#merlin and morgana should have teamed up to kill uther just saying

[fluffykitteninabox]

ok I get why Morgana is in the villains category of the wiki, but why is Uther in the protagonists section??

Like he's an antagonistic force for more episodes than her!

I know Morgana turned evil or whatever, but have perhaps considered..

she had every right to!

She can commit mass murderer if she wants because I said so😍😍

[phantomchick]

Merlin fic rec list

To Be A King by clotpolesonly Teen And Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, Merlin and Arthur, Merlin and Mordred, Gwen/Arthur, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Merlin's Magic Revealed, Canonical Character Death, BAMF Merlin, Dragonlord Merlin, Original setting, Magical kingdom, King Merlin, Royal!Merlin Summary: When Merlin discovers that his father was an estranged prince and he himself is now the only heir to the throne of a magical kingdom, he is forced to leave Camelot for the perils of a royal court. Will Merlin be able to win Arthur's favor again before Morgana launches an attack on a defenseless Camelot? Will he be able to defend his own kingdom at the same time or will all be lost? -

A Matter of Sovereignty by Kizmet Gen, No Archive Warnings Apply, Friendship Summary A visiting prince takes it into his head to brutalize Merlin, but sometimes the solution to a problem is in how you phrase it.

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Bumps and Bruises by platonic_boner merthur, implied/suspected abuse, Protective Arthur, Magic Revealed, pre-relationship, teen an up, canon typical violence,

Summary: Arthur notices Merlin’s constant injuries, and decides he needs to step in and protect Merlin.

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Finding Home by riventhorn Arthur/Merlin, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Written for a kinkme_merlin prompt. When Gaius retires a new physician takes over and quickly kicks Merlin out of his room and takes it for himself. Arthur finds Merlin sleeping in the stables...and it's winter.

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How To Love A Living Thing by Polomonkey Mature, merthur, Merlin/Arthur, Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Abuse, Violence, Sexual Harassment, Drowning, Guilt, Romance, Protective Arthur, Mild Sexual Content, Redemption, Healing, Canon Era

Summary Guilt ridden and lonely after his confrontation with Nimueh, Merlin slowly begins to isolate himself from Arthur. When two knights take it upon themselves to teach him his place, Merlin finds himself with nowhere to turn. Will he be able to reach out to his prince before it's too late?

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Obeisance by casspeach Gen, No Archive Warnings Apply, Merlin/Arthur

Summary: It's not that Arthur won't share his toys, just that he expects to get them back undamaged

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All's Well That Ends Well by StormDancer explicit, Merlin/Arthur, Arthur Finds Out, magic reveal Summary: Merlin spent the week and a half that Arthur was gone splitting his time between crafting careful explanations that never ended up explaining the important things, the things that would make Arthur listen, and making half-baked plans to escape to Ealdor. He found a number of fire-proofing spells that would have no effect if they decided to cut his head off, and figured out how to adapt an invulnerability spell he had been trying to find a way to cast on Arthur without him noticing so that it would protect him from being decapitated, but it would have no effect on anything but metal. Despite all his frantic searching, he did not find a teleportation spell, because that would have been too simple and if there was one thing Merlin had learned in his years at Camelot, it was that nothing was ever simple.

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Deeds by the5leggedCricket Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Episode Related, Oblivious Arthur Pendragon, Teen and Up,

Summary: Arthur is coming of age, and that means he’s about to get Deeds—marks on his body telling him of his soulmate’s greatest accomplishments. But as he tries to find his soulmate, he also makes some worrying discoveries about the kind of person his soulmate is.

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Honorable Intentions by smilebackwards Gwaine/Merlin, Guinevere/Arthur Pendragon, Courtship, Protectiveness, Protective!Arthur, Teen and Up, Summary: There are several considerations Arthur would like to go over, starting with the state of Merlin's virtue.

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Laundry's Hard Work by supercalvin Gen, Teen and Up, Canon Era, can be read as pre-slash, BAMF Merlin

Summary: Wasn't Merlin supposed to be...tiny? When the hell had he learned to use a sword and not fall on his backside? Where the hell did those scars from? What the hell?

or Arthur still thinks Merlin is the young boy he met ten years ago and he starts to notice things in his manservant that he wasn't aware had changed at all.

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Fathom Me Out by supercalvin Merlin/Arthur, Canon Era, Magic Revealed, Teen and up,

Summary: After ten years, Arthur thinks he has Merlin all figured out. But as he watches Merlin, he finds out that he has more questions than answers. The longer he thinks about it, the more uneasy he feels. So he pushes it aside. Except, he can no longer ignore the questions he has about Merlin. Not your everyday reveal!fic

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Loyalty Before Royalty by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle Gen, Gwen & Merlin, Arthur and Merlin being the most iconic duo? I think tf not, Gwen and Merlin wreaking havoc? Teaming up against Arthur? That's the most iconic duo there, as usual, Explicit Language, Fluff and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Arthur is so exasperated, someone help him, good thing he loves them both

Summary: "Where did you get that?" Arthur asked, but he already knew the answer. "Gwen." "...and the horse?" "Gwen." "What about the-" "Gwen." Merlin interrupted. Arthur nodded. At this point, he wasn't sure why he even bothered to ask. He was pretty certain his wife was going to knight Merlin any day now.He looked Merlin up and down for a few moments before accepting it all with a sigh. "As long as you get my armor to me tomorrow...I don't care." He finally said, turning away. Merlin cleared his throat. "Gwen gave me tomorrow off." "For the love of God." Or I hate that Gwen and Merlin's friendship kind of withered away in the later seasons so here's a oneshot about her and Merlin abusing her new royal powers because that's what happens when your best friend becomes queen.

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Know It All Knight by Shi_Toyu Leon & Merlin, Knights of the Round Table, Magic Revealed, protective leon, Arthur Finds Out, Oblivious Arthur

Summary: Leon couldn’t say for sure when the exact moment was that he figured out Merlin had magic. He’d suspected it for a little while, to be honest. He definitely had it figured out by the time Arthur managed to ‘kill’ the Great Dragon. What Leon could say for sure was the exact moment he figured out that no one else had figured out Merlin had magic.

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The Nature of Trust by Lynds Merlin's Magic Revealed, Leon is the Mam Friend, Leon is so done, Protective Gwaine, Lancelot Lives, Canon Era, Arthur Finds Out, Hurt Merlin, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Canon-Typical Violence, reference to hunting and cooking animals Summary: Leon starts to notice that the knights, one by one, are starting to trust Merlin's judgement. That he keeps warning Arthur about danger, and being right. Is there more to Merlin than meets the eye?

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Repercussions by PeaceHeather Fix-It of Sorts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Lecture, Rants, Episode: s02e06 Beauty and the Beast, Episode: s02e05 Beauty and the Beast, Canon Era, One Shot, Gen Summary: Uther married a troll. In canon, that all worked out fine eventually. In this slight canon divergence, there is at least one noble who's not willing to let it slide so easily.

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No Harm Will Come to You Here by fancyh Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Season/Series 05, Merlin's Magic Revealed, Fluff and Angst, temporary amnesia, teen and up,

Summary: "That was magic," Arthur accuses.

"Oh." Merlin just nods, looking unperturbed.

Arthur fights to keep his expression calm, mind racing and heart pounding. "Sorcery is outlawed in Camelot. On pain of death."

Merlin splutters, finally fixing Arthur with an affronted glare. "It's not like I meant to do it!"

***

Merlin gets hit with a spell meant for Arthur and loses his memory. Revelations ensue. Set sometime after 5x02.

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Metamorphose by clotpolesonly Merlin/Arthur, Teen and Up, Between Seasons/Series, Episode: s03e01 The Tears of Uther Pendragon (Part I), Episode: s03e02 The Tears of Uther Pendragon (Part II), Mpreg, Magic Reveal, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pining, morgana redemption, some transphobic language from Merlin when he finds out he’s pregnant because of magic but it’s mostly just the shock that does it Summary: When Merlin falls into bed with Arthur, he doesn't expect for to wake up alone. He doesn't expect Arthur to give him the cold shoulder either, but there is something else he expects even less which forces him out of the kingdom for over a year. He returns to find a traitor in the court, an army on the way, and a love he'd thought all but lost waiting for him with open arms.

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Four Days To Fall In Love. by CupCakezys Teen and Up, No archive warnings apply, Merlin/Arthur, Morgana/Gwen, Soulmate AU, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, Protective Arthur, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Secret Relationship

Summary: In a world where everyone has a soulmate (or two or three), Arthur Pendragon knows he is destined to be alone. For Arthur can see his heartstring, could follow it to where his soulmate lived, and that could only mean one thing.

His soulmate had magic, and should they ever meet, Arthur would have to kill them.

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Sacrificial Lamb by RurouniHime Angst and Humor, Pining, First Time, First Kiss, Post Season 1, Initial Misunderstanding, But it’s resolved, Happy Ending, Fluff with a touch of angst at first

Summary: Arthur's been overworking his knights, so they come to Merlin as a last resort.

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Cheers and Spirits by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle Gen, The knights are kinda fools, but the best king, Humour, Fluff, Fluff and Humour, Knights of the Round Table & Merlin

Summary: Despite all the supposed trips to the tavern none of the knights have seen Merlin drunk. They decide to rectify that. A poor decision, really.

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Circle 'round the Truth by enviropony Merlin + Knights friendship, Gen, Magic Reveal, Oneshot, Knights of the Round Table & Merlin Summary: They know about the magic. Or, more accurately, Merlin's magic is the truth the knights circle around, and Merlin's loyalty is the one 'round which they rally. (A character study with some yelling, an action sequence, and a bit of walking.) Post-S4.

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Strict Justice by schweet_heart mutual pining, BAMF Arthur, magic reveal, canon au, oneshot, teen and up

Summary: After a particularly grueling battle, Merlin and Arthur share a quiet moment in their tent.

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before it breaks by schweet_heart Teen and Up, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, merlin whump, magic reveal, merlin & arthur, merthur

Summary: “It’s not what it looks like,” he says, hand still outstretched, barely a waver in his voice as he lies, outright, to Arthur’s face. “Sire, I can explain.”

“Can you,” Arthur says. He’s aware that he’s trembling, a seismic reaction to the outrage and denial still fighting it out inside his head, but he knows what he’s seen. What it must be. “Well, then, you’d better be quick about it, because it looks a lot like magic.”

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Until the Day I Die by Cookie Teen and Up, Oneshot, Angst, Temporary Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: Arthur believed Dragoon had killed his father, and so he plunged his sword deep into the sorcerer. Now Merlin was dying in his arms and Arthur was facing the future alone.

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These Castle Walls Bleed Lies by marguerite_26 Mature, hurt/comfort, Magic Reveal, Angst, Merthur, mentions of arthur/gwen, Gwen/Lancelot

Summary: With his father unfit to rule and Camelot decimated, Arthur must assume the role of King. But the truths he discovers shake the foundation of all he holds dear.

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before his eyes (he now sees clear) by hwc Teen And Up Audiences, Uther Pendragon is terrible and complicated, Merlin/Arthur

Summary: It takes Uther half a second to see Balinor in Merlin, and he's almost sure of what he should do.

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Keep Your Secrets by new_kate, orphan_account Mature, rape/non-con, torture, captivity, romance, alternate universe - canon, canon typical violence, hurt/comfort

Summary: Arthur Pendragon is captured by the bandits. While he waits to be ransomed, he slowly gets to know Merlin, the prisoner being held in the next cell.

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Crossing the Line by Ultrageekatlarge BAMF Merlin, Gen, Crack, Oneshot, Magic Reveal, Hurt! Merlin, Humour

Summary: In which Merlin gets bludgeoned, strangled, attacked, smothered, shot with glass, and tossed out a window, burned, whipped, stabbed, thrown down stairs, nearly drowned on dry land, and harpooned, and still manages to save Camelot from seven evil sorcerers, before lunch.

