#I like the idea of merlin being the only one who knows where camelot is

[aetherdecember]

Look, I love BBC Merlin and how they told the lore, but I’m a sucker for the relationship between Arthur and Mordred in the mythology. Specifically, I love how Mary Stewart (author of The Arthurian Saga**) and Nancy Springer (author of I Am Mordred**) wrote about the father/son relationship between them. So naturally, my brain has been conjuring up how I can include that in my Flipping the Coin au.

Since the main premise is Merlin died/Arthur lives, and now Arthur is the one waiting for Merlin to come back, things would stay consistent with canon up to the last episode (when Merlin flips the coin of their destiny and sacrifices himself so Arthur can live and thus stop Camlann from happening altogether). Which is where this idea will start:

Gwen is barren. She and Arthur never have kids. Eventually, everyone Arthur knows and loves dies. He can’t rule Camelot forever, and after Gwen’s death, he no longer wants to, so he fakes his death and wanders off figure out why he’s still here. He never gets an answer for that. Arthur spends the next millennium waiting. He keeps living. He meets people, experiences things he’d never experienced before, and learns things he’d never dreamed of learning. He can’t stay anywhere long, or else suspicions will rise, but he gets to see the world change, how technology advances, and witness humans continuing to be humans. When war breaks out, he joins the battle. It’s familiar. The rush of adrenaline is the same whether he’s wielding a sword or a gun. Only, he can’t see the enemy’s face anymore.

Peace comes again. At some point, he sleeps with a woman, and she happens to become pregnant. Bisexual disaster that he is, he’s had all sorts of partners from both sexes, but has never had this happen, even before the advent of reliable birth control. Later, he’ll learn her name is Morgause. She doesn’t look like the Morgause he knew before, nor does she act like her, but her name haunts him. After the baby is born, she gives him to Arthur, says she has no intentions of being a mother, and leaves. The last thing she had said to him was the baby’s name.

Mordred.

That night, Arthur holds Mordred and weeps.

There is irony in his son being named Mordred. First, in that the legends surrounding him, Merlin, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and all of it, had long ago decided Mordred was his son. And two, in a retelling of that legend, it had aptly phrased what he sensed was happening now. Granted, he isn’t a sorcerer, he doesn’t have magic, so he can’t support his feeling with anything other than he’d been around a long time and knew to his very core that it was true. Mordred’s birth is a signal of the beginning of the end.

Fatherhood brings him a new sense of purpose. Gone are the days of loneliness and drudgery. Every day with Mordred brings a new light into his life. Each smile is a miracle. Seeing Mordred experience things for the first time brings a new appreciation. Being there to watch him grow makes time fly like it never has before. But Arthur is afraid. He doesn’t want to be his father. He doesn’t know how to be a father, or what the right way to do it is. In all the years he’s been on the Earth, he’s never known a man who could concretely say, “This is the way to raise a son,” and actually reap the fruits of their efforts. Too frequently, he’d seen sons grow outside of the visions their fathers molded for them and receive only disappointment and disdain in return. So he was afraid, because he too had been that son.

*cue a series of fluffy father/son one shots of Arthur raising Mordred until Merlin comes back, takes one look, and is is like WTF????? No, I won’t have Mordred for a step son >:(*

**Mary Stewart and Nancy Springer have several other works, not just the stories I mentioned. The ones mentioned are the ones I’m pulling inspiration from ^^

Additional notes below the break:

Guinevere’s barrenness is not a headcanon I typically subscribe to for BBC Merlin. My headcanon is that after Arthur’s death, Gwen gives birth, and their child eventually succeeds her as ruler.

I’ve always seen Mordred’s appearance as the harbinger of Arthur’s downfall. Thus, the reason for the plot bunnies in my brain going crazy with this idea of how I could bring him in, still remain mostly canon compliant with BBC Merlin, and build off some of my favorite parts of the lore. (Mandatory disclaimer: for BBC Merlin, I don’t headcanon Mordred as Arthur’s son. But for the mythology, I do wholeheartedly support that canon.)

Arthur’s choice to participate and live once Camelot is gone is a decision to contrast my headcanon of how Merlin handled it. I don’t think Merlin thrived. I think he stayed busy, and tried to remain hopeful, but I think he was anxiously consumed with the anticipation of wondering when Arthur would come back. In this au, Arthur may or may not know that Merlin is supposed to come back (I’m still working on that detail), but he’s always been around others. I think he would seek camaraderie, and companionship, and that he would connect with others but only to a superficial level. I don’t think he’d exist in a void of loneliness. Plus, he doesn’t have the guilt of knowing he failed because the pressure from the prophecy is very one sided *coughcough*causemerlinnevertoldhim*coughcough*

Anyways, that’s enough rambling from me about this. I’ll probably share some snippets of writing next because there are some fantastic scenes coming together in the draft so stay tuned! ;D

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #mordred #flipping the coin #my drabbles #arthurian mythology will always be my jam #you can tear this au from my cold dead hands but it will live on #merthur #for the Merlin not wanting Mordred as a stepson joke the last Mordred he knew turned on them to join Morgana #as far as Merlin is concerned they’re the same person #he’ll come around eventually once Arthur fills him in on everything #btw Arthur’s son Mordred is unaware of all of this #he’s having to process his dad - who has never really been interested in anybody for any reason - is completely besotted with some guy #once he learns this ‘some guy’ used to be his father’s servant it does not make things better #but by then he’ll have learned enough that it does clear things up #he’s actually a big fan of Merlin #he just wasn’t prepared for love sick puppy dog Arthur 24/7 now that Merlin’s back

[marcskywalker]

merthur au/prompts I can't stop thinking about (@ fic writers)

arthur being magic positive and hiding it from merlin. I spoke more about it here and @neupulman wrote this amazing fic based on it but omg this idea lives in my head RENT FUCKING FREE and I'd love as many fics written on it as possible

merlin being cursed (or wtv) and temporarily loses his magic. He grows insanely controlling of arthur cause he feels like he can no longer protect arthur from danger if he doesn't have magic and is constantly trying is order him around. no, you're not allowed to go there, no you can't say that, no you're not allowed to accept food from him. and arthur is just ?????? tf is wrong with my best friend?? but doesn't read much into it because it's merlin and merlin's always been a little weird and bossy. merlin keeps getting into so much more trouble (cause again, his usual way of staying out of trouble is magic) so arthur's put in position to protect him more often and both of them are ???????? "why THE FUCK ARE you putting yourself in danger for me??" and "WHY ARE YOU getting into so much trouble??" until they figure out that "oh you're in love with me and can't bare to see any harm come to me" and "oh you have magic and someone already hurt you by taking it away"

Arthur meeting Merlin's family for the first time and being accepted. Idk how clear I can make this but I hate Arthur's family and how is he is treated by them (except you ygraine, you're dead and lovely) so ya someone give that boy loving affirmations

One of them is brainwashed/mind controlled/possessed and beats the shit out of the other person who refuses to fight back. I LOVE this trope. It slaps all the time. Look at destiel. Look at stucky. ALL THE TIME

another au that I've spoke about before AND I'LL SPEAK ABOUT IT AGAIN: I took that scene where Arthur says "I'll give up my crown just see her smile again" or something like that about morgana, and ran with it. There is only so many assassination attempts a brother can go through before he wilts and does another to have his sister back. In Arthur's case: he willingly hands over the throne for a chance at having a chance at his pesty, loving, older sister (I AM A YOUNGER BROTHER ARTHUR TRUTHER) look at him with something other than endless hate. what I Love about this prompt is that it could go so so many different ways. @mobycotton was lovely enough to write this amazing fic for me that I LOVED. In my head, Arthur is really shaken up by another one of Morgana's attempts at killing him. He doesn't know what's saved him and at this point he wishes whatever it is would stop. He goes down a spiral thinking of his family; the mother that he killed, the father that he let down, the uncle he betrayed and the sister he never deserved. What good could he be for Camelot when he wasn't even good enough for his flesh and blood. So he announces his truce; gives it over to morgana and leaves Camelot and everyone he knows behind. The knights and merlin have to eventually hunt him down and convince him otherwise (and he meets random people along the way who are stans of King Arthur just like me and he gets some sort of self esteem back)

Protective BAMF merlin. Basically merlin overhears someone talking shit about his prince and starts a fist fight. Arthur finds out

Mid s1 merthur where Arthur knows he's in love with Merlin and he shoves it DEEP inside, sticks to pining after his manservant like the pathetic (lovingly) puppy he is. All Merlin knows is that, for whatever reason, he would rather eat his own feet than let anything happen to Arthur. Which is why when brave, stupid arthur walks towards a stranger light source in the forest; he follows without hesitation, only to see...... arthur and himself snogging against a tree? Basically a pining, repressed prince Arthur and Merlin I don't know what this weird feeling in my tummy when I see him is Emrys accidentally walks through a portal into an alternatively universe where they know how to communicate well and have been disgustingly in love. The four of them have to work together to get Arthur and Merlin back where they belong.

Merlin makes a deal with his king cenred: for protection of his village, he will infiltrate Camelot's castle and bring them down. He just wishes someone had told him that prince charming of Camelot would make him fall in love with his pouty lips and gooey eyes. I don't know if yáll have noticed this but Arthur pouts A LOT. I can't take him seriously smh

#merthur #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #yes I am aware some of these are more arthur centric I can't help it he lives in my head rent fucking free #merthur prompts

[xjulixred45x]

Can i request headcanons of arthur pendragon(both 7ds and 4koa) with a couple like katherine Howard from six? Maybe they meet eachother from childhood and k.h reader gets a happy ending!

I FUCKING LOVE SIX THE MUSICAL!! And Katherine Howard was so cute! Deal!

Arthur Pedragon SDS/4KOTA x Katherine Howard! Reader

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings:reader had a life similar to Katherine Howard (that is, a life full of neglect, abuse, etc.) but she ends up having a happy ending :3, Arthur from 4kota is a warning himself but Arthur from 7ds is a sweetheart, Angst and Fluff.

Plus: read this while listen this song>

(reader)'s life was always a roller coaster.

