#in defense of arthur pendragon

[lalluviadeanoche]

Merlin *on four hrs of sleep for the past week, dirty from a fight, definitely has a concussion and at least two untreated injuries, one of which he’s bleeding out from, leans over on someone’s shoulder*: Arthur has no idea I have magic!

Arthur *still blushing from Merlin leaning on him and is now very confused w his emotions*: YOU HAVE MAGIC?!

Merlin: oh… sorry.

Merlin *moves to Lancelot’s shoulder*: Arthur has no idea I have magic!

Arthur: I can still hear you!! You’re right next to me and you’re yelling!!

The knights:… you didn’t know??

[cgerice]

Been four years, time for this again.

With the trajectory these redraws are going, Merlin and Gwaine are going to end up just,,, making out. Full on sloppy style right in front of Arthur.

And honestly? Good for them they deserve it lmao

[oleryn]

yes yes the relationship between mordred and merlin is a tragic portrayal of how devotion can be corrupted and the devastation of watching destiny unfold in front of you out of your control but good lord it is funny. if i was merlin id be astral beaming myself straight into that teenagers head every time arthur bothered me like chop chop you stupid little prophecy boy fuck you

[pendragonsclotpole]

help, i just got slapped in the face with the existence of WILL. be still my beating heart as i write an essay on this man, will of ealdor

firstly, i adore the silent and implicit trust hidden in the first joke that introduces will’s character. like merlin’s been aware his whole life that if his secret is ever found out, he will be hunted down and persecuted, but here comes will with a jab that they both inherently understand is a joke in the macabre style only true friends can lovingly master. the smile they share almost immediately gives me ned stark and robert baratheon meeting again in the courtyard of winterfell in season one of got. there’s also something so normal in their interaction that speaks of a familiarity borne from their equal status and years of friendship. i know merlin’s friends in camelot tend to skew to the non-royal/non-noble, but when you tally it up, those closest to merlin often hold some title that’s greater than merlin’s role as arthur’s servant. gwaine is a knight implied to be of noble blood; lancelot, percival, and elyan are also knighted and esteemed members of arthur’s court; gwen is the lady morgana’s maid and close companion long before she is ever queen; gaius is a physician and long time member of camelot’s court; morgana before her betrayal is literally uther’s ward. i feel like when placed among them all, merlin has a tendency to fade into the background offscreen. obviously the audience knows how important merlin is to the overall story given how much of the storyline focuses on him, and the characters regularly acknowledge merlin’s importance to them or arthur, but all of them still regard merlin as merlin the servant from camelot and few of them are privy to the plots we as the audience see firsthand. and even when they acknowledge him for his merits, his role as arthur’s close friend and confidante takes precedence. look at leon’s reaction in the later seasons when merlin is bewitched by morgana. merlin literally makes a comment about plotting to kill arthur and leon barely even blinks before quipping back, “driving you mad isn’t he?” or something along those lines. except for a few instances with even fewer characters, they never get a chance to know him as merlin the sorcerer from ealdor.

will does! and more than that, he got to know merlin as he is without arthur. we all hype up their status as magical soulmates but damn if i wasnt living for how jealous of arthur will seemed to be in this episode. call me crazy, but it makes me desperately headcanon a realistic past in ealdor for merlin, full of hardship and strife, but never without it’s moments of happiness. furthermore, will’s lone appearance in season one shines some real light on the unfairness of the fate that has been bestowed on meelin. the moment that will points out why he’s been so obstinate with arthur really strikes a deep chord. sure it could be just jealousy, but more compellingly, i choose to read it as a deep sense of care for merlin. everyone merlin has met within camelot, (or reunited with in the case of his own mother) has continually pushed him closer and closer to arthur. will presents a crucial exception. he knows exactly who merlin was before camelot, and who merlin is completely separate from arthur.

