#arthur is gay and stupid

[little-blurry-stars5]

friendly reminder dazai had a genuinely hard time telling chuuya about his humanity. friendly reminder akutagawa kept his promise to not kill even though killing was his first instinct even after death. friendly reminder poe was the only detective that ever made ranpo feel something. friendly reminder fyodor was the only one who ever truly understood nikolai. friendly reminder tecchou placed jouno over the only thing hes ever believed in. friendly reminder rimbaud changed verlaines entire veiw on humanity and gave him faith in the human race. friendly reminder albatross didnt care if he got hurt or killed if it meant he saved doc. friendly reminder fukuzawa was the only one who understood fukuchi and his motives and couldnt kill him even if it meant saving the world. friendly reminder kunikida calls dazai every morning to make sure hes okay. friendly reminder ango genuinely felt so guilty about odas death he betrayed the government. friendly reminder-

[ihaveanaversiontodecisions]

arthur wearing gold accents not just as an artistic choice but because John is the one who ultimately picks any color they wear post The Horrors™️ and he matches it to their eyes (if they're still sharing a body) or uses it as a way to show the world that arthur is his and to keep them intertwined in a way post separation

[starrieisdelusional]

merthur au where king arthur is tired that the women are crazy over him and the royal court is nagging him to marry so he turns to merlin instead:

Arthur: i need you to be my husband

Merlin (dropping plates on the floor): WHAT?

Arthur (who thinks this is brilliant idea): it’s simple logic merlin if you marry me, the court will back off and the women will be scandalized!

Merlin: arthur im a guy

Arthur: merlin what part of women will be scandalized did you not understand, plus merlin, have you actually heard of ‘homosexual royalties’ before?

Merlin: i don’t think so…?

merlin ended up being arthur’s husband for an indefinite amount of time

[gd-dollopole]

The awkward smile/unsure expression Merlin does after repressed Arthur punches him on the shoulder, because he doesn’t know how to communicate feelings (just kiss and make up).

[averywizardgay]

You know what, Arthur shouldn't be mad at Merlin for not telling him about his magic BECAUSE PEOPLE COME OUT THEN THEY READY, and in the show he was forced to come out at the end

You can't be mad at the person who didn't come out sooner, they had their reasons

[multifandom-aroace]

Arthur looked at merlin like this

AND THIS WAS MERLIN'S FACE EXPRESSION WHILE ARTHUR IS TALKING ABOUT GWEN IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS

[coinjarred]

me thinks I will make genderbent versions of Tyrian and watts because methinks that’s cool

[imagine-to-be-a-pike]

guys we were robbed.

imagine Merlin where Arthur knows he has his protector. That would be so beautiful

[acrossthecherriverse]

quick lil sketch of a 1911!rdr!cherri i desire her carnally

[reneesbooks]

a little jarthur for sunday morning

*claws out of my own grave* the students haven't killed me yet. here's the first coherent thing i've written in literal weeks

A rap at Arthur’s window makes him look up from his notes. He see’s Jack’s beaming smile through the crack of the shutters and throws them open, leaning on his elbows on the sill. “You know you’re not supposed to be here.”

“That’s what makes it fun.” Jack’s smile grows impossibly brighter. “It’s the coronation today.”

“I know.”

“Everyone’s invited.”

Arthur raises an eyebrow. “Even street rats and orphans like us?”

“As long as you don’t announce yourself as such.” Jack offers him a hand. “Come with me?”

Arthur glances over his shoulder at his bedroom door. The nuns won’t expect him until dinner; he has plenty of time to get back before they’ll notice he’s gone. He turns back to Jack and takes his hand, smiling back at him. “You’re going to get me in so much trouble.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

They blend into the crowds streaming towards the castle gates and Arthur cranes his neck to see as much of the gardens as possible as they are herded down the main path by the royal guard. The great hall is even bigger than he’d imagined, the chandeliers sparkling with light that dances across the walls. He and Jack climb the stairs up to the balcony around the perimeter of the room and jostle their way to the front, leaning against the railing. From this point, they can see the nobility snacking on pastries and the priest pacing back and forth on the dais, ordering around altar girls and snapping at servants. Next to the ornately carved wooden throne stands a scowling soldier in a deep purple cloak, his piercing green eyes scanning the crowds continuously.

“That’s Keelan O’Leyne,” Jack whispers to him, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Have you heard the songs?”