His father belonged to one of the richest families in Camelot at the time, but since he was not the first son, he did not receive much of the prestige or inheritance that would have been his.

(reader) lived in a relatively well-off place despite everything, with her parents and siblings.

However, when (reader) was little, her mother died, which led her father to have to ask for many favors to be able to keep the house afloat on his own.

In the end she failed, and (reader) was sent to live with a distant relative in the center of Camelot, where she was supposedly better off.

and to be fair, it was.

because there she met him...

One day, (reader) had left her relative's house to avoid the music classes that were scheduled for that day.

The bad thing is that since she had never been to that part of the city, she got disoriented and lost quite easily.

Fortunately for her, a boy (the same age!) saw that she was having problems and offered to escort her home.

Now, (reader) was a sociable girl, so it was quite easy for her to make conversation with the boy and get to know him a little better.

It turns out that he was practicing how to handle the sword with his brother Kai (a bad btw), but since he got angry with him he took a break.

His father was a holy knight! (reader) didn't understand what they were, but the stories she read about knights when she was bored gave her the idea that it was something exciting.

In the end, the boy said goodbye to her and left the way he came, although at least not without giving his name.

Arthur...

As you may have noticed, (reader) knows Arthur in his time before he had the sword, when he was something like his father's squire.

and definitely after that he started looking for (reader) on his own when he knew where she lived.

They even began to have a rather funny dynamic in which Arthur would try to make her laugh in the last minutes of their peeking (through the windows).

and in general they were one of the few friends the other had.

But when a certain... incident... happened with (reader's) music teacher.

Arthur only arrived to see how some holy knights took him away, but he knew that for some reason (reader) he skipped that man's class...

and when he found out, well, let's just say the music man was lucky Arthur hadn't been there.

Arthur was furious! How dare that pig put his hands on (reader)?

You could say that this determined the dynamics of their friendship during the following years thanks to (reader's) love-struck nature.

While Arthur trained with Merlin and became stronger, (reader) became more popular with men for her beauty and cute personality.

Although of course, it was a double-edged sword.

There would always be someone who would be especially insistent or who didn't understand "no", but luckily Arthur could take care of that easily ;)

When Arthur takes the sword out of the stone, (reader) is the first to run towards him to congratulate him, she even gives him a small kiss on the cheek as a "reward" (Arthur is as red as a tomato at the time, he flatly denies it) .

Thanks to him being king, Arthur and (reader) can't see each other as much as before :( but they maintain communication through letters and try to see each other as much as possible.

low key, (reader) admires Merlin quite a bit at first, it's a hunch (a powerful and beautiful woman in complete control of the situation and her body, you can get the idea).

For this reason, they both talk a lot about the deadly sins and share the enthusiasm.

Now, if in the events of NNT's story (reader) she ends up meeting her "Francis" or worse yet, her Henry VIII, let's just say things are going to get... ugly.

There is no way in which Arthur will not see the giant red flags of either relationship (in a way by seeing certain parallels with the case of the music teacher), so he will be quite firm in his dislike of said relationships. especially with the Henry.

After all, what is a 50-year-old man doing near a teenager? creepy vibes.

Also influencing a little is the fact that Arthur may or may not realize that he likes her (reader), although part of him just wants to say that she is his friend! that she is very kind and pretty and that she sings and dance very well and that her talks about dog breeds is the most beautiful thing he has ever heard....

Oh no--

If we're talking about a scenario in which (reader)'s family arranged a marriage with this Henry, Arthur puts his foot down and may even use his position as king to get (reader) to break the engagement herself (which she happily does).

(Regarding Francis, they would both simply agree to ask Merlin as a favor to use illusory magic and give him the scare of his life. It's super effective).

(reader) was definitely extremely traumatized when Arthur was "killed" in the second holy war. absolutely horrified (even more so by that time they were already dating).

and when Arthur is resurrected by (the power of the script) chaos, let's just say they're both stuck with each other for quite some time...

and that translates into the current relationship they have in 4kota. which is like Katherine Howard's happy ending basically.

(reader) was obviously very marked by the holy war and definitely by Arthur's almost death, so she tends to be around him a lot of the time.

more after the total destruction of Camelot.

They both officially get married! (probably before Merlin left) and overall you could say that their relationship has only become more secure in several ways.

Arthur is still quite protective, but on a much more visible and understandable level, after all (reader) she is his wife, the queen of Camelot, if his enemies try to get to him, one way to do it is through her, so of course The times when (reader) decides to leave Camelot (usually on her family's funeral anniversary) she usually goes with Arthur.

Besides, it's not like Arthur is offering to spend extra time together.

(reader) developed her dancing skills over the years! apart from that he was even able to learn to play several instruments (with extra supervision of course).

from time to time you can hear when (reader) does a little performance for Arthur in the throne room when there is nothing to do and he is bored :3

Although yes, only he can see (the reader) dance, if someone does it, whether by accident or secretly, it is at least a safe pass to the dungeon :)

ARTHUR BRINGS DOGS TO THE PALACE! Canonically, the man is pet friendly, so seeing how much (the reader) loves dogs, there is no way I wouldn't get him at least one.

It would probably be some cute but protective breed, like a Labrador or a Collie.

Arthur acts like he can't stand said dog/dogs very much, but after a week the dog/dogs already have a place at the table next to (reader)😅🤣

Arthur is fine with (reader) not advancing in her studies, honestly it is a lot (for the time) that she knows how to write and read so well, but if she wants to help out with the paperwork aspects, he will allow it! oe will assign someone to guide you through the process until you can do it alone or, if you can, you will teach it to them.

Arthur feels very good teaching (reader) new things.

(If the reader's previous "suitors" are still on the loose or didn't die in Camelot, you can bet Arthur is going to correct that).

(reader) has a fashion sense quite inclined to French fashion, and Arthur doesn't blame her, she looks very adorable in the soft colors.

(reader) may even develop the habit of embroidery to pass the time when Arthur is away, she makes quite nice pieces (Arthur definitely shows them off to "Merlin")

(reader) is not really involved in politics due to her lack of education, and honestly Arthur is grateful that this is the case because he knows that (reader), being the empathetic being that he is, would not like to see a good part of what he does. for the sake of the eternal kingdom, but he knows it will be worth it.

Arthur and (reader) dancing together🥺 it doesn't matter if it's in sds or 4kota, I can definitely see (reader) dragging Arthur to the floor to dance together.

Arthur from sds definitely prefers to dance faster and "funner" things and vary a little from ballroom dancing (actually it's because it makes him nervous)

Arthur from 4kota is fine with whatever style (reader) chooses, but he has definitely learned to 1-improve his dance skills (thanks to reader) and 2-appreciate the closeness that ballroom dancing provides. especially in the throne room.

Either version will not tolerate any attempt to shame (reader) for her "history with other men" and will take it VERY badly.

Arthur from sds will defend (reader) tooth and nail, but if he can't reason with people, he simply applies a *little* bit of violence so they learn not to defame a pretty lady (he breaks their nose) .

with Arthur from 4kota...do I really have to say it? They will be lucky if they are whole after saying such blasphemy in front of him.

Arthur is definitely VERY determined to maintain (reader's) little remaining innocence, they've already been through so much, let them have a happy ending (even if that includes eliminating all races).

In general, no matter what past or "history" (reader) may have, Arthur loves her and sees her as her own person, let things move forward in their time, and will fight for his lady's honor.

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

Thanks for the Request ❤️

#headcanons #fem reader #4kota #4 knights of the apocalypse #mokushiroku no yonkishi #4kota arthur x reader #arthur 4kota #mokushiroku no yonkishi arthur #arthur pendragon x reader #7ds #seven deadly sins #sds arthur #arthur pendragon nnt #arthur pedragon 4kota #arthur pendragon

[yorit1]

http://archiveofourown.org/works/52444660

Merlin was with his friend, sir Gwaine, and they were playing. Arthur and Gwaine had survived the attack, and Arthur now knew about Merlin’s magic, and they were together.

“How’s princess doing?” Gwaine asked.

“He’s doing well. I’m so thankful that I’m the court sorcerer and that Arthur knows the truth. However, not much has changed between us. We are still the same best friends who are now together,” Merlin said.

“Well, I’m happy for you two. I don't think I can do love. Sex, yes, but love, no,” Gwaine said.

“That’s okay, you can do what you like. You’re a knight of the realm,” Merlin said.

“All I need is good drink and good sex,” Gwaine said.

“Merlin, Merlin,” Arthur called out, looking for Merlin.

“In here, clotpole,” Merlin said.

Arthur found them and came to Merlin. He leaned down and kissed his cheek. They were happy and in love, and that was all that mattered.

“I had George set us a picnic and thought we could go on one,” Arthur said.

“Princess, that’s so lovely,” Gwaine said.

“Not you,” Arthur replied, pointing a finger at him.

“Gwaine, I’ll see you later,” Merlin said.

“I was beating you anyway,” Gwaine said.

“You cheated,” Merlin said.

“You are the most powerful sorcerer of all time, and I’m drunk and still win. How am I cheating,” Gwaine said.

Merlin stuck his tongue out to Gwaine, and Gwaine laughed and winked at Merlin.

Merlin pushed Arthur out of the room, and they walked out.

Arthur and Merlin took their horses to the location.

“Not there, idiot,” Arthur said affectionately.

“Blame the horse. It leads me where it wants to,” Merlin said.

“You should know by now how to manage a horse,” Arthur said.

“Of course, sire,” Merlin said sarcastically.

Arthur showed them that they had arrived at the location and unmounted the horse. Merlin unmounted his horse and looked at the surroundings; they were beautiful. All of Albion was beautiful, and he and Arthur ruled it and brought back magic to all the land.

“What are you doing, cabbage head?” Merlin asked.

“I’m setting up a picnic. What did you think I was doing, idiot?” Arthur said.

“I’m just surprised you can do it alone without any servants, as you are the king, after all,” Merlin said.

“I wanted some privacy with you that allowed only me and you and the beautiful picnic and scenery. We are usually so busy running the whole of Albion, and I wanted to do something for you to show my appreciation,” Arthur said.

