#gwaine in the above mentioned episode

[wumiings]

Okay but what if Merlin had openly used his magic in 1x10??? That would have been so great actually because like. The others in his village have always been so wary of him both because he’s a bastard and because they suspect he has magic, so for him to turn up and deliberately use the very gifts they shunned him for to save them would absolutely shake up their mindsets a bit. Now instead of a Heroic Prince (from a different kingdom) swooping in and saving the day, proving that royals can be Good Actually, it’s reinforcing the idea of magic as the great equalizer — something that allows common folk to look after themselves and grow less reliant on monarchy.

Let’s say Arthur is still There (though a version of this where he doesn’t come along also works). Merlin is initially hesitant about using magic in front of him, but after his talk with Will, he’s resolved to not hold himself back on Arthur’s account. Will still gets injured; Merlin heals him and explicitly takes credit for the sorcery. When Arthur get pissed about it, Merlin reminds him that they’re in Cenred’s kingdom and Arthur doesn’t have the authority to execute him (since he technically has no proof that Merlin used magic in Camelot). In the end, Arthur banishes Merlin from Camelot but makes no other move to harm him.

So now Merlin is free. He has his family, a community that’s more welcoming than its ever been before, a book of spells to study (and potentially teach others), and nearly a year’s worth of wild stories about what the fuck goes on in Camelot. Gwen and Morgana both know where he is and can send letters/come visit if they want, which also means that when Morgana’s powers starts manifesting, she knows at least one person she can reach out to for support who isn’t affiliated with the Pendragon regime.

Maybe he travels. Maybe he seeks out the druids for more education on magic and/or the prophecies. Maybe he tracks down Lancelot, or runs into some of the other errant knights (Gwaine, Elyan, etc). Maybe he meets and frees Freya, or finally gets some answers about his heritage and tracks down Balinor. Literally any of the above are on the table.

Eventually, Uther dies. (Actually, it probably doesn’t take that long. He would die like two episodes later.) Arthur is king— untested and vulnerable and far too young, but with so much potential if he can just survive long enough. And at some point, there is some magical attack on the citadel because of course there is, and Gaius once again tells his king that the threat can only be defeated with magic. And after all else fails (because there’s no one to secretly solve the problem with magic and let everyone think it just resolved itself somehow) and all hope is nearly lost, Arthur gives in and reaches out to the one (1) sorcerer he knows who may actually be willing to help him, if only for the sake of his other friends in the city.

Naturally, Merlin agrees, but he outright refuses to keep his involvement a secret. The people of Camelot are going to know that it was a warlock who saved them, not the renowned Knights of Camelot. They’re going to have to think about what that means regarding everything they’ve been taught to believe about magic. And, of course, they’re also going to know that Arthur was not too proud to turn to sorcery if it meant protecting his people, even though it calls into question his father’s legacy of magical persecution.

The Golden Age is built on the open negotiation and collaboration of magic and non-magic, not to mention nobility and peasantry. And the “union” of Albion isn’t about conquest but rather strong alliances built between nations as the benefits of maintaining a healthy relationship with magic become obvious to more and more people.

Yes, one day Arthur will die and be laid to rest in Avalon to await an age when his strength and wisdom is once again required. Yes, Merlin will live through the centuries, traveling and learning and watching humanity grow, assisting wherever he can instead of endlessly grieving and waiting for Arthur’s return. For now, though, they can all just take life one challenge at a time.

#bbc merlin #au #the moment of truth

[mslaevateinn]

'Fix-it' fics rec list - Merlin BBC

My final fill for the @merlinbingo !

I'm using this for the square "A4 - Fix it", which gives me a bingo on line 4 and one on column A!

Below are some fic recommendations that all fix some part of the show, whether a specific episode or the ending. I listed them by categories, with their title and author, rating and pairing, word count and summary, and my comments.

Episode fix-its:

I Forgive you by LovesickHeroReader G, Gen 707; One apology that should’ve taken place in Lamia Where Gwaine, in the midst of recovering from his encounter with the Lamia, shows he is an honest and kind person. Merlin angst (and tiny comfort). - 4x08

I Can See the Fire in Your Eyes by QueenoftheBritons (orphan_account) G, Merlin/Arthur 5.08k; The new king blinked, a slight frown settling, faint crinkles forming above the bridge of his nose, as his father finished, “the boy, your love, Merlin,” the phantom spat, “he has, is, magic. Destroy him, the one the Druids call Emrys, and you will wield a fear over magic we can only imagine.” “Merlin?” Arthur whispered. “Merlin has magic,” Uther reaffirmed, and Arthur was sure he saw flames burning in his eyes as he mentioned the name, as if memories of all those sent to burn passed across his mind in a flash.

Uther, being able to see most things in his kingdom while in the afterlife, reveals Merlin's secret to Arthur before the new King leaves the veil.

Uther's A+ parenting, a magic reveal and Arthur who is smarter than the show gave us. All topped with some good old hurt/comfort and characters that feel true to their show selves. - 5x03

Out of Sight, Out of Mind by BabyStepsAreStillSteps G, Gen 20.915k; When Arthur turned his back on the Dolma that he didn’t know was his manservant, Merlin reminded him that he was missing a very important member of their rescue party.

What if he hadn’t? Do you like angst? That's for you. You'll just want to hug Merlin very hard, shake Arthur very hard, scold the knights and kiss the author. There is also an entire series after this story! - 5x09

Ending fix-its:

“Maybe Kilgarrah only knew half the story” by Logan73 G, Merlin/Arthur 3.683; “I’m the other side of the coin, you said so yourself”

“You’re the king of Camelot, Arthur! The once and future king! The one to bring peace to Albion, to the whole bloody world!” He replied, stressed and nervous and so fucking scared.

