#somehow both a criticism and more mer/thur friendly than what I usually post lol

[wumiings]

Gonna say something slightly controversial: Setting aside the argument over whether “I use it for you. Only for you” is a healthy/true/romantic statement or not, I don’t think that Arthur would find it romantically compelling.

I mean, we’re talking about a man whose most consistent virtue is his devotion to his people, his willingness to give up his own life for their well-being. “I only use my magic for you” might soothe a few ruffled feathers in the moment, since when Merlin first says it, Arthur is still deep in his anti-magic sentiments. But in the long term? As he takes on the task of unlearning his bigotry and coming to value Camelot’s magical citizens as much as its nonmagical ones, who will he come to respect more: the man whom he believes spent years blindly devoting himself to a king who actively persecuted his people in an act of near-obsessive romantic love? Or the man whom he knows has been struggling towards the same thing Arthur most wants— peace and prosperity for all the people of Camelot— even before Arthur himself was capable of recognizing that sorcerers should be included in that number?

Arthur came to love and respect Gwen because she stood up to him, corrected his poor behavior, and expected him to demonstrate more respect for people of lower birth like herself. She made him a better king. Yes, she loves and supports him as an individual. Yes, she makes sacrifices for his sake (ex. taking care of an ailing Uther despite the great harm he has done her). But her life doesn’t revolve around Arthur; she has interiority.

And if Guinevere is meant to represent the Voice of the Common People, it’s made just as clear in-text that Merlin is meant to be the Voice of Magic. Stating that the only purpose of his gifts is to serve Arthur both suggests a complete failure to embody that role in the narrative and reinforces Arthur’s perception of Merlin as a subordinate rather than an equal. Nothing about Arthur’s characterization indicates to me that this is something he would appreciate/want in a romantic relationship.