will is staunchly in merlin’s corner, and that position allows him to identify a key characteristic of merlin’s series’ long arc: his complete devotion to arthur. will even points it out himself: merlin could singlehandedly defend their home if he just used the full extent of his power. merlin doesn’t, and actively chooses not to because of his desire to stay close to arthur. it’s such a small moment, but i think it demonstrates how much of merlin’s decisions become motivated by his desire to stay close to arthur and to always put arthur first, even at a detrimental cost to himself. merlin understands and readily accepts arthur as his destiny, but this acceptance does not come about independently, instantly, or of merlin’s own volition. it does so eventually, but initially merlin sticks by arthur’s side because of the encouragement of everyone around him. “arthur needs you, merlin” or “arthur is your destiny, merlin” or “arthur is a good man, merlin. he has the potential to be a great king, he just needs the right people, merlin.” its codependent as hell.

sure, merlin originally does not tell arthur about his magic because they do not know each other and as far as merlin knows revealing his magic would lead to his death, but eventually the reasoning changes and becomes so focused on doing what’s best for arthur. merlin can’t tell arthur because then arthur would have to kill him and then who would look after arthur or ensure his fate? merlin can’t tell arthur because if arthur chooses to defy uther’s law, merlin is then forcing arthur to turn against his father and how could he look after arthur then? merlin can’t tell arthur because another betrayal from magic would ruin everything and truthfully, he wonders how would arthur react? merlin comes to fear what his magic might do to arthur and what it’s reveal might mean for his place in camelot more than the laws of camelot and their verdicts.

by this logic, merlin is a magical solar system orbiting entirely around the celestial body known as arthur pendragon. eventually merlin cared more about his relationship with arthur and what arthur thought about him than his own life. in retrospect, it’s so sad that will died so early on, because it strips merlin of a person solely in his corner. will’s death is the first in the series’ long pattern of loss that merlin endures and that eventually comes to define him because people either find out about his magic and their knowledge is directly tested against his loyalty to arthur, or he cannot allow them to know about his magic because it will unravel his relationship with arthur.

will, freya, balinor, morgana, mordred, arthur.

also the fact that will covered for merlin’s use of magic in his last moments just adds to the tragedy AND the growing pile of moments merlin could have told arthur about his magic but didnt. and also the fact that will literally died to save arthur. like tell me that just doesn’t prove my point. tell me. will never stood a chance. tell me every aspect of merlin’s life does not get consumed by arthur pendragon.

i’m all for merthur being soulmates, but god the original series is rife with the unbalanced mess of merlin being wholeheartedly aware of arthur’s great potential and destiny leading to some intense devotion and faith that yes, arthur earns and pays back in full measure but can never fully reciprocate because he just does not know anything. by the triple goddess, it can get so toxic. i wish will had lived if just for that. and like the jealousy arthur gets whenever merlin has other people. because i 100% live for possessive arthur and protective merlin dynamics.

[sneakyboymerlin]

This fandom has a very selective memory when it comes to any and all things Guinevere. See, the way I remember it, when they had no evidence to prove her innocence, Arthur defended Gwen despite thinking she used magic, because he defined the healing as an act of “kindness and love.” He defended magic to save Gwen.

Why would anyone remember that, though? I mean, it’s not that important. It’s only the first time Arthur ever, onscreen, not only shows sympathy towards magic, but defends it… to Uther, no less. And he does it to save Gwen.

[lonesomedotmp3]

well, maybe next time merlin will think before he cheats 🤷‍♀️

[ink-through-her-veins]

Arthur can’t remember the first time he saw his father roll his wrist, twirling his sword. It’s as familiar as seeing the man in a crown; something that has been happening since long before Arthur was born.

He remembers the first time he tried it. Five years old. A wooden sword. Standing on the edge of the training field watching his father and trying to mimic his actions.

“Like this,” Uther says, putting surprisingly gentle hands on his son’s and manipulating the boy to do as he does. Arthur lights up when the motion looks so similar Uther beams, and praises him, “Good job, son.”

And when Arthur can do it himself, the sword arcing through the air just like Uther does by age eight, he’s the talk of the knights. His father’s pride and joy. A miniature version of his father.

He grows older and the ability to twirl a sword and run a man through with it becomes an expectation instead of an accomplishment. It’s no longer enough to look like his father and use a sword like his father, he must think and act just like him. Even then, there’s never another moment like when Arthur first twirled a sword.

