#It would be hilarious if it weren't so repetitive

[quipxotic]

Bell's Hells: [Shares opinions on a thing they disagree on.]

Ashton: [Joins the conversation and says something, probably angrily because hey, it's Ashton.]

A certain segment of the CR fandom: I just hate how he talks over everyone, trying to make every discussion about what he thinks or about his pain.

Bell's Hells: [Continues to share their opinions.]

Ashton: [Again joins the conversation to disagree.]

A certain segment of the CR fandom: I hate how he prevents the others from speaking!

Bell's Hells: [Continues to share their opinions unimpeded.]

Ashton: [Leaves the room because they're suffering from 2 points of exhaustion and a migraine and know they are prone to say something without filter and unnecessarily start a fight with their friends.]

A certain segment of CR fans: See! So selfish and self-absorbed! Has to swan off in a dramatic way just to keep the focus on himself!

Bell's Hells: [Continues having their discussion, absolutely not focused on Ashton at all because, you know, they're talking about the end of the world and maybe they understand what's going on with their friend.]

File under things that are a fandom problem not a story or a character problem, because Bell's Hells seem fine with Ashton as they are. You all do know that's it's fine to say you don't like a character, right? That is allowed. But then maybe realize that perhaps everything they do is not horrible, it's just that everything they do reminds you that a) they exist, and b) that you don't like them.

[1000sunnygo]

One Piece 1093

//long post, manga spoilers ahead

Congratulations to Law for his second time trending as "Law's female form" and congrats to Kamiya Hiroshi too for trending alongside him!! (her?)

I have no doubt that Law's role would always be special to Kamiya. The way he strained his voice to raise his pitch to a new high made my throat sore on his behalf..... But I liked it more than I expected! I could feel in my bones that it was an uncomfortable transformation Law wanted to free himself from as soon as possible bwahahah

I like the anime original dialogue とにかく、ヤベぇ！(tonikaku, yabee!) Even with my crap japanese it was as hilarious as hearing him say "Anyway, I'm cooked!" I don't think Law uses the term "Yabee" a lot so that felt refreshing lol

It seems the more controversial quote was this one, the speech in Japanese would be literally translated to "my strength isn't coming out as usual". Personally, I didn't immediately associate it to weakness due to being woman but moreso as an additional side affect that came with it, after all, it's dubbed as a disease. I like to think Doc Q didn't only come up with it as a deranged fantasy but to impose a real handicap for the victim to have their body modified in a way that limits their ability to fight and use their usual powers, either due to magic or just out of discomfort. Unlike Ivankov's fruit that alters hormones, it's just a physical change, it makes sense why it's more unnatural and uncomfortable.

The female Law scene was animated by Yuu Yoshiyama, he also did Hancock's scene from Amazon Lilly invasion episode. The scene was fanservicey but thankfully not as over the top as the Bonney scene from few episode prior to this one. The episode didn't drag on even during the slower parts, the screentime was well spent. The obnoxious, repetitive closed up reaction shots weren't there.

Moving on to B part, nothing much to speak of Ishizuka's brilliant storyboard that hasn't been said. My favorite observation was this:

Some parts where characters didn't immediately follow up with a second attack was frustrating until I remembered Blackbeard and Law both put their lives on line when they use their fruit and so can't take risks. Cheaper trick shots and silly gimmicks that people blame Law for not using more frequently were probably never the best option. That said, unfortunately, Law lost the moment he used both his strongest attacks onscreen and failed. I don't think the fight was longer than what we saw here. The anime just made it more obvious.

Another anime original dialogue I liked is Blackbeard saying "what a handy ability you've got!" right before their final clash. He was using Tremor fruit until that point and then he switched to his OG attacks, it was unsettling how he's not only fighting but looking at Law's abilities as something that he'll soon take away from him. Unlike Doflamingo, Teach had no pre-decided plan involving Law's fruit and considered selling the fruit as appealing alternate as using it for its abilities. Honestly, we can't underestimate Doflamingo's knowledge. There's no way he stays in prison during the final arc.

And finally the Kuzan scene,,

rightfully the most praised section and probably my favorite part of the episode too. According to his tweet, Henry Thurlow animated the Kuzan scene traditionally on paper. Let's give Toei credit where it's due; they let their animators take time, be creative and love their work. Otherwise we wouldn't get scenes like this.

And that's it! The first (and the last?) time we see Heart pirates in proper action. Ch. 1081 is only ~17 chapters away. Hopefully we'll see it animated around the middle of this year. Hopefully Law's current condition in the manga is updated by then, otherwise it'll be very painful.

Twice already. Petition to let Pandaman become an official member of heart pirates.

[isa-ghost]

Isa my darling! Happy Birthday, albeit a couple of days early.

Seeing you screech in Philza's streams because Apollo hit you with that dodgeball yet again makes me giggle a lot.

How about since headcanon's for qPhilza's past/pre island relationship with qFit. How they got to know each other, and how quickly they became friends?

Idr if I said this on Tumblr yet but deadass I asked Apollo on my pendulum if qPhil is his blorbo and he said yes. He's been as invested in shit as me and it's been hilarious. I literally have crows yelling at me irl to keep writing rn but I'm answering headcanons first.

The entire time I've been distracted between writing these, crows have been yelling at me about it. Which. Is how Apollo communicates with me when I'm not actively talking to him through readings LMFAO.

Also thank you for the birthday wish :D [desperately hoping nothing else horrible happens this weekend please god]

Anyway qPhil headcanons masterlist let's go

Disclaimer that I didn't know of Fit before QSMP (I've only been in mcyt for 4 years monkaS) so these are gonna be largely pulled out of my ass and a lil repetitive.

These two both have experiences in anarchy and war, they've definitely brushed shoulders a couple times bc of it

They admired each other's work ofc. Phil is a macro scale kinda guy, total annihilation and victory that makes a statement. Fit's more of a micro scale kinda guy, zeroing in on one person or group individually and making their lives hell until the end in the name of surviving a little longer

On that note, I think we all sleep a little bit on the fact that Fit is Also a survivalist like Phil, just in a very different set of high stakes conditions. These two are equally skilled in it and equally sharp strategists

On that note, anyone who knew them from the past would fear the idea of them coming together to create a plan of any kind, especially of the anarchist-fueled variety. If the Federation has done their research right, they should know full well how terrifying this duo could be in an effort to dismantle their authority

Btw by brushing shoulders I don't just mean brief passings by, I mean they've like. Camped out for a night together, temporarily truced for the sake of safety in numbers, etc. More than a few conversations have been had even if the time they've spent together totals to less than a week.

However, even when they weren't actively paired together, they'd still occasionally trade or gift each other surplus resources. It was a genuine kind act, even if it simultaneously served as a reason for each of them to not come after the other. I scratch your back, you scratch mine.

Like why do you think Fit was one of the first threats on Phil's mind in Purgatory. He Knew(tm). And he knew Fit has an affinity for picking off the weak first, like a lion after a herd of antelope. To him, Purgatory was the awakening of a monster who'd been dormant for a long time.

