#also at this point arthur has to be immortal or some shit

[mothy-graves]

finished episodes 22-28 of Malevolent today (which I think concludes season 3? Im not confident in that tho) and when I tell you I was and never am prepared for how much this podcast is actually going to hurt me

I thought episode 20 was bad. then so much throughout episodes 21-28 just gutted me so much more and I wasn’t READY

Not sure how far Ill get tomorrow but boy oh boy am I terrified!

Im also never prepared for whatever horrific noises/things Im gonna be faced with each episode but those are less important

[derehono]

your cardverse sounds interesting, could you talk a little about it?

Thank you so much for the interest! I would be more than happy to tell a little more about my Cardverse AU!

However, I want to warn that it was heavily inspired by oumaheroes Cardverse AU, please check it out! To be more precise, I absolutely loved the idea that at some point in time, Arthur was a royal advisor and that some shit is happening in Kingdom of Hearts. At that point, the similarities end.

Basic Worldbuilding.

The existence of their world and the birth of magic are associated with the life and death of the Great Dragoness. She was like a goddess who helped humanity giving them her gifts of healing and protection. Her power could end the famine, could calm the Earth but it could not make an immortal being.

Thus, after some time she unfortunately passed away but not before giving her presents to seven humans. Four of them were chiefs of their respective tribes and three of them were heads of their families. To the tribe of the cold and freeze, she gifted her eyes so they would always see through the lies. To the tribe from afar, she gifted her heart so their blood would always warm and any wound could be healed. To the tribe of the sun, she gifted her scales so nothing would ever destroy them. To the tribe of the night, she gifted her claws so not even a stone would withstand their attack. And to the heads of the families, she gifted her blood so her power would always be in their bodies.

And only after that, she passed away. Leaders of the tribes decided to divide their new powers between their people. The most important got more, less important got less power. This way the card system was born, and with remaining power returning to the original owners, Royal Cards were born. Even though, Royal Blood still contains mystery power that makes the card owner even stronger.

Heads of the families did not have enough power to do the same with their magic, so it remained only through their own blood. This way witches and wizards appeared who needed no card to cast even powerful spells. They had a deep understanding of the world’s magic, thus for a long time they were helping the Royals.

Kingdom of Diamonds.

The people of Diamonds have a powerful protection out of their magic. Their shields are as strong as diamonds themselves, making them almost invincible from the attacks, diseases, catastrophes, so they rarely have been attacked in history and their King rarely has been poisoned. The stronger cards could be protected even from the plagues, but even common one could guarantee some protection.

The past King was a violent man who started multiple discriminatory policies, messed up diplomatic relations with other Kingdoms, especially with the Kingdom of Clubs, and led the kingdom of jewels and gems into despair. One of his policies was Witch Trials that killed entire magic families and sent away the survivors. It surely created a new problem but the one who was left to deal with that was Francis, his nephew. But back then, he just preferred not to have an entire different class of the citizens who could possibly question his authority. During these trials Annisse Kirkland, the head of the Kirkland family, was violently killed and burned.

The current leaders are Francis Bonnefoy and Lili Bonnefoy-Zwingli. The King is the most influential monarch of his time not only because he is the eldest one in the new generation, but also because his power allows him to hold shields covering almost the entire Kingdom of Hearts. However, not a lot of people know, but Lily could guess that Francis sacrificed not only his magic to put and hold this shields. He with his young wife are seen to be extremely reliable and strong in public, even picking up the name of The Solar King but The Court holds a big challenge for them at times of their weaknesses. It is hard to see but the Civil War risks to break within the Palace.

The Past Advisor was Arthur Kirkland, secretly a witch. He was sent to the Palace at a very young age with an important mission and was raised as the next advisor for the new king. He indeed became one and together with Francis they were able to slowly start a progress in the kingdom, returning it to its prosperity. He was very well-known for his stubbornness and determination, possibly his power was something that young King needed to become the one he is today. Public does not know why he suddenly left but did not really question. After all, it is quite a hard jibe, so maybe he just could not handle it?

The current advisor is Remus Fernandez. He was the advisor before Arthur but after his leaving, he returned to the position. Thanks to blood ties with one of the witch family, has a very long life and so, has a lot of experience, and a little bit of carelessness. He is continuing Arthur’s policies and keeps an out on the Court. Has two sons: Antonio Fernandez who is a general of the army and one of the main leaders in the case of emergency, and João Ferreira who is the captain of the Royal Navy. Both of them are good friends with Francis.

Overall, the current Kingdom is recovering from its past mistakes and seems to be pretty successful.

Kingdom of Clubs.

The people of Clubs have an intimidating power of mind control. Depending on the power of the card, they could look deeply into someone’s mind and the most powerful cards could even control people. As a result, Clubs rarely communicate verbally (why say it when I can hear it anyway?) and outsiders may think of them as extremely rude due to them reading minds.

The past King was coronated for a very short period. She barely spent some time as a King despite her desire to continue her father’s legacy continue to improve the kingdom, and create stronger diplomatic relationships but quickly lost her crown. No one knows what happened to her and why did it happen but some speculate that she knew something. Something that she was not supposed to.

The current monarchs are Ivan Braginsky and Elizabeta Hedervary. King was coronated pretty early and in quite a rush, almost the same way the Queen was chosen to accompany him. Not a lot of things are known about them but with their reign, the kingdom became severely isolated and propaganda against other kingdoms appeared. It is hard to avoid since anyone could read your mind and just tell the authorities about it. The King and Queen almost did not appear in public and did not comment on their policies.

The past advisor was Feliks Lukasiewicz. He appeared and disappeared together with the past King so not a lot of information is known about him. Only ones who were close to him would say with no hesitation that despite his being eccentric, he truly wanted to make the kingdom better and he could not be dead. He is too strong for that.

The current advisor is Roderich Edelstein. Once again, there is almost nothing known about him, he barely appears in public. Before his position, he was a pretty well-known musician and his close circle knew of his passion to attempt in cultural revolution. He hoped to promote the culture of the Kingdom of Clubs, give more opportunities to artists, etc, but something went wrong.

A close friend of the past advisor, Toris Laurinaitis did not believe that his friend’s disappearance that so coincided with the unexpected King’s demotion was just an accident. He firmly believes that something deeper going on in the Court and possibly, King, Queen and their Advisor are not even themselves. Imposters? Puppets? He is not sure but he started his own Resistance that aims to uncover the secret of Clubs and bring a better future, meanwhile fighting the oppression. His other friends Eduard von Bock and Raivis Galante joined him.

Overall, the clouds are all over the kingdom and who knows what awaits them.

And that’s it for a first part!

[venusimi]

Music for each Obey Me dateables and why I think so:

!! POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR LESSON 70+ !!

Lucifer : When I was your man - Bruno Mars

- "My pride, my ego, my needs and my selfish way caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life" I feel like if ever we do separate from him, his pride would be to blame.

- Originally this was supposed to be Mammon but I realized it suited Lucifer more.

Mammon : Everything I wanted - Billie Eilish

- I feel like Mammon would definitely dream of everything he wanted, however he would also definitely have nightmares of killing himself and his family just sits and watches.

- The bullying has to get him at some point yk?

- I also think that "When I wake up I see you with me" suits his relationship with Lucifer quite a lot because they obviously were the first two to exist before the others and they only had each other for so long.

Leviathan : Under the influence - Chris Brown

- He's an otaku. C'mon. He definitely watches hentai and knows freaky shit.

- Supposed to be for Satan but I think Angry too fit him more cause he's wrath, yk? Makes sense me thinks.

- I also think he's one of the freakiest brothers after Asmodeus then Lucifer.

Satan : Angry too - Lola Blanc

- Self explanatory.

- I feel like the song greatly explains his rage.

Asmodeus : Idontwannabeyouanymore - Billie Eilish

- HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN BUT THIS SONG FELT LIKE IT SUITED HIM.

- "If teardrops could be bottled, there'd be swimming pools filled by models." TOTALLY HIM, NO?

- "If I love you was a promise, would you break it if you're honest?" I feel like at some point, he did love genuinely but he's the avatar of lust. He was only used for pleasure.

Beelzebub : I wanna be yours - Arctic Monkey

- Supposed to be for Barbatos...

- But seeing as he was Lucifer's personal bodyguard, I felt like it would make sense to give him that song.

Belphegor : Talking to the moon - Bruno Mars

- The planetarium.

- He likes space I think, so it fits him well.

- I could see him listening to this or smth if you're gone and his mental health is degrading again. Going back to the time he killed you.

- He just misses you so...

Simeon : Locked out of heaven - Bruno Mars

- Very heavenly of you Mr. Angel.

- He quite literally got locked out of heaven💀

- I wanted to give him something wholesome, but I felt like he's too suspicious and he keeps a lot in because as an angel ofc he has to be good.

