#it took a loooooong time to get these but i mean its understandable since it was literally 7 custom plushies

[bluemoonmikado]

Wanted to share a picture of one of the coolest commissions I've ever gotten! A plush maker custom made plushies of each of my players' characters from a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon themed D&D game I am running! It's been great DMing for this group, and I'm grateful to have such amazing people as my friends 💚

All of the original reference art for the characters was done by @lilgreenfox, who plays as the Zorua in my game!

[thetruearchmagos]

Writer Positivity Tag

Thank you kindly for the Tag, @sleepyowlwrites , I decided to take it up!

What motivates you to write?

Well, part of it's the history of it all. It feels nice to think of how many thousands of people across time have been somehow involved in the business of the written word, and I feel that what I do is in some way an homage to that long legacy. One that carries a personal, and so unique, touch.

A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not, maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them):

Uhh... haven't actually had the time to write much beyond fanfic these past few days! Here's one odd blurb I've thought over recently though:

The view from L'Orchidee was panoramic. From twenty five storeys up, it cast its gaze across the bay, whose surface glimmered in the last light of a setting sun. Those who passed through its doors would find nothing less than the best Cagnan could offer, serenaded that night by a full string ensemble striking up a tune. As it was, the only thing Captain Castex could hear was the sound of chewing. "Ahh, yes..." Colonel Francois Moreau, sitting opposite him, rose from his steak with a satisfied sigh, dabbing his mouth with a by now quite stained cloth. Of course, the gaze and shark's smile he cast at the Captain shot down any humour Castex might've been tempted to find in the display. "And you, Capitaine? I hope it is the company that is not to your taste, Chef LaCroix's talents are simply beyond reproach!" Castex's soup was long cold, half finished and currently untouched. A single scrap of bread circled on its surface, which Castex thought of as a kindred spirit. "Both are much appreciated, sir. I only wonder why it is me who you've chosen to share both with. Colonel, again I must---" "Enjoy myself, I hope you were about to say. And why shouldn't you? Tell me, how many months has it been since you last took leave, hmm? Six, Castex recalled, but did not say.

It'll be a while before I get to work on it, bit passes the bar of 'existing' I suppose.

Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them, and what are they like?

Well, Gustav of course, and Higgs too. Fiercely skilled, passionately for each other [eventually], these two have been with my writing for a loooooong damn time.

What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

Worldbuilding, which is awkward considering one of the questions down below! I've been one to imagine my 'Setting' as having a story, a history, of its own, one made up of the stories of the billions of people who've made their lives in it, writ large and gathered in the long arc of history. When I make writing from it, I pick one thread, and a few more, and just sorta bring them to light.

What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Uhh--- Descriptions? Of environments, features, more tangible stuff usually? I mean, I do it a lot, and I suppose more than much else.

What is something in the writeblr community that is most enjoyable?

People, and just existing while knowing they exist too! I feel like I'm a lonely person, but it's indescribably nice to know that someone else, somewhere I couldn't imagine, is typing out words the same as me, if differently. And sometimes, they even talk with you about things you like, and that's the real ticket.

A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

World Anvil, despite my neglect of it recently, really is a wonderful application for my Worldbuilding stuff! I should get back into it...

A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law, etc)

AAAAAA---

Okay, really, really hard to pick just one. I really like what I've been doing with my histories, of course. I feel like a lot of them, in fiction at least, are... maddeningly easy to understand? Weird, sprawling, gangly systems of cause and effect charting the evolution of institutions, cultures, and technology across a timeline of about 2.5 centuries is apparently one of my callings, and I intend on hearing it out to the end.

[There's also a certain piece of Worldbuilding I love, and which causes me utter unbridled terror everytime I consider sharing it with people out of a stupid fear that it'll make them hate me. Again, hopefully just stupid.]

Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

I love every one of you!!!!!!

@lividdreamz @athenswrites @hessdalen-globe @dogmomwrites @theprissythumbelina @caxycreations @marinesocks @thatndginger @moonscribbler

[P.S., consider that my Tagging of you lot for this too!]

[a-little-ray-of-fantasy]

"I understand your pain" - A Billie Bust Up fic

AO3 link

Billie stared at the ceiling, trying her best not to shift her gaze away not even for a second. Wait, was that the window banging? Maybe if she just... No, she told herself, no distractions! Even a sudden blink of the eyes would be a mistake! Out of all the places she visited during her travels, he had to be here.

Oscar rubbed his head into her hand, whimpering while looking at her with sad eyes. Billie allowed herself to give the little fox a half smile and a pet.

Suddenly, Billie felt her bell ringing: she gingerly tinkered with it to answerer it. The moment she did, the familiar, warm voice of her mentor was heard, their voice filled with worry.

"Billie, it's me, Aristotle. Are you still there?"

Billie wasn't able to reply right away; far from wanting to be impolite in front of the kind axolotl, or make them worried, she nevertheless felt it hard to tell them she was, infact, still intent on staying in the castle.

"...Billie, I-I know you wish to see Arthur again. Believe me, so do I. But he's not here. I've visited this mansion so many times during my travels in hopes to find him too, and..."

Aristotle took one second to try to collect themselves, and even then their voice was close to cracking.

"I-I was never able to sense his presence in this place. It pains me to say this, but I'm afraid it won't be different, this time."

Billie chocked back a sob before replying, her eyes filled with tears.

"But he has to be here! There's so many ghosts in this building, one of them has to be my father! If only I were able to see them all, maybe I could recognize him!"

Aristotle's voice stayed silent for a moment, while Billie did her best to keep her composure. Finally, they were heard again.

"I understand your pain, Billie, but it's almost evening, and everyone is starting to get worried..."

"Just a little more time, please Aristotle? I need to do this."

A sigh came from the bell, before Aristotle continued.

"Alright Billie. You can stay a little longer, but the moment the sun starts to set, it's best if you and Oscar take your leave: at night there's so many creeps around, and as much as you've improved so much with your magic since we first met, it's still too risky for you two to go around on your own. We'll be waiting for you in the village: I've prepared some hot chocolate for your arrival. If you want, we'll talk it over together, is that ok?"

Despite her eyes still warm with tears, Billie cracked a smile. "Thanks, Aristotle."

A light chuckle was heard.

"Anytime, my dear. I'll be seeing you soon. Take care!"

And with that, the bell fell into silence. Billie took a moment to sigh, rub her eyes and return her gaze to the ceiling above. Many ghosts of all shapes and sizes where hovering about, letting out delighted ghoulish moanings, without a care in the world, barely noticing the small goat staring at them with sad hope.

Was Aristotle right? Was it true her father wasn't here? But what if he were? Would he look like he did when he was alive? Would he recognize his own daughter, all grown up?

Billie sighed again. "I was really hoping to find you here...", was all she could say before hearing a familiar, high-pitched voice that sent a chill up her spine.

"Whoo were you hoping to find~?"

The sudden appearance of Barnaby took Billie by surprise, making her gasp a little before turning her head: she was staring at the ghost owl's face, his long neck stretched so to look at her in the eyes with an amused, and jambled up, expression.

"Barnaby, what the heck! You startled me!"

Barnaby merely chuckled at her surprise, all too used to such reactions from people.

"Were you by chance hoping to find me? Oh, you sillyhead, I've been here the whole time!" He paused to playfully stick his tongue out. "Infact, I've been here for a loooooong time to begin with! Hoo-hoo-hoo~!"

Billie just stared at him; the battle she had with the ghost owl not too long ago did nothing to change his extravagant ways: he didn't even take his defeat in bad stride, surprisingly enough. Well, she figured, considering all the fun he had in tormenting her beforehand, it was fair to believe it was all even between them. At least Barnaby promised he would've stopped with the whole "Would you like to die?" idea, and she really hoped he was an owl of his word.

"Actually" she replied, while returning to her previous activity "I was looking for my father".

Barnaby's face jolted in confusion, all his features returning to place as his neck snapped back to its original lenght.

"Your father? Why would he be here?"

Billie kept her gaze upwards. "He died a long time ago, when I was just a baby. All I know about him has only been told by others: my mother, my mentor... The only reason I know what he looks like is thanks to the photos we hanged in my home, but it's not the same: I've seen so little of him, and that was too long ago. All I'm able to remember was his laughter." She began to smile. "I remember it was warm, loving and calming. Sometimes even just thinking about it makes me feel better." Her smile fell. "But that's all I managed to keep in my heart. With your home filled with so many ghosts, I was hoping to see him, at least once."

Barnaby just stared at her for a moment. His mind started to itch, for a reason even he couldn't explain; his momentary confusion was put to a pause when he heard a noise of indignation from the little goat, making that itch stop. Oh well, I'm sure it wasn't important, he thought to himself with a smile.

"Nghh, but these ghosts are being so stubborn! Why can't they just stay put just one second?! It's like they don't care about anything!" Billie was growning more and more fed up with these wisps: the more she tried to focus on them, the more it seemed they kept on hovering out of her sight just to make fun of her. To think she used to be scared of those pests...!

Her huff of annoyance was enjoyable to watch, to Barnaby's bemusement, especially if it was about some obvious knowledge about ghosts' carefree nature.

"Why, that's how ghosts are, dearie! The moment you're dead, you don't have to care about anything anymore! No worries, no fears, no regrets... It's all in the past! And like all that is past, it all fades away~! Just like us ghosts, after all! Hoo-hoo-hoo~!"

To such response, Billie suddenly felt tense with a frightful thought: if what Barnaby said was true, that would've meant Arthur could very well have lost all memories of his past life, and all his beloved ones. Aristotle, his wife, his daughter... everyone.

"All... fades away? Even all the memories of the people they loved?!"

Here's that itch again. This time it felt stronger and irritating, yet Barnaby decided to just ignore it, despite of how annoying it was. Why couldn't it just go away?!

"It's all part of the course, of course!" He giggled at his own pun. "After all, why hold on to memories of people you can't even hold near anymore?"