Merlin thought of how sweet Arthur was being. How far have things come since he became Arthur’s manservant and was supposed to protect Arthur’s life? He had done all of that, and now he was lucky enough to have Arthur’s affection all to himself. Arthur was right. They were busy ruling over Albion, and a picnic today on this beautiful day was a perfect idea.

Arthur had set down the blanket, and Merlin sat down on it. Arthur sat down, too and opened the basket with the food. It was a magical basket with a magical tablecloth that could contain various foods. Merlin loved this tablecloth. Brilliant magic showed them they could feast as if they were back in Camelot but out and about.

Merlin reached out for his favourite foods and took them. He ate slowly and enjoyed the time with Arthur. The food was good, and so was the company.

Arthur poured them each a glass of wine. He handed Merlin his glass of wine and started talking.

“To all of Albion and the kingdom that we have built together. I never thought I could have this growing up under Father’s control and his hatred of magic. But you changed me. As you called me, I was a self-centred prat of a prince. But I learned and grew thanks to you. You changed me. I grew up as a crown prince and later king and accepted magic. I sacrificed myself for my people. As king, you serve your people just as much as they serve you. Then we united all of Albion and brought back a golden age of magic. I made up with Morgana, and she and Gwen are great princesses of Albion and our heirs. I wish I could have known earlier what I knew when I met you. You are it for me. I want you to be my court sorcerer and my consort. Alvion would not be what it is now if it was not for you. So please make me the happiest man in the world and agree to be my consort,” Arthur said.

“Of course, you prat. I want nothing more than to be your consort. I need to be a part of your life, and I love the kingdom we have built, and I want to see what we can do together as king, consort, and court sorcerer of Albion,” Merlin said.

Arthur clinked his goblet with Merlin’s, and they each drank the wine.

Merlin put his wine goblet down, jumped on Arthur, and kissed him. They were so thankful for what they had become. The kiss was sweet and tasted of the food that they ate. Merlin and Arthur kissed and kissed. Merlin remembered the first time that Arthur kissed him and how that felt. Now they were betrothed to each other, and the kiss felt even sweeter. They were going to be married and rule Albion forever.

“I’m so happy, Arthur,” Merlin said.

“Here is a token of my affection, a symbol of house of pendragon,” Arthur said and handed him a ring with the sigil of house of pendragon. Arthur slid the ring on Merlin’s finger, and they kissed again. “Morgana helped make this so that it would fit you perfectly. She, Gwen, and the knights know about my plan and are excited for us. Everyone loves you, Merlin.

“I cannot believe you planned all this. What happened to the lazy prince I met on my first day of Camelot?” Merlin asked.

“He grew up thanks to an idiot sorcerer,” Arthur said.

“Merlin and Arthur sealed their betrothal with a kiss. They would rule Albion to the best of their ability.

#merlin #merlinedit #merthur #merthuredit #merlin fanfic #merthur fanfic #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon

[dykesynthezoid]

Comedy (and Merlin&Gwen friendship) heavy Arthur resurrection idea where Merlin only manages to wait patiently for Arthur to return for about five years and then he gets to impatient and is so disillusioned with destiny that he spends the next decade researching a way to bring Arthur back himself (and really bring him back, fully human) and it’s such a long con that he fully becomes buddies with the Lord of the Otherworld himself, to the point the Lord of the Otherworld owes him money bc Merlin keeps winning at dice.

And eventually when he’s finally ready he physically goes to the Otherworld himself to make the deal, insisting he and the Lord play one last game of dice and if the Lord wins Merlin will forgive all his debts! And if Merlin wins well :) guess :)

And ofc Merlin does win. And the Lord of Death is over here with his head in his hands like “Emrys I know what you want obviously but there has to be BALANCE I’m telling you” But of course Merlin is very stubborn so he just sits there arguing with him about it for several hours. And eventually the Lord tells him Fine. You can have him back. But it would actually be easier for you to take multiple souls at once. It’s like building an arch, you can’t just take ONE stone. If you’re going to do magic this powerful, you need more building blocks. And they all have to have had some sort of connection to each other in life. And they need anchors in the living world to keep them grounded there.

Merlin’s like yeah, sure, whatever, I literally don’t care what I have to do as long as I get Arthur. But the Lord of Death has one specific soul he’d like Merlin to take with him back to the realm of the living, one that’s been causing him quite a bit of trouble, and Merlin doesn’t like it, but again— He doesn’t care what it takes to bring Arthur back.

Now imagine you’re Gwen, and you’ve been ruling Camelot by yourself for the last fifteen years and it’s probably aged you (MILF Gwen alert). And because eventually she got tired of always being badgered to remarry, Gwen’s agreed to marry Leon, even if it’s just for convenience and they’re good friends. And she hasn’t seen her erstwhile court sorcerer for quite some time and she’s been wondering what he’s up to. And then one day a giant snake monster appears in one of the fields outside the city and she goes out there to see what’s going on, trying to get a better look even as her knights beg her to stay back, bc the snake isn’t attacking, it’s groaning and shifting— Until suddenly something starts to press at it from the inside, and out of nowhere it explodes and out stumbles a very naked and grimy Morgana who immediately starts yelling that she won’t be fooled by another of the Lord of Death’s nasty tricks, and then she promptly passes the fuck out.

So. You’re Gwen. And your evil (is she still evil??) ex homoerotic best friend has returned from the dead and burst out of a giant snake. And confused and in a daze you realize your erstwhile court sorcerer is finally returning; and thank god, he’ll know what’s going on with all this! And then Merlin arrives in Camelot with Arthur and more in tow and is like ah. So this is awkward. I did sorta bring your late husband, brother, ex bestie and ex lover all back from the dead without telling you. And you are gonna have to pick a specific one to ‘anchor’ to you. Sorry about that. Congrats on the engagement by the way! Oh and also Gwaine is here too.

And Gwen just. Breathes very deeply and tries to resist violence

#bbc merlin #merthur #guinevere #morgwen #morgana pendragon #morgana is the only one who got the snake thing btw

[adhd-merlin]

Merlin S1 rewatch: episode 5

here we go! again!!

today we are watching the Lancelot episode. just a few random comments because. I am so very sleepy and I deleted the first draft by accident.

A nice little episode all in all. Nice set up for an incredibly sexy recurring character. Some nice foreshadowing. What's not to like?

• I like how this episode opens. Merlin picking mushrooms, looking so baby. Eyes full of awe and wonder. Looking like... like he's never seen a mushroom in his life, in fact. Anyway, something very cottagecore about this. Fairy vibes.

• Also he's scarfless? For much (most?) of the episode? It looks like early in the series they weren’t so obsessively attached to Merlin’s neckerchief as part of his character design

• I love how Merlin doesn’t even try to use magic against the Griffin. He just falls on his back, shuts his eyes and goes, “Welp, guess I'll die”

• HOW DID MERLIN CARRY LANCELOT BACK TO CAMELOT

• “Ever since I was a child I've dreamed of coming here. It's my life's ambition to join the knights of Camelot.” -> Guy who's spent his whole life dreaming about becoming a knight of Camelot doesn’t know the first thing about the job requirements

• (No but really, the funniest thing about this episode for me is Lancelot’s utter shock at finding out only noblemen can be knights. That's, like. The first thing about the knights of Camelot, it seems like. You’d think he would have done some basic research beforehand. But that's also how I apply to jobs so I won't make fun of him too much)

• Merlin is such a hype man, “LANCELOT THEY'RE GOING TO LOVE YOU!!” This is literally what he says! He’s adorable.

• Merlin's acting like a kid who's found a stray puppy on the side of the road and is trying to convince his dad to keep him. “He’s great, you’ll love him, I promise. He won’t be any trouble I’ll walk him every day”

• MERLIN: “He's saved my life” / ARTHUR: “That's blown it for starters” -> ARTHUR IS FUNNY. I just feel the need to point out that Arthur is funny, actually. Especially when he’s being a cunt.

• MERLIN: “You're not a nobleman by any chance, are you?” / LANCE: “haha, good lord, no” -> someone didn’t read the job description 👀

• The way Gaius pointedly glares at Merlin after telling Lancelot he’s sorry he can’t be a knight… Like, he knows his son might be tempted to do something stupid about it (commit crime)

• I did not remember Lancelot’s tragic Origin Story!

When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains. They were slaughtered where they stood, my father, my mother. Everyone. I alone escaped. I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny. I made sword craft my life. Every waking hour since that day, I devoted to the art of combat, and when I was ready, I set forth for Camelot.

"Every waking hour since that day, I devoted to the art of combat" -> Yeah that sounds like a sane and healthy way of dealing with the trauma of losing both your parents and your entire village in one go, well done my boy

• Merlin looks SO proud of his little fraud scheme! BE GAY DO CRIME

• Seriously he is such an instigator! He says, “DAMN THE RULES, THE RULES ARE WRONG”! But he can see Lancelot’s obvious reluctance so he’s like, “We're not breaking the rules, we're bending them” HE’S SO SNEAKY I LOVE HIM

• This is such a basic narrative trope (if it even is a trope) but I love first meetings of characters who are going to become famously important to one another. I'm talking, like, Holmes and Dr. Watson. Or yes, Merlin and future King Arthur. There’s just something about it that I find delightful. "They don’t even know!! They have no idea. But I do!" This is about Gwen and Lancelot.

• Such a cute Meet Cute™. I love the way it plays with what we know is going to happen. Even if we don’t exactly know how it's going to happen in the series, Guinevere and Lancelot’s romance is the stuff of legends. I love their obvious and immediate mutual attraction. The slight awkwardness. The foreshadowing! “I'm not a knight yet, my lady” / “And I’m not a lady.” NO YET, BUT YOU WILL BE!! AAAAAH

• I didn’t pay much attention to it the first time I watched this episode but Lancelot speaks in such a formal, lofty way compared to everyone else. He literally sounds like he walked out of a book of chivalric romance. "I faced it myself, Sire. Some days past. I struck it full square. I wondered how it endured"; "Arthur stands in mortal peril", like WHO TALKS LIKE THIS. BE NORMAL. But it never crosses the line into being obnoxious, and I love how his character is defined through his speech as well as by his behaviour. Well done, writers.