- He definitely is freaky af.

Solomon : 7 years - Lukas Graham

- He is immortal.

- I feel like this song is him telling us about his life before even if he remembers very little.

Barbatos : Him & I - G-Eazy, Halsey

- HE'S DEFINITELY OUR RIDE OR DIE IF NOT THE BROTHERS!!

- That's it...

- And plus it fits him.

- This was also for Beelzebub actually!

Diavolo : Secret love song - Little Mix, Jason Derulo

- AS A PRINCE AND A DEMON HE DEFINITELY CAN'T MINGLE WITH US THE SAME WAY EVERYONE ELSE COULD😭

- We're human with some sort of angel purity thing in us.

- So we're kinda like forbidden love yk?

But overall, I think all of them embody the song : Say you won't let go - James Arthur

A/N: I apologize GREATLY for the lack of content. I have underestimated the amount of work school was gonna throw at me...

[jemmie-heartz]

Y’all know about that reincarnation Arthur au? Well I have an idea that has immortal Merlin.

Instead of just Arthur, it’s all the knights + Gwen and Gaius

I never have a clue about what going on with Merlin in these, but I want to write about it and what I think.

Merlin:

•documented longest living man

- I say this, because how is he gonna live so long without documents and shit, he’d be really famous now too

•famous artist (paints mostly the knights)

-he would get bored at some point, he needs a hobby, so he gets arts, all of them. Sculpting, painting, music. ALL of them

• FATHER

-he’s been alive for thousands of years, he’s definitely been laid. He’s totally been married at least 5 times in his long life span.

I didn’t feel like creating new kids, so I just kinda got three fandoms and chose characters. Merlin is also Dracula.

Kids, oldest to youngest:

Edward (Twilight/Midnight Sun)

Thorn (Scooby Doo/Hex Girls)

Luna (Scooby Doo/Hex Girls)

Dusk (Scooby Doo/Hex Girls)

Draculaura (Monster High)

He also has two dogs: Percy(black) and Gwend(spots)

Like wouldn’t it be funny tho? All the knights + Gaius and Gwen just showing up in the middle of the family having dinner

Merlin is a struggling single father who is rich and famous, total dilf in the eye of the public

“Edward, pass the potato’s”

“Get them yourself”

“You lazy ass! You’re the closest!”

“We can all levitate stuff, just use that, idiot”

“I’m going to throw you off the roof”

“Love to see you try, shortie”

AND THEN BOOM

The knights + Gwen and Gaius just show up and Merlin just groans.

Like, he’s happy to see them, but he already has grown kids he needs to take care of.

“Merlin!”

“Please be a dream… PLEASE be a dream-“

“Bog man, I hate to break it to ya, but this is no dream… also, what is this place?”

“We’re in my dining room, in MY house”

“Merlin, my boy, who are these people..?”

“…. My children”

“YOUR WHAT?!?!?!?!?”

-

That’s kinda what I expect when I hear immortal Merlin

[bloodyvenomboy]

Ok Lets Do Some Character Intros

Kind of. Updated version I suppose. Just sort of a quick, here are the OCs, I might go more in depth with them in another post

Ok so, the first of the first, the facility trio

We have Ajara, Caleb, and Capri. They had met in a sort of scp facility where they were being tortured tested on as kids. Once the facility was destroyed they sort of became nomads. They are generally MC types

Then the Family Business duo

Kenna and Ron Harrison, a father and daughter who are for a lil murdersim I'm working on. They're both borderline sociopathic/psychopathic murderers that are successfully (for the moment) flying under the radar

Call Of The Void

Next is Frankie, Don, Addie, and Elliot . Donovan is an ex-catholic, unfortunate immortal and Frankie is his bartending bestie. Addie is Dons annoying tag along in the comic (and a AU of another character of mine -- Adryan), and Elliot, Donovans roommate and straight man to all his shenanigans. There are two different versions of Donovan and Frankie. The COTV versions and MC versions, both have variables that are seperate from the comic canon (IE Don is not effected by his repeated deaths, and Frankie not being a side character, and Addie and Elliot do not exist.)

Another comic I have in comic purgatory right now is Warm Gun

Got Trevor, 'Ulysses' and Lucius. Trevor is an extreme masochist possessed by Ulysses because Lucius fucked up summoning a demon. Accidentally summoned a succubus and did not have a tether set for her to control, so she went to the next living thing. His neighbor and stalker. She keeps Trevor alive while encouraging his harmful activities, in exchange she takes the wheel every now and then to 'feed'

Misc. Ones that are used solely for RP or I haven't decided what to do with quite yet

First is Arthur, a fleshy living BJD, created by a neurotic little biological inventor named Nellie (Eleanor). Arthur comes with interchangeable parts and is huge fucking neet. She is awkward and uncomfortable around others. Also because of the nature of her existence, without proper upkeep from Nellie she has bouts of...instability. Works as a MC and a murderbabe Next is Eericks. A dwarf harlequin rabbit shifter that never quite got the hang of turning completely human. Had run into some unfortunate folk running away from home and lost his legs and nearly lost his eye. Very energetic little guy, super kind, never swears. Next to Eericks is Lens. Or the Lensman Devil. A serial killer known for living photo and video evidence of the crimes he commits as a way to mock the family and friends of his victims. He does not like the killer title, he actually 'tries' to keep them around. He swears. Hes a cheeky little shit. And incredibly horrifying. Then theres Victoria. The picture here is old, shes be re-design currently. Shes loosely a vampire. Shes a mass fungal network that survives off of bodily fluids. She is only considered a 'she' because she developed her body over the first humans that took her in. Theres a whole thing, but again, different post. Cecile, or CC is a homunculus of his own making. Hes incredibly volatile and barely held together. So many chemicals and compounds have been pumped into his body his mind and body are barely held together. To the point where his bodily fluids are toxic, acidic, and are almost like an insane hallucinogenic Gabriel is a 'priest'. A bearded vulture shifter who feeds off the bones of the unfortunate people passing through. He preaches and worships Death. Hes a fanatic and actively delusional. Incredibly dangerous and should not be approached in any circumstances. Kodi is vampire and private detective. A workaholic married to his job. It gives him purpose since his unfortunate turning. A quiet, stone faced man who doesnt quite fit in with the rest of his inhuman kind. Respected in that quiet unattached way. Kind of want to write a whole like, noir story with him.

There are some more horror stories and characters but they are being completely overhauled at the moment so Im not putting them up here

Any questions about the characters is welcomed and encouraged

[achillesuwu]

Back on my AU where Arthur died before Merlin could tell him he has magic and kinda merlin not being a sad wet cat for 1500 years (DO YOU ALL UNDERSTAND HOW FUCKING LONG THAT IS) agenda

Merlin trying his best to hide the fact that he is extremely well know. In a "there a documentary on you" and"multiple governments call you regularly, that's literally your job, about magical problem that only you can resolve which mean that you have to go on TV sometime" kind of way (Merlin : bless the lazy-ass person that nicknamed me The Immortal/Emrys .) While also hiding the fact that "heeeyyy you know, the things we wordlessly accepted to not talk about, the thing called 'The day I died' which hem didn't happen and 'Where the fuck I was when you died' we should hem, maybe talk about them"

It all go well until, one day, Merlin and Arthur are arguing in a supermarket (like seriously arguing, the kind of argument that happen when one get throw 1500 years in the future) and when and Arthur says something like "Watch your tongue/Remember who you're talking to/...!" and there is a collective *gasp*

It could go two way :

One. Arthur has an enormous "????" sign above his head, Merlin freeze and flee (if he falls to flee the scene with a confuse but mainly angry arthur, arthur would gaps his arm and force him to stay in place which would bring us to two.)

Two. Someone intervene because : ?!?! Bro/boy !? Shut the fuck up?! Do YOU know who you are talking to?!?! Apologise right now!

Merlin : no you shut up by the triple godnes please—

*Arthur and the person now arguing with other people joining in the argument*

At some point in end up being a "How dare you insult my friend like that?! He does NOT have magic" "What kind of weed did you smoke?! He is LITTERALY magic"

(the Knights and Gwen are in the supermarket too but none of them were with merthur when it happens except Leon who just saw the beginning of Arthut vs Random people fight and promptly walked back to his wife/Queen to report what he saw. The queen in question decided that she is too old for this shit, so is Merlin and it's time they get their shit together)

[oldfritz]

hm for asks, can you talk about hetalia characters you find cool in concept but never bother with? Or about your mutuals' favourite characters!

Tell us about a character you liked but dont really care anymore, and about a character you dislike a lot!

Talk about characters who's fans you dont like, and about characters who's fans are "ah, fellow people with sophisticated taste"!

