#Arthur would be SO mad

[satindregs]

Merlin s05e13 spoilers

“But here’s what no one says—when it’s your child, a part of you, a very tiny but nonetheless unignorable part of you, also feels relief. Because finally, the moment you have been expecting, been dreading, been preparing yourself for since the day you became a parent, has come.

Ah, you tell yourself, it’s arrived. Here it is.

And after that, you have nothing to fear again.”

So that quote is from Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. It’s kinda self-explanatory, but I left out some context soo…

A father is talking abt mourning a kid and when they die you feel some relief bc the day you’ve dreaded since before they were born has finally come and it isn’t gonna happen twice (to the same kid lol.)

Now that we’re all on the same page, I just wanna mention something.

Merthur.

All throughout the show Merlin is told time and time again what he’s destined to do and how they’re counting on him to keep Arthur’s little butt on the throne and bring magic back to the land. Then surprise, surprise, the Once and Future King dies.

And yk obviously Merlin is… distraught. but do yall think j a tiny, tiny part of him just… relaxed?

Ik u have to make some jumps for this hc (?? ig?) to work but this is my post and i’ll do what i want. also ya they’re not father and son so… get to jumping

#Just to be clear i don’t actually think this lolll #but i spent too long looking for that damn quote #also steer CLEAR of that damned book #i am not a fan of the thing and i can’t believe im posting abt it but wtv #anything for merthur ig😒 #a little life #bbc merlin #guess who got into merlin bbc lol #merlin #arthur pendragon #king arthur #merthur #plz dont be mad yall LOL #merlin bbc #i dont think a whole lot of ppl would agree w the quote #I haven’t actually finished merlin lol #so no spoliers #im on s5 #beginning of the end

[sushisocks]

Okay, another Sean and Lenny meta post, this time also featuring some stuff about Javier. I wanna talk about why I think Sean and Lenny would side with Arthur at the end of RDR2, and bring forth all my reasoning as to why I will die on this hill.

Rant under the read more to spare my mutuals. (Fair warning this is a LONG one babes, there is so much meta)

So, to start, I don't actually think the story of RDR2 would look the same, if at all, were Sean and Lenny not to die their scripted deaths. Even in a version of things where they survive and they go to the same camps, the unfolding of events would by necessity be different due to the impact their personalities and frames of thinking would have on the people around them. However, let's for arguments sake say that in this hypothetical, things are mostly the same, and we're down to that last scene in Beaver Hollow, the last showdown, with Dutch and Micah on one side, and Arthur and John on the other. We know where Javier and Bill go, but where would Sean and Lenny gravitate?

I've already made my stance on the matter clear, so let's really get into why I think Lenny and Sean would choose Arthur's side over Dutch's.

First off, I think it's important to remember that it isn't JUST Dutch vs Arthur, in this scene. In its essential form, it is Dutch & Micah vs Arthur & John. Arthur points at Micah as the rat, and Dutch believes Micah over Arthur. John arrives and accuses Dutch for leaving him to bleed out and die, and Arthur believes John -- not that Dutch denies it.

The point here is, though, that it's not JUST Dutch or Arthur, they're choosing. It is also the people who side with those individuals, whom we must take into account.

Sean and Lenny are canonically Micah-haters, if you will. There are several instances throughout the game, while the two are alive, where they loudly proclaim their dislike of Micah. Sean calling him an 'oily turd' and getting offended at being compared to him, is a near and dear line from the game, for me. And I doubt I have to explain why Lenny isn't besties with the most outwardly racist member of the gang.

"Oh, but Teki!" I hear you say. "Javier is also shown to dislike Micah, and yet he sides with Dutch in the end!" And, see, now you have activated my trap card, so let's really take a look at Javier, before going any further.

Javier is among the most loyal members of the gang -- Arthur literally says this as a camp interaction with him, long before chapter 5 or 6. The fact that Arthur is the one saying it, should tell us something -- this is coming from the man whose loyalty is such a strong character trait it turns into a flaw, and ultimately leads to his demise. And if you think about it, Javier being exceedingly loyal - to the gang, to Dutch - should not be surprising!

When Dutch met Javier, Javier didn't even know English. Javier was starving, on the run, with no safety or know-how, in a country he didn't know nor understand. Javier's story with the gang literally STARTS with Dutch saving him. He is brought into the gang, and in the four years he's there, he is taught English and also shown more respect and compassion than many other places in the US at the time. There are many examples of how Javier is treated as a Mexican in the US, throughout the game, and he, like the other POC in the gang, is allowed to stand up for himself and punish other gang members who slight him (Micah and Bill, in particular). In many ways, Dutch provides through the gang a safety net Javier probably didn't even dream of achieving when he crossed the border.

And then Guarma happens.

I, personally, cannot overstate enough how much I think Javier's experiences on Guarma reinforce his loyalty and blind faith in Dutch. He is tortured, ridiculed, and humiliated, and who is it that opens that cage door and literally pulls Javier out of it all? Carries him over his shoulder out of a compound of Cubans that would rather see their heads on pikes?

