#arthur knows about merlin���s magic
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(doppelganger Merlin au. Arthur is looking at two Merlin's, who both have all of Merlin's memories, except the imposter doesn't have magic. which is perfect, because the real Merlin lied so flawlessly to Arthur that imposter Merlin would have a real chance to take over Merlin's life. oh and, uh, Merlin was drugged w a truth serum. so he can't lie about the magic if it comes up. The imposter is able to pretend to be Merlin better than Merlin can bc ofc the magic comes up.)
Arthur: What's the first thing you ever said to me?
Imposter Merlin, confidently: Hey, that's enough. You've had your fun my friend.
Real Merlin, dazed, looking over at the imposter in horror as he realizes that the imposter has all of his memories, and that the imposter is actually capable of lying rn unlike himself, which means Real Merlin can't even keep up his own facade, but the imposter can: (says exactly the same thing in perfect unison with the imposter, but looks a lot more lost and shaken about it)
Arthur, narrowing his eyes at them both: What is your favorite tunic to dress me in?
Imposter Merlin: The red one. (It was a fair enough assumption. It was the one that Merlin picked out for Arthur to wear more than any of the others.)
Real Merlin, unable to believe he's about to admit this, but he has truth potion in his system: Your nightshirt, when you decide to wear it... It is--you look the happiest, in that one. (gay sweatdrop)
Arthur, kind of floored by the vulnerability: (was honestly expecting Merlin to say the red one, but now he wasn't so sure because that also sounded like something girlish that Melrin might say) Alright... How many times have you saved my life?
Imposter Merlin, gleeful on the inside because he finally has a chance to play Merlin's part while Merlin can't even maintain his own web of lies because of the truth potion: (to this imposter's credit, he is very good at pretending to be merlin. he starts mumbling to himself and counting on his fingers, just as Arthur thought Merlin might have done.) Let's see, there was the dagger, the poison, the... (proceededs to ramble off most every single one that Arthur himself is aware of) ... so that's about, a dozen? I'd say?
also Imposter Merlin: (places his hands on his hips in Merlin's sassy way) I'm starting to think you owe me a day off.
Real Merlin, voice shaky, because they are getting nearer and nearer to the topic of magic: Twice a fortnite for as long as I've lived in Camelot... That's got to be in the hundreds by now.
Arthur, suddenly remembering all the creatures of the week that suddenly disappeared before they became a problem. He knew of about one every month or two, but he started reconsidering if his guardian angel had been taking care of threats that he perhaps DIDN'T know about: Erm... (still can't tell who the real Merlin is, because one of them is giving all the answers he's looking for and is acting exactly like he would expect Merlin to, but the other Merlin is being so damn earnest right now, as Merlin was wont to do in times of crisis) What is--what's an honest truth that you've told me that I have mistaken for a lie?
Imposter Merlin, knowing that he's being quizzed on the memories of their shared history, without missing a beat: Valiant's shield. It was enchanted with those snakes. You got into a world of trouble for confronting him about it in front of the entire court. (aka exactly the answer that Arthur was expecting from the real Merlin)
Real Merlin, with a knot in his throat and tears in his eyes because he knows he's doomed: (the first instance that came to mind was that time he saved Gwen's father from sickness using magic and Gwen got thrown in the dungeons for being an alleged sorceress--and of course that was his first thought, he is very very paranoid about the magic so it's all he's thinking about--he has to say the first one for the sake thought for the sake of honesty, even though it's damning) Gwen's not the s-sorcerer... I am. (is also making exactly the same face that he was making the day that he told Arthur about Valiant's shield, the face where he is pleading for Arthur to believe him. The imposter only has access to Merlin's memories through Merlin's eyes, so the imposter wasn't able to see what Merlin's face did that day, so he wouldn't have known)
Arthur, now even more unsure, just gapes for a moment because how fucking stupid does someone have to be to confess to sorcery in Camelot? Twice?! And it was worse yet that he still couldn't tell for sure which Merlin was the real Merlin because he'd never had to combine the image of Merlin with magic before and gods damn it all he needed a moment to process: (decided to start asking Merlin questions about himself instead of quizzing him on information that Arthur already knows) Who was your first love? (fully expecting to hear Gwen's name, although, Merlin was quite flamboyant....)
Imposter Merlin: It was Will... (blushes a little, looking flustered and matter of factly at the same time, in that awkward way that mimics merlin perfectly) You met him, in Ealdor.
Real Merlin, sneering at the imposter in the way that he did Cedric when he was bitter about replaced by a possessed man in the Cornelius Sigan incident (a/n: even though the episode I mention in this line is a totally different one. I think I mix referenced a lot of episodes in this ramble actually): H-her name was Freya. You killed her.
Arthur, alarmed: Killed her? Wh--Merlin--not Merlin--Merlin? (stammers on how to address this Merlin, tosses his hands up after 0.5 seconds) I do not recall killing any village girls in Ealdor..!
Real Merlin, shaking his head: She was the bastet. It wasn't her fault, she was cursed by a sorceress to become a bastet at night. It wasn't your fault either, you did what you had to; I don't blame you for what happened.
Arthur, suddenly remembering that night, remembering how Merlin was reaching for the dangerous feline beast as if it were only a kitten, as if Merlin was going to pet it, or shield it from Arthur, or any other number of things that also seem so very Merlin. Arthur hadn't even considered it before, but now? Looking back? Merlin certainly had been remarkably upset in the passing days after that: (more confused than ever) Wh... Where did -- where were you, yesterday? (Gaius already told Arthur that Merlin was at the tavern)
Imposter Merlin: At the Rising Sun. Gwaine took me out for a round of drinks. Something about a lucky charm?
Arthur, nodding along: (it was true that Arthur has heard Lancelot and a few other knights call Merlin a lucky charm) Hm... (turns to look at the other Merlin)
Real Merlin, with a wobbling lip: (laughs weakly, rolling his teary eyes a bit) I told him to stop using that excuse... (refocuses) I was crawling out of the mirror, if you must know. I TOLD you I had a funny feeling about it. (motions to the imposter) (he has tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, and his voice sounds exactly the same as it did that one time when he said to Arthur 'you're certainly not' after Arthur told him that no man was worth his tears)
Arthur, now watching Real Merlin more closely than Imposter Merlin, searching: Who was your favorite guest to mock at the feasts and whatnot?
Imposter Merlin: (kind of stumped bc he wasn't expecting a question like this)
Real Merlin, who is actually able to answer first after some thought: ..... (snorts) Does-- (snorts again) Would the Lady Catrina count as a guest, d'you think? Or should I--no--I'll say it was the Lady Vivian. You get this, LOOK on your face every time she sits near you at the banquet table when she comes 'round.
Arthur, jaw dropped in mock offense: Because she is rather touchy! We've been over this..! (doesn't even realized that he just responded to Real Merlin as if he were for sure the real Merlin, and momentarily forgot that there were two convincing Merlins present)
Imposter Merlin: Are you mad? Arthur, the fake me said it himself that he crawled out of the mirror and practices sorcerery..! (looks so earnest, so genuine, but it's just... not quite how Merlin would say it)
Arthur: (narrows his eyes at the imposter with slight suspicion)
Imposter Merlin: (gives Arthur a flat look, exactly like the real Merlin would do when Arthur says something stupid) Arthur, I am not a sorcerer. You would know. (a/n: last episode style)
Arthur, who had never once suspected magic, but did always know that Merlin had been keeping a secret from him (he'd always assumed it was the alcoholism, but now....): You'd think so, wouldn't you.... (glances at the real Merlin, looking a little hurt)
Real Merlin, not denying the magic at all: I was born with it. I use it for you, Arthur.
Imposter Merlin: You can't honestly--
Arthur, looking deep into Real Merlin's eyes: Swear to me, right now, that you are telling me the truth. Prove it to me.
Real Merlin: (grabs the hidden dagger out of the imposters hands, who had apparently been gearing up to attack Arthur, which is confusing enough all on its own because it made it difficult to tell which one of them was truly intent on attacking Arthur with it, and then charges Arthur)
Arthur, who normally has keen warrior reflexes but not when his enemies wear Merlin's face: (freezes up, and then watches in shock as the dagger clashes against the thin air about an inch in front of Arthur's chest, cast aside by some glowing shield that fades after a second)
Real Merlin: Why do you think it takes me three hours to polish your armor? Do you have any idea how long it takes to enchant the space between every link of chainmail? (drops the dagger at Arthur's feet so he knows it was just a demonstration and not a genuine attack, similar to the way that Arthur always aims just to the left of Merlin when he's throwing blunt objects such as goblets because he never wishes any actual harm on Merlin)
Arthur, blinking dazedly: (can't help but think of that one time that Merlin spontaneously became talented at juggling. it's such a strange thing to remember, and completely unrelated to the current happenings, but Merlin's smile was small and smug just like it had been that day, and it just--clicked)
also Arthur, looking slightly more sure of himself now: (needs one final test to make absolutely certain, but he thinks he knows just what to ask) What would you have me do, if I cannot tell you apart?
Real Merlin, without missing a beat: Arrest us both. (shrugs casually) I am a sorcerer after all. Better safe than sorry.
(And that's just it, isn't it. It was just like Merlin, to sacrifice himself like that. It was just so, unmistakenly Merlin.)
Arthur, smirking in mock offense: Better safe than--excuse you, I could take you apart with one blow!