Talk about a character you like in theory but not in any interpretation or depiction, that is, character you like as a character but dont think they are fit to be in hetalia

I think Yao/Ch!na is a really interesting dude. Ancient man, seen a lotta shit, been through a lotta different styles of government. China has a long and rich history you could do quite a bit with. I took two classes on it in undergrad and, while I don't remember a lot of the details now of who did what/why/when, I found it immensely enlightening from a 'why China is what is is today' perspective, which is what I ultimately got. I don't write him for that reason and, honestly, don't know how I'd fit him into what I'm writing unless I pivoted to making Lutz and Al main characters (which I'm not). I would love some good recs from people who read historically-based stuff that includes Yao. This applies for In/dia too for much the same reasons. What does it mean to be so old when you're immortal? How do you avoid apathy? How do you keep life interesting? Could also go into weightier topics with them as well - how it feels to have been both colonizer and colonized, not sure if it applies to In/dia as well but certainly Yao - but the writer would have to be knowledgeable and skilled enough to pull it off. I don't think your generic fanfic author can - I get nervous about publicly toeing the line myself

I used to be an Alfred and Arthur stan. They were my favorite characters in the entire series!!! They had the benefit of being the countries I'm most familiar with because, if you haven't heard, I got that dual citizenship dudes. Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoy writing them whenever they appear naturally and have a lot of Thoughts on how they should be characterized, what their relationships with each other/everyone else should be, etc but they're not the main focus of 90% of my fics now. They're guest stars that I love to have on set (goddamn that's trite). As for who I don't like, I've never been a Matthew person. I think it's doing a disservice to an entire country to just have his personality be 'forgettable' and 'soft-spoken.' Which like yeah sure, I follow people who have done more with him and have made him an actually interesting character (credit to Foxholes, whose url changed and now I can't find them and don't wanna tag their history blog), but beyond the one or two characterizations of him, I don't care. Man smells like stale bong water

Eh, I'm gonna plead the fifth on that one. I don't wanna gripe about specific fans because there's good and bad in every subset. Plus, no reason to go hurting feelings. Though those Gilbo stans can be real freaks. Who the fuck likes a country called Prussia?

Hmm, interesting question. All the major nations don't bother me and make sense for why they're there. I also appreciate HRE being around, but I'm not crazy about a lot of things about his characterization. I especially hate the bad Italian accent he has in the English dub. Have never gotten that because, as Voltaire once put it, that empire ain't Roman. I think there's a lotta cool stuff you can do with HRE (@kisamesopelagic 's Karl is awesome and parts of theirs has served as inspiration for mine, who tends to linger just-offscreen) but the canon one is very meh. As for one's who I don't think belong point blank period, the entirety of the micronations. I have a hard time buying that Sealand is out here running around like a menace but state, provinces, prefectures, etc aren't. A fucking rusty ass fort in the middle of the Atlantic versus Quebec? Get outta here dude. Plus, besides some of their designs, all their personalities grate on my nerves. A whole ass African continent with next to no characters depicted but yay we got Kugelmugel. Jfc

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

uhhhh how you would write a mordred redemtion fic or like.. one of the ones where he never becomes 'evil' at all? im really curious on your take on this

(Masterlist) (Headcanon Masterlist)

Basically just read my Masterlist lol, any fic that Mordred is in, he (and Morgana) is good.

BUT I shall also write a rundown of ideas here for you :D

Mordred never going evil at all is always, in my mind, because Merlin gives him the benefit of the doubt and is nice to him. They become buddies/brothers, and are wildly protective of each other, because even if Lance is alive and they have him and Gaius (and potentially others, depending on the AU) as support, no one else could really understand what they have to live through, the danger they're in. That, and Merlin can teach Mordred to use his magic better and Mordred can be a knight on Merlin's side no matter what; they can help each other out.

If Morgana never goes evil either, she's also involved in this, and when it all comes out everyone goes "we really should've seen this coming" because of how ridiculously close and secretive the three of them got with no real reason.

If we're going for a redemption instead, then for me there's 2 options. 1) Arthur refuses to fight Mordred at Camlann. He throws his sword down and apologises and asks Mordred to come home, promises him that he'll fix his mistakes. Mordred is furious at first but quickly gets all teary and desperate and angry before giving in and let Arthur hold him. He's still young, remember, and he idolised Arthur for a long time; plus at this point he hasn't actually been "evil" for all that long, so he's emotionally attached to not only Arthur, but Camelot as a Kingdom and the knights he's fighting. The battle ends, Merlin (as Dragoon) comes down probably to kill Mordred but Arthur stands in the way and Mordred looks so lost and scared and desperate Merlin is all "ffs fine" (though doesn't reveal himself until some time later). The rest is history. OR 2) It's a future/reincarnation AU, in which Mordred is either immortal and has a very long time to regret his decisions and make friends with Merlin again, he dies and stays dead but then spends all that time in Avalon with the others and is eventually forgiven and accepted back into the fold well before they eventually wake up, or it turns out that he was actually enchanted by Morgana/Kara and wasn't in his right mind.

In FACT I actually have a reincarnation fic in the works (it's on the list to go on The List) in which Merlin and Mordred are immortal besties, except when the others come back, Merlin has a bit of a breakdown and is convinced they aren't real, that they're hallucinations. He quickly calls Mordred and is all "they're back again pls help" but with lots more crying. Mordred turns up having only been five minutes away from home anyway, sees the gang, who immediately look pissed and ready to start shit, and has to really quickly go "Oh fuck. Merlin they're real and I need you to explain to them that I'm not evil before Arthur stabs me. Again." It'll be angsty (Merlin is a bit nutso and Mordred had been mind controlled, but remembers what he did), but with a hopeful ending :D

[pencildragons]

some assorted merlin headcanons:

word has it around camelot that merlin's favourite food is blueberries. this is incorrect. his favourite food is blackberries. he is deathly allergic to blueberries.

arthur found this out the hard way

that bracelet he wears in season 1?? gwen gave it to him. i don’t CARE that they’d known each for like 2 days gwen immediately saw this man and though he Will Be My Friend and then made him a friendship bracelet and nobody stopped her (i love u dork)

in ealdor the Thing He Is Known For is falling into ponds. that’s it. ‘oh who’s that?’ ‘that? that’s merlin. he falls into ponds.’

he almost set Will on fire as a child and will teased him mercilessly to his death about it. off-scene moments before death bitch literally made a joke abt at least he wasn’t set on fire and merlin strangled him then and there.

he can freaking shape shift. like man, how cool is that?? his shape of choice is an EAGLE rather than a merlin, but. the thing is. the way he figured out he could shapeshift was he sneezed one day and suddenly he was a goldfish

GODDAMN my man loves lancelot. he’s the og lancelot fan. he started the lancelot appreciation club and literally the entire round table, gwen, and a couple of randoms off the street are part of it. it’s a great hit. ironically, lancelot doesn’t know it exists.

he made gwaine a Bag of Holding but it’s just for apples. all that’s in the bag is apples, all the way down. gwaine proposed to him on the spot when he got it

he’s left handed BUT arthur taught him to use a sword with his right hand which is why he’s not,,,, fantastic (also because my man just Isn’t Good With Swords) BUT elyan sees him cutting some stuff up one day, yknow. with his left hand. and Realises and as a fellow leftie decides to train him and confuse the HELL out of everyone the next time merlin’s part of training

it works

oh! he was born on samhain, which does play into the fact that he’s immortal, because usually babies born on samhain die,,,, but he didn’t

this did lead to a lot of people being suspicious of he and his mother as he grew up

he didn’t do a lot to help this, admittedly

so y’know how babies can’t really control their limbs when their young?? yeah well merlin couldn’t control his magic

kid would just start spinning and shit right out of his cradle while hunith was having people over for dinner which was. interesting

his entire eyeball was completely golden until he was about 8. it used to freak ppl out so he just. stopped making eye contact

when he’s REALLY angry his eyes just start changing colour,,,,,

there is a Reason why he doesn’t get angry very much

lancelot saw it once and he was Shook forever

gwaine saw it and Immediately decided that it was the coolest thing

he is waiting for the day that merlin cracks because that will be the day that Shit Goes Down

in the 15th century merlin will discover coffee. a caffeinated merlin is a merlin that the world is not ready for

you know how he can speak to dragons? well that extends to all reptiles now. one day a snake starts talking to him and he just shrugs and rolls with it. whatever. this is normal

this is Not Normal

poor arthur walks in on him one day to find him fucking hissing at a twenty-foot python

he and gwen are at the very top of camelot’s rumour mill. they see everything. they hear everything. they know everything. they can also control it >:)

one day merlin’s had enough of arthur and goes to complain in the kitchens

arthur the next day: merlin WHY did i just get called in front of my father on allegations of being in love with a statue??

