#and he's actually quite similar to morgana

[diveyne]

just wrote a ted talk about sylas and sylas/morgana thank you for listening

[larluce]

Merlin as Arthur's familiar/Arthur's shapeshifter falcon AU

@dsabian , @theplatanitosqueal , @stressed-but-chill , @gregre369 , @chaosofbelievers , @thelordofabsolutelynothing , @another-tblr-fangirl , @aceauthorcatqueen , @smileytrinity , @tiny-and-witchy , @wako-weirdo , @a-very-tired-ravenclaw , @schiwalkers-ineffability , @natsu2501malo , @dearfuturelyn , @thedollopheadofcamelot

LINK TO THE OTHER PARTS: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 (You're here), PART 10

In Morgana's chambers. Morgana and Gwen with the chicks that are now 3 weeks old.

Morgana: (putting the chicks their neckerchiefs) purple for Guardian, blue for Rain, green for Blizzard, orange for Brave and yellow for Wary.

Chicks: (chirp happily on the table) 😊😄😊😄😊

Gwen: Shouldn't we wait until they fully grow up? What if they later choke on them?

Morgana: Oh, that won't happen, the neckerchiefs are- (stops herself) Ahm... I'll change them before that happens.

Arthur: (knocks from outside)

Morgana: Come in!

Arthur: (enters) Where are my babies? 🤗 (goes to them)

Chicks: (chirp, moving their wings and jumping, happy to see their father) 😃😃😃😃😃

Arthur: There you are. You look regal! (extends his arms to the table)

Chicks: (move their wings like flying, but really they just jump to Arthur's arms)

Morgana: Awww, even Wary jumped. Fatherly life has really changed you.

Gwen: (also in aww at Arthur's behaviour) If you are like this with your merlins, I can't imagine how would you be with your actual children, my lord. Your future wife will be more than happy.

Arthur: ...

Morgana: ...

Gwen: (worried) Did I say something wrong?

Morgana: No! Nothing at all. Gwen could you bring me some flowers, please? The ones I have are already withering

Gwen: Eh... sure. My lady (bows), your highness (bows and leaves).

Morgana: (To Arthur) I'm so sorry.

Arthur: (smiles, reassuring) Don't be. Guinevere was just being nice. It's not her fault she doesn't know Merlin and I are together.

Morgana: Where is him by the way?

Arthur: Hunting. (Laughs a little) I literally have 50 hunters at my disposal, but he still prefers to hunt the chicks' food himself.

Morgana: (Laughs too) He can be almost as prideful as you sometimes (turns to the door and gets sad)

Arthur: (concerned) What is it?

Morgana: Nothing, it's just... I hate hiding things from Gwen. Before I knew I was a sorceress, we told each other everything and now... (sighs) I know I have you and Merlin and that’s a relief itself, but... most of the time I feel like I can't be myself.

Arthur: Merlin told me something similar. That he hates having to hide all the time. He didn't say it like that, but I know that's what he meant. (Sighs) I'm sorry.

Morgana: It's not your fault.

Arthur: But still, I'm sorry. You shouldn't live in fear. Nobody should.

Chicks: (chirp in Arthur’s arms)

Morgana: (shakes her head) No more sad talking. In fact, I wanted to tell some wonderful news!

Arthur: Really?

Morgana: (very excited) I finally got your birthday present!

Arthur: ...

Arthur: Morgana, my birthday was a week ago.

Morgana: Yeah, but then the disastrous feast happened and you were grounded and I didn't have it quite right at the moment to be honest, but-

Arthur: Have WHAT right? 🤨

Morgana: Don't freak out, but it's a spell that-

Arthur: (almost yells) A SPELL?! You wanted to do magic on my birthday?! 😨

Morgana: No infront of everybody, of course, just to you! Or really ON you.

Arthur: (yells) YOU WANTED TO PUT A SPELL ON ME ON MY BIRTHDAY?! 😱 What were you thinking?! 😡

Morgana: Stop yelling! 😠 It's a complex spell, but is pretty harmless even if it goes wrong and I think you will find it quite useful.

Arthur: I don't care! You know I trust you with my life, Morgana, and I'm open to magic, I really am. But I don't need-

Morgana: Even to understand what your chicks are saying? 😏

Arthur: ... what? 😧

Morgana: There's a spell that can help you understand other languages. It used to work only with human languages, but Merlin and I perfected it and now it can be use to understand other animals too.

Arthur: I... (his eyes water with emotion and looks at his chicks) I'll be able to understand what they say?

Morgana: Merlin says their vocabulary is pretty basic still, but he thinks you'd like to hear it.

Arthur: (nods still emotional) I'd love to, I'd really love to. (Composes himself) And it would be nice to hear what Merlin says behind my back in his bird form too. 🙄

Morgana: (giggles) Sure. So, wanna try?

Arthur: (worried) But Gwen-

Morgana: She always takes her time when she looks for flowers and she always knocks before entering. We'll be fine.

Arthur: (sighs) Alright. What do I do?

Morgana: Well, first, you should sit. You might get dizzy for a bit.

Arthur: Okay (sits on the bed carefully so he doesn't drop his merlins) Now what?

Morgona: Now just stay still and close your eyes.

Arthur: (does it)

Chicks: (copy Arthur and do it too) 😌😌😌😌😌

Morgana: (puts her hands on Arthur's head and chants, her eyes turning gold) Þurh minum gewealde ond þinum mægen! Grið gehiere mid þisse feorhberend!

Arthur: (Gets a headache) Ow!

Morgana: (concerned) Arthur! Are you alright?

Guardian: Papa! 😨

Rain: Papa hurt? 🥺

Brave: Who hurt? ���

Blizzard: Big female hurt! 😡

Wary: Nooo! Papa! 😭

Arthur: (in shock) They... they talked! 😧 (Laughs in joy) I can hear them! Morgana, it worked! I can understand them! 😃 (brings his chicks closer)

Morgana: (just as excited) Really? What are they saying?

Arthur: (eyes watering with emotion again) They... They call me papa. I know they do. Merlin told me they did, but hearing it is...

Morgana: (Smiles, moved) I know. I'm glad you can finally hear it.

Blizzard: (throws himself at Morgana while chirping loudly) You hurt Papa. I hurt you! 😡

Morgana: (catches Blizzard with her hands that are wearing leather gloves) Wow! Careful! you can't fly yet.

Blizzard: (chirps and pecks her hands furiously) Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt! 😡

Morgana: (can't feel a thing due to the gloves. Amused, giggles) What is he saying?

Arthur: (Laughs softly) He's mad because he thinks you hurt me. Blizzard, stop it. Aunt Morgana didn't hurt me.

Rain: Papa no hurt? 🥺

Arthur: No, Rain. Morgana just gave me the most wonderful gift. (To Morgana) Thank you. (Thinks for a moment) Wait, can they understand me?

Merlin: (from the window in his bird form) Kinda. (Lands on the floor and takes his human form) We talk english and falcon around them constantly, so you could say they're bilingual.

Arthur: (surprised) Merlin! How long have you been there?

Rain, Wary, Brave and Guardian: Mama! 😄😄😄😄 (jump from Arthur's arms to the bed to the floor and go to Merlin)

Arthur: (amused, to Merlin) Mama? 😏

Merlin: Shut up 😒 (sits on the floor and his chicks jump to his lap) Oh, I love your neckerchiefs! Your aunt Morgana did a great job! 😊

Morgana: Oh! Do they call me auntie?

Merlin: No, but just because there's no word for that in falcon. They call you Big Female though.

Morgana: Cause I'm big?

Merlin: And because you were the only female they knew for a while besides Rain. Now they are kind of aware you hold some autority around the castle, so they think you are the leader of females or something like that. So really they mean 'great female' when they call you that.

Morgana: Oh! (smiles) I'll take it as a compliment then.

Blizzard: (Still in Morgana's hands and keeps pecking at her) Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt 😡

Merlin: (scolds) Blizzard, stop pecking your aunt or no food for you 😠.

Blizzard: (stops and lowers his head in shame, chirping) Sorry, Mama 🥺.

Merlin: Now come. Food is ready. (Moves the dead bird he just hunted on the window with magic until it is in his hand)

Blizzard: Food! 😃 (jumps from Morgana's hands to the floor)

Guardian, Rain, Brave and Wary: (jumping in place) Food, food, food! 😃😃😃😃

Merlin: (throws the dead bird in front of him)

Guardian, Brave, Wary and Blizzard: (go to the dead bird and start tearing out the meat theirselfs)

Rain: (gets off Merlin's lap, but doesn't go to the dead bird)

Merlin: Rain go eat.

Rain: (shakes her head)

Arthur: (concerned, aproaches) Why don't you eat, Rain?

Rain: (chirps) No tear meat. No eat.

Arthur: Oh, you want me to cut it for you? Okay, let me-

Merlin: (sternly) No! she has to tear it herlself. Rain, eat now 😠.

Rain: (shakes her head)

Arthur: There's really no problem, I can-

Merlin: (raises his voice) NO! 😠 (To Rain, more sternly) Rain eat or no food for you!

Rain: (sturbornly shakes her head again)

Merlin: (furiously stands up and goes to Arthur) This is your fault! 😡

Arthur: Wha...Why? 😧

Merlin: You spoiled them too much! You think other chicks refused to eat if their parents don't bring their favourite bird? Or if you don't give them the part of the bird they want? NO! They eat what they are given! And they eat by theirselfs when they turn 3 weeks, but Rain doesn't want to eat by herself and it's because of you!

Arthur: (now angry too) What's the problem in them having taste?! 😡 If I'm perfectly capable of giving them what they want-

Merlin: Nature is not going to give them always what they want! 😡 Nature won't give Rain her bird in tiny little pieces and on a silver plate!

Chicks: 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Morgana: Uhm... guys? 😥

Arthur: I know how nature is! But she won't live in nature tomorrow. She's a chick still. You're being too hard on her!

Merlin: I'm not! If she doesn't tear her own meat now, how will she learn how to hunt? How will she survive?

Arthur: You're talking like this will decide her future forever. It's just one meal!

Chicks: 😢😢😢😢😢

Morgana: Guys? 😰

Arthur: Maybe she's a slowlearner, didn't you think of that?

