#but the only magic person she knows is Merlin and she doesn't trust them even if they healed her | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

elegantjellyfishwerewolf · 8 months

Text

My top villains (from dumb to smart)

Warning: This post is not intended to offend anyone, the author is just sharing his observations

In this post, I decided to make up the top villains of trollhunters from the dumbest to the smartest (as for me, such tops are much more interesting than the placement of characters by strength, because in most cases you already know who will be in first place). The actions of villains from trollhunters only will be evaluated here.

10) Morgana:

Her main problem is that she does using her arsenal of spells on maximum and instead of attacking with shots of magical energy from a safe distance, she creates small energy daggers and goes into close combat, although this makes no sense (it is as if gunmar, fighting with his sword, tried not to hit the opponent with a sharp blade, but tried to hit him with the hilt of the sword). Her second fatal mistake is that she gave Angor freedom and was genuinely surprised when he betrayed her and decided to take revenge for everything she did to him (What prevented her from taking Angor's soul again so that he would not betray her at the most crucial moment?). And can someone explain to me why she didn't kill Merlin at the end of the third season? That is, she just tossed him from side to side, throughout the series she said how she wanted to kill him, and then just left him alive and went to deal with the hunter?

9) Otto:

For some reason, he sincerely believed that Gunmar cared about changelings and that Gunmar would lead them to a bright future. But what a surprise! It turns out Gunmar didn't care about changelings from the beginning, well, yes, he never hid his disdain for them. Someone will call it loyalty, but for me it's dibilism when you betray the current head of the Order of Janus and instead of taking the vacant throne yourself, you kindly waited for the tyrant who eventually used you.

8) Bular:

As for me, Bular is one of the most impulsive characters in the whole series. The most striking example is when in the second series, literally in the middle of the day, in a place where there could be unwanted witnesses, he decided to attack a new hunter and, as expected, was defeated. He also continues to underestimate his opponent, even when Jim killed stalking, it is not surprising that with such disregard for the enemy, he died before all the antagonists.

7) Goblin from the episode about creepslayerz:

He appeared relatively little on the screen compared to other villains, but during this time he, firstly, set Steve and Eli on Jim, and secondly, led the Creepslayerz on a false trail, thereby preventing them from finding out about their plans ahead of time.

6) Gunmar:

My main problem with Gunmar is that without asking for any proof, he believed all the nonsense that the Dictatus told him. I also think that Gunmar should be aware of the technical superiority of people (at least from Strickler's presentation) and that is why, instead of sending changelings to intercept at least a couple of warheads, he arranges their genocide. It's really funny that in the end Morgana needed a changeling to free him, and I'm just wondering what he would have done if Nomura and Strickler hadn't been in town? (I think he would catch a random person on the street and give him free troll language lessons)

5) Nomura:

She doesn't rank higher in the rankings just because she underestimated Jim in the first season. To be honest, I can't remember if she has had similar mistakes before, and compared to previous places, she is much less impulsive.

4) Angor:

As for me, Angor from the first season is a reference villain, almost all of whose actions are thoughtful and balanced decisions, for example, he reasonably did not trust Strickler and his promise that he would let him go as soon as trollhunter will die, so he did not immediately kill Jim, but only intimidated him so that our troll hunter had more reasons to make a deal with Angor and steal infernacopula. Well, the most striking example is that Angor will first study his enemy, and only then go into battle. if they hadn't made a cartoon villain out of him at the end of the first season, who, instead of immediately stabbing his defeated opponent, rolls up a long monologue about how weak our new hunter is without his friends, then in this top you Angor would have stood much higher (but despite this, he is still one of my favorite characters).

3) Usurna:

You might reasonably ask why she stands so high in the top if she supported Gunmar on an equal footing with Otto? To which I will answer that unlike Otto, who was looking forward to the return of the cruel lord, Usurna tried her best not to let Gunmar escape from the dark lands and joined him only when she knew for sure that he had returned, in fact, she simply chose the strongest, and therefore the winning side. And I think it's worth admitting that no matter how mean a bitch she is, she can reasonably reason that by sacrificing a pair of cubs of Kruber, she will thereby delay Gunmar's desire to attack her people for a sufficiently long time, and if the dark lord still falls, she can say that her children were simply kidnapped (which was common at that time (if we recall the background of the creation of changelings) so no matter how you look at it, in any case, it remains a winner.

2) Strickler:

(who could doubt that he would be so high in the ranking) I am still sure that he helped in the liberation of Gunmar only out of fear of Bular, because as soon as Bular fell, Strickler immediately took the vacant throne, leaving Gunmar in the dark lands. Strickler, as well as Angor, will not be the first to rush into battle, he will most likely just shift all the dangerous and dirty work to someone else, since the status allows. Also, he always plans an escape plan if something goes wrong, if he hadn't created a magical connection with Barbara then he wouldn't have had any leverage on Jim and therefore the hunter wouldn't have had any reason to protect Strickler from Angor. He is not in the first place only because instead of hiring a hired sniper who would quickly kill a young hunter and left, no! instead, he awakens an ancient killer who, if he can take the ring, will kill his unfortunate master first thing. Although if he also awakened Angor in order to strengthen his status as the head of the Order, then there are no complaints, but due to the fact that in the series itself Strickler said that he brought Angor only to kill Jim, then alas it was too unjustified a risk

1) Dictatious:

To begin with, he was able to survive in the dark lands for several centuries, so he was also able to become the right hand of Gunmar himself, who clearly respects only the strong, and the Dictatus, to put it mildly, is a so-so warrior. Further, after the Dictatus lost his sight and became virtually useless to Gunmar, he was still able to remain his most trusted subordinate (yes, this whole topic with Morgan's visions looks ridiculous to me, given that the Dictatus had no evidence of the truthfulness of his words, but most importantly, it worked). Also, the Dictatus has never had an insane devotion to Gunmar, he joined him only because otherwise he would not have survived, which is why he so easily switches to the side of the hunter and at the end of the series remains to chill in Toby's house.

67 notes · View notes

albentelisa · 7 months

Note

Hi! Here's an interesting ask. What if Jim was Douxie's younger brother but still falls for Claire?

Oh, I actually have a fic draft with that premise in my notes though I don't know if or when I may post that one. So, I guess, I'll just share some of my notes.

So, in that AU, Douxie and Jim are half-brothers (they have the same mother who is the daughter of the Casperan family head). They are two years apart, with Douxie being the older one. Douxie is supposed to be an heir - he was born from the arranged marriage between his mother and a talented wizard from another powerful magic clan. Casperan family was once powerful but currently is in decline. The arranged marriage was an attempt to revive the former glory.

As for Jim, he is born out of an affair between his mother and a Camelot knight. This birth seemingly ruins everything for Casperan's family. Douxie's dad leaves as he is greatly insulted. The mother dies soon after giving birth to Jim, leaving both boys in the care of their aunt and grandfather.

Jim is greatly despised in the family. They refuse to give him a magical name, giving him a regular one James. While no one attempts to get rid of him actively, the family keeps sending him into dangerous places to gather ingredients for potions hoping that Jim won't return. Jim befriends Blinky during one of those outings.

Jim seemingly possesses no magic (yet another reason why his family cannot stand him), but Douxie doesn't fare that much better. He was supposed to be a rare prodigy and the hope of the Casperan family, yet he is nowhere close to the expectations. Besides, he likes music and wandering way more than studying under his grandfather's tutelage.

Technically, Douxie and Jim trust only each other in their family, feeling no familial attachment to anyone else (well, Douxie also has his familiar Archie, but that's it).

Jim's magic manifests out of nowhere when he is 9. Unfortunately for him, his magic is shadowmancy (it's blue and black in color, BTW!) and the Casperan family tolerates that one even less than Merlin.

They decide to kill Jim, but Douxie and Archie save him and the three of them run away and settle in Camelot (because of Arthur's purges, the Casperan family has no connections there).

After some time Douxie discovers some unexplained oddity about his brother - Jim has stopped aging both physically and mentally (think of a Peter Pan-like situation). It's the result of Jim's trauma.

Even though they are only two years apart as time passes and Douxie keeps growing, it starts to look like their age difference is bigger.

Jim has a horrible opinion about all wizards except Douxie (he believes his brother is a rare exception and everyone else is a horrible person). He likes knights instead - well, the concept of a knight, who is a noble protector and a true hero, and their aesthetics.

Douxie meets Merlin when he is 16, and around the same time, Jim meets Morgana (his magic goes out of control and she senses him). Morgana is extremely happy to meet another shadowmancer and proposes Jim to become her apprentice. It's the first time someone treats Jim's magic as a good thing (even Douxie, while not calling shadow magic evil, avoids discussing it).

So, Douxie and Jim end as apprentices of Merlin and Morgana respectfully. Merlin is furious about Morgana's decision, he believes she isn't ready to teach anyone and most likely will only set Jim on the wrong path. Morgana simply doesn't care about her master's opinion.

Morgana's support makes Jim start growing again and he also starts to understand that there are more good people among wizards than he thought before. Jim's shadow magic is slightly different than Morgana's - he exceeds in conjuring different stuff from shadows and because of his admiration of knights he can easily summon and maintain an armor and sword made of shadows. Merlin is both horrified and enraged when he discovers it and claims that something like that is too dangerous. Morgana simply believes that Merlin is jealous as doing something like that without external conduits is a rare skill.