merlin, pouring a potion of itching into his bath: .....i really couldn’t say, sire

this continues for a while until arthur catches on

in retaliation he writes a letter to hunith detailing all the dumb things her son has gotten up to over the years

the effect is devestating

(as in: merlin doesn’t speak to him for a week)

my man can SEW. his mother was a seamstress and taught him how to make clothes to sell at market the next village over

he loves embroidery, and he also helps gwen out sometimes and they gossip

his magic acts up a lot when he’s sick or tired

this includes turning the sky green and wine into soup

at the same time

while at a banquet

arthur just wants to know why there’s soup in his goblet

he’s,,,,,, really uncomfortable with the druids’ worship of him, bc they see him as akin to a god and their savour and post-camlann they’re going ‘oh mighty emrys the rule of the pendragons has passed onto the once and future queen finally magic can be freed’ and he just loses it

too bad gwaine didn’t get to see it

or anything else, ever

he and morgana pretended to court for a while just so they could absolute SCANADALISE uther, and also to make arthur jealous. they fake-eloped at one point and uther charged merlin with high treason

he got charged with high treason a lot actually, and not just in camelot. he is now a wanted criminal in four different kingdoms

losing morgana (the first time after the poisoning) absolutely DESTROYED him and he became rlly recluse until she came back, which started the descent into who he becomes in s4/5

he is Small and Angry and he will throw hands with Literally Everyone

merlin is no longer allowed swords in public

he’s also tone-deaf but thinks he’s not, and it drives arthur, who’s very musical, absolutely INSANE

he gets his hands on the medieval equivalent of a kazoo and has stopped two bandit attacks and three assassination attempts to date with the ~Power Of Annoyance~

one of those assassination attempts took place during a council meeting and merlin just whips out his kazoo and starts playing

he gets charged with high treason again for that

he is TERRIBLE with plants and kills every single of one of them

he once woke arthur up by climbing through the window on the 9th floor of the castle or whatever and rattling the window pane until arthur woke up and nearly tried to kill him because he thought he was an intruder

he has tried to consume rocks but elyan stopped him

idk i just love him, i’ll probably do some more of others later ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[koolkat9]

For the "Send me a ship and a number and I'll tell you"

Number 40, for AmeLiet and GerEng

Ship Asks

Oh gosh this got long, but thank you anon!

40- Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?

GerEng

1914 Christmas Truce-> Where it all began for them. A lot of laughing, a lot of stories and a lot of singing happened that Christmas. It's the first time they saw each other as more than just their nation and instead as something more human just trying to navigate life and their existence as immortals. Also this is when Ludwig's crush started.

After the Wars Meetings-> So after the going through two wars and a bunch of other shit, Ludwig is no in a good place. After WW2 he starts meeting with the Allies regularly as they did not want a repeat of what happened in Germany after WW1. Ludwig tried to keep a brave face, but one time Arthur walks in on Ludwig in tears. Arthur can't just leave him like this, so he takes a seat beside him and just...holds him and tries to whisper comforting words, but he's not the best at those. Ludwig looks back on it, touched by Arthur's kindness. Until that moment, he never realized how gentle Arthur could be.

Sharing Music-> from like the 1950s onward, they start sharing music. Arthur starts bringing Ludwig his favorite albums because he knows Lud is having a rough time and though he may not be the best at comforting people, he knows music always helps him get out of his head. He hopes that'll be the case for Ludwig too. In a way it does as does having someone for company since, at this point, Lud has grown distant from everyone he was close to, even outright separated in some cases (Gilbert). They get to know each other, there is dancing, laughing, perhaps a little cuddling if they're drunk enough and makes the post-war years a little easier for the both of them. There is more than one time they get drunk, slow dance together and find themseleves cuddled up on the couch the next morning trying to figure out what to do (they just brush it off as just being friends and blame the alcohol before carrying on as usual). Slowly, Arthur falls in love as well and Ludwig's feelings only grow.

Beatles Concert Hamburg-> So a little backstory, in the early 60s the Beatles frequently performed in Hamburg Germany. So Ludwig, wanting to thank Arthur for his support gets them into one of these Beatles concerts since he knows how much Arthur loves the Beatles. Arthur is shocked Ludwig actually had been listening all those times when Arthur would ramble about them but he's also touched. Ludwig will never forget the way Arthur looked when Ludwig had first brought him to the club and Arthur realized what was happening. He may have just fallen hard for Arthur in that moment.

Their First Kiss-> Arthur got drunk, Ludwig was called to pick him up and get him home. Arthur asks Ludwig to put some music on and Ludwig decides to humour him and agrees. They even start dancing. Everything is going fine, Arthur grows more steady on his feet and then a slow song comes on. Arthur tries to lead him in a slow dance but he's too impaired, Ludwig not sure what to do takes over and it all ends in Arthur kissing him before passing out. It was confusing at the time, but looking back Ludwig laughs because leave it to Arthur to only confess when drunk. It turned out alright, they confessed the next morning and went on their first date the next day (I have a fic based on this).

First Date-> It’s so awkward. But looking back they wouldn’t have it any other way. Ludwig tries to go all out for their first date by taking Arthur to a nice restaurant, but Ludwig doesn’t know how to act around Arthur now and thus is very awkward and stiff, barely able to carry a conversation. Thankfully Arthur does his best to dominate the conversation and fill the otherwise un-nerving silence. Arthur is able to ease him into it by talking about Ludwig’s dogs, but just as Lud starts to get more comfortable, he accidentally knocks over a drink, spilling it over Arthur’s suit. He thinks the worst that Arthur will be mad, but Arthur just laughs it off. Arthur shares a few stories of his own embarrassing moments and even gets Ludwig to laugh. Then the bill comes and they get into a minor disagreement over who pays, but eventually they agree to split it. Ludwig feels like he’s ruined the date and apologizes, Arthur says that it’s fine, but maybe they should stick to more casual stuff. Now they look back on it and laugh. (I also have a fic of this)

There are probably a bunch more that I’m forgetting, but it’s already long anyway. Basically read through my fics and you’ll find important memories among them lol.

As for special places. Probably the restaurant they had their first date at, like any record shop (music and vinyl records bring back memories), and Arthur’s garden in his little cottage in the country (very peaceful and beautiful, Ludwig loves it). 

AmeLiet

(under the cut because this got long)

Obviously there is the canon stuff. Tolys first moving in, every creature in Al’s house latching onto him, Tolys sleeping in Al’s bed because Al was scared. I’ll skip into more headcanon based stuff. 

The Morning after Sleeping in the Same Bed-> So Tolys wakes up with Alfred snuggled up to him. He gets really nervous and flustered. At the time he didn’t know it was love, but looking back it totally was. Alfred stirs and Tolys immediately gets up saying that he needs to get started on breakfast. Alfred is left confused and a little disappointed. But that is the start of their feelings so they look back on it fondly

After the Fall of the Soviet Union-> Things are awkward between them after that. Alfred feels guilty for letting Tolys go with Ivan, and Tolys is going through a lot and thinks maybe Alfred just is going through his own thing and gives him space. Eventually Alfred confronts him and apologizes for everything. For letting him go with Ivan, for everything that happened after that, for being distant. Tolys assures him that it’s okay and that he needn’t apologize for any of that. They end up going out for dinner and things are awkward with neither wanting to say the wrong thing. Then a jazz song comes on and Tolys asks Alfred to dance. As they dance (like they use to in the 20s), they both realize things haven’t really changed. 

Valentines Day-> After being convinced by Kiku to get Tolys something and finally confess, Alfred shows up at Tolys’s door with flowers and chocolates.  Tolys finally asks directly if Al wants to further their relationship and Alfred enthusiastically agrees. They go on their first date that night. They go to Tolys’s favorite restaurant, shop around a bit and end the night at a cafe. They share their first kiss at the end of the night when Alfred drops Tolys off at home. 

Special places: Al’s house (where they first fell in love), NA bros’s cottage (good place to get away from everyone), 

[sehnsuchts-trunken]

Oh oh also (I’m definitely going to forget about this if I don’t ask now) I still want to know your opinions on who of the knights, Gwen, Morgana and Merlin would survive if they were in a horror movie lol

omg!!!! right!!!! I almost forgot about this omg

Honestly? I think they're all doing pretty good. But they all have an advantage because there's none of them that can't fight, except for like Merlin but he has magic. So they would probably not die if the killer got to them, or at least they'd put up a very good fight. But ignoring that, I think I can make something of this.

Elyan is easy, because he'd do fine until any drowning person and/or child is shown. Then he loses control of everything. And unless his friends manage to rescue him, he may just be dead. I could see him being the first one dying tbh, like, if this just so happens to be the first thing they encounter.