Merlin: If her brothers already can, then she can! She's just being a brat just like-

Arthur: Just like what? 😠

Merlin: Just like you! 😠

Chicks: (chirp crying) 😭😭😭😭😭

Morgana: (yells) Guys! 😡

Rain: No fight! No fight! 😭 (Pecks the dead bird) See? I eat, I eat! No fight, please! 🥺😭

Guardian: I feed sister in nature 🥺. No fight! 😭

Brave: I fight nature! Mama and Papa no fight! 😭

Blizzard: Nature make Mama and Papa fight! I hate nature! 😭

Wary: What is a nature? 😭

Arthur: (almost in panic) No! Babies, we are not fighting! (Kneels close to them to comfort them)

Merlin: (does the same, reassuring them) We are not fighting, I- (takes bird form so they can understand him better and flies to them) Mama and Papa are not fighting, we were just talking. I'm sorry, don't cry.

Gwen: (from the door, drops the vase with the flowers, mouth open in shock) 😨

Morgana: (turns to the sound, completely pale) Gwen?

Gwen: I... I'm sorry. I knocked, but nobody heard... and there was shouting and I was worried.

Arthur: (very serious, stands up infront of his family protectively) You saw.

Gwen: (too quickly) No! I mean, yes, but I won't tell anybody, I swear!

Morgana: There's no need for you to be afraid. Merlin has magic, but he's good.

Gwen: And is a man.

Morgana: Yeah, that too.

Gwen: And a bird.

Morgana: Sometimes.

Gwen: And has magic.

Morgana: I think we already established that.

Rain: (scared) Mama, what happen? 🥺

Guardian: Papa okay? 🥺 why Papa angry?

Merlin: Papa is not angry, just worried.

Guardian: Why? We in danger? 😧

Brave: A predator! 😨

Wary: Nooo! No predator! 😭

Blizzard: Where? 😠 I fight predator.

Merlin: (comforts them) No, there is no danger and there is no predator. Nothing will happen to you (thinking) I'm the one in trouble here. (chirps to the chicks, trying not to cry) I... I love you a lot, my chicks.

Arthur: Don't be dramatic, Merlin. Nothing will happen to you either. (aproaches Gwen, warnly) Guinevere if you dare-

Guard 1: (Enters sudenly) Sire! What happened?

Guard 2: (Enters too) We heard noises.

Blizzard: Predators! Attack! 😡 (lets a war chirp and goes to attack the guards)

Brave: Predators die! 😡 (goes to attack too)

Guardian: I protect brothers! 😡 (follows them)

Rain: (hides behind Merlin)😲

Wary: (hides behind Rain)🥺

Guards: (just look down how 3 chicks peck their boots furiously in silence) ...

Arthur: (holding back a laugh) Well, as you can see, my merlins can be sort of loud.

Guard 1: But, sire, we heard fighting and something breaking-

Gwen: That was me. Sorry, I was... clumsy and droped a vase. (points the broken vase on the floor)

Guard 2: I see. (turns to Arthur) We apologize for the intromission, sire.

Arthur: Don't. You were just doing your job. You're dismissed.

Guards: (bow) Sire. (close the door and leave)

Arthur: (lets a sigh of relief. To Gwen) Thank you.

Morgana: Yes, thank you so much, Gwen.

Gwen: (smiles) I told you I wouldn't tell anyone, didn't I? And it's not like my word would mean anything against the one of the prince and the king's ward anyway.

Guardian: (jumping happily) Predators leave! 😃

Brave: (jumpinp happily) We win! 😄

Blizzard: Come back! Fight! Die! 😡 (goes to the door)

Arthur: (picks Blizzard up before he gets to the door) Enough fight for you. (crouches and extends his free arm to Guardian and Brave) You up, there's glass on the floor.

Brave and Guardian: (jump to Arthur's arm)😊😊

Gwen: Uh... Can they... I mean, are they like-

Arthur: (laughs softly as he stands up again) No, just Merlin. They're common falcons. But Merlin and I adopted them as our own.

Gwen: As your own? (Looks at Merlin still on the floor with Rain and Wary) You mean you two are...

Arthur: Yep.

Gwen: Oh...

Morgana: (holds Gwen by the shoulders, gently) I know is a lot to take in. I have my own secrets as well. But everything in it's time. For now the only thing you must know is that magic is not what we were tought it was. Magic is not evil.

Gwen: Well I know Merlin isn't. He's been here for around a year and has done no harm. He even saved Arthur’s life once.

Merlin: (chirps) Much more than once, really. He'll be dead if it weren't for me.

Rain: Mama fight? 😧

Wary: Mama strong! 😊

Arthur: True. He protected me since then. I didn't know he was a man at the beginning either. Not even Merlin knew. It's a long story.

Gwen: Well, I would like to hear it, if you let me.

Morgana: (more than happy) Of course! We'll tell you everything.

Arthur: Or Merlin can tell you himself! Right, Merlin?

Merlin: (takes human form and goes to Gwen) Hi, I'm Merlin! It's nice to finally present myself properly 😊 (extends a hand)

Gwen: ...

Morgana: Gwen?

Gwen: (faints)

Morgana: (catches her before she hits the floor) Gwen! 😨

Arthur: Uh... Maybe it was too soon. 😅

Merlin: You think? 😒

Chicks: Mama kill predator! 😃😄😃😄😃

...

The chicks now:

Okay, I know up close they don't look so graceful. But look!

They are still so small! 🥺🤧

Also, what do you think about Merlin and Arthur’s parental methods?

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Aithusa Returns Thoughts

- Lena's new favorite pasttime is to lay out in a clearing in the woods leaning up against Aithusa, letting the sounds and smells of nature wash over her. It reminds her of days recovering in the woods after Aithusa found Morgana. It's those peaceful memories that are the sharpest in Lena's mind, and she likes to linger there, enjoying a simpler time.

- Lena also starts to have nightmares. Some of it is nonsense, jumbles of thoughts and images unmoored from time. But more often she has nightmares of being pursued by a dark, ominous figure. He takes different forms, sometimes with the same face but always with the same hateful eyes. Most often he takes the form of a stopped old man with wrinkled features and long white hair. She knows him only by one name. Emrys.

- Lena soon meets the founder of another charity. His name is Archer, but despite the dudebro name he's actually quite sweet. There's something about him with his blonde hair and blue eyes, but Lena attributes it to his charm and their similar upbringings. While his family's fortune is relatively new compared to the Luthors, he grew up in and out of boarding schools, unable to find a true home for himself until he grew up and settled into his role as the founder of a charity for underprivileged kids.

- Lena and Archer become friends, not unlike she and Jack once were (but without the extracurricular benefits). They grow to become proof that platonic friendship is possible between men and women, and the trust between them is quick and easy, both inside the boardroom and out.

- Neither of them make the connection that once, a long long time ago, they were brother and sister.

- Kara is happy for Lena to have friends outside the Superfriends. It's been a long time since she's seen Lena so happy, despite her nightmares. She fills the space around her in a way she never had before learning her true nature as a witch, before finding Aithusa, before meeting Archer. She's happy that Lena has found her joy, and is allowing herself to truly enjoy it.

[morgana-ren]

Morgana if Bailey and Leighton DID become love intrests, how do you think it would look like?

Also, wpuld they use pet names? If so, what pet names would they use?

I think it would be pretty interesting, actually!

They'd present the opportunity to do something entirely different than the rest of the love interests!

Not talking shit on them, but a lot of the love interests are pretty... stereotypical. You've got the stalker, the bully, the sugar daddy old enough to be your daddy, the sweet religious boy, the best friend, etc.

And they're great, actually. I love them.

But can you imagine doing something a little... different with it?

Bailey

I think Bailey's is the most unique. It wouldn't be a stereotypical Love Interest ordeal. It would very clearly be a love/hate thing, which would probably take some insanely high checks with a secret trigger, same with seducing him in his office. Kind of like a secret path you can take after the right amount of choices.

Maybe trying to seduce him multiple times results in a strange encounter. He hates it, and he has a serious problem trying to resist. So, he does what Bailey does and thinks about how he can turn a problem into an opportunity.

He can fuck one of his orphans. If it benefits him. Free stress relief and the like. He's already done it once, so what's done is done.

He'd have a love meter, but it doesn't quite... work in the same way it does with everyone else. He never gets gooey or mushy. He doesn't take you on dates or have nice dinners with you. The higher it goes, the more he just seeks you out-- maybe without even meaning to. There'd be more 'encounters' available.

Maybe something akin to a dominance meter, that if you pay your bills on time, stay out of trouble with the police and other threats, making his life easier, do what he wants in bed without whining and basically just not being a problem for him, it goes higher. You can be his little pet or helper, if it's high. He'll trust you on errands and ask you to drop off sealed paperwork or attend small meetings for him. Kind of like an assistant. He won't pay you, but he'll be a bit more lenient in the future— for a price.

Maybe some encounters similar to Whitney, where he puts you under his desk to uh.... entertain him while he works. Just walks in when you're in the bath. You'd occasionally run into him in town, where he'd save you from an assault.

"No touching my orphans-- for free."

He'd never say he loves you or anything like that. Nothing so touching. But you'd catch him staring sometimes, and he'd immediately look away. Maybe he'd stroke your hair offhandedly when he's finished with you rather than just throwing you out. You become someone he reluctantly cares for, but you'd never see it. He's still an antagonist. You're just bedding him, as far as you know. Lots of trauma. Stockholm syndrome type shit.

Maybe during an assault, you'll get out of it for free (similar to the one in school with Whitney) and they'd say something like "Isn't that Bailey's special orphan? Shit!"

He'd have some rotten encounters with the other love interests. You run into him on date night with Avery and they have the most awkward, tense conversation of all time, and Avery says something along the lines of "Is he your guardian? I don't like the way he looks at you. That's not the way a caretaker should look at their wards" or the like.

He'll actively throw Whitney out of the orphanage if he catches him, and tells him to quit sniffing around you. He couldn't afford you.

Same with Kylar, except maybe he sees Kylar as an active threat and pulls the gun out to threaten him. Tells him that if he harms a single hair on your head, he'll pay in more than just cash.

He'll come and get you if you're gone for too long. Send goons after you if Morgan has you trapped in the sewers. Show up at Eden's place for you. Same with the farm. He'll drag you back home to the orphanage and ask you exactly who the fuck it is you think you belong to. Have you hard against the desk (consensual if you're into it, nonconsensual if you ask him to stop) and warn you to stop disappearing. it wastes his time to go and look for you, so you had better stay close.

When his meter falls too low (dominance, that is) he quite literally chains you to the desk. Tells the school that you've fallen ill and won't be there for a while, and just... keeps you there until he's comfortable enough to release you. It's sort of like a soft bad end until you regain his trust.

