#And Gwen was so pretty and cute! She has such an embarrassing crush on Merlin lmao

[gaiusbunnymask]

rewatch commentary: the dragon's call

(look at this shot! I looks like a Renaissance painting)

"If I can't use magic, what have I got?"

Merlin arrives at Camelot feeling lost, inadequate and purposeless and I think that's what makes him vulnerable to Gaius and Kilgahrrah's ideas of destiny. EVEN if what the dragon is saying it's true, the timing is really suspicious.

He used to want recognition too, wanted to be someone. He thinks that his magic is the only thing that makes him special, that gives him power over bullies like Arthur, but since the world sees him as something strange and dangerous and rejects his existence, he wonders if he's a monster that shouldn't exist.

That's why it's so easy for him to believe everything the dragon tells him, because he wanted to have some higher purpose. He wanted someone to tell him he was born like that for a reason. It's the beginning of his tragedy.

"I saw how you saved Arthur's life. Perhaps that's his purpose."

Gaius' dubious beliefs/morality about purpose, destiny, and the purpose of Merlin's magic. He was on board with Merlin using his magic to protect Arthur even though he had reprimanded Merlin for using magic recklessly before, and that Arthur is the son of the man that started the Purge. He equals using magic for good to supporting the royal family, which is... not good actually.

My headcanon is that Gaius was/is against dark magic and the abuse of it, but the Purge did more than just condemn dark sorcerers and destroy objects with dark magic, and it turned into something he didn't expect and didn't fully support. Not saying he supported the Purge but he wasn't as pro-magic as Nimueh, for example. He may have helped others escape but he stayed in Camelot and served Uther for 20 years so that says a lot about him.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son!"

It seems to me that Mary Collins was a dark witch?? I'm guessing that practicing dark magic is what gave her that ghastly appearance (yes they also needed the audience to differentiate her from lady Helen because it was the same actress) but it says something about the state of magic in Camelot that most of the sorcerers we'll find later show the same signs of corruption.

Not saying Uther was right to attack all magic and all sorcerers for that, of course not, but Gaius did say that dark magic was running rampant before the purge, and honestly? It's not a surprise. If magic is a tool then people can use it to do bad things. This was probably what gave Uther leverage to carry on with the purge. Obviously the solution to that would be to have laws that condemn acts of dark magic that hurt people. But instead most dark sorcerers probably were able to lay low and hide whereas people like the druids and less powerful sorcerers where easy to capture and execute.

"When I came to this land this kingdom was mired in chaos."

Uther is a very very smart politician, at least on this episode. He beheads a sorcerer/the son of a witch, and right after the fact the announces a festival. This is a show of his power. It reinforces his authority and the idea that the persecution of magic is a good thing, that he's the savior of the land, the protector of the realm, for ridding it from the evil of sorcery. And since it's the anniversary of the capture of the great dragon, it also serves a a reminder.

"No, I'm his son, Arthur."

Arthur was not present at the execution of Mary Collins' son, nor is he there to welcome "lady Helen". Uther forced Morgana to attend but it seems that Arthur can skip it if he wants. I wonder why Uther allowed it? "Lady Helen" doesn't meet Arthur until the night of the banquet where she tries to kill him. I'm just wondering about Arthur, making it his mission to be absent from as many official occasions as possible.

It seems that he used to spend all his time training and bullying helpless servants. No wonder Merlin didn't recognized him as royalty the first time they met.

"He needed to be taught a lesson."

Merlin is very very impulsive. He falls for Arthur's taunts really easy, and he just got out of the dungeons! I think this is not the first time he put a bully in his place/taught them a lesson. He was at odds with the people in Ealdor, where it seems he used his magic more freely. If he was going around "taking bullies apart with one blow", no wonder Hunith was worried.

"The more brutal you are the more enemies you'll create."

Morgana's conversation with Uther was another scene I liked. It established the foundation of her character quite well. Her standing by the window staring at the chopping block for who knows how long it's a thought that haunts me.

It seems she copes by wearing pretty and scandalous dresses that make her look stunning.

Final thoughts:

I was surprised by how much I liked the episode. This is the third time I watched it and I didn't know I would find it enjoyable, but I did! the music, the cinematography, the script (its lovely plotholes ♥) the acting! (Eve Myles' performance was superb) the peak comedy! There was a lot of foreshadowing too. Merlin and Gaius, Merlin and Gwen, and of course Merlin and Arthur are great comedic duos. overall the first episode it's really fun.

