#I would have been fine without Morgana too

[aro-tarot]

I’m also excited since I just happened to look, which I’ve done maybe every couple of months, and there was a lot for 6 out of the 7 Merlin figures on eBay. I’ve been wanting them since, I mean, I like figures and dolls and surrounding myself with the things I like. The seller is also in the states, so shipping was about $8 and not $20+ like the individual ones I’ve seen. Just add that to the multiple things I’m looking forward to next week lol

[shslskaterboy]

I often time find myself thinking about missed opportunities in persona 5 and the many writing blunders it makes, but I think probably the most baffling one that still plagues me to this day is the complete lack of proper resolution for Ryuji and Morgana’s arc. It seems like such a classic use of the “two characters who are always bickering” trope, just an ongoing bit that they have, but the writers actually take it in kind of a different way by having it become too real. Things become actually tense as the story progresses, and the benign banter stops being so benign and becomes a lot more pointed, until we get to the point that they’re pretty much taking very personal jabs at each other’s specific insecurities, and it’s really not playful anymore. This of course results in the whole Morgana running of don his own thing, and the first time I was playing through the game I thought the obvious way the arc would go would be: Track him down, maybe a botched apology to build tension further, have some sort of breaking point where everything overflows, and then much the way it does in canon, there is some sort of event (ie Ryuji standing up for him against Haru’s fiancé) that demonstrates the actual care they have and allows for them to smooth things out juuuuust enough to get to the point where they can talk as a group and resolve things. So okay, at this point we’re almost in line with what I expected, so clearly the only thing left to do is have the heartfelt scene where Ryuji and Morgana apologize to each other, right? “I’m sorry I let the fame go to my head,” and “I’m sorry I lashed out bc of my insecurities,” at the very least, then they reconcile and agree that they are really friends and this whole fight was stupid, and they’re sorry, they make up, and the banter can resume but in a more lighthearted manner that clearly displays the growth they both made along the way.

And yet.

We get absolutely nothing of the sort, and I was absolutely fucking flabbergasted by it. It seemed so obvious for that to be the direction they took, because why else would they do all that set up? Why would they make a point of demonstrating that Ryuji was being such a fuckin asshole about it? Why would they double down on Morgana’s bitchiness? It all seemed like the perfect lead into a really good character arc for both of them, and instead they just gloss over it and go “don’t worry they’re fine now” like HELLO?? Are you sure??? Bc that shit got pretty damn personal at the peak there, and you’re telling me they just smile and nod and work together without ever addressing it? Like. Boy atlus what on fucking earth are you doing at this point, just padding for time in a 130+ hour game? What was the point? Truly I will never get over it because it could have been so good for both of them, but instead we get nothing but a half assed apology that doesn’t even land, and I think that is sucks and I’ll never get over it

[theroundbartable]

Hi! I want to share a merthur prompt that's been on me mind for a long time, but cannot write cause english is not my first language and I'm afraid to make mistakes. I would love for you to write it, but if you only share the prompt for someone else to do it, it's fine too.

You know how in the arthurian mithology Arthur wasn't raise as a prince to begin with but was discover later? Not only that, but Utter was the one who order Merlin to hide him, so he took him and made other family raise him.

Well, inspired on this I though what if our BBC Merlin did this? I imagine inmortal Merlin after the events of camlam, mad with grieve, tired of waiting for Arthur and cursing destiny and fate, would come to the conclusion that it was the prophesy he tried to fulfill that ended up killing and condeming Arthur. So, as soon as he learns how to, he travels back in time just when Arthur is about to be born. He kidnaps baby Arthur and gives him to a nice couple in Ealdor who he knows can't have children and will raise him well. He doesn't care about destiny anymore, he just wants Arthur to be happy and safe.

Obviously this has consecuences: Utter's hate towards magic becomes worse because he did not only lose his wife to a sorcerer but his son and heir as well. Search parties look for the lost prince for years without success and Utter is force to acknowledge Morgana as his daughter since he refuses to marry again, let alone have another heir. He won't stop looking for his son though no matter how much his council pleads him to.

Meanwhile, little Arthur meets little Merlin and become inseparable friends. Merlin from the future smiles, watching them from afar. He's been looking after Arthur all this time, making sure he won't be found and that he's safe. Suddenly he notices his body is starting to be less solid and realise that sooner or later he's going to disappear because there can be two Merlins coexisting in the same time. Not wanting to leave Arthur unprotected, he decides to orquest secret encounters with his younger self in the woods disguise as Dragoon/Emrys to start giving him magic leasons so he can control his magic better, ergo protect Arthur when he is not around. However, Arthur follows Merlin one day to see where he always goes of to and he discovers his best friend has magic. He takes it well though and even asks "Emrys" to teach him too. "Emrys" says something along the lines "You don't have magic I can work with but you defenitely have strength and courage. I can teach you to be a Knight" and he does. From then on he gives them not only magic and knight leasons, but education in general.

The day "Emrys" knows he is going to die/disappear he meets with Merlin, who is a teen by then, privatly one last time. With all the power he has left he transfers all his memories to Merlin. Overwhelm but over all angry teen Merlin shouts at adult Merlin, who is not in disguise anymore, "How dare you! You had no right to take that away from him! His right to the throne! He could've have better life, he could...". Adult Merlin argues back "Being prince is what made him miserable and got him killed in the first place!". They fight a little more, but in the end Adult Merlin says "Look, if you think is best to bring Arthur back to Camelot and reveal he is the lost prince is your choice. I already gave you all the information you need to be beware of the dangers and consecuences. Don't let any prophesy lead your choices and protect him" and he banishes soon after. Teen Merlin is left without knowing what to do.

He doesn't have to do anything though. Essetier kingdom falls, maybe do to war or a plague, i don't know, and Merlin, Arthur and their parents are force to flee to Camelot. They arrive at the Citidel and... that's all I got 😅 Sorry. I suppose at some point Arthur is discover and chaos ensues, but I don't know how it would happen.

OP, I just want to say.... i already know you're underestimating yourself. This summary looks awesome. I love the idea. And I have no doubt that you can flesh this out.

I'm not going to write it, because you can make this a 300 k story and people will absolutely read it and they will love it. I know this, because I absolutely would. Don't worry about your English, it's more than fine. (There are some spelling mistakes, but that's to do with typing, not actual problems with grammar.)

Look, I'm not an English native myself. I'm German and I started off with stories that made little sense in consistency. I was 12 when my first comment (my brother) told me it sucked. And he was right but that didn't stop me. The level on writing I see in this little summary is what I would have aspired my writing to become at the time. You have nothing to be insecure about.

Don't be afraid to write your own story. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Trust me on this. You will do better than you think. And if you want, you can always message me if you need any help. I would love to read your version of the whole story.

