#merlin just hates him

[teefscrubz]

Sitting across from one another with the fire crackling between them, the knights are just occupying themselves with idle chatter as they always do, Arthur nattering on about whatever parry or thrust or whatnot they must work on in training when they get home.

Except they all one by one send glances in Merlin's direction, noticing more specifically how the manservant doesn't seem to stop shooting glares towards young Sir Mordred. Sir Mordred, however, isn't as subtle with his glances, instead staring slack-jawed at Merlin outright, for an increasingly long time. Elyan is the first to bring it up with a chuckle, nudging the young knight's side.

"Hey, I reckon Mordred has a little crush."

Merlin scoffs, turning to continue his previously abandoned chore of polishing Excalibur, while Arthur snickers at the thought. "Well, of course he does," The King hums idly, "He's only young. I wonder, Sir Mordred, which lady of Camelot have you taken fancy to?"

"I think our fair lady is with us right now." Percival grins, catching on fast to what Elyan was suggesting. With wiggling eyebrows, he jerks his head towards Merlin, who is actively ignoring all of them by now. Poor Mordred is sinking into his seat on an overturned log, face flushing furiously with embarrassment.

"Emrys.. Emys, it isn't true, please tell them to stop.."

Merlin darent flinch at the voice echoing in his head, instead shooting Mordred a warning glare in response. "Well, perhaps you should stop staring at me, then."

"Ohhh, they're staring so intensely. Kiss already!" Gwaine croons, "The tension is too much!"

It is now that Arthur looks up, dumbfounded as he glances between Mordred and Merlin in horror. His lip curls in disgust. "Mer-lin? Your crush is on this bloody idiot?"

Mordred can't help but simply stare out of fascination. How can Emrys, Magic Incarnate, polish swords and stoke fires?! It's blasphemous to him, if not insane! He shrinks back with a groan, pouting at his feet as the knights continue to poke fun.

#Arthur's a little jealous #Mordred worships merlin he cant help it #merlin just hates him #i need more mordred confused by emrys doing Average Human Things #Emrys??? gets tired??? #the great emrys??? #eats food???? #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin bbc #merlin #merthur #incorrect quotes #mordred #drabble #ficlet #fanfic #ao3

[deuteragonist1]

Merthur really have it all huh. King and lionheart dynamic. Fucking hate at first sight then speedrun to trying to die for the other. Slow burn? Never heard of her. One of them wears gloves and one doesn't and I'm not even gonna bother to explain why that is top fucking tier. Lies and secrets that could bring about the doom of the kingdom. Obviously adore each other but will actually fucking die before saying it with actual words. The prince is a gigantic asshole who doesn't know how to show care or ask for attention like a person who had healthy emotional development as a child and oscillates between pulling pigtails and acting like an over-eager puppy or both at the same time. Domesticity levels previously unheard of. They canonically wear each other's clothes. One of them makes up words and the other promptly starts using them. Both are extremely into the other's specific brand of dumbassery. Their love language is fucking playing together. "I don't want you to change" fuck this fuck everything

#also i just thought about arthur using one of merlin's made-up words in front of uther at dinner or something #and uther is like come again???? #also i said hate at first sight but i'm pretty sure that was entirely one-sided #it came from merlin's side in case that wasn't clear #arthur got tingles from this peasant boy insulting him and didn't know how to deal with it so he threw him in the stocks #argue with the wall #when merlin isn't there he is just so fucking lost #imagine being a servant in camelot like #oh here's the king. wandering about the castle in his nightclothes again #checking corners for his daydrinking servant #again #bbc merlin #merlin emrys #bbc arthur #arthur pendragon #merthur

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

Writing Mordred is slowly making me realise I don’t actually hate him.

The more I think about it, the more I realise he’s just a traumatised child who felt trapped and ran out of options when every single person in his life who was supposed to help him failed in some way or others. Most in more than one way if we’re being honest.

The kid literally had no one to turn to when the girl he loved died and was openly hated by the guy he’s thought of as a god since he was a child.

Like let that sink in.

Merlin openly wished him dead, and Mordred literally worshipped the ground he walked on.

