#uther being a dick | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction · 26 days

Text

Remember that one scene where Arthur is training with Merlin and Merlin is fighting for his life while Arthur repeatedly knocks him on his arse? I can’t remember what episode but it was early in season 1.

I like to imagine Merlin starts being sarcastic with every hit in hopes it’ll piss Arthur off enough to storm off and leave him alone. It backfires when Arthur starts replying and it turns into a venting session.

Like, Uther said some dumb shit about Arthur? Merlin starts a fight about it.

The knights can’t follow orders? Merlin is disobedient enough that Arthur starts yelling about how dangerous it is when his men don’t follow orders.

Arthur’s feeling bad about someone he couldn’t save? Merlin makes him see why he’s doing enough by arguing with him about it and reminding him that he’s only human.

And Arthur knows what he’s doing, he catches on eventually and will occasionally walk up to Merlin, push his shoulder only enough to be annoying until Merlin stops whatever he’s doing, then Arthur will just say “Fight me.” and Merlin will either say something he knows will get Arthur angry or he’ll throw a punch he knows Arthur will block and they’ll start sparring. (Merlin learns to fight eventually, neither of them realise it’s happening until he sucker punches a bandit and he’s out cold)

Anyway, it becomes something they do to help Arthur vent his frustrations.

The best part? It works.

So Arthur sees Merlin upset. It goes on for about a week when Arthur realises what’s going on. He sits down next to Merlin on the floor one night, nudges his shoulder like he would if he wanted to fight, and says, “why are you upset? It’s not like you’ve got anything to worry about.” In a purposefully taunting way.

Merlin scowls and keeps working, and Arthur tries again, “Really. All you do is follow orders. It’s not hard.”

And so Merlin looks up, clearly angry until he sees what Arthur is trying to do, so he puts down what he’s doing and starts fighting back, “no, just exhausting when those orders are given by a prat.” Or “Maybe if I had a day off once in a while.” I don’t know, I suck at dialogue.

It goes on for a while, until they get too close to the issue, Merlin snaps, tells Arthur he’s a dick and sobs, yelling about magic, and the great dragon being manipulative, loosing his father, loosing Freya, Gaius lying to him about his father and thinking Uther is a good king and a good man, and literally everything else that’s gone wrong.

Arthur pulls him in and hugs him, then tells Merlin they’re fighting together from here on out. It takes a while, but they work it out.

There’s plenty of “fights” about Arthur feeling betrayed by Merlin keeping secrets and Merlin being mad at his situation in Camelot and then being frustrated that he can’t get himself to feel angry at Arthur (I’ve got a half baked character analysis for Merlin and Arthur’s codependency somewhere in my drafts. I’ll come back to it eventually.) but they’re okay and they figure it out and end up stronger for it.

I’m holding back on sharing the major character death/dark!Arthur angsty alternate ending for this, but let me know if you want to see it :)

Edit: Part 2 - (the angsty alternate ending)

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon #merthur #merlin bbc #headcanon #fic ideas #merlin fanfic #merlin fic #i’m bad at tagging #i'm procrastinating #another idea for a rainy day #said while it’s raining like that’s a rare thing here #another fic idea for when I don’t have other wips to finish first #fic writer #merlin x arthur #merlin and arthur

416 notes · View notes

absolutebuffoonery · 2 years

Text

PT 3 (including finale): I convinced my dad to watch merlin with me and here’s what he has to say

pt 1

pt 2

---

“They’re loving that.”

“I don’t even wanna know what they’re doing in there.”

-When Merlin and Arthur get caught in the net booby trap

Arthur, to Merlin: You’re the only friend I’ve got and I couldn’t bear to lose you.

Dad: *literally gasps and gapes at me in surprise*

Merlin: Really?

Arthur: Don’t be stupid.

Dad: *laughs hysterically*

*uther emerges from the veil*

“Wow, of all the dead people, he got the right guy”

“Was that a reference to fisting?” -the horseplay scene when Arthur threatens Merlin with his fist

“Okay that was pretty gay.”

(I don’t even remember what he was talking about here, but he was right)

“Arthur’s unconscious again, alert the media.”

“I really don’t know what to make of Mordred.”

(whenever he said something like this I had to hold in an earth-shattering screech)

“Okay, this son of a bitch has to die” -About Mordred, s5e12

“I am OBSESSED with her.” -about Gwen after she runs someone through with a sword in s5e12

(same)

Arthur: “Just... hold me.”

Dad: *just nods his head*

(I think he was simply acknowledging the queerness)

Arthur, during That scene in s5e13: I want to say something that I’ve never said to you before.

Dad: Ohh boy.

His thoughts after the finale (he wrote an Official Statement for his “tumblr fandom,” including the hashtags at the end):

Well, watching Merlin was a much more satisfying experience than when my kids made me watch Glee with them. Although it was difficult at first to accept the way they bent time to accommodate Merlin and Arthur being contemporaries, I got over it because they succeeded in creating a relationship between two boys-to-men who wouldn't normally exist in each other's worlds. In actual Arthur lore, Merlin is old and wizened long before Arthur is even born. In fact, you remember in an early episode when Gaius references magic being necessary for Uther and his queen to produce a son? Well, in Arthur lore, that magic was cast by Merlin, and Merlin was present during Arthur's childhood. But ok, let's give the BBC some breathing room because they did a good job showing the generational transition from the failings of toxic masculinity (Uther's reign) to the superhuman potential of unapologetic bromance (Arthur's reign). In fact, how many times did I furrow my brow when Uther did something stupid or said something weenie just because he thought he was being strong, but he was actually being...alone. When it was Arthur's turn to do something stupid or say something weenie, he had a posse of good bros by his side to prop him up.

Even in S5E3 when Arthur gets the opportunity to see the ghost of his father and be like, "Bruh, I miss you," Uther instead treats Arthur like shit and belittles him for not being a dick to his people. Respect through fear, I believe is what the ghost Uther was preaching. But that strategy was pretty much self-defeating, given that respect through fear got Uther prematurely dead. Luckily Arthur didn't give it too much thought and decided, "Yeah, nah, I'd rather hug my droogies and marry a servant woman and be respected for doing the right thing, so biyee douchebag." In fact I'm assuming the writers created this post-mortem meeting not as merely another display of magic, but as a tangible means of showing Arthur's wrestling match with his own conscience. Even the playful and boyish banter between Arthur and Merlin (and the way they gaze at each other adoringly) is an example of Arthur's determination to part with toxic masculinity, especially when he gives Merlin the opportunity to be right sometimes without getting his chainmail hoodie in a bunch.

This could absolutely be a lesson to voters the world over, who have the power to put real leaders in office but choose crusty old assholes instead of fresh, young minds and hearts. All the Uthers in the world are giving AOC and Sanna Marin shit for dancing. Can you believe we actually live in an era when our leaders get chided for dancing? For fucking dancing! Meanwhile AOC and Sanna Marin are attracting loyal followers in New York and Denmark, who would follow them to the ends of Camelot, while the same old self-serving ancient curmudgeons who keep getting elected are busy pulling Agravaine after Agravaine out of their bungholes. Perhaps I digress.

Their parting from lore that is a little less acceptable is what they chose to do with Lancelot. Love triangle with Gwen and Arthur, yes, but Lancelot's BBC fate was less than satisfying. There are many tellings of how Lancelot dies, both with and because of Gwen, but the BBC opted against putting Arthur's best knight at the roundtable through most of this series. How fascinating. And weird.

Anyway, the end: Avoiding spoilers, I'd say the series ended appropriately. My 20-year-old daughter is traumatized by the ending, but I know enough about Arthur lore to know that the end is appropriate and loyal to legend. Camelot enters a new era, Merlin finally gets the respect he deserves, and a strong woman rises to power (I hope she dances). Satisfying. My parting thought: Walking away from this series, I've discovered a new career aspiration. I don't need to be king of anything, but I really want a job that allows me to say, "Ready the men, we ride at first light" without getting bullied. I mean, that's just really damn cool.

Thanks for all of your comments and responses. It's been fun.

