#bullet train - amv

[lesbiangallagher]

Fandom tag!! thank u for tagging me @suchagallabitch 🥰

Your First Fandom(s): i wasn’t going to do this but fuck it, here’s all the fandoms i remember being in: south park, left 4 dead, pokemon, homestuck, the book of mormon, les mis, the lorax, camp lazlo, one direction, shameless us (there’s more but i do not remember currently)

How did you first get into fandom? i liked writing self insert fic and i used to spend hours on youtube watching AMVs to like, bullet for my valentine in 2007 lol i found ffnet and deviantart soon after and the rest is history!

How long have you been engaging with fandom spaces? 2007 so officially 16 years. i was 11 reading south park yaoi

How often do you read fanfics? i open ao3 every single morning to see if any of my favorite wips have been updated. i love wips, i used to not read them bc i was always afraid the writer would abandon it but now i’ll read absolutely anything. i love the journey of reading wips now. it’s like my morning newspaper

Top 3 characters from your current fandom(s): mickey milkovich, ian gallagher, and now retsuko from aggretsuko��i feel like i am in no fandom rn, just passin by. i’m like the old man that lives on the edge of town who still comes to the street events

Have you ever written a fic for a fandom? yeah i’ve written a bunch of drabbles on my blog and uploaded two finished works, both one shots for the spicy gallavich collab 2021 and 2022…i am particularly proud of this year’s spicy fic. somehow reached 11k words and it’s about lesbians mickey and ian 💃 search lesbiangallagher on ao3. but in the past i feel like i’ve written at least one fic for every fandom i’ve been in…and i’ve been in a LOT of fandoms lol but they’re all on my old blog that only og rocco fans know about

Have you ever drawn fanart for a fandom? if so, shout it out! nah i’ve never been a fanart type of creator. i’m sure i’ve drawn characters jokingly or something

Share a personal headcanon that you feel very strongly about: since 2014, i have a HARD and STRONG headcanon that mickey is a trans dude

You're trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. what episode, clip, or scene are you showing them? i don’t want anyone to get on the shameless US train because it was a whole lot of suffering but if i had to: the episode where they steal the meat from the meat truck. for aggretsuko: the episode where ton and retsuko go at it at karaoke

And finally, what does fandom mean to you? it’s always been an ~escape~ for me, where all my unhinged thoughts are welcome. i’ve seen just about everything at this point, but i still love the idea of community who bond over One niche thing

SECOND TAG ok slay!!!

name: rocco

age: i’ll be 27 in may 😵‍💫

Where in the world are you? georgia, us of a

The meaning behind your URL: i’m lesbian ian gallagher

Your second favourite color: i guess it’s orangey yellow

any pets? my cat, minky and two birds merlin and mulder

favourite season? fall

Last thing you read: new update of dead meet🫣

Last song you listened to: lavender haze by miss swift

What are you wearing right now? black skeleton dress and cooking apron

A hobby of yours: i read a LOT, i’ll read practically anything lol. now that i have a new glasses prescription, i feel invincible

and finally, what are you up to today? currently making breakfast and getting ready for vacation this week 😗

i don’t know who’s all been tagged but feel free to do this!! i am always reminded of myspace with these lol

[waxingdissolute]

i was tagged by the venerable @keingleichgewicht (hi!!!) so here are my top 5 most played songs recently as per statsforspotify(dot com)!!!! start!:

BANGER song!!!! really good cover!!! uhhh listen to folk punk

another banger!! from TMBG!! i imagine locked tomb amvs to this song often :)

bee song!!! its about bees (it isnt.) its also about love <3

(ue wo muite arukou) ITS SO GOOD!!! i heard it in bullet train (GREAT MOVIE) and i was like dang!!! i love that song!!! so i found it on spotify!!

i made a spotify blend playlist with a couple besties and this was on it!!! and i like it a lot so! :3

thus concludes our musical journey <3 im going to tag some folks!! if you dont use spotify just guess what your top 5 recent songs are!! <3 and you dont *have* to this of course but i think it would be fun hehe

nows my turn to tag some unsuspecting FOOLS @renegadeartist @yknowliken14 @foiltin @decaying-illusion alright get to it and make it snappy /lh

[wyrvel]

Me going crazy in ur asks with multiple questions all at once but I do have a question NOT on the emoji list thing. I’m a visual artist and thusly predominately a visual thinker despite being reliant on writing most of my ideas down even in vague bullet points. I think in images but I never do sketches or studies before a piece. Like l think about it and maybe write ideas down but when I start the piece I just kinda go fuck it we ball n wing it as I go even if I “planned”. As you also do visual art too I was wondering how you prefer to explore your world building with your fics. Do you sketch, write notes, think in images or? I know this might be hard to answer because I think I would find it hard to answer myself but I find it interesting to see how people conceptualise things before it comes out into the external world whatever format it may take. Oh my god I don’t even know if this ask makes sense. I hope it does lmfao

Hm...I write out thorough outlines because I forget details easily. A lot of story beats I tend to cook during Brain AMV Spotify Pace Around My Kitchen sessions. I have maladaptive daydreaming, so if I think of something my train of thought will lock on and flesh out far more than necessary. When I start writing, it's "fuck it we ball"; a huge issue with keeping pace with WASS is that I would want to flesh out an aspect of what I'm writing at the expense of what's in the outline and the chapter lineup between the POVs. I still do this. lol.

I like to draw any visual information (for example, Teru's Fanfic Hair was important to me to sketch out right away even though he hadn't even been introduced yet let alone obtained the hair), but usually as long as I have it noted down so I don't forget I can save sketching out visual ideas for later.

I exclusively conceptualize in images. My mental imaging level is actually pretty pitiful but the thing about thinking of my stories in a cinematic sense is that it's very easy to picture. Coincidentally I have total aphantasia when drawing comics yet for some insane reason it's one of my favourite mediums to work in

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Potential spoilers, flashing lights

Title: Bullet Train

Editor: Anime4days

Song: Bullet Train (Rexo Remix)

Artist: Stephen Swartz (feat. Joni Fatora)

Anime: Haikyuu!!, Prince of Stride, Free!

Category: Action(?)

[ukaiknowsbest]

Review: Tamayomi

[will contain spoilers]

Lately I have been pretty bored with the recent developments in Daiya no A and Oofuri. New Shonen anime stuff just don't appeal to me, so I bit the bullet and watched Tamayomi for at least one episode a day.

Like me, people would normally think "HOW TF ARE THEY GOING TO PLAY BASEBALL? AREN'T THEY WEARING SHORTS??? IS THIS JUST FANSERVICE?? OMYGOD"

But I did it. I watched the whole thing. 12 episodes.

And I enjoyed it.

THE SETUP/PLOT

pretty standard fare

Pitcher Yomi Takeda accidentally reunites with her childhood friend who's actually a nationals-level in middle school catcher when they both end up in the same highschool.

School: former powerhouse located in Saitama, now baseball club is almost non-existent. Yomi and a few other will try to revive the team from scratch.

Basically Shin Koshigaya is a brand new team where they struggle to look for new members and majority are first years.

They have to face other stronger teams even when they have a few members and some decent players.

Demographic is SEINEN (like oofuri, last inning, one outs, etc.)

CHARACTERS

Yomi Takeda as Main character and pitcher- skilled, resilient, funny, hardworking, does a lot of research which enabled her to perfect her form and hone her breaking ball. She keeps improving in a good pace too.

Tamaki Yamazaki former childhood friend of Yomi. Is a decent catcher in middle school. A bit well known. Good communicator.

Yoshino - team manager and coach. srsly she is a boss. She's not infallible but she tries her best.

and other decent players with adequate skill

For a sports anime they have decent cast. This is probably the closest we can currently get of a story where the girls are just focused on the sport, do their own strategizing/planning/training. All of them are cute but also serious about what they do.

There's no boys here so there's no talk about het-crushes and other distractions. It's a clamfest babyyyy.

I've seen a little of Major 2 (the one abt the son and his coed team) and I couldn't stand it because it was just slice of life in sportsy undertones.

There is also decent communication among all the players. It's pretty refreshing to watch. The catcher is well rounded and the pitcher is good. Everyone talk things out and there is not a lot of drama.

FANSERVICE

Wearing shorts to a sport that involves a lot of making contact with the ground is just illogical lmao.

Their school uniform skirt is pretty short

A little bit of their manager prodding the thighs of each person she meets but with good reason (she can tell how much muscle/exercise a person does just by a little prodding). It's a trope thing.

That's all. There are no panty shots, unnecessary locker room nudity, boob action, see through sweaty shirts. Most of the cringy things I've seen in other girls sports anime aren't present.

Eventually I even forget that they're wearing shorts or that it impedes their performance. It seems like it doesn't matter much to the characters so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't know if like the hugging or holding hands is considered fanservice. In my experiece we ladies just act like that irl. What they do is nothing out of the ordinary.

REALISM

3/5. They wear shorts and dont tie their hair up. The baseball part seem pretty decent though. The pacing of the story and matches was like watching IRL Koshien. It's all very clinical and straightforward.

Plus they include a lot of interesting baseball stuff which I haven't seen happen in early stages of other shonen anime like: specifically training the pitcher in other positions, showing what fielders yell to each other, letting other relievers start to reserve their ace (ppl can yell DnA did this but remember Tanba was injury boy throughout Act 1).

COMPARISON TO OTHER BASEBALL MANGA

based on technicality Tamayomi is prolly one of the top among baseball anime/manga I have seen.

Last Inning

Oofuri

Tamayomi

Daiya no A

Now don't chase me with pitchforks because of this ranking just yet. The fact that Shin Koshigaya coach's decisions and reasonings for plays and lineups are discussed makes the show at par with Last Inning and Oofuri. (we dont see DnA kataoka talk abt this sht like..ever)

Moreover Tamayomi has similar vibes to Oofuri/Big Windup but less dramatic. I do not think it's good for beginners too (especially with just 12 episodes). You need to have prior baseball knowledge to understand what the characters were doing.

However, this show is probably the most no-fuss baseball anime/manga I have watched. It does not rely on hype like DnA and it also don't have heavy topics like Oofuri and Last Inning. It's not wacky like One Outs and it's not uber slice of life like Cross Game. It's just baseball.

My minor complaint is that they don't give numbers when talking about things like pitching speed tho. It would've been more realistic if actual numbers were dropped XD

ART/ DESIGN/ANIMATION

A.k.a the thing most viewers complain about.

Character design is subpar. Everyone's faces are almost the same. You can tell who's the character not by face but by hair and height. Personally I don't mind this. I don't really look for realism in most things I watch. And I think the hair designs are cool.

Lots of people drop this show because of bad animation. There are shots/scenes where it's like I'm watching fanmade AMV's in nicovideo/youtube from the early 2000's. Pitching motions and Batting motions look like character movements in rpg games.

It's not really a problem for me though. I think it's charming for some reason. I don't mind it. A lot of people do but I'm not them.

CONCLUSION

NGL I wanted more. 12 episodes is too short. I hope a better animation company picks this up. I'm rewatching the whole thing because I enjoyed it a lot. I'll even check out the manga if I have time.

If anyone's interested here's my tamayomi livetweet thread

This is one of the closest thing I could get to what a decent girl sports anime looks like. If the character designs, art, animation and the uniforms were just better this show would have gone pretty far.

Compared to Shonen types of manga this was relaxing to watch, especially before bed. I'd honestly recommend it you wanna watch smth that doesnt involve a lot of feelings and drama but still feel like watching an actual sport.

Girls are fun. Finally.

[personal notes under the cut]

I get that people reading this would think I'm being too optimistic about a show they considered shtty but I kid you not, I dropped Bakuten (boys gymnastic's anime) coz even with it's wonderful animation i thought it was boring af.

I have dropped so many prettily animated shows coz i just cant get into the characters nor the story.

I've also said before in my Two Car review that I am actively avoiding shows with popular VA's. Idk much abt female VA's in anime, therefore watching Tamayomi was the perfect solution for me.

The reason I like tamayomi so much is that it gave me the same feeling of watching Summer Koshien 2021. I just think an anime that made me remember that kind of feeling was cool.

I'll rewatch hanebado next. wish me luck.

[redjaybathood]

I got sidetracked watching Baccanno AMV's and now I can't stop imagining Steph or Jason (But mostly Steph) as a 15 year old immortal.

Thanks to being on a train when it was getting shot up by some rival gangsters that also happened to have immortals moving some immortality elixir. She drank some thinking it was wine and would be good for the bullet wound she got sneaking around taking fuckers down.

So now she's in Gotham, perpetually a teenager and can also kill or be killed by other immortals by grabbing them on the head and thinking "I want to eat" but otherwise can't die.

Thus she also saw the decline of (most) mobs in favor of 'buff guys in leotard' and while not exactly bothered by it, is fine with waxing poetic on it for mocking purposes and honestly I have no idea where I am going with this XD

I know next to nothing about Baccano, except gangster/30s aesthetics. But I do think she would look fine in a sharp suit or those long dresses.

Chaotic Good Immortal Stephanie Brown, now that's a picture.

Bonus points if Steph does become Spoiler because long life is tedious, and spoiling criminals' schemes is a way to pass the time (that's what she says, but in truth, she does build connection with people, and those people sometimes die, often violently, first because of the mob, then, with its decline and raise of the costumed crime, from posers who don't even really know what a real crime is). She has an outward devil-may-care attitude but honestly, she's a force to recon with.

Even if she sometimes (oftentimes) just leaves the spoilers for Bats to find.

Ok, ok, one last thought - does this mean Steph knew not only the Waynes, but Thomas's parents and maybe grandparents as well? I imagine her just pinching Bruce's cheek and be like: oh, whippersnapper, back in my day....

