#the one time arthur doesn't ask is the one time merlin doesn't choose him

[chronicowboy]

you know those moments when arthur is ready to go off and face whatever it is alone but the knights volunteer one by one? yeah, there's just something about the way arthur always looks to merlin last, like he's terrified of both answers, like yes is a death sentence and no is a betrayal, the way he looks to merlin last not because he's least but because by rights he shouldn't be going anywhere near whatever battle they're about to face but arthur has grown so accustomed to merlin's presence right by his side against whatever danger they're facing today that he wouldn't know what to do without merlin there, the way merlin always looked so shocked whenever arthur looks to him, like there ever was a choice, because in those moments arthur considers him an equal, a knight by all but title, and the way arthur lights up every time merlin says he'll go.

[cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu]

Need a fic where Arthur has to get married before he is crowned King, so he's invited countless noblewomen and royal princesses to a competition for his hand in marriage. He doesn't want to however he cannot ignore the traditions set by his ancestors.

Merlin is of course jealous but also amused. He wants to see Arthur happy and if it means helping Arthur find a suitable bride and hiding his feelings of love deeper than before so be it; that is until Arthur pulls Merlin to the side and asks for his help.

Merlin nods, he probably shouldn't have nodded, he should have ran when Arthur began grinning mischievously.

Oh no...I'm not going to like this one bit. Merlin thought.

The Crown Prince tugs Merlin along the corridor towards his sister's chambers where Morgana and Gwen were waiting for their arrival.

Morgana has a sly smirk watching him with eager eyes as Gwen stands beside her with a helpless smile as all three told Merlin, in great detail, what his mission was to be should he choose to accept it. Or should they say the illusion of accepting...they had already decided Merlin was perfect for it.

"You want me to enter the competition as the only male—in a dress might I add—to marry Arthur!?"

Morgana's smirk widens her gaze gleeful as Gwen sends him an encouraging smile, dear friend that Merlin adores but is currently in cahoots with Morgana and Arthur, is now an enemy in his watery eyes. He totally won't make blueberry muffins for her ever again! And don't even get him started on Arthur, that prat. Can't believe he felt sorry for him and wishing him happiness.

Oooohhh I'm so mad! No doubt the dress is Arthur's idea! It was one time, ONE TIME, and he thinks I wear dresses!?

"First off, I'm not a noble. There. End of story. Now if you would excuse me—" Merlin turns around to leave but Arthur quickly grabs him and throws the lad over his shoulder.

"Don't worry ladies I'll convince my—" Arthur fondly pats Merlin's bottom, "—future queen of his role and what he needs to do to win."

"NO LET ME GOOOO—"

[igniferrus]

God. So I've been thinking about BBC's Arthur Pendragon. I work a job heavy on the manual labour and light on the mental labour, so I have a lot of Free Brain Space.

But I started off wondering why there are so many fics about Arthur learning how much Merlin does for him, and so few of the reverse. Because there is no way that Merlin isn't in trouble 89.2% of the time, in some way or another. We see Arthur protect Merlin after his dumbass confession to Uther, and also bodily haul him out of the throne room for safety reasons. No body else could get away with stealing the Prince's food, or disappear or days and keep his job!! And Arthur doesn'teven know they're bound by destiny, he just really likes Merlin! He's just some guy Arthur found and chased around a market.

And then I remembered that so many people forget that Arthur Pendragon is fundamentally A Good Man. I know the show refused to give him permanent character development, but even his base character is a good guy! The most assholish thing we see him do is in the first episode, throwing things at the servants. And then, compared to the rest of the series, that feels very out of character!

Yes, Arthur uses Merlin as a training dummy, but I'm sure that's just to get him to quit. And it's only shown early in the first season. Arthur is consistently shown as caring for his people (refusing to enforce Catrina's tax increase, willing to die to fix his unicorn mistake), more fair about magic users despite only seeing it used for evil (saving Mordred and the woman who gave him the Horn of Cathbhadh. He even tries to give Kara an out, for Mordred!), and cares deeply for those around him! He loves Gwen. He loves Morgana. He loves Merlin. He loves his knights. He even loves Uther!

It's not his fault that the people around him refuse to allow him to make his own choices. Gauis, Uther, and Merlin all lie about his mother. Merlin and Morgana don't tell him about their magic. Morgana doesn't see him as any other than an extension of Uther, despite knowing him for years.I t's so easy to judge him as an outsider with all the facts, but we should remember that Arthur's is intentionally left out of the loop and judge him from that perspective. He does the best he can, with what he knows!

Merlin, despite being repeatedly told that he and Arthur are in this together, and need each other, does not tell Arthur anything! Arthur is not allowed to make an informed choice and he shouldn't be punished for that. Even when Merlin finally comes clean, Arthur doesn't rage! He's hurt and upset that his "only friend", the "only one [he] can trust" have been lying to his face for a decade, which, understandable, but he chooses Merlin anyway! He wants to be held by Merlin at the end, thanks him, and asks him to stay they same after Arthur's death!! Because he still cares for Merlin!

Arthur Pendragon's character development is stymied at every turn by the show and its writers, but even then they couldn't stop him from being a good man!!

This was more rambling and less coherent than I wanted, but it's been hot out lately and my brain is cooked.

Anyway, I am first and foremost an Arthur Pendragon apologist.

[larluce]

Merlin as Arthur's familiar/Arthur's shapeshifter falcon AU

@dsabian , @theplatanitosqueal , @stressed-but-chill , @gregre369 , @chaosofbelievers , @thelordofabsolutelynothing , @another-tblr-fangirl , @aceauthorcatqueen , @smileytrinity , @tiny-and-witchy , @wako-weirdo , @a-very-tired-ravenclaw , @schiwalkers-ineffability , @natsu2501malo , @dearfuturelyn , @thedollopheadofcamelot , @yougottobekittenme , @your-local-asylum-escapee , @theroundbartable , @alo-ween , @orliththedragon a little more of Merlin's perspective

LINK TO THE OTHER PARTS: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 (You're here), PART 12

Somewhere in the woods. Merlin in his bird form lands in a tree branch where an older female merlin is.

Elder female: Oh, darling! 😊 Haven't seen you in a while. Do you have a nest already?

Merlin: For the 10th time, I'm NOT a female. (sighs in bird) But I do have a nest now.

Elder female: Oh, that's wonderful! 🥰 I'm so happy for you, dear! When did you mate? 👀 Who is this male of yours? 😏

Merlin: I don't have a mate.😒

Elder female: Oh, my feathers! Did he... did he die? 🥺😭

Merlin: No! I never had... (sighs in bird again) The father of the chicks died, yes.

Elder female: In your very first nest! It must have been so hard for you.🤧

Merlin: It was... That's why I need advice. I don't know a thing about breeding. I incubated them, but now that the chicks are getting out of their shell I don't know with what frequency I need to feed them or if I should give them meat right away. I asked around and all females said you're the best in that area.

Elder female: Well, of course. I had 8 nests with 8 different males. But I'm surpised you need any help at all. A female usually knows what to do by instinct.

Merlin: I'm not-I'm pretty new to this, please tell me what to do. (points his claw that has a bird he recently hunted) I'll pay you for the troubles.

Elder female: Keep that for your chicks, dear. You shouldn't have left your chicks alone in the first place! They still need incubation and protection!

Merlin: Oh, a friend of mine is helping me with that. Don't worry.

Elder female: (very surprised) Really? What unusual... Well, this is all you need to know.

...

Another day, Merlin visits Elder female again.

Elder female: Darling! How are your chicks?

Merlin: All five are healthy. One has the tendency to try to jump constantly out of the nest though and the youngest seems scared all the time and doesn't fight for food like his siblings, is that normal?

Elder female: Of course! Not all the chicks are fit to survive.

Merlin: ... What? 😧

Elder female: The reckless ones and the weakest ones usually die before they learn how to fly, that's how nature is.

Merlin: No! They won't die! 😡 I WON'T ALLOW IT!

Elder female: Oh, the denial of a female in her first nest. I forgot how it felt.

Merlin: I'm not-That's not why I came here really.

Elder female: Why did you come then, dear?

Merlin: I... I'm interest in someone. (blushes in bird) A male. And I think he likes me too. I... I want to be with him.

Elder female: (gets sad) Oh, dear...

Merlin: What?

Elder female: You have no choice then, you must get rid of your chicks.

Merlin: WHAT?! 😨

Elder female: Don't worry, you'll have more chicks with your new mate.

Merlin: (horrified) I won't do that! That's horrible!

Elder female: Do you want to be with this male?

Merlin: Yes, but I don't have to kill my chicks to do that!

Elder female: A male will never mate with you if you have chicks that are not his own.

Merlin: Then I'll wait til they learn how to fly!