(I’m usually a Merlin apologist but bloody hell he fucked up at every opportunity when it came to Mordred)

Morgana was the exact opposite of his morals but wanted magic free, (at the cost of non magic users lives which is also problematic, but that’s a different conversation) so he didn’t stick around with her, but when Camelot no longer felt safe for him, he ran.

Which is definitely a trauma response considering how he grew up with the Druids and then whatever the fuck happened after he left them.

Arthur was the only person who was continuously good for him, saving him as a child and later becoming a brother/father figure, but then he killed Kara and Mordred had to watch another magic user be killed by Camelot except this time it was someone he truly believed was good. He didn’t see her attacking Arthur like she did, just that the king of Camelot was killing another magic user which was bound to bring up trauma that he hasn’t felt safe enough to unpack and heal from.

I have a lot more to say on this, but I’ve got to leave for work in a few minutes so I’ll come back and scream about it another time

Fucking Mordred though, poor kid. He really went through it.

#writing this out made me realise I probably kin him a little too much #bbc merlin #mordred #character analysis #merlin emrys #uther pendragon #is shitty #kinnie moment #arthur pendragon #merlin #Kilgharrah hate club #kilgharrah #morgana #they’re all just traumatised kids #Mordred apologist apparently #long post #rant

[the-mushroom-faerie]

whether you see them as romantic or platonic, merlin and arthur are literally soulmates

#merlin #bbc merlin #ive just started watching and all i know of this show comes from merthur memes #but i love it so much so far #i live for foster dad gaius #and morgana my beloved she sure knows how to push arthurs buttons to her advantage #but like fuck uther i hate him #he has like one or two good moments #but every other moment hes just an ass

[bellamyblakru]

idk why but the trope where character a changes the routine or something in the daily life of character b and character b complains and gets annoyed at the new addition and then suddenly one day character a gets genuinely upset and stops doing said thing which then makes character b all ☹️wheres the thing i miss the thing but has to pretend they want it back and is only doing it for character a’s sake when we all see its just them being in love or whatever is something i fucking LOVE to see?? every time???

#this is so specific and yet #do u know how many times ive seen this and every time i love it??? #its like someone who hates change but is willing to change for someone. their happiness overpowers they uncomfortable feelings and it #suddenly feels as though they have lost something so precious so beautifully character a that they need it back. #girl how many shows do this lets see: #merlin #with merlin’s chatting and smiling and arthur missing it and being audibly upset when its gone #semantic error #when my red man stops fucking with him and he just goes :(((( #30 but 17 #with everything she does esp with the plant and the home itself and going to work ugh #destined with you #which im currently watching now and up to episode 7 but these bitches are both whipped withojt realizing it #there are 1000 other examples of this and i love every rendition #okay thanks for coming to my ted talk at 5am bye #their uncomfortable * english what is it #tropes

[wanderinggoddess]

i just don't get how merlin didn't take one look at little mordred with all his weird kid energy and immediately just take him in as an apprentice/ little brother

#i love merlin i just don't agree with their plot choices #i just think they were wrong #mordred was too adorable as a kid for merlin to hate him #bbc merlin #bbc mordred #mordred and merlin should have had a better relationship #my art

[adhd-merlin]

sorry but I was rewatching some bits of The Hollow Queen and the transition from daegal's tragic death in merlin's arms to arthur sitting at the table and telling his wife "I still can't believe how lucky I was! :)" while merlin limps in the background is kind of funny

#or in the foreground rather. I suppose #I think if I were merlin I would have hit arthur in the head with that jug #also [sigh] I don't hate daegal #his death still felt kind of emotionally manipulative but in a clunky way #do you know what I mean? #the writers trying so hard to pull at my heartstrings with that “did I do something good??” like please. I'm rolling my eyes #idk it just didn't affect me emotionally #but some bits made me a bit more sympathetic towards daegal on a rewatch #like him saying no one's ever been kind to him. and that he doesn’t matter etc. #I could have grown to like him if he had been in more than one ep probably #merlin #ep 5x08