You guessed it, it's Dutch. Yes, Arthur does a lot of the heavy lifting, but let's be real - Dutch is the one who gets the credit, as usual. He made the plan, after all, and notably, he IS actually the one grabbing Javier and hauling him out of there.

That means, that the two times we know of, where Javier has been at his absolute worst, Dutch is the one who has saved him. Javier, who is so loyal even Arthur acknowledges the immensity of it. So who is then surprised that he doubles down even harder, when they return to the US, and things take a turn for the worse in Beaver Hollow?

In that moment, at the end of chapter 6, Javier cares more about siding with Dutch, than he cares about Dutch siding with Micah.

And I'll argue a similar case for Bill; he has speeches, camp events, where he straight up says Dutch saved him, saved the people of the gang. This is literally The Thing, with these two, that makes their choices at the end really make sense, in my eyes.

It's also important to note that Javier is literally the most clueless among them when he makes that choice. He wasn't there for most of the conversation leading up to it -- he literally just came from being on watch, to warn them about the encroaching Pinkertons. And, as everyone knows, he doesn't point his gun at Arthur and John, and he nor Bill are there for the horse chase scene, blah blah, those points have been done a million times, you already know them.

"Okay, but Teki," you say, trying to reason with my rambling fanatic self. "How do you know Lenny and Sean wouldn't go down similar paths, if they survived past their scripted deaths?" And I say onto you, verily; because neither of them really have similar savior stories with Dutch, thematically.

I mean for goodness' sake, Sean tried to ROB Dutch and Hosea, upon meeting them intially. They just liked his guts and invited him along, and Sean was like, 'shit why not, aint got nothin better to do!' - paraphrased, of course, but in my heart of hearts that's what he said.

All we know definitely with Lenny is that he joined the gang while traversing the Grizzlies, the year before the events of the game. Whether it was a savior situation or a mutually beneficial situation, isn't actually fully known. We can make assumptions and speculate until we're all blue in the face, but I have stronger points for Lenny's case so let's move on.

So, as I've talked about before, Lenny is acknowledged as among the smarter members of the gang, despite his youth. He is one of the only ones who intellectually challenges Dutch, and he is clearly not afraid to criticise Dutch's ideas and ideals -- when prompted.

(Side note, as I said at the start but want to really emphasize here, I really think chapter 6 is the one that would be the most impacted by Lenny's survival. He has shown himself remarkably aware of societal issues contemporary to his time, so look me in the eyes and tell me you genuinely believe he, as a black man, wouldn't attempt to intervene in some way when Dutch starts fucking with the Wapiti. That kid has balls of steel and audacity up the whazoo, and he's excruciatingly aware of how black people in the US have been royally fucked over by white men. You think he'd see the Wapiti struggling, Dutch scheming, and be like 'oh yay more white man shenanigans! lets go!' ?? bffr!)

Lenny ALSO is among the newer members of the gang; it provides him safety and respect that's hard found outside it, yes, but in my opinion he straight up does not have enough cost sunk into this fallacy, for it to fallacy properly in his head, if you catch my drift. I think if it's not for the fact that he has genuine bonds with people in the gang by the time chapter 6 rolls around, like Charles and Sadie do at that point, he probably would be smart enough to dip, like other characters do.

And that's sort of the thing, too, with both Lenny and Sean. They don't actually have daddy issues in the same way Arthur and John do.

Lenny and Sean are very similar in that they had good relationships with their fathers, and are proud of their parentage -- what wisdom and teachings their fathers managed to impart upon their sons before passing, has stuck with them. They are not in need of a new father figure, and they certainly do not seek it in Dutch(nor Hosea), not like Arthur and John do.

They find a sense of brotherhood in the gang, sure, and they view the other members as family (you can pry their little brother statuses from my cold dead hands), but Dutch is their leader, not their guardian, not their teacher, and certainly not anything close to a father, in their eyes. The fact that Lenny discusses literature with him is indicative of this -- the conversation is one of opinion between would-be equals, not of mentor and protege. The fact that Dutch only really seems interested in Sean as far as he serves as camp clown is also indicative of how Sean might feel about him, too. Dutch literally yells at Sean for taking a break from being the silly goofy distraction, in one camp interaction -- and from the way Sean talks about him, I don't think that sort of behavior has a lot of fatherly associations for the 'irish terrier'.

And that leads us to my pièce de résistance, dear fellow cowboy maniacs (you must be, if you've read thus far). Lenny and Sean are both closer, and friendlier with Arthur, than they are with Dutch. Example: Both of them poking fun at Arthur in ways they do not with Dutch. Sean telling Arthur he loves him - like an insane amount of times. Lenny chooses Arthur to go riding with, time and time again.

And guess what? When we see Sean and Lenny at their lowest, who is it that helps them out?

If you answered Arthur Morgan, give yourself a pat on the back and a gold star sticker!

