#s3 was a huge wake up call for him

[chirpsythismorning]

🎨 🖼️ 🌈 🩹 🧍🏽💡 🔮⚡️☄️

Secret by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

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[robynrocksforbrains]

Mike Wheeler is important and there's nothing wrong with analyzing him

Since y'all wanna be insufferable bitches about it I'm gonna explain to you why he's important, why Will loves him, why his struggles should be acknowledged, and why his character depth is pivotal to byler endgame being a satisfying conclusion for both Mike AND Will. Deal with it!

We are not seeing smoke where there isn't a flame. We are seeing smoke where there is a literal fucking forest fire.

Starting off with something a lot of people aren't ready for but I've seen more people talking about: Mike is the main character of s1 at the very least. He is the character that brings us into the world of stranger things. He is the character that the writers chose for this. Mike is the main character of s1 and it was an instant hit. The writers love Mike. Contrary to popular belief, giving a character an arc where they are struggling and their behavior changes from what is normal for the character we know and love does NOT mean the writers hate that character. It means they deliberately chose to give that character complexity and depth. Your inability to like characters that do anything wrong ever is not the fault of the writers. Your decision to act as if a character is not important is not reflective of the actual narrative because it in fact is in direct opposition to the narrative. So just to be clear, if you genuinely believe that Mike isn't important, or that the writers hate him, or don't care about him, or that his story "takes away" from any other character's - ESPECIALLY WILL'S - you are simply wrong.

In s1 and s2 Mike is established as an extremely caring person. He's loving, loyal, brave, intelligent, and trying his best. He is also established to be hot headed, someone who speaks without thinking quite often, someone who is capable of hurting his friends despite that being the last thing he wants to do. He is all of these things and more. He is a human. He is a kid. So in s3, when suddenly he is entirely different, it is completely logical to assume that there is a reason for that. He did not just wake up one day and decide he wanted to be an asshole, push Will away, make his friends feel abandoned, and echo the same sentiments their bullies held. Something is happening with him. He has so much going on in his head and it is painfully obvious. He's holding something in, he's hiding from everyone and from himself. We see glimpses of what he's trying to hide after Will calls him out on his behavior. Will gets through to him. Mike is usually unresponsive to tough love, except for when it's coming from Will. After their fight, it is obvious that he's trying to be better. But he still doesn't wanna face certain things, and he doesn't know how to navigate that. Because he's 13 years old.

There is a reason for all of that internal conflict. There is a reason it comes pouring out of him at certain times. He's crumbling. He is quite literally falling apart because he's holding on to too much. It's not a stretch to assume that, it just takes basic media literacy. Why would the writers have Mike act this way if he was just supposed to be a one dimensional character? Why would Finn be directed to portray Mike the way he does if there was nothing more going on? There are times where Mike looks like he's in physical pain because of his internal conflict. There is a reason for that. And acknowledging that DOES NOT mean people are taking away from Will. That's the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Do y'all seriously not understand that more than one character can have emotionally complex storylines? Genuinely asking, is this a new concept for you?

Will's love for Mike

Will is head over heels in love with Mike. That is very much established. So when you're dismissing the emotional depth of Mike's individual arc because you think acknowledging it "takes away from Will" you are actually diminishing the significance of a huge aspect of Will's emotional arc. By taking away the significance of Mike, you take away from the significance of Will.

Let's do a quick recap of the very significant role Mike has played in Will's entire life:

Mike is Will's first friend.

They have grown up together and it can be assumed that they've reached important milestones together.

Mike has always been a safe person for Will. He's been a constant in Will's very chaotic and unfair life. Until the summer of '85, Mike had always been something good in Will's life. (That's not to say he is no longer something good, but it can be assumed that the summer of '85 is the first time Mike has been a causal factor in Will's unhappiness)

When Will went missing, Mike did not hesitate to search for him. It wasn't even a question of if. The moment he knew Will was missing he knew exactly what he'd be doing that night. He spearheaded the search amongst the party. He was the leader.

When Will came back, Mike was the only person that didn't treat him like he was gonna break. He cared for him, and he was there for him, but he didn't treat him differently; Will tells us as much. Which means we can infer that the way Mike was with Will in s2 - how gentle and loving he was - was nothing new. He had just always been like that.

When Will was possessed, Mike stayed by his side. Even when it was scary, even when it could've gotten him killed, he stayed. Because once again, for him, it wasn't even a question. That's just where he knew he needed to be. He was in the shed when they were trying to get through to Will. He was set apart from Lucas and Dustin, but he also wasn't equated to family. And his retelling of the story of the day they first met was the final push Will needed to find a way to communicate.

After a year of things being "weird" between them, Mike tells Will that he didn't deserve to be treated the way he had been. Mike tells him that he wants them to be okay again, and for the rest of the season he puts in the work.

Things get rough in s3, and at the beginning of s4, and despite all of that, Will confesses his love (albeit veiled). In a moment where Mike is feeling awful about himself, he tells him that he loves him and needs him, and he tells him why. And to him it doesn't matter that he's breaking his own heart to do it, because it's Mike. Mike, who makes him feel like he's not a mistake at all, and that he's better for being different. For Will, there was no other option. The person he loves was hurting and he knew how to help, and so he did.

Mike is the first person Will tells about Vecna still being alive. Because they're back to being a team. He knows he can trust Mike, and Mike seems to be very determined to prove him right.

SO.

These are all real and canon aspects of Mike's presence in Will's life. Will falling in love with Mike isn't something that just happened for no reason. Will fell in love with Mike because of who Mike is. When you acknowledge that, and when you acknowledge the reasons they've set out for why Will loves him - the reasons Will literally told us - you can better understand Will. But when you dismiss all of these things about Mike, you are dismissing a large portion of Will's emotional and romantic arc. You aren't being a Will Warrior. You are erasing so much of him and his feelings and his lived experience. That is not the hill you wanna die on.

Will loves a person. Not a feeling. Yes, he says that Mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake and that he's better for being different. But that's not why he loves him. He feels that way because he loves him.

Mike is a fully fleshed out character with his own feelings and struggles and fears and traumas and motivations. He's not a plot device. He's not just an accessory to Will's arc. He's not a character that was written only to be Will's love interest. He's Will's love interest because he's Mike.

If Mike didn't matter, and if Mike didn't play a significant role in byler, then they would be able to write in a love interest for Will in s5 and have it be somewhat satisfying. But they can't do that. Will's love for Mike has so much depth because Mike has so much depth. It is genuinely crazy that this has to be stated and that I have to back up this claim because it is simply a canon fact.

So yes, the rain fight affects Mike's character development and his involvement in it is important. Yes, the van scene literally could not exist without Mike and therefore his involvement in it is incredibly important. Yes, every single byler moment has an impact on Mike, and Mike has an impact on it because they are BYLER moments. Yes, Mike will have a lot of significant moments - with Will AND on his own - in s5 because his arc deserves and needs as much attention as Will's in order to execute byler endgame in a satisfying way.

No, none of these facts negate Will's importance or take away from his story. If anything, they add to it because Mike and Will's arcs are corresponding and intertwined.

Mike's struggles

To name a few

Dysfunctional family

Has been bullied his entire life

Extreme self worth issues

Inferiority complex

Hero complex

Lack of self preservation

Suicidal ideation (has been on display since SEASON ONE)

Internalized homophobia

To get this out of the way: Mike's internalized homophobia is allowed to be discussed. Discussion of it is not the dismissal of Will's internalized homophobia. Surprise surprise, two queer kids in the 80s have internalized homophobia! Who'd'a thunk it?! Their internalized homophobia presents in different ways but it is there for both of them. I personally relate to the way Mike's is portrayed way more than I relate to Will's. So why is it that we can't discuss it without being accused of erasing Will's experience? Or without people saying that we're "copy and pasting" Will's story? Because quite frankly, that feels dismissive of my - and likely many others' - real and lived experience. So please for the love of all things that are good just stop with this talking point because it will never hold up.

Moving on

I'm not gonna do a full breakdown of all of Mike's issues. Because contrary to popular belief, there are a lot. And that would be exhausting and I'd get carried away and it's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to defend the acknowledgement and mere existence of them.

If you're a byler that for some reason thinks Mike only exists to be Will's love interest and his trophy as compensation for his trauma, let me ask you this: Have you considered how awful it would be to have a queer character's individuality and emotional depth completely ignored for the sake of focusing on the queer character that "really matters"?

If Mike's own issues, with his queer identity and otherwise, aren't thoroughly explored... What's the point of all this? If Mike really is insignificant in this storyline and his individuality has no effect on it.. where's the emotional payoff? If his perspective doesn't matter... Why have the writers gone to such great lengths to ensure we don't have that piece of the puzzle yet?

Analyzing Mike and understanding Mike is very important to understanding byler. Once again, I think it's crazy that this needs to be said.

I also think it's important to note that characters can have similar struggles. There's no rule against that. Just like real life. Characters having similar struggles is not a bad thing, and acknowledging that their struggles are similar is not dismissive of either character. We're talking about STRANGER THINGS. Jonathan and Nancy's thing is "we've got shared trauma". They have literal matching scars. Shared experiences are some of the main building blocks for this show's romances. Byler has a TON of shared experience, basically their entire lives. We already know that. So wouldn't it be so beautiful for them to learn that they've been struggling with the same thing this whole time? That the entire time they felt alone in what they were going through when really they had each other and they never even knew it? Wouldn't it be so beautiful for Mike's acceptance of Will and Will's love for him was also a step toward accepting himself? Wouldn't it be beautiful for Will to learn that his love makes Mike feel like he's not a mistake? None of that would be in the realm of possibility if Mike didn't have emotional depth and if his individuality wasn't important.

And that leads me to my concluding point...

A satisfying execution of byler endgame hinges on Mike's individual emotional arc being handled well

God I hope this isn't controversial to say. I sincerely hope most people haven't forgotten that.

Here's a hypothetical:

Imagine season five has been released. You're watching it, and you notice that Mike has been relegated to just a supporting character for Will. We don't get any of his perspective. We don't get any explanation for his s3 and early s4 behavior. His breakup with El doesn't have any real tangible effect on him, it's really just used for El's character development. We never see him pining for Will like we saw Will pining for him. And then suddenly Mike is learning about the painting and then suddenly he's confessing his love and then suddenly byler is canon and official.

Now wouldn't that just be awful? Wouldn't that be unfair to the audience, to Mike, and to Will? For us to never learn just how much Mike had to go through to even be able to say it out loud? For Mike to never get the chance to prove to himself through word and action that he is the heart? For Will to never get an explanation for why things did get so "weird" between them? It would leave us with one big, nagging question: What was the point of everything Mike has said and done throughout the entire show if his conclusion is that lackluster?

