#Lancelot: Leon has seen things he don't want to see

[drlettuce]

At a tournament

Merlin:*fixing Arthur's armor*

Merlin: there your all set

Arthur:???

Arthur:aren't you forgetting something?

Merlin:????

Merlin: ummmm.....wait

Merlin:*starts removing his neckerchief*

Arthur (internally): what is he doing??

Merlin: *tied his neckerchief onto Arthur armor*

Arthur:sbfiehwksufhsodhssbndk MY SWORD YOU IDIOT!!!!!!

Merlin: oh right

Merlin: ummm so here you go I guess I should probably take tha-

Arthur shoving Merlin face: honestly Merlin do ever SHUT UP

Arthur walks away

Arthur:Omg he bestow me his favor 🤭🤭🤭

Merlin in a distance: what a prat

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

Ooh I’ve got a fun question!! It’ll make sense once you’ve started season 5 but I want to hear your thoughts before this particular episode

Out of the knights, Merlin, Morgana and Gwen, who would survive a horror movie 😂

(I promise it’ll make sense at some point, it will lol)

omg i don't even care rn if this makes sense, that is a wonderful something to think about and I'll never get this out of my head again

Arthur would do pretty good, but I'd say he have nightmares after. Like he doesn't scream but maybe he does flinch at some point, but in general he's doing really, really good.

Leon would manage pretty well too. Like this man has lived through a shit ton of stuff that I don't even want to think about, much like Arthur, so I'd say he's doing okay. He may be flinching but I could see him falling asleep too, probably depends on the film.

Percival is, against expectation, I think quite scared. He'll definitely flinch, he won't scream, but you can see on his face and in the way he holds himself that he's definitely in a state of shock.

I can't place Gwaine. It's one of those things again where I can't place Gwaine. I could imagine him acing it honestly, like he just straight up vibes with the film and has the most fun ever. But I can see him screaming as well. Like I think he may be a very big fan of horror films but then again he does get scared by them at times. He's screaming but he's having fun, so that's alright.

Lancelot,,, idk. I'm quite sure that he doesn't scream or flinch at all. I don't know if he'd enjoy these types of films but he'd totally be holding his s/o in his arms if they want him to (which would be me I hate horror films you'd have to force me to watch one). He just doesn't really mind. Like he may flinch once during the whole film and it's probably a jumpscare (I'd say Lancelot has fight or flight the most out of all the knights, like his reflexes are the best, and when there's jumpscares he just has the need to move you know).

l don't know shit about Elyan but I think he could sit through unless a child is shown or someone that's drowning. Just, gets old memories back out that he's shoved far, far, far down to the very bottom of his brain.

Morgana would honestly really ace it. like, really. She'd be a bit like Lancelot, holding people in her arms and protecting them, but she'd probably not really flinch. Like she's just sitting there, having fun watching a horror film. She's probably the one who picked it out (or the knights had a competition going on)

Gwen I could see as someone who'd join Gwaine in his screaming, and I do believe she'd flinch a lot. Like if you were to sit behind her she'd come across as really scared, but genuinely she's good. She may be screaming at the scary scenes but apart from that, she's fine.

Merlin. Merlin is something. Idk. I just think he'd be good. Like he's lived through so much, he's seen it all. I don't think he'd flinch at jumpscares either. He'd just sit there and maybe lean back a bit. But I'm convinced that everyone else thought he would be scared as fuck (and he was teased relentlessly for it) so he's one of the people wrapped in someone's arms (probably Lancelot's).

on that note tho, which ones of them would be like us, commenting what they're watching, and who are the people trying to watch in peace and scolding the others?

[abbydjonesoffaerie]

I had absolutely zero intention of loving this show. I have a dear friend who loves this show, and in honor of her, I tried it. Goodness. Bad graphics and bad writing. So cheesy. And not a good cheesy. Just bad. Quit after 3 episodes. Couldn't do it. Then, I had a flare-up. I was so out of it I needed something that required no attention. No focus, nothing. I wanted something cheesy. And, deep down, I wanted something good. Good friends, good characters, and not just raunchy. I wanted something that wasn't dark and gross, but clean and good. It's hard to find clean and good stories that have hearts and souls.

Merlin does. But, you have to look for the pain.

