#good morgana and merlin would be so cool together

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

Changes to BBC Merlin that I think would make it better:

note: these aren’t necessarily all in the same au timeline but even one of them could’ve made it better

When Merlin asks Gwen for a sword she gives him the best one she ever made, not her father, so she and Merlin together forged Excalibur

Gwen is knighted alongside the others in the Round table

Merlin is officially recognized as the Court physician’s Apprentice rather than becoming Arthur’s servant (Why do you call him an idiot? By Yvion on Ao3 proves this)

In the scenario that Merthur happens, and Merlin’s the ‘queen’ and/or court Sorcerer, Gwen should be the next Court Physician

Or she’s with Lancelot and she becomes the next court physician, I just think she’d be good at it and it would give her a reason to have a seat of the council in the case that she’s not queen

Lancelot doesn’t fucking die

Arthur learns of Merlin’s magic during the Sigan fight and comes to terms with it on his own

Merlin doesn’t know his destiny (y’know… like the intro of the show literally says over and over again…) so he’s actually just listening to his own heart when he makes decisions and doesn’t have crippling anxiety from holding the weight of the world on his shoulders alone the entire show

More Gwen and Merlin bestie shenanigans before and after either one of them becomes queen

Gwen finds out about Merlin’s magic sometime in season 1

Merlin ignores Gaius and Kilgarrah and tells Morgana about his magic and they’re cool magic besties

Arthur doesn’t fucking die 3 seconds after finding out

Any of Arthur’s character development sticks for more than an episode

Arthur actually catches on to the fact that Merlin is usually right when it comes to danger or judging people by Lancelot’s episode

Gaius actually listens to Merlin instead of immediately shutting down his ideas even tho they usually turn out to be right later on

More Round Table

Morgana’s turn to being evil doesn’t happen completely off screen and she shows some kind of hesitation in harming Gwen, Arthur, and the townspeople even after she’s evil because seriously what the fuck was that

We get several episodes completely from Arthur’s point of view that show Merlin looking absolutely unhinged with absolutely no context followed by the episode from Merlin’s point of view where everything he does looks completely reasonable

I can and will elaborate on any of these if you ask

[kissme-withyour-cherrylipstick]

what’s your favorite merlin ep from each season?

Ooh yay, good question! I don't have these already picked out so I will be giving it a think!

Season 1: I'm gonna have to go with the Moment of Truth. Thought I was gonna go with the Poisoned Chalice, but then I saw MoT on the list and realized it had to be that. There's just so much good in it. It does such a wonderful job of establishing how at home Merlin has become in Camelot, all his friends come to help him, Gwen and Morgana are awesome 😍 And of course all the Merthur stuff. When Arthur asks if Merlin has found a place where he fits in? 😭 Hunith absolutely shipping them? But what really tips this one over the edge for me is Will. I love him so much. He's such a good character, even though he's only in one episode. He's Merlin's best friend!!!! I have put a lot of thought and fanfic into what they must have been like together in Ealdor. Merlin being in the middle of the conflict between Arthur and Will.......... Ugh I could go on but this is already long 😅 And Dr. Bashir as Kanen is always fun 🤣

Season 2: The Last Dragonlord. My favorite episode of the whole series. I love Balinor sooooooooo much. He is just so. How do I put this into words? He's so harsh when we first meet him, but he is willing to help. There's a gentleness to him that has been hardened by years of intense persecution and grief. He's the last of his kind, just like Kilgharrah 😭 He's so lonely and expects nothing from Merlin, but then..........KASJDFIHALKSJAJD;LJAKJSDASJFDSK. Him and Merlin! All their scenes are so good!!!!! When Merlin says "We could be happy," my heart is destroyed. They got no time with each other!!!!! He would have been so good for Merlin!!!! And the little dragon he whittles for Merlin?? 😭😭😭 I am not okay. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HUNITH AND BALINOR. ROMANCE OF ALL TIME. Tolkien level love story. But so tragic. Again, I have spent a lot of time and fanfic thinking about what could have been.

Season 3: The Coming of Arthur, part 2 if I have to pick. One word: Mercelot. Merlin with the sword and Lancelot there and Merlin showing off 😭😭😭 THEM. lakjdlkajlkdjskfasjlkdslkjsalkja. It's also a really good episode and so cool to see the round table and everybody becoming knights. One of the episodes of all time. Honorary mention to The Sorcerer's Shadow. Merlin and Gilli have such an interesting dynamic.

Season 4: Some personal favorites in this season, but I gotta go with The Secret Sharer. Everybody is WORKING in this episode. Agravaine has finally gone too far and it almost breaks Merlin and Arthur 😭 Ugh that scene in the council chambers. "He would not have left without saying goodbye to me." Just kill me now. And then way Gwen is there to check on Merlin 😭 And then Gwaine! GWAINE!!!! A great Merwaine episode. He got bored of playing soldiers! He's really just here for Merlin!! The way Merlin is so dismissive of him at first! But then he helps him and the deleted scene!! And then of course all the Emrys stuff with the Catha is so cool. I'm a bit of a Gaius hater, but I love his relationship with Merlin and it's so strong and good in this one. And then what Gaius says to Arthur at the end 🥲 I'm fine.

Season 5: The Diamond of the Day, part 2. I feel like I don't really need to explain this one? You get it.

Wow okay all my picks are quite sad. What could this possibly say about me.

[centurieslove]

wip word game

rules: you will be given a word. share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that start with each letter of that word.

I was tagged by @adhd-merlin thanks legend I always love these wip tag games sm the word I was given was FATE✨ 'E' was suprisingly hard? I also tried to pick an 'A' sentence that wasn't just 'Arthur' lmao (do my disir fic excerpts make sense out of context? probably not. enjoy)

F (from my morgwen fic)

"Frankly, the only good that can come of them sitting astride a horse is…” the Lord’s eyes slunk again around Morgana’s waist, up her neck and settled back on her face, which was flushed and twitching. “…for practise.”

“You—” Morgana flew up from her seat, “—disgusting pig—”

Gwen surged forward, almost close enough to reach her lady’s chair, then—

“Hey,” slurred a bristly faced advisor, his hand flying out to clamp down on her wrist. “My cup is almost dry.”

She flicked her eyes back to Morgana; her fists were clenched, the tendons in her pale neck flexing as her breaths huffed out of her. Gwen bit the inside of her cheek. A rough yank on her arm wrenched her gaze back, hauling her down, close to the man's face. His breath stunk like the sickly glaze of hot ham. He had a piece of gristle dangling from his beard.

Gwen blinked, shook herself. “Y-yes,” she stammered, “Forgive me, my lord," and refilled his goblet, watching as the inky red liquid rippled as she struggled to stop her hands from shaking.

A (from my morgwen fic)

Another stood out; Valiant. Looked like he was up against Arthur next. Gwen scoffed to herself. Best of luck.

“Are you cold?”

Gwen turned her head - Morgana was sliding into the seat next to her, her face still turned towards the arena. There was an inch or so gap between them on the wooden bench. Gwen pressed her knees together.

“Me?” Gwen asked, rather pointlessly. There wasn't anyone else close to them. “No, I'm fine.”

“You've only that tiny, thin thing on,” Morgana scolded. “You're shivering, I can see it.”

Gwen huffed, and pulled her arms in close to her body. “I'm fine,” she insisted, feeling her eyebrows pull together as she looked across the stalls down to the arena. The next two fighters were preparing, picking their weapon, and from the murmurs and bustle that crept across the crowd, it appeared to be a contentious match.

“Arthur's up,” Morgana answered the question she didn't voice.

T (from my disir fic)

The pathetic, pleading tone in his words; hopefully it wasn’t discernible. Arthur didn’t speak. A faint murmur of crowd rose from over the castle walls that swayed ever closer.

“How will the people react?”

Arthur didn't respond; so he pushed again,

“You can’t expect them to welcome back magic overnight—” Merlin was rambling, “—it’ll be dangerous, you, you have to cons—”

“I know!” Arthur yelled, suddenly glowing with rage. “You think me incapable of running my own kingdom?"