See, present day they're QPR as fuck, they'd never do this now without 10x the pressure Purgatory put on them, but back in the day they took close notes on each other's strengths and weaknesses. Just In Case, yknow? They could very much kill each other. Back in the day they would've if it came to it, no matter how good an ally they were.

Something about how these two used to be so cold and hard to the world. Be it to self-preserve or some other reason. Something about how now they've both softened and warmed after becoming parents. They never could've imagined the other would "weaken" like this, especially back then.

Phil 🤝🏻 Fit - Phil being a historian of the deities/builds of his Hardcore World, Fit being a historian of 2B2T

A lot of this boils down to mutual respect, common interests, and secret admiration tbh. And what's more homoerotic than that?

They're both crisis preppers. Not doomsday type shit, just. Being ready for shit to hit the fan. They both come from places where life is significantly more dangerous than it is in other realms.

The crazy thing is though? Despite the above, they can't imagine being from each other's realms. Phil would LOATHE 2B2T and Fit would hate the absoluteness of Hardcore. Isolation is absolute, death is absolute. There's no wiggle room or margin for error.

With how adaptive the two of them are due to their origins, they could probably acclimate to any conditions. They'd complain about having to, especially if it was inconvenient, but they could. They used to swap tips & tricks with each other on how to improve their adaptability too.

Fit would've 100% been down to join Phil on Doomsday in DSMP. He was thoroughly impressed when Phil told him the story.

[fallevs]

I found this Glee game around Tumblr but the creator's profile is disabled. If anyone recognizes it let me know and I'll mention it!

1. Favourite season 1 episode: The Power of Madonna (1x15) I literally love everything about this episode. Especially the introduction of cheerio!Kurt and the 4 Minutes performance! Pure gold.

2. Favourite season 2 episode: Original Song (2x16) Do I need to specify that? The beginning of klaine 💘💖💞

3. Favourite season 3 episode: I'm undecided between The First Time (3x05) and Nationals (3x21) The first one because, of course, klaine. The Nationals episode is too good, though. It shows their coming together as a group and the songs are beautiful. And then they win! Nothing else to say.

4. Favourite season 4 episode: I'm not a fan of season four, so it's hard to choose. I would say I Do (4x14) because of, again, klaine scenes which are BEAUTIFUL (horny!Kurt is what I love most). But I would say maybe Wonder-ful (4x21) for the positivity of the episode. Super cute.

5. Favourite season 5 episode: Here I feel I must necessarily mention two episodes. Love, love, love (5x01) and Tina in the Sky with Diamonds (5x02). The first for the most beautiful marriage proposal in history. The second for Hey Jude. What happened to Tina is atrocious and their way of consoling and support her is wonderful. This is the real Glee!

6. Favourite season 6 episode: Am I repetitive? Who cares! A wedding (6x08) because "There's no one else" makes me scream every time. I loved the idea of them getting married just like that, out of nowhere, without some couples therapy first? No. But they love each other and I'm okay with that.

7. Episode that makes me cry: The Quarterback (5x01) enough said. But also Grilled Cheesus (2x03) I see myself very much in what happens to Kurt. It makes me cry every time.

8. Episode that makes me laugh: Previously Unaired Christmas (5x08) I'm probably the only one but the silliness and surrealism of this episode makes me pee my pants.

9. Favourite tribute episode: again, The Power of Madonna (1x15) this is seriously amazing. Just iconic.

10. Favourite Christmas episode: A Very Glee Christmas (2x10) OBVIOUSLY because of Baby It’s Cold Outside. But I also really like Glee, Actually (4x10) if it weren't for the Jake and Puck part that I find very boring... please don't hate me.

11. Episode with the best songs: I would say Nationals. And Rachel sings what I think is her best solo of the series. I get goosebumps thinking about it.

12. Favourite sectionals episode: Sectionals (1x13) because of Don’t Rain on My Parade and My life would suck without you.

13. Favourite regionals episode: Original Song (2x16) nothing can beat it (we pretend that Candles does not exist)

14. Favourite nationals episode: Nationals (3x21) of course!!!

15. Episode most people like but I don’t: Blame It on the Alcohol (2x14) okay. Here I think I'm going to get a lot of criticism. It is definitely funny and hilarious, but I CANNOT accept Rachel's selfishness toward what she calls her best friend. I'm sorry but that's the way it is. I also cannot stand that Kurt is called biphobic. He's not biphobic: he's just a 16-year-old boy in love and jealous who couldn't give a good speech at the moment, that's all.

16. Episode most people dislike but I like: The Hurt Locker Part 2 (6x05) I literally love everything about this episode. It is INSANE and just so funny. That klaine kiss... *swoon*

@shame-is-a-wasted-emotion @kurtsascot @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @annepi-blog @justgleekout @klaine-in-the-impala @bitbybitwrites, if you want 🫶🏻

Even those I haven't tagged, do it!!!

[imnotgoinganywhereok]

Ramon and Katy threw their first ever house party. The other two household members weren't thrilled at first but they quickly realised this would be the most fun they'd actually have since forever. Even if their main quests would be the man who ruined their marriages, and all of his children. It went as expected.

Playing with background families is so entertaining!! Working on the Owls and their skills was so tedious and repetitive lately. I decided to spice it up a bit and it was the best decision!! I thought I could never get bored of this many Sims in my family but I diiid. (⸝⸝⸝O﹏ O⸝⸝⸝) I was burnt out, I needed a change. This household was created by my bestie @slonechnik and I loved fleshing it out, giving everyone a lil story and cool skills... They were nothing but secondary characters but switching to that house was the most fun I've had lately. It made me love and appreciate them more!! (∗´ര ᎑ ര`∗)

Since Ramon will be officially a part of the Owl household, I wanted to know how he sees things. How others are doing after the divorces, what their relationships are while still living together. I spent hours rebuilding their house to suit their preferences and match their dynamics. Baltazar visited Ramon a few times - much to the rest's dismay - and it was decided that a house party is in order. Could it fix the household's disdain for Baltazar in a typical Sims 4 fashion? No, definitely not this time!!

In fact, others were so pissed about the walking reason of their ruined love lives, they started fighting. Especially Nestor - a bitter Hot headed vampire is not the safest person to be around. The only one who could truly enjoy Bal's company was Ramon. Katy tried to tolerate Bal. As for the children, none of them actually knew Nestor or Pollinator - as far as the game is concerned, they've never met. This resulted in many hilarious interactions. All in all, the party was a mess but a funny one!!

[roccinan]

I know it's only been a day but I'm dying of curiosity, have you watched the spinoff yet? What are your thoughts?

Hi anon! As you can see, I posted an initial ramble in an earlier answer LOL I talked about my feelings for the new characters there so I won't bore you and repeat it.