When Morgana changes sides, it's another low blow for Jim (as Morgana was a true mother figure for him). Not to mention that Merlin is pretty much deadset on sealing Jim as well before he grows up to become as dangerous as his master. Only Douxie's pleas make him change the plan, but Jim is put under non-stop surveillance from the Camelot knights with some wizards always ready to seal him if something goes wrong.

All of that is obviously no good for Jim's mental health and his time stops once again. Douxie tries his best to heal his brother's psyche but Jim seemingly needs something he can't give him. There are centuries of roaming with no change.

James Lake is Douxie and Jim's latest caretaker from Camelot knights (they keep existing as an organization) and he is a bit more flexible than his predecessors (well, and actually not that devoted to the case). That's why Douxie manages to talk him into trying to play the true family (as he hopes that if Jim has some normal life it may help him).

Douxie and Jim both take the de-aging potion and pose as James's small sons. Eventually, James meets Barbara and they marry. It is serious for Barbara (and she also gets attached to boys fast), but for James, it's just a passing infatuation. He falls in love with someone else and abandons Barbara. Douxie and Jim insist on staying though and James sees it as an opportunity to get rid of an annoying responsibility. Douxie is supposed to report to headquarters about the development, but he ends up faking reports to get some freedom.

Douxie's plan actually succeeds. Jim has Barbara and Toby now, and Jim finally actually gets into living through the teen years.

In this AU, Jim isn't the Trollhunter. Barbara takes over this role and Jim is forced to actively use his shadowmancy to protect her (as she is another mother figure for him and he'll do anything to protect her).

As for Claire in this AU, Morgana plans to use her as a vessel, so Jim is eventually forced into picking between his beloved master and the girl he loves. Obviously, he picks Claire. This entire situation helps him to get a full grip of his magic at last.

Some other stuff this AU features:

part-Akiridon Toby (both Toby and Jim discover each other's secret simultaneously - and it's awkward),

changeling Steve (and he's also Draal's younger brother),

space mercenary Darci (which leads to some problems when she starts dating Toby),

Mary's family are devoted servants of the Arcane Order and she initially is a spy,

Eli is extra sensitive and being surrounded by so many people who feels 'odd' to him drives him crazy

#tales of arcadia #toa #what if scenario #fic premise #fic notes #unpublished fic #jim is douxie's brother #wizard jim #shadowmancer jim #jim lake jr #douxie casperan #text post #ask box #anon ask

32 notes · View notes

imissthembutitwasntadisaster · 11 months

Note

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.

#merlin #ALWAYS happy to talk about this alwaysss

45 notes · View notes

sullina · 1 year

Note

What does the TC think about Diane when Meliodas first meet her? Especially Drole?

In Escanor's case, his power reminds them of Mael. I mean when Meliodas first sense his magic he thought it was Mael's despite knowing he is long dead.

Gloxinia didn't like this Ban when he heard he was the one who burned the fairy king's forest.

In Gowther's case, they were confused as Meliodas was. They didn't know this doll and demon Gowther so Zeldris fill them up. Although it was still confusing for the TC. Even if the demon Gowther was controlling him, the doll Gowther knows what has been going on when demon Gowther controls him.

Maybe he got cursed by his commandment?

Either way the TC could tell Mel was hurt when Gowther didn't remember him. The real Gowther and doll Gowther were really close to Mel. Gowther was the only person Mel ever trust and was comfortable with during his days, they were practically best friends.

They have mixed feelings toward the sins. But they do like them (they're all dumbasses. The real reason why they are so entertaining). They were nice to Mel which they were grateful for (probably because they don't know he is a demon).

The commandments knew the Sins were strong for their time, but they still had the potential to grow. Diane was no different in that regard. Other than that, they liked her, because she treated Meliodas with genuine kindness, due to her crush on him, even though Meliodas has made it clear several times that he doesn't reciprocate her feelings, but still cherishes her as a precious teammate.

Meliodas tried not to let it show how hurt he was when doll Gowther didn't recognize him and it fooled even Merlin, just barely, but the commandments could tell. Zeldris filled them in on most of the stuff regarding Gowther and doll Gowther, with some input from Melascula for how demon Gowther disappeared (she was there after all when he escaped from demon jail), but even he didn't know everything, so they added this to the list of things to ask Meliodas if or when they ever got out.

The commandments and the rest of the demon clan all think that the Sins are an absolute hoot and probably the best show they could've hoped for in the seal (especially after so many years of just boredom). Meliodas has earned their honest respect and it's nice to see them all together, but even if the Sins love and respect their captain, among the demon clan there's still this big weight hanging over them, which is the understanding that they probably wouldn't be so nice if they knew that their beloved captain was a demon. And not just any demon at that, but the eldest demon prince, strongest demon alive (not counting the demon king tho to be fair he isn't a demon) and heir to the throne.

#nnt #sullina nnt #nnt watching commandments au

15 notes · View notes

the-lesbianest-batman · 2 years

Text

The Great War - Taylor Swift

I'm going to be analysing the song from a merthur perspective, trying to prove to you how merthur coded it really is!!!!

In my opinion the song is mostly from Arthur's perspective.

My knuckles were bruised like violets

so this is arthur, always a fighter, trained to kill since birth et cetera

Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep talked

arthur is very repressed emotionally and has feelings for merlin he's not accepting, so he let's that out through anger (also the sleep talk thing fits really nice because we've had scenes of both merlin and arthur sleeping/waking up saying each others names)

Spineless in my tomb of silence

I feel like the tomb of silence can be read has his fear of dying/ never being able to express his true feelings and arthur living his life like that- rigid and spineless because of his father's influence.

Tore your banners down, took the battle underground

so yes the banners are merlins openness, regarding both magic and being gay and arthur is repressed and ignores merlin being queer in more way than one. the battle of ofc the actual literal battles and also his internal battle over his feelings

And maybe it was ego swinging

this could be arthur thinking his ego/arrogance are responsible for the conflicts and the war

Maybe it was her

personally I see this as morgana, since she is the only valid love interest merlins ever had (in arthur's mind at least - tbt "where are my flowers") and also morgana being responsible for the war

Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur

this one's obvious- in my version of the great war of camelot vs morgana, arthur didn't die but got injured and is now regaining consciousness, so his memories start to come back. this could be when the song is playing because he's thinking about his feelings and the situation and all that.

now for the chorus

All that blood shed, crimson clover

so blood shed is like arthur thinking about like all the casualties of the war and also him having killed so many innocent magic users. plus him and his gang have killed many ppl so yes it fits.

Uh-huh, sweet dream was over

so yes this could be s2e10 sweet dreams (aka the ep with the best merthur potential imo) or more likely arthurs infatuation for merlin feeling like a dream (yk that high when you fall in love)

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

them both supporting each other during the war <3 (maybe merlins magic was revealed and they're fighting side by side?

Always remember

Uh-huh, tears on the letter

omg I have a great idea for this: post magic reveal merlin gives him a letter being all "I'm leaving" and arthur crying -> tears on the letter.

I vowed not to cry anymore

If we survived the Great War

them hoping for their eventual happy ending (which they DESERVE)

You drew up some good faith treaties

court sorcerer merlin helping arthur with political stuff/ lowkey being an advisor th3 way he kinda is in the show already???

I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone

again, arthur shuts himself off and doesn't accept or express his feelings. drawing curtains closed is very "I'm not out to myself/I'm the closet/ !!!beard!!!" to me and drinking my poison all alone is also heavily leaning on repressed feelings/ sexuality crisis.

You said I have to trust more freely

this is arthur trying to get over his prejudices/fears about magic. and perhaps even getting over his internalised homophobia and trust issues and merlin is for sure helping with that.

But diesel is desire, you were playin' with fire

arthurs internalised homophobia and stuff kicking in- he's scared after all. it's like the golden-harry styles thing. merlin: "I know that you're scared because I'm so open."

And maybe it's the past that's talkin'

Screamin' from a crypt

uthers god awful parenting and influences being the past that's talking. say it with me IN-TER-NA-LISED HO-MO-PHO-BI-A

Tellin' me to punish you for things you never did

arthur sees that magic is not a crime and that he shouldn't punish merlin for "the crime" of using magic. and on a subtextual leven this could again also apply for gayness since magic=gay (watch the aretheygay video on merthur, I'm not gonna explain that concept rn)

So I justified it

this right here is arthurs character development. he's no longer hiding behind his father's politics but taking matters into his own hands-legalisong magic and making a case for all magic users- justifying how magic should be legal in front of the conservative councilmen

All that blood shed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, the bombs were close and

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

Uh-huh, the burning embers

I vowed not to fight anymore

If we survived the Great War

pretty much the same as the first chorus BUT "the bombs were close" and "the burning embers" "and the last two lines. so the first difference is a reference to the war yes. the burning embers are imo merlins eyes when he uses magic. seeing merlins eyes go golden woudl be a pivotal moment for arthur-it being the undeniable proof that YES, MERLIN HAS MAGIC. and the last two lines are again about hoping for their happy ever after. arthur did dream about him and merlin living on a farm. if that's not gay then what is tbh

It turned into something bigger

friends to lovers say what

Somewhere in the haze got a sense I'd been betrayed

again this is both applicable to magic or gay. arthur felt betrayed that merlin didn't trust him and maybe even that merlin WAS that way (he's repressed not homophobic or magicphobic(???)