Merlin *cough*hearteyes*cough* "Emrys" Hunithson™, the one and only: I could take you apart with less than that
(In the end, Merlin walks himself to the dungeons as the imposter is arrested, just to give Arthur peace of mind so there's no pressure to second guess his decision since even if Arthur chose wrong, there is no assassin Merlin imposter on the loose. Merlin and the imposter both spend 3 days in their respective cells before the imposter finally does some decidedly out of character shit and Arthur can have him executed with full confidence that it's not Merlin... since the guy really was very good at mimicking Merlin. Arthur didn't even realize that he'd needed it at the time, but looking back, he probably would have had a panic attack as the imposter was marched to be hanged. He probably would have doubted himself at the last second and wondered if he really did believe the right Merlin those few days ago. But thankfully, Merlin thinks ahead sometimes and is actually quite thoughtful and wise on these such rare occasions.)
#bbc merlin#merlin#incorrect merlin quotes#merlin incorrect quotes#crack treated seriously#fanfic ideas#merthur#wispeth
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omg omg omg
arthur gives merlin his mothers sigil thinking that hes going to die and wants to finally tell merlin how he feels and what better way of conveying the intensity of his emotions and how serious he is other than marriage? merlin accepts the sigil which means theyre married!! yay!! only. they both survive and arthur QUICKLY realizes that merlin has no idea the significance of the sigil. he has no idea theyre married. and arthur has no idea how to tell him bc then he’ll have to explain WHY he gave him the sigil aka WHY HE PROPOSED and now that hes not staring death in the face. he just. cant.
blah blah blah time skip to happy ending
the druids invite arthur and merlin to a celebration of the unification of emrys and the once and future king and the fruition of their destinies. merlin and arthur are excited bc finally peace is here and magic is returning and this can be the next big show of trust and reconciliation between camelot and the druids and so theyre there in the druid camp having fun when theyre approached and asked to participate in the ceremony. theres a huge buzzing crowd watching as the elder druid ties their hands together and goes on and on about the magnificence of two men standing before them and their great destinies and how the two sides of the same coin are joined finally as the prophecy said all those years ago. merlin doesnt realize it was a handfasting ceremony until hes talking to a few of the druids later on
anyway. merthur accidental wedding(s). now they both know theyre married but they dont know the other knows theyre married bc different ceremonies and traditions and all that. arthur is all awkward about it bc hes emotionally constipated. merlin is convincing himself he doesnt have to bring it up to arthur bc its not like the DRUID marriage ceremony is legally binding in camelot. they didnt sign any papers or anything. theyre not really married in camelot so arthur doesnt have to know. and then merlin can selfishly keep this truth close to his heart. even if its not reciprocated.
married life shenanigans ensue. merlin and arthur both have to physically stop themselves from calling the other their husband. jealous spats when out in the tavern or when visiting royals/nobles stop on by. leon knows all and is this close to snapping. extra protective idiots. and idk someone catches merlin holding the sigil and explains the significance of it or a druid asks arthur where his husband emrys is and my boy is STRESSED about being caught but then the druid brings up the handfasting ceremony. stupid idiot x stupid idiot.
you see my vision, right?
#bbc merlin#merlin emrys#arthur pendragon#merthur#theyre so stupid#they WOULD get married twice without realizing or telling the other#hc#headcanon#head canon#fic#fanfic#fanfiction#fic idea#accidental marriage#idiots in love
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I'm reviewing episode transcripts from "Merlin" to build up my worldbuilding document (character list, mostly) and, a little ways into S2, I'm kind of feeling like the show is actually quite mean to Arthur as a character sometimes? S1 E14: "To Kill the King" is one of those episodes where I forget how badly it pissed me off until I run into it again.
Like, don't get me wrong, Arthur can be a bully, entitled, hotheaded, and reckless, but he's also at this point risked his own life to save people multiple times. Both individuals whose lives were "worth less" than his own (getting the Mortaeus flower for a poisoned Merlin, smuggling Mordred out of the city, protecting Ealdor from bandits) and also Camelot as a whole (fighting the plague-causing monster in the sewers, fighting the mam-eating griffin, drinking poison to lift the unicorn curse).
Arthur is giving me vibes of being both bored and frustrated (and probably not able to name those feelings or exactly why he has them) because he wants so badly to do good things, but he's not really sure how to go about it because (no one ever tells him anything, he almost NEVER knows what's really going on to make informed choices, and) he's also stuck under the thumb of his tyrannical father, who spends most of their scenes together berating Arthur for being too merciful, for not being dutiful enough, and/or not finding sorcerers for execution fast enough. When Arthur tries to be fair-minded and compassionate, Uther often essentially tells him that he's going to be a weak king with that attitude.
Arthur's pathways to betterment are limited, his parent and role model and boss here is an AWFUL person, but he's trying!
So, it's quite frustrating to get to this one episode where characters like Gaius (extremely biased, admittedly, clearly not an objective individual) are saying things like: "Arthur's not ready. The responsibility would be too great. Brave though he may be, he lacks experience, he lacks judgement."
Like, I don't know, Arthur may be only 21 and kind of a dipshit, but I personally think he'd still do a better job than the guy who tried to kill a kid (Mordred) just for existing a few episodes ago? Maybe? Gwen's father, who wasn't even a sorcerer or knowingly working with one, is dead explicitly because of Uther's awful laws. Did everyone in this episode forget that Uther tried to BURN GWEN ALIVE AT THE STAKE not that long ago (Episode 3)?
ARTHUR: "[Morgana]'s right, Father. You hear the word magic, you no longer listen."
UTHER: "You saw it for yourself. She used enchantments."
ARTHUR: "Yes, maybe. But to save her dying father, that doesn't make [Gwen] guilty of creating a plague. One's the act of, of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart."
UTHER: "I have witnessed what witchcraft can do. I have suffered at its hand. I cannot take that chance. If there is the slightest doubt about this girl, she must die or the whole kingdom may perish."
ARTHUR: "I understand that."
UTHER: "One day you may become King. Then you will understand. Such decisions must be made. There are dark forces that threaten this kingdom."
ARTHUR: "I know. Witchcraft is an evil, father. So is injustice. Yes, I am yet to be King, and I don't know what kind of king I will be, but I do have a sense of the kind of Camelot I would wish to live in. It would be where the punishment fits the crime."
UTHER: "I fear you're right. She's played with fire, and sadly she must die by fire."
When the adult druid (Cerdan) accompanying Mordred is killed (Episode 8), Arthur objects afterwards! On his own! While Arthur is sometimes an active participant in Uther's tyranny and otherwise complicit, he's been told all of his life that magic is inherently evil and corrupting, he was raised by the very man spreading this hateful philosophy, he should probably hate magic more than anyone after Uther, and yet he still disagrees with Uther's methods and judgments. Even though Uther is apparently VERY willing to lock both his son (Episode 4) and his ward (Episode 8) in the dungeons for disagreeing with him and disobeying him!
ARTHUR: The Druid was only in Camelot to collect supplies. He meant no harm. Is it necessary to execute him?
UTHER: Absolutely necessary. Those who use magic cannot be tolerated.
ARTHUR: The Druids are a peaceful people.
UTHER: Given the chance, they would return magic to the kingdom. They preach peace, but conspire against me. We cannot appear weak.
ARTHUR: Showing mercy can be a sign of strength.
UTHER: Our enemies will not see it that way. We have a responsibility to protect this kingdom. Executing the Druid will send out a clear message. Find the boy. Search every inch of the city.
Obviously, running a kingdom is complicated! Uther apparently won Camelot by conquest and is in conflict with many of the neighboring kings, including Odin and Cenred, and likely has more of the respect of the local nobility than young Arthur does. Uther's death would create some instability! (Agravaine de Bois hasn't been created yet, but let's assume there are many other potential vultures.)
But the show generally isn't pushing that angle. This isn't really about smooth transitions of power. Personally, concerning Arthur's "lack of judgment", I do find his ready conviction that it is his duty to die for Camelot's honor if necessary (he says as much to Merlin explicitly before fighting Valiant in Episode 2, then again before fighting the Black Knight in Episode 9) more than a little concerning, but that doesn't seem to be angle pushed here either.
The show has characters (Merlin, Gwen, Gaius) suggesting that offing the King, who regularly kills innocent people whether they have magic or not, who has forbidden use of the tool that might have saved innocent people from Nimueh's plague or the wraith of Tristan de Bois, would be wrong! It would be murder and murder is bad! It would make (in the words of a grieving Gwen) her "just as bad" as him.
Even though Merlin has at this point already killed Aulfric and Sophia (Episode 7), as well as Mary Collins (Episode 1) because they were trying to kill Arthur. And arguably got an assist with Valiant (Episode 2). And will kill many more as the show goes on. This conversation with Kilgharrah in S1 E14 is in many ways so, so funny:
KILGHARRAH: Well, young warlock, what is it you come to ask of me?
MERLIN: I need your help.
KILGHARRAH: Of course you do, but this time, will you heed my words?
MERLIN: The sorcerer Tauren is plotting to kill the King. He's made an ally of Morgana. I don't know what to do!
KILGHARRAH: Do… nothing.
MERLIN: What do you mean? If I do nothing, Uther will die.
KILGHARRAH: Don't you want Uther dead? It is Uther that persecutes you and your kind, Merlin. It is Uther that murders the innocent…
MERLIN: But surely that doesn't make it right to kill him.
KILGHARRAH: Only if Uther dies can magic return to the land. Only if Uther dies will you be free, Merlin. Uther's reign is at an end. Let Arthur's reign begin. Fulfil your destiny!
[The dragon flies off.]
MERLIN: Wait! Where does it say my destiny includes murder?
KILGHARRAH: Free this land from tyranny, Merlin! Free us all!
I feel for Kilgharrah here. He was VERY straightforward. I don't know how he could have been clearer about this.