** ** **

Morgana comes to Camelot when she’s ten, full of anger, and grief. She takes to a sword at age 13, because she isn’t allowed one. She excels, because she isn’t supposed to. She watches from the shadows. Arthur watches her from the trees.

“Are you being a little creep?” Morgana asks when she sees him high in the branches, one fall afternoon when the leaves are thin.

“No,” Arthur snaps defensively, as he begins climbing down. He drops to the ground and sneers, “You aren’t supposed to be doing that.”

“Going to tell on me?” Morgana lifts her chin in defiance.

Arthur rolls his eyes. She goes back to her practice, trying and failing to get her wrist to do what she’s seen.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Arthur huffs, and before he understands the enormity of what he’s doing, he puts his hands on her wrist like his father did to him, and makes it twirl like it’s meant to.

Morgana beams. Arthur’ll never admit it, but through years of secret forest sparring, Morgana becomes good with a blade. He wonders what his father would think of how she twirls the blade like a Pendragon. It doesn’t matter. She makes Arthur proud.

[aftercamlann]

As One We Stand

words by BGN_846, art by Malus_sieversii Summary: 

Canon era, canon divergent featuring BAMF!Merlin, irritatingly confusing Kilgharrah, mentally exhausted Arthur, and a very impatient Morgause.

Growing up in isolation with his father and a handful of druids, Merlin has been trained in the arts of magic and self-defense. He's also good with a sword, knows how to evade the enemy and is quite literally dying of boredom. NOTHING exciting ever happens aside from the stories his father tells him of days long past about the evils of the outside world. All this changes when a chance encounter leads Merlin to save Arthur Pendragon’s life. He soon discovers he's got a shared destiny with the pratty prince. (who does not like his magic, not one bit)

Merlin thought his life was boring before, now he's not sure what to think. In a matter of a few weeks, he's met a dragon, promised to set him free, and may or may not have been tasked with usurping the king! He's managed on his own for this long, what's the worst that could happen? He spends the rest of his life alone, that's what! Click HERE for the story and HERE for the art!

[personaje-fics]

you keep watching my eyes

Merlin/Arthur Pendragon. 1.100 words. General Audiences. AO3.

…….

"Come on, attack me as if you mean it."

Merlin adjusts his footing into a defensive posture, expecting his taunt to rise something in Arthur. It does. Apart from his words, his eyes are heavy on Arthur’s, his lips red and smug, his hands clenching and unclenching, ready to cast.

A soft breeze ruffles his hair. Arthur swings his sword.

Their weapons clash with a piercing sound, the force of it sends a thrill down Arthur’s arms. He laughs with exhilaration and swings again.

Little are the times when they can escape from their duties. It happened more often when Merlin was his servant, but since Arthur named him court sorcerer they never seem to have time for themselves, even though they still spend most of their days together.

That's why Arthur decided to tell Merlin to go to the stables that morning, and without explanation, he threw him the reins of his horse.

Merlin didn't complain, so he took it as a win.

The travel through the forest was surprisingly swift and uneventful. The gallop of the horses blended with the singing of birds above them, and blooming flowers announced the coming of spring. In the middle of all that nature, Arthur watched Merlin admire the landscape, and longed.

They arrived at a clearing covered in daisies, ate some of the food Arthur had brought and talked about the latest court gossip they knew. Then, when the silence grew too comfortable, Arthur had the marvellous idea of duelling, him with his sword and Merlin with his magic. The idea turned out not to be so marvellous, because he is, as expected, losing.

Merlin fends off every single one of his blows with magic. Arthur has never had more fun sparring.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Merlin taunts him, and, all right, he’d have more fun if Merlin didn’t spend half of the time mocking him.

"I'm trying here," Arthur does not whine, because kings don't whine.

"What? Is this too hard for the best warrior of Albion?"

Arthur gives him a smirk,

"You think I'm a good warrior?"

Merlin rolls his eyes and attacks again with the one-handed staff he had conjured. His eyes shine golden, like a sunset but better. Arthur gets a good few hits, trying to get closer to him. 

Arthur swings to his right, leaving his left open, and Merlin hits him with a beam of magic that sends him to the ground, landing on a bunch of daisies.