“Maybe it’s time for me to bring peace to my world, and in case you’re too thick to understand, that’s you, Merlin”

~~~

Arthur returns, and Merlin doesn’t understand why.

Merlin is weary, but what's new? Well, 1500 of waiting. Merlin is so lonely he imagines talking to his friends.

thought i had it right (but i'm still lost) by istalria T, Merlin/Arthur 3.089k; The thing about hope is that it makes disappointment so much harder.

Merlin knows a lot about hope. It's all he's been doing, isn't it, for the last millenium? Hoping and waiting and trying and failing to move on.

Lazy prat, he thinks, in a sudden bout of fury. Lazy, ungrateful sod, lying around for thousands of years, leaving me to pick up the pieces.

He drains his glass and relishes the burn of alcohol down his throat. This pain he can deal with; this pain is clean and sharp and leaves relief trailing in its wake.

Very angsty but including humour, a nice OC we would all want to have on our corner

Bonus:

Where the Grass is Greener by FandomLife54 G, Merlin/Arthur 12.330k; “Merlin?” There’s something close to awe on Valamir’s face as he blatantly studies the man. “Your name’s Merlin?”

His cheeks go hot under the intense gaze, more so when Arthur’s is added. He could practically hear those blue eyes swiveling back and forth between them. Composure. He needs composure. “Yes,” he clears his throat. “Merlin. Y- I am. I’m Merlin.” Some composure. “Um, please, allow me to show you your room, Your Highness.”

OR

King Valamir is not all he seems. Coming from a land of magic, his view of Camelot is anything but positive and that makes any talk of a treaty between their kingdoms seem futile. Of course, the king seems to be only interested in Merlin, especially because he knows Merlin is Emrys and he sees it as his duty to whisk Merlin away from the evil place. All the attention he gives the warlock doesn't help Arthur, either, who's trying to confess a thing or two to his manservant.

Off category, but it was too nice not to include. Set in S4 or 5, with Arthur as King doing what we never saw on the show about magic (and a magic reveal). Hurt/comfort, friendships with the knights, pinning from Merlin and Arthur.

#merlin bingo #BBC Merlin #Fix-it #Merlin #Merthur #Arthur Pendragon #Gwaine #rec list

[merlin-reboot-when]

I like and respect Gaius in many ways (mainly because he took one look at magical trash raccoon Merlin and got out the adoption papers), but I firmly believe that he should've died in the season 4 episode "The Secret Sharer", thus giving Merlin as a character room to grow and providing an opening for another character to find out about Merlin's magic.

#there were sooo many opportunities in season 4 for other people to find out #gwaine in the above mentioned episode #Elyan and Percival in the first half of the season 4 finale #Gwen in 4x13 #merlin #bbc merlin #gaius

[friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn]

okay so I'm watching that wonderful episode rn waiting to cry about how everyone becomes a knight, and um, Leon is there and I may have screamed a bit when I first saw him (I skipped the part where we saw gwaine for the first time and that's good because it's likely I would've cried lol) and anyway I love him so I need some more headcanons :))

he's wonderful and I adore him sm and im so happy that we get to see a bit more of him in this episode like

Sure! I might have mentioned some of these in the first set I did lol

As I said before, half the time he’s not even listening. Half the time, he’s mentally sipping cocktails on some tropical beach lol.

Leon calls people out on their bullshit (as seen in the gif above, where he’s doing it to Morgana). He doesn’t care who they are. He’s over this lol.

Out of all the knights (save for Arthur) he took Lancelot’s death the hardest (your daily reminder). He’s the oldest of the knights, I believe, and he feels responsible for the others.

He was teased for his red hair when he was a kid.

On that note, he knows how to braid. Not sure how he learned it or why, but he can.

Exceptionally skilled with a crossbow. All of the knights are good with them, but Leon could split an arrow in half if he tried.

Everyone thinks Leon has no sense of humour, but he does. He’s just so deadpan that no one’s ever sure if he’s joking or not.

That’s all I have for now, but I hope you enjoyed them <3

#headcanons #merlin headcanons #merlin bbc headcanons #merlin #merlin bbc #leon headcanons #leon #sir leon

[lit-in-thy-heart]

and the next instalment of the merlin gif analysis saga is...

gwaine realising he's in love with merlin

because i want to make myself cry

Glossing over the fact that the first gif actually makes something in my chest clench, this seems to be the episode where Gwaine realises that he might be a lot little in love with Merlin.

Elyan definitely seems to believe that Gwaine is in love with someone in 5×06 (thanks @sneakyboymerlin for reminding me of that) and you could argue that Gwaine's lack of interaction with Merlin in 5×05 proves that it's not Merlin he's in love with, but think about it.

Gwaine rarely reveals his true feelings when he's around other people, but Merlin seems to be the exception. He's put himself out on the line before (yes I'm thinking about the 'Not Arthur' scene, I'm always thinking about that scene) because he can't seem to help but lay himself bare in front of Merlin. So if he's realised that he cares for Merlin a bit more than he should, he is going to be terrified of revealing that fact, and avoids Merlin because that's the only way he is going to be able to process his feelings.

Because Gwaine has it bad.

He loves Merlin subtly, powerfully. In the first gif, he casts a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Percival is still behind him and has still got hold of Merlin (honestly I don't know what they'd do without Percival, he's essentially the assigned transportation knight) and what's really interesting is what Gwaine is doing with his hand. It's not quite gripped on his sword, but hovering above it, with the fingers splayed. And perhaps I'm projecting but that is a movement I usually associate with trying to calm yourself down when panicked. As if he's telling himself to take a breath and everything will be fine. And the way Gwaine takes Merlin from Percival is so painfully gentle. He lets Merlin's body fall into his arms, rather than actively manipulating his form with his hands. Gwaine seems very reluctant to disturb Merlin in any way at all, choosing to kneel behind his head and slow down the process of setting Merlin down, despite the situation being quite dire. He handles Merlin like he's a glass ornament, as if he's afraid of him shattering at any moment.

Merlin is relatively well-supported by the makeshift bed they've got going on, yet Gwaine chooses to leave his hand resting on Merlin's shoulder. In fact, it doesn't look just like it's resting, but he's moulded his whole hand to fit around Merlin's shoulder. His hand doesn't need to be there. Gwaine doesn't even need to be there. He could easily be stood with the other knights, yet his instinct is to be as close to Merlin as he can. The only way he could be closer is by having Merlin in his lap, but that would probably make it more difficult for Gaius to examine him.

Gwaine has never really been one to shy away from physical contact. In the season 3 episodes he consistently provides Merlin with hugs (mostly when Arthur has rejected him but we'll get onto that whole thing in a bit) despite not knowing each other for that long. Even later on in this episode, he drops all the firewood to give Merlin a hug when he recovers. There seems to be an instinctive urge to be close to Merlin. And the fact that Merlin's head is resting on Gwaine's forearm is making me want to curl up in a ball and scream. And maybe Gwaine has never questioned this eagerness for physical contact before. But by the second gif, I think he knows what his initial refusal to be away from an unconscious Merlin means.

And a key part to this analysis is something I never thought I'd be looking at in depth, as glorious as it is: Gwaine's hair.

The first image directly follows the first gif, and the second image precedes the second gif. You can see that Gwaine's hair in the first image is much flatter than it is in the second. By the time Arthur and Co have left and Merlin is still unconscious, Gwaine seems to have been running his hands consistently through his hair. It's significantly messier and, whilst it could be argued that the wind plays a part, Gaius's hair remains largely unaltered. And one way to try and deal with stress or panic is to run your fingers through your hair again and again. It's not difficult to believe that Gwaine has been pacing up and down doing exactly that because Merlin is still not waking up.

If he was panicked before, then he's feeling tormented now. His hair, pushed out of his face in the first gif and image, is falling unchecked into his face and Gwaine, who usually keeps his hair in a relatively immaculate condition, is doing nothing about it. Because Merlin is lying right in front of him, potentially dying, and he has no clue how to deal with that.

In the second gif, Gwaine partially turns away and looks up, seeming to take a quick breath. He's deliberately not looking at either Merlin or Gaius, and this reaction comes after Gaius implies that Merlin could have internal injuries. And if there's internal damage and Gaius doesn't know how to deal with it, then Merlin doesn't stand a chance. And it's quite possible that Gwaine is looking up like that to try and blink away tears or just to ground himself. Merlin has been seriously injured before (think of the writers using him as a bit of a punching bag in season 4) but that damage was always external and Merlin was healed rather quickly. If it's internal, then nothing can be done by Gwaine. And it is when Gwaine is faced with the thought of being without Merlin that he realises just how much he needs him.

And when there's the slimmest chance that Gwaine might be able to help, he launches himself into it. When Gaius tells him to get firewood, he starts off in a manner that is almost a sprint, before seeming to realise that being in that much of a rush would expose his feelings, and he hesitates before electing for a fast walk instead. Because the only way he can keep himself from falling apart is to focus on helping Merlin and the possibility that he might be alright after all.

Look at his face here. He is stunned, then ecstatic, then confused. And the way that he moves towards Merlin makes it clear that he is not going to give him the trademark one-armed hug, but a full-on embrace. And Merlin brushes Gwaine off, because he doesn't have the time because Arthur is in danger and Gwaine probably should be paying more attention to what Merlin is saying but he's not. He's giving Gaius a tender smile as if to thank him for helping Merlin.

Gwaine hasn't made any mention of Arthur or the knights, even though it is a dangerous mission with or without knowing it's a trap, and his preoccupation with Merlin shows just how deeply he cares for him. The fact that his first instinct is once again to make physical contact with him, even though there was the prospect of internal damage and hugging Merlin might not have been the best thing to do, just says that Gwaine has got it tremendously bad for Merlin.

It took the thought of Merlin dying for Gwaine to realise that he was in love with him, and Gwaine spends the rest of the series struggling to deal with that.

He distances himself from Merlin for two episodes, not engaging in any conversations with just the two of them, until--

THE SUBTEXT.

Merlin's glance down in the first gif, demonstrating that he'd also do anything to protect his mother, is one thing, but Gwaine's reaction? The subtle sag of his body, the eyes darting down away from Merlin, the gentle swallow. In that moment, he's thinking how he would do anything to protect Merlin. Gwaine's gaze lingers on Merlin for a moment before he looks away, realising that Merlin has no idea how he feels about him. There's so much tenderness in that one look, especially after the slight annoyance that there seemed to be when Merlin kept talking about Arthur.

Gwaine was Merlin's friend before he was a knight. But Merlin only seems to see him as a knight these days, and Gwaine seems to decide that the only way he can indicate any of the love he has for Merlin is by being what Merlin wants him to be: a soldier to protect Arthur.

You have my word on it, Merlin.

You have my word that I will protect the one you care about the most. You have my word that I will keep him safe for you, so you don't have to feel the same pain I did. You have my word that I will put my life on the line for him, because he means more to you than I ever will.

Because this is when Gwaine realises that though he may love Merlin, Merlin will not love him back.

The way Gwaine falls back in his chair is incredibly interesting. There seems to be a bit of an impact with his shoulders, suggesting that he's hitting it with some force, but his limbs seem pretty tense. He's not slumping back in it from fatigue, he seems to be subtly throwing himself back in it. Because when Merlin was injured, Gwaine was thinking only about him and worrying about his welfare. But when Gwaine himself is injured (or has faced a threat of injury), Merlin spends the whole time talking about Arthur. And Gwaine can never measure up to Arthur. Gwaine only received hugs from Merlin when he'd been rejected by Arthur; a part of him believes that he's second best to Arthur in Merlin's eyes. And Gwaine is resigned to that, to never being able to measure up to Arthur, but is not happy about it. But he clings on to Merlin in whatever ways he can. By protecting Arthur. By greeting him when he's released from the cells and being one of the first faces he sees.