Merlin held firm, his eyes burning.

"That’s not what I meant,” he grit out, but he bit his lip, and Arthur’s eyes flicked down at the movement.

E (from my disir fic)

Either way, he’d ignored the inevitable for as long as he could. He'd foolishly allowed himself to swim inside the hazy dream of Arthur's words, but it was all about to turn cold. He hid as long as he could, as if staying in this one spot could stop time itself from passing; but cruelly enough, it did, indifferent to Merlin's plight. The air cooled, and the sun curved in orange lines around his chambers, and finally, someone knocked on his door. He curled his body tighter, clenching his muscles as if it would stop himself flying apart.

Another knock, louder this time, and a voice:

“I know you’re in there.”

He opened his eyes a crack, glaring at the bolt until it slid itself across to lock his door.

“Merlin.” Arthur’s voice grew more impatient. His door rattled, “where have you—” rattled again, “—did you lock— what are you, five summers old?”

“Go away.”

“Come out here and tell me yourself.”

Merlin pulled his sheet up and over his head.

I don't know if any of you have wips but hello have a tag anyways: @emryses @knight-gwaine @kissme-withyour-cherrylipstick @godmerlin @poisonedfate @elvain @auldsusie

word: GRAIL 🏆

[alittlepudge-neverhurtnobody]

kinktober #18

Cult 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 / Artist's Muse 🎨

“Stay still,” tuts Merlin as he shades charcoal across his canvas. The afternoon light is a cool purple-gray, but the glow from the many candles he’s got lit is warm and golden. “I can’t capture you properly if you keep squirming around.”

“I’m cold,” Arthur complains, shifting his weight on the vegan sheepskin blanket, which he supposes must just be fleece or something, then, right? “How come Gwen and Morgana got to wear clothes?”

“Because I used them for portraiture, love, not figure drawing. And I don’t particularly fancy seeing either of my best mates naked. And you could have said no!”

Arthur grumbles to himself. Like so many other things he’s done since moving to Nottingham, posing nude for Merlin’s recreational drawing class sounded good and liberating at the time. Now, in practice, sitting among the candles and New Age-y tapestries of Merlin’s tiny apartment, a record player softly unspooling Sinéad O’Connor beneath the scratching of Merlin’s charcoal, he’s having a few second thoughts.

“Is anyone going to see these?” Arthur asks, trying to scratch an itch on the tip of his nose by twitching it this way and that. “What if someone recognizes me?”

“Well, I thought I’d see if the British Museum wanted to display any of them, but aside from that, no, just my art class,” says Merlin, grinning, and Arthur makes a face at them. “Also, I’m not drawing pornography or anything here. You can’t even see your prick in the position you’re in. Your belly and thighs mask it quite well.”

“Hmm,” says Arthur, not because he’s unhappy with it but because it’s one of those things he’s not quite sure how to feel. What he does feel gets mixed up with how he thinks he should feel and it all muddles together and gets hard to make sense of. He and Merlin have been dating for a few months now, and Arthur’s a bit heavier than he was before then, and both of those things make him happy, except that they’re both things that he was brought up to feel bad about, and — well, it’s all very complicated. Morgana’s been going on about seeing a therapist, but he hasn’t quite warmed up to that yet. He’s not against it, but he wants to at least try to figure out how he feels about this stuff himself before trying to explain it to someone else.

“Let me finish some details on your legs, at least,” says Merlin. “Then you can move around a bit if you want.”

Arthur holds still for a few more minutes, until Merlin nods and says, “All right then, have a stretch.”

With an exaggerated sigh, Arthur stretches his arms over his head and slips down from the window seat where he’s been perched and tugs his boxers back on. His belly flops over the waistband, and his thighs rub together as he strides toward Merlin and bundles them into his arms.

“Sorry I’m a bit of a shit model,” he murmurs into their ear. “I’m still getting used to — all this. Being comfortable with myself.”

Merlin reaches round to Arthur’s hips. “I know. You’re doing fine. Nobody’s confident their first time modeling nude. Well, practically nobody. I’ve got a mate who probably would be, but he’s an outlier.”

Arthur kisses the back of his neck. “That must be the Gwaine I’ve heard so much about?”

“Of course.” Merlin turns in Arthur’s arms so they’re facing each other. They’ve got a smear of charcoal across their cheekbone, another across the bridge of their nose. Arthur smiles and rubs at it but only succeeds in smearing it further. “Trust me, you’re all right. Nobody in class will think twice about it. Your body’s just another body.”

“Mmm, you know how to flatter a man.”

“I mean to them!” Merlin laughs, ruffling Arthur’s hair. “I’m quite fond of it. At the top of my list, it is.”

“What a relief,” teases Arthur. “Can I see what you’ve got so far?”

Merlin hesitates. “Will that be good for you?”

“I think so. If you take me through it, show me what you see.”

“All right then.” They turn Arthur toward the canvas on the easel, and at first Arthur isn’t quite sure who he’s looking at. The shape of the body in charcoal is round, belly spilling onto thighs, thighs thick and spreading against the nubbly shading of vegan sheepskin. His arms, too, are thick, his chin soft — 

“Your shoulders,” says Merlin, tracing a finger just above the canvas. “You’re strong here and here, down your arms. You can see your muscle tone, still, even though you’re softer. You have a little dimple at your back here, but of course you can’t see it from this angle. That spot where your belly folds over your hip, oh — it’s the softest bit of your skin, that. Sometimes you hook one of your legs over mine when we’re sleeping and it makes me feel so safe and held, the weight of you. Look, you can see the definition in your thigh, what’s muscle and what’s fat. You’ve got those sweet little love handles here, and that arse! It’s perfect, love, I could write sonnets.” He turns to kiss Arthur’s cheek. “What do you think?”

“I like it,” says Arthur, and part of him is still surprised to hear that he means it. “You’ve got me posed like The Thinker here when I don’t know if I’m all that, but I like how you see me. I look — like a person.”

“Of course you do,” says Merlin. They squeeze Arthur’s upper arm gently. “Sorry to be the one to remind you, love, but you are a person.”

“Yeah, well,” says Arthur. “Still getting used to that, aren’t I.”

Merlin picks up the charcoal, frowns at the drawing, and adds a couple of light lines at the joint of Arthur’s left elbow, his forearm. “What was wrong there?” Arthur asks in mock disbelief, and Merlin laughs in spite of himself. 

“Oh, just got the proportions slightly off. You’re not that pointy. You’re quite solid, it’s nice.”

“Won’t be wasting away on you anytime soon,” says Arthur, jiggling his doughy belly. “Speaking of, I’m starving. All this sitting around nude’s working up an appetite.”

Merlin grins. “I’ve got some more of that cake you like, from the Japanese bakery. Tea with it?”

“Yes, please.” Merlin’s apartment isn’t large — a glorified studio, with a bed that’s more blankets and pillows than mattress strewn mere meters from the small squared-off horseshoe of counter and stovetop that counts as his kitchen — but still, Arthur pads after him, unwilling to be too far away. For as cold as slender, waifish Merlin always is, he emanates a sort of golden warmth like all his candles, and it’s magnetic. Arthur feels like he’s always pulled a little bit in his direction. 

“Could you do me in a few different poses?” he asks, suddenly bold, as Merlin fills the kettle and takes the strawberry cream cake from their tiny refrigerator. “I like seeing myself through your eyes.”

“Sure,” says Merlin, and if they’re surprised, they do a good job of hiding it. “What d’you have in mind?”

Arthur shrugs, sticking his hand out and snagging a glob of cream from the cake plate. Merlin bats his hand away, and Arthur makes a show of sucking the cream from his finger. 

“Ah,” says Merlin knowingly, leaning back against the counter and crossing their arms over their chest. “Pinup, right? Silk stockings and heels, maybe a corset?”