Arthur shrugs. “The nuns have mentioned him once or twice. They don’t seem to be a fan.”

“They wouldn’t be.” Jack strings his fingers through his hair, his eyes taking on an admiring quality that makes Arthur’s chest ache. “He’s dangerous and violent.” He sighs a little dreamily. “He’d probably cut my tongue out within ten minutes of meeting me.”

“It’s weird that you sound like you want him to.”

“Can you blame me?” Jack gestures at him, Arthur rakes his gaze over the knight again, admitting to himself that he is quite handsome. He would be more so without the deep scowl on his face. “Anyway, he’s famous for how he escaped the massacre of his village by slaughtering the twelve thieves that burned it down. He’s been the princess’s sworn shield since. I heard a rumor that he threatened to cut out the tongue of anyone who used her name in his presence.”

Arthur shivers. “No wonder the nuns don’t like him.”

The crowd hushes and the priest begins to chant. The doors at the end of the great hall swing open and Arthur cranes his neck as the princess steps into the room, floating down the aisle in a gown of blue silk. There is a black mourning stripe down the back. Jack whistles loudly and Arthur sees Keelan O’Leyne’s head whip in their direction, green eyes narrow with cold, calculated anger. Arthur hopes he isn’t able to tell which of them whistled and elbows Jack in the side. “You’re going to get your wish about meeting Keelan O’Leyne if you keep that up. It’s inappropriate.”

“I don’t care about the princess’s beauty, though it is great,” Jack says, his eyes still locked on where she’s advancing slowly down the aisle while the priest chants. “O’Leyne can have her. I’m looking at those jewels on her head and around her pretty neck.”

Arthur looks again, focusing on the crown and necklaces that she’s wearing. The necklace is three strands of jewels twisted together—rubies, pearls, and sapphires shaped into perfect spheres resting on her collarbone. The golden crown has been worked into the shape of flowers, the metal nearly blending into the princess’s braided hair. As she reaches the dais and turns to face the crowd, he gets a better view of it. The jeweled flowers glint in the light, more rubies and sapphires and pearls than Arthur has ever seen in his life set into the intricately wrought metal. He remembers from his reading that the crown jewels were made by the first queen of Raedora and placed on her head by her magical students. There were old stories, buried in the backs of his books, that they once served as powerful magical conduits for the moons.

“Long live Queen Maura of Raedora, blessed by rivers and moons!”

The room erupts in cheers and Arthur gets caught up in it, the shouting crowd around him and the carefree grin on Jack’s face. He could stay in this moment forever, the two of them anonymous in the crowd, not a gutter rat and an orphan but just two kids attending the coronation like everyone else.

Jack turns to him with that wide grin and says over the cheers, “I’m going to steal the crown jewels.”

Arthur laughs, perfect and unburdened. “Sure you are, Jack.”

“Oh, I am.” His eyes are full of plans and mirth and more plans. “And you’re going to help me.”

thieves of morbhard taglist (ask to be added <3): @k–havok @theharpywrites @allianaavelinjackson @oh-no-another-idea

[ihaveanaversiontodecisions]

the whiplash going from:

"you want to shave this thing?" and other silly, sweet bonding moments, reciting poetry to each other, calling eachother "friend", etc.

to: "You're a murderer because you're unfit to be a father" and literally trying to kill each other even though they share the same body

in TWO episodes is actually insane

[livvyofthelake]

uh i currently have 100 diamonds on the mobile game app choices… suck it haters <3

[gd-dollopole]

MERLIN FIC PROMPT

What if Arthur can shapeshift?

Once upon a time, a very powerful magical being had found a way to transform their cells however they wanted to, using magic (very much like alchemy. Impossible, but they were able to find a method to make it work).

Fast forward, the Pendragon line is born, and some far away in their blood, these cells still work.

And then, Arthur and Merlin meet when they’re kids.

Two peaceful reigns, allies and magical, Balinor’s and Uther’s, both together to sign a treaty, when Merlin and Arthur are forced to stay together, annoyed with each other, while the adults do adult things.

They bicker, they fight, they scream at one another, and end up playing together, when one afternoon, Arthur, wooden sword in hand, puffy, red cheeks, hands closed in fists and hair a mess, runs around the castle to catch Merlin, thin, scrawny boy, all bones, ears too large and hair as black as night, yelling at the blonde to stop chasing him.