"You keep watching my eyes," Merlin points as he offers him a hand, "which is a good way of getting yourself killed."

Arthur takes the hand and gets up. He is closer to Merlin than he intended, but neither steps away. There, face to face, breathing the same air, Arthur pretends to be calm and with a grin says,

"What? Trying to kill me often?"

Merlin looks at him with something resembling fondness, but that might be exasperation. Then he puts his hand on Arthur's shoulder and gently pushes him, creating a distance between them Arthur never wants to be there.

"One last time?" Merlin asks. Arthur nods and grabs his sword from the ground.

He swings first, to Merlin's right, the sword bouncing off a golden magic shield. Merlin moves his hand down, and magic forms the vague shape of a sword that looks less solid than Arthur knows it is.

Merlin is not holding his weapon; it hovers in the air above his hand, and though it gives him agility and speed, it lacks firmness. Arthur strikes it, stepping towards Merlin, who steps back. Merlin swings, meeting Arthur's sword once, twice. He steps back again and slowly circles Arthur. He is careful to fully face Merlin at all times, though that is something he doesn’t need much practice on.

It’s easy to lose yourself in the slow dance that is fighting. Paying attention to every little one of your opponent's movements, and pointedly not looking at his eyes. Merlin raises his sword, and Arthur meets him there. Then, he lowers them both with a swift movement, and takes advantage of the lack of obstacles between them to tackle Merlin with his shoulder.

Because that is something Merlin has not yet learned. Your weapon is only an extension of yourself, and you must fight like you dance: with your whole body.

He lands on top of Merlin with a thud, and grinning, he says,

"I think I win."

Just after he speaks he realises how breathy his voice is, how his panting is less controlled than he thought it was. He notices how Merlin's chest moves against his own.

He rolls off him before their closeness makes him do something stupid, because this is something he has yet not learned: He can’t just tackle Merlin and expect to feel normal when they touch. He settles on his back, grass tickling his neck and forearms.

"You win," Merlin breathes. He then gets himself comfortable on the ground and closes his eyes. 

Sunlight filters through the tree leaves and paints Merlin with light, and Arthur wants to trace every inch of his face with his fingertips. The curve of his lips, his nose, his cheekbones. He wishes he could have the peace to see him like this every day, forever. 

"I can feel you watching me," Merlin whispers. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he whispers back.

Merlin's lips stretch into a smile. He turns his face towards Arthur and opens his eyes. Arthur does not have the strength to look away.

Merlin props himself on an elbow, and looking down at Arthur, haloed by the afternoon light, says,

"Hi."

"Hi," Arthur answers, unsure how to react and what to do as Merlin brings a hand to his cheek, and, ever so slowly, leans down.

When their lips touch, it’s like the sun meeting the horizon. Arthur never wants to let go. He wraps his arms around Merlin, who climbs onto his lap without breaking the kiss.

Arthur lets his hands travel to Merlin's neck, then lower to whatever warmth they can find. He can feel one of Merlin’s hands on his chest, where his heart threatens to escape from his ribcage.

"I think I win, now," Merlin murmurs against his lips.

Arthur can only manage a "hm?", his mind fuzzy.

"I'm on top of you. I win."

Arthur huffs.

"That's cheating."

"According to who?" He can feel Merlin's smile against his.

"Me." He runs his fingers over Merlin's cheek, his chin, his jaw. It feels better than he would have ever imagined. "Now stop talking."

[filletedfennysnake]

Arthurian characters as insects I see on a semi-regular basis

Because if I don't do it, who will?

Part 1: The Orkney-Pendragons (and friends)

Arthur: Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus

To be completely honest, I didn't even realize the wordplay aspect here until now. The posterchild butterfly; even people unfamiliar with insects can probably name it. Impressive in terms of mileage (I suppose king arthur's been around for a while. chronologically) and also, under special circumstances, very resistant to death

Guinevere: Western velvety tree ant, Liometopum occidentale

To anyone who thinks guinevere would is a butterfly: you are wrong! ants upon be ye. No but seriously I've been working with this species all summer (images are mine, that's a winged male and a female worker above) and man they're neat! Dominant ant species in the woodland here; they support many other arthropod species via symbiotic relationships and are a major political ecological resource. They're also very pretty as ants go but really really aggressive and bitey. When stressed they release an alarm pheromone that smells very strongly of mint.