Elder female: By then he'll lose any interest in you and he'll hate you for choosing your chicks over him. I know it's difficult, dear, but it must be done.

Merlin: He is not like that!

Elder female: Really? Has he asked you to mate with him yet?

Merlin: ...

Elder female: Just think about it, dear.

...

At night in Arthur's chambers. Arthur is sleeping on his bed and the chicks are sleeping snuggling close together in the nest on the window. Merlin in his bird form looks at the 4 day old chicks while they sleep.

Merlin: (heart broken, thinking) I was so naive... For a moment I thought we all could... But that's not possible, is it? Arthur will never love you. Why would he love the chicks of the male he killed? He's helping me just out of guilt and obligation. You're just birds to him... And I have to choose. (looks at Wary) You are the weakest one, you're going to die anyway, that's what she said. (About to grab him with his claw) I... I can do it... I-

Wary: (opens his eyes, sleepy, and chirps quietly) Mama? 🥺

Merlin: (tears roll down his eyes) No... No! That can't be your first word! I'm not your mama! I'm not even a female!

Wary: Mama! 😄

Merlin: (screams in bird)

Arthur: (wakes up at the sudden noisy) Aaah! What is happening? (gets of his bed quickly) Merlin? Merlin! (turns to the window)

Merlin: (on the floor in his human form hugging the nest, crying his eyes out) I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I don't want you to die! I don't want any of you to die!

Arthur: (thinking Merlin had a nightmare, goes to him quickly) Merlin, Merlin, it's alright. (sits beside him and hugs him) It was a nightmare. The chicks are save.

Wary: (not recognising Merlin in his human form, thinking he disappeared) Mama? 🥺 Mama! 😭

Arthur: (comforts and holds Wary carefully) Shh, it's alright. Don't wake your siblings. (to Merlin) I'll make 5 sleep in my pillow, that usually calms him.

Merlin: You know you don't have to do this, right?

Arthur: (confused) Do what?

Merlin: (thinking) You don't have to pretend you like them for my sake. (says) I can manage on my own now. You don't have to care for them too.

Arthur: (snorts) As if! You can barely take care of yourself. (kisses Merlin's head) Get some sleep now. (stands up and walks back to his bed with Wary in his hand)

Merlin: I'm serious.

Arthur: Me too. Don't wake the other chicks. (puts Wary lovinly in his pillow) There you go, little one. (yawns)

Merlin: He'll poop your pillow again.

Arthur: I'll have the servants clean it and I'll tell them it was you.

Merlin: (sighs) Why do you do this? I don't understand.

Arthur: (turns serious) Because I care. Is that so hard to believe? (taps Wary's head fondly and smiles) Is impossible not to get fond of these little snowballs. (yawns again and lies down on the bed next to Wary) Good night (falls sleep)

Merlin: (puts the nest back on the window, thinking) You are my chicks, we are a family now. I won't let anything happen to you. And if Arthur doesn't accept you, he can go to hell.

...

After Arthur did the flying dance to Merlin and they got together. Merlin visits Elder female again.

Merlin: (more than happy, celebrating) I'm mated! 😄

Elder female: Oh, I'm so happy for you, dear!🥰 I'm sorry you had to get rid of your chicks though.

Merlin: I didn't.

Elder female: ... what?

Merlin: My mate acepted me with my chicks! 😊 We're breeding them together now... though we were already doing that way before we mated.

Elder female: Oh, I see. He must be one of those males.

Merlin: (confused) What males?

Elder female: The ones who don't have seed.

Merlin: ...

Elder female: You must be careful with those, dear. They can be quite agressive and possesive since they can't satisfy you completely or give you his own eggs-

Merlin: Goodbye, elder female. I don't think I'm going to need your advice anymore (thinking) Or ever in fact. (leaves)

...

Arthur: (in bed with the chicks on his lap, reading them a book) So the brave knight unsheathed his sword and pointed it to the dragon!

Chicks: (gasp in bird) 😲😲😲😲😲

Merlin: (sitting beside them, rolls his eyes, but then smiles fondly) You know they can't understand most of what you're saying, right? They just like the sound of your voice.

Arthur: Don't cut my inspiration, Merlin!

Guardian: (Points the picture of the knight in the book) Papa?

Merlin: Yes, that knight looks a lot like your papa.

Arthur: (confused) What are you talking about?

Merlin: Oh... uhm... the chicks call you papa sometimes. 😅

Arthur: WHAT?! 😧 Why didn't you tell me?! 😡

Merlin: It's pretty recent and we weren't mated yet, I didn't know if it would make you uncom-Are you crying? 😧

Arthur: (definitely crying) I'm not! 🥺 I just got something in my eyes 😭🤧

Merlin: (touched) Awww, Arthur.

Chicks: Papa! Papa no cry! 🥺😭🥺😭🥺

Merlin: Now they think their papa is sad.

Arthur: (comforts them) Papa is not sad. Papa is just very happy.

Merlin: Arthur, I think Wary pooped on the sheet.

Arthur: (ignores him, holding his chicks close, still too happy to care) Who is your papa? I'm your papa! 🤗

Merlin: Aaaand I lost him.

...

When Arthur said Merlin needed more human friends he was serious 🤦‍♀️. Oh, Merlin... Good you came to your senses.

To sheer you up a bit, here a video of Arthur holding his newborn chicks for the first time:

[llamagirl28]

The Patreon/Kofi demo has been updated!

What's new?

More of chapter 5! (it's a big one)

Elaine's POV. Note that it doesn't come up where the demo last left off; it takes place right after the magic lesson scene and before bumping into Elaine in the inner courtyard.

Play wingman!

Greet the guests! So far, the only guest you're actually greeting is Elewen. But Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin and the others are on their way! How does Mordred feel in anticipation of finally meeting the Royal Sorcerer? 👀

And also, edits, edits edits!

One of them is very relevant in order to get the right text/choices during a little convo you can have with Elaine while waiting for the guests to arrive.

Added a new variable in Mordred's chamber scene with Elaine; it keeps track of your romantic status with her, so it's very important to replay through it again, otherwise you'll receive her platonic scenes

I think it mentioned in a previous update that Mordred also keeps in touch with Guinevere if they're close to Arthur. In chapter 4, we find that Guin regrets missing Mordred's birthday party due to a spell of illness. Additionally, Guinevere knows about Arthur being their father, the prophecy and everything else. This info has been added in chapter 3, where Guin is mentioned alongside Kay in Arthur's POV. And if you choose to spend time with Arthur by the river, either to bond or find out more about your Pendragon powers, Mordred gets a chance to ask him if Guinevere knows.

Some changes to dragon lore I teased a while ago. It's kind of a long rant, so I'll be going into it in a different post. (you can also find details on the update post on Patreon/Kofi)

Hope you enjoy the update!

Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/llamaswriting

Kofi link: https://ko-fi.com/llamaswriting

[mightybog]

Twenty Questions for Fanfic Writers

Thank you @liviapeleia for the asks <3!!

Tagging longtime frond @breadkween, fabulous runner of @merlinmicrofic @queerofthedagger (thank you!) and reader and writer who's left me lovely comments @achillesuwu. @mythandmagic, Ao3 is down rn so I can't check but if you have any fics yourself, here's an ask game for you! There's no obligation, presh or time limit of course! Also like @liviapeleia said before me, consider yourself tagged if you see this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

11

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

265,960

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now just Merlin. I've written for other fandoms in the past but each of those works have been standalone.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Always His Destiny | Merlin | A true love's kiss, resurrection and golden age AU written for Glompfest 2024.

Like Every Tree Stands On Its Own | Merlin | A longfic inspired by other Arthurian media/sources featuring Wildman Prophet!Merlin and a magical forest. This is my magnum opus.

What's Mightier Than a Sword and Robs a Prince of His Servant? | Merlin | Pre-slash Merthur minor canon-divergence in which Merlin's talents in speech writing land him a promotion and Arthur is Not Pleased™.

Only Human | Venom | A short gift/exchange fic about masturbation, lol. The fic I received in exchange was also about masturbation. In my defence this was a writing exercise (I promise).

The Sky Is Falling | Nightvale | Unfinished fic about alcoholism recovery, love, community and the complete collapse of reality.