Disregarding Mike for a moment (I know that's incredibly ironic given what the entire point of this is but just bear with me) - how would that be a satisfying conclusion for Will? I mean, Will's s4 arc was basically dedicated to showcasing his struggle with his sexuality and with his love for Mike. We were shown just how deep that love is. We were shown how patient, unselfish, unwavering, and beautiful that love is. So how would it be satisfying for Mike's love for him to not be shown with just as much depth? How would it be satisfying for Mike to just be a one dimensional character whose s5 arc is essentially "break up with girlfriend, wait to find out best friend is in love with him, say he loves him back, then they live happily ever after"? I think Will deserves for his love to be returned with the same intensity at which he gives it. And I think it should be clear to the audience and to Will himself.

Back to Mike!

Mike has been through so much shit. I don't think anyone that is denying that actually believes he hasn't been through shit. Because you'd actually have to watch the show on mute and with your eyes closed to think this kid hasn't had just the worst time. It's so ignorant to act as if this stuff hasn't affected him. There's stuff we've seen but there's stuff we also haven't seen. There are issues he has that date back to his childhood pre-canon. Just like Will, Mike has been a queer kid growing up in 80s smalltown conservative america. Acknowledging the pain he 100% carries because of that is so important. His perspective has been withheld from us, not because it's unimportant, but because it's the final puzzle piece. If we had Mike's perspective in s4, byler wouldn't be a "will they won't they" (even though we all know they will). If we got his perspective in s4, byler would be a "100% certain without a doubt they will". But the thing about his perspective is that it's so much more than just loving Will. It's fear. It's pain. It's insecurity. It's doubt. It's the belief that his happiness just doesn't matter all that much. All of that has to be explored. All of that has to be laid out in the open for us in order for byler endgame to feel earned. Mike's emotional payoff will lead to byler's emotional payoff.

Mike has known he loves Will. In s5 we will see him make a deliberate and active effort to overcome the things keeping him from doing something about it. And then he will do something about it.

And so when it finally happens. When both Mike and Will finally know that their feelings are requited, and when their arcs end with us knowing that they will face whatever life has in store for them together, that will feel earned. That will feel like the logical conclusion for both of them. Not just for Mike. Not just for Will. For both.

And Mike is just as important to that conclusion as Will is.

And one last thing...

Some people are going to talk about Mike more. Some people are going to talk about Will more. Because newsflash, people have preferences. Some people just relate to Mike more, or they find his emotional arc extremely compelling, or they just like him. It isn't an attack on Will or any other character. No one is saying Mike is more important than any other character (I'm sure there are people that say that but they are a vocal minority and they are simply wrong). We are just saying that he is important. If you wanna engage in media analysis, please understand that "main character" or "central character" does not mean "only important character" and "only character that should be analyzed". If you wanna talk about Will and only Will, that's fine. But you don't get to act like people that talk about other characters are doing a disservice to your fave, because that's not how any of this works.

[starrieisdelusional]

episode dedicated to banished!merlin and seperated!morgana in s4 from my fix it au

warning: this is LONG

a bit background: there’s a year and a half timeskip between s3 finale and this ep.

merlin had been training, and getting closer to his roots (studying magic, becoming one with nature, etc etc, no he didn’t go back to ealdor) all the while protecting camelot from the shadows (yes arthur had been getting into a few troubles now and then and merlin had always been there, but never really appearing in front of his face, arthur knows but never really comments about it, settles for ignoring him)

meanwhile after a few months after the s3 finale (morgana and morgouse attacked camelot) morgana finally had a huge fight with her sister and they go on their own ways. So now morgana is alone, doesn’t really know what to do since she killed uther, but doesn’t want to obliterated camelot either

So during season 3 aithusa was born and shes been helping merlin and morgana there and then, there’s also mordred. Oh and merlin’s magic is public information at this point

*

actual ep:

episode starts off with morgana, tending to her cottage. She lives in the middle of the woods, in the middle of no where. She’s trully alone now, after the fight with morgause. She regretted it a little. Maybe her sister is right, maybe bringing camelot to total destruction and crowning her queen is the best course of action.

But morgana didn’t want that. She just wants uther’s reign to end. It’s not her place now to rule camelot, there’s really no benefit in killing everyone either. Although there really is no change, arthur is still banning magic…

Morgana puts down her firewood with a bit too much force. Truth is morgause is right. Magic is still banned in the land, even in Arthur’s reign. And morgana is scared. She isn’t ready to kill her brother, she isn’t ready to kill the girl who’s there for her each night, every time she’s confused of her nightmares, or the citizens that gave her flowers. Morgana remembers uther’s look of despair and confusion, she feels her hand trembles

Morgause: (in a flashback) You’re nothing but a coward Morgana! A coward!

No matter, she’s not part of it anymore, it’s better to leave it alone. Let morgause finish their revenge.

When morgana leaves to wash her cauldron, it feels weird. It felt like she’s being watched. She scanned the woods with her magic, she didn’t feel anything. That’s really strange, morgana must be…

.

.

.

The first thing morgana sees is the stone floor. Her head is splitting, her vision is unfocused. Morgana sits up slowly, trying to regain balance.

The room is dark, she can barely see anything. When she tries to move her hair, she realizes that she’s chained to the wall

Great. She’s kidnapped.

She scowls, trying to free herself from the chains. She tries to draw her magic, but she feels nothing. Whoever kidnapped her knows what they’re dealing with…

She hears a groan from her left and she saw a man. Wearing god knows what. Laying on the floor, chained like she is. She calls for him, trying to wake him up. The more she looks at him, the more she felt like she knew this man.

???: where am i… Morgana: (realize who this is) Merlin??? Merlin: …morgana…?

The man looked at her, no longer the merlin she last seen. He looks like a stray being, as if he’s the spirit of the forest. He is covered in cloth, a cloak on his head. His skin peaks out from where the cloth didn’t touch him, even in the dark, morgana can see the light bouncing off his slender thighs and the faint outline of his….nipple

Morgana: you look like a prostitute… Merlin: that's rich from someone who dress like a beggar Morgana: I’ll have you know this is one of the finest dresses i have- Merlin: Your hair could really do some work Morgana: you don't get to say that when you don't need to maintain your hair every day!!

They bicker back and forth about their fashion choices. Morgana also hates his serving clothes, especially that tattered neckerchief on his neck…And he barely changes everything. It’s a boring to look at every single day. At least Gwen changes her clothes once in a while.

It was so heated they didn’t notice the door opening until they heard footsteps entering the room. They eye their predator carefully, backing themselves to the wall. But the guards only un-cuffs them from the wall, forcing them to stand.

They were bringing into a room, full of people with chains on their hands. Morgana stands close to Merlin, maybe Morgana can kill him when he wasn’t looking, morgana HATES him after all…

The ringleader came into view, told them to fight to the death. Anyone who succeed can go to the second round or something morgana wasn’t really listening. She’s too busy to think of ways of killing Merlin.

They put a bunch of weapon in the middle of the room, probably to aid them or something. Morgana grabs a sword just in case. Merlin didn’t grab anything. What an idiot.

Ringleader: The battle starts….now

It was a blur after that. Morgana remembers slaying people, people who aren’t merlin. Morgana tries to cast a spell towards him every now and then, she saw Merlin doing the same. But it was never strong enough to kill, probably too distracted by the threat in front of them.

It suddenly stops. Only Morgana and a few other people stands unscathed, including Merlin, always Merlin. It makes a lot of sense now why he has a habit of not dying. Morgana remembers when she discovers that he has magic. What a hypocrite.

They were thrown to their prison cells not long after. After a speech that morgana really didn’t bother to listen

(in their cell)

Merlin: You have any idea what they want? (body swelling with blood and bruises) Morgana: we’re stuck in a slavery ring

Morgana seen one back when she was still with morgause. She tracks them down when one crosses her path, a potential army for her. She remembers that one of those rings would pit off prisoners like this, probably to find new slaves

Morgana: I couldn’t wait to see your demise when one of those brutes mortally wound you…” (giggling, imagining Merlin suffering a slow and painful death) Merlin: (shakes his head) look morgana…i’m sorry alright? I didn’t mean to betray you like that, and i… Morgana: i don’t want to hear your excuses you liar! You’re the same as that old fool! (screaming)

morgana wish she can slit his throat right now. Morgana wants to stab her dagger, revenge for every time Gaius told her she doesn’t have magic, for every time merlin stay quiet

Merlin: well i’m sorry for being a liar when i’m constantly threatened to be executed! At least you don’t get to suffer any consequences!! Morgana: you don’t get to say that!! You meddle into things when you don’t need to!!

they scream to each-other faces. Spit and all. It’s a bit disgusting, but Merlin is more disgusting. And every time she hears his excuses it brings something ugly within her. When Morgana was about to throw another insult at his face the door opens harshly

Guard: Quiet before I snap your necks (throwing a piece of bread and then leaving) Morgana: …at least i’m not an idiot in love like you Merlin: what do you mean? Morgana: (snorts) you spent every single day protecting arthur from harm, you took poisons and blows for arthur, you poisoned me because i’m hurting arthur, you hunt a child like a pig because of some wishy-washy prophecy, a child merlin, a child! Merlin: … Morgana: how’s arthur? was he sad that i killed his daddy??

it didn’t go unnoticed that Merlin was silent at the mention of his brother. Which was weird, usually when she brought him up he never shut up about him.

Merlin: (gets the bread, tossing it to Morgana with his bound hand) eat up, tomorrow is going to be a rough day Morgana: I don’t want food from you (tosses it back to him with gnawing stomach) it’s probably poisoned anyways Merlin: (sighs) if i ate it and i didn’t die, would you eat it? Morgana: ….no

merlin shrugs, biting a bit of his bread. When he shows no indication of poisoning, he tosses it back to her

Merlin: See? No poison Morgana: (rolled her eyes, grumpily tossing the bread back to him) i don’t trust you until you finished it

they toss the bread back and forth, biting into it until there’s no more food left to toss. After another stupid remark, Morgana greets him goodnight, and sleep on her side of the cell

It became a routine after that, they were toss at the arena, got toss back in the cell, tossed back at the arena….

Morgana hates it when she spends time with him. She’s sick of Merlin’s wicked humor. When he managed to rung a laugh out of her. For the first time since Morgause she feels like she’s not alone anymore

Merlin: …and then I told him that it was a sidhe, but he didn’t believe me! Morgana: Well he’s stupid, the stupidest man i’ve ever known…

Morgana didn’t enjoy talking to him, she hates it, she’s sick of the joy crawling on her skin

Morgana: What about Gwen? Merlin: Gwen? Oh she’s fine, she’s sad when you’re gone that time, we couldn’t really comfort her, it’s the same with arthur…it’s the same with everyone really…we miss you Merlin: …and what about you? What of you and arthur? Merlin: … Morgana: Oh come on merlin! There must be something that you did right? It’s been what? A year since that kiss? I saw it you know. Surely you already did something?? Are you still Arthur’s manservant? i don’t know how you handle that magic though…are you still keeping secrets from him? Why are you here anyways? Is arthur here with you? Merlin: Arthur banished me Morgana: Sorry? Merlin: I’m banished from camelot...