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Your Touch Is My Salvation by elirwen Magic Reveal, Canon Era, Oblivious idiots in love, Curses, Teen and Up, Oneshot, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Merlin suffers from an effect of a curse. Arthur can help more than he initially thought.

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A Heavy Heart to Carry by Thursday_Next Rescue, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Reveal, Oneshot, Mature, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon

Summary: When Merlin is captured and injured, Arthur must face up to his own feelings for his manservant as well as the many secrets he discovers are being kept from him.

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Can you do that? by no_nutcracker Merlin/Mithian, no archive warnings apply, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s04e11 The Hunter's Heart, Arthur & Merlin friendship

Summary: Merlin should be overjoyed. He just found his soulmate. If only she was not betrothed to Arhur.

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His Remedy for Care by ArgentSleeper Teen and Up, canon au, Episode: s02e13 The Last Dragonlord, Angst, Canon Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Fix It

Summary: Injured in the dragon attack in lieu of Arthur and afraid of being stopped from going on the mission, Merlin kept away from Gaius and never learned that Balinor was his father. Instead it's Arthur that puts two and two together as he seeks the dragonlord out, first to save his servant (not friend- they can't be friends), then to save his kingdom.

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A Considerable Head Start by ughbutidontwantto BAMF Merlin, Gen, when villains have more regard for you than friends, Camelot has a serious class problem, Merlin deserves better

Summary: Merlin is frighteningly competent and his friends are correctly concerned. Obviously they're going to follow him out to the woods. And obviously they're not going to like what they hea

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The Conscience of the King by ughbutidontwantto Gen, Post-Magic Reveal, Legal Drama, Oneshot, Friendship feels

Summary: Merlin's magic was revealed and now everyone has to deal with it in an official capacity since tragically most of these characters work in government. Arthur, predictably, is struggling to cope.

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Out of Sight, Out of Mind by BabyStepsAreStillSteps Merlin Deserved Better, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Merlin Needs a Hug (Merlin), Episode: s05e09 With All My Heart, Fix It

Summary: When Arthur turned his back on the Dolma that he didn’t know was his manservant, Merlin reminded him that he was missing a very important member of their rescue party.

What if he hadn’t?

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What They Owe Us by ironspidereilish Merlin/Arthur, Alternate Universe, Aredian’s a tax collector instead of a witch hunter but he’s still a bastard, Hurt/Comfort, Poverty, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Arthur Pendragon, BAMF Arthur, Canon Era, Romance, sexual coercion mentioned, BAMF Merlin

Summary: When Arthur finds out that the castle staff are having their wages held for weeks at a time and can no longer afford food or their homes, he will not rest until they are protected and Aredian is stopped.

The fact that Merlin’s stomach is rumbling while he delivers the prince his breakfast, and Arthur hates the thought of him suffering, only serves as extra motivation to fix this.

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royal blood by Rona23 crack!fic, humour, comedy, Balinor Lives, Dragonlord things, Golden Age, Bamf Arthur, Bamf Balinor, Bamf Merlin, Fix It, Magic reveal, Oblivious Arthur, Merthur

Summary: ..... as if Balinor could be killed by Bandits O.o

Alternatively: An alternative take on Balinor surviving and saving Camelot. ... And then proceeding to hold the entire kingdom hostage, because he has a frigging Dragon at his disposal :)

- The way by Naelyn Episode: s04e11 The Hunter's Heart, POV Arthur Pendragon, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Oblivious Arthur, Until He’s Not, Hurt/Comfort, Merlin Deserved Better, Communication or lack thereof, Canon Divergence

Summary: "One more word out of you, and I swear to God I will send you into exile."

He knows it’s not the pyre, knows there’s much worse, but banishment would mean staying away from Arthur forever – and, as pathetic as that might sound, he thinks he would rather die than let that happen. It is clear that the feeling is not reciprocated, clear that in Arthur’s eyes, he will never come first. There’ll always be people coming before him, and he’s made peace with that long ago – but if even Agravaine can come before him, then anyone could, no? Anyone could replace him. Call Merlin a traitor and have Arthur get rid of him. Anyone could.

Merlin no longer feels safe in Camelot.

or: Arthur threatens Merlin of banishment. To Arthur's eyes, it's all forgotten. To Merlin's, however... Well, let's just say that his faith in their mutual destiny, once unwavering, finds itself faltering at a dangerously quick rate.

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Better in the Mourning by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle Gen, Lancelot & Merlin, Knights of the Round Table & Merlin, Grief, Fluff and Angst, Gwen/Lance mentioned, let the characters grieve, 5 Knights of Grief

Summary: Merlin mourns Lancelot's death. The rest of the knights help out. (AKA Merlin gets to take advantage of not having to keep a dead loved one a secret and gets some goddamn support in this castle)

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I suppose that I look different (without the robes and crown) by WingedWolf121 Canon Era, Episode: s05e03 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Uther Pendragon’s A + Parenting, Ygraine/Uther, Arthur/Merlin, Balinor/Hunith, Dragonlord Merlin, BAMF Merlin, Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: When Arthur blows the horn of Cathbdhah for the second time, the horn doesn’t just send Uther to the other world. It sends Arthur away as well – to a world where Ygraine never died, the Great Purge never happened, and magic lives freely at court. As do those who practice it.

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For Your Information by reni_days Merlin & Uther, Merlin/Arthur, Modern Era au, Oneshot, Teen and Up

Summary: Merlin sighs. "After your...announcement," he explains, "your father decided he needed a bit more information. Which is apparently where I come in. I'm sort of like his gay tutor, it's hard to explain."

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Good Fortune by platonic_boner Canon Era, Fluff, Merlin/Arthur, Oneshot

Summary: Arthur makes Merlin a lord, and Merlin does an astonishingly good job of running a village.

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Within Reach by foxy_mulder Explicit, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sex, Merlin/Arthur, Angst with a Happy Ending, Oneshot, Slowburn

Summary: Nobody touches Arthur.

Merlin realizes it slowly, and when he does, he wants to kick himself for not seeing sooner. ___________ (Or, Arthur and Merlin's relationship with touch over time.)

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Moment of Weakness by TheAsexualofSpades Gen, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic, Protective Knights, Protective Arthur Pendragon, Protective Merlin, Whump, Oneshot, Merlin/Arthur

Summary: After all Merlin's gone through, you'd think it would take some world-ending magic spell or an almost successful attempt on Arthur's life to shake him properly.

It isn't one of those, and Merlin has no idea why.

He just knows he can't be weak.

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The Only Reward Bestowed Upon Me by greatdumbking Gen, Oneshot, Merlin/Arthur, angst, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, Episode: s04e05 His Father's Son, Fix-It, Agravaine, Canon Era, Love Confessions

Summary: “You’re wrong Merlin. I don’t need anyone. I can’t afford that luxury. The kingdom's my responsibility now, and mine to bear alone. And you must learn to accept that.”

How could this hurt so much, a third time? Merlin could feel the façade of his casual indifference faltering. His face fell, tears were clawing at his throat, creeping into his eyes. It took all his effort to nod, steel his eyes, and swallow down the rising sob.

(How did Merlin get chosen the be the bait? Why did Arthur start pushing Merlin away? Why couldn't he see how much it was hurting him?)

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Maybe Not the Most Awkward Dinner to Happen in Camelot's Citadel, but it's Definitely Up There by HopePrevails Gen, Gwen/Arthur Pendragon, Merlin, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Oneshot, Humour, past Gwen/Merlin

Summary: When an argument about whether Merlin is remotely attractive or not breaks out over dinner, Queen Guinevere accidentally drops into the conversation that she had a crush on him when he first arrived in Camelot. Arthur takes it... like Arthur.

--x--

“Don’t look so surprised, Merlin.” Gwen said kindly. Perhaps she was the psychic. “You’re sweet and gentle, charismatic-” Arthur snorted. “- and I’m not going to let you walk out of those doors thinking you don’t look the part, either. Remember, even when you first came to Camelot, I-” She stopped herself, snapping her lips tightly shut.

-

[weakforarwen]

The Changeling

Watching this episode at the same time as I’m finishing season 5 is like a breath of fresh air. The difference between the seasons! It’s like day and night.

Arthur is warm and cute and a real character in this episode! Gwen is her shy yet confident, nonconforming yet realistic, awkward yet graceful, self, I love her. And Arwen is so good this episode! Their chemistry is great, and their scenes are varied - it’s not just Gwen telling Arthur she believes in him, or, worse, standing by his side like decoration. Bradley actually has more than a few facial expressions here! When he realizes he’ll have to marry Elena, his eyes shine with tears and he looks so sad... it’s so good. But I also love his awkwardness in a previous scene, when Arthur’s like “Dw, I won’t get married” and Gwen’s like “Who says I was worried?”. The scene where Arthur skips up the stairs as Gwen is coming down is super cute too - the banter, their smiles! Compared to season 5, it’s like someone painted them in bright colors. Ah, this is the Arwen I love.

The episode is great. Grunhilda is hilarious. The actress, Miriam Margolyes, is so adorable and good, honestly. What a treasure. They were lucky to have her for one episode. Poor Gaius had to take one for the team though. I loved seeing him so flustered.

I loved Elena too. But I didn’t like that human Elena wasn’t as clumsy and unlady-like. The moment the fairy spirit was expelled out of her, she became a “proper” princess and that was disappointing. She was lovely when she tripped and snorted. Still, her parting words to Arthur were amazing “Let me know when you want me to beat you at horse riding again”, or something like that. Arthur’s face was priceless. Arthur’s reactions to the princess were on point the entire episode. 

I loved everything about the episode tbh. Even Uther was funny. He was so excited for his friend’s visit and got so awkward trying to tell Arthur he was to marry Elena lmao. But he went back to being his asshole self soon enough.

Elena should be glad her father clearly loves her and puts her first. She and Arthur could’ve been great friends! She’d get along so well with Merlin and Gwen too!

There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching this episode knowing Arthur will marry Gwen despite everything and be so happy with her. Uther told Arthur a King can’t marry for love, and I was like “Just you wait and see. You’ll be rolling in your grave”. And Morgana looked so gleeful and smug when she pretended to be on Gwen’s side, but her and Arthur simply couldn’t be... Laugh all you want, you’ll never be Queen, bitch. Seeing Arthur call off a wedding for the first time was so funny. Dude is a pro at calling off weddings, even the first one with Gwen :/ 

Arthur can’t marry for love, you say? Just you watch. He’ll marry no one but Guinevere. He’s not Uther. Arthur might find it difficult to shake off his father’s hold on him, but when it comes to Gwen, he will not take no for an answer. As close as he came to marrying other women or calling it quits with Gwen, he just couldn’t. It’s her or nothing, and I find that so relatable. 

I really relate to this side of Arthur. I’m not good at rebelling either, at expressing my thoughts and standing up for myself - I don’t like displeasing people or having them mad at me - but I can’t get talked into something I really don’t wanna do. I’ll drag my feet the whole time til I get my way. But Arthur’s not quite like me. He gives in quite easily to the demands of others, but once he thinks it through and gains confidence in himself, he stands up for his beliefs. Especially if it concerns Gwen. 

In your face, Uther. I know how miserable Arthur’s marriage made you. You even tried to kill Gwen from beyond the grave. I guess if you actually knew your son, you’d have seen he wasn’t under any spell in season 3.

[kitkatt0430]

For the tag game, I'd love to hear about Pi-Day and the Merlin AU! (~blueelvewithwings)

Pi-Day is a season 3 AU focusing primarily on Hartley and HR. Not really sure if it's a friend fic or a ship fic for the two, but the main plot is that Hartley intervenes when HR and Harry are both kind of jerks to each other (admittedly Harry more than HR, but HR had a few sly digs of his own in there too) during the Gorrilla Invasion 2 parter. Deciding to cheer HR up, Hartley introduces HR to the holiday of Pi-Day. They decorate STAR Labs together, to the rest of Team Flash's amused exasperation, and bake a ridiculous amount of pies (which Barry and Wally certainly appreciate). It's just meant to be a really cute little story.