In a nutshell: new banda was "meh." Cameron was hot and I hope she gets more breakout roles, but the character was written like a Tokyo/Nairobi knockoff without any of their depth or magnetism. And I personally didn't like how her backstory was treated (it wasn't taken seriously for the right reasons imo). Keila was surprisingly likable but I keep making a lemon face when I remember her being horny for Bruce's sweat. Same for Bruce. He would have been enjoyable if not for the pubic hair fetish that he keeps bringing up asdfasdf

I was most interested in Roi, and he didn't disappoint, but I was baffled over why the spinoff ignored the most important question: how did he meet Andres and why did Andres take him in?? Genuinely needed a flashback there.

Main questions that the show needs to, but didn't answer:

How did Damian/Keila/Roi/Cameron/Bruce meet Andres?

Why did Damian/Andres choose Cameron and Bruce to help?

Why weren't any of these people in the mint and bank heists? You can argue that Bruce/Keila/Cameron weren't close to Andres, but nothing indicated Damian and Roi would abandon him. Alicia "exposed" their identities, but they don't know she did that so it's HUH

Why did Andres replace them all with Jakov, Martin, and Santiago? I mean, I would too LOL but in universe, there needs to be some explanation

Why is he calling himself Berlin?

We also still have no idea why Andres and Sergio have different surnames since this show addressed nothing about them having the same or different parents. No idea when or why Andres became a thief, how he came to love heisting, etc. Overall, the spinoff chose to flash romances between the new characters instead of giving us more information about Andres, which was a stupid move imo.

That said, there were things I did like about the spinoff:

Aside from that hilarious tracksuit, Pedro pulled the various turtlenecks off more or less. He was gorgeous more often than not, but for what? smh

The ending was tight, exaggerated, and fun

I actually was hyped when Alicia and Raquel showed up

Lots of jokes/moments landed and made me laugh out loud

Camille topping Andres every chance she got was Quality content

The heist itself didn't have me on pins and needles, but it was entertaining and I never got bored of it

I liked that aside from Roi, Andres wasn't close to any of the young people on the team- that makes more sense with his character and also helps me forget the 27yo comment asdfadf

The shoutout to Sergio :') Hermanito lives rent free in Andres' mind

General elements that I wasn't a fan of, aside from the forced romances:

Not a berlicia shipper, but come on- why would you put Alicia and Andres in the same time space and NOT have them interact!?

The car race confused me, and not just because Cameron's phone breakdown made me cringe. I honestly don't understand why the racers needed a girl to stand on the roof. What purpose? How does that help or hinder the race- what- at first, I thought the girls were going to whack each other with sticks or try to break the other person's car and this was a high stakes death battle. But no, they just did this to be cool.

Speaking of the race, I think too many "cool" moments became boring because they were tailormade for the cool new stars; there should have been more moments like Berlin at the "opera"-- Ex. we should have gotten Damian and Andres at that race instead of Cameron and Roi- that would have been so much funnier, and thus more memorable

Andres' speeches were repetitive and made no sense, even for him. BUT it was hilarious how in the show's effort to ignore Martin, everything Andres says and does makes it look like he's waiting for his one true love in the form of Palermo, a man; even that no homo moment with Roi was so on-the-nose it has to be foreshadowing Martin XD

The ending with Camille was too open for my taste, especially pointless because we KNOW they don't end up together

BUT I do want a season 2, just so we can see Martin entering Andres' life and a glimpse of Sergio + any scrap of an actual backstory for Andres. They already did the romcom route, so maybe they'll experiment with yet another genre in s2, who knows lol.

[bellascarousel]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Tagged by faves @harnitbee and @stars-of-kyber ❤️❤️❤️

1- How many works do you have on AO3?

54 all total

2- What's your total AO3 word count?

611,647 Wow!

3- What fandoms do you write for?

Bridgerton currently. I used to write for The Originals, but Kate and Anthony have taken over my entire brain.

4- What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1.) Let's Run Away Together - 1442

2.) Ruined - 1061

3.) Closure - 448

4.) Don't Leave - 396

5.) Kathony Advent Calendar 2022 - 379

5- Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I generally do. I love when people have nice things to say about my writing, and I want to acknowledge them and thank them. Yes, my responses can feel repetitive to me - it feels so weird and insincere to write "thank you for reading and commenting" at the end of every reply, but I want to thank them, even if I am bad at it. LOL That said, sometimes comments get lost in the shuffle. So, if I don't reply to your comment, it's not that I don't appreciate it. It's most likely because I originally read it in my email when I wasn't in a position to be able to go to reply to it and then my ADD brain promptly forgot either that it exists at all, or that I didn't reply to it.

6- What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

While I do write angst, everything I write has a happy ending. That said, the planned ending to In This Life Or The Next would probably have been the angstiest if I hadn't switched fandoms before I could finish it. While everyone DOES end up together and happy - they do so in the afterlife. It was literally going to end on a "rocks fall, everyone dies" scenario that would include things like a guy being forced to kill his little sister, and one guy that they weren't even sure COULD die and were kind of worried would spend Eternity completely alone in a fucking void where the planet used to be.

7- What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like I said, everything I write has a happy ending. But, I think my happiest ending might actually be Measuring Time. It ends with little Mary's wedding and then an epilogue-like paragraph about Anthony watching his grandchildren grow up and start giving him great-grandchildren. I really liked getting to see even a small glimpse of the long, happy life him and Kate enjoy together - and how hopelessly in love they still are even at the end.

8- Do you get hate on fics?

I had one reader go on diatribes and get into arguments with other readers about my characterization of Edwina in the first two chapters of Let's Run Away Together. Which was hilarious, because she wasn't even IN the first two chapters. Dude was complaining about things Kate and Anthony said. It was a whole big thing. The comments are still there, so go read them if you want. The whole thing is actually kind of funny, really.

9- Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. Umm... not sure what you mean by "what kind"? I've done pretty much everything from pretty explicit to fade to black. It always depends on the situation and how much the sex serves the plot and/or characterizations.

10- Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I started one crossover. Between The Originals and The Black Jewels Trilogy. I only wrote one chapter, but had a whole lot planned out. Writing The Sadiablos interacting with the Mikaelsons was oddly fun.

11- Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of.

12- Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I am aware of 🙂.

13- Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. Not really something I'm interested in, either. My hat's off to anyone that CAN work with a cowriter. I can barely get my brain to cooperate with ITSELF, much less someone else.

14- What's your all-time favourite ship?

Kathony, obviously. Though, also obviously, Haylijah are a close second.

15- What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I still have plans to finish all of my Kathony fics. My The Originals fics, though... I would LOVE to finish those but I just don't see it happening. (Love Heals and High School Confidential are the top of my list of fics I wish I could get myself to concentrate on, but doubt I ever will.)

16- What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and characterization

17- What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. Everything from the characters, to the settings, to actions. I am just bad at descriptions. And consistency. I want to try to get into a writing habit, but my ADD brain hates me.

18- Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I would do it if I trusted myself to do it right. But, unfortunately, I do NOT trust myself to write in Kate's native language. Maybe I'll have Hyacinth spout something off in Italian at some point, LOL. (I DO write occasional dialogue in Italian in my novel, because of Catie being a native Italian, and Eli also speaking the language.)