And just before their final interaction in the finale, Gwaine doesn't give Merlin a hug after Merlin has faced injury, but a touch on the arm. A touch that is incredibly similar to the one Arthur has given Merlin many times.

Because maybe, just maybe, if Gwaine can prove that he's similar to Arthur, then Merlin might look at him in the same way he looks at Arthur. Might prioritise Gwaine for once. Might even return a fraction of the love that Gwaine hasn't known what to do with for most of the season.

Gwaine would do anything for Merlin, but, by the final season, Merlin only sees him as a shield for Arthur.

#good morning everyone #maybe i am just projecting my behaviours and reactions onto gwaine but i think the point does stand #i feel like this does very much link to merlin's lack of self-worth and how he feels arthur is more important than him #gwaine could prove him wrong but gwaine doesn’t want to face rejection #so he drops subtle hints everywhere but never comes straight out with it #but in conclusion gwaine loves merlin and eira is a rebound and merlin is too preoccupied with keeping arthur alive to notice anything #so gwaine never reveals his feelings #and everyone ends up unhappy #so yay to that #merlin #gwaine #merwaine #merlin meta #merlin gif thoughts #bbc merlin #my gifs #merlin spoilers #bbc merlin spoilers #merlin season 5 spoilers

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

BBC Merlin 4x05: His Father’s Son

Here's a round-up of my main observations from BBC Merlin's "His Father's Son" (4x05).

1- MERLIN AS A KNIGHT 

I have to admit that Merlin as a sorcerer and trusted adviser appeals to me the most, but I did write a lengthy post analysing how Arthur had turned Merlin into an excellent fighter. This refutes claims that Merlin gave more to Arthur than he received in return. 

At the beginning of 4x05, we see Merlin selected to play a new role: that of knight. How did this come about? Arthur Pendragon is best known for his skills as a warrior, but he deserves more credit for his military tactics. These destroy the popular yet false idea that he is unintelligent. More on the latter in a forthcoming post.  

One of Arthur’s favourite tactics is using decoys. Previous examples of him using decoys include: The Castle of Fyrien (3x07), when Arthur used Merlin as a decoy to entrap Cenred’s soldiers; Aithusa (4x04), when Arthur used himself as a decoy to get Sir Percival to safety; Arthur’s Bane Part 2 (5x02), when Arthur uses Merlin as a decoy to enrage the slave traders before they escape-- by far my favourite example. 

All things considered, I don’t think it takes long for Arthur to choose Merlin. Furthermore, this decision may have taken place before they reached their selected location, as Agravaine later mentions a previous attack by Caerleon on the border. This choice demonstrates that Arthur has higher confidence in Merlin's abilities than he does of in his knights-- else he would have chosen them. We must conclude that Merlin is Arthur's best fighter, though at first glance, we wonder why an unarmed man follows trained knights into battle. 

Merlin is sharp, fast, has high stamina, and is incredibly resourceful. Most of all, however, he is incredibly brave. In fact, when rewatching 1x02, I was surprised to see Arthur acknowledge that Merlin was "braver than you look." This despite Arthur’s frustration that Merlin did not try hard enough during practice ("Come on, Merlin: I've got a tournament to win!"). 

What’s more, in that same episode, Merlin complains about his first day, but later on, we see his fascination wth the ongoing tournament. Then he admitted to Gaius that working for Arthur (in the context of said tournament) "isn't totally horrible all the time." It took one day for him to change his opinion! 

Sure, Merlin would continue to treat the fighting as pointless violence, and Arthur as having nothing more in his head than a desire to knock "the seven bells" out of other people (3x04). However, even in 1x02, when he applauds Arthur's fighting, his actions tell a different story. We associate this habit of liking something whilst pretending otherwise to Arthur, yet Merlin has it as well. 

As I have said before, Merlin and Arthur have profound differences, yet are profoundly alike. 

2- MERLIN AS A SERVANT 

It comes as no surprise that Merlin would return to serving after the beginning of 4x05. However, what that change represents sets the tone for this entire episode: Arthur dismissing Merlin's counsel repeatedly in favour of listening to his uncle. 

When Arthur says, "so please, stick to what you do know," you have to wonder whether Merlin remembered being entrusted with the role of knight. Now, Arthur puts him back in his place. 

Here's another example: "My conscience is clean, which is more than I can say for my room, so just... do your job, will you?" Yet just yesterday, that job involved Merlin risking his life against enemy forces by dressing as a knight. 

By the way, you can tell that Arthur doesn’t believe his own excuses, because he keeps using the passive voice to justify killing Caerleon: “...a show of strength was necessary… an example had to be made… My conscience is clean…” 

Merlin’s face after Arthur claims he doesn’t need anyone is self-explanatory. 

3- NEW THOUGHTS ON ANNIS

Is Queen Annis a good person? Actually, no. 

First of all, she knows and approves of her husband invading foreign kingdoms to plunder their wealth. Such invasions naturally cost not only the lives of Arthur's men, but her own, too. 

Furthermore, despite accepting Arthur's offer of a fight by single combat, she is prepared to cheat by enlisting Morgana's power. Perhaps if Arthur had died, too, she would have felt some remorse. Yet she still takes a monumental risk with Arthur's life in blatant violation of the knight's code. One has to wonder about her reaction had Camelot plotted against her armies in the same way. 

Then we have Annis calmly ordering Merlin’s execution without giving him a chance to explain himself. The lack of emotion in her voice suggests she has done this before. 

Speaking of cruelty, Annis’ champion seems to enjoy inflicting pain on his enemies, yet the Queen claims that he “served my husband well.” I dread to think what she means by “served”. 

I will also note that Queen Annis disdains magic, referring to Morgana as “witch”. As I have said before, Uther did not begin prejudice against magic; sorcerers were disliked and feared elsewhere, too, including by those who disliked Uther. Many sorcerers caused this prejudice by engaging in manipulative, violent, and wicked deeds. 

Examples include High Priestesses using Fomorrohs to enslave people’s minds (4x06); Cornelius Sigan using his power to change day into night and acquire vast wealth (2x01); sorcerers using special blades to murder people (3x04), and so on.

None of this takes away from Annis’ complexity, nor does it undermine her immense humility when she accepts defeat and withdraws from Camelot. After all, much of Annis' rage and desire for vengeance stems from intense grief over Caerleon's death, so we can assume her marriage was a happy one. 

Forgiving the man who destroyed her domestic happiness (as well as leaving her people without a king) shows tremendous nobility on Annis’ part. I think Arthur sees that, for he is always humble and respectful before her. 

4- LONG LIVE THE KING 

Few people respect Arthur more than Merlin. So when he doesn’t join in with cries of “Long live the king!”, you know something is wrong. 

5- CONTROL YOUR FEAR 

Episode 4x03 has a hilarious scene where a drunk Arthur claims he isn’t even a little bit scared, because, “I’m a warrior. You learn to control your fear.” Then Arthur walks smack bang into a pillar. Never fails to make me laugh. Minus the drunkenness, Arthur was telling the truth about controlling his fear.

You can see this at least twice in this episode: first, when he sees how many men Annis has brought against Camelot, and secondly, when he sees the size of Annis’ giant. In both cases, Arthur harnesses his fear into determination, which is another sign of a great warrior. 

Next up, we have a fascinating scene where Arthur watches his men joking by the fire. It's a great way of showing Arthur’s care for these men, as well as his guilt that impending war will end their lives. In a sense, Arthur has to control his fear yet again. 

6- TRUST IN MERLIN 

After the above scene, Gwaine asks Merlin if Arthur is all right, and the fact that Merlin can describe Arthur's feelings without even questioning the King once again shows the unique nature of their friendship. Merlin sees Arthur's expression, and he just knows. And Gwaine knows that, hence why he does not question the King himself. 

Listen to the silence after Merlin's response. Nobody questions Merlin's judgement: they just reflect. Given the way Arthur has repeatedly dismissed Merlin's advance in favour of his uncle, I think he could have learned something from his own knights. 

I wonder whether the knights would ask Merlin something about Arthur in this way, whenever the king was absent. In ancient kingdoms, kings had advisers, and in order to earn the monarch's favour, you spoke to the latter first. Did Merlin ever play that role for the knights?

7- MERLIN’S IDIOCY 

Now, I have a problem with Merlin telling Arthur that 1)- he would have taken any other option but to face war with Annis, and 2)- his decision to kill Caerleon “was made in the best interests of Camelot.” 

Sorry, but it wasn’t. Merlin knows that. I understand that he has to rally Arthur’s spirits so that they can win against Annis, but I am glad that Arthur knows full well he has done wrong. Both Merlin and many fans do not give Arthur enough credit for recognising his own errors. 

However, even these foolishly optimistic statements pale in comparison to Merlin's reckless and self-righteous interference when Arthur negotiates with Queen Annis. I burst out laughing when he trips and falls headlong into the tent, a metaphor for his impetuousness.  

Merlin eavesdrops outside Annis’ tent, gets caught (so he didn't conceal himself), and then has the audacity to say, “Sorry about this!” to Arthur! Not only that, he got angry over being called a “simple-minded fool”, when he couldn’t even walk in a straight line to follow the king, got himself caught and almost killed by enemy soldiers, and made Arthur look as though he were double-crossing Annis! 

I completely agree with Arthur’s anger: “Oh, I was being kind, believe me: you almost got me killed in there!” Correct. Merlin simply could not trust that Arthur knew what he was doing, and decided to interfere. Instead of apologising for getting Arthur into trouble, Merlin remains on the defensive, claiming without evidence that Arthur was “doing a pretty good job of that yourself!” 

This is untrue. Arthur surrendered himself to Annis’ men. The most injury he received was a slap. He asked a favour. That isn’t risking your life. In fact, Arthur was trying to save lives, and if Merlin had been listening properly (or just stayed in bed), he would have seen that. Only after Merlin’s sudden entrance did Arthur face serious danger from Annis. 

Now, Merlin’s explanation for this is, “I’m your friend! I was looking out for you.” I don’t doubt it. But once again, Arthur is right: “I appreciate that in your very confused way, you’re only trying to help, but please: don’t do it again.”

Condescending? Of course. But this time it was Merlin who provoked him into this anger. 

8- MORGANA 

Despite all her power, Morgana still has to defer to non-magical kings and queens. After all, she requires their military assistance to take over Camelot. 

You can also see how Queen Annis detects Morgana’s hatred, greed, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and bloodlust. In one glance, Queen Annis begins questioning the wisdom of working with a sorceress she does not trust, not least on account of Morgana being a sorceress. 

In fact, Arthur’s prowess as a warrior impresses her more: “You have as much to lose as I if Arthur wins…” Fascinating scene. 

9- THANK YOU, OLD FRIEND 

It’s ironic that arguably the best scene in 4x05 begins by showcasing Arthur’s cynicism. No guesses why Arthur did not tell Merlin about breaking off his relationship with Gwen earlier. That speaks volumes. If he had told Merlin, I think they would have had an argument similar to that of 4x11. 

Only when Arthur realises that he may die does he ask Merlin to pass his ring onto Gwen with an apology. You can see the guilt etched onto his face as he refuses to make eye contact. Interestingly, Merlin does not ask any further questions. 

Arthur’s entrusting Merlin to look after Gwen in the event of his death says a lot. For example, that ring is technically royal property, yet Arthur gives it to a servant for safe-keeping, rather than his next-of-kin, Agravaine. Despite claiming to need his uncle’s advice, Arthur will not trust Agravaine with such duties. Has Arthur made a medieval will or testament? Obviously, I have no idea, however, this episode already shows Arthur’s reliance on Merlin to deal with family matters. 