Morgana didn’t know what to feel. She should be happy, merlin is banished from camelot! That’s what she wanted right? For Merlin to suffer?

Merlin: it’s fine though, I learned a lot, did you know the druids grows the best of fruits? Must be their connection with nature or something. Their grapes are divine-

Morgana couldn’t stop the ire rising from herself when she kicks him. Merlin immediately bends to touch his leg

Merlin: WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! Morgana: YOU’RE AN IDIOT MERLIN SON OF HUNNITH! Wow i know you’re an idiot but i can’t believe you’re THAT BIG of an idiot Merlin: What???? Morgana what are you even- Morgana: Should i chop Arthur’s manhood for what he did to you? Gosh, you’re probably still protecting camelot even in banishment aren’t you??? I know that’s you when morgouse sends the hydra on the castle….are you an IDIOT??? Why are you still chasing this guy?? I can’t even…i get that he’s hot, but really merlin? Why did you get banished anyway? was it the magic?? Or is he hates homosexual relationship? It’s the magic isn’t it…that bastard….

Morgana swears when she gets out, she will kill him, even with her own two hands-

Merlin: stop it morgana, i don’t want you to kill arthur! Morgana: Of course you’re going to say that! you lovesick fool! Merlin: Really? Do you want me to kill gwen because she stabbed you that one time?!

Morgana shuts up, merlin must be referring to that time when gwen is forced to stab her when she reigns the castle with morgause, she doesn’t like thinking about it

Morgana: (huffed) he shouldn’t banish you, not when you’re always by his side, and what do you get?

it’s stuff like this that made her truly hate camelot. Morgana could understand her banishment, but to banish merlin? Why didn’t anyone do anything? It truly made morgana sick to her stomach

Merlin: you know, banishment isn’t that bad…and i made choices…I deserved it

Before morgana can reply a guard enters their room, uncuffing them and dragging them outside their cell. They arrived at a different room, like that of an arena. But smaller this time. But only morgana and merlin stand in the middle of the room. The ringleader stands on a balcony

What happened on the last arena again? Right, only merlin and morgana were left standing, which means…

Ringleader: Merlin and Lady Morgana, once the pride and joy of Camelot, only to be banished by King Arthur himself. What a pity Merlin: If you think that I’m willing to help you to destroy camelot, count me out. My loyalties will always lie on king arthur Ringleader: Oh no no, I don’t want any of that. I don’t know how you ended up together as prison-mates but i did not expect the witch and emrys to be in my doorstep, inside the same cell nonetheless! Morgana: And? You want us to be your slaves? do you really think we’re willing to submit to you? Ringleader: don’t worry, i can think of ways to tame you

Morgana stomach jolted at the implication

Ringleader: Despite your…peerless reputation, you’re both are a headache for me to handle…so i just want one (sat on his make-shift throne) go ahead then, fight to the death! don’t you hate each-other?

Morgana looks at Merlin, and he looks at her. It’s true, Morgana had been wanting to kill Merlin for a long time but…

She doesn’t want to kill another one of her kind. And she doesn’t want to kill her friend

Ringleader: Come on! I’m waiting…

The shackles on their hand cracks, and Morgana felt her magic restored. They stare at each-other, circling. Is Merlin going to kill her now? Morgana saw how Merlin body is poised, ready to strike.

She strike first.

They danced around each-other, exchanging blows. The blow was sometimes deadly, other-times unnecessary spells. But they never land a fatal blow, even if morgana is panting, and merlin is out of breath

Morgana: …what’s wrong Merlin?…scared? Merlin: You wish (strike a spell that tore the fabric of her skirt) Morgana: (gasped) My dress! Merlin: …oops…

Morgana screams, sending a curse towards merlin. Morgana can’t believe it, it actually hits him, and for a moment merlin was confused, because nothing happened

Merlin: well that was anti-climactic (in a girl's voice, realization) morgana change me back right now! Morgana: No

she puts another curse on him, but he dodges it this time. It didn’t take long for merlin to tackle her, she fights back, trying to push him off and they fight like children.

Merlin: Get off me! (shrieking unladylike, his long nose (yes how ironic morgana is a genius) touching the ground) Morgana: You get off! (fights back, hair green. Fingers feels like rubber)

They rolled on each-other back, trying to murder the other until they gave up and just sprawled on the floor, too exhausted to do anything. If Morgana have to fire a spell one more time it feels like she’s going go throw up

Morgana: You’re pathetic Merlin Merlin: You’re even more pathetic Morgana: At least I’m stronger than you, you look like a twig Merlin: Well I’ll let you know that- Ringleader: ENOUGH

(they both look at him)

Ringleader: Just die already! I don’t care who dies! Just kill someone! If you don’t want to do it, then I’m going to kill the both of you! Morgana + Merlin: ….HAHAHAHAHHA Merlin: Did you hear that??? He says he’s going to kill us Morgana: ‘Just die already’ (still laughing even as she felt her hair is being pulled. She felt hands shoving her down, Merlin next to her) Ringleader: Do you have any final words? Morgana: (looks at Merlin) You’re not as worse as I thought Merlin: I’m glad to meet you too Morgana

When the axe about to fall down on their neck, the rooftop shake, and suddenly a dragon is screaming at them. Their assaulters ran, terrified of the beast.

Morgana: Aithusa!!

Merlin laughs beside her, chanting in a foreign language. Aithusa squeal and Morgana paused

Morgana: You’re also a dragonlord Merlin: Yeah not many people know that

Aithusa breathes fire, fending off their attacker

Morgana: merlin if you dare as to so much touches her- Merlin: Morgana, i birthed her Morgana: …??

Morgana had no time to argue when the ringleader is starting to ran to them. She quickly climbed onto her, when Morgana reaches out her hand for Merlin to grab but Merlin fell. Limbs grabbed by the ringleader

Morgana: MERLIN!

Aithusa is shrieking, trying to shield herself and Morgana from the fire. Merlin chants and Morgana felt Aithusa leaving

Morgana: Merlin? MERLIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Merlin: Goodbye Morgana Morgana: STOP!!

Morgana tries to reach him, but Aithusa keeps flying, away from the dungeon, away from Merlin

Episode ends

*

End notes: i rlly didn’t expect it to be this long. Anyways sorry if it didn’t made sense and the pacing is off, i’m really rambling here 😭 but this is how i think morgana merlin interaction should go

season 4:

main post:

To find my other ramblings about this AU, filter with the hashtag #must we really rely on fate?

[nightcolorz]

do you think armand will be seen in s3 modern times with lestat? and what do you think their relationship will be like? especially if it's in the context of daniel's documentary cant wait to see the 3 of them

I hope so!!! I am kind of envisioning it rn where maybe Armand is dropped off the face of the earth but he’s still sending lestat vampire telepathy voice messages the way he’s implied to have been doing during his time with Louis. So no one has heard from Armand in forever and Daniels actively searching for him and suddenly after a filming session where lestat talks about his history with Armand, lestat wakes up to “keep my name out of your cock sucking mouth cunt, I did not consent to have my story exploited for ur trashy clickbait porno of a “documentary”” being spoken directly into his brain, lmaooo.

but in all seriousness, in the books when Armand and lestat interact in modern times during this era, there relationship is unexpectedly friendly and pleasant. If we see them interact in modern times, and if we r going by the books, we r going to find out that currently Lestat has a lot of strangely positive nonchalant feelings about Armand and had forgiven him for his crimes. In tvl lestat explains that he doesn’t rlly care about Armand’s huge betrayals against him and he’s more so concerned about how he misses him and wants to see him again. In memnoch he says the same, and he talks to Armand about how despite how many times they’ve wronged each other he can’t help but love him. I hope that if lestat and Armand interact in s3 we r introduced to an interaction that is set up as probably an altercation, and ends up being lestat giving Armand a brotherly huge and calling him a little devil in a teasing friendly way before ruffling his hair (he does all that in menoch lol). What I love about lestat and Armand’s dynamic in modern day is that even tho Lestat is actively reliving and discussing all the ways Armand has fucked him over, he’s still like, Aw hehe Armand is such a little freak I can’t wait to see him again 🥰 a bond that goes beyond all child murder truly.

[jfkonfucius]

do u have any random confucious headcanons u wanna share? :3

OF COURSE ! I think about him everyday

- The airspray shirts he makes don't sell very well, but he still makes use of the equipment to make and gift shirts to his friends and loved ones

- He spoils people all the time with expensive stuff, he thinks people will be less likely to abandon him if he does so. He thinks the fact he has money is the only thing that makes him remotely loveable

- Cries easily

- Makes animation memes on Flipaclip. He is not very outstanding at it. He has a protogen fursona

- Has horrible reflexes, but is extremely cracked at Geometry Dash and Subway Surfers

- He doesn't have a very good relationship with his sister, his jealousy caused by his parents' favoritism towards her makes him act unusually petty, even though his sister is actually pretty nice to him

- Borderline Personality Disorder. Very bad abandonment issues. Was splitting on Joan in S3 E9

- He likes JFK, but would never date him cuz he's clingy and he thinks he would interfere with JFK's not-very-monogamous lifestyle

- He gave away the "I only got eyes 4 u" shirts to some random couple without telling them the backstory

- Somehow still does not know that Top-her69 was Topher

- Amab genderfluidddd all pronouns + ey/em + bro/bros + other neopronouns probably. But if asked in real life he's just gonna go "Uhh I'm a guy but I don't care if you call something else"

- Has a bit of an issue with vaping and energy drinks

- His favorite food is pizza

- He treats Kevin like a big puppy dog. Even though it's a Giant Bear

- He listens to EDM, hyperpop, dubstep and similar. Probably had a Skrillex haircut when he was younger

- ADHD+autism, he mainly stims vocally by making noises (pew pew!) or quoting internet vids he finds funny

- His special interest is Fast and Furious

- You know his ass never charges his Nintendo Switch

- The reason why you don't see him in the episode anymore after he gave Abe the suggestion that got him cancelled, is because he felt super bad and started hiding ("I run from like, 99% of my problems")

- Not a very good singer

- As we all know his parents are very absent, but they did help him dress up for the Valentine's day week dance

- Has a huge admiration for Frida, and is very intimidated by Cleo, which is a funny combination because the two of them were together for a year

- Owns an Itemlabel Dinkle

- First thing he does when he wakes up is message Joan good morning . or good afternoon . The only thing holding his schedule together is having to go to school

- His parents wanted to get him a panda because they know he loves em. But it was a pain in the ass because of the whole "former endangered species" thing. So they got him Kevin instead because close enough

This is definitely not All my headcanons, but that's enough for now 😎

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

THE BEAR S3 Predictions

Just a mental note I'm putting out here to be able to revisit it when the time comes to check its level of accuracy. I have the feeling that S3 is going to be the season of the reconciliations.

The relationship between Richie and Carmy is completely broken after the walk-in incident and Richie walks from The Bear. He happens to get some kinda job offer and accepts it just to prove Carmy wrong. They will later spend a good portion of S3 trying to repair their bond. By the end of S3 (hopefully sooner) there should be a reconciliation of some sort between them and Richie should go back to The Bear.

