we went skating for an hour and a half. He’s a really active boy and there is a lot of stuff to do here in Nottingham so that’s good, but we don’t have any particular places we like to go or anything.”

How does he enjoy the crowd in Nottingham? It’s one of the biggest arenas in the league. Does it have an effect on his game? asked Panther’s fan Pippa Morley. “Oh yeah of course. Especially when we’re winning. When we’re losing it’s pretty quiet in the arena.” He begins and it’s interesting when he begins to compare to places he has played around Europe. “It reminds me of Finland a little bit, it’s pretty quiet in the rinks. In Sweden it’s completely different. People are happy and cheering for their team and it doesn’t matter what the score is, it’s always nice and loud. Here sometimes it gets so quiet, I mean we got a big arena and a big crowd and it’s so quiet, it’s just weird sometimes but these are probably some of the best fans I’ve played in front of but then again I’ve played in Finland and North America and in Slovenia we had like 50 people at the game, so here it’s a little bit different.”

And now for the obligatory, did you always want to be a goalie question. I always like to hear the different stories on how they moved from wanting to play hockey in general to wanting to play goalie. “Ah, not really. I did a lot of different sports when I was a kid, football, wrestling everything. I started as a player in hockey and I think I was nine or ten when I started playing goalie. Every guy on the team got a chance to try it and I guess I was the best at it, I got stuck there pretty much.”

Miika preparing to make a glove save, his favourite when he was a child. Photo credit: Panthers Images.

“I always wanted to make glove saves and catch the puck, the was the big thing. I remember when I was a kid, every practice I counted how many glove saves I made. It was my favourite way when I was a child, now it doesn’t really matter so much.”

Routine is something that I’ve found to be crucial for goalies specifically, as it helps them get into the zone or head space they need to be in to be able to play their absolute best. Miika is one who takes his routine incredibly seriously as he describes. “Obviously it’s a bit different between home and away games as you have to take a seat on a bus for a couple of hours. It takes a lot of time and energy to prepare for a game for me at least. I know a couple of goalies and they don’t care, like they can do whatever they want, do grocery shopping or whatever but I can’t do that. I can’t leave the house pretty much. I try to stay in and do the same thing every time, it’s kind of like an OCD,  it was way worse when I was younger though. I’m a bit different now I got the kids and stuff, I can do more stuff with them, be a little bit more relaxed and it doesn’t have to be that strict but I still have to eat the same breakfast, try and do the same things in the morning. Like if I have a morning skate I do the same things. If I don’t have a morning skate I still try to do some of the things. It’s almost overdoing it and a bit OCD. I try not to let it stress me out though if things don’t go to plan.”

His main example of this was in Italy during the Continental Cup campaign and the fact that the breakfast wasn’t even close to what he would normally eat. He had it anyway and then got a shut out in the first game. It seems to take the pressure off if he can break his routine and still be okay in games. “Oh yeah.” He continues. “Exactly, when I was younger it was a disaster, if even one thing went wrong it threw me off completely, now stuff like that doesn’t really affect me anymore.”

So does he have a favourite NHL team? “Not anymore really, when I was younger I was a Vancouver fan.” Why Vancouver? I ask, with a small grin. I wonder what it is about the team that drew him in. “Oh, the jerseys.” He says with a small laugh. “And the logo, I just loved it and Kirk McClean was my favourite goalie when I was a kid.”

Team Russia and Columbus Blue Jacket’s stating goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. 

“Of course I watch the NHL goalies, there is always something you can try and I’m always open for new stuff and I’m a pretty quick learner too so it’s pretty easy for me to put that into my game. One guy I’ve been watching recently is [Sergei] Bobrovsky in Columbus. Obviously Holtby.” That makes me chuckle, Holtby is my favourite goalie and when I mention it, Miika makes a comment about seeing my twitter. Consider me busted! “I actually played against him in the East Coast, I beat him 7-0. I’ve played against a lot of those guys who are in the NHL right now. Halak, Rask. I played against Rask a lot in the Finnish league. Quick, all those guys and it’s just crazy how I have actually been when I start thinking about it. You just have to be in the right place at the right time and making good choices I guess.”

So what advice would Miika give to an aspiring netminder? “Learn how to skate, without gear and then try the gear on. That’s where everyone starts.” He says, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world. I ask him about the weight of the gear and if it’s really as heavy as I’ve heard. “Well it’s getting lighter every year, those Bauer pads are real light, CCM’s are a little bit heavier. Some guys like that a little bit more, like me. I’ve just had CCM all my career and I tried the Bauer stuff and I just didn’t like it. It’s really just individual. How you like it, working out what gear you want. I feel comfortable in mine. I’ve been thinking about trying some other brand but I don’t know if there’s any point because I really feel comfortable in what I’m wearing now.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

I had to ask him about the inspiration behind his mask design as it has become quite the talking piece this season, I wanted to know why he chose to make it the way he did.

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Thank you to Juha Peltonen of Paint It Black in Finland for the images of Miika’s mask. 

“I kind of forgot about the whole Pokemon thing, coz I played it when I was a kid, with my brother and then Pokemon GO came up and me and my son started playing it, then we started talking about maybe putting it on my mask and he was all ‘Yeah, we should do Pikachu on mask’ So I said let’s do it then, so it was pretty much my son’s idea. On the other side I have Megaman, remember that? From the old Nintendo? I’m just a huge fan and I love those games, I still play them on the Wii back home. The back plate is the logo and I think there is a smaller logo in the front somewhere too.”

___

This is not all that we spoke about in the hour, but I wanted to break it down into more manageable chunks for those of you reading it. The other topics we spoke about are:

His time with the New York Rangers organisation

Continental Cup experience and the CHL

Junior Hockey in the UK

Moving to the Elite League.

Team that taught you the most about yourself.

Best goalie in the league besides yourself.

Who do you not like taking shots from?

Movies, Books, Podcasts and other on the road trip entertainment.

Discussing the league and how the goalies should be used according to Miika.

If you want to me to post more of this interview with Miika, leave me a comment on my Facebook page @chasingthepuck or tweet me @freiheit_1989 with which one you’d particularly like to read about next.

I want to take a moment to say thank you to all those who have helped me in providing images and also permissions to do this interview and to the Panther’s organisation as well.  Thank you so much to Adam Gouldson and Karl Denham of Panthers Images for the images of Miika Wiikman that have been used in this article. 

Behind The Mask 4 | @miikawiikman : @panthersIHC Title image credit: Panthers Images Miika Wiikman is in his second season with the GMB Nottingham Panthers and is arguably one of the best net-minders in the Elite Ice Hockey League.

#Behind The Mask #EIHL #Interview #Miika Wiikman #Nottingham Panthers