bennedict

[bennedict]

Also I know this may sound obvious but if you have to go outside in the direct sun to do things try to do it in the early early morning or even at night if you can! If it is unavoidable definitely follow all of the ideas above. Honestly I would not be able to survive in the Texas summer if I didn’t stay inside places for most of the day in air conditioning. (Or just going out for short periods of time).

Another thing is that swimming pools are GREAT during the summer. I’ve lived in the south all my life so I’m not actually sure if there are a lot of swimming pools in the north but if there are it’s great! I always try to go in after the sun is setting because I am very prone to sunburn. If you are going in mid day put on ALOT of sunscreen. And make sure to reapply. If you are staying out more than an hour, one lather will not do you good after that hour.

If you get a really bad sunburn use aloe vera and put it on every day or whenever it starts hurting again really. Cool showers are also best because hot one will hurt the sunburn.

Also! You can get sunburns on your scalp!! They are super gnarly! If you have a prominent hair part put sunscreen on it if you don’t wear a hat. Wearing a hat is always better in my opinion because then your hair doesn’t get greasy. But either work. Also put sunscreen on your ears. They can get burnt too.

My mom actually got skin cancer on her scalp because she would never put sunscreen on it. And lots of people forget. Shes ok now and thankfully they caught it early. Just something to remember.

Wow. This addition became really long. Sorry about that. I hope this helps someone tho!

For all of the northerners that stood up for Texas during our freeze and said, "Don't make fun of them, they've never dealt with this before. Their infrastructure isn't made for snow and freezing."

This one is for you.

Where I live 108°F with 80% humidity with no wind is normal.

Pacific North West is dealing historic best waves 35-40°C or 95-105°F.

First of all. Don't make fun of them for bitching about the heat. Just like Texas isn't built for a freeze and our pipes burst, Pacific North West isn't built for heat and a lot of their homes don't have AC.

If you live somewhere with a high humidity like 80+ HUMIDITY IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. The "humidity makes it feel cooler" is a lie once it gets beyond a point.

If you live somewhere with a lower humidity, misters are nice to cool off outside.

Once you get over 90°F (32°C) a fan will not help you. It's just pushing around hot air. (I mean if you can't afford a small AC unit because they're expensive as hell, by all means a fan is better than nothing).

If you have pets, those portable AC units aren't safe. If your pets destroy the outtake thing, it'll leak CO2. Window units are safer.

Window AC units will let mosquitoes or other small bugs in. Sucks, but that's life.

Now is not the time to me modest. If you have to cover for religious reasons, by all means. If you don't, I've seen people wear short shorts and a swim top. It's not trashy if it keeps you from getting heat stroke.

If you do have to cover up for religious reasons, look for elephant pants or something similar. They're made with a breathable material.

Shade is better than no shade, but that shit it just diet sun after some point. Don't think shade will save you from heat stroke.

I know the "drink your water" is a fun meme now, but if you're sweating excessively you need electrolytes. Drink Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialite PLEASE. I don't care if you're fucking sitting in one spot all day. That shit WILL save you from heat stroke.

Most importantly. RESEARCH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT STROKE AND HEAT EXHAUSTION PLEASE!

If you're diabetic and can't drink Gatorade, mix water, fruit juice, and either lite salt or pink salt

If you can afford it, cover windows with thick curtains to insulate the house

If you have tile floors, lay on them with skin to tile contact. If you don't, laying your head on cool counters works too.

If the temperature where you're at is hotter than your body temperature, don't wear heat wicking clothing. Moisture wicking is safe though.

Check your medication labels. Many make you more susceptible to sun and heat

-Room temperature water will get into your body faster. This is something I learned doing marching band in high summer in Georgia, and it saved all of our asses. Sip it, don't gulp it, especially if you're getting into the red; same goes for whatever fluid you're drinking. And just in general drink during the day.

-If you are moving from an air conditioned space to an un-air conditioned space, if at all possible try to make the shift gradual. When my dad and I were working outside and in un-ac houses a few years ago, he'd turn the air down to low in the truck about ten-fifteen minutes before we got where we were going. This way your body doesn't go from low low temps to high temps. S'bad for you.

-If you can, keep your lights off during the day. Light bulbs may not generate a lot of heat, but the difference is noticeable when it gets hot enough. I literally only turn my bedroom light on in the evening when it gets too dark.

Don't be afraid to just like... pour water on yourself if you need to. The evaporation will cool you off.