• LANCELOT: "Are you two...you know" -> Lancelot wastes no time in checking if Gwen is on the market. GOOD FOR HIM. (I like how Merlin finds the idea of dating Gwen literally laughable. Bit harsh, that).

• “She seems lovely. Guinevere.” / “Oh, yeah. Yeah, she is. And the best seamstress in Camelot, I promise” -> MERLIN THIS MAN DOES NOT CARES ABOUT GWEN'S SKILL AS A SEAMSTRESS OPEN YOUR EYES YOU SILLY CHILD

• (But no, to be fair to him, he did notice)

• Arthur just... just BITCH-SLAPPING Lancelot out of the blue is actually hilarious. He's a comedian and he doesn't even know it.

• Merlin still acts like a bit of a teenager with Gaius in this ep. When Gaius discovers his forgery of the seal of nobility, Merlin tells him, “if you wanna punish me for it, go ahead” and then walks off! I’m sorry, this is a teenager acting out against his dad.

• Merlin does seem to be still testing boundaries with Gaius, but in a way that's an obvious request for reassurance, too – later in the episode he asks him: “Do you even care what happens to me?” (!!) And back in episode 1x02, when Gaius said, "What do I do if you get caught?", Merlin asked: "what would you do?" Insecure teen behaviour. Please Gaius just tell him you love him!! (He does tell him here, thank God).

• The broomstick fight scene. Much has been said about it already. The rituals are, indeed, intricate. Something so homoerotic about Arthur’s attempts to poke Lancelot in the chest with his stick. What I want to know is – did they know? Did they know when they were filming it that it would look like this. Like, was it deliberate

• @sapphickittykatherine it’s not much but there are some hints of Morlance in this ep. During Lancelot’s knighting scene, Morgana looks at him with obvious interest and asks “Who is this man?” And also later at his celebration (I’ll get to it).

The celebration scene! I love it! I’m gonna break it down into parts:

• “You played God, Merlin" -> I like this line. I think Gaius put his finger on an important character trait of Merlin’s here. He always means well, but he can be manipulative and controlling. Not so much here, perhaps, but it does emerge more in later eps.

• Not Arthur looking at Morgana with incestuous intent 💀💀💀

• “Tell me, do you think her...beautiful?” / “Yes, Sire. I do.” -> Another favourite trope of mine – two characters talking to each other but having two entirely different conversations. A bit like that cursed scene in the Disir, and with Arthur just as much oblivious (actually, could someone tell the poor guy what's going on. just once)

• Meanwhile, Morgana’s making sexy eyes at Lancelot while biting into a… cherry? I can’t tell. Some kind of sexually-connoted fruit, that’s for sure. I love how she also looks murderous while doing it. Praying mantis energy.

• Merlin and Gwen’s conversation is so cute. I’ve said it before but it’s giving girlie-and-her-gay-best-friend vibes. Look at them! They are a woman and her gay friend sitting in a bar, exchanging notes about the men around them. Over drinks. The way Merlin encourages Gwen to commit mischief too! “OH YOU ARE NO FUN GWEN. COME ON, JUST PLAY ALONG. WHO WOULD YOU RATHER F—”

• Arthur or Lancelot? I think I know what Merlin’s answer would be. At least at this point in the series. (Hint: it's not Arthur).

• “I think our Sir Lancelot might have eyes for you, Gwen” -> Merlin playing matchmaker already. I love that he’s noticed, and that he’s trying to push these two together because LOVE MUST TRIUMPH. He’s such a romantic.

~ END OF THE CELEBRATION SCENE ~

• Oooh no, Lancelot’s ruse has been discovered, SIR YOU’RE UNDER ARREST

• “You are not worthy of the knighthood bestowed upon you. You never were. And you never will be” -> possibly the worst thing anyone could’ve said to Lancelot, SIR PLEASE STOP YOU’RE BREAKING HIM. CAN’T YOU SEE HE’S ABOUT TO CRY.

• All I can think about when I see gifs of Merlin talking to imprisoned Lancelot is, “it’s okay hun”

• It’s interesting to see S1 Uther so unwilling to accept that the creature they’re trying to defeat might be magic when later in the series he will relish the chance of accusing anything and anyone of being magic. ...Growth?

(The bisexuality of this scene. Off the charts.)

• It seems to me like they were setting up Lancelot to be more of an important character that he ended up being? I mean, he was important, just by virtue of being Lancelot, but he was in a grand total of 6 episodes. But, I love that we can see Arthur’s obvious attachment (for lack of a better word) to him already. A bit like with Gwen and Lancelot, it hints at what’s to come – he is destined to become Arthur’s favourite knight (I know people like to say that it's Leon, but I think it was Lance. And after Lancelot's death it was Mordred, eventually. If you must know.) I love it, foreshadowing. You can feel the future hanging heavy in the air.

• I didn’t remember that Gwen and Lancelot met again and she begged him not to go and I think they should have kissed here

• It’s so funny that while Merlin’s trying to master the spell to defeat the Griffin, Gaius goes, “Don't worry Merlin, we have plenty of time” GAIUS NO YOU LITERALLY HAVE LESS THAN 2 HOURS

• Actually this is a thing Gaius does a lot, telling Merlin he can make it when the chances of success are pretty slim, which on one hand is very sweet, like I get it he's being a supportive dad, but on the other hand it's also... setting Merlin up to be HUGELY DISAPPOINTED if he fails? I don't know, just something I've noticed in other eps.

• The scene of Lancelot killing the Griffin is actually pretty cool? I like the glowing blue spear (how did Merlin think Lancelot wasn’t going to notice) and THE SOUNDTRACK!!

• Merlin's PURE JOY after Lancelot's killed the Griffin is SO adorable, you just feel so happy for him. YES BABY YOU DID IT!!

• I love the parallel “You did it!” scenes with Arthur & Lancelot, Gaius & Merlin, and Arthur & Uther. Very nice, big fan of symmetry

• Gaius’s pride when Merlin comes back victorious is so heartwarming. I’ve said it before but I'll repeat it, Merlin and Gaius’s relationship is possibly my favourite in the show. I think Gaius doesn’t get enough credit for being Merlin’s main source of love and hugs during his Camelot years.

• “The Code bends for no man” / “Then THE CODE IS WRONG!” (!!) -> SAY IT LOUDER MY MAN!! S1 Arthur is so vocal with his father about what he believes is right and wrong, we love to see it

• Lancelot saying he must prove himself worthy of being a knight – of course, he might have been holding the spear that killed the Griffin but he wasn’t the one who actually defeated it, and this will not do. He must now abandon his life-long dream of being a knight and go fight strangers in a cage for money. It’s the only logical next step.

• LANCE I LOVE YOU BUT WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

THE END!!

next episode is... one no one really cares about, but I really really liked it the first time I watched it so. hopefully it will live up to what I remember :3

#there. i've re-written it pretty much. #*me; tears in my eyes* “I do this for fun” #“actually i can just go” < now lives in my head as a lancelot phrase and it cracks me up #you'll find i go on about merlin and gaius quite a bit in these #that's because i love them #they mean a lot to me *taps own bio* #merlin's body count: still 1 #< disappointing actually. like he killed a witch in ep 1 and then 4 eps of nothing. DO BETTER #rewatch1.jls

[kateis-cakeis]

hi!!! Pls rant about Arthur having magic, I love stuff like that!! I’m invested, what’s your favorite fic idea for it?

Hi!!!!! :D

Definitely for sure Arthur having magic (in at least some form) is one of my favourite things to write and read, I just wish there was more of it!!!!

Okay okay, so to answer your question, my favourite fic idea for it, man that's so hardddd! There's so many interesting concepts likeee:

--Arthur finding out about his magic at a young age and keeping it a secret.

--Arthur finding out about his magic at a young age, in front of Uther (I've written a fic like this, but I want more)

--A baby Arthur magics some items around him, and either - his nursemaid freaks out and calls the guards in, and they agree that there's no way Uther would believe them so they keep it a secret, hoping that one day the king will see (as they're afraid of magic).

--Or baby Arthur magics some items around him and Uther sees and in his rage, and with the Great Purge still raging on (it lasted a year so Arthur would be a baby baby), he orders the guards to put Arthur in the cells.

--Or baby Arthur magics some items and Gaius sees, and in his panic smuggles Arthur out of Camelot with Nimueh's help (I wrote something like this once but I never finished it)

--On the other hand, child Arthur suddenly finds out about his magic in front of Uther and Gaius, and Uther, in a fit of rage, orders a stand to be built for his execution at dawn.

Gaius smuggles child Arthur out with the help of some guards who renounced their magic during the Purge. During his escape, the Druids step out from the shadows of the forest and offer to take Arthur in. The guards agree and return to Camelot, while the Druids take Arthur over the border to Ealdor :)

Therefore, Merlin and Arthur grow up together, eventually heading to Camelot when Hunith grows concerned for Merlin (like in canon), and Merlin magically dyes Arthur's hair black - as well as the beard Arthur grows to disguise himself. Uther, of course, does not recognise his son. (Im planning to write this one day, but idk if I ever will) There's of course other ideas where Arthur discovers he has magic as an adult like:

--Maybe an AU where Arthur is a seer like Morgana but gets specific Merlin related dreams. He only works out his dreams are real when Merlin has an injury that lines up with his dreams (say like Arthur seeing a scar from Nimueh's fireball, which he had a dream about)

--Arthur and Merlin are cornered in a fight, and Merlin gets shot with a crossbow bolt - and falls. In a blind panic, Arthur shouts, and everyone gets pushed back. In the moment, he knows what has happened, but he ignores it in favour of getting Merlin home - to Gaius. (The dynamic of this AU would change depending on if Arthur is a prince or king here)

--Oh, another idea is like Aredian deciding to go after Arthur, which makes Arthur very confused - this AU would also include like Aredian being able to sense magic, because as much as he was a faker out there, he was right about who had magic sdjhfghjsd

And these are just some of my ideas, Im trying to not get too away from myself here for you! sdhjfgjhsdhg This is already getting to be a long post. But I love these ideas, some of them I've just made up now, that's how much I love this concept. I don't think I could pick a favourite, but if I had to right now, it would probably be a baby Arthur/child Arthur idea. Just getting to play around with a younger Arthur is so interesting. And baby Arthur requires an Outside POV which is fun to play with too!