But then Arthur reaches him, and he lets out a puff of breath.

More accurately, a puff of smoke.

Merlin stands still, a ball of blue light flying over his hand, breathing harshly, ready to smash the ball across Arthur’s face.

They stare at each other, with round and knowing eyes, until Merlin yells, runs across the gardens, and tackles Arthur to the ground anyway.

They’re forced to stay together one way or another, and unconsciously, Merlin helps Arthur control his powers, as much as Arthur can help Merlin control his.

They’re too stupid to understand that a bond stronger than everything else in Albion is creating between them, but they don’t notice many things.

Cue all the shenanigans:

first time Arthur sneezes it happens in front of Merlin. They’re in Camelot, searching for secret chambers in the castle. Since the warlock seems very much like the only one who can call to Arthur’s powers, the prince pops a tail. Long, scaly, red and gold.

Merlin, magic flaring inside him, and giggling, tries to chop it off for fun;

during their teenage years, while Merlin is studying the dragon tongue, he dares Arthur to steal biscuits from the cook, but makes the mistake to be too loud, since he suddenly grows claws, that rip apart his shoes. Needless to say, it doesn’t work, and now they’re being chased by a very angry cook;

Arthur hits Merlin with a mace during training, when the warlock comes to visit him. Arthur puts too much force when sitting on Merlin, and he farts.

Very manly, of course.

While Merlin is too busy laughing so loud the sound reaches all Five Kingdoms, Arthur gets angry, and two wide, long, red wings rip open his armour. Arthur ends up flying over Merlin’s window for an entire week as revenge, hitting it with the end of his sword;

to be fair, Merlin whispers filthy words and makes awful noises resound in Arthur’s ears while he is trying to sleep, all across their two kingdoms;

at Arthur’s coronation as a regent, Merlin visits him, and makes fun of him while he tries to approach a girl. Arthur burns his hair, and Merlin burns his in return.

And then they are adults, two men who somehow, despite their differences, had stuck together throughout all these years.

And one night, Arthur disappears, suddenly, and without notice.

There is a rumour he had escaped Camelot by running.

And Merlin feels the pulse of magic in his veins.

He has no idea if it will work, but the warlock, desperate and scared, calls Arthur to a clearing, and as he regains his breath after screaming for his best friend, Merlin sees a giant, red and gold dragon ascending on the grass, wide paws and claws gripping the ground, nostril flaring hot smoke, scales shining under the moonlight, tails hitting the end of the trees in the woods, and his lean, long body expanding with each laboured breath he takes.

Arthur had only went away for a walk, and while he screams at Merlin for being such a girl’s petticoat, they both stop mid sentence, and stare long at each other.

Or rather, Arthur’s golden eyes widen, and he looks down at a tiny Merlin, who had a similar expression on.

That’s how they both find out that Merlin is Arthur’s Dragonlord.

(this is all inspired by a post that I read so long ago. Merlin is a Dragonlord, and he is in fact the only one who can make Arthur, a Pendragon, see sense, and therefore tame him)

[moo-shroomi]

Kilgarah: A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole. Very soon, you shall learn that.

Merlin: Oh great. Just what I needed, another FUCKING RIDDLE.

——————

Merlin: You’re threatening me with a fucking spoon?

——————

Merlin: You would think the appeal of pelting the same fucking person with fruit would wear off but oh no.

——————

Merlin: If anyone wants to go and kill him they can go ahead. Shit, I’ll give them a hand.

——————

Merlin: There must be a different Arthur because this one’s a fucking idiot.

——————

Uther: Have you some kind of mental affliction?

Merlin: Shit, probably.

——————

Gaius: Tastes like chicken!

Merlin: The fuck it does.

——————

Arthur: Had no idea you were so keen to die for me

Merlin: Trust me, I can hardly fucking believe it myself.

——————

Arthur: i sometimes wonder if you know who i am

Merlin: Oh, I know who you are.

Arthur: Good.

Merlin: You’re a bitch. and royal one.

——————

Merlin: THERE IS NO MORE FUCKING ROPE.

——————

now for some things i imagine he would say and not just edited quotes:

Arthur: *about to get murdered in battle*

Merlin: motherfucker-

——————

Gaius: Clean the leech tank, Merlin

Merlin: Suck my dick.