Put your hand to the cement for 15 seconds. If you can't handle the heat, it'll burn your dog's paws. Don't let them walk on it.

Dogs with flat faces are more prone to heat stroke. Don't leave them out unsupervised.

Frozen fruit is delicious in water.

Wet/Cold hat/handkerchief on your head/neck will help you stay cool.

Pickle juice is great for electrolytes! You can even make pickle juice Popsicles!

Heat exhaustion is more, "drink water and get you cooled off." Heat stroke is more "Oh my god call 911."

Image Description provided by @loveize

[Image description: an infographic showing the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The graphic is labeled "Heat Dangers: First Warning." Signs of heat exhaustion: faint or dizzy, excessive sweating, cool, pale, clammy skin, rapid, weak pulse, muscle cramps. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat exhaustion, get to a cool, air-conditioned place, drink water if conscious, and take a cool shower or use cold compress. Signs of heat stroke: throbbing headache, no sweating, red, hot, dry skin, rapid, strong pulse, may lose consciousness. If you think you or someone else may be experiencing heat stroke, call 911. End description]

Be safe.

-fae

[bennedict]

Lightweight is Arthur second one is Merlin

(this is a screenshot off instagram)

someone please please write more merthur fics like this

i’ve read some but I NEED MORE!!!!

[bennedict]

My TGCF Fanfiction (Hualian)

Post Canon Fics/Canon Divergent

When the Ghost King Plays Heavenly Distractions

Return to Me An Eternity with you isn’t Enough Always in my Heart

Modern AU

It's Just Fucking Coffee This Love is for You

The Slow Creeping Crawl of Friendship

Nothing can Compare Obliviously in Love The Rest of My Life

Your Voice All Day Long

Fantasy/Supernatural AUs/Other

The Monster by My Side I Want You I’ll Risk it All for You

I’ll Find my Way Back to You Soft Kisses Against Skin

[bennedict]

Queer characters in HxH

btw this is da part 2 and I wanna say tysm to my 4 new followers (hope i'll get more haha ^^ )

we got: @ph4nt0mk4rm4 @satur-no0o @jubilentj @sx44x

And a biiiiiiiiig thank to @musicalmoritz

Anyway....

Is there lgbtq+ characters in hxh ?

Guess what... Yeah !!!!! there's a lot!!!!!

Before I start listing them all, just know this: Hunter x Hunter is a QUEER reference. It’s honestly one of the most respectful mangas out there when it comes to minorities — whether we're talking about LGBTQIA+ people, women, or Black and Arab characters.

P.S.: If you’re looking for Killua — I saved him for last (best for last, lol ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧) And my next post will be all about him x3!!

1.Alluka Zoldyck

Alluka is one of my favorite characters, and in my humble opinion, she's the best trans representation in any shonen manga to date. ^^

But just look at that angel face, hellllllllllllll... she's just too cute!! <3 <3 <3

Actually, Alluka's case is pretty unique, since the fact that she's transgender comes more from headcanon than official canon (to me though, she is clearly a little trans girl 🏳️‍⚧️).

There are several things in the canon that really make me think she's trans:

The Zoldyck siblings are all boys — Kalluto isn’t a girl either (I'll explain that later).

Her whole story (like Killua’s, in a way) feels very coded as a trans narrative.

For example: her family hides her away because she’s “different” (they literally walled her in, the poor thing).

Everyone in the family — except Killua, the only one who truly loves and respects her — refers to her as “he” instead of “she.”

And remember that moment when her older brother told Gotoh: “Alluka is a girl, so she needs a woman to accompany her — not some scary old guy.” 😭

they are so cuuute i can'tttttt

but we also got this:

Illumi keeps calling her "he", and we can’t really check what she was like as a child because her clothes were gender-neutral.

And don’t even get me started on her hair — that’s a trap! Just look at baby Killua, he had hair just as long as hers!

2. Hisoka Morrow

To me, Hisoka is basically a drag queen. I mean, think about it — the guy fights in high heels! That alone is unheard of.

And then there's his body type — it looks a lot like the way women are drawn in manga:

It’s pretty over the top… especially since he wears makeup and crop tops.

And I won’t even talk about Hisogon here, sorry Pdiddy fans.

Also, it’s CANON in the manga that he’s married to Illumi — who is a man — which makes Hisoka a bisexual man (remember Machi?).

3. Pito

In all the stupid debates about HxH (which are super heated and that I often join...), one of the most popular is: Is Pitou male or female?

For those who don’t know HxH, Pitou isn’t human or a cat... Pitou is an ant.