[nextstopparis]

me explaining how everything would’ve been different after bbc merlin episode 2.08 the sins of the father if morgause had juST USED THAT DAMNED CRYSTAL SOONER and seen arthur actually fighting uther and being lied to and manipulated back into thinking uther was right because tHEN SHE COULDVE SOUGHT HIM OUT BUT ALONE THIS TIME AND DEFENDED HERSELF AND GOTTEN ARTHUR ON HER SIDE and then when she reached out to morgana the three of them would’ve teamed up and brought uther to his knees

#idk where merlin fits into this but TBH i am feeling decidedly uncharitable towards him rn so i dONT CARE #arthur decides to include him in their scheming after morgana tells gwen bc he feels lonely #and morgause is like youre an IDIOT why would you want him included in this when he so OBVIOUSLY is against magic #but then morganas like no wait but he knows abt my magic and hes been cool abt it #(which is a shock in and of itself but ANYWAY) (ohhh sort of like the mordred situation tbh) #and anyways so merlin gets included but he and morgause are like Really Terrible with each other and hes like UHHHHH MAYBE WE SHOULDNT #but then arthurs like shut up merlin #anyway etc etc uther dies or is forced to abdicate and arthur takes the throne #oh idk when merlin would confess his magic though. OH NO I KNOW #HES ARGUING WITH ARTHUR ABOUT THE PLAN TO TAKE UTHER DOWN AND ARTHURS LIKE morgause was right i shouldnt have told you #youre on his side arent you? and is just like fully convinced that merlin hates magic and stuff until merlin gets annoyed n hysterical #and yells I FUCKING AM MAGIC YOU CLOTPOLE #etc etc. #ok bye #ignore me #bbc merlin #2.08

[sapphickittykatherine]

for the record, i do not trust people who dislike lancelot. "he's too perfect" so he's not allowed to be perfect? one shouldn't be allowed to portray characters with no flaws? you hate him because he's beautiful and chivalrous and lovely? his eyes are too big and dark and gorgeous and his hair is too glossy and soft to the touch? you hate him because he's never done anything wrong in his life? you hate him for essentially being a saint and the bravest and most noble of them all and everything that is right with this world? this makes me worry for how you treat perfect people in real life :/

#ok but it does make me genuinely sad when ppl say they don't like him :( he's just a little guy #they hated saint sebastian for being too sexy!! which is related to this post trust me #sir lancelot #bbc merlin #mine

[camelotsheart]

arthur and morgana telling each other that they're not as different from uther as they'd like to think is such a raw 'i can stab you where it hurts' moment because they're calling each other out on the affection they had for someone who had mostly caused them harm throughout their childhood and adult life. they're calling out their inability to let go of a twisted love that had shaped them into the person they are, no matter how much they tried to stop uther from carving them in his image

#and in the end i think they both ended up acknowledging how they'll never be able to let go of arthur #like. morgana's 'uther taught me well' #and arthur saying to mithian 'if it was my father i would have don't the same' #literally the episode after he went up against his father's ghost #it's so interesting actually because morgana ends up remembering uther's memory mostly through his hate and her hate for him #and arthur remembers it through the lens of 'i disagree with and despise the values you stand for but i acknowledge #that i cant stop loving you' so he remembers uther through the lens of love - mostly #and aaaaaaaah. i think thats just a really nice parallel with them #bbc merlin #pendragons #arthur #morgana

[kateis-cakeis]

You know, I loved how Merlin was such a lil bitch towards Mordred, and while talking about him in S5Ep11.

It's so perfect, we need more of this Merlin in fanfic, like he's so scary! He's so scary and powerful just with words alone! It's wonderful, it's so good. This is the Merlin we should all aspire to write :P

(For the record I'm very very very very very very very very biased here, so goddamn biased, because I genuinely find S5 Merlin to be the hottest version of him, and I'm aroace :P)

#bbc merlin #merlin #vid #it's soooo good im obsessed with him when he's like this #just all of s5 Merlin's characterisation is chefs kiss he's so powerful he's so scary he's perfect and wonderful #man should have just murdered Mordred tbh like my god smh coward :P i understand why he didnt tho Arthur would have hated him forever

[marcskywalker]

I love when Arthur is all kingly and noble and aggressively stands by the side of justice.

especially when he gets super protective of his kingdom Camelot is mine to protect / my people deserve better / my people can't starve

like yess that's MY once and future king sdfjsgk

#arthur pendragon #merlin #bbc merlin #liya rambles #I just think he's a great king #and I hate the show for not showing enough of him being a great; just and powerful king #and the people of camelot love him #you can't change my mind about it #beloved prince and revered king

[roosterlasagne]

Gaius saying "It threw the natural order into chaos" about magic when explaining why Uther made it illegal is interesting to me. Why did he say that? Was it just the writers not having the whole sacrificing a life and Ygraine dying plot? Since it is the first episode I wouldn't be surprised.