Morgan: Arizona mantis, Stagmomantis limbata

Cool. powerful. weird. into sex that humans find freaky. Can be used as a mercenary against flies. Never turns up when or where you expect it. I'm like 58% sure that manteoda consists entirely of fairies anyway and besides that morgan deserves it.

Morgause: Black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens

Very dapper, with an undeniably commanding presence. Looks mean (it has evolved to mimic a wasp) but is actually rather harmless, and has magic powers insanely cool mechanisms that allow it to process yucky polluted waste into useful things like fertilizer and animal feed. The larvae can also produce grease and chitin– economically relevant critters! They remain underrated and probably will stay as such until people recognize the importance of 'uncharismatic' animals (arthurian authors I am begging you write a version Morgause that isn't misogynist or girlbossified pLEASE).

Gawain: Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica

*points* bitch. No but seriously I can recognize the significance and beauty of these animals while still calling them out as annoying (this is gawaincore. to me). The only thing that stops them from becoming invasive in their OWN NATIVE RANGE is the occasional cold snap and lack of sun in the wintertime. In areas without that they are a serious problem. you want to drink a beverage or eat a burger in peace? No. your food is their food now and they won't hesitate to sting/bite in defense of this divine right. They thirst for carnage but are annoyingly pretty

Gringolet: Western paper wasp, Mischocyttarus flavitarsis

Matching with gawain <3. but seriously seeing one of these babies in person can be a little awe-inspiring if you aren't already expecting them. absolute BEASTS. generalist predators that can and will feed directly on living flesh. Their primary defense strategy is ramming into their opponent at full fucking speed. legends.

Agravaine: Red admiral, Vanessa atalanta

Underrated and pretty butterfly that uses nettles (prickly!) as a host plant. territorial but loses to bigger butterfly species all the time (I've seen it. trust me). Also a bit of a tease, they're notorious for letting people get close to them only to fly away as if personally affronted

Gaheris: Dusky raisin moth, Ephestiodes gilvescentella

not much to say here. It's gaheris. I find these in the pantry all the time, usually because they keep trying to lay eggs in our flour. They're a pain in the ass

Gareth: Western carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica

So very very cute and fuzzy. Not the kind of bee we get honey from, but it could pretend to be and we probably wouldn't mind. Absorbs heat well. Steals nectar from flowers without pollinating them sometimes, the little rascal. Also quite horny; they exhibit a variety of mating behaviors

Mordred: Painted lady, Vanessa cardui

knock off monarch butterfly. lol.

Lot: Torpedo bug, Siphanta acuta

not going to lie this insect is probably too cool looking get assigned to Lot

Kay: Stink beetle, Eleodes sp.

dignified. a bit of a trundler. gets the job done. Mostly harmless, but from a young age we're taught not to provoke them anyways because when threatened they release a truly awful stank

Ywain: Gulf fritillary, Dione vanillae

A gorgeous species that somehow gets overshadowed by the more showy butterflies. just a good-natured guy all round. I like ywain but I don't think he's too complicated :)

[theladyfirelord]

For lark and sel at the Merlin academy

Oooh! I'll do my best! I really hope you enjoy it! Thanks for requesting!

Scenario: A longtime rivalry between the two young boys at the Merlin Academy comes to an end with Selwyn Kane being named Nicholas Davis' Kingsmage.

Merlin Academy- Lark and Sel

Lark irritated Sel. Plain and simple. 

To be fair, most people irritated Sel, but Lark just really knew how to push his buttons. 

Maybe the animosity stemmed from the fact that they’ve been pinned against each other since the day Sel arrived at the academy.

~~~

Selwyn Kane was a prodigy. The best of his generation. Just like his mother, Natasia.

None of the other Merlins could even dream of matching his skill level…except Lark.

Larkin Douglas was the only Merlin who could hold his own against Selwyn. But even though this fact remained true, Sel still managed to beat him in every battle. 

No matter the challenge, Sel won. Not to be unexpected considering he was trained by one of the most powerful Merlins of the previous generation, Issac Sorensen.

Which is why today’s duel for a place at the side of the Order’s future king would be no different. Sel would be Nick Davis’ Kingsmage. 