Nat gives birth to her new "cub" and this brings the family together. There is a reconciliation with Donna, which in some capacity benefits not only the siblings but the entire team, the restaurant as a whole. Not exactly sure how this will play out, but Donna will quit being this negative and toxic influence on everyone. Maybe she gets clean because she takes this baby as a new chance to start over and be a better grandmother than the mother she was. IDK...

Marcus' mother dies and this juxtaposition of new beginnings, births, endings, death, etc is going to be a theme throughout the whole season, that is why I actually think this funeral will be the opener.

There will be some kinda flashback episode, like 7 Fishes or a montage of some memory that has a huge impact on one or more characters. I have my $ put on the Sundays, Mr. Adamu and lil Syd would spend at Mr. Beef's. I strongly disagree with the weak argument that just because the Berzattos are catholic, their restaurant didn't open on Sundays. The gastronomic industry cares very little about those traditions especially if the place is struggling. I bet they were open every Sunday part-time, just for lunch, to get all the demand of those who went to church just because business-wise it makes total sense.

Carmen will apologize to Claire. Not sure what she's gonna make of that apology, whether she's gonna accept it or not, I hope she doesn't. I'm pretty sure there will be no reconciliation here. I don't necessarily oppose Carmy having a romantic partner and as much as I ship SydCarmy like nobody's business, I'm 100% sure they are not gonna happen any time soon. Maybe and this is a HUGE maybe, they could be the perfect cliffhanger for S4. But that would be a stretch. Not that Store & Calo couldn't pull it off, but still. So, basically, I am all for a new love interest being presented to Carmen just to see how he responds to it. After Claire he should go back to his old lone-wolf ways, I need to test that behavioral theory though, so I need a new female character to do it.

Last, but certainly not least, Miss Adamu needs her man and I'm not talking about Bear. I want to know more about Sydney's past and see her letting her hair down, putting her records on, and all that jazz. So, maybe an old flame can re-appear in her life and they can try to "reconcile". This reconciliation shouldn't work either because she's now devoted to making The Bear work and is basically a workaholic and both, Carmy & her get into this synch of type As on Speed and Red Bull, non-stop working machines, well-oiled now that they had already learned from their mistakes and The Bear succeeds but Sydney's relationship with her guy from the past fails, again. The guy feels like a 3rd wheel and lets her know that she's not in a relationship with him but with her job. Sydney understands the subtext, and this break-up is actually a wake-up call for her. She starts seeing what we all shippers are already seeing. It's not just about work for her. Yes, The Bears are too absorbing and demanding, both, the restaurant and the chef, but she doesn't mind. She loves it. Love is the operative word here. This realization should hit her hard by the end of the season.

The background of all the things I just mentioned above will be the BOH, fast-paced, chaotic, and working like a Swiss clock, just like Carmy likes it.

Am I missing something? Probably. Can't wait to find out.

Bonus tracks: I am pretty sure the wedding will either be Teff's or Fak's.

And lastly: When Sydcarmy happens, it will "officially" start with something small and inane like Syd accidentally finding out Carm has been drawing portraits of her all along... CHECK THIS OUT, I think Storer & Calo have something like this in mind or along these lines, and it should come along in S3, minus the sex part.

[wheeler-fan]

people are so weird. Mike is a character who went through a huge trauma at a young age (I hope I don't have to explain to you how traumatizing it is to lose someone important to u? look at nancy, joyce, hopper, etc.) many people question his trauma because "he only knew El for a few days so it couldn't be that serious " but apparently it was? apparently it was since he sat in the basement day after day for almost a year talking to himself out loud pretending that she heard it even though he knew full well that she was dead, the scenes of him calling her always ended up showing Mike who thinks that what he is doing is stupid but he still can't stop it, he feels like he is losing his mind but is afraid to ask for help. Even though he had known El for a few days, it was serious enough for him to fall into such a mental disorder - just look at him in s2: a 13-year-old kid, totally not paying attention to his appearance, wearing old dirty shoes (look at max in s4, she always paid attention to her shoes, well not in s4 and guess why?) in random clothes that he wouldn't wear on his own if he cared (a sweater that everyone loves ) he started to be mean to adults (teachers, parents) it was hard for him to find time for friends even though he had plenty of it, he just didn't have the strength or desire for it, he forgot that he had plans, he was doing worse at school and much more - do you think this is what a healthy person looks like? no, this is a person who literally begs for help but not with words because he can't find the right ones.

the way he behaves in s3-4 didn't come out of nowhere either. Listen, Eleven's return was literally a miracle for him, she was dead, right? and suddenly she's next to him, safe and sound, the problem is that he's not. Depression can't just go away, it's a mental illness, not a bad mood. But he did everything, literally everything he could, to make her believe that everything was ok, and honestly? he really wanted to believe it too, he wanted it to be like that, he wanted to have a normal, happy life and she did too, and besides, they both deserved it, right? and they almost succeeded, at the beginning of s3 we see that it led to the fact that they became very close to each other, it was difficult for them to function without each other, we literally have a scene where Mike (already late anyway) leaves El to go to his friends and she says that she wants to be with him (they spent the whole day together). well, they were 14 years old, in their first relationship and they really wanted everything to be perfect - and it was for them until they encountered an obstacle.

I won't describe the entire course of their relationship in s3 because that's not the point, I'm talking about Mike's behavior because many people don't understand his "obsession" with her in s3. I will explain it to you using the example of Lucas: imagine what hell he is going through his head right now bc of Max who's in a coma, okay, let's assume that it will last about a year (and it will literally destroy him mentally) and then suddenly a miracle will happen - a real miracle, because Max will not only wake up, but she will be 100% fine (she will be able to walk, see, etc.) Lucas will gain hope for a chance - a chance for them to have the happy normal life together that they deserve, and for some time it will be like that and then lucas will start reliving the old nightmare over and over again like in hell :every time Max will say "it's okay, don't worry, trust me, I can do it" and then every time something bad happens, she will be the first person to risk her life for others, and always, I repeat ALWAYS, when Lucas wants to explain to anyone that it is terribly stressful for him, that he does not like it, that he doesn't want his girlfriend to be a target, and the only thing that he wants is a plan that doesn't endanger her life - then everyone will say that Lucas is a sexist who only wants to control max like his little pet that can't decide for itself. Because this is literally Mike's story in s3 if u like it or not. He is traumatized and people are misunderstanding him.

now, very often I see people comment on his monologue saying "I understand that he's afraid of losing her, but that much? bffr, it's definitely about something other than feelings for her, he probably loves Will" but that's exactly what it's about, no, his character is not just about his love for her, it's about all the trauma that he hasn't escaped from, you may think he made it but the truth is that he still carries it inside because no one has ever helped him with that - every time he is happy with El something bad happens to their relationship and he has to relive this nightmare all over again, and it has gotten so intense that in s4 we hear something really terrible from him when he confess to Will - not only he is afraid that he will lose her because she will die, he is afraid that she is no longer interested in him, and they don't need any catastrophe or the end of the world for him to lose her AGAIN. This only confirms the fact that he is not in the best condition, in fact this kid is calling for help but in a way that no one can understand.

honestly, I don't care if u ship mileven or byler, but don't u dare tell me that if mileven will be endgame then mike is nothing more than a guy in love with a main female character because that is just not true.

[daughterofthequeen]

Contribution

Pairings: Ezra Bridger x gn!reader

Requested by: @theriseofshin

A/N: I added a little more to the story I hope that's ok. And omg look at the gif I found, Eman is so Ezra coded. THE SHOULDER BOUNCE WHEN THEY SMILE. Ok so this based on season 3 episode 11 of Rebels and also somewhere in between S3 E11 and S3 E13. The idea just popped up in my head, we'll see how it goes. Reader is force sensitive. This is also unedited btw.

Summary: When you, Sabine, and Kanan followed Maul and Ezra to Dathomir, the witches somehow took away your powers. Which should've been impossible, but ever since that incident you've felt like you brought nothing to the team. You felt like you were in the way. Seeing this Ezra quickly took these thoughts from your mind reminding you of who you are.

Translation: kokipa- fear

You were laying on your bed enjoying having the room to yourself for once. I mean don't get me wrong, you and Sabine get along really well as roommates as well as sisters can be anyway, but lately in your spare time you'd ather be alone. After what happened on Dathomir, you rather not be around anyone.

EDIT: I accidentally deleted this when I was trying to make a correction. You guys don’t know how stressed I was.

And HUGE shout to @nubimera for reblogging this story because not only were you the first reblog of this fic but you are the reason I was able to get pictures of my fic so I wouldn’t have to rewrite it. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOURE SO AMAZING🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️🥰and a big thanks to everyone who like my fic in the short amount of time of me posting before I accidentally deleted it🤦‍♀️🫣🤦‍♀️

Few weeks ago on Dathomir

After Ezra threw you out of the cave the spirit left your body, giving you back control of your limbs.

"Why is it every time we work with Maul, weird force stuff happens and I'm always hurt trying to save you?" You said with a small smile while trying to rub away your migraine.

"Wait you're hurt? Where?" Ezra responded reaching towards you looking for any injuries.

“I'm hurt mentally, these experiences take a toll on a person you know." You smirked and Ezra rolled his eyes at your teasing.

"I thought you were injured."

"I do have a heck of a headache if that makes you feel any better." You said as you stood up.

"No, you stay here. I'm going to go get Sabine and Kanan."

"Then I want to help."

"They'll just posses you again."

"And what about you?"

"I have a plan."

"Great, then I can help with that. I'll take Sabine and you can take Kanan." You said walking back into the cave.

Ezra sighed at your stubbornness and followed you in.

"You know you're pretty stubborn." Ezra says.

"I've been told that before."

Sensing something behind you, you quickly ignited your light saber and blocked the one aimed at you. You called out and told Ezra to go help Kanan before focusing back on your best friend.

"Sabine if you can hear me, I'm sorry." You said as you broke the hold of the lightsabers and kicked Sabine in her stomach sending her backwards. Seeing her getting up you pressed on slowly but surely backing Sabine towards the entrance of the cave before a force knocked you over. You opened your eyes to see the spirit that came after you the first time. You quickly dodged it and turned back around towards Sabine and when you did you felt a pair of fingers on your forehead and you hear one word before blacking out.

"Kokipa."

The Next Day

The next thing you knew you were waking up in your bed with Ezra sitting next to you, and it didn't take long to realize the damage that had been done. Once you had woken up completely everything felt quiet. You couldn't feel anything around you. You went to Kanan to ask him about it and he said it could just be fatigue, but you didn't believe it. You have been way more exhausted before and it never affected your powers. It wasn't until a few days later during a mission briefing when you realized your powers were gone. Hera was explaining the mission when you seen one of the cute hermit crab things that were all around chopper base. It was sitting next to your hand on the edge of the holo-table. Smiling softly you reached out to it with the force, well you tried anyway. It was something you would do all the time, but this time you couldn't feel its emotions or its presence. Trying not to panic you looked around trying to connect with any living thing you had seen, but felt nothing. Now it was time to panic. You looked towards Ezra and Kanan. Ezra must've felt your worry and unease because he looked up directly at you seeing your panicked eyes. A few seconds of the two of you staring at each other, he gave you a confused look. That's when you realized he was trying to talk to you through the force link only the two of you shared.

