#aro morgana

[gwen-cheers-me-up]

What is your dream aromantic themed fanfic?

Tysm for this ask!

Okay this is super niche, but my dream aro fanfic is a BBC merlin cyborg/android AU where the Pendragons run a company that build AI robots. Uther has put all sorts of laws in place that limit the production of robots by anyone outside of the Pendragons' company (allowing for uncertified robots to be dismantled if uncovered), and the robots are known to be different from humans in certain ways in order to prevent them from having certain rights. Most relevant to the plot: they are not capable of feeling love.

Emrys is the latest model, and Morgana is tasked with determining whether or not Emrys can feel love. As she interacts with Emrys Ex-Machina-style, however, anxiety builds inside her as she realizes she doesn't feel love. And in her world, that means she's barely human.

Interspersed between these scenes, we have an Arthur/Gwen plotline unfolding. Gwen works at the Pendragon's company building AI robots, and she and Arthur fall in love, but when she holds him close, she notices something: there's a...ticking in his chest rather than a heartbeat.

As it turns out, when Nimueh worked at the company, she helped Uther and Ygraine build a son, but it was essential to their business model that the truth about AI robots (that they are no less human than people born from a womb) stay secret, so Arthur's true origin had to likewise be kept from both Arthur and the rest of the world.

While Gwen deals with this new information, Morgana continues her tests on Emrys. Morgana's dread builds as Emrys reveals signs that perhaps he does feel love. She starts listening to her heartbeat regularly, afraid that one day she'll hear a ticking. After all, even this robot is more human than she is.

Emrys, however, cannot feel love. He is simply adapting to the information he is given, and the only way he can see himself becoming free is by proving to them he is human enough to feel love. So he pretends to fall in love with Morgana, using the love stories that have been fed into his algorithm as a guide.

I think this fic would be a fun way to explore the whole "love is what makes us human" myth, and it could go in so many fun directions, like Gwen and Emrys teaming up to fight for the rights of robotic folks or Arthur going public about his mechanical heart, forcing Uther to choose between his son and his business interests.

[rainbowvamp]

Teacher Morgana. Who is deathly terrifying to adults, but the kids all love her. She likes the younger years, 6-10 year olds generally. She doesn’t like team planning or PLCs. She goes out drinking on the weekends but the other primary school teachers never invite her out with them because they’re scared of her. That’s fine because she doesn’t like them much anyway. She’s got a good group of friends who have either open or polyamorous relationships so she can take them home with her, or go home with them, at her leisure without having to explain it to the silly boring teachers from her school. They all know that she’s aro, bisexual, and she’s unofficially sort of in relationships with all of them anyway but it doesn’t need to be labeled they’ve just set boundaries and let them be.

Morgana cares fiercely about her students and even if the teachers (and some of the admin) are scared of her, they know that she always has the kid’s best interests at heart, so when she comes to them with concerns about Mordred, they listen to her immediately, open up an investigation, and learn that his dad was dead and the poor kid had tried to continue as normal because he was afraid of being put in the foster system.

Morgana takes him in because fuck that. She’s got approved to foster ages ago for situations exactly like this.

Only… he doesn’t have any immediately family, and the fostering lasts so long, well into Mordred’s teens (Morgana won’t let them move him unless they prove the home he’s going to is better than hers AND Mordred wants to move) and so she floats the idea that maybe she should just adopt him.

and he’s estatic (“but I’m not calling you mom.” “Duh I’m way too young to be your mother.”) she starts the paperwork and in a year he’s officially her ward (“Morgana, stop calling me your ward. It makes me sound like a delinquent.” “No it doesn’t. Come help me make dinner or I’ll make you eat chips for dinner.” “That’s not even a punishment.” “Cold chips. Cold limp sad chips. Come cut a vegetable.” Eyes roll “yeah okay.”)

She meets Gwen right before Mordred goes to university. Mordred came out to her as bi ages ago, so she’s not even remotely surprised when he starts very obviously trying to hook her up with Merlin’s boyfriend’s sister. She’s a bit surprised by how adament he is, but whatever, he’s always been kind of an intense kid.

Merlin’s over, helping her plan Mordred’s graduation party, and Mordred very obviously asks after Gwen, “Morgana was wondering…” and then asking all sorts of things about her.

Merlin looks at Morgana quizzically because of course he sees what this teen is doing and she just shrugs, drinks her ice coffee, and tells Mordred that she’s not going to be alone while he’s off at university and he can stop worrying.