Another interesting aspect to this scene is Merlin’s silence after Arthur makes an indisputable point. This dispels any idea that Merlin’s advice was always correct. On several occasions, Merlin had to defer to Arthur’s judgement, because he saw the truth and wisdom behind it. “I don’t know what will happen. But for the first time since I became king, I know in my heart I’ve made the right decision.”

Got to love Arthur’s half-amused, “You’re not about to start crying on me, are you?” He expects Merlin to be either in good spirits or confident, because that is how he, too, remains confident. Arthur is an optimist, yet Merlin becomes a pessimist, so the king must pull Merlin together with light and yet serious teasing. 

Needless to say, Arthur calling Merlin “old friend” implies that they have been friends for a long time. So why do some fans still think that Arthur had trouble admitting that Merlin was his friend? Also, the word “old” in this context can imply reliability, constancy. Arthur chose that word to describe Merlin’s value, as well as the length of their friendship. 

The great thing about Arthur is that while he makes some serious errors, when he does repent, he does so well. Not only does Arthur graciously thank Merlin for his concern, but he makes it clear to Agravaine that he relies on Merlin’s judgement prior to entering battle. This supports my earlier statement that Merlin is Arthur’s best fighter, as well as right-hand man; Arthur does not leave for the fight until Merlin has confirmed his readiness. 

On top of this, Arthur later admits that he might be a cabbage head. “I should have listened to you, Merlin. Just this once, I think you were right-- even if you are the worst servant in the five kingdoms!” 

By implication, Agravaine is wrong. Arthur won’t say that, of course, but we saw Merlin’s sound advice competing with Agravaine’s lies for this entire episode. We can only conclude that regardless of what he says, Arthur trusts Merlin more than members of his own family. 

And this is a theme which will continue and grow for the remainder of Season 4. 

FURTHER POINTS:

Merlin’s fighting skills

Paradoxes of Arthur and Merlin’s friendship

#merlin #bbc merlin #arthur #king arthur #arthur pendragon #merlin & arthur #merlin & arthur friendship #merlin season 4 #merlin his father's son #merlin 4.05 #queen annis #caerleon #morgana #morgana pendragon #character analysis #plot analysis #merlin fandom #merlin characters #lord agravaine #arthurian legend #uther #king uther #uther pendragon #writeblr

[kandi-pendragon]

@flyingpurplepeopleeater42​ this one’s for you <3 Also thanks to both you and @fluffypotatey​ for hyping up my previous posts so that I got the confidence to continue my endless ramble. 

I’m your problem now :)

In the Merlin discord I’m a part of, it was brought to my attention that Gwaine and the Green Knight would make for a great episode because if done right it could confirm Gwaine as Queer, and that is 100% correct my friend and here’s my take on that:

I don’t want to follow the real story too closely because it gives me ‘Morgana is horrible at being a villain’ and ‘moral of the story is don’t be a fucking coward’ kind of fairy tail vibes so let’s ✨spice it up a bit✨(and make it gay) 

I imagine the episode starting with a hooded figure walking through the citadel of Camelot, towards the castle, while ominous music plays, because if there was one good thing about BBCM, it was the soundtrack. Maybe a servant passes the figure and kind of looks back at them like “what the fresh hell was that” then continues on her merry way because strange people are above her pay grade and honestly she’s having a hard time keeping herself from going full-on alcoholic as it is. She doesn’t need anymore weird shit in her life. Anyway cut to the banquet hall that we’ve seen a few times, Arthur at the head of the table, Merlin and Gwen gossiping behind him, The knights in their respective seats talking amongst themselves, haughty nobles entertaining each other, (if you get my meaning) basically everyone’s having a pretty good time. This will parallel the banquet scene that the original myth starts with, when a green man rides in and tells them all to cut his head off

The banquet ends pretty late in the night, everyone’s full with the cooks horrible delicious food, and Gwaine and Elyan are walking back to their chambers together. From the way the camera is moving we can tell we’re seeing everything from some hidden person’s POV, as they kind of stalk Gwaine and Elyan. Because I refuse to let a single second of this spinoff not be dedicated to the knights characterization, we can just barely hear Gwaine and Elyan’s conversation and it goes a little something like this:

Gwaine: (about Percival) Has he given you any stupid nicknames yet? He calls me ‘little man’.

(reference to that one (1) time Percy called him that)

Elyan: He calls me Sir Short Legs :(

And then Creepy Hooded Figure of the Week rushes up and grabs Gwaine’s wrist and Gwaine spins around kinda panicky like ‘wtf who just touched me’ and surprise!! he knows the person!! We see in the corner of the screen that the figure is taking off his hood. Maybe Gwaine’s eyes widen in surprise and he tries to back away. Next to him, Elyan looks like he’s just shit himself. But then Gwaine squints, looking closer at the person we have yet to see, like they’re familiar, somehow. “Bertilak? Is that you?”

Cut to Bertilak’s face, which is super ugly, mind you. His skin is green and his eyes are bright red and in all honesty he looks like an orc from Lord of the Rings. He tells Gwaine he needs his help. And cut to the new opening titles (which I may or may not be thinking of editing into existence) for ~dramatic effect~

When the opening titles are over we see Elyan closing the door to Gwaine’s chamber behind him as Gwaine leads Bertilak over to the bed. Elyan stops Gwaine for a moment.

Elyan: Remind me again what the hell that is and how you know it?

Gwaine: That’s Bertilak. He doesn’t usually look like that. We had a thing a while back.

Bertilak: *nods solemnly*

Elyan, definitely not jealous in any way shape or form: Define ‘thing’

Anyway as it turns out, Bertilak was a childhood friend of Gwaines. Noble, like he was, but he didn’t act it, so it was easy to forget. Bertilak’s family was close with Gwaine’s dad, and kept visiting his mom after his dad died out of awkward pity, and thats how they met. Gwaine, Bertilak, and Yvain would get into countless messes together as kids. I’m obsessed with Gwaine and Yvain now can you tell? Eventually Bertilak settled down while Gwaine and Yvain wanted to travel Albion, so they split up. But not before that ‘thing’ Gwaine mentions. (Gwaine falls in love will all of his friends at some point and I love him for it)

Surprise surprise, Bertilak’s cursed. They have to help him lift the curse or whatever, but for some reason they need Lancelot’s help, maybe they need a map idk I just really wanna include Lance in one of these, shut up. Anyway our boy Lance saves the day, they go on this journey or whatever, and its super fun for about 2 seconds. (Either Elyan tags along or he stays behind to let Arthur know what Gwaine’s up too. “I believe he is currently fucking an old friend, sire. Did I say fucking? I meant... um... helping. He’s helping an old friend.”) 

Somewhere along the way Gwaine meets Bertilak’s wife and just goes full gwaine mode:

Gwaine, bending down to kiss her hand: And who might you be? ;)

Bertilak: That’s my wife.

Gwaine: 

Somehow, someway, Gwaine finds a little green belt and some old crone or whatever tells him ‘this belt will make you invincible :)’ (she's lying its just a placebo but he doesn't know that. This parallels the ‘magic’ green belt Gwaine gets in the legend) Gwaine thinks he should wear the belt for good luck, but Bertilak, ever the responsible one since his childhood with himbo 1 and 2, glares at him and Gwaine gently puts it down like, “Then again maybe not.”

They save the day at the end, undo the curse, Bertilak doesn’t look like a fucking gremlin anymore, and Queer Gwaine is confirmed. Everyone wins :)

#how'd I do #BBC Knights #merlin #bbcm #bbc merlin #i feel a little guilty that I didn’t quite stick to the script with this one #but you know what #the fisher king was supposed to be evil and be bested by Percival Galahad and Lance #so if anyone has an issue with my inaccuracy you can take it up with BBC #they did it first #Himbos of the Round Table #Daffodils and Chrysanthemums

[fxndom-hoe]

So I was reading a ScreenRant article about what BBC Merlin got right about the stories and what it got wrong, but some of their explanations about the show were wrong and it was starting to annoy me. So I decided to hash it out here on tumblr and have my piece. And so that means you all are forced to hear me rant about some dumb article from the internet (or you can ignore me, I’m not the boss of you 😂).

Anyway, here's:

(I’m not gonna go through all the points, just the one’s I feel they got totally wrong.)

(Also, I’m going to try to keep this as unshippy as possible, but my own interpretations of the show are probably going to come out.)

WARNING: MENTION OF R*PE FROM SOURCE MATERIAL. ALSO, SPOILERS!!!

Ok so maybe this is my own opinion (like this whole post is going to be) but Merlin is technically a teacher. Not in the sense that Gaius is, not in the traditional “here, read this book for a lesson” sort of teacher, but he has actively tried to teach Arthur right from wrong during some instances where the royals were being stupid. Especially when Uther was trying to influence Arthur to do something that he thought was right (but since we know Uther, it was usually (always) actually wrong). Merlin was there to tell Arthur that his father was wrong, and in a way, that’s teaching/being a teacher.

Also, Merlin not being a lover is really a matter of opinion. He may not have had many actual romantic relationships canonically, but that isn’t what defines a “ladies man.” He’s attracted lots of women (and women). “Seen as inferior” my ass. In season one, Gwen had a major crush on him. In season five, Merlin had a slight flirtation with Sefa, even if that didn’t really last long. Throughout the series, we see the sexual tension between Merlin and Arthur. And Gwaine fell madly in love with him since they first met. And, of course, there’s Freya, which they already implied. So just because he’s only had one on-screen relationship doesn’t mean he’s not a heartbreaker. Also, he may not have had an actual relationship with Morgana, there’s definitely some kind of tension between them after she turns evil (whether it’s sexual or just them being enemies is up to you).

This may be me being really nitpicky, but the first time we see Excalibur IS 👏 NOT 👏 WITH 👏 FREYA 👏 This is the part that made me want to make this post. MERLIN 👏 DID 👏 NOT 👏 GET 👏 EXCALIBUR 👏 FROM 👏 FREYA 👏 Like, did the writer of this article even watch the show??? The episode where we see Excalibur for the first time is LITERALLY CALLED “EXCALIBUR!!!” And in the episode, it shows Excalibur being made when Kilgharrah BREATHED ON IT!!! Like, I don’t mean to be rude to the author, but you literally just had to watch the show one (1) time to know this. Maybe don’t write an article about a show you’ve never watched?? (Again, I really don’t wanna be rude, but this really rubbed me the wrong way.)

Again, I’m probably nitpicking, but wasn’t that the point of the show? Like, “Here’s the story of King Arthur except Merlin’s a twenty year old twink instead.” ? I mean, this really wasn’t all that big of a deal, but I need content and I had an opinion on this, so I’m sharing it. 

I mean, for the most part, this is right. We got the whole love triangle thing going on between these three. We got the tasteless “Lancelot du Lac” episode, which I just... we’re not going to talk about it.

 I think we all know, at this point, assuming we’ve all seen the posts talking/complaining about how Gwen was a princess, but instead they made her a servant. Especially because I think in the source material, Gwen was white, and when the show made her black and demoted her to a servant it was racist. Personally (and if this is racist, you guys should call me out on it), I like it because it shows a poor woman of color rising above everyone else and becoming queen, and that’s very badass of her and very empowering for WOC. (I’m not BIPOC so if I’m wrong about this, and anyone who is BIPOC found it offensive that they made Gwen a servant rather than a princess, you have every right to be.)

And now for my complaint: Gwen did actually become an antagonist for a few episodes. I mean, yes, she was technically under Morgana’s spell, so that makes her a victim more than a villain, but the storyline of Dark!Gwen makes her a temporary antagonist. So, article, you are wrong (in a way).

Ok so apparently Uther is just a despicable man no matter what story you try to tell. Just absolutely disgusting. And the fact that in the tales, Merlin actually helps Uther r*pe a woman 🤢🤮 Absolutely disgusting. 

But that's not why I’m talking about this part. The reason I bring this up is because if you watched the show, you would know that Nimueh tells Uther that they WERE FRIENDS. She wasn’t just some random sorcerer who he asked to use dark magic. She was his FRIEND who he asked for help when his wife couldn’t conceive. I think it might’ve also been implied that she was Court Sorcerer (but that might’ve just been a headcanon that I read). But either way, Uther didn’t just turn to dark magic to have a child. He asked his friend for help then betrayed her when it backfired on him.