Your finger on my hair pin triggers

Hold you down on that icy ground

oooh what if merlin was like injured and it would be kinda opposite of s5e13 with arthur being the one panicking over merlins dying body (except that merlins immortal ofc)

Looked up at me with honor and truth

Broken and blue, so I called off the troops

so yes merlin is on his not-really death bed, loyal, honest and honourable until the very end proving to arthur that all his prejudices were for nothing because this, THIS is all that matters. HE is all that matters

That was the night I nearly lost you

I really thought I lost you

the "merlin almost dies and arthur realises everything right then and there" vision is SO CLEAR omg

We can plant a memory garden

Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair

it's giving "vision of the future and their happy ending". arthur dreams of their future together and wants more happy memories with merlin. plus the poppy flower thing is adding onto my merthur farmers au for this song. escapism due to war trauma so true

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair

yeah so to me this is by now post war. the war is won. they're trying to pick up the pieces.

And we will never go back

confirming that arthur has had his acceptance arc, he's now accepting merlin, himself, magic, being gay and also turning his back to the violence, striving to bring a new peaceful era to the lands of albion.

To that bloodshed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, the worst was over

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

Uh-huh, we burn for better

I vowed I would always be yours

'Cause we survived the Great War

yes so end of war. the worst was over. also "we burn for better" is such a raw line? omfg taylor!!! so yes they got together in a "I might die tonight so I have to tell you something" situation, vowed they would always love each other and BOTH survived the great war. haply ending confirmed.

I would always be yours

Cause we survived the Great War

I vowed I would always be yours

repetition for emphasis.

so yeah. that was my analysis of the great war. I hope this wa enjoyable and I hope you all now add this to your merthur playlists.

#merthur #merlin #arthur pendragon #bbc merlin #emrys #colin morgan #bradley james #taylor swift #midnights #the great war #merlin the great war #merthur the great war

28 notes · View notes

merlin-reboot-when · 1 year

Text

Bbc Merlin made two big mistakes.

1) They told a story about a young sorcerer trying to survive in a land where magic is punishable by death. One of his end goals is to legalise magic again. The biggest opposing party in this objective is the tyrant king who started a genocide. This is a very black and white conflict, there is no both-siding this. On the one side you have a mass murderer, on the other side are people who are being killed for existing.

Now the series does establish that Merlin is the good guy and that magic isn't actually evil, but then they go ahead and constantly frame Uther as a guy who is really not that bad. Sure, he killed some people (hundreds or even thousands) - whoopsie. But come on, at least he's trying. And think about Arthur! The emotional comfort of one person is totally worth letting people die for.

At the same time they keep bringing in villain of the week type of characters and like 90% of those are evil magicians who are consumed by their thirst for power and/or revenge or monstrous beasts which are also creatures of magic. They rarely introduce "good" sorcerers or creatures.

To sum it up: They frame the victims of a genocide as evil, almost blaming them for their own plight while making excuses for the people murdering them. It would make sense to explore this part of Camelot's history if the conflict was more complex, but it really isn't that deep. They waste way too much time dragging out this black and white conflict as described above.

2) (Screen)time is being wasted on the wrong conflict, yes, but in my opinion also on the wrong characters.

Arthur's character development is inconsistent at best. He wildly swings back and forth between believing in some magic being good or at least neutral and then condemning all magic as the world's true evil. He learns time and time again to be less arrogant and self-centered and snaps at Merlin again in the very next episode. I enjoy Merlin & Arthur's banter as much as anyone, but if you're not even taking Arthur's character anywhere then why waste so much time there?

Merlin and Arthur as a duo also go through the same dance routine three times a season: Merlin discovers a plot against Arthur, but fears to simply be dismissed if he says anything. Eventually he does say something and, surprise, Arthur reacts dismissive. In the end Arthur learns that Merlin was right all along and he should trust him more. Three episode later Arthur doesn't remember he already learned this lesson, the cycle repeats.

Gaius is important to the story because Merlin needs a dialogue partner to talk about magic. But Gaius also holds Merlin back a lot and keeps him from growing. And so just like Arthur, Merlin doesn't really learn much from his experiences, his life barely changes of the course of 5 seasons. He's still living with Gaius and still relys on him instead of becoming more independent.

So we have four characters / dynamics (Uther, Arthur, Gaius and Merlin) which the show keeps focusing on even though they're not that complicated at all. On the other hand we have side characters that are supposedly important like Gwen and the knights and we know very little about them. It almost seems like they become less important the longer the series goes on, that's not how this works!

You can't say "This is the once and future queen, there are prophecies about her and she's the most important person in Arthur's life" and then she never really does anything! The knights too. Merlin and Gwaine are best friends (kind of), but do we ever see them casually hanging out? Nope. Percival is one of the most famous knights from the myths, yet we only know his name and that his family is dead. How did they die? Who even was his family? Does it mean he lost his parents, did he have a wife? We will never know. There are so many amazing characters they could've included more, but they never did.

So while I love the series in general, these two points really rub me the wrong way.

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #uther pendragon #gaius #long post #in this essay i will

25 notes · View notes

childofmagicmerlin · 1 year

Text

Merlin's magic can be such a great metaphor for being any member of the LGBTQ+ community.

All your life the people around you are talking about how what you are is bad. Dangerous. That you don't deserve rights. Hiding who you really are from everyone in your life because even though they saw they love you, you don't know what will happen. Or the small comments that they make that you know mean that they wouldn't accept you.

How Merlin must felt his whole knowing that there are people who don't think that his existence is worthwhile. That it's criminal and wrong and unnatural. That so many people are willing to kill him for being born different to other people.

The lack of control.

He didn't chose to be born with magic but he still has to live with the consequences of being born. Knowing that trusting the wrong person will ruin his life. That he was 'outed' by someone he trusted enough to share that vital piece of information about his life, and that would lead to his death.

How his relationship with Arthur, no matter how close they are, that nagging feeling of never being able to be truly himself with his closest friend. That loneliness if never just having a friend to share it with without any expectations of greatness or responsibility or destiny. To just be himself instead of closing himself off with people; repressing a vital part of himself that is as important to him as breathing. That makes him who he is.

It's so similar to the queer experience. NOT knowing how someone closest will react to you. Comments about gay people, about trans people all whilst knowing that that is you and love these people so you know that you just can't risk it. How it is still dangerous for some people to come out because of the law and the society that they are in that would harm them and condemn them for they were born as. Something that they didn't have control over.

Those moments when your mum talks about how she doesn't understand why gay people need to act so gay and it doesn't need to shoved in everyone's face. When talks about the dangers of magic: no sorcerer can be trusted.

A weight settles in your chest that is so heavy that you feel it can't be lifted no matter how many cranes try to lift that boulder that is sitting on your heart.

Feeling othered. Alone. Unlovable because there is this thing that you were born with that you need to fix to be loved. It's heart breaking.

Merlin is strong for sticking by Arthur for all this time and I feel that he doesn't get enough credit for the emotional toll that his destiny requires. Not just the killing and the violence and the sacrifices he made along the way.

It's a different kind of suffering that is slow and suffocating and so smothering.

Lancelot should have lived. The only one who knew, who accepted him. He is a fantastic person who is kind and honourable and who Merlin needed most.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, see you all next Wednesday

#merlin #bbc merlin #arthur #concept #this totally isn't me projecting my feelings rn #nuh uh #wouldnt be caught dead having feelings #this is also why i think that killing lance was bullshit #the potential #but no #nah #why should merlin get to be happy #its so unnecesary

8 notes · View notes

gritsandbrits · 2 years

Text

Completely out of the blue, I know, but I'm curious and I need to know. What's your Shrek 3 reimagining?-Anon

Okay so I accidentally posted that question before giving the full answer so here it is! My Shrek the Third Rewrite!

Be warned though this will be a doozy to read: Harold and Lillian go to the seaside bc the former thinks he's dying so they leave Fiona in Charge. By then she and Shrek already had the babies and Shrek is just trying hard not to let his fears consume him. Thinhs are going fine until the villains uprising starts. Fiona sends Shrek, Donkey Puss and the kids to Camelot to stay with her cousin while she and her Princesses handle things.

At Camelot Artie is not a slacker but the quiet bookish type. He's into politics and diplomacy which clashes with the more physical Camelot ideals. He is shocked to see a family of ogres, a talking ass and a cat, show up at his school. Even more his cousin married that ogre. Because of his nonexistent relationship with his father (which was also the source of bullying as no one liked Uther and took their frustrations out on his kid) Artie struggles with trust issues.

With time and patience he and Shrek gets to know each other. Artie becomes comfortable with the idea of being related to ogres and learning of how bad the persecution was decided to do something about it to prove his worth as a person. So he agrees to help then take back FFW.

While all this going on Charming takes advantage of the situation by trying to be a hero (again); this time being aided by his recently revealed Father Bruce.

Now Bruce is your typical Dark Fantasy rougish protagonist who made it his mission to help Charming. He used to be a former Prince Charming so he knows the ropes though his past is still quite the secret. But Charming doesn't really care about all that he's just happy to see he has one living parent and support. He's so manly and badass and takes no shit from anyone and has lots of wealth from the times he raided dragon dens and hapless schmucks who caught him on a bad day! And his voice is fucking AWESOME courtesy of Bruce Campbell!

Can't say the same for that loathesome barmaid Gwynn.

Gwynn is another player in our game. See she works at the the villain pub; at first confronted Charming for not really giving a shit about villains or general outcasts until it was convenient for him. She also wear a veil over her face and has touch aversion. Gwynn only joined of Charming helped her recover some of his dead mother's magic that she needs. They didn't get along at first.

