#arwen fest

[merlin-bdsm-fest]

Here are the prompts for this year!

Week One — 11-17 March: Bondage Week Two — 18-24 March: Punishment Week Three — 25-31 March: Amnesty/Your own prompt

March is around the corner, and it's never too early to start plotting! To get in the mood you can check last year's Masterlist, full of delightful creations 🔥

Learn How to participate and check out the Rules and FAQ. For any doubt you can contact the mods here on tumblr or discord (in The Tavern Server 18+).

We can't wait to see what you'll share with us!

[merlincinema]

Info

Ever wanted to merge your favourite movie with your favourite fandom? Thought about how swashbuckling your ship would look in the newest blockbuster? Just that universe. Just that scene. Just that ship. If only…

Well, here’s a chance to turn your headcanons into reality. We bring to you Merlin Cinema, the love child of Reel Merlin and Reel BBC Merlin (both our predecessors) – a fest where you turn films into Merlin AU’s!

Excited? So are we! 

Now, with amazing art!

A huge thank you to our artists Mirayla (@mirayladraws) and Zhan (@gramnel) for the mesmerising header and icon pieces!

What is Merlin Cinema?

Just like Reel Merlin, Merlin Cinema is a fest centred around movies. Participants can take any movie on IMDB – new, old, short films, feature films, animated films, etc. – and turn them into Merlin fanworks during the fest period.

Important info for Merlin Cinema Round 2 (2024)

This year we are not conducting the usual version of the fest, instead, we'll be conducting a more relaxed and light version of the fest while still giving plenty of chance for all creators to engage and tickle their creative bones. This year, our theme is:

Genre Fest!

What is this exactly and how will it work?

This year, we are focusing on Film Genres, namely the dozen or so genres like Action, Adventure, Romance, Drama, Comedy etc... Participants will have the option to decide which Genre their fanwork belongs to in the sign-up forms. There are 11 delectable options to inspire and choose from. The form is editable for the participants so they will have the option to change their chosen genre any time. 

As for posting...

Think of it as Merlin week or any Tumblr based fest nowadays. There are 11 chosen dates in March for each genre during which the participants will post their fanworks belonging to that genre on the date specified for it. Example: for Comedy, participants must post their fanworks which has comedy as it's genre on the date which has been dedicated to comedy. The mods will provide the groundwork for it by  posting info, blurbs and moodboards hyping participants and audiences up alike.

Check out the new Rules and Guidelines for this round here: Rules, Guidelines, Contact Us

Ready? So are we! 

It's going to be a blast. So, let's get into it! 🎬

[finishthatficmerlin]

Sign Ups Are OPEN for 'Finish that Fic, Merlin!' 2023/2024!!!

With the way the weather has been all wrong this year, it's hard to believe it's almost November and time for a new round of 'Finish that Fic, Merlin!' Alas, the calender doesn't lie, which means it's once more time to dig out those old WIPs you've conveniently forgotten about and start working on them again.

The fest will run from November 1st 2023 to March 31st 2024!

If you're new to this fest, be sure to head over to 'How This Fest Works' and the 'FAQs' before signing up right here on Livejournal or here with Google Forms.

There's no cheerleader/beta reader sign up this year, as no people use it. Instead you can join the Discord server The Tavern(+18) where there's going to be a special channel for this fest, where you can get help to get those plasted words down.

Please also consider a reblog of this post to help spread the word!!

[thenerdyindividual]

Chapters: 1/9 Fandom: Merlin (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin) Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Historical Fantasy, Historical Inaccuracy, Adventure & Romance, Sailing, Getting Together, Humor, Minor Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Bastard Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Protective Gwaine (Merlin), Caring Gwaine (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Gwaine Flirts (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Awesome Gwen (Merlin), Gwen Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), BAMF Gwen (Merlin) Summary:

The year is 1901, and Merlin is a recent graduate of Camelot University's History Program. He lives in a crummy flat with his childhood best friend Gwen, and they both dream of doing something more with their lives.

When King Uther falls ill, Merlin sees his opportunity to earn his postgraduate degree, and change attitudes towards magic in Camelot. He makes a proposal to the king and his two children; fund Merlin's expedition to the Isle of the Blessed, and Merlin will bring back knowledge of great healing magic that might just save the king's life. While Princess Morgana and King Uther both reject his proposal, the king's bastard son Lord Arthur Pendragon has a different idea. Using his own money, he puts together a team. Merlin, the historian. Gwen, the cartographer. And Arthur's old friend from school, Gwaine, the muscle.