Yes, an ant. (When you really think about it, HxH is pretty weird...)

In the anime, Pitou uses the pronoun “boku”, which is usually used by boys, though some girls use it too, but it’s often seen as a tomboy thing.

Really, it’s all about translation and personal opinion, since in French and English versions, Pitou is called “he.”

For me, Pitou’s a girl — because I think she’s just too badass!

4. Kurapika Kuruta

Like I said earlier, the whole MamaPika thing is really funny, and like in many anime, it all comes down to perspective and culture.

How was I supposed to know???!!!

For example, the very first time I read Hunter x Hunter, at first glance I thought Kurapika was a girl (because of the dress).

But actually, no. I know that in the 1999 anime, the pilot of the Hunter Exam boat hinted at Kurapika being a woman. (I couldn’t find the screenshot, sorry hahaaaa...)

Also, Kurapika uses the pronoun “watashi”, which is gender-neutral, so it’s hard to tell his gender...

And honestly, Kurapika is pretty androgynous!

This might be connected to the Leopika ship, which reminds me of the classic BL Togashi loves, like Patalliro (which I’ll talk about later with Killua).

Here, Bancoran (on the left) and Maraich (on the right) — just to clarify (in case) — both are men.

Leorio and Kurapika

5. Kalluto Zoldyck

Killua’s little brother is the youngest in the family.

And yes, I said “brother” because Kalluto is canonically a boy — only his mother insists he’s a girl (but honestly, everyone in that family is crazy).

I think it’s stated in the Data Book that Kalluto is a boy.

Also, in the 1999 doujinshi Weekly Togashi Empire, Yoshihiro Togashi said that Kalluto was inspired by Hotaru from Sailor Moon (another reference... I guess Togashi and Takeuchi really liked each other).

Hotaru in Sailor Moon

Kalluto in Hunter X Hunter 99

A little side note about her plot: she’s looking for her brother (Killua) to bring him home and play with him.

Bad news for Kalluto — Killua hates her, just like all the other family members except Alluka.

6. Illumi Zoldyck

Looks like we’re going to meet the whole family...!

Illumi is the eldest sibling and follows a strange Japanese tradition where the oldest brother is the head of the family.

Well, it’s true Silva has more authority, but still...

What shampoo do you use, please?

My chapter about him will be short because, honestly, I don’t like him btw ^^

Illumi is married to Hiso-Hiso, so he’s either gay, bi, or something else—I don’t really care.

The only interesting thing about him is his psychopath-level powers.

7.Ging Freecss

Guys, since he apparently impregnated himself, I think Ging Freecss is ArOmAnTiC !!!

Just kidding haha!

Honestly, I think he’s gay because... uh... Pariston?

There’s a really weird tension between them. It’s just… creepy.

Honestly, we don’t care if he’s gay!!!

No, the real problem is his son!!! But how???

There’s actually a theory that Gon doesn’t have a mom. Well, he does, but his mom is Ging.

Sounds weird when you say it like that, but you have to remember HxH is weird anyway, so...

Actually, in Greed Island there’s a VERY special card:

So this card lets anyone get pregnant.

And with all the mysteries around Gon, I think his crazy dad must have tested the card for his game and, well... that’s how Gon was born!

It’s hilarious, but I’ll probably talk more about Gon’s weird birth in another post dedicated just to that.

8. Gon Freecss

My favorite character aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

He’s super cute oh my goooood.

But, uh, the IQ didn’t stick with the brain.

So get this: Gon is so dumb that he can’t even tell the difference between “a date with a girl” (I quote) and just going grocery shopping with his aunt (because his dad went out to get milk lmao).

I have questions about him!!!!!! But not right now, I’ll save them for later (or not).

Most of the fandom thinks Gon is pansexual (yep, I know them all heheeeeeee).

Mostly because he doesn’t care about anything (his best friend is literally an assassin).

And also because... he blushes just as much around girls, boys, and dolphins.

But look at him — he’s just too iNnOcEnT!

Oh wait… wouldn’t that be the ant he decapitated with his own hands???

helppppppppppp

9. This Guy...

What is this help me omg

Okay sooo this is a chimera ant ....

he's in love with another ant so he is ... antsexual ???

10. Another drag queen ( or idk what is this )

11. Morena Prudo

She is so cooooooooooooooooool my favorite antagonist all the time ( false )

I pretty sure that she is lesbian becauz she already kissed females and only females...