We are literally introduced to Sean while Arthur leads Javier and Charles into saving him from bounty hunters. Arthur is the one cutting him down from that tree, bringing him upright, making sure he is okay. Arthur is also the one who saves him from being shot to death on the train robbery in Pouring Forth Oil. When Lenny comes to tell the gang about Micah being in jail in Strawberry, he has also just narrowly escaped being lynched, and it is Arthur who brings him away from that experience, calms him down and allows him to relax and let loose again.

Both Sean and Lenny have a deeper, more profound connection to Arthur, than they have Dutch. And consequently, if they were to survive until the end of chapter 6 and were the then much-more-unlikely showdown scene to happen, they would certainly not side with Dutch & Micah, over Arthur & John.

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #sean macguire #lenny summers #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde #javier escuella #rdr2 meta #rdr thoughts #teki talks #long post #if you read all of this ily #this is several rants and a half but ive been meaning to write it all up for AGES #i get so unironically mad abt ppl saying sean and lenny would side with dutch. this is the hill i die on (among many)

[johndoeappollogist]

everything post part 20 is punishment for Arthur saying fareo instead of lily

#It makes me so mad #Do want you said you would dick head #arthur lester #malevolent #Lily Malevolent

[myrddin-wylt]

had a hetalia dream last night, and it was surprisingly coherent. it was during the start of the Great Rapprochement between the US and UK, I think specifically 1899 for some reason.

in any case, Arthur and Matthew were dead set on improving their relationship with Alfred, who wanted none of it. and in the midst of them pestering Alfred on potential Family Bonding Activities, Alfred, in an attempt to get them to go 'absolutely not' and hopefully give up, told them he was too busy and already had plans to do a cross-country cattle drive; and to make it really unappealing, the cattle trail in question was the Goodnight-Loving trail (that's what it's called!) from central Texas to Cheyenne, Wyoming. ie, this monstrosity

this is so fucking funny to me because I've done road trips through the Llano Estacado portion (Texas-New Mexico) and the entire drive just looks like hours upon hours of just

absolutely fucking nothing out there. 700 miles of dull. sometimes a plateau in the distance.

for some reason, maybe naïvety or lack of foresight, this did not dissuade Arthur and Matthew, who immediately invited themselves along. so it was the three of them, along with Ana María 🇲🇽, and, bizarrely enough, Natalya (who was like in hiding as a fugitive because she did something to piss off the Russian tsar???) and a few other cowboys. the rest of the dream was them roughing it for 700 miles as Arthur and Matthew had the time of their lives and Alfred spent the whole trip trying to not kill everyone and then himself.

#silly #there was one point in the dream where Arthur and Matthew got really into campfire songs #and this is obviously like. country-country folk music #and Alfred got so fucking mad he left camp and just like slept in the dirt with the cattle #would be a fun fanfic #hws america #hws canada #hws england #hws mexico #hws belarus

[fluffypotatey]

*smashes in like the Kool-Aid man*

PENDRAGON SIBLINGS YOU SAY????

I have. So many Feels. About Themst™

The complexity?? The layers?? The angst?? Hello??????

Their relationship is just So Much, because you are right, it's all tangled up in miscommunication and missed opportunities, and so many problems that can be sourced back to Uther "War Crimes" Pendragon, who wouldn't know a healthy relationship if it bit him on the ass.

If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.

Because it's the lonely childhoods, the shared grief, the friendship, the vulnerability, the fondness, the teasing, the envy, the jealousy, the almost romance, the protectiveness, the betrayal, the loss, the hurt, the refusal to let go and the desperate hanging on, and the love, the love, the love.

Indifference is the true opposite of love.

Hate is love that's gone rotten.

“If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.” oh fuck….

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK

WAIT HOLD ON WAIT LEMME PIGGYBACK ON THAT BESTIE @0hheytherebigbadwolf (tagging you bc it will be a couple days after you sent this ask)

(Also, for anyone wanting background context on what me and bestie are bouncing off on: voilà)

OK OK SO

we are all familiar with King Uther being the greatest (worst) dad of all time, correct? places such high expectations on his “only son and heir” whilst never officially acknowledging Morgana as his daughter until the very end?

F+ father of the year :)

he is not above sending his children into the dungeon if they disobey him as seen here:

(Jfc he even put Morgana in chains like wtf)

also, he is not above using emotional guilt towards them when he deems it necessary (aka one of the only times he actually acknowledges them as his children)

UTHER (1x02 Valiant) I trust you will make me proud.

UTHER (1x08 The Beginning of the End) I’ve treated you like a daughter. Is this how you repay me?

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) You are the daughter I never had.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) You would believe a sorcerer’s lies over the word of your father?

not to mention that when Arthur or Morgana try to reason with him or argue with him since they are the only ones with the status to do so, he pulls rank

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) May I remind you that you are speaking to your King [...] Take care, child, or I’ll have you restrained.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am your king and your father. You will show me some respect!