When the two of you met you both instantly created a bond that grew stronger every day. About a month into your friendship you both realized you could use the force to connect your minds and talk to each other telepathically. Kanan explained that it was because of the bond you two share and that it was a rare occurrence and could be dangerous if the two of you weren't careful with your emotions. Over time you both mastered the skill, only this time you couldn't hear Ezra thoughts at all or even feel him through the force. That's when you started to panic. You didn't even hear Hera when she asked if you were ok, or notice Kanan quickly moving to your side while Ezra made his way to the other. All you could hear was your body trying to catch its breath. You couldn't breath, and you could barely hear Ezra trying to walk you through slowing your breathing, but you couldn't. Every thing sounded like it was under water.

Kanan and Ezra walked you to the common room of the Ghost as the others followed, watching worriedly as Ezra was slowly able to calm you down.

"So, you gonna tell us what's going on?" Kanan said.

"Somethings wrong with me." You replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I've lost my powers."

Everyone was silent at first, a Jedi losing their connection to the force was so rare it was basically unheard of during the times of old. The only way for a force user to lose their powers was if they stopped using it completely.

"(Y/n), that's not possible."

"Then tell me what it is Kanan! It's not exhaustion, it's something else! It's like everything has gone quiet, if I wasn't looking at all of you right now, I wouldn't even know you were here! Tell me what to do Kanan.”

"I-I haven't seen anything like this before (Y/n). I'm not sure there is anything we can do. Let me think on it, we'll figure it out I promise." You could hear the sadness in Kanan's voice which only worries you more. You said nothing else as you stood up went to your room. You were anxious, angry, sad, and scared.

"What would my contribution to the team be now?" You asked yourself before the sound of the door opening caught your attention. It was Ezra.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hey."

"How you doin'?" Ezra asked as he sat next to you on your bunk.

"How do you think I'm doing?" The pause that followed was uncomfortable and the guilt you felt caused you to sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ezra. I'm just- I don't know why I’m going to do.”

"Don't worry, we'll figure this out, (N/ n)."

"It's not just that."

"Then what is it?"

"How am I supposed to help the team?"

"What?"

"Without the force, I'm useless to the team."

"That's not true! You are more than just your powers (N/n)."

"Am I? I'm not skilled in mechanics like Sabine, I'm not as good a shot as Zeb, and I definitely don't even come close to flying as good a Hera. You and Kanan, even you guys come up with really good plans when needed. I can't do any of that stuff. I knew how to fight, but now that my powers are gone how am I supposed to do that well." You said looking away from Ezra.

"Woah, woah, woah, let me stop you right there. You are a vital part of this team, this family. And just because you think you don't contribute anything other than your lightsaber doesn't make it true. I can't tell you how many messes you've gotten us out of with your quick thinking, how many problems your creative mind help fix for everybody on this ship, constantly. And you're a fierce warrior with and without your saber."

"Ezra." You sighed.

"You are needed here, and I won't let you think otherwise. And I will repeat myself everyday until you believe it, if I have to." Ezra finished as he softly cups your cheek and turn your head back towards him to look you in the eyes.

"Thanks, Ezra. But-"

"No buts." He said leaning forward pressing a soft kiss on your cheek, then another on your lips. "Now, let's forgive this out. Start from the beginning." And you did. You told him about everything that happened yesterday, and retracing your steps helped you realize the reason your powers are gone. You were still anxious and afraid, but with Ezra there you knew everything was going to turn out fine.

————————————————————

A/N: Finally finished I hope this isn't to cringe or anything. And hopefully this fulfilled your request. Thank you so much for sending in your request, and giving me a chance to bring your idea to life. I will now be heading to bed. Good night, guys.

Edit: But I did discover something from this mistake if you have a iPad and an iPhone you can copy something from said iPad and all you have to do is click ast on your iPhone and it’ll paste whatever it was from your iPad to your phone. I’m late Ik BUT it was such a life saver because I promise if I had to rewrite this whole fic out again without a reference (not that I didn’t enjoy writing it the first time) this fic was going to be my 13th reason. Hope you guys enjoy, toodles👋.

[theeldritchcorvid]

TMAGP 19 Thoughts

Spoilers, as always, below the cut

So the alchemy stuff in the ARG was apparently Massively significant, huh?

First things first: All this 'spiritual transference' shit seems like multiverse stuff - and of course Celia is interested in it if it'll explain why she keeps waking up in weird places. What's interesting is that Sam recognised it from the Institute. I think everyone suggesting that the Institute is figuring out how to hop between universes is bang on the money.

Now. The INCIDENT. HOLY SHIT! This has given us major intel about the Protocol.

So. The Protocol appears to have been originated by the Royal Society as a way to control blasphemous science, such as alchemy which was illegal in Britain at the time of the statement. What's really interesting, though, is that apparently Newton was investigating the Arbor Philosophorum Perfecta. This is apparently a precursor to the Philosopher's stone called Diana's Tree, made of crystalline silver. Which befits the description. But, most importantly:

According to wikipedia, all of Newton's research on this - was DESTROYED IN A FIRE. (caused by his dog, apparently, irl. and indeed, in this episode, Hooke's proof of Newton's blasphemy IS THE DOG.) Sound familiar, anyone? It should. This seems to imply that the Protocol, whatever it is, is the same thing that destroyed the institute. and I think I know why:

THEY GOT TOO CLOSE TO FIGURING OUT UNIVERSE TRAVEL.

And the OIAR shut it down. The Royal Society was a huge part of the establishment historically so it makes sense that the OIAR may now be linked to them.

ALSO Sam's onto it! He's right. The computers are listening. Sidebar: Now I really need to look over all the incidents: specifically, WHO heard them, which may be able to tell us WHY they heard them. It is no coincidence that Sam gets an incident about alchemy and the Protocol the moment he and Celia discuss the field.

And also, this may tell us why Alice is getting the JMJ errors - her refusal to engage or learn further. This is awfully reminiscent of S3 of Archives, though, when Elias was feeding Jon statements to lead him toward becoming marked by the fears. I think Alice knows this, or at least suspects, so is trying to prevent Sam from going any further into his case and being led down some horrible path by the computer. Is this from experience? We know she's seen some shit.

We now also know the Bouchards are powerful, corroborating what Lady Mowbray told us by mentioning them. And Elias did seem to come from wealth. Hmmmm. More lore to come I suspect.

Finally: Colin's alive! And listen to what he says. 'He.' Is He the computer system? He also mentions 'it all balances' - not too much mercury or the world ends, not too much sulfur or we all go mad. (direct quote, thank you Transcript)

In alchemy, mercury is believed to shift between life and death. Sulfur represents the soul, evaporation, expansion and dissolution.

Is 'he' Freddie, I wonder? Lots of 'seeing'. And the alchemy is linked to the Institute... it's all right there, I know it is, I'm just still unsure if Chester, Norris, and Augustus are from Archives or not. Sigh.

In short, I think I need to get into alchemy. Anyone got any alchemy book recommendations?

Next week: Last episode before another hiatus, possibly a new external, and hopefully some major lore.

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 123 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: putting up a new fence (moved again to a different part of the property... I've been patching that fence for years and I got so much done during TMA!)

Web Development, ha! (I know, I know, I'm easily amused...)

JON: (salty) "Coma, great! Let’s rearrange his office. Sleeping people don’t need – pens." [HE STEPS IN SOMETHING WITH A SQUELCH!] JON: "Euagh! What –" Up until this point Jon (and first-listeners) doesn't know what happened yet. Seems like there is still some residue from the Flesh attack, hehe. That’s also the reason they *had* to throw Jon's cloths out. Interesting, that the jar of ashes survived. I'd guess Martin still was there for the clean-up? My headcanon is, he was the one who wanted to go through Jon's office, trying to salvage things and managed to sufficiently clean up the jar to keep it. It gave Jon some closure and feeling of safety back then, I'd totally understand, if Martin wanted to preserve that.

MELANIE: "Tim is dead. Daisy is dead, and you – what, you’re just fine?" JON: "What – no! I’ve been in hospital for six months!" MELANIE: "Something has been in hospital. Something that’s got your face" Even though Melanie and Basira weren't too affected by the Not!Them (Basira almost not at all, she never met the real Sasha), that trauma still sits so deep with all of them. They know the Fears are not benevolent, and one of those things got Jon to wake up. (Also yeah, Slaughter bullet)

MELANIE: "I warned Basira; I said not to let you back in here, but she just" (increasingly angry; starts slamming [the wall]) "doesn’t! listen!" Lydia really nails the rage here. How the voice begins to break.

MELANIE: "Oh! Okay, so it’s what, hi Jon, how are you, get anyone killed lately?" JON: (dumbstruck) "I – I –" MELANIE: "Wipe that look off of your face. Like you’re not the reason all of this is happening! (she takes a breath) Like you’re any better than – than him!" This is hurtful on so many levels. And Jon and Melanie let us know what an impact this had on Jon (Jon being speechless and Melanie making a comment on the look on his face). Jon hasn't been the friendliest of people, but since MAG 22 he’s been on a steady path to change. All of his actions have been either hypervigilance from being traumatized as a kid (which is a defense mechanism. Learn all about everything, you'll hopefully be a step ahead and things can't hurt you - in S2 this really ended in bad actions. Like I understand why he's been paranoid, but the others also don't have to tolerate this from him) or (and this has been all of S3) trying to keep others safe, including Melanie. He just didn’t know how to do it. Mr. Spider taught him if other people get involved, they’ll get hurt. And then Elias, comparing Jon to Elias. As if Elias hasn't hurt Jon enough as well, even if it wasn't that obvious, especially not for the others. Elias' grooming Jon into things he never wanted is just so disgusting to me.

MELANIE: "No! You don’t, do you? He’s still alive. You are still alive. So this place is still –" See above. (The worst of this: She's kind of right! If Jon dies, they'll go free.)

JON: "Okay." [HE TAKES A LONG, SHAKY BREATH.] JON: "I’m sorry." T_T (Yeah, if it wasn't clear from the first two episodes of S4, this is going to be one huge punch to the gut after the other.)

BASIRA: "Alright. Best I can understand it, Beholding, or the Eye, or… whatever you wanna call it, we’re one of the only powers that hasn’t taken a shot at a ritual. Yet. And everything out there knows it." JON: "No – I mean, we can’t be the only ones, surely." Funny thing, this about the Eye haven’t taken a shot at a ritual yet stayed very strongly with me the first time around. So much, that I ignored all the clues that Elias is trying to do exactly this (Gerry in MAG 111 about the Watcher's Crown, Basira later to Elias in prison about him kicking off his little ritual from a jail cell). I bunched the Eye up with the End and the Web (because they also don’t have a ritual as we'll later learn) even though my sister already went "No no, the Eye has the Watcher's Crown" and then I went full Surprised Pikachu Face when things finally happened.