——————

Uther: *having yet another unfair trial* i sentence you to be burnt alive

Merlin: *under his breath* bitch

——————

and finally,

Arthur: Polish my armor

Merlin: *under his breath* suck my cock

Arthur: gladly

Merlin: what the fuck

im actually so mad merlin was a family show bc merlin would have had sworn like a fucking sailor if they had let him

[hoodiedmenace]

Reasons Why Charles Smith and Arthur Morgan are Gay (an almost essay)

Reason 1: from a game play standpoint, you only get a few optional missions. Those missions are helping Mary when she asks (who is Arthur's like, old girlfriend/ex/situationship/it's complicated) and CHARLES when he asks Arthur to help with the local Native American tribe

Reason 2: Charles is super introverted, and doesn't talk to other gang members much at all. However, when Charles goes bison hunting, despite it being a sacred thing that he holds really close, he invites Arthur along

Reason 3: John, Arthur's sort of brother, gets SHOT and MAULED BY WOLVES and Arthur makes fun of him and doesn't treat it seriously. But when Charles burns his hand, Arthur is super doting on him

Reason 4: Arthur doesn't hug people very often, and when he does its always because another person initiates it. He doesn't go in for the hug himself. EXCEPT. With CHARLES. And they hug not once but twice. Once when Arthur finds out that Charles isn't dead, and again when Charles leaves the gang

Reason 4.5: when they hug the last time, you can see them hold hands for about two seconds once the hug has finished, as if they don't want to let go yet. (Which they probably don't because Charles knows that this is probably the last time that he'll see Arthur)

Reason 5: when Mary (again, Arthur's weird ex girlfriend/it's complicated) asks Arthur to run away from the gang and live with her, he says he can't because the gang is his family and he has to stay loyal to Dutch (who is Arthur's father figure/leader of the gang) but when Charles says he's staying to help the Native Americans, Arthur is immediately like "Okay I'll stay too" ............ yeah okay buddy those are totally straight tendencies

Reason 6: Charles is one of the few people that actually shows compassion, care, and offers Arthur a sort of solution when he tells Charles that he's dying. He also says "Oh Arthur" and it's the most devastating thing ever

Reason 7: Charles doesn't make fun of Arthur like. Ever. everyone else calls him stupid and not worth much else than basically a work horse. There are two times when Charles does say it but the first time is when Arthur makes a joke and he goes "you simple minded fool" but like. In a silly way. And the other time Arthur is being Problematic and Charles goes "I know you're not as tough and dense as all that"

Reason 8: Charles goes back for Arthur, finds his body, and buries him. And his grave isn't just the regular tombstone that anyone else's is. It's hand carved wood, on a mountain overlooking the morning sun because "That's what he would have wanted". And there's also flowers purposefully grown there as well

Reason 9: Arthur isn't often given a choice in who he gets to take on missions but when he does, it's always Charles.

Reason 10: Arthur is weirdly submissive towards Charles? Not in a sexual way, but he won't take orders from anyone else besides Dutch and Hosea, and then also Charles.

Reason 11: At the beginning Arthur doesn't just ride anyone's horse, he rides CHARLES'S horse. And also when he dies, Taima takes him to his final resting place

[bisclavret]

like many who have suffered at the hands of bbc merlin before me, i recently indulged in a thought experiment in which i outlined my own version of seasons 3-5 that stay thematically and tonally in line with the show (except they're less fucking stupid). but then i quickly realized that focusing on details is pointless: all you need is to solve the one Big Problem the show has, and the rest will follow. the problem in question? ✨morgana✨

i like the first two seasons. s1 achieves what it sets out to do and has fun while doing it, and s2, while flawed, sets up a ton of potential that the following seasons unfortunately squander, beginning with the insidious season 3. you can only distract me with cute knights and goblins and fart jokes for so long before i start seeing through you, evil, evil season of television.

my hypothesis is that if the writers had crafted s3 morgana into anything more sympathetic than a violent half-alive poltergeist that can never be reasoned with because she's suddenly terminally off her rocker, everything would've fallen into place. a sympathetic morgana would've made real, valid arguments against uther (and arthur) that wouldn't just be the ramblings of a woman possessed. her betrayal of arthur would have stemmed from her feeling increasingly morally superior to him because of his complacency in the face of their father's tyranny. under morgause's guidance she would stop believing that arthur is capable of change, and the whole point would be that she might actually be right. arthur would have to actively try and prove her wrong, instead of getting praised for doing the bare minimum because the bar is on the floor.