Okay this was randomer than my whole life btw

So Morena' pretty strange and intelligent. When she was playing with Borksen she was... evil.

Seriously, I think they’re going to be the new-gen Meruem and Komugi! The way she teases Borksen so much about it being her first kiss makes me pretty skeptical, and I can totally see them trying to destroy the world together lol!

12. Killua Zoldyck

So, this guy is my favorite character!!!! I absolutely love his story—it’s incredibly beautiful!!!

I’m really sorry to my first followers because I know his story is super loved by the community, but I wanted to post this Tumblr as fast as possible, so I’ll develop it more in my next post. Sorry again!!!!!

I’ll try to focus on the most important points without getting sidetracked...

So, Killua Zoldyck, one of the Zoldyck kids (between Milluki and Alluka), and his story is EXTREMELY coded as a gay character, and I’ll try... to prove it to you in just a few lines (and by playing with emotions, as always).

First of all, he runs away from home to take the Hunter Exam, where he meets Gon:

Then they become best friends, blah blah blah, BFFs—nothing really interesting there, honestly...

To understand some things and most of the subtext Togashi scattered throughout his work, you have to dig into hidden info, bad translations, and databooks.

Regarding our young assassin, we’ve been more than spoiled:

Romantic birthdate

Romantic theme music

Character design inspired by boys’ love characters

Reactions heavily inspired by shoujo, and so on

The Birthdate

Killua’s birthdate (July 7, 1986, calculated by myself) perfectly matches the Japanese Star Festival (Tanabata). You should check out the official Killugon video (for French speakers) or Sash Mash (for English speakers) that explain this legend in more detail.

In short, it’s the story of two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, who loved each other so much they neglected their work. Orihime was the daughter of the sky god and worked for him every day weaving without ever seeing anyone. Hikoboshi was a farmer in a village on the other side of the river. The king introduced the farmer to his daughter, they fell in love, blah blah blah—boring and cheesy, but it’ll be useful for the next point.

Very angry about them neglecting their work, the king separated them to punish them, each on one side of the river. The only night they could see each other was July 7. So Orihime waits, and finally comes the awaited day...

Except there’s a problem—she can’t cross the river by herself, so she begged the gods, who sent her some birds to build a bridge.

That’s how they meet every July 7, and that’s why the day is celebrated.

In short (very badly explained), that’s the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi.

For HxH fans, despite my messy summary, you probably noticed their story resembles Killugon’s... Let's think aboout how I forced with the word canary... what a coincidence! But it’s not over!

Remember that scene where Killua talks with Meleoron, who worries about him and Gon if they ever have to run away? Killua answers that in the worst case, "they’d both die."

Well, that might sound okay, I’ve seen worse in other anime, but...

That translation is wrong, or rather, it was too difficult to translate and explain to readers without spoiling the subtext. Here’s the Japanese version that I’ll of course translate for you:

In the little panel where he’s supposed to say “we’ll both die” in the English version, in Japanese he actually says: “sayaku shinjuu da na.”

This hits hard for Japanese readers, who are now pretty much convinced that Killua is in love with Gon... For English speakers, that phrase carries a very romantic undertone.

If we were to translate it accurately, it would be something like: “At worst, we’ll commit double suicide.” Yeah — definitely not the same vibe anymore.

So, what is shinjuu? (I’ll keep it brief.) It’s a word that comes up a lot in Japanese literature, especially in romantic contexts. Shinjuu is basically the Japanese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet — a tragic love between two people who can’t be together in life, so they die together in the hope of being reunited in the afterlife. (It’s super heartbreaking, I know, ughhh (╥﹏╥))

That’s why I really don’t think this line was a joke or something to brush off. I believe the author did this intentionally.

Because Killua grew up being told that he’s not allowed to love — that no one would ever love him.

I won’t get into all the details (you’re probably familiar with the series anyway), but the way he’s manipulated and made to fear his own feelings by his family really mirrors how some real-life families reject or even demonize homosexuality.

Then there’s his character design — which is very clearly inspired by Maraich from Patalliro.

Here is Maraich Juschenfe from the manga Patalliro. And yes, he is a man.

By the way, the author even said that Hiei was inspired by a character from Patalliro! and so he even said that killua was inspired by Hiei — which happens to be his favorite manga, and yes... it's a BL.

Mariya Ise's Interview

Mariya Ise is the official Japanese voice actress for Killua. In a 2022 interview (if I’m not mistaken), she responded to a fan’s question:

— (a woman asking): “For those of us who have same gender fiance, we love Killua, we love Gon, we see ourselves in their relationship. So my question is: Do you think Killua is in love with Gon?”