Billie grew only more agitated by the second. "But-but how can you consider that a good thing?! You-you can't just forget the ones you loved just like that! I mean-You! You too are a ghost! Can't you remember anyone you cared about?!"

Barnaby, up to that point, was merely watching the little one getting all worked up about the whole ordeal with an amused grin. Living beings, so attached to life! Such a lovely, if futile, sentiment, in the face of the inevitable eternal slumber. He was ready to give her the answer that would put all her uncertainties to rest, when suddenly his itch grew at his strongest, and he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He felt the need to hold his head between his tallons: was he feeling pain? No, impossible: he's been a ghost since as far as he can remember! Then why...? His mind started to be plagued by various scenarios; fragments that he wasn't sure how they were tied to each other to begin with. A warm-lit room, a blossoming garden, a lab table filled to the brim with potions and magic tomes... Suddenly, he heard the faintest sound of laughter: a light, cheerful and happy laugh of someone he swore he never met, and yet felt so familiar, even loved and cherished. Something deep within him felt the wish to listen to that beautiful sound forever. Before he could properly focus on it, the laughter came to an abrupt finish as it got covered by a loud noise, so booming and deafening that shocked him to the core: next thing he knew, he was back to reality. He didn't notice he had started hyperventilating, or that Billie was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Barnaby, what's wrong?! Are you ok?!"

Barnaby stared at her, as he tried, without success, to catch his breath. He barely remembered what just happened in his mind, but he could clearly feel something within that made him suffer, something that the living would associate with the feeling of pain. He felt his eyes starting to leak, as he struggled to reply to Billie, not daring to look at her any longer.

"I-I-I don't know. I-I can't remember..." As his urge to cry grew stronger, Barnaby started to hug himself with his wings, in hopes to find some needed comfort. Billie's presence wasn't helping things: by his own admission, it was never pretty when he cried, and having someone looking at him in this state made him feel even less at ease. "I can't remember anything..." was all he could utter before covering himself completely in his ghostly plumage, hoping for the pain to leave him at once.

For the longest time, Barnaby felt only joy from the lack of memories, at last unbound by life and all the worries it'd entailed. And yet, this time out of all, he swore he were able to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that he once were able to hold dear, only to lose it at once. The more he thought about it, the more the already fickle hold he had on this memory slipped away; and the more tears flowed from his eyes.

And it all started with that little goat. How pitiful, he thought, breaking down like this in front of her, after all the teasing he gave her. He should've minded his own business and ignore her. "But no!", his inner thoughts reprimanded him, "You had to pry on her problems and entertain her ideas! And look what it led you to: crying a river over something of which you can't even remember anything about, and won't have anymore! Can't you be any more pathetic?! Oh, that's right: you're crying right in front of this little guest! Your pity party must be such pain to watch for her: she'll just leave you alone, like everyone else. No wonder you don't have any friends, if you costantly drive them away with your overblown ways! That's what you'll ever be: a sad whisp with no memories and no friends; just give up already! The sooner you'll accept it, the less it will hurt!"

"STOP!!" Barnaby finally snapped to that inner voice, as he cried harder: he didn't want to think of how the moment he finally had a friend, she was going to run away from his exaggerated manners, leaving him alone just like everyone else who came to his mansion always did. He didn't want to be reminded of the memories he didn't have anymore, of his beloved... Right now, he just wanted to stop existing altogether. "Just... stop..." he kept on repeating, hanging his head lower, his eyes, ears and mouth drooping as they followed the slow movement along.

Meanwhile, Billie was left looking at Barnaby, all tuckered up in his wings. She gazed upon him as he was trying to calm himself down, unsure of what to do: one part of her wanted to reach out and give some form of comfort; and yet, she also didn't want to invade his bubble, and make everything worse. She was all too aware of how so many villagers, back in her village, instantly had tired or weary looks on them the moment she approached them to ask them to join her on a new adventure, or To talk about all the things she had seen during her latest explorations. At first Billie paid no mind about it, but overtime she took notice, and began wondering if her approach was too much for people. Even after meeting Lou and Lily, who truly loved spending time with her on her adventures (dangers not witstanding), and after beginning her magic training with Aristotle, she often felt she had a habit of coming off too strong to many of her neighbors. And, right now, just like those times, Billie felt she went too far with Barnaby with her earlier questions, fearing she unknowingly touched a nerve during her earlier agitated state of mind. Ok, in all fairness, she had no idea such words could affect him so much; but still, she felt guilt for her earlier moment of insensitivity, and was afraid of upsetting Barnaby even more, were she to come closer to him.

Timidly, she turned to Oscar. "Hey Oscar? What do you think I should do? I messed up already, I don't want to hurt him more than I did already..."

The little fox looked at Barnaby, then at Billie, and started whimpering. Billie nodded in understanding: regardless of what happened, she couldn't just leave the ghost owl in this time of need. She had to set things right and help him: it's what a hero would do, she told herself... and also a friend.

As she started to move forward, Barnaby's yell was heard from his tuckered form, which startled her: was it against her? Billie got more tense, but kept going. As she got closer, Billie heard small mutterings mixed with sobs coming behind his wings: it felt like Barnaby was whispering to himself, not even noticing her presence. That's when Billie realized he was stuck in an internal loop, detached from his surroundings. The young goat gulped: this was going to be harder than she thought. As Billie tried to think of a way to approach Barnaby, her mind went to Aristotle's words, and how they were able to bring her comfort as she was hoping to find Arthur. Billie's thoughts went about the axolotl, and how much sadness they had in their voice during their call moments earlier: they too had to deal with Arthur's departure, many years ago, and she was told the two of them were so close together... Billie really hoped the axolotl had been able to have someone that comforted them as they were able to do for her: losing a father was hard already, but losing your longtime beloved friend... it must've felt too much to handle.

The little goat looked at the sobbing owl: maybe, she thought, such words would've been of help for him too, especially if, by his earlier words, he also struggled with remembering a loved one just like she did. "I guess we're not that different in that regard", she silently mused to herself.

She carefully got closer to Barnaby as she put a hand on his wing: as much as she didn't want to overstep her boundaries, she honestly couldn't think of any other option that could work. Billie took a deep breath, and hoped for the best.

"It's ok, Barnaby. I understand your pain."

Barnaby slowly peeked between his feathers, shifting his droopy gaze to the little goat, finally noticing her: she was still there, looking at him with sympathy, not a trace of ridicule nor fear on her face; that alone comforted him a little, despite his now long gone memory he wasn't able to reach anymore. But what truly shook him from his echo chamber were her words: for the first time since a long time, he felt understood, and that sentiment was enough to lift up his spirits, even if just a bit. Without a word, his beak forming a wobbly, small smile, he stretched his neck once again to Billie's level, and got closer to her as she embraced his head, her own eyes filling with tears once more. Oscar got closer too, and nuzzled himself between the two, joining them in their hug. The sun was starting to set, and the ghosts kept on floating carelessly, but Billie figured that she could stay just a little longer.

"Thank you."

[lesmismignon]

replying to anon messages

In this post I shall reply to the messages that have been sitting in my inbox for a regrettably long period of time. (It is loooooong. Please click “keep reading” at your own risk.)

I’m not a very good correspondent. I’m very sorry. I never know what to say right off the bat, and then during 2019 and 2020 when I was mostly on hiatus, I would just post a chapter or two and poof back out, and on Tumblr I would browse a few things and then poof back out. I do not have a good track record with social media and online presence in general. And with real life problems (mostly due to work), at worst it was impossible to muster even the strength to write. It was maddening.

But there is something about Hellsing and its fandom that reels me back in even when I am far away. Excuse me if this sounds cheesy, but for me fandoms are like the orbit of a comet. If it is something that you loved, and will continue to love even when you are not “active” on it, you will come back to it, someday, somehow. I’ll always be grateful to Hellsing, for being an inspiration to write, for being a bridge to some of my dearest relationships, for some of the kindest messages I’ve ever received in my life.

you freed yourself for a job that was not good for you and related to toxic people (Integra-like – demanding the respect you deserve). That is badass brave – and that doesn’t become less by that fact that maybe the next job you got is not the end of the journey but still part of the way. And you are brave by sharing your work, sharing your stories revealing parts of your emotional world to the outside – that is totally bad as too. I think you can be very proud of you, really. So maybe right now, you might be in situation that does not yet make you happy in way you deserve it. But you know- there is big chance that this is part of your journey to this place – imagine, in some time from now, you may be a successful (brilliant you are already) author and in an interview you say something like “yes, back there in 2016/17 I went through some tough times, that influenced the work very much I got this price for today”. So just in case you maybe cannot see it right now yourself – please allow me to tell you – you are brave and wonderful. And re. the brave decision you mentioned – I know I am not in the position to tell you anything – but please do not do any harm to you. So, thank you so much for your work you share with the world, my life is better with it. Take care for yourself, you deserve the best. (so sorry, I am really not good with words, hope you get my point….)

Anon, this was the kindest thing you could have ever done for little 2016/17 me. Oh God. Time does fly by so fast. I want you to know that I read this message a long time ago, and it gave me strength to go on, even though I’m not sure if I am so brave, to be compared to our lady Integra >< I hope you are happy and safe, wherever you are. I hope you know how brave and wonderful *you* are. Thank you so much.

just wanted to drop by and say I love all your fanfictions! You capture Integra and Alucard's characters so well; I LOVE it. Take all the time you need updating. You deserve it. And good luck at your job! <3

Ah, I probably changed jobs like twice since then. But they have been all good and meaningful in their own ways. I really did not mean to take THIS long in updating but I hope that you enjoyed the recent updates if you are still reading, thank you so much!

Why can I not write here? I just wanted you to know I am grateful for the reading joys that are 'Snow White' and 'Satis'...

Thank you Anon! I am so glad you enjoyed them!

I LOVE SATIS SO MUCH YOUR WRITING IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND FLOWY AND IT MAKES ME CRY PLEASE KEEP UP THE BRILLIANT WORK!!

