#but i also don’t know if anyone would be interested

[stopbeeping]

Going mad without you - CL & MV

summary: Avoiding your soulmate can drive you mad. Charles has first-hand experience with that.

notes: soulmates AU. Things are gonna get a little dark after this one. Thanks, Charles, for turning into a creep.

Part 1

If someone showed up in your life and told you they were your soulmate, would you believe them?

Sure, there are signs. When you look into their eyes, you see the same color you had admired so much as a child, when you could easily teleport to a certain kid for playdates without your parents knowing. And there’s also a connection, some invisible string that pumps a warm sense of familiarity into your veins, telling your heart this is the person you should spend time with, the one you should trust with your life and most precious secrets. 

So… Would you believe them? 

In all honesty, she didn’t want to believe in this. The signs were there, sure, but something held her back, a little voice that convinced her brain that this was insane. She had a boyfriend, someone she loved very much, someone she truly believed she could spend the rest of her life with. Why would she risk this for the unknown? For someone who retreated the moment he learned about the idea of the two of them being soulmates–okay, he was a kid, he got scared–and then decided to watch her from afar instead of talking to her about this.

Max was supportive. He gave her space and time to decide what to do, to get to know her soulmate if she felt like it, and he didn’t bomb her with questions about him. Yes, he was interested in the whole teleportation part, and the way they could always find each other, but he never asked for details. It’s none of my business, so I don’t want to know, he said. All he cared about was the whole concept of this connection, because so far he hadn’t met anyone who had a soulmate, and he was beginning to think it was just some stupid myth.

During the break, her phone’s screen often lit up from new messages, many of them coming from Charles who was beginning to become a little desperate. At first, it was just a casual How are you? Then it turned into How about a drink? Which led to Please, don’t ignore me. And her personal “favorite” was the lengthy, probably drunkenly written message in the middle of the night about how he couldn’t function without his other half, how his heart hurt from her absence from his life, how he could feel it in his bones that they were supposed to be together. 

But by then, she just didn’t feel like giving this a chance. She was happy now, she was at a good place, there was no reason to throw it all away. Charles was nice, sure, maybe they would even have fun together, but even being friends rang the alarm in her mind. If they became friends, there was a chance she would fall for him, which would mean she would leave her boyfriend and start a new life with her soulmate. She didn’t want that. Max deserved better, so at one point she sat him down and told him about her decision. He was surprised, but his face lit up upon hearing she chose him. 

And then what she’s been trying to avoid happened. Max invited a few of his friends from the grid for dinner, allowing them to invite others if they felt like it, so Daniel invited Yuki since they were teammates, who invited Pierre, who invited Charles, and that’s how she found herself sitting next to the Monegasque in the restaurant. Aside from occasional glances into her direction, he tried to behave and make it look like there was nothing unusual about this. But she knew; her body felt the heat that radiated from his body, she could feel his gaze on herself every single time, and her ears picked up the soft sighs, the gulps, every single sound that came from his direction.

“So that’s how things will go? You’ll keep ignoring me?” Charles asked her the moment her boyfriend excused himself to discuss something with Lando outside. 

She closed her eyes for a second, deep down hoping he would disappear by the time she opened them again, but he was still there, green eyes watching her intently, tearing her soul open searching for her answer. “He doesn’t know it’s you,” she pointed out, doing her damn best to keep a neutral look on her face. But he only raised an eyebrow in question, as if he was asking what it had to do with everything. “I don’t want him to find out. And to be honest,” she went on, leaning a little closer, “I decided to just ignore this whole… soulmate thing. I love Max. I won’t give up on our relationship for you.”

A hurt look crossed his handsome face, but he was quick to recover. “You said we should get to know each other, to see if we could be friends, but after taking one baby step forward, you suddenly took two steps back. Why?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side a bit.

Letting out a troubled sigh, she leaned back in the chair with her glass of wine in hand. “I had time to think, to consider the pros and cons, and I came to this conclusion. Just… try to accept it, okay?” When he began to mirror her movements and leaned back as well to stay close, she couldn’t help but gulp. This proximity made it harder to ignore the connection that was undeniably there, pulling her towards him like a magnet. But she had made up her mind days ago, she shouldn’t backtrack now. 