Together, along with Gwen's brother Elyan who they pick up along the way, they sail to the Isle of the Blessed in search of the Crystal Cave without King Uther any the wiser. Magic, adventure, and romance abound, and it's a race against the clock to find the cave before King Cenred!

(Updates Tuesdays, will finish posting by September 30)

This is the fist chapter of my submission for @merlintarotfest I will admit that this story kicked my ass a bit, as I was trying something new, but I think it turned out the way I hoped in the end! I hope you all enjoy the first chapter!

[theamethystvampiress]

Tolkien "Purists":

Peter Jackson was 100% accurate.

Me:

Really? Do we care to discuss:

Legolas skateboarding down a sea of uruks at Helm's Deep?

Do we want to talk about the long drawn out (albeit beautiful, and I love her, btw) Arwen and Aragorn angst fest?

The exclusion of Glorfindel?

The absence of Tom Bombadill and Goldberry?

The way they excluded some of Denethor's grief and past issues to undermine him and just paint him as a toxic parent?

The exclusion of Eowyn and Faramir's love story?

The "Cross-Country-Dudebro-Awesome-Skaterboy-Friendship-Thingy" between Gimli and Legolas?

The way Gimli serves as nothing more than to be a short person joke and be made fun of?

The fact that the only colour blind casting was given to the uruks?

The fact that The Scouring of The Shire wasn't included, and therefore never showed the atrocities and corruption that Sauron and Saruman had over even The Hobbits?

The way Peter Jackson intentionally left things out so he could make LOADS MORE MONEY on extended editions and merch in the future?

I love BOTH Rings of Power and LOTR, let's keep it real and be mature, people.

[mastererestor]

Rivendell, it has finished!

You know what it is like. You help your neighbours to build a stronghold, and all you get is some ice cream and an ice lolly.

"Well, that sucks." "Quite naturally."

Meanwhile, newly formed band The Imladrettes, consisting of Arwen, Celebrían and Lindir, are practising in the gazebo. Elladan and Elrohir still argue over who will play the drums and who will play the bass.

"Mahal, give me strength. I'm so grateful my wee lass Gimli is showing an interest in playing the flute."

Now Elladan and Elrohir are arguing over who will tell Gloin it is the Elvish flute, but oh well.

The parents in law have decided to stay for the time being, and much fun is had by all. Mauburz is guarding Lord Elrond's wine cellar and giving Celeborn the stinky eye of Mordor, but where there's a will, there is a drink. Galadriel is on her fifth Dorwinion on the rocks.

Despite the whole debacle with the mermaids, Master Erestor had allowed them to stay for the time being, because Glorfindel insisted that the two could possibly not cause much harm. So their lovely voices can now be heard echoing through the valley...

"Their hearts we'll pierce with arrows We crave that glittering gold There is nothing can console us But ... totally not the one ring!"

Ach, Glorfindel...

With Imladris established, the Fellowship can now finally deal with that cursed piece of jewellery. Word of its evil has spread all over... well, places, and volounteers from... well, places, have offered their services.

"Now I must say, that is an interesting idea and we should look into it..."

Erestor is so done with it.

And so am I! Here, good people and creatures, is - LEGO Rivendell, the slightly adapted, tweaked, upspruced and beautified version with additional mermaids - and a pink flamingo in honour of Keiliss. It took ages to build but was a lot of fun and a great distraction.

Gloin decided the place needed more colour, though, and contributed four carts of flowers.

Special thanks to Erestor and Glorfindel for inspiring this project in the first place ("additional Elf figures" - pffft... who are you kidding, LEGO!)

"But I like strawberries, Fin..."

"Yes, but you are the Vanilla Elf, so eat your ice cream and then go and write some 457 chapter slow-burn PG-13 snooze fest, beloved."

Oh well.

[finchinmoria]

LOTR characters at Pride 🏳‍🌈

(A little silly and out of character but aren't we all.)

(Also, I headcannon them all queer but left out my specifics so they could be read how anyone wants them to be.)

Speak friend and enter the pride fest:

Frodo, Sam, Rosie and Rosie's girlfriend/theyfriend (Who? You? Me? Reader's choice!) are a powerhouse polycule with a YouTube channel. Even though Frodo made a list of events they were going to hit, they keep getting sidetracked by fans who want to talk and take selfies. So they mostly just wander and enjoy the day. Sam does have a backpack full of necessities to keep everyone comfortable and makes sure everyone, even complete strangers, are wearing enough sunscreen.