It’s the sort of foolish thing Arthur would have never allowed himself six months ago, the sort of whim that would have felt almost dangerous to indulge. “If that’s your vision,” he says grandly. “Just tell me how you want me.”

Merlin digs his sketchbook from his threadbare satchel and perches on the counter. “Go lie on the bed,” he instructs, and Arthur flops down, legs spread a bit more saucily than he’d planned, belly drooping forward over his waistband. He rests a hand on it for good measure, as if he’s proud of it. He is proud of it. He’s let himself go. He’s let go, he’s found himself. It all muddles up. It’s okay.

Merlin sketches quickly, like they’re racing the teakettle, and although Arthur had started the pose with an affectedly serious look he’d meant to be funny, he’s grinning by the time the kettle begins whistling on the stove. 

“Lovely,” says Merlin, setting down their charcoal. “Come and see while I get the tea.”

Arthur hauls himself up. Where the other portrait is tasteful, stoic, this one is — well, he’s glad he put his boxers back on, for one thing. His plump thighs are splayed without a care, his belly spilling round and soft, front and center. Merlin’s captured the puffy swells of his chest, where his pecs have never had much definition and now have even less, the little bulges of fat at the tops of his arms. His grin puts the soft cup of his double chin on display, the round apples of his cheeks, but he can’t stop staring at it. He looks like he’s just heard the best joke in the world. 

“Can I have this one?” he asks as Merlin bustles back with their hands full of mugs and cake plates balanced on their thin forearms. Arthur takes one of each and sinks on the squashy futon couch near the window, shoving aside a mound of throw blankets to make room next to him. “If you don’t need it for class, that is.”

“Sure,” says Merlin, feeding him a bite from his own slice of cake. The one they’ve cut for Arthur is much thicker than their own, but Arthur digs in gamely. “Want to frame it, put it in your entryway?”

Arthur laughs around a mouthful of cake. “And terrify everyone who enters my apartment with my raw sex appeal? No, thanks. I don’t know if I’m quite there yet.”

“Ah, I forgot to add the stockings and corset,” says Merlin, tipping his head against Arthur’s shoulder. “There’s still time.”

“Nah,” says Arthur, sipping his tea. “I like it the way it is, actually. I like it quite a lot.”

[dandelionsandderivatives]

Oooh, tell me about Mer Lin and/or The Magician’s Guinea Pig! (your choice)

Someone else asked for The Magician's Guinea Pig, so you get to hear about both!

Mer Lin is the working title for a Tam Lin/Merlin (BBC) crossover. Merlin was a huge guilty pleasure for me and my siblings back when it had just been released, and it's a very weird show because it combines some genuinely cool ideas with some genuinely baffling creative choices (my poor Morgana and her arc). As far as I can tell, the vast majority of fic authors also feel a great love for the characters and a great frustration for the writing, and so there are a ton of very interesting AUs and fix-its and such.

Anyway, about two years ago I was listening to every interpretation of Tam Lin I could get my hands on, and somehow I came up with the idea of doing Tam Lin but in the Merlin universe – and the pun, of course, made the whole project worthwhile. (Sometimes I'm not sure if it's kind of me to subject my readers to my sense of humor, but it's not like they're compelled to keep reading if they don't like it.)

This is, like a lot of Merlin fics, set in an alternate universe where Everything Turned Out Okay, and Merlin and Morgana ended up together. Except everything's not okay; Arthur is on the throne, but everything is slightly off in Camelot. Gwen sews on the same project every day but never seems to finish it; Arthur's knights joust and play chess and never do anything else. And only Morgana seems to remember that they used to have a court sorceror, and that she was married to him. So yes, this is essentially Tam Lin + a sort of time loop (which, now I think about it, is very similar to the one from the first season of Once Upon a Time). The backstory was supposed to be a slow reveal wherein we find out that Camelot has been at war with a magical army for some time. Merlin managed to avert at least some of the danger, but as a consequence he's now magically enslaved to the queen of said army, and he's also lost his memory. Given that he's possibly the most powerful sorceror ever, this is bad news for the world at large. Morgana's the protagonist and is trying to rescue Merlin so that they can break the time loop – which will, of course, happen through faithfulness, as in Tam Lin proper.

I like many things about this idea – for one, I think that fantasy novels based on Tam Lin are almost always great. But I'm actually not sure how well it interacts with the source material. The fun of fanfic, imo, comes from making the source material work with different storylines, characters, themes, etc., and I'm not sure that the canon material adds much to this plotline. It might be better with original characters, but then it might feel uncomfortably similar to Fire and Hemlock.

I do still think the idea has its interesting points – I think the situation is the sort of thing that would have made a good episode of the show, and it fits pretty well into the formula, which goes something like this:

Magical crisis envelopes Camelot

Our protagonists (usually Merlin) have to scramble to figure out how to stop magical crisis

Arthur is oblivious

The crisis is averted by throwing more magic at it

End with Merlin, somehow, having to do some unpleasant menial labour

You'll notice I've innovated by cutting out Step 5 and having Morgana do the investigating in Step 2.

All joking aside, though, I think the real heart of this fic would be the tension and romance between Merlin and Morgana, and the idea that, as in canon, they're the only two together against the world that doesn't acknowledge or understand them. (I think this is maybe where the idea came from originally.) I think one of the issues I'm having with writing it is that a good amount of their tension in canon comes from the fact that their arcs are inverses of each other, and in this AU they would obviously have a different relationship. I'm pretty good at writing yearning, but I don't know if I can write it convincingly enough to make this story feel worthwhile. Maybe it would help if I flipped the roles? But then I think that part of the fun of this is having Merlin, who's generally rescuing everyone else in canon, be the rescue-ee. (It's a fairly popular plot in fanfics, so I'm not the only one who likes it.)

Anyway, this is one story idea that has a very cool vibe in my head, but I'm not sure it's enough to build a story on. I do like the fact that I haven't seen quite this plot in Merlin fic before, and I think it would be possible to set up some cool echoes of canon (in that Morgana would essentially be doing the same thing Merlin did in the earlier seasons). But I think it needs more justification to be set in this universe.

I still think the name "Mer Lin" is hilarious, though.

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Merlin S2E11, “The Witch’s Quickening”

I am SO excited for this episode. The title is already amazing. And I’m weak for witches. Bring it on!

Okay so convoy with a Camelot knight. So far nothing out of the ordinary

MORDRED?? MORDRED IS WITH THESE PEOPLE? 

So they’ve infiltrated Camelot. Cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.

Merlin can hear them!

Oh I think he knows Morgana may have magic. 

“A weapon powerful enough” looking at Mordred…

Okay but a crystal is definitely not the only thing in the vaults of Camelot. Incidentally there’s a dragon there too, waiting to be freed.

MORGANA DON’T GO ALONG WITH IT I’M HALF CONVINCED IT’S A TRAP

Merlin is going to look so foolish and for nothing

That music again…

Okay what the fuck does Morgana think Merlin thinks?

Merlin definitely knows what’s going on. 

It’s being enraged at both Uther and Arthur time.

Oh Merlin has grown since the start of the series. I like this side of him. (And he’s asking the right questions!)

So Mordred and Morgana together = disaster

Morgana don’t be mean to Gwen she doesn’t deserve it

Oh so Mordred’s seen Merlin! Potentially.

Please don’t flirt with Morgana. Thank god she rejected him. 

Merlin and Morgana having eye contact gives me life. And Morgana definitely knows they’re onto her.

They are SUCH siblings

FINALLY A RIDER TROTTING PROPERLY

THE FUCK DON’T KISS SOMEONE WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT

I’ve just realised how ironic it is for the Pendragon animal to be a dragon. (Though. PenDRAGON.)

They’ve chosen sides.

Merlin has the power.

Hey, Arthur? Maybe don’t give the crystal to Merlin? (I really love this episode’s Merlin portrayal.)

Oh suddenly I’m scared of Morgana.

Okay so that just happened. It’s officially war between Morgana and Uther.