He cannot be dismissed. This is permanent. Once you've got his attention, you have his attention. You wanted it so badly, and now you'll deal with the consequences.

Something along that vein is what I picture for Bailey without getting too OOC.

Leighton

Leighton is a little bit more straight forward. Triggered by consensually sleeping with him at the brothel enough times and making him cum in detention and picking flirty options rather than bitchy ones. Basically, you catch his attention, and he decides he wants to keep you around. He notices your 'little crush' on him and decides to take advantage.

So he makes some sort of excuse to keep you around more often. Maybe gives you an optional afterschool job in the office until it closes when he goes home so that you can be close. You can go to his office to trigger some events. Sorting files for him, sitting on his lap as he works, consensual photoshoots for him, letting him eat you out as you try to focus on his extra paperwork.

Detention is still detention, but there's a more sexual spin on it. Er— more of one than there already is. Instead of "I will obey the rules" over and over on the blackboard, he has you strip and write "I will obey my headmaster" over and over. Your spanking punishments turn into raw dogging. He 'helps' you wash his car, awfully hands-on. Puts it in your ass raw if you've been particularly naughty.

He's super into the power dynamic, and the headmaster/school girl thing gets him off, so a lot of your encounters are education themed. He's 'teaching' you. Showing you how to please a man. Health education lessons. Will spoon his seed into your mouth while rattling off the benefits of swallowing cum.

At the brothel, he'll still occasionally invite another student to join you, but he'll also just do single encounters with you, and he'll pay you more— or not at all, depending.

You basically become a literal teacher's pet.

He can't really take you out in public for obvious reasons, but sometimes he'll take you to a restaurant outside of town and call you his daughter or his niece to anyone who asks. He might try to sneak you off to a hotel on the weekends, making some excuse about a student conference or special project. Sometimes he'll let you stay after school and drink with him in his office. Once his love is high enough, he'll unlock the school during the weekend and you can find him there during the day and do some... 'Roleplay' with him.

(does it count as roleplay if he's actually your teacher and you're actually his student?)

He'll start coming to your around town performances, whether it's at the sex shop or the museum. Always takes photos. He will 'reward' high grades and 'discipline' delinquency.

Does not get on with your other love interests. He's arguably the creepiest. Will deliberately separate you and Robin, and make crude remarks to Whitney about you. Won't spank Sydney anymore, and will just send them out as he uhh disciplines you, making a lewd comment as he does.

If he meets Avery, he calls you his 'best little student' in a way that has his skin crawling, and winks at you as he leaves. Calls you into his office if you've been missing at another place too long— and calls Bailey regarding you, which can lead to some interesting conversation if you're romancing them both. Gives Kylar detention for circling you, telling them to stop 'harassing his top student.'

He's still a pervert, but the higher his love is, the more he fixates on you to the point it can be suffocating and extremely unsettling.

I think if I really put more thought into it, I could come up with something more comprehensive and in character. It could be a really cool little offshoot from the typical love interests and leaves some room to experiment.

As for pet names, I think Bailey tries to avoid them, but in the heat of the moment, will let something along the lines of 'daddy' slip. He's your caretaker, after all. Can't resist it. Talks a lot about how he 'owns' you and how you 'belong' to him. Says you will always belong to him as he marks up your neck. Maybe you should get it tattooed.

Basically giving you a pet name is admitting he thinks of you in a special manner, so he really tries not to. Something something 'dirty little orphan bitch' and 'my little orphan whore.' They'll be slightly kinder if he has high love, but never outright cute or kind. His best orphan, his top earner, his naive little brat. Often claims ownership of you shortly after saying it just to reassert dominance. It's just how he is.

Leighton strikes me as a complete creep. He genuinely likes when you call him headmaster or professor, but will start to slip into 'uncle' territory once he trusts you. Possibly even daddy. He gets off on the age difference and the power imbalance. Really gets off.

You're little girl, his darling student, his precious pet. His loving niece, so attentive to uncle's needs. He gets really eerie with it is what I'm saying. During sex, he's still demeaning. Filthy little whore, headmaster's personal dirty slut. Makes up scenarios about you fucking him to get your grades up, even if that's not the case. Like gets real weird with it.

Like "Do you like when Uncle Leighton's cock makes you to feel good, little girl?" And "you're headmaster's dirty little secret." Territory.

A real winner, he is.

[roxyco-deliverygirl]

The only reason you don't like BG3 is because your bad at it

So! My main criticism of Baldurs Gate 3 is the story, for the most part I like the combat (which is the only thing you could be good or bad at) and as for weather I'm bad at the combat

Here's Morgana showing off my 100% achievements, including the foehammer achievement for completing the game in honour mode which is the hardest difficulty.

The overarching story is fine, it's a reason for you to go from point A to point B. You explore act 1 to find a healer for the tadpole, you go to moonrise in act 2 because that's where the tadpoles come from, you go to the city because that's where the Absolute is. It's passable, it does what it has to.

Act 1 is easily the best, all the quests feel like they lead naturally to each other. You have to go to the druids grove, in the grove you get told about the goblin camp and there are 2 ways to learn bout the swamp and a way to learn about the Gith in the mountain pass. And so on. Act 2 feels like it only has 2 or 3 real quests and a few optional boss fights standing like 10 feet apart from each other. Act 3 is better, but it does feel like a single street with dungeons on each side.

Companions are I think the worst, I don't like most of them. Astarion is a piece of shit and the correct choice is to stake him the first chance you get. Gale is honestly quite frustrating, imagine your girlfriend got shot so you decide to get really into building guns, and then get mad when she breaks up with you. Shadowheart has improved since last time I played, her story is like escaping a cult but she does get better across the story. Jaheira and Minsc are from the older balders gate games but in this one they feel pretty shit, Jaheira kills herself in moonrise tower 9 times out of 10, and you can only recruit Minsc on the one time that Jaheira survives. Halsin is alright and I think people getting mad about the bear sex is funny but it's kinda weird how early you meet him compared to when you can actually bring him into your party. Minthara is the same but at least she's an actual evil companion rather than a stupid one like Astarion. The companions I do really like though are Wyll, Karlach and Lae'zel. Wyll and Karlach are genuinly kind and heroic and the way they tie into the main story of act 3 is great. Lae'zel is a similar path to Shadowhearts story of escaping a cult but it's fleshed out so much more and actually has an impact on the larger story with freeing Orpheus.

My least favourite part of the game is the Emperor, he lies to the party constantly for the entire game, says that he's never lied to you, calls you a traitor for looking into other possibilities to save the world and then when you find another possibility he betrays you and joins the evil super brain. What's the point in any of what he did? If joining the absolute was an option that the emperor was willing to consider and go through with, then why was he trying so hard to fight against the absolute? And you can't convince him otherwise, like his plan to eat Orpheus and use that power to go into the final battle is not the only way. One of the options to go into the final battle is to free Orpheus and have a party member become a mind flayer, the only thing you need to succeed is Orpheus and a mind flayer, something we've had the entire time. Why is there no option to get the emperor and Orpheus to work together when that would work? He's a stupid character and I don't like him.

One thing that is a big criticism I have is the choices on what bugs and exploits to fix, over 7 majour patches they've repeatedly failed to fix infinite money exploits. But stuff like the broken elevator in the Shar temple in act 2 is still broken.

I did say that I like the combat, but tactician difficulty makes a lot of it less fun, legendary resistance is a very boring mechanic, a lot of the extra powers that bosses get are usually just frustrating rather than challenging. Mostly it's all right though, it was good to beat it.

Overall Baldurs Gate 3 is like, 6/10

The combat is good, the story and most of the characters are bad.

[tiodolma]

Colin Morgan and Katie Mcgrath DVD Commentary on Merlin and Morgana's Relationship in S1x08 "Beginning of the End" (Mordred Episode)

featuring

Colin Morgan, BBC Merlin Katie Mcgrath, BBC Morgana Julian Murphy, Producer Angel Coulby, BBC Guinevere

S1x08 Merlin and Morgana watching over Mordred who was behind the curtain

COLIN: This is one of our few scenes together. KATIE: Actually this is one of my favorite scenes. JULIAN: Yeah, mine too. KATIE: me and you JULIAN: I think when you think about the whole sort of texture of the legend about what, who these people will become COLIN AND KATIE: MHHM JULIAN: Or what we think they may become. We’re pretty sure about Merlin but we don’t know about Morgana. And then it has a real resonance. KATIE: It’s just really nice, this… do you remember we played it two different ways? COLIN: Yeah.. KATIE: there was one other way that’s ah.. JULIAN: It’s a little bit too sexy, really. KATIE: Yes! There was a lot of eh.. COLIN: It was… JULIAN: I was like hang on wait a second you’re smiling at him too much! COLIN: It was a bit too flirty, wasn’t it.. as in... KATIE: (Squeaking) I thought it might have been an interesting sort of sideline story but apparently not. COLIN: MHHM MHMMM JULIAN: No, I came in and stamped on that. KATIE: Yeah… that was... that was my idea was obviously useless. COLIN: HEH HEH It’s good though the undertones of this because you know I know about you at this stage and it’s funny that you’re sort of picking up on on on things as well but you know, you know not quite sure so it’s... there’s loads going on thinking... the scene is just cool JULIAN: Just trying to test each other on you COLIN: mmm JULIAN: Find out what each other is about. You’re also hoping that you, that you may have found a kindred spirit. COLIN AND KATIE: mmmhm COLIN: Well that’s oh yeah finding one like you and she mean hers and ehm you know, if there’s wrong and what if, you know, magic chooses you. It’s exactly what you’ve/he’ve been looking for. KATIE: And it’s sort of I’ve been speaking directly to you as it were. I’m saying exactly what it is that you’re thinking, you know? But you’re still a coward and don’t tell anyone anything. COLIN: Thanks, Katie KATIE: You’re welcome COLIN: …. KATIE: Saw you’re all being serious there. COLIN: (chuckle)