Arwen and Aragorn may not be 👑royalty👑 in this timeline, but are still pretty high profile so they keep it pretty open and casual. They set up all day in a shady spot at the public square on a bench with blankets laid out on the grass so they can talk with anyone who passes by. It's the pit stop for their friends to come cool off or relax when they need a break. Arwen brings a bag full of hair supplies and makeup so people can come in for touch ups throughout the day. She can do anyone's pride flag eyeshadow look flawlessly in under two minutes. (So could Aragorn, probably.)

Pippin's main goal is to eat something from every single food truck, deli, and coffee shop in the area. He says it's so he can post actual helpful reviews but he ends up only posting one Instagram reel where he speaks incoherently with a mouthful of vegan chili fries and that's it. Takes a bunch of pictures of different food items with different pride flags but forgets about them and doesn't post them until September.

Merry will buy from every single vendor at every event. You have flags? T-shirts? Jewelry? Art? He's going to buy one of each from every artist and organization. (He then donates most of the things he buys to the local lgbtq community center.)

Boromir doesn't want to wander around too much by himself because it's his first pride, but sticking with Merry and Pippin means he becomes responsible for carrying all their stuff. Within an hour he's absolutely covered in merch with three tote bags on each arm. He knows his flag is one of the 27 he now has hanging on or tucked in every available space on his body but if you asked him which one it was he would have to ask Merry. Pippin does keep him hydrated at least, a new flavor of iced lemonade always appears in his hand whenever the last one runs out.

Éowyn and Faramir run the table for the local non-profit advocacy group that educates citizens on important legislation that impacts the queer community. They can explain the details of different bills and current issues being tracked in the legal system, organize volunteer groups for different causes, and hook people in need up with outreach and activist organizations.

Gimli and Legolas disappear on June 1st and don't emerge again until the month is over. People will catch glimpses of them pretty much everywhere, and when they do there is always either a lot of glitter or alcohol involved (and let's be honest, most of the time both). No one can figure out how they managed to be on multiple floats in the same parade but after a while no one questions it. 

Haldir saw once a long time ago that some orientations weren't represented very well and has been on a mission to rectify that ever since. Even though things have gotten better, he now always has a table where he gives away stuff for the underrepresented identities. He's got all the genderqueer flags, tons of neopronoun pins, and whole decks of cards with just aces in them. If you're demi or flux or anything else not widely represented, Haldir's got you.

Gandalf loves the drag shows but since they are all either outside or in very crowded loud clubs, he usually hits one then spends the rest of his time in a very air conditioned, quieter, industrial style bar with elder queers and some bears.

Bilbo coordinates all the literary events like the queer banned books mobile, drag story times, poetry readings, and elder queer panels. Definitely tells his own activist stories from back in the day to anyone who will listen (and many do!)

Elrond goes just to check things out for an hour or two, but ends up having the time of his life and signing up to drive the queer banned books mobile for the rest of the summer. 

Happy pride, everyone! 🌈

[noireasy]

I feel a little bit bad that I think that LOTR: The fellowship of the ring is one of the best movies ever made bc it's such an absolute sausage fest. Well at least we had that cool arwen horse chase scene.

[feuxx]

For fandom asks: 1, 9, & 15

Hi beloved taylor!!! thank you for the ask 🥹🫶💓💓💓💓

Speaking for the bbc merlin fandom:

1. list 3 positive things about your current fandom(s)

the incredible community - so many wonderful people showing love and support, willing to talk and encourage everyone here, regardless of how long you've been a fan, ships or lack or, level of skills, etc.

SO MANY TALENTED AND AMAZING PEOPLE KEEP BLOWING ME AWAY!!!!!! ALL THE FICS!!!! ALL THE ART!!!! THE GIFSETS!!!!! yall the bbc merlin gifmakers ????? yall just SLAYING like that?? for free??????

i love how there's somehow always a merlin fest running in a full calendar year 🙏

9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

arwen isn't my OTP but goddamn. they make me so somft 😭😭😭💓🫶🥹

15. the character that always makes you smile

i can't choose they are all make me happy 🥺?? maybe when Lancelot is (particularly) chaotic because that's a particular flavour of unhinged that i can not help but appreciate 🤌🌟

these are fandom asks!