Percival would survive solely because of his strength and will. Genuinely I think the only way he would maybe be killed is if there was someone in need (or something pretending they're in need and setting a trap and then stabbing him in the back). Because like, unless you know him the way the other knights do, you could not win against him in a fight. Never.

Merlin could easily be killed if someone got him distracted enough that he can't use his magic as his first reflex. But like you'd also have to get him alone because, uh, these people are certainly not stupid enough to split up and Merlin is like their nr. 1 priority

Leon is immortal. He can't die. Like he won't even run he'll just walk and when the killer gets to him he turns around like. Try. You're not the first one.

Gwen is so skilled with a sword and she's so smart and I think, much like Percival, you'd really have to get her trapped and then you'd also have to surprise her.

Arthur is so easy to kill, dear god. All you have to do is show him some illusion. He will sacrifice himself in like negative two seconds. Like it doesn't even have to be real, as is said, just. show him an illusion. No need to trap him or fight. Show him how you corner Merlin and he'll throw away his sword and scream "I'm right here" and then let you chase after him if that's what you want to do. But like, genuinely, it's scary how easily he's manipulated into just fucking sacrificing himself. Literally your only job is to snatch him away from the group (because there's multiple others that would not put up with his bullshit and save him)

Morgana would fucking scare the killers away. She's just walking around deadpan, like Leon is, her sword in hand that's dripping with fake blood and calling for them to come get her. Like we saw in season one?? I think??? how clever she and Gwen were getting away from those guys that kidnapped them, and it's just common sense to assume that she's using that same cunningness to like, come up with a plan and kill the killers. also you cannot scare her lol

and I genuinely do not know about the other two. even though I should? like we've talked about them more than about anyone else lol- but idk. I'll give it a try

so I could imagine Lancelot being fine? because he's the best fighter of them all, and like, if anyone were to get close to him he'd just. be like. you thought. so to kill him you'd definitely have to get him into some kind of trap. unexpectedly attacking him doesn't work either because his reflexes are incredible. my guess would be you'd have to take his orientation to a point where he can't tell his left from his right anymore. like, illusions and shit like that doesn't work with him, unlike Percival and Arthur he would definitely be able to realise it's a trap.

and Gwaineeeeeee ugh idk. this may just become an essay lol so beware- So he's a very, very skilled fighter, and what wouldn't work would be taking his orientation because. this guy has reflexes. and he'll fight with a broom if that's all he can grab. he will fight you even if he's blind and he certainly won't miss. And I can very well see him as one of the people who wouldn't trust shit and that's why he wouldn't be as easily manipulated as Arthur and Percival. Like while Lancelot figures it out and tries to really understand the illusions for what they are, Gwaine just calls bullshit from a mile away. The only way I could really imagine he would be killed would be if he just got like, separated, and then too hotheaded. like you need to give him these tons of options and make him go crazy. being impulsive is like both his advantage and his disadvantage, and like, I think to actually get him killed you need to make it his disadvantage. you know? idk I don't want to say he can't get killed because, I just know that he could? but like I can't tell you how. like. he survived so much in the series already that I think he would survive this too? because that's just like the kind of thing that someone like him would manage? but like yeah, you could possibly kill him ifffff you turn his strengths against him. in a fight for example he can use his hotheadedness and his reflexes and his pace and his stamina so you shouldnt get him in a fight (like you should not get any of the others in a fight) and backstabbing doesn't work and traps don't work so literally the only thing left is to like, have him kill himself? in a way? like put him in a hallway with many, many, many doors, and I think he's done for. because he would just. open all doors trying to get out and relying on his impulsiveness to do so? so while Arthur and Morgana and multiple others would be fine, Gwaine would die, like if you do the simplest shit, like just putting a cliff right behind the door? and he opens it and just. falls. because he doesn't stay in front of the fucking doorway but just runs straight into the room. which probably isn't even the worst idea for some of them, but like, that's why he would die. just because of something so absolutely ridiculous.

[lucky-sevens]

so, you’ve heard about the mechanisms, but have no idea what they are or how to get into them?

the mechanisms are a steampunk folk concept band! if you’re familiar with the decemberists, some of the stuff david bowie has done, or steam powered giraffe, it’s a bit like that- each album tells a story! (the albums are all tragic space operas, with the added bonus of being very queer!)

the bit where it starts to get complicated is the band itself. they’re all playing characters, and they do their shows in character! so, basically, the narration on the albums isn’t omniscient- it’s being narrated by the mechanisms, who have opinions about the story and tend to get involved in it at some point. to differentiate them from the actual band, i’m going to refer to them as ‘the crew of the aurora’!

further details under the cut! (edit: added some links!)

the albums

they have 4 main albums, which you can listen to on spotify, bandcamp and youtube! just look them up, there's a youtube account called TheVoidSings that does lyric videos + album playlists, as well as the mechanisms official account! in addition, they are all linked at the end of this post.

(note: the albums are all tragedies, and there’s some pretty intense stuff that can happen- i wouldn’t let that steer you away from it as they are very good and well done, but if you tend to like lighter or happier stories, be a bit careful going in? a lot of queer characters tend to die- because 1. everyone dies and 2. everyone is queer- which, while it’s not bury your gays, i know some people like to avoid.)

album descriptions

-once upon a time (in space)- based on european fairy tales! stars snow white and her attempt to rebel against the evil king cole and his intergalactic empire and rescue her sister, rose red! also has a lesbian romance at the center! 

-ulysses dies at dawn- based on greek mythology! stars four 'suitors'- orpheus, oedipus, ariadne, and hercules- trying to break into ulysses/odysseus' secret vault on a job for the olympians, an elite mob family with a stranglehold over the planet it takes place on 

-high noon over camelot- a steampunk western based on arthurian legend! features poly arthur, guinevere, and lancelot on a quest for the G.R.A.I.L, the control center of the abandoned space station they're trapped on 

-the bifrost incident- based on norse mythology! a locked room mystery around what happened to the ratatosk express, a train that disappeared eighty years ago with all of the asgardian ruling class on board. this album is also rock, versus the earlier ones which were folkpunk. 

you can listen to them in any order (i've summarized them in order of release), but you should listen to the album of your choice in order/all the way through! (my personal favorite is high noon over camelot!)

the crew

the crew of the aurora is a group of nine queer space pirates! they’re all immortal, mostly because of dr carmilla, a morally ambiguous, very lonely lesbian vampire who has a slight problem with experimenting on dying children. they all have a mechanical part of some kind- for example, ashes o’reilly has mechanical lungs, because they originally died from smoke inhalation. that part is called their mechanism, and it’s what’s keeping them immortal! (also, their immortality works by having them come back from death, rather than being unable to be harmed. this can result in them doing really stupid shit, dying, and then just coming back. they murder each other a lot to bond) there’s a lot of found family vibes, which is quite nice! in general, despite being tragic figures themself, they add an air of humor to the albums with their banter and the like!

each of the crew has their own backstory, mostly from quite different genres! if you’d like a fairly comprehensive version of all their backstory songs, i’d recommend this recorded show and if you’d like just an assessment of their general vibes/a good intro to everything, i’d suggest looking up ‘the ignomious demise of dr plitchard’ (one of their stand-alone songs)

bonus content

recorded gigs- there are quite a few out there, and i’d highly recommend listening to them, because the shows were the original way the media was supposed to be! there’s a ton of in character banter, they’re all in costume, all that! 

death to the mechanisms- the mechanisms’ last show! it has a very bittersweet vibe, but there’s also incredible lighting, as well as proper recordings of tales to be told and drunk space pirate (the songs they play at the beginning and end of each show!) there’s also a lot of lore there that’s nice to know, including what it says on the tin: how they all, eventually, die. note- there’s a stream and an audio version. the stream is choppy and cuts out a lot, and the audio version is nice and clean, but the stream is still nice to watch because of the lighting and the visual jokes.

tales to be told volumes one and two- compilations of all their standalone songs! some of them fit with albums, and some of them are their own retellings that work on their own! this is also where all the backstory songs are compiled, though i’d recommend watching the recorded show i linked instead as that has the relevant exposition. 

frankenstein- a standalone, 10 minute album on youtube about the story of victoria frankenstein and the rogue ai she created.

dr. carmilla albums (exhumed and [un]plugged + ageha prototype edition, available on bandcamp)- songs telling the backstory of doctor carmilla, the mechanisms’ creator! they’re in a different style than the rest- think girl in red. lots of yearning lesbian music vibes. 

mechanisms fiction- this is on their website! has a lot of very interesting lore and character things, and i’d highly recommend reading all of it! it’s also very well written. personally, i’d recommend ulysses and narcissus go to the seaside, the quickest draw, archive footage, and bedtime story for the writing, and ever after, the story of the toy soldier, who killed dr carmilla, and ghost in the machine for lore!

resources

links to almost all the mechanisms content out there!