“Oh of course she won’t be alone. No offense Mordred, but once she knows your safe at uni she’s promised me we can go out again, and I’m very much looking forward to having my favorite drinking partner back.”

“You used to go out?” Mordred asked, and Morgana snorted.

“Yea. But you were my priority and then I fell out of practice and then I was keeping you and I didn’t want child services to be weird about it.” She pulls Mordred into a hug. “And it was absolutely worth it.” She kisses the top of his head and he makes a show about how he’s too old for this, gross, stop, and she laughs and lets him go, and Merlin looks so happy while he watches them.

She and Merlin hook up that night, while Mordred is out with friends. He’s 18 so it’s not risky anymore, but she still makes him leave and promises to have drinks with him over the weekend so long as he brings Elyan and Elyan brings Gwen.

Merlin rolled his eyes and reminded her that Gwen had never shown any inclinations toward anything but monogamy.

“I can be monogamous.”

“Can you? I’ve known you 15 years and in all that time I’ve never seen you willingly and purposefully monogamous.”

Morgana shrugs, collapses back onto the bed and tells him to leave so she can nap.

He kisses her temple just to be contrary, promises to do his best about Gwen, and he gets dressed and leaves.

Morgana stretches leisurely in her bed and thinks about how nice it will be to have anew conquest. She’s been sleeping with the same 6 people for nearly 10 years, and she wasn’t mad about it, but she would like to learn a new person’s body.

She does not include this tidbit when she tells Mordred that she’s seeing Gwen. He really doesn’t need to know that.

[quondam-et-futurus]

New header!

This took... a very long time and includes five different outfits, but it paid off and I’m really happy with it

(I got the images to make it here)

[gwen-cheers-me-up]

Fandom: Merlin (TV)

A (Different) Sort Of Fairytale Ending (10k)

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Merlin & Morgana, Merlin/Morgana, Gwen & Merlin & Morgana & Arthur Pendragon

Characters: Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, Arthur, Gaius, Leon

Additional Tags: Canon Era, Canon Divergence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mild Sexual Content, Aromantic Merlin, Aromantic Morgana, AlloAro Merlin, AlloAro Morgana, Kissing-Repulsed Merlin, Good Morgana, Morgana Knows about Merlin's Magic, Minor Gwen/Arthur Pendragon, Relationship Negotiation, Friends With Benefits, Humor, Angst, Internalized Arophobia, Romance Repulsion, Slutty Merlin (implied), Happy Ending, or: an aromantic fake dating au, with alloaro rep bc the world needs more of it, POV Merlin, POV Morgana

Summary:

Fear settled around Morgana like an icy shroud. They had been careful, yes, but how careful could they be as two magic users practicing in Camelot? If Arthur had found out somehow, then this could be the end of everything. This could be—

“Areyoucourtingmymanservant?”

Morgana stared. Blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

In which Morgana tells Arthur she's courting Merlin to explain why he's in her chambers all the time, but there are a few problems with this plan that she didn't account for.

@camelove Day 4: “Aromantic Day”

[gwen-cheers-me-up]

Fandom: Merlin (TV)

Fortress of the Heart (5k)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Relationships: Morgana & Arthur, Merlin & Arthur, Elyan & Arthur, Gwen/Arthur

Characters: Arthur, Morgana, Merlin, Gwen, Elyan

Additional Tags: Canon Era, Canon Divergence, Camelot's Golden Age, Magic Ban Lifted, Redeemed Morgana, i thought tagging qprs and friends with benefits was hard, but aplatonic fics are in a whole different ballpark, how does one tag a relationship that's not sexual platonic or romantic, and is only one-sidedly familial, dear lord, Aplatonic Morgana, Aplatonic Elyan, Aplatonic Leon, Confused Arthur Pendragon, BAMF Morgana, Some Humor, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Aromantic Merlin, Aromantic Morgana, AlloAro Merlin, AlloAro Morgana, background Merlin/Morgana in a benefits w/o friendship type scenario, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, Court Physician Merlin, Vulnerability, Unrequited Platonic Feelings, Queen Gwen, Conversations, Diplomacy, Isle of the Blessed, POV Arthur Pendragon

Summary:

The magic ban has been lifted, the war has come to an end, and Camelot appears to be on the cusp of its prophesied Golden Age. There are rumors, however, that Morgana is still plotting against Camelot.

Arthur doesn’t want to believe them. He's noticed that Morgana keeps to herself and that she's hardly ever in Camelot except to attend council meetings and pick up magic supplies. But surely there's another explanation?

@camelove Day 6: “Aplatonic Day”