[homuraakemis]

My favorite Mai/Zuko Fanvids

ATLA || Moonlight - Maiko by Blue Claw

[AVATAR] Maiko // Let me down slowly by Tilly the last Waterbender

*MAIKO-Hot N Cold* by Demigod's Child

•no love for me. | ZUKO + MAI by tomoekun777

Battlefield [Zuko/Mai] by DannyPhantomSG1

{Grenade} by raspberrie0pie

zuko and mai | exile by amesscott

zuko and mai | dynasty by amesscott

zuko and mai | deja vu by amesscott

zuko and mai | favorite crime by amesscott

mai x zuko // don't leave by darknerd

•idfc. | ZUKO + MAI by tomoekun777

Zuko "I Don't Want the World to See Me" {Maiko} [GGS] by Ghostwitch12

Zuko: Hot N Cold by Kayla Walker

Maiko - I'd Come For You by piratewench92

the last time [maiko] by DannyPhantomSG1

my fault [maiko] by DannyPhantomSG1

leave out all the rest ♡ by xXAmity0ParkXx

Maiko: Impossible by MissDoonaQueen

❀❤♡Don't Leave Me Like This♡❤❀ by Maureen Clair

Maiko -- Knock You Down by Hinata1927

Make Me Wanna Die [Maiko] by iceehy

Bring Me to Life { Maiko } by Hayley Mikaelson

ATLA- Maiko-When You Look Me In The Eyes by Jazelle Handoush

Mai/Zuko - Prelude (4K) by Ravenhpltc242 Remastered

Maiko~ Follow Me Down by EdwardJacobLuver

Zuko and Mai - Swing Life Away by M.Esco

[RBS] Regrets MEP part 1 [Maiko] by Merezone

Maiko - Where'd You Go MEP Part 5 1footballma1

Zuko & Mei - You are loved by Penthésilée

Gravity - Maiko [UBS] by agentDPSG1

[Request] Maiko ~ llluminated {Amber} by xThePaintedLadyx

Maiko - Ours by TheMaikoFan

Maiko: Sleepsong ~[MEP] Part 8 by Bl00db3nder

Avatar the last airbender-Mai x ZUKO Mako Missed calls by xLunaDivinerx

Zuko & Mai ◐ You Found Me [Edit] by Daxanna

Zuko and Mai-Love Lockdown by TheMaiko97

*MAI-My Oh My* by Demigod's Child

Mai/Zuko: Fall for You (Avatar) by MadMegatax

Maiko is complicated by Lythya

Maiko - Complicated by LovesMaiko

Maiko - Too Close MEP [PART 3] by MitsukotheDarkAngel

Maiko bullet Train by Krula

Poison Maiko by LiriaLarai

Maiko: I Love You (MEP - Part 8) [HD] by MissDoonaQueen

Rolling in the Deep [MEP Part 3] by iceehy

MAI /Fire For You/ Avatar the Last Airbender AMV by Aiko San Studios

Zuko/Mai - Demons by teonyahhh

I Found Love // Mai (+Zuko) by Chrissy AMV 2.0

[AVATAR] Maiko dusk till dawn by Team Avatar

Mai and Zuko- Come Back to Me by voldy123

(Maiko) Mai x Zuko AMV | Him & I |Mai by mai

Zuko- It's Been Awhile (Maiko) by SailorTenchi

Maiko Prison Break by Lythya

ZUKO AND MAI COMICS EDIT by dhaliaellex

Zuko was a RIZZbender fr 🔥 | Avatar #Shorts by Avatar: The Last Airbender

Mai x Zuko~Something just like this by lollipop

watch me burn (zuko&mai;sokka&yue) by ForsakenWitchery

Avatar/Maiko-Love The Way You Lie Mep Part 11 by createavatar002

Come inside of my heart | Maiko Week by 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘪𝘹 ϟ

Maikoweek2024 Day 2 | separation by laiasmelody on Twitter

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

S1 Wrapped! Transcript

C: Hey Babpals! Quick announcement before the episode. So this Friday, that is, April 8, 2022, at 8pm Eastern Time, we are going to be premiering a Supernatural Season 1 amv on our YouTube channel. So, you are free to hop in to the chat and talk with us as we wait. And also the video will be available in our Tumblr shortly afterwards. See you all there!

[intro guitar music]

G: Hello, my name is Grey.

C: And my name is Crystal.

G: And this is Busty Asian Beauties, a Supernatural commentary podcast where I, someone who has seen this show several times…

C: And I, someone who only knows the show through social media, discuss every single episode of Supernatural from start to finish. Also, we are both Asian.

G: Both Asian!

-

G: So for today's episode, we'll be discussing season 1 in general, our expectations for season two, and we're gonna be doing a Q&A!

C: Whoo! Yeah. Y'all sent way more questions than I thought we would, so like, that's very nice.

G: Yeah, we got a lot of responses, and not even just questions. Like, we got like, people just reaching out to say, “Oh, I enjoy the podcast and I don't have any questions, but I still want to just tell you guys that.” And like, we're super fucking grateful for that. It's super fun.

C: Yeah, that was really nice.

So I guess we can start with general thoughts about season 1. So, I remember that you didn't have a lot of time to process the finale after you'd watched it, so like, how do you feel about it now? How have your opinions on it changed since?

G: Honestly, [laughs] like, I watched the finale, we recorded the podcast immediately afterwards, and then I like, forgot about it! [both laughing] So now, I still haven't processed it at all. So that's very fun. But I think most of what I said in the episode still holds. Like, how I felt about the show being Dean-centric; all that still holds. But I just want to bring up that you actually have something to say about last episode, right?

C: Okay, so we talked a bit about how Dean realized that John was actually possessed by Azazel. It's because he told him that he was proud of him when actual John would be mad that he wasted a bullet. But then we never really discussed the moment Sam realizes, and it's when John tells him like, “Son, if you want to kill this demon, you'll have to trust me.” And that's because John, when he's panicked and needs the boys to do something, he defaults to like, the drill sergeant, like, “That’s an order.” Like, actual John wouldn't ask Sam to rely on trust or on their father-son relationship. Like, that's what you, Grey, said that he should do in “Dead Man’s Blood” when he's telling the boys not to come with him, but yeah, that’s not John. John would just order them about. So yeah, Sam also had his like, “This guy is too nice to be my dad” moment, and ouch.

G: Yeah, like, what I said specifically was like, "Can't you just bring love and trust and all those positive values on the table, instead of ordering these boys around?" And when he did, it's because it wasn't him. Ahh!

C: Woof.

G: No!

C: Do you think that Azazel is a good dad?

G: To his kids?

C: Yeah.

G: Well, because I thoughtabout this, and like, isn't Azazel like, responsible for the demonhood of his children? Like, wasn't he the one who tortured them?

C: Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.

G: That would be very fun.

C: Did Meg train under Alastair or is that something that I made up?

G: I actually have no idea.

C: Yeah, but I think it's - you're right, it's very possible that Azazel was the one who tortured his kids and made them break and become demons.

G: Yeah. Last episode, like, you were doubling down the concept of like, the family, right? Like, the Azazel, Meg, and random dude [C: [laughs] Rando] family. Yeah. I’ve also been thinking about that, the inverted family, the family mirror could have been interesting.

C: Also, now that we're done with the season like, how would you characterize Sam's arc throughout the season, and how would you characterize Dean's arc?

G: Ohh. Interesting questions.

I would characterize Dean's arc as- because what he wanted at the beginning was to find Dad, and then he did. But in the process, we are able to define some of his other wants. So that includes like, wanting to be a family again, and all that, to the point that it's kind of a manipulative move to take Sam out of school, you know, just so that they can be a family again.

C: Yeah.

G: And, I guess if we're just considering this season, it's not a finished story yet. I think this story essentially finishes when John dies, and the family ideal, or at least the closest to the family ideal that Dean can conceptualize, is evaporated. Like, that's when this plotline ends. That's like, something I'm looking forward to in season 2, because I don't really know if I fully remember the intricacies of what happens to Dean when John dies. Like, I have forgotten a lot of how that affects him. So I'm looking forward to finding out!

C: Yeah, I think that that is a pretty accurate characterization. I guess I was also thinking about Dean’s arc in terms of his relationship with the viewers in that you've started off thinking he's just some cool, cocky, misogynistic guy, and he turns out to be a [laughing] sad, pathetic, misogynistic guy.

G: Yeah, he's a family boy.

C: Yeah, yeah, he is daddy's blunt instrument.

So yeah, so I think we learn more about his insecurities and how centered his wants are around family and like, not being alone. Though I guess that was sort of already hinted at in episode 1 when he said, like, "I can't do this alone- sorry, I mean like, I don't want to do this alone." I think that him learning to stand up to John is also a pretty important part of his arc.

G: Oh, yeah, that's very true.

C: Yeah, like, his time apart, hunting with Sam who understands the obligations of a parent, like, eventually changes him and he's willing to stand up to his dad and maybe try to put effort into shaping their family into something that's less abusive and fucked up than it was before.

G: Yes.

C: But then grandpa truck ruins everything.

G: Something I also want to bring up is the fact that in “Scarecrow,” you know, Dean lets Sam go, basically.

C: Yeah.

G: And then, like, we get a couple of episodes later in “Shadow,” where he's like, "No! You should just never go, and you should just stay with me forever, and we can be a family, because I don't like to be alone!" [C laughs] I guess you can see that as like, "Oh, they're not developing his character consistently." But like, personally, I see that as like, a realistic

response, you know.

C: Yeah.

G: Like, because Sam can go, and then he stayed, it would hurt more if he goes in the future. So Dean is holding on to that even more. I think that influences- that can influence like, a lot of the readings that we have about Sam and Dean's relationship going forward.

A bus time indeed she should go forward so yeah.

C: Yeah, I think the fact that Sam decided to stay at the end of “Scarecrow,” Dean was like, "Okay, cool. He made a commitment to being my brother forever. Yay!" [laughs]

G: How about Sam’s arc?

C: I think that they did not write it well. [laughs] That is what I think.

G: Yes. Regarding Sam's arc... man. [laughs] What can I even say?

C: What happened to this?

G: He's a lonely boy.

Like, I think the most significant one, at least to me, is him going in from "I don't want revenge, I just want to live a normal life," and then the tragedy happens, which is Jess dying.

C: Yeah.

G: You know what? I was thinking about season 1 earlier, and I was like, I was trying to recap it in my head, right? And then I was like, shocked that Jess died? [C starts laughing] Like, I was shocked all over again. I was like, "Oh my god, yeah, it's this episode!" And like, stupid, of course it's this episode. Like, this is the first season!

So, I was- [laughs] I was surprised that Jess died, and sometimes, like, I feel like throughout this season, I like, complained about Sam being like, so into revenge suddenly and that coming out of nowhere, but, I mean, the tragedy also came out of nowhere, so it actually makes kind of some sense that his desire for revenge comes at an abrupt start as well.

I think, yeah, him going from "She's gone, and she's never coming back" to like, his confrontation with Dean in "Salvation," where he's like, "Don't you say that! Don't you say that they're never gonna be back!" is like, his main arc through this season.

C: Yeah.

G: What else? [laughs]

C: I still feel like it was not as well built up as it could have been, though.

G: Yes.

C: I think that... not to complain about “Provenance” again, but I think if they really wanted to build that arc up, they should not have had “Provenance” because you show him moving on romantically from Jess, in a way, and you also show him like, going back to Sarah, wanting to find happiness and live a life and think about what Jess what have wanted for him. So it doesn't make sense to go from that straight into “Actually, I want to die in a fire to shoot Azazel again,” you know?

G: Yes, that makes sense. You're- I think you're kind of right in that, like, the Sarah thing could have been a season 2 plot. But there is gonna be kind of a Sarah thing in season 2.

C: Oh, is this Madeline in “Heart”?

G: In “Heart,” yeah.

C: I think Madeline in "Heart" would have made more sense in season 1, I think, because- I don't know. I feel like they didn't build up Sam's like, I guess, suicidality as well as they could have in season 1, and I feel like having an episode where like, he falls in love with some woman and then she's like, "Oh, like, I’m inherently a monster, and you should kill me" would probably be a better lead up to Sam going, “I want to die while killing Azazel because he made me a psychic boy,” you know?

G: So you're suggesting we switcheroo.

C: Yes.

G: Yeah! I mean, we'll watch “Heart” and then I'll figure out if I agree.

-

C: Alright, so welcome to BABPod's First--I guess three month - it happens every three months--Misogyny Awards! [both laugh] Where we look at each of the unique writers in a season and count their misogynies. Alright. So in season 1, we have 15 unique writers. John Shiban wrote the most episodes - he wrote 5- followed by Kripke writing 4, and then Sarah Gamble and Raelle Tucker writing 4 as well. Everyone else wrote like, 2 or 1, so I won't mention them by name. So, first, in overall misogynies per episode, [G laughs] our winner is David Ehrman, who wrote one episode, for which we gave Dean 10 misogyny points! [both laugh] Congratulations, David. You did such a good job.

G: Congratulations! Exactly.

C: Whoo! [claps]

G: By the way, the numbers and the other like, visuals about this misogyny awards is gonna be on our socials, so like, we're gonna link it below.

C: Yes.

G: So, look forward to that! [both laugh]

C: Yeah. In second place for most misogynies per episode, we have the ever-productive John Shiban with 2.3 misogynies per episode, on average, meaning he had, like, 11.5 total misogynies over his 5 episodes. Something that really gave him a boost was the 5 points that we gave Sam for kissing Lori in "Hook Man," so that upped his average by a whole point. If that had not happened, then our second place winner would have been Eric Kripke, who wrote 9 total misogynies, so 2.25 on average per episode. All of these went to Dean, so this man had Dean make 9 misogynistic jokes in 4 episodes.

G: Wow.

C: In terms of Sam-specific misogynies, the only people who gave Sam misogynies were John Shiban, as mentioned before, and Buckleming!

G: Buckleming.

C: - who had Sam call Cassie "that chick," which we all got really mad about. [laughs]

G: [laughing] Which then I did to another female character shortly afterwards. [both laughing] I'm sorry!

C: Well, it wasn't Cassie, and that's what's important. Yeah, and in terms of Dean-only misogynies, once more, David Ehram - 10, Eric Kripke- 2.25, and then the third place winners in this category are Ron Milbauer and Terry Hughes Burton, who gave Dean 1.5 per episode on average. I guess one more thing to note is that the only female characters- or sorry, the only female writers on the Supernatural team did not win any awards. On average, Catherine Humphreys got one misogyny per the one episode that she wrote - [laughing] and honestly, I think that was John Shiban’s fault, personally, because she was involved in Elementary, so she couldn't have done that - and Sarah Gamble and Raelle Tucker both have 0.875 misogynies per episode, all given to Dean.

Alright, so that was the misogyny awards! Congratulations to all our winners.

G: Congratulations!

C: [laughing] For your prize, please donate to kofi dot bustyasianbeautiespod dot com - no ko-fi.com/bustyasianbeautiespod.

G: This is more compelling than the Oscars. [both laughing]

C: Yeah, so that's all I have for that.

-

C: Next is the Crystal vs Gray in the IMDb Guessing Awards.

I mean, Grey won. [laughs] We know that. Grey won.

G: Yes. Thank you. My question is, did you include the ones where only you guessed?

C: I didn't count those in the competition-

G: Yeah, that's why I won.

C: No, but also, I think I also took the average of like, the absolute difference of each of our guesses from the actual IMDB score, and I think that you still did win, even when I included those.

G: Wow.

C: Yeah.

G: So it was a fair fight. [laughs]

C: It was very much a fair fight. So, on average, I was off by 0.264 points from the actual IMDB score, and you were off by 0.22 points.

G: At the beginning of the- [laughs] Do you remember at the beginning of the season, we were like, "At the end of this season, I bet we're gonna be so good at this." [laughs] And we still- like, literally, you got the the right answer twice, and then nothing else. Like, that's all we have to say for ourselves.

C: Yeah, yeah, it's really quite sad.

So if you look at lie, a graph of our combined guessing accuracy, I think, like, near the middle of the season, we get decent at it, and then there's a big jump up in terms of how off we are near the end because everyone was rating the end of season episodes quite high, and we didn't really feel that that was- like, we didn't really guess that correctly.