#zy rewatchs merlin #bbc merlin #merlin #merlin meta #the dragon's call #merlin s1 #arthur pendragon #gaius #uther pendragon #I had forgot that Morgana used to care about people being executed unfairly ): #And Gwen was so pretty and cute! She has such an embarrassing crush on Merlin lmao

[rainbowvamp]

9. love triangle

Oh love triangles. 

I’m going to be honest, I don’t understand traditional love triangles anymore. Once I was introduced to Polyamory as a concept, I just didn’t understand them, so… how about instead of writing about a love triangle, we write about a triad. 

Which triad? Oh which triad? There are so many to choose from! Merwaincelots, I’m saving something up for Merwaincelot week. I want to talk about Merwencelot. 

Gods I love Merwencelot. The three of them standing together before Lancelot’s little knight’s trial? It means everything to me! Their little interactions as Gwen is getting ready to make him a little knight’s outfit?! Lancelot asking Merlin if they’re together! I can’t stand it! I could burst with my love for this triad.

Ik, Arthur is supposed to be Gwen’s great love or whatever, but never once in my life have I cared about what is canon less than I do about Arthur’s canon. 

Gwen brushes on both Merlin and Lancelot canonically. Lancelot crushes on Gwen canonically. If you want a love triangle, how about Lancelot and Gwen are Together and pining for Merlin. How about Gwen and Lancelot sitting together and talking about how they got together, reminiscing a year or so later (nothing bad happened, Lancelot became a knight and never left Camelot), and Lancelot is like “yeah, lol, I thought you and Merlin were together when we first met, but when I asked he said no.” And Gwen is like “I only wish we had been together. Tbh, I still fancy him. Just a bit.” Because they have the secure sort of relationship where she can say that and Lancelot would not freak out about it because he’s a Genuinely Good Guy. 

And Lancelot’s like, “Actually, kind of same.” 

And then they have this little secret shared between them about how they both have a little crush on Merlin, and Merlin is absolutely oblivious. They start leaving him little gifts, and he things “aww, my friends are so nice.” And they’re like, “… yes. We are so nice.” And they do not correct him because they are his friends and they are nice.

And Merlin never develops feelings for them, because aro, but he does love them a whole lot, and so he just… moves in with them one day. “Are you sure I’m not imposing?” 

“No, never!” They both say, and they are so so so happy! Gwen and Lancelot are married at this point, obviously, and he’s their housemate/bestfriend/secret crush. What could go wrong? 

And nothing goes wrong, really. Merlin is happy to be so near his friends. He does magically openly in their home without fear of being walked in on at any point. He sleeps in a separate bed for a while and then the winter gets really really bad and Lancelot very gallantly offers to sleep in the middle of the bed so Merlin can share their warmth (as though this is any real hardship to him or his wife). 

Merlin gratefully accepts because warming spells only last while he is awake and it is freaking cold!

Merlin curls up with his back against Lancelot and when he starts snoring Gwen and Lancelot share one soft kiss because they’re just so glad that he is close to them.

They share the bed for a couple more nights through harsh winters and Lancelot wakes up with Merlin curled around him on the third morning. Gwen giggles about it and Lancelot and Merlin are both blushing, but it’s goodnatured embarrassment. It’s pretty clear that it’s not that big of a deal for Lancelot when they go about the morning and nothing has really changed except sometimes Lancelot smiles a little brighter and Merlin relaxes and doesn’t worry about it and goes to go do whatever he’s doing in th castle because at this point there’s no way he’s Arthur’s manservant, but I don’t care enough to come up with another thing for him to do. 

And Gwen and Lancelot gush about it and Gwen asks Lancelot if it was good, and he tells her it was just as nice as waking up with her in his arms! So cute! 

I know you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like a triad yet, but wait. Wait.

QPR. Queer platonic relationship. Merlin is like “when you guys have a kid, I call dibs on second dad.” And Merlin is really really really surprised when Lancelot and Gwen are both like “duh. What did you think you’d be?” 

It makes Merlin all glowey to think that his friends think he’s good enough to be a third parent to their maybe one day child. 