Gwen cares for Morgana. And doesn’t know what happened. I wonder whose side she’s going to take. (I would say Morgana’s.)

Unrelated but I love Alvarr’s boots. (Though I’m weak for boots in general.)

Merlin knows.

Not sure the dragon talking to Merlin in his mind is a good sign.

[reefer-reelz-n-reviews]

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)

 

Smoking: Papa Smurf {I had attempted to rolls some jays for the movie but for some reason they wouldn’t stay sealed 😥}

 

Here is the little description from Disney+ “A modern-day sorcerer must make his seemingly average recruit into the ultimate apprentice.” I feel it sums it accurately. Now for my high mind to write this week’s entry 😊

We start off with a background on the 3 sorcerers that worked under Merlin, James A Stephens, and the evil Morgana, Alice Krige. We have Nicolas Cage playing Balthazar and Alfred Molina playing Horvath the dueling for good and evil. Then we get a glimpse a little more into the future of a young boy named Dave who is found out to be the Prime Merlinean.

Now we go 10 years later and adult Dave is played by Jay Baruchel. The voice of Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon. I love the relationship Dave has with Bennet, played by Omar Benson Miller. Bennet wants to help him not be by himself and spend time with friends so he doesn’t get stuck in his science projects alone.

Nicolas Cage coming into save the day by turning wolves to puppies while riding a giant metal eagle. I mean can you talk about an entrance!

One of my favorite parts is coming up. The fight in China Town, and on top of that during a festival! We have the fight between Balthazar and Sun-Lok played by Gregory Woo. He has this really cool power where he turned one of the festival paper dragons into a real dragon and chase Dave around. I love how they use the confetti. Its just floating down gracefully, and then they use magic to manipulate it as well.

I’m watching the movie right now on Disney+, but I also have the DVD as well. In the special features they go into details about how they made the Merlin Circle because they didn’t want it to be put in but have it be real. Now I don’t remember a lot about what was said, okay okay, any of what was said ahahah, but I remember thinking it was interesting lol.

Watching Jay try to make a plasma bolt is hilarious! It’s like a whole training sequence where he is basically failing, and failing hilariously.

Now we have Horvath trying to get some more help by reaching out to Drake Stone, played by Toby Kebbell. He uses his sorcerer abilities to be a magician and make money by doing shows. Very good looking and killer accent 😍

There is a Star Wars reference in this movie. Thinking about it. I wonder if in some how Disney new that 2 years after this movie came out they would take the Star Wars franchise?

Then they is the wonderful scene where Dave leaves his lab to be cleaned by his magic. This scene was done with a lot of people in green outfits being different kinds of cleaning supplies. It is an ode to the scene in Fantasia where Mickey Mouse puts on Merlin’s hat and does the same thing with the brooms and mops. They did a REALLY good job putting it all together.

And I just got a 10min interruption by a cat. Calcifur apparently needed my attention for a little while lol.

Snack Break!

I got this way too huge slice of cake. Its soooo good and coconutty 🤤

Can’t believe I’ve gotten almost 600 words in and haven’t even mentioned Dave’s love interest Becky, played by Teresa Palmer. They have a very cute relationship that buds throughout the movie.

Now we get to the last battle. Morgana has been brought back through the 3rd sorcerer Veronica, played by Monica Bellucci. Morgana’s soul is connected to Veronica’s and she is trying to complete the ritual she was stopped from in the beginning of the movie.

We have Balthazar and Horvath battling each other while she is shooting fire balls up in the sky and no one in New York is paying any attention to it. Nor was I for the last 5 mins lol. I got distracted on my phone for a minute there.

Dave gets to battle Morgana in the end, and you know, stuff happens. Once again, trying not to ruin stuff here lol!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s review! Till next time ❤

 

-RRR

[tiodolma]

I remember you said you hate Arthur 😗 What are your thoughts on Gwen? Do you like Gwencelot?

guinevere guinevere guinevere... RANT INCOMING. Hot takes generator coming along. brace yourself.

hmm i think she had a lot of potential at the start especially in s1. She was spunky. She had really good rapport with merlin. It felt like she and him could have done a lot of pranks and hijinks.

Then when mergana (the whole shebang) started to happen i thnk they pushed her to become more of arthur's voice of reason as replacement for the spot morgana used to hold.

it's still a little weird how she and arthur got together tbh. Like okay, her views on arthur started to change when he began saving merlin's life i in the cup of life episode. But Idk i wish we could've seen more introspection on her part?

She's not like Merlin and Morgana who had high hopes for Arthur from the very start. Both of them had been working on Arthur from the Bottom and Top. Merlin was peasantry and Morgana was nobility and they both pushed Arthur to be the kinda cool dude he was in S1. And I feel like she got pulled along by MM's efforts to see the good in Arthur. Where does Guinevere fit in all of this? In the middle… I guess because it worked! MM's efforts showed that there was hope in Arthur and Guinevere acknowledged that. Then in s2 when Merlin became more focused in thwarting Morgana in and when Morgana's powers truly awakened and her hate for Uther deepened... Guinevere was what? left to pick up the pieces? I think?

I'm saying this because in s2 both MerMor were already stepping into their destinies, the real "I want to do what's best for Arthur and Camelot." phase. Guinevere was stuck in the weird spot of just being the one who truly cares for Arthur as person.

Now I know this sounds ArWen-positive. but on Gwen's side.

The problem with Arthur tho is that once someone is kind to him he he holds that person on a pedestal and only wants to see that version ever. IDEK why in the span of five seasons, he still has a low opinion on women and girls, he still has this chivalric notions that it's a men's world and girls should just be protected and kept in the dark and that servants should just stay as servants. Moreover his attitude with the women Uther tries to make him marry is abhorrent. He doesn't like the girls who challenge and mirror him too much (like Vivian or Elena from The Changeling). For him his ideal woman is the prim proper perfect loyal- looks good as nobility type. He has this like list of what makes a perfect woman for him and it's so incel-like lol. The moment any of these make a mistake, he casts them away (yes even guinevere). He can make all those "I am doing this for the kingdom" "my love can never be" "what would my father think" excuses but what happened when Guinevere became his queeen and chief adviser? He kept things from her and won't listen to her as his voice of reason. He's honestly frustrating tbh. His ego mixes with his notion of being a "King" and a "Man" and he kept pulling rank at both his Queen and Merlin.

This leads me back to Guinevere just being pulled by the story and cleaning up all the messes ArMerGana leave behind. It's complicated. She's a reflection of whoever was close to her. When she was still close to Morgana, she thought Arthur was a prick. When she was close to Merlin, she almost shared his views of Arthur being the "best thing ever." When MerGana decided that Arthur was an okay dude, guinevere also rode that boat. When Arthur was king and was already like "magic users are all lunatics" Guinevere became like, "yass ur right u have a point." Morgana tortures and brainwashes her and she becomes the latter's ultimate weaopn. Merlin lies to her constantly and she's just "fine whatever you say Merlin teehee but i'm watching you OwO." Arthur abuses Merlin even as King and Guinvere is still like "Aww you two are so cute, but i also think merlin staying as ur servant serving you for eternity is alright."

On one hand ppl can say that she can make her own judgement. Ofc she can. But I wish I saw more? just more. What are her hopes and dreams outside of arthur, merlin, morgana or elyan? Did she want to be a smithy? did she want to be a maidservant forever? did she hope to be a lady in waiting? did she want to become an apprentice of gaius? did she want to be queen? was she not upset that merlin and arthur kept secrets from her? (this was a deleted scene from s5 btw) does she even want a kid? we dont even know that! we know nothing!

