unflinchable | Somarium App - updated // reapp

[Player name] Ru
[Age] 22
[Personal Journal]

[Other characters currently played] N/A

[Character name] Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot
[Age] 27
[Canon] Merlin BBC
[Point in time taken from canon] After S5 E4

[Background]
Here

just want to note that this a reapp, Arthur will not remember his time here before and everything was updated to include his new canon point
[Personality]
Arthur Pendragon was raised knowing that one day he would be crowned King of Camelot. Because of that he had to learn specific traits, but he did more than that, he embodied them. As royalty he had to be noble and have a high moral standard, as well as impeccable manners. It would be easy to just pretend that he’s some nice guy but actually be a complete ass, but that’s not Arthur. (Okay, that may have been Arthur when he was a bit younger and inexperienced, but he grew out of that, mostly. He has times when he can revert back to immaturity but that’s only because at times he is incapable of dealing with feelings in an adult manner.) As a knight he took the knights’ code to heart, he is chivalrous and brave, cares about the people of Camelot, from his father, Uther, to Gaius the medical man, to Gwen and Merlin, mere servants. Since Arthur always knew that he would be king, he spent a lot of time thinking about just what kind of king he wanted to be. He knew that he wanted to be strong like his father, respected but not feared (as his father is) but also kind, fair, and just. Even before he became king he embodied these traits.

Along with being raised as royalty comes a type of snobbery, Arthur is no exception. He has fine tastes and high standards, when visiting Ealdor, Merlin’s home village, he is disgusted by the food Merlin’s mother gives him, but at the same time learns to appreciate the food he has been given. He’s spoiled and a bit entitles, he’s (Prince/)King Arthur, why shouldn’t he get what he wants? Often Arthur uses his title as an excuse not to explain his actions to Merlin, he’s the king and doesn’t need to explain himself dammit. At first Arthur couldn’t be half assed to do menial labour, that’s what servants are for of course, but throughout the series he learns to do more things for himself, especially when it’s to help others, (Tristan was shocked when Arthur started gathering firewood). Arthur is arrogant but learns to understand what commoners go through. He believes the menial tasks are simple, how hard could it be to clean and cook and do whatever it is Arthur wants them to do? So when something isn’t up to his standards he has no problem insulting Merlin, his manservant, about it.

But then again, Arthur just may like insulting Merlin, it makes for interesting banter as Merlin won’t take his BS even if Arthur is his king. For example, Merlin has no problem telling Arthur that he’s getting fat, he may enjoy seeing Arthur getting self conscious about his weight (his belt is not one hole shy from being perfect, okay?). Even if he likes being treated as a person, he has no problem treating Merlin like dirt from time to time. Or a lot. Arthur is patient with him for the most part, but sometimes you just really need to throw things around, usually without any rage or ill-will behind the toss. There is a reason behind that though, Arthur doesn’t know how to express his feelings in a mature manner. Part of how he was raised was about repressing his feelings for the good of the kingdom, so when confronted with things like friendship and people who genuinely care about him, he doesn’t know how to handle it. So when Arthur throws things at Merlin he doesn’t really see it as abuse but as, in his own words, horseplay. It’s nothing serious and this manly display is easier to deal with than friendship.

One of the most obvious things about Arthur is that he is fiercely loyal, perhaps even to a fault. He will do anything for Camelot and the people he cares about. All of his knights are important to him, so is his father, his servants, the people of Camelot, and even Morgana who has betrayed him. Arthur is kind and willing to help others, he’s a good person. He both likes and doesn’t like being treated as royalty. On the one hand, it’s what he knows best, others have always treated him like that, and why shouldn’t they, he’s Arthur Pendragon. But he also likes when others treat him like a person rather than a figurehead, perhaps that’s why he likes Merlin and Gwen so much, they treat him as real even if they know that he is their king (and has been their king since before Uther died and Arthur was officially crowned). It is with them, and his knights, that one can see how witty Arthur really is, and how important his acquaintances/friends are. Still, Arthur both keeps his friends close and at an arms reach, he needs them but doesn’t want them to get hurt on his account. He is good at hiding what he really feels or what he really thinks. At the same time, Arthur is a very honest person, but he often cannot bring himself to tell the people close to him that they are important, and when he does he then plays it off as a joke, showing he has a hard time articulating his true feelings (sometimes all you can ask for is an awkward pat on the back).