[leohtttbriar]

Choose violence 8, 10, 24 for Tolkien? :)

<3 when i saw you had sent me an ask, i blushed so hard i'm pretty sure i gave myself a mild fever. omg hi <3

also, so sorry but i def employed some tolkien-esque verbose-ness in answering these lol. especially the last one, whew. like, im embarrassed.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

what’s funny with the tolkien fandom is that the movie fans and the book fans have whole different spheres of bugaboos and Annoying Habits so it’s easy to vacillate between either camp when you keep encountering the Nonsense.

that being said, i one hundred percent consider myself a “book fan” and think movie fans are more annoying than all of us literates. like, they can’t help it—the movies are the source of most their ills— but as a rule movie fans are wrong about like all of the characters. as in, legolas isn’t mister stoic badass, sam isn’t More Heroic, aragorn isn’t pathetically reluctant, elrond is much prettier than hugo weaving, and denethor is not nutso (to name a few).

i would say, though, that book fans are generally really bad at figuring out what parts of the movies to pick on. like for years i’ve been so baffled by people still being angry over glorfindel’s exclusion in the fellowship movie and no offense to people who have read the silmarillion and the fellowship…but that was not only the best adaptational change but it also improves on the book. in that, sending arwen to guide them to rivendell and to physically hold frodo to her as she defended the last homely house with water horses, is an genuine story improvement—not just because lotr is a sausage fest and that Sucks but because it foreshadows arwen giving frodo her passage west, via a flight east, it lets arwen actually parallel luthien riding across middle earth on huan, which in turn gives arwen an equal sort of challenge in living up to a legacy, something that can thematically help aragorn live up to his, doing that thing tolkien does best and telling the same story over and over until the song finally scans and the rhyme resolves and the Big Story ends.

of course, the movies left out the arwen-giving-frodo-the-evenstar-gem thing so in terms of Sexism both media are equivalent.

i think book fans in general are wayyyyy too like faithful monk readers of the bible. and not even like medieval monk readers, where there’s a clear delineation between various interpretive approaches, going from the literal to the poetic in degree. no, tolkien fans i think have mistaken a rich creative world for something near perfection, to the point where they don’t really know how to explain why the amazon series is bad beyond “amazon is bad” and what makes tolkien’s fantasy unique. tolkien fans, in terms of pedantry, are worse than dune fans.

but yeah. everyone is wrong about glorfindel in fellowship. he is Not as interesting as arwen as a character and does Not really fit in the story.

10. worst part of fanon

definitely the freaks who treat genuine baddies as misunderstood kittens. like, i don’t feel very sorry for maedhros? also, why is the elrond-considers-maedhros-and-maglor-as-dads caucus in the tolkien fandom so loud??? look, there’s no arguing these are tragic and pathetic blorbos, and i personally love stories in which they seek atonement, but elrond had a dad. if i were elrond or elros, i wouldn’t even be considering letting someone else slot into that position. especially not with my dad constantly being in the sky, like a particularly unfair reminder. maedhros can be complicated and alluring, but i hate the fanon of him or maglor genuinely adopting the baby half-elves out of untainted goodwill. it softens them in a way that makes me like them less.

also, the fanon of people being like “tolkien wasn’t sexist. look at melian.” does that count as fanon? if so, i hate that too.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

i feel like this goes for all fandoms, but by far any sort of accusation of racism in the work or in fan works is the most grenade-like kind of accusation one can lob.

with tolkien, i see a lot of people often focused on tolkien’s own opinions on “allegory,” and to be quite honest, anyone who uses that to say tolkien isn’t as racist as you might assume, is dumb as a rock.

tolkien’s frustration with "allegory" is the concept of 1 to 1 relationships. he didn't like when people were like "rohan is anglo saxon england" or "aragorn is [insert historical figure]" or any sort of reductive comparisons of lotr to real life figures and struggles in world war ii. (interestingly, however, he has said that dwarves were very inspired by jewish people. like, to the point that saying tolkien's dwarves are jewish is as accurate as saying shylock in merchant of venice is jewish--in that, they are characters in a story written by a christian who didn't really understand a whole heckuva lot about judaism. but that's a whole other topic.) and while that might tempt you to think that he therefore was not trying to represent any person or civilization from the real world in his books, unfortunately the core tenet of analytical reading is to assume deliberation over every single detail. you do in fact have to choose an idea before you write it down. and tolkien wrote the word "swarthy" one too many times for any of us to assume good-faith.

of course, there's also the claim of lotr not being as racist as the man (tolkien) likely was because art and the artist are not the same thing. and yeah. but again. "swarthy."