I won't say that Merlin's character writing doesn't make ANY sense here (I do think the character writing in this show is NOT amazingly consistent), because... he IS being influenced by Gaius, who is, unfortunately, a bootlicker and also probably extremely traumatized by all of the death he's seen (big contributor of the bootlicking) (also, apparently Gaius only becomes a "freeman" at the end of Episode 6, so there's that). And Merlin is also being heavily influenced by Arthur, who loves his father, despite everything. For Arthur's sake, if no one else's, Merlin will go out of his way to save Uther. Sure! That tracks!
Merlin spends a lot of time in this show protecting a terrible status quo under some assumption that Camelot will... somehow suddenly become better under Arthur? Instead of perhaps eventually just trusting Arthur and talking to him after their years of knowing each other? There are several, in-world reasons for this and I don't think they're all unrealistic! It's tense! It's thrilling sometimes!
(Though I am ultimately a little annoyed that Merlin's many secrets never really come out and get dealt with by the characters, because that would have been fun drama and some resolution to all the tension, even if the story did still end in death.)
There's some tasty tragedy in this silly show, in many ways. Merlin is confused and conflicted and scared and without clear guidance in many ways. Kilgharrah is mysterious and not at all reassuring. Gaius is complacent and (very reasonably) incredibly secretive. Merlin doesn't get to see many of the moments where Arthur speaks up for magical people and tries to talk Uther down. Morgana and Arthur are both stuck here in a "The hands that cradled you are covered in an unimaginable amount of blood." "But they cradled me, yes?" nightmare scenario. (There's also a sexist element where male characters like Gaius and Merlin won't let Morgana know about her own powers "for her own good" in a gaslight-y way that's fascinating to me in how it creates a villain.)
But, also, the compelling tragic elements here don't make certain episodes any less frustrating to watch in their execution. (I don't think villains being frustrating to watch or read necessarily makes them effective villains, especially when what I really find annoying here is the heroes' reactions to the villain. Uther has killed SO MANY PEOPLE! FOR NO REASON!) Especially when a lot of the overall results of this show often feel more accidental than purposeful. I do understand why the writers keep Uther around! He's a formidable antagonist to have looming all over the place and the actor is fun.
But OOF, I felt that "Do... Nothing".
Merlin! MERLIN! LISTEN TO THE SCARY DRAGON! MERLIN, REMEMBER THAT TIME UTHER TRIED TO BURN GWEN ALIVE??? JUST BECAUSE GWEN IS TOO NICE TO GO AFTER UTHER WITH A KNIFE AND TAKE REVENGE, IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY MEAN KILLING HIM MAKES YOU "JUST AS BAD"!!! MERLIN!!! YOU HAVE ALREADY MURDERED MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO KILLED WAY LESS PEOPLE THAN UTHER!!!
In Episode 4, Morgana says to Uther: "You can't chain [Arthur] up every time he disagrees with you." This implies to me that Uther has had Arthur thrown in the dungeons before. In Episode 3, Arthur says to Morgana: "Father will slam us both in chains if he knew I'd endangered you," and maybe he wasn't at all joking with that? Arthur is rattling the bars of his cell here, apparently fairly ready to be aimed wherever Merlin points him, bucking against being aimed at innocents by his tyrant of a father.
But nooo, Gaius says Arthur is "not ready yet" because...??? He seems less hotheaded than Uther to me, honestly. Are his tax policies not up to par yet? You can hire a guy for that. Suggesting that Arthur would be in any way worse than His Majesty "Anyone Who Talks To A Sorcerer Gets Executed Even If They Didn't Know They Were A Sorcerer" feels quite mean to Arthur, really. I think he'd do alright, in comparison, Gaius who lies to the King every single day, but I suppose you sometimes want to be a loyal friend to good ol' King "Made Merlin Drink Poison That One Time And Wouldn't Let Anyone Go Get The Cure". Good for you. Bad for everyone else.
Like, I know, I know this show is not very deep. I like that all of the characters are flawed and fumble a lot! I even kind of enjoy that it ultimately ends in death with so many loose emotional threads. It is a weekly burst of fantasy nonsense that is not especially concerned with consistency in worldbuilding or characters from episode to episode. But the executive discrepancies here are, like the ones in "Star Wars", weirdly fascinating with all of the holes and wobbly bits it creates.
This show: "Yes, our hero has once again saved the tyrannical king who kills innocents! Preventing the oblivious prince from assuming the throne and trying to do better as he so clearly wants to do! Good work, Merlin, taking the high road (which involved murdering the rightfully angry people trying to kill the tyrannical king) again!"
Me, every time: "...I am genuinely not sure how the show wants us to interpret this. What did they think they were doing with this? Was this always meant to be a tragedy from the first season? Because personally, I'm getting some kind of tragedy from this."
#tossawary merlin#merlin emrys#arthur pendragon#long post#tossawary watching#spoilers#character death#reblogs off
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Things I've worked out so far for my Merlin Soulmate AU:
Soulmates and soulmarks are their own subset of magic, and one that Uther can not eradicate, because everyone is born with soulmates
So he does the next best thing and makes it practically illegal to find one's soulmate, mandating the use of gloves and long-sleeves around anyone that is not immediately blood related (soul bonds are solidified through touch)
(Except in the cases where he found someone with a soul mark that moved (a sign that their soulmate was born with magic) in which he would force a parade of citizens to come touch until he finds them. (Very rarely does he find them in this way))
Uther repeals most of the laws surrounding soulmates that ensure their rights. Such as the law that protected bonded soulmates (soulmates who have solidified their bond through touch) from having to testify against each other. In fact, under the new laws he made, if someone refused to testify against their soulmate, both/all would be assumed guilty of the crime in question and punished accordingly
Uther, being very classist and viewing common folk as inferior, also passes a law nulifying marriages between noble and common born soulmates, and outlawing any future marriages of the kind. So people that had been noble for decades were stripped of their title and standing and forced to return to their lives from before (in many instances this part was not strictly enforced, and it caused a lot of outrage when a noble spouse DID abide by this and shun their common born soulmate that had been their partner.)
Uther also repeals a law that allowed nobles to lend their noble status to their platonic soulmates, suddenly making GENERATIONS of nobility commonfolk.
This causes resentment from these nobles, as well as their friends. Sorcerers are not the only ones trying to kill Uther in this au, he wrongs just about everyone.
The only reason he continues to stay in power is because he's so brutal and he fosters a strong inner circle with similar views as his (or so he thinks in some cases)
Uther only had one soulmate and it was Ygraine. However, Ygraine had another soulmate and it was Nimeuh.
Nimeuh tried very hard to dissuade Ygraine from agreeing to the enchantment that lead to her giving birth to Arthur, and it was Ygraine that had to persuade Nimeuh into agreeing to even do it, as Nimeuh knew the risks and did not want to risk losing a part of her soul
She does anyway, despite her every effort
Uther makes it illegal to talk to others about their soulmates or soul marks or to show them to anyone.
Now even before Uther's bullshit, it wasn't polite to just ask, or to ask to see someone's marks (unless that mark was your own, then it was fine, lots of people wanted to know what the representation of their soul looked like)
But this made it so the generation(s) raised following the purge had next to no knowledge of soulmates (Same as with magic) or what made them "evil"
Well, they're magic. Measures of destiny, pieces of ones soul displayed on the skin of the people most important in one's life. And when a piece of one's soul dies, it's agony.
It was no secret that Queen Ygraine was King Uther's soulmate.
In the years of and following the Purge, those particularly bold and angry would whisper, "His entire soul died with her."
Everyone's soulmarks are as follows:
Merlin's is a fluttering blue butterfly
Arthur's is a gleaming golden crown
Gwen's is a forge bucket filled with lavender
Morgana's is a crescent moon with a bright star rotating around the bottom tip (thank you to @clotpoleofcamelot for the idea!)
Percival's is an acorn that is beginning to take root (thank you to @jgvfhl for the idea!)
Leon's is an owl in flight holding an arrow in its talons (I'm not entirely sold on this one, so if anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to it)
Gwaine’s is an oak with his necklace's symbol carved into the trunk (thank you to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the symbol idea!)
Lancelot's is a sword crossed diagonally over a shield with the crest of a winged beast
And Elyan's is a forge hammer circled by chainmail links (thank you again to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the idea!)
Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon, Merlin, and Percival are all soulmates with each other. Gwen also has a soulmate in Morgana, and Merlin has a soulmate in Freya
(Merlin's soulmark for Freya does not start moving until she is cursed, and Merlin asks Gaius what it means. He has a crisis when he finds out, as he puts together that Arthur and Gwen (and Lancelot, but thats not an issue) must know that Merlin was born with magic.)
Merlin before that point is not aware that his soul mark on his soulmates moves, marking him as a born sorcerer. Should he have known this, since Huneth would know due to her soulmate being Balinor? Yeah, he probably should, but there's a lot Huneth didn't tell Merlin in the show and it might not have occurred to her to tell him, or even that he'd find his soulmates in Camelot.
Morgana's other soulmates are Morgause and Mordred.
Leon, Gwen, and Elyan find out they are soulmates when they are kids. The thing about young kids is that they don't really care a whole lot about rules that they don't understand, rules that no one explained, rules that don't make sense. You cant go swimming and catch frogs in full clothes with gloves! So they don't. And it's just the three of them present when they find out that Leon is soulmates with both Gwen and Elyan
(Gwen has known that she and Elyan are soulmates since she held him for the first time. Siblings that are soulmates are unusual but not unheard of)
They agree not to tell anyone, as they don't want to get in trouble
Leon and Arthur soulbond by accident.
Arthur comes over one day to Leon's estate and Leon, who does not have gloves on as he is in his home, greets Arthur with a hair ruffle without thinking.
This is in front of Leon’s parents and a guard, so there is no covering it up when both boys have the exact same reaction, and Arthur asks what that feeling was
Leon (a teenager at this point, maybe 15-16) is TERRIFIED. He just broke the law in front of several witnesses, and soulbound with the king's son. He's expecting to get executed or banished
Neither of those things happen.