Also, if we're looking at our three biggest writers, so, for all of Eric Kripke's episodes, his average IMDB score across season 1 was 8.825. On average, I guessed like, a score that was about 0.1 lower than his actual scores on his episodes, and you, Grey, guessed about 0.2 lower than his actual episodes, so-

G: [laughing] So we have established that I am more of an Eric Kripke hater than you.

C: I suppose so, yeah! Yeah, okay, but you're- I don't know how you're gonna feel about this next one. Okay, so for Sera Gamble and Raelle Tucker, their average IMDB score across episodes was 8.525. I guessed, on average, 0.125 lower than the actual score, whereas you best, on average, a difference of zero so all of your low guesses were countered by high guesses.

G: Wow.

C: So you seem to like Sera Gamble and Raelle Tucker just as much as the other good, red-blooded American viewers of Supernatural. [both laugh]

G: [laughing] My misogyny point has been erased.

C: [laughing] Exactly! You said support women in the writing room.

Finally, John Shiban’s average IMDB score was 8.38. So true. You are a bad writer, John Shiban. On average, I guessed only lower by 0.04 than him, so I guess- and you only- and you guessed higher, actually, on average, but only by 0.05.

G: Oh.

C: I guess someone is a John Shiban fan.

G: No!!

C: He did make the title of our podcast possible.

G: Exactly.

C: And for that, [laughing] he should donate to ko-fi.com/- [laughing] I'm not gonna say the rest.

G: [laughing] But you get the gist. John Shiban, if you're listening, give us the bag. [both laughing]

-

G: So before we get into the Q&A, we should do a season 2 expectation corner. What are your expectations for season 2 in general?

C: I think that we're gonna get a lot more of the Sam monsterhood storyline, and that hopefully the season will be more Sam-centric than season 1. I also believe that we get more of the, like, "Are monsters actually people? Discuss." type of episodes in season 2, and also the psychic kids storyline.

G: Yeah.

C: Yeah, in general, just getting into more of the, I guess, moral dilemmas that I have with Supernatural and hopefully being kind of interesting with it before they throw it all away in later seasons.

G: My expectation is kind of the same. Like, Sam-centrism- but it starts off with a Dean episode, I do remember that.

C: Right. Yeah. He gets to be a little ghost boy.

G: Yeah, he gets to be little ghostie! And then, you know, as we progress, we turn more Sam-centric. Which I am looking forward for. So yeah!

C: Yeah.

G: That's it for our season 1 recap and season 2 expectation corner.

Oh, now, we're gonna start the Q&A!

C: Oh, we've organized the questions by topic rather than by asker, so if you asked a question and you're like, "Oh, you didn't answer all the parts of it," like, hopefully, we'll get to it later.

G: Yes, and also like, if you just want to see the part that answered your question specifically, we would say your name - if you didn't go anonymous - at the beginning of your question, so you can just ctrl+F on the transcript, hopefully. [laughing] Because I know when I listen to a podcast Q&A, I only listen to my part, so [C laughs] hopefully, you guys can do that as well. We just had to separate it because it's- we got a bunch of questions where a lot of them have a similar vibe, so it'll be more convenient.

-

G: Okay, so for the first question. So we have a question from maud-moon who was very respectful and asked, you know, if you just want to tell us like, feel free to not answer, but comfortable with sharing, what are your pronouns? So we actually haven't, you know, discussed pronouns in the show. I think it's pretty obvious that we're LGBT of some sort. [laughs]

C: [laughing] All at once.

G: Yeah, all at once. We're all- like, every single letter in the entire acronym.

C: Yeah, like the extended version too.

G: [laughs] Yeah, exactly. The plus version. We're all of those. But we just haven't talked about pronouns on the description of the podcast, just for like, saftey reasons, you know?

C: Yeah.

G: But yeah, because this episode, I bet people won't listen to it that much, like, not much people would listen to it, yeah, my pronouns are he/him. And this is Grey speaking, so Grey has he/him pronouns.

C: Yeah, and I, Crystal, use they/them pronouns.

G: So yeah. When you message us like, feel free to use those pronouns. Thank you so much!

Okay so with the Q&A for the show, we start with questions related to the characters.

So we start with side characters. So a question from nonbinarydean: Who is your favorite side director from season 1?

C: Meg.

G: Meg? Yeah, that makes sense.

C: I know. Yeah. [laughs] She kicked down multiple doors and looked really good doing it.

G: Yeah. I would say my favorite side character from season 1 is Missouri. Like, the character herself is very fun and very, you know, like, had so much potential. Like, we discuss it in "Home," but also, specifically, the values that she added to the show, the ideas that her existence propose in the nature of Supernatural. Like, hunting doesn't need to be like, this super violent macho thing. Like, you can literally just pick a place and choose to protect it with the skills that you have. You know, stuff like that. And I feel like, actually like, I've thought about this, and, like, I feel like a lot of people who are doing, you know, post-canon fics would stand to like, take from some of the concepts that Missouri introduced.

C: Yeah.

G: You know, like, you are subconsciously taking from the ideas that were introduced through her introduction, I feel like. So I think those people would enjoy "Home" on a rewatch, so, yeah.

C: Yeah.

G: Missouri. Missouri's pretty good.

C: Next, billiewena - hi Tabitha! - has asked for our top 5 one-off characters from season 1. [laughing] Grey, do you remember- do you remember 5 one-off characters from season 1?

G: I just want to say that I love you, Tabitha. You are, you know, a beloved mutual. [laughing] But when I read this I was like, "You name 5 characters!" [both laughing]

But I actually listed them down. 5 one-off characters. So we never see them again, so- I don't, I didn't order this by, you know, by top 5, like, top 1-5. But my top 5 are Cassie. So if you don't remember, she is the love interest from "Route 666." I have Max, which is the first psychic kid that we meet in Supernatural. And then- [laughs] I put Missy Bender. [both laughing] At this point, I was like, running out of people. But like, Missy is fun. And part of me is like, if they're gonna bring back someone from season 1 in the finale-

C: Uh huh. Oh my god!

G: - like, Missy could have been a good character. One, they don't need to get the same actress because, you know, like, it's a kid, and she grows up.

C: Yeah, and also she played Emma.

G: Oh, she played Emma. That's interesting.

C: [laughing] Wait no, they should have brought her back as both Emma and Missy, and then had her kill Dean. [both laugh]

G: Like Dean goes, "Hm. Which one are you right now?"

C: [laughing] Yeah.

G: I already failed at the question because my next character is Sarah, but Sarah is not one-off. Sarah comes back.

C: Spiritually, she's a one-off character, like within season 1.

G: Yeah, spiritually, she's a one-off. But, like, you can say that about Bobby!

C: Yeah, and he is. [both laughing]

G: [laughing] Bobby never appears again in Supernatural, I'm sorry to break it to you guys.

Yeah, and then my last one was Michael! Do you even remember who Michael is?

C: It took me a second, but he's "two queens" motel kid, right?

G: Yes, exactly. I thought he was, like, interesting because it was like, parallels and shit. Mirrors, etc.

C: Yeah, yeah, he was a good boy.

Okay, so for me, because I don't acknowledge that Missouri came back and died in season 13, my number 1 one-off character is Missouri. Followed by Cassie. Followed by... yeah, after this point, I was- I was having a bit of difficulty. So I think I actually said Charlie from "Bloody Mary" for number 3 'cause I think I liked her quite a bit. I thought that her like, backstory with her boyfriend was quite good, and also, she threw a chair through glass in a school classroom. So, like, kudos for that.

G: [laughs] Yeah.

C: And I also- I also had Missy Bender on my list as number 4. 'Cause, I mean, she was just really fun and evil. Like, I really appreciated that. Like, her little smile when she said, oh, [in unison] "That's gonna hurt."

G: Yeah.

C: Like, go girl! For number 5... I'm really grasping at straws here. [laughs] Um... You know what? Bobby's a one-off character. [laughs] Bobby.

I think in season1, he's a number 5. Probably later, he's higher.

G: Yeah. The only reason why you enjoy- well, me- the only reason why I enjoy Bobby in season 1 is because he's Bobby, you know? But like, otherwise-

C: He's some guy.

G: He's just some guy. And the thing is like, I remember at the beginning of the podcast, I said that I don't even like Bobby that much. But like, earlier today, I was thinking about "Death's Door" - that's what it's called, right? The episode where he dies.

C: Uh, I think so.

G: "Death's" - I think, or is it "Death's Trap"? I don't know. Like, the episode where he, like, is a ghost running around with fading memories. [laughing] And I literally was crying while thinking about it. And I was like, okay. Bobby rights.

C: Yeah. I do have to mention, though, that his dog is named Rumsfeld, and that was like, a US Secretary of Defense under George W. Bush.

G: Noo!

C: So I feel like Bobby may have voted for George W. Bush.

G: I'll be honest, I don't even know if George W. Bush, is like, Republican-

C: He is.

G: - or Democrat. He is Republican?

C: Yeah. I'm sorry.

G: What is your political stance, Bobby? [laughs]

C: Bobby!

G: We demand to know.

C: [laughing] Yeah, if only Eric Kripke had also confirmed that Bobby would have voted for Biden. [G laughs]

G: And people would be like, "Bobby's literally dead." [both laughing] And Eric Kripke would have said some other shit that would have astounded us-

C: Well, [laughing] he'd be like "AU Bobby came to our world and committed voter fraud by taking original Bobby's identity."

G: From lesbianmarywinchester, what was your least favorite one character from season 1, and the most impactful? So, one-off again. We're doing one off again.

C: Yeah.

G: So, least favorite. Okay, how about the least favorite- let's say it simultaneously. So we can see if we have the same one.

C: [laughing] Wait, I'm still thinking!

G: Ugh, come on! Think faster.

C: Oh, okay, yeah.

G: Okay, let's say it. 3, 2, 1: Andrea.

C: [overlapping] Joe White Tree.

G: Oh. [laughs] I'm sorry Andrea.

C: Sorry, what was his name? Joe something?

G: I think it was Joe White Tree. It was Joe White Tree.

C: Yeah, okay.

But also, Andrea.

G: [laughs] I was hoping you'd say Andrea, so we would have a moment of like, brain to brain communication. But yeah, I think Joe White Tree was also like, a character that represented a lot of what's wrong with Supernatural.

C: Yeah, yeah. Andrea is the representation of badly-written women in Supernatural, and Joe White Tree is the representation of Native racism in Supernatural.

G: How about most impactful?

C: I think I'm gonna go with Missouri for the reasons that you said that she was your favorite side character. Like, the concepts that she introduces to Supernatural about ways that people can like, protect other people from the Supernatural but like, not be a dick about it are very important to fanon and hopefully canon but probably not canon.

G: Again, like, I don't consider Missouri one-off. Uh, I probably should. [laughs] Missouri, I hate that you died. But I answered Max because it's the beginning of the psychic kids plot, and I just- he was impactful to me because of the plot of the episode, which was very upsetting, so like, it impacted me in that way.

C: Yeah.

The next question is from an anonymous person, and they asked us to rank the recurring characters from most the least liked.

G: Okay, so we're gonna modify this question a bit, because if we list them down, like, it will be a bit too long. But the question is very good, like, it's very interesting, but we're gonna cut it down to like, who's your number one and then who's your number infinity forever and down.

C: So I guess in terms of favoritism, I sort of go based off "How willing am I to read a character study fic of them that's like, 10K long and has no ship stuff in it?" Um, so I think for that, I guess, number one is Sam, I'd say. [G laughs]

G: [laughing] Recurring character?

C: Sam does recur! He does recur.

But if we're going recurring characters who aren't mains, then I'd say either Mary or Meg.

And then, I guess for least likely to read a fic, John. [laughs] I don't care about what's going on that man's head. I mean, I'll care a bit if it's about parenthood, but like, I'd rather read that from Sam or Dean's perspective.

G: I actually- like, the way I interpreted the question was like, "Who am I most attached to emotionally?" So my most my most favorite recurring character is Bobby. Like I said earlier, I'm having a Bobby moment right now, so I feel for him, like, recently. And my least-liked recurring character- like, does she even count as recurring?

C: Jenny? [laughs]

G: Yeah. I hate what they do with her so much. And it's literally pointless. And I thought, like, maybe there would be some explanation when I rewatch 1.20, but-

C: And there's not.

G: But there's nothing! There was no explanation. So it just fuels my anger towards the finale and towards her character. And the fact that they brought her back, etc.

Our next segment is still about characters, this time about brother opinions. So, billiewena asks, how much did your opinion of Sam and Dean change over the course of watching this season?

C: Hm. I feel like my opinion of Sam didn't change that much, mostly because they didn't give him that much, [laughs] I think. So I'm just like, "Oh, well, the rest of the stuff that the Samfans talk about will probably happen in seasons 2-5." But yeah, that's about it for Sam. Though I guess it was interesting how- because I know in later seasons, they really dig in on making fun of Sam for his hair, for being vegetarian; in general, just for not being as gender-conforming as Dean, and I figured that would start in season 1, but they don't really do a lot of that in season 1. Like, I feel like, they decided-

G: They do some of it.

C: Yeah, they do some of it with the half-caf vanilla latte, but I guess like, they also make fun of Dean for watching Oprah, so it's like, I don't feel like, Sam's being singled out for being quote unquote "girlier" or whatever, right? Whereas I feel like later, Sam's the only one who gets that kind of treatment. So I feel like after they decided for sure that this was the Dean show, they were like, "Well, time to turn Sam into a yoga mom and make fun of him for it."

G: How about with Dean?

C: Uh, with Dean, I think...

G: Did you not feel a little less anger and vitriol [C starts laughing], and more sympathy for this man?

C: [laughing] I didn't know I was on a call with girlbossdean! [both laugh]

G: I am advocating for girlbossdean's agenda.

C: Um, I think that I did feel a little more sympathetic towards Dean by the end of the season. Just 'cause, you know, like, I got to see more detail his relationship with John and how wet and pathetic he is. Yeah, and I guess- well, but I also didn't know exactly how misogynistic he was.

G: Yeah.

C: Like, looking at his numbers, like, he got over 30 in season 1? Like, bro.

G: We have a further question down about things that surprised you, and there are more things that surprised me, but this is one of them, that he is so misogynistic. [C laughs] Like, I get that he is. Like, in future seasons like, he does things like- there are episodes of mine that are favorites like, I love them too much, but I can't show them to friends because I'm afraid that they'll think I'm condoning misogyny. [both laugh]

C: [laughing] You just have to frown and shake your head to show that you think misogyny is bad.

G: Yeah, but I'm still embarrassed. Like, I know that they think, you know, I'm better than that, and etc, like, you know. You have to- I mean, with everything, you consume everything with criticism, and it's not- just because you consume something doesn't mean that you agree with everything that's being said. But like, sometimes I'm just like, "I don't want to have to deal with the like, 'Yeah, that was so misogynistic!'" Like- [laughs] I'm like, "Do I really have to vocalize this?"