— (Mariya Ise, translated): “Of course he is! I mean... if he wasn’t, why would he go that far for this guy?”

So that’s the point of view of the woman who literally became Killua for years — and worked closely with the anime staff.

Hiroshi Koujina’s statement

In this interview, the director of the 2011 anime, Hiroshi Koujina, says that he sees Gon and Killua as a married couple, with Gon being the impulsive husband and Killua the smart wife who keeps him grounded. (Those are his words, not mine...)

I'm sorry, but I had to cut the article short because of the large number of images...

Anyway, I know I forgot a ton of other characters, and you can remind me of them in the comments. Have a great day, and thank you for reading!

[bennedict]

Hi yall! What are some of your favorite bl or gl manga recommendations? I’m looking to read some more manga and would love to hear what are some good ones!

[bennedict]

-_- apparently the cut-off for this thing I want to submit to (which closes tomorrow) is 70k words, and I’ve got 67k

I need to think of three thousand words of bullshit to pad this thing. like a chapter where everyone goes for coffee, or something. 

[bennedict]

To me there are pretty strict names for all of these! The brown one falls strictly in jacket territory because of the zipper. The grey is a sweatshirt/hoodie and the white is a crewneck.

okay so I'm having a debate with my flatmates

are these all different things and if so what do you call them

[bennedict]

Yall I loved this movie so much when I was a kid. I would watch it over and over with my friends. Now looking back it was probably because I had a crush on Madison

I’m watching Splash (1984) which is a romcom about a guy who falls in love with a mermaid, and when she chooses a human name she chooses Madison and guy says “that’s not a real name, but alright” which seems to imply that Madison was not a name until at least the 80’s and all girls named Madison are actually named after the mermaid. thought you should know

[bennedict]

Related but not related do bee keepers clip bees wings? I don’t know that was a thing. Also you a freak but I feel you. Let your freak flag fly.

if I were a bee I'd fetishize the idea of a beekeeper clipping my tiny wings so I can't escape (remembers you're not supposed to say shit like that) I mean yesterday I ate two yogurts normally

[bennedict]

YOU say it’s too gay. I say not enough. Make Leorio and Kurapika do the nasty. I dare you.

(Jkjk… unless👀)

Guyyyyys there’s only so much gushing in the comments I can do on a single fic! Pls go read Witch Hammer by Chaumont so I can talk about it with more people!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59475553/chapters/151679878

READ IT READ IT READ IT

It’s so cool and interesting and heart wrenching and beautiful. Killua is a demon hunter in it and Gon is inhabited by a demon. SO GOOD. It’s about Killua learning to love and become someone other than a weapon and Gon learning how to deal with the guilt of what the demon inside of him did.

[bennedict]

Guyyyyys there’s only so much gushing in the comments I can do on a single fic! Pls go read Witch Hammer by Chaumont so I can talk about it with more people!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59475553/chapters/151679878

READ IT READ IT READ IT

It’s so cool and interesting and heart wrenching and beautiful. Killua is a demon hunter in it and Gon is inhabited by a demon. SO GOOD. It’s about Killua learning to love and become someone other than a weapon and Gon learning how to deal with the guilt of what the demon inside of him did.

[bennedict]

AGHHH this is so good!!

[bennedict]

normal drawings and a bunch of height comparisons for no reason

[bennedict]

OHHH MY GOD you’re a GENIUS

Hey Fam, have we considered a time travel au where S2 Merlin gets lost on a hunting trip with Arthur and a few others near the crystal cave and Taliesin offers Merlin to lead him back but instead of back to the party they go back in time and instead of his Arthur Merlin meets a tween Arthur who also got lost on a hunting trip and was attacked by a beast until Merlin saves him and only after realising that it’s Arthur at twelve so he fumbles a bit, especially since little Arthur has an inner conflict of being saved by magic vs. certain death, but also bc Merlin basically revealed to have magic before they actually met. And Merlin tries very hard to reason with Arthur that he’s using magic for good and that future Arthur and him are friends, that everything is fine and that he’d protect Arthur for as long as he’ll live. Then Merlin is called back to his time and he tells little Arthur that he’ll find him in the future a la howl’s moving castle and when Merlin stumbles back into his time just in time for his Arthur to find him in the same clearing as all the years in the past and Arthur goes ‘Where have you been? We were looking for you!’ to which Merlin answers with misty eyes and wavering voice ‘I’m sorry it took so long’ and Arthur stares at him and understands and Merlin understands and they have a Moment™️ only interrupted by Leon wondering why they are staring at each other and that’s where his long suffering started.