Seriously, I mean it. You've given me enough text to see it. It would be a great gift to the fandom if you tried. :)

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch -- S2E3: The Nightmare Begins

Morgana

Morgana (and Merlin) wasn't the brightest in this ep... Uther already made such a fuss about the fire in Morgana’s room, how did she think she could just disappear without causing chaos? I can believe she would take off in the night since she acted on instinct quite a lot, but she looked so shocked when Merlin said Uther thought she had been kidnapped, as if it had never occurred to her.

Perhaps she didn't really understand the "privilege" she had? She was Uther's beloved ward. Of course Uther would flip the kingdom to find her if she'd been gone without a word. But also, It didn't really matter if Merlin could keep a secret or not. Uther wouldn't suspect her of magic unless she burst it out in front of him. Even then he might not actually kill her. Which was very different from the dozens of people who were suspected of Morgana's "kidnap" and the Druids who accommodated her.

Katie McGrath was stunning in this ep. Her emotion and vulnerability were moving. I felt Morgana's fear and loneliness. But the fact that she was so absorbed in her own problem made it hard for me to sympathise with her. She said " If I return (to Camelot) the same fate (being executed) awaits me." but that's not true. Her magic was still a secret whereas those people would die if she didn't go back.

Maybe those people were too far away and didn't feel real. It's fine. It's human. But when Arthur already arrived with an army, prepared to raid the druids who showed her only kindness, she really should have gone to Arthur. Convince him that the druids didn't kidnap her or something. She could still seek out the druid in the future but not if they were slaughtered.

I liked that Merlin said,“ It’s good to have you back.” at the end. Their relationship was back to a more formal and distant one, but he wanted to remind her that she wasn't alone.

On the other hand, it seemed that the show tried to emphasise Merlin and Morgana’s bond and neglected Gwen and Arthur entirely. Arthur didn't show any reaction to the whole thing. Gwen did show concern for Morgana in her little appearance, but they didn't really talk. I'd thought Morgana would confide in her first. She did that in The Beginning of the End. And Morgana didn’t seem to think of Gwen, let alone Arthur, when she decided to escape, when she said she was alone, and when she went back to Camelot.

[S2E3] [other episodes]

[ediyo-15]

Warm with Wine (also on ao3)

Arthur laughed. Merlin wanted to gag.

To her credit, the young lady was beautiful. First daughter of a repubale lord, she was donned in fine jewels and layers of fabric. But Merlin believed, even without all of her coin, she would’ve been gorgeous. Not enough to rival the Lady Morgana, no, but enough to catch the eye of most men.

Enough to catch the eye of Arthur.

She’d arrived with her father to the council gathering, along with several other young ladies of the court. Uther had arranged it for something or another, the crop yield had seemed very profitable this season, but it seemed that the lords had all seen another opportunity. Many of their fair daughters had come of age this spring, and Prince Arthur wasn’t getting any younger.

“They make a fine pair, don’t they?” Gwen claimed, coming to rest by Merlin’s side. They waited along the edges of the large dining table that had been drug in earlier that morning. It was decked high with food, roast duck and boiled vegetables, fruit and warm bread. Uther sat at the head of the table, as was expected, but Arthur had found himself further towards the center, forced to make pleasantries with the visiting nobility.

He did not seemed forced now, however. His eyes were alight in a way that showed focus and intrigue. Merlin new nothing of the lady besides her looks, he barely recalled her name, but her father had seemed as bustling and pigheaded as most country lords. It seemed his daughter did not hold his same demeanor. At least, she didn’t with Arthur.

“I set Arthur up with some books on dress making,” Merlin grins. “It seems he took quite the fancy to it.”

Guinevere chuckled and pushed roughly on his arm, “Hush now.”

“It was opt time he learned to dress himself.”

“Women can know more than the latest fashion, Merlin,” she scoffed with an exasperated smile.

“I know. I’ve met you haven’t I. I’m sure she had a marvelous library at her estate. One her father should take an interest in.”

Across the table, the maiden’s father let out a loud and obnoxious laugh.

“Quite,” Gwen frowned. “But an intelligent and beautiful woman would make an excellent consort for the prince.”

“Talk of marriage already, Gwen?” Merlin smirked. “Always the romantic.”

“Of course it’s far to early,” she said. “But Arthur is on his second cup this evening. And I hear the blood runs hot in the days before summer.”

“What are you implying?”

“Just make sure you knock in the morning.”

“Stop.”

She laughed at the horror on his face and pushed his arm once again. He pushed back.

“It would be nice if he could settle down though,” she said as they sobered. “He’s always so high strung.”

Merlin scoffed, “Don’t remind me.”

“His father puts a lot of pressure on him. I would love to see someone with wish he could share his burdens. Someone who would help carry his load.”

Merlin hummed.

“Does it not bother you?” he asked. “The expectation for him to marry noble?”

Gwen gave him a confused look, before her face suddenly grew red. “No, no. Of course not. Perhaps once upon a time, but I do find myself having moved on, as of late.”

“You’re as red as Arthur’s cape, lovely lady.”

She pushed his arm harder, “Because you speak of embarrassing things!”

“You just insuated Arthur would have a warm bed not two minutes ago!” he protested. She glared and wrinkled her nose childishly in his direction.

They watched on for a bit more. The young lady leaned in, not enough to touch but enough to be personal. Arthur fought to keep his face neutral. Merlin fought to keep his magic in check. A swooning Arthur was always disturbing. To imagine the prince reduced to a melting puddle over a random woman was always annoying.

Especially with the probability of an assasination far too high for Merlin’s weary bones.

“He’ll always have time for you, though,” Gwen remarked.

“Huh?”

She simply smiled as Morgana called for her and she left his side. Turning back to the prince, Merlin found Arthur’s attention on him. The young lady had received the attention of another across the table, and Arthur had taken the chance to glance at his manservant. He raised his eyebrows in a crudely boyish manner. Once, twice. Merlin rolled his eyes. Arthur did it again before returning his attention to the woman beside him.

The dinner carried on into the evening. Merlin was called to refill the prince’s cup one more time before he remarkably turned to his goblet of water. The noise in the hall grew louder as food was completed and wine came to sit deep in bellies. Merlin found himself fighting a headache as the stars grew higher, wishing he could step out for a breath of fresh air and a glance above. A glance at something that wouldn’t be plain and smoke-hazed stone.

He closed his eyes and breathed.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself once again in Arthur’s gaze. The prince was smiling, a broad grin stretching between crinkled eyes. His nosed scrunched in a happy and charming matter, and wine dusted his cheeks pink despite the water. He looked directly at Merlin, a laxed and carefree look about him, his blonde hair backlit by the fading candlelight.

He was glowing. He shone as he smiled at Merlin, who couldn’t resist a small smile back, looking a bit heavy on his feet but light in his heart.

He shone. Like a star.

Oh.

[fellowshipofthenoodles]

Morgana escaped her viv through a vent (apparently she has super strength because I literally used aquarium sealant to avoid that, also after several escapes through those viv vents I don’t trust vivexotics anymore)

I currently have food out, a cave, and a warm spot (there’s a radiator next to the food and cave), her viv is open in case she goes back herself, a water dish on the floor next to her viv so she can drink and there’s plastic bags/crinkly stuff on the floor so i can hear her if she comes out.

