#uther headcanon.

[mandoriana]

What if...Ygraine Returns as a Ghost to Care for Her Son

Servant: Sir, I came to inform you that the knights you sent to battle are all dead.

Uther (sitting on the throne, distracted): Well, send their belongings to their families and tell them they were heroes. And bring more cookies, I'm hungry.

Arthur (six years old, watching the scene with distracted eyes next to a very angry ten-year-old Morgana): Good people die young, so when I grow up, I want to be bad like mom. 😌

Morgana: What are you talking about, Arthur! Your mother was a kind and good woman! Where did you get the idea that she was bad!?

Arthur: Yesterday I heard mom say that her dream was for a manure cart to run over dad so he would die once and for all. 🙂

Morgana (eyes wide in complete shock): Your mother would never say such a thing, Arthur… 🫢

Ygraine (next to Uther, trying to strangle him but unable to because she is a ghost): Don't listen to her, baby, mom hates dad and doesn't support anything he's doing! I still can't believe I married this man, listen to what mom says, Arthur, don't follow in his footsteps!

Arthur (turns to Morgana): Mom just said she hates dad, she's also trying to strangle him, but her hands keep going through his body, I think she's a ghost. 🫠 *slowly losing sanity*

Morgana (realizing that the young prince might be crazy): Arthur, maybe she's just joking…

Ygraine (trying to make Uther trip by stepping on his own cape): I'M NOT JOKING! If I could, I would kill him myself! I just can't because I can't touch him!

Arthur: I don't know if the gods would like so much violence…

Ygraine: The gods don't like your father!

Arthur: Okay… 🙂 *takes a cookie from the tray the servant brought*

[gldnstrngs]

the hc that uther is against magic but isnt a homophobe is genuinely so funny to me like he dgaf that arthur is gay as long as he doesnt end up with a magic user💀

arthur: father, i like men.

uther: [unbothered] okay whatever

[merlin looking flabbergasted in the background]

arthur: … you’re not angry?

uther: no, i don’t care.

uther:

uther: i can excuse you liking men, but i draw the line at you liking magic users!!!!

arthur & merlin: [confused] you can excuse liking men?!?!?!!?

[justaz]

au where merlin pulled sigan’s spirit from cedric’s body and tries to shove him back in the jewel but fails and now sigan’s soul is stuck in merlin’s body and he’s just a voice in merlin’s head urging him to kill everyone. everytime uther enters the room sigan goes “oh gods this bitch again” or “someone hasn’t killed him yet?” when theres an assassin going after arthur, sigan is just like “why are we fighting so hard to save this asshat? he dumped a bucket of water on us earlier” or when arthur says something borderline sweet and merlin is lowkey swooning, sigan is just gagging in his head. when merlin gets annoyed and is insulting arthur but cant think of something particularly scathing, sigan chimes in and the words just roll off his tongue. sigan teaches merlin more powerful magic/spells that aren’t in any of the books.

they’re the epitome of

gaius: what do you want to eat

sigan: the souls of the pendragons

merlin: soup?

sigan: NO

merlin: and bread

[hoarder-of-dragons]

[Merthur during a near-death experience]

Arthur: I think... you're my best friend.

Merlin: You think?

Arthur: Well, I can't know for sure because I'm realizing now that I've never had one.

Merlin:

Merlin: This would be a really sweet moment if what you just admitted wasn't so sad.

[nothankyoudear]

Arthur doesn't have many secrets, being the prince of Camelot and all, but he does have one that he's managed to keep from everyone but himself.

In the prince's royal chambers, underneath the bed, in a box that can only be unlocked with a key that Arthur carries by his side, there is a small brown journal.

Unlike the most common expectations for such a carefully secured book, what is inside this journal is - to put it plainly - not important at all. There are no secrets inside this journal that could bring Camelot to ruins. No ancient prophecies that could shift fate and history, and most certainly nothing of importance to Camelot and its people.

What is inside this journal is actually quite simple - There is a list.

But the fact that it is a list is not what deems its protection and security, it is the content of the list. It is the list of everything that Arthur has wanted since he was a mere child.

The list starts off simple with childish whims and demands. Things like a horse of his own and a sword that spans the length of the castle itself are not uncommon reoccurrences.

Then, as Arthur grows, the list of simple things begin to evolve. He writes that he wants a friend who isn't just friends with him because he's the prince. He writes that he wishes his father would look him in the eyes without some sort of judgement for once in his life. He writes that he wants his mother back.

He writes because he's not allowed to want or have, and at least this way he could fool himself into thinking that maybe - just maybe - one day he'd finally get what he wants.

Then, Merlin happens, and Arthur slowly realizes that he is writing about Merlin more and more often in this book that was supposed to be about his own selfish little desires.