To make sure people didn’t notice, Charles decided to move his leg to sneak it around hers, as if he was trying to chain her to himself before she could escape. While she expected him to speak up to tell her he could see through her act, to ask her to give him a chance, he decided to remain silent, and instead returned his attention to his dessert. But he didn’t pull his leg back, not even after Max returned and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to pull her in for a quick kiss. 

“I have a crazy idea,” her boyfriend announced suddenly, his voice low to make sure no one else heard them. When she raised an eyebrow in question, he flashed a wide smile at her and reached into his pocket, from where he pulled out a ring. “Let’s get married. What do you say?”

She was shocked because they hadn’t been dating for that long. Sure, they had known each other for far longer, but it was still so sudden. Yet, the idea itself didn’t seem rushed or stupid. It was just unexpected, that’s all. She wanted to ask him something, but then she felt her leg being pulled away by Charles who still had his own leg hooked around hers under the table. Sneaky bastard, she thought without even glancing in his direction. “I’d be happy to, but are you sure about this?” she asked, completely ignoring the fact Charles was probably watching her out of the corner of his eye. 

Max nodded, then reached for her hand, holding it so he could slide the ring on her finger after she said the word yes. And he didn’t hesitate, the moment that three-letter word left her lips, he already put the ring where it belonged, then pulled her into a kiss. “I love you,” he told her when he pulled away, then bit on his lower lip as he thought. “So, we can have a big wedding like a year from now that comes with a lot of organizing and stress, or we can use the opportunity that we’re in Vegas in November. My vote goes to Vegas, in case you’re wondering,” he added with a cheeky grin. 

“Vegas, huh?” she asked, which was followed by a thoughtful hum. But she didn’t have to think about it, she knew exactly what she wanted. “That’s where my vote goes too.”

Without consulting her first, he quickly invited everyone who was present, answered the questions they were bombarded with, then pulled out his phone to see where exactly they should get married there so he could reserve the place. When she mentioned that it was late, he should wait until the next day, he was quick to point out they were nine hours ahead of Vegas, so practically, this was the perfect time to do it. That was something she couldn’t really argue with, so she just shook her head with a smile, then turned her attention to Daniel who was clearly waiting for at least one of them to be available for a chat. 

After she promised to tell Max to pick him as his best man, she went outside to call her best friend and tell them about the proposal. But before she could hit the call button, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her body, and when she looked up, she found Charles standing there with a sad look in his eyes. “Is that how far you’re willing to go to get rid of me?” he asked quietly. 

As she sighed, she put the phone away and gave him a meaningful look. “It has nothing to do with you.”

“Sure,” he said quietly, moving a little closer while he reached up to touch her face. She didn’t move, she was frozen to that spot, and he took it as an invitation, leaning in so close his lips were almost touching hers. “You know what they say about soulmates? Either one or both of them is bound to go insane if they’re kept apart for too long. I don’t know about you, but I feel a little crazy already.” 

Before she could say anything, he closed the small gap between them and kissed her, his hand moving from her cheek to the back of her head, fingers buried into her hair. And God, it felt right. She returned the kiss, her hands holding onto his arms as they got lost in the moment, and the spell was only broken when they heard someone say, What the fuck? next to them. When they looked over there, they found Max there, his hands curled into fists as he tried to focus on breathing. 

She immediately dropped her hands, but Charles decided to take a different approach when he pulled her against his body, his arm sneaking around her to make it clear he wasn’t about to let go anytime soon. It was a message, a very clear and very loud message that she wished he hadn’t sent. The hurt, the betrayal, the sadness in her boyfriend’s eyes brought her to the verge of tears. It was her fault, she should have pushed him away, she should have tried harder to resist that connection between them.

To her surprise, Max simply reached out for her hand and simply pulled her over to his side. “You okay?” he asked softly as his thumb massaged her hand. For a few moments she was just staring at him dumbfounded, but then she nodded. “That’s why you didn’t tell me about your soulmate, right? Because it’s him?”

“How did you…?” 

With a shrug, he rested his forehead against hers. “It wasn’t that hard. I know you. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me with some random guy,” he explained. 