And that’s why Arthur asks Merlin if they know each other in Episode 1.

[bennedict]

Yesssss this is so good!!!! Merlin is so badass in this!!!

Arthur is cursed into eternal sleep

He is not waking up, and everyone is lost for answers on how to save their King.

Except no one knows Arthur is wandering around as a spirit, or a ghost, perhaps his soul is outside his body. The usual trope.

He can see and hear everything — but he cannot talk to anyone. He is completely helpless.

One night he sees his uncle enter his rooms with a blade in hand. It’s an ornate dagger carrying the House of Du Bois sigil. He leans over and holds it to his throat.

“Not so powerful now are you, My Lord” He sneers. Arthur feels dread wash over him like cold water down the back of his neck.

His uncle!

His own uncle, his last living relative and direct ties to his mother was about to slit his throat while he slept. Arthur was about to watch his own death and there was nothing he could do.

Agravaine is testing different angles. “How shall it be, huh? Quick and simple? A clean cut?” He paused. “No. My sister died a painful death, her blood spilling out as she lay dying, just so Uther could have an heir. You shall die a similar way.” Agravaine was entirely too pleased as he looked down on his sleeping nephew.

“No one can help you, no one can save you now, not even Emrys”

As the man begins to add pressure on his hand and aims for the neck to cut, Merlin enters from the servants door as if he had been summoned by the Gods.

Arthur has never been more elated and scared at the same time.

Agravaine is frozen in place. Merlin, moving quicker than Arthur has ever seen him move, is by Arthur’s side and holding his hand over Agravaines.

“Ah, Merlin” Lord Agravaine is cheerfully calm, as if he hadn’t just been caught attempting regicide. The blade was still pressing against Arthur’s throat.

“I was just helping my newphew shave. It’s so dreadful to see him like this” He tutted with a condescending tone.

“I shave His Majesty every other day” Merlin’s cold stone voice is like thunder from clear sky.

He grips the knife with his hand, and if the blade cuts into his skin, he shows no sign of it. In fact, Merlin’s face remains impressively blank throughout their silent conversation.

“I think you should leave now.”

Found out and frustrated, Agravaine drops the blade onto Arthur’s chest and moves towards the door. A few droplets of blood splatter against the white linen of his shirt.

Merlin stays still with his eyes focused on Arthur’s breathing chest. Only when the traitor reaches the door does he speak.

“Lord Agravaine” Merlin’s words stop him in his tracks.

“What?” He spits out, no longer able to conceal his true feelings. Disgust and hatred is clear in both in his voice and in his features. The older man turns and stares at the servant.

Arthur fears for both of their lives.

“I wonder what Queen Ygraine would think of your actions here tonight.”

“I beg your pardon!”

“I wonder what your sister would think if she knew that you were having an affair with her husband’s bastard daughter” Merlin elaborated. He looked entirely too comfortable taunting the man.

Arthur tried to move in front of Merlin, to save him from his uncles anger, but Agravaine moved through him as if he was nothing but smoke.

Agravaine reaches for his sword, but Merlin is quicker. “How dare you call her that! I will strike you where you stand”

“But it is true. You claim to love Ygraine, but instead of supporting your sisters son, you betray him for Uther’s bastard child”

Agravaine moves quickly with his sword raised. Merlin stops him with the hidden sword Arthur keeps beside his bed. Only Merlin knows of its existence.

He never knew Merlin was such a skilled swordsman.

Despite his age, Agravaine would easily win a sword fight against Merlin. Arthur tried shouting for help, but no one could hear him in his ghost state.

“I’m not the sort of man you wish to antagonise.” Merlin pointed his sword at his uncles chest. “And you certainly do not wish to make an enemy of me. Just ask Morgana what happened to her sister. Or to Nimhue. Or Cornelius Segan.”

“You think you can kill me?” Agravaine laughed at him and pushed the tip of the sword away.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Who says it will be me? Tell me, my lord. Do you know the name of the servant who dresses you each morning? Could you recognise him in a crowd? Do you even know the name of the cook that makes your food? I do”

Merlin was so calm and collected it was scary. Even Agravaine seemed to be unsettled by his tone.

“I know every knight, servant, and guard in the citadel. I know who dresses you, which servants prepare your wine and who makes your food…and maybe my hand might slip...”