Do you have any methods I haven’t thought of that might help lure her out? I’m devastated.

Aw fuck, I’m sorry! Kingsnakes are such bastards and for some reason Mexican blacks are ninjas at escape 😩

I wouldn’t have plastic bags down personally due to suffocation risk as they’re actually very silly animals that would 100% do that to themselves. Other than that, this is what’s helped us with escapees in the past:

- Keep doors to the room she’s in closed, especially if it’s been less than 24 hours.

- Make sure you double and triple check all hides. When Wraith “escaped” once, we tore her entire house apart and eventually found her curled up in the mug we used as a humid hide

- Keep her heat on! It’s a bit chilly so having a nice heated house may be tempting for her.

- Depending on how food motivated she is, might be worth going around the room with the food on tongs trying to see if she will come out for it. Don’t do this for too long, as if she’s not taking the bait she could get stressed.

- Make sure all holes and escape routes are cut off. Toilet seats down, windows closed, , vents in room closed, draught excluders down if you have them or stuff with blankets, etc

- Check under things - we found Yuzu as a tiny baby hoggie curled under a plushie once.

- Don’t panic! When Sesame escaped he somehow managed to survive outside in winter in wales for a few months. She should be just fine and back with you soon.

With the vents, super recommend putting them in so that you have to push them in from the inside of the viv. That way no creature without opposable thumbs can pop them out.

We have our fingers crossed for you! Keep us up to date, and followers please feel free to add on your tips for naughty escapes.

[dykesynthezoid]

Comedy (and Merlin&Gwen friendship) heavy Arthur resurrection idea where Merlin only manages to wait patiently for Arthur to return for about five years and then he gets to impatient and is so disillusioned with destiny that he spends the next decade researching a way to bring Arthur back himself (and really bring him back, fully human) and it’s such a long con that he fully becomes buddies with the Lord of the Otherworld himself, to the point the Lord of the Otherworld owes him money bc Merlin keeps winning at dice.

And eventually when he’s finally ready he physically goes to the Otherworld himself to make the deal, insisting he and the Lord play one last game of dice and if the Lord wins Merlin will forgive all his debts! And if Merlin wins well :) guess :)

And ofc Merlin does win. And the Lord of Death is over here with his head in his hands like “Emrys I know what you want obviously but there has to be BALANCE I’m telling you” But of course Merlin is very stubborn so he just sits there arguing with him about it for several hours. And eventually the Lord tells him Fine. You can have him back. But it would actually be easier for you to take multiple souls at once. It’s like building an arch, you can’t just take ONE stone. If you’re going to do magic this powerful, you need more building blocks. And they all have to have had some sort of connection to each other in life. And they need anchors in the living world to keep them grounded there.

Merlin’s like yeah, sure, whatever, I literally don’t care what I have to do as long as I get Arthur. But the Lord of Death has one specific soul he’d like Merlin to take with him back to the realm of the living, one that’s been causing him quite a bit of trouble, and Merlin doesn’t like it, but again— He doesn’t care what it takes to bring Arthur back.

Now imagine you’re Gwen, and you’ve been ruling Camelot by yourself for the last fifteen years and it’s probably aged you (MILF Gwen alert). And because eventually she got tired of always being badgered to remarry, Gwen’s agreed to marry Leon, even if it’s just for convenience and they’re good friends. And she hasn’t seen her erstwhile court sorcerer for quite some time and she’s been wondering what he’s up to. And then one day a giant snake monster appears in one of the fields outside the city and she goes out there to see what’s going on, trying to get a better look even as her knights beg her to stay back, bc the snake isn’t attacking, it’s groaning and shifting— Until suddenly something starts to press at it from the inside, and out of nowhere it explodes and out stumbles a very naked and grimy Morgana who immediately starts yelling that she won’t be fooled by another of the Lord of Death’s nasty tricks, and then she promptly passes the fuck out.

So. You’re Gwen. And your evil (is she still evil??) ex homoerotic best friend has returned from the dead and burst out of a giant snake. And confused and in a daze you realize your erstwhile court sorcerer is finally returning; and thank god, he’ll know what’s going on with all this! And then Merlin arrives in Camelot with Arthur and more in tow and is like ah. So this is awkward. I did sorta bring your late husband, brother, ex bestie and ex lover all back from the dead without telling you. And you are gonna have to pick a specific one to ‘anchor’ to you. Sorry about that. Congrats on the engagement by the way! Oh and also Gwaine is here too.

And Gwen just. Breathes very deeply and tries to resist violence

[blarsh]

Finally time for Ambrosine's backstory! Many words ahead

Life was alright for Ambrosine. She was never like the other kids but that was fine. They were weird anyway.

There were two moderately normal things about her. Her unreasonable obsessions with rocks and romance. Her parents may have been a contributing factor to this, as they never strayed from showing off how much they absolutely adored each other. And they never missed a chance to remind her and her siblings of how they only existed because of their love.

She hardly knew how to like things in moderation.

She was spoiled with attention by both her parents and her older sister. Her brother however...was a different story.

He didn't get why she got special treatment. He deserved it! She was such a weird kid. Rarely smiled, seemed bored by most normal things. Unlike him. He was normal and liked normal things! He had friends and good grades! He was better! The only thing she had on him was the fact that she was younger. Stupid parents, favoring their youngests...

So he may have bullied her. A...lot. Most of it she could handle. She'd get angry and yell or hit him. Nothing serious. She couldn't do much damage with her tiny hands and he couldn't take anything she said seriously. But one day he was really pissed.

One day he just wanted to really get under her skin. Really show this dumb kid that he had the power here. That he was better. Stronger, smarter, faster, older. So he may have tampered with one of her obsessions.

Her rock collection...it was stupid, and took up too much room anyway. So he helped clean up...all he did was toss a few out in the yard. Where they belonged.

But that stare...that dead stare she gave him tears streaming down her little face, was...terrifying. It must have just been an off day for him. How could this kid be scary in any way? This little girl was the least threatening thing in the world. So why did that look give him the chills?

That was the only look he got for months. All through the rest of winter and into early spring. It stopped bothering him. He resumed his bullying. After all, it's not like anything was stopping him. Sure their big sister would scold him, but Morgana was totally powerless. She couldn't do anything.

Ambrosine only looked at him normally again one day in late spring when their grandfather took them out on a river trip. It was just the three of them, Ambrosine, Morgana, and him. Their parents were "busy" with some stupid romantic getaway.

It was a fun trip. Sand castles, games, even some supervised adventure. In the evening, their grandfather had decided to take a short nap. These three were good kids, and he trusted Morgana to keep an eye on them.

Now if only they respected their big sister.

Ambrosine approached her older brother with a challenge. "Aren't you old enough to swim without a life jacket now?" "What, are you weak or something?" "I bet you can't swim past the boat with no life jacket!" "Or are you a loser?" "I'm almost able to. Why can't you?"