19- First fandom you wrote for?

Actually physically wrote down? The Originals.

Created in my head, never saw paper, but could probably be recreated if I ever felt the urge to? The Incarnation Of Immortality

20- Favorite fic you've written?

This is like asking me to choose my favorite child. I can't do it.

I suck at tagging games. So, just tagging anyone who hasn't done it and wants to.

[elkonigin]

Character Bingo for Miroku.

Miroku is such a mixed bag. He had so much potential, and RT didn't make much use of him.

We know that Miroku watched his father get sucked into his own wind tunnel as a young child (probably 8? 10?), and he's told by Mushin that his grandfather also suffered the same fate. Miroku had to realize at a young age that unless Naraku was defeated, this would be his fate as well, which explains his hedonistic lifestyle. Why deny yourself the luxuries of life when you're not going be around for that long? And considering that both of his ancestors failed to do complete the job, he had to be questioning his own ability to succeed. We get a little bit of his backstory in the manga, but we don't get a lot of it. We know he studied to be a monk, but aside from that, it's just snippets here and there.

Miroku is incredibly intelligent. He has an almost excessive arcane knowledge of spirits and gods outside of Buddhism and other obscure knowledge of youkai as well. In addition, Miroku also knows people. He's a conman, and he's good at it. The successful conmen don't get caught for years, because no one would ever believe that they weren't being honest. Miroku is good at whatever he puts his mind to do. He's the guy who would make an A in an advanced course, even though he never studied or did any of the work. However, he doesn't really put any of this to use for the betterment of people, unless 'people' counts as himself. But again, if you knew that you had a very finite time left (let's say early thirties at the latest), why follow the rules? What do you really have left to lose?

Miroku carries a lot of trauma from the death of his father and his own knowledge of his impending demise, and he's borderline self-destructive, willing to throw himself on the grenade and sacrifice himself for his teammates--almost a little too eagerly, almost the mentality of 'at least it would mean something'. It takes Inuyasha dragging him back from the edge and telling him to live that makes him reconsider the fact that there might be a purpose to his life. He counters his depression and trauma through a hedonistic lifestyle, literally "making the most of what little time he has left".

Miroku at his core is a good person though, unlike Sango, he doesn't really show any ability to become the villain in any capacity. When we initially meet him, he steals Kagome and her bike, but lets her go after he's far enough away from Inuyasha, whom he inconveniences but doesn't really try to harm. He could have purified the guy, but chose to send some boulders his way instead. When she leaps into the path of the wind tunnel, he seals it up to avoid sucking her in, and he lets her land on him (don't tell me that a guy who can hold his own with a slayer in fighting youkai couldn't have side-stepped her if he really wanted to). He didn't know her or care about her, but he wasn't going to harm an innocent person. He really only fights people who threaten him or others; he doesn't instigate fights without reason. Don't get me wrong, he still swindles people, but he steals from the rich and keeps for himself or the group. Miroku's not going to pass up an opportunity to earn a bit of money.

Miroku's use as a form of comedic relief was overdone and repetitive. He has such potential to be the comedian, and he's got the intelligence and personality to be hilarious and instead, he's reduced to butt grabs. However, we don't really see him grope Kagome past their initial meeting, but especially after Sango joins the group. And his supposed ignorance of his feelings and hers for him is borderline implausible given how easily he's able to read people at every turn. Miroku had a lot of potential that just gets overlooked or ignored. So he's deeper than that surface level look that we get as a reader, but he's not as complex (or traumatized) a character as Sango or Inuyasha.

I don't see Miroku as being this philanderer later in life, because a lot of his philandering was because of the curse. Granted, he was also raised by Mushin, which isn't really anything super-positive in his favor either. I think that once the wind-tunnel disappeared, so did his wandering ways, because the incentive to be lecherous was no longer there. I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be faithful to Sango (also Sango would be a terrifying wife if he ever did stray--and who would want to cheat on Sango???) when they were together. He also knows Sango's history and how that trauma has shaped her, so he would have to be aware of how his betrayal of their relationship would also be received.

[I headcanon that he and Hachi met when Hachi tried to swindle him disguised as a pretty woman, and Miroku found out and 'abstained' from purifying him, which is why Hachi refers to him as 'Master'.]

[ihathbenobiwankenobied]

Hello! I'd like to nominate your fic All Disgustingly in love for a part 2. Anakin being all scandalized made me crack up! I've got a few ideas that you could maybe work with. One could definitely be to throw in Kix a little bit more. I feel like he could play a big part perhaps. Maybe by talking to Cody or something? Also my guy Kix deserves more recognition. I've got one more idea that you could probably play around with. Okay so Anakin caught Obi wan and Cody kissing in medbay. So how about he just keeps getting unlucky and finding them by accident. I think that could be pretty funny! Also Obi wan is just getting more and more frustrated because how does Anakin keep finding them?! They weren't even on the ship that one time?!?! Anyways I think this one should definitely get a part two! ^_^

Hello there! Okay this one for sure needs a part two! Those are some great ideas! That fic was one of the ones I enjoyed writing the most and I think the idea of Anakin just repetitively finding them would be hilarious. Once I'm done with Codywan Reverse Bang I'll get started on this one and tag you in the tumblr post! Thank you! 💕

[mermaidsirennikita]

Maybe pheobe and rjp paid for the S1 wrap party? i don't know, surely it's not "because they cheapened S2" cause i listened to a podcast with the director of photography and he said they had a bigger budget from Netflix and that's kind of normal when you have a successful series. So don't know, but i always laugh so much when these article come out and they are always full of shade.

Regarding the sex scenes, i hope they are going in the direction of the Outlander sex scenes, but i know maybe i'm asking too much. I didn't particularly like the scenes in S1, they didn't have any variety and the choreography was not done well and actually i preferred Anthony and Siena's scenes from a technical point of view. But there are a lot of factors there, maybe Rjp and Pheobe weren't that comfortable with the scene or with each other, or they wanted a more "innocent" vibe for Daphne and Simon, so the scenes in S2 could be totally different.

Typically, shows like this do get a budget bump after doing so well. I've heard of wrap parties being funded by networks and streamers most often, but to be very frank......... It isn't necessary. Nobody needs a wrap party. It's a fun thing to do, and with that in mind I think it's hilarious that it's being painted as controversial~ for actors to cover them. Like, good for JB and Simone, I see nothing wrong with it.

I think..... With regards to Outlander, definitely if the sex scenes were similar to what they did in season 1 that would be nice. I think the sex scenes became pretty repetitive in later seasons. But the issue I suppose is that because Bridgerton's heroines are almost always virgins who don't know nothing about nothing, there's an inherent level of the vanilla to them. And there's honestly not a lot to work with when you read any of the books besides When He Was Wicked. Julia Quinn has a very clear formula when it comes to sex scenes--missionary position, not a lotta oral (definitely no BJs) if any, the hero touches the heroine ~down there~ lightly and they have near simultaneous orgasms lol. There are plenty of reasons to read a JQ novel if that's your thing, but I don't think creative or intense sex scenes are among them.