...Okay wow what a mix :D

5. Do you respond to comments?

I really love comments and I love getting into discussions with readers! It really makes my day to see that someone has commented on one of my fics.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Am I allowed to choose a soon to be published WIP? Words Are Dead, a microfic inspired by the Agnes Obel song of the same name in which Merlin and Arthur are unable to communicate when Arthur returns. Merlin has lost Brythonic, his first language, and his capacity to relearn it. He's simply been alive for far too long and his mind has suffered :(

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like Every Tree has a prolonged bittersweet kind of ending but I think Always His Destiny wins.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope/not yet!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, though so far it hasn't been the focus of any of my works, there's no reason why that can't change though (the Venom one doesn't count, I make the rules here). As to what kind I'd say loving and intimate, I guess? Sometimes with a bit of a hurt/comfort element to it. Again, no reason why I can't branch out in the future ;)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

While not labelled as a crossover, Like Every Tree was heavily inspired by Arthurian media both new and old, and one medieval Irish source. I did so much research for this fic and I'm still down those various rabbit holes. It was a homage to my favourite, janky cartoon movie from my childhood Quest for Camelot. Otherwise I don't write proper crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but I would love to!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I guess it really has to be Merthur! I don't recall a ship ever having such a hold on me. Those two are doomed but made for each other. The way they interact is so much fun to read/write.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Damn, this is definitely Be Here When the Weather Turns, a Mushi-shi fic. It has a very soft, restful and liminal vibe and I adore it. I really do wish I can finish it someday. So sometimes like a song, you share a piece of media with someone, or you associate it with a particular chapter in your life, and that song/piece of media brings up feelings. I'd like to think it's still worth a read. If you don't know Mushi-shi, please consider checking it out, it was weird and quiet and beautiful.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I can't deny that I put a lot of love into this hobby. Also @breadkween has told me that they really like my dialogue :3

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm really prone to typos. I can re-read something a hundred times and just fail to see them. I'm a very slow writer; what I put out usually goes through months of edits and change-ups. Lastly I have embraced a faux-pas or two for fun, such as starting sentences with 'and.' And no one can stop me >:)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'd only be comfortable writing dialogue in a language I've formerly learned and have some level of familiarity with for fear of getting something wrong.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Okay I love this question because the answer is the highly formative Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, a YA series I was obsessed with, and have continued to read, and re-read as an adult and as unexpected prequels and sequels popped up in more recent years. I wrote it on a literal floppy disk :D First fandom I wrote for that I actually published online was Undertale.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Definitely Like Every Tree. I'm just really proud of it :3

[theroundbartable]

What are your merthur fav moments? And what are your fav personal headcanons about them? Also, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of merthur?

You know it's bad when I can actually quote them without looking them up:

My absolute favorite scene is the one in "The Changeling" when Merlin holds his marriage speech. I LOVE that one. "I think you're mad. I think you're all mad, people should marry for love. Not convenience. And if Uther thinks an unhappy King makes for a better Kingdom, then he is wrong. You may be destined to rule Camelot, but you have a choice. As to how you do it!"

2. My second favorite is the one with the disir, when Arthur asks Merlin how he knew the place was sacred. It's the first time Merlin dares to open up about himself and it breaks my heart how it ends. "It's obvious." "Pretend it isn't." "Everything here ... is so full of life. Like everything is so much more than itself."

3. DIamond of the day part 2. Just - the entire episode. I love how heartbreaking it is (and I keep rewatching it so many bloody times, aaargh!). But I especially love the honesty and well... I love that Merlin got to choose when and how to tell Arthur about his magic. "I was born to be your servant, Arthur. And I am proud of that."

4. BOGMAN! The HUG! Arthur's desperation when Merlin is gone! Just - URGH! They are killing me.

5. The deleted scenes. First and foremost the Sigil scene! Everything is gayer in the deleted scenes. "Just ... take it." Personal Merthur headcanons?

I very much like the idea that Arthur believes that Merlin is in love with him. Like, from the very first time he saw Merlin steal a dress to the final episode, Arthur is convinced that that's Merlin's secret. I also like the idea that Arthur believes what they have is enough because Merlin never asked for more and Arthur is too afraid to lose Merlin to imply anything more. I also love the idea that at some point in their 10 years of friendship, Arthur CONSIDERED that Merlin may have magic. But that Merlin's constant choices against magic lead him to believe that it's just his imagination.

Arthur needs glasses. Short sighted, probably something like -3 and worse dioptrin. That's why he doesn't notice Merlin's eyes glowing golden when he's right in front of him. Arthur assumes it's candlelight or something.

Arthur keeps trying to show off in front of Merlin to earn his approval. (This one is canon, actually, what am I talking about?)

The servants in Camelot have their own Merlin fanclub and many of them are trying to set Merlin and Arthur up. Some of the knights like to help out.

Everyone thinks Merlin is the jealous one. However, turns out, whenever Merlin suspects a foreign prince/knight/bandit of doing something evil, or attacking Arthur, he is always right. Merlin is sensible and he trusts in Arthur, so he would never truly get jealous when there is no reason to be. When there IS a reason, he turns absolutely murderous though. In fact, Arthur is the jealous one. Only his jealousy is slow cooking. But it's less rational and when he is convinced Merlin has something with someone else, he goes absolutely feral. He avoids Merlin for days until he realises that Merlin doesn't care, then he makes a 180 and pretty much begs on his knees for Merlin to come back. At the same time, Arthur punishes whoever lord seems to have been too close to Merlin. Arthur was also, once, jealous of a horse.

They drink wine in the evening. And sometimes Merlin stays so late, that he has no choice but to stay over. And then, uuups - he shagged the prince. It's okay, it surely won't happen again tonight, will it? *cough cough*

Merlin's magic is very attached to Arthur... and Arthur will deny it, but he really, REALLY likes Merlin's magic. *wink wink*.

Arthur has rewritten at least 10 laws for Merlin before the magic ban is repealed.

... I can't give you all my headcanons, I need them for my fics, lmao XD

Ships from other fandoms that remind me of Merthur, you ask?

Banana fish: Ash x Eiji - Because ... the ending

Heartstopper: Nick x Charlie - When I found those books, I thought it was a BBC Merlin doujinshi. I love you ,Alice Oseman <3

Red, white and royal blue: Alex x Henry - I always felt that the book would work better as a series and I stand corrected. A gay prince dating the bi son of the female president of America? Hell yeah, consider me hooked.

Thank you for the question, anon! I hope you liked your answers!

[merlingenrecs]

It is October and thus: spooky season! Who is ready for some dark, creepy or goosebumps-inducing Merlin fics? Be it a quest undertaken on Samhain or ghosts haunting Camelot, these fics are sure to get you into the Halloween mood.

Today's gen fic rec theme: Spooky, Scary, Haunted

↓ Find the list of fanfic recs under the cut! ↓

⚬ Merlin Choose Your Own Adventure Game by FriendlyNeighbourhoodWriter, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/45199480 summary: Have you ever felt frustrated that the characters made that one dumb decision? Ever wanted to just yell at the screen so they choose differently? With this story, that power lies in your hands!Set in an alternate universe where Merlin revealed his magic and became court sorcerer, Arthur has been attacked by something. It is up to Merlin to figure out what this is, and how to save his best friend. But the choices he makes depend on you as a reader. You are in control, and Merlin will act according to what you tell him to. So... choose wisely!

⚬ Darkness Like a Second Skin by VikingSong, 22k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/51119401 summary: Merlin had expected the Dorocha to kill him; he never considered that the voices of the dead might demand something far worse. As a dead foe lies through Merlin’s teeth, compounding Merlin’s own lies, Merlin’s friendships crack and crumble around him. Perhaps the only way to battle the vengeful, icy darkness within is to shed his lies and step into the light.

⚬ Feeding Grounds by N16, 14k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/42480024 summary: There’s something in the forest near Camelot. A manor that has never been there before. A manor that shouldn’t be there now. And within that manor, an ancient darkness waits. When Arthur and his men are forced to take refuge in the house for a night, the hunt is on. An evil force sets its sight on Emrys and his king, and it won’t rest until it has its prey. And this time, Merlin's magic is more likely to doom Arthur than to save him…

⚬ Black Cat by s0mmerspr0ssen, 4k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/42040827 summary: A cursed cat arrives in Camelot, Merlin tries his very best to stop it from wreaking havoc on the castle, and Arthur believes Merlin has gone crazy.

⚬ The Last Laugh by Gingeraffealene, 4k, rated K https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13731331/1/The-Last-Laugh summary: The consequences of a ghostly rumor inconvenience Merlin and, therefore, the Prince. Will Arthur's attempt to put rumors to rest succeed? Is the castle haunted or is there a magical trickster lurking about? Who will have the last laugh? An adventuresome night in the hallway should answer all those questions. Just a bit of spooky fun for Halloween.

⚬ The Longest Night by Camelittle, 2k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/10896549 summary: Samhain Eve is a bad time to be away from home. So Arthur and the Knights tell stories, to pass the time. When everyone finds Gwaine's tale a bit hard to stomach, Percival has a bright idea. How about asking Merlin to take a turn?

⚬ The Power of Words by jaqtkd, 3k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/2528975 summary: It's Samhain night and the party from Camelot are sitting around a large camp-fire and telling each other scary stories. Odd things start to happen when Merlin takes his turn, and the line between fact and fiction soon becomes blurred.