Merlin AU is a story where Arthur is kidnapped by bandits and sold into a gladiator ring that uses magic bracelets to keep the combatants in check. Lucky for him, however, another one of the captives is just about ready to break free and start a little revolution. But Arthur isn't exactly thrilled about having to trust someone with magic.

Arthur Pendragon was the Crown Prince of Camelot, Heir to King Uther, Champion to the King, Knight of the Realm… and several other fancy sounding titles that he couldn’t really think of because he was concussed. Again.

Arthur's introduction is right as he's being sold to the people running the gladiator ring and he's not having a good time. For one thing, the bandits who captured him definitely aren't getting their money's worth out of him, which is just insulting. :D

Merlin's already down in the dungeons and he's got a plan. Sort of. The plan might involve shouting at Gwaine a lot.

“Well,” the man shrugged, “they’re supposed to inhibit magic too, so that his captive sorcerers can only use their powers in the arena. But…” the man’s eyes glowed gold and the cuff on his right hand turned red for a moment. Then his eyes were normal again and he cursed under his breath in frustration. “Let’s just say Breman isn’t actually prepared to hold a Sorcerer of my power and, much like with a locked door, I should be able to brute force these stupid things off, eventually, and get the hell out of here.” His eyes glowed again and, this time, when the cuff glowed red it popped open, rolling onto the floor.

“Three hours,” the Sorcerer muttered. “One cuff. Gwaine had better damn well be grateful for this when I find him.”

Arthur isn't anti-magic here for reasons having to do mostly with Morgana. They get to have a mostly healthy sibling relationship here though she probably won't show up until the end, if at all. But he's understandably concerned that any random sorcerers he runs into are going to want to kill Uther's son in retaliation for how he's been treating magic users. So there's going to be some aliases involved, Arthur gaining some allies outside of Camelot that he was not expecting, and eventually he does go back home to reassure his father he's not dead so that Uther doesn't do anything like... start a war or alienate the neighboring kingdoms or whatever.

[fishoutofcamelot]

Hi there! I hope you’re well. I just wanted to send a message to thank you for the elyan content 😍 he is my favourite knight but for some reason I never see much of him on tumblr! So it’s awesome to see him on your blog. I hope I didn’t bother you with this ask 🙈

I AM doing well, actually! And you didn’t bother me, asks will probably never bother me <3

I could go on for a million years about why no one makes content about Elyan - and sometimes forget he exists altogether - but I don’t wanna start drama so we’ll just. Not touch that topic with a 10-foot pole

BUT! Elyan IS a fantastic knight, and the fact that he is your favourite knight too is very iconic and sexy of you. Elyan fans/stans are the sexiest members of this fandom. That’s not even opinion, that’s just science

So! Here’s a list of Elyan headcanons, because he’s worth it:

Elyan is ace. Them’s the facts

He’s also gay but in that stage where he’s questioning if he might be bi. Unfortunately, he died before reaching an answer

I hate to talk about Hogwarts Houses in 2020, but he is one hell of a Hufflepuff. Elyan is his name and protecting his loved ones with life and limb is his game. It is very easy to earn his loyalty, and once you have he will ride straight through Hell for you

Elyan likes hoods. He wears hoods whenever he can (i mean c’mon, that outfit in season 3 was serving some killer looks)

He’s just a protective older brother to literally everyone in Camelot. Yes, even Gaius

Gwen, Elyan, Leon, and Merlin have family game night once every month. They all gather in their old house in the lower town to get drunk, play some dice games, and spend the whole night goofing off

Only a few people know about game night. Even fewer people have seen it with their own eyes. Arthur and Gwaine frequently try to sneak in to see game night for themselves, but somehow never succeed

Elyan loves swimming. They don’t get many chances for it, but whenever they do, Elyan is the best swimmer out of all the knights

He’s also like. Really good at sneaking up on people. Consistently rolls high on stealth checks

Out of everyone in the Round Table, Elyan is the most easily spooked. He hates it when they gather around the fire to tell ghost stories, bc he will NOT be able to sleep the rest of the night after that

Why do people think there’s no dynamic or chemistry between Elyan and Gwaine??? Those two had a SOLID friendship and I will not stand for this disrespect (also, Perelyan is good but Elyaine is godtier imo)

Elyan is bad at blacksmithing. Like really bad. No one even understands how that works, considering he spent his whole childhood training under his father. All the blacksmithing talent apparently went to Gwen somehow

He likes bugs. When he was a kid he would go out in the woods and collect beetles and stuff to stick in little terrarium jars. He’d even give them names and backstories and personalities. Sometimes he would sit under a tree and tell Gwen stories about all these adventures his bugs would go on when no one was looking

Leon HATED bugs, and got creeped out by them, which meant Elyan was legally obligated to harass him about it

Elyan doesn’t get much chance to catch bugs anymore, but he’s also the only member of the Round Table who can put up with spiders

Spider in the armory? Everyone is freaking out while Elyan just calmly picks it up and lets it outside - but not without lots of snark and eye-rolling, of course

The reason Elyan ran away from home was because his mother had died and he saw it as a personal failing. He felt that it was his fault she was dead, because he couldn’t protect her, and left Camelot because he couldn’t bear the shame of guilt

In the last few years of his time away from Camelot, Elyan fell in love and lived out an mlm cottagecore fantasy where he and his lover raised wyverns together. But when Morgause came to capture him, she killed his lover and burnt their wyvern farm to the ground

Elyan tries not to let his grief be known, though. Not just because he doesn’t want to burden Gwen with his pain, but also because his lover had magic and he could get arrested for having fallen in love with a sorcerer

Morgause had Elyan captive for a while before Gwen showed up. She even used the nathair on him in small increments; not long enough to kill him or damage him irreparably, but enough to make him suffer. It’s for this reason that Elyan was able to bounce back from being tortured by Morgana whereas Gwaine didn’t survive it, because Morgause had already microdosed him with that kind of pain two years ealier

Still traumatizing, though. Like. This boy is EXTREMELY traumatized, can someone please get him some therapy???

Moving back to Camelot with Gwen was simultaneously healing and harming. Healing, because  he visited his dad’s grave, rebuilt his relationship with Gwen, and his companionship with her, Merlin, and Leon helped him move on from the pain of his loss. But harming because of all the anti-magic prejudice that surrounded him, and every time someone said magic was evil it was like another dagger in his heart. That was his dead lover they were talking about and calling a monster. Someone who was kind and compassionate and funny, who didn’t have a lick of evil in them, who would have burned at the stake by Camelot’s laws

Elyan didn’t think about what it meant to be a knight of Camelot when he agreed to be knighted. But he was just so determined to fight and kill Morgause, the woman who had killed his lover and his wyverns and abducted him from his home, that he didn’t even think about it. He just wanted Morgause dead. It wasn’t until a few days later when he realized that being a knight of Camelot meant enforcing Camelot’s anti-magic laws, and this realization naturally caused him distress

Instead of abandoning his knighthood, Elyan found a compromise. He would support Arthur in everything, until magic got involved. If Arthur ever captured druids or put sorcerers to death, Elyan decided he would smuggle them out of the city. He would never actively kill or capture those with magic, and would sometimes even try to sabotage efforts in capturing harmless magic-users

Elyan knew full well what Dragoon was doing. He knew that Gwen and Arthur’s love was true and required no enchantment, meaning Dragoon had simply framed himself to get Gwen out of a jam. He appreciates Dragoon, and even though he supposedly killed Uther, Elyan can’t even fault him for that. Elyan wanted to kill Uther too

Merlin is the little brother Elyan always wanted, and Elyan is the older brother Merlin never had. They act so much like siblings it’s not even funny, and some people question if they were actually raised together 

He and Merlin like to team up and tease Gwen. They’ll walk behind her and chant stuff like “Gwen and Arthur sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”. They’re like children, and it’s both very funny and very annoying

Gwen gets her revenge, of course. She always gets her revenge

They also team up to be like. Super protective of Gwen. The vetting process Arthur had to go through - between Elyan, Leon, AND Merlin - in order to date Gwen was ridiculous

Arthur: Merlin I’m literally your boss. Your friend. You've been my personal manservant for like six years now

Merlin: Yeah, which means I know exactly how much of a dick you are

After being possessed by the druid ghost, Elyan is a lot more in tune with the supernatural

Am I suggesting that Elyan can now see, talk to, and interact with ghosts, and even starts a little agency where he goes around helping them complete their unfinished business? Why yes, yes I am

When Gwen was banished, Elyan wanted to go with her. But she asked him to stay behind and keep an eye on Agravaine, as she suspected him of treachery, and to stop him from taking over Camelot should Agravaine make a move. And, well, Elyan has never been able to say no to his sister

Elyan and Merlin decided to try and find a way to prove Gwen’s innocence. There’s no way she was acting of her own accord, after all. There was some kind of enchantment at play, there had to be. Merlin doesn’t tell him about Shade!Lancelot directly, but does propose it as a theory regarding how Lancelot had come back from the dead. Elyan supports the theory 100%

About two months after the wedding, Merlin and Elyan locate the enchanted bracelet, and Gwen and Lancelot’s names are finally cleared

In Avalon, Elyan, Freya, and Lancelot spend the whole time watching/narrating the events of season 5 like sports commentators. They are all mutually exasperated at Merlin’s antics

When Arthur shows up in Avalon, the only reason Elyan doesn’t punch him in the face is because he’s too busy restraining Lance from doing the same

He does, however, give him a strong talking-to about how “all your magic and you still can’t save my life” is a horrible thing to say actually

Lancelot, however, is more upset about the “I guess I was wrong” speech

Gwaine shows up in Avalon like. SUPER traumatized. He died while being tortured by a nathair, died in a way that he perceived to be failure, and he’s kinda messed up because of that. Elyan, who has already had a few years to cope with nathair torture, is the one who helps Gwaine heal from his trauma

In the 21st century, Elyan gets reincarnated along with everyone else. His childhood is plagued with weird dreams, dreams that terrify him. Snakes and pain, wyverns and fire, all of it. He meets an old man who calls himself Merlin, who helps Elyan through the pain of remembering his past life. For once, Elyan gets to be taken care of instead of the other way around. For once, he is allowed to be vulnerable and weak and struggling. He doesn’t hide his tears. He gets the help he needs and works through his trauma

And one day, many years later, he is walking down the street when he sees someone who looks oddly familiar. The face of an old lover, perhaps

Thanks for the ask! <3

[merlinbingo]

All badges for March have been sent out, so if you think you should have one and don’t, please drop us a mail/non-anon ask/DM me on discord.

We’re back to having just the one round up post for March, on account of how any attempt to split by ship or category or (weirdly) rating would end up horribly unbalanced.

Everything is hidden below the cut, sorted by ship and then by rating.

Take a look, take heed of the tags/warnings/rating (including those marked as ‘Not rated’ or ‘Choose not to use archive warnings’ - the works could contain anything at all, so please practice self-care when deciding whether or not to click on that link!) and make sure to leave all these wonderful creators some love, okay?

Gen/No ship

Some Things Linger by mordredandmorganadeservedbetter Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: The ghost of Igraine watches over a sleeping baby Arthur

Chicken nuggies by ice-mint Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary:

A Time to Heal by archaeologist_d Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: Major character death Summary: After Arthur’s death, Merlin had nothing to live for, except Aithusa.

Scarves by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin always wears scarves. There’s a reason for it.

The Longest Journey Starts With Regret by J_Gun_i Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: The road to atonement is long and loaded with guilt. And no one knows that better than Merlin. Or: In the night after the druids were slaughtered, Morgana sees a figure steal themself through the night. Following a feeling, she finds out more than she ever had imagined.