One time when Lancelot has to go off to battle or something, he asks Merlin, basically begs him, to look after Gwen if for any reason he can’t return. Merlin’s like “me? Are you sure?” And Lancelot gives him this look that he has obviously borrowed from Leon because it is very long suffering and says, “yes, you Merlin. You live in our house; you share our bed; who else would I trust with this?”

And Merlin kind of suddenly gets in. 

Oh, wow, okay, he’s kind of with them, but not with them. It’s complicated. He can see that it is very complicated. But it is a good complicated. He likes it.

They should have a conversation about it, but Lancelot is riding off to battle and so that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. 

He and Gwen have an awkward hour or so before Merlin admits what’s bothering him and Gwen is like “Yeah, you’re just like an extension of us? We aren’t together, but… I mean, we sort of just fell into this really good thing and I know you don’t love us romantically, but you love us and you live with us and you’re a part of our family.”

Merlin promptly cries.

He hugs Gwen and he sleeps with his head on her shoulder.

Lancelot was right, because it just as nice as when Lancelot holds her. 

When Lancelot comes back from battle it is very late at night, Merlin and Gwen are already sleeping and it’s the whole “married man walks into his wife in another man’s arms” scenario, except he is so happy and when he starts to undress for bed Gwen wakes up and looks around a bit with half closed eyes and when she sees Lancelot she smiles and tells him just, “he’s ours.” And goes back to sleep.

Lancelot climbs in the bed beside Merlin instead of Gwen and holds them both.

Merlin wakes up in the night to complain that he’s hot and makes Lancelot go back to the middle. 

Lancelot climbs over him in high spirits and they all go back to sleep. 

The end. 

#merwencelot #mercelot in june

[conjure-elemental]

arwen for the otp thing

Arthur + Gwen, the mighty and historic pairing of legends, is about to be slammed into some fluff because I love that shit 

((sorry this is so late!!!))Anyway,  my headcanons! [And here’s the ask meme if anyone wants to send me another pairing name! Preferably BBC Merlin, Sherlock, or a platonic Harry Potter or Labyrinth pairing?]

Okay so this is gonna take place kinda in a Modern!Reincarnation!AU but before Merlin and Arthur find each other again. 

_____________________-

1) Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop?

~~Honestly I think Gwen would bc she thinks it’d be funny to watch Arthur squirm, and he wouldn’t even be able to get mad because her laughter clears the negativity from any area immediately 

2) Who is always horny and will have sex at any time, at any place and at any time?

~~I wanna say neither? But probably more likely Arthur?

3) Who is more into taking showers/baths together? Who tries to make it relaxing and who tries to make it sexy time?

~~bathtime is a mutually relaxing, kinda sacred time in which they wash each other’s cute, freckled shoulders and Arthur immensely enjoys playing with Gwen’s hair. 

4) Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on?

~~Arthur walks around naked, or at least half naked, all. the. time. As if we don’t get enough of that in the canon show, this artwork from deheerkonjin proves that it’s a pretty widely accepted thing. (WARNING! link leads to VERY NSFW Merlin/Arthur fan art!) // yeah I know that link is switching it up from Arwen, but it proves my point- he’s an au naturale kinda guy 

,5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight?

~~Even though Arthur is a stubborn ass, he’d always let his queen take the bed :* 

6) Who takes photos of the other while they sleep?

~~I wanna say it’s Gwen. In a modern!AU, I think she’d make a pretty good photographer! Plus, she treasures her loved ones above anything- with the invention of a camera, she’d be snapping and savoring those keepsakes for ages. 

7) Who said “I love you” first? and who ends their arguments in a fight with “Because I love you”?

~~Arthur said it first  (p sure it’s that way in canon too), and then Gwen would definitely end an argument with that before storming out tearily, leaving Arthur to sit there and curse himself while his heart slowly dies :’( 

8) Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?~~They both switch sometimes! Arthur’s usually fit her pretty well, a little big but cozy..... and hers just... well let’s say it comes up a little short in all directions, but it always amuses her, so he sticks with it. Plus, her clothes always smell like flowers!

9) Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? Who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after?

~~Gwen often dreams of the “old days” when everyone was together and happy, and reminisces about these times with Arthur. Arthur is haunted by nightmares and flashbacks about the final battles, and Gwen sings him back to sleep with the folksy lullabies that the village people knew.  

10) Who is more likely to cheat?