Scene: Gaius and Merlin treat Mordred's Malady

KATIE: ..that they’ve done it as well because everybody knows what Mordred ends up being and what Morgana ends up being and this connection here, you wonder if the connection is because they’re magical or if it’s because they’re ultimately evil. COLIN: MHHHM KATIE: You know, Which is why I asked you whether you and you felt Mordred were similar COLIN: Yeah. KATIE: You know, Whether the connection is through magic or through or (whispers) our ultimate evildoing. COLIN: (surprised laugh) Well suppose that’s where, you know, if, if there’s sort of Morgana-Merlin thing was any further there’d be a point, you know, where we’d possibly do come together at some point but again ultimately going completely different directions. KATIE: See, I’ve come to the conclusion that in, in Merlin and in Camelot that magic isn’t good or it’s bad, it just is and it’s the person, what they take it . COLIN: YEAH KATIE: You know, So I feel Morgana does the, the right thing for the wrong reasons. JULIAN: Well I think that’s what we kinda decided. COLIN: Well suppose you don’t, you don’t have a mentor whereas Merlin’s got Gaius here to really steer him KATIE: And you guys know I’m magical and yet you leave me! COLIN: (laughing) KATIE: So it’s really your fault that I become evil! Without your guidance! ANGEL: …besides you COLIN: Well you’re the king’s ward. ANGEL: YEAH COLIN: He’s gonna believe you over us. KATIE: But I don't even know!

notes:

the (in)famous interpretation of colin and katie portraying merlin and morgana with more romantic undertones and getting blocked by the producer

katie telling colin that merlin is a coward.

colin morgan projecting what a merlin-morgana conflict would look like if mergana actually did happen.

both of them hoped for mergana to happen

[p5x-theories]

Heya it's been a while, now if you're wondering why I haven't been interacting with this blog for quite a while, I'm actually half-retired on Tumblr (it was to do with some drama regarding AI bros & entitled people in tandem > >) so unfortunately I don't bother with properly using this site as much nowadays, so sorry for the bad news :'< I do however wish to share these for this little community to mess around with for fun; fanon/headcanon designs for Polter & Enco's outfits based on the theories shared on this blog (pardon the subpar art of mine) :')

So firstly here's my interpretation of Polter, since the most popular idea of her rebellious spirit is that of a witch, that I obviously went with. But to try and give it some spice, I gave it a subtle secondary raggedy doll theme to play on the idea of a "possessed doll" given what her Codename might be short for. Now the choice of colour for her gloves comes from the species of flower known as Lamprocapnos or "bleeding heart flower". The reason I went with this is not only to be a nod to the already existing heart motif going on for her civilian self, but also on this idea that her element being Curse (to fit with the witch/occult thing) with the flower itself being toxic. As for the choice of weapons, this was rather tricky to decide as I wanted something that still fits the witch theme and after discussions with a friend, I finally settled on a tome for a "melee" & a wand for "ranged" How it works is on DnD logic. For the tome she reads a Cantrip where she can cast a spectral fist at enemies without depletion, While for the wand she fires arcane bolts with the "ammo" itself being of spell memory.

And next up is my interpretation of Enco, based on the one theory that was suggested here of his rebellious spirit being a knight errand, now his was obviously a lot more harder to do knowing armor can be a pain to draw heh. I also took some consideration in how to design something of striking a balance between not making him too overly armored & giving him a unique feature to this knightly theme, and eventually I settled on giving it a striking surcoat as focus. (which yes, the back is deliberately longer than the front.) For the choice of colours for both his gloves and the overall outfit that too was difficult, as I am on the belief of his element being Force as to echo that one theory of the story members representing the 7 normal magic types of SMT (fire, ice, lightning, wind, dark & support/life), as I couldn't quite see another story teammate of the assumed 7 members being green as well (as technically Wind takes the spot). So after further consideration I ended up with the colours list in the pic, with Celeste Polvere being a shade of sky blue in the similar vein of Morgana's sky blue eyes. As for his weapons here, I wanted something unique for his melee weapon that fits with the chivalry theme which I eventually settled on a weaponized flag standard, as I felt it'll compliment the whole "victory" angle I wanted to go for his attire. While for the ranged weapon here, since nobody in the main story group uses a rifle yet I felt he'll be the most fitting to use one himself, with the types he's using here are Bullpup firing Personal Defense Weapons. As I felt it oddly fit with the armoured look of it all. So anyway, that's my reasoning for these fan interpretations of their Thief outfit s, if I'm close to my money then hey that it'll be a fun coincidence! If not then consider these instead a time capsule of a very wild guess of what these two would have looked like in my head. ;v;

Ooo, these are super fun designs, thank you so much for sending them in!! Especially if you went out of your way to log onto Tumblr again so you could send them here.

[earth-ambassador-jim]

If changeling!Toby and the Barbara and Jim of Lost Souls were to all exist in the same universe, how would you see that playing out?

This is a hard one.

Basically, Toby was just coming to trust the Lakes and care for them at the time that Jim was kidnapped.

For human!Toby in the cannon Lost Souls AU this loss resulted in him becoming a bit withdrawn and afraid to form attachments. For changeling!Toby the result would be similar except, as he is already playing a role, he simply leans more into it. He ends up becoming a decently popular kid but he isn't actually close to anyone. (He isn't willing to try trusting again.) He would get along a lot better with Strickler in this AU as he is acting more like the ideal changeling. (He still is skeptical of the Janus Order goals but he's taking the path of least resistance. He's working on some fallout plans for himself in case Gunmar isn't quite as thankful to the changelings as they're expecting. Which he suspects will be the case.)

Toby doesn't find out about Barbara and vice versa for a long time because Barbara is generally working within the Janus Order Headquarters and wears her armor when she's out and about.

Toby knows that Morgana has a champion but not who she is. Toby is simply too low ranking for Barbara to know about.

Toby does try to find out what happened to Jim with little luck. He knows that magic is involved but isn't able to get any further. He reported the incident to Strickler in hopes that it would be interesting enough for someone with more information clearance to look into it, but it never happened.

When Darci tells him about Merlin he passes it on to Strickler and tries to discourage her from looking into it more. She still maintains an interest in magic. Toby keeps tabs on her just in case she finds something.

By the present timeline Toby has for the most part moved on from Jim. The only people he really cares about are his Nana and the goblins.

Toby would end up being in charge of the goblins much sooner in this timeline. He would meet Barbara then. It would be unpleasant for both of them. Toby because it reinforces his belief that there's really no one you can trust or rely on, and Barbara both because Nancy's house cannot be a safe place for her and just the fact that someone that close to her has been affected by the Janus Order.

In conclusion: Barbara's reformation would be much tougher without Nancy's support. Toby would be officially Janus Order, but open to exchanging favors with the other sides. (Not Merlin though.)

[adhd-merlin]

merlin's personality type (mbti)

Post inspired by my own poll, which was in turn sort of inspired by a post calling Gwaine and Merlin "extrovert bisexuals". This baffled me at the time because, to me, Merlin was obviously an introvert. But when I stopped to think about it, it wasn't actually all that obvious. 

As I mentioned previously in my own tags, I think you could make a decent argument for either Extrovert Merlin or Introvert Merlin. After some flip-flopping, I think I've gone back to my original position (for now). Introvert Merlin still feels right.

Why, you didn't ask?

Below I ramble about MBTI types despite actually knowing very little about the whole system. Read at your own risk.

(I want to clarify that I don't think there's anything scientific about MBTI classification. I like to think about it in the same way I would try to sort a character into a Hogwarts house. It's just fun.)

Since it was proving tricky to pinpoint Merlin's position on the Introversion/Extraversion spectrum, I decided to first narrow it down to a few MBTI types that might suit his character.

The 16 MBTI personalities can be divided into four “macro-categories” (known as “temperaments”):

Guardians

Artisans

Rationals

Idealists

To me Merlin obviously belongs in the "Idealists" group, which would make "NF" the "core" of his type (xNFx). This leaves us with two orientations still to be defined: "Extroversion vs Introversion" and "Judging vs Perceiving".

(The 4 MBTI dimensions)

Potentially, Merlin could be an:

INFP – The Mediator

ENFP – The Campaigner

INFJ – The Advocate

ENFJ – The Protagonist

Judging vs Perceiving

One thing I find interesting about Merlin is his decision-making process.

There are some momentous decisions that Merlin spends a considerable time agonising over – for example, whether to kill Morgana or, later on, Mordred – but once he's made a choice, he tends to actually be quite inflexible about it.

Seriously, good luck stopping the little guy once he's decided that something Must Be Done.

“Don't try and stop me, because...you can't.” (The Wicked Day, 4x03)

(That's right, Gaius. Fucking deal with it.)

Merlin will BULLDOZE his way to his goal regardless of anyone's opinion, sometimes even in the face of actual evidence suggesting this might actually be a Bad Idea™.

There is one significant occasion in which Merlin backtracks after having made a huge choice, and it's when he resolves to save Morgana's life after an accident he involuntarily caused (her fall down some stairs) left her deadly injured.

I'll come back to the reasons behind Merlin's change of mind later. What's interesting to notice is that, even in this case, once Merlin’s made his decision he sticks to it quite stubbornly.

He has to ask Kilgharrah for help to heal Morgana and his exchange with him, in case you don’t remember, goes something like this:

Kilgharrah: Merlin don't this is a terrible idea

Merlin: JUST FUCKING DO IT

This stubbornness – or better yet, inflexibility – makes me lean towards Judging rather than Perceiving as Merlin's preferred mental function.

While it's true that Merlin sometimes defers making a decision until it's no longer possible (see: freeing Kilgharrah), which is superficially similar to the way Perceivers prefer to keep their options open for as long as they can, Merlin doesn’t do it to see if new information might come up and help him make a better choice. He only needs time to internally evaluate the decision and consider how it aligns with his moral values.

Once a choice is made, Merlin can act very impulsively – as I've joked about here – and is very reluctant to deviate from the plan, which is typical of "Judger" types.

I also think this becomes especially apparent during the whole Mordred situation. Merlin never really pauses to take Mordred's actual actions into account when deciding whether or not he poses a threat to Arthur – despite Gaius trying to at least make him consider that Mordred might not mean the king any harm. Once Merlin decides that Morden is dangerous and needs to go, there's no turning back (not until it's too late).

Extroversion vs Introversion

(A typical introvert, according to most people.)

Merlin tends to make decisions based on his own values and feelings first. Yes, he will consult others in moments of doubt – like Gaius or Kilgharrah – but his first instinct and tendency is to do what feels right to him even when it's not the wisest or most logical course of action based on the facts at his disposal.

(Incidentally, I find this interesting when compared to Arthur, who – in my opinion – turns to others for counsel far more readily [Merlin, Gwen, Agravaine] and gives more weight to the advice he receives. Arthur’s actually more open and flexible than Merlin when presented with evidence that contradicts his worldview – see his attitude to magic at different points in the show, perhaps most notably in episode 5x05, when he decides to return to the Disir.)

Merlin's decision-making progress is very much inward focused, which makes me think of an Introvert rather than an Extrovert.