UTHER (2x06 Beauty and the Beast) We live in dangerous times, I cannot allow you to undermine my authority.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final.

ngl i could include more but i have already spent hours searching for shit (YOUTUBE WILL DIE BY MY HAND THAT STINGY BITC—) but y’all get what i mean: Uther is an abusive fucker and it has messed up the conditions of Arthur and Morgana

now, about the double edged blade…..

as previously established, Uther is a fucking dick and wants his children to obey him but also adore him. with this behavior, the Pendragon siblings react in two ways: with anger & contempt or submission and remorse

way #1

i’m gonna start with Morgana because anger is the easiest to pick out throughout the show. in the first episode of the first season, our introduction to Morgana’s character is her lecturing Uther about executing the man Merlin witnessed upon entering Camelot (such a warm welcome for Emrys, mh?)

MORGANA I just don't think chopping someone's head off is cause for a celebration. That poor mother. UTHER It was simple justice for what he'd done. MORGANA To whom? He practiced some magic, he didn't hurt anyone. UTHER You were not around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like. MORGANA How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?

early on, it is easy to pick up on Morgana’s resentment and anger at Uther, who she believes is blinded by his fear of magic and his need for control (which she isn’t wrong about). also, we find that she isn’t one to back off when poking the bear (Uther). she does it constantly in seasons 1 & 2

MORGANA (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning when she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers? Like an idle king!

MORGANA (1x08 The Beginning of the End) How can this child be your enemy? He's just a boy. UTHER He is a Druid. MORGANA Is that such a crime?…What have these people done to you? Why are you so full of hate?

UTHER (2x04 Lancelot and Guinevere) How many men would you have me sacrifice to save a servant? MORGANA  As many as it takes!

to be honest, i wouldn’t be surprised if screaming, arguing and berating Uther about his morals and ethics is her way of proving that she is not weak or submissive to his actions. i mean, Morgana grew up in a household the complete opposite from her time in Camelot. Gorlois, the man whom Morgana considers to be her father and one and only family member, was said to be “just” and “kind” and someone that Uther even considered a good friend who openly kept him in check. Morgana, until the age of ten, understood parental love and empathy unlike Arthur, who spent his whole life without any good or healthy substance of it.

the culture of Camelot and Uther’s wrath is not something Morgana was ever able to fully acclimate to as Uther himself pointed out in 1x12. She “was at odds with [him] since the beginning” and could never picture herself as a Pendragon (point further proven in 4x05: she looked revolted when Queen Annis compared her to Uther) because she didn’t share in their idea of magic = evil and a king = absolute control.

ironic in terms of future plot events, isn’t it :’)

way #2

compare that to Arthur: man’s respressed af. keeps all his emotions under lock and key if they are anything but haughty and serious. y’all, Arthur even says it himself how he “[can't] disagree with Father [Uther] in public.” whenever Arthur finds himself at odds with Uther, he holds his tongue and waits until he can disobey secretly (2x05 when he leaves to rescue Gwen, 1x08 when he helps Morgana sneak out Mordred in the dark of the night, 2x08 when he sneaks out to meet Morgause for more info about his mom, etc). it is only the rare moments when Arthur feels impassioned enough to speak up without fearing any retribution does Arthur talk back at him (so satisfying 👌)

ARTHUR (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) [Morgana’s] right, Father. You hear the word magic, you no longer listen.

ARTHUR (2x08 Sins of the Father) This is what fuels your hatred for those who practice magic. Rather than blame yourself for what you did, you blame them….You hunted her kind like animals! How many hundreds have you condemned to death to ease your guilt?!….You speak of honour and nobility! You're nothing but a hypocrite and a liar!

ARTHUR (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You can't forbid my feelings any more than I can. I won't deny them any longer, I love her. I love Guinevere.

we can even compare how the two react to Uther’s violence towards them

(ahahahahahaaaaa what a wonderful dad)

on the left, you see Arthur’s face right when Uther crushes the morteus flower needed to heal Merlin (his manservant/friend/????) and on the right, is Morgana after Uther discovers she was harboring a Druid child in her chambers and she refuses to listen to his reason.

notice how both faces are remarkably similar 👀

however, Arthur’s look of shock and dismay come from his hope that Uther would do the right thing. that he would help save Merlin’s life from dying of poison. that he wouldn’t use this as a method to teach Arthur “what it means to disobey and cross the king.” he truly did hope, just like he always does with the people he holds close. Arthur cannot help but hope and trust that those close to him will not betray him and yet so many do. hence the remorse

looking at Morgana, her shock comes from the fact that this might be the first time Uther reacted to her words and actions in a physical manner. my suspicion is that most of the time, all Morgana previously got was Uther reprimanding her and yelling at her to stop questioning his methods (bc, let’s be real, she was the favorite child.) never has he lifted a finder on her like Arthur and i have proof (cue transcript!)