Elena/Freya

Can Destiny Be So kind? by waywardwritings Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Lost in a crowded market place Freya panics and cowers in a barn in turn making an unlikely friend

Merlin/Lancelot

A Journey begins with a single step by lancelitttle Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Lance in the underworld companion piece to The World can Go on Without Me

Love letters by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Lancelot and Merlin's correspondence, from 'Lancelot and Guinevere' to 'The Coming of Arthur'

A New Fondness by rainbowvamp Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: A moment in bed with Merlin and Lancelot. They both care for another, but find comfort together.

To leave the warmest bed I've ever known by donttouchtheneednoggle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “We have time, right?” There was another long silence before Merlin spoke. “Yeah,” he said at last. “We have time.”' Missing scene from 4x01

Merlin/Gwen/Arthur

Picnics and Pranks by OnceFutureEmrys Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur shop and have a picnic. And prank each other. That's literally the story.

Merlin/Arthur

Five Times Merlin Wanted To Hug Arthur and One Time Arthur Hugged Him by psychotic_fangirl369 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: This is my take on 5+1 things, in which Merlin really wants to hug Arthur, but doesn't and one time Arthur hugs him.

A Tapestry of Scars by psychotic_fangirl369 Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “It’s okay,” he said, although it really, really wasn’t. “I’m okay. Look, all I’ve got is a scar!” And he lifted his shirt up to show Arthur the new scar from todays death. That was the wrong thing to do. Arthur paled and reached out, yanking Merlin’s shirt over his head and tossing it aside. “Hey!” Merlin grumbled, but shut up the instant Arthur’s fingers were on his chest. “So many,” Arthur murmured. “Merlin, there are so many.” “So many what?” “Scars.” Or, the one where Merlin is immortal and Arthur finds out.

all our times have come by eat_crow Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: Major character death Summary: Arthur is Life. Merlin is Death.

Control (you should be scared of me) by heartsocold Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Merlin knows something is wrong the moment he feels as though his magic is about to suffocate him. He feels it tingle under his skin in the most eerie of ways, as though it’s itching to burst free. It feels as though it’s climbing up his throat, choking him as he fights the urge to unleash it. He doesn’t know what’s coming exactly, but he knows to be scared. He fears that even he - Emrys - won’t be strong enough to fight against it. He’s terrified that if he can’t figure out their plan before they make their move, Camelot will fall. Arthur - his destiny, his love - will fall.

Light My Candle by UisceOneLove Rating: General audiences Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Why did Merlin ever think he could go through with marrying Arthur?

livin' at a pace that kills by eat_crow Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Summary: Arthur crashes his motorcycle. Merlin, a nurse, comes to visit him.

Knighthood Means Jousting (Among Other Things) by evaelisaa Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Gwaine finds that Merlin looks incredibly sexy now that he’s a knight – all that training has definitely buffed him up. Gwaine would love to see everything from up close for once, so he tries to convince Merlin to have a tumble in the hay. Only, Merlin doesn’t seem eager to join Gwaine. Why is that?

Look At The Wonderful Mess That We Made by tehfanglyfish Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin couldn’t say what surprised him more – Arthur’s rapid mastery of modern technology or the fact that he’d joined a professional esports team three months after touching a keyboard for the first time. Or… the King’s Avatar-BBC Merlin Crossover fic that absolutely no one anywhere ever asked for.

Bare Your Soul by Polomonkey Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: An accidental soulbonding leads Merlin and Arthur into counselling to get it dissolved. If, of course, that's what they really want...

The Missing Pentacle by Camelittle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Detective Sergeant Arthur Pendragon hates having to call in reinforcements from the most special branch of Special Branch. But sometimes there is no alternative. And this is one of those times. His commanding officer insists that they have the right suspect, but his commanding officer is an arse. There are too many oddities about the crime scene for that to make any sense. So, Arthur does the only thing he can do in the circumstances. He calls Merlin.

The Road Not Taken by Clea2011 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin never reached Camelot. Instead he is forced to work as a lowly servant in the castle of Essetir's king, Cenred.

Wanna Bet? by Mischel Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Arthur lost a bet with Merlin. Now he has to face the consequences and publicly announce that he is a prat and an ass and that he snores. As if things couldn't get any worse, Merlin gives him another paper to read to the (now laughing) citizens of Camelot, only- this paper is very different from the previous one that was filled with insults. And . . . why is Merlin kneeling?

Best Intentions by RavenGirl42 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: "Arthur pushed the front door closed behind him and leaned against it, a white grip on his laptop bag, eyes red and screwed shut. He heard Merlin appear from the kitchen. Arthur couldn’t speak – couldn’t even meet his husband’s eyes. He looked at the ceiling, mouth squeezed tight, holding it all in. "Merlin eased Arthur’s bag from him, then drew him into his arms. Arthur’s breath heaved as he sunk his head onto Merlin’s shoulder. They stood locked together and Merlin felt Arthur silently shuddering, until he managed to force himself to stop, with deep breaths. "Merlin kissed his forehead. 'What happened, love?' " Arthur took over as CEO of Pendragon Enterprises a year ago. When he starts having problems at work, Merlin hates seeing him upset and decides he should do something about it - but best intentions don't always lead to the best results.

frozen deep blue (you painted me golden) by nextstopparis Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: The first few months were the worst, and then Arthur tried walking back into the lake.

Stand and Deliver by Camelittle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Merlin's a dandy highwayman, and Arthur's a damsel in distress. Pretty much.

I'm getting lost (I need someone to relay on) by Stardustwrites17 Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Missing scene after Uther gets stabbed. Arthur breaks down, and Merlin is left to pick up the pieces. For my merlin bingo: Uther or Ygraine

Sugar Plum by camelittle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Arthur appreciates his new valet's sugar plums - but can't get that rascally (devilishly handsome) highwayman out of his head.

Games People Play by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Gwaine’s life changed when he met Merlin.

Light Treason by tehfanglyfish Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin confesses to light treason. Arthur says it's fine and actually means it.

Even though you fool your soul by Camelittle Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Lord High Magistrate Uther Pendragon tries to teach Morgana and Arthur a lesson about magic, with unforeseen consequences.

My Heart Is Ever Given To You by tehfanglyfish Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: When one ship gets stuck for Merlin, another sets sail.

Blind Date by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Morgana insists that Arthur go on a blind date. But not the ordinary kind. The kind where the customers at the restaurant are blind-folded so that they can better appreciate the food. And not judge people by their looks.

Not All Rainy Days Are Bad by OnceFutureEmrys Rating: Teen Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: But he decides that day that he hates thunderstorms. He hates the claps of lightning, the loud noises of droplets hitting his window. The strong winds that shake his little room and give him goosebumps along his arms. Suffice to say, Merlin decides at the age of eight that he most definitely hates the rain. And nothing could convince him otherwise. -OR- Merlin hates the rain because something bad always happens. Then one rainy day he meets Arthur and his entire life changes.

You’ll always be my only guiding light - act II by YouKeepMeRight Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: “Come on! We’ll be soaking wet in a matter of seconds!” Arthur was squeezing Merlin’s hand, tugging him towards the end of the street, where they would have found refuge inside the hotel. Their room was ready to welcome them back into its warm embrace, with comfortable beds and fluffy pillows, offering them the privacy they desperately needed. After Arthur's return, Merlin and Arthur begin to travel around the world. During their journey, they'll discover more about the modern era and about themselves.

Chains by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply, Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Merlin thinks about all the chains that bind him to Arthur.

You Need Someone Older and Wiser by RavenGirl42 Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin turned to his boyfriend and jabbed his chest, gleefully. “It’s midnight. That means you’ve forgotten! How could you, Arthur? I’m devastated.” “Forgotten what?” Arthur asked cautiously, sensing a set-up. Arthur’s forgotten their anniversary and Merlin has PLANS for how he wants Arthur to make it up to him, involving nuns, naval officers and ‘a few of his favourite things’.

A Near Death Experience by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: They kept getting caught in rope nets. Merlin had to wonder why.

Use a mirror - no bullet or a knife by Camelittle Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: In which Arthur gives Morgana a piece of his mind and loses a dinner service as a consequence

Last First Kiss by Blake Rating: Mature Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. And so did Merlyn, who was tired of using her magic to milk cows.

Excalibur Reborne by archaeologist_d Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Merlin might be teaching Arthurian legend—he’d lived it after all, but when one of his students finds Excalibur, it raises more questions than answers.

A Lot Like Life by Blake Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Summary: Queen Guinevere and her Court Sorcerer take political advice from their new servant, who doesn't look at all like the recently deceased King Arthur (until he's behind the closed doors of Merlin's quarters.)

In Secret, Between the Shadow and the Soul by nuttersinc/Leandra Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: Underage Summary: In the intimacy of a bright summer afternoon, with no one around to tell him to stop, with Merlin unaware of his transgression, Arthur allows himself to look... *-* Set during Part 2 of Nobody moves, Nobody gets hurt, from Arthur's perspective, a porny little one-shot with tons of feelings.

Suits You Perfectly by evaelisaa Rating: Explicit Ao3 warnings: No archive warnings apply Summary: Morgana decides Merlin needs a tailored suit. When Arthur sees him, he just wants to get Merlin /out/ of the suit again.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

various & sundry thoughts on Cursed

watching Uther kill his mother was A+. What a great scene - the lines, the fucked up emotions, the full-circle-murder, the camera angle and everything. Also his strangled love-hate thing both for his birth mother and the queen mother - ah so good. Also I think Uther’s obsessive use of the royal ‘we’ is absolutely hilarious.

Uther: By the power invested in us, by us -

Father Carden: Don’t you mean “by god?” 

Uther: We said what we said. 

He’s such a little bitch. Gods bless him. 

Anyway, I hope he doesn’t die in the last episode (watching it tonight) as I want him to team up with the Fae & Arthur in season 2 thereby fulfilling my favourite trope of “two sides who hate each other/don’t trust each other forced to work together against an even greater evil”. Always leads to the best banter and some good tension. 

-

Ok also, why is the weeping monk everyone’s favourite? He has like 7 lines, is very boring, and is like “ooo I’m a fae that’s internalized the bullshit of Christianity woe is me” and idk I find that a very boring and over-done story line for what is supposed to be a cool villain. Anyway, I hope that changes? If only because I wanted him to be fun and evil but he’s really just super boring. 

-

Gawain & Arthur should kiss already. Also gods, just measure your dicks you two. Stop swinging them around. 

(Love the bit where Nimue was like “fine, if you think I need an escort to go find my dead beat dad I’m taking Kaze and Morgana. You two stay here and like grunt at each other something.”) 

Morgana & Nimue should also kiss. I also support Morgana & Kaze & Nimue (& spider god) as the ultimate power triumvirate. 

Pretty sure Uther and Merlin have the world’s most fucked up sex life - like super messed up emotionally. Can we say Uther Has Attachment Issues Much? 

-

LOVED the references to the IX Hispania and Boudica and the various Germanic & Celtic invasions of Rome. 

-

The Vikings! So much fun! Ahh! I was so sad when Pim’s boyfriend died. I liked them! They were super cute. 

-

Ok so - the guy who is hired by the leper king to hunt down Merlin. Is that the Fisher King? Or are Merlin and that chap the sons of the Fisher King? I’ve figured out that Squirrel is Percival so if the Fisher King shows up, I’m really curious how they’re going to do that. 

It would make sense if Merlin & Murderous Fisherman are brothers and sons of the Fisher King because of the whole “you turned father into a monster” bit when they were fighting. Also, Leper King’s mention of the grail and he said to Merlin “well of course it’s not real, but you would know that” or something to that effect. 

Basically, I am HERE for a fucked up monster Fisher King reinterpretation. Give. Me. That. 