C: Yeah. Are you talking about "Scoobynatural"?

G: Yes. I am. I'm talking about "Scoobynatural" and "Baby."

C: Oh, god, what does he do in "Baby"?

G: He, like, peeks into a woman un-

C: No!!

G: Like, putting on clothes.

C: Agh, okay.

G: Yeah, while Sam was- because Sam sleeps with a waitress, and then like, he, like, "Oh, I'll get off the car, and like, you can dress up," and then like, when he gets off the car he, like, takes a peek.

C: Ugh.

G: And, like, it annoys me. [laughs]

C: Yeah. Ew. Ew. Alright.

G: Do you want to know my answer to this question?

C: Yes.

G: I am honestly- like, okay what opinion changed, right? Like, the thing is, most of my Supernatural opinions are [laughs] about Cas.

C: [laughing] Destiel? Yeah, and Cas.

G: Yeah, no- Destiel, eh, but like, specifically Cas. Like, Cas-centric Destiel, Cas-centric Sam and Cas relationship- [laughing] why can't I say Sastiel on the podcast? Why am I censoring myself? [C laughs] But yeah, like, Sastiel ideas that are Cas-centric. You know, Claire and Cas opinions.

C: Also Jack and Cas! Well, that's where my heart lies.

G: Yeah, Jack and Cas. I literally forgot. Oh yeah. Jack and Cas opinions. But with Sam and Dean and Sam and Dean, I don't really have that much. So what surprised me was that I actually cared about them on this rewatch. [both laugh] 'Cause I was expecting that I would be like, "Ugh, I have to watch Supernatural? I have to watch Sam and Dean? Okay, fine, I'll do it if it means I'll get to Cas."

C: [laughs] Yeah.

G: Like, that was my full expectation. So doing this podcast and noticing that like, at random moments of the day, I'll have thoughts about these two, and, like, [laughs] make content, like, make web weaves and shit about them? It's like, "Oh, I'm getting attached." And that is the most surprising thing about this rewatch for me, is that I actually care about these two.

C: [laughs] Yeah.

G: So my opinion changed from not having an opinion to having some opinions, so.

Okay, our next question is again from nonbinarydean, who asks, "Did your favorite brother change after finishing the season, or is it the same?" How about we guess each other's answers?

C: Okay.

G: I guess first. That your favorite brother at the beginning of the show is Sam.

C: Mm-hm.

G: And it's still Sam.

C: Yes, correct.

G: Yeah. That one is very easy.

C: And I'm guessing that like, your favorite before was Dean, and I think it's still Dean.

G: Yes. [both laugh]

C: Yeah.

G: The thing is like, with Dean, right? The reason why I like, am able to criticize him more and- well, because there's more to criticize with Dean, but also, it's because I care about him more. Like, honestly. And I know I come off as very Samgirl in this show, in this podcast-

C: Do you?

G: I don't know. Like, I mean, I come off as a Dean enjoyer. Like, one of our friends told me that I am like, "Dean anti in the streets and Deangirl in the sheets" - uh, no, the opposite. Like, I'm a Deangirl in the podcast and I'm like, a Dean anti in real life. And the thing is like, the only reason why I'm able to, you know, be so anti-Dean in a way is because I think about him a lot.

C: [laughs] Mm-hm.

G: And I also love him a lot, and like, I want better for his character, so I am more riled up about his characterization. You know, stuff like that.

C: Yeah.

G: So, we have one viewer once say that they think we're both Casgirls, but because Cas isn't around, like, Sam is number 2.

C: Yeah.

G: The thing is like, Sam is not my number 2. Dean is my number 2! So it's interesting that I come off that way.

C: Sam is my number 4 after Cas, Jack, and Eileen.

[laughing] This next question is by a hells-favorite, and it says, “I challenge you to say one positive thing about Dean.” [both laugh]

G: Are we that evil about Dean? Really? Like, I read this question, and I was like, "Oh no."

C: [laughing] It's been like a week, and I've had time to think, and I've still got nothing, so Grey, you go first.

G: No! Okay, I'll go first. I love his pop culture savvy. I love that he's a nerd, and he's a nerd in a- like, [laughing] I guess that they're trying to do like, "not like other nerds" thing with Dean, you know. [mocking voice] He's not like other nerds because he's actually cool about it.

C: Yeah. He's not like those disgusting Ghostfacers 'cause he also shoot guns.

G: And I get that that's like, part of the reason why I think he is- like, his nerddom is cool, but I do think it's cool! And I've said this before, but like, I've consumed some of the media that he likes, and it has influenced my tastes, like, in books. Like, I've read Slaughterhouse Five

and other Vonnegut works, and certain TV shows. Like, I've watched a lot of Star Trek [laughs] because of this guy. And like, that has shaped my personality and what I like and what I consume. His character has shaped that. And I'm sure like, it has shaped other people's as well. So one positive thing I could say about Dean is like, he is passionate about the things he's passionate about. And he is like- you know those like, I don't know, fucking political adverts, like, "a guy you could have a beer with." [both laugh] So stupid and shit, but like, Dean is- [laughs] well, he shouldn't run for president, but like, he is the guy you can have a beer with.

C: I'm not having a beer with him, I'm Asian. [both laugh]

G: In my in my ideal universe, where Dean is Filipino [C laughs] and he lives in the Philippines, we are having beer, and we are talking about Star Trek.

C: Aw, that's cute.

Okay, I've been thinking I think my thing was that it was nice of him to give Sam those Lucky Charms. [laughs]

G: Aww!

C: Yeah. It was.

G: It was.

C: I think when he was younger, he was probably a pretty good brother.

-

G: Okay, our next category is questions about the show.

C: So the next question is from dykeeileen and nonbinarydean and by maud-moon, and it was just asking what was something that surprised us a lot while watching or rewatching season 1.

G: My answer is short because we discussed it earlier, but I'm surprised by the misogyny, one, and two, how Dean-centric it was, because I really was led to believe that season 1-3 was a Sam show. Like, I remember hearing another podcast - not to promote, like, other podcasts [laughs], but in baitpod, they said that seasons 1-5 is Sam's show, and then seasons 6-12 is Dean's show, and then 13-15 is Jack's show. Like, they say that. And for a long time, before I rewatched season 1, I was like, "Yeah, that's true. I think that's true." But now I'm like, questioning. Like, "Eh, I don't think it's that true."

C: Yeah.

I guess, for me, definitely the Dean-centrism, and I think also maybe their takes on John? 'Cause they were both more John apologist and less John apologist than I thought they would be? Yeah, I don't really know how to expand on that, but-

G: You know how like, in most fics about Dean coming out or Sam coming out? Well, usually Dean.

C: [laughs] Yeah.

G: Yeah, but they do this thing where like, John shouts and like, is very mad?

C: Yeah.

G: I just don't think that's something canon John would do.

C: Yeah.

G: Like, he's not the shout-y type. And that's something I was surprised by as well.

C: Right, right, right, that he doesn't seem very much like the angry man in the house. Like, Dean came up with that all by himself! [G laughs]

G: Yeah. It's simmering.

C: Yeah, and also I- I mean, we did see like, bits of John misogyny, but I guess just because we don't really see him interact with women that much, like, from fic, I was expecting him to be like, a raging misogynist and racist because everyone in fics is like, "Oh, Dean's only so misogynistic because that's what his dad taught him and he feels really bad after canon about it." [laughing] And like, I didn't really see that.

G: I think you're right that that's more a product of just we don't see John, you know, around women, talking about women that much. Also like, it would be weird if he has the same brand of misogyny as Dean because Dean is younger, and his misogyny presents more in like, goes hand in hand with attraction to women his age.

C: Right. Or below his age at college sororities.

G: Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, like, unless we had a MILF on set [C starts laughing], like, I don't think they would do the same with John, just because of the character age difference.

C: Yeah.

G: But like, I wouldn't be surprised if John was like, you know talking casually about these things in front of Dean.

C: Yeah, he does call Kate "sweetheart" in a like, really gross-looking scene, so I think we could expand more on it. But I guess I just thought it would be more explicit.

G: So our next questions are from girlbossdean and samsleftelbow, who basically ask, like, have any of your opinions on Supernatural changed while doing the podcast, or were they all reinforced by analyzing everything in detail. Again, this is a question that like, I don't think I can answer because most of my opinions come- okay, here's my situation. For me, season 1-8 is Supernatural. Like, that's the canon of the show, right? And then, like, you can take liberties about season 9-15. But like, season 1-8 it's like, that's the show. And that's mostly influenced by the fact that I started watching live around that transition point. So like, the ones that I started watching live, I'm able to interact with more, in like, "This is happening right now and it's a product of writing and a product of blah blah blah," and then the ones before that are like, "It's already happened, so I can't anything about it," you know? [C laughs] So most of my opinions on Supernatural about like, things they could have changed or like, you know, just general - like, I guess headcanons is what people call it - appear from season 9-15. So I don't have much opinions about season 1-8. Like, to me, they're just things that happen.

C: Yeah.

G: Like, they're cemented as what's canon. I would love to entertain this question when we get to like, the last Q&A. Wow, we're doing multiple of these! But like, the last Q&A when, you know, it's season 15, and we're able to watch more of the show, and it's like, "What opinions have changed?" Because right now, like, my opinions are really cemented as like, "It's The Show. We're watching The Show," you know?

C: Yeah. I don't know how many of my opinions changed just because I didn't really have that many opinions on season 1 before already. I guess, like, I probably do view, like, the Sam and Dean relationship as more important to Supernatural than I did before, so yeah. [laughing] Hashtag Crystal's bronly era. No! No!

Oh, the last question was also by maud-moon, they also asked something similar. Okay.

Lyza asks, "Grey, if you watched Supernatural for the first time today, would you have still liked it?"

G: The thing is, like, this person asked this question in front of me. Like, we were on call, and Lyza was like, "So Grey, if you watched the show right now, would you have liked it?" And I immediately was like, "No." [both laugh] Like, no hesitation, no anything, no thinking. No, the thing is like, I think the reason why I like the show is because of the nostalgia and the fact that I watched it young. And like, maybe- I've been thinking about this- like, maybe if I did the podcast and it was my first time watching the show and I knew nothing, I would also have that same level of investment, just because the focus is different when you're doing a podcast. But if this is just like, "I just put on a show," I just don't have the time to be invested in a 15-season-long show. Not, you know, I'm busy. I'm not busy. [laughs] But like, in a "I don't have the ability to commit," I feel.

C: Okay, well, yeah, I know this question isn't for me, but like, I think I wouldn't like it if I wasn't already in the fandom and knew plenty of things about it from social media. Because, like, the parts of the show that I like is when Sam or Dean are like, having emotional moments and I'm being head in my hands about it. But I feel like the show itself would not have gotten me that emotionally invested in Sam and Dean by the end of season 1 for me to care that much. Like, I think I already had to be invested in the characters.

-

G: Our next set of questions is about the writers of the show.

So, from lesbianmarywinchester again, who asks, who is your favorite/least favorite writers in season 1 or for the whole show?

I have very strong opinions about this.

C: Okay, go for it.

G: Incredibly strong.

C: Go for it.

G: I'll go with least because it's obvious- I hate Buckleming. I think they do a lot of shit in the show that like, you know it's them, you know. Like, you know they're writing it. And when they're writing it, you also know it's bad. Like, for example, 9.03 was written by Buckleming, and that was like, an upsetting episode to watch and like, I guess I also hate John Shiban for introducing Busty Asian Beauties, but he's not the only guy who wrote that in. Like, Robbie Thompson did too. You know, people like that. [laughs] But, like, my main answer is Buckleming.

C: Not Robbie, writer of The Winchesters! [laughing] God, that script was so bad.

G: [laughing] Yeah. You know what he did?

C: What.

G: He wrote- he wrote, like, a 60s version of Busty Asian Beauties, and the title is Voluptuous Asian Lovelies.

C: What? Okay.

G: [laughing] Yeah, it's- it's-

C: Okay, Robbie.

G: And you know what episode that is in?

C: "Baby," why not. No, that doesn't make sense, the car's not in the bunker. I don't know.

G: It's in "Goodbye Stranger."

C: Aw, come on!

G: Yeah. I rewatched that episode recently, and I forgot about the Voluptuous Asian Lovelies line, and when it happened, [laughs] I stopped watching. [both laughing] Like, I quit.

C: Yeah, goodbye.

Okay, I mean, I feel like my least favorite, I can only really say based off of season 1, in which case, I'd say probably my least favorite ones are just like, some of the one-off ones. Like, the writers of "Bugs," Mr. 10 Misogyny Points for "Provenance," you know. Like, I think everyone else, it's a mixed bag.

G: Yeah. The thing is like, those people don't come back, you know?

C: Oh, right, I guess I should also add Buckleming because they will be a permanent, permanent awful thing-

G: Fixture.

C: Yeah.

G: God. I still can't believe they wrote the penultimate- penultimate episode. Come on!

Okay, favorite writer, Steve Yockey. Hands down. Like, I know we shouldn't stan writers or whatever the fuck, and I agree, like I'm not saying whatever the fuck, like they're good or really, but Steve Yockey is the writer that I recognize the most when I'm just watching an episode. You know why?

C: Why.

G: Because when he's writing the episode, I am laughing.

C: Aww.

G: He is genuinely funny, he does good comedy, he writes- he writes "Peace of Mind," which I thought was a fucking hilarious episode. He wrote "Ouroboros," which I love. And like, just a couple of episodes, especially in season 14, where -

C: Did he write "Lily Sunder"?

G: Yeah. [laughs] Which, you know how I feel about "Lily Sunder."

C: Yeah.

G: A lot of his episodes I find myself like, laughing out loud. Now, I only know his comedy stuff, so not sure about like- I'm not here to be like, "He writes characters well." What the fuck do I know about how to write with your characters, we're watching Supernatural! [C laughs] But, you know. Like, it's fun to enjoy an episode, and a lot of times when I'm enjoying an episode in the later seasons, I look at the credits, and it's driven by Steve Yockey.

C: I think for me, since I only have season 1 to go off of, I don't necessarily have one. Like, all the episodes that like, I'd say the episodes that I like the most-

G: Are written by Eric Kripke!

C: Are written by Eric Kripke, yeah. But since he is definitely not a favorite Supernatural writer like, I don't have an answer for this.

G: [laughs] This ties well to our next question, asked by anonymous, who asked-

C: Oh, no, it's actually by billiewena.

G: If you could ask Eric Kripke one question besides "Why?", [both laugh] what would it be?

You go first.