AND! and, Arthur is constantly warning Morgana about not angering Uther any further because of the consequences she might face (consequences this boy is very familiar with) when Uther deems it necessary to “teach” his children obedience.

UTHER (1x04 The Poisoned Chalice) You have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're let out in a week. Then you can find yourself another servant.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final [...] This is for your own good. - UTHER She will die. The enchantment will be broken. You'll see I was right.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am protecting you from your own foolishness!

so educational 🥰 but see, because Uther presents his punishments as lessons, Arthur himself views them as just a fucked up but meaningful way of his father’s concern because “yeah, I am the first born son and only heir to the throne. of course I need to learn not to do silly things like disobey, talk back to him, be my own person.” <- I’m paraphrasing here

Arthur does and has never seen a way out of the life thrust upon him by Uther (see 3x06). succeeding Uther as king, marrying a noblewoman of high standing for heirs and alliance strength was always expected of him. Arthur never saw a way out of this. even when he and Gwen were in their secret relationship phase, Arthur had to remind himself that this would never last. he loved her and knew she loved him, but there was always that reminder (that sounded a lot like Uther) in the back of his head telling him that it would never last so long as he was prince. he had a duty (constructed by Uther) to serve Camelot and going against his father would mean (in his eyes) that he is going against Camelot (as Uther always presented it to be).

so unlike Morgana, he did not kick and scream but stood firm because that was what he believed was stronger. if he stayed in his lane and did his part, then he would be a good king, maybe even a better one than his father, for Camelot. however, the show proves that differentiating himself from Uther actually made him the better king and more respected, but this is not the meta for that. I am getting side tracked.

OK: so we’ve established parental issues between the two siblings. now onto their very complex, complicated yet beloved dynamic

sO, as i mentioned in this post (because i am lazy and too tired to copy/paste the evidence from there), these siblings do care for one another. they just go about it in the most hilarious and repressed and in-denial way (hilarious to me 😤)

when we meet them, it’s established that these two have known each other for some time. enough for them to bicker and have banter, you know, as you do with a Pendragon. also, should add, neither character are ever aware they are blood-related until s3 (because of some weak-ass bitch named Uther), so you have that very, uh, interesting subplot in s1 that everybody forgets about until you rewatch it. (honestly, I have so many questions. number 1: why???? number 2: it’s only in s1—was it scrapped??? is it like it never existed???? what was its purpose to the plot??? bbc explain yourself—)

however, despite how much it is shown that they do care for one another, they’re relationship in s1 is still undefined and vague as if they also don’t know how to accurately define what the other means to them. it’s very similar to the whole “i really love this person so much but is what i’m feeling platonic, familial, or romantic?” because….you know, guy and girl besties who are close are typically expected to grow romantic feelings for each other, so tbh i would not be surprised if both mistook their love as romantically inclined in the beginning bc, reminder, neither of them were aware they were siblings until much later.

[and this is ALL i am saying on this subplot. i do not want to cause any negative discourse, so if anyone has a few choice words about it, either keep it to yourself or feel free to talk about it with people you know. personally? not a fan of the ship and never will be, but i am not here to post about that.]

anyway, have some featured receipts showing Arthur and Morgana slipping up and showing how much they care for each other.

SEE!!!! LOOK AT HOW THE CARE!!!! SEE HOW THEY WORRY FOR THE OTHER AND WISH TO PROTECT THEM FROM HARM!!! (and see how even when they’re on opposite sides there is still that same love. just more warped and corrupted T^T)

^worried/protective Morgana

^Arthur’s face after Merlin informs him that there’s an intruder heading to Morgana’s chambers

Morgana is very aware of Arthur’s trusting nature. Arthur is very aware of Morgana’s empathy and righteous nature. they understand each other so well which is why Morgana knew just how to harm Arthur in later seasons and why Morgana’s betrayal hit Arthur so hard. it’s also why he never stopped trying to reach out to her in s4 & s5. as @merlinemrys said in this lovely post, the show’s driving force is love. love of all kinds. whatever conflict it is, love is there at the center of it all and, in Arthur and Morgana’s case, it does not save them (just like how love does not save Merlin or Arthur from what lies ahead, as the op of the post pointed out).

that is what makes their relationship/love be like a double edged sword!! that is why they are edges of the same blade!!! they protect and fight for what they believe in and for the people they love, but the same blades cut deep and twist their wounds into a lasting scar.

it is because of Arthur’s love for Morgana that he cannot help but hope and mourn the woman he once knew. it is because of Morgana’s love for Arthur that her feelings of hatred are so strong and ugly.

like honestly,

look at them T^T compared to before

their relationship is so tragic T^T because we knew them before it all went wrong. we knew they cared and understood each other. we knew that for some time, they only had each other to rely on for a friend, a crutch, a breather for when the royal life was too much. both of them were fighters and strive to honor their values. both of them had once leaned on the other for support, had wanted nothing but happiness for each other.

fuck, they didn’t even get the chance to really be siblings because they found out too late, and by then Morgana was on a war path and Arthur only found out at the last minute.