In fact, Uther is not even mad. Leon is well on his way to becoming a skilled and respected knight, and he comes from a loyal noble family going back generations. If anything, Uther sees Leon being Arthur's soulmate as a sign of his loyalty and a garentee he will serve him well (Never let it be said that Uther isn't a hypocrite)
It's not long after this that a young Arthur asks Gaius what it means when a soulmark moves. Gaius stiffens and slowly explains that it means that the soulmate was born with magic. "But I thought magic is evil?" "According to your father, it is illegal, yes." "But I thought soulmates were supposed to have positive lasting impact on your life. Leon does." And Gaius is feeling a mix of emotions, cause if Arthur is implying what he *thinks* he is... "Arthur, do you have a soulmark that moves?" And Arthur nods and shows him the butterfly with the gently flapping wings. Gaius instructs Arthur not to tell or show anyone this, especially Uther, as it could be dangerous not only for his soulmate, but for him as well.
Arthur listens to Gaius and doesn't say a word to anyone, including Leon (if he had, they might have figured out they had all the same soulmates, and Leon could have pointed him towards Gwen and Elyan sooner)
Gwen almost doesn't take the job as Morgana’s servant because TWO of her soulmarks move and her parents warned her and Elyan (who shared most of the same soul marks as her) never to let anyone see, to never talk about it, or it would put both them and their soulmate(s) in danger.
A downside to always having to wear gloves it it makes it rather difficult to dress someone, even if tools had been invented to help with the process. One day Gwen gets frustrated and Morgana tells her to take them off if it would be easier. And Gwen freezes a bit. Because Morgana is the king's ward, and this is a bad idea, she's encouraging her to break the law. But then Morgana takes off her own gloves and wiggles her fingers at Gwen "It's fine, Gwen. No one needs to know. It's a stupid law anyway." And Gwen turns away, heading for the door, and for a second Morgana thinks she's gone too far and is about to apologize when Gwen flips the lock on the door, ensuring it's secure and coming back, removing her gloves as she does so. Morgana grins and promises that nothing that happens before that door gets unlocked will be repeated to anyone.
Morgana holds out her hand for Gwen to shake and after a long moment Gwen takes it. And their marks for each other go warm and and this feeling of *rightness* settles over them both, they've found another piece of their SOUL
This is how Morgana gets confirmation that she has magic, by asking to see her mark on Gwen and realizing what it means that her mark *moves*
I have more that starts moving into what changes and stays the same to canon, but this is already so long that it will have to be another post. If anyone has any clarifying questions, please feel free to ask me!
#liv writes#bbc merlin#merlin#arthur pendragon#sir gwaine#gwen#guinevere pendragon#morgana pendragon#sir lancelot#sir percival#sir elyan#sir leon#platonic soulmate au merlin edition
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'Arthur Pendragon would be the best dad/uncle ever and you can't convince me otherwise' Headcanons;
He would be like Uther only in the way that he loves his kids, and he would be every thing Uther never was (whether you believe be was more decent as a parent when Arthur was little or not).
His daughter wants to learn how to sword fight? She WILL get to learn how to sword fight.
His son wants to learn how to sew or how to do magic or how to be a blacksmith? Then he will.
You took Dragonet (Merlin and Freya's son)'s cow? You will apologize to the sobbing three year old and return the cow immediately.
You want Arthur to be at a council meeting when it's supposed to be his day with one of his son/daughter(s)? Fine but his kid is gonna be there and you will have half of his attention.
You want to have an audience with Arthur when it's his day to babysit Dragonet or any of his other nieces/nephews? Fine but the kid will be sitting on his knee drawing or napping in Gwen's arms and you can't complain.
Question if his oldest child will inherit the throne because they're adopted? Hell will rein down upon you for you even SUGGESTING that his precious darling is lesser than their siblings.
Make Morgana's kid or any of the knights kids cry? Run for the hills because Arthur will NOT let you get away with it without an apology or good reason.
He's a good pet parent too: he loves his pets, even if they aren't 'pretty' or whatever.
Arthur would literally do everything in his power to be as involved as possible with his kids and his friends' kids, and he would be unapologetic about it.
He will teach his kids how to hunt and ride a horse, and sword fighting. Gwen will teach the ways of a black smith and how to not put up with anyone's shit.
He'd take turns reading to the kids with Gwen.
Arthur would love his kids and his friends' kids unconditionally.
'Guinevere 'Gwen' Pendragon would be an absolutely fantastic mother/aunt and you can't convince me otherwise' Headcanons:
Gwen would love her kids just as fiercely as her parents loved her and her brother.
Gwen would absolutely refuse to let her queenly duties interfere with the time she spent with her children/her friends children.
She'd teach her son/daughter(s) everything she knows.
She, like Arthur, would want to give them everything she (and Arthur) never had. They will be getting all the affection Arwen can give them.
She would make sure that her and Arthur's kids would be unapologetically themselves, and that they grew up with the ability to tell right from wrong.
Gwen would take the kids (hers and her friends') on picnics and make flower crowns with them, just to see them smile.
She'd love her kids all equally, adopted or not, and would do everything in her power to make sure they never questioned whether or not they were loved.
One of the kids definitely has Tom as a middle name. Another is named after Arthur's mother (with the middle name).
She'd treasure everything her kids gifted her.
She'd sooth their fears and encourage their hobbies, and would adore them to no end.
Gwen would love her kids and her friends' kids unconditionally.
'The knights, Morgana, and Merlin would be the best uncles and you can't convince me otherwise' Headcanons:
Merlin would do magic tricks for the kids and teach them how to tend to wounds.
Gwaine would sneak the kids sweets.
Percival would use his strength to make the kids laugh in their games (throwing them up and catching, holding them upside down, piggy back rides, etc).
Good! Mordred would tell the best stories.
Good! Morgana would be snippy with anyone who even looked at the kids wrong and if anyone even said anything they WOULD be thrown out with her magic, no exceptions.
Good! Morgana would teach Arthur's daughter all the tricks in sword fighting she knew.
Elyan would give the best hugs and give all the best gifts.
Lancelot is that uncle who ain't see shit and ain't hear shit unless you really fucked up.
"What? Melora (Arwen daughter) disguised herself as the Knight of the Blue Surcoat to go save her prince? That's craaaazy and this is totally the first time I'm hearing this. Swearies."
"Stephanie (Freylin daughter) got in a fight with Morgar (Morgana and Forridel) and they hexed each other? That's crazy. Wonder how I didn't hear that."
And so on.
Leon would be that uncle getting the kids out of trouble constantly with a sigh, scolding them before dropping them at home.
Just all of them would love any of the others' kids, as well as their own, so much.
#arwen merlin#merlin#merlin bbc#bbc merlin#the adventures of merlin#merlin headcanons#parent arthur pendragon#parent gwen pendragon#next gen merlin#etc
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Let me hit you with my Shade!Lancelot idea, keeping in mind I haven't seen that episode of Merlin yet. (This works for both established Arwen/established Merthur and Gwencelot/Mercelot in my mind so think of it whichever way you'd like but it does focus on Lancelot, Merlin, and Arthur.)
So! Morgana creates Shade!Lancelot using Lancelot's body and sends him back to Camelot to stir up trouble. Instead of trying to just break up Arthur and Gwen, he's meant to isolate Arthur and make him believe that he can't trust anyone except for Aggravaine.
So he flirts with Gwen, takes the knights out to have fun when they should be training/distracts them, and takes Merlin's attention away from Arthur as well, frustrating Arthur.
S!Lancelot and Aggravaine both place doubts in Arthur's mind directly as well and S!Lancelot realizes that Merlin betraying Arthur would be far worse than anyone else and sets his sights on Merlin instead.
So he keeps stealing Merlin away when Arthur needs him, makes comments about how he knows Merlin better than Arthur ever could and about how he knows Merlin sneaks away but he's loyal to Merlin over Camelot (which also upsets Arthur because that's one of his knights for god's sake!) and won't tell him where Merlin is going.
Arthur confronts Merlin about his sneaking away (magic things) and, when he refuses to tell the truth, Arthur thinks he can't trust him after all.
Merlin talks about having magic in front of S!Lancelot and, when he doesn't know what Merlin's talking about, Merlin becomes suspicious. He references something that didn't happen and S!Lancelot acts like he remembers that which confirms his suspicions but when he tries to sidle away out of the room to tell someone, S!Lancelot attacks him, attempting to choke him out.
Arthur finds them like this and S!Lancelot says that Merlin was sending information to Morgana so he had to subdue him which Arthur doesn't believe for ONE SINGLE MINUTE. Thus, they begin to duel as Merlin tries to recover his breathing and stop from passing out in the corner.
S!Lancelot attempts to kill Arthur and knocks him out, Arthur fading out with the last thing he sees being Merlin trying to push S!Lancelot's killing blow away as his servant stands.
Somehow (I'm thinking earlier in the ep Merlin finds a magical crystal that can hold souls released from the afterlife that Gaius is researching and Lancelot's real soul gets released during the ep and the crystal glows and maybe gets broken in the scuffle) Merlin pushes the Shade from Lancelot's body and his real soul is able to return to his body.
The Shade's form changes into a kind of Shadow Monster Lancelot and duels the real Lancelot now (who is very shaken and weak because he was just revived!) and, when he stabs the Shade, it does no damage. The Shade laughs and says that he can't be killed without magic and Lancelot says that then he'll just have to kill it like he killed the Griffin.
"You're a knight of Camelot and you're saying that you used magic to kill a Griffin?"
"No. I did." Merlin says, casting the same spell he did all those years ago on Lancelot's blade as he stabs through the Shade, killing it.