Just like with Marvel. A couple years ago my cousin made me watch the Marvel Movies after I complained about them. She said the pain isn't tourture-death-in-your-face, but it's there all the same. So I watched Marvel and found so much pain I fell in love with it. Merlin is the same. You have to look for the pain under the lighthearted, 12-year-old-boy humor, and when you look, boy is it there. It's Merlin growing up choosing to hide who he is for the sake of his King and friend, never really bring seen. It's the girl he loves dying, it's Lancelot dying--the only one besides Gaius who knows about his magic--it's his father dying, it's being forced to try and kill Morgana and Mordred to save Arthur. It's betrayal, curses, always fighting for the belief in the Once and Future King. It's so many well loved legends told in a slight different manner so they feel fresh and familiar. Holy crap, it's Merlin's dragon voice that moves him from bumbling idiot into something mighty. Gave me chills every time. You get used to him being the smiling kid with big ears and then suddenly he's a man.

I also truly enjoyed the almost entirely male cast. I get really tired of the constant need to have women front and center. I'd rather watch boys be boys and have stories of knights and dragons, personally, so it's just nice to have something masculine to enjoy instead of the constant feminist need to have a woman do everything.

I love how with both Morgana and Mordred, they let you love them. I loved Morgana and her going evil hurt so much, especially because it was Merlin caught in a lose/lose situation. It broke both of them when she started going evil. Same with Mordred, though you don't trust him as much, but you want to. You want Mordred to not go evil. I also liked how they handled the Arthur-Gwen-Lancelot love triangle. It was much better than how it's normally handled.

I loved Morgana's wardrobe. Absolutely perfect.

There were some things I wanted. The round table was only in a few episodes. That felt odd. Gwaine needed way more screen time. I felt like they really focused on him when Lancelot died, and the whole being forced to fight to feed his friends was so visceral, but he really became background in the last season. Leon has been knocked unconscious so many times it's amazing he's still walking and talking. More Percival would have been nice. Gwen kinda became a backdrop for a while, not doing much once her and Arthur got married other than being a villain for a time.

And then the last two episodes had all this! The round table, Gwaine, Percival, Gwen giving Arthur courage. All of it. And BTW, here's my heart why don't you just stick a knife in it: because Merlin losing his power, seeing his Dad, saving Camelot, finally telling Arthur who he is and finally being seen for all his courage and loyalty, but not being able to save Arthur was so epically painful. It was perfect, satisfying, and heartbreaking.

Yeah, I just cried for two hours straight.

I'm beginning to suspect my friends are sadists.

I'm not ready to go on.

(Not sure who made the picture, but it perfectly sums up how I feel right now. Thank you.)

[gremlinbehaviour]

The Truth

For @febuwhump day 20: alt prompt 1 Truth Serum

Fandom: Merlin

Wordcount: 1279

When the knights are captured and interrogated for information about Arthur's location, Lancelot is given a truth serum. This has unintended consequences.

Read on ao3

When the guards brought Lancelot back this time, everyone who was able to scrambled to their feet, but didn't try to fight back. They were weakened by a week's worth of imprisonment and each of them had been tortured at least once, and they knew that without a proper escape plan resistance was futile and they'd only get punished for it. Percival managed to grab Lancelot before the guards could let go of him, thankfully, because the knight was swaying on his feet and likely would have toppled to the ground without support. Just glaring at the guards, Percy led him over to the back wall of the cell and helped him sit down.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked softly. He couldn't see any visible injuries on the knight, but bruises could easily be hidden by his clothing like Gwaine's had. His shirt was dry, but that didn't mean they hadn't tried the same kind of water torture they had used on Leon, which had left him with a persistent cough and too scared to even let someone help him drink for a full day.

"No. I feel bad. They made me drink something," Lancelot admitted. His head lolled against Percival's shoulder.

"What kind of something? Poison?" Merlin asked. He surreptitiously reached for the bucket that served as their toilet, which, mercifully, had recently been emptied. "How long ago was it?" Lancelot had been gone for over an hour, but if he induced vomiting now he might still be able to get the poison out of his stomach before it took full effect.

"I don' know. Don't think it was poison. They made me drink it first, then questioned me. I think I…" he trailed off, his eyebrows pinching together unhappily. "I think I told them things."