He finds himself facing the fact that Merlin has somehow slowly slipped into every minuet crevice of his life, and has consumed the secrets that were supposed to be his own little safe haven.

But even with this knowledge, Arthur can't stop.

So he keeps writing.

He writes about how he wants to crawl beneath his blanket and cuddle up with Merlin on cold nights. He writes about how badly he wants to hold Merlin's hand in his every time he complains about the cold during one of their hunting trips. He writes about he wants to touch and kiss those ridiculous ears of his.

He writes about how he wishes he’s not the prince of Camelot so he could be with Merlin. He writes about wishing he had the confidence to just tell Merlin he loves him so desperately that it burns him from the inside out. He writes about how he wants nothing more than the chance to love.

And sooner or later, he finds himself picturing and writing about wanting a future with Merlin - a future where Merlin agrees with run off with Arthur to a small, remote village.

He's got it all written out - Arthur would feed the chickens and Merlin would pluck the berries they planted. They'd grow carrots and wheat and maybe even keep bees. They'd lean on each other and kiss as the sun sets.

Arthur would love Merlin, and Merlin would love him back.

But he knows that he's still not allowed to want or have, so he simply does what he always does: He writes in the journal, puts the journal in the box, and locks the box before returning it to the space underneath his bed.

Afterwards, he sleeps in his bed alone, hoping that he dreams of him and Merlin on their little farm tending to chickens.

And one day, as Arthur is feeding their chickens and Merlin is collecting ripened blueberries from the bushes they planted, Arthur will tell Merlin about the silly little journal that he wrote in about a silly little future just like the one they have. Merlin will smile at Arthur as they watch the sunset, and before they kiss, he'll whisper, “I know.”

[nononsensesblog]

More detailed explanation of each trope under the cut👇:

Time loop: a plot device in fiction where characters experience a period of time that repeats, often multiple times. The characters may try to break out of the cycle. Usually big reveals can happen where we can see the different reactions characters would have to certain secrets and situations, leading to various consequences. Often provides the characters trapped in a loop with a better understanding of their life and the people on it. (Some examples are the movies: Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day).

Character(s) High on substances: Characters with an altered state of consciousness caused by the ingestion of hallucinogenic substances (such as mushrooms or, more appropriate to the show’s context, a potion), commonly used as a comical device. (I’m not taking into consideration the episode where Arthur is enchanted and becomes a himbo, cause it’s not exactly the same).

Mystery solving with people trapped together: common trope in movies and tv shows, the characters are trapped together in the same space by external reasons (such as a storm or a blizzard) while something mysterious happen leading to general mistrust between the characters while they work together to solve it.

Christmas episode: a common trope that is usually a special production commission separate from the season it occurs alongside; as such, it generally just features the series's core cast (and sometimes, popular secondary characters), in which the characters attempt to reunite for a special celebration, usually with a gift exchange. It can be used as a comical device and/or promote heartwarming moments between the characters.

The Beach episode: an episode where the cast decided to take a break and go to the beach, shenanigans happen, it’s considered mostly as a filler episode. Beach episodes often provide a lighter, more relaxed atmosphere, allowing characters to bond in a non-serious context. This helps to develop relationships and showcase different aspects of characters's personalities.

[imagine-to-be-a-pike]

Sometimes a character is written so badly that He exhibits bpd syndromes

[greenorbluesposts]

Love how Merlin does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants all while breaking laws and social rules just because Uther sees Merlin as Arthur's greatest ally in the fight against magic

[mytwotragicgaymen]

Mini headcanons. A speedrun.

Both Merlin and Arthur are excellent at skipping stones. This is how they decide who collects the firewood for camp.

Besides Gaius, Gwaine knows the recipe for the best hangover cure. He gives them out in the morning after a night out.

Percival is really good at doing someone else's hair, despite having a minimum amount of it himself. He taught Gwaine how to braid his hair out of the way and sometimes helps the other knights as well.

Gaius has a journal where he writes about interesting/difficult cases of illnesses and how he cured the patients. He is very meticulous with every single one.

Uther is always up before everyone else. He does not like to be woken up by servants. He's also always the first one to go to sleep. Uther is very proud of his sleeping schedule and boasts about it to Arthur or whoever will listen.

Elyan and Gwen have a deal. Gwen sneaks treats from the kitchen for Elyan and, in return, he teaches her more sword-fighting.

Morgana, while she was still living in Camelot, always exchanged gossip with the other servants. There was a whole system developed and every new servant was informed about it and how it worked. Only Morgana and the servants knew about this.

Leon LOVES reading. He is the only person that Geoffrey can stand being in the library and the archives. Despite his busy schedule, he takes a book with him everywhere with the hope that he will have a moment to read it. This is why he was surprised/excited to find out about Arthur's "love for poetry".