But that’s with good reason, of course. One of Arthur’s biggest mental conflicts is balancing what is good for himself versus what is good for Camelot, even if they are often the same thing. He is often told that it is foolish to try and save his servants, but he cannot let the people important to him suffer. By rescuing the common people he is gaining popularity, people want a king who cares about them even if they are poor (especially since he realizes that they cannot be taxed any more than they already are). Arthur could have married any noblewoman he wanted and made a strong alliance between kingdoms, but he turns them all down in order to focus on his feelings for Gwen, Morgana’s handmaid. That really works out for him in the end though, he gets to marry for love and he shows people that status does not matter, they are still people. The same message gets out when he knights those of non-noble birth and they end up being his best knights, they would die for him. Arthur’s good at making Camelot love him, almost like he’s charmed them.

And that brings up the subject of magic, and, in turn, destiny. His father, Uther, has pretty much declared war on magic, anyone suspected of being a sorcerer gets beheaded or burned. Horrible things have happened to Camelot because of magic, and sometimes things happen that make Arthur think that Uther’s war is just, and magic can only really cause harm. But Arthur isn’t blinded by rage as his father is, he does realize that magic can be used for good and that not everyone who uses magic is using it to cause harm to others. Which is good considering his destiny is intertwined with Merlin’s, a sorcerer, even if Arthur doesn’t know it yet. This swaying view on magic is enough to cause conflict with his father, both before and after his death. Uther expects much of Arthur, and Arthur tries his best to fill his father with pride and reach his expectations. Most of the time Arthur does just that, and the times where he does go against his father is with good reason. The last thing Arthur wants is to let Uther or Camelot down, he would die before he let that happen, and he is fully willing to give his life for Camelot, even if he fears what would happen if he did. But if Arthur believes it’s the right thing to save a women accused of sorcery and was being sentenced to death without having a trial, he’ll go ahead and rescue her. He is the king, after all, he has that type of power.

Arthur has rather complicated relationships. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say, Arthur has no simple relationships. His relationship with his father is full of politics and conflicts. Arthur knows that he needs to listen to Uther as he was the king, but that doesn’t mean he always needs to agree. He had a love-hate relationship with Morgana, and even after she betrayed Camelot and has made attempts on his life he cannot fully consider her an enemy. He fell in love with a serving girl and marries her, even if laws don’t really allow them. Merlin is a rather incompetent manservant, so Arthur thinks, but Arthur really enjoys his company and values his opinions, even if he would never admit it (but everyone else knows it’s true, when Princess Mithian is there for a few days she tells Merlin as much). It’s not right to take council from a servant. A servant that he has spent a lot of time rescuing and protecting his life when he should be doing more princely/kingly duties. But hey, friendship is important. Besides, Arthur and Merlin need each other. His relationship with his knights may be the simplest he has, they are extremely loyal to each other and would do anything for the others. Trust is hard to come by, and he is often betrayed, but he still find it in himself to trust those around him.

One of the more surprising things revealed about Arthur as the seasons go on, is his ability to admit his own faults. When he was younger he led an attack on a Druid camp (the Druids are a peaceful magical community) and told his men to spare the women and children, but when he noticed some ignoring his orders, he froze. He still remembers and regrets that day, understanding that even if they had magic they were innocent people. He carries a lot of regret with him. The themes of faults and regrets also seep into his relationships. With Morgana becoming evil and hell bent on getting the throne, Arthur knows that he needs to stop her. He accepts this as fact not because it would preserve his own life but because he believes that Morgana would harm Camelot. Even through that he still misses and is sad to lose his sister, even if they bickered a lot they were still close. Uther believes that Arthur is driving the kingdom to ruin and even though he highly values his father’s opinion, Arthur does not regret the changes he has made by knighting common-birth men and marrying a servant girl. His actions may be against his father’s wishes, but everything is for Camelot.

Even as king Arthur is adventurous, he enjoys hunting and taking risks, but also knows that he needs to be cautious. Even so, he is headstrong and will not be swayed from the task he has set his mind to which sometimes results in acting rashly, especially if the lives of his people are at stake. Others tell him that his life is more important than theirs, but he cannot bring himself to believe something like that. He often deals with the conflict of balancing his inner knight and the idea of the inevitability of war with his compassion and the peace he wants to achieve. He realizes the counter productiveness of killing for peace, so if it is he that his enemies want, it is he that they will get. Even as a king he wants to be in the action and serve as protector, he’ll always rise to a challenge.