BASIRA: "Yeah, it was bad. We took them all out. Melanie did most of them. She was… she got a knife from somewhere and –" JON: (overlapping) "Basira I-I don’t know if that’s a good sign?" BASIRA: "She saved my life, Jon. She saved all of us. I won’t forget that." Oh, the hypocrisy of this. But we know, that Basira's heavily playing favorites in this season. Jon being back is not a good sign, but when Jon points out Melanie's unending rage and superhuman knife strength, it's okay because sHe SaVeD BaSiRa's LiFe? As if Jon wasn't part of the saving-the-world-from-the-Unknowing-crew, does that not count? (Speaking from a point of their knowledge at this time, of course.)

BASIRA: "Don’t be too hard on him, Jon. Your, uh, situation. It hit him. Hard." JON: (sighs) "Yes. Well, I’m sure there are better ways to deal with it than getting – cozy with Elias’s successor." Jealous? :)

BASIRA: (sighs) "Rumor is a couple of researchers up on the third floor decided to ignore some of his new directives, and… whoosh." I think it'd be really funny to see TMA from the eyes of someone not working in the Archives (or Rosie). Like all those people who have no idea what this place is. And how would they explain this event though. Two researchers suddenly disappearing...

JON: "Oh." [HE LAUGHS, BUT IT, TOO, IS HUMORLESS.] JON: "The more things change… So, we’re under siege, Melanie is aggressively unstable, Martin is working very closely with – The Lonely, who is predictably enough isolating him, and, oh, yes, uh, Tim and Daisy are still dead. (laughing) Which is at least easy to keep track of." There goes his sanity...

"As he told it, she was young, rail-thin underneath an oversized brown hoodie, which she kept pulled up, trying to cover up a network of pale stitches that stretched over one side of her head." Ha, totally forgot Annabelle was already in this. From what we heard about her from MAG 69, I don't know if this was even very obvious to spot when first listening? At that point, all we would know was that she got her head bashed in and dressed in vintage clothes? Oh and spiders of course...

"She just mumbled something about custom requirements and told Greg to drink his latte, which he did, so he tells me, though he can’t stand milk in his coffee." So subtle!

Chelicerae is btw what the "mandibles" or "fangs" of arachnids are actually called.

"According to those who followed such things, all you had to do was start a new thread as a Guest, something Greg had been instructed to make sure was possible, and the title of that thread should be the name of someone you want dead." A digital death note, gotcha! xD Okay, jokes aside, I love this and MAG 65, those internet creepy pastas! 

"He rarely goes out anymore, and, judging by the cobwebs, he definitely doesn’t clean his house like he used to." There's no such thing as random cobwebs in TMA.

JON: "Another gap. And whoever took it didn’t do any follow-up, just… filed it away. I may be the first person to actually read it, so… (same mirthless cough of a laugh) Sorry, Angie. I suppose." There has already been some speculation about this as part of a mag a day. About the Archivist's dreams, how it works, who end up in there. This "Sorry, Angie", is it meant as an apology for the fact that their statement has been ignored for 2 years? Or is it meant for the possible situation of Angie now ending up in Jon's dreams, since the statement's been given after Gertrude's death and Jon is the first Archivist to read it. This would make Jon's diet even more complicated, having to resort to statements which Gertrude has already consumed in an attempt to not "curse" more people.

JON: "It’s unclear if they were meant to be users or victims, but I cannot help but note that there seem to be the names of several statement givers who found their way to the Institute, including noted arachnophobe Carlos Vittery." The name of the person who set the plot into motion. This should be a very loud clue about the Web pulling its strings all this time!

@a-mag-a-day

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s3 ep17: Unity

Boy, they didn't waste any time starting up with the Borg episodes, did they? And we get four more years of them! Oh joy. (I am not enthused.) However, I thought this episode was actually pretty interesting and well done, and probably one of my least hated Borg episodes ever. Despite Chakotay cheating on the Captain.

It starts out with Chakotay in a shuttle with a cute, fresh faced junior officer, on an away mission. I immediately get sad, because I know that including a random crewman on an away mission means that they're there to be the sacrficial red-shirt du jour. (Or should we call them yellowshirts now? Since red and gold switched, it tends to be the yellowshirts that we see die most often in 90s Trek.) Ensign Kaplan is so likeable in her one little scene, and I know it's gonna be horrible when they inevitably kill her off in the next scene. They pick up a distress call on a planet, so of course they go down to investigate. The first locals they encounter on the planet aren't friendly, and they shoot Kaplan. She's killed. (Dammit!!)

Chakotay is hit too, but he's rescued by some of the other locals. When he wakes up, he meets a human woman, Riley, who explains that everyone on the planet was kidnapped and brought there against their will, but their attackers are long gone, and now they've formed their own colony, and her group sent the distress call because they want supplies to help fend off the other factions that raid them constantly. Chakotay and Riley seem to hit it off pretty well, but she seems jumpy, and tells him to stay inside and rest when she leaves. (Side note: I liked the sets and the matte painting in this episode- even though it suffers from Star Trek's perennial 'everything is grey and beige' syndrome, it looked somehow bigger and more open than the sets we usually see in the episodes shot on sounstages. The lighting was nice too, lots of light and shadow, which fit the theme of the episode well.)

When Chakotay feels better, he sneaks out of the buliding and comes upon a group of people with visible Borg implants, one of whom is aiding a woman with a Borg implant in the back of her head, and Chakotay realizes that it's Riley. He's horrified that this woman he was starting to like is Borg, but she explains to him that they're all former Borg, who were severed from the Collective, and have now reclaimed their individuality. (Which is a huge foreshadowing of next season- I wonder if this episode was planned as a lead in to that, or if this storyline gave them the idea in the first place, which they ran with later. It'd be interesting to find out!)

Riley apologizes for lying to him- she was afraid of how he'd react to them if he knew the truth, but all they want is to live in peace on their planet, in ther pseudo-hippie ex-Borg co-op. He seems to be softening from his initial horror, but then he collapses from the injuries he recieved when he got there.

Meanwhile, back on Voyager, they've lost contact with Chakotay's shuttle, and while looking for him, they encounter a Borg cube floating disabled in space. They decide to beam aboard the cube to find out what happened to it, we have a creepy sequence aboard the Borg ship, and they bring back a dead Borg to see if they can figure out what killed it.

Back on the planet, when Chakotay wakes up, Riley and her fellow ex-Borg propose a way to save him from the neural degradation he's suffering from by linking him to the Borg neural network they still have access to, to give him a transfusion of their neural energy and save his life. He's skeptical, but they assure him they're not part of the Borg collective anymore, the mind link is only between the small group of colonists, and he would only be linked temporarily. He's dying, and Riley persuades him that it's his only choice, so he agrees. (Beltran does a good job of showing Chakotay's fear and revulsion for the Borg- typically Starfleet characters aren't really allowed to show fear, nor anything akin to prejudice, and it's very interesting to see everyone on Voyager react with visceral terror and disgust when encountering the Borg. It's completely understandable, and justified, but it definitely underscores the stakes when Borg are involved to have these normally unflappable, heroic people acting panicky and terrified at the mere sight of them. Even Starfleet officers who've presumably never encountered them probably know someone who did, or at least know the stories, and they clearly all live with the dread in the back of their minds. Absolutely creepy, chilling stuff.)

Chakotay enters the mind link with the colonists, and experiences their thoughts and memories in his own mind. He wakes up healed, and Riley is right there waiting for him. They feel closer to each other, having experienced each other's thoughts, and Riley explains that they can now even feel each other's physical sensations for an hour or two after the link. Riley makes it clear that she's into Chakotay, and the fade out makes it pretty clear that they had freaky Borg mind link sex. (Wow, Chakotay, when your space wife Captain is at home on Voyager, taking care of your space children crew?! You're out galavanting with a blonde Borg chick?! Does your space family mean nothing to you?!)

So anyway, after they Borg bang, Chakotay tells Riley he knows what the colonists really wanted help with now that he shared their thoughts- to reestablish the neural link with all the former Borg on the planet, in the hope that the peace, love and understanding that Riley's cooperative has will extend to the other factions that keep attacking them, and end the violence. Chakotay, having experienced the link and found it pretty rad, is down with it, and agrees to let her ask Janeway for help once they make contact with Voyager.

Back on Voyager, Janeway is extremely skeptical of Riley's plan, especially the part that requires them to reactivate the neural link generator on the disabled Borg ship. She ultimately says no, because it's too dangerous. and also cause she can tell there's something going on between Chakotay and Riley and she's kinda jealous. Though Chakotay wants to help, he agrees with Captain Janeway's decision, and Chakotay and Riley reluctantly part ways. As his shuttle is leaving, he hears the voice of Riley's collective in his head- they're under attack, and they need him to activate the link on the Borg ship to save them. Under their influence, he stuns B'Elanna with a phaser, and flies to the cube to carry out their instructions. The Voyager crew try to stop him, but it's too late- when he hits the switch, the cube starts to reactivate. Voyager beams their people out and prepares for battle, but suddenly the cube self-destructs. The co-op hails them from the planet, explaining that they had to use Chakotay to save themselves, and that they have disengaged him from the link now. They activated the cube's self destruct, and thank Voyager for their help in bringing their planet peace.

When Chakotay wakes up in sickbay, he's conflicted, because he knows Riley and her cooperative meant well, but they still used their power over him to achieve their goals, even though they let him go, and protected Voyager by destroying the cube. Janeway and Chakotay are left to wonder if these former Borg will truly create a better world for themselves, or become just as ruthless as the collective they left behind, while Voyager leaves them and continues on it's course.

Tl;dr: This was the episode that first proposed the concept that people could reclaim their lives after being Borg, which would become a major theme later on in the show. It had a sound premise, and an interesting moral dilemma that gave it more teeth than the average ex-Borg angst we got later. Even the romantic subplot for Chakotay seemed plausible, if kinda freaky. This story raised more questions than it answered, but in a good way that gets you thinking, and lets you sympathize with both sides. It makes you wonder what did happen to them after Voyager left. A surprisingly effective episode.

[nalyra-dreaming]

How do you think is going to be Lestat storyline in S2?

Hey nonny!

Good question!

We won’t get Lestat’s POV till S3 so that’s something that needs to be considered here.

Books spoilers ahead once more!

On the Dubai storyline I think Lestat is asleep - since he has to be awake to tell his side of the story in season 3 he will probably wake towards the end of season 2… I hope not in the last 10 minutes. There’s too much connected to it to rush, imho, I‘d prefer the emotional catastrophic events of end Merrick over a big surprise;)))

In regards to the Paris storyline…

I actually think swamp etc have happened, bc Claudia’s diary doesn’t match with what Louis told so far.