Merlin is a bit of a plant mom. He keeps a few potted plants in his bedroom and vents to them about Arthur.

Arthur likes to hum tavern songs while riding his horse on patrol. Sometimes the other knights join in and it ends with a full-on concert where the whole patrol is singing.

[worthyprnce]

I need to read more of merlin characters' modern pets omg pls

ask and you shall receive! here's a part 2 of merlin characters' pets!

cw: snakes, bugs and spiders

hunith — to me, Hunith is that cat lady that everyone loves. she's like the kind of cartoon that makes delicious pies every afternoon and spends time knitting while having one or two cats sleeping and purring on her lap. but I also see her as someone who would live on a farm/in the countryside. so I also see her taking care of a couple of cows, sheep or goats, chickens, pigs, a horse and also a dog to act as a guard. she's living my dream, basically. I spent a good part of my childhood with my grandmother, who lived exactly like that, minus the cat part, and I KNOW that merlin would have the best childhood ever, growing up surrounded by nature, animals, helping his mother take care of the animals and oh… what a dream. I know it might be a bit heavy for her, so let's imagine that Balinor never left and he takes care of the farm too. will, his neighbor, also shows up to help.

gaius — I'm sure Gaius would have birds. talking birds, specifically, like a parakeet or a parrot, so he can fill the silence by talking to them and occasionally even getting into arguments. the birds are always ruining his stuff, his furniture, his decorative objects, his plants, everything. so it's very common to hear him arguing with the poor talking bastards. but be careful, they will curse. a lot. gaius won't admit it, but he's the one who taught them some pretty bad words (merlin too, he has so much fun teaching them new words to give gaius a little scare). but I don't think he'd be content with just a pair of birds, so I can also see him owning a hungarian puli.

morgause — snakes!!!! I was going to give morgana snakes too, but I was afraid it would sound repetitive or too cliché, especially since I can see her with the animals I gave her in part 1, but there's no way. morgause would definitely have snakes, and probably more than one. pretty little snakes that match her aesthetic (and makes everyone a little bit uncomfortable

cenred — I just said I didn't want to be repetitive, but anyway. snakes again. I can definitely see cenred owning dogs like a doberman or rottweiler, maybe even a cane corso. but he gives me a lot of "black snakes" vibes, I don't know. I guess you guys can choose what you prefer, the snakes, very black and dark, or the dogs.

mithian — I'm sure everyone who sees Mithian thinks she has a small dog or a cat, a small, delicate animal, but no. she has a huge great dane. as someone who has lived with one for a while, I know that they are really just silly, playful giants and get people scared because of their size. but they are great companions, and I feel that mithian, being also someone with a great sense of humor and an appearance that can be deceiving, I feel that he would be the perfect pet for her.

daegal — bug boy. rat boy. that's how i see daegal, in the most adorable way possible, btw. he's the kind of kid who grew up collecting bugs and is completely fascinated by them, as well as spiders and rats. nowadays he has several habitats with different species of bugs, and he gives special treatment to his spiders. and he takes all the care in the world for his little mice, they are like children to him.

alice — alice is so cute. she gives me a city granny vibe. so I can only see her with a cute cocker spaniel or a fox terrier, actually. and a persian cat. merlin likes to tease gaius by saying that alice's cat looks like him because of his funny and annoyed face (and alice agrees).

[feral-and-chaotic]

Merlin ramble

Because I haven't really talked about it in years, a bit of background, I used to be absolutely obsessed with BBC Merlin. It was baby me's gateway into fantasy. I loved it.

Rewatching it now is fun cause most of the early seasons still hold up.

But the one thing I am furious about is how easily finished and badly handled the Nimueh plotline was.

Nimueh was such an interesting character. Arguably a lawful evil/neutral character who had tried to help her friends/allies to conceive a child. But despite her warnings and her help, not only did Uther turn on her but also used this as a justification to murder hundreds of people.

She is so angry about this she spirals into vengeance. She believes strongly in balance but Uther's actions push her over the edge.

Merlin helps Uther, so she tries to kill him but on realising who he is, she makes a last ditch attempt to reach out.

...

She's so fascinating. She's probably the only person with her specific knowledge left, who was... At least implied to be friends with Uther and Gauis (and I assume Ygraine too).

She mirrors Morgana, just as Merlin mirrors Gauis and Arthur mirrors Uther. And I wish wish wish we went into her more rather than just killing her.

There's a fascinating relationship between Merlin and Nimueh that could have been explored after they got over the initial antagonism.

ALSO!!

We know Morgause was brought up by the high priestesses... Does that mean Nimueh raised her? The idea of Nimueh trying desperately to school this child in the ruins of a temple she once lived in and still serves is tragic.