Thank you Anon! You give me too much praise, but I shall indeed try to keep it up!

Hey so please don't take this as me pressuring you but I absolutely adore Satis! Is there any chance we might know when the next update is coming in? Totally understand if not- it sounds like work is taking a lot out of you and I understand that you're writing fan fiction purely for fun but DAMN IF I DON'T WANT TO READ MORE OF YOUR FIC OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH ASDFGHJKL!!!

I’m sorry it’s been ages! I’ll tell you my schedule(???) for this year instead! For this year of 2021 I really hope to average maybe at least 1 chapter a month but I don’t know how I’ll fare during the busy months. I hope you enjoyed the recent chapters if you are still reading!

@fierce-little-miana Can you believe that I have just noticed that I had given you any kudos for Snow White or Satis?! Sorry! Your stories are really worth all the praise we can give them. (so I corrected it) Have a nice day!

Thank you! I’m terribly sorry for this late reply. You’ve been so kind and sent so many lovely messages. Thank you again for each and every one of them!

@sinish-tem Hey sorryy for bothering you but. That ALutegra fic was AMAZING!!I LOVE IT!Amazing job sport<3

You’re not bothering me at all! Thank you old sport!

So I don't mean to rush you or be annoying or anything, but is Satis still happening? (plz plz say yes)

You’re not being annoying! I’m sorry it took so long! Yes :)

Hello! So, um, I have to ask... is Satis going to be updated? It’s just that it’s one of my absolute favorite stories by my absolute favorite author!

Thank you! I’m honored! I hope you enjoyed the recent chapters if you’re still reading!

Hi! Are you still around? Are you doing ok?

Yes, I am fine now, thank you :) I hope you are doing well, too!

@aniphine Hi! First off, I want to say that I absolutely love your writing style and am so looking forward to diving into all of your fics! I just finished Satis and it’s definitely in my Top 10 Fanfics ever, which is saying something! Thanks so much for writing it. On that note, I wanted to ask if you had plans to update it? If not, that’s totally cool - what you’ve written already is fantastic. But if so, I’d pledge my life to you in order to get a chance at reading more. 😆 Anyhoo, you’re awesome! 👋

Thank you so much! You are awesome too! I’m honored that Satis is in your top 10!!

@dontfuckingfollowmeifpornblog You still around?

I am now! Thank you!

@comixqueen Hello have I told you that I really love your Hellsing fics? ;u;/ They're among the best out there and I reread them often!

Thank you very much. That means a lot to me from you. Thank you for rereading, I’m always wary of my earlier writing but I’m glad if people still enjoy them.

I have never squealed higher than when I received the notification for the new chapter of Satis. You are a true blessing <3 thank you for your words

You are a blessing! Thank you so much!

Hello! I know you're not very active around here, but I just saw a trailer for a movie based on the letters of Vita and Virginia, and I was immediately reminded of Satis and the quotes you so expertly used in the narration, and I thought I might tell you in case you're interested in the movie (the title is literally Vita and Virginia) <3

Thank you Anon! I did see the trailer! I haven’t seen the movie yet though, but I will, eventually! I am so glad you think I did the quotes justice! It’s such a beautiful quote.

Not sure how to start this, might be a little bold, and yet; let me simply say that I am in love with your written works. In fact, so much so that I read it all again, and again. It never ceases to amaze. And as for you, the person behind it all, you do seem immensely precious as well. I hope that you have the most fantastic day, you deserve no less.

Anon, you are so very kind. Thank you so much for your lovely words. I am just an ordinary person unusually invested in a particular set of fictional characters xD and I am often late to things and a bad correspondent, but I must be doing something right if you’re sending me a message as lovely as this. Thank you again, I hope you are having fantastic days as well.

Honestly ive read your snow white fic years ago but I loved it insanely much and im about to read it again today ^.^

Thank you Anon! Ah, Snow White. I am very glad you still enjoy it. It is so old, and I wish I had the courage to edit it and spruce it up, or even update an extra or two...

Are you ever planning to continue Satis? I’m in love with that piece of work.

Thank you Anon! Yes! I hope you enjoyed the recent chapters!

My literal text to a friend of mine that's also a fan of Satis when I got the AO3 mail about the new chapter was: "NOW THEY'RE FINALLY STARTING TO BE *HAPPY* HOLIDAYS"

I am very glad I was able to bring you holiday cheer. Would it be bold of me if I say I aim to bring you non-holiday cheer as well, now? xD Thank you so much!

HEY JUST CAME HERE TO SAY I LOVE SATIS, OKAY BYYYYE

HELLO ANON! THANK YOUUUUU

[madamebaggio]

Notes: Previously...

It’s been a loooooong while on this one.

I thought this smut might kill me. This is the problem with smut: I love reading it, writing it almost ends me... hahahah

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

So remember: THERE’S SMUT AHEAD.

Also, here are the lingerie sets mentioned (the add is for one part or the other, but in the pictures you can see the full set): La Perla, Bordelle.

***

Chapter 5

On Saturday, Sansa was ridiculously nervous as she looked for something to wear.

After she got dressed the night before, Vortigern had called his driver and asked him to take Sansa home.

Even as Sansa showered and got ready to sleep, she couldn’t believe that what happened had actually happened.

She sat on her bed for one hour just staring at the wall, trying to convince herself she wasn’t delirious; that Vortigern -her boss -had really fucked her on that damned ebony desk like she’d always dreamed he would.

She could still feel him all over her body, especially between her legs. She knew she wasn’t crazy, she knew it was real and yet…

How the hell was it even possible?

It seemed more like something straight out of her fantasies. She’d never thought that he would even look at her much less…

Anyway, she couldn’t sleep that night. She also couldn’t eat properly in the morning, and now she didn’t know what to wear.

This was shaping up to be a great disaster.

Vortigern had said they needed to talk and she supposed he was correct. Sansa didn’t know exactly what he planned on saying to her, so it was difficult to decide on what to wear. 

Should she dress as if it was a date? Maybe a bit sexier -like a naughty secretary? Perhaps he wanted to tell her this was all a big mistake, so she should dress more modestly?

Sansa took a deep breath in and tried to calm herself. Whatever was going to happen, they really needed to talk first, so she had to keep that in mind.

The devil on her shoulder told her to wear her best lingerie set, and Sansa succumbed all too easily to its voice. She didn’t have a lot of expensive lingerie, but Marge had gifted her a set from La Perla on her birthday two years ago. It was so pretty -and expensive -that Sansa had hardly ever worn it.

The lingerie made her feel braver somehow, and on top of it she put a simple summer dress. It was delicate, modest without being prudish and it looked really nice on her. It was something she’d wear normally, so she didn’t feel as though she was trying too hard.

She called an Uber and during the ride tried to come up with answers to all possible scenarios.

If Mr. Pendragon said this was a mistake, she’d politely agree and change jobs. Perhaps move to another country.

If he said it wasn’t a mistake, but it couldn’t happen again, she’d just change jobs. Maybe cities too, but not the country.

And if he said they should do it again…

She’d have no pride and just jump on his bed.

What was wrong with her?

Sansa had never been like this for any man. Ever!

Even when she was young and believed herself to be completely in love with Joffrey, she’d never felt this giddy feeling, this crushing anxiety, or this desire to please someone.

When she fawned over Joffrey, it was different. She wanted him to love her -at first -, later she just didn’t want him to get angry and be cruel to her.

Sansa might want to please her boss, but it was for a completely different reason. Every time he complimented her, a warm feeling took over her. It was really weird. It was as if, the sex was already great, but when he went on and said she was good, it just became that much better.

Maybe he was just a better lover than the others she’d had. It wasn’t like Sansa had that much experience anyway.

When the car dropped her off in front of Mr. Pendragon’s building, Sansa took a deep breath in and prepared herself to be mature about this whole thing.

As much as fantasies and daydreams were nice, and as much as she’d kept saying she’d change jobs, reality was a whole other business. She couldn’t actually predict what Mr. Pendragon was going to tell her once they started talking.

She also couldn’t predict how she’d really react.

As soon as she’d stepped in, she was directed to the private lift and told that Mr. Pendragon was waiting for her.

Sansa took one last breath in, before pressing the only button there.

Vortigern’s apartment consisted of the last two floors of the building, and it was like nothing Sansa had ever seen in her life. She’d been there very few times, but she was very impressed by it all the same. Vortigern’s taste was quite minimalist, with dark colors and just a rare splash of color. Even the paintings around the house tended to be abstract pieces, with more dark colors in it.

Sansa was wondering if he’d be waiting for her in his office, when the lift’s doors opened and she came face to face with him.

“Mr. Pendragon!”

“Miss Stark.” He nodded at her, seemingly quite serious. “Good to see you.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” She stepped out of the lift, her eyes looking around. “Is Catia…”

“She went out with a friend.” Vortigern was quick to assure her. “So we can talk privately.”

Sansa just nodded and followed him to his office in the house. At least this one didn’t have an ebony desk…

Almost by reflex, Sansa started walking towards his desk, only to see he was going towards the sofa. She hurried after him.

Vortigern sat down on the sofa and indicated the armchair for her, so Sansa sat down.

“Are you nervous, Sansa?” He asked once they were both somewhat comfortable.

“Yes.” She answered immediately. “I’m trying not to…”

Vortigern made a gesture for her to continue when it became clear she wouldn’t.

“I’m just confused.” She finally admitted.

He nodded his understanding. “I figured you’d be.” He gave her a long look. “Sansa, when I spoke to you after the wedding, I meant every word I said and I had no intention of letting anything happen between us. As I said then, I don’t chase after my younger employees.”

Sansa wanted to say she believed him, but it was quite clear she was supposed to just listen for now.

“I didn’t plan on what happened yesterday, but it’s become quite clear to me that I have a hard time resisting you.”

Some of her bewilderment must have shown on Sansa’s face, because Vortigern smirked. “What?” He wanted to know.

“I… I mean, I wasn’t doing anything…”

He chuckled. “I know, Sansa. I can spot a woman trying too hard from a mile away, and I know you weren’t flirting with me.”