They’ll maybe skip the return and setting on fire, but Lestat will still need time to recuperate enough, dump or swamp, to go after them to Paris while giving them a good headstart.

I think we’ll get some very intense and very heartbreaking scenes with him and Armand.

Armand having revealed himself in Dubai opens whole new doors - he can tell of his meeting with Lestat. If that is the truth then… is a wholly different thing 😅

And whoever comes in to build Louis up in Dubai (see Rolin‘s new interview) might be connected to Lestat too - IF that vampire is connected - then there might be yet another perspective incoming. It will heavily depend on who they’re bringing in.

If it is Gabrielle - well she might just go head to head with Armand in telling some of the story. She wasn’t there then (at least according to current canon) - but she knows Armand and the backstory. I actually can see her and Daniel teaming up poking the narrative, lol. Also who knows if she has seen Louis and Claudia at some point without revealing herself.

If it is Marius… well that could be very interesting, too. Marius could have heard Lestat calling, maybe. We know he and Pandora were at the theater at some point iirc. Maybe… they’ll twist the timefeame to have them there, then. That would also be extremely interesting, because Marius could have known a lot. Again though, how much of that is the truth then…

If it is David… David is important (can be very important) for the Dubai storyline and the things (maybe) coming up towards the end of season 2. His input to all this could be reports through the Talamasca vaults, too. Also probably very interesting things?

And last but not least it could be someone like Grent from the Prince Lestat storyline, like Fareed. Ugh. So many possibilities;)))

So all this is to say that… I think STORYLINE wise… I think Lestat’s story will stay very close to the book. Paris, Armand, the trial, the tower. The fall. New Orleans. I bet they’ll keep the viewpoints and contradictions of whether Louis and Armand really saw Lestat back in New Orleans, too.

I can totally see Daniel going “where is he now“ - pause - and then someone getting up with a huge sigh to show Daniel (I‘d love that). 😂

Again, I do hope that’s not in the last 10 minutes.

If we’re really lucky we will also get flashbacks of Loustat‘s good times - because the second half of the book is where Louis‘ yearning really starts.

And where he realizes that he hated Lestat for the wrong reasons.

[bittenlore]

( daniel sharman. 1,000+. original vampire. ) KOL MIKAELSON, you’ve been haunting mystic falls’ streets with your desire to KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY ALIVE WHILE ENJOYING THE PERKS OF VAMPIRISM. it’s only a matter of time before your ARROGANT & EASILY ANGERED tendencies prove to be your own undoing; unless your CHARMING & STRATEGIC nature helps you obtain allies before it’s too late.

B A S I C S 

full name: kol mikaelson. nicknames: n/a. gender:  cis man. pronouns:  he/him. sexuality:  pansexual. age:  1,000+. date of birth:  unknown. zodiac sign:  unknown. birthplace: present day mystic falls. current location: mystic falls. species:  original vampire. occupation:  unemployed. languages spoken: english, french, spanish, latin, german, norwegian, danish, old norse.

A P P E A R A N C E

faceclaim:  daniel sharman. height: 6'2. build:  toned and lean. eyes:  blue. hair:  light brown. piercings:  none.  tattoos:  none. other distinguishing features:  height. style:  usually seen wearing darker clothes. leather jackets, dark blue jeans and black boots. occasionally dresses formally when the time calls for it. 

P E R S O N A L I T Y

traits:  (+) charming, strategic, intelligent, confident , strong willed. (-) arrogant, easily angered, obnoxious, jealous, unforgiving.  mental health:  anger management issues, abandonment issues.  physical health:  superior. likes:  feeding, drinking, partying, torturing, flirting, sex, reading, music, traveling, witches.  dislikes:  being antagonized, people who don't respect his authority, being undermined, hunters, his parents.  fears:  death, being daggered, the death of his siblings. 

B A C K G R O U N D

everything regarding kol is pretty much the same canon wise up until s3 of the vampire diaries, but here are important key points in my portrayal of him:

kol does in fact love his siblings and would do anything for them, but holds a lot of resentment towards them due to the fact that he feels ostracized a lot of the time. especially due to the fact that he was excluded from their "always and forever" pact.

he craves a bond with his siblings as strong as the ones they have with each other, even though he would never admit that out loud.

his violent antics and outbursts stem from his need for attention and affection from his siblings, something that, again, he would never admit out loud.

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

what are your character’s goals? do they have any present allegiances? kol's main goal is to keep himself and his family alive. however, he does like to focus on his own hedonism and enjoying the perks of being an immortal being. he would say his allegiance is to himself, but truthfully, his allegiance is to his family.

what has your character been up to before/during the start of our group, at the beginning of tvd season 3? ( feel free to play with or mix up canon events as you like ! ) kol has been daggered up until recently, and has been adjusting to waking up in a new time period.

what songs do you associate with your character? highway to hell by ac/dc, going to hell by the pretty reckless, womanizer by britney spears, bad at love by halsey

have you altered anything about your character’s canon? nothing's been altered.

do you have any other random headcanons worth mentioning? kol is a huge music lover. he can play numerous instruments, including the piano, guitar, violin, harp and cello, among others.

is there anything you’re potentially interested in exploring romantically for your character / what do you, or could you, ship? i would definitely be interested in exploring potential romantic storylines for kol. someone who can bring out his softer side, make him realize that being in love/monogamous isn't a horrible thing. i'm open to any ships, honestly. m/f or m/m.

what sort of current or future connections/plots are you looking for? i would love to see some vampires sired by kol, as well as witches from covens that he used to deal with before being daggered.

[eric-the-bmo]

The Neighborhood Watch s3 ep10: Battle Stations

[Summary: The Cast clears away some enemies, and in the morning discuss further plans to investigate the Casino. Louis and Song connect some dots, Markus helps Ken, and John visits Emmett.] @gr3y-plays-ttrpgs ----

The Main Cast (ft Lestat and Grayson) all get into position to use the affixed and various guns of the safehouse. We decide that Louis gets to use the Huge Laser Gun because his stats are best equipped to use it, and also it would be funny. There's three armored tanks and an assortment of people outside, including the mailman (who is still trying to get us to turn in Song). The Cast prevents the people from leaving the main area and/or gathering up to make plans (which results in our mailman getting killed Oops-), and at one point the people send out a mind-controlled Sammy to try and fight us- but Song uses telepathy to enter Sammy's mind to attempt to stop him. His mindspace seems to be coated in a strange gel, which she tries to chemically burn away in order to help him. When she exits, smoke is pouring out of Sammy's mouth (he's alive but currently immobile), and Song has a bit of a nosebleed. There's also a moment in which we see one of the neighbors, Phillip, look out from the window before ducking away.

Louis has a blast (pun absolutely intended) destroying most of the tanks, and then it's over!

Markus is concerned about Sammy, and we debate on if we should let down the safety measurements (which we Just set up again) in order to drag him inside and make sure he's safe. Markus settles for calling Sammy's husband a bunch of times instead. Eventually John goes to clean all the blood off himself and check on Shelby, and we all head off to sleep (except for the polycule.) ---

Markus is the first of the Main Cast to wake up in the morning, and finds a sad Kenneth in the kitchen. Kenneth reveals he feels useless, which really sucks for him because he finally thought he had found a group of outcasts he could maybe bond with. Markus says he is useful, just not for combative scenarios, and apologizes for being a dick the other night. We learn his clairvoyance only happens the first time he touches an object. Markus makes coffee for everyone.

Louis, Song, and Lestat all slowly enter, wearing each other's clothes; John notices this as he walks in but doesn't say anything. (Grayson, who was alseep on the couch, finally wakes up.)

Markus explains the details of Kenneth's abilities, and suggests Ken touch the body of the mailman to try and get more information about the Casino. We'd have to set the wards down, but we also reason there's no way Melody would try to do anything drastic in broad daylight. We decide to have breakfast and take down the wards after to see what Kenneth can do.

As Markus gets to cooking, there's a sudden knock at the door- Song speaks to whoever it is telepathically, and we discover it's Phillip. He assumes the telepathy is just a speaker-security thing. He mentions all the noise from last night (he seems to believe it was just fireworks, despite seeing it all go down last night), and anyway he asks if Song would be able to babysit his daughter, or knows anyone who could do that- he's thinking of going to the casino. We all start yelling for him to not go, so Song tells him it's practically a scam. This man decides to shoot his shot and asks Song out for dinner (she politely declines), and Phillip finally makes his way back to his house. As he walks away she can hear him mentally beating himself up like "God of course she'd say no :-("

John goes to wake up Shelby, and asks her how she's doing; she says this is a lot to take in. He gives her a hand squeeze, and they go off to eat the breakfast that Markus made for everyone.

Markus looks crushed (/hj) after Shelby makes a joking comment about how the breakfast doesn't have any waffles, and explains to everyone what they made is actually a dish from their home country- and then they realize they backed themselves into a corner when Song asks about it, and they admit they're from Romania. They had to leave due to a bad spot they were in. Song asks how Analita's doing, and Markus says they should call her; but she's tough, like them. Song mentions texting Amira again, and Markus calls Heath to ask if Sammy got back home. Heath is confused, saying he and Sammy got home together (he's got no memory of the casino escapade from last night it seems), but mentions Sammy seems to be a bit sick today- he invites Markus over for later in the day, perhaps, and Markus is like "yeah sure ty" before quickly hanging up.

It turns out Song had stolen a poker chip some point during last night, so Kenneth touches it to see if we can get any info- but it's nothing special, just the chip being passed around. It was worth a shot, and Kenneth suggests we go back into the casino so he can quite literally get a hold of someone who would know a bit more.

["hey louis," markus says across the table. "are you good at kidnapping people?"] (Louis says kidnapping is more difficult than murder, so it's off the table for now.)

The Cast gets to talking about how to sneak into the Casino again, wondering which one of us wasn't caught sneaking around- but all of us were, really. John suggests he could shapeshift into something akin to Harold in order to get into the casino, and Shelby's surprised by him being able to do that. [She chokes on her drink. "Sorry, what?" "I- love, did you not notice I had feathers last night?" "It was a bit of a blur-" "Ah, yes, well, new thing- I can shapeshift." He takes an awkward sip of coffee.]

Song, solely curious about his limitations, asks if John can shapeshift into her (and Markus is curious, too). John offhandedly and nervously says he can't, he needs to eat the thing first, before remembering he did take a bite out of her neck about two months ago, and maybe that would be enough... Grayson doesn't seem happy that John (now even more nervous) attacked his daughter earlier, but Song is all "dad chill, he's my friend." Shelby, meanwhile, seems to have lost her appetite and is realizing that it wasn't a bobcat during the Season One finale.

The Cast agrees to meet back up at 4 if they're going to part ways. Song texts Amira a quick hello, and they agree to hang out later in the week (she's trying to make sure this robot girl stays safe). Amira exits the convo by mentioning her parents want her to do chores, so they did come home after being controlled by the casino, just like Sammy- Markus suggests they and Kenneth head over to try and clairvoyance one of the Sampath adults.