Eventually they get so fed up thay Gwynn challenges Chamring to a duel which he snubs at first then she cuts a bit of his hair and he's all "oh it's ON NOW!!" They fight but find they're quite enjoying themselves. However their antics piss off Bruce. He forces his son right back to etiquette training and kicks Gwynn out so she wouldn't distract him. That night Gwynn visits Charming to apologize, leading to a wholesome talk about experiencing similar feelings of inadequacy.

With Fiona she is trying to keep the resistance together but it's hard when you have ornery gingerbread cookies and apathetic Princesses. She gets intel about the uprising but also very curious revelation about her curse and that FG may have been behind it. She also learns Charming has taken over her castle and may be part of the coup.

Back with the Shrek Clout Gang they're travelling through Camelot; Artie helping random people along the way, culminating in rescuing a maiden named Rhodanthe.. As a sign of thanks she leads them to Merlin, Artie's old mentor. They learn of the sword Calibur that can help stop the villains. Merlin tasks them with confronting their worse fears, and after passing this challenge they're able to move forward. He tells them he doesn't have the sword on himself but that it is located in the heart of one's kingdom. Realizing it's in FFW; the Shrek Clout Gang and Rhodanthe head to FFW using a magic map.

By then Fiona and her team manage to storm the castle and confront Charming. However he came prepared actually Bruce's doing and has them cornered. He throws them in the dungeon and waits on Shrek. In fact he's so excited about his prospects that he goes ti visit one of his mommy's old friends a fortune teller - the teller warns him an ominous fate awaits him (his canon fate from the movie). Putting him on edge. At this stage Bruce is also acting very weird especially when Godmother or Fiona gets brought up, causing Gwynn's suspicions to grow.

The Shrek Clout Gang enter FG'S abandoned factory to find potions to help them. However the villains and Charming catch up with them. Both Charming and Artie are taken aback to how similar they look but The latter quickly brushes is aside and has him put in tbe dungeon. Rhodanthe and the babies are taken prisoner inside the castle; everyone else gets thrown in the dungeons. Shrek is sent to the local Colosseum which is set up as a massive stage play - to put him on trial for treachery.

Which is just a bs excuse to execute him.

In the dungeon Artie finds Fiona but doesn't recognise the ogre lady before him. She tells them it is her that she was cursed as a baby but decided to stay an ogre. She thanks Artie for helping her, and after a pep talk Artie finds the strength to keep fighting and concocts an escape. He says he has FG's diary which Fiona concludes her as the responsible party for her curse.

Insert badass Princesses Fight Scene:

Donkey and Puss free the rest of their friends and rounds them up to help Fiona.

At the castle Rhodanthe is sad. But seeing how oblivious the triplets cheer her up. A dressed up Gwynn comes in with food. Gwynn who by that point was regretting getting involved with the Charmings, is sympathetic and decides to help Rhodanthe escape. Gwynn shows them a secret exit, explaining that she is staying behind to keep an eye on Charming. Rhodanthe manages to catch uo with Fiona and reunites the Triplets with her. Fiona is thankful; Rhondanthe says she'll keep an eye on the sky. Once they secure triplets somewhere safe hands the entire Resistance heads to the colosseum.

The play begins: Gwynn gets into her damsel role as instructed. She can't help but laugh as Shrek proceeds to roast the heck out of the unlucky actor. Angered Charming attempts to kill the tied up monster The Resistance barges in and a massive battle is about to start but Artie intervenes and attempts to appeal to Charming's better nature. The misguided prince scoffs but then Artie pulls out something very interesting and hands it to Charming. In FG's diary - which her son was told was lost - she talks about finding and losing her true love; and had made Charming the inheritor of her estate. That's when Bruce appears and try to take FG's diary put his hands. Charming demands an explanation.

It turns out Bruce previously told him that there wasn't any documents for Charming. But there was. He lied solely so Charming wouldn't get anymore distracted. Feeling betrayed Charming questions why daddy would hide something so big when Artie speaks up to refer to Bruce as Uther. Everyone is shocked to find out that Uther & Bruce are one and the same.

His ruse broken Uther admits that he has been the one to curse Fiona years aho because he was mad ove getting passed over for a frog. Gwynn comes down and says she tried to warn Charming that daddy was a deadbeat. Fiona is saddened to learn that her own uncle was behind everything. Realizing that his father only saw him as a tool Charming takes off the crown is about to hand it to Fiona when Uther snatches it out his hands! He pulls a dagger out to finish the job.

Suddenly Rhodanthe as a black swan swoops in and tussles with Uther. In the commotion they knock over the tower. Artie pulls Charming out of the way just in time. The window part passes over Uther harmlessly, the stress of it all causing him to faint. The crown rolls out his hand and Fiona scoops it up to put it back on her head.

Everyone has a brief celebration but then Artie shouts Rhodanthe's name and cradles her dying body. She thanks him for helping her and passes in his arms. Artie begins to weep; everyone grieves her and Charming feels immense guilt. But then Gwynn notices she still has some of FG's magic powder on hand and decides to use the rest of it to heal Rhodanthe. But they need water first. Fiona deduces using the castle fountain - the very on her parents first met - as a vessel.

Immediately Artie and the heroes rush back the castle and head to the courtyard. Using Gwynn's powder Artie mixes it into water and place Rhodanthe's body in it. Everyone waits and just as they're about to give up the water starts to glow pink and lifts up- changing and healing Rhodanthe. She's back to being human complete with a beautiful gown and sword - Calibur. She hands Artie the sword and the two friends embrace.

The next day Fiona gets right to work rebuilding the town. Uther gets thrown in jail and after much maneuvering she decides to forgive Charming BUT not without community service. The villains also reform and become more accepted into society. Finally she signs into law that things like slavery and persecution against magic creatures be illegal. Shrek finally got over his fears of being a parent. Harold and Lillian come back and resume their duties. Fiona decides to abdicate the throne to be a full time mother and protector of magical creatures; leaving Artie as the once and future king.

In the epilogue Shrek and Fiona celebrate the triplets first birthday at the swamp; with Harold Lillian and Artie visiting.

After serving his punishment Charming returns back to his mom's factory and with Gwynn's help turns it into a spa/theatre school so that EVERYONE gets chance to be beautiful and Gwynn is able to be a singer full time (and is slowly opening up about her past). Artie has Merlin become his advisor and, Rhodanthe is given title of Lady of the Lake. She also granted the ability to turn into a swan at will.

Now everyone - including Charming - gets their happily ever after! Artie has an actual character arc and there's plenty of mushy found family fluff + romance to go around!

Except for Uther he lost Happily Ever After Rights <3

He does get a visit from an peculiarly odd stranger who offers him a deal....

#shrek the third #rewrite #shrek 3 #shrek #fanfiction #shrek the third rewrite #oc x canon #fairytales #au #dreamworks animation #gb asks #long txt #charming shrek #artie shrek #artie pendragon #prince charming shrek #shrek oc

58 notes · View notes

tiodolma · 3 months

Note

Hello. I shall thank you for answering my ask. Regarding of the ask, look. I can't disagree with you on the Merlin and Morgana comparison because I haven't really focused on that. Same with the political stuff. However, I can't blame Merlin for keeping secrets from Arthur when the magic ban was still there, when Uther was alive and king and when Arthur was being manipulated by Agravaine (hence why he couldn't tell Arthur about the shade Lancelot thing). And even when Arthur was being an ass half the show (I wouldn't trust him either). I know that Merlin messed up really bad many times but still. He was also manipulated, like Morgana. And as you said, he wasn't allowed to have connections that could help him and trust issues can really affect a person.

But let me ask you something about BBC Merlin.

I want your opinion on certain characters. Here:

Arthur

Gwen

The Knights (collectively or individually)

Lancelot (he is a knight but I separated him for personal reason)

Killgarah

Gaius

And by opinion, I mean: the potential they could have if they stayed longer in the show, their relationship with Merlin, if some of them had a potential to change something in Camelot... you name it.

Also, an opinion on the Lancelot du Lac episode...

An opinion on Merthur, their relationship , not so much political stuff(Personally, I'm not really a big fan of it, and the whole "two sides of the same coin" doesn't really sound romantic because Merlin was willing to commit treason for a guy who saved his life and barely knew him (Lancelot). Personally, I am more of Merlin/Lancelot and you are more of Merlin/Morgana. But I won't really hate anyone who ships Merthur).

the potential they could have if they stayed longer in the show, their relationship with Merlin, if some of them had a potential to change something in Camelot… you name it.

Merlin: should have had a magic reveal, should have become an advisor for a short while then disappear from the story permanently while everybody moved on.

Arthur: should have conquered more lands. CONQUERED LANDS OKAY. He becomes a full fledged king even without merlin in the picture anymore. He's supposed to come into his own as a big political entity who can survive on his own. Arthurian stories are a british imperialistic fantasy, keep it that way. make him go to wars and assimilate more countries. dude's supposed to be an emperor. then he sits back and watch all his knights go on adventures and then when they come back they tell him things.