I'm thinking of Introvert vs Extrovert (or Extravert) in a Jungian sense here, which is to say, not (just) how someone interacts with others and how social interaction might drain or energise them – quite a subjective metric* – but rather whether they have a tendency to turn inwards or outwards to process information and react to external stimuli.

Or, in Jung's own words, whether someone is "more influenced by environmental influences or more influenced by subjective factors".

An introverted consciousness can be well aware of external conditions, but is not motivated by them. The extreme introvert responds primarily to internal impressions. (x)

In this specific sense, I think Merlin acts more as an Introvert than an Extrovert, which would make his MBTI personality type “INFJ”.

INFJ – The Advocate

INFJs are also known as Advocates, Protectors or (rather aptly, in Merlin's case) Counsellors.

I won’t go into a description of this personality type here – like I said I’m no expert, and you can Google it just as easily as I can. 

I’ll just highlight a few INFJ traits that I think are very relevant to Merlin.

Once they have formed an intuition about something, INFJs tend to stick to it very tightly, often to the point of being single-minded in their focus. INFJs are sometimes viewed as stubborn and unyielding. (x)

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ's stubbornness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. (x)

Something typical of INFJs is also having strong "hunches" (what Arthur would call "a funny feeling"). They are very much a "mystic" or "visionary" type.

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them. (x)

Of course, much of Merlin’s intuition is based on magic, but that isn't always the case.

When Gwen Comes Back Wrong™ from the Dark Tower, Merlin can sense she isn't quite the same. When Gaius asks him to elaborate, however, he is unable to articulate exactly why he feels that way, because there is nothing obviously different about Gwen.

MERLIN: Have you noticed anything about Gwen of late? GAIUS: Nothing unusual. Why? MERLIN: I'm not sure exactly. GAIUS: Something she’s said? Something she's done? MERLIN: No. It's nothing in particular. (A Lesson in Vengeance, 5x07)

I'd like to point out that 1. Merlin looks especially hot in this scene, 2. his "funny feeling" has nothing to do with magic here. In fact, it takes him stalking Gwen and digging for evidence to discover that she is conspiring with Morgana.

Advocates tend to carry around a sense – whether conscious or not – of being different from most people. With their rich inner lives and their deep, abiding desire to find their life purpose, they don’t always fit in with those around them. (...) Many Advocates feel that their life has a unique purpose – a mission that they were put onto this earth to fulfill. For people with this personality type, one of the most rewarding aspects of life is seeking out this purpose – and then, once they’ve found it, striving to do it justice. (x)

Merlin's search for purpose is one of his main drivers (if not the main one). He almost immediately asks Gaius if he knows why he was born with magic and is quite heartbroken when Gaius can't offer a satisfying answer. After Kilgharrah tells him about the prophecy that concerns him and Arthur, Merlin throws himself into his destiny wholeheartedly, readily adopting it as his life's purpose.

Another INFJ characteristic which I think fits Merlin’s character quite well is that INFJs are harmony-seekers and deeply concerned about others’ feelings.

We see it at times in Merlin’s interactions with Gaius – although the two of them have their disagreements, and Merlin can be quite vocal about his opinion, Merlin's first instinct is usually to keep secret anything that might upset or worry Gaius too much.

For example, when Gaius earnestly pleads with Merlin not to meet with Finna (The Kindness of Strangers, episode 5x10), Merlin gives an evasive answer rather than confronting him, despite having already made his decision.

Being at odds with Gaius is truly distressing to Merlin – as shown in episode 3x09 (Love in the Time of Dragons), where Merlin's dejection after an argument with Gaius is evident enough for Arthur to notice and try to offer his advice.

Although INFJs rely primarily on Introverted Intuition (their dominant function) this is supported by Extroverted Feeling, their auxiliary function.

Extraverted Feeling is the secondary function in INFJs. Deeply concerned with the energy, moods, and feelings of others, INFJs have deep insights into people and situations and make decisions based on how they will affect people. (x)

In stressful situations, an INFJ might try to rely on emotions when making decisions, especially if it means pleasing other people. (x)

I think the best example of the above trait is Merlin deciding to save Morgana’s life in episode 3x05 (The Crystal Cave) after his initial decision to let her die. He does not do this because of any new evidence or information – he still has every reason to believe Morgana poses a threat to the king and kingdom, if not immediately at least in the near future – but because he's witnessed how her imminent death is affecting those he cares about (in this case, Arthur and Gwen).

It could be argued that Merlin’s choice not to reveal his secret to Arthur is also partly motivated by his Extraverted Feeling tendencies rather than just self-preservation.

"I didn't want to put you in that position" – he tells Arthur – again, showing a keen awareness of other people's feelings and a desire to maintain social harmony.

You can read more about the INFJ personality type here:

Portrait of an INFJ and INFJ & Relationships

INFJ Personality

INFJ: Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging

----------------------------------------

*I've stumbled upon this article which elaborates on cognitive Extraversion/Introversion, as opposed to introversion and extraversion as they are commonly understood: Typing Tutorial

[crescentmoon-flower]

Rewatching winx season 4 for nostalgia and realizing how wierd some things are

Ep. 7

Musa posing like the drama queen she is

How did Stella drag roxy upwards like that

"I'm a great shot" im sure you are

Stella darling you managed to contradict yourself

Musa your great, and I wish you kept these spells

Nevermind then musa is useless

Stella contradicting herself again

Oh poor doggy, also I would react the same to someone hurting my baby

Oh wow roxy is strong

Awww, tiny kitten

Flora and anagan flirting, its actually kinda cute

What the hell even is gantlos's power

Aw, sweet old rich woman

And gantlos found them

Yeah that car crash is about right

Also for a second I thought the woman was going to help roxy

Sassy gantlos

Oh wow that was a close one

Wow artu is smart, I wonder is that's a side effect of being around roxy

Spirit speech

Oh poor artu

Oh that's a close one part 2

First magic!

What exactly did roxy do though?

Sudden upbeat Music

Well that's a tone shift

Weren't they all just on the floor in the last frame?

Specialist deus ex machina

Nabu speaks really wierd sometimes

Oh my god Rivington chopped duman's hair XD

Did they just corner ogron and leave the others?

Awww, supportive timmy

Wow aisha is in a great mood.

I... don't thing implicitly is the word your looking for

Naaaawwwww

Liesssssss, you'll end up with more

HAHA, flora and aisha's reactions are great

Wait...... Didn't timmy already have a job?? Did he quit to be around roxy more? Or is he doing both?

How did he go from helia to Tobias? The others are similar but helia?

BOO-BOO XD

Oh okay nevermind

Oh my god, the one who doesn't work there is the only one he got right

As a only child and a girl, I feel you roxy

Ooooooohhhhh, musa

Bloom my god

Hey its that girl who everyone thought is the last fairy

Swimsuits?ok

Animation mistake roxy's sleeves

Spend the whole day talking to the neighbours canary?

Ok at least faragonda is kept in the loop

The fairy pets are adorable but useless

A yes, mcguffin wings bearly used

Guide book? What guide book?

What's with the sudden change of heart about keeping things secret

Why doesn't morgana just tell roxy who she is?

Ep 8

Pointless fluff

Oh kiko

More pointless fairy pet things

Didn't tecna explain the website several times now.

Finally common sense for stupid romance problems

Convenient timing

Did roxy sleep the entire day?

Ok the whole pictures arrange themselves in the same way

Cowboy outfits, actually one of my faves

Kind of worry roxy had a bother reaction to magic wardrobe change

Oh the Stella silent treatment

Ok from experience no large camper or bus like that has 4wheel drive

Suddenly I remember that the driver in world of winx was also aisha

I'd love to go there on horseback

Dramatic duman

Sadly irrelevant to the conversation flora

Don't like this man

Oh no this is going to be a disaster

Snort* flying bear

Seriously what are gantlos's powers?

Wait they can miniaturise what not in enchantix?

Smoke them out, smart

Gantlos is my reaction to

Did the circle burn him or just hurt?

Well that's awsome

Oh my god that man is dedicated to not noticing shit

That smile is creepy

Isn't this man a lumberjack? How is he going to survive now?

Why does bloom get to keep the circle?

And their back

Pets aren't typically allowed at bars

Pointless pet fluff

Nabu forshadowing

Aww tecna is emoting so much, I'm proud!

Damn this all, more mitzie

...well she had a good singing voice

He has work, stella

He's going to break that guitar

More nabu foreshadowing

Creepy surfer man

For a really important episode it feels like 70 percent is pointless

[poisonedfate]

curious. what do you think would have *happened* if gaius actually died in 4x07 ^^

woof. now that's a question.

i really had to sit down and think about this question because there's both so much and so little that i can see his death affecting.

first of all, i want to say that the show is notoriously 'bad' at dealing with deaths. if gaius were to die in 04x07, i'm sure that the implications i'm about to discuss wouldn't actually be addressed - especially because i can't see them killing off gaius for any other reason than the actor wanting to leave the show. his death would be unnecessary, an emotion-pulling sacrifice at best. they would probably do one of two things: use his death as a way to bring more danger/betrayal into the show (something similar to 'a remedy to cure all ills') or simply replace one with another, essentially giving merlin someone similar to gaius. i'm personally more inclined to lean towards option one, though merlin would still need someone who knows his secret and that someone would need to have some sort of knowledge that could be helpful to merlin, as well as a similar quality to gaius - a way to question merlin's decisions. i think it would be…too on the nose to simply replace gaius and this being set at the second half of s4, i think merlin could be more than capable of doing most things he usually does without a physician on his side.

that sounds harsh, but know that i'm currently referring to the technicalities and not the emotional side of things. i think he'd be fine sneaking in and out and using his magic to heal if necessary etc etc. i also want to add that i cannot see merlin becoming the court physician either. i don't think it would really cross arthur's mind, and even if it did, i don't see merlin wanting that position. kid's got enough going on as it is. overall, there are quite a few different options as to how the show would deal with it, but it's neither here nor there. so let's move on to the actual implications of his death. the first thing to point out here is that merlin would absolutely blame himself. it could, potentially, drive a wedge between him and arthur, but at the end of the day, he would know gaius was only in that position due to morgana wanting to find emrys, and thus would have no real reason to blame arthur. however, this is where one of the bigger issues comes in - agravaine. at the end of 04x07, merlin and gaius have the little exchange about agravaine, merlin wanting to tell arthur, despite arthur having ignored his attempts earlier in the episode. not only would that exchange not happen, but merlin's emotions would be about 10 times more intense if he had lost gaius. now, that could drive a wedge between arthur and merlin, however, again, arthur has enough mind to understand the loss of a parental figure, and although he might dislike the accusation, i don't think any real harm would come from it. i also can't imagine merlin going after agravaine. admittedly, s4, especially the second half, shows merlin as a darker character, so the potential for some genuine rage is there, but i want to believe he'd act as his own voice of reason in that moment - all is not yet lost, and the memory of gaius would not be easily overshadowed.