furthermore, morgana's prophetic dream about arthur and gwen becoming king and queen and her decision to prevent this however she can is a direct parallel to merlin learning about that same prophecy and making it happen by any means necessary. merlin's desires about his and arthur's futures are subtextually fueled by gay love and devotion, so why couldn't morgana's be? why couldn't she properly express her bitterness that arthur gets to be with gwen in a way she can't "took gwen away" from her, instead of suddenly declaring that gwen is nothing more than a servant, after two seasons of demonstrating again and again that she loves, values, and respects gwen more than anyone else in that godforsaken castle?

following this, an angry and emotionally volatile but still sensible morgana asking gwen to stay by her side during the coup of the castle in the s3 finale and gwen going behind her back to help arthur and the knights would've hurt like a bitch. double-sided betrayal! gwen having a real plot! the proper beginnings of a toxic yuri that would shape a generation!

then there's the utter hubris of having morgana shoot arrows at the same civilians she worried herself sick over for 2 seasons — even morgan, her medieval counterpart that was rooted in every sexist trope in existence, doesn't just go around killing senselessly but instead has (often petty!) personal vendettas against gwen, arthur, and the knights. morgana had every right to be sick of the pretensions around chivalry in camelot (she was always quick to mock it, even in s1), and to lash out at the knights and soldiers after years of feeling powerless in a castle full of armed men that blindly followed her oppressor. the show conveniently forgets that morgana was victimized as a woman as well as a sorcerer those first 2 seasons.

but like i said, this is not just about morgana. allowing her to remain a real and multifaceted character even as she betrays everyone in pursuit of her ambitions would've given the rest of the core four more interesting conflict to work with: merlin because he would have to experience real consequences to his actions, arthur because he would watch his sister go against his father (and his knights, and his birthright) and experience some actual internal dilemmas about it, and gwen because she would be forced to choose between morgana and arthur without the pretense that it's an obvious or easy choice for her to make.

even morgause and gaius would come off more interesting as mentors: neither one inherently evil or inherently good, both jaded by events that happened before our protagonists were even born, both heavily influencing morgana and merlin into fulfilling roles that they think are appropriate, but that morgana and merlin may not have chosen for themselves had they not been under their care.

you get the gist. if the show followed its own setup, morgana's mistakes wouldn't lie in cheap and senseless acts of violence but in alienating the people she loves because she is too hurt and jaded to trust them. meanwhile, everybody else would feel guilt over "failing" her and yet they would be too caught up in their own (sometimes flawed!) beliefs of right and wrong to truly see her point of view.

arthur would convince himself it was sorcery that corrupted her. merlin would know that isn't true but he wouldn't be able to argue without confessing everything, which is the defining conflict between him and morgana and it's cheapened when she's just an evil witch caricature and merlin is framed as inherently virtuous in contrast. gwen, too, would become a more active participant in her own life by choosing arthur over morgana and choosing to rule camelot with him instead of just waiting politely to see where things go.

and, of course, uther's downfall and death would be quick, final, and completely earned — when and why did the show even decide he of all people was the sympathetic villain, anyway?

lastly, and perhaps controversially, i think morgana should've learned merlin's true identity by season 4. her being the first of the main characters to find out makes perfect sense considering their shared history and their interconnected and mirrored arcs. even the show seems to agree, considering she does find out a little before arthur. but the narrative itself tried pointing flashing neon arrows towards this way earlier — there is a whole entire episode in s4 where merlin being emrys is repeatedly spelled out for morgana and she still isn't allowed to see it. that episode makes her look like the stupidest person to ever live, which is pretty funny im not gonna lie, but also another frustrating thing in the endless string of frustrating things that make up this show.

morgana learning that merlin has magic would've transformed the source of merlin's anxiety from a crippling fear of being outed someday to the crippling fear of knowing she could out him at any moment. this would make him want to beat her to the punch (perhaps he'd consider killing her for a minute and decide against it because she isn't a cartoonishly insane evil person in my version of events) and maybe he would even feel some tentative excitement at the idea of coming clean, now that it seems inevitable. after all, he always intended to tell arthur eventually! and i think gaius would have to admit outright that he does not want merlin to tell arthur he has magic because he, gaius, simply cannot risk such a gamble. it would be so interesting to see gaius and merlin clash and disagree once it becomes obvious that it's not merlin that isn't ready for the reveal, it's gaius. delicious!