there is no easy answer to the whole death-of-the-author debate and questions over how much biography should be allowed in critical readings--at least no easy answer that doesn't just boil down to the simple demand to "think critically" (which isn't all that simple, in the end)--so i'm definitely not going to try to arrive at one now. but when it comes to tolkien's little made-up world, there are certain tropes in the fan interaction with it that make me somewhat queasy? like tolkien was so demonstrably inspired by real-world mythos and folklore that it is so easy to fit some of his characters and stories into real-world folk art and aesthetic. and to me there's a sliding scale of acceptable inspiration to maybe-we-shouldn't(?) inspiration. like when i see fan art that is labeled "indigenous tolkien," with no tribe or even geographic region specified, i find that weird.

and the reason i find that weird is the fundamental reason that i think discourse in fan circles over racial biases can get so rancid (unlike the discourse in non fan circles! just kidding, fandom discourse has nothing on a medievalist conference with a panel on white supremacy in the field, lol), and that reason is: tolkien's made-up world is not as made-up as the immersiveness of his world suggests. it is very rooted, and deliberately so, in the histories and folklore of western-european people (in particular) and thus the stories, the characters, the aesthetics, the ethics, and the themes are all off-shoots of these traditions. there is a missing element of material recognition in the interpretations of tolkien as really one thing or the other. material culture plays a much bigger role in the whole of all his arda-tales than is immediately obvious.

people want to give fantasy a pass when it comes to certain biases and they use that annoying allegory quote to do it with tolkien's work. because they are enlightened and do not project white supremacy and other legacies of colonialism onto a "made-up world." but tolkien would probably be the first to say that his work was built off fairy-stories, as a contribution to the genre.

he even goes on this relevant tangent at the beginning of "on fairy stories":

It is perhaps not unnatural that in England, the land where the love of the delicate and fine has often reappeared in art, fancy should in this matter turn towards the dainty and diminutive, as in France it went to court and put on powder and diamonds.

whether or not he's right about this distinction between english fairies and french fairies, this still shows that he considers the fantastical an expression of real and observable culture. therefore, despite the fact that it is bad-faith to read anything in tolkien as 1 to 1, he was trying to represent our world with his because he doesn't see the fairy/monstrous/supernatural as entirely separate from the physical/metaphysical or the human imagination. he was just trying to tell the same story that has always been told, from creation and onward.

so yeah. it is entirely valid to call aragorn's Specialness as a Special Sort of Human kind of fascist.

(and just as the rooted-ness of tolkien's fantasy world means that his work cannot escape accusations of bias, the rooted-ness also opens the way for a specific kind of progressive reading that is less about plugging one's ears to the bias but leaning into it. the real-world is more complex than one man can imagine it and when that one man is trying his hardest to represent the world, as any good writer would do regardless of genre, things will slip in to the story that the man chose but may not have understood. eowyn's speech about staying in the burning house is feminist thought even if tolkien would probably never have claimed it as such. the love between legolas and gimli is canonically transgressive and metaphysically-challenging--aspects of a love that tolkien probably would have assumed of gay love, in his time. if that makes sense. his biases don't define the art, even if they are present. especially since he was a very good writer and reader.)

[merlincinema]

Schedule for Merlin Cinema Round 2

[ao3feed-tolkien]

under unclouded stars

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Znh1dPe

by meumixer

Fun with fanon fest contributions! Prompts used: "Scarred Maedhros", "Maglor = Lindir"

Words: 1251, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English

Fandoms: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Maedhros | Maitimo, Maglor | Makalaurë, Elrond Peredhel, Lindir (Tolkien), Galadriel | Artanis, Celebrían (Tolkien), Elladan (Tolkien), Elrohir (Tolkien), Arwen Undómiel

Relationships: Maedhros | Maitimo & Maglor | Makalaurë, Elrond Peredhel & Elros Tar-Minyatur & Maedhros | Maitimo, Elrond Peredhel & Maglor | Makalaurë, Celebrían/Elrond Peredhel, Elrond Peredhel & Lindir

Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, the inherent mix of grief and hope that comes with tolkien's works, Chapter One tags:, bullet point fic, First Age, Implied/Referenced Torture, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Potential for Character Undeath, Author Is Not Immune to Kidnap Fam Propaganda, CHAPTER TWO TAGS:, Third Age, Aftermath of the Last Alliance, Rivendell | Imladris, You Are Not Immune to Rivendell Fam Propaganda, (i can't do anything about the all caps tag apparently)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Znh1dPe

[princess-of-the-worlds]

would you shout it from the rooftops?