There's a beat where Merlin still isn't sure if it's the real Lancelot and asks him something only the real Lancelot would know, which he answers and they have a tearful/huggy reunion.
Arthur wakes up and they explain that it was a creature sent by Morgana and Lancelot is actually back with them now.
Later, when Merlin is getting Arthur ready for bed, Arthur tells him that he doesn't need to know where he goes off to because he trusts him. Merlin goes to tell him the truth but stops and thanks him instead, snuffing out the candles and shutting the door as he leaves.
(I want to hopefully write this one day but I will need to actually catch up and watch the episode first to get the vibes. Everything I know about it rn is from clips and gifs and such)
#bbc merlin#merlin#lancelot#arthur pendragon#fic idea#merthur#mercelot#lancelot should be involved in every arthur love triangle#i think this story could've worked in the show with gwen becoming queen as well#(keeping in mind I haven't seen S4)#but maybe instead of this happening the day before the wedding instead it's Aggravaine and Morgana doing their takeover#so the wedding happens later#and then there's triangle stuff with both Arwen and Merthur#it could also happen without Arwen#because I think either way Morgana should've focused her attention on driving a wedge between him and Merlin#and this way!#Lancelot returns!#I'm fine with main characters dying if it's done well#*eyes the show carefully*#like i said#if it's done well#also i think every love triangle in this show can be solved by polyamory#and I'm a big Arcelot supporter#Lancthur?#idk
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mordred through time (full post and video) (movies, tv shows, opera and musicals)
This is the condensed video and list!
If you want to watch the single parts (with longer clips) which have a bit more information on each single media, the actor playing Mordred and his role:
Part 1: From 1949 to 1981 -> here Part 2: From 1982 to 2002 -> here Part 3: From 2002 to 2010 -> here Part 4: From 2014 to 2017 -> here Part 5: From 2018 to the present -> here
Long post under cuts. Here I just added the list of media with essential information (color coded: antagonist or protagonist?, Arthur`s son?, does he have a lover?, queer content?).
1949 The Adventures of Sir Galahad: Antagonist, not related to Arthur.
1953 Knights of the Round Table: Antagonist, not related to Arthur. He has a lover (Morgana, who is not his relative either).
1956 The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (s01e03): Mordred assumes the role of Melagant, so he plays the antagonist. Once more, Mordred is not related to Arthur.
1960 Camelot: He plays the part of the antagonist, and notably for the first time he is Arthur’s son (as he is in White's book).
1962 Sword of Lancelot: Mordred is not only the antagonist but also Arthur’s son for the first time in a movie. In the movie he also has a female lover (a new added character).
1967 Camelot: David Hemmings plays Mordred. Same role as the original musical (antagonist and Arthur's son from Morgause).
1974 Lancelot du Lac: Mordred acts like the antagonist. He is not Arthur’s son or relative.
1979 The Legend of King Arthur: An 8 BBC episode tv show that faithfully tries to adapt Morte d'Arthur. Mordred is one of the main antagonist (alongside Morgana), he is Arthur's son.
1979 Unidentified Flying Oddball: Mordred is the antagonist (in the book he is Arthur’s nephew).
1981 Excalibur: Mordred is here Arthur and Morgana’s son for the first time, as in other adaptation Morgause was Mordred’s mother. He plays the antagonist.
1982 Camelot: This is a stage adaptation filmed live of the Broadway musical (so Mordred is antagonist and Arthur's son).
1984 Morte d'Arthur: He is antagonist and Arthur's son.
1985 Merlin and the Sword: Mordred plays the role of Arthur’s son (from Morgana) and a kind of minor comedic fumbling villain and antagonist.
1988 New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: He is Morgana and Arthur's son and he is killed by Hank in a treacherous duel (Hank shoots him). He plays an almost martyr role instead of the usual antagonist.
1989 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court: Mordred is a comedic-like antagonist.
1989 Doctor Who Battlefield: Mordred is an antagonist.
1995 Mordred’s song by Blind Guardian: Song about Mordred (from his pov), implied as sympathetic antagonist and he is Arthur's son.
1998 Merlin: Mordred is Morgana and Arthur’s son and the antagonist.
1998 Camelot (animated musical): Mordred is the son of Morgause (not Arthur's sister) and Arthur's son. He is both the antagonist and a redeemed sympathetic character.
1998 Camelot: The Legend: Arthur's son by his siter (through magic) and main antagonist.
2001 The Mists of Avalon: Mordred here appears once more as Morgana’s son, but he is a adopted by Morgause and raised to hate Arthur. He is Arthur's son. Mordred is the main antagonist in the second part.
2002 Justice League: Mordred is a kid, Morgana's son and both are antagonists who use magic.
2002 Merlin the Return: Antagonist Mordred.
2003 Gary Hughes’ album “Once and future king”: The song is “The Hard Way”, one of the two songs sung by Mordred (the other being “Demon Down”). We do not know if Mordred is Arthur’s son but he is the antagonist.
2003 recording of Albeniz’s “Merlin” opera: Mordred is the main antagonist alongside his mother Morgana. I am not sure, but he might be Arthur's son.
2003 Camelot, Papermill Playhouse: The usual Broadway musical (antagonist and Arthur's son).
2005 Camelot, Bad Hersfeld (Germany): The usual Broadway musical (antagonist and Arthur's son).
2007 Perceval (short): Mordred is Arthur's son (and Morgana's) and one of the two main antagonists (the other being Galahad).
2008 Camelot (Live from Lincoln Center): The usual Broadway musical (antagonist and Arthur's son). This is probably the first time we have a Mordred that is so obviously queer coded in his presentation.
2008 Merlin (BBC): This is an instance of a sympathetic turned antagonist Mordred. The show makes a point to explain his reasons. Mordred is not related to Arthur or Morgana. Also, Mordred has a lover in S5 as he is in love with a woman named Kara.
2009 Merlin and the Book of Beasts: Mordred is the antagonist and Arthur’s son. He also kidnaps his half-sister to marry her and continue the Pendragon dynasty.
2010 Avalon High: Mordred is the secret antagonist.
2010 Merlin and Arthur the Lion King: Mordred is a kitten and one of Arthur’s friends, he first betrays Arthur but then changes his mind. This might be one of the few iterations of a completely redeemed Mordred in movies/tv!
2014 High Noon Over Camelot album by The Mechanisms: This is also the first time we have an explicitly queer Mordred (outside of novels), as Mordred is a trans man in this retelling. Another case of a sympathetic Mordred - this time Mordred is more overtly sympathetic and even reconcile with his father Arthur at the end.
2011 recording of Albeniz’s “Merlin”: Another recording of the “Merlin” opera with Mordred as antagonist.
2015 recording of “Le Roi Arthus”: A recording of the Ernest Chausson's opera created between 1886 and 1895. Mordred is an antagonist and in love with Guinevere.
2016 Rex, youtube webseries: Mordred assumes the role of Arthur's jerk friend but he is not a full antagonist. Not related to any other character.
2017 Fate/Apocrypha: Mordred is here a Servant, they are the cloned-son of Saber (Arthur/Arturia, who is a woman) and Morgana. They are a protagonist. They are born as the close of a woman (Saber) and often referred with female pronouns through the series, they hate being called “a girl”, and also hate being called “a boy”. While I do not think the series was making an effort to actually depict a non-binary character, I do believe Mordred can easily be read as one.
2017 King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table: Sympathetic antagonist and Arthur and Morgana's son.
2017 King Arthur: Excalibur Rising: Antagonist and Arthur's son (from Morgana).
2017 Legend, youtube webseries: Mordred (Morty) is the overly joking, friendly guy who is hiding some deep hatred and jealousy towards Arthur (so he is a secret antagonist). Unfortunately I do not remember if Mordred is Arthur’s half-brother or just a friend.
2017 Mordred La Revolte: Unfortunately I cannot really tell how arthurian the series is, but the plot does not mention other arthurian characters. If I am not wrong, la Revolte is simply S2 turned into a movie.
2017 Fate/Grand Order The stage - Divine Realm of the Round Table: Camelot: Part of the Fate saga so protagonist/not-antagonist Mordred, non binary Mordred and they are Arthur's child.
2018 Arthur et les enfants de la Table Ronde: Mordred is Morgause's cousin and not Arthur's son. He plays a comedic antagonist.
2018 The Campaign for Camelot (webseries): Mordred is one of the main protagonists and he is introduced in episode 7. He is Arthur's son. Over the series he also develops a romance with Izzy (Iddawg, from “The Dream of Rhonabwy”). To clarify, in the clip Mordred is the guy without the glasses and the darker shirt! I do not remember if he is gay, pan or bisexual but he is attracted to men and in a relationship with a guy.
2018/2019 OSK’s Knights of the Round Table musical: Mordred is Arthur's son and an antagonist.
2020 Arthur and Merlin: Knights of Camelot: Mordred is Arthur’s son and the main antagonist of the story. He often uses threats of sexual violence towards Guinevere.
2020 Fate/Grand Order the movie: Camelot: Part of the Fate saga so protagonist/not-antagonist Mordred, non binary Mordred and they are Arthur's child.
2021 Fate/Grand Order: The Grand Temple of Time: Part of the Fate saga so protagonist/not-antagonist Mordred, non binary Mordred and they are Arthur's child.
2021 Le Roi Arthus opera: A recording of the Ernest Chausson's opera created between 1886 and 1895. Mordred is an antagonist and in love with Guinevere.
2023 Camelot Revival: The return of the musical Camelot! So as usual Mordred is Arthur's son (from Morgause) and an antagonist.