“Good.” Sansa sighed. “I respect you a lot, Mr. Pendragon. I’d never want you to think that I was just trying to play 50 shades with you.”

Vortigern snorted. “I know. And we already had this conversation: I’m not Christian Grey.”

“Well, if you were we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

Vortigern arched an eyebrow. “Because it would be easier to walk away?”

“What happened yesterday wouldn’t have happened if you gave me a NDA and a slap to the butt.”

He was amused. “I don’t feel the need to have NDAs. I trust you. If I didn’t you wouldn’t work for me and I certainly wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

“So…” Sansa dragged the word a bit. “What now?”

“There might not be a NDA, but we do need to talk about how things will be from now on.”

Sansa just nodded.

“You know I don’t date and I’m not starting now. I’m not saying this is what you want.” He assured her. “I don’t see myself as that big of a prize that you could only be thinking of dating me. However, since Elsa died, I hadn’t felt the desire to be with someone long term again. That means that, if we do this, it’d be casual.”

“Wait.” Sansa asked. “So you’re saying we can…” She made a vague gesture between them.

“Fuck?” Vortigern suggested, his face so completely emotionless that Sansa knew he was messing with her.

“Yes.” She replied dryly. “As long as it’s casual…”

“Exactly. As I said, I’m having a hard time resisting you, and I do trust you and your discretion, so…”

“But even without a NDA there would be rules.” She guessed.

“Yes, because those are important. I have mine and you can have yours, of course.”

“What are yours?”

“This goes without saying, but this is between us. That means that there will be no pictures, Facebook status, family dinners… Which brings me to something really important: Catia can never know.”

Sansa agreed easily. She really didn’t want to think about Caita knowing about this.

“At work, this won’t ever be mentioned. I know I started what happened yesterday, but it can’t happen again. In the office, we’ll remain professional. No conversations about this, no kisses…”

Well, there went her fantasy about being bent over the desk, but she knew it was for the best.

“We’ll have dates, places to meet, but we’ll always discuss time and place beforehand. No surprises.”

Sansa nodded again.

Vortigern gave her a curious look. “You don’t want to call me ‘daddy’, do you?”

“No!” Sansa gasped. “I’m not into this.”

“Good.” He did look a bit relieved. “As I said before, I’m not interested in BDSM, but I do like getting my own way, so I might get bossy.”

Sansa cleared her throat. “I enjoyed that.”

“Oh, I know you did.” His smirk became wolfish. “And I also noticed you like being told you’re a good girl, and I have no problems with that. I just wanted to make clear I won’t be tying you up to the bed anytime soon.”

“Well, that’s actually good.” Sansa cleared her throat. “That’s one of my rules: no tying me up, no blindfolds and…” She licked her lower lip. “Just don’t be too rough.”

Vortigern stared at her in silence, his eyes digging into her soul. Sansa feared he’d see the truth if he looked too closely, that he’d understand what she was scared of.

But, in the end, he just nodded. “Okay.”

“And I’m not looking for a sugar daddy.” She added. “I don’t want you giving me money or very expensive presents.”

“That might be a problem.” He hummed.

“Why?”

“Because I want to shower you with expensive lingerie.” He told her simply.

“Hm…” Sansa bit her lower lip. “Define ‘shower’.”

Arthur arched an eyebrow, then pointed to the side of her armchair. Sansa hadn’t noticed the bag on the floor when she sat down (probably because she was nervous), but once she picked it up, she saw it had ‘Bordelle’ written in it.

As in, the really expensive lingerie brand. That ‘Bordelle’.

“Is this…”

“For you. Yes.”

“You were really confident on how this was going.” She pointed out.

“I prefer to think I was hopeful. Open it.”

Sansa didn’t want to! The box was already gorgeous! The bras from that place cost over 300 pounds!

But she was curious, so she opened the box.

He’d bought her a full set: bra, thong, suspender belt… It was the whole thing. Sansa was pretty sure this was from the new collection and it was on one of her favorite colors from it -tundra.

“I can’t.” She spoke softly.

“You can.” Vortigern insisted. “Think of it as… Something I’m doing for myself. So it’s not a present for you, it’s something to please myself.”

Sansa snorted. “Yes, of course.” She bit her lower lip. She’d really liked it. “Just lingerie?”

“You’ll fight me if I say I want to buy more than that, won’t you?”

“Yes. Especially if all you want to buy me is this expensive.”

He sighed. “Fine. No shoes and jewelry then.” He said nonchalantly, but Sansa could see he was fishing for a reaction.

“Exactly.” She said firmly.

If he started buying her a lot of expensive stuff she’d feel way too much like a sugar baby and it wasn’t why she was doing this -even though she was curious to know what shoes he had in mind.

“Perfume?” He pushed.

“No. Only lingerie.”

He chuckled. “You drive a hard bargain, Miss Stark. But I accept it.”

“Okay… That’s all I can think about.” She finally said.

“You can always talk to me if something else comes up.” Vortigern pointed out. “Today isn’t the only day we have to discuss this. Whatever happens you can always talk to me. I’m too old for games and to guess, so just come to me with your complaints.”

Sansa grinned at him. “I’ll keep that in mind. And when you don’t want to do this anymore, just tell me. Okay?”

“Of course. And about your job…”

“Can we cross that bridge when we get to it?” Sansa asked. “I don’t want to think about practical things now.”

He was once again amused. “Right. What do you want to think about now?”

Sansa put the box carefully on the ground and stood up. Her hands went to the first button on her dress. “Is this alright, Mr. Pendragon?”

Vortigern rested his elbow on the sofa’s armrest, and out his chin on his palm. “Yes, Miss Stark. But do it slowly.”

Sansa was trembling, but it wasn’t out of fear. She was nervous, but it was because this didn’t normally happen to her.

Later she’d have to think long and hard about this stupid decision she’d just taken, but for now?

She opened the buttons slowly, then pushed the sleeves off her shoulders, until they were free and she could push the rest of the dress down her body.

Vortigern’s eyes took every inch of her, a smirk pulling at his lips once he noticed her lingerie. “You’re full of surprises, Miss Stark.” He commented, before making a gesture for her to come closer.

Sansa approached him, unsure of what to do next, until he grabbed her hand and gave a slight pull.

She understood what he was after, so she straddled him, chest to chest.

Vortigern put his hands on her waist. “You enjoy it when I call you ‘Miss Stark’, you like knowing you’re a good girl and you love my fingers…” He teased. “But what else do you like?”

“I…” Sansa cleared her throat, feeling herself blushing. “I don’t have that much experience.” She confessed. “So… I like kissing, and being touched.”

Vortigern nodded, seeming reflexive. “Do you like being kissed between your legs?”

“Well…” Now she was feeling really embarrassed, because she couldn’t believe she was about to tell him this, but… “I’ve never… Never tried that one.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Never?”

“Never.”

“We can’t have that.” He decided.

He moved Sansa from his lap to the sofa next to him. Sansa was going to ask him if there was a problem, but when slid to the ground and knelt in front of her, Sansa realised that he really intended to…

“Really?” She asked, in shock.

He pulled at his tie. “I insist.” His hands went to her knickers. “And as much as I liked this color on you, we need to get these off.”

Sansa watched transfixed as he pulled them down her legs. She raised her butt from the sofa to help him along.

Once that was out of the way -he even threw the piece of clothing over his shoulder - Vortigern pushed her legs wide open.

Sansa felt embarrassed but at least he was looking into her eyes. If he were looking at her cunt, she’d probably die of shame.

“We haven’t done this properly before, and I never had much chance to really appreciate how beautiful you are.” He said as his thumbs drew circles on her knees. “Today, we have a lot of time. Keep that in mind.”

Sansa nodded eagerly.

Vortigern grabbed her legs and yanked her body, making Sansa squeal -and blush.

He chuckled. “Put that pillow behind your back so you’re more comfortable.” He indicated, and Sansa complied.

Her ass was on the edge of the sofa, her cunt right in front of his face.

Vortigern started kissing the inside of her left thigh. Soft kisses, making his way up. By the time he reached halfway, the kisses turned into gentle bites.

Sansa couldn’t take her eyes from him.

He threw one of her legs over her shoulder and she felt his breath on her cunt. His tongue gave a teasing lick at her clit and she let out a small gasp of surprise.

Then he started putting some work into it.

Sansa hadn’t known exactly what to expect from this -she’d read about it, but had never felt it. It was ridiculously hot to see him with his head between her legs and feel his tongue playing with her so.

From the long slow licks, to the hint of his teeth occasionally, everything he did to her, made her feel like she was about to fly off that sofa.

When he pushed her leg higher up, Sansa couldn’t even think about the embarrassing position anymore, because he was fucking her with his fingers, sucking on her clit. And she came so hard, she thought she was about to die.

He gentled her down with slower licks, soft kiss, until he finally pulled his fingers away. He didn’t even have time to move, before Sansa launched herself forward and kissed his lips, still wet from her.

Vortigern bit her lower lip and pulled back. “Good work, Miss Stark.” He got up, took off his jacket. “Now turn around.”

Her legs were still shaking, but she did what he asked, kneeling on the sofa, hands on the backrest.

She heard clothes rustling, the sound of a wrapper being opened. After what seemed like an eternity, he kneeled behind her, his hands caressed her back, then opened the claps of her bra.

He helped her take it completely off, then kissed her shoulder blade, her neck, the spot below her ear. “Hold on tight.”

He put his hands on her waist and positioned himself. At first, he pushed his cock in slowly, then just shoved the rest of the way in.

“Oh my…” Sansa grabbed harder on the backrest.

He pushed her hair over her left shoulder. “Too rough?” He asked by her ear.

“No.” She tried to catch her breath. “Just perfect.”

His hands caressed her ribs, teased the underside of her breasts. “”You’re remarkably good, Miss Stark.” He whispered to her, biting her ear gently. “Really good.”

Then he fucked her.