They both turned their attention to the other man when he snorted. “A random guy? Wow, thank you. Anyway, you can’t play this game for much longer, mon amour,” Charles pointed out with a soft smile. “You and me together? Deep down you know that’s what you want. The thought of not being with me will eat you up from the inside, driving you mad eventually. Trust me, I know. I’m speaking from experience.”

And with that, he raised his hand and returned to the others inside the restaurant, acting like everything was all right. Her eyes turned to Max, watching him with a confused look on her face. He shook his head a little, his palm rubbing her back while he rested his chin on top of her head. “Don’t worry about him. We’ll figure this out, okay? Together.”

“Together,” she repeated after a gulp.

[thechillsquid]

Hillbilly/Blind Eyes Au

More ramblings cause I’m trying to figure out how to write the actual fic out for the dumb au

Mostly with the kids visiting over the summer and how McGucket is also their sorta gruncle Fidds cause him and Stan have a queerplatonic thing going on by that point and Fiddleford actually somewhat knows what to do with kids though he’s still absolutely unhinged but to a slight degree towards the right

Like McGucket has the memory gun around, he just basically doesn’t use it really cause 1. Bill can and has dragged memories back up after he’s tried to erase them in the past 2. He has somewhat of a support thing with Stan

So he’s still got his senses it’s just the fact Stan has lowkey helped corrupt this man’s morals and with Bill constantly asking ‘aren’t you tired of being nice? Don’t you just want to go apeshit?’ eventually the answer became ‘you know what? Maybe I do want to apeshit’

And then there’s Bill, who at that point is dating Fiddleford and has been hit with several realizations about himself over the past 30 years, has kinda sorta lost interest in the destroying the earth thing because he just wants to see what chaos Stan and McGucket get up to, and maybe actually enjoys having somewhat of a family again

And all three of these idiots are trying to still fix this portal without anyone finding out, Bill’s lowkey taken over the shapeshifter’s body/kinda ejected its mind/kinda killed it and is just waltzing about however he pleases (sometimes as a ‘total normal human guy,’ a goat, or whatever other forms he thinks would be fun/convenient) until the portal opens and he’s able to actually physically manifest/they find where the hell Ford went

Ford is going to be thrown for a fucking whirlwind but also I just kinda realized that Bill is also a sorta the kids gruncle cause he’s dating Fidds and him and Stan con people together (though those twos relationship is more platonic than anything)

So like these kids have Stan, Bill, and Fidds; only two of these people know what children need to survive and one of them isn’t even human, Fidds and Bill talk in codes or weird languages sometimes and the kids are just left wondering wtf is going on

Also now that I’m thinking of it more, Bill taking over the shapeshifter’s body offers so much chaos, espically whenever he forgets about playing his part and the kids are like ‘did… did you just blink sideways…?’ and everyone is just like ‘no’ and it’s so clear they’re lying but also it’s so stupid

Anywho yeah, so you got Stan and his boyfriend and this is his boyfriend’s boyfriend who helps him steal cars sometimes

HA, I need to draw more of these idiots

[nqueso-emergency]

re jealously

it’s so funny to me when it’s not only a hc in fanon to have buck or eddie be jealous, but something buddies try to apply to canon.

because we don’t have an instance of this. not a single one. the closest we’ve gotten was:

-buck feeling like eddie was going to sort of replace him in season 2, or at the very least feeling insecure of his position in the team.

-buck feeling jealous because he wanted to spend time with *tommy*.

he has not felt jealous of anyone because of eddie. he was not jealous of shannon. nor of ana. or marisol.

and the moment where i could’ve seen it actually happen was when lena bosko joined the 118 momentarily and became ‘close’ (said very loosely, because we all know how eddie treated her) with eddie. yet, buck never gets jealous of eddie’s friendship with lena. i would argue his feelings here sort of mirror the ones he had when eddie came into the 118, insecure of his place and in season 3 feeling replaceable and having that sort of confirmed for himself.

buck is, canonically, not a jealous person. that’s why he’s so confused in 704, why he takes a while to place how he’s feeling about tommy. he is not familiar with feeling jealous over someone he is interested in, therefore he’s not sure why he feels that way when it’s about tommy.

also eddie is, also, not jealous. neither of them are. so idk why it’s such a popular take that some people pretend it’s an integral part of their characters.