#Merlin #ArthurAndMerlinOTP #ToxicMasculinityVsBromance #ArthurWasPan #TristanAndIsoldSpinoff

#merlin #bbc merlin #bbc #colin morgan #bradley james #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon #merthur #merlin x arthur #gwen pendragon #mordred

908 notes · View notes

fluffypotatey · 9 months

Note

*smashes in like the Kool-Aid man*

PENDRAGON SIBLINGS YOU SAY????

I have. So many Feels. About Themst™

The complexity?? The layers?? The angst?? Hello??????

Their relationship is just So Much, because you are right, it's all tangled up in miscommunication and missed opportunities, and so many problems that can be sourced back to Uther "War Crimes" Pendragon, who wouldn't know a healthy relationship if it bit him on the ass.

If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.

Because it's the lonely childhoods, the shared grief, the friendship, the vulnerability, the fondness, the teasing, the envy, the jealousy, the almost romance, the protectiveness, the betrayal, the loss, the hurt, the refusal to let go and the desperate hanging on, and the love, the love, the love.

Indifference is the true opposite of love.

Hate is love that's gone rotten.

“If Merlin and Arthur are two sides of the same coin, then Arthur and Morgana are edges of the same blade.” oh fuck….

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK

WAIT HOLD ON WAIT LEMME PIGGYBACK ON THAT BESTIE @0hheytherebigbadwolf (tagging you bc it will be a couple days after you sent this ask)

(Also, for anyone wanting background context on what me and bestie are bouncing off on: voilà)

OK OK SO

we are all familiar with King Uther being the greatest (worst) dad of all time, correct? places such high expectations on his “only son and heir” whilst never officially acknowledging Morgana as his daughter until the very end?

F+ father of the year :)

he is not above sending his children into the dungeon if they disobey him as seen here:

(Jfc he even put Morgana in chains like wtf)

also, he is not above using emotional guilt towards them when he deems it necessary (aka one of the only times he actually acknowledges them as his children)

UTHER (1x02 Valiant) I trust you will make me proud.

UTHER (1x08 The Beginning of the End) I’ve treated you like a daughter. Is this how you repay me?

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) You are the daughter I never had.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) You would believe a sorcerer’s lies over the word of your father?

not to mention that when Arthur or Morgana try to reason with him or argue with him since they are the only ones with the status to do so, he pulls rank

UTHER (1x12 To Kill the King) May I remind you that you are speaking to your King [...] Take care, child, or I’ll have you restrained.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am your king and your father. You will show me some respect!

UTHER (2x06 Beauty and the Beast) We live in dangerous times, I cannot allow you to undermine my authority.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final.

ngl i could include more but i have already spent hours searching for shit (YOUTUBE WILL DIE BY MY HAND THAT STINGY BITC—) but y’all get what i mean: Uther is an abusive fucker and it has messed up the conditions of Arthur and Morgana

now, about the double edged blade…..

as previously established, Uther is a fucking dick and wants his children to obey him but also adore him. with this behavior, the Pendragon siblings react in two ways: with anger & contempt or submission and remorse

way #1

i’m gonna start with Morgana because anger is the easiest to pick out throughout the show. in the first episode of the first season, our introduction to Morgana’s character is her lecturing Uther about executing the man Merlin witnessed upon entering Camelot (such a warm welcome for Emrys, mh?)

MORGANA I just don't think chopping someone's head off is cause for a celebration. That poor mother. UTHER It was simple justice for what he'd done. MORGANA To whom? He practiced some magic, he didn't hurt anyone. UTHER You were not around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like. MORGANA How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?

early on, it is easy to pick up on Morgana’s resentment and anger at Uther, who she believes is blinded by his fear of magic and his need for control (which she isn’t wrong about). also, we find that she isn’t one to back off when poking the bear (Uther). she does it constantly in seasons 1 & 2

MORGANA (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning when she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers? Like an idle king!

MORGANA (1x08 The Beginning of the End) How can this child be your enemy? He's just a boy. UTHER He is a Druid. MORGANA Is that such a crime?…What have these people done to you? Why are you so full of hate?

UTHER (2x04 Lancelot and Guinevere) How many men would you have me sacrifice to save a servant? MORGANA As many as it takes!

to be honest, i wouldn’t be surprised if screaming, arguing and berating Uther about his morals and ethics is her way of proving that she is not weak or submissive to his actions. i mean, Morgana grew up in a household the complete opposite from her time in Camelot. Gorlois, the man whom Morgana considers to be her father and one and only family member, was said to be “just” and “kind” and someone that Uther even considered a good friend who openly kept him in check. Morgana, until the age of ten, understood parental love and empathy unlike Arthur, who spent his whole life without any good or healthy substance of it.

the culture of Camelot and Uther’s wrath is not something Morgana was ever able to fully acclimate to as Uther himself pointed out in 1x12. She “was at odds with [him] since the beginning” and could never picture herself as a Pendragon (point further proven in 4x05: she looked revolted when Queen Annis compared her to Uther) because she didn’t share in their idea of magic = evil and a king = absolute control.

ironic in terms of future plot events, isn’t it :’)

way #2

compare that to Arthur: man’s respressed af. keeps all his emotions under lock and key if they are anything but haughty and serious. y’all, Arthur even says it himself how he “[can't] disagree with Father [Uther] in public.” whenever Arthur finds himself at odds with Uther, he holds his tongue and waits until he can disobey secretly (2x05 when he leaves to rescue Gwen, 1x08 when he helps Morgana sneak out Mordred in the dark of the night, 2x08 when he sneaks out to meet Morgause for more info about his mom, etc). it is only the rare moments when Arthur feels impassioned enough to speak up without fearing any retribution does Arthur talk back at him (so satisfying 👌)

ARTHUR (1x03 Mark of Nimueh) [Morgana’s] right, Father. You hear the word magic, you no longer listen.

ARTHUR (2x08 Sins of the Father) This is what fuels your hatred for those who practice magic. Rather than blame yourself for what you did, you blame them….You hunted her kind like animals! How many hundreds have you condemned to death to ease your guilt?!….You speak of honour and nobility! You're nothing but a hypocrite and a liar!

ARTHUR (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You can't forbid my feelings any more than I can. I won't deny them any longer, I love her. I love Guinevere.

we can even compare how the two react to Uther’s violence towards them

(ahahahahahaaaaa what a wonderful dad)

on the left, you see Arthur’s face right when Uther crushes the morteus flower needed to heal Merlin (his manservant/friend/????) and on the right, is Morgana after Uther discovers she was harboring a Druid child in her chambers and she refuses to listen to his reason.

notice how both faces are remarkably similar 👀

however, Arthur’s look of shock and dismay come from his hope that Uther would do the right thing. that he would help save Merlin’s life from dying of poison. that he wouldn’t use this as a method to teach Arthur “what it means to disobey and cross the king.” he truly did hope, just like he always does with the people he holds close. Arthur cannot help but hope and trust that those close to him will not betray him and yet so many do. hence the remorse

looking at Morgana, her shock comes from the fact that this might be the first time Uther reacted to her words and actions in a physical manner. my suspicion is that most of the time, all Morgana previously got was Uther reprimanding her and yelling at her to stop questioning his methods (bc, let’s be real, she was the favorite child.) never has he lifted a finder on her like Arthur and i have proof (cue transcript!)

AND! and, Arthur is constantly warning Morgana about not angering Uther any further because of the consequences she might face (consequences this boy is very familiar with) when Uther deems it necessary to “teach” his children obedience.

UTHER (1x04 The Poisoned Chalice) You have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're let out in a week. Then you can find yourself another servant.

UTHER (3x10 Queen of Hearts) You have caused this to happen, Arthur. My decision is final [...] This is for your own good. - UTHER She will die. The enchantment will be broken. You'll see I was right.