She was interesting as Queen, I admit, but bruh it was still like watching Morgana and Arthur on the throne (and lets be real she had been their representative on both times). It's annoying. And this is my point. Guinevere is like... a shapeshifter or chameleon. That's why even now we could never tell what she would be like as queen post-series. WE DON'T KNOW GUINEVERE.

it's like she was whatever the narrative wanted her to be. Maybe that's the point then, that it's her destiny to be the boat that tries to keep itself afloat as the natural disasters called Arthur, Morgana and Merlin swirled and raged around her.

the only light at the end of that tunnel i think was Lancelot. His presence made her actually pursue stuff/hopes/dreams. AND IT SHOWS. They remind me of MerGana in their intense moments in s1-s4. GwenCelot chemistry is electric as hell. THEY WANT EACH OTHER, not for the king or queen or knight that they can become BUT EACH OTHER.

When Merlin and Guinevere weren't too wrapped up in "arthur is actually a good guy deep inside, just trust me on this, give him a chance give him a chance give him a chance" moments, when Merlin and Guinevere PURSUE SOMETHING ELSE, I see honesty, I see something RAW, i can see cracks in the facade forced on them just by merely being in Arthur's presence start to fade and break down.

So yeah. Lancelot had to be killed early coz what would happen to the "King Arthur is the best and hottest sht in the universe" narrative if we had actual Mr. Anime Protagonist Lancelot Du Lac in the show?

GwenCelot needed to happen. I was waiting for it so bad. I was so excited for it. It would have been he perfect foil to ArGwen. It would have added a lot more spice to the show. It would have made Guinevere a more well rounded character with her own hopes and wants instead of the "she's the only braincell holding this group together" character. I want to know Guinevere better, all the good and the bad and not just this impossible perfect angel that the show carved her out to be.

overall thoughts on guinevere? started interesting, ended up boring, gave us nothing.

overall thoughts on gwencelot? yes pls give us the dramatic, encompases beyond all reason courtly romance that arthuriana is known for.

[the-king-and-the-druidess]

Personal ramblings about my Mormor Fic:

It's been a year and three months since I started my Morgana-Centric-with an occasional Merlin-centirc-chapter-or-two-Mormor longfic, Trillium. 100kW+ rare ship written in a foreign language (English) My teachers would have been proud, lol.

It started with a boring moodboard and an idea for it: Mordred and Morgana are druids and perform some kind of ritual. But then I asked myself a question, why they are there and what they are doing, and the idea for this weird twisted(in a family-friendly way) mix of Arthurian elements and BBC's cliches unfolded and is not going to end (I hope I'll finish the sequel, Aconitum, in 2025)

I put all my love for this strange otp of mine I kind of obsessed by, Mordred/Morgana, this darker Merthur's foil, into the fic, and made up several ideas and headcanons I personally find cool. Arthur and Excalibur, Coins of Life and Death, Crystal of Fire, Morgana and Emrys, Avalon and Camlann, the Plagues.

I made Mordred adult (the only reason why he is a child in S1 is a nod to the legends' affair of Arthur and Morgana) and a foster son of Aglain. Yes, his father was killed by the Knights of Camelot when he was a child, yes, he killed them all in return, but he grew up in a good and peaceful family and therefore was more or less healed. There were no slavery or cruelty, his soul remained intact. His love and loyalty to Morgana, their destiny together, is not overshadowed by anything. (So far) I also tied his and Morgana's childhood through Gorlois.

Morgana stays with the druids after the Nightmare Begins, she avoids Arthur's raid. She begins to study magic and the Triple Goddess's faith with them, but is it enough to prevent her fate?

Trillium and Aconitum are not a Character Driven Story, it's Destiny Driven. Destiny here is basically the pattern of the Arthurian Legends; they will come true one way or another; the stars cannot be rewritten, only reassembled. The Legends' key elements are the laws of the story's universe. But the characters do not know these laws, even if they can see visions of the future; they think they follow the path lead by their own decisions and beliefs.

So, Morgana staying with the druids and falling in love with Mordred influenced Arthur, Merlin and Camelot. Mordred's break up with Kara helped Merlin to reveal his magic to Arthur, etc. (Artifacts are also important and fateful in my stories. If one brings a magical artifact in the world it worries the destiny's waves) Though briefly, I explored all Morgana's roles: seer, druidess, princess, Saxon's queen, Arthur's healer, the Triple Goddess' vessel and Judgment (along with Mordred)

There's no milking of the revealing, no Uther's long suffering, I just don't like these and got rid of them as fast as possible. King Arthur and his Wizard Merlin with no delays, fighting against the Barons and Nature rebelling against the Kings' order.

My Arthurian OC's Sir Galahad and Elaine were my special pleasure. I redesigned the image of Sir Galahad to fit him in the BBC's show. Who can this Knight-Saint be in this pro-magic, pro-druids universe? How can Elaine (who is a druidess and Aglain's daughter in Trillium and Aconitum) affect Lancelot? How can Lancelot affect Mordred and Morgana?

Even though I hate the Crystal Cave episode because of Merlin's decisions there, but I was fascinated by the Cave itself, the Source of All Magic. So I came up with a lore for it, and made it a centrepiece of the story (just like the show, yes): Taliesin the Bard, Keepers, Crystals, and Nature Elements. Morgana and Mordred, not Merlin, see the future in the crystals and hear the Disir, but Merlin saves it. These three, they are like always dancing in harmony.

As everything in this fallen world, this story could have been better; especially in the terms of language. But for almost a year and a half, writing this story has become my main hobby, and I feel that I will not rest until I finish everything that I have planned, good it is or bad, I just must.

Now I'm coming up with the sequel, Aconitum, and have many ideas to step into the untouched for me personally and for this pairing land: magic is free, but what's next? What is the Golden Age? As Mordred asks himself, what do heroes do when the happy ending comes? Like in the first part, there will be a misunderstanding trope: the characters are sure that they know, but in fact they know nothing. There will be the Holy Grail, I absolutely love it, united Albion, tragic Gwencelot, cursed found family of Morgana, Mordred, Morgause and Cenred (I always regretted Morgause and Cenred died so early.) And secrets from the past(it ends where it all began), and someone will die in the end, as foretold.

[kateis-cakeis]

Ooo this is all very interesting! I love your analysis!!! Very cool angle that the Old Religion may not have been practised widely.

In fact, Merlin does say "But the Old Religion died out centuries ago" in S1 Ep13 which is interesting!!!! Does suggest that it wasn't the Great Purge that did it in, and was more concentrated to High Priestesses and Priests alone.

Tho Kilgharrah's reply is also interesting of course "The Old Religion is the magic of the earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men." I think this is crucial to what the Old Religion is, ie it's not really that much of a religion at all and more just magic itself - especially since it will exist even if people don't.

I also feel like I should add some numbers to this, since I very recently went through all the Christian sounding stuff in the show using the wiki transcripts! (Gives me a chance to share it :D)

God itself is said 21 times in the show, and for a show with 65 episodes, it's very interesting how little it's said! You're right, about it sounding like 'early installment weirdness' because the first 4 times it's said is in the first episode (which is the most it's ever said in one episode).

It's said a total of 8 times in S1 (in four episodes), 1 time in S2, 4 times in S3 (in four episodes), 5 times in S4 (in five episodes), and 3 times in S4 (in three episodes).

Arthur says it 6 times (Once every season, except S1 which was twice), followed by Merlin and Gaius who said it 3 times (once for Merlin in S1, and twice in S5, Gaius said his in S1, S3, S4)

The uses range from 'Thank god' to 'God help them/me/us' to 'My god' to 'godforsaken' to 'by god' to 'I swear to god' to 'Good god' and 'god knows'

So a full range of things that can feel like, as you said again, 'just a common figure of speech that some writer forgot wasn't used'.

Now, what's interesting is the 6 uses of Gods.

Of course we have Merlin's use of it in S1, and Vivian saying 'scuplted by the gods' in S2, but the rest of the mentions come from S5 Ep5, The Disir. Osgar mentions the ancient gods, and Gaius mentions the judgement of the gods, the paths the gods have chosen, and only the gods can alter a man's fate.

Likewise, The Triple Goddess is mentioned 6 times, with one mention by Alator in S4, followed by 5 times in S5 Ep5 again. 1 by Gaius, 1 by Kilgharrah, and 3 by The Disir.

