#merlin gif thoughts

[pippin-katz]

I have discovered that I don't like when fanfics have Arthur react badly to a magic reveal and then continue to have him be insensitive/rude/mean/discriminatory towards Merlin afterwards.

Of course, Arthur canonically reacts negatively to Merlin's magic reveal, but he comes around fairly quickly and the real issue was the deception rather than the magic.

Sometimes I'll read a fic and Arthur will be incredibly stubborn about magic being bad to the point where it's out of character. He had lost his mother to magic, but he still wanted to see the good in it when Uther was dying. Even after Uther died, he wanted to see the good in magic to save Mordred. He's always tried to consider the alternative.

Season 2, Episode 08 - "The Sins of the Father" "What if my father's attitude towards magic is wrong? Perhaps it's not as simple as he would have us believe. Surely not everyone who practices magic can be evil."

Season 5, Episode 05- "The Disir" "Perhaps my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways aren't as evil as we thought."

If it was the magic that bothered him in canon, he would've reacted far different. For example:

Arthur just watched Merlin (possibly) kill those two men. He watched his best friend and the person he trusted most use magic for violence; this is what magic is falsely associated with, but Merlin potentially confirms it in front of Arthur.

If the problem was the magic, he probably would've said something more along the lines of Merlin being a bad person or a monster. Instead he's far more focused on the fact that Merlin lied to him.

I don't mind if characters in fanfics are out of character sometimes, but I guess in this case, since it leads to Arthur being horrible to Merlin, it bothers me. It's an added reason to make him be cruel to him when there's plenty of reason there for a negative reaction already.

Maybe I'm just a snob or overly sensitive, but I guess an inaccurate portrayal of Arthur in magic reveal situations gets under my skin for some reason.

[tansyuduri]

Let's talk about this a bit. I know A lot of queer people relate to it and to be clear as a queer person I totally agree (I was just lucky enough to have REALLY supportive parents) But thats not what I think about every time I see this. I think about that time in elementary school I Aynalized out I was different from everyone else before I knew much about autism. I remember how lonely that was. I remember the time my grandfather was dying and my grief told me to avoid him. I was completely numb (It wasn't until later I found out that's what he wanted and forgave myself) but I pretty quickly realized how that I was getting super upset about minor thigns because my brain was crossing wires due to neurodivergence and my grief was pouring out like that (It started a journey of emotional self discovery but it was hard)

I remember the time in my early 20s that My mental illnesses got so bad that I lost touch with reality and lashed out at the people I loved. Two hospital trips and a great deal of work to get that under control And I think about how I will never be self sufficient due to the same mental illnesses and level of autism and the endless struggle of self worth due to that I think there is a reason EVERY merlin fan I've encountered is either Neurodivergent or queer. The show speaks to those of us born different. Its characters reflect and often put into words our own experiences and fears. Merlin tells us we are worthwhile and worthy. It shows how people like us can struggle and still be loved and worthy of love. Also how life can be joyful and sad and how it's all mashed together!

MERLIN | 2.09 The Lady of the Lake

[bisclavret]

this was crazy. can we all agree that this was crazy

[sword-wielding-sapphic]

Colin's reaction to Arthur being described as 'a hunky killing machine' vs Merlin's reaction to Arthur being a hunky killing machine

[vandalyssm]

I don't understand how anyone can be intimidated by Arthur. Like what exactly are you going to do with those beautiful blue eyes, baby boy? Make me kiss you?

[pippin-katz]

Don’t anyone ever try to tell me that Arthur didn’t care about Merlin. This is one of the sweetest moments in the show.

Arthur really did not have to come. He was basically told not to go by Uther. He is the fucking Crown Prince of Camelot and Ealdor isn’t even in his kingdom.

But Arthur said, “you know what? I’m gonna go help him anyway” because he cares about him.

He won’t quite admit it, but he doesn’t deny it either. Actions speak louder than words.

“Thank you. I know you didn’t have to come.”

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - Radiant Garden

[godmerlin]

[cynthia39100]

[Merlin 3x06 Arthur Pendragon - Horse Riding]

[pippin-katz]

I imagine that Merlin was probably a bit surprised by Arthur’s determination in this scene. He’s not pro-magic but here, he draws his sword on an unarmed civilian in order to prevent him from lighting the pyre. That’s a very bold move. I doubt Merlin was expecting him to “care” enough to do something like that.

BBC MERLIN 5.03 ✽ The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

[pippin-katz]

He Likes You

I was just thinking about this line and how meaningful it is, because it truly is.