~~~

“In this closing battle, Selwyn Kane and Larkin Douglas will compete to be named Kingsmage.” Gillian announces, while walking to the middle of the arena, where Lark stands in the right corner with Selwyn opposite him in the left corner.

Gillian continues, “Throughout this tournament, our two candidates have been observed based on their capabilities in mesmerization, casting, and aether manipulation.”

“Today, the top two ranked Merlins will duel it out in this arena to assess strength." Gillian looks intensely at the crowd before shifting her gaze to the table of the Regents, "Their individual performances in the other three categories alongside this one will be considered to determine the final result."

At that, Gillian looks to both Sel and Lark purposefully, "Without further ado, let the battle begin."

~~~

The fight was most definitely entertaining to watch. Mostly because of Sel.

Lark barely managed to land a hit on him throughout the entire battle. Each time he would lunge, Selwyn had already moved out of reach. He was agile and limber, something Lark had learned but not yet mastered.

Sel utilized aether with precision and intent. If he wanted to land a hit, then he did, with zero difficulty at that. Lark's defenses were useless against Selwyn.

Lark spent more time on the ground from Sel's attacks than he did actually fighting.

Lark was an excellent fighter. In training, he defeated nearly all of his opponents...that weren't Sel.

And one thing was evident in the fight- Selwyn had a mission that he intended to fulfill.

No one, not even Larkin Douglas, would stop him from satisfying what he set out to do.

~~~

It wasn't unsurprising when Sel won the tournament.

Not only did he excel in the other categories, but he completely annihilated Larkin in the final battle.

After quieting down the anxiously awaiting crowd, Martin Davis speaks, "After careful consideration, a decision has been made." He stops to hold up Selwyn's hand, "Selwyn Emrys Kane has been selected to be the Kingsmage of my son, Nicholas Martin Davis, Scion of King Arthur Pendragon, first-ranked. He will be oathed immediately following the end of this ceremony.”

Sel did it. The very role he worked himself strenuously to achieve was his. He felt...

"Ye complete and utter disappointment, Larkin! All this training and for what? Ye to end up in second place? Because of a Kane at that?" Calum Douglas shouts, clearly angered by his son's loss. He stomps over to Lark and practically drags him off stage.

Before he disappears completely from sight, Lark spares a glance at Selwyn, who was already staring intently at him.

For the first time since the two met, Sel felt empathy towards Lark.

The two were no longer rivals. One had won and the other had loss, but even still, they both were the two greatest Merlins of their respective generation.

Only Larkin's father didn't see it that way.

[deusvervewrites]

Wildcard AU: reading through this, I realize not many personas were discussed for the Dekusquad, and so, I wanted to give my two cents on who would own which hero, and maybe what their persona does.

Iida: Pheidippides, the one who ran from Marathon to Athens to tell of the Greek's victory against the Persians at the battle of Marathon (where the sport gets the name from) before dying of exhaustion. Wind element with accuracy Debuffs.

Todoroki: Merlin, know for being the advisors to the "Main" hero of the stories (Uther and Arthur Pendragon), with magical powers from an unnatural birth. Magic Damage buffs and single-target elemental spells.

Uraraka: Princess Kaguya, daughter to bamboo cutters (commoners), who grants wealth to her parents from her presence, only to be later out of reach by her own desires. Light element attacks (assuming light can do damage like P5) and Ailment inflicting skills.

Asui: I'd like it to be Jiraiya, but that's been done in P4, so I'm not sure. Electric damage skills and accuracy/evasion buffs.

Yaoyorozu: Boudica, Queen of the Inceni Brittish people and "Lady of Victory" who led an (unsuccessful) uprising against the Roman empire. Navigational (as stated prior)

Inko: Lemminkäinen, Finnish hero who dies in the rivers of the underworld, who's mother fished his remains out with a magic rake, before putting him back together. It would have been the mother instead, but I cannot find her name anywhere. Healing and ailment/debuff neutralizing.