“You threaten to poison me like you did Morgana” He hissed in realisation.

Poisoning Morgana? When on earth had Merlin done that?!

“Maybe. Who’s to say it would be poison. I could kill you any manner I wish. Either way, you’ve overstay your welcome and I must ask you to leave the Kings chambers.”

“I’m the Kings uncle and a high lord of the council, you cannot order me about!” He was sweating with anger now, and his condescension had turned righteous.

“Guards!” Merlin shouted. Half a second later the door opened and four men appeared, swords in hand, ready to defend their King.

Arthur let out a sigh of relief. Finally, Merlin was safe.

“Yes Merlin?” Sir Alfred asked while eying the two men with their swords drawn. It was quite the scene, Arthur admitted.

“Please escort Lord Agravaine out of the Kings chambers. He is not to enter again without my permission.” Merlin lowered his sword and walked back to the bed where Arthur’s still body lay.

Agravaine laughed at this, but quickly realised that he was the only one who saw any humour in it, when two knights strong-armed him. “Unhand me at once! How dare you take the word of a servant over the word of a Lord!” His fighting was easily combated by the expert knights. He had lost.

Sir Alfred looked him in the eyes. “By orders of the King, we are to treat every word from Merlin as if they were his own. If Merlin says you’re no longer welcomed in the Kings chambers, we will act accordingly.”

They dragged the lord out of the room in an undignified way.

Arthur watched as the door clicked shut and Merlin finally showed some emotion. Falling to his knees before Arthur’s bed, he grabbed his hand and kissed it.

Heaving with tears and shock he choked out “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” He kissed his hand again. “I won’t ever let him come near you ever again, I promise.”

Arthur wanted to assure his friend that he knew Merlin would keep him safe, that he trusted him more than anyone else in the world! But no sounds came out of his mouth.

When Merlin got up he began touching Arthur’s chest and throat, seemingly feeling his heartbeat and pulse underneath his fingers. “You’re safe, you’re safe, you’re safe”

He reaches down and presses a kiss to his forhead mumbling words mostly to calm himself, rather than to address the sleeping man before him. “Arthur is alive. He’s alive”

[bennedict]

Ohhhh my god so beautiful and androgynous. I love his full hair! Your art style is beautiful

Trying to draw Kurapika in my style right- gimme like 3 more drawings I’ll figure it out

[bennedict]

Omgggg this is so good! I love a Merlin and Leon friendship

How Sir Leon and Merlin became friends

It’s back in season 1-2 and Sir Leon is on patrol with the Prince and the other knights.

He hears and sees Merlin talk rudely and loudly to his highness, breaking all sorts of decorum, flirting with another knight, (surprisingly Sir Kay doesn’t seem to mind) and spending most of his time feeding the horses treats instead of attending to his duties.

(“There you are horsies, some nice crisp apples for you — I know I know, it’s awfully rude of Arthur to drag you out here in the cold, I hate him too”)

Once they return back to the castle he writes his usual report on the events; cataloging how many bandits they fought, how many lives or equipment lost, who got injured and who took charge. The usual.

He included a simple note on Merlin’s behaviour, and hoped it would be subtle enough that the Prince would take matters into his own hand, and make Merlin stop embarrassing himself and the Prince in the future.

He hands the report over for Arthur to proof read before officially filing it with the other reports. Sir Leon had, perhaps foolishly, thought the prince would appreciate his notice of Merlin’s behaviour but instead Arthur tears the report in half and orders him to:

“Write it again and dont mention Merlin. If you have a problem with him, you come to me. Any slight on his character is a slight to mine, do you understand? He has my absolute trust”

Sir Leon doesn’t understand, not yet anyways.

But nevertheless, he writes a near similar report, no mention of any servants this time around, and His Highness accepts it and files it with the rest.

Over the next few months he tires to observe Merlin and his behaviour around the prince. Just as a precaution! After all, the safety and wellbeing of the Heir to the throne lies with him as knight commander and closest friend.

He notices that Merlin is always the last one to go the bed and the first one up. He singlehanded does all the chores Arthur sets him, even the ones that are beneath him in station, and really is just an embarrassing punishment set by Arthur.

For the godssake they have multiple stable hands and errand boys, Merlin should not be mucking out the horses and running around the castle fetching Arthur’s things.

He seems to sneak out at night to walk an hour to the lake and chat to a woman who lives in it. Leon hides in the bushes as he watch Merlin rant about Arthur’s smelly socks to an apparent goddess.