Those stupid taunts got to him. He was just a kid. Not as mature as he thought. He couldn't help but prove himself.

"Oh come on, can't you go farther?" "It doesn't count if you're holding onto the boat!"

Morgana tried to stop it. She yelled at them both to stop and stay on land. But what could she do? It's not like she had the guts to discipline them. It's not like she knew how to drive the boat and save her little brother as the current took him away.

He really wasn't a good enough swimmer.

The current swept him away, and when it was too much, it swept him under too.

It's painful to hold a funeral for your child. Even more so without a body. And more yet knowing it's at the fault of another one of your children.

Ambrosine was never brought to justice. And while their grandfather should have been charged with criminal negligence, he never was. Morgana and Ambrosine didn't want to admit what had happened. Their parents only knew because Morgana spilled the beans.

They came to resent their children. And each other. If their love created such monsters...was it worth having?

They fought. And like their affection, they didn't bother to hide their anger from their children. Was that happily ever after? The thing Ambrosine dreamed of all her life? How could they not still love each other? After all, if their love is really what made their "precious" children, they could just make another one. It didn't matter.

They got divorced. They dated other people, many of which didn't last long. Their mother disappeared one day with her boyfriend at the time, so Ambrosine and Morgana had to live full time with their father. By then he had already started heavily drinking, and it wasn't uncommon for him to throw things at or hit his daughters. Especially Ambrosine. That monster...that utter abomination that killed his son.

It wasn't her fault. He should have been smarter.

He blinded her. Of course he did. He was in one of his moods and Ambrosine just happened to be around, so he threw a beer bottle at her. It never resulted in anything serious. But his aim was, for once, good enough to hit her. He wasn't trying to. Really he just wanted to spook her and hit the wall. But of course he hit her right in the face.

Even despite being unable to treat her properly, despite fearing her, Morgana still tried to help. She couldn't stand her little sister being in pain. It was a relentless battle. She hated her brother's killer, but she still loved her baby sister. As long as no one else got hurt because of her...maybe it would be fine.

And it was fine, completely fine...until Ambrosine started dating. No matter what, no one had the qualities she liked. No one liked her as much as she liked them, and when she realized that, she dropped them like they were nothing at all. So she realized...if a few words could so easily get her brother to practically kill himself all those years ago, why couldn't she use the same tactics to make someone perfect for her?

Ahaha, that moment when you try to write a small amount but it ends up being more than you thought it would. Anyways! Here's a few little tidbits I wanted to put in but didn't cuz I wanted it to be short!

Ambrosine's mom disappeared bc she joined a cult

She was paying for Am' and Mo's dance classes so they had to stop after her disappearence

Until their grandpa paid for it bc Ambrosine wanted him to

Then she REALLY had to stop after being blinded

Ambrosine saw her dance instructor as a mother figure so quitting was rough

Ambrosine was also very close to her grandfather all her life

She started bleaching and straightening her hair in high school bc girls with straight blond hair seemed to be more liked

And more underestimated

Despite seeming to not care as much, her parents change in behavior did affect Ambrosine quite a bit

She just wants someone to love her and never EVER leave her like her mean old parents did

Morgana would steal a lot of her partners after realizing what she was trying to turn them into

So in turn she started dating Ryan after learning about Morgana's little crush

I swear she likes things other than rocks

[flash-exchange]

Ahoj, holiday season!

Would you look at that, it appears our beloved suitors have already started their vacation.

Who else sent us postcards? Are there any connections between them? What misadventures befell them? Well, there's only one way to find out -- stay tuned!

Best wishes from the crew of IFE.

Transcriptions below the cut.

Greetings from Prague. Thank you for looking over the mansion on my behalf. I hope our residents are not causing you any trouble?

We went to see Charles Bridge. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV. Do you know about Charles? Charles of Luxembourg? Born Václav, the first King of Bohemia to become the Holy Roman Emperor? The founder of Charles University in Prague? Charles IV, ranked first in the 2005 edition of Největší Čech TV show?

Charles’ reign is commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Bohemia. Given the fact that he made Prague his capital, founded the first university in Central Europe, focused on diplomacy, not to mention the Golden Bull… ! It is only understandable. 

Has le Comte perhaps… considered expanding his family?

Sebastian

--

Greetings! Prague is so beautiful. I only wish I took my paints with me… Although, Theo was able to supply me with some without any problem. He’s been acting strange, though. He didn’t even touch his pancakes this morning… 

We’ve visited a botanical garden. Would you care to see my sketches once I return? I think I’ve captured the beauty of the flowers there just right. But it’s a shame you weren’t here with us for the butterfly exhibition… Perhaps I should paint them too.

I almost caused a little accident at the Charles Bridge, but nothing happened. If Theo mentions it, don’t worry.

Does le Comte intend to join us? I’ve briefly talked with a man… I forgot his name… He said he’s his old friend.

Let’s come back here together one day,

Vincent

--

Hondje,

Tell le Comte that his old acquaintance is scheming something. Vlad’s been following me and my broer for days now. 

We’ve been to a botanical garden today. Broer wanted to sketch some of their orchids and other plants for practice. We learnt that there are butterflies in the Fata Morgana Greenhouse, so we went there. The moment I turned around, I could see a black cloak fluttering in the corner of my eye. I know he was there.

Also, what is it with those ridiculous fees for painting at Charles Bridge?! Vincent wanted to make a wish, so we went there. He set up his easel, and we almost got fined… They listened to Sebas’ rambling about the king, though, and left us off the hook.

Be a good puppy and notify le Comte that something is off. What could Vlad want from my broer?

--

You humans truly produce quite lovely things. The world I’ve seen today… I’m glad.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Prague. It’s grown a lot, but the botanical garden is still here. If anything, it’s more beautiful than I remembered it being. It hosts butterfly exhibitions now too? Haha, I like the name of the greenhouse – Fata Morgana. Fitting.

Charles Bridge is also still here. Did you know that touching certain statues there is supposed to have some specific effect? Haha, who knows if they work… But I tapped the plaque with St John of Nepomuk just in case. It says I will come to Prague again. I hope to take you with me then. It’s been one of the wishes I made at the cross there. It’s a little morbid they placed it at the spot where St John fell into the river, but that’s just how you humans are, no? Curious, curious things…

Let’s meet in the dreams.

Vlad

[emanation-aura]

hi this is a free space to infodump about any of your fics. my ears are open and my eyes are peeled. love your writing

Thank you anon! I love infodumping about my fics but I hate doing it without reason, so this is literally perfect.

Ok, so: more P5R fic this time, but I've actually run out of Palace AUs for the moment so it's something else I was cooking.

It's a rewrite of the Okumura's Palace "Morgana fallout" scene where Ryuji and Morgana get so heated that Morgana runs away, but instead of making Joker a passive observer who just... watches his team fall apart, I gave him some agency (and anger!) to work with. Disclaimer: Akira is really, really rude to Ryuji in this because he's snapping from months of pent-up anger, but I don't mean for it to last and this is not a Ryuji-bashing fic; they make up later.