In contrast, Heaven is mentioned 7 times. Twice in S1, 3 times in S2 (interestingly one of these times was said by Freya), once in S4, and once in S5.

Morgana says it twice (S1 and S5), and Arthur says its twice (S2). Gaius and Uther are the only other two who say it.

Hell though! Hell is mentioned 27 times. More than god!

The most it's said in one episode is 4 times, both occurring in S4 (Ep10 and Ep13).

Arthur takes the lead here, saying hell a total of 17 times!! 7 of those occur in S4. The least he says it is once in S5.

Notable mentions for hell is Merlin and Gwaine saying it a total of 3 times, the only other characters bar from Arthur who say it multiple times. (Will, Morgana, Tristan, and Leon say it once each).

So hell and god definitely suggest some level of New Religion about maybe, or something else (could be christianity or idk). Hell definitely feels like one of those...... there isn't another word for it things.

Honourable mentions that are interesting is in S1 alone, Devil is mentioned once by Uther ("What in the devil's name?), and Angel is mentioned 3 times, once by Bronwen (a serving girl in Ep1), once by Edwin, and once by Uther to Arthur about needing a guardian angel.

Is it Christianity, is it another religion, is it the writer's not having alternative words? Who knows! There's definitely very, very little iconography in the show, and I'm shocked to find there was any at all considering how vague the show was about religion sdhjfghdfg

I hope this is helpful, and as per OP's tags, that this is a kinda meta-ish thing that they would like to see! :)

Christian iconography? in my Merlin??

[erme-aeterna-arts]

arthur: tell me something you want most

merlin: a knight

morgana: a knife

arthur: for thE KINGDOM YOU LIVE IN

[noforkingclue]

hi, it's the evil!Morgana anon from last time :) I really liked your fic!! You did an amazing job! ❤️❤️ also if you feel like writing it, could I request an angsty evil!morgana x fem!reader? thanks! 🥰

Thank you anon! It's been awhile since I've written anything Merlin related so I hope this is good!

Title: One Last Meeting

Merlin tag list: @geocookie21

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @imjustassaneasyou, @spngingerbread21, @layazul, @lov3vivian

You took a deep breath of the cool air as the wind whipped around you. The night was unsettled, you could tell, and you knew that after this evening everything was going to change. You closed your eyes as you felt the change in the air, a small smile on your face.

“It’s been awhile,” you said, not opening your eyes, “You’ve been busy.”

“You’ve been away.”

“My kind are not welcome here. At least for the meantime.”

“Then why come back?”

“Because you called for me.”

You opened your eyes and turned around to face Morgana. She raised an eyebrow at you as she walked slowly towards you. You didn’t move from your spot and you watched her curiously.

“I’ve called to you before,” she said, “And you’ve previously ignored me. What makes now so different.”

“You are on the verge of war.”

“Correct.”

“And you want me to fight with you.”

“Yes.”

“Morgana,” you sighed and shook your head, “You know that I cannot do that.”

Tension filled the air and Morgana clenched her jaw in irritation. You had known Morgana for long enough to know that she would not take your answer well.

“Together we can destroy Camelot.”

“I have no intention of destroying it.”

“Fine,” she said, “Take it over.”

“I have no intention of doing that either.”

“Why not?”

“Because that is not our destiny.”

“Then what is?”

“I cannot tell you that,” you said with a sigh, “As I have told you many times before.”

You turned on you heel, your cloak swishing in the wind, as you prepared to leave. As you brushed passed her, Morgana’s hand shot out and grabbed your arm. You looked down at her hand but she refused to let go.

“If you leave,” she said, “Uther will kill you.”

“If I stay Uther will kill me,” you said, “I am a Druid. It doesn’t matter where we run, we will always be hunted.”

“Then help me destroy him.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because that is not my way,” you put your hand on top of hers and gently pried it off your arm, “I will not resort to violence.”

“So you’d rather die.”

“I will not betray the values that I was raised on.”

“I never took you to be a coward.” Morgana spat

“Is it cowardice to go up against the person you love?”

You cupped Morgana’s face and brushed your thumbs over her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as she leant into your touch.

“You cannot fight violence with more violence,” you said, “You will only show Uther what he believes- that magic is dangerous and should be removed from the land.”

“Violence is the only language that Uther knows.”

“There will come a time when his views will change. That the views of those who come after him will be different to his.”

“You really believe that.”

“I can but hope,” you said with a sad smile, “Without hope, what is there?”

“I don’t want to see you die.”

“Uther will not kill me. You have my word.”

You pressed a kiss against Morgana’s forehead and shut your eyes. This wasn’t an easy decision to make and yet it was one you must do.

“You’re really choosing your principles over me.”

“Oh Morgana,” you pressed your forehead against hers, “This is about doing what is right.”

“I’m not going to see you again, am I?”

You smiled sadly at her and blinked rapidly, determined not the let the tears fall.

“May we meet again in another life,” you said sadly, “Do not let the desire for revenge cloud your soul.”

[weakforarwen]

Goblin’s Gold

I think Beauty and the Beast and Goblin’s Gold are cousins, except one is a lot grosser, yet somehow more serious, than the other. 

Kudos to Richard Wilson for playing the goblin so well. He nailed it. On the same note, Angel nailed her parts as well. Her embarrassment around Arthur was so cute and funny. She had great facial expressions and reactions. 

The funniest part of the episode was definitely the flatulence bit. Usually that sort of humor’s not up my alley, but the fact that it happened to Uther of all people, who was wearing a hilarious, and not at all period appropriate, aviator hat, and Morgana, the resident Ice Queen, made it a lot funnier. Angel’s reactions were priceless as well. Uther and Morgana tried to act cool and noble, but my girl Gwen looked ready to walk herself to the town square and light herself on fire. It’s not often that Arthur’s the least ridiculous person in a room. 

I gotta say that Uther’s baldness and special hair loss treatment were also very appreciated. I was reminded of a scene in Modern Family in which Gloria asked Jay to slap around a chicken in honor of her culture and Jay was too white to realize she was messing with him.

It’s hard to believe no one thought Gaius had been acting strangely. He beat a huge dude, half his age, at arm wrestling and no one called bullshit on that? I suppose no one had a good explanation for Gaius’s behavior, or wanted to get on the bad side of an esteemed member of the court. This was one of the few times Merlin actually tried telling people the truth about magic wrecking havoc in the castle, but, like Gaius always said would happen, no one believed him. No one but Arthur.

Even stranger than no one noticing Gaius’s suspicious behavior was Arthur being the one to figure it out. But let’s not give him too much credit. After Merlin exposed Gaius, it was only a matter of putting two and two together. Surely even Arthur can do that. After all, in what planet would Gaius be so gleeful about Merlin’s death? Uther didn’t notice it because he doesn’t care for his servants, and Morgana was all too happy to see Merlin go. 

Speaking of Morgana, the episode got unexpectedly dark during her scene with Gaius. That scene was perhaps the only real thing in the episode, apart from Arwen being lovesick fools. I guess it was undeniable proof that the old Morgana was entirely gone. It was the only time Goblin Gaius got serious about anything.

The episode’s honestly too silly to belong to season 3. In Beauty and the Beast, Arthur and Arwen had some development, so it wasn’t all just nonsense, but this episode is about 99% nonsense. It’s not too bad though. At least, Arthur didn’t just accept Merlin’s execution, and we had plenty of Gwen (and Gaius)!

Gwen was a cutie this episode. She got to help Merlin save Gaius (so, yay for screentime, and, also, I love it when those two work together), and she really had the best reactions. Gwen loves Arthur so much she didn’t even laugh at him when he became a human-donkey hybrid. She thought he looked cute and even tried to pet him but Arthur felt too emasculated to let her (although he was clearly enjoying it). Merlin really had to convince her to face Arthur again though. It’s a testament to their love that Gwen and Arthur weren’t turned off of each other for good after all this; instead, they chose to be mature and pretend nothing had happened. In any case, it was nice, and different, seeing them be silly with each other. But, still, the best goofy Arwen scene is, no contest, the one where Gwen and Gaius stop Arthur from death by bath water. It was a good job, indeed. 