Buuuut, it does give material for theories/headcanons.

What if Gaius said that to not have Merlin question him further, because Gaius would not tell a sorcerer he barely knows that the King inadvertently killed his wife by making an unstable deal with magic, thus banning magic cos he got scared. Which just shows how weirdly devoted Gaius is to Uther.

#bbc merlin #merlin #gaius #merlin headcanons #the dragon's call #merlin s1ep1 #i would definitely tell everyone the King's secrets #start a revolt #or at least have just one person also hating him

[lovebotomy]

underrated merthur dynamic I need more of is arthur being smart and court savvy like the prince he was taught to be and merlin smart when it comes to magic only and off the rocks insane horrible at making any sort of decision otherwise the only reason his stuff works due to his inhumane power and abilities

#s1 merthur was literally the best dynamic I need more of it #hate himbo arthur actually that man has been taught to kill since birth whatever stop making him useless #and merlin literally just wants to do smoke horses and fire dragons stop making him some sort of strategist #merlin isn't dumb in the way he pretends but he's still horrible when put in charge which is most of the time since he never asks for help #merlin doesn't run camelot!! he writes speeches for guilds of polishers and kills occasionally #later season arthur is my main enemy #non incestuous heterosexuality ruined my boy I'm sorry

[regulusrules]

AU merlin fic idea that after dotd, merlin saves arthur and he is alive and okay. HOWEVER, arthur is so broken from the lifetime of lies and could no longer trust any of those around him and refuses to accept merlin's "betrayal". this taints their relationship so much that merlin would be so brokenhearted and would lose faith in everything he wished they could have had. at the same time, arthur's knights would begin to tell merlin how undeserving he is of this treatment, how bitter the king has turned, and how this is subsequently ruining camelot. they begin to formulate a plan to kill arthur, and merlin is so heartbroken and in despair from the idea of having to live the entirety of his life with his arthur hating him, so without thinking he goes with them and is the last to stab arthur in the heart (bc mhiry has this impact on me) and at that point arthur would just look at him with such shock and grief and lost love that all he would be able to say is,

“Et tu, Merlin?”

and falls in merlin's arms

#look I don't approve of this either but it's the IDES OF MARCH #I could salvage this by saying that Merlin would be entirely horrified by what he's done and heals arthur immediately #and when Arthur wakes he will hate himself for having driven merlin this far when he knows merlin lived for him #and Merlin would never be able to look past the fact that he tried to kill arthur #but they will both beg each other for forgiveness and all will be WELL #golden age WILL come #seriously I would never accept a post 5:13 that just makes things worse #but adding some knives and pain doesn't hurt #merlin #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #merthur #merlin bbc #ao3 #merlin x arthur #king arthur #merlin fic #arthur x merlin #ides of march #julius caesar #knives #betrayal #should I write this? #julius caesar au

[if-i-could-fly-h0me]

Arthur lifting Mordred up in his arms like a proud father isn't talked about enough

#The whole of Disir episode is Arthur acting like a dad to Mordred #From telling him he's a fine knight to taking him on patrol #Toasting him on success of said patrol #Fondly chiding his wife Merlin for being sceptical and miserable #Mordred wanting to go to the Disir with them like “Father take me with you. I'll make you proud” #Arthur immediately agreeing like he probably wished Uther would listen to him when he was just as young #“I'm determined he'll get nothing but encouragement from me” #My guy seriously considered throwing away Uther's legacy to save him #Had Merlin not been there he probably would have accepted magic I swear😭😭 #I hate this fucking show #bbc merlin #king arthur #arthur pendragron #mordred #Merlin #The Disir