with morgana's knowledge looming, things would inevitably spiral into a magic reveal by the end of season 4. i picture this season as an absolute mess of miscommunication between everyone at camelot, which is, y'know, canon. growing increasingly cunning and vengeful, morgana would use this tension to her advantage, destabilizing the court from the outside while she creates alliances with other sorcerers outside of camelot (instead of living alone in a hovel for no reason — morgana le fay i'm sorry i'm so sorry they gave you agravaine instead of your all-female entourage oh my god).

and here's where the events would change beyond recognition (aka here's where the meta becomes the fanfic i refuse to write). picture it with me: a militia of sorcerers infiltrates camelot and arthur and gwen have to set aside their differences (assuming gwen kissing lancelot and arthur overreacting happens, which it should) for the good of the kingdom as well as for love. picture high priestess morgana in her element, side by side with a bunch of misfit sorcerers that aren't so easily vilified, chopping down camelot's soldiers and knights and assuredly making their way to the newly-minted king.

then, just as it starts to seem that all hope is lost, in swoops merlin (the actual merlin, not his old fart disguise) on dragonback (kilgharrah hates morgana so much i know his sexist ass would stoop to anything to stop her)!!! imagine merlin showing off the extent of his powers in front of everyone and preventing the sorcerers from getting any further, declaring loud and clear that camelot is protected by him, by emrys. imagine that display of power alone being enough to send everyone home.

imagine the loyalties clearly drawn: merlin on arthur's side, morgana on the sorcerers'. imagine arthur, feeling confused and betrayed by everyone at this point, banishing merlin despite everything he's done for him in the angstiest, most emotionally dysregulated scene the show had ever put to screen. imagine merlin starting season 5 free at last but very lonesome, an embittered dragonlord like his father. imagine the absolute mess camelot would become without him, even with gwen — now queen guinevere — there to pick up the slack. imagine arthur actually earning merlin back, finally growing into his role as king as he does so. imagine the reunion.

all this and more could've been not just possible but inevitable if morgana was allowed to remain a complex character that is neither inherently good nor inherently evil: it was undeniably the biased and one-note treatment of morgana's downfall by the writers that set the precedent for literally everything else that happened after merlin chose to poison her. the show wouldn't have even had to jeopardize its tone or the monster-of-the-week vibe, all it would've had to do is admit that even the "good guys" are capable of mistakes and what makes them good is the ability to feel remorse and change for the better. (as opposed to uther, who was miles beyond redemption since way before the pilot and deserved to lose everything and die alone. OBVIOUSLY???)

in a world where morgana remains multifaceted and sympathetic, mordred would get a better arc as well, so if we really wanted to, we could still end on the same tragic note that the show ended on. with so much harm inflicted onto so many innocent people by the pendragons for so long (including mordred and the many druids and sorcerers that raised him), it could realistically end up being a little too late for anything more than one shining glimpse of king arthur and the sorcerer merlin's short-lived golden age before fate catches up to them. glimpsing that reality just to immediately lose it would've been far more satisfying and far more tragic than whatever the writers thought they were doing with all that pointless carrot-dangling.

and finally, an ending in line with morgana's new and improved arc. in this version, rather than bleeding out on the forest floor alone, she would channel the morgan le fay we know from the legends: sobered up by the reality of her brother dying, she would use her high priestess status (and perhaps also her pendragon status) to be granted passage over to avalon alongside arthur on the boat — a one-way ride — just to make sure he gets there safely. this is her penance for the harm she has caused, the same way arthur's penance is to die and leave the true ruler of camelot (gwen) behind to achieve everything he was too slow and indecisive to build while he still had time.

merlin's penance, then, would be to stay behind and watch them cross over without him, waiting and waiting and waiting until they come back or until he can finally join them. which is a bit fucking harsh if i'm honest, so i'd at least make it slightly more faithful to the legends by having him return as an old man and letting him take a long nap under a tree by the shore, his body slowly enveloped by vines like the cobwebbed fisher king in 3x08, never fully sure if he's dreaming or if there really are strange shapes fading in and out of the fog over the lake. still tragic, but nevertheless a little more open-ended and whimsical than [TRUCK NOISES] THE END!