[Abilities]
Abilities

[Other important stuff]
Arthur is going to spend a lot of (if not the majority of) the beginning of his stay muttering about the evils of magic and how he's king and no one is respecting him, dammit. It should be fun for everyone. Except Arthur. And Morgana. And possibly Leon. Or really anyone who gets on the wrong end of his frustrations. ~~Okay, maybe just fun for me then.~~

[Sample post]
[First Person]
The following sample questions/prompts are OPTIONAL. If you're stuck, feel free to use these to your advantage.
MINIMUM OF SIX (6).

- What do you think of your home world?
[Arthur sits up straight, his tone is rather kingly and diplomatic, as if he’s choosing what he’s saying very carefully] World? Camelot is truly the best place around, I can imagine no better place to live. We have ample fields and can boast about having the best and most loyal knights around. I hope to be a fair and just king when I return, someone the people can look up to. As for the rest of the world, if they are respecting their boarders and not harming my people then I have no reason to quarrel with them. There are some kingdoms I like more than others but that is to be expected.

- If you could go back home, would you? Why or why not?
[He looks a bit offended by this question] Of course I would return home, I have a kingdom to run and I’m sure that as soon as word gets out that Camelot is missing its king that boarding countries will begin preparing for an invasion. I can only hope that our allies will come to our aid if the threat of an attack becomes reality. What kind of leader would I be if my kingdom fell while I was not around because I was too busy answering these silly question?

- If someone provoked or attacked you, what would you do?
[oh this causes some flashbacks. Hey, Arthur, remember that time someone taunted you and you attacked them and continued the curse on Camelot? Good times. But he answers seriously] It would depend on the context. I cannot let an attack on my honour or pride go unpunished but if that warrants death or merely time spent in the stocks depends on the situation. But let it be known that no attack would go unpunished and I am rather skilled at defending myself. [Trained to kill since birth, or so he told Merlin the first time they met]

- Someone is trying to rob you! What do you do?
If someone got close enough to rob something off of my person, I would have to berate my knights for not doing their duties. But that aside, I would attack the robber and demand they pay for their crimes. [Arthur doesn’t say that if the man had a good reason for it, like starving children, he may give him a few coins and let him be on his way, he can understand desperation]

- Your country is in the middle of a war. What do you think of it? Do you support it or try to solve it yourself by going on an epic quest? Explain.
If Camelot is in the middle of a war I would have to support it, it would have been my decision to start the war in the first place. I have faith in the skill of my knights and know that they will proudly defend Camelot, but if the opportunity arose that I could end the war by going on a quest, I would not turn that down. The safety of my people comes first.

- Murder. What is your opinion?
This is once again a situational question. During war time are you not murdering the opposing kingdom’s knights? But that is what must be done and that is a knight’s job and noble duty. There is nothing wrong with that. Is there something wrong with killing another to feed your family and your people? Those are the questions a king must struggle with, but as your question has no basis, I cannot fully answer it. [he pauses] But there is always something wrong with walking up to a man and killing him unprovoked.

- You have two options: either save your friend who is hanging from a cliff, or chase after the bad guy who put them in a position. If you choose the former, the bad guy will get away and it will be hard to catch him. If you choose the latter, the cliff will crumble and the friend will fall to the spiky rocks below. What do you do and why?
I save my friend, of course. Most likely I am not out alone with one other person, and my knights could go after the bad guy, or save the friend hanging off the cliff, which would most likely be Merlin. But there are times when I am out with only my manservant by my side and of course I would save him before looking for his attacker, do you know how difficult it is to find a good servant?

- If you could destroy a city, how would you do it?
[Arthur…. Does not really understand this question] With an army?

- You're dirt poor and your family is starving. You have a chance to steal bread. Do you: a) ignore it and get a job, b) steal it anyway because you know you won't get caught, c) get caught but break out of prison anyway, d) steal it and then hide from the creepy cop that keeps stalking you, e) don't steal because stealing is wrong :(. Explain why you chose that option.
The chance of my family being dirt poor and starving almost does not exist, but I will play along. I would not steal the bread, I would get a job and work until I can afford the bread. If it takes some time to acquire a job I would depend on the good graces of my people, but I would never go so low as to steal from another.