UTHER (2x08 Sins of the Father) I am protecting you from your own foolishness!

so educational 🥰 but see, because Uther presents his punishments as lessons, Arthur himself views them as just a fucked up but meaningful way of his father’s concern because “yeah, I am the first born son and only heir to the throne. of course I need to learn not to do silly things like disobey, talk back to him, be my own person.” <- I’m paraphrasing here

Arthur does and has never seen a way out of the life thrust upon him by Uther (see 3x06). succeeding Uther as king, marrying a noblewoman of high standing for heirs and alliance strength was always expected of him. Arthur never saw a way out of this. even when he and Gwen were in their secret relationship phase, Arthur had to remind himself that this would never last. he loved her and knew she loved him, but there was always that reminder (that sounded a lot like Uther) in the back of his head telling him that it would never last so long as he was prince. he had a duty (constructed by Uther) to serve Camelot and going against his father would mean (in his eyes) that he is going against Camelot (as Uther always presented it to be).

so unlike Morgana, he did not kick and scream but stood firm because that was what he believed was stronger. if he stayed in his lane and did his part, then he would be a good king, maybe even a better one than his father, for Camelot. however, the show proves that differentiating himself from Uther actually made him the better king and more respected, but this is not the meta for that. I am getting side tracked.

OK: so we’ve established parental issues between the two siblings. now onto their very complex, complicated yet beloved dynamic

sO, as i mentioned in this post (because i am lazy and too tired to copy/paste the evidence from there), these siblings do care for one another. they just go about it in the most hilarious and repressed and in-denial way (hilarious to me 😤)

when we meet them, it’s established that these two have known each other for some time. enough for them to bicker and have banter, you know, as you do with a Pendragon. also, should add, neither character are ever aware they are blood-related until s3 (because of some weak-ass bitch named Uther), so you have that very, uh, interesting subplot in s1 that everybody forgets about until you rewatch it. (honestly, I have so many questions. number 1: why???? number 2: it’s only in s1—was it scrapped??? is it like it never existed???? what was its purpose to the plot??? bbc explain yourself—)

however, despite how much it is shown that they do care for one another, they’re relationship in s1 is still undefined and vague as if they also don’t know how to accurately define what the other means to them. it’s very similar to the whole “i really love this person so much but is what i’m feeling platonic, familial, or romantic?” because….you know, guy and girl besties who are close are typically expected to grow romantic feelings for each other, so tbh i would not be surprised if both mistook their love as romantically inclined in the beginning bc, reminder, neither of them were aware they were siblings until much later.

[and this is ALL i am saying on this subplot. i do not want to cause any negative discourse, so if anyone has a few choice words about it, either keep it to yourself or feel free to talk about it with people you know. personally? not a fan of the ship and never will be, but i am not here to post about that.]

anyway, have some featured receipts showing Arthur and Morgana slipping up and showing how much they care for each other.

SEE!!!! LOOK AT HOW THE CARE!!!! SEE HOW THEY WORRY FOR THE OTHER AND WISH TO PROTECT THEM FROM HARM!!! (and see how even when they’re on opposite sides there is still that same love. just more warped and corrupted T^T)

^worried/protective Morgana

^Arthur’s face after Merlin informs him that there’s an intruder heading to Morgana’s chambers

Morgana is very aware of Arthur’s trusting nature. Arthur is very aware of Morgana’s empathy and righteous nature. they understand each other so well which is why Morgana knew just how to harm Arthur in later seasons and why Morgana’s betrayal hit Arthur so hard. it’s also why he never stopped trying to reach out to her in s4 & s5. as @merlinemrys said in this lovely post, the show’s driving force is love. love of all kinds. whatever conflict it is, love is there at the center of it all and, in Arthur and Morgana’s case, it does not save them (just like how love does not save Merlin or Arthur from what lies ahead, as the op of the post pointed out).

that is what makes their relationship/love be like a double edged sword!! that is why they are edges of the same blade!!! they protect and fight for what they believe in and for the people they love, but the same blades cut deep and twist their wounds into a lasting scar.

it is because of Arthur’s love for Morgana that he cannot help but hope and mourn the woman he once knew. it is because of Morgana’s love for Arthur that her feelings of hatred are so strong and ugly.

like honestly,

look at them T^T compared to before

their relationship is so tragic T^T because we knew them before it all went wrong. we knew they cared and understood each other. we knew that for some time, they only had each other to rely on for a friend, a crutch, a breather for when the royal life was too much. both of them were fighters and strive to honor their values. both of them had once leaned on the other for support, had wanted nothing but happiness for each other.

fuck, they didn’t even get the chance to really be siblings because they found out too late, and by then Morgana was on a war path and Arthur only found out at the last minute.

like fuck, man

two sides of the same blade: forged with love, yet used for blood

screencaps brought to you by me, @sourdough-morbread, and farfarawaysite

#i will spare you the gorey details of me trying to fine decent screencaps & screenshots for this fucking post or else i’ll get pissed again #(i am considering whether it is worth it to go to war with youtube)#special thanks to my bestie mor for being there for me at the gorey times and helping me find more screenshots #fucking love you bestie 💕💕💕💕#also only including s1-2 bc i am tired and they are the ones where we get pendragon siblings not trying to kill each other #forgive me for always bringing up uther and the pendragon sibs’ upbringing with him it will happen again #also after hours of rereading transcripts and rewatching clips of bbc merlin: it is so obvious that uther cared and treated Morgana like hi #own child more than Arthur. like jfc he let’s her get away with so much stuff he is way for gentle with his words towards her #when he realizes that he was too cruel or rude like bro…..where tf was that for arthur #it just adds to the complicated sibling dynamic because there is the added jealousy and resentment of knowing a parent loved another more #literally most of Morgana’s time with Uther was her at odds with him and yet he views her as his child more #well no ducking dur that Arthur ‘i-would-do-anything-to-receive-my-father’s-love-attention-and-pride’ Pendragon resents Morgana for #always being the one Uther goes easier on and finds ways to turn a blind eye for like wtf #also during my research i was reminded of how done dirty Gwen’s story was by bbc #loses her father to a king fearful of magic barely gets to mourn him bc she now has to keep up the smithy and her maid job; reunites #with her brother who’s been AWOL for some years and still they don’t get a moment to talk about their dad and mourn TOGETHER #her storyline is pushed aside by s4 bc now she’s fulfilling the role of Arthur’s love interest and oh yeah they still need to incorporate #the lanceot/guinevere scandal and then banish her for some episodes without even letting her brother be mad about it like ?????#anyway #continued saga of fluffy rereading transcripts -> uther: ‘it’s been a long time since Ygraine…since anyone’ me: ducking liar >:(#[sir leon begins the slow clap] king you dropped this 👑IT IS 1AM HELP 😂#place your bets on where my laziness for evidence came in! (I honestly don’t know lol scavenging evidence is all a blur)#spent 2 days on this post lol #me: ok i think that’s enough evidence for this argument…………ok maybe ONE more won’t hur—#me after day 2: ….am i done???? am i free????#pendragon siblings coming behind me with a steel chair: nah mate!#me: FUCK THERE’S MORE #bbc merlin #merlin meta #pendragon sibs

63 notes · View notes

merlincersei · 4 months

Text

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 21 - Uther v/s Captain Ahab

As per my usual Christmas tradition, I need trauma to balance out the Christmas cheer so I subjected myself to watch the Merlin series all over again for the 11th year in a row!!!!!

Me before watching Merlin:

Me after watching Merlin:

While viewing the series this time around, Uther's character really stood out to me.

There is something about the way the writers choose to write Uther's character that made him come across as being more ""flawed" rather than the cold calculating antagonist that has been popularized by Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister in Game Of Thrones.

It is a real coincidence as Charles Dance himself appeared in the Merlin series as Aredian in the Witchfinder episode.

All credit must be given to Anthony Head, whose portrayal balances the multiple requirements the script demands with brilliance be it stoic, emotional and/or comedic elements.

But it was while watching the episode "The Tears of Uther Pendragon" that I could not help but find overlaps between Uther Pendragon ( 2008 Merlin BBC TV Series) and Captain Ahab (1851 Book Moby Dick)

So I felt that it could become a Tumblr post.

Here is my attempt to outline the similarities between our antagonists.

Leadership Qualities

Captain Ahab is the chief captain of the Pequod and leads a crew in various whaling expeditions.

Uther is the king of Camelot and rules the kingdom of Camelot.

Motivated By Revenge

Captain Ahab had become disabled when the white whale, Moby Dick had bitten off Ahab's leg during a whale hunting expedition. Over his long recovery, Ahab believes that Moby Dick acted with deliberate intelligence and commits himself to avenging his lost leg.