C: Okay. Eric Kripke, once, in a fit of spite, I stalked your Twitter and saw you promoting things about diversity in the writer's room, saying things about how you didn't want to like, go with Asian stereotypes with your writing of like, whatever that character from The Boys's name is, and you said that you're tackling toxic masculinity in the new season of The Boys. I would like to know if your social stances have changed since you wrote Supernatural and how they changed, or if you're just trying to be trendy and stay relevant in the writing world, and also do you feel bad? Do you feel bad? I really hope you do. [both laugh]

G: I'd ask him, "What's your haircare routine?" [C being laughing hysterically]

No, like, that's just me trying to say that, like, I don't really- like, I mean like, I understand that, you know, reading a text based on what the writer's purpose was is like, a way to read text because, you know, text doesn't exist in a vacuum, etc etc. Like, you, don't have to explain this to me, like, I understand. But most of the time, I just don't care. Like, you know, like, I just don't care about what the writers have to say. Especially with Supernatural, I feel. Like, we are so entrenched in the concept of the fans and the readers, and the watchers take ownership of the story and take control of the story, so like, with Supernatural specifically, like, I try to distance myself from writers' intentions. Of course, like, the parts that are egregious, I'm not gonna be like, "Oh, every Dean misogyny thing is like, a Dean misogyny and it's not the writer's fault; like, Dean is just a horrible person." Like, that's- like, that's just wrong. Like, that's not- you know, that's not how media exists. But in general, I just think [laughing] I don't care about Eric Kripke.

C: Yeah.

G: Do you think he'd be offended if I asked him what his haircare routine is? [both laughing] I mean, he has a beard. Like, he can take care of his beard.

C: Yeah, yeah. I think that's fine. I think I will also- I would also ask him, "Is Kripackles real?" just to deal him psychic damage.

G: I think you would enjoy that. Like, I think he would enjoy it.

C: Oh, he did read the him x Jared Padalecki fic. Nevermind. I'm not giving him the satisfaction.

G: Yeah, exactly.

-

C: So our next section is questions about episodes. So, anonymous asked what our top 3 favorite episodes of season 1 were and the 3 that we hated the most.

G: Okay, for love. I like "Something Wicked." I like "Home." And the top three, I was like, I thought about this long and hard just because I couldn't think of one, but I ended up settling with "Scarecrow." Like, yeah, I like those three because they develop a lot of the character. Like, for "Something Wicked" and "Scarecrow," it's very character. For "Scarecrow" and "Home," it's plotty. And all three have good- it just feels good to watch.

C: Yeah, I think I have the same, just in a different order.

G: [laughing] The thing is just there's not much good episodes in season 1. [C laughs]

C: Yeah, yeah. Number 1's "Home," I think number 2 is "Scarecrow," and if "Dead Man's Blood" was just the parts with like, Sam and John and Dean and John, like, that would be like, number 3 or number 2, but since there's also the vampires plot, number 3 is "Something Wicked," yeah.

G: For hate, okay. I'll start with the most expected to least expected. So this is not in order. Most expected, like, I hate "Bugs." I think was not like, enough to balance out the good parts, i.e. the Sam and Dean brotherhood and the Sam and John stuff, so- like, I just think- I don't know. I mean, I do know. It's, you know, it's racist, is what it is. [both laugh] Okay, number 2, I don't like "Hook Man" because of the Lori stuff. Like, it just- I mean, we've talked about it extensively in the podcast. But yeah. And number 3, this is the least expected, I guess, but like, it's expected with me. Can you guess it?

C: Uhh, I mean, I was gonna- I was gonna guess "Shadow" just because that's the one that made you quit, but like, I don't know.

G: It's "Faith," baby!

C: Oh, right!

G: I think "Faith" is more the disappointment than the actual badness of the episode. I was just disappointed that it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

C: Yeah.

I guess for me, yeah, definitely "Bugs." Yeah, I feel like, "Route 666" should be on a list, but Cassie like, just is so good that like it- yeah- that I don't know if I can put it on the list. But you know, okay, you know, they could have put Cassie somewhere else, so I'll just go with "Route 666." And then number 3, ugh, I was gonna say "Provenance" just to be a bitch, [laughs] but I think "Hook Man" is probably worse.

G: Okay. Our next question is from nonbinarydean again, who asks, if you could each delete one episode from the season, which one would it be?

C: "Bugs."

G: I think we have the same answer here. Yeah, "Bugs."

Part of me, though, is like, wants to go for "Route 666," but like, not for the episode itself. Like, I think "Bugs" is the worst episode, but because of the writers.

C: Oh, yeah.

G: Because like, if we just didn't have "Route 666," Buckleming would have never been here. They would not come back, and like, we would be rid one terrible writing pair. So in that sense, like, part of me wants to answer "Route 666." But if we're just talking episode itself, like, it's "Bugs," definitely.

-

C: Okay, so the next section is about the secret good Supernatural that lives in our head. The first question is from billiewena, and it's "If you could insert Castiel in one episode, where would it be, and why?"

G: I have- I thought about this so much because it's a difficult question. Tabitha, you're really- you're really making my brain go right now. [laughs] But- I think the typical answer is "Faith," right?

C: I guess, but like-

G: I want to answer "Faith," but in a different way. Like, I don't want him to save Dean, right?And I don't even want him to show up in front of Dean. What I want him to do is show up in front of Layla.

C: Ohh.

G: Like, I want a scenario where like, Heaven was like, "Oh no! Dean is dying, and he's Michael's vessel! Like, he's not supposed to die yet!" And so they're like, "Castiel, go watch over that man. That rancid-ass [both laugh] man." And he does, and then, when he gets there, like, Dean is healed. It's like, "Oh, it's fine, I'll just watch over a bit and then leave." And then like, he notices Layla and how Layla is struggling, and it touches his- his like, heart. And he heals her, and then gets punished for it because he's not supposed to do that.

C: Oh yeah, he gets lobotomized, probably, right? And then he doesn't even remember meeting Dean the first time, too.

G: Yeah, exactly.

C: That's pretty good.

G: It would change nothing other than Layla would be healed. Which we don't even have to see, so it literally changes nothing in the show. And like, it changes nothing in terms of Cas because he wouldn't remember it because he gets lobotomized, changes nothing for Dean, but it could be there, and it could be plausible. And what I'm saying is, someone write this canon compliant fic! [laughs] Why hasn't anyone written it yet?

C: Have you read the Anna x Layla fic where like, Anna heals Layla and then they like, have sex in the church?

G: [laughs] No. It sounds interesting.

C: Yeah, it's pretty good. I think it's- it's on my fic rec list.

Okay, for me, you had a really good answer. I just had like, a fun one. [laughing] I think he should be in "Hell House" because he was so fucking funny in that Ghostfacers web series. [both laugh] Like, I want to see him just be an absolute bitch again.

Also, I feel like, Cas, I don't know, somehow being involved in the prank war would be quite fun, just 'cause, you know. I mean, I don't like whoopee cushion scene very much, but like, it was a little bit funny.

G: The thing with me is like, I just generally don't like, time travel fics, so, like, I tried really hard to conceptualize one where if wouldn't change anything. So that's how I ended up with the Layla situation. [laughing] I think it's a very compelling idea, and I just want to read it!

C: I agree. I agree.

G: Okay, so next question. From Angela C, "If you could write an extra Sam episode for season 1, how would you do it?" We're combining this with the next question, which is, "What would be your pitch for an episode of SPN that takes place in season 1?" So it's like, a bit Sam-centric, but also like, a season 1 episode. I feel like we ought to make it Sam-centric anyway, just because Sam doesn't get a lot this season.

C: Uh-uh. I feel like, again, for me, I thought that Sam's- Sam going full revenge mode near the end of the season felt too sudden, so I would probably want something that smooths the path of it. I think it should be set after "Nightmare" 'cause I think that they kind of just dropped the like, tenseness and like, psychic kids storyline stuff for too long after "Nightmare," and, I don't know- like, I'm still kind of stuck on like, wanting "Heart" or a "Heart"-like episode in season 1. So I feel like it could basically be like, "Heart" but right after "Nightmare," and about Sam like, fearing his own monstrousness and like, feeling like the only way that he can make it up to the world is by, I guess, dying and also taking out like, another monster, being Azazel.

G: I am not good at concepts, which I just proved wrong earlier with my amazing Layla concept-

C: Yeah, no, you did a really good job. [G laughs]

G: No, but like, I am a fic writer, and I've tried to write longer fics that are case fics, and I failed. I'm actually gonna discuss it later in a later question, but basically, what I'm trying to say is I can't visualize a case. I can just visualize like, some scenes that I want. And like, a Sam scene that I specifically want is a scene where he's, like, peacefully like, floating in water or swimming. For very, very, like, Catholic reasons. Like, I want baptismal imagery. Like, I- I am also an AMV maker, and I wanted to make a name to this song called "Liliw" by The Strangeness for a while, and like, the lyrics go like, "I went down to the river to wash my sins away / And I've been waiting for the day / That forgiveness will come my way." And, like, every single time I listen to that song, I think of Sam, and every single time, I'm like, "they should have done a scene where Sam is like, floating in water, and it's like, a baptismal imagery thing, so I can make this AMV." But, alas, we are not blessed. So I'm just putting it in as like, something I would have wanted to see in season 1, because it's like-

C: So the next section is about the creatures from Supernatural. So nonbinarydean asks, favorite quote unquote "monster"?

Oh, I liked Bloody Mary.

G: Why specifically did you like the monster in "Bloody Mary"?

C: Um, I think I like that she had a backstory and motivations that made sense on like, a living human being level and also on a ghost level. And also, the mirror trick with the bleeding eyes looked really cool, so she was really cool for doing that.

G: I- during the episode, I expressed like, I expressed that I didn't like the fact that the vampires in "Dead Man's Blood" are so scary, but in retrospect, I think it has- the concept has grown on me. Like, the idea of like, monsters that live together in like, a pack situation. So I know we see more of that in Supernatural, so I'm not like, deprived, but, yeah, like, the vampires were actually like, now that I think about it, pretty funny cool. So yeah. The vampires. Most basic answer to that question possible.

Okay, so next question is from my friend Lyza again, who asks, "What Supernatural creature from your respective cultures do you want to have seen in this show?"

C: I [laughs], as a member of the Chinese diaspora, I know not many Supernatural creatures from my culture. But, like, I remember, there was like, some woman who like, drank blood, but like, not in a vampire way, in, like, Pilgrimage to the West, and as a younger person discovering my attraction to women [laughing] like, yeah. Her.

G: For this question, I actually kind of went off the rails. [laughs] Like, I don't answer the question.

C: Okay.

G: But I have an answer. And it's mostly like, I turned it from like, supernatural creature to supernatural beliefs. So like, things that you do as like, part of the culture that you believe in. And this is influenced by the fact that, like I said, I tried to write a case fic, but I found it so difficult to write one. And like, my intention was to write the case with a Filipino mythology monster. But I found it so difficult to write from the perspective of like, someone who lives in the US, you know what I mean? Like, because I don't, so I don't have that experience. So I was like- I was just kind of confused on what to do. But I did amass, like, some like, things that, it was set in the Philippines, I would have wanted to see. And I have three.

One is like, the concept of tabi tabi po, which is like- in English, it means "excuse me," basically. But like, it's something that you say in areas of nature, or like, anthills or whatever, so that the spirits won't get mad that you're in their place. So like, in Filipino folklore, there's a lot of creatures that are peaceful, basically, unless you hurt them first.

C: Yeah.

G: So like, you say "tabi tabi po," which means "excuse me," when you're going through these places, so that they won't attack you. And it's like, something that I do personally, "tabi tabi po," so I just want to like- it's something I would like to see in Filipinonatural. [laughs] I told you, this is getting off the rails.

And the second one is, like, I wanted- in the story that I wanted to write, I wanted Cas to give Jack a haircut.

C: Aww.

G: Because in the Philippines, when there's a baby, their first haircut is given to them- like, not even haircut, just first snip of hair - is given to them by what is deemed the most intelligent person in the family.

C: Ah, yeah.

G: So like, the concept is, you pass your intelligence to the kid. Like, I just I think it would be very meaningful if Cas, like, cut Jack's hair with the concept of like, I am passing to you my knowledge and wisdom. And it's just- I would have wanted to see that. Like, in a fic format.

And then- [laughs] this third one is so gratuitous.

C: [laughing] Okay. Cas has a Filipino boyfriend named Grey-

G: [laughing] No! No! I mean, maybe. We could make it happen. But- like, I am a Destiel shipper, and one time, I was watching a movie, it's called To the Stars and Back. And they do this thing in the movie where they get lost in the woods. And in the Philippines, when you get lost in the woods, the belief is you have to turn your clothes inside out. Like, you have to remove your shirt and then wear it again inside out so that the spirits will let you pass, basically. And [laughs] in the movie, they do this, and they have like, a crush on each other, and they're like, removing shirts, so it's like, "haha!" And they're like, very giggly, and it's like, a cute scene. Like, I know it has a potential to be creepy, but like, it's a cute scene.

[laughing] And like, a part of me was like, "I could do this with Destiel!" [both laugh] Like, Destiel can make this happen. Like, I want a scene where they get lost in the woods, and Cas, like, decides to take off his shirt and invert it, so that they would stop getting lost. And I just think that would be [laughs] very cute. Yes.

C: Yeah.

G: That's, like- these are all ideas I had writing for a fic that didn't go anywhere, so I'm just sharing it into the void now so that I don't feel like they're for nothing. [laughs]

C: So, the next question is from M, and it's "If you could make one lore change to Supernatural, what would it be?"

I think, maybe I change up the afterlife system of it. Like, I don't want all monsters to automatically go to Purgatory and for humans to be the only ones who are allowed to get into Heaven. And also, I still think it's so weird that the Empty is angels and demons when angels are literal angels and demons are just humans that like, got tired of being tortured.

G: Yeah!

C: [laughs] Like, it's weird.

G: You're right. The afterlife is weird. And the thing with Supernatural is that they could have easily fixed this in the finale.

C: Yeah. Like, Jaaack. Pleaaase.

G: Like, very easily. Just a few words, you know, just a few scene changes, and it would've been fine. And the fact that they didn't. Like, I've told you, right, that my concept of death is like, the Empty, you know.

C: Yeah, yeah.

G: So- not very Catholic. [laughs] But-

I would say my lore change in Supernatural is- I just don't like that the necklace is important.

C: Oh, yeah.

G: Like, in the way that it is. Like, I wish it was just a gift that Sam and was gonna give to John but gives to Dean instead. Like, why did they have to do the whole like, "this necklace can sense God" thing? Like, it's just like- it's betrays how Winchester-centric the Supernatural world is. And a lot of times, it doesn't feel like as expansive or as good as it could be because it's so Winchester-centric. And I get that they explain it, with like, Chuck, blah blah blah, but like, come on. Like, everything? Everything is about them? Come on.

-

G: So our next category is about the fandom. So we got this from a couple of anonymous askers and the-jellyphish. They ask, what's your Team Free Will coding and girlism?

C: Yeah, so obviously, Casgirl.

G: [laughs] Obviously.

C: And coding-wise, I like to call myself Cas-coded, but I feel like I may be flattering myself a little there, and I do believe that I have, sadly, some elements of Dean-coding in me.