- You see a bloody knife on the floor. What do you do or think?
I would think that my knights would know better than to leave a weapon uncleaned, as that would dull the blade. Or I would berate Merlin for not doing his job.

- If you could change your current lifestyle or job career, what would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything, I just want to be the best king for my people and kingdom.

[Third Person]
Arthur turned the dreamberry over in his hands, he knew that eventually he would have to get used to using the thing, he'd have to come to terms with the fact he really didn't know how it worked. No one seemed to believe that it was sorcery and part of him couldn't believe that it was some kind of technology. To him it was still some type of magic, and his father would never forgive him for using a magical item. It didn't matter that Uther Pendragon was long dead and could no longer disapprove of everything Arthur did, he was a constant shadow and often influenced his choices (then again, Arthur already knew that Uther disapproved of his choices, what was one more?). The dreamberry wasn't even the only thing, this places had these machines that washed and dried clothes as well, something that would surely free up time for servants (not that he had any servants here) but he still didn't like the idea. Part of him wanted to use the dreamberry and the washing machine and the dryer just to spite Uther, to prove that he was his own person and could make his own choices, no matter how difficult it was. Arthur remembered the few times he went against his father, when he felt truly passionate about something, like repaying Merlin for saving his life or saving a poor village outside of Camelot’s boarders. He knew that magic being evil was more ingrained in him than always listening to everything his father said (although when Uther was giving orders he was more the king than a father) but it was still difficult. He could feel Uther’s disapproving gaze on him as he stroked the dreamberry, but he couldn’t let that stop him, he couldn’t let a long dead father control his life any longer, especially in a place where Uther could not reach him.

It was now or never, and Arthur was always one to take risks, “Forgive me father,” he mutters quietly as he readies himself.

He pressed a few buttons on the dreamberry but had to pause and stare in amazement at everything it was capable of, if they had these back home and could communicate instantly, everything would change. The world would be different, war would be different. Perhaps that's why this world was so different from Camelot. It was difficult to reconcile the two places, but he knew that if he were to survive he would have to adapt. And if that meant coming to terms with this magic- technology, he tells himself, it's technology- then that's just what he'll do. The things he would be able to do with something like this, it could change everything. He stared at it some more, weighing the pros and cons of having dreamberries at home (without the whole broadcasting the dreams thing, they could do without that). Arthur is a bit ashamed that only half of the possibilities he was thinking up were for the benefit of Camelot and the other half were personal reasons. It would be so much easier to keep Merlin in line and make sure he’s fulfilling all his duties, and he could personally message Gwen. It would have been so much easier to properly court her if he could speak to her whenever he wanted. He certainly wanted to speak to her now, even if he would deny it if anyone asked, but he didn’t know what he would say to her. The Gwen here wasn’t his queen, he didn’t know how to act around her.

Not liking this train of thought, he turned his attention back to the dreamberry. Pressing a few more buttons, Arthur brings up the contact list. He could start small and send a message to just Morgana, as she would deal with his ineptitude in stride. But he didn’t want to message her, the Morgana he knew wanted him dead and the throne for herself. He didn’t know how to act around this Morgana any more than he knew how to react around Gwen.

He wished that one of his knights were here, or even Merlin. But if he couldn't adapt to a new situation he didn't deserve to be king.

It took ten more minutes before he had a blank message up ready to send something to, well, anyone, now all he needed to do was figure out what to say. What does the King of a great city say to people who do not know who he is or what he stands for? For the first time ever he didn’t know how to treat anyone. Arthur doesn’t really know how to not be royalty, how to treat people as equals, and he’s aware of that. He just kept staring at the blank message.

[Why do you want to play this character in Somarium?]
The premise of the game is really cool and when I played him here before he had some of the best CR and I look forward to continuing that!
[Which rule was your favorite and why?]
Definitely the stay in character rule and the way you handle complaints of out of character-ness. I've never seen a rule like that before and I think it shows a lot of mod initiative. ~~oh god I sound like I'm sucking up~~
[Where did you hear about Somarium?]
From Mei...
[Any questions?]
None!.