Uther had become a widower when his infertile wife who was impregnated through magic died at childbirth. Overcome by grief he believes magic to be evil and vows vengeance against everyone who uses magic.

Accidental Death

Captain Ahab throws his harpoon and hits Moby Dick, but its line wraps around his neck and drags him off his boat when the whale dives, drowning him

Uther is accidentally killed by Merlin when a magical artifact reverses the healing spell into a killing spell.

#merthur #merlin bbc #merlincersei #lgbtqia shows #merlin meta #anthony head #moby dick #herman melville #captain ahab #uther pendragon #signal boost #bradley james #colin morgan #arthur pendragon

45 notes · View notes

bi-bard · 8 months

Text

Unreal Unearth - Hozier Writing Challenge Masterlist

Hello! Here's the writing challenge masterlist for Hozier's "Unreal Unearth".

This is easily one of the most beautiful albums I've ever listened to it. It is full of gorgeous lyrics and music. I hope that the stories I have constructed for it can reflect that.

I hope you guys enjoy these stories!

----------------------

De Selby (Pt. 1)

And Sit Unseen, With Only the Inner Upheld Jack Kline X Reader [Supernatural] Summary: Two Nephilims find themselves taking shelter with the Winchesters. However, no safety and security could match up to true connection and understanding.

De Selby (Pt. 2)

I Wanna Fade Away with You Dick Grayson X Reader [HBO's Titan] Summary: (Y/n) and Dick's connection was one to be envied. By friends and family and anyone who had known them. This connection is good until it seems to be turning Dick into someone different. Now, the biggest question is whether or not that change is bad.

First Time

Some Part of Me Came Must Have Died the Final Time You Called Me, "Baby" Joel Miller X Reader [HBO's The Last of Us] Summary: Joel is offered a rare glimpse of hope after the apocalypse had started. However, the universe can pull away signs of hope just as fast it can offer them.

Francesca

If I Could Hold You for a Minute, I'd Go Through It Again Sam Winchester X Angel!Reader [Supernatural] Summary: Love can lead to the sacrifice of many things.

I, Carrion (Icarian)

If I Should Fall, On that Day, I Only Pray, Don't Fall Away From Me Alina Starkov X Reader [Shadow & Bone] Summary: Alina never wanted to drag (Y/n) into a battle that should have been hers to fight. However, (Y/n)'s own stubbornness led to them being on the front lines when the time came. All that could be done was hope that they could find a way out of the darkness surrounding them.

Eat Your Young

It's Quicker and Easier to Eat Your Young Peaky Blinders X Child!Reader [Peaky Blinders] Summary: A new gang attempts to put down roots in Birmingham, much to the displeasure of the Shelbys. However, as tensions rise, more is revealed about this new gang... including some concerning cracks in the foundation.

Damage Gets Done

You and I Had Nothing to Show but the Best of the World in the Palm of Our Hand Daisy Jones X Reader [Daisy Jones & the Six] Summary: In which two dear friends find themselves face-to-face years after they lost contact with each other and it's as if a day had never truly passed. Except that it did. The only question will be what they will do now that it had and they were both such different people.

Who We Are

And the Hardest Part is Who We Are Nikolai Lantsov X Reader [Shadow & Bone] Summary: A long line of unfortunate events leads two old friends to learn more about each other and themselves.

Son of Nyx

Son of Nyx Crowley X Reader [Good Omens] Summary: Crowley is forced to find a newly fallen angel and ensure that they are brought down to Hell. Through the fear-induced chase, an act of kindness finds its place between Crowly and the new demon.

All Things End

And Just Knowin' that Everything Will End Should Not Change Our Plans Merlin X Reader [BBC's Merlin] Summary: A story of love, loss, and accepting the inevitable.

To Someone From a Warm Climate (Uiscefhuarithe)

And Darlin', All My Dreamin' has Only Been Given a Name Anthony Bridgerton X Reader [Bridgerton] Summary: When Anthony goes from perfectly friendly to all too distant, (Y/n) is left scrambling for some kind of explanation. The only question will be how long it takes for Anthony to provide such an answer.

Butchered Tongue

A Butchered Tongue Still Singin' Here Above the Ground Morgana X Reader [BBC's Merlin] Summary: Morgana escapes from Camelot after her attempt to tear apart the kingdom and kill Uther. Now alone, she finds some kindness in (Y/n), who may end up being far more important than Morgana would have ever considered.

Anything But

I Would Do Everything Just to Run Away The Corinthian X Reader [The Sandman] Summary: A dream is convinced to follow a nightmare out of the safety of the Dreaming. They learn just how much of a mistake that was... and how careful they must be to get home.

Abstract (Psychopomp)

All My Love and Terror Balanced Between Those Eyes Will Graham X Reader [NBC's Hannibal] Summary: A collection of nightmares that have been haunting Will the most recently.

Unknown/Nth

And There are Some People, Love, Who are Better Unknown The Master X Reader [Doctor Who] Summary: [End of Season 12] The Master was known for doing whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. However, after so much time together, (Y/n) wanted to believe that they would be offered some kind of mercy. Oh, how wrong they were.

First Light

But After This I'm Never Gonna Be the Same and I Am Never Going Back Again Eleventh Doctor X Reader [Doctor Who] Summary: (Y/n) had never known true peace like they did with the Doctor. They had never known such support, such acceptance, such love. What will happen when (Y/n) learns that their perfect existence isn't all that they thought it was?

----------------------

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

48 notes · View notes

onceandfuturelesbian · 1 year

Text

ok so i know there’s quite a few canon era fics where merlin comforts arthur after uther gets mad at him

but i want one where after arthur’s been comforted, maybe the next day while arthur’s training or smthn (?), merlin barges into uthers chambers or the throne room alone to tell him off for being a dick to his son (without arthur’s knowledge or presence)

the only way i can really see this going is uther gets angry and defensive and tries to stop/attack merlin so merlin reveals his magic to hold the king down while he continues to yell at uther about how amazing arthur is

kind of like pendragon software by auspicious_dragon but canon era with a magic reveal and merlin doesn’t have any previous respect for uther cause it’s evil uther

then ofc ends w merthur together

#merlin #bbc merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #bbcm #fanfic #merthur fanfic #onceandfuturelesbian prompts #fanfic prompts #merlin fanfic prompt #merlin fanfic

61 notes · View notes

thisisjustmefangirling · 10 months

Text

BBC Merlin rewatch, 1x05 : "Lancelot"

Today, we meet Lancelot !

Why doesn’t Merlin use his magic to protect himself against the griffin ? He didn't even try. Maybe he was too scared... some fics say it's because he was still recovering from being poisoned.

Aaaand from the get go we are introduced to Lancelot as a brave and selfless character, a hero willing to risk his life to save someone else.

It's nice to see Arthur and Uther out in the forest doing kingly things, checking out villages together.

"You could shame the great Arthur himself" awww Merlin you're sweet, acknowledging what a good fighter Arthur already is.

"You face the most feared of all foes, the ultimate killing machine. You face me." This much bragging and ego is giving serious Gilderoy Lockhart vibes and makes me want to laugh but Arthur actually has the skills to support his claim. He took out that Wessex guy in less than 30 seconds. The guy had two swords, and Arthur did not even use his own, he ducked, punched and kneed the guy, and voilà.

I LOVE sword fighting scenes. Especially when they involve Arthur.

Arthur points out he's the third noble to fail the test this month and "How am I meant to defeat Camelot with rubbish like that ?" and I think it nicely sets up the idea that the knights of the Round Table will be coming from elsewhere and deep down he juges them by their skills and honor.

As another post has already pointed out, Arthur rejects the idea of Merlin becoming a knight ("I think I might be able to help") not because Merlin is not noble born but due to what he thinks Merlin lacks for the job. "Courage, fortitude, discipline"

Aaaand Merlin openly lies. "He IS a nobleman".

"Thanks Arthur. You won’t regret it". Merlin doesn’t even bother with "my lord" or "sire" or "your highness" haha.

Merlin suddenly develops a talent for forgery. Congratulations.

Geoffrey of Monmouth's eyebrows are impressive and probably fake.

Gwen highlights Merlin's kindness : "Merlin would do anything for anyone"

Gwen and Lancelot are cute together

Nice music as Merlin and Lancelot walk in the corridor

Did I mention I love to see Arthur training his knights and himself ? Cause I do.