#mordred#morgause#arthurian legend#camelot#merlin#merlin bbc#mordred through time#characters through time#mordredmother
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The truth comes out—and things go terribly. Perhaps Arthur doesn't take the news well and draws his sword. Perhaps Uther finds out and Merlin is strapped to the pyre. Perhaps Merlin has to escape from Camelot and leave all he loves behind. Can there be a happy ending? A hopeful one? Or will things forever fall apart?
Today's gen fic rec theme: Magic Reveal Gone Wrong!
↓ Find the list of fanfic recs under the cut! ↓
⚬ I don’t know you anymore by cynthia1314, 1k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/49552066 summary: Arthur felt his blood turned cold. Was this a dream? He wondered frantically. There was no way Merlin just killed his uncle without even touching him. That was magic, but Merlin couldn’t have magic, could he? Or perhaps that was an unknown creature who wore his friend’s face.
⚬ The Lies that Break Us by Fulgance, 2k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/934566 summary: Arthur reacts badly.
⚬ A Blessing in Disguise by s0mmerspr0ssen, 20k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/42762729 summary: After Camelot is almost lost to Agravaine and Morgana, Merlin is about ready to reveal his magic to Arthur. But when he finds out Gwen is pregnant, Merlin’s priorities shift. Soon, he is focused on keeping little Prince Amhar safe from harm, no matter what. Merlin sets out to invoke a blessing on Arthur’s son, hoping to keep evil forces at bay, but things quickly spiral out of control…
⚬ Confirmations by DollopheadedMerlin, 12k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/46113418 summary: Merlin feels overburdened and under the weather, but he doesn't want to add stress to Arthur's efforts in revitalizing his kingdom after recovering the throne from Morgana, so he tries not to take it personally when Arthur gives him a hard time. But when reports tell of a dragon within Camelot's borders and Merlin gets dragged along on a mission against his nature, the king only seems to double down on his mistreatment of his servant, making protecting the royal clotpole a lot more difficult as he fights off an untreated fever.
⚬ Let Me Die, Let Me Drown, Lay My Bones In The Ground by quotidian_void, 40k, rated M https://archiveofourown.org/works/56036113 summary: The storm that had passed through Albion didn't only bring devastation to Camelot.It also brought a party belonging to the king, queen and princess of a distant land on the edge of Albion's maps. As per propriety and courtesy, the king of Camelot was required to hold a feast and provide accommodation for them. The feast started off smoothly, the royals of Camelot getting along quite well with the royals from Harden.But a single questioned changed everything. Including the destiny and future of Arthur and Merlin.
⚬ The Magic In Your Blood by Aimael, 68k, rated M https://archiveofourown.org/works/24527002 summary: "Arthur had to wonder, whether he should not feel something, anything at all, that would hint at him being controlled by Merlin. Even as he tried, he still felt nothing." Merlin is heard saying things that he shouldn't have said, and Uther is determined to do whatever it takes to free Arthur from the sorcerer's influence - which might be more difficult than expected.
⚬ Refined by Fire by wryter501, 155k, rated T https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11306307/1/Refined-by-Fire summary: It began, as any shift in destiny did, with a choice - run and hide, or stay and fight. And because Merlin chose to stand still, his destiny and Arthur's - and others' - took a sharp right turn. Discovered by the knights, arrested by Arthur, Merlin faces Uther's questioner and judgment... Gold is, after all, refined in the flames... Mid-season 3 in-canon reveal.
⚬ Learning Curve by VikingSong, 14k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/52184794 summary: Arthur and Merlin each face steep learning curves when Arthur experiences an unexpected language immersion. Miscommunications abound, things are lost in translation, and—unsurprisingly—chaos ensues in the court of Camelot. When painful secrets come to light and the definition of loyalty is called into question, Arthur and Merlin must work past linguistic and interpersonal barriers to reach an understanding. Or: In which Arthur speaks the language of the Old Religion, Merlin pulls research all-nighters, and the council members discover they don’t remember nearly as much Latin as they thought they did.
⚬ Rend and Rebuild by PeaceHeather, 100k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/14866667 summary: One wrong move in the heat of battle changes everything. Merlin is a sorcerer, and Arthur has stabbed him.
⚬ New Beginnings by nsowlwrites97, 33k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/31863937 summary: The words seemed to lose their meaning the more Arthur tried to make sense of them, bleeding in and through each other like ink dissolving in water. The only fact he knew to be true – absolutely, permanently, irrevocably true – was that Merlin was dead.
⚬ Beauty in the Ashes of Our Lives by Fulgance, 20k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/934780 summary: After Merlin is executed for Uther's murder, Arthur's world falls apart.
⚬ Atlas by ParadiseAvenger, 10k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/34723003 summary: In pursuit of a sorcerer, Arthur and his knights stumbled into a cave. As the ceiling collapsed on them, Merlin had no choice except to reveal his magic or let all his friends die. That choice was not a choice at all.As Merlin's magic began to run out and tensions with the knights run high, it seemed he might have made the wrong choice after all.
⚬ Is this resolve? By kyrakaryanne, 1k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/47559634 summary: Arthur could kill Merlin, for this. Not because the law would justify it, but because Merlin would never stop him.
⚬ Help Thou Our Host by signy1, 22k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/53393428 summary: One way the battle of Camlann could have gone. On the night before the battle, Merlin only has one request for Gwaine." When I'm dead, I want you to remember me for who I was, rather than what I was. If you can."
⚬ Whatcha Say by darkbluedark, 3k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/46337155 summary: The roof caves in and the truth comes out.
⚬ The Goose, the Bad, and the Ugly by sinivalkoista, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/38503747 summary: Arthur is turned into a goose, and Merlin tries to catch him and turn him human again before Camelot is destroyed.
⚬ Whispering Your Name by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle, 22k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874179 summary: The Dorocha. They are the voices of the dead, my child. And, like the dead, they are numberless. Or: A different take of the dorocha. Instead of them being faceless screams that attack you, they are actually figures of the dead. Merlin doesn't quite realize how much death affected him until him and the knights go to close the veil. ⚬ Because It Was by Gingeraffelene, 4k, rated K+ https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13607047/1/Because-It-Was summary: Arthur reacts badly to Merlin's revelation and quickly regrets it, but not quick enough. How does one find an all powerful warlock who doesn't believe he deserves to be found?
#merlin bbc#bbc merlin#fanfiction#fanfic recs#merlin recs#fic recs#gen fic#merlin#rec list#merlin fanfic#magic reveal
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oh gosh I’m watching ep 3 s 4 of Merlin and I know what’s going to happen but I just can’t watch
I can’t handle the fact that Merlin tries so hard to save Uther and tries so hard to show Arthur that magic can be good and instead it blows up so awfully in his face. I can’t watch Arthur’s heart hardened even more towards magic.
And the hope in Merlin’s face when he thinks magic will be outlawed, and the grief when he talks about how exhausting it is to hide his magic
Idk, especially when I’m viewing it through the queer lens (as I always am) it just breaks my heart
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Merlin Magic Reveal Rec
Ever since I watched Merlin over 10 years ago, I’ve been obsessed with magic reveal fics. And I can’t believe I haven’t made a rec of all my favorites until now.
Arthur's Silent Guardian
By: Sydelle Rein
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5699021/1/Arthur-s-Silent-Guardian
Summary: After hearing that a sorcerer named Emrys is protecting a Pendragon of all things, one sorcerer decides to take matters into his own hands and find out why. Even if that means kidnapping the prince of Camelot as bait.
My Comments: I rewrote the above summary, so it’s different from the author’s. Anyway this is one of my favorite fics. I always have loved magic reveal fics, and this one has the added bonus of tying in Emrys as well. While the magic reveal doesn’t happen in the first fic, trust me it’s worth the wait and suspense. I also love the author's OCs in this fic as well. I highly recommend this one.
Status: Complete
Length: 6,071 words
Sequels: On Shaky Ground --https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5890430/1/On-Shaky-Ground
Of Walls and Scars --https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7721465/1/Of-Walls-and-Scars
Peace for Our Time
By: Angry Purple Fire
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18198221
Summary: Arthur has a request for Merlin. A request that is a little out of the ordinary. He wants him to learn magic.
My Comments: Have to say that this is one of my favorite fics. It is a magic reveal fic, like most of the fics in this rec. I have to say that I’ve never seen this twist on it though. So I highly recommend this fic, it really pulls in everything you could want from a fic like this.
Status: Complete
Length: 91,060 words
Virtues, Chicken, and Destiny Series
By: Nyxelestia
https://archiveofourown.org/series/68975
Summary: Arthur had never looked forward to becoming king, but the crown had never felt so heavy as the moment he realized everyone he loved was lying to him. If he wants answers, he's going to have to find them himself.
My Comments: This is one of my favorite Merlin Canon series. It's written by one of the kinkmeme-merlin mods herself. This started as a one shot that turned into a rewrite of season 4. I have to say I really enjoyed how she pulled Emrys into this quite a lot. It's definitely worth a read.
Status: Incomplete
Last Update: 6/14/24
Length (Whole Series): 104,986 words
Allow One to “See”
By: Mollrach13
https://archiveofourown.org/works/16729350
Summary: When the King is attacked in his tent while on patrol and falls into an unending sleep, everyone is worried. What they don’t know is that Arthur is fine. In fact he is standing right here next to them, watching them all fret over his prone body. To stave off the boredom whilst waiting for a cure to be found, Arthur takes to wandering the castle and soon discovers a hidden side of Camelot that he never knew about.
My Comments: This is a fic I found years ago, and yes it is a magic reveal fic. I fell in love with fics where Arthur learns about Merlin’s magic. Not to mention him seeing a completely different side of Merlin. So if you enjoy magic reveal fics, you will definitely enjoy this.