[coinofstone]

2x11 The Witch's Quickening

Hey Arthur, remember last time you were on a manhunt in Camelot and it led you to Morgana's chambers, and she talked you out of searching them and later admitted that she'd been hiding a fugitive in there? Have you learned NOTHING

And Merlin too, he doesn't like, double back and confront Morgana or suggest Arthur do that?

Why is Arthur yelling at Merlin so much in this? Who wrote this episode.

::Coin watch the show instead of playing on her phone challenge::

Morgana being manipulated by a nine year old

Why is Arthur insulting the food as if Merlin cooked it himself? Every other meal he brings up is from the palace kitchens but on this occasion Merlin cooked himself? Ok.

Even the fkin dragon is OOC in this ep

Morgana is so much more intelligent than this.

Gaius needs to bring this to Uther in the throne room like a member of the public? He couldn't get a private audience with the king? Ok.

I really don't remember this episode being so terrible, maybe I'm in a bad mood.

You know, not for nothing, but from Mordred's perspective Merlin is being an absolute dick, not only siding with the oppressor but actively working to sabotage their plans and hurt their people. As we, the audience, are privy to the reasons behind this, WE don't necessarily questions Merlin's actions, WE know he's after the crystal because he's trying to prevent Mordred and Morgana from teaming up and bringing harm to Arthur - that's all good and well but like... Merlin could never bring himself to kill Mordred because he's just a boy, but yet he's allowed the boy to go off and become somewhat radicalized (I say 'somewhat' because honestly, it's not all that radical to plot to overthrow the king that has been waging a genocidal war against your people for twenty fucking years) without ever trying to bring him into the fold. If Merlin had explained his and Arthur's destinies to the boy, made an argument for waiting out Uther's reign in the hope that Arthur's reign will bring peace and magic back to Camelot, but which may not happen if he sees his father killed by sorcerers, and explained his reasons for hiding who he is from Morgana, regardless of Mordred's ultimate destiny to be Arthur's doom, Merlin would've at least had a shot at cultivating an alliance or at very least an understanding between them. Instead, all Mordred sees is this supremely powerful sorcerer who isn't even a druid, serving the very people that would bring an end to their entire race if they could. Although, it seems as tho Mordred has forgotten who exactly snuck him out of the castle and back to the druid camp in three first place. Makes you wonder if Morgana never explained to him that she was believed to have been kidnapped when they found her with the druids last time, and that she went along with that lie for her own safety.

Tl;dr: communication is important kids!

Do I even need to point out how much sense Morgana's little tiff with Uther did not make? Or her sudden distrust of Gwen? If anything she should think Gwen would be an ally considering a) her father was killed by Uther, as an innocent victim of Uther's war on magic, b) Gwen was party to Morgana's previous involvement in aiding and abetting a druid fugitive, c) Gwen L-I-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y sacrificed herself to save Morgana from Hengist's men, the is zero reason to question Guinevere's loyalty to Morgana, and d) Gwen has never said a WORD against sorcery or hinted at any kind of prejudice against druids or anyone with magic.

I looked up the writing credit for this, it's Jake Michie who is also credited with some fantastic episodes like Lancelot, Beauty and the beast, and the Lamia to name a few. It was directed by Alice Troughton who has also done some good eps, including other eps written by Jake Michie, so like I really don't understand what went wrong here.

Oh God there's a commentary track on this episode. I don't wannnnnaaaaaa but maybe I'll learn something, like why it turned out the way it did.

Commentary by Julian Murphy, Alice Troughton, and Katie. I do not have high hopes.

Katie right off the bat explaining shit that's important to note, God I love her on these tracks. Apparently, this was one of the last things to be shot (Merlin films everything out of order and films several episodes concurrently, depending on filming location.) and it was being shot while three other episodes were being wrapped up - so they had FOUR episodes filming concurrently and a lot of THIS episode was directed by Julian Murphy, and Jeremy shot some of it as well. This COULD explain a lot of the inconsistency, but I question how much since Julian seems to be involved in filming lots of scenes in lots of episodes. But I guess it's possible that just that on top of the rush to finish and the pressure of so many spinning plates in the air right at the end. They've just said that for this episode they had the least amount of days to shoot it out of all the episodes they've done, which is partly why they had so much going at once. It's as good a reason as any to explain it being so off, but I don't really see that explaining the wildly off characterization.

Katie going on the whole thing about Alvarr-as-revolutionary and Alice picks up on Morgana's sort of desire to be in that position and they're having a quite meaningful discussion then Julian:I think she just thinks he's hot 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Katie says the script changed a lot even as it was filming, and that things were being changed as it was filmed so I'm kind of thinking for whatever reason this entire thing was a mess and that's why it came across looking so disjointed to me.

At least Julian realize the soup scene was terrible.

Idk why they're ganging up on Katie over the chemistry between her and Alvarr. She says she wasn't playing it that way and that she wasn't feeling it and they're just like "yea uh huh sure."

They're talking about having two units filming like a few feet away from each other in the forest, while there is another two units going in France.

Julian says they had added Alvarr's girlfriend in because they wanted to dramatize his charisma and calculation... but it's not manipulation - ?????????? Someone get the man a dictionary. 'We added a random blonde in four him to kiss so that the audience knows he's got a girl already, who sees him working his charm on Morgana and comments on it 'you played her well', but Alvarr isn't actually manipulative' ??????????

They've just pointed out two entire significant beats within a sequence that was constructed on set and off script. Arthur's confrontation with Alvarr in the forest and Merlin's slow motion tracking the crystal to show its got a powerful draw. The more they describe the specifics of filming the more it sounds like an utter disaster which kind of makes me feel bad for being so harsh on the episode.

I keep having to rewind to focus on what they're saying and I feel like I've been watching this episode for about 4 hours.

Awkward bit of prop-exposure there. Trying to work out what LK could even stand for.

Idk everyone's really happy with this scene between Morgana and Uther and I'm still sitting here thinking the dialogue was utterly ridiculous.

They talked about changing that final scene, where Uther clearly knows/suspects it was Morgana who helped Alvarr escape, so that it doesn't prematurely push the story too far ahead. They cut a look Morgana gives Merlin which, rightfully so, because it would've been too much too soon. The ending to this episode still feels wholly unsatisfying to me. I understand the little tag with the dragon yelling for Merlin to release him, I don't mean that, but the ending to the main story where Alvarr just escapes and Uther not only accepts that but also accepts that Morgana must've helped him. Overall Uther's been entirely sort of neutered throughout this episode, which I understand that partially has to do with it being Morgana, but like, in previous episodes when she's been so defiant against him, he's had her by the throat and locked her in a dungeon overnight. So I just doubt understand him being so subdued here, especially since he directly threatened her when he found pr Mordred escaped, and now another druid's escaped and he essentially knows she was involved given how she spoke to him, yet he doesn't do anything? Just wildly inconsistent behavior.

Anyway apologies for overanalyzing this episode, I realize I tore it apart pretty thoroughly during the commentary and the post became quite long. I wish there was a way to add a cut on mobile but there isn't. I'll have the S2 finale post up in a few hours - I might hold off on posting until I've watched the extras, I didn't do that for S1 but then I felt the extras didn't quite warrant a whole post on their own, so I might just tack on any thoughts I have to the 2x12 post. We'll see.

[anorakofavalon]

Missed Opportunities for Magic: Merlin & Morgana

(AKA: An Open Letter of [Constructive] Criticism to the Writers of Merlin)  

I wrote this essay when I contemplated how much more rich Merlin could have been as a show had the writers decided to romantically involve Merlin and Morgana. I decided to write it as if I was addressing them directly because it was just easier for me to sort through my thoughts and main points that way. Sorry it’s a little long, but I’d love to have a discussion about it!

---

As I did with the last Open Letter I wrote, I’d like to start off by congratulating the writers of Merlin: Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps & Co. I think that they created something truly wonderful in this show, magical even. To me, it’s one of the most charming of all the BBC shows I’ve seen so far, and most definitely one of the most underrated. Not only that, but it has created a truly worthy community. Many years have passed since the show has ended, and still the community is numerous and inviting and incredibly active. Immortal as Merlin himself. I can only hope to create something a fraction as impactful as this someday. And so any criticism I make, any observation I mention, do understand that it comes from a place of complete love.

That said, I think it’s time to get on with this little essay. I really hope I don’t come off as pretentious, but here we go.  I’m here to comment and critique one major lapse in the writing of the show, a major weakness that I find is representative of all the other writing missteps that occur in the story as a whole, though I will of course be going over some notes on how it could have been improved or adapted given the circumstances in-story. But I’m being a bit vague, and perhaps indulgent. Let’s begin with the biggest issue: You, the writers.

Before I scare you off, the issue do not have much to do with your writing per se. Perhaps a better way to state it would be the lack thereof, which is to say, I believe your fatal flaw has been inaction. This is in regard to a missed opportunity, the single biggest missed opportunity I have ever seen. That missed opportunity? Merlin and Morgana. I could not tell you what possibly motivated the exclusion of a romantic subplot between these two characters while you were working on the show. I wasn’t there, I am not you, and thus it is not my place to say. But I can say, from what I have seen, that all the cards were stacked and ready for you, as storytellers, to go in that direction. The actors were quite game, and in fact, Colin and Katie have absolutely wonderful chemistry on-screen and off-screen. Not only that, but they are two of the greatest dramatists ever to have graced the halls of BBC Studios. As is evident by more or less every single scene they’re in, both individually and together, they are beyond talented and able to convey great amounts of emotion with just their eyes. I’m very glad you and the directors chose to have close up shots of their eyes. It worked to great effect.

So why didn’t you take that route with Merlin and Morgana? I can think of a number of solid reasons, but among them I find three to be more prominent. The first possibility is that, as Merlin was a family show, you did not wish to indulge yourselves with a romance that is a little bit darker, perhaps more Shakespearean in nature. That is somewhat fair, but considering that you had Merlin kill very many people and ultimately make some very morally dubious decision throughout the show, including poisoning Morgana, I highly doubt that could be the sole reason.

I think the second reason, though a little bit more cruel of me to remark upon, is perhaps connected to the first. As a family show, maybe you were afraid to include something so risky and unexpected. It would have been a risky play. But you yourselves had eliminated the safe play, Freya, by having her killed off early in the show. I understand why, of course, from a thematic perspective it was important to do so in that episode, but I am obligated to comment on it. If you had wanted a safe story of love for Merlin, you had eliminated that possibility. You could have gone the risky route, but decided to go nowhere instead, in terms of romance.

The third potential reason is that you wanted to keep the general sweeping focus of the show solely on Merlin’s friendship with Arthur. Now this is a much more reasonable justification from a storytelling perspective. You might have considered a romance with Morgana at any point in the show to be, as mentioned earlier, both indulgent and ultimately useless. After all, she would turn evil, but Merlin would be by Arthur’s side at the end, so why not focus entirely on what is firm and stable? A romance with Morgana of any sort would have been, in the long view, futile. And as such you cut it out of the writer’s room. But I have a major contention: a romance between Merlin and Morgana would not have been useless or futile even if it led to the exact same ending.

As it stands, the Arthurian legend is, and always has been (at least since the days of Sir Thomas Malory), a tragedy. There is very little in the legends that is not tragic towards the end. Merlin and Nimueh. Guinevere, Lancelot, and Arthur. Mordred. Morgana herself. The fate of Camelot. In the show you recognized that completely and came through in that regard. But, at least where Gwen and Lancelot are involved, decided to deviate from that direction. You put the value of the tragedy on the fact that Merlin wasn’t able to achieve his destiny, that in spite of everything he had done he still failed and Arthur died. That magic never did return to Albion. That Albion never came to exist at all.