For Day 1 of @arwenfest

Prompt: Of Sunlight and Violins | Kisses

Beta’d by the lovely @dinodina and title by @searching-for-arcadia! 

***

ao3 link: here

word count: 1064

summary: Arthur and Gwen have been pining for each other forever. Then Arthur decides to serenade her. In public. With Merlin watching.

***

Gwen’s busy studying for her exam, head buried in her textbook, when she hears a faint thud. Too focused on the biological terms swimming before her, she dismisses the noise as one of her neighbors knocking something over in their room — their housing accommodations have very thin walls — except then there’s a second thud. 

She turns just in time to watch a rock fall away from her window, and her eyebrows rise of their own accord. Who’s throwing rocks at the window of her hall of residence so late in the evening?

“Gwen! Gwen!” comes a familiar voice. “Guinevere Thomas!”

As it turns out, it’s Arthur Pendragon, except now he’s yelling up at her window as well. Gwen shoves the window open, wincing slightly when it screeches, the lock worn and stubborn, and pokes her head out, finding the tall footballer standing in the garden outside the hall. Just visible at the edge of the garden is a lanky, dark-haired boy who keeps anxiously looking over his shoulder. So it seems Arthur dragged Merlin along as well. 

“What? What is it, Arthur?” she calls back, and at the sound of her voice, he glances up, eyes widening. 

Then he beams, his smile bright and only amplifying his loveliness. He steps forward, catching the fading light of the sun just so, and his golden hair gleams, the crooked nose that Gwen won’t admit that she adores illuminated perfectly. Under the light, coupled with his smile, he looks something akin to a sun deity. Gwen’s heart goes up in flutters, still slightly stunned that this Arthur is the same boy who spilled his drink over the floor and Gwen’s textbooks when they first met and then refused to help clean them up.

The reverence lasts only a few beautiful brief moments because Arthur pulls his smartphone from the pocket of his tight jeans and presses something on it. Lovely violins and piano notes float up to Gwen’s window, and Arthur begins to sing. 

As charming, attractive, smart, untraditionally kind and caring, and brave as Arthur Pendragon is, he is… clearly no singer. That is the kindest way Gwen can put it while she knots her fingers together tightly, hoping that her ears have not begun bleeding. And that her neighbors can’t hear him, although judging by the windows across her level that begin to slide open, bewildered heads poking out, this is unlikely. 

Sounding low and dreadfully off-tune, Arthur sings of roses and kissing under bright sunlight in a meadow of flowers, his eyes wide and hopeful as they remain fixed on Gwen. It’s a love song by a semi-famous pop singer who Gwen suddenly remembers she once mentioned liking.

They were grabbing lunch in-between classes, and the small greasy spoon they were at was playing one of the singer’s songs. While dabbing dripping sauce from her burger, Gwen off-handedly recalled going to a concert by the singer. When she glanced up, Arthur’s eyes were bright and thoughtful, but then he asked her for the hot sauce. 

She’d forgotten about the moment.

Clearly, Arthur hadn’t.

Gwen leans her head on her hand as she listens to Arthur continue to sing. Despite his lack of talent — and skill — she’s still flattered that he likes her enough to try and serenade her. She sighs, her gaze remaining focused on Arthur, although she notices Merlin waving frantically in her peripheral vision.

Finally, the soundtrack comes to an end with a grand flourish of violins. Arthur’s voice warbles, reaching a high pitch that makes him sound like a cat screeching, and Gwen has to duck her head to hide her wince. She thinks she can faintly hear racoons rattling in the garbage bins that line the corner of the building.

When he finally finishes, there’s a polite smattering of applause from the few on-lookers who remained as most of her neighbors retreated back inside their rooms, likely slipping on headphones and cranking their own music to drown out Arthur. Thankfully, no one has their phone out to record Arthur; he is an incredibly private person making a rare grand gesture, and it would be mean-spirited to have this plastered all over social media. 

“Guinevere!” Arthur shouts, and she peers back out again, offering him a soft smile, “I like you! I really, really like you!”

“I like you as well, Arthur Pendragon!” Gwen shouts back.

His bright smile returns, and if possible, it grows wider. “Would you like to go on a date with me, Guinevere?”

“Of course!” she replies, her cheeks burning. “I would love—”

“Arthur!” calls Merlin loudly, cutting her off. “Arthur!”

Arthur’s face becomes blotchy and red with rage. “What is it, Merlin?” he snaps, glancing back at his best friend.

“Arthur, we need to go—”

“Just wait a minute. You cut Guinevere off.” He turns back to Gwen, glancing up at her hopefully. “You were saying?”