⚬ We Daren't Go A'Hunting by wryter501, 15k, unrated https://archiveofourown.org/works/37482931 summary: "We daren't go a'hunting, for fear of little men..." ~ "The Fairies" by William AllinghamOn Samhain the veils between various worlds thin, and strange things can pass through - beings who wish to assimilate Arthur, and Merlin, into their troop... but for very different reasons. And Merlin's magic doesn't work on them...Takes place in-canon after season 2, does not reveal Merlin's magic - but it does reveal other secrets.

⚬ Slumbering Magic by salted_popcorn, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/38990196 summary: It felt like a cool bath in Summer, the taste of freshly baked custard tarts, the smell of lavender in Guinevere's hair, the sound of Merlin's laughter. It felt like nothing and everything all at once. It is the golden age of Albion. The citizens live in peace and prosperity. Magic has been restored and friendships have been mended. Everything is not okay.

⚬ Whispering Your Name by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle, 23k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874179 summary: The Dorocha. They are the voices of the dead, my child. And, like the dead, they are numberless. Or: A different take of the dorocha. Instead of them being faceless screams that attack you, they are actually figures of the dead. Merlin doesn't quite realize how much death affected him until him and the knights go to close the veil.

⚬ The Devil's Table by Stealth Dragon, 30k, rated T https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8504943/1/The-Devil-s-Table summary: Arthur and Gwaine rescue Merlin from the clutches of slave traders only to find themselves trapped in a strange castle whose residents have up and vanished. There's something in the castle that's after them, and to make matters worse, Merlin is already injured and can't use his magic.

⚬ Into The Dark by kriadydragon, 16k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/1022118 summary: Merlin is a medium with a past he can't (and may not want to)remember. Arthur is a ghost hunter looking for answers as to why hismother killed herself for no known reasons. Both are rivals, but willhave to work together when their quest for answers gets them more than they bargained for.

[nimrism]

could you make this post? please, it's so fascinating i really want to hear your thoughts on it

"The Dark Tower" Morgwen Interactions Analysis

i've literally been waiting for someone to ask me this so i can go all out in answer, so you're literally my favorite- THANK YOU! i've tried to put all the thoughts swirling around in my head into one coherent post, so strap in and let's LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS (from my perspective)!

first and most importantly, i want to zero in on morgana's choice of kidnapee; she could've chosen anyone in camelot, any one of the knigts who were regularly privy to arthur's battle plans and schedule, but nope. if we're looking at it from the perspective of "she needs the closest person to arthur" wouldn't that be merlin? she could have kidnapped and brainwashed him; he would've made for a fabulous inconspicious mole in the court, and arthur literally goes to him for anything and everything. i actually think it would make for a really interesting au/fic if it were merlin who was kidnapped instead of gwen (love confession/magic reveal possibilities are ENDLESS), but maybe it's a little too close to the plot of "a servant of two masters" and the writers didn't want to be repetitive. i'm going to be biased and delusional in believing that morgana did choose gwen, in particular, for more personal reasons as well as for her nefarious ones.

the way i see it (and this is obviously very objective), by the time we get to this point in s5, morgana is LONELY, like, has-no-one-in-the-world-except-aithusa type of lonely, and her choice of allies has been lacking diversity as of late (why are they all men 💀), AND they all end up dying anyway. so, she needs a plan, and she needs a trusted ally (she also needs a bit of love and lip balm cause DAMN). BUT the thing is, why would anyone be loyal to her? she's never kept any allies (or friends) thanks to her wit and charm alone, she's only ever kept men loyal to her by striking fear in their hearts. it's the same for her friends and family, i think. she doesn't believe they even tolerate her existence, so she needs to be crowned queen to subdue them and FORCE them to respect her. the same goes for gwen. she was only morgana's friend when morgana was a naive and vulnerable girl, plagued by nightmares and unexplained fears, and the second morgana grew out of them (or learned to control them) gwen stopped being affectionate, stopped being open. that's how morgana sees it, and it only reinforces her belief that gwen would never understand the person she's become now, she wouldn't quite see what morgana was trying to do. unless morgana forced her to.

the whole kidnapping affair was to MAKE gwen understand, because she wouldn't do it of her own free will. gwen would never willingly be on morgana's side, so she had to jump through a few morally questionable hoops to bring her over. in the end, i do believe all morgana really wanted was a friend (maybe a little bit more, amirite ladies), though by this point her concept of friendship had become twisted beyond recognition, and in all the chaos, this was the only way she thought she could have one. throughout the episode, a lot of the old morgana shines through, even if it is portrayed as just manipulation, and i do think that was her either slipping back into old habits or forcing herself to, for the sake of the brainwashing and for the sake of their friendship that she's trying to rekindle.

a point that i've seen several people make is that between the niceties, the "real" morgana peeks through several times throughout the ep, but i kinda disagree. i don't necessarily think that just because her smile drops, it means that the niceties were a facade and her "evil" side pops back out. i read the sudden change in expression more as disappointment. gwen fights back with such vigour that it's probably painful for morgana to realize that her former friend sees her as nothing more than an evil witch who's hell-bent on hurting her, now. she's disappointed that gwen, who was supposed to know her best, believes what the others do, and doesn't believe that morgana is being sincere in her offer of friendship.

a small remark i also have is: why wasn't morgana one of the visions/hallucinations gwen had in the dark tower? it's interesting to see that the closest three people to gwen are her brother, arthur, and merlin, of all people. i feel like gwen's history with morgana has to have had a lasting effect on both of them, even if morgana is supposed to be "evil" now. you don't stop loving someone just because they've chosen (or BEEN chosen by) the dark side. morgana was one of the people gwen cared about most in seasons 1 through 3 (s3 is pushing it a little, but still), it doesn't really make sense for it all to be forgotten so completely like we see in this episode. i also think it would've been super interesting to see a hallucination of younger morgana in particular, partially as a reminder that part of gwen still cares about morgana and largely because i'd like to see how gwen would react to that vision... would it differ from the other three? what would morgana do? would she sneer and laugh like elyan and arthur? would she do a little rawr like merlin (😭)? i feel like a ficlet is in order for this concept cause i would like to see it but i have to imagine it first (but that's the hard part 😭)

NOW ONTO THE MOST DELICIOUS PART OF THIS ANALYSIS: THE QUOTES

M: "Would you prefer some chicken?"

i just found this one hilarious tbh like she's so out of pocket what are you doing offering your kidnapee some chicken and WHAT WAS THE OTHER OPTION, IF NOT CHICKEN?

M: "I know how lonely you must be, all by yourself in that room. At least you're not shackled, and there's daylight. You can move, you can see."

oof. she's obviously referring to her own capture and torture, pulling from her own experience. it's heartwrenching that morgana has been through all of this, traumatised beyond reason, but it's even more heartwrenching that she thinks she's doing gwen a service, like this. it might not seem like that to any sane person, but after everything she's been through, morgana's worldview is completely different. in her mind, however twisted and detached it has become, she's being merciful to gwen this way, giving her luxuries that she was never afforded when she was captured. (including a warm meal with chicken at miss havisham's table 🤩)

M: "I too have suffered, Gwen. I spent two years living in darkness. I spent two years chained to a wall at the bottom of a pit... You did not know."

goddddd this line... it's just so painful, so powerful, so indicative of SO MANY THINGS. it's EVERYTHING. every acting choice katie and angel made in this scene was brilliant but ESPECIALLY their facial expressions in this particular part WOAH. the way morgana's voice cracks on the word "pit" is DEVASTATING. i was floored. the way gwen's face falls as she processes her words and they properly set in... INCREDIBLE. the concern in gwen's eyes is palpable as she realizes the horrors inflicted on her friend. and the final "you did not know" was so, so powerful. morgana realizes that gwen didn't know about and clearly wasn't okay with what she went through. gwen had no part in it. morgana SMILES at gwen's reaction, but instead of it being a smile of malice or evil it's one of RELIEF, and one that she hides very promptly. she's reassured in the knowledge that gwen had no idea she had suffered so immensely, and that, more importantly, she wasn't involved in it. it's SO important to note that morgana has no idea whether arthur had a hand in her own torture or not. it's especially not a good look on him that he invites the sarrum as a friend of camelot so soon after the events of "the dark tower", so, as far as morgana knows, he could've been a "friend" when she was being tortured for years, too. i wonder what would've happened if morgana had kidnapped gwen AFTER the sarrum's visit to camelot... i feel like that would have complicated things with gwen much further, if morgana thought she was complicit in her imprisonment.

M: "I would have sold my soul for someone to show me kindness such as this."

only two points on this heartbreaking line: 1- FUCK the sarrum of amata. all my homies HATE the sarrum. s4 and s5 morgana might both be textbook cases of "evil", but they're two VERY different people with two very different worldviews and tactics. morgana's imprisonment turned her into the cold husk of a person she is by s5. and 2- this just further confirms that morgana thinks she's doing gwen a favor, dining with her and letting sunlight into her room and choosing not to tie her up etc.