Again, no matter what happened, Uther is just all around a terrible man.

Ok so this part I don't really have a problem with, but I am confused. I haven't read any source material, so I don’t know this for sure, but I thought Arthur did know about Merlin’s magic. Maybe not in all the tales, but is there not a single one where Arthur knows of Merlin’s abilities? Can someone who’s read up on the source material fact check this for me please. Because I thought the whole “magic is illegal so Merlin has to hide from Arthur” thing was made up for the show, but maybe I’m wrong? Someone help please, thank you! 😊 

Ooohoohoo! Again, no problem with this specifically, but I am reacting. I always thought that Merlin always played a big role in Arthur’s life (not as best friend like in the show) but like an important advisor. I thought Merlin was more than just someone who played a minor role in Arthur’s life. Like, Merlin is such a big figure in pop culture, I could never even imagine that he wasn’t that important in Arthur’s life. Is he more important in the stories than he is to Arthur himself? Is that it? How does that work? I think it might be because I’m a huge Merthur shipper (yes, I know I said I wouldn’t bring ships into this, but I had to for this one), but I really can’t imagine Merlin not being important to Arthur. I mean, I watched this three hour long movie called Merlin starring Sam Neill, and if I’m remembering that correctly, didn’t Merlin raise Arthur? I can’t really remember, but this just feels so wrong to me.

So that's the end of the screenshots, but I do want to mention that the article (which I’ll be linking in the source) talked about how a difference between the story and the show is that in the story, Merlin doesn’t have a family, and just...   HOW SAD??? That is so heartbreaking, and maybe that’s just me imagining the show’s Merlin, our sweet boy who cares about family so fucking much, without a family, and that just makes me sad. But is that true, though? Does the Merlin in the King Arthur tales NOT HAVE A FAMILY??? OOOOOFFF! That’s fuckin rough. 

All right, so this is the end, but if any of you have opinions on the article or on my own opinions, I’d love to hear them. Thanks to anyone who actually read this whole thing. It was kind of long and pointless, but some of what was mentioned brought out such STRONG EMOTIONS from me, I just had to share.

#bbc merlin #merlin emrys #king arthur #arthur pendragon #gaius #bbc gaius #uther pendragon #bbc gwen #queen guinevere #morgana pendragon #sefa #nimueh #bbc gwaine #sir gwaine #sir lancelot #lancelot du lac #freya #freylin #merthur #mergana #merwaine #merwen #arwen #gwencelot #original post

[and-damntheconsequences]

Okay wait actually I have more to say on Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur as a trio, that I only kinda hinted at in the tags of the other post.

As much as I love Gwaine, if anyone deserved to be the third person in the Merlin and Arthur group, with the title of "Strength", it was Gwen ((this being aside from the fact that I think it was a crime to seem to label Gwaine as of equal importance to the other two in what felt like a very important episode and then just never mention it again)).

Because Merlin, Gwen, and Arthur, were all so important to each other. Not only because of their closeness and friendship to each other, nor especially just the destiny that surrounded them as Once and Future King, his Queen, and Emrys. But because they needed each other. They shaped each other into the people they became.

Without the others, they would all have been very different people.

Arthur could easily have become a near carbon copy of Uther — yes, he had his doubts about his father, but that was largely because of Morgana. Fighting against Morgana without anyone to fall back on, without anyone to put a stop to his arrogance, he would have closed off. He would have turned his fear (because that's largely what it was for Uther) and hate of magic into violence and cruelty. For all that he always wanted to be a "good king" he would only ever have really had his father's influence as to what that meant, and probably never truly learned how to be what people needed. It was Merlin, and then Gwen, who made him challenge himself and who directly challenged his rudeness and arrogance. That shaped him into the King he became more than any other influence. Merlin allowed him to make fun of himself, and Gwen wasn't afraid to tell him the truth when it had to be said. He needed them. (He also would have been dead in the first episode without Merlin, but he needed "Emrys" for more than keeping him alive)

Merlin would have been entirely different, perhaps becoming like Morgana along the way. Without a purpose, he believed that his magic made him a monster. He was afraid. Fear of others and himself would likely have turned him against Uther for revenge, and then perhaps Arthur as well. Though Arthur and Gwen didn't know who he really was, so Lancelot and Gaius take some credit here, I don't think he would have been the person he was without them. Arthur gave him purpose, but more than that, Arthur genuinely gave him hope. For all that "destiny" told him, he wouldn't have stayed so loyal to Arthur if he hadn't had genuine faith in him. Because of him, Merlin had faith that the kingdom could be better, and there were better people within it. But Gwen was so important to that too. She was his first friend in Camelot. She gave him a friendship he didn't find elsewhere on the same level until quite a bit later. More than that, it was her ideals of kindness and forgiveness and compassion that he followed and that kept him from being so jaded and broken when things fell apart. He saved Uther in 1x12 because she didn't believe that revenge was right. Arthur showed him hope and Gwen showed him friendship and compassion, and he needed both.

Gwen would never have risen above being the serving girl she was without both of them. Merlin was a friend who gave her courage, who made her feel worthy and happy, who sat with her when she needed a friend. She needed someone, especially after her father had gone and Morgana turned against them, to remind her how amazing she was, and Merlin always did that, and allowed her to have fun too. And he protected her in more ways than the magical ones, no matter what (when she was banished, she'd lost everything — Merlin must have been the one to send her to his mother and make sure she'd be safe). Arthur gave her confidence and love and truly convinced her that she was deserving of respect, even when he was stubborn and difficult. Look at the difference between Gwen speaking against Arthur the first time in 1x10, when she apologises and panics, and when she speaks against Agravaine in 4x02. She's grown up into someone who knows her own mind and is strong, and she couldn't have done that without Arthur and Merlin both. By season 5, she is a queen and sure of herself enough to make the tough decisions necessary (I wish we'd seen more of it, but think what happened with Sefa), while also still being the kind and gentle soul she always was.

I do have some issues with their character developments, I think all of them deserved to grow as people more than they did — but maybe that's part of the tragedy.... Merlin never saw himself as having worth outside of Arthur and destiny because he still felt the need to cling to that purpose and never grew past it. Arthur never truly confronted his own beliefs and prejudices and learned from them. Gwen did lose a little of herself as Queen and deserved more of a chance to be her own person outside of what Arthur directly gave her.

But they needed each other in everything they did, magic or not, though that played a huge part. Take any one of them away and the others would have fallen to pieces before anything would have even begun.

#so basically what I'm saying is #merlin can be magic and Arthur can be courage but Gwen really deserves more #what I also Might be saying #is there's like..... lowkey ot3 potential here #because no relationship between Arthur and gwen would really have existed without merlin #and nothing could have happened between Merlin and gwen without Arthur for all that they loved him #and Merlin and Arthur really could have benefitted from gwen being around to balance them #the power imbalance would be so much more even #but even purely platonically between all of them #they need each other and always did and gwen deserves recognition for that #so take this however you will but we WILL respect gwen in this household #merlin #merlin meta #merlin emrys #emrys #merlin gwen #merlin arthur #merlin Arthur gwen #bbcmerlin #bbc merlin

[merthur-fanfics]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Merlin (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin) Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table (Merlin) Additional Tags: Episode: s05e03 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Protective Knights (Merlin), Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

The new king blinked, a slight frown settling, faint crinkles forming above the bridge of his nose, as his father finished, “the boy, your love, Merlin,” the phantom spat, “he has, is, magic. Destroy him, the one the Druids call Emrys, and you will wield a fear over magic we can only imagine.” “Merlin?” Arthur whispered. “Merlin has magic,” Uther reaffirmed, and Arthur was sure he saw flames burning in his eyes as he mentioned the name, as if memories of all those sent to burn passed across his mind in a flash.

 Uther, being able to see most things in his kingdom while in the afterlife, reveals Merlin's secret to Arthur before the new King leaves the veil.

#merlin #merthur #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #fanfic

[panharmonium]

more rambling re: that last post (+ the merlin/will fic survey overview)

because i generally refrain from reading fic while i’m actively writing for a fandom, the only real ao3 reading i have done for merlin is my survey of the merlin/will ship tag.  and the only reason i undertook that survey in the first place is because while i was doing an introductory cruise of the various merlin tags during my first exploration of the fandom (after i finally finished S5 and was able to start looking into fandom dynamics without fearing spoilers), i noticed that a LOT of the fic tagged with this ship was also tagged merlin/arthur, and despite the fact that i personally am more interested in gen stuff, i started to get both suspicious and annoyed about what i was seeing.  but i also wanted to have the data to back up my annoyed feelings, so i made a little spreadsheet for myself and then just filled it in whenever i had time to kill and wanted something to do. 

the data, when i eventually finished, backed up my annoyance pretty much as well as i expected, which was disappointing, but not surprising.

to clarify - i’m not annoyed by the fact that will and merlin don’t have a whole lot of material in their ship tag.  will only showed up directly in one episode; i don’t expect him to be a popular subject.  what i AM annoyed by is the fact that there are actually more merlin/arthur fics in the merlin/will tag than there are fics that actually focus on...merlin/will.  by, like - an extreme margin.

(the rest of this is just me griping about fandom trends.  popping it under a cut so folks can just move on with their days if this isn’t relevant to their interests.)

The Numbers

two quick notes before i get into the nitty-gritty:

1) i originally did this survey a few months ago, but i updated it this week with fics that have been added since then, so the numbers are current.  

2) some of the data below would probably vary slightly depending on who was conducting the survey, so there’s a bit of wiggle room in either direction.  the criteria i had to use [aka what counts as just a ship ‘mention’ vs actual content] would be subject to reader interpretation, obviously, but even with that, i do feel that most stories fell into pretty clear categories.)

so, without further ado -

total # of fics in the ship tag: 145

number of fics that are inappropriately tagged (meaning either will himself or merlin/will as a ship does not actually appear [which is kind of bizarre, but which i saw happen surprisingly frequently], OR where there is only a brief reference to will or past!merlin/will and that’s the extent of their inclusion: 50

number of fics that are duplicates of works already in the tag (ie podfic), or (in one case) a meta podcast about the show: 5

so, that brings down our total number of fics with some sort of actual merlin/will content to 90.

of these 90 works, only 17 of them are actually focused on merlin/will.  

everything else in will’s ship tag, including the 54 works from the previously discussed "incorrectly tagged” category, is either a) fic where will is dumped, broken up with, or otherwise passed over in favor of arthur (and very occasionally gwaine, at least once mordred, once percival, once arthur and gwaine in a threesome, and once CENRED, which i’m sure will would be especially thrilled about), or b) fic where will is only included as a previous/ex relationship (again, almost always in lieu of arthur).  

moreover - of the 17 actual merlin/will fics, 7 still end with will dying or the relationship ending for reasons other than him being passed over for arthur.  an additional 4 are <1000 word PWP snippets, generally written for old LJ summer pornathons, one of which still somehow manages to be...you guessed it - all about arthur. 