But to rant about Arthur having magic, nowww, tumblr user gabalicious-g, aaaah. Okay.

Our mans is born of magic okay. The exact same phrasing is used for Merlin. Let the golden boy have magic, it would really fuck him up :P That's why I love playing around with it in fic! Like how would it affect him?

I don't see him going the way of Morgana. I could see him, if he had found out as child, repressing that part of him wholly in fear, and maybe even disgust. If he found out as an adult, I could see him freaking the fuck out - especially if he was still a prince.

It's just okay, right, right. Arthur is made up of magic, that's how I interpret it anyway. I think lately I like imagining Nimueh summoning water into the Cup of Life, in a similar manner as to when Merlin got the water to save Arthur. So, she gives the water to Gaius (who was the one sent to ask), and Ygraine drinks it, and boom, she's pregnant. So I like to think Arthur is basically like all of what Ygraine is (in looks at least :P) and then magic, magic makes up the rest.

Like it's very easy for me to go, well surely there's something he could do. I mean the whole dying to rise again one day is pretty magical enough :P So, I'm like all brrrr for this concept, so much I cannot resist it.

There's so much you can do even if you don't go full Arthur's a sorcerer AU. There's stuff that can more easily fit into canon, there's stuff you could do post revival to mess around with it. It's just there's so much thereeeee.

And of course, there's how this would all impact Merlin. Like what would he think if he found out/suspected Arthur had magic? Just aaaah so much potential to play withhh.

I love it, I love it. Thank you so much for sending this ask in and giving me an opportunity to talk about it ^.^ :D

Feel free to send another ask if you'd like! 👉👈 :)

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #i just loveeee magic Arthur so much #I could talk about it allll day #thank you for giving me an opportunity to talk about it :D #ask

[albentelisa]

Hi! Here's an interesting what if ask.

What if Douxie was the one to join the Arcane Order instead of Morgana?

Hi! That one would change the past events for sure.

As we are talking about Moppet Douxie here, I feel his motivation will be very different from Morgana's. So, in an attempt to impress his master, Douxie goes to the forest to practice his magic in secret. That is where he meets Nari, who suggests she'll help. Douxie has no idea that Nari is from the Arcane Order or that she's Merlin's enemy, so he agrees. Under her tutelage, he progresses quickly, but it's still not enough to get approval from Merlin. Eventually, Bellroc and Skrael join those sessions, suggesting that Douxie simply needs to invent some kind of rule-changing magic. After lengthy brainstorming and countless failed attempts, Douxie comes up with a magic rite that temporarily gives trolls sunlight immunity. From his point of view, it's actually a good thing as trolls are often captured because of their weakness against the sunlight. Alas, he doesn't know that Bellroc contacts Gunmar behind his back and shares the rite with him.

Camelot is in panic meanwhile as bloodthirsty trolls attack villages during the day, which should be impossible. Arthur suspects a powerful wizard is involved and starts an investigation together with Merlin. They find out it was Douxie easily (as he's rather naive). Arthur corners Douxie at the cliff, determined to kill him, and Merlin just watches despite Douxie's pleas. Unlike Morgana, Douxie doesn't lose his hand, but he's slashed across the chest and falls from the cliff.

The Arcane Order finds and resurrects him, making Douxie their champion. Merlin's betrayal hits Douxie the most, so the Order has no problem convincing him to fight against humanity. Douxie's magic is more powerful now, so he can make his rite more permanent.

Meanwhile, back in Camelot Morgana learns what happened to Douxie and is enraged because of her brother and master's actions. She encounters Merlin, accusing him of being a horrible master, and storms off.

The kingdom is in panic though as more and more Gumm-Gumms attack, seemingly immune against the sunlight. Some people also report that they saw a young wizard with the troll hordes. Merlin realizes that Douxie is alive and intends to stop it.

But first, he needs some way to defeat Gunmar and his hordes. The problem is that his amulet should be useless against sun-immune trolls. Merlin realizes that he needs Morgana's help for that.

And he is right, as Morgana has been trying to create a counter to Douxie's rite using her shadowmancy. When Merlin approaches her, she is against the idea of cooperating at first but ends up agreeing for the sake of the people in Camelot.

The amulet is also different in this AU. It summons not only the Daylight sword but the Nightshade one as well (which is made of Morgana's shadow magic). However, Merlin simply cannot just cooperate as he is scared that Morgana can possibly switch sides as well (he finds her way more unstable than Douxie). So Merlin seals the bigger portion of Morgana's shadow magic inside the amulet. Morgana realizes it in the end, but it's already too late.

So Morgana still has some magic, but it's below the average level and she cannot do much. Deya still becomes the first Trollhunter, and Merlin goes to fight and seal Douxie.

The events influence the present too. The Janus Order are good guys - they are trolls who willingly accept Morgana's magic to enter the human world. Morgana also uses different magic, so there are no kidnapped kids. The Janus Order protects the world from shadows. Some of them join forces with Trollhunters but it's glared upon because of what Merlin did to Morgana.

Bular is still the only one from Gunmar's forces who stay on the surface. However, he also recruits more aggressive trolls, who wish to rule humans. Much like with Morgana in the canon, Douxie's mind stays awake even when he is sealed. Back in Camelot times he also managed to gather wizards displeased with Merlin and Arthur and hostile towards humans. They become Hex Tech later (with Zoe as their leader) - and is the organization that helps Bular and his army of trolls to stay hidden.

#tales of arcadia #toa #toa au #what if scenario #dark douxie #good morgana #hisirdoux casperan #toa merlin #toa morgana #text post #ask box #anon ask

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Hey, so I started thinking of the age gaps the way you thought of them and possible implications and then started thinking: what if when Leon was still relatively young and either a squire accompanying knights or a fresh new knight himself, it’s only been a handful of years since Balinor fled, and Uther is still occasionally sending out hunting parties for him. I just imagined them coming through Ealdor, and Leon is a good knight, a loyal one, but he was also young once, so I started to think of different scenarios: what would happen should he come across little baby/toddler Merlin who just so happened to have magic, Leon potentially sparing him; or they discover someone else with magic and Merlin witnessing that killing blow; or or or, maximum angst— Merlin’s always been immortal and this is the first time it’s proven only to himself because Leon does discover him, and he is a knight that fights for king and country… (and there’s so much guilt, but what else can he do, he needs to extinguish the evil in this land). How does this affect Merlin, his fear of Camelot’s knights, his fear of Leon— does Leon recognize him but doubts himself, starts protecting him when he finds out in an effort to make up for it, is he weirdly subconsciously suspicious of him etc…. sorry was just thinking of your estimated ages, with Leon being maybe max 20 years older and if we lower that a bit, well my head started spinning with possibilities cause I love Merlin & Leon, as friends or more, but sometimes I love angst a little bit more

Ok. Uh.

I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you so hard.

I think this might have to be a two version fic:

1)  I LOVE the idea of Leon recognising Merlin when they meet again (like 11/12 years ish later) but Merlin having little to no memory of squire!Leon rescuing him, and taking him back to Ealdor after he got lost in the woods.

So, version one is happy!! Little Merlin is lost in the woods, at like... five or six?? Leon is a squire, maybe sixteen, invited along on one of the now rare Balinor hunts that clandestinely cross the Essetirian border. No one else cares about this kid, they just want to leave him where they found him, but he’s crying and obviously sick and won’t survive what looks like another night in the forest. The captain of the patrol takes pity though and allows Leon (who’d been the only one standing up for this kid) to take a horse and a couple days’ of supplies to take him to the closest village, which is at least a day away. So Leon takes little Merlin, learns his name, learns where he’s from (thank God, because he recognises the name from the maps he’d sneakily looked at, and he’s fairly sure that’s the one he’s heading to), and at night, Merlin has a nightmare, as lost and scared and hungry kids do, and does magic in his sleep. Leon freaks, but calms him down and tells him to be careful and looks after him and learns that one can be born with magic, and becomes a good guy in terms of magic, though secretly. Hunith and Merlin reunite, and Leon makes a low comment about keeping an eye on him, and making sure he’s grows up knowing the importance of secrets, before riding off to find his patrol again. 

Fast forward twelve or so years, Merlin has basically no recollection of this, because he was sick and young and terrified and sort of traumatised by it, though his mum did tell him it happened (that he got lost, and a stranger bought him home after a few days. He always sort of thought it was made up though, to scare him into not wondering off/showing strangers his magic) but Leon recognises this teen’s name. Weird, but not too weird. Then the name of the village he’s from. Hmm. Then the name of his mother, when it eventually comes up. That, on top of the dark hair and blue eyes and the timing... Leon goes Oh Shit. When the magic reveal happens, he’s the first to jump to Merlin’s defence and is all “I thought I told you to get better at keeping secrets, kid” and Merlin is all ??? But other shit is happening right now so whatever. Later, Leon is all “You really don’t recognise me, do you?” and reveals all. They becomes bestie-brothers. Cuteness.

2)  I ALSO love the idea of it being the opposite. Leon’s patrol coming across Merlin, seeing him do magic, and killing him, with LOTS of angst, and Leon not recognising Merlin, but Merlin recognising, and being terrified of, Leon.

So say after the Now Rare Balinor Hunting Patrol actually sees five or six year old Merlin do magic, Leon is forced, as the squire who needs to get his hands dirty to know what it’s like being a knight, to hold the child down as someone else kills him. Little Merlin is crying and screaming and throwing little golden sparks everywhere, but he’s weak and scared and it doesn’t do any damage (except maybe giving Leon a tiny weeny burn scar on his cheek?? Looks more like a blemish scar than a burn sort of thing?? Oh for sure. Leon subconsciously rubs at it whenever magic is discussed, and Merlin recognises the scar almost before he recognises the man himself) so he dies. Leon like... has to excuse himself to go cry in the woods, and he almost quits training then and there, screw his parents’ expectations, but the older knights are on a spectrum between “I know the first is always difficult, but these creatures are evil and they deserve it” to just straight up laughing at him, and he sticks it out. At first, he tries to convince himself that that little kid deserved it, that he even deserved to just be left in the woods, not burned, not buried, not anything. But he just... can’t. So as he gets stronger and more politically powerful, as a knight and as a Noble, the more secretly pro magic shit he does (sorta like Smuggling Ring but less extreme). He’s literally haunted by what happened to that kid, about what he did to that kid.

