Someone: I Thought I Told You To Not Bring Any Back Up.

Athur: Has anyone seen Merlin?

Lancelot, fully aware Merlin is doing magic stuff trying to save Camelot: He’s at the tavern

Arthur: I just came from the tavern Gwaine said he just left to find Gaius

Lancelot: Gaius is at the other tavern

Arthur: there’s another tavern??

Lancelot: at the next village there is

Arthur: and Merlin went there

Lancelot: yes

Arthur: Because Gaius is there

Lancelot: yes

*later at the next villages tavern*

Arthur: has anyone seen Merlin?

Merlin, slightly out of breath: hi

Arthur: where’s Gaius?

Merlin: You just missed him

Arthur:

Arthur: is this a physician thing? disappearing right before i come in?

Merlin: *shrugs*

Arthur: ok fine come on we’re going back.

Merlin: ah ok i’ll be right out

*Arthur goes out to get his horse*

Merlin, to Gwaine and Lancelot hiding under the table: thanks

Gwaine: how did you two manage to not get caught this long

Lancelot: Merlin told everyone once, they didn’t believe him

The fanfic writing community really isn't a nice place to be anymore. Among other problems one thing stands out to me: there are so many posts in writing groups on Tumblr etc about minor things people hate about other people's fics (and I really am talking about minor things here, like using too few paragraph breaks or having a few grammar mistakes because they aren't native speakers, for example) and it's just super discouraging for an insecure writer who sees these comments and takes them to heart. I get that some formatting choices aren't to everyone's liking, but why do people have to get mean about it?

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Making these Merthur banter polls makes me realise it's less banter, and more Arthur TRYING to banter and Merlin just roasting the ever living fuck out of him with his sword-sharp wit

“If you have time to watch Netflix you have time for a side hustle” my side hustle is relaxing so that my body and brain can heal from by this nose-to-the-grindstone bullshit. I refuse to feel guilty for being a human with the need to relax sometimes. my side hustle is no.

Depression hitting full force right now. Damn. Reblog if birds would fix you.

Ok I’m having thoughts about the Uther / Arthur dynamic…

I think that Arthur was entirely raised by wet nurses / nannies / etc because Uther’s negative feelings were too strong.

I think for most of Arthur’s youth, Uther resented, regretted, and somehow blamed Arthur for the loss of Ygraine. And I think Uther essentially avoided his own son as much as he could get away with.

I think he got so desperate for an heir (and of course the problem couldn’t be with him, it had to be Ygraine’s reproductive system that was faulty), that he didn’t do his research, or didn’t listen to warnings, or somehow believed himself above the potential consequences.

I bet he knew that a life would be taken, but he assumed it would be some peasant of Camelot, maybe a knight, maybe one of his lords, but thought he and his family would be immune and would obviously be spared. Because, y’know, he’s the king of Camelot.

And I think he blamed Arthur for some messed up reason (I mean, ok, grief does weird things to people).

And I think every time he realised Arthur isn’t a carbon copy of him, isn’t the perfect heir (impossibly strong, talented, and stoic) he resents him and regrets that he traded the love of his life for “this disappointment”. Surely magic should have given him the absolute perfect heir? And person so amazing they’re beyond all human comprehension, right? Like Hercules, or Achilles.

Also, the way Uther loses his godamn mind when Morgana is dying in S3, the way he waxes lyrical about how important she is to him, how he can’t live without her… yet Arthur has been dying twice by this point and Uther gets no where near as upset. In fact, he sits with his dying son once, admits that his death is inevitable, then goes about his day without a second glance…

And because of the way his father couldn’t even spare him a glance, let alone a hug, or comfort, or an “I love you, I’m proud of you”, I don’t think Arthur knows what affection really is. I don’t think he truly understands how love feels.

I think that’s why he was so off-balance when he went to save Ealdor with Merlin and saw the way he and his mother interacted. It threw everything he’d ever known into doubt.

Maybe he thought that kind of love, affection, and physical comfort is for poor people, because that’s what his experience told him.

And maybe it made Arthur think - “what if my mother had survived? What if my father’s life had been taken instead?”

And what if Ygraine had lived and Uther had died? I mean, the spell gave Uther an heir to take over when he died, and he got what he wanted, right? So if Uther dies right away… well, you’ve got your heir you wanted, he’ll take your place like he’s supposed to!

Arthur has lived his whole life feeling like he wasn’t wanted - that’s what all the evidence told him. Then he finds out he’s “the reason” his mother is dead and his father is a heartless, emotionless, bitter man?

Holy shinsplints Arthur. No wonder he couldn’t accept the affection Merlin and Guinevere clearly had for him. Maybe that’s why he kept freaking out and throwing it back in their faces, getting angry, pushing them away.

He was scared because he had absolutely no idea how to react to it - no blueprint, no examples, no evidence that his own upbringing and his father’s mentality isn’t normal.

But my god did he try and give out all the love he had stored in his heart, all the love that was wasted on his father and was never reciprocated. My god did he try.

Bless you, Arthur. My heart aches so damn hard for you.

Arthur: I'm the king! I make the rules around here!

Merlin: Pardon?

Arthur: Merlin and I make the rules around here.

Camelot is hit with an amnesia spell to forget their prince. The sorcerer's goal was to make sure Camelot doesn't have an heir.

So, Arthur wakes up, one day, with no servants serving him ane being treated like a thief who invaded the castle.

Not even Morgana, Gwen, or Merlin recognise him and Merlin is apparently not even a servant anymore. Just a full time physician's apprentice.

Arthur: Merlin, I know you don't remember me. No one does, but I'm Prince Arthur!

Merlin: *suspicious* Camelot doesn't have a prince

Arthur: You have to believe me!!! I don't know what kind of spell would do this, but you have to help me!!! Well, technically, I need Gaius help, but you're my best friend and I can't do this without you!

Merlin: aha. I'm not saying I believe you, but I wouldn't mind helping you overthrow the King

Arthur: No, that's not what I- ... What?

Merlin: is that not what this is about? You wanting to be prince? I'll help you if you want. You can't be as bad as Uther.

Arthur: excuse me?

Merlin: you can't be telling me you like Uther. You just told me you want me to find a spell to make you prince.

Arthur: no! I wouldn't go that far- what would you even know about magic?

Merlin: *grabs Arthur by the chin to glare at him threateningly* Nothing *viciously* Obviously. And if I did, you'd be dead if you learned of it

Arthur: *actually intimidated* I-

Merlin: *turning away* I'll do the dirtywork for you, Arthur, was it? In exchange, I need you to lift the ban on magic

Arthur: you can't seriously ask me that -

Merlin: I'm not asking. That's my condition.

Arthur: ... What on earth is going on?

All of the knights: Can you come collect your freak of a man please. He’s doing things.

Arthur: No I set him loose on purpose.

@c4-magic yes, its bootiful tonight

Would you like to come over and look at the moon with me?