#sustainability kings

[formiel1]

it's kinda funny to me how nico and lewis are both vegan

[juniemunie]

[Abandoned by the Lightners, his heart became cracked with hatred.]

Hitting a lil' too close to home?

[regulusrules]

Fic rec time: Hurt Merlin / Protective Arthur edition

As a fandom, I think the only thing we collectively agree on is that, despite the show's incapability in showing us the full extent, Arthur would have readily laid down his life for Merlin just as much as Merlin did and even to worse measures.

Because Arthur is not just bound by obligation when it comes to Merlin; he does it out of faithful love to the man who stood by his side unfailingly all his years as prince and king. The status quo isn't the only thing that Arthur honours; it is their sole dynamic, too.

And that's why fics of Hurt!Merlin/Protective!Arthur hit core the most. Because we finally feel the balance in their equation; the mutuality and reciprocation of their immeasurable love.

So, in honour of just that, here are 5 fics that did justice to Protective Arthur Pendragon:

1. half sleeping, numb with frost by schweet_heart. This fic is the ideal definition of short but ninja. It lives in my mind rent-free. Not only does Arthur have to watch Merlin turn into ice, but he has to go through it knowing that it was a spell meant for him. The Arthur warming Merlin, the hug, the beauty that comes out of this, is just wonderful.

2. My heart is readily yours by yours truly. Listen I couldn't, ok? I couldn't live with the idea that we were constantly robbed of seeing Arthur in all his protective glory. So I said what if I make Uther kill Merlin in front of his eyes and just let him deal with the saving thing? Classic.

3. Dower the Stars by RurouniHime. The significance about this fic isn't just the hurt/comfort,, no, no. It is PINING Arthur Pendragon, to extremes we cannot explain. Our boy was GONNNE in this fic. It is the perfect combination of majestic king and smitten Arthur. So beautifully written.

4. Peace At Last by Mississippi_moon. A Merlin-takes-a-stab-instead-of-Arthur fic? SIGN ME INNNN. These are always my favourite in Arthur's reaction, because of how raw and vivid Arthur is about Merlin.

5. and with my opened mouth i join the singing light by intothefirewego. Reading this after having written MHIRY was the best possible thing that could have ever happened to me. The overindulgence of blood and descriptions of agonised Arthur just resounded in my heart magnanimously. This fic is a literal masterpiece in how developed it was even if its ending fucked me up.

Drop your favourite Protective Arthur fics!

[sleepoutro]

This person on reddit MADE ray’s world famous t shirt holy shit 🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡

[bigfatbreak]

Twilight’s feeling bad but its fine, Sombra called in the squad to brainstorm before the last event! :D

[jojo-schmo]

A confession🌟 (Final Part)

(Part 1)

(Part 2)

[lucidpillows]

"The moment you stop learning or craving new knowledge, I think that's [...] your death ticket"

He's my comfort person and inspiration, putting his time and energy into learning, growing, and highlighting issues he cares deeply about.

[segueintoromanticism]

pradhan mantri shubman gill ko naye kapde dilwao yojna

[kisaraslover]

DO U HAVE ANY BLUESHIPPING FIC REC?????PLEASENIMSTARVINGKSKSKKS

anon kskkasak ITS FINE ILL SAVE YOU OK? here goes:

Scenes from a Kaiba Marriage and Temptation by my blueshipping queen @kisara-kaiba as the opening. the peak of modern life blueshipping fluff, very lovesick, when im reading them its heart full, head empty. youre gonna be lucky to start them now cuz ill be rereading and drawing scenes from them this week👀. itll be like premium fanfic reading.

Enjambment -> this fic might be the single best written blueshipping fic by the virtue of MIRRORING their encounter in ancient Egypt beat by beat, including BOTH of their character arcs and the netflix show vibe of suspense and the sharp, cold and bleak setting is chefs kiss. changed my brain chemistry. still one of my favorite portrayals of Kisara.

Maiden with Eyes of Blue -> Sometimes time needs to slow down and a single scene should be a character study/ hashing out of things you needed acknowledged by canon, the situation is ESPECIALLY dire for Seto Kaiba as ive made my feelings on his writing known many times. This is it. Kisara isnt reincarnated in this one though, but her love for him can be felt in the air. Ngl you could just incorporate this into post canon and it would be fine. canon compliant+ canon enriching.

Shades of Water, Ice, and Sky -> I'm skimming through each fic to see what they were about and i just gotta say: why so heart-wrenching if so short?? theyre in love your honor.

Their Promise: Book I -> ok gonna be honest w you i havent finished this one and the main reason is that i cant go past the SPECTACULAR first chapter. ive started and failed to draw it in its entirety. i open it, i chew on the first chapter like a rabid dog, i close it more often than not. the second reason is it has a lot more angst and heartbreak than most blueship fics do and im weak to that sort of thing. still, if we follow their ancient egypt encounter beat by beat, which is a fantastic way of following and enriching the canon, their first meeting needs to be as kids with him saving her from a cage. chefs kiss.

who are you? -> JUST the right amount of Seto Kaiba immediate fixation obsession on Kisara (which means insanely obsessed)

You Will Crave Your Ancient Roots -> this is so good and so heartbreaking man. Seto and Atem are shot back into ancient Egypt and Seto is only able to slightly alter the events around Kisara. hes fated to fall for that woman every single time and *starts sobbing*

Ancient Rules -> all i gotta say is this Seto Kaiba gives me brainworms. hes chuck full of Passion and Cockiness and Insanity. blueshippers sometimes take out his insanity. he is very unsettling here i love it. Kisara is truly at his mercy..

never forget your first dream -> fem!Set and Kisara in ancient Egypt, this story twists more than just Seto's gender. im a yuri seto truther so its great to have written proof of it. jokes aside, very well characterized Set and Kisara, rich writing.