M: "Your hands are cold... I have a warm fire going for you."

oh boy is this a MOMENT. the way morgana keeps her hand held out. the way gwen reluctantly puts her hand in hers (MORGWEN HAND-HOLD!) *ivy by taylor swift starts playing out of nowhere* {ohhhhh goddamn, my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine, but it's been promised to another, ohhh}

um anyway i digressed. then the way gwen wriggles her hand out of morgana's grasp, while morgana grips her fingers with unwavering determination... it's just delicious.

M: "Anything you want, you can have. I'll give it to you."

idk about you but personally i'm SOLD. take all my money. i read this as morgana trying her utmost best to sell gwen on joining her, but i can also see the manipulation laced in it.

G: "Why are you doing this?"

M: "Because we're friends. We always were."

to me, this reinforces the theory that morgana's just trying to get her friend back on her side. by stating that they've always been friends, morgana reaffirms their friendship as much to herself as to gwen. she was her friend once, and she can be again.

M: "I'm helping you. I'm looking after you."

this sort of feels like morgana is telling herself that, more than she's telling gwen. maybe it's just part of the manipulation process, but i do believe that this was morgana's conscience reassuring her that what she's doing is in gwen's favor and that she's being kind to her.

M: "It's alright, I'm here."

UGH this line. morgana is being the person she needed when she was imprisoned. this scene is also a parallel to all the times morgana woke up screaming in the middle of the night and gwen was there to comfort her in s1/2. this time the tables have turned and it's morgana comforting gwen. simply delicious.

M: "My darling, I was wrong to make you suffer."

TEA! to say that this line was spoken from the bottom of morgana's heart might just be a bit too delusional, but i like to think there's at least some truth to it. torturing gwen had a lot of paralells to morgana's own imprisonment and torture, and she did want to make her suffer, at least in the beginning. but it was also different from what morgana went through. this is NOT to justify torture, btw, torture is BAD, but her "manipulation" tactics got a bit too personal at some point, and i like to think at least a part of it was genuine.

G: "No. Whatever twisted game you're playing, I want no part in it. I would rather stay here and die."

ouch. gwen's resistance to the last possible minute shows such strength on her part (cause me? i would've given in before she even dragged me through the desert tbh) and it gave us such a delicious performance from angel; the reluctance? the uncertainty? the distrust? the relief that morgana is there but also the FEAR of what she's doing? the contradiction between the morgana that gwen once knew and the morgana that everyone KNOWS is evil? but the morgana that gwen once knew is shining through now, and she's saying everything gwen wants to hear... grade-A angst.

IN CONCLUSION they're gfs your honor, this was all just a plot to snatch gwen back from arthur cause morgana didn't think seducing her herself would work. (this phrase could be in reference to this ep or the "lancelot du lac" ep i'm cackling morgana really is hopeless) there are also SEVERAL psychological layers to it, but describing it this way is just easier.

SO... this is possibly the longest post i've ever made. it got a little more comprehensive than i originally thought it would be, but THERE YOU HAVE IT! that's my take on the morgwen interactions in the dark tower. if i seem a little biased, that's because i 100% am :) i hope that clears things up. this is an open invitation to keep sending me asks (even if it's about the most random things ever) cause i love them and i love every single person who sends in an ask, and a public apology for how long these answers get sometimes 😭

[quotidian-oblivion]

Not-Yet-Written Fic Game

Tagged by @chemical-processes!! Thank you so much for tagging meeee. Especially in writer games, i love them <3

Post about some of the fics you plan on writing

I'm gonna do both batfam and Merlin for this one. You can put down any number of wips. I have so many, but I think I'll choose 10 😅 Feel free to ask about any of them!!! I'd love that ^^

No pressure tags: @sardonic-sprite @igotthisaccountunderduress @pericreatesstuff @foursixtwonineoh-pieces-of-lego @foineswoine-writing

@uncertainwallflower @cygnusdoesthings @blightwritesfic @wakkoroni

A Dance Across the Stream [BBC Merlin]

A slave!Arthur fic where I really pump up the angst. Arthur has been a slave for so long that people are starting to lose hope that he's even alive. His slavers decide to auction him since his past status, health and general looks will get them a pretty penny. He's collared by magic that hurts him if he doesn't listen to his masters' orders. As he stares down blankly at the faces and hands rising eagerly to buy a slaved prince, he hears a voice-

"Twelve hundred and thirty gold pieces!"

For the first time in months, Arthur dares to raise his head. Because he knows that voice. Has heard it incessantly rabbiting on, talking his ear off several times a day before his capture.

But it can't be him. It can't be Merlin. Because the bid for him was only open to sorcerers. And Merlin can't be a sorcerer.

2. Let Me Die, Let Me Drown, Lay My Bones In the Ground [BBC Merlin]

(I'm cheating a little bit cuz this is actually written but) My first fic where I really unleash my angst weapons. I wanted to test my limits. And I did.

The storm that had passed through Albion didn't only bring devestation, it brought a party belonging to the king, queen and princess of a distant land on the edge of Albion's maps. As per propriety and courtesy, Camelot was required to hold a feast and provide accommodation for them. The feast started off smoothly, the royals of Camelot getting along quite well with the royals from Harden.

But a single questioned changed everything. Including the destiny of Arthur and Merlin.

"What are your stances on magic?" Uther asked.

3. Doesn't have a name yet, but the wip doc is named 'My Limits Tested Through Merlin' [BBC Merlin]

While writing LMDLMD (the above fic), I discovered that the angst I put in there was not actually my full limit. I could push further. I could write worse. So I started this multichap wip. And it's going splendidly. Honestly, this fic is such a good jar to add my inner demons to. And I decided to work in some foreshadowing, juxtaposition, symbolism and all that lovely fun literary devices stuff because I found that I actually enjoy that process. So this might just be my best mutlichap fic yet!

Summary: That the kingdom they traveled to was peaceful was a lie. That the king was a good and fair man was also a lie. That Merlin, Arthur, and the Knights of the Round Table would be safe was the biggest lie of all. 

As Merlin scrubs the floor beneath the king's feet, despite the pains and bruises on his body, he wonders if escape will also be a lie. 

4. Empire For Two [BBC Merlin]

Part two of a two-part series. I've finished writing the outline and currently it's standing at 50 chapters, but as it gets written it might increase. Since it's MASSIVE and too much for me to take on alone, my lovely fwens Joan (@tireddruid) and Tristi are helping me with it! Joan's alpha and beta-ing while Tristi's gonna be a co-writer. For once, I'm not gonna start posting after it's written, but post as we write each chapter.

A Golden Age AU where I fix the fucking show.

5. Tim gets de-ages to a toddler fic [DC]

I've finished the outline for this too and it's currently standing at 21 chapters and I've already written 2. @mispeltnostalgia is beta-ing it ^^ And it's angsty. And fluffy! Majority of it is fluffy! But the angst at the end and major character death tag kind of overshadows the 19 chapters of fluff 😅 I also do a character study of Jason here. It's very enlightening.

Inspired by the very first fanfic I ever read (by choice) and Tim gets de-aged to a toddler because of a mistake Jason made. Jason's bonds with the family is already fragile and this mistake might just drive a further wedge between him and them. So he keeps the mistake a secret.

But the fact Tim is a toddler isn't. The batfam try their hardest to look after Tim while trying to find a way to age him back. Tim's an adorable kid but... there are warning signs. Too many warning signs. It makes everyone question just how well they had known Tim and his personal life.

For some reason, the toddler seems attached to Jason. And surprisingly, Jason seems to go actually well when dealing with him.

But after an explosive fight between Jason and the rest of the family, when Alfred opens the doors to the bedrooms, he finds both the toddler and the crime lord gone.

6. I Quit (not the actual fic name, just a wip name) [DC]

It started with a crack-genre scene where Tim accidentally resigns being Robin over the phone.

It quickly escalated to Tim running from the Bats, trying to cure Jason of his Pit Madness, and raising a 10-year-old assassin Damian when Talia mistakenly dumped the kid on him. Fully outlined, 19 chapters, I'm probably gonna start writing this soon.

7. Found Him [DC]

Not a multichap fic but a series with oneshots and twoshots and threeshots! Why? Because I was lazy and didn't bother with filling chapters. Why? Cuz I wanted to get to the action bits. Why?

Because this, my friends, is an evil!Tim Drake AU >:)

Tim wakes up in Titans Tower before Bruce and Dick can show up. He wakes up and all he sees is blood.

His blood.

He is in excruciating pain, but for some cruel reason, he can still think and feel clearly. His mind is not a haze, he has all his memories and he is very well aware of the carnage that has been made out of his body. Very well aware of the person who created the carnage out of his body.