album links

once upon a time in space- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

ulysses dies at dawn- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

high noon over camelot- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

the bifrost incident- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

bonus content

tales to be told, volume 1- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

tales to be told, volume 2- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

frankenstein- spotify/bandcamp/youtube

mechanisms ‘supplementals’ (songs not in the albums, alternative versions, etc)- youtube

exhumed and (un)plugged- bandcamp/youtube

ageha (prototype edition)- bandcamp/youtube

mechanisms fiction

additional short story

tumblr (mostly an inactive blog for the band to post about shows they were doing, but features some in-character posts)

twitter (ditto)

---

gig compilation post

fiction compilation post

blog compilation post

deep lore post

fanfiction recommendations list

[thisisamerlinonlyevent]

today im thinking about immortal merlin n leon, alive to see camelot fall n kingdoms rise above it, the tragedy, the angst, the grief. i didn’t ship leon n merlin at all until i started to think abt them living through the centuries with only each other. that’s a different kind of intimacy right there. like i can’t rly define their relationship, i wouldn’t call them lovers but definitely not friends. like they’re intimate like lovers but care for each other like ride or die friends n it’s very complicated n surprisingly i think that leon was the one to go “you know what? let’s not label anything. let’s vibe. we care n love each other how we do, if others don’t, well... they’re not us so it’s not like it matters in the end” n merlin’s like “so true king, wanna suck my dick about it later or just gently makeout over the fire about it?” “we’ll see what we feel like doing later :)” “okay cool nice :)”.

IM NOT DONE! now think. something happens alright, there’s a stutter in reality and, for some reason, morgana n mordred come back, albeit very differently. morgana is your classic “i came back n im pissed abt it, and i still hate you even tho there’s no point about it and truly i don’t even mean it, you want me to be honest i don’t know who i really am or why i did anything but im too prideful to admit that out loud so I’ll have a huge mental breakdown over it later”, while mordred is actually broken. doesn’t eat not speak, drinks water only when it’s shoved down his throat, looks on the verge of tears 24/7 n all in all, as much as leon and merlin want to hate him for ruining everything, they have to admit something is so wrong with him they just. let the whole issue be for now.

then merlin has an epiphany after morgana’s like. third mental breakdown n weird character development that smth happened to her before death to make her like this, he does a think for a while, leon does a think with him as well, mordred does nothing but be void of everything, n they come to the conclusion “oh shit morgana was cursed, it was probably that bitch morgause even tho her past was also kinda shitty, still not an excuse, anyways let’s do the whole white (?) goddess thing” that thing they did when merlin turned into a hag for evil gwen. it’s kinda different, since it’s been more than a thousand years since merlin has done that, but they chuck em both there (morgana n mordred, with their consent ofc this is how this works, n yes they just kinda took a nod from mordred as answer enough) and they hoped for the best.

SO post de-cursing ritual shit, morgana n mordred kinda switch roles. mordred remembering everything n being emo about it cause, sue him he’s been dead for centuries he’s lost touch with his emotions. morgana is now in shock (oh how nice haha) so she’s the quiet one just. slowly taking all the shit she did in. leon n merlin are tired but tbh this is the most interesting thing that has happened in a while so they’re not too upset over it. now cue centuries of weird bonding, communication, character n emotional development, found family tropes, some self sacrificing while at the same times forgetting they’re all immortal so they come back always but damn that shit is still traumatizing, n you have another 1000 years alive n kicking in this world (in my personal hcs the show was around the 6th century even if it doesnt make sense theres magic ffs shut up so this would make them be alive during the 26th century whoray).

this is when arthur, the knight, gwen n gaius cause i love him, decide to wake up n chaos ensues (n the reunion is not as sweet as you think, 2000 years have passed and things have changed, for the better or for the worse)

this is entirely self indulgent btw but whenever i think abt these 4 i think abt them like THIS always so. yh i love this chaotic family

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

This isn’t a nitpick post but a more....heavy topic that’s been kind of on my mind for the past several days now that I wanted to just get down and out you know? It’s just really been bugging me so here I am pouring out my feelings on James’s treatment and the ableism in his story.

One think that I fairly often see is people using “James was afraid” as some sort of insult and it just drives me insane. How is being afraid some sort of moral failing? Fear is a natural emotion to feel especially with everything James was dealing with and being triggered by a horrific event that would affect most people. Why do people think it is okay to use people’s fears and trauma as a way to tear them down and make them feel lesser.

It’s just....painful seeing how often in media how victims of extreme trauma are so often either turned into villains or used as a sacrifice for the “greater good”. I still vividly remember my sister telling me that her class writing taught her (and that she agreed with) that sometimes if someone goes through to much trauma and suffering it’s easier for them to die. I just I can’t IMAGINE how we’ve reached this point where it’s commonly accepted that in fiction it’s better to kill off trauma victims rather then let them have stories of healing and hope. How do people who are going through things similar to James feeling seeing everyone say their trauma and pain will eventually make them evil? Or if they somehow don’t turn evil it would be better if they where gone.

Going back to people saying James is evil or morally wrong for being afraid....I don’t get it I really don’t. Have you never been afraid before? Have you never had to deal with more then you can handle emotionally and crack under the strain? Just look at what all James has had to deal with and emotionally process in a very short time:

- He discovered Jacques is actively working with Salem and caused dozens of murders of innocent civilians out of greed

- Found our Arthur Watts is alive, someone he thought was dead for a long time, and he is actively working with Salem and is helping sabotage Atlas.

- Found out someone he trusted leaked the Amity tower project to Robyn, someone that they didn’t really know was on their side and was trustworthy.

- Found our Watts has access thanks to Jacques to Atlas’s systems.

- Found our Mantels heating has been turned off and they cannot get it back on and the people are rioting because of it.

- Mantel is being swarmed with Grimm because people are so upset.

- Found out that Salem is immortal.

- Found out the people he trusted without question KNEW Salem was immortal and just couldn’t be bothered to tell him.

- Got horrifically injured fighting Watts and likely has weighing heavily on his mind that their was a high chance he could still lose his remaining arm.

- Discovered his trigger waiting for him in his office that was left specifically to emotionally harm him. (Something people also joke about but that’s a different post).

- Found out that Salem, the person he only discovered hours ago is immortal and has no plan on how to deal with, is on her way to Atlas currently and his entire army is exhausted from fighting Grimm all night.

And that is just the shit I remember. He takes with and is emotionally processing a LOT and takes it really well. And even then hen triggered and probably fighting a severe PTSD response from said trigger he is trying to do best by as many people as he can. Yea he’s scared shitless right now but CAN YOU REALLY BLAME HIM? Ruby breaks down sobbing dealing with only a tiny fraction of what James is and it’s treated with more sympathy then James’s trauma.

I’m sorry I don’t know where I’m going with this and it’s probably an unorganized mess but this whole thing has been really bothering me. People suffering from trauma deserve better then to have their trauma used as a fall to villainy and a shortcut to going crazy.

Signed someone who has dealt with far far less trauma then James but still loved through some shit and am tired of this.

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

*sigh* I entertained the cursed thought of Evil!Leon and now it won't leave, so fuck it: bullet point frame work

Warnings for blood, temporary character death, graphic injury, murder, attempted murder, angst with a happy ending, magic reveal

First of all this is also immortal Leon, because I could

Morgana is discovered by a patrol headed by Leon and he's the only one of the round table there.

For some reason or another Morgana is having a really bad life day and completely obliterates the patrol in her rage.

And for narrative purposes/ the man is very sturdy, Leon somehow survives the assault, but he's not in good shape

Morgana, in her full sadistic glory, offers a painfully dying Leon a second chance, he need only pledge himself to her and she would heal him

Leon, while chocking on blood, defiantly glares at her, declaring "You're wasting your time Morgana, I will die before I betray Arthur"

And at this something hardens in Morgana's eyes and she lunges forward with a dagger and plunges it into Leon's heart, twisting it violently while hissing "so you shall" before pulling it back out

This, obviously, kills him

And for some reason or another, maybe its a part of why Morgana is having a no good very bad terrible awful day, she sticks around the site of the massacre for a bit rather than immediately leave.

Which is how she witnesses Sir Leon, whose heart she plunged a dagger into not an hour ago, take a gasping breath

This, quite understandably, scares the shit out of both of them

It scares the shit out of Morgana because she knows she killed him, there is no way he's alive

And it scares the shit out of Leon for much of the same reasons, he knows she killed him, why the fuck was he breathing (he did not know he was immortal before this point)

And while Morgana is still in shock, Leon asks angrily what she did to him, why did she bring him back (while he is scrambling for his sword and to rise, because that worked soo well for him the first time)

Morgana tilts her head at him, a slow sinister smile spreading across her face as she replies "I did nothing my dear knight"

And it is in this moment that Leon realizes he fucked up

Morgana probably kills him again for good measure, to see what will happen, and sure enough, he's back again in a little while.