in terms of actual one-shots/full fics where merlin/will is the endgame/non-dead pairing, there are only 6 stories.  

i repeat: will gets six earnest stories, IN HIS OWN SHIP TAG.  

i repeat once again: will, in a non-dead, endgame form, gets 4% of his own ship tag.

The Content

the in-fic trends are frustrating, if you actually like this character.

the asshole.  will is an abusive boyfriend.  he is a jealous ex. he’s a shitty friend.  he’s a stalker.  he’s manipulative.  he’s emotionally abusive.  he’s physically abusive.  he dumps merlin for someone else.  he cheats.  in one fic he’s so mad at merlin that he outs merlin’s magic to arthur.  in multiple fics, i watched him literally go off the rails and try to murder somebody.

the fuckbuddy. they’re just messing around, guys!  no, of course it’s not serious!  they just do this for fun!  of course there’s nothing to get in the way of arthur’s inevitable arrival!  no sirree!

the unrequited.  will is actually in it deep for merlin, but merlin doesn’t feel the same.  this does not, however, prevent merlin from using will for sex, companionship, comfort, distraction, etc - until arthur shows up, when will either steps aside in deference to merlin’s all-consuming passion for arthur or is dropped like a hot potato.

“not even will.”  that sentence.  over and over again.  merlin had never felt like this before, not even with will.  nobody had ever understood merlin like this, not even will.   even in fic when they were like.  married.  or engaged.  fanon arthur pendragon must be truly mind-blowing, y’all.

dead long-term relationship.  will was merlin’s husband/fiancé/long-term partner.  now he is Dead.  merlin getting together with arthur is what allows merlin to Heal.  (these stories sometimes contain some variation of “not even will,” as discussed above.)

lastly, in a related phenomenon:

who are you and what have you done with arthur pendragon???   i suppose in a way it’s nice to know that will isn’t the only one who gets the OOC treatment, but it is still really...something, to read fic where will is twisted into an unpleasant, abusive, canon non-compliant version of himself, and then to see arthur, on the very same page, transformed into a gentle, solicitous, kind, caring, equally canon non-compliant angel.  fanon!arthur is more worried about merlin’s well-being than literally anyone i have ever seen.  he is so invested in merlin’s emotional health.  he is so concerned about merlin’s boundaries.  he says things to merlin that no version of arthur pendragon has ever - EVER - in any universe, thought about saying to anybody.  he wants to hear all about merlin’s problems, and he’s all about taking it slow and making sure merlin feels comfortable and loved and worthy and safe (from all that horrible stuff done by that horrible other guy; that must’ve been so hard, merlin; ‘it’s okay, i’ve got you now’) - the man is utterly unrecognizable.  and you know what?  it’s okay!  it is fine to make your characters as OOC as you want.  it is fine to make them better/nicer than they were in the canon.  sometimes we all want that, right?  it’s fanfic!  have a ball.  i will never tell anyone to stop writing what they like, and i will NEVER interact negatively with a fic i don’t care for.  EVER.  do not do this, people - click the back button and move on with your life.   but i reserve the right to be annoyed, in my own space, about a persistent trend of will and arthur’s canon functions being flat-out reversed, in service of merlin/arthur.  not in the sense that canon!will is particularly gentle or sweet, because that’s not the case - but in the sense that will, in canon, is the one who actually cares about merlin’s best interests, whereas arthur is, quite frankly, the ass. a lovable ass (sometimes).  but an ass nonetheless, and one whose relationship with merlin is, from start to finish, an unhealthy, oppressive mess.

The Point

the point of me typing this up is not to say that what people choose to write is bad or wrong.  this is fanfic!  you can write whatever you want.  you can make characters as OOC as you want.  you can create as many AUs as you want.  i don’t mind fic authors writing stuff i don’t personally care for; someone else probably loves those stories!  and i am never going to interact negatively with anything i don’t personally enjoy - i am going to let people continue to have fun in their own ways, and i am going to grumble about my frustrations in my own space, and then i’m going to direct my energy into writing stuff i would personally like to read.

the point is just that i needed a brief second to complain, on my own blog, about my most familiar bbc merlin nemesis (otherwise known as ‘single-ship ubiquity’).  and what i mean by this is that it is REALLY FRUSTRATING that other little relationships are not even granted the tiniest concession of owning their own ship tags, in a fandom that is already so SATURATED with merlin/arthur content.  like - even if i’m generous and use the number 17 for the number of actual merlin/will fics in the tag, that still means 88% of will’s ship tag is actually fic about merlin falling in love with people who aren’t will (*cougharthur*).  eighty-eight percent!  of his own ship tag!  

(to put it another way - the ship tag isn’t supposed to be where you go to watch your character get repeatedly dumped or left behind for someone else, okay?  it’s supposed to be literally the opposite of that.)

will’s ship tag is already tiny.  and almost all of it belongs to arthur.  moreover, a significant chunk of it uses will as a convenient villain (completely contradicting every canon aspect of his characterization), when in the actual story will dies to protect arthur (who he doesn’t even like) and then lies to save merlin (at the expense of his own reputation, and despite the fact that he personally thinks merlin returning to camelot is a bad idea).  his behavior in canon is selfless, and wholly committed to merlin’s welfare, and yet in his ship tag he gets treated like trash.  

the kid can’t catch a break.  and it’s such a pervasive thing that even though i personally am primarily interested in merlin and will as friends (i am pretty romance-averse in general when it comes to media, and i have never written anything that isn’t gen, for any fandom, ever, in my life), i am also so indignant on will’s behalf that i’ve basically become invested in the well-being of this ship as a matter of principle.  it’s not my main thing, and it’s not necessarily how i view the canon-verse, but i am SO IRRITATED about how virtually all of will’s shipfic has been taken over by merthur (and about how maligned will is in his own tag) that i have actively committed myself to supporting merlin and will together in as many AUs as possible.  

(this is basically like when i trained myself to love allison argent after teen wolf killed her off.  i did that out of spite, y’all.  it’s the principle of the thing.)

so, y’know.  all i am saying is that i think will deserves his share of happy endings, and i think it would be nice to see fics where he is not just a stepping stone on the road to merthur or an unrecognizable parody of himself.

more importantly - EVERY merlin ship deserves to have a tag that isn’t completely swallowed by the local fandom behemoth.  merlin/arthur already owns three quarters of the archive.  a gargantuan oil tanker like that can afford to let the little rarepair canoes float down their own streams in peace.

#tl;dr version: #GIVE MERLIN AND WILL THEIR OWN FICS 2K20 #I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THIS INJUSTICE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED #(y'all think i am kidding but i have already walked the walk ok) #(i am currently the internet title-holder for 'most words dedicated to this relationship') #(it might be the platonic version but if you don't think i will stretch myself and try something new) #(then you underestimate just how aggravated i am) #(and just how much i want this kid to get everything he deserves) #the once and future slowburn #no kings no masters #fandom

[mimir-anoshe]

List 5 TV shows that make you feel better, then tag 10 other blogs.

Tagged by @lopeforrestlope thanks mate 💕🤗

1. ATLA - Avatar the Last Airbender (dudes this is my childhood, my legend, it brings tears of joy and laughter always) + Toph is my Spirit animal so there's that. The gAang is my original found family and I will love them forever and always🤘🥺❤️

2. THE ADVENTURES OF MERLIN - My guy, my dude, Merlin and Arthur are my gay King Wizard (Wizing/Kizard) dork couple of the (12th) century (and Gwen keeping her boys in check). Gwain is a living mood, and Killghara just gets me... I too would want to crispy bacon Uther's ass. The absolute sass, the comedic genius, the fucking heartbreak, the drama, the early 2000's BBC CGI budget mmm *chefs kiss*

3. Firefly - Will I ever forgive the network for not giving this show the gazillion seasons it deserved? Nope. Will I always cherish the episodes I was given? Absolutely, for fucking ever. Space cowboys with awesome action and hilarious humour/character dynamics that would make any writer swoon. Also I had the biggest crush on Kaylee! You can't take the sky from me!

4. Fairy Tail - The first anime that I ever really watched. Fond memories of me and my brother just having a blast binging over 300 episodes of it together, going on adventures with the guild. It will always bring a smile to my face and a "fairy tale" like magic to my heart 🧙🦄🐲 Snow fairy makes me cry 🧚❄️ every time. (Also NaLu was my gateway to Tumblr so it's technically why I'm even on this hellsite 🤪🤣) If you're noticing a pattern of found family shows, then you are absolutely fucking right!! This one's for you little bro, I'll always be watching over you, no matter how far👆❤️

5. Julie and the Himbos Phantoms - the newest on this list, yet within only a week it has captured my heart and soul, it has made me laugh aloud and cry weeping grief. I went into it expecting an American cheesy teen sing song HSM esc monstrosity, and in some ways I got that, but boy was it so much more! The songs! The characters! The themes! The humour! The LADS!! JULIE "I'LL BREAK YOU" MOLINA!!! 🤭I relate to Alex SO MUCH, Luke too, and REGGIE 😂HONESTLY he sends me. My s.o. went "that looks so cheesy" right in front of my face and I literally hissed like a hellcat and went "excuse me sir that's my emotional support show!" 🤣🤣 Of the apocalyptic hellscape 2020 been, the fact that it's given me this show is a fucking light in the dark, one that'll make me raise my voice to the rain forever🎸🎹🎧❤️🥁🤙💕 They are my newest found family children and I love them your honor 🌺😎🥰

Ok well there you go! All my favourite series and emotional support shows! I would've put the 100 but the way it ended sent me into a depression spiral and I needed these shows above to get me out of it^ (Honourable mention for seasons 1-4, but I need to move on, Jason can drown in his own ego for all I care 🤘BELLARKE lives on💕). Another honourable mention to The Mandalorian 🙏 (lmao another found family what is wrong with me?) Djin and his bb 🥺 *dies from💘*

Tagging: @head-and-heart @justalittlebluetiefling @levimikasa @bellarkestories @bellamynochillblake @cassianandfenrysaremyboyos @mischiefavenged1309 @bre95611 @kofiscrib @abandoned-as-mustard

Or anyone who wants to. I'm terrible with blog names (and names in general) so I just picked familiar mutuals/random, but you're all welcome to have at it! 🤘😁

#ATLA #atla spoilers #Merlin #the adventures of Merlin #merlin bbc #merlin spoilers #firefly #firefly spoilers #fairy tail #fairy tail spoilers #julie and the phantoms #jatp spoilers #tag game #mad mimir meanders #my emotional support shows #my blog #whelp... there ye have it #my heart and soul laid bare 💘😎

[ao3feed-merlinarthur]

by CaesarWasntEmperor

The new king blinked, a slight frown settling, faint crinkles forming above the bridge of his nose, as his father finished, “the boy, your love, Merlin,” the phantom spat, “he has, is, magic. Destroy him, the ones the Druid call Emrys, and you will wield a fear over magic we can only imagine.” “Merlin?” Arthur whispered. “Merlin has magic,” Uther reaffirmed, and Arthur was sure he saw flames burning in his eyes as he mentioned the name, as if memories of all those sent to burn passed across his mind in a flash.

Uther, being able to see most things in his kingdom while in the afterlife, reveals Merlin's secret to Arthur before the new King leaves the veil.

Words: 5080, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin)

Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin)

Additional Tags: Episode: s05e03 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Protective Knights (Merlin)

#AO3 works tagged 'Merlin/Arthur Pendragon' #ao3feed #merthur #ao3feed merthur #ao3feed merlinarthur

[eastonia-blog]

I’m going to do a weird.

I know a whole lot of us are stuck at home due to the COVID19 outbreak and all our respective governments attempting to flatten the curve. So I’m going to break out my VAST library of fanfiction recommendations for you to read! Please bear in mind that my tastes in fics are not necessarily like yours so the following 15 Fandom reccs might be hit or miss. All ships and above T ratings will be tagged with brackets, all crossovers will be mentioned in those same brackets. Also, if I mention it’s part of a series, I’m not just recommending the fic I mentioned, I’m recommending the whole series. I’ve tried to recommend a different author’s fic each time. So! Let’s start with the 3 fandoms I mention in my blog description.