In a Red Robin #4-esque style, Tim crawls out and sloppily secures the wounds that bleed the most, then grabs a bike and collapses in the middle of the road. The emergency services think he's a normal civilian boy since Tim had torn his Robin uniform and had ridden out in the blacks underneath. They manage to save his life but the damage was done.

Tim had snapped. He thought he was alone. And nothing was going to convince him otherwise.

8. All 'Board Mind Games [DC]

Inspired by Zugzwang written by sardonic-sprite. Ra's keeps kidnapping Tim and forcing him to play different board games from different cultures (cuz I like representation) and each member of the batfam is kidnapped along with him and with every time Tim loses, he gets to choose between forms of torture or being Ra's heir. Ra's gets what he wants either way because he wants Tim as his heir, but he also wants to see Tim suffer because he blew up his League's operations.

This fic I am so so so incredibly excited for because I am adding brain factors in it. Here is a plan for one of my chapters:

Damian — Barjees — Fear gas — "Be the person you needed when you were younger" (or Ideasthesia)

9. Talons (not the actual title) [DC]

What if Bruce didn't arrive in time to adopt his sons? What if the Talons did?

And what if, years later, Batman comes across four child assassins in Gotham whose eyes are screaming help?

10. Danny meets Tim (not the actual title, obvi) [DC x Danny Phantom]

Not very outlined, but the idea has been written down. During Tim's Red Robin arc where he's traversing the whole globe to find Bruce, one of the places he stops at is Amity Park. He heard about how ghosts are a regular here so maybe he can find something? Proof whether or not Bruce is alive?

Who he finds instead changes the whole trajectory of Tim's life.

~

And those are some of my wips! I am 100% planning on writing and posting all of them. They've all been outlined (except the last one) and are very much ready to be written or posted. I keep getting ideas after ideas for fics though so don't know when I'll be writing them 😂 Rest assured, I'm too excited to delay some of these wips.

[juniperss]

Band of brothers medieval au ,that's just a thought...

anon, your mind….lets take this a step further if you don’t mind me doing so:

knights of the round table au. Now I’ll be honest and admit that my knowledge on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is entirely sourced from BBC’s Merlin so you’ll have to bear with me BUTTTTTTTTTT

“We would fight a thousand armies with our bare hands for you. We are never alone. We stand together." -Elyan to Arthur

In this AU I clearly picture Richard as Arthur. Just as in Band of Brothers, we see how quickly Easy Company (led by Lipton and so on) admit they would rather be transferred (or even killed) than to have to serve under Sobel. It’s clear from the beginning who the loyalty of the Company belongs to and that is Winters.

Now there aren't enough Knights of the Round Table to have each member of Easy Company, so I'm going to divide Easy into the Archetypes of each Knight that they most reflect in either all or most aspects (in my opinion!) -Sir Gwaine Archetype: "I think we have no chance. But I wouldn't miss it for the world." Bold, seeing the best in others, flirtatious, confident, fiercely loyal, humorous, throw hands first and ask questions later, and believed that people should be defined by what they did rather than who they were [Guarnere, Toye, Speirs, Talbert] - Sir Lancelot Archetype: "It is not just his deeds that we'll never forget. It is his courage. It is his compassion. His unselfish heart." Kindhearted, compassionate, courageous, humble, loyal and self sacrificing. [Lipton, Roe, Malarkey] -The Sir Elyan Archetype: "He's [Elyan] just one of those types of people, never settles down, never thinks about the future. Just follows his heart wherever it takes him." Affectionate, adventurous, loyal, brave, kind to others, cunning and quick on their feet, giving. [Muck, Skip, Nixon, Liebgott, Luz] -The Sir Leon (THATS MY MAN!) Archetype: "I have fought alongside you [Arthur] so many times, there is no one else I would rather die for." Steadfast, loyal, sensible, knew the difference between courage and foolishness, outspoken, humorous, good natured, self sacrificing for the greater good [Martin, Buck, also Lipton] -The Sir Percival Archetype: "Your enemies are my enemies" Quiet, man of few words, skilled, brave, gentle and softhearted, decisive, mischievous in the right company. [Shifty, Bull, Babe, Skinny]

Prince Richard presents his plan to stop an evil that has grown so powerful and destructive that he isn't sure he can actually succeed but he vows that he will try anyway. He doesn't ask his friends for help, but one by one they pledge their aid to him.

The Knights that Richard chooses aren’t all nobility nor are they approved by the King. They are simply men who have shown unwavering loyalty and love to him, they are men he trusts. And they are there when he has no one else, and they commit themselves to his cause knowing full well that they might not survive. Their numbers aren't many (only 5 Knights with any skill in battle and 3 honorary members) but they are steadfast and skilled.

After Richard establishes the Knights of the Round table, he would later abolish The First Code of Camelot that states that only men of noble blood can be Knights. After all, blood does not make the man. It's his actions and loyalty that do.

I do absolutely adore the idea of the Knights (Easy) wearing red cloaks and armor like the Knights do in Merlin. It's so dramatic and I think it should be allowed *bangs gavel*

Something something the Knights were so deeply loyal to one another that it bordered on something more than platonic something something the dedication to one another that after the death of their leader there was too much grief to continue on something something.....

While the Knights are meant to be a symbol of the realm and its power, I also see them as representative of the common people, especially in the BBC Merlin version after the Round Table is established. These are men who have come from varied backgrounds and experiences and there's not a way that they wouldn't be seen as what could be for the future.

watch this video and tell me i'm wrong (pls don't tell me i'm wrong)

[karistiltskin]

what if i said "but I would die for you in secret" but imagine merlin and arthur.

peace lyric analysis as merthur:

"Our coming-of-age has come and gone

Suddenly the summer, it's clear

I never had the courage of my convictions

As long as danger is near

And it's just around the corner, darling

'Cause it lives in me

No, I could never give you peace"

OUR COMING-OF-AGE?? okay, listen. as we know, arthur's coming-of-age moment is linked to his coronation. He literally has an episode called "The Coming of Arthur" parts one and two (S03 E12-E13). it's arthur becoming king and merlin starting to finally feel like he's getting somewhere with their destiny because of arthur's crowning. this is our setting. we're now in the after.

"I never had the courage of my convictions as long as danger is near" SHUT UPPPP SHUT UPPPP like actually oh my god. as long as danger is near is so so sick and speaks so loud. merlin absolutely does have the courage of his convictions and just to clarify, collins dictionary [colin morgan ;) ] states it as the confidence to do what you believe is right, even though other people may not agree or approve. BUT when arthur is in danger he does not do the "right" thing. he listens to the giant lizard instead or gaius (still love him) and does anything, anything, to make sure arthur doesn't get harmed no matter what.

rip morgana and getting poisoned.

rip mordred's entire existence.

although arthur attracts danger, merlin attracts just as much. and merlin is magic. (ugh, I'm getting sad and the only reason i won't cry is cause i'm in the middle of a lecture. a nighttime lecture). merlin can never give arthur peace because he is everything arthur was conditioned to hate. arthur can never give merlin peace because he's a king with expectations from Camelot and neighboring kingdoms. aka they can never be peacefully together without the threat of danger from them both and towards their relationship.

"But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm

If your cascade ocean wave blues comes

All these people think love's for show

But I would die for you in secret

The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?"

merlin lights arthur fires. that's it. that's the tweet.

merlin is also arthur's closest friend and confidant. he definitely gets arthur to see other perspectives on a situation and makes sure he remains compassionate and fair. for example, that look arthur gave merlin in S05 E11 during kara's trial?? my god. or the episode where arthur killed that one king's son under the influence of his uncle, the sleaze.

THEY WOULD DIE FOR EACH OTHER IN SECRET. NO ARGUMENTS. they've proved episode after episode again that they would no questions asked. people who don't know them just go "he's just a servant" or "you would choose him over your kind?" (ouch) not knowing the depth of their relationship. but yes. yes they would. and they would not have a single regret. they would deny the hell out of it but the proof is in their actions.

but you got a friend in me yes ma'am they do.

and it would be enough. it would. do they need a reminder that they were both born in mind of each other? that it was written since the beginning of time? that both of them have their own personal demons that instead of running away they'd take care of each other instead? that they're the most important person for each other and nothing can split them apart because they've grown to trust each other so much that their souls have intertwined? two sides of the same coin? other half of my soul, as the poets say???