Leon is freaking the fuck out and Morgana's day just completely turned around because she has Arthur's most loyal knight, his first knight, and he can't die

To make a long process short, she kills him for transport to where ever she's hiding, kills him a few more times because she can, and as she does so she formulates a plan. Since it has become quite obvious that Leon was not aware of his allergy to death, Morgana reasoned that no one back at the castle would know either. And if she could control Leon... well. Camelot and Arthur's head on a platter was as good as hers.

Since her last attempt to kill Arthur by proxy through a creature ended poorly, Morgana decides on an enchantment.

I’m thinking maybe the spell has a caveat, the only way for it to be broken is if Leon was killed by another Immortal's hand, something Morgana is certain is impossible, and is sure to gleefully inform Leon of this so in his last moments of free will, his hope and spirit would break

When Leon returns to Camelot, he doesn't act strange. A little haunted maybe, but not outwardly out of character

He says he was the only person to survive the attack by Morgana, and he barely made it away with his life (she either roughed him up to make this believable, or he did it himself)

Everyone is relieved he’s safe and back home

Arthur makes a light hearted joke about how this was the second time Leon was the lucky sole survivor of an attack, and he really needs to stop scaring Arthur like this, he’s starting to think he's doing it on purpose

And in the first indication that something might be off, Leon smirks at this, his laugh much darker than usual, and he makes a returning dark joke. Nothing out of the ordinary, really, nothing that couldn't be explained as him having survivors guilt and being exhausted and in pain

And for a while everything seems fine.

Everything is not fine.

Leon is a much more subtle assassin than Merlin was. Much more patient as well. His first attempt is in a patrol in the woods, where he tries to catch Arthur off guard.

Arthur notices in time and fends him off, expressing confusion, and Leon pulls what he pulled in Servant of Two Masters when he finds Arthur behind the tree: awkward apologetic smile (much more sinister this time, his eyes are much colder)

He apologizes profusely, being a bit self depreciating as he admits that he was still a bit jumpy from his last trek through the woods and was on edge

Arthur accepts this and just tells him to be more careful, though ultimately there was no harm done

Arthur turns away and Leon frowns/glares

Maybe Arthur makes a passing mention of it to Merlin, asking him if he noticed Leon jumpier than usual, and Merlin replies that he hasn't really seemed jumpy per say, but definitely quieter and more closed off

Again, this isn't a huge red flag considering that he went through, but Merlin starts to pay closer attention to Leon, just in case

Leon seems fairly normal. He's a little quicker to temper, and his humor is much darker than usual, and his smiles are more smirks than anything, but he's not really treating anyone any differently

His behavior isn't suspicious, he's not in questionable places, he's just Leon with some survivors guilt and trauma. So Merlin relaxes.

When a mystery assailant keeps setting traps and ambushes for Arthur in cleaver and subtle ways, Merlin is at his wits end trying to figure out who it is. And he’s getting worried, as the last two attempts very nearly succeeded.

Leon is a very patient assassin. This drives Morgana nuts

She demands he meet her outside the castle walls one night when he's on solo rounds of the castle to demand what is taking so long

"Do you want him dead or not?"

"Of course I want him dead, I want him dead NOW. Stop dragging your feet and kill him already!"

And let me tell you, Morgana may have taken control of his loyalty and twisted his motivations, but she could never rid Leon of his sass

"Morgana, this is why you've never managed to kill Arthur. No patience. No attempts on Arthur's life have ever succeeded for a reason, I'm avoiding those mistakes. You can have it done quick or done right, I'm trying to do it right."

In the end, Leon had a valid point, as it was Morgana's impatience that demanded Leon sneak away from his rounds to meet her, and caught Merlin's attention as he saw Leon sneaking into the woods

Merlin follows Leon and sees him meeting with Morgana and every alarm bell goes off in his head. Because Leon despises Morgana, and he would never betray Arthur, never. Not willingly at least. So Merlin figures out that Leon is compromised, and all those near misses on Arthur recently that Merlin couldn't figure out the source of must have been Leon's doing.

Leon tells Morgana she just needs to wait one day more, as he plans to kill Arthur the following night. Morgana hisses at him "see that you do" and leaves

Merlin follows Leon back to the castle where the knight continued on his rounds, prompting Merlin to run to his and Gaius's quarters.

Gaius isn't happy to be woken in the middle of the night, until Merlin explains what he saw

"Leon? Working with Morgana? Are you certain?"

"Pretty sure, yeah. I heard Leon tell Morgana he was going to kill Arthur tomorrow night. Leon would never betray Arthur, especially not to Morgana. She did something to him, I know she has"

They quickly rule out a femora and eventually conclude that it must be an enchantment. One so powerful to bind and manipulate one's loyalties and will would have to have a very specific condition to break it. The only way to stop/ save Leon and protect Arthur is for Merlin to figure out what it is so he can break it

He does not manage to figure it out

So when night comes and Leon is acting shifty as he heads in the direction of Arthur's chambers, Merlin has to do something, prepared or not

He comes up with an excuse or another to get Leon to come with him, its urgent, blah blah blah

Merlin pulls Leon into an empty room where no one would be likely to find them or interrupt them. And Leon tolerates Merlin's rambling excuse for pulling him aside for a few moments before he's had enough and brushes Merlin off, trying to leave

And Merlin doesn't let him, blocking the exit.

Leon is still trying to maintain his cover, but his patience is finally beginning to run out

He tells Merlin to move, he has duties to attend to, and Merlin cuts to the chase. “I can’t let you hurt Arthur, Leon”

And Leon studies Merlin, nods, and breaks out into a wide smirk. “Took you long enough to figure out. What gave me away?”

And Merlin is thrown by the sudden shift in behavior, but as long as Leon is talking he isn’t killing Arthur, so he’ll take it. 

“I saw you talking to Morgana. I heard you plotting to kill Arthur.”

And Leon nods, tutting. “I really wish you hadn’t seen that Merlin.”

And Merlin is in desperate ‘try to reason with him’ mode, which is obviously not working because Leon is under a powerful enchantment. And while it was amusing at the start to toy with Merlin, Leon has had enough.

All patience has run out. 

"Merlin, if you do not get out of my way and keep your mouth shut, I will kill you, and do so gladly"

Merlin of course does neither of these things.

Leon attacks Merlin, and Merlin barely dodges the sword. Merlin is, understandably, pretty scared. This is someone he considers a close friend, a brother, and he's currently trying to kill him. Merlin tries to talk Leon down, but its not working. There is taunting involved, and some very evil smirks

All the while Leon is swinging at Merlin with his sword, coming very close to hitting Merlin.

The final straw is when Leon knocks Merlin down, stands over him with his sword to his chest, and taunts Merlin that he is going to kill him, and then he's going to kill Arthur, and there is nothing Merlin can do about it

Well. Yes. Yes there is.

Merlin's eyes flash gold and before his eyes can even widen in surprise at this unexpected development, Leon is thrown backwards into a wall. Hard.

His head hits the wall with a sickening crack and collapses into a still heap.

Merlin is very much panicking as he scrambles up and over to Leon, feeling for any sign of a pulse.

He can't find one.

Merlin desperately tries to cast a healing spell but its not working. Leon's dead.

Important note for the record: Merlin did not know Leon was immortal. Merlin also did not know the stipulation that would release Leon from Morgana's enchantment.

So Merlin thinks he just killed a man he viewed as a big brother

He takes this about as well as could be expected: absolutely horribly.

He’s crying, babbling definitely, the words "I'm so sorry" "I didn't mean to" "please wake up" are mixed in there and repeated a lot

And then, lo and behold, Leon woke up

Its hard to say who was more surprised: Leon or Merlin

It would be fair to say Merlin, as his brother he accidentally killed ten minutes ago was sitting up in his arms, definitely alive

But it would also be fair to say Leon, who decidedly was himself again, free of Morgana's enchantment. Which should have been impossible, save from dying at the hand of an immortal. So not only is Leon dealing with being himself again, but he's also processing the information that apparently Merlin is immortal. And oh yeah: killed him by using magic

So they are both freaking out

And Merlin stammers out a mess of words that boils down to "what?? How are you alive? You, you were dead, I know you were dead! Oh gods, you were dead, I killed you, I swear I didn't mean to, you were trying to kill Arthur, you were trying to kill me, I was just trying to stop you, I didn't mean to kill you..." and he's clinging to Leon during this, and is totally not still crying

And Leon eventually manages to get a word in and halt Merlin's rambling with an exasperated and slightly hysterical "Merlin, I'm not dead!"

"You were!"

"Can we focus on that later? Is Arthur alright?"