Lancelot: should have lived on and provided Merlin with the political backing that Merlin desperately needed

The Knights: More Adventures and wacky shenanigans

Guinevere: needs to cheat on arthur with lancelot.. COZ WHAT EVEN IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS

Kilgharrah: he roams free, and does what merlin tellls him to do

Gaius: needed to die because he is too conservative and is the enemy of progress

ON THE STATE OF MAGIC (you didnt ask for ths but i assume you expected something)

With how the story went, I dont know how merlin could have brought back magic as a whole tbh. He had killed all the major leaders of the sects or they had died protecting him and his secrets. There's no justice to be had even if he brings back some of the freedoms. To whom will magic be free anyway? Just for a selected group of druids loyal to him? How about the high priestesses? The sidhe? The ones who's specialty is black magic? Gaius taught him to oversee everybody without ever being in communication or dialogue with them. Merlin will just be a tyrant over all them and different sects will still rebel.

Morgana: she and merlin will realize that theyve been idiots all along and just agree to disagree. she and arthur reconcile and she brings him to avalon coz merlin is imprisoned somewhere forever as part of his penance.

.......

LANCELOT DU LAC EPISODE (s4x09)?

...i mean lancelot shouldn't have died so early in the first place

...arthur is no good

...the only winner is morgana coz her abducting lancelot for her schemes is part of thomas malory lore. and also yayy for necromancy!

....i've mentioned this before but it still makes no sense how morgana knew about the guinevere/lancelot sidestory

OPINION ON ME...RTH...UR?

...ok most of the posts on the anti-merthur and merthur-critical and arthur-critical and merlin-critical tumblr tags are mine. i have been pretty vocal and public about my disdain for the whole dynamic especially when i shipped it for a short while. There's a lot of wrong about it. pls just check those out first. thanks.

............

i cannot talk about the bbc merlin dynamics without politics tho. that's impossible because bbc merlin is a heavily political and idealogical character. politics is part of merlin's character framework.

personally in meta like this i steer away from mentioning "romance." The only thing "romantic" about the show is the idealization of "light" "dark" and "good" "evil" to the point of glorifying certain forms of extremism and demonizing others. It's so black and white it is almost christianity-coded (and well, quite faithful to the source materials).

#thots

1 note · View note

brighteyedbushybrowed · 2 years

Text

I know ppl criticise Morgana's transition from good guy to villain for apparently being too fast but! I'd like to argue it wasn't too fast.

All the events of seasons 1 and 2 don't all happen in the span of a week. I think they're pretty spread out and then we have about a year between each season, meaning we have AT LEAST two years minimum where Morgana changes over time as she witnesses Uther's cruelty towards sorcerers. Towards people like her. And thats not even accounting for the years before the show where she likely would've began questioning at least to herself whether what Uther was doing was really right.

And let's not forget that in this specific span of time in the series:

Her prophetic dreams get worse

She meets Morded, a little druid boy who Uther was willing to have killed despite never having committed any crime other than being a druid - something he has no control over

She discovers that she too has magic and has to live in fear, constantly hiding who she is from the man who raised her and everyone else in her life in case she is executed for something she has no control over and didn't ask for

She meets her sister, who is also a sorceress and one of the only people in her life who understands having to hide who you are, and bonds with her

Was poisoned by Merlin, someone she trusted and called a friend and cared about and coincidentally was the only person that knew (as far as she was aware) that she had magic

Spends a year with her sister, who likely educated her about magic and her heritage and doesn't tell her to hide who she really is

When you bear in mind the time span all of these events take place over, I don't think her transformation into a villain is rushed at all bc of how these things effected her and reshaped her world view. The seeds were already sewn prior to the start of the show, we just got to see them grow and bare fruit.

#bbc merlin #morgana pendragon #i stand by this opinion

19 notes · View notes

tenebrius-excellium · 2 years

Note

I am the anon that sent the previous ship bingo ask... and YES, I would love to hear your thoughts on Clouxie! May I ask about them too, if you please?

P.S.: Thank you so much for your detailed answers, they are a joy to read through!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Okay, so Clouxie has my heart.

Look, I know that Claire changed a bit in character between Trollhunters and Wizards, but I believe they would have worked even in the earlier seasons.

I said in the other post that Claire takes to wizardry like an academic course of study, and Douxie does that too. Jim used lots of magical artifacts during his time as Trollhunter. But he and Toby just winged it, seldom understanding the full danger or potential of magic nor being interested in the deeper lore. Claire, on the other hand, learned Trollspeak (runes), and read up on Troll history. She clearly practiced using the shadow staff and exploring the shadow realm, trying to find things out about Morgana. She made some mistakes, sure, but she learned from them and produced good, stable results. She did all those things because she thought them necessary.

Now, Douxie is a literal student under Merlin and so he learns the rules and frameworks of magic from his teacher. But on top of that, Douxie has fun with magic. You bet he writes his own runes. He creates his own spells, and therefore matches Claire in the self-taught yet studious approach. Douxie, too, will do whatever is necessary to get things done. Claire will devote her time to learning every power move there is on the planet to successfully apply it, and Douxie will match that by sacrificing himself first, then improvise. They're the same in different ways, and can learn a lot from each other. E.g. in Wizards, Claire teaches Douxie to be a teacher (getting past the door dorks) and how to solve a problem with logic and persistence, even in the face of them both being overwhelmed by emotion. In return, Douxie's playfulness causes Claire to learn a spell that's purely meant for fun (magic butterflies that she lets fly on her date with Jim). Look, each of their teaching sessions is so top tier it's incredible. They so greatly enhance each other's confidence and ability just by interacting naturally, it makes me jealous just watching those scenes. They both love learning and they both bloom as they learn together. They literally have some soft physical moments too, e.g. where he catches her after she exhausted herself by letting the trolls escape, where he comforts her about Jim being in jail, etc.

Point is, they've got each other emotionally and that is one of the most attractive things ever to me. They share a kind of trust that Jlaire and Zouxie just couldn't build for the life of them. In those pairings, one person will always go and do something stupid without notifying their s/o, resulting in the other person being mad. Clouxie have the same mission, the same goal, they work together and they are doing it flawlessly and beautifully and effortlessly.

They went through the most absurd circumstances together that neither Jim nor Zoe witnessed, and they conquered them together instead of shutting the other party out.

So ya. Clouxie for the win. Rudely said, Jim is a shitty boyfriend - I don't get why Claire stays with him long-term, seriously - and Zoe doesn't grasp all of who Douxie really is. She only knows the part of him that she kicks ass with, and can't truly appreciate his sensitive side. But I feel like that's a personality thing - she couldn't even if she tried to. They're just different.

Thoughts about it, anyone?

AND THANKSSSSSS FOR ASKING!

#I know who you are now and I see you XD #ask #asks #anon #anonymous #wizards #toa wizards #clouxie #claire #claire nunez #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #ship bingo #ask meme #wherethekitethought

11 notes · View notes

weakforarwen · 2 years

Note

That analysis on Merlin's journey was so depressing & so true. For me nothing is more heart-breaking than the young, idealistic Merlin full of hope on the road to Camelot in the first scene of the first episode, reduced to the old, demoralised Merlin in the final scene circling modern-day Glastonbury, still waiting for Arthur. What a great personification for the emotions of those who watched from the beginning to the bitter end!

Yeah, Merlin's journey was the typical hero's journey. I've yet to see a hero who doesn't become demoralized and bitter due to the choices they've made and the things they've seen. In that regard, Arthur's arc was much more satisfying than Merlin's. He didn't grow nearly as much as he should've, since the writers insisted on having him repeat the same mistakes over and over, yet, despite being betrayed twice, losing his father, being at war with Morgana, seeing death and killing people all the time, he remained a trusting and hopeful person 'til the end. Unlike Merlin, Arthur had people he relied on: Merlin, Gwen, the Knights. Gwen always reminded Arthur to follow his heart and tried to stop him from becoming someone vengeful and hardened (eg. His Father's Son or Another's Sorrow). She was a beacon of light in his life; as long as he had her, he could overcome everything ("Where's Guinevere? [...] Then there's still hope."). Merlin gave Arthur hope and believed in him too.

But Gaius was Merlin's only support system, and, while he believed in Merlin and loved him, he was also very passive, always telling Merlin not to act, to not follow his instincts, to stay hidden; more than half the time that didn't help, and isolated Merlin even more. Kilgharrah was the same; he told Merlin to kill Morgana and Mordred, but Merlin wasn't that kind of person. He could've helped them both; instead he became their enemy.

Arthur and Merlin had such different journeys for ones who shared a destiny; two sides of the same coin indeed - a coin has two different sides and you can only see one side at once. Arthur was the happiest he'd ever been in season 5 while Merlin was the saddest. Arthur was happily married, more sure of himself than ever, optimistic about the future; Merlin was alone and disillusioned. He was still a good person though, and because of him Arthur got Gwen back. Merlin protected Arthur's innocence and optimism. What would Arthur have become had Uther murdered Gwen? Had Gwen been lost to Morgana forever? I often wonder what kind of man Arthur would've become without Gwen. How much more like Uther would he have been?

It's not that Merlin lost more than Arthur. Both lost their fathers, Morgana, Lancelot; at least Merlin had Gaius and had been lovingly raised by Hunnith. However, Merlin had to live in secret and always lost the people who knew who he really was, like Will, Freya, Lancelot, Balinor. Living in secret and not being able to share his pain, fears, insecurities with those closest to him is what made Merlin become so withdrawn and miserable. Furthermore, Arthur lived his life freely; he had responsibilities but believed he had free will. Merlin believed he had a destiny to fulfill, so every loss, every mistake, every kill, was so much worse for him, for a boy who hadn't been raised to become a warrior or a King for whom death was a currency.