The thing with Outlander that made things so different and exciting is that Claire wasn't a virginal, overly youthful heroine. She was teaching Jamie about sex, and I think Outlander was able to capitalize on the eroticism without focusing overly much on innocence because the man was the virgin. Which isn't fair, but I remember that being a huge part of the hype when Outlander first aired.

[heroisagirlsname]

Okay, I'm coming off anon to respond to this. This topic is so close to my heart that I find it hard to be articulate about it. So thank you so much for letting my yell incoherently into your asks and then saying something so smart and insightful in response.

Ideally, you'd have feminist characters more representative of the feminist or proto-feminist views of their era where the work is going for historical accuracy to honour the different points of where we were in history and also acknowledge the flaws of the movement at different points in time (1994's Little Women versus the hilariously bad 2019 version comes to mind), and certainly there's an element of repetitiveness in this character type, but this is seldom if ever the criticism I see.

I absolutely agree. There's this Catch-22 I've observed where female characters who express any feminist point of view at all are simultaneously expected to be palatable to modern fourth wave feminism but also in keeping with their time. It's completely unwinnable and 90% of the time I think that's by design. Because I very rarely see discussions about how to do those kinds of characters right, or to add nuance and realism: overwhelmingly the intended takeaway is that they're bad and we should stop writing them. Which I do not and will never accept.

You really hit the nail on the head with "raining on the parade of arranged marriage fantasies." Because part of the fantasy necessitates focusing on the beautiful costumes, the luxury, the aesthetic and not thinking too hard about the fact that married women could not own property, could not refuse their husbands' advances and had no custody rights to their children in the event of a separation. And I think part of the visceral hatred that Eloise evokes is that she's spoiling things by pointing out the way patriarchy is baked into the setting, to the point where economic and/or social need for women to marry and the Ton's obsession with female "purity" is what provides much of the conflict and stakes in the plot.

I keep saying it, but a certain type of liberal feminist are now using "NLOG" the way it was socially acceptable 10-15 years ago to call someone a lesbian/homophobic or transphobic slurs because they didn't wear makeup or want a boyfriend.

I've been saying similar things for a while too. The original point of NLOG as a term was that it was ridiculous to say "I'm not like the other girls" because the other girls weren't all the same. And somehow we've got to a point where the original meaning has almost inverted, to the point where anyone who falls outside a very narrow gender conforming brand of femininity is automatically assumed to be an NLOG. (Because if Performing Femininity Correctly is just a natural part of being a girl then anyone who deviates must be doing it on purpose to prove a point, right?) I think part of it is that the term spread through visual memes, so naturally focused on what people looked like than intangible things like what they thought or said. But also I think that society/culture has a way of chewing up ideas that challenge it and digesting them into a bastardised version that reinforces rather than challenges.

And thank you for mentioning neurodivergence as well. I'm late diagnosed ADHD and it makes me so furious the way terms like NLOG are used to bully and harass neurodivergent women. I'm sure a lot of us would have loved to be Like The Other Girls growing up because then maybe the other girls (and guys) might not have bullied us so much. Being different isn't always even a choice or a bid for "attention": some of us are just stuck playing this endless game where everyone seems to understand the rules but us and as soon as you think you figure them out they change. I absolutely did not live through all of that to let people retroactively frame me as the aggressor in that situation for resenting the people who bullied me. Something a friend said ages ago which has always stuck with me, is that in a conflict between two women, the more feminine one will usually be perceived as the more innocent, regardless of who instigated it.

Hearing comments hating on angry, outspoken girl characters can be really draining for former angry, outspoken, unpopular little girls. And tbh I'm starting to think that that's by design as well. So thank you so much for speaking out and articulating everything so much better than I could.

Re anachronistic feminist characters, you are absolutely right and you should say it.

Maybe people who want to read "write women who sew" type stuff should just go do that instead of trying to make every single female character fit into their worldview. Because I don't want every character to be Eloise, I'm fine with variety, but a lot of people seem like they can't stand even one woman challenging gender norms.

No amount of faux progressive language will change the fact they sound like highschool bullies picking on girls who are too GNC or too "weird."

Thank you so much! Ideally, you'd have feminist characters more representative of the feminist or proto-feminist views of their era where the work is going for historical accuracy to honour the different points of where we were in history and also acknowledge the flaws of the movement at different points in time (1994's Little Women versus the hilariously bad 2019 version comes to mind), and certainly there's an element of repetitiveness in this character type, but this is seldom if ever the criticism I see. The truth of the matter is that in fact many early feminists did denigrate work designated as feminine, but we can acknowledge this as misdirected anger at having one option deemed valid.

Instead, we've somehow arrived at "wanting to be treated with human dignity is internalized misogyny because it really cramps my ability to romanticize the past". As you say, nothing wrong with valuing the labour more frequently done by women, but the fact of the matter is you can do that and show that there were always many people who resisted or did not fit into the tight boxes that society forced them into. Instead of, you know, ridiculing them for wanting to break the boxes while enjoying the fruits of having to fit into fewer boxes than our predecessors precisely because of women who loudmouthed and fought back and didn't fit into certain people's fantasy of being a submissive little princess. The kind of girls you made fun of and ostracized in high school, one might say.

To address a particular point you raise that I think is the most important in this entire ongoing discussion:

No amount of faux progressive language will change the fact they sound like highschool bullies picking on girls who are too GNC or too "weird."

I keep saying it, but a certain type of liberal feminist are now using "NLOG" the way it was socially acceptable 10-15 years ago to call someone a lesbian/homophobic or transphobic slurs because they didn't wear makeup or want a boyfriend. It is absolutely high school bullying mentality and has gone from an imperfect attempt at addressing internalized misogyny to active misogyny and latent/often overt homophobia and transphobia.

This is what the numbskulls making video essay after video essay about the apparent 'NLOG crisis' fail to grasp. The Heathers and the Plastics are not 'demonized for being feminine', they are accurate representations of how under patriarchy, social capital is gained through strict, obsessive adherence to white, Western beauty standards (which corporations can profit off of endlessly by manufacturing infinite insecurities, so bonus to the rich girls) and excelling at heterosexuality and pleasing others, and this system self-reinforces by the 'winners' bullying those who do not conform as easily. Jo March, queercoded dynamo that she was, took nothing away from the sisters who were happier with more traditional lifestyles because she wanted better for herself and the girls of the future, and represents so many women who fought for just that. You're not actually an intellectual for thinking Daphne Bridgerton has more value than Eloise because she was designated the season's Diamond, a literal in-universe (and true to life) Prize For Being Correctly Female, and unquestioningly accepts being paraded around like an ornament and smiling at being auctioned off to the highest bidder while Eloise fought back, criticized, and wanted an education more than any boy until they forced heterosexuality upon her. You are in fact a vanguard of the very patriarchal system the franchise even presents as backwards, because you don't want anyone raining on your arranged marriage fantasies.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing feminist, about snarking girls who do not like or for whatever reason, cannot or will not perform conventional femininity.

