Horrifying. I Love It.

one thing the show doesn't care about enough: the dragonlords and the dragons themselves. they were hunted to extinction. merlin is the last of his kind. and he'll never know anything about being a dragonlord because his entire family and anyone who might've known about them is gone. how do you fix that? you can't. there's nothing you can ever do to make up for something like that. absolutely nothing.

and i love fics that explore arthur surviving and struggling through the realisation of just what kind of monster his father was for everyone else but also. they rarely focus on that bit of history, on the fact that uther actually managed to destroy that part of magic completely as merlin is the very last of his kin and there are only two dragons left (the first one won't live much longer and he has no knowledge on how to help the second). uther actually did eradicate something, it wasn't magic as a whole maybe but an entire branch of it is just gone.

12 Days of Medieval Illuminations. Today, 11 medieval suns. (Getty Museum)

i watched Excalibur

Once i thought about Merlin's stupid metal hat and I couldn't stop thinking about it, and now you're cursed too with the image of Merlin in metal hat

Elyan was being haunted by this watery ghost child and was being really freaked out by him but when he first actually talked to he went 'you're so cold' and then just hugged him like

why does no one talk about this??

Merlin/Arthur | Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Word Count: 500

Emotional Hurt/Comfort | Survival | Injury Recovery

For @merlinmicrofic with the prompt "starting over"

Merlin and Arthur find refuge in a small broken down cottage

☾ ☾ ☾

Before Arthur knew what was happening, his hand was on the hilt of his sword. He almost evicted Merlin from the mildewed thing they called a bed. 

Cold hands found his neck, his face in the dark. “It’s just thunder, Arthur.”

He lay back down and Merlin lay on his chest. Their hearts slowed together. The rain on the broken roof went on.

“I’ll work out the spell, I promise.”

Gone, for now, were Merlin’s entreaties for Arthur to return to Camelot. They would face whatever came next together.

Arthur drifted, until water dropped down on his forehead. He groaned.

Arthur strode across the small, disused field, carrying a hare by its ears. It was dusk and ahead of him was their temporary salvation, a little lopsided cottage, with a field of its own taking root on what was left of the roof. 

When he let himself inside Merlin was there to greet him, making no secret of the fact he had been peering anxiously though the little window. 

“I caught a hare,” Arthur told him.

Merlin grimaced but nodded. “I heard it screaming.”

They needed more than the meagre meals they had made of fried hazel catkins and cleavers.

Merlin was making use of a sturdy ash rod they had found while they were still running, the burns on the outside of Merlin’s right leg and his feet were still healing and the tightened skin gave him a limp. But he was dispelling any illusions Arthur had of his frailty, advancing on him now like a storm.

Arthur dropped the rusted hoe he’d been using.

“I told you! There’s no use in planting when we’ll just have to run again!”

“Your spell...”

“There’s no spell!”

“There could be if-”

“If I try? You do it, if it’s so easy!”

The ground was uneven here in the green wood. Merlin told him that this place had been used by a charcoal maker, he had no doubt that the earth here had once smoked hellishly. He checked their traps. The woods went on. But where was Merlin? Where did he leave him? Feelings of temporary safety, images of holding Merlin in a suntrap somewhere fled from him. He panicked, called his name.

Then an answer. “-thur! Arthur!”

He saw him, ran, caught him.

“Arthur! I’m sorry, I'm sorry,” he soothed, then he grinned. “My spell worked a little too well, then?”

Their little shelter was golden with the morning sun and so, just for a moment, were Merlin’s eyes. Arthur found he couldn’t let go of his hands, feeling they might just fall to their knees in relief otherwise. They were safe, anyone who tried to find them now would be gently guided away.

“Promise me this isn’t forever, Arthur,” Merlin beseeched quietly. “Promise me we’ll return and you’ll be king.”

“We will return, when the time is right, when you’re healed and we have a plan.” He pulled him close. “Until then…”

“Until then…” Merlin’s eyes fell to Arthur's lips.

Ahhhh @mythandmagic!! I am shook, humbled, thankful, amazed, all the things!! Look at them! This is so perfect, the way they look, the stars 😭❤️?! THANK YOU for this and for all of your lovely comments on Ao3!

please Please PLEASE everyone go read Like Every Tree Stands on Its Own by @mightybog it is phenomenal and has deliciously altered my brain chemistry. AND there's a sequel in the works which is sure to be just as marvelous and heartwrenching and beautiful as the first.

Seriously, I have been rotating this story for days, even made some picrews about it (courtesy of ElenaA's Kiss Crew, beloved).

Anyway, please go read and kudos and comment and show her some love because she deserves it.

For Aithusa doodles, may I suggest Aithusa with her head stuck in a doughnut, or tangled up in a curtain she was hiding behind, or maybe trying to drag Excalibur off even though it's much bigger than her?

She’s so so helpful!!! (x)

Okay but what if I snap and write a full-fledged fic of Arthur becoming king in s1 and how it could have changed the entire course of the show.

Greek Child's Play

Published in 1945 by Little Brown & Company, Adventures with the Gods by Catharine Sellew and illustrated by George and Doris Hauman is a charming primer created for young children. It contains sixteen stories featuring the heroes of Greek mythology as well as the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. The book even includes a handy index of all the characters' names and how to pronounce them. This delightful collection of stories provides an accessible introduction to the fascinating world of Greek mythology, making it an enchanting read for both children and adults.

Catharine Sellew, an American author, has a talent for turning ancient myths and legends into children's stories. Written using simple language and ideas, her stories create an almost fairytale-like experience for readers. It's no surprise that her works are captivating and beloved by many.

George and Doris Hauman were a married couple and American children’s book illustrators. They are perhaps most well-known for illustrating the popular 1954 edition of The Little Engine That Could. The couple decided to collaborate on projects because they had so many customers in common. They also used a joint signature for all of their illustrations.

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-Melissa, Special Collections Classics Intern