BUT THEN!!! Merlin comes to Camelot!! And Leon doesn’t recognise him, because of course he doesn’t, he doesn’t even twig, because in this version he has no clue what the kid’s name was, or where he was from (though he remembers painfully what he looked like, in his last moments). Plus, as far as he’s concerned, that kid is long dead and never coming back. But Merlin recognises him. And it’s just this... deeply ingrained fear response, even if his mind can shallowly recognise that the knight never looks happy when people call magic evil. He can’t be in the same room as him without getting short of breath, he can’t make eye contact without his irises going gold and his hands sparking a little. And it’s fine in the beginning because they have nothing really to do with each other, but later, when the gang more officially forms, it becomes a lot more obvious. Leon corners him one day and Merlin is scared shitless, and failing miserably to hide it. Leon demands to know what the hell is up, and eventually Merlin sort of tells the truth, sort of lies, saying “I saw you. When I was a kid, I saw you killing that boy, in the woods. Just because of his magic. And everyone laughed as it happened. He... was my friend, and I saw what you did. Don’t ask me not to be terrified of you.”

Leon drags him back to his chambers and shuts the door and Merlin is terrified and can’t seem to summon his magic, and Leon just sits on the bed and like... cries. Because he’s seen some shit. He’s battled the dragon, he’s lost countless friends, been injured and almost died so many times, had parents that never showed him the time of day, let alone pride, or love, or protection. And still, he explains, that was the single worst day of his life, and he has never forgiven himself for not demanding that he was killed alongside that boy. He explains all that he’s done, to protect magic users, to protect Druids, to persuade his friends and colleagues and other knights that perhaps magic isn’t that bad, but he’s never thought it was enough, and he still has nightmares almost every night about the look on that child’s face as he’d held him down, as he’d screamed and cried and bled out. And Merlin just loses it. He’s trying so hard to be angry, but ultimately he’s just so godamn traumatised, and so damned scared, and so damn empathetic, that he can’t help but feel sorry for Leon too, even though he’ll never fully forgive him, and will always be a little nervous of him (he can’t stand when Leon touches his shoulders/wrists or is physically above him, Merlin can’t sit down with Leon stood up next to him, etc). He tells the truth, that he was the boy, that that was the day he’d discovered he was immortal. It’s totes emotional and they both sob. 

They start getting on a lot better, Leon is protective of Merlin to the EXTREME, and starts, in private at least, calling Merlin Miracle. Because he’s the boy that came back to life, and though Leon sort of... hates that he was lucky enough to get the second chance (because regardless of whether the kid would wake up again, he thought he was killing him. He did kill him. He doesn’t deserve a second chance, not for this), he’s also grateful beyond words that he gets to explain to his Miracle Boy how sorry he is, how much he’s trying to repent.

ANYWAY it’s totes angst, and will be very gory.

I am adding these to The List, and I’m so so so excited :D

This is literally incredible. I really need to think more about “earlier meeting AUs” with the knights because it’s always just fun. Maybe I’ll write a crack fic where all the knights (Leon, Elyan, Percival, Lancelot, Gwaine) have somehow met each other all before, individually. It’s the Spiderman meme but to the extreme lol :P

#bbc merlin #merlin #sir leon #leon #merlin angst #baby merlin #child merlin #immortal merlin #angst #so much angst #but also softenss in version 1 #soft leon #tw #child death #gore #protective leon #magic reveal

[tinyavenuesailor]

Reincarnation Fic Idea - Part 2

Continuing from where we left off - because I still have ideas. The gang reluctantly decide to partner with Morgana if it means that they could find Arthur and bring him home. They come to the conclusion that best bet at finding Arthur would be starting off at Lake Avalon where he was resurrected. Just one problem.

Where is Lake Avalon? 

Years have gone by, wars have happened, kingdoms have fallen with new ones to take their place, terrains have changed. They couldn’t even find Camelot if they tried. The only people who would know where to find Lake Avalon are the Druids and other people of magic - Morgana being a special case since she just had her magic reawakened from her memories. The world no longer knows of the existence of magic so they have to search for groups of magical people.

*the gang running for their lives*

Gwaine: Magical grenades?! Why do they have magical grenades?! Why can’t you give us magical grenades?!

Morgana: We didn’t have grenades 1500 years ago?! I can’t just wisk things up that’s not how magic works!

Lancelot: Merlin could probably do it *not being sassy just missing Merlin*

Gwaine: Well apparently Merlin could do it!

Morgana: I’m sorry I’m not on the same level as the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth!

Elyan: Do you mind arguing about this later!

Gwen: Just focus on staying alive!

Gwaine: Princess better be real grateful for the shit he’s putting us through

Leon: Don’t be like that, Arthur is out there and wherever he is he must be going through hell!

Elyan: Well, thank god he’s not here! They would have sacrificed him by now!

*A glowing knife gets thrown between the group and lands on a tree infront of them. They all duck before it explodes into a hot white blast of magic*

Elyan: Seriously, why can’t we ever run into nice people with magic?!

Gwaine: *to Morgana* We had knives back in Camelot! Can you at least give us exploding magical knives! 

Percival: *with a straight face* I’ll still take this over the cult

* gang dodging several magical grenades and fire arrows *

Gwaine: Merlin you beguiling bastard! Where are you when we need you!

Meanwhile at Merlin’s Farmhouse in a town of unorthodox druids - Druids that still practice magic but have integrated themselves into modern society, most of them are well-off if not wealthy.

*Arthur discussing something with two other druids while Merlin is falling asleep*

Arthur: Merlin!

Merlin: *being startled awake* Yes, yes, I’m up. 

Arthur: I know you were up late working but I really need your full attention. These are very important decisions we’re making and you said we would do this together.

Merlin: *rubbing his eyes* Yes, I know, I know. Where were we again? 

Arthur: We were looking over designs for the kitchen renovations. *Arthur takes a look over the pictures* I really like how spacious some of these are but out kitchen feels more homely I don’t want to get rid of that.

Druid 1 who is also an interior designer: I completely agree, I think it’s better to enhance your current look than give it a make over. Have a look at these.

Arthur: Oh, these are lovely. Merlin, what do you think? *turns to Merlin who is already asleep* Merlin!

Note: Arthur is in charge of renovations because he one gets to make decisions and two, gets to boss people around

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | ?

#merthur #reincarnation #merlin bbc #the gang running from a hostile village of magical indigenous people #meanwhile merlin and arthur looking at paint swatches for their kitchen #arthur finally learnt how to use the oven #Merlin eats everything no matter if it tastes good or bad #The king looks so proud of himself for making chicken and rice

[shellyseashell]

PRINCESS ELAINE PENDRAGON OF CAMELOT

universe: descendants

name & meaning: elaine is the name of various arthurian characters, but she’s not based off any of them, or any other arthurian character, because this is descendants, and the existence of artie already ignores arthurian lore. so i do what i want.

age & birthday: she doesn’t know her exact birthday, but she assigned herself July 17, and she’s probably 15-16 (same age as ben)

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: haven’t figured it out yet, but she’s not straight

height: 5’7

face claim: mackenzie foy

powers & species: she’s a fay, and her powers include: teleportation, shapeshifting, spells/runes, and seeing.

mbti: enfp, the campaigner

background: she was born to two fay from avalon, but didn’t grow up there. when she four, when near the border of camelot and auradon (camelot is not part of auradon, because i refuse to believe every fairy tale land is part of it), her parents were killed by anti-magic extremists. she was later rescued by merlin who was in the area for narrative reasons, i guess, who then took her back to caerleon (where arthur holds court). originally, she was going to be sent to avalon to live and train her magic, but in that time she grew attached to arthur, and arthur grew attached to her, so she was adopted instead. however, she’s not the heir — artie, who i renamed loholt, is, because he’s related to arthur by blood, and was already born when she was adopted.

when she was 14, she was sent to auradon as a sort of peace offering? basically, if she apprentices under fairy godmother, and does well, camelot will be left alone. this is not the first, or last, time they have done this.

residence: caerleon or avalon

affiliation: camelot and the round table

weapons & fighting style: uses a sword, and also her magic

hobbies: reading, sword fighting, riding

disney song i associate with them: let me make you proud from tangled the series

miscellaneous:

- wears only tunics and trousers, mostly to spite auradon, who are far more modern than camelot

- i’m still figuring out how i want to work arthuriana into descendants so things are subject to change

- talks a lot, and talks quickly

- holds herself with a lot of confidence, but is actually anxious all the time

- she has nightmares that double as prophetic visions, and they’re often very distressing. she has no idea how to control them, so she usually just doesn’t sleep.

- technically her roommate is jordan, but jordan lives in her lamp, so she has the room to herself. in one of my aus, she rooms with claudine.

- committing treason against auradon is on her bucket list

- her and maddy would be besties if they met

- her current best friend is her cousin, gawain. i’m still figuring out how to disney-ify him, so all i’ll say is they never get away with anything ever.

- struggles to manage her temper, especially in auradon, but she does her best

- i’m not sure if this actually fits in with auradon, but given my other headcanons for how they work, i think it fits. to keep her in line, fairy godmother makes her wear iron when she gets too defiant, or is failing her lessons. which is yknow, deadly for fay. audrey and jane figured out how to remove it for her, so as long as fg never finds out, she’s fine.

- fairy godmother also tries to train her to do magic she literally cannot do, because they’re too different types of fay

- she tries to present herself as being perfect, as being less than perfect could mean war. she is failing. miserably.

- very, very competitive

- had a hard time controlling her magic growing up, but now only struggles with her visions

- she idolizes her father, which leads to a lot disappointment, and is the root of some of her perfectionism

- really likes birds, except for archimedes. she thinks he’s annoying.