again, as far as the show goes, i don't think the emotional aftermath would be as pronounced, but as i see it, merlin would, of course, struggle with it greatly. gaius was his one ally, his parental figure, someone who he protected and cared for immensely. and, just to highlight it once more, gaius was the voice of reason. he wasn't always right, but he often made merlin see the other side of things. so i think the simple answer here is that merlin's arc of becoming a 'darker' character would simply come to reach its climax much sooner. a loss such as this is about as heavy as they come.

another point i want to make is that merlin and arthur's relationship would change eventually. arthur does eventually find out agravaine was the one who betrayed him and would then know gaius wasn't the traitor. again, this is playing on the point that i don't actually think merlin would continue pressing the agravaine issue, despite gaius being labelled a traitor (although, this also depends on when in the episode gaius dies). arthur would feel powerful guilt, both for gaius himself and for merlin.

overall, i think gaius dying would, mostly, have an impact on the emotional side of things and not so much the actual main sequence of events. he's an important character in merlin's story, but he isn't a key person in the storyline itself. i want to believe merlin would find someone else to put his trust into (and i can't see it being arthur), even if it would only bring a fraction of that same back and forth him and gaius had. if not, again, he would perhaps make worse judgements, but he was never one to listen to gaius very often, especially later in the series. he'd put himself in more danger, and he'd have to battle a lot that he shared with gaius alone instead. merlin would run himself dry quicker than you could count to ten, and it would reflect in his character. he would no longer have the helping hand and that anchor to ground him. the very fundamentality of merlin would suffer greatly.

[arcplaysgames]

hey so i noticed this guy in the intro sequence and are you telling me Chaz is getting a fucking persona because that's fucking dope, his outfit looks so silly, is that FRINGE i see???? amazing

ANYWAY we're trying to get out of this Palace and protect our new chobit when

CHOBIT GOT A FUCKING PERSONA?

Actually the game..... is unsure???????? lmao It has no idea what the fuck this is and all of the skills have a little ? after them which is VERY funny.

I DO know that a Pithos is a term for the old earthenware pots that the old Greeks used. It is also related to the myth of Pandora and is the actual vessel she carried around, which we tend to mistranslate to "box."

I know this because there is a Linux client for the Pandora radio service called Pithos that I used ages ago.

I am very interested in the possibility of Sophia being associated with Pandora, but also just her name is interesting. P5 Vanilla had a lot of Gnostic shit going on, and in Gnosticism, Sophia was.... gdi was she associated with Abraxas or Yaldaboath? I'm not looking it up, the POINT IS that Sophia is definitely a name from that whole mythos.

oh fuck she was literally found in a box, PANDORA'S box, oh for god's sake. Persona!!!!! lmao.

You're doing great, Sophia.

I MANAGED TO GRAB A CAP OF REVERIE POLE DANCING, YOU ARE WELCOME.

Reverie's life path should either be a social worker or a housespouse who moonlights as a burlesque dancer. Those are the ONLY two options. I lean towards the latter because I want Reverie to be a trophy wife and spend all of Akechi's his husband's money on outrageous outfits.

SOPHIA IS GREAT. The way her VA goes from this not-quite-but-almost monotone cadence to these verbal SFX moments is DELIGHTFUL.

Anyway, she finds a portal out of the Palace and doesn't actually want to leave the Metaverse?

Ryuji, if she dies the moment we leave the Metaverse, I will kill you, dude.

BUT NO ITS EVEN BETTER

SHE IS IN THE PHONE

so canonically Futaba has hacked Reverie's phone and can monitor him that way. then there was the Metanav malware shit. now we got the EMMA adware nightmare. and now Sophia is in there too.

Reverie, what the fuck is wrong with your phone, bro?

oh god she's not even an app she's fucking Bonzai Buddy, i'm dying. this game is great so far. zero notes.

IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE THOUGH

it's not a palace, it's a jail.

That......... is interesting. Those are practically opposite concepts, honestly, palace vs jail. I wonder if instead of the situation in P5 where the cognitive world bent around the distorted desires of the ruler based on their real life issues, a jail might be an inversion. What if you have the call of the void intrusive thought kinda shit which is fairly harmless and then something happens that traps you in a cage of those desires? Morgana mentions that he's getting faint hints of Treasure in there but not actually detecting A Legit Treasure, so what if something else is going on here?

ANYWAY that's pure conjecture and the game might just being calling palaces by a new name.

i have missed you yusuke kitagawa, welcome back.

ALSO I GOTTA SAY. Ryuji's VA is doing so much fucking work, it's so nice. Like, all my issues with the clunky writing of P5 Vanilla are gone, this feels much closer to the naturalistic style of P4G (though it hasn't quite hit that apex yet, tbh, but we're early on).

I like that Morgana already feels a kinship with Sophia based on their similar experiences not knowing what they are and where they came from.

If Sophia winds up being, like, Igor's version of Duolingo, I will laugh.

Back to the point: We gotta figure out what the fuck is up with Alice, so vacation plans are on hold.

someone please feed Yusuke, i don't know if he's eaten since Reverie left Tokyo.

morgana i don't know if you realize but you are basically going to be sophia's mentor. you must advise her how to be a good companion and friend, which includes having the best jokes, being a great teacher, how to fit in a carryone, and purring. i believe in you, morgana.

I THINK I LIKE PERSONA 5 STRIKERS, FOLKS

i want to fluff her too, she looks so COZY in that thing. I understand where Ann is coming from. Just give her a hug and rubrubrub those arms. uwu

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Grief in all its Strangeness

Heyyyy so today has not been a great day. I was wondering if you could write something for Merlin or maybe the Avengers about that feeling when someone has died (by suicide, but you can ignore that if you'd like (you can ignore this whole ask if you'd like)) and you didn't actually know them, or even interact with them ever but you crossed paths occasionally and now they're gone and it just feels wrong. And somehow you also feel guilty? Idk. Your stories are always a comfort for me :) – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: suicide, one of the knights (not a main character) commits suicide offscreen, it is not shown/recounted but the fic revolves around the grief after the incident

Pairings: gen

Word Count: 2146

One of the knights is dead.

Merlin didn't know it at first; that would explain why he'd barged into Arthur's chambers and been surprised that the Prince was already out of bed—granted, not dressed and out of bed, but out of bed nonetheless—and why Arthur had been even snappier with him than normal. And it wasn't one of those 'fun' snappy moods either, the ones where Arthur's getting a bit overwhelmed with the pressures of being a prince and all that came with it, and he needed to mess around or he'd go insane—Morgana's words, not Merlin's. No, this was one of the moods where Merlin figured out he needed to put his head down and get out before it escalated to one of them saying something they really didn't mean.

He finds out from Lancelot what's happened.

"One of the newest knights was found yesterday," Lancelot says, taking Merlin off to a side corridor where no one ventures often, his hands hidden beneath the swaths of red fabric and his voice too low to tremble, "I imagine the Prince is taking it harder than most."

"Why would Arthur be taking it harder?"

"This knight was one of the youngest Camelot ever trained. And he was found with…" Lancelot's breath stutters and he quickly coughs. "It's quite obvious what he died from. Why he died."

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh, no," Merlin mumbles as Lancelot nods solemnly, "I'm—I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," for how could Lancelot not be grieving too? "I—hh. It was a surprise, to be sure. It seemed like he was…well, like he was fine. I suppose we never really know for sure, do we?"

Merlin nods. His head spins with the idea of one of Camelot's knights, his body found by his brothers-in-arms, and then not even able to find the thing that killed him because, well…

"I don't mean to muddy your day with—"

"You're not muddying anything," Merlin interrupts quickly, "I asked, you told me. Thank you. And, um, I'm sorry for your loss too."

Lancelot smiles ruefully, nodding once more and clapping his hand against Merlin's shoulder. As he turns to walk away, Merlin's hand shoots out and grabs his wrist. He stops, turning back, and Merlin swallows.

"You've got me," he says in a rush, "you—you know you've always got me, right?"

Lancelot's brow furrows for a moment, before realization dawns and his mouth opens a few times, trying to form words. Merlin just stares at him, waiting, until another smile forms on his face, sweeter than the last.

"I do," he says, stepping back into Merlin's space and taking Merlin's arm too, "of course, I do."

"Right."

"Right."

"Is this—do knights hug, or—?"

And he actually gets Lancelot to chuckle as he opens his arms, letting Merlin give him a hug and whispering another thank you into the space between them before he pulls away. He watches Lancelot walk away, red cloak billowing out behind him, and looks down at his own ruddy hands to see the calluses and blisters that have started to show a similar color.

That does explain why Arthur was in a mood, and despite himself, Merlin feels a pang of sympathy for him. It was one thing to be a knight right now, he supposes, to have lost one of your brothers, but quite another to be the Prince: responsible for his training, for him, and still for the rest, and not able to talk to anyone. For who could Arthur talk to who would listen? The other knights—well, if they could get over the power imbalance between knight and prince, that would be miracle enough. Then there might be those who blame Arthur for the knight's death, or who could be placed in an equally volatile situation. And none of the other nobles would have the same emotional weight that Arthur would, he was the only one who was a knight, who trained and lived and breathed with them.

And the King…

The day Uther Pendragon cares about something, not as an extension of himself, but for it and it alone, Merlin will walk into the lake and never emerge again.

So: who does Arthur have? Well, he has Merlin.

Not that Arthur would ever really admit it, not in front of anyone in any way that matters, but he does have Merlin. And so, Merlin will be there for him, in any way he can.

He orders Arthur's favorite foods from the kitchens for dinner. It's a massive platter—but then again all of Arthur's meals tend to be—and he staggers into the wall a fair few times going up the stairs, but he gets it on the table before Arthur can look up from his desk. He turns his back and picks up another chore before Arthur can see what he's done, scrubbing at a determined spot on Arthur's gauntlet.

He keeps his ears pricked for the pause in the scritch-scratch of Arthur's quill, waiting until he can peek over his shoulder at the scrape of Arthur's chair.

"Merlin."

"Mm?"

"These are…" Arthur clears his throat. "Thank you."