Everything would've been different had Lancelot lived. Unlike Gaius, I believe he would've shouldered some of Merlin's burdens and tried to protect his physical and mental well-being. He wouldn't have been the only one either. I don't think Gwaine would've cared that Merlin had magic. Gwen would've understood too, and perhaps the other knights as well. They were loyal to Arthur, but I think Gwaine would've kept Merlin's secret and Gwen would've helped Arthur accept Merlin. Imagine Arthur had known what Merlin did. What kind of choices would he have made? I know he would've tried to understand why Mordred would kill him and made sure he didn't give him a reason to. Arthur wouldn't have poisoned Morgana either; he would've fought those knights to the death if necessary. Ironically, the king of bad decisions would've probably made better ones than Merlin. What Merlin had needed was to believe in people like Arthur did.

But, yeah, Merlin's journey was very typical of a hero. For example, Buffy also had a depressing arc; most heroes are closer to antiheroes at the end of a series, and every series tends to become bleak and depressing as it progresses. I think writers conflate development and maturity with darkness. To mature a character or a show, they end up making it 'darker', but that doesn't necessarily imply growth. You can keep a show interesting and raise the stakes without depressing the audience...

Anyway, thanks for the ask!

#ask #bbc merlin #merlin #bbc arwen #arthur pendragon #gwen pendragon #lancelot #gaius #thanks for the ask!

6 notes · View notes

ohhalefire · 1 year

Text

I posted 4,878 times in 2022

That's 2,979 more posts than 2021!

64 posts created (1%)

4,814 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@clotpolesonly

@princessrhcenyra

@greyhavenisback

@usergrantaire

@arthurpendragonns

I tagged 4,878 of my posts in 2022

#teen wolf - 1,560 posts

#otp: interspecies idiots - 738 posts

#marvel - 381 posts

#i could give queue all that i have - 352 posts

#disney - 293 posts

#text post - 247 posts

#stranger things - 243 posts

#lord of the rings - 137 posts

#merlin - 125 posts

#doctor who - 122 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#her having to hide her condition is just one of 578392753892 examples of people having to hide disability in the entertainment industry

My Top Posts in 2022:

Derek Hale for the headcanons :)

[ from this post ]

hooooooo friend do i have some headcanons for you~

Headcanon A: realistic

Okay, so, hear me out: if we're following general rules of story structure and character development arcs (which I recognize JD never really did, but this is a theoretical, mental exercise anyway in which we wave a magic wand and have all the cast members and creative control we want, so bear with me), if we had more canon Derek content, he'd have eventually become an Alpha again.

Aside from the obvious need for sterek and him learning that his love doesn't necessarily equal pain, any other of Derek's personal arcs are pretty complete (for better or for worse). By the end of the show, he hates himself less, learns to trust people, etc. The one little loose end that isn't tied up before he leaves? It's that speech he gave - the "they get to be a name on our deadpool" speech.

That's... that's Alpha as fuck. It's out of left field. And we never explored that.

So Derek was raised in a house where his older sister was essentially groomed to be the perfect Alpha from childhood. He was literally born to be her beta, and not given the Alpha education she was. When he becomes an Alpha in canon, it's for a lot of reasons, sure (power, protecting Beacon Hills from the coming Alpha pack, etc) but it’s also out of necessity, and with an attitude of "I'm the best option out of all these other, very bad options". Of course this self-hating loner would be terrible at it: he learned from a young age to trust nobody and tell nobody anything, and we know from watching Scott that a good Alpha must trust their Pack implicitly.

But he's learned to trust Scott and the Pack by the end of the show. He learned how to be a good Alpha by being a good beta.

And yet, he's still a loner. He comes and goes. He can't commit to staying with the people he cares about - can't commit to letting them stay close at all, even geographically. This is clear in the finale episode, when Scott says something about how some people are not always there, but come when they're needed, which implies that Derek would continue to come and go even once Monroe is dealt with.

If you're writing a story arc for a character... isn't that incomplete? Isn't the finale of that arc coming to a time when he can actually keep people close, and stay that way?

There's a concept in storytelling called 'the lie the character believes', and it is supposed to keep the character in question from becoming the person they were meant to be - the person they, ideally, end up being at the end of the story (if that's the type of arc they get, and not a spiral-into-darkness type arc). The lie Derek believes is that he can't stick around anyone or get too close, or people will get hurt. That's clear. But if nothing about his life palpably changes when he eventually unlearns this lie in a theoretical future plot for him, then there is no point to finishing this unfinished story at all. Therefore, he needs have a profound change to his life to reward him for learning this - ie, becoming an Alpha again. (Yes, him just having a fulfilling relationship is also a profound change he could have to his life, but if that's the only change, then it doesn't address that Alpha-AF speech that was the unfinished thread that started all this in the first place.)

How would this work in a possible future arc? Welp, I do have LOTS of opinions about it, but I am kind of writing a really massive fic featuring this very plot, so stay tuned, I guess~

Again, obviously, TW has a long history of NOT following story structure, of dropping arcs, etc. This is just a headcanon about where I personally would go if I were handed this story and told "finish it" with no limitations. :P

(Also, of course, the other unfinished thing is that he's nailed his heart shut in a box and won't let anyone touch it, and Stiles can open it right back up~)

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Derek actually really likes halloween. It's his favourite time of year.

He would never admit to liking pretty much anything - he has a grumpy sourwolf reputation to uphold, after all - but it's the only time of year when he can flash his eyes and his fangs in public and not be afraid of the repercussions. It's like Werewolf Pride month for him: a safe(r) time to go outside as the person he really is, without hiding it.

But don't get me wrong - he wouldn't be caught dead in a costume. Unless Stiles twisted his arm :)

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

When everyone forgets Stiles, so does Derek. And briefly, that turns him into an omega.

He's forgotten Peter, too, and while that means that he forgets he had any living family save Cora (because it means he forgets he and Malia are cousins), that doesn't affect him the way forgetting Stiles does.

He's in South America, as far away from home as he can be without an ocean in the way... and yet suddenly he barely remembers what home even means. He struggles to keep his connection to Scott - barely remembers why it was even there, though he knows he would have died for that kid at one point - and tries to bond to the Alpha that Cora's with instead to try to make up for it, but it doesn't work. He is unmoored, untethered, adrift.

And then he takes to floating in pools.

Again, I might write a canon-compliant fic about how I think he actually helped pull Stiles back into reality remotely by floating in said pools to remember him, so I won't go farther, but yeah

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

I am a very fix-the-canon type of person, so most of my thoughts on TW are canon-compliant, but I do have this to offer:

Derek has read a whole bunch of Star Wars novelizations because Stiles won't stop going on about the movies. He won't watch the films... but some of those books are pretty good. :P

35 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

okay sterek fic readers, reblog and drop in the tags what sterek fic/fics you've read that have made you cry. i don't wanna know why, or what you like about them, or even whether or not it's a fave fic, i just want a list of sterek fics that bring people to tears

61 notes - Posted May 28, 2022

When Derek dies, he wakes up in Bardo.

He’s still leaning up against that little ruined wall he died on - maybe it came here with his consciousness or something - but there’s no doubt that this is the place Scott described back when he first activated the Nemeton. Bright white fluorescent lights buzz overhead in a vast, low-ceilinged room, both endless and claustrophobic. The whole place is white; impossibly, there are no shadows.

Derek tries to sit up, but his body seems to creak. There’s no pain anymore - not when death is so close, is already here, has already come--

Jesus, he’s freaking dead--

--but every atom of his body is screaming against the movement anyway, like his muscles have been replaced with cotton balls and his bones are made of lead.

_________________________________________

Or, how Derek finally learned to transform into the wolf... and why it took him being kinda dead to do it.

89 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

omg friends i put "stiles stilinski and derek hale kissing" through a bunch of art AIs and they did NOT DISAPPOINT

See the full post

124 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

hey love i am a constant satellite of your blazing sun my love i obey your law of gravity

283 notes - Posted February 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr #text post #long post #personal

4 notes · View notes

legends-of-time · 2 months

Text

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story)

Chapter 48: Aithusa

Masterlist

Amelia's POV

Merlin, Amelia, Percival, and Anne stand in the forests one night, staring up at Kilgharrah as they tell him some rather large news that they came across that the Dragon ought to know. It had been funny to watch the complete and utter shock that dawned on Percival's face when the creature appeared in the sky and flew down to them.

Merlin had been walking to Gaius' Chambers when he overheard the Physician conversing with someone they don't know. Merlin's curiosity was piqued and he listened in. He learnt it was an old pupil of Gaius'. Gaius had seemed worried about the man, Borden he'd called him. Borden had come to him for help, having stolen an artefact from the Druids, a Triskellian of Ashkanar, a key essentially, that was broken up into three parts. He had one part, had spent nearly half his life tracking it down, and had taken the second from the Druids, but the third part remained hidden deep within the vaults of Camelot. When pieced together the key is meant to lead the holder to a tomb, the tomb of Ashkanar, where, apparently, a Dragon egg is hidden. Borden had tried to argue that he wanted to see a 'noble creature' brought back to life but Gaius had immediately dismissed that as a falsehood.

After the man had left, Merlin had burst into the Chambers, angry that Gaius knew of such a place where a Dragon's egg is stored and hadn't said anything, what with him being the last Dragonlord, but Gaius had merely said the tomb was sealed by magic and only the key could get them in. There was no point in telling them about a place they wouldn't be able to enter or worse, telling them and watching them foolishly try to get in and die trying (as he knows they just might).