It was as if his hands were all over her at the same time; she could feel his fingers on her hips, her belly, her breasts, her neck. But more than anything, she could feel him inside her, hot and hard and so good.

He did fuck her hard, but it was just enough, just right as he said how good she was, so sweet, so beautiful.

The moment built inside her, and part of her wished it’d last forever, even as she was desperate to come.

Then, Vortigern grabbed one of her hands and took it to her clit, made her play with herself the way he wanted her to do it. It was all too much.

She came and she screamed and held on as he fucked her through it, until he was grabbing her harder and following after.

He held her while they both recovered their breath, and Sansa was pretty sure she could hear his heart beating.

Vortigern dropped a kiss to her shoulder. “Wait a minute.” He asked.

He lowered her to the sofa, then picked his jacket up and covered her with it. He moved out of sight for a minute -Sansa figured it was to take care of the condom -then came back. He moved her so he could sit and pull her to his lap to cuddle.

“You’re the king of after-sex cuddling.” She commented, her voice soft and sleepy.

Vortigern snorted. “I just fucked your brains out, Miss Stark. And seeing you were so good about it, the least I can do is hold you.”

She liked his logic.

[purplesurveys]

834

1) when you take surveys, are your answers inspired by the person’s before you? If I agree with it and if it was phrased well, yes. I don’t copy answers all the time but I do still like to read what others say, even if my answer would be different.

2) does your laptop ever overheat and turn itself off? I dunno if it counts as overheating? but when I do something that’s a little too much for my laptop, like getting on a video call when it’s scorching hot at home, my laptop would kick its fan up a notch to the point that you’d clearly hear the whirring. It’s never turned itself off unless I had let it reach 0%.

3) are you a “fan” of a lot of things on facebook? I liked a ridiculous amount of pages when I was new to Facebook but I’ve since gone on huge disliking sprees here and there.

4) have you ever “spoken” to any celebrities via. twitter? Pro wrestlers are relatively easier to reach than Hollywood celebrities so I’ve had my fair share of interactions with them, if they count. AJ Lee retweeted my Halloween costume in 2013 (I dressed up as her), CM Punk blocked me because I was once a stupid fangirl, Stephanie McMahon greeted me a happy birthday, I got a follow from Natalya, Maria Kanellis replied to me once, Sheamus liked my tweet...and I’m sure I’m missing one or two more.

5) do you like croissants? Crazy about them. Ham and cheese croissant is my favorite - if it’s available at a coffee shop I’m getting it, no questions.

6) do you get a lot of traffic outside your house or not? Nope. I live in a private village; the only people driving through here are people who live here. I’ve never lived somewhere with traffic noise and it’ll probably take some getting used to when I finally do.

7) what does the last jacket you wore look like? I haven’t worn a jacket in three months but I do remember the last one I wore - it’s a denim jacket and it’s originally my mom’s; she’s owned it since the 90s. She doesn’t wear it much anymore so I’ve kinda claimed it and it’s in my closet now for the most part.

8) do you eat cereal bars? Never.

9) would you consider yourself healthy? I am definitely not, but at the same time I’m still surprised at how relatively healthy I’ve remained...? It’s things like keeping up a decent figure and never having any serious illnesses. I’m guessing it runs in the family because my mom and her mom have also remained healthy all these years.

10) assuming you could speak and understand the language, would you ever study in a foreign, non-english speaking country? I mean if I’m already fluent in that non-English language, I don’t see why I would pass up that opportunity. Language barriers scare me the most when traveling, so if that problem is fixed then I usually don’t worry much anymore.

11) are you on any prescribed medication? Nope.

12) do you know any immigrants? Tons. Filipinos are responsible for one of the largest immigrant populations, so that’s no surprise. Probably half of my family’s scattered all over the US, Canada, and Australia; and I’ve had countless classmates who’ve migrated over the years.

13) how often do you change your bedsheets? Once a month. Been spending less and less time in bed throughout quarantine.

14) have you ever lived in university or college accommodation before? No. I’ve never had to because I lived close enough to my university to drive to and from it.

15) if you haven’t already, are you scared of leaving home? if you have, do you like it? I’m a little scared but I’m mostly excited at the idea. I’ve never lived on my own so I know I’ll be clumsy at first, but I know it’ll be a whole new world to explore, too.

16) do you know how to look after yourself away from home? (budget, pay pills, feed yourself, cook, clean, do laundry etc.) I can’t do all of those tasks yet, so probably not.

17) do you drink a lot of fruit juice? No.

18) what would you do if you found an abandoned baby on your doorstep, with a note asking you to keep it and take care of it? I don’t trust our government with anything, so even if we do have a department for social welfare I’d rather hand the baby over to an adoption agency.

19) if you could only eat one vegetable for a year (not including potatoes) what would it be? Broccoli. Didn’t even have to think about it.

20) is there anywhere you want to visit in england (except london)? Not really. I don’t know the area enough to be interested in going there. 

21) how many times have you moved in your life so far? That I know of, three. We may have moved a couple more times within Manila when I was an infant, but I obviously wouldn’t remember those.

22) do you have a certain routine in the bath or shower? what is it? I just wash my body in a certain order, but that’s it.

23) is there anything that you loved a year ago but just can’t stand now? Probably org work. I was reeeally passionate about my org this time last year, but this time around what with the quarantine running for too long and me graduating and finally breaking free from college, I honestly no longer have the patience for org tasks still handed to me lol. Just let me go, y’all.

24) what do you do when people give you mixed messages? Doesn’t really happen a lot these days. But generally I’d feel irritated.

25) do you prefer chicken burgers or beef burgers? Beef.

26) would you ever eat kangaroo steak? Probably not.

27) what’s the weirdest meat you’ve ever eaten? Carabao tasted the weirdest. One bite and it felt like I tasted the entire fucking farm where it came from. It tasted like grass, meat, manure, and sweat all rolled into one. Never really fully understood the taste and I took a loooooong time chewing it lol.

28) if you smoke, what brand of cigarettes do you smoke? if you don’t, have you ever tried? I only ever leech off of Gab’s cigarettes so I don’t have my own go-to, but the one she gets is called Marlboro Ice Blast.

29) is there a chalkboard or whiteboard anywhere in your house? I don’t think we still have the whiteboard that we once had.

30) do you like dried fruit at all? what’s your favorite type? No. Zero fruits for me.

[orrtala]

The relationships between the cast

Post S1 analysis

Yeah, it’s long again. Under the cut you go!

Wander & Sylvia

(a.k.a. these to make me emotional)

Man, these two…

Wander and Sylvia's friendship was, is, and will be a heart of the show. They compliment each other, they need each other, they make a great pair.

This season we've learned how did they meet – Sylvia used to be a bounty hunter and a furry orange weirdo was her latest mark. Who put a bounty on his head? Why? And how was he named on the wanted poster anyway? Yeah, the biggest S2 plot twist was revelation that Sylvia was the one who gave Wander his name. That's sweet, unexpected, and absolutely fits them.

Their friendship is so strong it didn't actually take any big hits? Wander messes up things and Sylvia's upset, sure, but reassures him that understanding that is a first step to make things right. Wander splits up into hundreds of personalities and Sylvia makes sure that every single one goes back to the original Spoon. Even in case of the erased duo from "The Waste of Time" after spending 50 years stuck in one place they just reaffirm their friendship by hugging each other and exchanging goobyes while disappearing. In "The Matchmaker" Wander pretty much says that their friendship is the biggest treasure they have and they both know it.

There is a case of Wander's immortality. Or longevity, who knows. Not only Sylvia will die beofre him, but it's also implied he had friends, travel partners like her before. And probably will continue to to have those in future. But there's also a fact that writers decided to show us this period in his life and, well, not to undermine the other travel buddies, but Sylvia must be really, really special for Wander compared to others.

Apart from maybe learning more about their past together I imagine they'd continue a trend of being the best friends this galaxy has ever seen. And that's all I could ask for, really.

Wander & Hater

(a.k.a. “Reforming a villain” w.i.p.)

The season starts with a reveal that Hater fell down from his position as 'the greatest in the galaxy', mainly thanks to Wander; our resident villain has problems with ignoring furry weirdo who constantly plays on his nerves and is distracted enough to forget his evil overlord duties. Even Dominator seems not be enough when you can marry destroy your happy-go-lucky nemesis or play a game of tag.

In "The Fremergency Fronfract" Hater gets zapped and doesn't really remember who he is and with Wander spends the whole day playing, having fun, and, later, at loopy!Hater's request, performing good deeds. And Wander doesn't want to let go of his new friend! He considers zapping him again and again, just so they could stay like that! That's… messed up and Spoon acknowledges that, letting Hater go. Though not without shedding some tears here and there. It was pretty important episode for both of them, though mostly to Wander; I bet Hater put an entire blame on the dentists regarding his behaviour. The ring left behind serves as a nice metaphor; Wander didn't get what he truly wanted (Hater's friendship) and was left with a cheap prize, which also serves as a symbol of hope that things will eventually get better.

Hater is actively afraid of Wander, because he thinks the furry weirdo may succeed. And, since he thinks of himself as an evil being, he sees is it as brainwashing. Which is not the case, although when you remind yourself of what Wander almost did in "The Fremergancy Fronfract" this line of thinking is not without its reasons.

Wander continues his quest on getting Hater reformed – this time he decided use power of luuuuuv. He does succeed, partially. Skeleton man does fall for Dom, reveals his softer side, is willing to admit somebody else is better than him and learns some empathy. Hater's on his way to be a good guy thanks to Wander.

In the middle of the crush mess they find a common ground. And, well, while they did work on wrong assumptions it was a common ground nonetheless. In "My Fair Hatey" Hater asked Wander specifically for help. …Mostly because he was the only one who cheered him on, but it was a big moment for them.

Of course I have to mention "The Hole…Lotta Nuthin'" too. Hater is mean, obnoxious and downright cruel to Wander (though he does stop himself before making him cry). Hater loves to be mean, to bully others and he finally got his chance to do it with Wander, of course he wasn't going to pass that opportunity. One of the reasons why he claims to hate our hero is that Wander easily presses on all his buttons, and there's not much that phases him.