There is a certain sour-grapes defensiveness that comes from beig ostracized and punished for Failing At Your Gender if you weren't good at what was expected of you/resisted it. Femininity is derided, but it is also imposed (the two work in tandem to oppress women); and if you fail at its imposition, it's natural to try and gain protection by participating in the derision. Hell, I theorize that people who proclaimed themselves "not like other girls" in the contemporary age often did so out of resistance at the fact that we're supposed to perform (cisheteronormative) sexiness from the time we hit our teens, and of course the panopticon self-reinforcement that is how Other Girls treat you if you, an adolescent girl, shirk performance of femininity in any way. Certainly, I've also read much about GNC girls (of various identities) and neurodivergent girls equally having turned to this, which makes sense, as they're frequently targets for such bullying.

I do also think - and have personally experienced - it was an often imperfect articulation of queerness in many cases. The societal ideal of women under a patriarchy is cisheteronormativity; our value is derived from our appeal to men, and from the time we start maturing, sexual availability and appeal to men is the highest virtue. Therefore, women whose sexuality is not limited to men - or heaven forbid, doesn't include them at all - 'fail' gender, and accordingly often feel a sense of alienation and ostracism from other girls when they don't get as excited about dating boys. Also, in many cases (anecdotal I admit from people I know, but still significant), people who had a phase of asserting they "weren't like other girls" were in the process of discovering that they weren't girls at all!

And in some cases - again, I've mentioned that I was an Eloise for all the handwringing about how girls of that era wouldn't say that or do that and it would never occur to want more than what they had (...okay, so why are things different now?) - it's a frustration from the outspoken feminists and reformers at not being able to get other girls on board with us, because deviation from expectation will make you the weirdo who gets punished and rejected because ugh, annoying! As one historical costuming youtuber I won't name so charmingly puts it in her godawful video essay, "the women who made a big show of fighting back were freaks." (Way to convince us you care about feminism...)

All this to say the anti-NLOG brigade have utterly worn out my patience, and at best seem ignorant of the battles that have won us the freedoms we have today because it's not fun to consider how your escapist fantasy might be problematic (understandable, you don't always have to reflect on this to be aware), and at worst? They're getting the chance to be the mean girl in high school again/that they never got to be, they're just dressing it up in the bastardized language of feminism.

[itsmyara]

About That Night... (Hisomachi Fanfic)

Note: Another translation, though my English is not that great ^^’. It’s 3532 words NO SMUT! I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Pairing: Hisoka/Machi

Summary: Hisoka realized that he was still analyzing her for a reason other than trying to investigate the possible sources of her drunkenness. He was mesmerized by the way emotions were running free in her face, something he had never seen before.

Warning: Drunk!Machi, Jealous!Hisoka, Alcohol, Mentions of Drugs, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of Getting Sick, Passing Out, Hangover, Mild Language.

[Link to AO3 in English] 

[Link to AO3 in Brazilian Portuguese]

Her body moved insanely under the colorful lights of the room to the sound of a repetitive and irritating electronic beat. Although she was dressed much more discreetly than the other girls in the club, wearing simple jeans and a black tank top, she drew attention and caused a small audience to gather around her. Dancing with a big, strong man covered in tattoos and looking like a local crime boss, she moved boldly and sensually, with a loose laugh that occasionally lit up her face.

"Is this just alcohol effect or did she use something else?" Hisoka questioned the man standing next to him, without taking his eyes off Machi on the dance floor.

The tattooed man's hand slid down her small body and slipped under the black tank top, pressing her waist against him while his mouth whispered something in her ear that made her laugh. Hisoka's fists clenched hard.

Illumi shrugged before answering the question in a monotone voice:

"I don't know, she was already like this when I arrived, so I called you. She's dancing with my target and it doesn't look like she's going to leave him anytime soon. So I called you. I figured you wouldn't want it to be me taking her out of there."

Hisoka moved his eyes to face the ever-so-cold colleague. He was right. If he used his methods against Machi, even if it was just to get her out of the way, he would have to make a little reckoning with him. But the assassin was smart. Illumi decided to turn the situation around and, by calling Hisoka, he won himself a favor to collect later.

When the magician looked back at the pink-haired woman, he saw the tattoed man leading her towards a door in a reserved corner of the nightclub.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Illumi observed the scenario calmly and then turned away, unconcerned.

"Just remember that no matter what he does to your girl. He is my target and I need him alive. I will wait outside."

Hisoka responded with an annoyed snort before walking in the opposite direction of his friend. The bloodlust that exuded from the magician made people open the way naturally, looking suspiciously at the strange man who carried a macabre look on his face.

He unceremoniously kicked down the door to the private room, much to the surprise of some people who ran away, but not Machi. She has been waiting for him, even though she was pressed against the wall by the other man's body. She could be intoxicated, but her perception would never fail to notice Hisoka's bloodlust.

Hisoka leaned against the damaged door frame, crossing his arms casually as he faced the scene in the room by the half-light.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" He asked wryly.

The tattooed man immediately released Machi and faced him without fear.

"What's up, clown? This one is mine now, if you want the leftover you'll have to wait outside."

Hisoka laughed shortly. The man had given the worst answer he could when he was so obviously in a risky position. He was nothing between the two nen users — even though one of them was intoxicated — and the only difficulty the magician faced was being forced to use only his fists to bring down the thug. He didn't like having to control himself that way, not when he wanted to end the existence of someone so weak and unwary, but he would have to leave that to Illumi.

Machi only seemed to understand the situation completely when the man was already lying on the floor unconscious, and Hisoka was heading to her with an enigmatic smile.

"You could have chosen someone stronger, you know? This is almost an insult..."

"What are you doing here? After everything you’ve done, you decided to follow me?"

Even though the place was dark, Hisoka could see her cheeks flushed. Her eyes shone with tears and her lips swollen, red, and moist; probably as a result of the kisses she shared with that useless guy. He took a long time to analyze it, for a moment believing that it was because he had to determine if she was under the influence of a drug other than alcohol.

His hands grabbed her face, and the only reaction she had was to hold his arms as if she was going to try to stop him, but she didn’t actually apply enough force to it.

"I'm too busy to follow you, ok? But when a little bird tells me that you're out there screwing up, I have to act, don't I?"

Machi laughed sadly, her chest shaking almost quietly between them, and Hisoka realized that he was still analyzing her for a reason other than trying to investigate the possible sources of her drunkenness. He was mesmerized by the way emotions were running free in her face, something he had never seen before.

"You think I'm weak, Hisoka..." she murmured under her breath, and then in a burst, she pulled his hands away from her face and pushed him away. "Do you think I need you to defend me from this ?" She pointed to the dead weight on the floor and then laughed sadly again.

Actually, he was defending her from Illumi, who wouldn't be so patient with her drama, but Hisoka resigned himself to smile in response, making her snort.

"I hate you!"