Bakugo: Achilles, one the other most known heroes of Greek myth (mirroring Midoriya), who was a great warrior and invincible in battle, save for a fatal flaw. Physical attack and fire skills with Amps, resistant to physical damage, but not immune.

Eri: Deirdre (as stated), Irish heroine who's beauty was prophesized to bring bloodshed that would kill the three greatest warriors of Ulster. Healing and Ice element magic.

All Might: Samuel Steele, Canadian Mountie and "Lion of the Yukon" who kept the peace between Canadian settlers and the First nation people, and made the Klondike Goldrush into one of the most organized goldrushes in history. Physical attacks and defensive buffs.

Interesting choices. I mentioned Uraraka having Atlanta once but I'm flexible on that if I like something else better. I should also note that not all of Midoriya's social links will end up with Personas of their own.

It hasn't come up but I did decide that Bakugou's eventual Persona is Mwindo

[hopelessromantic5]

Arthur Pendragon is a physical specimen. It’s how he understands the world, how he understands the people in it. By the way they shift their weight from one foot to the other, or the way they avoid eye contact.

It’s especially helpful in combat. Arthur needs less than one minute with an adversary to know which side they favor, which defense is their go-to and what strategy they have for attack.

Arthur knows this like he knows the back of his hand.

The first day Arthur met Merlin, he was almost excited.

A new subject to study. A new peasant to bother when he’s bored. Eventually, his father would trust him with real business and he would no longer have the opportunity to bother (cute) peasant boys.

So Arthur thought he would have his fun with Merlin.

Turns out he got a lot more than he bargained for.

A grief-maddened mother tried to murder Arthur in front of the entire court.

Imagine the shock that ran through his body when he turned to look his savior in the face, only to find the same peasant boy. With stormy blue eyes looking back in equal surprise.

Merlin is as much of an empath as one can get. He thinks sometimes, even without the magic, that he would still be unnaturally tuned in to other people’s emotions.

Merlin being magic itself only amplifies it tenfold.

He enters a room and immediately he can feel the sliding scale of energy throughout.

He knows when he’s entered at the wrong time, he knows (sometimes before entering) that the occupants are in a heated discourse.

And he can feel how his own presence will shift it ever so slightly.

Sometimes more than slightly, when it comes to Prince Arthur Pendragon.

Some days (against his will, of course) Merlin can admit that he’s more tuned in to Arthur’s emotions than just about anyone else. Maybe more than his own mother.

The explanation for this, of course, is that it’s Merlin’s job. In every sense of the word. He is Arthur’s servant but he is also the Once and Future King’s unseen guard. He is aware of moves being made against the Prince before anyone, and a lot of the time, he deals with them before a single person even gets a whiff of foul play. So, of course, Merlin knows Arthur better than anyone else.

(At least that’s what he tells himself when the unwanted thoughts start to pile up like dirty laundry)

Merlin has lived in Camelot, and subsequently been in Arthur’s employ, for nearly three years.

Merlin is also a fast learner.

While mastering his duties as apprentice to the court physician, learning the ins and outs of life in the castle, and learning to hone his magic in a way that’s productive, Merlin also studied Arthur.

If he’s being really honest, which he never is, he would say that acquiring knowledge and skill about everything else, happened accidentally, or out of necessity.

Merlin schooled and tested himself in Arthur because he wanted to.

It stopped being about destiny and the future of Camelot, years ago.

But Merlin will remain in denial as long as he wishes. Only letting thoughts like this creep in under the cloak of night, where no one can hear the singing of a little bird that Merlin quietly lets out of his ribcage. Allowing it to croon its heartache before returning it back to its place, locking it with the key.

[mainlysarcastic]

I mean seriously

The second fucking episode Arthur is like “I trust you a Merlin”

Then the next episode when Merlin tries to turn himself in to save Gwen Arthur IMMEDIATELY steps in to his defense to keep him safe from his father

THIS IS ALL WITHIN THE FIRST FEW EPISODES

Like

C’mon

Arthur “there’s something about you, Merlin 😏” Pendragon gets so attached to Merlin RIGHT AWAY it’s RIDICULOUS

[crithaus]

Morgwen Bodyguard!AU where it's the whole gang in mostly modern times. This is extensive, bear with me.