And now Merlin is instantly back on alert, drawing back a bit to study Leon's face, but still holding his shoulders. "He's fine." At Leon's sigh of relief, Merlin asks slowly "Do you still want to kill him?"

And Leon is instantly horrified and shaking his head vehemently declaring "No!"

And then he stops, thinks, and realizes he truly meant it. He no longer felt any distain towards his friend and king, the sickly poisoning influence from Morgana's enchantment gone

Which was only possible at the hand of another immortal.

Leon's brain is going a million miles an hour, his often misused or missing brain cells taking longer than they should to come to the obvious conclusion, but in his defense, he had a lot to process, and it is a pretty unbelievable conclusion

"Merlin, you said you killed me?"

And the guilt is right back with Merlin apologizing and defending with "I swear I didn't mean to!"

"But you're sure YOU killed me? Absolutely positive?"

And Merlin's starting to get a bit annoyed, why the fuck would he lie about killing a man he viewed as a brother? "Yeah Leon, I'm pretty sure. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it"

If this had been normal circumstances, Leon may have comforted Merlin, but these were most certainly not normal circumstances, because if Merlin killed him, that had to mean one thing:

"Merlin, since when are you immortal?"

What ever Merlin was expecting Leon to say, it sure as fuck wasn't that (friendly reminder that Merlin doesn't know he's immortal at this point)

So it is with very real confusion that he says slowly "I'm... not?"

"Clearly you are, or I would probably be trying to kill you to get to Arthur right now"

This is clearly the wrong thing to say, because Merlin now thinks this is an elaborate trick, and somehow, has come to the conclusion that this isn't even Leon, or if it is, he's a Shade like Lancelot was.

So Merlin scrambles to his feet, grabbing Leon's sword and pointing it at him. Leon raises his hands in alarm and also to placate Merlin (he’s still not used to being immortal and forgot that the sword can’t actually do him permanent harm)

"Merlin, I'm not going to kill you. The enchantment Morgana had over me is gone, you broke it" ("with magic" is screamed loudly in his head, but one earth shattering topic at a time)

"I don't believe you"

"The enchantment had a condition to it: the only way to escape Morgana's control was if another immortal took my life. You killed me, and now that control is gone. I have no desire to hurt Arthur or you, or anyone else in Camelot." I swear to you on-" he goes to say his life and realizes that maybe that wouldn't mean as much anymore and adjusts "I swear to you on my honor as a knight of Camelot."

Merlin doesn't know what to believe. He wants to, but he doesn't know if he can. So he makes Leon explain everything, which he does. Leon still has all his memories, though some of them seem a little distorted and distant, but still there are the same

When Leon finishes, Merlin puts down the sword, approaches Leon and makes him promise again. He does so, and Merlin finally believes him

He collapses into a sitting position next to Leon, looking exhausted but relieved. They are silent for a bit until finally...

Leon eventually decides its time to address the elephant in the room: "Merlin, how long have you been practicing magic?" It’s said in a way that aims for nonchalance and misses by several miles

Merlin, naturally, goes pale and plays dumb

"Merlin, I saw your eyes glow gold and then I was being flung across the room. That's magic"

And Merlin's still denying it, fiercely, and Leon has had a very long day and an even longer month

"Merlin, I'm having a hard enough time knowing what's real and what's not right now, please don't make me question this too"

And what was Merlin supposed to do? Continue to deny what Leon clearly figured out?

"I was born with it" is whispered, a scared admission

"I didn't think that was possible"

"Yeah well, I'm special"

"I could have told you that Merlin"

This is going much better than Merlin thought it would. He expected anger, yelling at least. Not teasing, as tired as it sounds

"Are you going to tell Arthur?" Is asked in that same scared voice from before

He should. Leon knows he should. As a knight of Camelot, it was his duty to uphold the laws of the kingdom, and magic is against those laws.

But it was also his duty to protect the king, a duty, through no fault of his own, he had abandoned and gone against. Where as Merlin did his job for him.

That and he could not deny his friendship to the younger man, the protective nature he felt for him

Seeing Merlin stare at him with fear and resignation, like he had already been condemned to death, Leon realized there was really only ever one possible response he could give:

"No. I'm not"

Merlin did not expect this.

When he sees Merlin's surprise, Leon gently bumps Merlin with his shoulder. "Merlin, I know you. You would never hurt Arthur, would never do anything to put Camelot in danger. Magic or not, that doesn't change. I would not risk condemning you to exile or death when you have done no harm"

At Merlin's pained look between Leon and the wall, Leon sighs. "I'm fine Merlin. I'm more than fine, you broke Morgana's enchantment. It was not... ideal, but it was the only way"

Merlin shakes his head "Leon, I didn't know. I didn't know you'd come back. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have. I killed you, using magic. How do you not hate me?"

"Merlin," Leon waits for Merlin to make eye contact, putting a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Magic has saved my life, in the past. And as far as I'm concerned, it saved my soul today. Am I wary of it? Yes, because I have seen the harm it can do in cruel hands. But I also know that it can protect and heal in kind ones. How many times have you saved Arthur's life?"

Startled by the sudden question, Merlin answers honestly "I've lost count"

"How many times have you used your magic to protect, to save?"

"Always"

Leon ruffles Merlin's hair with a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I could never hate you for upholding the same ideals I live by Merlin, regardless of your methods of doing so."

And finally, finally Merlin gets it. He's not going to be imprisoned, he's not going to be outed as a sorcerer, Leon is alive and himself again and has no intention of hurting him, and Merlin doesn't have to worry about losing his friend anymore because apparently he's immortal and he is too but he is not about to deal with that right now (and also let's be real, he’s still going to worry about Leon)

It is with this that Merlin finally relaxes for the first time in a long time, shuffling closer to Leon and leaning against him, the knight putting an arm around him and pulling him close, each taking comfort in the presence of the other

It's a lot to take in, and it will take many conversations and explanations over the next few days and weeks to even begin to unpack and comprehend it all, but for now, each man was left with the relief and knowledge that they were safe with the person beside them.

The end! This is not at all what I thought it would be when I first started to write it, but I'm okay with that. If anyone wants to write this into a proper full length fic feel free to do so, I just ask that you please credit me and send it to me so I can read it!

[thatoneao3writer]

Okay so. I’ve been thinking about myths/folklore in the ttau. Also the stuff about the Gemfolk line of succession gave me some ideas…

To recap, there are several established myths about Karl. First there’s the interstellar one about a terrifying being with control over time and space. Then there’s the stories about him as a local cryptid in Essempei. Additionally, I was thinking that there might be some conspiracy theories about an immortal or time traveler with a lot of resemblance to his human form, since he appears throughout history, but no one has connected it to the cryptid or his current identity as a Normal College Student, since the cryptid is his true form, which looks very different than his human form, and a description of his human form could apply to a vast portion of the human population.

So basically I was thinking. Obviously Karlnapity gets married at some point, probably post-canon. Because yeah. So. Theoretically, they could eventually inherit the gemfolk thrones. (Once either Bad and Skeppy retire or Skeppy dies of old age.)(Keep in mind that spirits aren’t required to go to the afterlife when they die and Bad can create pocket dimensions, so Bad and Skeppy can chill in a pocket dimension together once Skeppy inevitably does die of old age.)

Right. So. Karl goes on lots of time travel adventures on Earth, right? Well. That would probably also be the case on the Gemfolk Homeworld. And he would probably take his husbands with him sometimes. And like on Earth, there’s probably some myths about Karl. Heck, probably even more myths about him, Sapnap, and Quackity, since their royal regalia would definitely make them stand out.

So here’s my idea. In gemfolk myth, there is a figure known as the Eternal King. He wears the regalia of the gemfolk royalty, and is thought to be some sort of king of old, because no one can come up with a better explanation. He appears in times of danger and chaos, sometimes alongside the Fire King (Sapnap, because fire demon) and the Shadow King (Quackity, because of his non-shapeshifted form/what he looks like while shapeshifting).

In olden times, before gemfolk knew of alien species, the explanation for them not looking like gemfolk was that they were ancient kings who had been turned into spirits/gods of some sort. The explanation became so ingrained in the myth over time that it stuck around even after the gemfolk started interacting with aliens.

Over time, the Eternal King has become sort of a stock hero figure in gemfolk myth. Think like King Arthur in England and France. And since the gemfolk were now trading with other alien species, some of their myths got mixed in too. Like, for example, the one about the terrifying and ridiculously powerful eldrich entity with control over time and space. So now there’s a myth about Karl literally fighting himself. (This is probably the version of that myth that Skeppy knows, and therefore the version he tells at that one movie night when the power goes out.)

-🤺

JDBDUSHS This is amazing XD

Karl: I'm a totally normal college student! :D 👍

Also Karl: *unintentionally creates a shit ton of myths about himself*

-🌱