"Your integrity makes me seem small

You paint dreamscapes on the wall

I talk shit with my friends

It's like I'm wasting your honor"

from arthur's pov he knows merlin is better than him. the way he interacts with people, his morals and values, his humbleness, just everything really. he pretends to be mad and upset about it but there's such deep admiration in it that he's actually self-aware.

dreamscape (google) definition: a landscape or scene with the strangeness or mystery characteristic of dreams

arthur finds merlin so strange!! so strange and mysterious.

the walls: i read this one fanfic on ao3 called "The Tragedy of Godhood" by Lilmia_Casand (read it!! it's so good. short, but beautiful) and the summary states:

"Merlin had gotten better at controlling his magic over the years, but it still spilled over, as if he were the source instead of someone calling upon it. It seeped into the castle walls, into the stone floors..."

This was the first thing I thought of (this quote stuck with me, it got bookmarked) and i couldn't have said it better. here's a play by play: arthur lives in a castle. the castle has walls. a lot of walls. he sees these walls everyday. the walls are familiar. the walls stay. the walls are forever. he can't imagine the castle without his walls.

walls = life/the future

magic is part of merlin's mystery because he's essentially hiding HIMSELF.

(does this make sense? no, prob not but bear with me)

there's an air about merlin where when you think about him, you realize you actually don't know much about him. he's a mystery. you know his jokes, you know where he's gonna be at whatever time of day (not the tavern, contrary to what arthur thinks), you know his favourite food. you don't know about his parents, you don't know why he saved arthur at his first feast, you don't know why he stays around.

arthur reflects on this and realizes it one day when merlin starts to become unavoidable in his mind. then he thinks, 'i really know nothing about this boy.' over time, merlin stays by his side, always, and arthur is so dependent on him that he starts worrying if he'll ever leave and if not him, camelot (he has abandonment issues 100%).

also see: S01 E10

hence, "you paint dreamscapes on the wall" is arthur saying, "you're the biggest mystery i've ever met and you make me wonder what every day will be like with you. will you be here tomorrow? and the day after that? until I'm married and have children who will favour you over me? will you be here to see them? to see me? i can't see it through the haze. i can't see you through the haze."

moving on—fuck that was so much longer than it needed to be—arthur and merlin talk shit about each other ALL THE TIME it's hilarious. and they know the one "bad" thing they talk about doesn't define their entire character because they hold each other in such high regard but... well...

(they definitely have regrets after)

"And you know that I'd swing with you for the fences

Sit with you in the trenches

Give you my wild, give you a child

Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other

Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother

Is it enough?"

they both go all out for each other but with a focus on merlin, he goes ALL. OUT. it's war with him. nothing is half-assed. he fights, and fights, and never takes it less than seriously. but he also is there at arthurs lowest moments. when they're losing and when arthur is feeling too much or has too much on his shoulders. he's there. through it all.

merlin will give arthur anything he asks. he's already given him the purpose of his life and has hidden his magic until arthur's dying day because he thought that's what arthur needed and thought he would never accept him as he is so he gave it up.

but he's also given arthur the best thing he has. a friend. understanding. communication without words. souls recognizing souls, so much that the silence may be quiet but words are being exchanged through that same silence.

also, speechless eye conversations that range near the line of sexual tens—

then in the last line, merlin is saying: your people are my people. your burdens are my burdens.

"But there's robbers to the east, clowns to the west

I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best

But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me"

this goes both ways!! the only difference is that arthur's is visible and merlin's is hidden. explanation: arthur no doubt has enemies, it's not a secret. being a king and a target from the magic community, that man is almost getting killed everyday. it is not a peaceful life. he knows that. but nonetheless, he has shown merlin his best before—merlin is literally the reason he reaches the best person he can be, like the growth omg—so he knows he can give it but he knows there's a lot of baggage (external and internal) that comes with being with him.

as for merlin, his enemies are a secret. and they're dangerous. arthur faces some of those same enemies but from the product of what they've created, not them personally. no, merlin goes head-to-head with the people who curse/try to kill arthur. and he gives arthur a version of his best (he still has to keep many many secrets) but even if it's limited it's still genuine. although his secrets, his late nights, and his pure exhaustion are a part of him as well. and you can't have sunshine without rain.

okay ,WOW, i'm wrung out. it feels incomplete so i might add additional things later on but for now, enjoy.

once again, thank you if you read this, thank you bbc merlin, and thank you taylor swift.

(notice how i didn't use the word love once)

[earlgreyinpajamas]

Do you have any comfort fics? Like, fics where you’re having a bad day and rereading them makes you feel better?

merthur

1. match made in (heaven) by radioactivesunflower

“You are a client. This is my job. I’m not here to be your best friend. I am here to make the best match for you so you can find love. If you are not going to take this seriously, just leave. I have plenty of people who want my services.”

By this time, he had finished his little rant. Arthur’s smile was downright wicked as he leaned forward in his seat, holding eye contact with Merlin. “I was just going to do one meeting to please Morgana and piss off after, but you know what?” Merlin didn’t want to know what, as it sounded very bad for him.

“You intrigue me, Merlin. Let’s see you work your magic! Find me my true love, wizard boy.”

aka the one where merlin is a matchmaker and a big fat lair arthur likes to spend most of his time annoying merlin a love story between a matchmaker and client that share a past only one knows about

~~~

a newer fic but it gave me fuzzies when i finished so it has been promoted to comfort fic

2. The Proposition by fifty_fifty

Hit by another scandal and with the reputation of the monarchy hanging on by a thread, Prince Arthur finds himself in desperate need of an image rehabilitation.

When the press assumes his blossoming friendship with his maths tutor Merlin is more of a romance, his father proposes a proposition: ask Merlin to continue portraying a wholesome relationship for a few months to regain the prince’s reputation, and receive his university costs paid off in full in return.

With his image restored and a new beau lined up, Arthur is left with a difficult decision; bend to his fathers will, or defy him.

In the end, it’s not such a tough choice. Love always wins.

~~~

just them being in love + the ending also gave me toothaches therefore a comfort fic

3. With Flowers in Your Hair, With Courage in My Heart by Mischel (@magicalmischel) 

Merlin's magic has always been connected to his emotions, but when it starts reacting to his love for Arthur and flowers start appearing every time he looks or thinks about him, instead of a confession he chooses to pretend he has a magical cold. Arthur doesn't like it when Merlin avoids him though. And neither does Gaius. Or Morgana. Or Gwen. Or even the bloody dragon, it seems.

Sooner or later, they'll have to talk. And Merlin can only hope that Arthur won't mind the mountain of flowers they're swimming in because really, it's his fault for being so damn good-looking.

Written for the flower mini-challenge on the Merlin Fic Book Club server on Discord.

+ ART

~~~

and this is angst free and full on fluff for a really bad day

00q

Spies That Are Ridiculous by Celyan

James has plans for his Quartermaster.

~~~

they're in love. that's the plot

2. Third Valentine’s the Charm by Castillon02 (@castillon02)

The first time, Bond was in Rio from 3 to 16 February, and between him and 003 in Kiev, Q didn’t even think about Valentine’s Day until he was browsing the half-priced chocolate at his local Waitrose.

~~~

they're such dorks i want to keep them in my pocket forever

3. Casting On by storm_of_sharp_things

Bond and Q are delicately knitting a relationship together but Bond is far too free with gift-giving for Q’s taste.

~~~

asdhfjkjfhl bond

[tansyuduri]

Hi, do you mind if I ask, what do you think are Merlin and Arthurt’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Thanks if you want to answer....

Of course, I'll answer! I love answering questions! It's hard for me to put into words the answer to the first question. (For some reason these things are a LOT easier to express in fic) For Merlin it is devotion to the people closest to him. This is a man who will do almost anything for those he cares about. He will choose them EVERY TIME. He might struggle with it and choose something else might be more objectivly "right" and feel bad about it.

And some of his greatest struggles deciding what to do come from having to decide between what he is told might happen in teh future (AKA kid mordred and early morgana) and what to do now.

But usually he will choose the well being of the people he cares about (ESP ARTHUR) Especially if no one around him is in imidate danger (AKA Sins of the father magic statement) By season 5 this is at an extreme level and he has Arthur tunnel vision. The key thing here is this comes from a place of caring. It comes from him caring so much. Its his kindness and golden heart twisted by destiny, responsability, and some pretty horrible advice (That at least from one source is ALSO well-meaning) Hes basically told from day one that the entire responsibility for keeping Arthur safe is ALL on him. And he takes that to heart. For Arthur It's harder to pinpoint. But 99.9 percent of it is generational trauma from uther. From having a hard time expressing and processing emotions. (leading to lashing out) To the self-hate that spurs a lot of his acting out and trying to be more sure of himself. Hes a good person but doesn't always know how to express it right because he was not given the right tools. One thing I bring up in one of my fics is also that I'm pretty convinced at least subconsciously one of the reasons Arthur has such a hard time with magic is that IF it's good then in his view his very birth caused horrible things to happen to innocent people. He would self-blame. (Despite it being on uther) Despite this, he still asks himself questions about it being good. This is a bit rambly. Their best personality trait, for both of them as far as I am concerned are their hearts of gold. They are human but they are both such GOOD people. Now for their dynamics, I'm a sucker for banter so thats one thing. But I think what I like most about them both is that they can/could help heal each other. They are good for each other. Given time I think they would help each other heal from their trauma and the hardships they have faced. Just by being themselves. (I kinda live for that dynamic) We didn't get to see this as much from Arthur because so much was kept from him until the last episode. As someone who has deals with trauma a lot the idea of a pairing that can help heal each other and help each other be better is VERY appealing. We didn't get a chance to see the full extent of that in cannon though we do see a lot. One of the most important and meaningful parts of writing fanfic for me is being able to see them heal a bit, and help each other with that. (though a lot of Arthurs happens in the prequal fic to the one I am posting right now. Fair warning. The one I posting ATM mostly focuses on Merlin Trauma)

[merlinpotterandtherandom]

Merlin and Morgana decide to de-age and go to Hogwarts, since they're bored. They end up in Harry's 5th year.