But Gwen is no longer at her window, and his expression becomes bewildered. (Gwen is frantically racing down the stairs, grateful she lives on the third floor instead of the seventh.) He whips on his heel, glaring at an approaching Merlin. He is smiling nervously.

“You got a parking ticket, Arthur,” Merlin says, and Arthur blinks, staring at him uncomprehendingly.

“Pardon?”

“You got a parking ticket,” Merlin repeats, his tone irritated.

“How?” demands Arthur, his grip tightening on his phone.

Merlin throws his hands in the air. “Maybe because you double-parked and left me, the one with no license, to watch over it, clotpole!” 

“You had one job, Merlin! One job!”

“I’m not your servant, Pendragon!”

Gwen chooses that moment to burst out of her hall’s front door, her hair a disarray as curls escape from her ponytail, her feet hastily stuffed into bunny slippers. Arthur smiles at her.

“Yes!” she says, her eyes frantic. 

“Yes?” echoes Arthur in bewilderment, and she smiles fondly, shaking her head, before she steps toward him. Her arms wind around his neck, and she has to stretch on her tiptoes, but then their lips meet, and although there are no violins and the sky has pretty much gone dark, it’s still a wonderful moment, a wonderful kiss.

When she steps back, tucking stray curls behind her ears, she glances up at Arthur’s wonderstruck face and tells him, “Yes, I’ll go on that date with you.”

Then she leans in and kisses him once more.

[flight-of-fantasy]

Belated Mergwenthur Week fic! Will be 3 chapters in total

Summary:

It was something that crept up on him. Arthur had long suspected Merlin’s feelings for him were not entirely platonic. He didn’t think Merlin would ever act on it—let alone that his own feelings might change.

But when Arthur is the one to act, when he kisses Merlin--without thought or plan on either end--it feels as natural and inevitable as when Arthur had first kissed Gwen. It would have been a beautiful moment, if not for the fact that they were both immediately consumed by guilt and horror at the line Arthur has crossed.

It takes Arthur a whole day to work up the courage to tell Gwen, panicked by his attraction to more than just women. He expects her to be upset. To cry. Perhaps to throw things at him. He’d deserve it.

Instead, she just smiles. "Well," she says. "That was a long time coming, wasn't it?"

OR

If a Merthur kiss had indeed happened in Season 5. You can't convince me Gwen didn't see this coming a mile away, but bi and demi Arthur is having a confusing day. He has mistakes he must now mend, both with Gwen and with Merlin. For Mergwenthur Week "Free Day"

[elsaedelweiss]

Thank you for tagging me @creoterative ☺️! Nice taste in music, books, and movies btw!

Last song:

Are you ready? by Disturbed. There's something about the band's songs that makes me want to get up and go. Plus I always thought they would make excellent soundtracks to a book or movie!

Three ships:

Hmm... That's a bit tough...

For starters, I'll always ship Narmer and Raven from Dislyte. Both are leaders who don't like to let others see them bleed, are good listeners and highly emphatic and both have witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the Miracles. Plus I bet both know how exhausting it is to be constantly perfect as part of their lives and jobs. Besides I can see Raven acting as a mother figure to Zelmer.

Second ship... Would have to be Tony Stark and his secretary/wife Pepper (sorry i don't recall her first name). Tony Stark is complex at the best of times... Sure he acts like a jerk, especially in the beginning... But deep down he always did have a caring side. One that he obviously shows only to those he trusts. Pepper on the other hand is just as complex as she is smart, strong and independent... Yet, clearly cares about her employer even before they became a couple but doesn't want to show it since obviously she got burned in the past. Yet, both succeed in bringing out the best in one another like in the scene from Endgame where she asks him "Sure you can toss these plans in the lake... But would you be able to sleep afterwards knowing that you could help?"

And the third ship... Aragorn and Arwen from Lord of the Rings. He never forgets her despite the years spent apart and she gives up her immortality to be with him and never looks back despite the fact that she knows she will outlive him and won't be able to reunite with her family after his death... 🥲

Currently reading: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov. Fun and immersive and not dissimilar to The Hitchhiker's guide to everything. PS to @creoterative... Your english is great!

Last movie:

Last watched Dr.Strange and the Multiverse of Madness in a cinema... Don't fray me but I would give it a 3/10 or at most a 5/10... Acting was on par, the special effects were cool and I liked the new character... But the plot sucks! Seriously what's with the horror story with bucket-loads of blood, gore and jump scares?! I thought it was an action movie not a horror fest!

