Merlin in the early seasons getting excited every time he meets a new sorcerer only for them to turn out to be evil is a metaphor for younger me searching for aroace rep only to find out it’s only robots and sociopathic villains
the r/curatedtumblr -> tumblr migration is so funny to me. it's like going to the zoo and enjoying it so much you climb into the enclosure to live with the monkeys
*My friends crying screaming throwing up over the newest boy they have a crush on*
My aroace ass: that is definitely a human boy man person who looks like something.
For as unreasonable Uther is at most times, he has a lot of patience for Merlin. He'll constantly say things about how he is just a servant to Arthur. But he knows, and shows many times, that to Arthur he is so much more than that.
He knows who Merlin is first of all, specifically asks him on more than one occasion about Arthur, sees him generally as some sort of authority on Arthur and his well-being. And not in a way he'd just expect of a manservant.
Uther gets mad at people for simply existing in his presence quite frequently. But when Merlin speaks out of turn, he usually just sighs. Like he knows he can't really do anything to Merlin. Arthur would never let him. And he's not stupid, he knows that Arthur can beat him in a fight. He wouldn't risk it. So Merlin gets away with so much. And not just from Arthur, but with Uther too.
In a blink there’s a mace in his hands and Merlin is stood before him, young confused and flinching away.
Arthur freezes, frowns, and then lowers the mace while giving Merlin a confused look. “Merlin,” he says slowly, a warning in his tone that an explanation better be imminent.
But the Merlin standing before him frowns, not least of all at the familiarity in Arthur’s tone but over the fact that Arthur is no longer trying to squash him like a bug with the mace he’s wielding. Arthur looks around. He takes a good long look around him and sighs.
This might be his own fault, but either way…
He grabs Merlin by the arm, ignores the way he starts to immediately squirm to get free and, ignoring everyone in the town around them, marches Merlin to the only place he knows is safe right now - Gaius’ chambers. Merlin complains the whole way but he does so in the same blithe manner he’d done before he knew Arthur and really had things to complain about (Arthur can be self-aware when the occasion calls for it).
Gaius rises when Arthur marches Merlin inside and offers a hesitant, “Sire?”
Arthur makes sure to shut the door before he finally lets go of Merlin. “I’m willing to accept this may partially have been my fault,” Arthur says, which is a very big concession and he’s annoyed that this is happening where - when? - no one is around to acknowledge it. “But Merlin, please tell me you can reverse this?”
“Reverse what?” He asks.
Arthur pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a moment to breathe. “This morning,” he says slowly, like he’s talking to an idiot (he is - at least right now), “I made the mistake of remarking that I wondered what my life would be like if I’d known about your magic from the beginning.”
Merlin makes a choked sound but Arthur isn’t done.
“And now I find myself at the beginning of our relationship. Care to explain?”
Merlin, Arthur could tell, did not.
Fantastic
aroace people really said "the closet? no no no, i'm gonna hide in caves, in the woods and even underneath rocks, i'm gonna be the best damn hide and seek player in the world" because i have yet to find one aroace person in real life
[ Link to survey ]
The 10th annual international gender census, collecting information about the language we use to refer to ourselves and each other, is now open until 9th May 2023.
It’s short and easy, about 5 minutes probably.
ALTAfter the survey is closed I’ll process the results and publish a spreadsheet of the data and a report summarising the main findings. Then anyone can use them for academic or business purposes, self-advocacy, tracking the popularity of language over time, and just feeling like we’re part of a huge and diverse community.
If you think you might have friends and followers who’d be interested, please do reblog this blog post, and share the survey URL by email or at AFK social groups or on other social networks. Every share is extremely helpful - it’s what helped us get 40,000 responses last year.
Survey URL: https://survey.gendercensus.com
The survey is open to anyone anywhere who speaks English and feels that the gender binary doesn’t fully describe their experience of themselves and their gender(s) or lack thereof.
Thank you so much!
[ Link to survey ]
Image credit: Avery at Tradescantia Hub