like fuck, man

two sides of the same blade: forged with love, yet used for blood

screencaps brought to you by me, @sourdough-morbread, and farfarawaysite

#i will spare you the gorey details of me trying to fine decent screencaps & screenshots for this fucking post or else i’ll get pissed again #(i am considering whether it is worth it to go to war with youtube) #special thanks to my bestie mor for being there for me at the gorey times and helping me find more screenshots #fucking love you bestie 💕💕💕💕 #also only including s1-2 bc i am tired and they are the ones where we get pendragon siblings not trying to kill each other #forgive me for always bringing up uther and the pendragon sibs’ upbringing with him it will happen again #also after hours of rereading transcripts and rewatching clips of bbc merlin: it is so obvious that uther cared and treated Morgana like hi #own child more than Arthur. like jfc he let’s her get away with so much stuff he is way for gentle with his words towards her #when he realizes that he was too cruel or rude like bro…..where tf was that for arthur #it just adds to the complicated sibling dynamic because there is the added jealousy and resentment of knowing a parent loved another more #literally most of Morgana’s time with Uther was her at odds with him and yet he views her as his child more #well no ducking dur that Arthur ‘i-would-do-anything-to-receive-my-father’s-love-attention-and-pride’ Pendragon resents Morgana for #always being the one Uther goes easier on and finds ways to turn a blind eye for like wtf #also during my research i was reminded of how done dirty Gwen’s story was by bbc #loses her father to a king fearful of magic barely gets to mourn him bc she now has to keep up the smithy and her maid job; reunites #with her brother who’s been AWOL for some years and still they don’t get a moment to talk about their dad and mourn TOGETHER #her storyline is pushed aside by s4 bc now she’s fulfilling the role of Arthur’s love interest and oh yeah they still need to incorporate #the lanceot/guinevere scandal and then banish her for some episodes without even letting her brother be mad about it like ????? #anyway #continued saga of fluffy rereading transcripts -> uther: ‘it’s been a long time since Ygraine…since anyone’ me: ducking liar >:( #[sir leon begins the slow clap] king you dropped this 👑IT IS 1AM HELP 😂 #place your bets on where my laziness for evidence came in! (I honestly don’t know lol scavenging evidence is all a blur) #spent 2 days on this post lol #me: ok i think that’s enough evidence for this argument…………ok maybe ONE more won’t hur— #me after day 2: ….am i done???? am i free???? #pendragon siblings coming behind me with a steel chair: nah mate! #me: FUCK THERE’S MORE #bbc merlin #merlin meta #pendragon sibs

[arthurslesbian]

au where arthur genuinely thinks this time is it, this time i'm gonna die, so before he goes he turns to do the one thing he's always wanted to do, that he'll regret forever if he never does, the one thing he can't die without doing and that's kiss merlin

#merthur #so many situations in which this could be the case #when tristan de bois came knocking if arthur hadn't been drugged #bcuz ofc merlin would know but he wouldn't about excalibur #at the labyrinth of gedref #truly proving what's in his heart 😭 #and that's just season one #what about before the big battle 😭 #when merlin says he can't come #'if i don't make it back' even tho he's mad #or when they roll up to the isle of the blessed before merlin knocks him out #fic idea #I guess

[adhd-merlin]

💥 i'm curious

💥What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?

Well, if it just one thing...

I think Merlin and Morgana should have had a proper showdown. Because after Morgana discovers Merlin is Emrys, she takes away his magic and... laughs in his face a little before trapping him in a cave? That wasn't very satisfying, in my opinion (yes, I get that Merlin getting sealed in a cave is a reference to Arthurian legend).

I just wish they had written a more extended scene for their final confrontation. We deserved it after all that build-up. Like, it's basic rules of storytelling.

#thank u for the ask :3 #asks #ask meme #“FACE ME MORGANA!” #< he was so hot for this. btw. #you could say the same about the magic reveal #i do wish it was revealed a bit earlier #i guess i wasn't too mad about it because i knew when i started watching the show that it was only going to happen in the final episode #i suppose i would've been mad about it if I had been watching the show for years #but tbh if merlin had revealed his magic to arthur earlier... the whole mordred situation could not have happened as it did #because merlin would be like 'hey arthur btw I saw a vision this dude is gonna kill you' #and arthur would be like 'wow thanks for telling me merlin I shall not make him a knight then' #(probably) #like the entire S5 would not exist. it could not play out as it did. #so I understand it I guess #but still. maybe A BIT sooner. #maybe not 10 minutes before arthur died.