There was a very sincere feeling in those words, which came out of her mouth as if they were ripping her up. This made Hisoka lean his head in curiosity. However, Machi simply looked at him from head to toes in disbelief before turning away and stumbling out of that room, pushing one or the other person off her way and randomly stealing a drinking glass from one of them as she headed to the exit.

Hisoka sighed, grabbing the unconscious man by the hair and dragging him along while he went behind the woman. He caught up with Machi near the door, where even the security guards had already moved away. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her off the floor, carrying her out despite her protests.

"This is yours," Hisoka declared as he threw the unconscious body at Illumi’s feet.

The body that writhed and struggled, trying weakly to attack Hisoka without ceasing, was his.

"Do you want some help with her?" Illumi offered, watching the woman's wildness with some curiosity.

"No, she has the right to protest. When she gets tired, she'll see that this is in her best interest."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, you wretch! Fight me like a man! I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!"

Between punches and kicks, Hisoka just waved a greeting to Illumi and went on his way.

[...]

When he crossed the threshold of his hotel room, Machi was less savage in his arms. In fact, at some point along the way, she had given up attacking him and started just pouring out words about him being a traitor, about Chrollo, and even something about Pakunoda's death. Some of her words actually made sense, but the state she was still in, which seemed to get worse by the second, made any response from him useless.

Therefore, in the face of silence, Machi finally burst into tears before reaching their destination, and Hisoka thought it was best to cradle her properly in his arms so that when they crossed the door she was being carried like a bride, but a tearful one against his chest.

When he tried to accommodate her on the couch, she clung more tightly to his shoulders, as a clear sign that she didn't want to part at that moment.

"Oh? I thought you hated me," he declared with a playful laugh.

"Why do you have to be like this?"

Her voice was so heartfelt that he couldn't help but sigh before settling on the couch with her in his arms. Machi wouldn't remember any of that the next day, which is why he stopped to think for a few seconds about what she just said. He knew that she was not referring to his jokes, but to the fact that he had lied for years and, in the end, revealed a goal that clashed with her own completely. If it weren't for that, maybe she wouldn't have to hate him that much.

She finally looked up and, not without effort, focused her reddened eyes on his. Hisoka looked at her expression legitimately surprised. He could expect hatred and tears on her part, but the way she looked at him now was... sweet. For some reason, he was sure that if he kissed her now, despite anything that preceded this moment, what he would taste on her lips would be something so deep and meaningful that, yes, it scared him.

That's why he didn't kiss her, allowing her to break the silence:

"You're spinning..." Machi murmured, and then laughed in a silly way, breaking the magic as well. "You're spinning and you're not going to tell me anything, are you? You're not even here, I'm imagining you," she put her face back on his shoulder. "At least you smell good…"

"Machi, what did you use?" Hisoka knew he probably wouldn't get a coherent answer, but that doubt had haunted him since the moment he saw her that night. It was hard to believe that only alcohol would do that to a woman as strong as her. There had to be some other chemistry influencing her altered state.

"What did I use?" She asked, confused, and then looked up to him again. "Ah… you wanna know if I did something," she approached his ear and whispered: "Maybe…"

Suddenly she let go of his shoulders and stood up, staggering a little and cleaning the tracks of the tears on her face with the back of her hands. She walked a few steps erratically and looked around in amazement before looking at him again.

"Do you pay to sleep here?" Machi asked in surprise and laughed right away as if it were really hilarious. "You pay ! You're such a fancy-pants."

Hisoka just settled down more comfortably on the couch, watching the scene. On several occasions, he wished to see her acting more spontaneously, freer, but this situation was just sad. He didn’t even want to take advantage of it or tease her about it — at least not until the next day.

He watched Machi shrink into herself again, leaning against the wall and letting the weight of her body drag her to the floor. She crossed her arms very specifically over her stomach, and he knew it was a sign that something rather unpleasant was about to happen.

"You’re feeling sick," he declared, standing up to meet her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Machi flinched a little more, however. "I just miss them..."

Ignoring the way she was closing herself off, Hisoka lifted her from the floor by the shoulders, as if she were a small child. He looked at Machi’s eyes seriously, while pinning her against the wall.

"I know you miss them, but acting like this is stupid. I can't believe you're the same Machi I know."

"Pakunoda was the first person who cared about me in this world," she declared and then swallowed hard before continuing: "she was my family and now she’s dead. Chrollo is my family and now he's far away, unable to use his nen, and I know you had a part in it. The chain guy..." Machi closed her eyes briefly as if to take his name from memory, "Kurapika, you sold our secrets to Kurapika because you wanted to, didn't you? He didn't do to you what he did to Paku, you don't have a fucking chain in your heart. You don't even have a fucking heart! You are a..." eyelids closed again, this time, however, she couldn't remember the word. A single tear streamed down her left eye. "Damn it…"

"You talk as if you have a heart," Hisoka interrupted her coldly, which made her look at him with a sharp look, a faint bloodlust pulsing from her intoxicated body. "You don't feel anything for anyone but for a few of your friends. You're not much better than me."

Machi struggled in his hands for a fraction of a second, resigning herself to kill him only with her intentions when she was unable to leave. She looked a little more like who she really was now.

"You have no idea, you idiot."

Those words were followed by a few seconds of silence in which the blue of her eyes became indecipherable. That was when he remembered who she was and why he cared so much. Machi was the lady of the labyrinth, and he had never managed to get out of her tortuous paths because, very wisely, she had never given him her threads, leaving him lost forever in her maze.

"When I fight Chrollo, who do you want to survive?" He didn’t know where this question came from when it left his mouth, but the reaction it had caused in the woman justified it.

Machi blinked a few times, as if trying to calculate the seriousness of what he had asked, and then closed her eyes with a certain solemnity.

"I don't want you to fight Danchou. I don't want either of you dead."

Perhaps the answer was more than enough, but she had also progressively got closer to him, so much so that her lips touched his lightly at first, completing the touch quickly in a kiss. Without so much lightness, he finally advanced against her mouth, pressing her against the wall now with the weight of his own body.

Machi moaned at his advance, embracing him with arms and legs irresistibly, making him also express the delight that took his body and his aura when, suddenly, she stepped away from him, with such assertiveness and urgency that he couldn't stop it.

And he was thankful for that when he saw her turn and lean her body, finally fulfilling the omen he had moments ago, throwing up on the floor of the hotel room.

Hisoka gave a disappointed snort, but the way her back curved with each spasm of her stomach made him quickly accept that this night would really be unique in his life.

The night he would spend taking care of someone's booze.

[...]

Machi opened her eyes, but the ambient light hurt like a razor and she hid her face in the pillow by reflex. Both her head and stomach were aching with an intensity that made any thought difficult, but when she smelled Hisoka's scent on the pillowcase, she knew something was very wrong. She fought the pain and opened her eyes at once, sitting on the bed and trying to identify where she was. A messy double bed, a hotel room lit with curtains open. Then she found herself wearing only a stretched, cropped T-shirt with playing card suits printed and panties that she at least recognized as her own.

Her nightmare was completed when she heard the magician's happy voice humming at the bedroom door.