Last watched at home... Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan. An all-time favourite of mine inspired by an equally-loved book, the Double Lothen (not sure how to translate the title in English) by Erich Kestner.

Craving:

Time, sweets and spicy stuff

Time because I never seem to have enough during the work week and weekend...

Sweets because I need the high (I know bad for me but can't help it)

Spicy stuff because I like the kick ;)

Thank you once again for tagging me @creoterative ! Really enjoyed answering the questions 😃

Tagging: @moonhealing715 @ilikedyourablogithere @seharuuchan @ollie-ramses @seasidesketches @micahdraws @olliedislytereal @milky-rozen @pinkniz

Tagged by @nullians , thank you so much!

Rules: Answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to know better/catch up with! (I’m sorry, it’s probably not gonna be 9 for me, I don’t know that many people yet xD)

Last Song:

-Bad Blood by Creature Feature. I’ve known this song for years, but it only came up to me again recently, probably because I found Five Thousand Foot Krutch again and I always listen to both bands simultaniously for whatever reason… Also I’m currently trying to figure out my storyboard for my first ever animated video, and One Foot in the Grave by Creature Feature is gonna be the song for it, that’s a reason I got back to it. I’m not expecting much though xD

Three Ships:

-Hmmm… Alright, first, I wanna add, that I really don’t like it if I have to explain why I ship certain characters with each other, because for me shipping is just part of the whole fictional thing and I don’t like it if people come after others for liking certain ships. So… yeah, that being said, I’m just gonna explain a little xD

First ship is Marlon x Brody. I personally don’t see it after their secret is exposed, and as I played it out in my own story for Marlon, I don’t think they would go further than just having a crush on each other. But I like their dynamic as a leader pair, you know, her being his second-in-command, even though she has her anxiety issues (and we all know what happens when he has his, ehem, little outbursts, so…) and in general, I can see them as partners, working together, while slightly blushing sometimes, you know what I’m saying? XD

Second ship is gonna be Arthur Morgan and Mary. First of all, yes, they were a pair at some point, but… I still wanted to list them, I like their story together and how they like to tease the other. And to be honest, their relationship reflects perfectly what I have with someone, so… yeah, only natural I think that relationship is well written and pretty accurate, eh? 

Last but not least, Li Ling and Tang Xuan. I gotta admit, I haven’t played Dislyte for a longer time now, I dunno, it’s one of these games, that I get bored of from time to time, then I get really hyped again and the cycle continues, BUT I will never get rid of it, for that I love it too much. Back to the ship, Li Ling is my favorite by a length and I like how him and Tang Xuan are very casual with each other. You know, I really love it when relationships are portrayed as the normalest thing ever and it’s not a big deal, because yes, to the people involved it may be, but not to everybody else. I love it when they do normal stuff together, like best friends would do, because that’s what a relationship is all about, right? Being able to let loose with the other person, be yourself and act as normal as ever, just with very strong feelings for the person next to you xD And I can totally see that with these two. 

Currently Reading: 

-Sherlock Holmes. I have a list of some older books I want to read to get more writing skills. If that works, well, we’ll see, but it’s fun, especially since Sherlock Holmes books are really interesting and funny in some weird way. I’m reading them in german though, not sure if my english is good enough to read the originals.

Last Movie: 

-Last one I watched in cinema was Avatar 2 and I gotta admit… the visuals were astonishingly great, there’s no doubt. But… three hours is too much and I don’t like it if too many characters are involved. I like character depth, maybe that’s why I can’t focus on Dislyte as well, too many characters being developed too fast, my brain can’t compete…

And last one I watched at home was Top Gun: Maverick, with I thought was a wayyy better experience. Shorter, good character development, nice story, good addition to the first movie… and I like jets xD

Craving: 

-Time…. I need time, that’s all. I want to continue writing the next chapter for my Marlon story, and I’m currently on it, but my goal for writing at least 10.000 words per chapter is a big one xD So far it worked though… 

Thanks for tagging me, again, really enjoyed answering these questions!

Tagging: @ericsonclan @elsaedelweiss @shinneth @anghju @the-rational-mind

[mergwenthurweek]

Today is the first day of Mergwenthur Week!! Start your engines folks and check out Day 1, with the prompts Picnics, Role Reversal, Series 1 Episode 13 Le Morte D’Arthur, and our lovely colour swatch provided by @dorochas! If you post, please tag us so we can retweet and reblog!

Happy creating!