"Lance... lot". Thanks Arthur now I imagine Philomena Cunk going "Lance A Lot" just like she said "King Arthur came a lot, didn't he ?"

youtube

Maybe you think that Arthur slapping Lancelot was a dick move; to me it shows he's fed up with nobles who think their skills are better than what they truly are. He NEEDS good fighters to defend his kingdom. "Sluggish reactions. On the battlefield, you'd be dead by now". Have you already been on the battlefield, Arthur ? I wonder.

Lancelot shows he's tenacious by getting back up and declaring he's ready now.

I think Arthur is amused by Lancelot's eagerness to prove himself, and he likes it, and him. Look at his face... He's smirking :

The real dick move was making Lancelot cleaning the stables.

Lancelot went straight to Merlin's room... do they sleep in the same room ?

"Your magic is not a toy, Merlin. It is not for you to use and abuse as you see fit." Ugh Gaius you're annoying.

Also Lancelot is right on the other side of the door while they talk about Merlin's magic ??? Gaius you keep berating Merlin for his use of magic, for fear he could be found out, but you are not discreet at all !

Great fight scene between Lancelot and Arthur, who seemed eager to test this newcomer.

I love the way Bradley moves. I don't know anything about how much training he got for these fight scenes but there's a great physicality to him, his arms and shoulders seem nicely developed and used to the exercise. He hasn’t lost any of that, he was fantastic in "Vikings : Valhalla", though it felt strange to see him playing a villain.

Arthur is in a rush to have Lancelot be tested and be knighted. He smells potential.

I love that Lancelot bested Arthur by being more clever than him and tricking him. I didn’t think it was in his nature.

Morgana eyeing Lancelot makes me laugh

Oh look, women with wimples.

Morgana looks beautiful in burgundy.

I can't believe Arthur is staring at Morgana and Lancelot is staring at Gwen and they bond over "do you think she's beautiful?" Like... Arthur and Lancelot should have had a strong friendship on this show, aren’t they supposed to be best friends in the original texts and some of the adaptations ? I know a book in which Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot have a threesome to make sure Guinevere gets pregnant. Arthur and Lancelot were close enough for that. Of course here, Merlin is/will be Arthur's best friend... but Arthur deserves to have friends, and to have friends left after being betrayed by so many people by season 5. He was too lonely. Look, he's smiling at him here :

"He [Lancelot] is not really my type".

"Sometimes Guinevere, I wonder if you would know what your type was if he was standing right next to you." Merlin you are standing right next to her...

This episode is so funny for this, all the main characters are looking at someone and their looks are not returned. Arthur is looking at Morgana, who's looking at Lancelot, who's looking at Gwen, while Gwen is looking at Merlin, who is looking at Arthur and Lancelot.

MERLIN MAKING GWEN CHOOSE BETWEEN ARTHUR AND LANCELOT WHEN SHE'S NOT INTERESTED IN ANY OF THEM YET OMG. "Just for the sake of the argument".

This is another one of these occasions when Arthur and his knights are wearing CHAINMAIL, something you wear for PROTECTION in BATTLE, at a feast. Yes, you're knights, we get it. You're also the Prince, Arthur. Wear something fancy.

I never get tired of seeing Pierrefonds from afar.

You are wearing your fancy vest this morning Arthur, so why couldn’t you wear something similar last night ?

Uther doesn’t need chainmail either but it could go with his paranoid personality so I'll let it slide, especially since he's wearing a nice dark... surcoat ? I love that Arthur wears bright reds and Uther and Morgana wear darker tones of red.

"How can you trust a man who's lied to you?" asks Uther, and the scene cuts to show Merlin.

Gaius and his books remind me of Giles.

The griffin attacks. Arthur leads his knights. "ON ME ! ON MEEEE". The show does a good job at establishing Arthur's skills as a fighter and leader of his knights, and his qualities such as his bravoury and sense of self-sacrifice.

I wish the show wouldn’t use so much slow motion during fight scenes...

"You said your knights were the best in the land, and you proved that today". So once again it goes to show that Arthur expects a high level of skills from his knights, but for a good reason.

Uther refusing to listen to reason even though it could cost him his son's life is sending me. Arthur will ride out against the creature because it is his duty to protect Camelot but also because his father ordered him to and he yearns for his father's approval and fears his disappointment.

"Merlin you are the only thing I care about in all this world. I would give my life for you without a thought", says Gaius, while obviously still being loyal to Uther somehow.

Arthur thinks he's been "so stupid" for believing in Lancelot and Merlin's lie. It's just the beginning...

"I need... Camelot needs" yeah Arthur just admit you like Lancelot and admire him, it's alright.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. The use of magic is not permitted".

Arthur gives Lancelot his freedom, in his father's back.

Sweet moment between Gwen and Lancelot. She might be developing her crush.

Ooooh right, Arthur and his knights were still wearing helmets that season.

They found a good option for Arthur, because helmets and filmmaking don't really go together (unless it's The Mandalorian), and this helmet protects the head but shows enough of the actor's face to let the viewer enjoy the acting and see the character's emotions.

"I'm failing, and if Arthur dies because I am not good enough..." Merlin's biggest fear.

How come both of Lancelot's shoulders are protected when Arthur is only protected on his right side ? ...it's purely decorative, isn’t it ?

Oh I didn’t expect the forest scene to be so close to the castle.

That's a nice horse Lancelot has. Totally epic sequence.

Arthur is so happy Lancelot managed to kill the griffin, oooooh.

Aw and Gaius is proud of Merlin... That's sweet. Also interesting to note he struggled to enchant a weapon now in season 1 but in the pilot he could stop time without thinking and in season 5 he can accomplish feats of magic like no one else can.

Who are these random people in the room with Uther, Arthur and the guards ? They are useless and shouldn't be here.

"He laid down his life for me ! He served with honour".

"The law is the law. The code bends for no man". "Then the code is wrong !" Arthur, my darling, I love to see you make your own conclusions and realise that your father is not right about everything. Keep turning into the great King you will be ❤️

Lancelot knows about Merlin's magic and accepts him.

Lancelot barging in to say goodbye... Dude, Arthur was fighting for you to be pardoned and reinstated as a knight. He liked you and wanted you to stay and he basically told you so. You don't have to sacrifice yourself all the damn time. Fight for what you want. You are too noble for your own good. YOU killed the griffin. You were the one who fought it and won. Merlin helped, but it doesn't mean that it is his accomplishment alone. It was team work.

Morgana's voice is softer this season than later. She and Gwen are sweet together.

Byyye Lancelot, see you later !

Okay, my conclusions :

Merlin is learning not to mess with other people's destiny, and learning new spells.

Arthur's skills and sense of honor were nicely shown, and he wasn't very prattish in this episode

Arthur is amused by people who defy him, like Merlin or Lancelot. Let him have real friends, pleaaaase.

So many ships were created by that episode.

Lancelot is too noble for his own good and I'm afraid that's what made him a bit boring to my eyes in later seasons.

Arthur is not afraid to go against his father and stand for what is right, he did it at least twice if not three times : by telling his father in denial that he thinks Gaius is right, by freeing Lancelot behind his father's back, and by going to see his father to demand to have Lancelot pardoned and restaured as a knight.

I don't expect perfect costuming (or even historical accuracy) from this show but a tiny bit more consistency and logic wouldn't have hurt. Fan artists and fashion historians, if you ever come this way... I'll take all the art of Merlin and Arthur and Morgana in the BEST outfits.

They've really pulled the knight/chivalry card in this ep and I loved it.