The wards of the safehouse get dropped, and the party splits ways- Lestat slips away to the basement. The Cast finds that all the damage from last night is gone- there's not even a single scorch mark on the pavement (So there goes the corpse clairvoyance idea from earlier). People are out mowing their lawns, etc, normal suburban stuff.

Markus spots the Patterson household and decides to go there instead, since they hate Mr Patterson so why not? It'd be fun to freak him out. ----

John decides to go visit Emmett, and Grayson tags along because he knows the security system of the place (given how it's tech from the same company he had worked for at some point). Song once again lets her father know John's cool, she can handle herself, and the two of them head off. [Grayson claps a hand on John's back. "Alright, let's go for a walk." John hides a wince- that was right on the runes on his skin. "..Got it."] ----

Song and Louis head down to Lestat to compare everything they learned from the casino escapade to try and make a better plan, compiling a floor plan, etc. Song decides to look into Louis and Lestat's memories of the casino to see if there was anything they spotted that she didn't; and because of the established rules, memory sharing is a two-way street, so they also gets to see Song's memories of the upper floor and interacting with her mother.

The polycule both agrees to delve deeper, and Song shares with he boyfriends anything she can remember about her mother. There's a buried and hazy memory of Song's mother, Melody, talking to a woman with black hair and a graying man with a pinstripe suit and cane as an infant Song watches- that same man was in the background of one of Louis' memories from earlier in the campaign. Lestat's never seen the man before, and it's not Mr Dark, either- the man in the memories looked different than him. They all ponder what the hell it could mean, how the same pinstripe man had shown up in both Song and Louio's pasts. ----

Markus hides in their bushes as Kenneth knocks on the door of the Patterson household and says hello, trying to actually formally introduce himself. Kenneth shakes Bob's hand and freezes- it weirds Mr Patterson out and he slams the door shut. Markus pops up from the bushes again and Ken sifts through the memories he just got, getting a bit distracted by all of them.

["I don't think there's as many vampires around BECAUSE of this guy!"]

Markus gets him back on track, and Kenneth mentions there were complete blanks in Bob's memories- probably from the casino- and he mentions a man with a cane and hat. The Cane Man was talking to a man and a woman, but that's all he's got. Markus reasons that if no one in town would remember due to the memory blanks, they should try to talk to a casino employee- they would know what's going on. He thanks Ken for this info, like "see! you're useful! :-)" ---

Meanwhile, Grayson and John have begun walking over to Emmett's house to check in on the AI. Grayson says he knows John's a Hunter, as he's got that on file-John says he likes being human and has no plans to go back being a monster.

["Good, good! Just to let you know: I'll kill you ever hurt my daughter again." "Not if I take myself out first."]

They get to the AI's house and find a small stack of boxes by the door. They're all addressed to John. The doorbell/security system doesn't work; After failing to pry open the door and learning that the system's too advanced for Grayson to figure out, John finally decides to open the boxes.

In the first one is a tape recorder, with a recording of Emmett explaining that something happened to his systems and so all of this is being delivered as a failsafe. He addressed them all to John because he trusts him the most. In the next box is a large cylinder, some kind of sci-fi container to put something inside. In the next boxes is a crimson leatherbound journal inscribed with runes similar to the one's on John's back, and a manuscript titled The Journal of Douglas Baxter- the name of the man who built this suburb.

Notes/Commentary:

It was fun with the guns tbh. Our DM vastly overpowered us lmao

Kenneth! my beloved!! number one guy To Me (Bonus: Louis walking in on the Markus and Ken scene and then Immediately leaving)

Very curious about Phillip tbh. The DM told us he's got Lore and so i am very intrigued.

Shelby's chilling at home to process all of it. Valid tbh

PINSDTRIPE MAN HELLO???

I skipped over the boxes at first bc im a Fool and went "ah got it, thats just decoration to make it known Emmett's been out of commission for a while 👍no idea why my character's name is on it thats weird lol" like?? girl Open Them-

John, hearing Emmett trusted him the most: "omg praise? you trust and like me oh my god??" /pos

Is this what it was like when they got all 3 journals in Gravity Falls? /hj

ITS ALL COMING TOGETHER. RIGHT?! I have my string and corkboard, Mr Cane Man is Douglas Baxter, somehow? (Who, according to Lore, is the billionare who built this weird suburb in town in the first place!) And he's been staking people out to give them lottery tickets to move into town! But why....... I'm rolling with my scp theory tbh

[godisaknife]

Hello hi howdy 🖤 saw you asked for asks and discussion so some questions for ya

What was your number 8 on Spotify?

Favorite candle scent??

Your all time favorite horror movie and WHY?

That one poll that was like would you rather be splattered in blood, drenched Carrie style, drips/smeared around your mouth, or bloody hands/knuckles etc ???

Thoughts on ghosts?

And favorite hannibal headcanon/meta!!

Sorry you have to stay up, hope you're well and wishing you good times and good vibes 🩸🖤🩸

hi there!! thank you so much for sending in so many questions this is gonna be so fun

so first question! my number 8 song on spotify was "Honeywell" by Clem Turner! you should give it a shot, it's a lovely song

hmm i really like berry scented candles! i'm very picky with candles but any berry scented ones are fine because they remind me of the village i grew up in

all time favorite horror movie this one is a HARD question. im a huge horror fan so i have a LIST. if i had to choose one if would be "Gonjiam", it's a korean (sort of) found footage movie about a haunted asylum. the place is actually real and is considered to be the most haunted place in the country. the reason i chose this movie is because one of the most important things for a horror movie is to be scary (imo). i'm a scaredycat (funny thing to be for a horror fan) but nothing in my entire life has scared me as much as that movie. the first time i had seen it i got genuinely traumatized, it fucked up my brain for MONTHS. so i think for a horror movie to be so terrifying to have such an effect makes it deserving of credit. trauma aside, it was a great movie and ive even rewatched it a couple of times sfksfjlkfj. also i just really like korean cinematography

ooooh can i have more than one answer to that? first of all, definetely bloody knuckles and hands, bloody knuckles are incrediblyy attractive to me. plus, blood stained clothes, that would be perfect

ghosts. you know what, i'll share a very intimate story about this topic. ive never believed in ghosts, to this day i don't. however, there was a brief period in my life during which i was convinced that a ghost was haunting me, although not in a malicious way. i had a dog called Lucy, we had to put her down five years ago because she had inoperable cancer and was suffering. shortly after she passed, i started waking up every single morning for weeks with three neat scratches on my face. it would always happen after i'd have a dream about her (which was, and still is, incredibly often), and at night i'd use to hear scratching noises i couldn't find a source for. but it was the scratches that did it for me. the thing eventually stopped but for that brief period of time i did genuinely believe that her ghost was in my room. but as a general rule im a skeptical on the topic

hannibal headcanons oof we're opening a bottomless chest here. okay first of all i want to clarify that he is a top. this is such a stupid hc but everytime i see bottom hannibal stuff it's like,, you don't know him, i know him. i actually kin hannibal so my headcanons about him and the show are sort of blurry? i don't think i have a favorite one so i'll just drop a few here. first of all, will is way more manipulative than most people tend to see (referring to s3 mostly, he was a manipulative cunt in love). being a cannibal and having bloodthirst is something so engraved into hannibal that is makes no sense at all to talk about him in other terms (eg. people who write non-cannibal hannibal fics, everyone can do what they want but that's just nonesense) and even without what happened to his sister, he'd still be what he is. perhaps some things would be different, but his views on life and religion and his murder-sona would still exist. i'll also say this probably super controversial one but hannibal has issues with incest. whether it's a kink or just a thought in the back of his head, it's there. also he secretely writes poetry.

thank you so much for the asks and the nice message <333 i hope you have a good day/night!! this definetely entertained me!!

[lemonhemlock]

To me, this seemed like 1. Martin's crush on Jon was implied from the beginning and throughout S1-S2 (though, it was subtle, blink and you'll miss it, herein you can also argue Death of the Author, I guess). It does get confirmed by Elias when he looks inside Martin's head at the end of S3 and asks him why would he waste energy on someone who treats him so badly (paraphrasing bc I haven't listened in a while). and 2). It wasn't supposed to turn explicitly into Jmart but it was kind of sprung on by how positively fans reacted to it after the S3 finale? And that's how we got the S4 romance plot shoe-horned in.

To be fair, Jon does become nicer to Martin in S3 after he comes back from his hidey-hole, but from acting friendly to outright being in love with someone is a huge gap. No offense to jmart shippers, but these people are not well-suited to each other. What do they even have in common? What attracts them to one another? What do they even know about each other?

Ultimately, there are discrepancies on both sides, IMO, bc Martin is someone Jon absolutely despises in earlier seasons. He definitely starts off as a prickly character with a lot of room to grow, someone that is very difficult to get close to, but he has none of this attitude towards Sasha, Tim or Elias. Martin just somehow ticks his buttons so much that he doesn't even seem to respect him. ? He gets a lot better later on, granted, and in S4 you can argue he is in such a bad situation that Martin is kind of the only person available (well, not really, bc he's busy with Peter) who doesn't bite his head off just for existing, so NOW he is drawn to him. But it's. Such a sad state of affairs to base a romance on.

Whereas Martin gets his own character growth after Elias calls him out for his crush and even admits in S4 he was kind of fooling himself and that they don't even like each other in the Archives. So that looked a lot like self-awareness? Realizing that your crush is predicated on an illusion, but still doing the right thing, as is - he's standing up for Jon in front of the others and he's refusing Jon's offer to run away with him. S4 Martin is kind of a refreshingly actualized character.

It's the romance ending of S4 that feels kind of implanted. Jon has had little contact with Martin after waking up from his coma; I struggle to see how the Martin he seems to yearn for isn't some fantasy he's built in his head, whereas S4!Martin was mature enough to break through the illusions he had constructed about Jon as a romantic partner.

Like, I could buy this relationship as two people not necessarily suited to each other, but maybe finding each other in bad circumstances and making due. But that's just it - they're not each other's soul mates, they're settling for each other, because there's no one else available. And that's kind of realistic in and of itself, even if it's depressing. That could have been the point of S5, but it wasn't acknowledged as such. Instead, Martin really regressed from all his S4 growth and turned into his most annoying version, clinging to Jon no matter what, often trying to control and manipulate him.

So, to me, at least, it does seem like this relationship was written pretty chaotically and doesn't really look like something that was planned from the very beginning. The narrative doesn't decide what the dynamic between these two characters should be. Is it a great love story? Is it abusive? Is it just passing time? Are they sincere, are they fooling themselves?

it is still. Unbelievable. to me. that they made jonmartin canon in like full sincerity. that this was a good thing somehow that the narrative rewarded. getting to 158 - 160 felt in many ways like rounding a corner and getting hit in the face with a cast iron pan. i successfully predicted the main gist of the watcher's crown some time around the end of s3 and i was totally BLINDSIDED by canon jmart. hit with a 2x4 fr.