Assuming that this was always the planned ending for the show, that there be tragedy (which is reasonable, given the source material), then what harm could there possibly have been in making it more tragic? A romance wouldn’t have been futile at all. It would have been tragic. And that is exactly what it should have been. Both from a meta storytelling perspective, as well as a character perspective. In not including a romance early in the show, perhaps around season 2, you robbed yourselves of making the ending of the series an even more poignant and emotional one. You robbed yourselves of a subplot that could have multiplied the impact of any episode or decision or scene involving Merlin from season 3, 4, and 5. And all that would have occurred if you simply kept the current plot intact, with only a small subplot for Merlin and Morgana having been added. You tiptoed in that direction during the first episodes involving Mordred, or where Merlin and Morgana teamed up to save innocent people like Tom. And so I conclude this paragraph with some advise: don’t be afraid to do something risky, if you believe it will enhance the story.  Have faith in yourselves!

Now, that said, we ought to discuss the story itself, overall. It’s a great story, and the show is so incredibly compelling, but I have one very big issue with it. It’s nothing in the plot itself, except for an absence of a Merlin / Morgana romance, but something else instead. You did not fulfill your promise.

In every single story, the very first page holds a promise. In every script, the first five minutes. Because, consciously or not, writers have to make a promise to an audience. It’s the only way of grabbing attention in a meaningful way. Let us contemplate Harry Potter for a moment. The first few pages concern themselves with a matter that is absurdly plain and normal and totally boring: The Dursleys. Except… except there’s just one little thing that is off. The cat. The implication is, of course, that by the end of the story, or even earlier, we will have been exposed to something very much not absurdly plain, normal or boring. We will have been introduced to something absurd, and interesting, and compelling.

So what was the promise for Merlin? Given that it’s a character-driven TV drama that started with a scene of a man getting his head lopped off for having magic right in front of a protagonist who has a lot of magic in a city where having magic is a big no-no, I’d say the promise is the following: Merlin has to hide his magic from Arthur and the Court of Camelot. At some point he will reveal his magic to Arthur and the Court of Camelot. That’s the promise.

Whether you meant to or not, this was the wider implication of such a scene. It is what all the viewers waited for with baited breath. Every episode was tense. When will he reveal it? When will the confrontation between him and Arthur occur? Will Arthur turn him in or will friendship prevail?

We waited for a very long time. As a matter of fact, the promise was never delivered upon until the very last episode, but by then it was too late. It didn’t matter. Arthur could have passed away without ever having known that Merlin had magic and it would have made no difference plot-wise. Sure, it hurt to watch that. There was an emotional impact there. And perhaps it is part of the tragedy, that Arthur never understood who Merlin was and what he’d done for him until it was too late for it to make a difference. And while all of that is well and good, it left most fans heavily dissatisfied. We were promised a reveal, and we got nothing instead.  

A Merlin and Morgana romance could have delivered upon the promise and simultaneously multiplied the reveal tension. Not to push the point too hard, but had Merlin revealed his magic to Morgana, the promise would have been somewhat fulfilled. There would be someone in Camelot that knew. It would only be natural, since Morgana herself is magical and would understand. Moreover, she was at the execution as well. It would give Merlin someone to talk to, a way to show his character growth.

But when Morgana would inevitably become impatient and fed up with being on the sidelines of Uther’s actions, when she decides to stop the slaughtering of magic-kind by any means necessary, especially under Morgause’s influence, it would add tension. Would Morgana betray Merlin’s secret to Camelot? Would she tell Arthur? Would she turn away Merlin’s friendship, love, and tutelage for Morgause, her sister?

It’s a similar tension as in season 3, when Morgana holds it over Merlin’s head that he poisoned her. But this time, both of them would have more at stake. They would both be acting against love for one another in the pursuit of peace. Both wanting to succeed but not wanting to hurt. It’d have tied their hands behind their backs, which is the best thing to do for a character. Because it forces them to become better (or worse).

It would have made the characters richer, more interesting to behold. If Merlin and Morgana loved each other but disagreed on such a fundamental level on how best to pursue magical peace, it would simultaneously make their convictions more important and give them both plenty of internal conflict. It would give Merlin pause, cause to doubt Kilgharrah and Gaius. It would make Morgana perhaps doubt Morgause more. It would make it that much more painful when they both decided that their destinies were more important than their own desires. And that much more painful when, at the end, it didn’t even matter. Imagine the very powerful performance McGrath and Morgan could have delivered in a scene like this? Where they both have to choose something greater than themselves over each other.

It’s very easy to forget sometimes that romance isn’t just a plot device reserved for, well, romances. Romance is a very powerful storytelling tool because it has power over character. Romance is a plot device as well as a character device. As in real life, romance makes two characters learn and grow and challenge themselves and each other. It’s not a gimmick to be thrown onto a story, fun as it might be. It’s something that should be impactful. By putting Merlin and Morgana in a relationship, even if only briefly, you would have had the opportunity to raise the stakes further and higher than ever before. It would have pushed their character arcs.

The lesson here is to not be afraid to make characters doubt. Merlin only seemed to have contemplated leaving Camelot behind a handful of times. Often for love. Freya is an example of this -- and that’s considering he only knew her for a small amount of time. I can’t see why the same protective instincts that moved him to protect her didn’t also move him to guide Morgana and her magic. Regardless, imagine the sheer internal conflict you could have created by having him and Morgana fall in love, and then be faced with the ultimate choice. Because, ultimately, Merlin’s entire arc is about how much he is willing and able to sacrifice for Arthur’s sake.

That said, I have more or less exhausted my list of grievances with the writing of the show. There was very little wrong with the writing itself, but there was, at least to me, a very major gap that could’ve been filled with a romantic subplot. That is to say, there is nothing wrong with what is there, but rather what isn’t. In spite of all this, however, I must say that Merlin was a creative and charming and positively wonderful show that has changed my life for the better. And as such, I hope I didn’t come across as too harsh or pretentious. Because what you have managed to craft was nothing at all short of spectacular and I respect it very much. Which is why I wished to convey that having a Merlin / Morgana subplot would have enhanced the existing plot in more or less every single way. They’re mirror characters, and as you two said yourselves, “She is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love.” Which is why perhaps, I hoped that there would be a little more love and a little less hatred in the show. Just to balance things out.

And with that, I conclude this essay. May destiny lead you to another property worthy of your writing. And in the words of Kilgharrah… your gifts were given to you for a reason.

[heka-write]

Merlin Rewrite #3: The Ending

What the fuck was that. 

Merlin has always been a comedy and adventure series. Comedies aren’t supposed to end in tragedies, they usually end in weddings and other celebrations. 

The celebrations we, the audience, were waiting for? We were anticipating the celebrations of finally getting peace in Camelot, of finally seeing Arthur rule as a  great King with Merlin by his side, of seeing Merlin bring magic BACK to Camelot. 

We did not see any of this, despite what the show promised for the past five seasons. 

I have seen people insist that the ending implied that peace and magic were brought back to Camelot, just with the caveat that Arthur died. However, neither of these were confirmed to have happened. Arthur accepted Merlin and his magic, but there is no indication that it impacted Camelot. There is no indication that it had an impact on the peaceful magical people or how it changed their way of life. All we know is that Gwen took over, which good for her, but how do we really know how Camelot functioned after Arthur’s death. There is hints that something happens in the far future, but we never get a conclusion. 

As far as we can see, Merlin and Arthur both failed. They failed to bring peace, bring back magic, and failed to achieve their destiny. What kind of depressing ending is that? We see Merlin struggle for five years to achieve greatness for Arthur and it never comes to fruition. What was the point? 

I’ve addressed how messed up the theme of destiny is on the show, but what does the ending really say about it? We were told Arthur would become a great King, we were told he would die if Morgana lived. What message does that send? Do anything for your destiny, damn whoever gets killed in the process? Did Merlin fail because he failed to kill people who were innocent at the time? That characters cannot have control over their paths in life and just have to follow a bunch of rules set by a dragon who attacked them anyways? 

Instead of having the new generation fix the mistakes of the old, both of Uther’s children died fighting and failed to make the Kingdom a better place. The family line has ended with no improvements on the magic and the non magic side (Morgana and Arthur, respectively). 

Merlin doesn’t even accomplish anything for himself, he ends up pining after Arthur and waiting for him for eternity. 

The whole thing was so ridiculous, I couldn’t even be sad at the end. How was I supposed to take this tragic ending seriously when it was never built up to be a tragedy? When Morgana’s character arc was shat on (and her death as well as Mordred’s very anticlimactic), when Arthur never grew out of his father’s Shadow, and when Merlin didn’t achieve his destiny he threw so much effort at. It was just disappointing. It felt like shock value, not a conclusive ending that made logical sense with the story. 

How I Would Do It

Obviously, I would have the characters actually achieve the goals that the show stated they would achieve since the very beginning. I wouldn’t build up tension all those years for nothing. Arthur would surpass his father, bringing peace to Camelot, Merlin would actually bring back magic to Camelot, Gwen would reach her journey of going from a servant to a Queen, and Morgana would leave the dark side. 

Like I mentioned before, I wouldn’t make Morgana the final villain. While I do think she’d feel like she had no choice but to turn to evil at the very beginning, I’d see her eventually finding the side of a magical-rebel force, that fights against Camelot and those who use magic for evil purposes. 

I could see Arthur and his Knights going against these evil forces, facing great difficulty that they faced in the finale of the show. I could see Morgana bringing in her team of magical people to help in the final battle, proving to Arthur (and Camelot) once and for all that magic can be used for good. 

I could see Merlin being the figure that brings these two sides together. He would finally achieve his destiny by helping both sides, not just Arthur’s side. He would have his own purpose that wasn’t solely defined by being at Arthur’s side but the side of his own people as well. He would surpass the mistakes of the older generation by reuniting Uther’s children thus reuniting the magic and non-magical people of Camelot. 

I could see Arthur once again being harmed to near death in battle, just like how Kilgarrah said he would be. However, I could see Morgana being the one to bring him to the island and heal him (just like she was in the mythos). That moment would solidify the peace between Camelot and magical people, and the rebuilding of Morgana and Arthur’s bond. 

The aftermath we would see how an integrated Camelot looks like, how corruption of magic would be avoided. There would be magical council alongside the non-magicians. We would see Arthur change the old ways of Camelot with Knights who came from non-royal families and his marriage to a non-royal woman (Gwen). 

The theme of destiny would show that all parts of it happened. Morgana did turn to the dark side (and so did Mordred), Arthur was hurt, but he did survive and live to be a peaceful King. The theme of destiny would show that one should do what they believe is right, and destiny would follow, instead of one following destiny blindly (like Merlin did throughout the show, unfortunately). 

This type of situation would be an ending where the plot is resolved, comes to a satisfying conclusion, where the characters and their relationships come full circle, and one with an organized theme of destiny. 