"What things?" Leon asked, immediately perking up. "Did you tell them where Arthur is?"

"I- I think so. Or at least I told them where I thought he was, it's not like we really know where he is now, we haven't seen him for a week and it's likely he could have moved and isn't at the Valley of the Kings anymore. Maybe he went to Ealdor or the-"

"Lancelot, shut up," Elyan hissed at him. There were still guards standing in the hallway outside their cell who could be listening to them.

"I can't," the knight protested. "I tried, because I know I'm saying things that I shouldn't, but it feels like the words want to come out and so I just start rambling and I don't know how to stop."

"I think they gave you a truth serum," Merlin surmised. "Hopefully it will wear off soon."

"Isn't there anything you can do to make it stop?" Lancelot begged. "I don't want to give away anyone's secrets. Yours especially-" He was cut off when Merlin slapped a hand over his mouth.

"What secret?" Gwaine asked. The warlock turned to him in a panic, his hand slipping off of Lancelot's mouth with the motion.

"His magic," the knight said matter-of-factly. He seemed to realize what he'd said a second too late, his eyes growing huge in horror. "Crap, no, I'm so sorry-"

"He's drugged, he doesn't know what he's saying-" Merlin tried to deny it.

"You just said it was a truth serum," Leon countered.

"I was wrong then! I don't know everything! It's not like I'm some kind of sorcerer!"

"Warlock," Lancelot corrected, unable to help himself.

"Shut up!" Merlin rounded on him with a shout. The drugged knight flinched violently, and Percival glared at the servant as he wrapped his arms around his friend to try to soothe him. "I'm sorry, Lance, but please, please just try to be quiet."

"What, so he doesn't tell us the truth?" Gwaine demanded. "No, actually, I want to hear what he has to say, because apparently you've been lying to us for years!"

"You have too," Lancelot replied, and then the other knight was glaring at him like he wanted to gag him.

"You're a magic user as well?" Leon demanded.

"No!"

"Then what?" Elyan asked. They were all shouting now and Lancelot cringed away from the noise. Percival carefully turned him and pulled him close so that his face was pressed against his chest. That way, any other secrets he revealed would be muffled and hopefully not overheard. Right now, though, he was just rambling apologies.

"I don't have to tell you," Gwaine shouted back.

"We're getting off topic from the fact that Merlin's apparently committed treason," Leon said.

"I didn't!" The servant defended himself. Normally Lancelot would be jumping in to help, to guard his friend and try to diffuse tensions as the cell erupted into shouting, but now he just raised his hands to try to cover his ears and block it out.

"I'm so sorry," Percival heard him mutter. "This is all my fault and I can't fix it."

"Shh, no, it’s not," he tried to reassure him, doing his best to ignore the argument the other four men in the cell were having. He didn't much care that Merlin could use magic, however strange he thought it was that the servant would choose to serve a king who could have him executed for it, and while he was curious about Gwaine's alluded-to secret, that conversation could wait for another day, when Lancelot wasn't drugged and plainly terrified. "It's not your fault, it's that stupid serum," he said, rubbing his best friend's back. Tucking his curly-haired head beneath his chin, he looked up at the others, silently pleading with them to notice how much they were clearly hurting their friend. They were all too wrapped up in their shouting match to notice. He didn’t want to add to the noise, but he didn’t know how else to get their attention. 

“Guys,” he said, not quietly, but not so loudly that he’d hurt Lancelot’s ears, since they were right underneath his head. No one paid him any attention. “GUYS!” he finally barked. Everyone instantly shut up and looked over at him. “Do you think we can save the argument for another time?” He glanced meaningfully down at Lancelot. To their credit, they all did look guilty when they noticed how their friend was curled up fearfully against him.

“I suppose there are more important things to be concentrating on at the moment," Elyan, always the most compassionate of them, said. Merlin just looked relieved that the subject had been changed.

“Yeah,” Leon agreed. Percival was a little surprised by that; he thought the First Knight would want to continue to accuse the warlock of treason, if not straight out try to kill him for it. “Now that they know where Arthur is, we need to get out of here to go help him.” The statement probably wasn’t intended to be a jab at Lancelot giving up the information, but he flinched anyway. At least he’d started to uncurl from his place against Percival’s chest since the shouting had stopped though.

