#until merlin

[sherlockruiningmylife]

I genuinely don't know at most points in the show, what Arthur would have done if he'd discovered Merlin's magic. I think that's a big part of what keeps this fandom so alive.

But in rewatching season 1, I see Arthur's sense of duty ruling every little action, or at least coming into play. If he is being observed, every single decision he makes puts his duty and responsibility as prince first. But when he's not, he's already got questions about his father's decisions. He's already got his doubts.

In episode 8 where Mordred is first introduced, he catches Morgana trying to flee with Mordred. You can see when he catches her that he wants to let her go. He wants to let her escape and take Mordred to safety. But as soon as this look crosses his face, he looks around and sees his guards/knights. It's their presence that forces his hand. He has an image to uphold and it's why he apprehends them in that moment, even though his heart tells him not to.

This brings me back to how he would react if Merlin's magic was revealed. I think that no matter what, after the first few episodes, he wouldn't want to arrest Merlin. But his actual actions would depend entirely on how his magic was revealed. If it happened in the first season, I think there would have been two options.

If Merlin's magic was revealed s01 when it was just Arthur and Merlin, and no one else nearby at all, none the wiser to any of it. Then Arthur would have sent Merlin away reluctantly. He would want him to stay but it's that sense of duty that would force his hand. He'd tell Merlin to go and never come back like he did with Lancelot. He would show him mercy and his heart would want Merlin to stay. But his fear of failing in the eyes of his kingdom would force his hand.

But if Merlin's magic were revealed in any other circumstance. Even if it were just with Arthur and Gaius, Arthur would reluctantly have him arrested. He would do the same thing he did to Morgana, he'd look around and see that he was being watched, that his moves were being measured, and he wouldn't want to fail. He is so incredibly burdened by his role as prince early on that he would feel no other option but to arrest him. But, I think he would help him escape. Merlin wouldn't let him go, but Arthur would do everything he could to get him released. He would break him out, but only after assuring his father that Merlin had been arrested. Only after playing the part of the dutiful prince. Then the following morning as alarm bells sound, he would lead the search parties, far away from Merlin.

[irishyuri]

these were such fun warmups lmao COWBOY AU (briefly) BACK ONLINE ‼️‼️

[amariram]

Not just lovers.

But each other’s half. Each other’s person.

Each other’s destiny. And each other’s bane.

[myoonmii]

Some might say he didn’t take the news well

[poug1y]

stupid doodle ( ref under cut )

[justaz]

arthur notices merlin and lancelot’s chemistry in s1 and then merlin and gwaine’s chemistry in s3 and comes to the conclusion that merlin likes men with long hair. in completely unrelated news, arthur thinks he might look good with long hair and decides to grow it out

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

BBC Merlin & Text Posts (16/?)

[raviraaa]

two sides of the same coin or smth…

imagine arthur waking up after centuries & stumbling into a new world only to find a merlin who doesn’t remember him, but still wears his wedding ring around his neck as if it means something.

[gazpachoandbooks]

Currently imagining Arthur + Gwen + the knights asking someone (maybe druids?) who this famous "Emrys" is and they proceed to do a version of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" while Arthur, Gwen and the knights grow increasingly more distressed with each line and Merlin hyperventilates in the background

[theroundbartable]

At breakfast

Merlin: would you still love me if I were a worm?

Arthur: *looking up from reading his morning reports* what?

Merlin: would you love me if I were a worm?

Arthur: ...

Arthur: Merlin, you are a servant. My father would have called you something far less than a worm!

Merlin: so?

Arthur: *sighs* yes, Merlin. I would still love you if you were a worm.

Merlin: ...

Merlin: .......

Merlin: you love me? 0////0

Arthur: Merlin, I swear to god- *realizes* Did you just shitpost me into confessing my feelings for you!

- How they got together, probably.

[twistedshipper]

Gothic fiction is characterized by an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and the intrusion of the past upon the present. . . . From the castles, dungeons, forests, and hidden passages of the Gothic novel genre emerged female Gothic. . . . Female Gothic narratives focus on such topics as a persecuted heroine fleeing from a villainous father and searching for an absent mother.

When the female Gothic coincides with the explained supernatural the natural cause of terror is not the supernatural, but female disability and societal horrors: rape, incest, and the threatening control of a male antagonist. Female Gothic novels also address women's discontent with patriarchal society, their difficult and unsatisfying maternal position, and their role within that society. Women's fears of entrapment in the domestic, their bodies, marriage, childbirth, or domestic abuse commonly appear in the genre.

After the characteristic Gothic Bildungsroman-like plot sequence, female Gothic allowed readers to grow from "adolescence to maturity" in the face of the realized impossibilities of the supernatural. As protagonists such as Adeline in The Romance of the Forest learn that their superstitious fantasies and terrors are replaced by natural cause and reasonable doubt, the reader may grasp the heroine's true position: "The heroine possesses the romantic temperament that perceives strangeness where others see none. Her sensibility, therefore, prevents her from knowing that her true plight is her condition, the disability of being female."

🌹 𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔞𝔫𝔞 & 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔢𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔢 𝔊𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔠🥀

[irishyuri]

modern gwencelot yippeee!!!!!

[gramnel]

absolutely unrelated arts because I didn't want to spam post it

[myoonmii]

I think the downright most horrific and brutal detail in the show is that Kilgharrah actually used Merlin to make sure Arthur's death happened with the pretence of protecting him

[camelotluteguild]

Something i really like about Merlin is how they didn’t make love a redemptive force. Uther loves both his children very much -- doesn’t make him a good man or even necessarily a good father. Merlin and Arthur love each other so much, but it doesn’t save either of them, nor does it always makes them better --  oftentimes, it makes them worse. It makes the love no less compelling or meaningful -- in my opinion, it only makes it more so, and it’s a more realistic approach to love. Thoughts and feelings!

[justaz]

magic reveal where arthur doesn't say a word and starts walking away and then merlin is at his heel calling for him, pleading with him to talk, to let him explain everything, begging for him to turn around and look at him, his voice breaking with grief. arthur has never been able to deny merlin anything and turns but he is still hurt and angry and merlin can see it in his eyes before he even opens his mouth to spew accusations. merlin stands, demure, as he shakes his head yet he doesn't say anything - fallen silent under arthur's rage. arthur walks away and around a corner, merlin doesn't follow. merlin breaks down into heartbroken tears and sobs and arthur is just around the corner, leaning on the wall for support, and listening to merlin fall apart.