Merlin is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Helping Gaius and the citizens of the lower town, teaching the young stable boys how to count and write, mending Arthur’s torn clothes, brewing his tea and cooking his food, carrying buckets of water all by himself up ten flights of stairs, changing his bedsheets and polishing his armour.

Leon found himself wondering how the young boy stay so cheerful and kind whilst being so overworked? Does he ever have time to eat or sleep?

But then one night while on guard, Sir Leon would come to truly understanding Merlin. He hears hushed and harsh whisperings around the corner to the royal hall, so he draws his sword and peers around to listen.

It seem Merlin has cornered Lady Celia, and is blocking her path to the Princes chambers.

“Just give the flask to me, and I will tell no one” He demands in a tone of voice Leon had never heard from him before.

“I don’t answer to you, servant! Let me pass, or I shall scream. Then you will see what happens when you try to stop me” Leon didn’t need to see her face to know that she was smirking at him.

“Scream all you want, I don’t care. Arthur will belive me, and I doubt the King will be happy to hear how you tried to poison his son”

“It’s not poison! It’s simply —“

“A lust draft, yes I know. I recognise the colour and fragrance. You bought it three days ago from the traveling merchants. I saw you”

“Oh I see…the little servant fancies himself a spymaster. Stay out of this, or I will make your life a living hell” She sounded entirely too confident and it was starting to grate on Sir Leon’s nerves.

“Doubt you can make it any worse than what Arthur already does” Merlin mumbled, mostly to himself before continuing in a cold levelheaded voice;

“Your plan of seducing the prince and forcing him to marry you out of honour and obligation is disgraceful. I know you’re upset he didn’t dance with you at the winter feast last year — yes I noticed that too! But this is not the way to go about romance. A lust potion will be easily discovered by Gaius and your neck will be on the line. Hand it to me, and I will make sure this never happened”

Leon tightened his grip on his sword as he heard Merlin’s words. To think that someone had planned to accost His Highness tonight and Leon had no idea! He felt shame build up inside him. Lady Cecil’s voice drew him back into focus.

“Oh shut up little cretin! You’re nothing but a lowly servant, who in their right mind would believe your words over that of a Duchess? Your words mean nothing” She sneered.

Sir Leon had heard enough and decided to make his presence known. As he turned around the corner he held his sword drawn.

“But mine does. The King and Prince will belive me when I tell them what happened here tonight.”

Lady Celia drops the flask and it shatters upon impact. A strong aroma of roses and marsipan fills the corridor. She looks ashen and starts shaking.

Merlin on the other hand looks pleasantly surprised at his entrance. His body completely relaxed where he’s stood guarding Arthur’s door. Where the hell are the guards?! Did she get them too, Leon wondered for a second, but he had more pressing concerns at the moment.

“Besides, Merlin is not just a servant, he is the personal servant of the Crown Prince. Furthermore he is well trusted by all the knights and staff. And if you wish to go by social standing and birth…my word as Earl of Blackhall, and Knight Commander of Camelots army trumps yours.”

Merlin allowed a little smile at that.

“Now, if you will follow me my lady, I shall ensure this ends better than it would’ve had you tried to entrap the prince tonight.” It was an order and she knew it.

Lady Celia hmpft and walked ladylike over to him, carefully stepping over the broken glass, and potion soaking the stone floor.

He took her arm, and held it tight. Leon tried to conceal any further disgust with her as he turned to Merlin and asked him to gather as much of the potion as he could. “It will be needed as evidence. And please clean of up afterwards — I’d rather no one else falls under any enchantment”

“Yes, Sir Leon” Merlin said faintly, nodding his head at the older knight.

“And you’d better wake His Highess and alert him” At this simple request Merlin groaned and dropped any sense of dignity and respect.

Kicking his feet in a childlike manner he moaned “Ugh, why can’t you do that? He hates being woken up, and I would know because I wake him up every morning. He’s such an ass when he’s sleepy!”

Sir Leon grimaced as he was all too familiar with Arthur’s morning grumpiness. There’s a reason he always asked someone else to do it. Still, he had to feign some level of decorum.

“Merlin! That is an order. Fetch His Highness and tell him what you discovered. I shall bring Lady Celia to the council chambers and alert the King”

“Alright alright” Merlin huffed and hung his head. “But if he throws something me again, I will say I told you so!”

From this day on, Leon never once doubted Merlin’s character or loyalty towards his prince. He knew that he had finally found a man whom he could trust completely around Arthur…even if he was always late with breakfast.