#disney descendants #descendants oc #oc: elaine of camelot #I have some one shots for her I want to write #and also feel free to ask about her! I want to talk about her #I don’t think the iron thing lines up with canon #but in my headcanons auradon is much worse and much darker #and canon is questionable and inconsistent anyway #so. yay.

[fluffypotatey]

You know what I wish we'd seen?

More positive actively involved magic users.

Like, we know the Druids support Emrys, though they seem more like a pacifist, non-combatant party (aside from some outliers like Kara, Mordred, Alvarr), and other magic users/beings like Anhora, Grettir, Mab, they all seem to be neutral. They acknowledge Emrys as a superior power, but they don't seem to actively participate for better or worse. And all other sorcerers are usually antagonistic. But why can't we have the other side? I'm sure there has to be some who decide to take Merlin's side. Maybe they don't entirely trust Arthur, maybe they aren't too certain of a Pendragon, but dude, it's fucking Emrys. If Emrys is supporting him, there's gotta be something to him, right?

Let Merlin have people helping him, other sorcerers who slip him spells that are too powerful for them, maybe he can do something with it, passing him information about plots they've heard through the sorcerers' grapevine, even helping him thwart some of the ambushes and traps. Maybe they aren't brave enough to live in Camelot 24/7 like Merlin, but they take turns bringing him messages and supplies, and to get their "marching orders," such as they are.

Also, imagine the look on Arthur's face when he finds out he has a magic Praetorian Guard that answers to his manservant.

yeah see, that's one of the big issues that's always bothered me. like we (the audience) are told that magic is not evil but rather is something as integral as nature. but more often than not, a lot of the antagonist we meet are magic users and most of the time they are power hungry people. i mean, i totally understand the sorcerers who seek out revenge for Uther and by proxy Camelot, but we only either get these types of sorcerers or the sorcerers whom the show portrays as only evil.

it is, frankly, impossible for the magic community to be full of only evil and vengeful sorcerers. there's got to be more diversity than that, bbc 🙄 you're telling me that there are no somewhat powerful magic users living in Albion helping others anyway they can and don't seek to help aid Merlin in anyway. and i mean aid him since s1. by s5 it looked like he was actually getting some help, but they were still sorcerers who fell a little bit in the gray area or just never interacted with anyone other than Merlin.

maybe have Lancelot befriend another sorcerer while he was away from Camelot and sort of sneak him in to help save the kingdom from Morgana and Morgause in s3. maybe Elyan, who had left Camelot pre-s1, have some magic friends that we meet in s4.

tbh, my big issue is that with how much the show tells us, the audience, that magic does have positive impacts and isn't evil, none of the characters besides Gaius, Merlin, and Lancelot actually know that (as far as i'm aware). literally any time Arthur considers that maybe magic isn't what his father claimed it to be, he ends up going back to those prejudices and ideas Uther propagated because "magic killed my father," "magic killed my mother" (still super salty), "magic corrupted morgana," "magic wants me dead." when in reality, that's far from the truth, and Merlin then has to continue to hide a part of himself from people he cares for and loves dearly because all they've ever known and seen is "evil magic people."

just....bbc, explain to me how Arthur was supposed to bring the so-called "Golden Age" to Albion where there's peace between magic users and non-magic users alike if he, himself, believed magic was inherently evil???? how is Arthur the Once and Future King if he never repealed the ban on magic or began working with sorcerers? and i'm saying this as someone who loves the character, but why did we, the audience, not get a chance to really see Arthur break away from his father's prejudices on magic until the series finale?

it just bugs me. there are so many moments where it looks like maybe Merlin has an ally that's pro-magic and pro-unity and wants to help fulfill the prophecy, but then they either become one-time side characters or fucking die. never seen or heard from again. maybe i just want a character or two to stick and maybe give Merlin the support group he needs?

por favor, bbc

#don't get me wrong i love the show but the fact that we barely get morally good sorcerers upsets me #idk seemed like an oversight #yeah i could maybe go on and talk about gilli and how he could have been a great character later down the line to be an ally for Merlin #i could go on about freya and how maybe we could have gotten more lady of the lake stuff or mentions of her (maybe by lancelot since he has #a connection to the the lady of the lake already in the legends. like his last name is literal Du Lac: of the lake. like hello????) #i could point out a lot #but i am prob not the first to do so #i understand that at the end of the day the show ends in tragedy; arthur dies in cammlan. merlin loses his best friend. gwen loses her love #camelot loses their king. and other very sad tragic stuff in s5 finale #but i think we could have still gotten the tragedy of the series finale with the inclusion of more positive sorcerers in the show #maybe that's wishful thinking but idk #we could have it be mid-s4 to s5 that arthur does begin the process of repeal decades of anti-magic laws but there's a lot of pushback #and/or bureaucratic political nonsense they have to do to finalize everything but it happens! #sigh #anyway #bbc merlin #long post #idk if this counts as #merlin meta #but just in case #asks #more of a merlin rant(?) #lol but yeah

[july-19th-club]

merlin canon divergence from "queen of hearts" where arthur successfully leaves the city with gwen BEFORE uther finds the fake enchantment bag and becomes convinced he's enspelled, or, when the confrontation goes down and uther tries to have gwen burned as a witch and arthur tries to renounce his claim, he then basically strong-arms his way out of the throne room with gwen - and he and gwen and merlin (who's going with them out of loyalty to two friends, since arthur legally can't tell him what to do now that he's not prince anymore) leave for ealdor, because it's the only place they know of to go. for the first week or so they're shell-shocked and angry and at loose ends but when they're able to settle in a bit they find themselves arguing less and being free-er with affection. gwen teases arthur a bit - looks like you got that farm sooner than you thought. merlin teases both of them - it's not even his farm, it's the one next to hunith's that's been abandoned for six months after old man eadwulf died. gwen and merlin don't do ALL the work, but in the beginning they wind up doing a fair bit of it since arthur's ideas of helping are pretty inept. but he's nothing if not Good At Training, and he takes his need to be physical out on the garden and the thatch roof and the ditch digging and the fence-building and eventually he's good at it. regretting your reduced circumstances? they ask him every so often. he looks up and leans on his spade and says, not yet. after a while camelot gets word of where they've gone and uther starts sending riders out to try to convince arthur to come back but he always just happens to be very engaged in some kind of chore that makes it impossible for him to hear them, sorry, you'll have to speak up, it's the - yeah, the wood has to be stacked, leon, you wouldn't get it, yes, it's going to be me throwing things loudly into piles for the next hour, maybe all afternoon. best not stick around, somebody might want you on patrol bye now. take care. say hi to morgana

and morgana does get the throne but arthur never even realizes she was being evil about it and once she has it she's like wow. i feel all cathartic and relieved. probably just going to legalize magic and get to work now, lots to get done, no time to smirk with hidden glee and undermine all my friends' chances at happiness. she often goes to visit them and they're always happy to see her and they come up to the citadel once or twice a year to have a little feast and then go back to the farm

#merlin #q

[assorted-fics]

Fics of the Month

Marvel

Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail by MusingsOnBuckyBarnes & Owlet First Fic: The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect

Average Avengers Local Chapter 7 of New York City by hetrez

Steve and Tony accidentally start a national do-gooders association and fall in love.

Changing Fate by melWinter

Loki was supposed to go back to Asgard to assume control of the throne after saving Thor on Svartalfheim. He was supposed to be the portent for Ragnarok...too bad fate didn't ask for his opinion. After all, fate didn't plan for Loki to find an abandoned baby elf. Nor did Loki plan to discover how intriguing Jane Foster can be. And what the heck do the Avengers and his trickster of a daughter have to do with any of this? Loki makes a different choice. But can Loki truly escape the fate that has been his since the beginning? Can the trickster learn to love? With Thanos rising and the infinity war looming, the universe may come to an end if the nine realms can't reconcile with the prince it once rejected. Eventual Jane/Loki. Warning: Loki and Hela snarkiness, Tony cockiness, Thor cluelessness, and random cuteness of Loki dealing with being a dad.

secret keeper by jilliancares

Ellie stares at the new arrival, gaping. All the evidence points to one obvious answer, but this guy looks nothing like the Spider-Man Ellie recognizes — mostly because he isn’t wearing the suit. “Crappy day to get kidnapped, amirite?” he says, crouching next to Ellie and deftly untying her restraints. “Looks like these guys were amateurs, though. They didn’t even lock the windows.” In which Ellie accidentally becomes the one person who knows Spider-Man's identity. She doesn't tell her dad.

Harry Potter

Of a Linear Circle (series) by flamethrower

First Fic: In September of 1971, Severus Snape finds a forgotten portrait of the Slytherin family in a dark corner of the Slytherin Common Room. At the time, he has no idea that talking portrait will affect the rest of his life.

When It Returns by academicdisaster

‘You’re late, layabout,’ Malfoy drawled, pushing the whiskey over to him. ‘I’ll have you know that I am very busy maintaining a whole house and garden by myself now.’ ‘Oooh, the dead husband card. Before any alcohol. Is that a record?’ Harry's husband is dead, and Malfoy is the only one who gets it. Or, the one where they drink at a straight man pub, renovate a house, and learn how to find joy again.

Percy Weasley and the Prefect Job That Isn’t A Vanity Role by adiduck (book_people) and joisbishmyoga

In Which Prefects Have Very Specific Training And Delineated Duties, Namely Handling Exactly One (1) Dormful Of Kids -OR- Percy Is Dorm Mom To Five Boys And No One Else -OR- In Which McGonagall Pictured Prefect Oliver Wood For Two Minutes, Turned Green, And Gave Percy The Badge Despite The Sheer Number Of Responsibilities He Already Had, And It Did Not End In Disaster The Notes For A Fic That Will Not Be Written No, Really, It Won't, Please Don't Ask A Place on Earth by louisfake "Right," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "I'm supposed to believe that the Gryffindor war hero caught the former Death Eater singing Muggle pop like a lunatic in his dormitory and didn't immediately share the news with his pack of admirers?" Harry couldn't help it, he snorted a little. "As if they would ever believe me, Draco." Draco drew himself up, ready to launch into some other tirade, so Harry held up a hand; "What would I even say? I saw Draco Malfoy being joyful and free. How is that a joke?"