Status: Complete
Length: 28,398 words
Nimueh’s Spell Series
By: Talis_Borne
https://archiveofourown.org/series/54685
Summary: Emrys and the Once and Future King have been prophesied to become partners in bringing Albion to fruition for hundreds of years. For that to happen, Arthur will have to finally discover and accept Merlin’s magic. But how does a Prince, who has been raised to believe that all magic is evil, overcome his own prejudices to accept a sorcerer as a full partner? That isn’t a moment, it’s a journey.
My Comments: This is a favorite series of mine that I just fell in love with. I love the characterization of the characters, not to mention the magic reveal was just incredible. I also love the drama that the author brought into this. I desperately wish the author had finished the series, although they did leave off at a good stopping point. I highly recommend giving this one a go. You won’t regret it.
Status: Incomplete
Last Update: 12/10/16
Length (Whole Series): 209,132 words
From the Start
By: CrzyFun
https://archiveofourown.org/works/12662994
Summary: Merlin sat frozen. On the one hand, he should really leave. If the stranger really had seen him use magic then he would accuse Merlin of being a sorcerer, which was a death sentence in these parts. On the other hand, could he really leave a man to die in the woods?
My Comments: This is an absolutely amazing fic about Arthur finding out about Merlin’s magic in the beginning of the series. It goes from season 1 to season 3, and is just phenomenal. Highly recommend this fic!
Status: Incomplete
Last Update: 1/30/23
Length: 130,621 words
#merlin#merlin fanfiction#arthur pendragon#merlin magic reveal#magic reveal fic#magic reveal#merlin emrys
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Hi, if you don't mind, can I ask something from Merlin BBC? What do you think are Merlin and Arthur’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Since when that you start shipping them? What are your favorite Merthur 'canon' moments? Sorry if you've answered these questions before.....
Hello, thank you for the ask, and don’t worry, I don’t mind at all :)!
I believe Merlin’s strength is his stubbornness. Where in certain instants this trait brings him to failure, it’s also what keeps him from doing most things that others wants him to do in a certain way. His stubborn character and belief that there is some other path to fix things avoids him to kill a lot of people, at least in the first seasons, this is clear. In the later ones, it’s always how stubborn he is that keeps Arthur alive. Being stubborn on something is not always a negative trait, I believe, but then you can also see that since Merlin believed there couldn’t been anyone else protecting Arthur, if not him, and that only his magic could protect him, also proves to be his doom. I like that part of his character the most, because he is a contradiction, yet, the moment you see it, you can’t deny that you feel literally attracted, like a magnet, to the way he acts. His love and respect has made him so blind to his own mistakes. So, stubbornness! Both a strength and a weakness.
Arthur’s strength is trust. The king of Camelot, someone who has to trust people, if he needs to be fit to rule, has been betrayed by so many people, that we lost count. We’re talking about his wife too, and although this betrayal was caused by outer forces, it’s a betrayal nonetheless. Yet, he is still able to trust those who go to him for help, his citizens, his counsellors, his knights and his dearest friends. And what is his doom? Exactly, his trust. Arthur, although at times pragmatic and rational, also trusts people blindly. Magic or not magic, if someone saves his life, they must be rewarded, and there is no way their intention was another, because Arthur trusts them, and his word is rule. But even if most of the times he is right, he is also wrong a lot of those times, even regarding his uncle Agravaine. His trust made him see the traitorous manner in which he had treated him, but his trust in Merlin made Arthur gain the respect of his people, and therefore take the kingdom back from his uncle. Trust? Both his strength and weakness.
I’ve started shipping Merlin and Arthur romantically since the first episode. I started the show, and said to myself, “Well, let’s see what it has to offer. Certainly, Merthur isn’t going to be that obvious.” Then, Arthur character gets introduced and asks Merlin if he knows how to walk on his knees, and I said, “Yeah, alright. They’re canon.” Just like that. I never needed any more proof.
My favourite Merthur canon moments:
Merlin brushes Arthur’s hair in the mornings;
Arthur doesn’t ask any other servant to work for him when Merlin mysteriously disappears, because he is actually worried something has happened to him;
Arthur likes Merlin giving him orders as much as him;
Arthur likes to pillow fight, and did it with Merlin at least once;
Merlin learned how to write and read only once Arthur asked for his help. Unable to say no to him, wanting to help, and by being poor and raised without an education, Merlin learned how to write speeches only for Arthur;
Merlin actually shouts, “Rise and shine” every morning to Arthur;
Arthur brushed Merlin’s hair;
Merlin uses his magic for Arthur and no one else;
Merlin made up an entire story about Arthur being the Once and Future King just so that he could cheer him up;
Merlin learned how to read Arthur’s hand signs only ten years after working for him;
Their “thank you”s.
Thank you for the ask :D!
#merthur#bbc merlin#merlin#arthur pendragon#merlin bbc#merlin x arthur#wow no one has ever asked me anything before#i hope i did a good job eheh#answered asks
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A hand grasped his arm, sending a brief thrill down Merlin's nerves as he was forced around to face the person behind him. Armour gleamed in the firelight: supple chainmail glinted, and the solid iron of a pauldron curved lovingly over one broad shoulder. The length of a sword blade separated them. The point hovered, steady and sure, over Merlin's heart, braced to run him through, but he did not care about any of that. He was too busy drinking in the sight of the man before him.
He could never forget him, no matter how many centuries had passed.
'Arthur?'
When Merlin ultimately fails in his destiny, the fading remnants of magic that linger in the modern world fling him not just back in time, but sideways as well. He ends up in a Camelot where all his friends are alive, well and aware of his magic.
He ends up in a Camelot where his alternate self died almost a year ago.
Can he, Arthur and their friends still forge the golden age he was once promised, or will grief and suspicion tear them apart?
—Summary of Hiraeth by BeautifulFiction on ao3
Merthur time/dimension travel fix-it must read if you haven’t already. Seriously. Go read it. 507k of awesome. Rated E for very fun reasons, NSFW chapters marked in chapter notes.
Holy shit this was fantastic. Only completed like a week ago and probably one of the best Merlin fics I’ve read. Don’t have the wording capacity to say much more than that rn (on my annual September Sick-Week Merin AO3 Binge) so without further ado:
Things I Loved About This Fic:
Tayastra<3<3<3
Lancelot, as per usual
Percival and Mordred’s very wholesome (platonic, Mordred is like 11 or smth) relationship
The Bonds
10/10 antagonist choices tbh
Powerful Women
Morgana<3
Gwen<3<3<3
Gwen’s extensive information network
D r a g o n s
Arthur’s: characterization, choices, and relationships with Merlin and his mother (yes, you read that right)
All the knights but specifically Leon
Merlin with a lip ring and tattoo
Arthur’s reactions to Merlin having a lip ring and tattoo
Merlin deciding that he Will Not Be tolerating the lack of plumbing in that century and magicking up a bathroom
Cell-stones
George<3
All the characters, tbh
Merlin bringing the word fuck to 9th (?) century Camelot and Gwaine in particular and missing google and also central heating and conjuring modern underwear
Arthur loving magic
Merlin knowing how to use a sword and absolutely not telling anybody because he Does Not want to endure Arthur’s training
read it or regret it<3
#ao3 fanfic#fic rec#this is great#time travel fix it#bbc merlin#merthur#bamf merlin#merlin fic#merlin x arthur#go read the fic i swear to god
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thinking about one of my fav merlin quotes (3x11's "it's lonely to be more powerful than any man you know and have to live like a shadow.") and this snippet of my writing ("everything casts a shadow. even grief. especially grief.") in relation to like merlin & arthur's dynamic bc it's so delicious.
i'm gna ramble for a bit bc like arthur's shadow will forever be merlin even after he dies. we compare arthur to the sun a lot and i do agree w it but, going a step further, i think it'd be better to say that he's a supernova. supernovas are defined by 1. the sheer power of their luminosity and 2. the fact that they are only so bright because they're dying. and the brighter the light, the darker the shadow! and merlin is the shadow!!!!
it just gets to me how merlin lived for a thousand years shadowed in his own grief, forever just catching a glimpse of that shining golden age that could've been where arthur's alive and he's repealed the ban on magic and merlin is finally not lonely anymore. but it never happened. god..... merlin's been lonely for all his life and he will continue to be lonely and marred by grief, i think, even after returns. to be entrenched in something so long i fear he would not know himself outside of those feelings you know?? do you think he would obsess over the inevitable end? arthur arises again and when he is no longer needed, will the goddesses spare him? will they finally grant him the death he has longed for?
anyway. i don't know... i DON'T KNOW. i have a lot of emotions abt them
#shows#bbc merlin#merthur#arthur pendragon#arthur#merlin#bbcm#meta#text#tais toi lys#on merthur#merlin s3#3x11#this makes NO sense but im half assembling decor and talking on the phone w my friends while writing this so pls excuse me#*
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I have too many ideas for Merlin fics so I’m just gonna dump them here, if you write one please tag me I’d love to read it!
• Arthur is seen as a traitor to the crown and is about to be killed when Merlin saves him and they go on the run and become some of the most well known bandits in Camelot, the Fallen Prince and his Warlock (inspired by Americano by Lady Gaga)
• A beast that feeds off magic goes to Camelot and takes Merlin, Arthur and the Knights embark on a rescue mission
• A visiting Noble introduces a new “sport” to Uther, sorcerer hunting. In which a captured sorcerer is released into the woods with only the clothes on their back and are hunted down by knights and specially trained hounds. Intrigued, he partakes of this “sport”. Merlin is disgusted and goes into the forest to help them escape only to become the prey. Will he be able to keep his magic secret? Or will he be doomed?
OR
• Merlin on the run inspired by the song Run Boy Run
• Rumor Has It/Rumor Mill, a bunch of different rumors start cropping up in Camelot varying from absurd to believable
• A visiting Lady takes a shine to Merlin, Arthur gets jealous.