~~Look we all know what happened between Gwen and Lancelot, I love Gwen, but if she didn’t feel secure/cemented in her relationship with Arthur, she’d be prone to wander. Once Arthur proves his devotion to her, however, she’s 100% faithful. 

11) Who makes fun of the other for having a crush on them, and who has to remind them that they are in a relationship?

~~ ooh I honestly don’t know this one, I’ve thought about it for a few minutes and I’m stumped 

12) Who starts a food fight in the kitchen?

~~Arthur plays with his food because he can’t cook worth a damn. He playfully tosses things at Gwen, and she’d pretend to be stern about it, but she would give in pretty quickly. :) 

13) Who initiates duets? and who is the better singer?

~~ Gwen often sings while she works, and what a beautiful voice she has! Arthur would be the one to join in rather obnoxiously, much in the style of a shanty singer at The Rising Sun, but they have a good time. 

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops?

~~ Gwen loves hand-holding... and butt-grabbing. Arthur’s butt is a grab-magnet. Arthur loves putting his arm(s) around his loved ones, and in belt loops.

15) Who likes writes the others name on their wrist?

~~Gwen has a lot of nice drawing pens and will doodle all over wrists and ankles :p 

16) Who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed?

~~ARTHUR FOR BOTH, TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE POSSIBLE 

17) Who is more protective?

~~Arthur would jump in front of a rampaging boar for Gwen, but Gwen probably has a whole network of people looking out for Arthur when she can’t access him directly, so really it’s both but in different ways? Also, Gwen would kick ass with a sword if necessary 

18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping?

~~Arthur is v mumbly in his sleep 

19) Who drives and who has the window seat?

~~ Gwen drives because she definitely adapted to the modern life a lot quicker than Arthur. He rides shotgun to fiddle with the radio and try to help navigate (fun fact: she probably already knows where she’s going)

20) Who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed?

~~Gwen often nods off on Arthur and he happily carries her to bed and tucks her in :’)  

21) Who cuts the others hair?

~~ Gwen cuts Arthur’s hair! If Arthur tried to approach Gwen’s hair like that, his hands would get swatted away at lightning speed. #Don’tTouchMyCurls

22) Who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day?

~~Arthur is really bad at sexting but makes up for it with real-life technique, so.... also, Gwen always sends cute messages throughout the day 

23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the others love? and who’s more afraid of loosing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry?

~~I don’t like to think about these sad things :(  But I will tell you that in The Once And Future King (by T.A. Barron), Arthur dealt with a lot of insecurity issues and it added so much depth and color to his character. Gwen is always there to reassure him, telling him that no matter the pressures their lives put on them, they will always remember their sweet and humble beginnings. 

24) Who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen? Who holds the other just above the ground and kisses them?

~~ARTHUR ON BOTH eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 

25) Who says shitty puns and sex jokes just to see the other giggle and blush?

~~ listen. Gwen has such an awful sense of humour that you would never see coming. Filthiest jokes ever, coupled with shameful puns? Gold. 

26) Who kissed first?

~~I don’t remember what it was in canon but I really feel like Gwen would just lose her control after a certain amount of mutual pining (over the class status divide thing) and lay a big one on him and he’d be swept completely off his feet 

27) Who orders take out at two in a morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark?

~~  “Gwen. I’m hungry”“.....Arthur it’s literally 2am. Go back to sleep.”“I can’t! I’m starving! I feel like I could eat a horse!” “Well I have a big day at work tomorrow, I’m not getting up to cook.”“Fine. I’m ordering food.” ----one hour later, five minutes after his head hits the pillow again---“Gwen....?”“.....what.”“Can you please get me some water?” “.....are you kidding me?”“I heard some weird noises coming back up the stairwell and I’m not too keen on poking around down there right now....pleeeeeease?”“Oh, fine.”“I love you!!!!”“Love you too....”

28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs the write for them?~~Arthur has so many secret poems and songs that he’s written, but never shares them because he’s scared that everyone will tease him.

29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires?~~Arthur is the showboat that ends up hurting himself, Gwen is the one who drives him to the emergency room, slightly panicked but mostly exasperated 

30) Who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute?~~Arthur. detests. his reading glasses. Gwen finds them adorable- “so scholarly!” 

#I've got mail #arwen #arthur #gwen #merlin #headcanons #my headcanons #sneezing-appa