Through some series of events I haven't thought of yet England has not become England as we know it yet though most of history remains the same and Uther Pendragon is King Regnant of Albion, and he does about just as good a job rearing two kids as he does running a country and has a great vast many enemies so his heir apparent Crown Prince Arthur and his ward Morgana, now Duchess of Gorlois after the death of her 'father', are now in desperate need of a constant detail of bodyguards.

enter gwen and the gang

his capital city can only bear to send CIS' - Camelot Intelligence Services - finest on recommendation by his own friend and personal physician. Sends him 2 3-cell teams of their best intelligence agents or at least, least likely to kill each other while guarding bodys yknow.

And Morgana gets hers. Her team leader, sniper and combat specialist Lancelot, ex combat pilot turned all around agent Elyan and to her immense surprise, Elyan's super super gorgeous sister, Guinevere.

Arthur gets his cell, team leader Leon his getaway driver and head strategist, defense and combat specialist Gwaine and hacker Merlin, though the poor boy gets a secondary job as Arthur's PA too which takes up much of his time.

Morgana's spent every moment of her life that she can remember simpering with high society boys and girls, all of them either vapid and idiotic or worse yet, cruel and calculating and never ever has she met a woman more fascinating than Gwen. She's her new personal assistant much like Merlin is Arthur's, with an eidetic memory and the management skills of Hannibal fucking Barca, a parisian boutique's worth of seamstress ability and the personal upkeep, maintainence and even some smithing of all her cell's weapons. She runs shit like the navy and when Morgana asks why she isn't team leader, Gwen just laughs and oh man is her laugh pretty, and shrugs, "someone needs to be focused solely on you yknow." While looking at her with the biggest doe-iest eyes and Morgana finds herself blushing a lot more?? Beaming ear to ear, too. And

Idk Morgana dragging Gwen off to galas and Gwen taking her off to more low key spots, the club perchance, and Gwen getting wowed by morgana's rapier wit and political acumen and Morgana getting wowed by this absolutely radiant beam of sunshine who snatched a gun out of a mugger's holster before he could do anything and popped some other dude 30 paces away without a hair out of place and adventures. Gwen absolutely despises Uther, Morgana hates all the snooty folk that expect Gwen to kowtow to them. Gwen finds that though her job is to personally assist, the Duchess is actually quite nice, fiercely loyal to her as if just the doing of her job is enough to warrant such, though shes achingly lonely so maybe that's why, is very funny, and kind, and compassionate if a little impulsive and rash, and comes up with the funniest insults imaginable murmured directly into her ear as she stands at her post in the back of x meeting of uther's privy council or y public function. Also that her eyes are theeee most brilliantly clear shade of green, like the still clear pond near her house, like garnet-

Morgana has awful nightmares of totally not suspicious events that come true an odd amount of the time and Gwen is receiving back Intel from CIS and Uther about potential stirring of war from a King Cenred across ye Olde channel and they go on cool car chases and maybe there's a shopping montage or two but yea. Idk how to end this but uther realizes he doesn't have to die a shitty old man and legitimizes Morgana as a princess of the blood before he chokes and when she and Gwen get married it's princess style babyyy

Oh and definitely morgana giving herself up to some assailants cuz gwen is hurt and some baddies cracking poor morgana on the head and Gwen frantically trying to keep her awake and morgana is just griiiiiinning at her all restored even as concussed as she is cuz this angel is cupping her face in her hands and yea, that thing

[onceandfuturelesbian]

ok so i know there’s quite a few canon era fics where merlin comforts arthur after uther gets mad at him

but i want one where after arthur’s been comforted, maybe the next day while arthur’s training or smthn (?), merlin barges into uthers chambers or the throne room alone to tell him off for being a dick to his son (without arthur’s knowledge or presence)

the only way i can really see this going is uther gets angry and defensive and tries to stop/attack merlin so merlin reveals his magic to hold the king down while he continues to yell at uther about how amazing arthur is

kind of like pendragon software by auspicious_dragon but canon era with a magic reveal and merlin doesn’t have any previous respect for uther cause it’s evil uther

then ofc ends w merthur together