Morgana is horrified with Umbridge's clothes and doesn't even realize Umbridge is actually a person or well, something close to it, so Morgana lets out a "For fucks sake, what even is that pink thing there?" really loud when she and Merlin are waiting the firsties to be classified so they can be classified, since they're transfer students. Umbridge is not happy, but it turns out Merlin and Morgana planned really ahead and made themselves untouchable to Umbridge 'cause their "parents" made a really generous donation to the Ministry, so Umbitch can't do anything to them, Umbitch just gives Morgana a really fake smile and says "I'm the Defense Against Dark Arts professor, dear" to which Morgana just nods and tells Merlin telepathically "This fucking toad is gonna teach? Please, let's go home Merlin, please, I'm not bored anymore" and Merlin just laughs and replies "It's too late now, love". The Hat lets Merlin and Morgana decide where they wanna go, since they really helped with founding Hogwarts. Both of them end up choosing Gryffindor, 'cause when they saw Harry they were like "Yeah, this one's gonna need all the protection and help we can give, he has the same vibe Arthur had of trouble finding him".

When the DA started, even though Merlin and Morgana didn't agree with that stupid idea, they were one of the first people to sign the parchment Hermione had.

Harry, Hermione and Ron think that these new transfer students are a bit weird, but if they wanna help and they actually believe Harry even though they seemed to have no idea who Harry nor Voldemort were before someone explained to them.

Harry is way too tired to think about the weird transfer students. He already has to juggle his time between his secret boyfriend (Draco), his friends, the DA and having Voldemort in his head doesn't really help with the stress.

Merlin and Morgana didn't signed up for this, but if this poor Harry Potter kid is being targeted by an insane guy with a snake face, then he really is a magnet for trouble like Arthur was-Wait, hold that thought, are we sure Arthur would return in his own body? 'Cause what if this kid is Arthur's reincarnation? Nah, 'cause honestly Arthur wasn't the first person to attract trouble every time he blinked, so they're just reading too much in that.

When Harry ran to the Ministry, Merlin and Morgana went with the group as well and when the Death Eaters attacked, they managed to capture all of them and leave a little note to Fudge that read "Here's a few gifts, Minister ;) " Harry and his friends just looked at Merlin and Morgana stunned 'cause they never showed that they could take someone out in a duel so quickly like they did with the Death Eaters! They didn't even had to leave the Prophecy room! When they were leaving and the Order + Voldemort and Bellatrix showed up, Merlin and Morgana just looked at them and Merlin asked Morgana "Oh, I think they have a veil here in the Ministry, should we give the Snake face to Cailleach? I think she'll appreciate the gift!"

So when they stun Voldy and go handle him to Cailleach, Cailleach says she's been wanting him for a while, but they also need to get the Horcruxes Voldy made and just throw them through the veil. Harry & Co are really confused by that, but Merlin & Morgana just nod and leave to go look for the Horcruxes. They come back pretty quickly and start throwing the fucked up thing to Cailleach. Merlin & Morgana feel that there's one in Harry, so they're like "Can we use a spell on you real quick?" and when Harry allows them to do it, they take the Horcrux out and put it in a quill just because and throw it through the veil. And with that Voldy is defeated. Harry & Co are still confused of how that happened and who exactly are these transfer students, but oh well, they helped so they can't be the villains here, right?

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

Sorry sorry one more ask I’m rewatching Merlin a bit pls tell me if you will what you’d have done with Merlin and Morgana plotline I’d like to imagine it play out nicely

First of all I treasure and relish asks I love talking to you never apologize. Second of all. It's been a long long while since I watched it BUT you know what's so weird??? That Merlin didn't tell Morgana about his magic when he found out about his dreams! He told a lot of people frankly, Lancelot worked it out in SECONDS, so why not Morgana, Morgana who's clearly suffering and so totally alone and afraid. So Merlin tells Morgana and she believes him and for a while it helps that they share this secret.

But it isn't enough, because sometimes it just isn't. Uther is still so rabidly against it and Arthur too and the kingdom is so hostile and Merlin's just one boy, so Morgause still manages to win over Morgana even as Merlin pleads for her to stop. He still has to poison her to stop the sleeping spell (a sleeping spell she didn't know about and didn't cast on purpose! Even up until this she was still fairly innocent!!!) and she sees that as a double betrayal - not just Merlin the vague acquaintance, but Merlin her friend, Merlin the only person to share her secret, poisoned her.

So of course, she's furious and she turns against Camelot and fights against it over and over again. She sneaks back into the castle pretending to repent, as she did in the show, but continues to attempt to tear down its foundations. But because Merlin knows she knows about his powers, he doesn't try to hide them from her and so they keep meeting, they keep having individual fights, they keep arguing. And every time, Merlin asks her to come back, to be reconciled, to give up his quest. He begs forgiveness for poisoning her and for not seeing where it was all going wrong. He could kill her so many times in this version but he never does. Morgana's hatred and rage is slowly cooled and replaced with confusion, the confusion of a girl raised by an angry and bitter and unrelenting man faced now with mercy. She can hardly remember what that means anymore.

Let's say Uther starts another witch-hunt and Merlin needs help to get a friend out of Camelot. It wouldn't be too unlikely a storyline. He asks Morgana, because she's the only one he knows, because he gets desperate, because Uther is crueler and more twisted each day. Morgana in this, at least, can work with Merlin but she also plans to use it for her own means, to kill Uther, to take down the knights, and Arthur too. But the thing is that Merlin trusts her, he trusts her to follow the plan they make together to help people and remember that Morgana used to order food for those in need in defiance of Uther's wishes, remember she used to arm herself on behalf of small ravaged villages, remember that at her heart she was kind. So she chooses to go along with Merlin's plan, to let her revenge slip away for a moment, telling herself she can always do it again, and because of her a magic user makes it out of Camelot alive. This is the beginning.

Because, at the same time other dangers, other enemies, other darknesses are rising against the land and Merlin is tired and harried and stretched through. And he hates to do it, but he has to turn, on occasion, to Morgana. He has to fight her still, but somehow the fights become less frequent and the requests for aid more common. Every time Morgana swears she'll most likely kill Arthur in the morning and every time she doesn't. Merlin asks for her help in making small lives better, in lightening loads, Morgana isn't shaking the earth with thunder, she uses her magic now more and more often, she finds, for quiet sly spells to make things easier for others now every day.

But! Morgause is still her family, has still manipulated her so much that she does still choose to take over Camelot. She's much more conflicted about it though, more so when the people of the city refuse to swear loyalty to her, even more when Merlin returns and tries to convince her against it. Morgause attacks him as he speaks and as she does, Morgana chooses to tip over the cup of life herself, ending her own army because, she realises, she would rather lose the crown than see Merlin die (because he, of course, is what she could be, and the good in what she once was).

Either Morgause dies there as in the show, or she becomes a mutual enemy, but Morgana flees as she did before. She still lives in the wilds outside Camelot and a new legend springs up, that if you go a-searching in the woods, you might find a witch who can help you. It's still not an easy path, she's still filled with a lot of hatred, but Merlin helps, he visits a lot. They become very close mostly because they learn to trust each other (it takes a lot of effort from him, a lot of work, but he tries and it pays off). The ending could be dramatic or it could be simple. Perhaps one is in danger and the other realises they can't bear to let them go. Perhaps, instead, Morgana looks at Merlin over the table one day and discovers she doesn't want a life without him. No matter how it goes, they do fall in love.

Camelot falls, of course, as it must, as it always has and always will. Arthur dies and Merlin sends him off and awaits his return. But this time, he's not alone in the waiting.

i just think. They should have been in love. It's about how they are both what the other could have been.

Also I need to emphasise this doesn't really make clear how extremely angsty this would be. So much drama. So much pain. Only joy after a REALLY LONG TIME.