"Fine then," and he can feel the moment the temperature plummets, knows that the hard-edged voice which he'd taken so much care to soften has finally reared its head. There's nothing he can do about it, though— the anger wells in cracks and bubbles, impossible to ignore. "Let's go on the merits of usefulness, shall we? In that case, I should simply disband the Phantom Thieves, because I can do everything you can." It's too far. It's way too fucking far. He shouldn't be saying this at all, breaking their trust— how could he disband the only thing holding them together, giving their lives meaning and purpose? But there is nothing he can do to stop the venom spilling out of his mouth, the months of pent-up tension and weariness inflicted on him the moment he stepped into Tokyo. [...] “Where do you get off calling Morgana useless?!” Akira cuts it again, unable to stop himself. It skips across his body merrily, this vein of deep-seated anger, intertwining itself with the erratic thump-thump-thump of his heartbeat. “Is that all the Phantom Thieves are to you? Useful or useless?” That manages to cut through the chaos of the room like a knife. In the deadly still aftermath of his words, Akira derives cold satisfaction the way his teammates flinch back from him. It swells in his heart like that, thick and hazy, erupting into the room like poison gas.

There's something incredibly interesting about Akira teetering on that edge of "why can't I do this by myself?". He is a Wildcard/Trickster with huge adaptability due to his range of Personas, so while it would suck to not have his teammates as a safety net, he is theoretically capable of going through the game (at this level, anyway, not so much early on) solo; that's also a little gameplay-story integration with the Joker Solo runs people do.

This, of course, is also incredibly similar to Akechi's own philosophy around teammates, and part of why they mirror each other in so many ways. Speaking of Akechi, though, this is also fundamentally a shuake fic, so:

Akira runs a hand through his hair, grimacing as it comes away sticky with rainwater. He doesn’t dare look at Akechi while he thinks of a reply— it feels too invasive, meeting the detective’s eyes, as if he’ll see through everything Akira is trying so desperately to hide. “Are you alright, Kurusu? Did something happen?” Damn him. Akechi has always been uncannily perceptive, although any person with a half-decent brain could probably tell he’s going through some shit right now. The way the detective’s voice goes soft around the edges, though, something almost compassionate creeping through… “I’m fine, detective,” he replies curtly, hunching further into himself as he turns away from Akechi’s gaze. That compassion is the same poison in Yusuke’s voice, the one that punctured his heart like bullets. “Shouldn’t you be getting home?” “You don’t look fine,” Akechi bites back, sharper. It’s almost a relief as the concern bleeds away from his voice, replaced with something more disapproving and caustic. “Did someone attack you? Are you hurt?” Fuck. Akira resists the urge to bury his head in his knees and tries to breathe. Every cold breath seems to stab him in the lungs, a tip-tap to the rhythm of the rain soaking him through. ...A shadow falls over him. Akira looks up to see Akechi’s umbrella open over him, the detective’s grip on the handle tight with tension. “You’re going to catch a cold if you stay like this,” Akechi says tonelessly. “You should go home, Kurusu.”

Akira runs away to Kichijoji to avoid confronting his friends after (blowing up at them / punching Ryuji in the face / having a traumatic flashback) all in one. I don't want to spoil the rest of the fic but it's shuake, Akechi finds Akira in a vulnerable state, you can fill in the rest of the blanks (though it's not smut).

Something I will share though is that sometimes it's easier to share your burdens with someone you are strangers with. Akechi isn't exactly a stranger to Akira, but they have a connection that is both incredibly personal and also impersonally strange. They act like acquaintances and then rivals in the confidant progression, but there is a spark of recognition in that relationship that is absent from most others: like recognises like, which is why the Shuake relationship is so interesting to explore. They skip every conceivable normal 'milestone' a normal friendship does but still understand each other on a deep level because of their similar backgrounds and experiences.

Here's a part I'm really proud of, though:

He doesn’t have any defenses or smokescreens left to throw up. All Akira can do is avert his gaze and curl his hands tighter around the mug, uncaring of the way it begins to burn him. What can he say? Sorry, I thought you were arresting me? Akechi sighs, and although Akira can’t see his expression, it sounds utterly defeated. “I would appreciate a truthful answer,” he says evenly, although perhaps only Akira is privy to the tightly-controlled bundle of emotions behind that flat neutrality. “If nothing else, for the sake of not repeating this incident. Don’t take me for a fool, Kurusu. Your actions tonight were highly irregular, and I could already work out an answer based on what you told me.” “Then why don’t you?” “I’d rather hear it from you instead,” Akechi shrugs. There is a storm brewing in his red eyes, though, formidable and piercing. “Don’t you hate it when people just assume things about you without asking for your perspective?”

(quick context: Akira had a traumatic reaction to Akechi trying to haul him to his feet)

This is something they share deeply. Of course, it's obvious with Akira because he is the subject of so many bad 'delinquent' rumours in Shujin, subject to literally everyone who knows about his criminal record assuming things about him before they meet him, up to and including Sojiro. Akechi's is less obvious but just as intense: it's two-fold, coming from both his status as an orphaned bastard child and as a Detective Prince. He accrues the default social reaction of pity or praise respectively due to the assumptions forced on him by society; for an orphan it's helplessness, stupidity, and being unloveable, and as the Detective Prince it's the assumption that he has his life under control with everything handled. In this way they are both people who have had the burden of societal expectations forced upon them.

One last snippet to end this rambling off:

“What’s it to you?” Akira finally manages, averting his gaze. The mug beneath his fingers has finally cooled to a reasonable temperature, once again allowing the chill to spread along his fingertips, ice freezing over slowly in his veins. What is Akira’s deepest weaknesses and insecurities, to Akechi? Why is he sitting in Akechi’s living room at three in the morning, allowing the detective to dissect his psyche? Akechi goes silent. When he speaks, he’s back to the placid TV mask again, his idle fingers and tapping foot curiously still. “I wasn’t aware it was anything, Kurusu-kun. I saw you in trouble, so I helped you. Is there anything more to it than that?” I saw you in trouble, so I helped you. Akira, coming between the drunken man and the woman he was accosting. Watching Ryuji about to be executed by Kamoshida. Akechi has just cited the motive of the Phantom Thieves. Or, well, the motive before the fame and popularity got to their heads. Something dizzying jolts through his chest— is this how they felt? Thinks of Kawakami’s miserable second job, Hifumi’s controlling mother, Chihaya preyed on by a cult. Changing their hearts. Is this how they felt, being helped?

This is so dear to me because I interpret things to see that Akechi is not heartless. He is, obviously, a serial killer and assassin working for a fascist politician/father for his own ends, but that doesn't mean he has completely ditched all his values.