“I’ve got an idea for that,” he announced quickly. “Actually, several, but I have no idea if any of them are good.” His truth-serum-induced rambling turned out to be rather useful for fabricating an escape plan, as he wasn’t as hesitant as usual to shoot down bad ideas in favor of being polite, and he tossed out far more of his own thoughts than he normally would as well through sheer volume of speech. It obviously wasn’t a good thing that he’d been drugged, but Percival thought to himself as he reached down to help Lancelot up to the grate they were escaping through, that it hadn’t been all terrible.

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

@friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn love languages <3 knights and maybe Arthur lol

So Leon, I've talked about this, very big on Quality Time. Acts of service ofc, but not necessarily very high. I think words of affirmation are quite interesting here, I can see him having had some self esteem issues in the past and just wanting to tell his partner how wonderful he thinks they are. gifts aren't too high, maybe even on the very bottom, I don't think he really likes that. Physical touch is very high too, we've talked about how touch deprived he probably is (seriously how long has this man not seen his family, he was basically a full time knight from like, age 16 on) and I think he needs some good grounding too. so

1 - quality time

2 - physical touch

3 - words of affirmation

4 - acts of service

5 - gifts

Percival is definitely very big on physical touch. it's definitely top. like no debate here. then it's acts of service! I don't even have to explain. I think after that may just come gifts, idk why, I can see that. words of affirmation and quality time are hard for me to place, but I believe he might have quality time all the way down tbh, because I think he does love to be told sometimes that he's, just, enough, and I do (even if this isn't 100% words of affirmation) absolutely know that he really appreciates being admired.

1 - physical touch

2 - acts of service

3 - words of affirmation

4 - gifts

5 - quality time

(I'm not sure about words of affirmation and gifts here, they may just be interchangable, idk)

Arthur is the type to really need physical touch, we've said that already. then it's acts of service, or maybe even before. I think he's really weird about gifts, so I'm putting it all the way down. he loves words of affirmation even though he's bad at giving it (so bad), and quality time well, genuinely I think it's not super important to him, like ofc he loves to spend time with his s/o, everyone does, but you know what I mean

1 - acts of service

2 - physical touch

3 - words of affirmation

4 - quality time

5 - gifts

okay I already did Lancelot and I'm skipping Elyan because I have zero idea about that dude, which means I'm at gwaine now and I've been dreading it. idk. okay. here goes nothing. don't murder me

Gwaine,,,, okay. okay all personal bias aside. I'm doing this very much professionally.

physical touch! he loves physical touch but in a way, it's something really normal to him. so it's pretty much in the middle, maybe two or three. I genuinely am uncertain about the rest. I hate it here. okay, so words of affirmation I'd actually put really far down. it's not that he doesn't like it, he just doesn't even think of it often. like he's pretty confident and ofc he loves telling his partner that they're, quote, "fucking hot damn", but it's not so much words of affirmation and more of a just, general complimenting (no that's not the same to me, yes I know complimenting is actually words of affirmation but just because gwaine compliments doesn't make him pay much more attention to words of affirmation thank you for coming to my ted talk). gifts. gifts is a thing. because I feel like I could place this at the very top. I mean, first scene we see him flirting, he hands Gwen a flower. that's gifts. that is gifts. he's definitely like me, picking flowers and rocks and leaves and lil things and giving them to people. but idk if I can actually put this at the top. so we're moving on. acts of service! yes. I'm really really uncertain about these last two. like I can see acts of service being really important to him. I just don't know if it's as important as gifts. actually scratch that yes it is. he loves gifts but I think he's really big on acts of service. and quality time- ugh, it's high on there as well, I hate this. can I just say "not words of affirmation" and leave it at that lol. like he's not like Leon thinking a lot about dates to have a good time, he's more spontaneous, but that doesn't make him care any less about quality time. ugh. okay here goes absolutely nothing. please, the list is not nearly as accurate as this overemotional paragraph I've typed, so don't take that as the result of it

1 - acts of service

2 - quality time

3 - gifts

4 - physical touch

5 - words of affirmation

(actually, now that I look at it, I think this list is fine. I'd move gifts and quality time onto the same level, like, they're quite similar I think, but I'm genuinely fine with the result)