The key piece itself that is hidden in the Vaults had been there for 400 years which makes it all too obvious why Gaius had never said anything, if one part has been hidden and protected for so long, they can only imagine what the other parts are being kept like.

Borden had warned that he will be staying in Camelot, in the Tavern in the Lower Town and waiting for word from him about if Gaius will help or not. They don't doubt that if Gaius refuses, Borden will do so on his own.

Amelia knows they all want the Dragon Egg returned, to save the Dragons, and to help Kilgharrah protect his kin, but at the same time, they know the only way to do it will be for Borden to help and lead them to the tomb. Gaius knows not where it is, no one does, and that is why the key is needed. This brings up the issue they are facing, Gaius had warned Merlin that Borden has ill intent with the egg, but also that he is not a man to be trusted and if they try to help the man, he will stab them in the back in an instant. He is in a difficult spot as he doesn't want the egg to fall into Borden's hands, but he doesn't want them in danger of trying to deal with him and rescue it. Amelia had suggested they go to the one person who should have the deciding vote on what they do.

"I never dared dream of such a moment." Kilgharrah breathes, startling Amelia with the emotion in his voice, the hope, she can hear in it. "Until now, I believed the egg would never be found, that I would be the last of my kind."

"I'm still so sorry that happened," Amelia tells him. "What Uther did..." She shakes her head, she can't even begin to imagine what it was like for him, chained up, alone, listening to his kin crying out for help as they burned, and then for them to ask him for help to protect the very King that did that to him. Amelia hears a sniffle come from next to her.

"Do not weep for me, my dear." Kilgharrah smiles kindly at Anne.

"I'm not crying." Anne huffs though she sniffles and wipes beneath her eye. Amelia knows she's cursing her pregnancy. She has only just started to really feel the effects of it. She is still in her early days and while Amelia would argue that her stomach is still quite flat, Merlin in particular insists otherwise and always adds that he knows his wife's body quite well to Amelia's disgust.

Kilgharrah just chuckles. "As you wish." He gives her a small bow of the head.

"So, the legend is true?" Merlin asks rhetorically.

"This is a chance in a thousand. You must retrieve the egg."

"We know." Amelia murmurs hesitantly.

"Then what is the matter?"

"Gaius has forbidden it." Anne replies.

Kilgharrah scoffs. "Merlin! You are a Dragonlord! It is a gift passed down from your father. He gave up everything in his life to save me. What do you think he would say? The egg harbours the last of my kind. I beg you, Merlin. In your father's name, promise me that you will do everything in your power to rescue it."

"You have my promise." Merlin declares.

——

They set up a plan, Merlin goes to Borden as he's the best option. Percival looks too threatening, Amelia is too well known to be sneaking in and Merlin worries about Anne and the baby so she can't do it either. After, the plan is for Amelia, Merlin and Percival to go save the Dragon egg. Anne is excluded for the reasons mentioned above.

Borden agrees to Merlin helping him though the next step is for Merlin to get the keys from Arthur. Merlin later tells Amelia and Anne, on the way to the Council Chambers for a meeting with Arthur, Agravaine and Council members, that the initial try wasn't successful as Arthur had woken up so they need to try again.

Amelia eyes the keys on Arthur's belt as she stands in the meeting. She knows that she'll have to somehow get it off Arthur's belt without him noticing. Anne and Merlin linger in the background in the Council Chambers.

"We need to strengthen all our outlying defences as Odin's raids only go to prove. But it is the northern borders that are particularly vulnerable." Agravaine is saying as they ponder over a map.

"There's always been so, and the reason's obvious." Arthur says. "If you look at the terrain here—" He cuts himself off as his trousers fell to his knees. Amelia looks at him in surprise before looking accusingly at Merlin, who shrugs and grins while Anne next to him scrunches her face up in embarrassment.

"Allow me to help you, sire!" Merlin calls cheerfully as he runs over to Arthur, grabbing his trousers.

"No!" Arthur protests, but Merlin is already holding onto his trousers. "No! Merlin!"

"Your Majesty!" Merlin insists.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouts as the two fall to the ground.

"Majesty!"

"Get off me!"

"I'm trying to help you, sire!" Merlin says as Arthur finally gets out of his grip. He gets to his feet and pulls up his own trousers. After all this embarrassment, Amelia certainly hopes that Merlin has the key.

"There we go." Merlin says proudly. "Will there be anything else, sire?"

Arthur looks at him incredulously. "No!" Merlin backs out in a way that tells Amelia he's hiding the key behind his back. Well, at least there's that.

Arthur turns to Anne, who's standing there and looking like she's suffering from severe second-hand embarrassment. "I certainly hope your child inherits their mother's... well, everything."

Anne grimaces before scuttling off after her husband.

Amelia smirks. "Clearly you need a new belt, Arthur."

Arthur glares and turns back to the map, clearing his throat. "So, the terrain here..."

——

The meeting with Borden had not gone very well, according to Merlin's grumbling the next morning when he explains to Anne, Percival, and Amelia why the warning bells had gone off on their way to the Vaults.

Merlin tells them about what happened. He'd given Borden the key and guarded the entrance. Borden had completed the Triskelion but then the man had knocked him out, leaving the key with him clearly intending to frame him. Should've realised that was going to happen. Merlin had woken up and then had gone to try and put the key back in Arthur's Chambers when the bell had gone off.

"The lock hasn't been damaged, which would suggest whoever it was had a key." Agravaine says as he observes the gate.

"Strange." Gaius murmurs. His eyes flicker suspiciously towards Amelia, Anne, Merlin and Percival.

"Of all these treasures, this is all they were interested in." Arthur observes, opening an elaborate box to reveal its empty contents. "What was in here?"

"I believe, Sire, one third of a Triskelion, a type of key. A key that, according to legend, opens the ancient Tomb of Ashkanar." Gaius explains.

"I remember my father talk of such a tomb. It contained a Dragon's egg." Arthur says. Amelia remembers it well, it almost became a bedtime story for her, Morgana and Arthur. Uther had felt the need to tell them about it and his wish to find it and destroy the egg.

"It has been said."

"You don't believe it to be true?" Arthur asks.

"Well, it is possible, Sire. The wealth and wisdom of Ashkanar are without equal." Gaius admits. Amelia knows Gaius can't lie about this as Arthur will be angry and lose trust in him if he realises. They really don't need Arthur to trust Agravaine even more than he does already.

"Is the egg still there?" Agravaine asks.

"I can't be certain. But, to my knowledge, no one has disturbed the tomb for more than four hundred years." Gaius admits further.

"But with this Triskelion, someone could." Arthur realises.

"Sire, a Dragon's egg can live for a thousand years. Even today, it could still hatch, and another Dragon would be born into this world." Agravaine warns him.

"So, all my father's work to rid the world of these monsters would be undone." Arthur realises.

"That must be our fear."

Amelia glares at her uncle. He's playing on Arthur's need to please his father.

"Then we have no choice. We must hunt down this intruder, destroy the egg." Arthur declares. He turns to Percival. "Percival, gather the Knights."

"But Arthur," Amelia quickly interrupts before Percival does anything, "no one's found this tomb for four hundred years. Surely, we don't need to worry."

"We can't risk that, Amelia." Arthur argues.

Percival glances at Amelia, who reluctantly nods, and leaves to follow through with his orders.

——

"How could you be so stupid?!" Gaius cries as soon as he, Merlin, Anne and Amelia enter his Chambers. "What were you thinking?!"

"I am a Dragonlord. It is my sacred duty to protect the last of the Dragons." Merlin retorts.

"The tomb could've remained closed for another four hundred years and the egg would've been completely safe!"

"And Kilgharrah would have been alone!" Amelia snaps right back. She and Kilgharrah haven't been on the best of terms recently but her heart breaks thinking of him being the last of his kind and now they have the chance to change this. "We finally find another of his species and you tell us it's better to just leave it! To let this noble species die out!"

Gaius stares in shock at her tone.

"Arthur is riding out intent on destroying the egg." Anne speaks calmly. "We know Borden won't just release the Dragon if he gets there first."

"That's why we need your help Gaius," Merlin adds. "Percival and I are going with Arthur. We need to know exactly what Borden may do, what he's like, so that they can be prepared to stop him."

Now that Arthur knows, plans had to be changed. Amelia can no longer go with them as there's no way she's leaving the Kingdom in Agravaine's hands. Anne is glad she's not the only one that is being left behind. Amelia doesn't like not going with them but is reassured that Merlin has Percival as his backup.

Gaius sighs and nods.

——

Merlin's POV

Merlin heads off with Arthur, Percival and the rest of the Knights as soon as possible. Despite having a lead on Borden, they soon lose him and against Merlin's wishes, Arthur insists they make camp as it's getting dark. After a bit of fun with the Knights where Merlin thought they had eaten all the food, leaving none for him when it turns out they'd been hiding a plate for him the entire time.

Merlin sits with Arthur by the fire as the Knights sleep on. Merlin's mind is consumed by old memories.

"You're very quiet." Arthur remarks as he lounges back on a log while Merlin sits on it, facing the fire.

"I'm sorry." Merlin apologises softly.

"What is it?" Merlin doesn't respond. "Merlin."

Merlin sighs, knowing Arthur is not about to let it go. "It was here that I last saw my father."

Merlin glances at the King to see him processing the statement in surprise. "You never talked about it."

Merlin shrugs with false carelessness. "There's not much that I can say. I didn't really know him that well, but... I was proud of him. I want him to be proud of me." He admits.

