simple part's right, the sun is very bright

letters • she/her • everything except rhyme or reason • AO3 Icon: byalicewilliams

[readingbythequire]

"When Arthur reaches for Merlin’s hand, Merlin is a little surprised. When he brings Merlin flowers, Merlin can’t help but wonder who they’re for. And when Arthur envelopes Merlin in his arms, Merlin is startled to say the least. When Arthur's eyes drift to Merlin’s lips and stay there, Merlin begins to suspect something might be amiss." Arthur and Merlin are courting. Merlin just doesn't know it yet. Inspired by this post by @inamagicalhallucination | Full fic: Mine and Yours

When Arthur reaches for Merlin’s hand, Merlin is a little surprised.

For the past several minutes, he’s been hovering over the prince, preoccupied by a particularly stubborn fastening on Arthur’s chain mail. The urge to magic the blasted buckle into place is strong. A spell is poised at the edge of his lip when the leather slips from his hand again. With a grunt, Merlin leans closer.

Arthur stiffens. Merlin braces himself for the inevitable accusations of useless prat or hopeless idiot. Arthur remains frozen.

Merlin pulls back, a quip at the ready. The words crumble on his tongue as he notes the tense planes of Arthur’s face. The trace of uncertainty in his eyes.

The sight is as rare as it is puzzling. It’s just a jousting tournament, after all. The knights practically throw themselves off their horses when facing the prince.

“Are you all right?” Merlin asks. His hands settle on Arthur’s shoulders.

Arthur’s eyes meet his own. Merlin nearly flinches at the intensity of his gaze. In the sunlight streaming through the windows, his eyes are crystalline, glimmering like miniature lakes. Merlin grows still. A forceful thought runs rampant in his head. How beautiful.

[cloudabserk]

🩵

[readingbythequire]

finally watching project hail mary next week, can't wait to stop speed scrolling past every other post on my dash to avoid spoilers

[readingbythequire]

well that broke my heart and put it right back together

[polartss]

the mockingjay

[pangur-and-grim]

Queer Books and Authors are at a Breaking Point

Authors, agents, publishers: every part of the industry is seeing the strain of five years of escalating anti-LGBTQ censorship.

[pangur-and-grim]

if you'd like to show support, here are some upcoming queer books:

When Life Gives You Corpses is a brilliant YA about a cursed praying mantis who falls for a young witch. Yield Under Great Persuasion is a raunchy, but surprisingly sweet story about two men repairing their relationship. Fabulous Bodies is a horror story about a queer rockstar rising from the dead.

This is Where the Future Bleeds is a fantasy set in a vividly imagined land, where two women (who happen to kiss) are the key to healing the broken sky. You're No Better is a story about a teen struggling in the shadow of his murderous parent. Oil on Canvas is about a woman who finds disturbing paintings in the home of her dead mother.

and then here's a list of 26 queer books by Black authors set to publish this year, and a 10 upcoming books by trans authors. if you want to fight back against queer censorship, use your wallet! or (if that's not an option) you can contact your local library and ask them to stock a copy.

[exhuastedpigeon]

Happy Pride all the queers in my phone. But an extra happy pride to all the bisexuals in straight passing relationships. To the trans people still living in the closet for their safety. To the nonbinary people getting misgendered. To the ace and aro people who sometimes feel like Pride isn’t for them. To the BIPOC people who face discrimination in the queer community. To everyone who feels like they aren’t queer enough.

You are enough. Pride is for you.

[soni-dragon]

[i'll keep the king, i'll keep him safe from the dark things that wait]

submission for @merlintarotfest! also on ao3

"Perhaps my father was wrong. Perhaps the old ways aren’t as evil as we thought. So, what should we do? Accept magic? Or let Mordred die?”

[“It is you and you alone that can keep Arthur safe.”]

“There can be no place for magic in Camelot.”

[buffyspeak]

i lied the funniest thing about merlin is his unexplained years long beef with the head cook n the castle for no particular reason

[ineffably-a-fangirl-99]

Love this @pyjamacryptid

[the-murchanski-creature]

thinking about them on June 1 is part of the tradition at this point

[kateammann]

Happy Pride Month to all of my fellow aces!! 🖤🩶🤍💜

[arobats]

okay i know it's 2025 and it's just over eleven years since bbc merlin ended

but

pet peeve is that so. so many magic reveal fics. which i do adore. agree that arthur has the right? basically? to be angry and feel betrayed that merlin never told him. that merlin didn't trust him enough. when really like. idk bro. why would he? how often did arthur continue to rail against magic and say it's all evil and the only "concession" he gave after becoming king was like not pursuing the druids and going out of his way to continue persecuting magic users as harshly as his father. he didn't exactly give any reason for merlin to believe that it was safe to come forward???

bbc merlin was really about a war on gays (or whatever insert marginalized group here) fighting on the side of homophobia, huh

[oracleofdiscord]

(via @sneakyboymerlin )

[readingbythequire]

See, while I wouldn't say that Arthur has the "right" to feel angry and betrayed, I can understand why he'd still feel those things. Because he's inherently seeing the revelation filtered through his own experiences, which magic has unknowingly tainted his whole life – everything from his parents' deaths down to his own birth, even his capability to survive long enough to become king.

Unlike the allegory it represents (being a member of a marginalized/the LGBTQ+ community), the use of magic by various people has constantly affected Arthur without his knowledge. And to find out that the person he trusted the most has been a part of that can feel like a betrayal of his confidence because at least some of what Merlin has done, despite it being for Arthur's sake, has undermined Arthur's agency and left him out of significant choices concerning his own life.

This is much better explored in this thread I came across a while ago.

But I will also add – it does make me feel uncomfortable to be advocating for Arthur, given everything he represents, and I'll never fault Merlin for keeping his abilities a secret. Arthur's anger and betrayal may be understandable to a degree, but that man needed to be far more grateful and sorry towards Merlin and the people he and his father oppressed for so long.

[limbel]

THE UNNAMABLE, SAMUEL BECKETT | 'cage' for @morgwenmicrofic

[likecommonpeople]

No more Merlin begging for Arthur’s forgiveness after the magic reveal I think Arthur should have to beg and plead and sob for Merlins forgiveness. I think he should have to fall to his knees and babble apologies for how awfully he’s treated him and how he’d do anything to make it up to Merlin for everything he’s ever done and said, not only against magic but also against Merlin. Idk

[emcheeseman]

more sketchbook pages and calligraphy practice, shakespeare this time

[klimtsonian]

“None of us can choose our destiny, and none of us can escape it.” 🏰🐉✨

[frogmerthur]

women of bbc merlin as greek goddesses for @morgwenmicrofic prompt: mythology

[ariesrin]

I love characters who would die for each other but will not, under any circumstances, communicate a single honest feeling.