1) ATLA Fate Deferred (Zutara) Aang remains in the iceberg ten years longer. Sozin’s comet comes, the world keeps turning with no Avatar to save it, and by the time he’s finally found by a waterbender and her Fire Nation husband, a lot has changed. [Zutara established relationship full series rewrite; Now on Book II: Earth]  Cheating at Pai Sho (Canon Divergence) “You said you were the Avatar!” “…I lied?” Aang doesn’t get rescued in episode two, and no one’s seen him go glowy yet… so he starts bluffing. Hard. Or: “The Avatar joins Zuko’s quest to find the Avatar.” In which Zuko doesn’t join the Gaang, the Gaang joins Zuko.  The Undying Fire: Blood and Fire (First in the Undying Fire Series, eventual Zutara) Book 1. In which rescuing the Avatar from Pohuai Stronghold doesn’t end so well. It’s a tough life being a banished prince trying to get home, especially when the Avatar just wants to be your friend and keeps making everything confusing. Oh, and did Zuko mention he somehow healed the kid? Yeah, that happened. Stalking Zuko (First in the Stalking Zuko Series, eventual Zutara) Katara has developed a new hobby. At the Western Air Temple she takes to stalking Zuko. Much silliness and shenanigans follow. In chapter 20: Katara and Zuko return home to the others. Katara hates the F word and she comes to a decision regarding Zuko.  Embers (Canon divergence) Dragon’s fire is not so easily extinguished; when Zuko rediscovers a lost firebending technique, shifting flames can shift the world…  2) Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Father (Percabeth in the GFFA, eventual Anidala) It all started with a wish, but because it was Percy Jackson it couldn’t have been a friendly goddess granting him a wish. No, it had to be Nemesis, goddess of revenge and balance. Now Percy and Annabeth are stuck in a strange new galaxy right when an ancient and powerful darkness finally begins to stir.  Glass Figures (MCU Mashup) I lifted my gun, pointing it towards the minefield of shattered fragments, and kicked the small coffee table out of the way.Only to stare down at an awfully familiar face, which split into a somewhat lopsided grin. The intruder raised his hands in a mocking surrender. //“Long time no see, dude.” //I lowered the gun. “What the hell are you doing in South Peru?” //Or in which Clint Barton and Percy Jackson have a long personal history that starts in high school. All Together, Cousins (Canon divergence) When Thalia ran away with her toddler brother, Jason, she slowly gathered her cousins: she and her cousins being Big Three children. As Jason gets older and their motley group expands to six, Thalia resigns herself to the fact that she won’t always be the leader of the pack. As she accepts that, something more is coming, able to challenge even the gods above. A Crown of Golden Leaves (Historical AU) Annabeth, a Lady from the declining polis of Athens, must marry the Heir Apparent of Rome to save the rapidly expanding world from a threat even the gods couldn’t foresee.  Deluge (Percy in the Arrowverse) Barry has to deal with yet another Metahuman that Zoom has pitted against him. But this ‘Metahuman’ is an unwilling pawn in Zoom’s plan and really wants to find a way around killing the Scarlet Speester. But how can he when Zoom is holding something against him? 

3) DC Firework (First in the Sparks in the Dark Series) Orphaned and removed from the only life he’s ever known, Dick feels like there’s no light left for him in the world. His new benefactor, however, still sees something worth saving… Chronological beginning of the Spark in the Dark series.   Iron, Fire, Mirror-Glass After a brutal confrontation with Bane, Bruce comes away with a broken spine and the certainty that his days as Batman are over. An unexpected discovery offers him another chance—but at what price? The story of a man who risks his soul for the sake of his mission, the dangerous creature he names Robin, and the unlikely partnership that will shape the legend of Gotham’s Dark Knight.  Get Back Up There was a mole, one who played a long game. The team was betrayed, crushed. Robin nearly died. What are they going to do now? Only one chirped the answer. Get back up. WARNING: lots of talking, little action, many follow ups  Five Times …Five times Damian thought of Dick Grayson as his father, and the one time Dick thought of Damian as his son. Future-fic. YJ characters will show up later. Batman!Dick and Damian as Robin. With guest appearances from Jason, Tim, Cass, and Steph.  Unveiling the Mystery Series of one-shots about the team learning a little about Robin (Dick Grayson).   With all the fics, I heavily suggest you also read what else these authors have to offer in their archive.

And now here’s the plethora of other fandoms I read fics in under the cut!

4) Harry Potter The Horse (Mature) Looking after a Muggle animal should be easy compared to saving Hogwarts from Voldemort. Harry and Draco might disagree with that. Featuring Luna, Marauders, peppermints and, of course, a tall, black, badtempered horse named Simon. The Potions Master’s Nephew An accident occurs and Professor Snape finds himself trapped in his fifteen-year-old body. Enrolled into Harry Potter’s fifth year, he is forced to hide his true identity. Girls, drama and teenage angst do not bode well with Severus. Keeping Up with the Grangers (Dramione, Mature) Mr. Malfoy, I invite you and your mother to tea next Tuesday, May 25th at 2o’clock to discuss recent events. Dr. Helen Granger //…  …// He glances at the boxy too-uniform numbers flashing on the face of Richard’s radio. It’s nearly noon, and he should be getting ready to leave; but there is still a harsh tension in his shoulders and neck that he wants to work out before Hermione finds him. It is, after all, Tuesday; and while his Tuesdays were designated ‘tea with Helen’ days previously, they are now ‘lunch with Granger’ days, ever since the chance meet-up with the Weasel’s wife and the insufferable swot herself. Faceless (Dramione, Mature) New year. New love. New threat. A powerful enemy is on the rise, and Hermione Granger finds herself intertwined in a relationship with Draco Malfoy – only she doesn’t know it’s him. / / RUNNER-UP: Enchanted Awards Summer 2017 for Best Relationship Development 

5) Devil May Cry And the Rest is Silence (Mature) The destruction of the Saviour wasn’t the end. Too many people had too much invested.  An Uncle’s Thoughts Dante’s thoughts and feelings regarding one particular quarter-demon kid. Vignettes that span from the start of Devil May Cry 4 through Devil May Cry 5, and beyond. Fortuna’s Fool Events after DMC5 with flashbacks to the events we briefly see in DMC4SE only with Vergil telling Dante all about Nero’s mother. Family ties are so complicated, aren’t they? Family of Happenstance Some orphans have happy endings, getting adopted or finding their family. Having a demon slaying half devil for a father tends to throw a tiny monkey wrench in the process. AU Father!Dante, Son!Nero. Rated because hunters don’t exactly have clean mouths.     

6) Power Rangers (Focus on Might Morphin’ and Dino Thunder teams) Of Love and Bunnies Set just after Dino Thunder. When Angel Grove announces another Power Rangers Day, Tommy takes the Dino Rangers to Angel Grove for a reunion with the original team… including Kimberly. TommyKim, JasonTrini, KiraTrent. The Reason (Part 1 of eclyptyk neo‘s Dino Thunder AU) COMPLETED. DT. AU. Years go by as Tommy Oliver becomes accustomed to his job as a teacher. A person from his past returns. The new ranger team grows interested in its outcome. How will these new changes between rangers young and old be? Sequel: Ordinary World Change of Hearts (Wild Force)   PRWF: When Jindrax and Toxica set out to find themselves, they had no idea that their greatest adventure was only beginning. Chronology Conundrum DT/MMPR - After a strange mutation is released in Reefside, the five Dino Thunder Ranges find themselves thrown back into the past, circa 1995 Angel Grove. Somehow, they have to figure out how to make it back to their present without destroying it or themselves. And if they succeed, they must navigate the consequences of their actions in the past, while still protecting Reefside. 7) Merlin (Mergana leaning) The Other Version of Events What if Merlin and Arthur had met when they were children? What if a mysterious illness fell over Ealdor and Merlin was blamed? What if Arthur had actually felt sorry for him? What if destiny was thrown at them in a whole new way? AU, no slash, Bromance, A/G M/M… You get the idea.  Flipping the Coin, Part 2 of Coins (2nd story in the Coins Sage but 1st multichapter) Merlin and Gwaine are sent on an adventure to discover their past and stay one step ahead of Morgana. Fearing for them, Arthur and the other knights set out to find them, but soon discover much more than they bargained for. Alt version Season 5. Sequel to “Two Sides of the Coin” Angst, Adventure, BAMF, Bromance, Redemption, Twists on Arthurian Legends.  The King’s Legacy “I hope you are rolling in your grave brother, I will find your son, and I hope he is like you. I will ruin him and gain a lovely weapon in the process.” Cenred spat on the grave, “I win Balinor.” .Sequel posted.  The Warlock’s Quickening (First in the Albion Cycle) Merlin might have come to Camelot to master his magic, not to end the Purge, but he’s not going to sit idly by while his kin suffer. Oh no. Whether it’s releasing a chained dragon, smuggling sorcerers out of the city, or trying to change Arthur’s mind, he’s fighting back. Now. Series rewrite beginning after 1X02 featuring Proactive!Merlin. AU. 

8) Dragon Ball Under the Radar (Gohan/Videl) Gohan is living life as a secret superhero, but Videl is making it her business to find him out! How will Gohan manage her and Saiyan hormones? Will he fess up? Or will he try to live his life -puts on sunglasses- “Under the Radar”? *applause* Thank you! Thank you! And GOODNIGHT! G/V obviously. Rated T because adult situations and language in later chapters. COMPLETE! Golden God (Mature) To save the lives of millions, Gohan is forced to expose himself as a Super Saiyan, proving that his tricks are indeed very real. And it drives the whole world to insanity. Warning; becomes a little graphic goes as it on. Walking Towards the Sunset Bardock’s curse sends him to a mysterious place where weaklings are abundant and an odd trio claim to be his family. Eventually giving in, he stays with them to discover that Earth is more unlucky than Planet Vegeta. Impatiently waiting for his son’s arrival, Bardock has to survive a new life with his estranged family and a certain girl set on finding the truth. (Saiyaman-Buu Saga) Plus One (Gohan/Videl, Mature) Tired of being pursued by the gold-digging, glory-seeking, Satan obsessed freaks of the world, Videl will resort to the only method open to a celebrity like her to find Mr. Right. 9) Sailor Moon (Mainly SenshiShitennou) The Crystal Age (Rewritten) In an alternate version of Season 1, as a result of Beryl’s curse at the end of the Silver Age, Tuxedo Mask and the reincarnated Shitennou are fighting a losing battle to save the city and find the lost princess. Sailor Moon has disappeared, Sailor V is working on her own, and the other Senshi are still just ordinary girls. Sequel to The Silver Age. MxU, SxS. Please R&R. Hooligans It’s after Galaxia and time for University. The Senshi and Mamoru settle into life in Great Britain and meet some old friends. Inner Senshi x Shitennou and Usagi x Mamoru. Modern Timeline. Strong language, crude humour, hilarity and sexual situations abound, be warned, there will be some heavy angst later on too. Never Gone R A single choice can change the course of Fate: a choice, say, like waking up on time. If that choice were made, Chiba Mamoru would never meet Tsukino Usagi; but, he WOULD meet Unami Seiya and the burden of Terra’s future would fall onto his shoulders. Never Gone AU. The Dinner Hour (Part of The Dinner Series) It can be hard to be patient in the face of eternity. But good things come to those who search and refuse to give up on their dreams. R/J. (Sequels: Dinner And Again, Dinner at Last completed!)

10) Les Miserables (Warning: Enjonine ahead) When Apollo Met Persephone (1st of the 1830s AU) The revolution, or at least the first part of it succeeds. Enjolras confronts political and personal realities. Eponine is suddenly faced with more opportunities than she ever thought. Can they guide each other in a world that needs them as much as they need it? Les Choses Qui Sont Arrivées Après “You must flee Paris at once.” Enjolras and Eponine. The thief and the leader, the marble Apollo and the dark street girl… two wholly different survivors of the Revolution are forced together under a dangerous circumstance. Can they successfully fight their demons as well as each other? Neither of them knows quite what is going on, or what will happen when they figure it out.     Teacher of Man The first time Enjolras and Éponine meet, it is their wedding day. (arranged marriage AU) My Best Friend’s Wedding Éponine Thenardiér always thought that Marius would eventually come back to her, until the wedding invitation came in the mail. Now she is going to do everything that she can to get him back from that blonde tart Cosette. Nothing goes according to plan and even her partner in crime Enjolras is becoming an obstacle. E/E. 11) Naruto Beginnings  Naruto was six years old when he met the man who changed his life. …Now he’s kind of just hoping he survives it.  An Inch of Gold (Part of the Legacy of Fire series) Team 7 is sent on a mission to investigate a disturbance outside of the village, where they encounter an unconscious girl in a crater. The mysterious Sarada insists she’s a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf trying to rescue her teammates. When the team discovers she possesses a Sharingan, things become even more unbelievable. [Part of the Legacy of Fire Series]     Guilt of Innocence Uchiha Sasuke abandoned Konoha in his persute of power to join Orochimaru. However, this was only a cover story. In fact, on Tsunade’s orders, Sasuke is to act as Konoha’s spy within Otogakure. One agreement and his path had changed forever…  Blind (SasuSaku) It was almost time, Orochimaru was going to take his body as a vessel. He hated being used…he refused to be used. With that thought, he took the kunai in his hand and slashed across his eyes.     