Merlin hides a smile. "You're welcome. Figured you'd be hungry."

"You saying I'm fat?"

"I'm saying that it must take a lot of energy to do all that work without taking a break."

A soft huff but it's a laugh—he made Arthur laugh, just a little. He looks over his shoulder again and sees the remnants of a smile on Arthur's face as he tucks into his dinner, and he allows his own to bloom again as he goes back to scrubbing at the metal. Arthur's chambers fade back into the quiet sounds of their coexisting as Merlin's hands go bright with exertion, until everything gets suspiciously quiet and he turns just in time to catch a roll of bread flying at his face.

"Oi!"

"Thought you looked a bit peckish," Arthur grins, getting up and going back to his desk, and Merlin gnaws off a bite and sweeps the crumbs onto an empty plate.

This…this he can do.

He doesn't order Arthur's favorite every time, but he makes sure he orders the things that he likes. He does his worst chores when Arthur isn't in the room, or at least keeps the obnoxious ones to a minimum and makes deals with the other servants to have them taken care of while they're out during the day. He plays the fool, the jester, the easy target when he needs to, and if he can send Arthur off to bed with a smile more nights than not, he counts that as a win.

It's not…easy to check in on the knights as well, but it's easier than it should be. Arthur trains the knights, after all, and Merlin would be lying if he said he hadn't noticed the way he's being a little softer, a little kinder with them in the wake of the death that's occurred. A few of the senior knights lend themselves to their brothers as well—he sees Lancelot comforting two squires who have tears in their eyes, he sees one of the sword-master's regular demonstration partners speaking softly to a young knight whose hands won't stop trembling, he sees Leon holding who he later learns was the knight's beloved, letting him cry into his shoulder without saying a word.

He happens upon the three of them in the armory later that evening and wordlessly returns with a tankard of the finest wine he can lay his hands on, three goblets, and a small plate of pastries. He doesn't speak to the third knight, but both Leon and Lancelot find him the next day and pass on their thanks. After that, well, it becomes a habit to walk past the armory to see if there's anyone else waiting there.

He's thinking about how many plates of cinnamon pastries he'll have to ask the baker for when Gaius yells in shock and he looks down to see he's burned his hand.

Gaius frets and scolds him for not paying more attention as he carefully wraps up his hand, but Merlin can't stop looking at the red, red, red skin beneath the sickly pale bandages. He doesn't pick at it, but he tugs them down just enough so he can see the bright color again. Arthur gives him a curious look when he sees the wrappings and he mumbles some excuse about being clumsy that Arthur laughs at. He finds himself looking at it throughout the day, the bright red skin.

It is a strange thing to be surrounded by grief.

Merlin didn't know this knight. He didn't know their name—well, he knew their name now, his name was Larkin—he didn't know what he liked to do in his spare time, he didn't know his favorite food, he didn't know what Larkin wanted out of life. And yet as he watches the knights grieve, watches Arthur grieve, his chest fills with a selfish desire to know, so that he might grieve too.

The first time that thought crosses his mind, he balks at it. Who is he to wish for grief? Who is he to want to steal the pain of others and hoist it onto his own shoulders? Is it not enough that he is here for the ones he does know, the ones he does care about, while they grieve in their own ways?

The burn blisters.

He thinks of Larkin, cold in the middle of the night. He thinks of his body on a smoldering pyre. He thinks of the acrid smoke in his throat and eyes. He thinks of Freya at the bottom of an endless ocean.

He thinks of his own shaking hands, red and blistered, and spends a thoughtless night awake and alone in the dark, staring unseeing at his own grief.

Distantly, he realizes that this is selfish too, in its own way. If he should mourn, should he not mourn this loss? Why is he mourning a loss that could only be his own, when he could make his suffering communal? But he could no more wish his own grief away than he could unburn his hand, which aches and itches under the bandages as it glows red and warm. He thinks of the strange numbness in his gut when he sees the knights grieve, and of the burning guilt in his chest that no one else shares his.

He lets Gaius change his bandages and goes up to Arthur's chambers.

When he opens the door, Leon and Lancelot up from their seats at the table and he instantly turns, going to fetch the mead, the ale, the wine, but Arthur's voice stops him.

"Merlin, come sit."

Merlin sits. Leon looks at him for a moment, then down to his hand, and holds out his own. After a moment, Merlin lets him have it, the other clenching in his lap at the twinges as Leon examines the burn.

"Nasty thing," he says quietly, "how did it happen?"

"Wasn't paying attention. Got distracted."

Leon hums, looking back up, but he doesn't let go of his hand. Merlin's brow furrows, mouth opening to ask what's happening, when there comes a knock at the door. On instinct, he rises to answer, but Leon's hold keeps him seated as Lancelot goes instead. He returns with a platter of baked apples, still slightly bubbling, and Merlin's eyes widen. Over the last of the steam, he sees Arthur smile just a little, coming to sit across from him. He feels Lancelot's hand settle in the crook of his shoulder, still slightly warm from handling the platter.

"We're here for you too," he says softly, and Merlin's eyes fill with unshed tears.

Arthur's chair scrapes across the floor. His boots thud as he rounds the table and strong hands pull Merlin up from the chair and into a solid chest. The wind leaves him at the sudden rush of solidwarmArthur around him and the gasp jars the tears from his eyes. The last thing he smells before his nose closes is the slightly toasted spice of the apples and the faint trace of polish from Arthur's armor. Arthur's chin hooks over his shoulder.

"Go on," he murmurs, "it's okay."

Grief is still strange to Merlin. Comfort doesn't have to be.

[moreaithusaplease]

Soulmate au with Merlin and Arthur but they reincarnated on Harry and Draco, in that point it changes the way both interact

What change would be more noticeable?

Also Draco would be more likeable to befriend Harry's friends in that situation probably, maybe starting to see similarities between Good/Young!Morgana and Hermione and Ron as Lancelot/Gwaine.

The sorting hat would be laughing hard analysing their past lifes, Arthur a Cleary Griffinnor/Hufflepuff taking a place on Slytherin; Merlin a Slytherin/Ravenclaw on Griffinnor.

Blaise, Pansy, Ron and Hermione don't know what to do but they're finding out how bear each other and even befriending!

Of couse the racism between Pure bloods and Muggleborns would decrease in many houses where this crazy group our be included, Draco isn't a asshole and this is a Complete AU

(let's suppose that Merlin did die someday because him waiting is sad and need me wanna cry so a reincarnation AU can happen)

Draco would find studying with Hermione pleasant, they make a study group every single time there is tests with Snape as the teacher.

Harry have more training with magic duels with the Slytherins help

Draco magic would be weak, yes, Weak to a pure blood but strong to a Born, he finds Harry's ease with magic amazing

Luna comes to the equation too because she is adorable and i love her, Harry thinks fondly of her, He's makes hi remember something but he isn't quite sure of what (Maybe Gwen, Maybe Freya)

Blaise and Ron become friends so fast when they start to actually hang out

Pansy and Draco find a crazy lake in middle of a afternoon flying training, Both try to take the whole group there but they couldn't find the lake again

Imagine Harry spiting medical knowledge when a incident happens, all the group is staring straight to his eyes, Harry arches his eyebrows, Draco laughs like he remembered something funny.

[auncyen]

tagged by @cateringisalie - tagging @darrelodin, @bad0mens (but don't feel obligated obviously!)

How many works do you have on ao3? 138

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 434,082

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Persona 5, Octopath Traveler 2 are the active ones; previously wrote quite a bit for Bravely Default and some for Final Fantasy VII.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these are all P5 fics. Also the top two really ARE the two fics I started on the p5 kinkmeme lol! (They had non-kink prompts as well)

When the Cat Dragged In the Trickster (2172) - AU where Ann is the PT leader; when Morgana runs away, he recruits the delinquent who sits behind her in class. Hiatus'd for way too long, I do want to resume it I just kind of. psyched myself out hard lol

Our Partner is Who? (1471) - no metaverse AU. Plays fast and loose with how Japanese school works to force Ryuji and Ann to work with "the scary delinquent" for a project. They realize he's not as bad as the rumors say.

Infringe (1039) - not all Joker Palace fics do this (or have a fairly ironclad reason for doing it), but a number have the thieves break the rule of a unanimous vote to investigate Joker's Palace behind his back. This is about how that could go wrong.

Stall and Crash (997) - Things go very wrong during a battle in Shido's Palace when a status effect sends Joker's mind back to the interrogation room.

Overload (623) - Minutes after summoning Satanael, Ren collapses in Shibuya square. Spurred by a prompt about giving p5 a p3-esque end (though, notably, Ren doesn't actually die...but at the point it leaves off, he's not in a good state, either)

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

I try to. I don't always. I have a bad tendency to overthink and so I can get myself with "am I saying this right/did I respond to everything/AUGH IT'S BEEN TOO LONG".

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

Oh gosh if you wanna go way back in time to fanfiction.net I feel like some of the Shadow Hearts fic might count lol BUT actually. In recent ao3 memory. Killing Hope is a fic that explores a timeline where Ren sold out his friends in the interrogation room, and now that he's dead and most of the Phantom Thieves are captured, Akechi is setting out to tie up one last loose end. It is 100% a bad time.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Heaven Never Could Describe reunites Maruki and Rumi. Like it could have been even sappier. But it's already pretty sappy.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Not really. I've occasionally gotten overbearing crit or a backhanded bookmark ("not as good as [different fic with somewhat similar premise]") but in terms of getting outright hate I've been lucky.

9. Do you write smut?

No. Like I have, if you really dig through ao3 and ff.net profiles you can find it, but I barely read it and the stars gotta align for me to want to write it.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No. Occasionally I like to pitch an idea off the cuff but it's rare for one to compel me into writing. Do think p5 x aa fics are fun but I haven't had any particularly strong ideas for one myself.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge.