Near the end Hater doesn't seem to hate Wander that much, but is still unwilling to be a good guy. He'll get there. Sometime in a future. And they will become friends.

He did save his life after all.

Hater & Sylvia

(a.k.a. I’m pretty sure this ^ ^ is the only scene they were alone on the screen in S2, give me more)

Sadly not much to talk about here. Hater and Sylvia barely interacted and the only one-on-one I can recall was in the finale, when our favorite zbornak started screaming: "Hate's Great, Best Villain" to help him fight Dom back and save the last planet in the galaxy. It was still pretty important moment; at this point Sylvia treated Hater as an ally, as a friend in who she recognized the need to be validated. And, well, he did save her life when stopping the drill before it could destroy the planet, so there's that.

Aside from that there was always Peepers and/or Wander nearby. Let's hope they'll get some more scenes together alone in the future.

Peepers & Hater

(a.k.a. we’re each others’ means to an end but also kind of friends)

Ah,these two. These two came a loooooong way since S1.

They took me by surprise. I honestly expected them to split up, to Peepers start working for Dominator, to them becoming enemies with each other. And, well, I wasn't that far from the truth, it seems. But what happened is that they repaired their relationship to the point of becoming friends. Sort of.

And all that thanks to Wander.

After falling down from the #1 spot on the leaderboard Peepers is exasperated with Hater and tries to get him back on the top. He's not afraid to speak up anymore, he's sassy, he's complaining. Which leads him to being fired.

Commander acknowledged that he wasn't able to conquer the galaxy on his own a long time ago, and settled down with helping Hater to acieve this goal. Hater in turn needed to learn he was not going to be an evil overlord for too long without watchdog's help. "The Axe" also showed us, through Peepers' flashbacks, that they did have fun together in the past, though it clearly meant much more to Commander than the Lord. In the end everything works out when Hater gets Peepers to come back to him and the little Commander even gets a statue of himself. Which was completely unprompted action on skeleton man's part; he already got his Commander back.

Also they seem to have a bone pool on the skullship what the flarp.

In "The It" Hater proves he's very much incompetent leader when Wander's involved and Peepers learns there will be more times he'll have to put his boss aside more when it comes to conquering, letting him only focus on intimidation part. And that's only sometimes.

Since presenting plans his way is boring to Hater, they… start to play with figurines. But they get to spend more time together! Having fun! It's all fine and dandy until Awesome shows up. What's interesting that through the entire "The Cool Guy" Hater tries to get Peepers to have fun with him and Emperor Awesome, only to constantly be dissuaded by shark man himself. But he doesn't stop and at the end wants them both watch the invasion together prepared by Commander. And he believes it's going to work, it's Peepers who planned after all, with figurines and all! Peepers gets more and more worried and angry during the episode, until the invasion time comes and he's willing to lead it by himself, out loud acknowledging and mocking Hater's true dreams. So it's interesting to watch that while Hater was the mean guy on surface, with escaping with Awesome and whatnot, it's Peepers who's ready to commit a treason. Still, we get to see Hater caring about his Commander and everyone's happy. Maybe besides Awesome, who still have to pick up all his fishbones after the beating Hater gave him.

While in "The Rager" Hater's shown to be listening to Peepers with only mild complaining, we get a really shocking image of skeleton man hitting his Commander in "The Good Bad Guy". It's weird, since it wasn't that surprising to see such scene in S1, but at this point? Hater, no, what are you doing, you're being… friend-ish with each other, don't.

The Hater's crush arc begins and Peepers is done. He worked hard to get Hater working with him despite constant distractions, and even got him on second place on the leaderboard, but this is too much. He becomes more and more exasperated, finally snapping and fighting his boss back for the Hat in "The Bad Hatter". Everything gets back to normal afterwards, but that was yet another moment that perhaps was foreshadowing for Peepers' future betrayal?

Still, as the season went, it really showed both of them went a long way and their relationship evolved for better despite the setbacks. And partly thanks to them.

…Although I am pretty sure there is supposed to be a treason/betrayal arc for Peepers in S3. But Hater could be the one to get him out of it, given their relationship.

Peepers & Sylvia

(a.k.a. welcome to frenemies paradise)

I mentioned already that while this relationship is important to both of them, it's more important to Peeeprs than Sylvia. For zbornak Commander is a bad guy with who, to her surprise, she found a common ground with. She's willing to work with him (not without complaining, of course,) especially when it comes to bringing down Dominator.

Peepers meanwhile doesn't really have anyone he could see on the same level (metaphorically, of course; I'm not sure Commander could find anyone who'd be able to look straight into his eye without bending, hehe). Hater, while on friendly-ish terms with him, is still his boss. He doesn't care about other villains personally, they're just obstacles on his way to becoming #1 once again. He doesn't want to associate himseld with other watcdogs aside from them being soldiers in his army. He wishes he and Hater could go on by ignoring Wander.

And then there's Sylvia, who's similiar to him, a person who can empathize with him.

Through "The Show Stopper" they work together, trying to dissuade Hater's crush on Dom, and even succeed. Not without bickering and showing a slight disgust with each other, but they are on their way on becoming frenemies.

In "My Fair Hatey" Peepers gets Sylvia's help and they both are working together on beating Dominator while 'their idiots' are busy wooing her. They show they can work great together, and have at that!

Also they sing together and it's great.

In "The End of the Galaxy" near the end Peepers and watchdogs save Sylvia's life and my skin is clear.

These two are very interesting cause back in S1 they barely interacted with each other. Then S2 happened and look at them, fighting together back to back, taking matters in their hands, singing duets. Being frenemies.

Also if there were any plans on making canon pairings in a future? These two have the biggest shot.

Peepers & Wander

(a.k.a. still main conflict of the show, but even fewer interactions)

I wish I had something more to say, but.

I talked in post S1 analysis why I think they don't interact much. Peepers would gladly ignore Wander while Wander kind of underestimates Peepers. And yet they still represent the main conflict of the show: getting Hater on a good/bad side.

But. They had few small interactions. Commander was willing to use wandering weirdo to stop Hater's long performance, sadly it backfired.

And there was this conversation in "The Robomechabotatron". And it was great! I loved how they adressed their conflict under the guise of titular robot. Though Hater's reaction made it less subtle than they meant it to be.

I'm hoping for more interactions in future though. They are bound to be interesting, especially if my theory about C-Peeps trying to be villain on his own would become true.

Main Four

(a.k.a. teamwork is important but one of them can’t do teamwork stuff)

These guys were shown more and more together, mostly in four main episodes and "The Robomechabotatron".

At the beginning they were only running into each other and then escaped Dom's ship together. Then they were fighting each other, but circumstances made Peepers and Sylvia team up to save Wander and Hater on multiple occasions ("The Battle Royale", "The Show Stopper", "My Fair Hatey") while 'their idiots' were busy fooling around to get Dom's attention. They escaped Dominator's ship yet again, everyone had their part in the plan. In the last episode the three of them worked together on the planet, while Wander was up in Dom's ship, also playing his part.

And then there's "The Robomechabotatron". Wander wants them to all work together. Everyone else refuses. Peepers and Hater are later willing to team up after learning they need four pilots. Sylvia refuses. The three of them fight, but Wander's here to save the day and makes them reconsider their actions.

They team up, get into the robot, ready to fight Dom and- Actually no, because Wander ruins everything. Ah, the irony. And he doesn't even acknowledge it.

On the surface "The Robomechabotatron" is a story about main four not being good enough to work together yet and they are set up for teamwork for future. And it is partially that. But the bigger problem here?

Wander is bad at teamwork.

Yeah, the guy who wants everyone to work together, who wants everyone to get along, who loves working with others… As long as he's in charge and no one tells him what to do. Remember, there is a mischevious/contrary Wander after all. He has his own ideas and ethics and it's fine, but maybe he should have let them know about his priorites before starting anything. Everyone else were ready to fight Dom, but Wander ruined everything.

And I'm really, really curious how they'd go with that in S3.

Dominator & Hater

(a.k.a. a crush that unsurprisingly went nowhere)

I remember how at the beginning of "The Search for Captain Tim" Hater entered his room wailing how much he hates that Dominator guy, because he's so cool. Then he cried how much he likes her because she's so cool. Then he was complaining about lack of taquitos, because wow, yeah, totally over Dom, not that he's distracting himself or anything. And I guess he actually likes taquitos.

And that's pretty much Hater's side of things. At the beginning he hated the guy, but also admired him in a way, about cool he was and was jelaous about that. Plus he did steal his image, so there was also a thing to be mad about.

But near the end of "The Battle Royale" Dominator lost her helmet and he – figuratively and literally – fell for her. Hard. And then tried to impress her and ask her out. Again, again, and again, failing each time.

It culminated in "My Fair Hatey", where Hater did the whole musical gig for her, which backfired completely and both he and Wander were almost destroyed by his lady love. Thanks to that experience he was afraid of her and felt humiliated enough to not actually fight back until the season finale, but he also gained some character development.

On Dom's side? She didn't care about the guy. Upon seeing he was sweet on her she used that against him twice, but otherwise didn't give him much thought. He was just another villain who yet had to bow down before her like everyone else. Though breaking his heart was a nice bonus, I suppose.

In the end she underestimated him, though she did fight back with words, taking jabs at his insecurities. Power of love and friendship saved the day, Dom lost and… Was ultimately saved wy Wander and Hater.

Dominator & Wander

(a.k.a. the same yet so different)

They're crazy. They're energetic. They love what they're doing. They wear sneakers. They… didn't really interact until finale.

Yeah, really. In "The Greater Hater" while Wander tried to engage newcomer into conversation, Dom didn't react, which made our furry hero mad. In "The Battle Royale" Wander got a glimpse at dancing Dominator without her armor and tried to set her up with Hater. Again, he was talking to her, while she ignored him. In "My Fair Hatey" he didn't say a word to her, leaving singing to Hater. It's Dom who spoke to him, to make fun of him and inform him about his inevitable demise.