12) Legend of Zelda (Zelink) The Conviction to Save The princess is dead. Those are the words being whispered in the streets. A great shudder sweeps across the land of Hyrule as news of its beloved monarch’s passing spreads like wildfire. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, a humble village doctor happens upon the body of a gravely injured young woman on the road. Legend of the Miraculous (Concepts taken from Miraculous Ladybug)   A legend retold through many a tale, but when a darkness resurfaces after so long, Athena and Sheikhan Wolf must return again! Will Link and Zelda be able to combat this threat? and will they figure out each others’ identities? Come inside and take a look! Hit List AU. It all started as a typical day at Ordon High, until a sudden school shooting turns the life of Link Hero upside down. Now, surrounded by enemies, can Link save his friends and escape the school alive? (Edit 10/2015) Counting Stars Link finds himself caught in the middle of an elaborate gang war. Lucky for him, being a B-list superhero makes that predicament a tiny bit easier. / Modern AU ZeLink, inspired by Spider-Man. Under Revision! 13) Hunger Games Vox Libertas Due to things playing out a bit differently in the last few minutes of the Quell, the rescue also goes a bit differently than expected. Now Peeta has the responsibility of representing the Rebellion thrust upon him. No pressure. *AU Mockingjay. Part I of Dandelion in the Storm AU. Mainly Peeta POV.*     Someone To Watch Over Me (Everlark, 1st in the Series) A HG rewrite. What would happen if Peeta was just a little bit bolder, and Katniss a little less emotionally confused? You’d be surprised. Let the Games begin. This is an AU, but I’ve tried to stay as canon as possible. Rated T to be safe.     Enthralled (Everlark, Gadge, Mature) Thrall (þræll), n., a slave or serf in Viking Age Scandinavia. After a successful raid, Gale is rewarded with a slave girl: the Saxon noblewoman Madge. Meanwhile, shieldmaiden Katniss grows closer to captive monk Peeta. Gadge/Everlark historical AU with background Odesta and other pairings.   Katniss, Vampire Slayer (Mature) “Into every generation a slayer is born.” the man droned out slowly, quietly, in a way that made her think he was quoting something. “One girl in all the world. A chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.” //  Haymitch mocked. “One girl in all the world. Ain’t I just lucky it had to be you.” 14) How To Train Your Dragon Becoming Lífþrasir (Hiccstrid) People often wondered what kept Hiccup going during those early years. When that single, most-treasured thing is taken from him, there is little left to keep him on Berk. The day Stoick returns, and the day before the best recruit is finally chosen, Hiccup leaves Berk; little knowing that he would one day return under … strange circumstances. H/A, R/F, rated for violence.     HTTYD Easter Special Sequel to “The Unholy Offspring,” set after the season finale. When Alvin the Treacherous threatens Asgard with a rogue demigod’s help, Hiccup and Berk’s Dragon Riders must prevent an early Ragnorak. It doesn’t help that Alvin has learned to tame dragons, and that the only god that can help Hiccup is a sullen, suspicious boy named Mud. Happy Eos week, Hiccup!     The Blacksmith’s Apprentice (Hiccstrid) AU. Hiccup never took the shot on that fateful night-and the war continued. Three years later, Berk is beset by dragon raids and hostile tribes while the boy who should have saved the island is merely the assistant in the forge. With only Astrid as his friend, fate gives Hiccup one more chance to end the war and become the hero he was meant to be. Hiccstrid. Snap (Hiccstrid, Mature) He was just supposed to fix her back, and she doubted that at first. She definitely didn’t expect to get dragged into the ethics of a girlish crush. Modern AU. 15) Star Wars Double Agent Vader The one where Vader turned double agent for the Rebellion about three years after ROTS, and Leia is now his primary contact with the Rebellion. Or,  a man attempts to escape slavery by turning into one of his culture heroes, teaching his daughter how to do magic, killing people, and flower arranging. A New History During a heated battle, Dooku escaped into the past! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker follow to stop him, but discover that Dooku went to the past where Obi-Wan is a young padawan to a very much alive Qui-Gon Jinn. Now, the two must go undercover to stop Dooku’s plans from coming to fruition in order to save not only the future, but also young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. Pulse AU for ROTS. As Padme’s life hangs in the balance on Mustafar, a stream of brilliant light causes Anakin to reconsider his choices. Jedi Shmi AU Shmi leaves Tatooine with Anakin and goes to the Jedi Temple.

#Stuff to do #while youre stuck inside #due to coronavirus #eastonia reccs #fanfiction recommendation

[ao3feed-merlin]

I Can See the Fire in Your Eyes

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3bSZgFT

by CaesarWasntEmperor

The new king blinked, a slight frown settling, faint crinkles forming above the bridge of his nose, as his father finished, “the boy, your love, Merlin,” the phantom spat, “he has, is, magic. Destroy him, the ones the Druid call Emrys, and you will wield a fear over magic we can only imagine.” “Merlin?” Arthur whispered. “Merlin has magic,” Uther reaffirmed, and Arthur was sure he saw flames burning in his eyes as he mentioned the name, as if memories of all those sent to burn passed across his mind in a flash.

Uther, being able to see most things in his kingdom while in the afterlife, reveals Merlin's secret to Arthur before the new King leaves the veil.

Words: 5080, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin)

Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin)

Additional Tags: Episode: s05e03 The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Canon Era, Established Relationship, Protective Knights (Merlin)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3bSZgFT

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #merlin #bbc merlin

[lawgoddess]

EDITION #2234 – MAY 22, 2020 

 Before commenting to the newsletter, please read the FAQ first. mxa_news is now cross-posting on tumblr at mxa-news.tumblr.com. Follow us there! News/Resources merlincastnews: BRADLEY JAMES: INTERVIEW WITH THE PODCAST DESTINY AND CHICKEN Challenges/Fests camelot_drabble: Prompt #413 Sign-ups! camelot_drabble: Prompt # 412 Masterlist! merlin_forever: Promoting Merlin Canon Fest Discussion/Meta merlin_forever: Merlin Re-watch Reminder: 1X11 - The Labyrinth of Gedref Fanart lesgrandtears: sometimes i feel i can hardly breathe everyone expects so much of me. raging-titan: merthur doodles maryluis: Do this Merlin, do that Merlin! zeramara: AU where everyone lives, Merlin can use magic freely, and they all lived happily ever after Multimedia MistbornHero: Podfic of Rescue Me by SlantedKnitting Fanfic: In Progress [M/A] USER: A Professional Relationship (1/?) (R) 1931 “No. Absolutely not,” Arthur stared at the man who not twenty minutes ago rear ended him. “You’re fired. Get out,” he stated simply as he made his way towards the elevators. Merlin gets a job at Pendragon Industries as an assistant to the Chairman's son, Arthur. They don't get off on the best foot. (Merthur Office AU). [M/A +] Impala_Cherry_Trickster: Together? (1/2) (NC-17) 1342 Gwaine's been mentoring Arthur on how to get Merlin into his bed, until things change quite suddenly. [M/A] schweet_heart: marginalia (1/3) (NC-17) 2898 He pushed open the door to his chambers. There, where he had left it, was his old oak bed, the hangings freshly cleaned and re-hung in preparation for his arrival; there was his desk, his dining table, the familiar worn-smooth stones of the hearth where a welcome fire was blazing. And there, standing with his back to the window, was his manservant, arms folded across his chest, leaning casually against the stonework as he waited for his king. Sometimes, the most important moments are the ones that happen in between battles. Or: Merlin and Arthur steer Camelot towards a Golden Age together.(Series: Part 205 of the Merlin Fic series) [M/A] Silur: Merlin - A Time Reversal (1/26) (G) 1112 Arthur closed his eyes and knew that his kingdom was safe. He knew that he could go without any grievances. What he didn't know was, what he would do, if he was ever to return. What diffrences could he make, if time was reversed? Maybe... Maybe some things wouldn't end like they had. Maybe he wanted some things to stay. Somebody to stay... "Hey." He turned around. "Come on, it's enough." "What?" "You've had your fun my friend." Fanfic: Complete [M/A] bunnysworld: Social Distancing (G) 619 Merlin and Arthur perfect social distancing. [M/A] open_spellbook: I found you at the back of some party, then later I found you in my heart... (NR) 607 Merlin finds Arthur by accident, after all those years of waiting Merlin should be over joyed, if it wasn't for the fact Arthur had no clue who he is and just desperately wants to make out with him… And if only poor Merlin wouldn't cry so much… (Series: Part 2 of the The places Merlin and Arthur went... (open for prompts!) series) [M/A] Gilli_ann: Announcement (G) 200 Prince Arthur and Merlin will face the world together for the first time as their engagement is announced. (Series: Part 3 of the Royal Wedding series) [M/A] Saturning: Sugar abomination with caffeine (NR) 1271 Another coffeeshop AU but in this one Arthur orders the worst drink imaginable and Merlin - the waiter - absolutely can’t take it. [M/A] CaesarWasntEmperor: I Can See the Fire in Your Eyes (G) 5080 The new king blinked, a slight frown settling, faint crinkles forming above the bridge of his nose, as his father finished, “the boy, your love, Merlin,” the phantom spat, “he has, is, magic. Destroy him, the one the Druids call Emrys, and you will wield a fear over magic we can only imagine.” “Merlin?” Arthur whispered. “Merlin has magic,” Uther reaffirmed, and Arthur was sure he saw flames burning in his eyes as he mentioned the name, as if memories of all those sent to burn passed across his mind in a flash. Uther, being able to see most things in his kingdom while in the afterlife, reveals Merlin's secret to Arthur before the new King leaves the veil. [M/A] TheAsexualofSpades: I promise (G) 2253 Merlin's been off the past few days. Arthur knows. The knights know. They just have to figure out why. Well, no. Arthur has to figure out why. The knights are making sure he knows that if it's his fault they won't be happy. (Series: Part 58 of the Quarantine Drabbles series) [M/A] tops: Lost Without You (G) 1865 Merlin has been waiting for centuries. Lonely and lost without his destiny. But something is different about today. Today, the lake stirs. [M/A] USERallthingsmagical: A Different Kind Of Experience (PG-13) 16448 Sequel to work experience. Merlin is pregnant again and Arthur is happy to share this one with him. [M/A] SwanFloatieKnight: Breakfast For Dragons (G) 358 It is just like Arthur to oversleep when he has to feed Aithusa. (Series: Part 13 of the Camelot Crack Ficlets series) [M/A] Krank: Safe and Sound (PG-13) 1947 Don't you dare look out your window, darling, everything's on fire With nothing left, Merlin uses everything he has to make Arthur comfortable. [M/A] bunnysworld: Social Distancing (G) 611 Merlin and Arthur perfect social distancing. Maybe they get a bit too good at it? [M/A] arthur_pendragon: you, where are you (G) 355 an edit of Merlin and Arthur, along with poems from each to the other. [M/A] Mischel: Stay. (G) 1989 Arthur and Morgana overhear Merlin's conversation with his mother, and after magic is used in the fight, they both realize that Merlin is a sorcerer. Despite not really wanting to, Arthur decides that Merlin should stay in Ealdor. Now it's Morgana's job to kick Arthur back to Ealdor to get their friend back. But that is not the only reason Arthur wants Merlin to stay with him. Set in the episode 1x10 The Moment of Truth. (Series: Part 10 of the Merlin Rewatch 2020 series) [M/A] musiclover57: Remembering (NR) 1251 Sequel to 2020. Arthur remembers, and he and Merlin talk. (Series: Part 2 of Endings and Beginnings) [M/A] Val_Creative: I Got You (And You Got Me) (PG-13) 1047 It’s already halfway through the day when Merlin’s foot pushes in the screen door. He never did learn to knock. [M/A] rowrowrowthatsme: Picnic (G) 724 Arthur is acting weird, and Merlin is determined to figure out why.

#mxa news merlin x arthur news merthur news merthur merthur fanfic merlin fic #merlin cast news #merlin fanart #Merlin fanfiction