"I can understand that. You should try being in my shoes." Arthur comments. "It was hard enough while he was alive, always having to live up to what he expected of me. It's even harder now. I now know what he faced, the decisions he had to make. I tell you Merlin, don't start measuring yourself against a man who's dead. You'll never win."

Merlin nods understandingly. "I know. He will always be better than me. I hope my child will be proud of me as well. I worry I won't be good at it. Being a father."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a good father. You can't fail at that." Arthur remarks.

"Was that a compliment?" Merlin asks with a small grin on his face.

Arthur scoffs. "Don't be ridiculous."

Merlin chuckles, his mood uplifted. If he does this, saves the egg, he's building a legacy for his child and their children to protect. This has been his drive ever since he learned of the egg. His duty to the future.

——

Percival's POV

The next morning, Merlin is feeling resurged with new determination. He tells Percival as they sneak along the woods towards Borden's camp that the Druids had come to him last night. They had told him of the direction in which Borden is heading as well as a warning for what they'll face there. It had been difficult to convince the others, after finding the camp empty, of Merlin's sudden knowledge of where to go being legitimate, Percival was honestly prepared to lie about finding some tracks, but thankfully Elyan spots some horse dung.

This convinces the others and they head on their way and soon reach a Cave with a stream trickling nearby.

"It's a dead end. That's it. Let's go back." Arthur declares.

The Knights turn back. Percival and Merlin don't, sharing a worried look. There must be something here. Percival begins looking around for any signs.

"What about the Cave?" Merlin questions, stopping the others in their tracks.

"We're wasting our time." Arthur dismisses.

Percival finally spots something, a muddy footprint by the water. "Arthur." He calls, drawing his King's attention and points down at the footprint.

They enter the Cave and draw their swords, going deeper and deeper. Still, nothing can be seen but a waterfall at the end.

"Merlin, this is ridiculous." Arthur complains. "Where's he heading?"

"There's light ahead." Merlin replies.

They come to the waterfall. Arthur sheathes his sword and puts his hand through it and crosses to the other side. They continue on the other side and emerge to find a lake the water pours into and a valley up ahead.

"No wonder no one's ever found it." Gwaine remarks.

They walk further into the valley where they finally spot the tomb looming in the distance. Percival shares a look with Merlin, they've finally found it. Merlin pushes forward, down the hill towards it and the rest follow.

——

They are walking down a large trench path towards the tower when Percival suddenly creases over in pain when an arrow lands in his leg causing him to fall to the ground.

"Take cover!" Arthur cries.

They press their backs into the trench walls. An arrow lands between Arthur's feet. Borden is clearly not taking any chances with them following. Percival groans in pain, unable to move from his spot meaning he's in a dangerous spot.

"You all right?" Arthur calls.

"Yeah." Percival groans but as soon as he says those words, an arrow flies and lands in the rock next to his head. That was close.

"Where's he firing from?" Arthur turns to Leon. "I'll draw fire, get him to safety."

Arthur nods to Percival. Borden shoots at Arthur as he dodges to the other side and Leon helps Percival to his feet so he can take cover against the wall. Elyan pulls the arrow out before bandaging it.

"Arthur." Merlin directs Arthur's line of vision. Arthur peeks out for a moment, then motions a plan to the Knights. Arthur sprints to the other side of the trench. It is then, as Percival glances at him, that Merlin's eyes turn gold. Probably stopping Borden from shooting at them anymore.

Arthur appears at the top of the trench. "What happened? Where's he gone?"

"Perhaps he ran out of bolts." Merlin suggests. Percival gives Merlin a knowing look but the manservant simply shrugs.

Percival limps along as they all emerge from the trench and move through the forest. Again, Merlin dashes ahead.

"Careful!" Arthur yells. Merlin stops and slides and Arthur pulls him back. "Who knows what he's left lying in wait for us."

"We can go around that." Merlin argues.

Percival knows Merlin wants to save this egg but honestly, Percival isn't looking forward to the increased probability that he'll explain to Anne how her husband got himself killed with his carelessness.

"No." Arthur grabs Merlin to stop him. "He knows we're coming."

"That's a risk we have to take!" Merlin insists.

"We'll make camp, continue at dawn. Merlin, help Percival." Arthur orders and the Knights immediately get to work preparing camp.

Merlin huffs irritably but gestures for Percival to sit on a fallen log a few feet away. Luckily the arrow had struck him in the calf so Merlin merely rolls the bottom of Percival's trouser leg up.

Merlin pulls out a few bandages from a small bag he'd brought, kneeling before the Knight and glancing around the tree to see that the Knights have actually already made camp. Percival knows there's not much to do but roll out bedsheets and start a fire. There is plenty of wood around them so the fire is already about to be started and they've thought to gather supplies and food before they'd set out again this time to save time. Arthur is speaking to Leon, both men with their backs to the camp as they seem to be discussing the woods and likely the order of the watch for the night.

Merlin smirks as he turns back to Percival. "How good are you at faking a limp?" He asks.

Percival starts to smile at that and chuckles. "I would say quite fair."

Percival leans back and observes as Merlin turns his leg slightly to see the wound, biting his lip to not hiss at the slight pain and watches in awe as Merlin merely mumbles a few words under his breath, his eyes flash and the wound closes up as though it has never been there, there isn't even any tenderness at all.

"It is a travesty." Percival murmurs as Merlin wraps a false bandage around his leg, leaving the blood there so that it would stain and seem like the wound is still bleeding a bit even though there is none left. "That a gift such as yours is persecuted the way it is."

Merlin nods. "It is."

"I had thought with Uther's death..." Percival trails off at that.

Merlin again nods. "One day when Arthur is ready."

——

Merlin cooks dinner for them. Once again, the others decide to pull the same prank they'd pulled on Merlin the night before. Percival chuckles to himself as it plays out in front of him. Arthur sends Merlin off to collect firewood as Elyan hands Percival his plate as he sits there 'injured'.

They all laugh and joke about the look on Merlin's face as they continue to eat but then Percival begins to feel drowsy. Maybe an after effect of Merlin's spell...

Percival startles awake along with the others at the sound of what seems to be multiple rocks crashing on one another. He and the Knights bolt in that direction. When they get to the tree line, Merlin is there crouching over his satchel as the tomb collapses in the distance.

"What the hell happened?" Arthur immediately questions.

"The tomb is a trap. He set it off. He never got out." Merlin replies.

"What about the egg?" Percival questions.

Percival gives Merlin a questioning look and the manservant gives him a slight nod before turning to the others. "It would've perished with him."

"Are you sure? We need to be certain." Arthur demands to know.

"Nothing's going to survive under all that." Leon says.

The tower completely collapses. Percival glances down at the bag at Merlin's feet.

——

Amelia's POV

The small party returns to Camelot with a pleased Arthur announcing to all that the fabled Dragon egg is dealt with. Amelia had dined with him to celebrate but afterwards said she wished to speak to Merlin and the Knights of their account of what had happened, remarking that Arthur's large head seemed to inflate certain events. He'd merely laughed and turned in for the night, exhausted after such a long tracking mission. Which is just perfect for the group to go to the clearing to meet with Kilgharrah.

And so, they are standing in the clearing, the egg on a small tree stump, Kilgharrah beaming happily down at them as he lands and looks at the egg.

"Gaius said that they could live for a long time." Anne remarks. "Is the egg still alive?"

"It can live for more than a thousand years." Kilgharrah reminds them with a nod.

Merlin grins to hear that confirmed. "So, you are no longer the last of your kind."

"It would seem not." The Dragon chuckles.

"So..." Amelia begins, bobbing on the heels of her feet excitedly. "How long before it hatches?"

"Young Dragons were called into the world by the Dragonlords. Only they had the power to summon them from the egg."

"I wish Arthur had known that," Amelia grumbles. "What use would there have been to hunt down the egg if the 'last' Dragonlord is dead?"

"He would have gone after it anyway, Amelia." Percival tells her sadly, making her nod at that.

"As the last Dragonlord." Kilgharrah continues. "This solemn duty falls to you, Merlin."

"How do I summon it?" Merlin asks.

"You must give the Dragon a name."

Merlin closes his eyes and after a few moments, he breathes, "Aithusa."

The egg begins to crack. They all watch intently as more and more cracks appear before a tiny white lizard with wings pops out, shaking off the excess shells and staring up at them adorably.

"Awww..." Anne coos. Amelia has to agree with her, the small Dragon is sweet.

"A White Dragon is, indeed, a rare thing and fitting." Kilgharrah remarks, "For in the Dragon Tongue, you named him after the light of the sun."

"Like with dawn it's a new day, it's like a new dawn, a new reign." Amelia murmurs. For the first time since Uther's death, she feels hope for the future that maybe things may be okay.

The little Dragon begins to inspect themself and stretch their wings.

"No Dragon birth is without meaning. Sometimes the meaning is hard to see, but I believe it is as clear as his name. The White Dragon bodes well for Albion, for you, for Arthur, and for the land that you will build together."

Anne and Amelia look at each other with tears in their eyes as the little Dragon hisses and seems to try and breathe fire but it only comes out more like the Dragon is trying to smile and laugh.

Amelia can only hope that this omen will prove true. Amelia needs a good sign for the future.

——

A/N: This turned into a bit of a Merlin and Percival bonding along with Merlin contemplating and worrying about being a father.

Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

#bbc merlin #merlin

0 notes