Well, there was a small moment in "The Flower", where she tormented both him and Syl and he wished her gesundheit twice, but I'm not sure if it counts in grand scheme of things.

In "The End of the Galaxy" Wander finally confronts Dom. "Hey, you're not letting your bots destroy me!" "Yeah, because I want to destroy you." "Why are you like this?" "Yeah, I know I'm great."

Through the series Wander believes that love will save Dom just like it's going to save Hater. Problem is, Dominator loves what she's doing. She's not a pragmatic villain. She just destroys everything for fun. She makes everyone miserable for fun. How do you fight love with love?

After revealing the last planet's existence Dom torments Wander even more, almost destroying Sylvia and the whole planet, if it wasn't for Hater's intervention. Skeleton man fights her back and once and for all destroys her whole ship using her drill, which trapped her inside, causing her to have breakdown.

And then Wander finally gets the problem: Dom's lonely. She's stuck, tries to answer, then doesn't want to listen to him yet does it anyway, which only amplifies her breakdown. Wander (along with Hater) saves her life and she can not comprehend that. "Didn't I try to destroy you?" "You sure did! But we can begin anew!" Of course she refuses, it's way too early to talk about redemption of any kind for her.

It's curious how much alike they are, yet how much their worldviews seperate them. They are each others' foils, the light and dark reflections in a mirror. One wants to help everyone and be kind, while other thrives on pain and suffering. Dominator wanted to make him helpless, but in the end it was Dominator who was proved wrong. And she swore revenge if only for that. I guess that in the future she'll be set on making him suffer by proving him wrong, make him question his moralities and actions. Well, she and new villains that is.

Peepers & Dominator

(a.k.a. let them interact for flarp’s sake)

Boy, do I wish these two interacted more. Aren't they like the two most evil people on the show?

From Peepers' side he wishes Dom would never appear in his galaxy, she only caused trouble. First by being #1 on the leaderboard, destroying every planet in sight, and then he had to deal with Hater's crush on her. He treated it rather personally, and tried to defeat her by using frostonium on her ship, which, sadly, backfired.

Dominator in turn was definitely unnerved by his actions in the season premiere and musical, but ultimately? She probably didn't remember his name. Maybe just associated him with the rest of the idiots at best.

*bangs fists on the table* Give! Me! Peepers! And! Dominator! Interacting! In! Season! Three!

Dominator & Sylvia

(a.k.a. I hanged out with WHO?!)

These two definitely had fun in "The Night Out". Sylvia couldn't recognize Dom, she didn't really got to meet her, only saw without armor her from far, far away back in "The Battle Royale" and the villainess decided to use it. And… they had fun. They had actual fun together.

Dom didn't even had to pretend that much, she was only not destroying everything entirely, but still got to trash the whole bar. Meanwhile Sylvia was glad she got a moment free from good-doing. And tried to impress 'D' by being a bad girl for a night.

Of course everything came to a screeching halt when Dom's tendencies came out and Sylvia put her foot down. Dominator left still not understaning what friendship is all about and Syl had to deal with knowledge she spend the whole night with the omnicidal maniac.

What's interesting about it is that both of them had fun, Sylvia called 'D' her friend, and Dom did propose Syl an alliance where they would rule together. …Well, kind of, I imagine when it comes to Dominator's understanding of partnership she'd expect the other to listen to her all the time. But, hey, it was something.

Although Dom definitely tried to forget about the whole thing, if her words in "The Flower" are any indication. Still, I imagine that in the future the matter of them bonding would be adressed.

[tales0fthenugget]

Asian Food (part 2)

(Updated in Jun'18)

So here's the second part of the never-ending eating adventure. Lol. I'm having some regrets doing this because I would suddenly crave for these yummy food while writing. Sigh. But anyway -

CHINA (2) (3)

My first legitimate backpacking was China. I know it's a little weird because I could have chosen one from Southeast Asia instead. My trip was well prepared and planned except for food. I thought it should be easy because I frequently eat Chinese food in the Philippines. Ah, of course I was mistaken. Language barrier was difficult, especially in Beijing. The food menu would not have English translation. Such horror, I had to resort to charades and guessing game. Not everything I ate made me happy because I have not guessed it right, but at least it was super cheap.

I had a little difficulty coming up with the list for China considering I've been to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and lately in Guangzhou for business trip. I thought about it to understand why. I think it's also because I've already had very good Chinese food from my home country and the other Asia ones. I have a lot of Filipino-Chinese friends and we often go eat at Chinese restaurants. So I tried hard to think for anything uniquely yummy there so here it goes anyway:

1. Peking duck! One of the perks of business trips - you get to eat at not so cheap restaurants and our associate director paid for it (technically it's the company). I didn't try this during my backpacking trip. I am not a fan of peking duck as before I tasted this authentic one, the ones I tried are fatty, served warm only, and worse with cucumber (here in the Philippines), lol!! I hate cucumber. Too bad I was too shy to take a photo, not just of the food but also while it was cooked in the oven. Uhm, not a sight for vegans though. Anyway, there were small containers with fire underneath when it was served in our table. Even the wrap had that container so everything was hot. But also very delicious. The duck that was served to us was not fatty. Also, I learned that the crispy skin is dipped in sugar and not just the hoisen sauce. Lastly, the other ingredients were served separately so I didn't have to worry about the cucumber. Hahaha. I'm going back in January. Let's see if we can eat there again and if I can already take photos.

2. When I finally had more time to explore. I bought jianbing for breakfast. I am not very sure if I got the name correctly. Back in the time I was enjoying this yummy crepe-like sandwich thing, I had no idea what it’s called. All I know is that there's a long line in this stall. For only 5 RMB, I am already full and happy with my breakfast. I could have chosen other meat that’s cheaper, actually, but I’m fine with this. It’s one of the food that I’m definitely looking for again when I return to Beijing in the future.

Here's my jianbing from 2011.

And then I did return to Beijing in 2018, and bought a bigger jianbing for RMB 11.

3. I had to try and find if I have a photo of the Schezuan spicy pork we had somewhere in Xian as we took a break from exploring the Terracotta warriors. I recall this dish swims in so much oil but I remember I like how spicy it is that it's perfect to eat with rice. See the reason I had to recall is because that was from seven years ago. Hahaha. But I would definitely like to try these Schezuan dishes again.

3. I have to replace this with the drink below from Hui Lau Shan. So I don't really know what is its official name but we're calling it mango pomelo sago with coconut milk. After discovering this I almost had this drink daily. Lol!! So this is obe of the things I am looking forward to when I go back tk Guangzhou this year :)

4. There were meals when I had to eat alone. This translates to eating somewhere already familiar as much as possible. So I went inside a restaurant, not really looking at its name. My basis was looking at their menu from the outside. I saw a yummy-looking noodle soup so I was attracted. But then the other page had a variety of xiao long bao! I walked in Crystal Jade! So this is familar. I liked the pork and cheese xiao long bao. For some, it might taste a bit weird because there's a hint of sweetness from the cheese but the natural sauce and meat were awesome! I ended up eating here again after the first night.

5. I’m also adding this breaded prawn wrapped in red rice noodle. Okay so like the mango pomelo sago, I don’t know the actual name of this yummy food. Maybe I will learn about it next visit.

6. I am so sorry (or not really) for extending the list but Grandma’s Kitchen’s chicken (I think boiled in some tea) is awesome. This restaurant actually has become a favorite for me ever since I tried last November 2017. Not only is the food yummy, they have English menu and affordable prices too. I liked this too much that I tried this in both Beijing and Guangzhou last January.

CAMBODIA (1)

It's a little unfortunate that this is one of the trips where I was not too conscious yet of ensuring only yummy food goes into my tummy. Also, we tend to sacrifice yummy food if we have a jam-packed while-day itinerary. This is because we could have been stuck somewhere within the tourist (or sometimes unknown) area where we only aim to eat at least decent food. So with Angkor Wat so big, we spent the whole day - from sunrise to sunset, roaming around. Thus, few opportunities to try a lot.

1. I dunno if we were just hungry but this steak from some grill restaurant along Wat Bo road filled our stomachs. I added the photo of the other food we ordered which are just as yummy.

2. Blue Pumpkin has a full menu but I was only able to try its bakery where I immediately had a favorite in the form of chocolate chip cookies. Too bad because I only learned about it on our last day and so sadly, I didn't get a chance to eat a meal.

HONGKONG (3)

Similar to Thailand, my challenge in HK is to come up with a short list only. HK has a little "disadvantage" though because even the non-HK foodies in HK are so good too. I don't know why! You'll see what I mean from my list. Hahaha. It was only in my second visit that I had full appreciation of the food because we had intense itinerary the first time. I didn't really want my stomach full riding the roller coasters, right? Hear, hear!

1. Ichiran ramen is the bomb! I know, I know. I would transfer this to Japan when I get the chance to finally be there. Coincidentally, I also tried my first legit ramen during my first i.e. Ramen Nagi. Then there was influx of ramen in Manila. But I like Ichiran's the most. Simple and straight-forward it won't confuse your taste buds, lol!! - > yep, to be finally transferred to Japan list :D

2. Australian Dairy Company's egg pudding. We made sure we line up early because loooooong line! It doesn't look special but it's simplicity will take you away.

3. Pineapple bun from Dimdimsum - everything yum here also (and relatively cheap if I may add). But I am calling it out because I hate pineapple buns but I love this pineapple bun! I didn't know it's possible but Dimdimsum made it happen.

4. Delicious Kitchen's pork chop rice. I admit it was a bit oily but it's yummy and in relatively generous serving.

Sometimes I'm okay to go back to Hongkong even if I don't have much to do but just eat. I still have a long list of to-try food! Oh gosh, I wanna come back now!