G: Oh! How- why would you say that? [laughs]

C: Um... I think in the way that I baby my sister who's only 2 years younger than me, and I think I do get like, kind of like, clingy like, in my attachment styles in like, some, like, familial relationships, and I guess I also like, understand his thing of just like, automatically complying with John to just like, make things easier. So I guess, like, in terms of that. Yeah, also, I think every time I'm a dick, I'm like, [laughing] "Wow, I'm being such a Dean right now." [both laughing]

G: So true.

Okay, for me, obviously I'm a Casgirl. Someone who asked this actually worded it, "As we all know, you're Casgirls, but what are your codings?" And I thought that was so funny. But yes, we are Casgirls. And for coding, I would say I am like if Sam and Dean had a third brother.

C: [muffled] I mean, they do.

G: Yes, they do. Sorry Adam. But Adam is a Milligan, not a Winchester, and in this self-insert scenario where I am Sam and Dean's third brother, I am a Winchester. [both laugh]

I love making self-insert fanfiction. I would say I am born Sam-coded and raised Dean-coded if I must.

C: You're transcoded.

G: [laughs] Yeah. I transitioned into a misogynistic asshole. [C laughs]

No, I just- I just mean that like, a lot of my core traits are very like, Sam, and a lot of my experiences as a younger sibling- because I was the youngest sibling up until I was 13, so that's a long time to be the youngest, and a lot of my experience in life related to the fact that I was youngest for that long. So like, in that sense I relate to Sam and his struggles with like, making an identity and standing up standing up to his family, etc. But like, I said, like, my fashion style and my taste in like, media, and, you know- shit like that. Shit that you cultivate. A lot of it is very Dean-coded. Like, I am the typical person that you would call Dean-coded, you know? Like, just from from the looks of it. So, yeah. That's my answer.

C: Yeah. Oh, I was just gonna say I feel like- like, whenever I think about my coding, I just know that I'm anything but Sam-coded because I was not raised Catholic or religious at all.

G: [laughs] Yeah.

C: [laughing] Like, I think that's a prerequisite.

G: Yeah, like, I have a complicated relationship with religion, and like, that's something I relate to with Sam, so.

C: So the next question is - well, it's from my ex-fiancee who said that it was from twistedwonderlanddean, so if that's an actual tumblr URL, [both laughing] and you're like, "I didn't like, send this question," yeah, you didn't. Don't worry about it. And it's asking for Supernatural season 1 fic recs. What a good question; I totally didn't ask her to send it. [laughs]

G: The thing is, I don't read fanfiction without Cas in it, so, I'm like, basically off the table. And like I said, I don't like time travel fanfiction, so I'm off the table. This is gonna be my trouble especially- like, even in future like, fic recs asks because I barely read fanfiction now, [laughing] and most of the stuff I read are like-

C: Don't. Do not mention their name. [G continues losing it, C joins]

G: But yes. No, I cannot give any fic recs. But Crystal can, so Crystal must.

C: Yeah, so I have quite a few so I don't want to go through all them so what's gonna happen is that I think I'm gonna make a post that we can link to on the BABPod Tumblr, but I guess, just- I think because I've mentioned "bad moon rising" so much, it deserves, like, a proper introduction. So "bad moon rising" is a season one rewrite by gone_girl on AO3. And basically, it's a rewrite where Sam and Dean are Palestinian, and it sort of takes a lot of the cases and plots from season 1 and reimagines them in like, how like, their race, would affect the way it goes and the outcomes. It also fixes a lot of things from season 1- like, it changes the creature in episode two and has Haley, like, as a Native woman who's sort of like, in charge of the hunt and they're just going along. And I think it also does a really good job at tying together the themes of like, family and codependency and abuse in Supernatural and sort of like, I guess, just general societal injustice too. So it's just very well-written, and you should check it out, and everything else will be in the post.

G: We'll link the post in the description.

C: Yes.

G: So our next question is from anonymous, who asks, "What is your favorite SPN headcanons?"

C: So, I think for me, the one that stuck with me a lot during season 1 was the headcanon that Meg 2.0 isn't actually the original demon Meg, but her vessel Meg Masters after she died and went to hell and then became a torturer and a demon because- and like, they're like, memories got meshed a bit, which I guess explains why she still like, remembers all the Meg 1.0 stuff. But I think that it is a really cool idea, and that it explains why Meg 2.0 doesn't really give a shit about Sam, and, in general, just has kind of different behaviors and motivations than before. [laughing] And I think it also helps me liked Meg 2.0 more 'cause she didn't do all the things Meg1.0 did.

G: Mine is very basic. I just like transnatural. Like, yeah. What else can I say? It's a good headcanon to have. Like, you know? Just reimagining- it doesn't even have to be reimagining.

C: Yeah.

G: Fom lesbianmarywinchester, we have a question- well, a demand. [both laugh]

Succession-character-code Team Free Will.

This is interesting because you haven't watched Succession, so this is all on me.

C: I watched up to the "Prague" episode, so I can guess.

G: I would say Sam is Shiv-coded. Would you say that?

C: Yeah, I was gonna say that too. Yeah.

G: That's the only one that I know for a fact. I would say Dean is... kind of like, Roman, right?

C: Interesting. I was gonna go with Kendall in terms of like, wanting approval from the father and like, sort of being like, in the elder sibling position.

G: I was just thinking Roman because I think it would be funny if we have like, the hype masc men, and then we have like, the metrosexual, and they're like, the same character. [laughs]

C: Yeah.

G: But yeah. I think actually, like, Dean-Kendall is quite- like, in later seasons, off, but because you only watched some of season 1, I would get why that you would think that.

Cas is the interesting question.

C: Because he's better than all of these people.

G: Yeah. Cas is not like anyone. Cas is the only character ever.

C: Yeah. Yeah. There's literally nothing.

G: Is he like Greg? [laughing]

C: Oh my god, no! [laughing] I- like, they're both like, gay. Like, I really can't think of- They're both, like, gay, and the more likeable member of the family, at least early on, so like, like bought into the awfulness at the beginning. So I guess you could like, parallel that to like, like, Greg not understanding the social norms of the world Logan created as like, Cas not understanding the social norms of like, human society on Earth? But I can't-

G: Yeah, exactly.

C: Yeah, so, okay. I could see that. But also, like, Cas is better than Greg will ever be.

G: Yeah.

-

C: Oh, okay, so our last section is 2 questions about the podcast.

[laughing] First one is from oxxxxbabygirlxxxo, which is also my ex-fiancee [both laugh], and, it's "How long does it take you guys to do editing and transcripts every week?" Do you want to go first?

G: Part of the computation is the like, watching and recording. So I'm gonna include that. Like, watching an episode for me is an hour and a half to 2-hour commitment because I write notes, etc. Then, recording the podcast takes like, 2 hours. I mean, sometimes. [laughs] Sometimes it takes 2 and a half. [both make pained laughs] God, do you remember that one time we did like, 2 hours and like, 45 minutes? What's wrong with us? [laughing]

And then, for the editing, I usually take- if it's a shorter episode, I take 4, maybe 5 hours. And a longer episode takes 6-7 hours. It really depends on how much fiddling I do with it. I used to fiddle with the episodes a lot; now I just kind of let them roll sometimes, like, pacing-wise. Sometimes the audio is bad-

C: Yeah.

G: - and that takes a lot of work to correct. So yeah. I don't think our podcasts are necessarily edit-heavy. Like, we don't do like, background music and shit. But like, it's still- just because of the raw length of the thing, it adds up a lot.

C: Right. And that's for one episode, and we have it twice a week!

G: [laughing] Yeah. This is why you should donate-

C: [laughing] To our Ko-Fi!

G: [laughing harder] to ko-fi.com/bustyasianbeautiespod.

That's not it, though. We still do transcripts.

C: Yes. So, for me, I think, for watching episode and taking notes, that's like, one and a half hours. For episode recording. I'd say average of 2 hours, yeah. And then, I'd say transcripts. depending on the length of the episode, probably like, 4-6 or 4-7 hours, probably averaging around 6. Um, so that is... what is that? That's like, 9.5 hours per episode? So... 19 hours a week?! What the fuck?! [both laughing]

G: I don't want to compute mine. Mine is probably like, 21, right? Because of the additional hours.

C: Yeah. So this is like, fully a part-time job.

G: Yeah. Sometimes I do think that, like, maybe we should cut back on the episodes, but like, [laughing] I also want to get this done as quickly as possible.

C: Yeah, I just- I don't want to be doing this for 6+ years, so it's two episodes a week forever.

G: Yeah, like, we don't mean to complain with like, saying this. [starts laughing] We're just saying it. [both laughing]

No, it's just- it's a lot of work, and that's why we're like, you know, super grateful for the people who listen, and like, this is the part where I plug reviews, like, on Apple Podcasts because that shit is actually really gratifying. So if you're- you know, feeling grateful for the time commitment that we do for the podcast, I would appreciate it if you guys like, left a review on Apple Podcasts, so. Give us 5 stars. [laughing] Don't give us 3 stars, you assholes!

C: Who did that?

G: [laughing] No one. No one did that.

C: Okay.

G: But like- "3 stars. These motherfucker complain so much about doing a podcast when no one is forcing them to do it!" [both laughing]

Okay, for the final question. Since we just complained about the podcast, girlbossdean has come to save our ass and ask, "What's your favorite thing about doing the podcast?" Aww.

C: Aww.

G: Sweet question.

C: Okay, I think I have- I think I have two things. I really like interacting with listeners or like, seeing what they said because that's always fun.

G: Yeah, so DM us. That shit is fun.

C: Yeah, it's great. And also like, I remember seeing that like, someone like, doesn't listen to podcast but just reads the transcripts, and that was also nice, 'cause I was like, "Yay, I'm glad people are like, really, really using the transcripts."

And then, I guess my second thing is like, hanging out with you, Grey.

G: Aww.

C: Because, like, fun fact, like, the first time we ever called was when we were recording the "Pilot" episode. [both start laughing] Like, this podcast, we were really banking on getting along, and we did, so yeah.

G: Yeah. To be clear, we were friends for a while before that, but like, I see other people who do the Supernatural podcast gig, and they're like, "We've been best friends since childhood!" [both laugh] And it's like, "Oh no!" I literally cannot imagine. But yeah.

C: Yeah.

G: This is a tangent, but like, fun fact, I have been trying to get this podcast running for a while before I asked you. Like, I asked in real life friends, I asked, like, random people [laughs]. Like, I literally would just like, go up to a friend and be like, "Hey, do you wanna watch- do you want to start a podcast?" And they'll be like, "Hell yeah! What is it about?" And  I'm like, "It's- we're gonna rewatch Supernatural" [both laughing] and they're like, "Fuck no! Get away from me!" But- so when I asked you, and you said yes, like, I was so happy.

And I would say, like, the best part of doing the podcast is like, you know, the sweet answer. Like, hanging out with a friend is very fun. And like, yeah, there's a lot of work, but I enjoy the work because the reward is also, like, high. Like, we get to hang out, and then we get to, like, hang out with other people.

C: Yeah.

G: We're very lucky to not have received malicious kind of negative r- like, comments for the podcast, and I hope it stays that way.

C: Yeah.

G: Yeah.

C: [laughing] Especially because I think if you're not, like, very much online you could definitely take a lot of our jokes the wrong way.

G: Yeah, that's true. We have a very specific target audience, and I feel like the audience have been targeted, so.

C: Yeah. Thank you, Tumblrinas.

G: So that's it for the Q&A! Thank you so much again for everyone who sent questions, for everyone who sent multiple questions, and for everyone who sent, like, just random shit. [laughs] Like, you know, compliments and stuff. Again, we read all of those, and we're very grateful. And before you leave, we just want to inform you that we will be taking the rest of this week and next week off. So we'll be back in April 19. Which sounds like a lot of times [laughs], but it only feels like that because we release two episodes per week. But if this is like, a one episode per week podcast, it's just one week off. But in our case, we're missing 3 episodes, so I hope you guys survive [both laughing] without their beautiful voices flogging your ears.

C: Yeah, okay, yeah, thanks so much for listening, like, your support means a lot, etc, and it's good to see y'all in the tags.

G: And like, again, like I said, please leave reviews. Like, I don't want to be the person who begs for reviews, but just personally, like, feelings-wise, it makes us feel good. [laughs] So like, if you don't have an Apple account - is that how reviews work? [both] I don't know. But you can also just DM us or send us an ask or, you know, leave a YouTube comment. These things really help. Thank you so much. [laughs] This is so earnest! Eugh!

-

G: Okay, so that's it for this episode of Busty Asian Beauties. Next time, we will be talking about Season 2, Episode 1: "In My Time of Dying." Leave us a rating or a review wherever you get your podcasts.

C: Follow us on social media. We are on Twitter at twitter.com/BeautiesPodcast and on Tumblr at bustyasianbeautiespod.tumblr.com. Our official tag is #BABPod, B-A-B-POD. Thank you to everyone who's donated to our Ko-Fi, and [laughing] if your name is Eric Kripke or John Shiban, please go to ko-fi.com/bustyasianbeautiespod.

G: You can email us any feedback, comments, or inquiries at bustyasianbeautiespod@gmail.com. Thank you so much you guys, and see you all next time. [in unison] Bye!

[guitar music]

[cuteciboulette]

Life teaches me nothing...

So I’d like to tell you about a song... Written and sung by one of the most famous contemporaneous French singer (the kind that tragically died too young, you know?), Daniel Balavoine.

I’ve always liked that song but then some day that I was staying at a friend’s house and talking GW (because we talked GW *a lot*, lol), she told me about this song and this very vague idea she had of a Heero!centric songfic for it. We listened to it again and were hit by the fact that it’s not a Heero!centric song, it’s a the-5-pilots!centric song, the amazing thing being that the lyrics read in the right order.

(I’ve never been able to listen to this song without thinking about the G-boys since then. It never fails to re-spark the fire within... Kind of like for “Invisible” by Pat Benatar thanks to this amazing AMV... Anyway, back to the Balavoine’s song.)

Following this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My friend never wrote the fic but I made a wallpaper out of it. And I’m going to try and translate the lyrics for you today. (It’s very rough and unpretty and of course it doesn’t rhythm because I’m no professional translator, it’s just to give you an idea. I’ll post below links so you can listen to the song if you wish to - it would make me happy if you did, it’s a great one, cross my heart!) 