Can you tell I made up my own childhood lore headcanons based on the scraps we got🤣

This show will always be instrumental to me being interested in fantasy but it definitely has some gaping lore holes. (Affectionate)

[quinnoliver]

Uther: keep this conversation a secret

Gaius: of course

Guards: suppose we don't exist

Heath (12)'s diary

Today, a guard told me another secret. Why do people love this king?

[quotidian-oblivion]

For the Merlin ask game, number 25? Pre-Merlin headcanon?

what- what does this mean??? Is it before the timeline of the show? An Old Religion hc?? Before the Purge hc?? Before Merlin came to Camelot hc??

In any case, I have a li'l ol' Arthur hc. Baby Arthur was attracted to magic.

Hear me out.

Everyone knows that he was born of magic, right? That won't come without consequences and side-effects. Like, come on.

I believe that when Arthur was a little baby or toddler, perhaps up till the age of 3 or 4, Arthur found himself strangely drawn towards magical objects. Objects have a different calibration of magic than people because sorcerers' magic flows and shifts constantly because it is living. Objects are more dense and solid and set. It may become drained of magic overtime or tainted, but it doesn't shift constantly and fluctuate and move like people's.

So Arthur, a simple-minded child who follows his id and hasn't completely grasped his ego and superego yet, follows those objects because his dormant inner magic is drawn to the objects. I think the reason it's drawn is because of the prophecies. Arthur's magic knows that it is a part of a bigger vassal of magic (i.e. Merlin), and it wants to find it.

So at times, Uther or his nannies or the knights sometimes found little Arthur toddling to the vaults or drawn to jewellery some of the visiting royalty and nobles wore. No one knows why, they thought it was his adventurous heart, to be quite honest Arthur himself didn't know why, but he felt a sense of longing at times. Nighttimes were a nightmare for his nannies sometimes because occasionally, the magic got frustrated at its missing half, its missing piece. Uther ended up patting Arthur back to sleep during those nights when his nannies could not.

Then, one day, the sense of longing and the mysterious urges to walk down to the vaults or grab the ring from the visiting queen disappeared.

It was also the day Hunith held her small son with the odd stuck-out ears and raven-black hair in her arms for the first time.

When Merlin came to Camelot and picked a fight with Arthur, on a whim, the prince decided to let him go. He didn't know why, but there was something about the snarky and stupid commoner.

Little did either of them know, after two decades of searching, Arthur's innate magic finally found its missing piece.

[justaz]

arthur (prince of camelot) still has to study under a tutor bc yknow uther wants him to be very intelligent before becoming king or something bc its super important idk idc anyways merlin is doing chores in his chambers while arthur is squinting at a book and merlin eventually caves and asks him what he’s reading and arthur gruffly explains that its a collection of stories from greece that make absolutely no sense so merlin asks him to read them outloud to him. arthur of course teases him and calls him an idiot and asks how he could possibly help but does as he’s asked and reads the stories to merlin as he does his chores. merlin (being crushed under the weight of destiny and tormented by the prophecies that kilgharrah spews) understands the stories almost immediately and gets all excited and starts rambling about them with arthur. arthur is glad to have someone who understands so he can give something that reflects a hint of understanding to his tutor who accepts it and moves onto the next unit of education.

the thing is, arthur finds more stories in camelot’s library and brings them up to his room to read them aloud to merlin under the guise of completing his studies but really he just wants to watch as merlin’s eyes gleam when he understands whats happening and listen to him ramble on and on about them bc he’s gay. the stories stick with merlin though and he realizes that they’re cautionary tales, that the heroes who were told too much of their future doomed themself to fulfill them - that them fighting the prophecies led to their completion. merlin takes it to heart and gives a big “fuck you” to kilgharrah before forging his own fate and helping morgana with her magic and handing out an olive branch to mordred and now everyone can live happily and peacefully in an albion teeming with magic.

[hoarder-of-dragons]

Arthur: Listen, Dad. I was wondering something. When was the last time that you said, "I love you" to anybody? Uther: "I love you"? Arthur: Yeah. Uther: What, do you live in a fucking fairyland or something?

[nothankyoudear]

I think that the reason Arthur is so willing to die for Merlin like, two days after he's met him is because he doesn't know how to love. He's never had anyone show him that love can be showed through small actions or words, so he always jumps to the biggest thing he can do for someone to show them that he loves them.

He's never known or had the love that is as simple as brushing a leaf off someone's shoulder or laughing at an unfunny joke they said, so he naturally wouldn't recognize it as love. He’s never had anyone love him through the small things they do, so he feels the constant need to do something to prove to the person he loves that he truly does love them - like sacrificing himself for Merlin.

or he's just whipped as fuck idk