[thegeminisage]

merlin thots about the s5 opening episodes.......

here’s your courtesy cut

one of my favorite things about s5 so far is how very nicely arthur and merlin have both 1. grown up and 2. grown into each other...they still give each other shit 24/7 but it’s a lot more companionable and comfortable now than it ever has been. furthermore, both of them exhibit the use of MULTIPLE braincells even at the SAME TIME. they work very well together as a team even in the heat of battle (we did see shades of this near the end of s4), despite merlin being kind of useless at physical combat when he couldn’t rely on his magic for a boost. they can have entire conversations without a word and they’re just INCREDIBLY synchronized. the whole #vibe has really gotten a level up

timeline-wise, it’s been roughly a decade since season 1. in s1 they said the purge began 20 years ago (upon arthur’s birth), and shortly after, he had a coming of age ceremony - 21′s an important number, so in season 1 arthur began as being 20 and turned 21 before the end. season 2 = 22. gap year for s2-s3 = 23. season 3 = 24. s3-s4 gap year = 25. season 4 = 26. 3 gap years betweeen s4-s5 = 27, 28, 29. season 5 = 30. i don’t know how long it was in real life between seasons 4 and 5 (definitely not three years), but i really do feel like they’ve both aged SO much and they absolutely act like people who have known each other for a decade.

gwen as queen is AMAZINGNGLSDKJGHDSLFG she’s SO PRETTY i love her SO MUCH. love that she has her own serving girl now! this is what she deserves

the round table is good too altho it looks a bit too big for that room. it’s amazing though like...FUCK uther pendragon arthur has come SO FAR

merlin being nice to the new girl is very charming. makes him seem older and w-w-WISER (love that word) by comparison

also love that merlin gets to ride a horse while some of the footsoldiers walk. that’s #status. that’s *** ******

pretty sure i had a stroke during merlin’s vision of arthur’s death. the whole thing was done SO well - they go from the battlefield and arthur’s incredibly dirty face as he very realistically looks like he’s falling down and dying and then cut to a very alive and present arthur asking what’s wrong. you can really FEEL the whiplash, and also the dread settles in nice and deep, at least it does if you’re me and you’ve read spoilers, like, “only you can keep arthur safe” BUT I KNOW HE DOESN’T I KNOW HE CAN’T I KNOW HE FAILS and merlin might as well know it too because he looks ready to CRY and thru the rest of this 2-parter opening he acts like he thinks arthur may drop dead at any moment

i feel like i read somewhere once that actors don’t like to eat during a scene unless absolutely necessary because when you do 30 takes of something you get very full very quickly and some even go so far as to have a spit bucket just out of sight so that they can just get rid of it without having to eat any more. which makes it absolutely bananas to me that so often in merlin the characters are not only eating but eating very quickly as though they really have been roughing it in the wilderness all day & are absolutely famished...they don’t have to show them eating so often BUT THEY DO

arthur getting merlin into a tight spot by insisting he perform, planning on laughing at his failure? funny. merlin ACTUALLY USING MAGIC TO TEACH HIMSELF TO JUGGLE so that he could watch arthur’s jaw hit the floor? PRICELESS. i wonder how long it took him to do that, he definitely wasn’t using a body double

merlin is acting so bleak and dire in these episodes that even mr no-empathy himself asks him whats wrong, multiple times. they’re doing a VERY good job at really driving home the fact that arthur’s time is running short and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. merlin’s so sick with dread he’s making ME sick with dread. arthur’s here and being his normal dumbass self but the distance between them feels HUGE during the moments merlin is thinking about arthur’s impending doom

arthur all “i cant believe u can juggle i didnt even know you could catch” and then throwing the boots at merlin only for merlin to NOT CATCH THEM and arthur goes “see explain that” and merlin goes “wish i could” and i D I E 

because he’s KNOWN HIM FOR A DECADE and he still can’t explain the magic and at this point it must feel like to him that he never, ever will UUUUUGH it’s funny how they can feel so close to each other one second and like THIS the next i am DYING

the little conversation they have when they make camp the next night is the same. the sad music plays, merlin keeps looking at arthur like it might be the last time he sees him, and arthur keeps insisting on asking merlin what’s wrong and trying to make him feel better...they’re really for real friends!!! they’re so serious and grown up!!!!!

ive lost count of how many times either merlin or arthur has been nearly dead and had to get hauled around by the other one

also of how many times merlin used his magic in a way that should have been obvious to bystanders and wasn’t

“if morgana doesnt kill you i will" “threatening a king is treason merlin” “what about threatening an ASS” listen. look me in the eyes. this is TOP TIER banter

remember how in the early seasons they’d bend over backwards to leave plausible deniability when expressing affection? like “we’d be good friends if you weren’t a prince” or “you’re not wise or anything but yeah you’re wise” or whatever dumb toxic masculinity bullshit...those days are OVER with. merlin speaks DIRECTLY from the heart. “i’m worried about you” and “i swear i’ll protect you or die at your side” he is not fucking around even a little bit. this fool is in love

they were ALMOST cuddling when they slept together under that overhang

the two of them trapped in that net was PRICELESS. in the early seasons i got a little tired of the frequent slapstick/juvenile humor and wished the series was a bit more serious but now that they’re here i cling to every shred of levity with my whole heart

i was SO relieved to realize gwen wasn’t actually planning on killing that poor girl - i kept saying the entire time it was very out of character for her, no way could she be that cruel

arthur: “you wanna kill me fine but my last request is for you not to kill merlin” merlin: “you wanna kill arthur fine but you’re gonna have to go through me” arthur: “for fucks sake”

merlin: i never do as i’m told! that’s *** ******

i dont care if mordred DID save their lives i NEVER wanted to see him less i am so full of dread

i can’t BELIEVE morgana also has a pet dragon. she and merlin could have been the BEST foils and i’m STAYING mad about it. she was actually so good in this episode - way less full of evil smirks - that i briefly rejoined the morgana defense squad and got REAL pissed when mordred eventually shanked her, ESPECIALLY after she was so happy she was nearly crying to see him again. WHAT IS IT WITH THAT KID AND STABBING PEOPLE KNOCK IT OFF

the snowy environments in this episode were soooo good. the scenery was just...top fucking tier and it’s nice to see them somewhere other than the same old places. also like NO allo but arthur looks really nice just wandering around through a bunch of fucking snowbanks with dirt all over his face

arthur and merlin’s little ploy to steal that dagger by arthur faking a collapse was SO GOOD. they’re SO IN SYNC. i was THRILLED. better still: he winked when he was done. he used like FIVE WHOLE BRAIN CELLS AT ONCE and he was ALMOST as proud of himself as i am proud of him. what a guy, that arthur pendragon

their escape was really good too. the nonverbal communication? top tier! they just give each other little looks and then proceed to wreck the whole scene. doubly funny when the slaver is like WHO SPILLED THAT STUFF and arthur just kind of jerks his head over at merlin. snitches get stitches, YOUR HIGHNESS

i barely felt one whole emotion for sefa or her dad but him dying was like. sad. this show is sad. why the fuck am i watching it. i hate character death. they were hugging

arthur seemed like he was having just the time of his LIFE sneaking into that big ol tower of doom. dude was all cute little quips and smiles. popped his head outta that lil minecart like a kid at christmas

i love also that you give percival nothing but a single sword and in short order he goes about liberating all the slaves, killing all the slavers, and then reappropriating their swords to a better cause. he’s a one-man army. i was SO impressed. and he really looked like he was having fun too

merlin seeing that lil baby dragon again was SO fucked up and sad. why can’t it TALK :(((

also lmao “merlin you cant be that stupid” “no i am if you dont believe me watch” and merlin bolts and arthur sighs with SO much longsuffering and says “im going after him”

the light in morgana’s eyes when she talks about wanting to have arthur���s head and then her stabbing him over and over without actually killing him...she’s batshit insane. rip

i do like that arthur sort of TRIED to talk her around...it’s the first time he’s really gotten to speak with her since the end of season 3 when he found out who she was

on a final note, though, i am less than thrilled with the knighting of mordred...how is it arthur can KNOW who he is, that he’s a druid, and can do magic, and LET HIM INTO THE KNIGHTS, and still have sorcery be outlawed in camelot?? it doesnt make any SENSE

[arthur-rex]

ooc: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part 1

What. The. H.

Seriously? Showing the ghosts of drowned children in a family programme? 

I mean, don’t get me wrong. The sight of Uther going mad in front of all the nobles of court because of the kids he’s murdered is absolute karma to the soul and so very delightfully Macbeth but this sinister tone is pretty bold to have right at the beginning of the season, no? 

I’d like to think it can be maintained throughout this season. But I doubt it. There’s probably another troll special edition bumper episode coming up soon, isn't there? *sigh*

Morgana, though. What a lady. Finally, the wicked witch of Camelot has arrived!! :DD I don’t think my face has ever pulled so many smiles before. I almost felt tempted to count all of Katie McGrath’s little smirks in this - there’s at least 6 in just the 45 minute episode. Yes and I was grinning along with every single one with her like a fool.

So *clears throat* should I mention my fascination for Morgana/Morgause slash is continuing to be fed by episodes like these? Maybe not.

What I will say, is that BBC Merlin seems to be very generous with the homoerotic subtext for like-minded fans. Always happy to see both M/M and F/F ships given prominent airing in a drama *thumbs ups*

Also:

^ Perhaps this episode should have been called “The Tears of Uther AND Arthur Pendragon??”

Poor boy. Yes, give him a big hug Morgana, you wonderfully manipulative cold-hearted bitch. Give him the narrative push he needs to be the King. I hope that happens in this season, season finale would be fab *fingers crossed*

Nice to have some more Dragonlord moments again between Merlin and Kilgharrah so soon in the very first episode. I’m glad Merlin finally has someone to save his ass once in a while! A boy and his dragon. What a dream team :’)

OOoo, zombies in the second part! How exciting :D

Speaking of... has anyone yet thought to do a Merlin/GOT crossover with the Night King and his White Walkers marching on Camelot? Merlin and his dragon stand in his way. And Arthur has the sword Excalibur which appears to be the only blade that can kill the Night King? 

[nebulawriter]

King Arthur Legend of the Sword

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster, and King Arthur has definitely played into that. I had it set as one of my “wait and see what reviews are like before committing to watch” movies. Then, when one of the review channels I watched gave it a negative review, I decided “ah, well, guess I won’t see that. 

And then a friend of mine came back saying it was really good, and I trust her opinion on Arthuriana, so, I decided to give it a shot. And, well....I gotta say my thoughts on this are about as mixed as the reviews. Definitely go see it, if you’re at all interested in medieval heist movies but...hmm. 

So, I’m hesitant to give this an actual ‘good’ review or call it a good movie. It got close, honestly, way closer than expected, and was most certainly an ENJOYABLE movie. If you’re a fan of, say, oceans eleven, then you’ll love it. I was READY to call it a good movie when I got out of the theater, but....well, I’ve been thinking back on it. 

(I’m trying a thing now where these reviews will actually have structure, so lets try it)

PLOT

This is probably where the movie is weakest. It had plot, oh boy oh BOY did it have plot! But honestly I’m not sure entirely what it was. There were a lot of elements (so many elements) that it all kinda got lost in my head, at least in terms of overarching stuff. Honestly, I forgot until later about the King’s Tower thing, and I’m pretty sure that was an essential bit of info. And listen, I’m no stranger to complex plots, but damn. 

That said, all the elements individually I LOVED. like, ooh, a war between men and mages and merlin made a cool sword and theres this weird...spirit island or something and Squid mermaids!!!

The first segment of the movie with King Uther almost felt unnecessary to me. Like, we get tons of flashbacks anyway, so it might have been easier to just skip to arthur and reveal everything later? But then we don’t get giant elephants, I guess. 

Its hard for me to even find plotholes because I can’t even identify whats a hole and whats just a nebulous space? I’ll say this: what the hell was up with the Lady of the Lake scene, and also...if they had the giant snake the whole time, why’d they just use it at the end? Oh, and why did the little boy only decide when the team -his dad made it to the boats to go back and look for his dad. Like...just wait, if that was your concern? IDK.

CHARACTERS

Arthur was interesting, but not too interesting, and I mean that actually in a good way. Like, he was a white male protagonist, but I enjoyed his way of like, protecting others. Well, I enjoyed that that was his focus anyway, and so they made him a kind of a ‘man of the people,’ a tricky thing to do when your hero is supposed to be the rightful king because of blood. 

Jude Law’s character I can’t pronounce was fine. He’s Jude Law. And like, he played the sorrow off well, but it would have helped if we actually knew anything about his relationship with his wife and daughter to make their suffering sad. 

Guinevere, I’m sorry, I mean The Mage was....hmm. I want to say she was good because she like, was badass and stuff, but we didn’t really get a sense of her, her character, her motivations, anything? except for the fact she was supposed to guide Arthur? And she never smiled or did anything fun, which was a pretty big contrast to everyone else in the movie. (she might have been Morgana instead of the mage. She still needed more character)

Arthur’s friends from the streets were fun, as were the knights Bedivere and Petyr from Game of Thrones. I was sad when the dad one died, but I did see it coming about 50 miles away. 