This

[scotfraweek]

It’s here guys! The long awaited list for ScotFra Week! Thank you to those of you who voted on the poll/form

I hope you guys like the list I created. I had to really think this through and really decide how I wanted to organize the Themes/Prompts in a way that would not only make sense but that would be interesting and bring out your creative and imaginative ideas to the event.

Now without any further ado, here they are

🌹Day 1 - October 20

Soulmates / Reincarnation

“Maybe we make it in another universe/life”

“Have we met before?”

High School Sweethearts

Differences Attract

❤️Day 2 - October 21

Humanverse VS Fantasy

“We can build something new, for us.”

“Have you ever wondered, of what could’ve been?”

Long-Distance Relationship

🌹Day 3 - October 22

A/B/O or Pirates/Merfolk

“I was here first!”

“Is this what you want?”

Unplanned Pregnancy

Jealousy

❤️Day 4 - October 23

✨F R E E D A Y✨

Anniversary

🌹Day 5 - October 24

Horror / Supernatural (In honor of Halloween)

“Why is there so much blood?!”

“So everything you said was a lie?”

There was only one bed

Serial Killer/ Haunted House

❤️Day 6 - October 25

Artist/Fan or Detectives

“There was a slight miscommunication”

“You’ve never done this before, have you?”

Love = Weakness

Rivalry

🌹 Last Day - October 26

Angst/Hurt or Post Apocalypse

“Do you remember when…?”

“I trusted you!”

Character Death/Still Alive

The End of the World

🌹 Of course if you guys would like, you can mix and match. If a prompt from a different day fits your idea for one of the Themes, you are more than welcome to use it. You also can use more than one prompt if you wish as well!

❤️ Art, fics/one-shots and moodboards are all welcomed. Anything that you can use to express your imagination and creativity

✨How to submit your works✨

Just tag the account @scotfraweek as well as the #/ScotFraWeek2024 with your submission/post

✨R U L E S✨

Yes, there are rules guys… please follow them

I will not tolerate any bashing of other Hetalia Characters even if it is for the sake of your idea. Please be respectful of the other characters, I don’t want any fan-wars bc someone’s blorbo was bashed

Try to keep politics and actual life events to a minimum, no need for there to also be any actual hate/fighting during the event amongst participants.

I will say this only once, please to not use other artist’s/writer’s work to enter the event. All work must be solely yours. If someone calls you out for plagiarism, I will NOT be defending you, you’re on your own for that

Please, please, PLEASE, and I can NOT stress this enough, but absolutely no AI can be used for your submissions. Once again, all works must be unique and original. If your work requires AI, then it is NOT original. I will not reblog your work if i get the slightest hint of AI work, and believe me, I can tell

Please keep comments on other participants work friendly. Respect the other participant’s submissions for the event. If you do not like someone’s work for whatever reason — Block the user. I will not stand for any hate/bullying in other people’s post because their work did not meet your expectations. This also goes for spectators who will not be submitting work of their own.

Finally, have fun! This event is about showing love and creativity for the french bastard and his ginger himbo hubby. Bring out your creativity and your best suit!

Late submissions will still be accepted up to 3 days after the event is over!

‼️If you feel like another participant’s work is breaking the rules or is offensive towards you or anyone else, be sure to let me know so proper actions will be taken

📫The account’s inbox will be open for any questions or even ideas that you have in regards of the event!

💔I genuinely do apologize, I had truly intended to have this out a few days ago, but … things happen. I hope you are not too mad or upset with me

🤍 Can’t wait to see all your guy’s works next month, see you then!

@hetaliacalendar if you wouldn’t mind reblogging for a little signal boost pls 😭

[suashii]

i am considering making a sideblog for like reading or a mini book club

[turtleblogatlast]

“Haven’t You Noticed (I’m a Star)” from Steven Universe works so ridiculously well for Leo

[creative-robot]

I know The Founders Cut, generally, is the edited scrubbed over version of genloss from Showfall in-universe (as well as a not-8-hour-long-three-stream-binge-night whenever we want to watch it again) but something that struck me as odd and I haven’t seen anyone mention yet, is this warning

It shows up right at the junction where the third act starts, where it appears the Hero is breaking free of Showfall thanks to Hetch. But here’s the thing, while a LOT less than the previous acts the audience still played a significant role in this act, even when really only given two audience interaction choices. Which makes me wonder, how real is this warning, and who is it for? Obviously the audience involved knows what happens past this point, but the audience is also implied to be an integral part of the Social Experiments, which is part of why things start to tweak out when the Founder removes them in the Founder Cut as the Generation Loss generation loses.