One in Forty -> pretty short but this one fundamentally changed how i viewed Kisara's canon influence over BEWD cards and her constant and unbendable favor around Seto. canon compliant + canon enriching.

ok so these are the cream of the crop for ME personally, might have forgotten some in my other folders, i might have missed reading some, its probably not all encompassing. but frankly ive liked and saved fics for a single resounding line, single funny joke, one interesting implication about the story or the characters the author wrote up so in my heart theyre all worth checking out, always. fanfic writers are carrying this ship on their backs and theyre all 9 ft tall and im just walking around them, clearing the path, giving them a sip of water and snacks etc. so THANK YOU BLUESHIPPING AUTHORS I LOVE YOUUUUUU

[asteroidtroglodyte]

My dudes. I am pretty sure they just live there. I strongly suspect that Sharks do not perform administrative duties or levy taxes or set borders. C’mon.

[regulusrules]

Hi! Okay so you seem like a very well-read person and I’d love to know if you have a list of your favorite Merlin fics. I just bookmarked all the ones you recommended in relation to the 10 best episodes and now I need more! I’m going on a training camp and would love to have something fairly long to download to my kindle so I can read on flights and when I don’t have data 🥰

Thanks so much in advance!

(Also, I LOVE your writing, I’m so glad to be part of this fandom with talented people like you!)

Hey! Thank you so much for your kind words! OF COURSEE I'd love to recommend you some fics! Likewise— the creativity of this fandom never ceases to amaze me :)

*cracks knuckles and pretends my eyes aren't lighting up rn because my time has finally come*

Long fic recs (50K-100K+)

1. to the world that never let you be by ImperialMint. Look. I'll hand out my own throat so willingly to any scar reveal fic. The trope is just so dear to my heart, and this one in particular was something else. It broadly covered every single feeling you might be looking for in a Merlin fic, and its characterization of both Arthur and Merlin was top tier. I basically sell my soul to any fic that does justice to their characterization, and this one did so much more than that.

2. What I'd Have Done by @flight-of-fantasy. I solemnly swear you will never read something like this fic. I read it in one day from how on edge I was all the time. I had to recount it to my friends in the timespan of three hours because of how much screaming and dramatic pauses there was. Simply, the brilliance of plot here is unmatched. Arthur's characterization as a strategist shook my innards, and Merlin's unapologetic nature was chef's kiss. It's so hard not to give away the plot while recommending this so just.. just read it.

3. Redemption by flakedice, Zerda. Soon, you will find a parallel post to the best 10 episodes with the worst 10, featuring first and foremost The Disir. Honest to God, I could literally go on ages ranting about how much agony this episode brought me. It was the blow that awoke my eyes to the possibility of fuck, this show isn't going to end well. I once thought about shitting on that episode like I did with 5×13 in My heart is readily yours, but fics like these hold me back because they already gave us everything. It gave us the ending we deserved. Gold. Everything in this was gold. The world building, the character development, the fact that Arthur has been given time. Truly a fix-it that fix-ed my heart.

4. Talking about deviations from The Fucking Disir, The World I Built for You by Fulgance is a must. It was the first fic I've read from the How They Didn't Find Out (magic reveal one-shots) series, and from then on I was * s o l d *. Whichever fic you decide to read from this, I guarantee you, you will have the time of your life. Fulgance is the one author I will always recommend without a shadow of a doubt. There is not a single work of theirs that will disappoint you. They will only break you.

5. Deep In My Heart I'm Concealing by @citharaposts. True story about this fic, I squealed when I read its summary. “I'm not standing here as a king, Merlin!” was the quickest catalyst to ever make me start a fic. I specifically wrote a spoiler-free comment for the author and left it in the first chapter so that anyone who's thinking about whether or not to go into yet another 100K fic will rest assured that it's an amazing ride. Have real fun with this one.

6. It Was One Kingdom, Once by queerofthedagger. Two things, if they happen, you leave everything behind and go thank your God for blessing you with it: @queerofthedagger posting a new Merlin fic, and it being a Royal Hanahaki AU. Like so many other tropes the author has nailed, this was the best Hanahaki I've ever read (across fandoms). It's so intricate and detailed and the world building is on another level. If our world was burning and I had only one thing to save, it'll be the works of this author.

Hope I helped, and hope you have so much fun in your camp!◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕

[Short fic recs]

[runningmunson]

“Sustainability is a big thing in my life, it’s something I’m very passionate about. The whole idea of single-use outfits just grinds my gears." -TGC in GQ

[mediumsizedpidegon]

enough of ichigo taking the soul king's place. thematically and power-wise, orihime replacing the corpse on the throne is far funnier and also twice as agonizing for everyone involved.

[higherentity]

[loveandthings11]

Jeremy and Jessica at the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards ❤️