• Arthur and Merlin are on a hunting trip and stop at a tavern. While there they overhear a local ghost story about an ghost that of a Lady who lived in the manor up the street. Her husbands kept dying “mysteriously” and she went mad with grief. They say the manor is haunted. Merlin takes it seriously and Arthur teases him about, later they go to the abandoned manor and have an encounter with the ghost. Get trapped in the manor. The ghost carries a bloody hatchet. Nearly takes Arthur’s head off. Similar to Constance Hatchaway.
• Stardust AU
• Arthur follows in his dad’s footsteps and sets out to kill the last Druid, a boy called Emrys. Little did he know that his friend Merlin was that druid. Inspo: Still/Neva Flows Reprise
• 1920’s America Merlin runs a speakeasy
• Gaius is away dealing with an outbreak of sweating sickness at a border town leaving Merlin as acting Court Physician while he’s away.
- A visiting Nobel lady goes into labor, Merlin has to help her.
• Merlin catches a cold yet refuses to stop working, his magic is also affected. Every time he sneezes something magical happens leaving chaos in his wake. His magic stops reacting when he Gaius sneaks him a sleeping draught mixed with some cold medicine (or at least the medieval equivalent that addresses the symptoms), Arthur not so subtly frets about Merlin’s wellness.
OR
• Merlin overextends his magic and when he gets back to Camelot he tries to do a small spell and it doesn’t work, discovers he has a “Sorcerers Cold” it doesn’t affect the physical body but the magical one. In other words, how magic is on the fritz until he can get some proper rest.
• Last Night Gus episode where they super drunk and wake up in weird places. They spend the day trying to piece together what happened last night
• A sorcerer disguised themselves as Merlin to get close to Arthur
OR
• A shapeshifter that appears as your hearts greatest desire appears as Merlin to Arthur and lures him into a trap, Merlin has to save him. Classic who’s the real Merlin scenario where Arthur has to ask a question that only the real Merlin would know the answer too.
• A vampire arrives in Camelot.
• Merlin’s shadow has the wings of a dragon, Arthur notices
• Merlin and Arthur have been arguing over something for a while now, Leon is tired of being stuck in the middle of it and traps them in a room. He refuses to let them come out until they figure out whatever they’re fighting about. (Ten minutes in the closet trope)
• A drunk Merlin finds himself in Arthur’s room, Arthur takes care of him. Merlin is very affectionate when drunk. (Inspo: bad idea right? By Olivia Rodrigo)
• Merlin and Morgana are friends and Arthur is jealous of there close bond, Arthur thinks that they’re courting and confronts Merlin about it.
• Morgana or someone casts a spell while the knights, Arthur, and Merlin are asleep on a quest that joins their dreams together. Merlin is very skittish afraid that he may accidentally reveal his magic. Inspo: A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill! Season 2 episode 19 of Ducktales.
• 5 weird places Merlin has fallen asleep and one not so weird one (it’s Arthur’s bed)
#arthur pendragon#bbc merlin#merlin#merlin emrys#merthur#merlin fandom#bbc emrys#emrys#fanfic#fanfiction#writing prompts#fanfiction prompts#merlin prompt#merlin x arthur#merlin fic#merlin fanfic
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Snow and Dirty Rain (Merlin)
Richard Silken, "Snow and Dirty Rain" // BBC Merlin
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4
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it's finally here! the fourth and final part!!!
this one was hard, I had the most trouble with the last three pictures. I really wanted to include Elena and Mithian as well as Geoffrey, but they just... didn't really fit. it was objectively awful. sorry for that. so I reached out to @shana-rosee , and they threw me a few ideas! it was their call to have Geoffrey last - and they might not have realized it, but it turned out great for the symbolism, as I'll point out below. so thank you for that! (/gen) but yeah, today it was just bugging me and I NEEDED to get it done, and I think it turned out pretty good!
so the first image is alluding to part 3, where the line "if this isn't a kingdom, i don't know what is" is assigned to Arthur. for "the hunter's heart" I had the unicorn horn, because it showed that Arthur was pure of heart. for "the hunter's mouth" I had Leon, (yay! Leon!) because he's Arthur's advisor, and speaks for him.
I was DETERMINED to get Leon, Hunith, and Gaius in this one, and I'm so glad I did.
Tristan and Isolde have their line to represent, honestly, what they did in the show - a reflection of Merlin and Arthur, and how their great love (filled with magic, secrets, and war), ends in tragedy.
Hunith and Gaius are there to represent "the space between the trees", as they are Merlin's sanctuary, his parental figures, the ones who know about his magic and love him - not in spite of, but for it. and of course I had to have Gaius casting a spell for the gold line!
for the last three, it got a little complicated, but I figured it out.
for "the words frozen," I did the moment that Arthur and Merlin became officially forever connected - when Uther assigned Merlin as Arthur's servant after he saved his life. the knife in the throne, the speechless moment that followed.
for "the creatures frozen.", I had the most difficult time with. Shana suggested the Lamia, which was a great idea, but I didn't think that it quite fit with the rest. so instead, I did Dragoon at Camlann. that lightning is the moment that even a fraction of Merlin's true power is shown. Dragoon is representative of Merlin being allowed to be his true self, and the consequences that come with it. Merlin can literally freeze creatures using his words - a la spells, or, more fitting, dragonspeak. people also freeze in terror or awe at the very mention of the name Emrys. so yeah, I think it worked out quite well!
and lastly, for "Explaining will get us nowhere." as i said, Shana suggested Geoffrey here, likely because of his love of the library. that reason was actually why I considered putting him under "the words frozen," but I realized putting him last was much better. why?
well, because Geoffrey of Monmouth was a real person. who, you ask, exactly is he? well, just "one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur." yeah, in case you didn't know, Geoffrey the record keeper in BBC Merlin was an allusion to the man who helped carry Arthur's tale throughout the years.
so, why "explaining will get us nowhere?" well, because, if you accept BBC's Merlin as the true canon, then Geoffrey recorded it wrong! lol.
(in line with this, if you haven't read it already, go read @katherynefromphilly 's We Begin Again series. it's absolutely incredible, well worth the long read, and will leave you wanting more! in a good way, I promise. in it, Merlin in the present day goes out of his way to fix everything history got wrong, and it's incredible. also I distinctly remember there being fish in little pond things indoors, which was a super cute detail.)
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so, that's the last of my Snow and Dirty Rain/Merlin series. I went a little overboard explaining things, but it was just so fun finding and linking the symbolism!! I hope you all enjoyed!
(p.s. I'm planning to make more of Snow and Dirty Rain, but with twelveclara/whouffaldi from Doctor Who. if you're interested in that or other things I make, check out my richard siken or original post tags in my blog.)
#bbc merlin#original post#richard siken#poetry#merlin#arthur#arthur pendragon#merlin emrys#dragoon#dragoon the great#leon#leon the long suffering#sir leon the long suffering#tristan and isolde#hunith#gaius#merthur#geoffrey#geoffrey of monmouth#snow and dirty rain#I'm sorry I didn't include you elena and mithian#I love you I promise#content creator#sort of#we begin again#love that fic sm
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When I say Merlin is my comfort show, I probably should strictly elaborate that I mean S1 Merlin. Although most of my favourite episodes are not even in that season, but it just brings insane levels of comfort. Really, why the fuck did the writers deviate so much from it? If for the "character development" narrative, there's literally nothing that was not perfect about their characterizations in s1:
Banter boyfriends? Check.
Exponentially affecting each other both positively and (sometimes tinges of) negatively? Check.
“I see your village is raided.. one sec I'll follow you till the end of earth to protect you and all those you care about.” Check.
Able to mentally grow from the restraining mindsets of Uther (and in Merlin's case Kilgharrah) when they consolidated together in letting go of Mordred despite being told the reverse. (Which was one of the reasons for their downfall, being held back by thoughts and actions that were not their own). Check.
Arthur actually saving the day with the assistance of Merlin's magic (ep4) which he does not reject and rather owe his gratitude to? (something that was later on lost as they insisted on fixating on Merlin's solo savings). Check.
“Is that poison? Here. Lemme drink it for you.” Check, check and check.
God we were so robbed of them being them in the most significant aspect. A continuation of s1's characterization should've actually involved Arthur figuring out on his own, them a duo working on bringing magic back to Albion (even if you still want to end it by killing Arthur, at least the whole core of the show wouldn't have been lost), and not the bleeding out of the same tropes and the same villains over and over without ever reaching to a point. I really get the argument of sticking to the legends, and I don't mind it, but they didn't stick to the legends from the beginning which baited us into thinking it will get resolved happily.
But to be fair, Arthur did get a relatively good character development. His transition from prince to prince regent to king was really done well. You see him growing to being more empathetic and more honour-driven. But he still should've been represented as the almighty king he was, not one who didn't have 2 braincells to figure out that his closest human being had been hiding from him for 10 years. And on the other side of the coin, Merlin should've had the chance to be Emrys, by all BAMF meanings of the word, not overshadowed for a whole decade without ever having the love and appreciation he deserved. He shouldn't have needed to turn bitter and obsessed. They shouldn't have resorted to just 48 hrs of Arthur knowing.
Honestly, I love this show as-is with an extent I cannot even describe sometimes, but their character development took a turn different from the one they truly deserved. Instead of filler episodes, they could have focused more on Arthur and Merlin's relationship, Arthur and Merlin growing, Arthur and Merlin succeeding.
#merlin#god I love this show more than I love myself but they really robbed us of so much#merlin analysis#bbc merlin#merthur#arthur pendragon#ao3#merlin bbc#king arthur#merlin x arthur#the once and future fandom#3 am ramblings#LJ metas#regulusrules metas
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