My first thought, was that obviously this is another bait and switch, a way to draw the audiences attention, seeing something that’s secret, something that’s not “meant for them”, which is a tactic I could see Showfall using in universe to keep people’s attention and add an air of mystery to their shows.

But

Showfall is doing all their experiments and these shows with a LOT of help from their censors to show it off, displaying a fun silly show that is definitely not uber fucked up and that is 100% just slime don’t worry about it, it’s kid friendly if it’s green! And I don’t think they’d want to bet all their cards on this one experiment doing well enough to their audience to not question the sudden shift in tone that follows this warning. Which makes me wonder.

They did their test, they did their experiment, and the evidence of this last act? I think it was a one time run, they don’t want anyone seeing this, it isn’t for the audience. Act three is specifically to both test and play with their Hero, Hetch’s new lines add a level to this, never once does he call the Hero by their name, just refers to Ranboo as their Role, and he’s not exactly. Nice? About literally any of Ranboos concerns, which wouldn’t really seem conductive to making an audience trust him, especially with his monologue at the end. Ranboo has escaped before, possibly right before act 1 started, they tightened the security on his mask to be unremovably part of them, Hetch doesn’t like the Hero but they’re a fan favorite so he can’t just get rid of them.

Act three is the cumulation of Ranboo being punished for things they don’t remember, for daring to break free from Showfalls control, this is Hetch taking the Hero and essentially majorly fucking and manipulating them to take his frustration out on a fan favorite they can’t otherwise get rid of or give a smaller role like Slimecicle. which is exemplified by the fact that we now know Charlie most likely was never able to actually able to fully snap out of the control, that even in act three in panic and confusion there was at least still a part of him being influenced by Showfall.

So the first two acts are the usual show, they have their posters, they have Squiggles to introduce them, they have goofs and silliness and only a couple slip ups that’re quickly dealt with, the usual rose tinted curtains. Act three?

Do not watch the following material

[ohitslen]

College (uni??) AU catering to my own interests as it should always be hehe :)

[puppyeared]

Was nobody gonna warn me that I would fall a little bit in love with every character in Stardew

[thebestusernamepossible]

I think a really underrated character duo in gravity falls is Dipper and Stan. Like one, I think they are way more similar than people give them credit for. Like Dipper is definitely the one who feels like the ‘inferior’ twin (internally on his part), something reflected in Stan. Also Dipper is generally pretty cunning and willing to throw punches in a Stan-way, you can see Stan rubbing off on him as the show progresses. Dipper in the Stan costume, and that one scene where Stan and Dipper both cross their fingers at the same time for the same promise, both live in my head rent free. In my heart of hearts I think Dipper picks up a bit of Stans con-man tricks in the future (and Mabel goes on some bonding missions w/ Ford, but this post isn’t abt them). Also I just want to say I bet Dipper reminded Stan of a young Ford and that informed some of their early dynamic. Anyway bye just needed this brainworm out

[sea-jello]

M UH MORRO ENJOYERS DOYOU REMEMBER ME

more versions with the slightest difference plus no bg and shading

listen they have a difference. to me

[rithmeres]

'before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves' what a stupid quote. im killing way more than two people idiot

[heyclickadee]

Okay but for all we know Saw and his buddies picked Tech up (alive) on Eriadu.

[resident-gay-bitch]

The demon (marauders brainrot) in me is creating temptations beyond the flesh (compelling me to write a multichap about Wayne Munson & Eddie’s mum growing up) that are unshakeable and deadly (there is no target audience for this bullshit)

[spliqi]

honestly rereading the manga has warmed me up to the idea of junichirou being chosen for the mafia swap a lot. i used to think it was kind of a boring choice but the foundations are well laid out and depending on how naomi is utilized it could be sooooo good

[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