Life teaches me nothing

(Heero) Who dares to say they can teach me about emotions Or show me how to become big [1] Who can change what I cary within my blood

(Duo) Who has the right to deny me to be alive On what side are the good or the bad guys Their gospels made a non-believer out of me

Prechorus (Trowa) Life teaches me nothing I just wanted to talk a bit, to choose a train Life teaches me nothing I wish so much I could hold on, take a road, Take a road

Chorus (All) But I cannot, I don’t know And I stay stuck here Laws don’t make men anymore But a few men make the rules [2] And I can’t, I don’t know And I stay stuck here

(Quatre) To those who think my money lulls my mind to sleep I say ‘being poor isn’t enough to make you honest’ Maybe they think freedom can be bought

(Wufei) What remains of ideals under hail of bullets When preachers are sheltered from the fight Life of the deads isn’t saved by medals anymore

Prechorus Chorus Chorus

Life teaches me nothing…

[1] « être grand » could mean « become great » just has much as « grow up » ; both works well for Heero in any cases ;)

[2] Honestly, “Les lois ne font plus les hommes mais quelques hommes font la loi” is such a good line, I love mirrored constructions like that! *_*

Original singer (and writer), Daniel Balavoine (1980): https://youtu.be/YcYzKO_6HG4

But I love the 2005 cover by “Les enfoirés” (most famous collective of artists in France, they perform every year a whole show to help provide food and shelter during winter), maybe because the several voices helps with the “each G-boys sing their part” feeling...: 

https://youtu.be/EB3FbkmFrro 

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

A diehard Mangahood fan’s opinion on why YOU- YES, YOU- should watch FMA 2003

(Yes, those are his actual lines in this scene. These are the Netflix captions.)

2018 is off to a great start, with both FMA anime being back on Netflix! But ever since Brotherhood overtook 03 in popularity years ago, the FMA fandom has been so deeply divided on the subject of the two anime that even today, a lot of FMA fans who have never seen 03 vehemently refuse to watch it, simply because they heard from someone else that it’s bad.

As someone who’s been in the FMA fandom for about 9 years, could easily go on for hours about the endless problems with 03, and firmly believes the manga is better than both anime anyway, I think that this attitude is bullshit. While I understand that 03 is not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, I think refusing to even try it is a very narrow-minded approach that will only make you miss out. So, from one Mangahood fan to another, here’s my take on why YOU should give 03 a try now that it’s back on Netflix!

A whole 51 episodes + 1 movie worth of FMA content you haven’t seen yet! Come on, what better reason do you need? For those of you who are always craving more of those good good Elric boys and their merry band of friends, here’s a perfect opportunity to see them in all sorts of new situations, in all their fully animated and voiced glory! More fight scenes! More banter! More brotherly love! More Riza Hawkeye shooting things! More alchemy! It’s a deal you can’t miss.

Learn about the FMA fandom’s history! Ever wonder why Hohenheim seems to get so much more hate than he deserves, or why that one Ishvalan kid who got like 3 lines is sometimes called Rick? Have you ever found yourself in the deep reaches of DeviantArt or Google Images and found strange images of armor Al with tattoos, Rose with dark skin and pink bangs, an edgy-looking kid with similar clothes to Envy, or a low quality gif of Havoc crying and aggressively writing in a journal captioned with “I have all these feels”? Confused about the phrase “In those days, we believed that to be the world’s one, and only, truth”? Do you occasionally see content of the “Tringham brothers” or “Alfons Heiderich” and not understand who they are? Have you seen the “tiny miniskirts” clip on YouTube, but never been able to find it in context? Just where did the titular tumbleweed of International FMA Tumbleweed Appreciation Day come from, anyway?! All these questions and more can be answered by watching 03!

Beautiful music! A lot of great music came out of the 03 era, such as silly OST pieces like Pint-Size Alchemist or Favorite Daughter; Beautiful pieces like Equivalent Exchange or Memories; Haunting choruses like Ishbal or Dante; Fun and memorable theme songs FMA’s oldest banger, Melissa, or the Resembool Trio anthem, Hagane no Kokoro; And of course, the unforgettable masterpiece of a duet that spawned a legacy transcending years and languages, Bratja aka Brothers.

Talented voice actors! 03 had a slightly different voice cast from Brotherhood. For the dub, we’ve got the loveable and unforgettable Aaron Dismuke as Al- You might know him for his triumphant return in Brotherhood as young Hohenheim, but he was the original Alphonse Elric, when he was just 12 years old! Aside from that, we’ve got Chris Patton as Greed, Dameon Clarke as Scar, Monica Rial as Dante, and “sexy Greed” Troy Baker as Robocop himself, Frank Archer! And for the original Japanese version, there’s Nana Mizuki (Lan Fan in Brotherhood) as Wrath, Tooru Okawa as Roy, Megumi Toyoguchi as Winry, and Junichi Suwabe (perhaps best known as Victor Nikiforov and Aizawa Shouta) as Greed. And more!

Bonus content from the manga that wasn’t in Brotherhood! While Brotherhood initially rushed through the beginning of the plot under the assumption that we’ve all seen it 500 times already so let’s get to the new stuff, 03 actually took its time and included episodes based off the early stories, such as Youswell or the battle on the train. Not only that, but 03 also includes episodes based off some of the bonus chapters (Dog of the Military, the military festival, the one where Havoc went on a date with Catherine) and even some content from the light novels (The Tringham brothers, the haunted warehouse).

An interesting reimagining of FMA, with new perspectives explored, and new characters! It’s true that 03 has a very different plot and overall tone from Mangahood, and maybe it’s not for everyone, but why is the mere concept of being different seen as a bad thing? Think of it like a fanfiction, an interesting AU with its own distinct flavor. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy 03′s style! It features interesting (not always good, not always bad, but certainly interesting) new characters, such as Dante, the Tringham brothers, Wrath, Sloth, Frank Archer, Lujon and Lydia, and Rick and Leo. It also explores new possibilities and new directions that the manga didn’t. Ever wish Nina, Sheska, Lust, Rose, Martel, or Mason got more character development? Do you wonder what the state alchemist exam might be like? Do you think the homunculi simply being created by Father is too boring an origin story? Are your favorite superhero comic storylines the ones that involve alternate universes crossing over with each other? Ever wanted to see a cyborg shoot bullets out of his mouth? Are AMVs featuring Scar set to early 2000s emo music your niche but passionate hobby? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, 03 is the anime for you!

Also ngl, some of the fight scenes are really cool. Ed vs. Greed in particular... now THAT was some animation, woah. I love it.

In conclusion, if you’re a FMA fan and you haven’t seen 03 before, I highly recommend you check it out! After all, it can’t hurt- Either you’ll enjoy it and have a fun time with more FMA content, or you’ll learn for yourself that you don’t like it, and can simply stop watching. But you’ll never know until you try! Please, don’t listen to bitter, negative fans who only want to drive you away from something you might enjoy. (Ngl, most of them probably weren’t even around before Brotherhood came out anyway; I can tell you from experience that before Brotherhood got really popular, 03 was actually considered to be a really good anime, and had it not been so successful Brotherhood would never have even been created.) Open up to new possibilities, and give 03 a try!

[manwithoutaspleen]

characters: naruto, sakura, sasuke

My children……this is all bearing in mind that I just got through season 1 so far

Narutofavorite thing about them: his absolute belief in the good of himself and those around him…..least favorite thing about them: everyone is so mean to him and I hate that favorite line: ”I don’t like you. You’re not funny” brOTP: him & rock lee, my beautiful jock sons OTP: I mean like him and sasuke are really in deep but I’m still not sure how healthy this whole thing is bc there’s not a single emotionally adjusted person in the whole world I think nOTP: I haven’t seen anything too bad w him yet…. I don’t really like him and Sakura bc she’s gay random headcanon: he’s never worn matching socks in his life but they’re all just different like….Hanes bulk brands so they’re either just slightly different in design OR he’s got like a knee high paired w an anklet and it’s incomprehensible unpopular opinion: I don’t know what the popular opinions are yet but…..I guess I don’t really care about him becoming hokage as much as I care about him learning to feel loved and valued outside of his abilities as a ninja…song i associate with them: oh geezefavorite picture of them: I have the same fave pic of all of them - the original team 7 pic……

Sakura favorite thing about them: people can say what they want but she’s brave as hell and when the writers fucking let her she holds her own in pure willpower without any like special stuff like the sharingan or fox or anything like she’s working w objectively less but she still is present and willing to do whatever she possibly can and like on a team where she could easily be overshadowed in terms of Pure Drive (and she is I think due to Bad Writing and not her inherent character) she holds her own!! As a dedicated and resourceful member!least favorite thing about them: she tries very hard to like be the person she thinks she should be but there’s nothing wrong w the person she is in her inner life…..I don’t hold it against her I just want to see her grow from it….favorite line: when she cut her hair during that fight I screamed I don’t remember the line she said but I was so proud brOTP: I want Sakura to spend more time w other girls like in any capacity so like….. her and Hinata or tenten literally I just want her to get the hale away from men for a bit… her and gaaras sister idc OTP: her & ino so far nOTP: her and any man but honorable mentions to her & sasuke and her & kakashi like… one is really bad and the other is Really Bad I cant believe it’s actually popular random headcanon: she tries bullet journaling and theres like two really solid decked out weeks but it tapers out into just being a really nice notebook full of lists of various degrees of crypticness unpopular opinion: I heard she becomes a healer at some point? Or a medic? I don’t like that ! That’s probably a popular opinion but it should be. song i associate with them: oh geeze! favorite picture of them: above

Sasukefavorite thing about them: I just realized that since he’s gone for the last 10 episodes of season 1 he’s been missing from at least a full 20% of my naruto viewing experience I really don’t know the half of him at this point…. maybe I do who knows… anyway he’s gay and I love that about him bc me too least favorite thing about them: I mean he could be a bit nicer to people but I’m pretty sure he’s gonna go on a vision quest w the snake guy at some point and that’s not chill favorite line: “I see…I don’t understand…even one of these problems” brOTP: I would love for sasuke to have a friend OTP: again, above w naruto nOTP: him and Sakura are really awful for each other I can’t believe it’s endgame like being endgame w your middle school crush is such a joke random headcanon: since I’m imagining he lives alone like naruto I think he’s learned how to sew at some point, at first out of necessity to repair clothes during his training (naruto doesn’t care about the rips and sakuras mom takes care of her clothes) and now he’s just pretty good at it? He’ll fix stuff up while they’re between missions sometimes.unpopular opinion: hmmm…we’ll see song i associate with them: I’m sorry but i have a near Pavlovian reflex to associate him w linkin Park bc of the amvs through like cultural osmosis or something favorite picture of them: above

[93239abcd]

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[itstimetodrew]

All the Reasons Why I Like Drew

The Big Essay

To truly celebrate this Drew Day, I’d like to talk about why I like Drew and what he means to me. This whole blog is kind of dedicated to that idea, but it’s not all stated outright, and definitely not all in one post. So…. here’s the granddaddy of them all. Happy reading! :D

How I found The One

So, the matter-of-fact portion: How did I get into Pokémon? When did I decide I liked Drew as a character? It was mostly on accident. I remember I was 10 and getting over my big interest in the Tokyo Mew Mew/Mew Mew Power series. I always had some sort of Big Interest, and it was boring to be without one (it had been Yugioh before and original Pokémon before that, funny how all my favorite things came back). Since I had dropped early Pokémon for Yugioh, I didn’t care for Pokémon. It was old news, not that great, not worth going back to. But then one morning before school I went through the TV channels and stumbled upon an airing of Pokémon. All the characters except Ash and Brock and Team Rocket were foreign to me…and who was that green haired guy? I thought he was cute and needed a rebound anime crush.

By 10 years old I had started using the internet a lot, and so I found out about this new series of Pokémon, and that what I saw on TV was part of the Hoenn Grand Festival, which included that interesting Drew character. Then I found out about what a fandom was, fanfiction, AMVs, fanart, everything. It was hard not to get sucked into a fan base that had so much content and excitement surrounding it! I really doubt 10-year-old me would have imagined liking the same characters at age 21, but here I am! So, the next question…

Why Drew? (Let’s do bullet points for convenience.)

-        He’s smart and resourceful! He’s sharp enough to see through Team Rocket and Harley’s plans more than a couple times. His appeals and battle techniques can also be pretty neat…mostly. Sometimes it’s just a Petal Dance and he gets a perfect score for it pfft but stuff like that Dragonbreath + Razor Wind combo? Neato.

-        The snark…I love the snark. I like that Drew brings some comedy to the show and says what I sometimes think as the viewer (The infamous scene...

May: What’s extremespeed, Brock? 

Brock: It’s when a Pokemon uses its speed to the extreme! 

Drew, appearing from offscreen because he never misses a chance to make fun: Only an amateur would ask a question like that, May. 

(like honestly girl what did you think it meant))

-        Drew is helpful! He’s obviously a challenge and barrier to May, but he doesn’t want to see her fail. Drew helps to get May, Ash, Brock, and Max out of 4 situations with Team Rocket, and his eagerness to do what’s right is cutely summed up in his first appearance 

“No clue what’s goin’ on, but happy to assist!” 

He’s a gem and has a good heart.

-        He’s so talented! This boy is a winner plain and simple. …Ok most of the time. …Some of the time. It just isn’t onscreen. You know, it’s the attitude that counts. But really!! He got to the final round of his first contest? That he got the final round of his first Grand Festival (I assume)?? He’s a STAR. A prodigy.

-        He has realistic flaws: doesn’t like spontaneity, doesn’t display emotion well, not the best with some social interaction, stubborn, secretive etc. He is definitely not a perfect character, which makes him that much more likable.

-        Drew’s motivation and dedication inspire me. He’s so passionate and focused about what he does, and he’s worked hard to get where he is. It’s difficult for me to not want to see him succeed!

-        He’s polite and respectful! Drew isn’t a jerk to everyone, he just likes riling up May sometimes, and even then, he knows when to knock it off and be a friend. Also, when he’s uncomfortable around over-excited fans, he thanks them for their support and tries to make a quick but smooth exit. He could just as easily be mean or look down on people who think of him so highly, but he doesn’t take anyone’s praise for granted.

-        That aforementioned awkwardness around fans? Absolute plus. The irony of Drew pursuing a path that’s filled with glamor and style but being weird about personal compliments is adorable, 10/10. (But it does highlight how he loves contests for the sport itself, not for fame or vanity!)

-        He means everything he says. Drew never once apologizes for his outbursts, which can be a problem and highlights a stubbornness in not wanting to admit he was wrong. But I think it also shows how Drew is careful in what he says and has little regret about his opinions, despite how they come across.

-        Drew is mature! It’s fun seeing him become more mature over the course of the series. At first he’s a typical brat and instigates conflict with May to an obnoxious degree, but by the end we see him and May having nice heart-to-hearts about losing and how to regain motivation to try again. Amazing.

-        His bond with his Pokémon. Drew is tough and not overly affectionate with them, but it’s those little hints of friendship that make it all the better. Especially him and Roselia. They’re my lifeblood. That he keeps Roselia out of its Pokeball to see fireworks? To sunbathe? Adorable. Look at them....