This is where I diverge from canon a bit. After the Akechi Black Mask fight, Futaba says: "but you didn't trust anyone. So you got one [Persona] for your lies, and one for your hate." This implies that Robin Hood stems from the lie of justice within Akechi's own heart and was never genuine— yet in the 'Proof of Justice' OVA in the anime as well as Akechi Rank 5, Akechi is depicted idolising heroes and using a laser gun (his weapon in both Metaverse forms) from a young age, before his mother died. Robin Hood represents the quintessential 'steal from the rich, give to the poor' kind of underdog justice that would fit the Thieves perfectly if he didn't turn out to be traitor, but we're also given hints that this is the original Akechi before he was tainted by the world; his version of 'justice' that was true even if it was simultaneously used as a lie.

Think of it like... method acting. Goro's Robin Hood, and by extension, "I saw you in trouble, so I helped you" justification is an act, because he is putting on a show of a courteous gentleman to fit with his public image. But that act stems from a genuine desire for justice and righteousness in his heart that never quite died.

This is also multiplied 10x by the fact that it's Akira whom Goro is trying to help and they have that aforementioned unique relationship that is impossible for me to define in a single post.

Actually I lied, this is the snippet I want to finish on: I wanted this continuity to carry into Royal's Third Semester so I wrote an extended interaction of their 'reunion' in January.

“I need to know what happened now between then,” Goro asks curtly, done with dancing around the topic. “Did you take down Shido? What happened after?” So Kurusu explains. “Yes, we took down Shido,” in a voice that bears an unmistakable hint of pain. He shelters it well, but it’s still recognisable to Goro’s trained ears— after all, doesn’t it sound awfully familiar to that same wavering tone a soaked Kurusu had used outside of the billiards bar in Kichijoji in November, shrinking away from his touch like it might burn him? The memory slams itself into Goro in a way he doesn’t know what to do with, so he shelves it and listens to the absolutely insane explanation of how Akira shot god on Christmas Day.

Thanks so much for the interest in my fic because god I have so many thoughts to expunge that wouldn't fit in authors notes! This one isn't published and it's literally just saved on my computer as 'P5R fic', so if people had fun title recommendations (preferably lifted from irl literature because that's my style) feel free to send them in.

[wrose-writes]

Greetings and salutations!

You can call me Rose, pleasure to meet you (probably)

My main blog's @theroseempress, I mostly live over there but I decided to make a side-blog for writing stuff in order to make it easier to find.

Also I have a Wordpress: carolinaauthor, if you want to read actual writing pieces that's where I put them.

oh yeah here's my Big WIP Intro Post go check that out!

current list of my main projects* with Quick Descriptions-

Mercy City- Currently my main WIP, probably still my main WIP as you're reading this. Probably. (mmkay so this isn't my main WIP now since I haven't worked on it in a while, but then again, I haven't worked proper on any of these for a while, so yeahhhh) Basic Quick Description- The world is made up of Resonance and we can manipulate that. Everyone is born with an affinity (can manipulate a certain bit of Resonance without needing to know the formula for it) except sometimes they aren't and even more sometimes they're born with Too Much Affinity. Too Much Affinity is bad because you blow up. Kiseki has so far avoided blowing up, and his sister Felice (who has No Affinity) would like to keep it that way. And then the plot happens. whoopsies. Main Cast**- Felice, Kiseki, Caden, and Sophie.

The Golden City- My oldest project! I recently discovered the plot to this thing is a lot longer than I'd previously thought, so right now all I'm doing with this WIP is rotating it at high speed in my head while trying to figure out what the next two thirds of the story is about. Basic Quick Description- Felix is just going about his normal life and definitely not being a criminal, except oops, he's been arrested now, oh dear, and how he has to go on a quest to Not Be In Jail >:(. Also people are blackmailing him to essentially cause a civil war. He's doing his best, guys, be nice to him. Main Cast**- Felix, Helen, Shannon, Florian, Tay (Taylor), Bricriu, Nikolai, Nerium, Iris, Raz.

keyWIP- The most recent (fully fledged) WIP on this list, it's only a few months old! I pet it lovingly on the head and water it to make it grow. (update; I'm not currently working on this one, but I do still really like it, so it stays in this list) Basic Quick Description- There are keys that can open any door to any other door and also shapeshift! Conor gets harassed by the Scholars' Council into inviting all the people who have keys to come tell the Council that because [SECRET PLOT POINT]. To the surprise of both Conor and some other people, this actually works somehow. Things proceed to escalate rapidly from that point. Main Cast**- Melody, Kit, Conor, Shalom, Hope, Adora, Varian, Jasmin [redacted] (so yeah this cast list is just all the people with keys (excluding Conor)).

medievalWIP- lawdamighty this thing has gone through SO MANY ITERATIONS. Fun fact, TGC, you know, one of my most substantial projects, is actually a spinoff of one of this WIP's earlier forms! Seriously this thing's been around since like. 2020 and it keeps evolving. Help me. (yes I realize that's only four years but they have been a very hectic four years OK it feels longer) Basic Quick Description- The king is dead, long live the- oh alright then a revolution has instantly started and there are about five groups of people who want to be the king instead (or add this country to their empire, or invent democracy instead, or just not get murdered, or be the quee-). Alright. This is fine! (lying) People Who Want To Be The King- Eléna (Alastair, Morgana, Gabriel), Finnick, Julian, Hemlock, [a princess I haven't named yet], and the neighboring country's emperor (Toby, Isa).

modmagWIP- which stands for 'modern magic WIP', which is in turn a distillation of 'what if there was a normal modern day setting but also people had magical abilities'. Mostly just tossing this idea around in my head while I think about what kind of plot this would have. ...yeah that's it I don't have anything else to say here. Basic Quick Description- well that's the part I'm working on so I don't really know what you want me to say here. uuuuh I guess there's elements of my old superhero project in here because some of these people have secret vigilante identities? Main Cast**- Rin, Callan, Shiori, Sarah, Deborah, Elias, Hana, Azmi, Faisal, Selim, Kara, August.

Elisian City- One of my old abandoned WIPs. I'm still not actually working on this, but my interest in it has recently been rekindled, so I'm putting it on the list because why not? Basic Quick Description- IDK what the plot is so here's some relevant worldbuilding; people in this universe figured out genetic modification and proceeded to create Extraordinaires; AKA people with super-human abilities. There's also Purple-Eyes, people who have super-human abilities and ...purple eyes, nobody's quite sure how that happened anymore. 'wait what if we combined Extraordinaires and Purple-Eyes would that make even more powerful people' said some scientists, creating Red-Eyes, who while indeed being Very Powerful (yay!) are also unfortunately homicidal (oh no). Main Cast**- Vann, Ash, Cass, Kyrre, Nera, Drake, Nyla, Neo, Axis (I'm probably renaming some of these guys, there's too many 'N' names)

If any of these project descriptions catch your interest, please feel free to ask to be on the taglist, which will mean I'll tag you in the once in a blue moon posts I make about my WIPs!

Or just send an ask about something you're curious about, I don't bite and I love talking about my little fictional guys :)

(*what I'm currently working on changes very suddenly and frequently so I can't really tell you that, but this should at least give you an idea of what I'm doing).