Merlin

Next to You (It’s the Rule) by LunaMyLove

Arthur and Merlin have a special relationship. They always have, even when they were prince and servant. While many question it when first noticing, eventually it becomes an understanding in Camelot—and even among some other countries—that where there is Arthur, there is Merlin. And, where there is Merlin, there is Arthur. Or Arthur and Merlin's relationship as witnessed and explained by others. Also, or Five times someone realizes that Merlin is the Queen, one time Merlin realizes it himself, and one time he owns it.

The Hunt for Red Emrys by Darkbluedark

King Arthur sets out to keep his promise to the spirit of the Druid boy by repealing his father's ban on magic. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, for reasons including but not limited to the following: (1) He can't change the law until he understands magic better, but no sorcerer is willing to explain magic to him until he changes the law; (2) The sorcerers all have some strange obsession with Merlin, which is awakening all sorts of feelings in Arthur that he really doesn't fancy examining too closely; (3) He is starting to feel like the butt of some Druid-population-wide inside joke involving the mysterious phenomenon called Emrys; and (4) Oh yeah, Morgana is still trying to kill him. Thus he embarks on a journey of discovery, diplomacy, accountability, and self-improvement, and maybe even falls in love along the way.

Open Eyes by N16

After Merlin experiences abuse at the hands of a visiting lord, Arthur decides his manservant needs to learn how to defend himself. But Merlin is unimpressed with Arthur's solution, and Arthur is forced to confront some unpleasant truths about what happens right under his nose. How can he protect a kingdom when he can't even protect those inside his castle? One-shot.

Descendants

till death do us part by RottenKidNextDoor (Portal of Words)

"the first time jay killed carlos, they were sitting in the foyer of hell hall and carlos was worried about the blood on the floor." or jay and carlos have an agreement to kill each other to exploit the magic barrier's healing ability when things go too far. killing for mercy isn't as easy as it sounds.

death came to visit me so sweetly by tobiko

Do you know what it feels like to die? The Isle kids do. It's not something that they like to talk about.

#fics of the week #fanfiction rec list #Ao3 #marvel #marvel fic recs #merlin #merlin fic recs #harry potter #Harry Potter fic recs #harry potter fanfiction #descendants #descendants fic recs #fics of the month

[the-sunshine-dragon]

A'ight, so I'm 10 years late to the party (and writing this at 2 in the morning), but over the last 2-ish months, I finally watched Merlin. And boy, was it a ride.

The first season I had a few doubts. I was enjoying it but finding myself skimming episodes here and there because the writing was easy to predict and follow to the point where I didn't like to sit and waste time on it. So I skimmed and moved on to the second season.

Season two I didn't have anything major to note other than the writing picking up, which was good. I was still liking what I was seeing and I think it was probably by the end of season two I decided to not give up on the show.

By the third season, I was beginning to be fairly impressed with the character development I was seeing and no longer skimming the occasionally slow episode. And what an almost flipped way of doing it, too. Discussing what I was seeing with friends who had already long since watched the show lead to the conclusion that Merlin got the character development route typical of Arthur's type of character, while Arthur got the character development route typical of Merlin's type of character. And it worked! It worked very, very well in my opinion.

Season four I think was maybe my favourite season, despite the dive into more horror-ish/scary themes. I definitely was jump-scared a few times and certain episodes I'm glad I didn't watch at night. Morgana I struggled with as an antagonist. I'm not sure if it was the acting or something else. Perhaps she's one of the few characters whose arrogance makes me so furious I can't stand to see her on screen. Most of the time, I think I also felt sad for her. But in essence, I think I found her to be a bit much. I understand her role and how it worked with the writing, but I found her in season five to be much more palatable as a villain.

Season five was reminicient of that one writing post about knowing how the story is going to end and barrelling towards it anyways despite everyone screaming for it to stop. Episode 11 had me crying with the parallels between Mordred, Merlin, Freya, and Kara. It packed a punch I wasn't expecting and I feel that this how they chose to show not only how tormented Merlin was feeling by the end he knew was coming but also how different of a person he could've become. Mordred ever since he was first introduced early on as a mere boy in the show had always held a certain air about him that lent to one perhaps not knowing whether or not he could be trusted. We still have no idea what he went through all of those years, what lead him to Morgana, to the Saxons (though it's perhaps not that far of a leap to figure it out), why and if he would have killed Arther another way if specific decisions hadn't been made. But in this particular episode, the way things are handled and how Mordred reacts shows you very clearly how human he is, and I think that was really, really important.

The ending. Ah, man. I'm still numb from it in that "wait is this over oh yeah it is" sort of way (much like after season seven of the clone wars). I've seen worse endings to a show. I have a couple points of contention (i.e. where Percival went after Gwaine died and knowing if Merlin ever came back to Camelot). Arthur and Merlin's conversations the entire journey to Avalon absolutely wrecked me, especially being on the other side of writing a fic involving difficult communication and trying to understand another. I think how the writers handled it was darn near perfect.

Other comments I'd like to make:

Gaius was a fantastic mentor and one of my favourites throughout the show. The gradual progression of him teaching Merlin not only about his magic but how to be a physician (something more implied than anything) was something I greatly appreciated. Goblin Gaius was something I didn't know I needed. He is maybe second to Old Man Merlin.

Gwen had interesting character development throughout the show. From a blacksmith's daughter serving in the castle to the queen, the majority of her character development for the most part felt natural, up to a point. I had a bit of difficulty with her in the later half of season four, as she did rightly mature but the sweetness she had had for most of the show seemed lost and that made me sad. I think they could've kept it, but she was faced with many difficult decisions that can change a person dramatically. Part of what made season five so devastating was how much of it she spent under Morgana's influence. I think I teared up a bit at the scene at the Cauldron where Arthur worked so hard to get her back. It was such a good scene of how faithful they were to each other.

Totally would've loved to see more of the Knights of the Round table, especially in season five. I feel I was particularly cheated out of Gwaine and Lancelot chaos, but alas, that is what fics are for.

I may add more to this later, but for now I think those were my biggest thoughts.

#sunny's late night thoughts #sunny's shenanigans #merlin

[weird-tea]

So the continuity of BBC Merlin is a mess, for a lot of reasons, they clearly did not have a plan as to how they were adapting certin elements/chaaracters from the legend more than a season ahead. And don’t get me wrong there is something endearing about how much of a mess it is, and over planned tv shows can be bad as well because it doesn’t allow for creativity in the same way BUT that doesn’t mean I don’t wonder about an alternative universe version of the show that actually knew what it was doing a bit more and was more into acknoledging continuity.

Like, can you imagine if Agravaine has been forshadowed? As in way back in season 1 when the wraith of Tristan de Bois turns up and we get the story of Igraine’s brother challenging Uther to a fight to the death because he blamed him for Igraine’s death - imgaine if they had also mentioned that Igraine had another brother who is still alive but left camelot after Tristan’s death and has never even seen Arthur. Nothing big, just a throw away line seeding the idea that Arthur has a living maternal uncle out there who wants nothing to do with him. It would have been an intresting element for Arthur’s character to be established so early on, that Uther isn’t actually his only blood kin (They didn’t know about Morgana yet) but he is the only one who has anything to do with him. And like obviously it’s awful that Uther seems to hate Arthur, or at least not love him as he should, because of how Igraine died giving birth to him, but hey at least he didn’t just send him away to be raised by strangers, at least he still wants to have his son in his life. Where as igraine’s own brother seems to blame Arthur so much.

And then seasons on when Arthur is show Igraine’s ghost and almost kills his father, it’s not just that Uther got his mother killed and then blamed magic, there is the added twist of the knife that this Uncle we’ve only ever heard mentioned probably blames Uther for his sister’s death not Arthur, and Uther let Arthur beleive that Agravaine hated him. Then when Uther is ill and Arthur is regent and suddenly Argraine is there and helping him that message is doubled down on. That his uncle never hated him, just Uther. Agravaine could have a scene saying how guilty he has felt not being there for Igraine’s boy but he just couldn’t stand to be around Uther when he’d killed both his siblings (continuity reference to Tristian who I don’t think show Agravaine ever mentions). So Arthur’s apsalute trust in Agravaine dispite him acting shady as hell and Merlin’s warnings makes so much more sense because we’ve had his quiet longing to actually know his mother’s brother built up from season 1. And then the reveal that Agravaine really does hate Arthur and is plotting against him would hit the audience so much harder because he was actually a character we had wondered about and wanted in Arthur’s life for seasons.

Also, I feel like the fact that Uther cheated on igraine, his supposed great love, was not brought up nearly enough on the show. Like it focuses almost entirely on the betrayal of Uther hiding the truth from Morgana and Arthur and like a tiny acknowledgement that it’s fucked up he had an affair with his best friend’s wife but like, he cheated on Igraine. Arthur should have a lot of feelings about that! Especally when the whole Gwen/Lancelot thing happens. 

And speaking of the affair - where the hell is Morgana’s mother? We’re told she had a daugher, Morgause, who Uther belived was dead but was actually snuck out to be raised by a high priestess. And that is never explained. Is Morgause’s father Gorlois? Who knows! And then Vivienne has an affair with Uther and has Morgana who is raised by Gorlois beleiving he is her father, then he is killed in battle when she is a child and she is taken in as Uther’s ward - where is her mother in all of this? Did she die? It seems more like she left? What’s up with that? I feel like she got a lot of build up for her with the mystery of Morgause being stuck out of camelot. Imagine is Vivienne was a character in later seasons! Imagine if we got a scene with her and her daughters reuniting? The fact that Vivinne was made to leave camelot, leave Morgana, could have been part of Morgana’s reasoning for turning evil. Like her mother was forced to flee because she had magic or something and no one ever told her. And we could have had Vivinne and Uther scenes where she is worried about the dark path her daughter is on and blames Uther for being a shit dad. We could have had Vivinne talking to Arthur about his mother, about the person she was and how gulity she felt for betraying Igraine with uther. 

I know so many of these things can be ‘fixed’ in fanfiction form, but part of me mourns for the show we could have got. I love the show as is but there is so much wasted potential that just drives me mad. 

#bbc merlin