#bbc merlin #merlin rewatch #lancelot #arthur & lancelot #king arthur #sir lancelot #bbc guinevere #merlin #Youtube

21 notes · View notes

lit-in-thy-heart · 9 months

Text

bitter is the antidote

Rating: Teen+

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Relationships: Gwaine & Lancelot & Merlin, Gwaine & Merlin, Gwaine & Lancelot, Lancelot & Merlin, Lancelot & Percival

Characters: Gwaine, Lancelot, Merlin, Percival

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jealous Gwaine, watch gwaine come to so many wrong conclusions in real time, Merlin's Magic Revealed, Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic, casual touches, well in theory but they're all useless with the casual part, Pre-Slash, eating an apple with a knife, Insecure Gwaine, Protective Lancelot, gwaine gets to be a bit of a bitch, Self-Esteem Issues, Loneliness, shockingly no dick jokes, Hurt Merlin, Angst, Self-Hatred, but largely mild, Episode: s03e10 Queen of Hearts, Canon Era, Good Friend Lancelot, POV Merlin, POV Lancelot, POV Gwaine, Injury, Burns, it's not graphic but there is a description of the appearance, Supportive Lancelot, man literally meets gwaine and is like well if merlin likes him then i'm sure he's great, Percival's family, sharing food, Existential Crisis, Sort Of, there will be a follow-up landing relatively soon, hopefully, Ambiguous/Open Ending

Words: 21,947

Chapters: 1/1

Summary: ‘I heard you using magic! I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me,’ added the voice.

The tone was familiar, in the same way that the sea and the sky was, even as the tides changed and the clouds burned in pyres that transformed their hue every night. It eddied through Merlin’s memory in plumes of drunken laughter and soft words spoken by firelight and, before he could stop himself, his mouth was opening. ‘Gwaine?’

The first hiccup in Merlin's plan to save Gwen from the flames by aging himself was not being able to undo it as easily. The second hiccup was Gaius not showing up with the potion to do it for him. This third consequence feels less like a hiccup and more like a soul-crushing revelation. Well, fourth. Ending up on a lit pyre is a rather significant consequence.

Opening:

Merlin had been expecting Gaius to be waiting by the doorway to the courtyard. He had been expecting the potion to be bundled into his hands, with some false curse bestowed upon him for such wickedness, and for him to be able to breathe a little more freely again. But, as Merlin was escorted towards the pyre by Camelot’s guards and Arthur, Gaius was nowhere to be seen – not on the fringes of the crowd, at least. He nearly walked into the back of Arthur as the latter suddenly stopped, so preoccupied was he with trying to spot Gaius. The timbre of the voice that carried out across the courtyard was familiar and, when Merlin glanced up, it was issuing from Uther’s mouth, but the words mingled with the wind clawing at the clothes of the crowd and blew past Merlin’s ears. Merlin forced his body to remain still even as his eyes furtively leapt from face to face around him, searching for any indication that Gaius was there and would be able to save him. ‘...destroy Camelot.’ Uther’s final two words cut through Merlin’s desperation as he was recalled to reality by a tight grip on both of his arms. Even with the blood draining from his face as he was pulled closer to the pyre, Merlin couldn’t help but feel a little incredulity. Planting a poultice to make Arthur and a commoner fall in love, as Uther believed he had done, was hardly torching the citadel. Though apparently it warranted torching him. Merlin understood – well, strictly speaking, he didn’t really understand, more he was aware – that any indication of magic had Uther digging out the flint, but the whole thing did seem a little excessive. He hadn’t tried to kill anyone. Well. Not for a while, anyway, and it hadn’t been anyone that hadn’t tried to kill him first.

Written for the Merlin Bingo prompt 'canon divergence'

Read on ao3

#it is finished! it is edited! it is waiting for the second part to hit #merwaincelot #merwaine #gwaincelot #mercelot #merlin #gwaine #lancelot #bbc merlin #merlin fanfic #lit writes #wherein gwaine is confronted with merlin having magic and has to get his head around it #merlin panics that things are ruined #and lancelot is worried about merlin and is trying to figure out gwaine #it's angsty #it's got some domesticity #and the faintest traces of humour

18 notes · View notes

sapphickittykatherine · 7 months

Text

i just wanna talk for a sec about arthur. disclaimer: i adore him. he's my blorbo boy. however, he definitely does get prince privilege with regards to both the narrative voice of the show and the fandom. i'd like to point to this post as a jumping-off point:

if you're anything like me, you might need cw: lancelot slander

ofc my bias towards lancelot has affected my view of this in absolutely no way whatsoever lmao

i understand that arthur was raised by a power-hungry tyrant - although, one who was said to care for his kingdom even before his own son... - and that being brought up with privilege goes to someone's head. this is why i excuse his dickishness in early seasons. he's going to grow! that's what merlin is there for! by season 5, however, when he has not only not grown but actually gotten worse, you have to question why everyone - including merlin - still praises him so much. he still oppresses magic. he still upholds the inequality of the monarchy. (another disclaimer: i adore fictional stories about monarchs and royalty etc. nothing wrong with liking them!) yet still, people praise him for the absolute barest of minimums. this man will be like, "yeah i don't think we should leave our citizens to die actually :)" and everyone will act like this is some incredibly brave moral stance. "we shouldn't tax our citizens to the point that they starve, or execute innocent people without a fair trial. probably." and the crowd goes wild!

basically every character who isn't a stuck-up noble with their head in the stratosphere thinks this. yet arthur is the one who gets praised for it. why? because he has the power to actually do something about it? the guy actually fights alongside his knights rather than hiding in his castle, which makes him better than the other knights. bc logic. "he's such a great guy!" he's bordering on a mediocre guy with bare-minimum moral stances. and that's okay! he's allowed to be a stuck-up royal prat! he's a medieval prince with a tyrant father, for goodness' sake! but this worship of him - not just by characters, but also members of the fandom - is weird tbh.

how the aforementioned post ties in to all this exactly: lancelot. there is a reason, dear pinterest user, that lancelot is the bravest and most noble of them all, rather than arthur. arthur fights to defend his kingdom, first and foremost. he is the crown prince, and later the kin. if not for the seemingly infinite supply of knights and citizens of camelot, thanks to this being a show, he would have no kingdom to rule if he let everyone die and all structures be destroyed! he wants peace among the kingdoms - great. again, a highly bare-minimum stance, though. you remember when uther signed a peace treaty with a bunch of other kingdoms, even though another king was mad he couldn't get rich off war if that happened? uther the pure-hearted. on the other hand, people like lancelot are just commoners. he wants to risk his life not because he's defending the kingdom over which he presides, but because he doesn't want a bunch of people who, honestly, have very little to do with him, suffer or die like he saw happen to the people in his village. "arthur risks his life for his friends!" the guy has, like, three. i should hope so. not to mention lancelot does the same 💀 for arthur (1x05), for gwen (2x04), for merlin (4x02).

lancelot is literally just one example. if you don't want to, it's chill - it's literally just a work of fiction lol - but maybe try to assess arthur sans privilege. even once. do i think that arthur is better than uther and other tyrants? obviously! do i think that's a particularly high bar? ...

he's a dick with a heart of... bronze. maybe. good for him.

#eeee i hope no one takes this the wrong way. i love my guy. i do. and it's only a work of fiction. i just.#arthur pendragon #arthur critical #bbcm fandom critical #bbcm takes #bbc merlin #mine #i've had this sitting in my drafts for ages and i'm finally just gonna post it

12 notes · View notes

merthur-mybad · 2 years

Text

Okay so one thing I don't like about BBC Merlin is how they made Arthur a dick. I feel like Merlin's dislike of Arthur should've been more about how Arthur hates magic and not about how Arthur is a prat because of class or something because the show was also trying to preserve the King Arthur Good of Heart theme. I feel like Arthur was more tolerant of magic than he should've been and the audience should've been exposed to more of Uther's influence in him. It would've added to the tom and jerry ness of the relationship if Merlin disliked Arthur because he hated magic but he couldn't tell him that because he's a sorcerer and so Arthur didn't know why he disliked him so he just thought Merlin was being an asshole for no reason thus the strain on their relationship. The flaw of the show was that there was no narrative arc throughout the seasons, there was more of a narrative arc for each episode and then at the beginning of the next episode Arthur would forget his magic tolerance and reset. But I feel like they also didn't do this because then there would've had to be a magic reveal earlier in the show once Arthur proved to accept magic because then it would've been for realsies. Also this might've put more emphasis on Merlin and Arthur's relationship and we all know the BBC didn't want to give more emphasis than they already did cus this was the early 2010s.

#bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin #merthur #merlin x arthur #merlin meta #bbc merlin meta

89 notes · View notes

bitsandbobsofwriting · 2 years

Note

Precursor apology for the rambling, I just have Thoughts and I’d love to hear your own about them cause I love the way you think and interpret and handle characters. Feel free to ignore this if it doesn’t actually spark any particular thought/discussion (even disagreement) 😅

I’ve had the thought— do you think Merlin ever gets tired of everyone’s well intentions? Someone pushing him to trust people, to reveal or not reveal magic, to focus on his magic to focus on Arthur, to sleep more or eat better, to confide in people, to learn to defend himself? Not just a weary tiredness of “they mean well, but no” but pushed to the point where he starts to feel like everyone acts like they know him, know everything better (and sometimes, yeah, they do, it’s just a matter of perspective/being nagged one too many times), that turns to serious irritation if not resentment of his friends acting like he’s not “perfectly capable and been dealing with this by himself for years damnit.” In reality we know all of this is from genuine concerns but I can’t imagine that being constantly questioned about his capacity to take care of himself wouldn’t cause some sort of conflict (cause in his head being able to deal with the threats and mess and prophecy and moral quandaries is the same thing, though no Merlin, it really isn’t)

I love you!!!

And yes, I'm in total agreement with you.

First, WITH his magic:

He's got Gaius being condescending and spineless in one ear, demanding he use his magic to help Arthur and Uther and Camelot as a whole, telling him not to trust Kilgharrah or Morgana or Mordred or the Druids, whilst simultaneously telling him that Arthur can never know about his magic. The prophecy specifically says they're equals, two sides of the same coin; I understand not telling him at first, but I honestly think a lot of Merlin's fear comes from Gaius. That's got to be annoying, to constantly be underestimated and demanded of by a man who refused to face his King, and withered under his Genocidal insanity. Then he's got the likes of Lancelot and the Druids in his other ear, telling him that everything will work out ok, whilst... not really giving all that much support. I love Lance, I really do, but he really has no concept of the struggles Merlin faces, and is sort of too wrapped up in his infatuation with Gwen and his loyalty to Arthur to worry about anything else. He might be a good shoulder to cry on, but I also think he probably babies Merlin a LOT, which is understandably frustrating. He tries to force him to take time for himself to sleep or eat or just hang out/relax/rest, when Merlin KNOWS that he can't!! He's essentially got three jobs!! And no, Arthur won't lay off if I just ask him nicely (and no, I DON'T need you asking for me), and no, Gaius won't give me no chores for a week, and no, I can't just leave the Druids to deal with big beasty on their own and have a nap, and no, I can't just warn the guards about the assassin and leave them to it. That's not how any of this works. Yes, Lance means well, but his babying and nagging is, though sweet and loving at first, misinformed and condescending and insufferable after a few months/years of it.

And Kilgharrah is a whole other can of worms, what a dick. Demanding Merlin do this and that, not giving him straight answers, pretending to sympathise with Merlin and be his "kin" whilst also betraying him at basically every opportunity. Between him and Gaius, they make sure Merlin is almost completely and utterly alone.

Gaius' "good intentions" definitely come directly from fear, Lancelot's good intentions come from a lack of understanding, and Kilgharrah's "good intentions" come from a need to control Merlin at every turn. And whether Merlin sees any of this clearly or not, it definitely frustrates him. To the point that he stops going to any of them for help, and decides everything is just easier to deal with and manage if he does it solo.

Secondly, regardless of his magic:

Arthur is almost certainly the worst, when it comes to this sort of thing. He displays, every once in a while, an understanding that Merlin is braver and smarter than he gives him credit for, but he never actually treats him like it. It's like he genuinely thinks Merlin is an idiot, and interacts with him as such. He asks Merlin his opinion, and then ignores it most of the time, he never apologises to Merlin when he's hurt or trouble comes BECAUSE he ignored him, and just generally treats him like more of a nuisance. Merlin can deal with that, in fact it's actually kind of helpful for the whole persona, but when Arthur starts actually paying attention and tries to look after Merlin, he finds it both endearing, and incredibly annoying. Firstly, in the way that "you've never done this before, why are you acting like you care now?" and secondly in the way that "you're in the way, it's better when you're oblivious to me because I can get on with things." . Mostly, with Arthur, he just grits his teeth and gets through it, because he doesn't have much of a choice, but I can definitely imagine him snapping, in a small way, eventually "Arthur, I'm not a child, fuck off." or "I'm perfectly capable." or "I've been doing this for ten years, Arthur, I do not need your supervision." whilst normally things like that would be laughed off, he says it with such a tone that everyone in the vicinity is like... immediately taken aback.

With the others, it's mainly the protection. He's a servant, they're knights, it's kind of expected, but it does sort of annoy Merlin when they act like if he gets a papercut he'll die. He gets smacked around a bit by their captors once and they all FREAK out, demanding they take the punishment instead, and he just has to roll his eyes and sneakily free them with magic. He gets picked on by a Noble and they all get bristly and annoyed and it's just... frustrating, because they don't have the first clue how court works, and if they try to protect him, it'll get worse. They try to teach him how to throw a punch, or they start escorting him around town, or they put themselves in danger to rescue him, and he just can't... understand, that it's not JUST because they're underestimating him (which is annoying, but not the main reason), but also because... they love him?? They want him to be ok?? He has complicated thoughts about that because, first off, these people have no right to love him when they don't know him, and second off, everything was so much easier when people didn't notice him.

and AFTER the magic reveal?

Depending on the nature of the reveal, it arguably gets worse once they find out about his magic. They all automatically think he's weak and not that great at magic, and are always trying to get him to save his energy or train more or whatever. When someone against the repeal starts with him, they all jump in with weak, emotional arguments, which are all mostly factually incorrect, and just kind of condescending and infantilising. Then it's all "I don't need you to fight for me, not when I've been dealing with this my whole life." and "Actually, Sir Leon, you'd be wrong about that..." with a scowl and a stiff back. Even when he tells them he's powerful it's all "I'm sure you are, Merlin. Not like you've not used it for ten years." with rolled eyes and a smirk, until he goes fuck it, and shows off in a BIG way. Only then would they back off a bit, and even then... Merlin still has to glare at them or interrupt them or grit his teeth through it when they needlessly jump to his defence sometimes.

I guess it doesn’t help that he’s one of the babies of the group. I always see Mordred as the youngest, then Merlin, Elyan, and Arthur, then Gwen (I see Gwen as like... maybe two or three years older than Merlin?), then a fairly sizable gap (maybe 5-10 years?) followed by Percival and Lancelot, then Leon and Gwaine (who are, I’d say, up to five years older than Percy and Lance). But also this is all up to interpretation.

ANON I LOVE YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR ASK SUFFICIENTLY!! :D

99 notes · View notes

bonesbuckleup · 1 year

Note

If you're still doing the wip tag game: Batfam 'Not quite dead yet' and Merlin 'the I CAN FIX IT world tour'?

I am! I just fell asleep and am now catching up.

Warnings for mentions of character death (in varying degrees of permanence) for both of these, so I'm gonna toss it under a cut.

Not quite dead yet: The fic classic of 'character gets hit with a Thing and is trapped in their own head while physically being unable to move/not breathing/no heartbeat and has to listen to their loved ones grieve them' but starring Tim, who really didn't anticipate this level of backlash from his alleged demise. Snip, just after Tim gets whammied, and Jason having been the only one there when Tim "died" and with Dick arriving soon after:

“I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me, I didn’t–I tried to–it wasn’t me,” Jason’s saying, over and over, sounding like a kid who can’t find their parents in a crowd as he rocks Tim back and forth, back and forth, a full body sway, clutching Tim to his chest so tight that it should hurt. Why doesn’t it hurt? “I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, please, you have to believe me, I tried to help him. Please, please, you have to believe me, I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me, please, Dickie. Dickie, please, I didn’t–”

Jason keeps going, over and over, getting more and more frantic. It’s one of the worst things that Tim has ever heard. At the mouth of the alley, Dick isn’t moving. Tim can’t see his face, only his boots, his legs, the blue V on his chest. He’s stone-still, hands loose at his sides, silent and unmoving as Jason begs, and begs, and begs.

THEN THE BIG ONE. The I CAN FIX IT World Tour:

This one is technically two fics: Take Me Up, which was a complete rewrite of series 4, and Cast Me Away, which was a complete rewrite of series 5.