Hunith has literally known Arthur for a couple days, but she can already read him incredibly well. Not only does she deduce that he cares about Merlin, she specifically says he likes him.

What’s the difference? Why does that matter?

Think about what you imagine someone behaves like when they like something or someone. They’re usually pretty happy, smiling, and they say good things about it. When it comes to typical behavior, it’s easy to tell when someone likes something.

Merlin likes doing magic, and he shows it when he can:

Think about Arthur though. He doesn’t seem to like anything when you use those behaviors as the evidence. The viewer knows it’s just Arthur’s personality, but from a complete outside perspective, he doesn’t appear to like anything.

He doesn't truly smile that much. He makes fun of everyone he's close to, sometimes even going too far with Merlin in particular.

This is how most people would expect him to act if he likes someone:

But he doesn't act like that on a regular basis. He rarely ever actually smiles like that, and especially not around people.

When he smiles normally, there's an undertone of cockiness or superiority that comes with being the prince and having to behave a certain way in front of others. It's not quite genuine. (The first episode is the perfect example of that.)

Or it's not even really a smile. He's not frowning, and you can tell by his eyes that it's a positive expression, but he's not showing a full smile to indicate that he's really happy.

OR he's got his "public face" on; it's sort of blank, but it changes slightly depending on the context. It's a guarded/doubtful/slightly annoyed look, but it's not a full frown that implies a bad mood. He uses it when he's in court with Uther, when he's bickering with Merlin, and when he's thinking. It's sort of his resting expression.

Uther does the same thing, where he's not really smiling, but you can tell it's a positive expression.

The thing is, you don't need to like someone in order to care about them. Plenty of people care about the wellbeing of people that they don't actually like.

Perfect example: Merlin and Gwen wanting to help Uther despite both having justifiable reasons to want him dead.

So liking someone isn't the same as caring about someone, cool, but what's the big deal with Hunith's line about Arthur? He obviously cares and likes Merlin, why does this matter?

Hunith doesn’t witness any behavior from Arthur to indicate that he likes Merlin, other than helping out his village. But:

This is an absolutely true statement. Merlin may be in denial that Arthur would actually like him, but he’s not wrong at all. Arthur earlier in this very episode voiced his desire to help anyone regardless of where they live. He helps people throughout the show in ways that don’t benefit him: Mordred as a kid; the woman in the tavern who was being harassed; Guinevere when Elyan was captured; the old woman about to be burned at the stake.

Hunith, however, can see through all of that.

What do you do when you like someone?

You care for their well-being

You think of them fondly

You enjoy their company

You want them to be happy

Arthur likes Merlin. He thinks of him as a close friend. He wants to make him happy, and to keep him safe. He wants him around. And Hunith figures this out from a couple days of observing them.

My mind starts to run around, because I wonder what Hunith saw in Arthur during the short period she spent with him that told her that he liked Merlin. His father didn't understand why Arthur cared about Merlin even when he saved his life twice.

It makes me so curious of what Hunith was thinking. You know what they say about mothers always knowing.

[mossmx]

While Merlin is trending I want to thank the whole Merlin fandom

people who have been with us since 2008 and people who have just started watching, people who have left us too soon but will be forever in our hearts and people who switched fandoms but are still amazing

whereter you create, lurk, cheer or just cry in the corner (most of us have been there lol) every part of the Merlin fandom is always part of our family

even if we have no reason to trend we will always have a reason to celebrate :D

[poisonedfate]

bbc merlin - 04x07 The Secret Sharer

they, somewhat unfortunately, get each other on such a level it's a little sickening

[pippin-katz]

Honestly one of my least favorite scenes, not because “oh no drama” but because Arthur never apologizes to Merlin for how much of an ass he was during this period of time.

He threatens him with exile TWICE. He’s straight up nasty to Merlin despite how much he does for him and that he’s still supporting him. While that’s normal behavior for someone going through a really difficult time, it is fucked up that he never apologizes.

This is 100% a fault of the writers. Arthur does not apologize nearly as much as he should’ve, just like how they reset his character development every couple episodes so he could stay “the prat”.

Endless Merthur scenes (6/∞)

[imm0rtal-idi0t]

Merlin | 'The Curse of Cornelius Sigan' s2e1 It actually hurts how mean Arthur is to Merlin in this episode :( Arthur is really mean to Merlin through the whole show if we want to be fr about it

[twistedshipper]

MERLIN 1.01 The Dragon's Call