Sadly, some of the humor in the episode fell flat. Arthur as a donkey wasn’t particularly funny. It was too ridiculous. He already embarrasses himself enough and looks like a buffoon around 70% of the time. His character was funnier when seriously reacting to Uther, Gwen, and Morgana losing it in the throne room. It’s funnier if he looks like the smartest and most dignified person present; Uther, Gwen, and Morgana are usually very poised, so it was amusing to see them lose their composure. But the donkey bit was tacky, and Merlin’s laughter felt forced. 

[daydream-believin]

MERLIN’S APPRENTICE & MERLIN’S CHAMPION || trollhunters

warnings: swearing

a/n: if rott gave me anything it gave me this idea

I KNOW I SAID “JUICY” BUT REALLY THAT WAS JUST THE ANGST POTENTIAL,, THAT IM NOT INDULGING IN THIS POST IM SORRY LMAO

OKAY WHAT IM REALLY TALKING BOUT HERE IS A GOOD MERLIN/ARTHUR BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKS

no sorry i haven’t seen bbc merlin don’t come for me i’m ignorant

OKAY SO

we know douxie kept an eye on the human trollhunter and co

but douxie’s really having a hard time convincing himself he’s just doing his job

he’s actually enjoying this a little too much despite how boring staying in the shadows is

and he’s kinda worried?

so he’s got this bright idea: you know what would better help him keeps tabs? if he befriends this person

and so he does

fuck merlin’s shadows

sod the rules

ofc he’s very up front about knowing they’re the trollhunter and that he’s merlin’s apprentice

we wouldn’t want that to become a huge festering secret that eats douxie from the inside out until the inevitable reveal when merlin calls them both to help with the arcane order and they realize they’ve both been lying to each other’s faces for months/years and neither of them know if they could ever trust the other again, right? — phew *catches breath*

but before you know it, mr. casperan and mx. trollhunter are best friends

he’s basically the toby to your jim

and you’re very happy to have a best friend like douxie

he understands that monster hunting hustle

he’s the only person you can vent to and actually talk about what’s going on without sounding like a loon

and douxie likes being able to tell someone all his frustrations with merlin, since you’re also in that boat with him

you spar sometimes. it’s fun, but you’re very careful not to accidentally hurt your friend (he’s extremely careful not to hurt you or wound your ego by effortlessly wiping you out)

ofc, there’s the occasional, brushing of hands, faces a little too close together, accidentally winding up on top of one another, purposefully winding up on top of one another 👀 you know how sparring be

you and douxie are a duo. a duo who have become trollmarket’s resident troublemakers, to vendel’s exasperation

you guys tease each other a lot

you do a lot of stupid shit, cause hey, now you have magic armor and a magic sword and a magic best friend, did you think you wouldn’t get up to some shenanigans?

douxie is your impulse control and he’s not a very good one, as he’s just as bad

truthfully archie has the brain cell

and pranks? gods the pranks. you two are always either pranking each other or you’re teaming up to prank some other troll who said smth mean to you in the pub. vendel had to personally put a stop to it (read: chew you out)

doux thinks the world of you tho, you’re such a noble knight, and likes to tell people about how you’re a cinnamon roll, so innocent, so pure

and then they meet you and you directly contradict those statements

trollhunter: i’ve never done anything wrong in my life, ever

douxie: i know this and i love you

(spoiler: you’ve done lots and lots of wrong)

doux spends an awful lot of time slinking around trollmarket now, and he’s in the know for everything that’s happening

(no more being kept in the dark for this wizard apprentice)

and doux knows merlin won’t completely approve of this, but hey, it’s not like he’s helping and thus directly disobeying

really, he’s not helping you at all, it’s really fucking annoying

okay so mayyybe the occasional healing spell. you’ve got those puppy dog eyes he can’t say no to

but you understand his sense of duty, or whatever it is that drives a follower, technically being a follower of merlin yourself

you respect the old geezer (as you have not been turned into a half-troll yet) as a wise mythical figure, and as your best friend’s father

and what a perfect match you are for each other, champion and apprentice, mutually being screwed over by a guy you both think has all the answers

you and douxie help each other grow in your self-worths, that you two are more than the chances merlin has given to you

unfortunately, mortifyingly, you have caught feelings.

douxie has also caught feelings, and is saying nothing yep you have enough on your plate without him putting this on you so he’ll just quietly pine and suffer don’t mind him choking to death in the corner when you take off your helmet and throw back your hair

y’all’s problem really starts manifesting itself as protectiveness. you are really protective of your wizard and he is really protective of his knight

lots of things said that are Not What Friends Say but neither of you really want to be the one to point that out

lots and lots of i love yous that slowly get more and more serious until it’s not exactly platonic anymore

and it’s just really nice to have someone to get coffee (or your favored hot drink) with at four in the morning after a tussle with a troll

and that’s basically how you and douxie spend the bulk of trollhunters, just vibing

as much as you can vibe, with all the changelings and shit trying to murder you all the time

then merlin wakes up and shakes up your world

you are aware of your impending doom

you’re aware of it

merlin keeps looking you up and down like he’s mentally making up the measurements of your coffin

and tbh the idea of fighting gunmar freaks you tf out

and you’re supposed to win that fight?

gods

you’re preparing for your nightmares coming true soon

truthfully you knew your fucking job had a 100% mortality rate

you don’t want to die with regrets

so

you spill

you spill all the things you’d wanted to tell him and how much he means to you and that you couldn’t bear it if you were a goner before he knew

miraculously, douxie feels the same and tells you all the things he’d been holding back and and what you mean to him and how much he wants to protect you, that you’re gonna make it, if he had anything to say about it

and everything is perfect for one night

now you have a real reason to win

not that saving humanity isn’t a big responsibility on your shoulders and definitely A Reason

but knowing douxie’s waiting for you, for the life you’ll build together after this, the peace you’ll both have, it’s absolutely a big motivation to give your all and come out victorious and survive

hahaha loser you don’t know about the arcane order

and then merlin uses your microwave to cook a weird potion

you and merlin are alone in the house, but there’s no real mind games necessary. you may have grown past thinking he was a god, but in the end, you’re still a follower of merlin, and if merlin thinks this could give you an edge, well, who are you to question his methods

doesn’t mean you aren’t nervous as your master hands you the bottle

yet you don’t even hesitate to drown yourself in the black abyss of the tub

whatever it takes amirite?

and now you’re a half-troll

a sexy half-troll, if you do say so yourself

yeah, no ‘i’m a monster’ angst here, you’re loving the power-up

you’ve got to treat it like a cool new power-up or you will cry actually tbh i lied about the no-angst thing a new body is disorienting

your only real concern is douxie

not concerned for long tho, he sees you and the first thing out of his mouth is “nuclear!”

and he senses your concern, so he does go out of his way to assure you that boy, girl, enby, or half-troll, he loves you for your soul, darling

also again half-troll! you is hot as hell so he’s not really losing anything here 👀

he makes sure you know that too, not to let any insecurities fester

him raking his eyes up and down you gives the opposite effect of the dread merlin sent down your spine doing it

anyways,,,

doux helps out a lot more in the eternal night

like helps merlin re-defeat and re-seal morgana

he’ll do it again in few weeks but with a bigger role you know, this is practice

thank merlin for that edge YOU ARE THE LAST TROLLHUNTER YOU ARE VICTORIOUS YOUVE GOT GUNMARS HEAD IN YOUR HANDS HAHAHA

but now you’ve got to go to new jersey

douxie’s been instructed to stay in arcadia tho 🥺

it’s okay, you’ll see each other again soon

sooner than you realize

and until then you talk each other to sleep every night over the phone <3

merlins glad, actually. he’s glad hisirdoux found some solace. even if it is with the lamb he was raising for the slaughter. maybe things will go okay for them. the time map suggests it might be so

hisirdoux may have done things in a way he didn’t quite approve of, but that’s because he’s becoming his own wizard, and merlin is proud

[fishoutofcamelot]

Okay but consider: after her banishment, Gwen ends up crossing paths with Isolde and Tristan. Circumstances cause them to share a campsite for a few days - Isolde and Tristan have been separated from the rest of their crew, and a horrible storm has trapped the three of them in a cave for the foreseeable future. Naturally, bonding ensues, and these two grizzled smuggler people end up kinda-sorta adopting Gwen against their better judgment.