Aka, Becca got extremely mad at BBC's Merlin (again) and plotted out a 200k+ word fic series to try and unbreak it. Because, like, the basic premise of Merlin is that it's the start of the legend, which means that

The basic beginning premise is that the dorocha stuff more or less happens as is, but then, in the fallout, Gaius and Merlin end up suspected of sorcery. Gaius is killed. Merlin freaks out, the magic is revealed, and Merlin has to flee Camelot. He then spends the rest of the "series" trying to run from his destiny as Emrys (before eventually accepting it at the end of Take Me Up) while Arthur tries to hold power in Camelot, which is hard due to Agravaine (recasted as Uther's scheming younger brother vs. Ygraine's scheming older brother, no longer working with/for Morgana) making plays for the throne and also having his best friend revealed to be magic before disappearing.

Ultimately, in the Take Me Up "finale", Agravaine was going to kill Uther, and Arthur was going to be blamed for it, and he was also going to have to go on the run and prove himself 100% independent of his throne and name. A few highlights:

Gwaine fucking off post-Lamia to run around with Merlin

Merlin setting up a safe haven for magic users in an abandoned dragonlord keep

Aithusa, yes, but also a red dragon, Rhyfel, to signify the coming war

Lancelot comes back, but full Winter Soldier style. Gwen has to break the spell.

Arthur pulling Excalibur while fleeing from his own men, accused of his father's murder

Clash of ideologies between Merlin and Morgana, Morgana as fighting to take what she sees as hers and Merlin as he's basically setting up a magical separatist movement.

Accidental Merlin and Gwaine soul bond because those fuckers should never be left unsupervised for that amount of time

Magical army liberating magic users

Lots of twists and takes and blatant stealing from the actual episodes, but, like, presented and rolling out in a noT SHITTY WAY

Anyway. I don't have a snip, because I wrote what I have 5-6 years ago and....don't really like any of it anymore lol.

#I wrote a thing #WIP meme #mail #greyspeckledwalls #pandering for asks #Batfam #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #Dick Grayson #DC #BITTER MERLIN BLOGGING #like #the BITTEREST MERLIN BLOGGING

13 notes · View notes

freyaofthelake · 1 year

Text

Future Fics

Okay listen, I’ve fallen headfirst back into Merlin (I never left, I’ve just gotten better at maintaining my sideblogs) so have all the fic’s I’m planning and ones that are half written

Help Me write/vote which one you want to see first?(or put it in the tags/replies)

1) Merlin/Arthur; Reincarnation AU but ‘destiny free’ and angsty

2) Arthur/Happiness; Arthur is de-aged; and Leon becomes number one dad; which means Lancelot will not be outdone

3) Merlin/Happiness; Merlin is de-aged and everyone has to cover for him, under the impression no one else knows anything

4) Morgana/Happiness; Morgana has nightmares; and Merlin recognises the affliction, and confesses

5)Merlin/Arthur and Hunnith/Plot; Merlin finds out magic runs in both sides of his family and panics when his mother shows up in Camelot; aka Hunnith helps Morgana not fall down her dark path, scolds Kilgharrah for being a dick, and tries to meddle in her son's love life

5) Morgana/Mordred; Morgana attempts to de-age arthur to try to reclaim the throne, instead she curses herself, aka Season 1 Morgana during season 4/5

6) Merlin/Angst; Merlin can’t let go of those he’s lost, and neither are they will to leave him

7) Merlin/Arthur; The dragons return with a prophecy for the new land of Albion, telling of a more dangerous threat than the once and future kings death, now everyone races to decipher it

8) Merlin/The Knights; after a playful competition to teach the knights how to accept favors during meele’s Merlin starts receiving them even once it’s finished

9) Merlin/Arthur; Saturnalia festival, Merlin finds the bean and the knights declare him king for a day, it's only fair he and Arthur swap positions, which leads to a very awkward love confession

10) Aithusa /Family; Kilgharrah lies, Arthur meets Aithusa and Merlin learns there are things worse than keeping Aithusa a secret

11) Merlin/Arthur; Soulmate AU; everyone has a soulmark, an image that moves and grows/changes with them; Arthur’s never moves and never changes

12) Balinor/Hunnith, Uther/Ygraine Merlin/Arthur; Merlin tries an aging spell, and learns about his father through an unlikely source; aka he's Balinor's age and Uther mistakes him for Balinor come to haunt him

13) Merlin/Arthur/The Knights; a 5+1 concept; Arthur is both touch starved and unable to understand personal boundries; basically all the times the knights realized he was in love with them in a way, and the one time Arthur realized it himself

14) Merlin/Freya; Freya lives AU, Merlin sends her to Elador, which means Will and Hunnith show up to scold him about sending her alone

Help Me write/vote which one you want to see first?(or put it in the tags/replies)

18 notes · View notes

larrikin-is-a-himbo · 2 years

Text

My friend watches Merlin: Part III

And I love how Morgana just covered her cup when Merlin tried to pour her a drink Girl ain't going to forget the little hemlock incident for the rest of her life

Also how is Morgana both the best and the worst at acting

On the one hand she's handling this whole "I have no knowledge of any of this" play very well, but the moment someone barges on her slightly unexpectedly she just loses all her acting skills

Like girl this ain't gonna help you, you only draw suspicion to yoself

I don't know why I'm rooting for the antagonist

I just want Uther to get fucked and this is the length I'm taking

Gwaine my belovef

There's something so homoerotic in campfire scenes

Gwen is the real MVP for still standing after all the bullshit she's been through

Her dad was killed, she got kidnapped at least 3 times already, now she knows that Morgana, a person she liked, is plotting against them

Homegirl deserves a happy ending, and we're only at Season 3

When will Arthur pull his head out of his ass

Maybe is he was less of a dick to Merlin I wouldn't root as hard for Morgana

I'm so tired of Uther and we're not even 10 minutes into the episode

Gaius knows something and I don't like it

Also I do not like that ugly ass CGI monstrosity from the beginning

Oooo Gaius lore

If there's one thing I don't like about this show is that it spoils itself too much

NOPE I HATE THAT THING

I hate that it talks

Oh Poor Gaius This will hurt him so much

Should've let the poison do it's thing with Uther

I'm still so incredibly torn about the Morgana situation

It's just so weird how she suddenly acts with Gwen. Like the whole personality change

I mean it makes some sense considering Morgause's influence and stuff

But low-key I wish they kept them having a good relationship even when Morgana turned to the dark side (which I still support to some level)

What I'm saying is that I'll need fanfics about the two of them

Honestly everything still leads down to Uther being a horrible-ass person. Literally everything

NAH GURRRLLL YOU BETTER STAPH

Can someone PLEASE just kill Uther already

I can't even believe how long Merlin wanted to say those words to Uther's face

Homeboy with the ring looks like he's about to cry every time he's on screen

Arthur should've kicked Uther's ass. I know I would've

KC THE FUCKING DRAGON IS BACK

Oh cool, the magic cup

GWAINE MY BELOVEF

GWAINE NO-

I'm really intrigued by whatever Senred and Morgause has going on

It's so satisfying seeing Uther on his knees

BOOOOOOM. Get fucked Uther, this is all karma

Go queen, slayyyyy

"These people are innocent" "You killed innocents too" The fact that Uther can't bring up an argument Morgana doesn't have an answer for is glorious

It's a shame homegirl went off the rails but Uther finally gets what he deserves

Sup Freya Good to see ya girl, how are you doing this

Oh yeah I forgot about the sword

The most important item in the Arthurian legend cycle

Hey Lancelot how are you doing?

Oh yeah Percival was one of the knights

Canonically he was the one who found the Holy Grail

Oh we're just getting all the Arthurian symbols huh? The round table

Also Percival's armor looks really inconvenient with the bare arms

Good to see the character development in Arthur

JESUS CHRIST That Morgana scream

Welp, the sword is in the stone

Why did this lowkey feel like a Series Finale

#Merlin S3 #Merlin #Arthur Pendragon #Guinevere #Morgana Pendragon #Lancelot #Sir Lancelot #Gwaine #Percival #Uther #Gaius #Merlin reaction

44 notes · View notes