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

No, I haven't had the best luck with partner projects so I always feel like that might just drive me and/or the partner nuts lol

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Tiznes is still pretty nice lol although I feel like OF ALL TIME it'd probably have to be Clerith.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

Overload would be nice to finish but is probably dead in the water. To be fair to myself, it was spontaneously spurred on by an ask and never did have a firm plot to begin with, just headcanon about what couldcause Ren to have a near-death experience at the end of p5. There were some vague thoughts about how to have him recover/how MUCH he'd recover (one idea was that while he recovers enough to do basic self-care like eating/dressing and can hold conversations and do some simple tasks, it's dicey, at least in the fic's time frame, if he'll ever recover enough to be fully self-sufficient in the future and the team recognizes that and tries to help him have a safety net)/even a thought about pulling in p5r elements (it was started before royal came out but has no contradictions iirc) but at this point. it's easier to say "that was interesting but I don't know how to finish it" and move on.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm fairly good at digging into characters and getting their motivations right?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting stuck on projects in ways where I feel like I can't even write like I can string one word to another but I've completely lost any perspective of how anything connects in an interesting way

WHEN THE BRAIN FOG ROLLS IN IT'S LIKE SILENT HILL

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

Don't lol

I have done it, in a very old Shadow Hearts fic, but honestly unless the POV character has decent proficiency in the target language they'd have trouble parsing it anyway, and if they're fluent they can just understand and "hear" it as...what it means in the language you're writing in. There are occasions it may make sense but I think most time it's more trouble than it's worth.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Shadow Hearts according to my ff.net profile but that's because I deleted my very first ff7 fic off there lololol

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

for all the headache it's caused me I do like When the Cat Dragged in the Trickster

for an oldie tho. I like What Crossdressing Says About Character (ff7 fic about Cloud & Aerith in the sector six segment).

[emetophobiahelp]

Complete Inside no 9 Masterlist (Season 9 included!)

A lot of these have spoilers so if you want to skip a scene without reading the details just look to the timestamps at the front of each warning! I’ll note the ones that have spoilers so you know.

SEASON 1

S01E01 SAFE* [MENTION]

[21:10-21:20] Elizabeth says she feel s* when Stinky John attempts to get into the wardrobe, other characters pull faces and look slightly unwell, but no one v*s

[27:20-27:25] John says that he can smell carbolic soap and g*s, the rest of the cast react in disgust.

S01E02-E04 SAFE

S01E05 SAFE* [MENTION]

[12:10-12:15] Tony is sent back to his dressing room drunk after an unfortunate mishap on stage, Felicity mentions that she had to issue a warning because Macbeth v*d on stage. It is not seen on screen.

SEASON 2

S02E01 SAFE-ISH*

This episode can be triggering for a number of reasons, the most prominent being Jorg. Not at any point in the actual script does he v*, but lots of g*ing and r*tching that might trigger some.

[1:50-2:09] Jorg begins coughing up phlegm – which sounds a bit like he’s g*ing. He holds it in his mouth and moves to the window to spit it out. It flies back into his face and he curses loudly. This is explicitly stated as phlegm in the scripts (if that’s something that might help) but is still very gross and does look somewhat like s*.

He makes similar g*ing/coughing sounds at [14:13-14:17]

[24:43-24:48] An insanely hectic scene. As Hugo holds the shoebox under Jorg, he g*s, he holds his hand over his mouth throughout the sequence but does not v*.

S02E02-E04 SAFE

S02E05 SAFE* (MINOR SPOILER)

There is a character with alcoholism in this episode, she gets quite drunk but not at any point does she v*.

[23:20] Nana starts to choke, in case that is triggering for anyone! I wouldn’t say it’s too intense and she does not die. The scene is hysterical and I recommend sitting through it.

S02E06 SAFE

SEASON 3

S03E01-E02 SAFE

S03E03 NOT SAFE [AUDIO, VISUAL] (SPOILER)

[18:00-18:30] When Nina drops to the floor and crawls towards the waste-basket, she sticks her fingers down her throat in an attempt to make herself v*, which she does. I found it quite realistic and graphic so I suggest skipping it if you’re particularly sensitive.

[27:40-27:10] When Squires puts the meat into his mouth, he g*s, and continues to do so as he eats. He does not v*, and the audio is quite subtle. I’d suggest biting the bullet on this one as it’s quite an important scene, and the audio is relatively tame. But of course, it’s not a problem if you can’t.

S03E04 SAFE*

The characters in the episode ingest a plethora of supposed drugs, no one v*s as a result.

S03E05 SAFE

S03E06 SAFE* (SPOILER)

[17:25-17:48] Morgana Robinson’s character, Carrie, takes a drink from a poisoned bottle of wine. She does not v*, but she chokes and g*s as smoke rises from her mouth.

SEASON 4

S04E01 SAFE

S04E02 SAFE* [MENTION] (SPOILER)

[22:45-22:50] Tommy recounts the time he found Len in Bernie Clifton’s dressing room choking on his own v*. It is not mentioned again.

S04E03 NOT SAFE [AUDIO, VISUAL] (SPOILER)

[4:10-4:16] Percy v*s blood onto Viktor. It shouldn’t be too triggering as it’s more as if he spits it than v*s it. It’s also easy to see coming, as he complains not seconds earlier about his stomach.

Also, at [8:20-8:40], Percy groans and clutches his stomach. He does not v*.

S04E04-S04E06 SAFE

SEASON 5

S05E00 SAFE

S05E01 SAFE*

[1:50] Brendan emerges from the bathroom with his hand on his stomach. Rest assured – his stomach troubles do not extend beyond that scene and he does not at any point mention feeling s*  let alone v*.

S05E02 SAFE

S05E03 SAFE*

[4:42-4:44] Julia tells Connor to wash his hands because there is a bug going around, in case that makes anyone nervous. He does not catch it though!

S05E04-E05 SAFE

S05E06 SAFE* (MINOR SPOILER)

At the very beginning of the episode and at the very end of the episode, Varney is lying in the backseat of the car with blood pooling from his mouth. Not particularly triggering but worth mentioning in case there is a sensitivity.

[5:35-6:10] When Tommo and Varney are in the car, Tommo brings out a small Tupperware box of chicken tikka masala. Varney reacts quite strongly to it, but he does not g*, more so covers his mouth and groans.

SEASON 6

S06E01 NOT SAFE [AUDIO]

[6:20-6:30] After talking to Scaramouche, Hortensia tells him rather urgently that she needs to use the bathroom, and sprints to the door behind. You hear sounds of her v*ing, but do not see it. In my opinion the sounds are quite pantomimic – suited to the commedia dell'arte theme of the episode. But still! It may trigger some.

S06E02 NOT SAFE [AUDIO]

[4:23-4:35] After Simon tells him some rather upsetting news, Spencer g*s and runs towards the bathroom. He closes the door slightly behind him and v*s. You see him lean over but, as I said, his face is obstructed by the door. It’s over once he’s walking towards the kitchen.

At [4:45] Spencer also spits some water into the sink.

S06E03-E04 SAFE

S06E05 NOT SAFE [AUDIO, VISUAL] (SPOILER)

At about [16:18] a sort of distorted choking/g*ing noise is heard off screen, I’m quite sensitive to choking so this was a bit triggering for me. At [16:41] a child choking in a chair grabs hold of Urban and begins to grapple with him, still g*ing. The actual v* isn’t until about [16:55], when the child v*s an orange substance onto Urban’s face. It’s over by [16:59] when he awakes.

The scene is deliberately meant to be scary so I recommend skipping it if you’re at all sensitive. All in all, I’d suggest fast-forwarding [16:40-16:59].

Also at about [9:20-9:48] Webster has a coughing fit, it sounds slightly triggering so be wary.

S06E06 NOT SAFE [AUDIO]

[17:38-17:46] Oliver v*s into the nearby waste basket, his back is turned so you can’t see anything. It’s also very easy to see coming as he mentions not feeling very well a little while earlier, and you can see him become visibly uncomfortable leading up to the moment.

Brian also becomes increasingly and visibly drunk throughout the episode but does not v*.

SEASON 7

S07E01 SAFE-ISH* (SPOILER)

[17:45-27:56] When the Ferryman offers his hand to Laurence, he g*s slightly and produces a coin from his mouth. It’s more like he’s coughing it up as opposed to v*ing but some may find it slightly triggering.

S07E02 SAFE*

One of my favourite episodes!

[7:22-7:31] Alan brings a cup of tea to his mouth to drink. He furrows his brow as it reaches his lip and spits multiple tadpoles from his mouth back into the cup. No g*ing or v* but worth the mention.

S07E03-E06 SAFE

SEASON 8

S08E01 SAFE

S08E02 SAFE* [MENTION] (SPOILER)

[12:29-12:36] Franny mentions that she and Reggie had to come home early as Reggi was feeling s*. He doesn’t show any signs of illness though.

Throughout the episode, Harry and Edward are tortured quite violently. Edward takes the brunt of it, and occasionally makes faces that may have some worried – rest assured no one v*s.

S08E03 SAFE*

[13:25-13:35] [13:48-13:54] When Sue emerges from the bathroom, she hyperventilates for a moment and then says that she thinks she might be s*. She runs past Gareth and Johnny then doubles over the kitchen sink. Gareth and Johnny exchange some dialogue until Johnny produces a screw [13:48], we then start to hear Sue again off-screen g*ing profusely. It’s over by [13:54] and she does not v*.

S08E04-E06 SAFE

SEASON 9

S09E01 SAFE* (SPOILER)

[7:20-7:28] Raymond g*s when he sticks his hand into Harold’s bag. Several other characters g*/recoil when Harold offers to show it again.

[11:20-11:25] Elena looks into Harold’s bag. She looks unwell and puts her finger over her mouth but doesn’t necessarily g*.

[24:54-25:34] Several characters begin to choke and r*, no one v*s though.

S09E02 SAFE

S09E03 SAFE*

[7:16] Damon returns home highly inebriated, which may have some worried. He burps slightly at the start of the scene but not at any point does he v*.

S09E04 SAFE

S09E05 SAFE*

Upon returning to the manor, Quigley admits to taking a leave of absence on account of having not been in the best of health. He is visibly shaky and teary throughout the following scene which made me think something might happen, but nothing does.

S09E06 SAFE

SOME EXTRA THINGS

I recommend if you’re a fan of the show that you should listen to the commentaries (both the homebrew and official DVD selection), I will – however – say, that in the last episode of the Season 2 commentary (the episode that plays alongside Séance Time), Reece and Steve perform a sort of ‘mini episode’ within the commentary. I will not spoil it but at [22:30-22:40, 26-26:20 and 24:50-25:20] Steve makes some rather visceral g* and v*ing noises, which I found quite uncomfortable to listen to – so be wary!

In some instances – in other commentaries – they mention v* alongside scenes that I’ve already marked as triggering so, if you go by them, you should be fine. There are also some mentions in podcast episodes – namely ‘How do you Plead’ – but they’re not too triggering.  I also believe in the ‘La Couchette’ commentary they also mention Jack Whitehall v* due to cars*ness. But other than that, I totally suggest giving both the podcast and the commentaries a listen because they are both hysterical and very insightful.