[scalproie]

If you fuse Arthur Lester's names together you get something that sounds like Hastur haha

hey wait a minute

#im not even sure how i feel about that theory like yeah it would explain why john knew you call it madness all the way from s1 #but idk even if that were the case SURELY the king in fucking yellow wouldnt forget his OWN origin story #and tried to kill the pre-god version of himself. that he manages to meet via dark world time bullshitery or smth like that #but that would also explain why arthur is so important if malevolent really is his apotheosis #still hoping its not The Big Reveal tho. I love Arthur being Just Some Guy #tagging later #malevolent

[fuckingfandomfreak]

Maybe it’s just me but i really need to talk about the ‘I guess I was wrong’ line in 5x12 bc I feel like the only person who thought yeah it was a shitty thing to say but Merlin kinda deserved it. Bc Arthur doesn’t say that to Merlin bc Merlin refused to go to war with him, it’s bc Merlin refused and then lied to Arthur about why.

Arthur is calling Merlin a coward bc Merlin is leaving him and then lying about it. Arthur feels like the least he deserves is honesty if Merlin is gonna leave him. That’s why Merlin feels guilty and tries to apologize. Even if Merlin couldn’t tell him the truth, the least Arthur deserved wasn’t a half-baked bullshit lie about collecting supplies for Gaius.

Merlin is too scared to tell him the truth and so Arthur snipes at his bravery.

#I guess I just always felt like #you can’t lie to Arthur and then get mad when he comes to inaccurate conclusions #bc Arthur’s version of reality is so far from the truth honestly #and even then #after 10 years arthur did deserve some honesty #from a man who was always OFFENDED when arthur wasn’t honest with him #(Merlin fr had me pissed during 4x11) #merlin #arthur pendragon #merthur #merlin meta #my thoughts ugh #I just needed to get my thoughts out for my own sanity #arthur also values courage above all else #so of course that’s what would nick at him

[fiendir]

help. I started my day out with watching a Warframe lore video and now I can't stop thinking about how wonderfully fucked up the whole so far story is. help.

#Albrecht Entrati is currently portrayed as a really fucked up mad scientist rn #But part of me is like... No. There's going to be some sort of... At least attempt of redemption here. #Why else would the latest quest work so much with portraying that he's still got empathy and compassion? #And solidify that... He just couldn't show that because he never considered himself WORTHY of love?? #God I swear if this manages to organically teach all the minmaxing gamer dudes why toxic masculinity sucks... I'mma buy every prime access #It's going to be really interesting regardless. I need a new update already I'm frothing at the mouth #Like Albrecht seems to have fucked up a LOT of people in his frantic rush to fight back the Indifference #From the Cavia to his closest family to Arthur to the whole fucking Zariman and finally our very Tenno?? Like... bro... #Idk how he can ever be redeemed from that. Even if he truly does seem to do it out of love... #Like he went from broken and wanting death... To seeing Loid and being filled with blameless love... God. That still fucks me up. #idk if I can ever forgive him for Tagfer and Minn thou. Tag for disposal... Like you absolute MOTHERFUCKER- #Warframe spoilers

[fortunatetragedy]

there is no fourth wall in my first drafts

From Doom Metal Love Story Book 2 Chapter 6:

"And if you have to rest you have to rest. It isn't as if we're crawling through a dungeon in medieval Europe and need to get you back to the surface immediately." "That's quite the analogy." "Yes. I'm not entirely certain where it came from." Royston was holding his gaze, his void-dark eyes soft in spite of the flippancy. Caught in it, Sullivan wanted to smile, and curl closer. But they had to stay focused. This was too important to begin screwing around.

#idk where that came from either other than “jamie was playing fear & hunger in between chapters 4 and 6.” #“jamie thought it would be funny to make a reference to mork borg the doom metal TTRPG for no apparent reason.” #royston is supposed to be bizarre(r than he already was) in book 2 so i might leave it in?? #the tone of this one is more Acid Western Love Story than i was anticipating anyway and idk if i'm mad about it. #dmls-spoilers #book 2 spoilers #c: arthur royston #c: cole sullivan #p.s. if it's going to be like that i'm going to call book 3 Lovecraftian Horror Love Story #and no one but me will think that's funny. #it's always going to be “[whatever] Love Story” bc they SUCK. #ok back to the dark place~

[purple-mushroom-cap]

actually, yeah, let's talk about how frustrated I am about bbc merlin's execution of their plot. let's talk about how the concept of magic was heavily queercoded and everyone in turmoil about the magic didn't have satisfying endings or even a happy one. let's talk about how incredibly queer coded morgana was. let's talk about how bbc's solution to avoiding the queerbaiting "bury your gays" trope was subverted by burying every character. let's talk about merlin losing every single fucking person he loved and then killing off arthur right after merlin "comes out to him."