And knowing Roselia was Drew’s only Pokémon for the first few contests we see him, it makes his sadness over Roselia getting hurt that much more important. His small conflict and resolution with Absol is great, too. I kind of think May and Drew’s differing opinion during the Kanto Grand Festival is the same theme that goes on to compose a large part of Ash and Paul’s rivalry. That idea of what a ‘proper’ way to train is to get results. I’m getting sidetracked and wrote about this before but anyway!! They’re all great, the whole team is great. And I can’t believe Drew’s Roserade is making lovely teas for the whole region of Alola.

-        And of course……. he’s so cute. You know this point had to come in somewhere. But look at him! 

Those bright, sharp eyes. Those lovely lashes. That smirk and – if you can catch a rare glimpse – genuine soft smile. His hair, that signature hair flip he does when he wants to seem Really Cool, his controlled mannerisms, his clothes that are way too warm for Hoenn and I don’t know why he wears them but he obviously doesn’t care---- everything!!! He’s so cute and cool and lovely and 

I Adore Him.

He’s a bit of an idol of mine at this point. Some sort of ideal self. Which sounds weird since he’s a 10-year-old secondary anime character who hasn’t been seen onscreen in like 8 years, but whatever. I admire Drew’s drive to succeed, how he helps others, respects their feelings, and doesn’t change just to impress other people. I wish I could be as unconcerned with other people and follow my own path the way he does.

But his flaws are good to reflect on, too! His strict means of training make him inflexible, and I think his lacking ability to adapt is what holds him back a bit. It’s nice to know what you’re good at it, but if you focus only on your strengths, weaknesses become that much more obvious, and new opportunities for growth may be missed! I relate to this a lot because I’m afraid of doing new things because I’m so uncomfortable at appearing unskilled. But there’s no way to improve at something if you never attempt it!

His line about there always being someone better out there than you sticks with me, as well. I think Drew takes a different take on his own advice (“I guess there’s always someone better”) between the two grand festivals we see him in. In Hoenn, Drew uses the idea of someone always being better as a consolidation as to why he lost to Robert, he doesn’t seem too upset about it because I think it was more about the person he was facing. Robert is older, presumably more experienced, so it’s fine and understandable to lose to him. 

But when he’s faced with the prospect of May having a good shot at beating him, he’s agitated and nervous. Scared. Because May wasn’t just a ‘someone’ that could be better than him. He had seen her as a novice, and so the idea of losing to this kluzty beginner girl wasn’t acceptable. When Drew has time to sit and think about why he’s so upset, with Ash and Brock giving him some thoughts, I think Drew realizes that if he comes out of the competition stronger and more experienced than when he went in, having won or not, that is more valuable than focusing on being better than specific competitors. That’s what rivalry is. The end goal of a rivalry shouldn’t be to definitively be the winner in the relationship, but to keep challenging each other to become more skilled. You hope your rivals and friends help you improve, and you want to see them experience that same growth as well.

Pursuing any goal in hopes of being the best will get discouraging fast because there really is someone better than you, eventually, if not now. The most reliable thing is to just keep improving yourself. Hope that your past self would be in awe of what you can do now, and know that you still have a lot of growth and accomplishment ahead of you.

The reason I love Drew so much, and why this essay is so ridiculously long, is probably because I’ve locked myself into a bit of an echo chamber, honestly. Since I watch episodes with Drew most often and reflect on him a lot, he’s become extremely important and fascinating to me. I realize he’s a standard character from an objective view: the love interest and classy, arrogant rival…but after a full decade he’s developed a whole life of his own in my mind. Making headcanons and backstories and predictions for the future is so much fun! I know I build him up to be a lot more than he is in the series (I mean I usually get disappointed at the lack of depth he has when I go back to watch episodes) and it seems silly but…I’m okay with that silliness at this point. I kind of have to be after a solid decade lol

After all, I only picked up art again after wanting to bring fanart ideas to life when seeing a challenge for drawing favorite characters. Is that a laughable reason? Yeah! But do I enjoy art and I’m glad I decided to try again? Definitely!

And I thought AMVs with Drew on YouTube were so neat that I decided I wanted to make my own. So, I tried video editing, and I liked it! I still do video work and may incorporate it into a career. A career – from wanting to put clips of Drew and May to cool music. It’s so bizarre, but I’m glad that started me on this path!

Last year I also decided to finally get serious about learning Japanese which unsurprisingly, probably wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t so interested in the Pokémon anime and my doujinshis with you know……. Drew. Learning a new language is rewarding in itself because I think it’s so neat to develop the ability to communicate with an entirely new group of people. To share ideas and culture and conversation…it’s amazing! Speaking of which – the people.

I’ve met so many people because of my love for Drew. Quite literally all of you reading this. Otherwise my YouTube account wouldn’t have existed, this blog wouldn’t, the videos, the shitposts, the fanart, all the cards and packages sent to one another, the hilarious, thoughtful, bizarre, uplifting text messages, every interaction and friendship online…none of them would have happened. Not that I don’t have bonds built on things other than Pokémon (it’s hard to believe, but some people have no clue how much I like Pokémon, much less Drew lol), but it seems like a butterfly effect. Since I’ve loved him for literally half of my life and I’ve gone through my teenage and now early adult years with this Thing for him, I don’t even know how much of my own personality and experience living as myself would be different. It’s wild and weird. My time in the Pokémon fandom has factored into so much of my life that I can’t possibly imagine what my life in some Drew-less parallel universe is like. Not to say my life would be bad without this fixation, but it’s too much change and I love my life the way it is!

Although this Drew Day is entirely arbitrary and June 12th has no real significance for him as a character, it’s great to get all my thoughts and feelings focused on one date. It all probably sounds ridiculous, all the importance I put on Drew as a character, but I’m aware of that ridiculousness. I thoroughly enjoy it! Drew will likely always be my favorite character in all of media. Perhaps someday I won’t think of him much anymore, but I would have guessed that as a 10-year-old thinking of her 21-year-old self, wouldn’t I?

All I can hope for is that I continue to have a great time with the Pokémon series, and that maybe my love for Drew will end up leading me to new passions and interests even further in my life. I’m so thankful he exists as a character and that I’ve had such a great time discussing him in stories and jokes and art with so many others. So, thank you! Everyone!!

[suzakuxcc-blog]

Code Geass AMV - Bullet Train

[cohentoplaywithmagic]

big girls cry || self para

WHO: Tina Cohen-Chang, Parker Cohen-Chang with mentions to Friends. WHERE: Cohen-Chang Residence, Queens New York   WHEN:Sunday 12th February,Early Morning  WHAT: Tina decides to head back home to go and pick up some board games because that is what she needs right now.   WARNING: Tears that is all.

Having little to no sleep was something that Tina had become use too, it was not funny anymore. Her eyes were still burning from all the crying. Her throat stung too, but aether she knew their were more tears yet to come. What she had done was something she would be struggling to forgive herself. The more she thought about it, the more she felt her own heartbreaking. Blaine had told her that she was forgiven. Adam had told her that she wasn’t a terrible person. 

Her stomach notes. Tina should text him and let him know. She knows and Blaine knows. How her grimoire turned into a door and she entered willingly. That was something brave now wasn’t it. Tina shot out of bed rushing to her Grimiore that laid open on her desk. She flicks through the pages looking for it. She flicks through the pages and they remain blank, the stain removed from her book like it was never there. On a page laid an empty jar, no orb in sight. <<Come fourth>> Tina summons the jar, watching the empty jar come from out her book. She shakes it. Nothing. She opens it. Nothing. Tina even puts her hand in the jar making sure that the orb hasn’t gone invisible on her. 

Nothing was in the jar.

Tina throws it onto her bed as she begins to pace. She was not going crazy was she? This had all happened right? Doors? Red mist? Tiny doors? Restored memories? Seeing Blaine? This had to be real. Oh aethernet this had to be real, the pain was all too real. A single tear falls from her eyes. She wants to scream. She wants to not feel this weak. She wants to be okay.

But what was okay, anymore? What was normal? 

Normal left the window the moment she became a witch. Tina knew there was a price and aether she knew now that she was paying for it. She looks at her phone. Early, it was still early. 

Not looking back at Rachel, the girl needs to rest. It had been a long night. Tina quickly throws on a skirt, jumper and her docks wrapping up warm ready to embrace the cold. She needs to get out of NYADA and she knows where to go. Tina doesn’t leave her room without her headphones. She places the blue headphones on head like a crown, blaring her music so loud it was blocking out any lingering thoughts. Anything upbeat, anything happy, even if the emotions of the song did not hit her, they could at least create a false sense of security.

Tina walks out of campus like she is on a war path, trying to hold her head high. Fake it till you make it right? She tries her best not to think about anything but flashes of the memories kept burning in her mind, like an terrible AMV Youtube video, the memories play disjointed and the screams constantly on a loop. She sits on the subway, gripping on the hem of her skirt. Trying to keep herself distracted not thinking about anything though her mind lied to her. 

She forced herself to hum along with the song, smiling a little thinking about how Blaine began doing last night which was more soothing than expected but not as effective doing it on her own. Other passengers on the subway were giving her puzzled looks. Sure like they had been anything like she had been through the past months. They were lucky to have their Common’s issues. Sometimes Tina wishes she could go back to having money issues has her main worries compared to all of this. She keeps humming loudly as the sub got to her stop. 

Tina rushes off, tapping in and out allowing the cold New York hit her in the face. A shiver down her smile. She knows that she needs to walk carefully because the ice and snow but paces faster and faster until she is at her apartment block. Mrs Yana holds the main door open for Tina as she goes for her early dog walk. The old lady is about to ask Tina how College is going but Tina dodges that question like a bullet. She is at the stairs marching taking two at a time.

She is face to face with a door, a door that was harder to enter than most. Digging in her pocket she opens with ease and a trembling hand. Quietly, she closes the door behind her, kicking off her wet boots and jacket. She looks around. Even though she doesn’t live here anymore, this place was still very much home. She walks quietly in the hallway, peering into her parents room making sure that they were still asleep. If they were it was better. All she needs right now is the warmth of home, a place she knows that she can just be.

Actually, she was going to be here anyway to pick up some games for Marley and others. Tina tells herself that as a reason to be here. She goes to the old closet in the hallway, turning on the light standing on her tippy toes to rummaging through the games, as quietly as she could. Her actions are slow and it takes her a while to even realize what she was even doing.

A pair of footsteps were heard in the background. They were careful and slow. Tina swiftly turns, an reaction she has learnt a lot from field studies and combat training. Her arms move up into a defensive motion.

“Tina?” Parker’s voice calls.

She lowers her arms tucking them behind her back,”Ha-hi-hi d-d-daddy. S-sorry to wake you.”

He shakes his head stepping closer to his daughter, “Don’t worry about that Tina. What are you doing home sweetie? Your mother and I weren’t expecting to see you until your birthday at least.”

Tina felt her heart sink. Yeah she hadn’t been making much of an effort anymore to even call or talk with her parents, no wonder they expected only to see her on family center dates. Her face looks sadder. “I...I just came to pick up some-some games.”

“Teeny,” Parker said quietly nearing his daughter,”You sound like you have been crying.”

“I’ve not been...”

“Teeny, please, please don’t lie to me,” her father tells her,”A boy hasn’t broken your heart before Valentine’s Day has he. Was it that Blaine boy you always keep talking about?! Because you know I can...”

“No it was not Blaine! No one broke my heart,” Tina brushes past her father. “It is nothing like that dad.”

“Than tell me Tina, please,” her father pleads,”I can only help you if you tell me Tina.”

“I..I can’t tell you,” her eyes begin to water,”I can’t tell you dad but I know right now is. I need you. I need someone I can just....” Tina let the tears fall, hiding her face in her hands as she began to cry loudly

Parker stops asking as he rushes to his daughter, pulling her into a fatherly hug swaying her side to to side. He rubs her back up and down soothingly, echoing the way Blaine had earlier that day. Parker holds his little girl, lost and confused to what was going on in his daughter’s new life. He hated not knowing but his little girl was growing up. 

Parker promised her he would be there for her no matter what, be the father he swore he would always be, but he wishes his daughter would not be afraid to open to him. Still, he stands by her. Parker presses light kisses to his daughter’s forehead whispering,”It is okay Teeny, everything is okay. Daddy is here.”

Tina cries harder, harder than she did before. She was letting everything out. All her hurt, all her braveness. She is allowing herself to crumble in the arms to the one person who could never understand what was going on. Her heart hurt more but this was the way it was going to be. 

“I’ve messed up daddy. I’m a terrible person,” Tina cries into his chest.

Parker pulls her face to look up at his. Tucking some her hair behind her ear,”Tina Cohen-Chang,” he voice firm,”Don’t you ever dare say that about yourself ever. You can never mess up and you are not a terrible person. If anything, you are the most loving and sweetest person I know. The number of things that you have given up and the things that you have been through Teeny, you are so brave.So strong. So mature.”

“But you don’t even -”

“Yes I might not know what is going on but I know you Tina and I trust you to make the right choices,” he kisses her forehead,”And you have changed Tina. You might not see it. Tina you are coming over because you are picking up games to play with your friends. Friends, other people who see all the wonderful things that I do.”

“I have a few friends...”

Parker laughs, “The way your phone was buzzing over Christmas- Tina I can tell you have a lot of friends. Did you seriously have to assign them a different text tone each?”

“It makes it easier to know who is messaging me,” she mumbles.

Parker laughs, “My daughter and her technology who would have thoughts?”

“Hahahahah yeah daddy, who would have thought,” Tina laughs nervously.

Parker smiles,”Look you are laughing and smiling. That is the Teeny, that I miss.”

Her smile fades,”But that doesn’t stop the terrible things that I have done daddy.” She sniffs.

He flicks her nose a little,”Now no tears and chin up sweetie.” 

Tina nods trying to be brave. 

“Tina, there are a lot of things in life that are going to knock you down but crying about it, is not always going to help it. Talking about it does. Now I know talking to your mother and me- you don’t want too but know that you can okay?”

“Yes daddy...”

“No Tina! This is not a yes daddy matter!” Parker raises his voice being firmly. “You have to promise me that you are going to talk to someone that you can about this. No hiding your feelings. You are not alone. I know you are not alone. You have....” he tries to recall the names,”Blaine, that roomate of yours- Rachel than the Senpai boy and...the one who is good with food...”

“Elliott and Adam?” 

“Yes those two and the others that you have spoken about. Tina promise me you will talk to someone because I hate seeing you like this.”

“I promise daddy.”

“No you have to promise like you use too.”

Tina places her hand on her head,”I promise on my heart and for those who I love that I will talk to someone.”

“That is my little girl,” he smiles. Parker was about to question if she had been crying often, or had been sleeping. His daughter looks like she was going through something but he knew the more he pushed, the moor walls she would build with no door for him to know. He gives her a one sided hug, ushering her into the kitchen.“Now come on what do you say we have a little bit of breakfast before you head back to your friends? I could make some waffles?”

Tina can’t but have the feeling like Adam had spoken to her father or something. Well no one has met her parents,it might stay that way for a while.She smiles, tears still stained on her cheek, “Breakfast, breakfast sounds good.”