SOUTH KOREA (1)

Going back to my post about my Seoul trip, I shared how we didn't eat a lot. Like Chinese food, we have a lot of legitimate Korean food in Manila that it's not too far away from food in Seoul. Also, there are numerous Korean stores here that my favorite Korean snacks are so accessible. So I pretty much have a short list:

1. Banana milk is a weird choice but I had a better appreciation after last month's Guangzhou trip. Banana milk there was USD 2+ and I just thought that's expensive. Imagine my happiness when S&R (our local Costco equivalent) started selling banana milk. I would buy a box with a dozen tetra paks that would translate to roughly USD 0.60/piece. I've been addicted ever since.

2. Authentic and cheap bibimbap here. My friends said this is relatively cheap because ee bought this in the university area.

3. Home-made "Choco Pie" from a random stall just along Myeongdong streets. I never really liked the commercial ones. But the home-made version of chocolate-coated marshmallow sandwiched by two cookies is just the bomb! My friends who again do bot like food in general, didn't really understand my fascination why I buy this daily. One even said, I should just buy a several for our whole stay there. But why would I - twice I bought it while it's still warm, and it's winter at that time!! Nothing beats fresh, my dears.

So I actually have more but still on the snacks and noodles. I'll definitely update the list when I get a chance to go back. No plans yet but I might as promo fares permit.

[taiyaki-travels-blog]

Tokyo day 1:

Today we had brekky at 8:30am and were in taxis on our way to JR Nikko station by 9:30am. We took local trains to get to Tokyo and we switched trains twice along the way, stopping for a quick bite to eat for lunch at Akebane station.

This morning I woke up with a sore throat and it only got worse as the day went on… 風邪をひいてしまいました。I, thankfully, was allocated a single room for tonight’s stay in Ours Inn in Oimachi, meaning that I could have an early night and rest up in preparation for the days ahead.

After checking into our hotels we quickly rushed out to Harajuku for the afternoon, followed by a dinner in Shibuya. I didn’t buy much today, but I was able to show one of my friends around Harajuku and Takeshita Dori and she seemed to have a great time, despite the rain! Along the way, I stopped in at a drug store to try and find something for my sore throat, I was so amazed at the amount of drinks, lozenges, lollies, medicines, and all sorts that were available for a cold and a sore throat. Japan is really ahead of Australia in terms of modern medicine, even Leigh Sensei was put onto some strong antibiotics to kick his cold and they worked practically overnight! No more “let the cold run its course”, it is fixable here in Japan! On a rainy day in Japan, all of the stores provide umbrella rests and umbrella bags for customers in order to keep store clean, this is something that Australia DEFINITELY needs to take on board!

I left dinner early in order to return to the hotel and take my concoction of new cold remedies, hopefully I will wake up tomorrow with less symptoms!

Tokyo day 2:

Today was the day that everyone left for the Ogasawara Archipelago. I chose to stay in Tokyo for those 5 days so I could catch up with my old friends, it was a tough decision to make, especially since the archipelago seemed so beautiful!

I had terrible cold symptoms today and I felt really drained, but I pushed through and trekked on. I left everyone at Shinagawa station and headed off to my Air B&B in Nakano. I was greeted by the dad of the house who had prepared a lovely lunch for me! He spoke in really broken English until he realised that I could understand Japanese, then he completely switched to Japanese. It is always really funny being in a foreign country and having locals figure out how to best talk to you. In a café today I walked up to the cashier and he said “ちょっと待って下さい” and then sent out an English speaking staff member, how then realised I spoke Japanese and served me as per usual. They are very welcoming here in Japan and really try to fill everyone’s needs, but often assume all non-Japanese people do not speak a word of Japanese.

I went back to Shibuya for the afternoon and got a present for my mum and my grandmother, along with some little things for myself. I got myself a pre-made donburi from the supermarket (only $3!) and went home for a night in.

Tokyo day 3:

Day three, and still no signs of slowing down. Today I arranged to meet up with an old friend and go to Ueno Zoo and Shinjuku. The zoo was beautiful and only 600yen to enter! (Meanwhile at $50+ entries in Aus…) My friend and I stopped for lunch and had 回転寿司 which was easily the best sushi I have had in my entire life! We then went to Shinjuku to get some baseball merch for my dad as a gift, and to book off for some cheap, and easy to read, Japanese books. Book off is a second hand book/dvd/game/etc. store which is normally at least 2 floors high and as wide as a maccas. This company also owns many other second hand chain stores such as mode off (for clothing) and hard off (for furniture etc.). These stores make finding cheap and functional items at super low prices, for three new books I only paid 400yen ($4!). I wish Australia was this into reusing/selling items, maybe then we wouldn’t produce so much waste…

We then headed for coffee, and my friend took me on a tour of his university to meet his friends and to have dinner altogether. We went to an 居酒屋for drinks and dinner. Just another lovely day full of memories, friends, and activities. Time for bed!

Tokyo day 4:

Turns out it isn’t just a cold, it is TONSILLITIS!!!! So I went and got some medicine and headed off for a day visiting my old host school from two years ago! The class I was in at that time are now in year 12 and about to graduate. It was so weird to see all of my classmates and friends all grown up and ready for university.

I helps teach some English classes and had a big class party with lots of sweets at lunch. It was such an amazing and nostalgic feeling to be back at Chiyoda, even if they have renovated most areas and even build a whole new building ready for an international school! I also found out that from next year there won’t be any more middle school attachment, and they are making it co-ed! Everyone has such mixed feelings about letting boys into the school, but they need growth so しょうがない.

After a sad goodbye to everyone at the school I headed off to ice skate with my best friend Momo. We hadn’t seen each other in two years, but it only felt like yesterday that we were together. After ice skating we had an udon dinner and wandered for hours as we chatted and reminisced.

I’m now home are ready for a loooooong sleep. I even cancelled my plans for tomorrow in order to rest up and attempt to cure this tonsillitis. Goodnight!

Tokyo day 5:

Today was uneventful, except for the evening.

I spent most of the day lying in bed, resting up to fight the tonsillitis, only making one trip out of the house to get some throat medicine. In the evening I met up with my friend from western Tokyo and we went shopping, took purikura, and had dinner in Shinjuku. Purikura is a photo booth machine that all girls (and boys) use here in Japan. They are normally in game arcades and are a must for any outing. It was wonderful to see my friend all grown up and ready for university, but it was also sad to say goodbye at the end. Bittersweet…

Tokyo day 6:

Today I woke up with a much better throat than the day before. This medicine is working a treat! Today I went back and visited my host family from 2 years ago that welcomed me into their family for 8 months. It was so amazing to see everyone again and they even got a new dog! (Now they have three in one apartment!) It is such a lively household full of laughter and love and it was amazing to go back. When visiting someone’s house in Japan, culturally, taking some sort of おみやげ with you is appropriate. That being said, when I was in Australia I got a personalised Vegemite jar for them as a gift ready to take with me.

Papa drove us all (us all being me, host sister, and host grandma) to Yokohama where we had a delicious lunch in China town, followed my some shopping in the local area. It was a very causal, yet exciting day and once again, saying goodbye was so so hard. It felt like it was just another day with the family, as if I was going to go back home with them and go to school the next day just like two years ago. Time moves so quickly…

Tokyo Day 7:

Today I left my Air B&B, packed up my things, and headed to meet back up with the group. I was actually starting to get a little bit lonely staying by myself for 5 days, so I was really quite excited to see everyone again and start having roommates! I really did love being in a Japanese style home for the past few days though. Living in a narrow townhouse, on a narrow road, in a crowded neighbourhood is the normal lifestyle for most Japanese people that live in the cities. This is quite different to the spacious front and back yards of Australian houses, you would be lucky to even have a pot plant here in Tokyo!

I spent the day at a café waiting around and reading a book before the group arrived back at the hotel from Ogasawara. We then headed out for dinner at an 居酒屋 and headed out for some shopping in Shibuya. The shops here are always open until at least 8pm and normally 10pm every night.

When we got back, I headed down to the 温泉 and relaxed after a long night. Now I am so ready for bed!

Tokyo day 8:

Today was a jam packed day! Most of the day was spent at the magical Disneyland, filled with laughter, food, and friends. After Disneyland, me and some other group members headed out for サイゼリヤ and shopping in Ikebukuro. We saw the famous Pokemon centre, at heaps of food, and got some cute stationary.

Not much to say today, just tired after a long day.

Tokyo day 9:

Today was our trip to 三鷹の森ジブリ美術館. I had been to this museum before, but there are new short films shown all the time that can only be seen there, so I was still excited to go back there! We walked through 井の頭公園 on our way to Ghibli and the 紅葉 was extremely beautiful as the trees here in the Autumn change into really bright reds.

After our afternoon at Ghibli we headed our separate ways to get out own dinners. Me and some group members went to 吉野家 where we got so much food for under $5 each! It is extremely easy to get not only healthy, but substantial sized meals in a hurry here in Japan.

Off to bed now!

Tokyo day 10:

Today was the last full day in Tokyo, and it was also a public holiday! I went and met up with my best friend and we spent the day in Kamakura. This was my first time going to Kamakura, and even a morning of 大雨 did not ruin the experience. Kamakura has a lot of Chinese food, is famous for its しらす, and has lots and lots of mochi. There are also many temples and shrines located in Kamakura and it seems like a very heavily Buddhist influenced city. There are large statues of Buddhas located around the city and no matter where you go, there is either a temple or a shrine within walking distance.

After a day of experiencing Kamakura, of course my friend and I had to take プリクラ. Saying goodbye again to one of my best friends was so insanely hard, but it was a little easier that last time we parted as I am hoping to come back next year.

At night I did some last minute clothes shopping with a group member and then headed off for a night of washing, packing, and sleeping.

Overall, Tokyo is a very very busy city, full of life and adventure. Not the best place if you want to experience the culture of Japan, but definitely full of stuff to experience, see, and do. This city will always have a special place in my heart as I have spent nearly a whole year of my life there, and this is definitely not goodbye, more like see ya later!