The women in this movie had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. And it just like. WASN’T USED. I’ve already mentioned the mage, but also the squid mermaids, the prostitutes, the lady who was like a spy for them? I don’t remember anything about her, Jude Law’s daughter, ALL of them could be so interesting! AND HOW ARE YOU GONNA JUST COMPLETELY UNDERUSE KATIE MCGRATH LIKE THAT? In an ARTHUR movie! I mean, come on! The prostitutes and the daughter are the ones that kill me. They were props, basically. Like, in the montage the prostitutes raised Arthur and inspired him to learn how to fight to protect them, but only one was named and she died! Like, I think one of them had an idea about destroying the castle but....man, they could have done so much more....And again, the daughter, like....we knew nothing about her, yet we’re supposed to be sad at her death. Just the fact that she’s Jude Law’s daughter does not give us a personal connection. Guys. 

And not to add more plot to this thing, but one cool shot could have been as Jude Law is talking to the squids, one last mermaid unfolds herself and its his wife, because the mermaids are all the souls who died in that little place.

CINEMETOGRAPHY/OTHER MOVIE-MAKING STUFF

The main point in favor of this film is its unique style, which unfortunately I think hurt the movies ratings overall. The way it was advertised, this was going to be a hero epic. and it...sometimes was. But mostly it was like a heist kinda movie, with interesting montages and scene parallels. And considering it wasn’t what was advertised, I think it hurt it. 

In the beginning with Arthur’s introduction it worked wonders, as well as some other points, like the island and talking about the mystery island. 

it didn’t work AS well in other places, as it made it difficult to tell sometimes if something was ACTUALLY happening, or if it was a vision or it was just people talking about something that COULD happen. And in a movie with giant animals and magic shit all over, thats a distinction you need to make clear. 

I liked the cast being more diverse than you’d expect from a typical action thing. Thats cool. 

The music was friggin AWESOME and motivating and I should download it to exercise to. 

But yeah. In a movie with an already really complex plot, the style choices were....tricky. and possibly hurt the movie to the point we won’t get a sequel. :(

[heka-write]

Merlin Rewrite #2: Morgana’s Character Arc

Doing this rewrite series has made me realize that all of the characters in this show had a lot of lost potential. Merlin could have been more enlightened, Arthur could have been more accepting, Gwen could have had more natural character development. But Morgana was probably the most robbed character of all, and I think the show mishandling her character was ultimately one of it’s downfalls. 

Morgana Pre -Villain days

Morgana was really at her peak in Seasons 1 and 2. She was good at heart, but also edgy enough to be a rebel. She cared for the citizen’s of Camelot, both magical and non-magical. She scolded Uther’s treatment of the poor and the magicians, in contrast to Arthur who was more hesitant to question his father’s policies. 

More importantly, she was complex. She hated Uther’s policies and did plot to kill him so he could be overthrown, but when time came to actually go through with her plan (in Season 1 episode 12) she couldn’t do it. Not only does she really care about Uther, but she was good at heart. She couldn’t kill.

Even in the season 2 finale when she plots to kill Uther again, she shows such reservation on going through with her plan. You can see how hesitant and regretful she looks after the plan is set in motion. 

Then Merlin poisons her. She is visibly hurt and shows feelings of betrayal.  Morgause takes her away, and she is gone for a year. 

Naturally, her hatred for Camelot grows, and her anger for Merlin for betraying her is intact. It makes sense for her to try overthrowing Camelot once again. 

So what part of her arc in the show doesn’t make sense? 

Morgana’s Behavior Post-Villain 

Morgana comes back, rightfully mad at Uther, rightfully distrustful of Merlin, but she is suddenly brutally killing harmless guards, and letting innocent civilians die. 

Good? The whole reason Morgana went against Uther in the first place was because he was killing innocent people. Why would she say “good” or even put other innocent people at risk? Morgana joining the villain team because she has no other way of fighting against Uther’s tyranny makes sense, but this? This is straight up OOC. 

People often talk about how Morgana wasn’t an effective villain. Seasons 3-5 are essentially three seasons of Morgana trying a scheme to overthrow Arthur, failing and trying again the next episode. Critics are definitely right in this respect; the only thing that she really accomplished was killing Uther, and Arthur in the very end (but also dying herself, so that doesn’t really count) all of her other plans fail repeatedly. We know Merlin will come in at the end of the episode (or the next if it’s a two parter) and thwart her plan. 

In season 1, we had a different villain every week. Each one had their own unique personality and goals so seeing them fail didn’t get repetitive the same way it did for Morgana. 

Not only that, but her motivation was completely whack. Her goal was to protect innocent magical people from being killed, but she killed plenty of innocent people herself. How exactly would that work? None of the peaceful magical people would bow down to her if she looked like she would be a ruthless and cold leader. 

Her hatred of Gwen in particular came out of left field. Morgana had a strong bond with Arthur before becoming evil, and it made a bit of sense as to her hating him because he was following in Uther’s footsteps. However, her bond with Gwen was completely shoved under the rug for the sake of causing conflict. The show was trying to say she hated Gwen because she betrayed her (in her Season 3 takeover), but where did the hatred of her becoming Queen come from? Morgana never cared about royalty until she found out she had a right to the throne, so why is Gwen such a threat to her when they had an intense bond? When just the prior season she was begging Uther to save her (Guinevere and Lancelot)? Morgana didn’t just hate the way Uther treated magicians, she hated the way he treated the poorer civilians of his Kingdom. Her hatred of Gwen completely contradicted her motivations. 

I’ve watched the show twice as of now. The fact that I can’t pinpoint the exact actions or reasons as to why Morgana started hating her best friend shows how convoluted it all was. 

Back to her bond with Arthur, the aftermath of that bond wasn’t addressed well either. They were super close in season 1, distant in season 2, and after season 3 they are just enemies. There is no recollection of their pre-villain bond. No moments of hesitation or complexity. No mention of their bond before Merlin even came to Camelot. Morgana simply hated him and he simply treated her as an enemy. We only get some half assed lines about “my sister” or “my brother”, there is no real feeling behind them. 

All in all, Morgana was not an effective villain action wise nor motivation wise. Villains are nothing without their motivation, and the thing about Morgana is that her motivation was not evil. 

Her motivation was that she wanted to protect magical people from unjust persecution. Camelot embodied that oppression. Uther was a tyrant. Her motivation was actually good, but because it went against the hero’s (Merlin and Arthur) destiny, she was automatically vilified by the narrative. 

The reason Morgana failed as an evil character was because the writers’ were too desperate to have a consistent villain. They wanted a final boss instead of a villain of the week routine. It didn’t matter that Morgana’s motivation made little sense in portraying her as evil. It didn’t matter that two seasons of character interaction and relationships were being contradicted. As long as they could have a FV they would do it.  Morgana failed as a character because the writer’s shoved her complexity under the rug for the sake of making her a villain instead of embracing her complexity and letting it flourish. 

How it Should Have Been Done

I have spent the entirety of this post talking about how badly Morgana’s villain arc was handled, but I am not against the idea of her having a villain arc. In fact, I think Morgana would have perfectly suited the anti- hero arc, one where she joins the villains to fulfill the needs the hero team can’t meet, but ultimately comes back to the good side with a fresh perspective. 

Other people have pointed this out, but Morgana’s character would have been perfect for a lancer arc in the five-man band. In this case it would be the four-man band of her, Merlin, Arthur and Gwen. 

Arthur is the hero of the show, and in true lawful good nature he follows the law of the land and is completely loyal to his father’s ways. Morgana, in the lancer contrast, is more chaotic good and does what she thinks is right, regardless of if it is lawful or not. She has openly rebelled against Uther for what she thought was right. Morgana and Arthur were presented as complete foils to one another, and it fit perfectly well because they were half brother and sister. 

It does total sense for Morgana, not having any other resource to turn to, to join the villains to take down Camelot. Especially since Merlin had kept her in the dark, she could have joined them or worked with them but not go completely off the rails like she did in the show. 

A prime example of this is Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. Sasuke was more morally ambiguous than Naruto or anyone in the Leaf Village, so he temporarily joined the villain Orochimaru to achieve his goals of getting revenge on his brother because his hometown simply could not help him. However (in the early days of the show) even when he was with Orochimaru he would not kill innocent people. The show had implied since the beginning that Sasuke would eventually come back to the good side, because he was never truly evil.

Plenty of other shows have followed a similar arc structure, and even though it may be cliche to some it would have been beneficial for Morgana’s character because it keeps her complexity while also highlighting the complexity of the issue.

Morgana, in her time away from Camelot, would have to struggle in deciding which side to choose. The villains would insist that the only way to get rid of Uther’s unjust laws is to hurt the citizens of Camelot, but she wouldn’t do it because she knows that’s wrong. Arthur and Camelot would insist that the only way to rid the world of the evils of magic would be to persecute magicians, but she would stand against that too. In her time away, she would learn that there aren’t just two sides to a problem, that the world isn’t black or white. That instead of joining Morgause or any other magical villain, she could join the Druids and other peaceful magical people in protest and rebellion. 

 If she eventually came back to help Camelot, this would have a positive affect on Arthur as well. The girl he thought betrayed him came back to help him, despite the fact that she is now working with magicians. He would be confused because his father had taught him his whole life that magic was wrong, but his own half sister would be fighting for good. 

Arthur and Morgana relationship could be a lot more fleshed out and complex. Arthur would be fighting the side of Camelot’s protection, Morgana would be fighting the side of innocent magician’s protection, and they would eventually have to come together and find an even solution that meets halfway. It would be especially symbolic because it would mean Uther’s children are bringing peace to the land by bringing together both sides that he had failed. This type of rivalry of philosophies in fiction is almost always done in male-male or fraternal relationships, so having it done through a brother and sister relationship would be something new. 

The middle ground that these two siblings would meet would obviously be through Merlin. He has always the one in the shadows mediating relations between Camelot and the magician, so having him do the same thing between Arthur and Morgana and eventually bring peace through that would earn him his title in the show. This would be possible if Morgana was still IC, and not just turned completely into a villain and closed off to Merlin. This scenario would be much more preferable than him simply taking Arthur’s side and eliminating anything that got in the way. The show completely threw his bond with Morgana under the bus for the sake of Merthur and fulfilling his destiny, and I think that was ultimately his downfall (but I’ll get into that in another post). 

This scenario could also fix the problems with her relationship with Gwen after season 3. I could definitely see Morgana being away from Camelot and resentful of it, but coming back to help save Gwen when she is in danger. Arthur would be annoyed, but reluctantly accept her help because someone they both care about is in danger. 

I could also see Gwen being resistant to Morgana, but ultimately accepting her because Morgana proves she is loyal to her, the same way she was before she found out she had magic. 

This storyline for Morgana would also make so much sense because in the Arthurian legend (to my knowledge) she does get redeemed at the very end. She does turn good, so why couldn’t the writer’s give her this chance in the show? 

In conclusion, this storyline for Morgana would have been 10000x better for the show than what we really got. The reason the real ending failed was because Arthur and Merlin ultimately failed. They failed to bring magic back to Camelot. They failed to bring peace. Arthur failed to live on as a successful king. They failed because they refused to acknowledge the humanity in Morgana’s argument, and the side of the magical people. If Merlin had reached out to the opposite side (the side that he has ties to), he would have been able to win them over. If he defended Morgana in front of Arthur more, she would have stayed good. Instead, anything against Camelot was automatically labeled as evil, and nothing was really able to change. The show just continued the cycle of two sides, and failed to bring them together because it failed to let Morgana be seen as a complex leader of her side. But I’ll get into the detail of Merlin’s toxic loyalty to Camelot in a different post. 

Believe it or not, this post was actually cut short. In the upcoming installments of the “Rewriting Merlin” series, a lot of my other posts would be influenced by a better Morgana storyline. That’s how important she was to the show.