(**trust me, there's very probably more, I just listed the main people)

[lesbicosmos]

bbc merlin liveblog - s1 ep2: valiant

i forgot abt how many dramatic slowmo shots of knights riding horses this show has

i say id love a sword but if i actually had to use one id probably be like merlin, just flailing around and tripping over my own feet (when i say probably i mean definitely, im like that without a sword)

any scenes of merlin without his neckerchief feel wrong, like merlin why are you naked put that scarf back on pls

morganas so pretty what the actual fuck

*dramatic sword fighting music begins*

morgwen being adorable in the stands while the men brutally attack each other <3

merlin: *makes a joke* arthur: *chuckles* merlin: :D

once again, the costume department for this show is insane i love every outfit (particularly morganas!! all her dresses are absolutely gorgeous)

the random sped up parts of some montage shots is hilarious to me and i cant explain why

"he's using magic" "are you sure?" - summary of the entire show

morgana holding onto and stroking gwen's cloak is so cute i love them so much

gotta love the creativity of the episodes so far, there's been magic death singing and magic death snake shield

"i wouldn't like to you" "i want you to swear to me that what you're telling me is true" WHY ARE THEY STOOD SO CLOSE TOGETHER THEYRE SO GAY

arthur talking to uther in the council room and merlin just stood a few paces behind him like🧍🏻‍♂️

this whole thing makes no sense, could they not have just...shown uther ewan's body which has a snake bite???

im loving the random cuts to morgana just looking ethereal as usual. director rly said give the lesbians what they want

merlin having not even been arthurs servant for an episode and being fired already- if only it was that easy for arthur to get rid of him 😭😭

god the set's so beautiful, i wanna go to pierrefonds so bad

"just give me a straight answer!" HA 'straight' sorry merlin ur destiny is anything but that

the compilation of merlin trying to get the spell right to bring the statue to life is FUCKING HILARIOUS that one shot where he's stood on something pointing down at the statue dramatically and yelling the incantation 😭

*morgana enters the room* *music changes to something actually ethereal and godly* as it should she's perfect

"i did it! :D" merlins so adorable

AND MORGANA SAVES THE DAY LIKE THE BADASS BITCH SHE IS I LOVE HER

"you're too proud to admit you were saved by a girl" "because i wasn't!" "you know what? i wish valiant was escorting me." "fine." "fine!" why did they think anyone would believe the almost-romance plotline theyre so incredibly siblings

[diveyne]

@gutterblade sent : "Yeah, I've almost got it." Talon plays the riff he's been working on to demonstrate his progress, then squints at the page. "There's vocals written here, though." Edgy ones at that, and that's coming from a guy named Talon. "I don't sing. That okay with you?"

morgana doesn't answer. not right away, at least. her stare is distant and her expression is impassive and blank, smooth as a desert of ice, and just as cold. anyone who didn't know better might have thought her careless and unfeeling, but this is all she can manage without capsizing beneath the weight of the world and all of its burdens clawing through her chest. she quietly taps a foot against the floor, allowing the silence to delegate back to the others to speak where she hadn't.

it's the way of the industry, she reminds herself. bands replace the vacuums of space left by member departures all the time. it was necessary to survive, not only for the fact that they required someone to physically fill the roles during tours and shows, but creatively, the more heads has always been the better for productivity. but to morgana, it feels like the bitter sting of betrayal and a knife in the back that you don't realize is there until the blood starts to hemorrhage from the wound, leaving a sickening, wet sensation against your skin as it soaks into your shirt.

she told herself she'd never replace him ( just look. she couldn't even think his name ), but the boys were relentless in their insistence, even offering to shift roles to make it work. to that level of commitment, morgana could hardly deny them, especially if it was something they truly thought would work. even so, that hollow carving in her chest grew all the more deeper with every note talon played, with every pluck of a string. she looks upon the pegs of his guitar with a hardened stare, one fierce enough that perhaps she was willing them to tighten and for the strings to snap, but they never did.

" that's fine, " comes morgana's reply at long last. she finally looks at him, really looks at him, and offers him the barest sliver of a smile that she could manage. her long nails tap against the leather of her seat, the soft drum eventually reminding her that that couldn't be all she had to say. " don't worry about the vocals. we can re-assign them, or scrap them. we'll keep working on it. " after another elongated pause and a deep exhale, she quietly adds, " good work, by the way. it's sounding good. "

she means it. she really does. but deep down, she'll always compare everyone to him. it's part of why she never wanted to replace him. not only for the fact that she didn't want to bury salt in his festering wounds, but she worried that no one would be able to live up to the image of him and his glory in her mind, and everything that they could've all been together. no matter how talented the next person and the next one after might be, she can't help but think — no matter how unfair it is — that they weren't as good as him, that they aren't him.

it's selfish, and most definitely cruel in a way she didn't yet have the words for.

it should be kayn, sitting here with us.

it's too bad she's the only one who shares that sentiment.

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

okay let’s do more

thoughts on gwen + lancelot

ohhhhhhhhh, this is a good one—so many thoughts on these two.

okay, in order to ~properly~ give you my thoughts on them, i also have to give you my thoughts on arthur and gwen. more specifically, season one arthur and gwen.

when we meet lancelot in season one, i'm sorry, but it doesn't look like arthur and gwen are going to be together at all. there are several points (too many, tbh) where arthur arrests her or someone related to her (like her father) without even flinching. the only reason he ever intervened was due to morgana initiating it and bringing athur into the conversation. overall, arthur really doesn't care about gwen. there's nothing wrong with it. it's not his fault; he just doesn't know her. he cares about people like merlin and morgana far more.

enter: lancelot. i will admit, the part where lancelot is supposed to fall in love with gwen is arguably terrible. horrible. abysmal, if you will. but the actual love? *whistle* it's awesome. (and to be fair, arthur's and gwen's was pretty bad too. obviously wayy better, but still bad.) they're so sweet and loving to each other, and you can really tell that they would make such a good couple with good communication and just a healthy relationship in general. they could have been so great, but they ditched gwen and lancelot for arwen. remember, up until this point, arthur did not give two shits about gwen. then suddenly, out of the blue, they fall in love in an episode in season two after showing no signs of this in season one?? especially when the only relationships that would have made sense when building off of season one were gwen and lancelot??? i'm sorry, it just doesn't make sense to me.

but that isn't even my biggest problem with all this. my biggest issue with both gwencelot and arwen is that they gave us this dramatic love triangle and did... absolutely nothing with it.

i'm sorry, where's the drama? where's the emotional turmoil? where's the who could i possibly choose of these two completely different men, the blonde one or the brunette one? they set up a scenario that should have had so much drama and angst and just completely ditched it in favor of making lancelot leave and not return until like season three for AN EPISODE before FINALLY coming back semi-permanently in season four. like. what?? but honestly, that could've been fine, if gwen expressed any kind of loyalty or devotion to lancelot!! of course they weren't in a relationship, so she wasn't under any moral obligation to, but gwen obviously really cared about him. it felt so odd to me when the show writers just dropped gwencelot like a hot potato so they could pick up arwen and show it off to everybody, like baby simba in the lion king. yk what im talking about. it just felt so out of character to me.

even worse? gwen and lancelot never once have a real conversation about their feelings!! there's one verge-of-death "i love you" (kind of) from lancelot in season two, but again, he disappears and gwen never has the chance to really communicate to him whether she reciprocates or not (which she probably did.) then, when lancelot comes back again, her and arthur are together and that whole drama isn't really addressed.

overall, i think gwen and lancelot could have been such a great relationship if it had just been given the time to properly grow and develop. instead, they only gave it to us in tiny patches without actually developing the relationship, so all we were left with was this sad mess.