"Good morning sunshine!"

There he was, holding a breakfast tray and wearing nothing but one of his ridiculous pants.

Machi wanted to disappear, but the best she could do was cover herself with the bedsheets.

"Don't worry, I saw all this and much more last night," Hisoka stated at her gesture as he left the tray on the nightstand and sat beside her on the bed.

She wanted to emanate bloodlust to let him know it wasn't funny, but the pain in her body prevented her, so she just squinted, watching him pour coffee in a cup and hold it out to her.

"Take this, it will make you feel better."

Machi held the cup suspiciously, without bringing it to her mouth, however. The smell of the drink, which at another time would be inviting, made her stomach turn.

"What's going on? What did you do to me?"

"Now, now, don't you remember anything?" He lay on his stomach beside her, looking at her in that paradoxically, uncomfortable and inviting way.

Machi vaguely remembered some things, but none of them made sense. So she let Hisoka continue:

"I saw you at a party yesterday by chance, you were already… happy… so don't ask me anything before that. You were dancing with a man who is dead now. I got him out of the way because he wasn't treating you like you deserve. So we danced, I made you laugh a few times, I brought you here, we made many, delicious things on the couch, and then against the wall, but unfortunately, you got sick and, by the way, that's why I pay to stay here, they clean up this kind of a mess," the smile broke with malice on his lips, while she tried to assimilate everything he said. "Now you, I was the one who cleaned you up. We took a hot shower together and you fell asleep in my arms soon after."

The sharp pain in her head seemed to create a wall in her own memories and in her ability to distinguish, in his words, what were lies and what were truths. Machi knew he was lying; it was too perfect a situation for him. Too easy. But the way she found herself left her without arguments.

"Well, I don't feel like we did anything much last night," she tried to fish, her voice cold, but he just laughed briefly.

"I was gentle with you this time. Believe it or not, I care about you."

"Liar," Machi accused him coldly, and then abandoned the cup on the nightstand beside her, making an effort to get out of bed, despite the pain.

It was incredible how she, always so resistant, was now suffering just because of a headache.

Machi looked for her clothes in the room, finding them folded on a chair, and began to dress while her other headache who was lying on the bed brought to him the cup she had abandoned — using nen, most likely — sipping and mumbling something about how she really should have drunk the coffee to feel better. Her eyes looked at Hisoka briefly. From her position, she had a wide view of his back, and the absence of the spider tattoo there, which was no longer needed because he was no longer keeping cover, seemed to make her a little dizzy.

How had she not realized before that his tattoo was nothing more than his Texture Surprise? How had her intuition not warned her that he was lying all the time? And why was the real Hisoka — well, at least, the Hisoka who no longer had to pretend he belonged with the Troupe — bothering to bring her coffee in bed?

She shook her head, with the excuse of trying to fix her hair, when in fact Machi was trying to put away those pathetic thoughts, even if the gesture caused her more pain. As soon as she buttoned up her jeans she headed to the bedroom door, stopping in her tracks, however, by his words, or by the unconscious desire to hear them.

"You should stay, you're not completely recovered and it's cold outside."

Hisoka sat on the bed but just looked at her with that serenity of someone who knows what they want, and knows that the object of their desire wants them in return. But it wouldn't happen today, and possibly, on any other day after he revealed his betrayal, Machi tried to conclude.

"I know how to take care of myself," she replied, determined to continue on her way.

"At least get a coat before you leave..."

"Stop pretending that you worry, you know you don't have to fake it anymore!" Machi declared, like an outburst, and finally left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Alone, Hisoka deposited the cup on the tray and lay down on the bed, taking a deep breath when feeling its comfort. He had missed it after spending the night on the couch.

He had obviously intertwined lies and truths in the story he told her. After Machi felt sick, he had actually called the room service to clean up the mess while he undressed and bathed her in the bathroom; she was so lethargic that she didn't even protest. Nor had she protested when he dressed her in his t-shirt and left her sleeping alone in his bed. Just that, and nothing more than that.

Still, he knew that last night had been very interesting and revealing in many ways, and he was satisfied with that.

He looked to the side and found a pink strand of hair on the white pillow. He took it between his fingers, bringing it to him as if it were a beautiful and precious memento.

"You have no idea, do you?" He murmured to that tiny part of her she had left behind. "You have absolutely no idea..."

[tiggy-q]

Gosh, I'm so disappointed with s3 of Stranger Things!

Only highlights are Russian Terminator (like seriously, he's hilarious, he's Arnold fricking Schwarzenegger (in no way I can write this surname in English), he's strangely cool, he has a cute accent, not that stupid 'Russian accent' like we are not capable of not saying 'rrr'), Alexei (you know, I was SHOCKED when I was watching in English and suddenly there's Clear Russian Speech, I thought someone was talking to me from TV (bc Russian TV), but no, it was from my notebook! Considering I couldn't understand any of the other characters. None of them! I was delighted), Mike's worry for El and Steven and Dustin. That's all.

ALL RIGHT what the hell happened to Hopper? I swear he wasn't a constantly yelling asshole in previous seasons. Did he decide that mustache makea a person a moron? I don't believe he can't Talk Feelings bc he totally can do that! His constant yelling was disgusting. And not to say what happened in the end, it was stupid and only to ShOCk~ us.

Will - why did they make him a convenient device for announcing The Mind Flayer's appearance? The moment with him breaking his hut was heartbreaking, they SHOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON THAT.

Actually, Lucas is perfect too. He has more screen time, he's cute and cool at the same time. There wasn't enough of him in previous seasons, so that's wonderful now.

Robin is okay too.

Steven is good, but was that me, or they made him stupider? Like, he's average, but caring, brave and protecting, but somehow he seemed kind of stupider? I guess it's the uniform.

There was like a second of Nancy and Jonathan. They should have focused on Nancy trying to fit into adult world on their rules, but failing, and her finding another route. Like, weren't 80s the rise of feminism? (though the contrast between her wearing ill-fitting dresses for work and her wearing her own clothes to fight monsters was very good). There was even less of Jonathan (he was heavily limping in the hospital, I was sure he had his spine cracked, but in the next scene he's running alright?... ok)

Mike was alright. Max was alright.

The Mayor was good. As a character. He was disgustingly, Americanly cheeky and awful, I was partially appalled and fascinated.

They SHOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON BILLY'S REDEMPTION. OR MADE US WATCH HIM BATTLE THE MIND FLAYER INSIDE HIS MIND! THEN WE WOULD HAVE CRIED WHEN HE DIED, GOSH! They did everything wrong!

There was nothing to Joyce except for yelling at Hopper.

Bauman was cool! I loved him before, I loved him now, and I loved him and Alexei fooling around together.

The storytelling in s3 seems repetitive and boring. Again several parties investigating different things, only asking others for help in the end, finally having all the puzzle pieces in the end, the big battle. Evil russians. Several emotional discoveries and journeys were traded for Hopper and Joyce yelling, yelling, yelling. Awful.

4/10, don't recommend.