But like??? I'm just imagining a conversation between them, where they point out that Gwen is clearly bottling up Some Stuff, and it would really help her to just get it out of her system.

But Gwen turns down their offer and insists on bottling it up anyway, to which Isolde is like, "bro its cool that youre all polite and nice and whatnot, but you dont have to be that way all the time. its okay to be angry and upset every once in a while. you keep things bottled up because you think you have to, because thats what society expects of you, because everyone in your life needs to rely on your for strength and wisdom and support, and even though sometimes you dont want to be the responsible one there isnt much choice. and i get that, i really do, but right now we're all stuck in a cave together out in the middle of nowhere, and tristan and i are both literal criminals and also relative strangers, so no one will judge you or get upset if you just. go the tiniest bit unhinged for a while."

Naturally, Isolde has hit it right on the head. The next few minutes of wheedling and coaxing lead to Isolde and Gwen standing at the mouth of the cave, screaming loudly into the forest to vent all their pains and frustrations, just letting out every raw and ugly emotion they've got stuck inside them. Gwen is hesitant at first, but once she gains a bit of confidence she really gets into it. Isolde is...impressed and concerned by just how intensely Gwen can scream (she's got a lot bottled up, okay?)

Eventually they get the whole story out of her: her mother's death, Elyan's departure, her father's execution, Morgana's betrayal, the whole Lancelot mess, the various times she was sentenced to death, her complicated relationship with Arthur, that creep Agravaine...and the affair. She vents and weeps and screams at great length about the affair, and about her banishment, and about her fears and worries and frustrations and above all the self-loathing that has haunted her at every step of the way.

Isolde and Tristan listen, because clearly the poor girl has never had the chance to talk about this at length ever in her life and really really needs it. And okay, yeah, they're definitely keeping her now, it's too late.

Tristan smoothly yet gruffly brings up the suggestion that she tag along with them. She doesn't have anywhere else to go, after all, and they could use an extra set of hands. Gwen is of course reluctant to collude with smugglers, but after weighing her options she eventually decides to stick with these strange yet kind people.

Gwen doesn't start with smuggling right off the bat, though. She starts as the cook, and the horse-hand, and then one day Tristan hands her the reigns to one of the carts and teaches her how to drive it, and over time starts getting more and more responsibilities. she naturally acts polite and kind most of the time, but there are no expectations or consequences out here if she screws up or doesnt do her job perfectly every time. for perhaps the first time in her life, gwen finally has the chance to truly loosen up.

very quickly all the other members of the smuggler crew begin to adopt her as well, until this small army of hardened criminals are all collectively fawning over their mutual Sunshine Daughter. none of them liked King Arthur already due to his tax laws, but listening to Gwen's sordid tale gives them all a little bit of an extra reason.

One day, while going down to a nearby village to get some supplies, she overhears the news that Arthur is to marry Princess Mithian of Nemeth. And that gives her some...mixed feelings. Like, she's not jealous, that's just not her style, but she's not exactly happy about it either. She's trying to be. She knows she should be happy for Arthur. But at the same time, it does kinda sting.

She tries to bottle up those negative feelings at first, and just keep a brave face through the pain - until she remembers what Isolde said, and she remembers how all the other people in the smuggler crew taught her that ugly emotions aren't bad, and that it's okay to let yourself feel angry and upset from time to time.

So, armed with a new handful of complicated emotions and the full intention of not bottling them up for once, Gwen asks to tag along with the next away team. Which is weird because she never does that, she usually prefers to keep as far away from the actual criminal activity as possible. But something in her eyes tells Tristan that she needs this, so even though he has a policy against bringing amateurs he happily welcomes her along.

In this particular instance, they are going to be stealing some valuable goods from a particularly belligerent noble. While sneaking around the noble's extravagant estate, which stands in stark contrast to the dilapidated state of the nearby villages under his control, Gwen overhears the noble slapping one of his servants. She taps Isolde on the arm. Says, "I have an idea." Isolde finds that she likes the idea very much.

Next thing they know, they're running from the estate's guards while cackling, the noble's wardrobe full of disgustingly fancy linens in flames. Gwen is laughing, loud and unburdened; not only was setting all those silk garments on fire immensely cathartic, but it was also some of the most fun she's had in her entire life.

At breakfast the next morning, as Isolde proudly recounts their adventures to the rest of the crew, one of the other smugglers - a plucky young teen who looks oddly familiar, goes by the name Mordred - says that if Gwen enjoys fire so much, he might be able to hook her up with a spell or two.

And that is, more or less, the story of how Mordred began teaching Gwen magic. And that is also more or less the story of how Gwen learned to let loose and become the Robin Hood-esque arsonist sorcerer she was always meant to be.

(A few months later, Arthur and Merlin will stumble their way into camp, and that will be...interesting, to say the least.)

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Merlin S2E5, “Beauty and the Beast: Part One”

Okay so troll lady becomes Empress of the Racnoss. All cool.

Sarah Parish is a GREAT actress I love her so much.

Morgana is so beautiful in this episode.

Uther is TAKEN with her.

For once Merlin is not at fault and I must say it makes a nice change.

The picnic looks nice but also they clearly haven’t actually eaten because have you ever tried to put food down on a slope that steep? Especially fruit? It will roll and fall.

BAHAHA HER THROWING THE FOOD AWAY IS SO SUDDEN AND UNNOTICED IT’S HILARIOUS

Gaius for someone so wise you always trust Uther too much

What the fuck are they doing lying together in a private room

Okay you can stop with the compliments now Catrina

PFFFT UTHER REJECTING HER

oh he looks like he has joint pain

Merlin what the fuck are you doing in Arthur’s chambers

“I have no doubt, Merlin, that you have prepared a very good explanation for this.” This episode is just funny, and the delivery of Arthur’s lines is hilarious.

“We have reached the point of no return.” PAAAAAST THE POOOOINT OF NOOOOOOO RETURN, NO BACKWARD GLANCES OUR GAMES OF MAKE-BELIEVE ARE AT AN END […] PAAAAST THE POINT OF NOOOO RETURN, THE FINAL THRESHOLD - WHAT WARM UNSPOKEN SECRETS WILL WE LEARN beyooooong the poooooint of nooooooo reeeeeetuuuuurn (sorry the POTO fan in me came out, summoned by Gaius’ line)

This episode is comic relief

To be fair for once Uther is logical. I wouldn’t believe Gaius either tbh

UGH THIS SERIES EXPLORES POWER IMBALANCES SO WELL

You two ARE rushing into it though

Enchanted Uther’s voice is different (a testament to Anthony Head’s acting)

Merlin and Gaius working together! And Gaius advocating for the use of magic?? Especially in front of the King and Arthur?

Gaius snoring while Merlin is annoyed by the work is A Mood

This knight has something in his voice and I like it but that’s maybe just because he reminds me of my best friends

Morgana and Arthur’s FACES

Arthur is understandably confused.

I love how Gaius says “MerLIN” but Arthur says “MERlin”

Okay so Merlin’s trapped

A royal wedding can’t happen so suddenly for various reasons but I digress

Theme music when Merlin breaks the wall!!

See the thing is. Le Trégor is a region in (French) Bretagne and I even have family from there so the name works, especially with some Arthuriana (la forêt de Brocéliande, etc) happening in France. But

also assuming this is in Wales why would (the real) Lady Catrina come all the way over the Channel

So now the troll is queen!