#listen i don't give a fuck that this show ended 2012 #they did us SO DIRTY #like they were canonically soulmates? #two sides of the same godamn coin? #the fact that the actors and more significantly the PRODUCERS knew how merlin and arthur's friendship looked? #the fact that arthur died in merlin's arms #the creators would have somehow made gwen be there for arthur's death if they thought arthur wasn't in love with merlin #so they knew what they were doing they knew they were killing off their queer coded characters #and im still so fucking mad about it #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #merthur #morgana #guinevere #merlin

[fullmetal-angelgrace]

holy shit madeleine arthur in Devil in Ohio was amazing, like wow, the way she played an abuse victim was stunning, and the way she did homeschool-awkward, and especially her creepy obsession with suzanne, just wow. what a great series! I was totally blindsided when they said mae planted the white roses

#devil in ohio #devil in ohio netflix #madeleine arthur #im really not sure what is up with her but i like it #also she totally fooled me too. like everytime the sisters were mad at her i alway took mae's side. #but mae clearly put a wedge between suzanne and her kids and then made it so suzanne would come rescue her so she could stay #cuz like. how do you let a kid go who was almost killed by a cult and is likely to still be hunted by the cult #naomi watches things tag #such a good series #i have many questions but i loved it! #mae dodd

[blunderpuff]

my mom hates the house, hates the neighborhood (can't walk to anything/have to get in the car for everything), can't find stuff she packed, doesn't have good places to put her stuff, her big desk doesn't fit in the "office alcove", the cat is days away from being put down and so he's clingy and sad...

MA'AM. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WAS DESPERATE TO MOVE. BUYING THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS SINCE JULY OF THIS YEAR. "MOVING" AS A CONCEPT HAS BEEN THE SUBTITLE OF MY LIFE FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS. YOU DO NOT GET TO BE A PISSY TODDLER NOW. THIS IS LITERALLY ALL YOUR DOING.

#the secret world of merry mac #and she keeps yelling at Arthur to leave her alone but he's fucking dying. he barely eats and he's cold and has balance issues #the poor cat is existing in his final week on this planet and she's just mad at him and taking it out on him #i have basically no furniture (none of it matched and so i didn't mind giving it away/selling it) #so that means my things are all shoved into precariously stacked boxes and i'm sleeping on an army cot #i'm depressed too!! i left a decent paying job doing something i really liked! i would have been fine moving to a different house in town!! #she wanted (1) trader joe's (2) kaiser permanente and (3) her own swimming pool #she got (1) trader joe's 2 freeways/30m drive away (2) no kaiser and (3) no pool #this is how we always move; my mom gets the itch and then we leave. it's not that she wants to move TO somwhere-- it's just AWAY from here #(wherever 'here' is) #so i spent my entire last paycheck on furniture that won't even be here for a week or more #i also hate the (brand new) fridge that came with the house. it's a side-by-side and it's simultaneously stupidly spacious #but also the space is used in such a stupid way that you can't even lay a frozen pizza flat on a freezer shelf #she also collects screws/nuts/bolts/nails/washers like a fucking magpie and so no two are the same #and she doesn't use the correct things for the job and she just put two ROOFING NAILS into the wall to hold a magnet board up #she sucks at home repair (made worse by the aforementioned WRONG TOOLS FOR THE JOB) and so everything is done #with extreme frustration and it turns out half-assed and looks bad #she doesn't wait and/or think about where she wants stuff to go so she's just spent the afternoon hanging things up badly #and the house is going to look like it was decorated by some clown who needs to hang every piece of art they own all at once #we have picture rails so we can swap artwork/photos according to mood/season/etc but no... she just puts EVERYTHING out all at once #anyway i'm so sad and tired and frustrated and angry and it feels really unfair to keep my mouth shut when she says 'i wish we never moved!

[ardenrosegarden]

top 10 photos taken right before disaster

translation:

“You know, Mother, that you can't trust my uncle Richard!”

“So I will not put you in his hands, my good duke.”

“But you, mother, you intend to go there?”

#panik...kalm...PANIK #it honestly feels like philippe auguste is the protag in this one...so making arthur the titular character is...an interesting choice #reading this was 80% ''oh. someone's still mad france lost the aquitaine in the 1150's'' and 10% ''[X] would NOT say that'' #and 10% ''lol. lmao even.'' #this is the 3rd one just because of the heavy foreshadowing that hits you like a brick when you already know what happens #*constance voice* yeah I know Richard and I don't like each other but what's he gonna do about it- order my estranged husband kidnap me? #honey. #arthur de bretagne by céline fallet #twelfth century #shakespeareomnibus #prince arthur #constance of brittany

[lonepower]

it has been nagging and Nagging me (to the point that i may have to get off my ass and do it my own damn self (ugh)) that i haven't yet seen a john and emily au. like please. PLEASE imagine all the ways that could go

#who would win: half the soul of the god of madness or one (1) eleven year old girl #(nobody. nobody in that situation would win. god it would be so fucking funny) #also imagining arthur's role in this. she goes to him for help finding her (??? cousin? honorary aunt? schoolteacher?) #(we know amanda knew her dad but not the details of their relationship...I hope we find out someday) #and parker takes one look at her and then at arthur and is like 'oh no i guess we're dads now' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #john‚ being bullied into submission by a child and the two nicest men in arkham: i want to go back to the dark world ): #(yes i know this is the exact reason he killed her but shut up. shut up let me have this) #malevolent spoilers #this has been a post