[existentialcrisis-24-7]

So Winx season four ? magic returning to earth

How does that go and (since I’m assuming terrestrial magic is different,how does it difffer from magic in the Magic Universe ?)

Thank you so much for the ask!

But I have to say, I already have a more-or-less fleshed out magic system, so magic doesn't really work differently on Earth. The only planet magic could be considered different on is Magix, but it still more-or-less fits within the pre-established rules I made for magic. I will say that Earth is a little odd in that despite its magic being shapeshifting, most if not all fairies are born with a secondary magic of fire, air, ground or water and the rate of people born with 3 or more types of magic is significantly higher there.

I can explain shapeshifting magic and the effects of the return of Earth's magic though!

Shapeshifting has two subsets: Metamorphosis (altering your own appearance) and Transmutation (altering another thing's appearance). Those who struggle to see images in their head tend to be at a disadvantage when performing this magic, though most regard metamorphosis as the easier route to take as you can instead feel the changes happen to yourself as oppsed to having to visualise it.

It is a magic only found on Earth and, as such, it was extremely rare even when Earth still had its magic. After Earth and its magic became lost to the rest of the Magic Dimension it nearly went completely extinct and was actually thought to be dead for a while. That was until Wizgiz joined the Alfea staff and began trying to resurrect the magic with... mixed results.

As of writing this, I have no concrete design in mind for the shapeshifting transformation, though I imagine it looks very unique and definitely would draw more from a person's individual sense of style then from a more generic standard. Names of the transformations are also a WIP (metamorphix sounds too much like morphix for my taste, and transmutix/transmutatix just doesn't have the ring to it I would like it to have).

Now! Onto how the return of magic on Earth affected things!

In summary: chaos.

Magic had been building up in Tír na nÓg for the past 1000 odd years and when it finally got released the Terrestrial Fairies (Roxy included) were given a huge temporary power boost as the magic tried to settle back in. Once magic began to settle back the power boost was lost but random people just started waking up with a new connection to magic and some people even got transformations (alignment depending). This caused a huge amount of fear and panic across Earth because nobody knew what was happening and the fact that there was so much going on in Gardenia with the Wizards and the Major Fairies made a lot of people think Gardenia itself was to blame. Having to get every single human adjusted to the idea of magic was a huge task and certainly took a while, even after season 4 2 takes place.

There was a lot of politics, history books and magical demonstrations before the world could agree that magic should even be legal, and eventually the world agreed that the island the portal was on, Avalon, would be considered its own kingdom with its own laws, ruled by the fairies. Most people were fine with this since the island was uninhabited anyway but there was still a lot of fear up in the air about this kingdom out of legends who were believed to have more power, different to anything humans had ever seen, despite being such a small population.

After Morgana took the title of Queen again, she suggested To Nebula that she take some time to herself and to heal. Nebula went on a journey of self-discovery for one month before realising there was no one to teach magic on Earth. The School of Mystic Arts was then set up near the portal to Tír na nÓg on Avalon so that people new to magic had a way to learn without having to travel off-world and also to educate people on their world's history. Though the school is still new and lacking in both a standardised curriculum and the staff necessary to teach this many new magic users, Nebula is determined to make it work and Morgana has been helping her get in contact with the rest of the Magic Dimension for help in both teaching and in reestablishing Earth among the ranks.

[arcplaysgames]

OKAY I WENT BACK AND FIXED THE FLAG, lets roll

i'm gonna say it: futaba is the character that can go toe-to-toe with the casts of P3 and P4. she is so well written, so expansive, just the way she talks feels more alive, like allusions to her broader self. she's the one character who feels like she exists when she's not being observed on the screen.

she is Reverie's little sister and I love her to death.

Also when Reverie gives her a head pat (which is a thing I do to my mother to say hello) it's adorable, and it's clearly been so long since it's happened that it takes her off guard and she leaps away.

Baby steps, Futaba, you're getting there and I'm proud of you.

oh man i love how this game keeps making it agonizing as i turn people down!!!!

tho tbh none was worse than Ann, my god the Ann scene was so good I almost dated her just because the set-up.

but no, Futaba, i really thought about it, and you are a little sister.

(also, I am morbidly curious how the obligatory Christmas date goes without a romance. in P4G it was fucking delightful, but P5R has proven to be a fucking bastard if you don't romance someone. I wanna see if it can be worse than the Hawaii trip somehow.)

but jfc PERSONA! STOP THIS! LEMME SAY SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND! Lemme say "You're like a sibling to me" or "You're the best friend I could have hoped for," SOMETHING not just "Because we are teammates," it's so fucking cold!!!!!

yells

SEE

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT

I love that they have an in-joke. Futaba is absolutely Reverie's key item too.

okay so that's Hermit nearly a wrap, rank 9.

Time for the latest Beige News.

Akechi wants to go have a private conversation. Super private. No, even more private than that. He wants to have a chat in Mementos.

Morgana, I cannot BELIEVE you just let Reverie GO OFF TO MEMENTOS WITH AKECHI, who the fuck is gonna be around to drag Reverie's body back to the real world after? Someone needs to run up to Sojiro and meow like Lassie, okay.

But no, Morgana presumably is nervous about being an unwilling spectator to some hot makeouts so he's outie.

Points to Akechi's VA because my god it sounds like Akechi is actually having an emotion for the first time in the game.

For the curious, his emotion is Barely Restrained Murder Boner.

Unfortunately for you, bro, I just bribed Notigor with 60k yen to give me King Frost with Null Bless, so you are royally fucked. (Ba dum tish.)

This is so fucking horny I just stopped and laughed to myself for a while.

i'm fukcing cackling at this shit

Akechi would be like 50% more stable as a person if he just read Homestuck, honestly. The feeling that is burning in your chest/pants right now is called kismesissitude and it's totally fine, man. You are be max dramatic about your blackrom feels when you and Reverie could just be making out and leaving bruises on each other for fun.

But lets be real, if Akechi read Homestuck he'd unironically think Vriska did nothing wrong and then we'd have to kill him.

HE FUCKING THROWS HIS GLOVE AT REVERIE

He could be taking off a lot more than that if he stopped being weird about this blackrom thing but WHATEVER MAN, Y'ALL CAN HAVE HATE MAKEOUTS LATER I GUESS.

Pompous little windbag. I want to beat you up and make you wear something that isn't monochromatic to a hospital wall.