#Merlin thoughts

[sunriseprongs]

Just started rewatching merlin. Prepare yourselves, I’m about to make it everyone else’s problem.

Anyways, just noticing how the first nice thing Arthur ever says about Merlin is, “Let him go. He may be an idiot but he’s a brave one”

And later, in the most devastating conversation they ever have, Arthur says “you know Merlin, all those jokes about you being a coward, I never really meant any of them. I always thought you were the bravest man I ever met.”

And just, I’m realizing how true that is. Merlin stood up to him for the first time, and he was probably the first person who ever did. And Arthur thought he was brave, from the very start. He knew Merlin was brave before he knew anything else about him.

And I’m feeling a lot of things about that. They make me insane

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

One thing I find really interesting about the Merlin fandom is that a lot of us explicitly ignore some of the show’s magical rules in fanfiction when pertaining to Merlin. Like, every other character is bound by these rules, but not Merlin. Merlin is the most powerful sorcerer (Warlock) ever. He is magic incarnate and will never run out of magic, and this is explicit in the show, that’s true. He will live forever.

But we take it and we take some of the hints the show gave us and we decide that all this power means that Merlin can break the rules. No one can create magical life without also taking it… except Merlin. That’s what a lot of the fandom decides when they write him, but he also doesn’t know that, so he can’t just bring people back to life, because he doesn’t think he can.

But we know he can.

We’ve seen him create life from nothing, and yeah, they were small instances and the creators probably didn’t fully understand what they were getting themselves into with them, but they exist.

Merlin can create flowers and butterflies and turn stone to life from nothing. Real physical little things. By the laws of the show that shouldn’t be possible, but he does it, over and over again. We learn in the poisoned chalice that conjuration magic is incredibly difficult with the afnac and Giuas’ words. But Merlin does it easily.

And it makes sense that he can. He has infinite power, infinite energy. If anyone else tried to pour enough of themselves into nothing to make life, it would take a lot of power, probably enough to kill them or someone else, hence the need for a life for a life. That energy has to come from somewhere.

Unlike all of the others, Merlin can just pour enough of himself out to make life and be fine, because he is literally everything.

And I think it’s really interesting that basically the entire fandom knows this and often makes other characters comment on it, while Merlin is just vibing with no idea.

[keitorin3]

So here is a strange idea I had,

So Merlin is Immortal, he can't stay dead, but he does get killed throughout the show in his bid to protect Arthur.

Here's my AU idea:

Every time Merlin dies, a piece of his memories dies with him.

This doesn't affect him much, as he doesn't die often in the beginning, but as time goes on and he gets more desperate to protect Arthur, he becomes more reckless, not realising his lucky escapes after being knocked out was due to him being dead and the perpetrators leaving his corpse.

After all, dead men tell no tales, usually.

With each death, he loses a memory and he wouldn't have noticed, but Arthur does.

Arthur would mention at one point or another about this or that and Merlin wouldn't be able to recall it.

It at first annoys him and makes him point out about Merlin's low intelligence. But as time goes on, he gets concerned when Merlin can't remember certain people or events.

He brings up the time Merlin cried for the Dragonlord.

Merlin: Who?

Arthur: The last Dragonlord? Balinor? You cried over him when he died protecting you?

Merlin: Huh... I don't remember him, but if he did save my life, then I'm grateful, but why did I cry? Did I know him well?

Arthur: ... No, but you helped to convince him to help Camelot. He was a good man in the end.

Merlin: I see. Well, it's strange how I don't remember that.

Arthur: *Concerned*

It happens occasionally as time goes on and Arthur starts to consult Gaius about Merlin's memories.

Then I can see Merlin being outed as a sorcerer to Uther when Arthur is gone on some diplomatic mission. Uther wouldn't think twice before sentencing Merlin to death. Only he won't die.

He dies and dies in many different ways. Uther desperate to get rid of Merlin who he sees as the embodiment of his fears (if only he knew 😅).

Merlins deaths happen so many times, that by the time Arthur returns 2 weeks later, and storms the dungeons angry and confused, he was met with a sight he'll never forget.

Arthur: Merlin! *Rushes to the jail bars and demands answers to his questions*

Merlin: *Stares blankly*

Arthur: 😠 Merlin! Answer me!

Merlin: Do I know you?

It hits him harder than any fist or magic ever could.

And that's all I've got. Tell me what you think, what happens next?

Till next time fellow dreamers~! ✨

[angelynmoon]

Imagine if Arthur recognized Merlin's mannerisms in the Dolma and Dragoon as Merlin mannerism and had to tell Merlin that Arthur put his grandparents on the Camelot's Most Wanted Sorcerer's list, imagine him telling Merlin that his grandfather is wanted for killing the king as well.

And poor Merlin, whose grandparents on both sides have been dead for several decades trying to figure out who the heck Arthur is talking about. He does not even consider the Dolma and Dragoon.

[merlinmylove]

Remember when the witchfinder accused Merlin of sorcery and even Uther was like “really, him?”

And when Merlin told Uther infornt of his court that he was the sorcerer, and Uther laughed at him because “yeah, arthur’s little pet is too stupid to learn magic lol” ???

But when Gwen accused Merlin of trying to kill Arthur everyone was like “yup, totally makes sense let’s arrest him”

also i haven’t seen the episode in years i might be misremembering

(I get that she’s the queen of three years and that everyone was panicking about Arthur nearly dying but come on?? )

All I’m saying is that Uther would not have believed it; he literally says in s1 that he’s glad Merlin is in Arthur’s life (ok maybe he would believe it lol, but the difference in reaction is staggering)

I love Gwen she’s my best girl and don’t u dare blame this on her. It wasn’t her fault and she was cursed, but damn really, why did nobody (truly) vocally support him or laugh at the accusations — Arthur? Gwaine? Leon???

Lancelot would not have let this slide lmao

I think they ruined her friendship with Merlin by setting s5 years later, because it means we’ve lost some of their love and relationship — Gwen treats Merlin like a servant than a friend and it’s sad :((((

Some wonderful angsty fic recs for your consideration:

Out of sight, out of mind: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29300082/chapters/71952783

Alms for oblivion: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43106890/chapters/108329875

The tearing of the veil: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54326929/chapters/137594920

Confession: https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/128726515?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#main

I could have known: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36473041

[gaiussleechtank]

It was one of those nights: the peaceful ones where both King and Court Warlock could shed their titles and just exist as two friends sharing cups of wine beside a fire. Both were silent as they nursed their drinks and basked in the dim lighting the fire provided Arthur’s dark chambers.

Merlin was lying across the floor on top of countless pillows and blankets, parallel to the hearth of the fireplace. His feet were bare as he had kicked off his boots hours earlier and the cords of his tunic were pulled extremely loose. Merlin’s legs were crossed one over the other as one hand played with a lock of his own hair as the other blindly traced the engravings of his goblet.

Arthur was sat his chair above Merlin, facing the fire and looking down at the peaceful man. He was glad that Merlin’s eyes were closed because it allowed the King to openly stare. For someone who was regarded to be so aware of everything all of the time - Merlin has not once ever cottoned on to Arthur’s gaze on him. In a way, it was reassuring that Arthur didn’t have to fear being caught by the very man he was observing. But it another way it was far too frustrating: Arthur nearly wanted to be caught and then in turn be forced to admit his reasons for staring.

For the Goddess’ sake, how could Arthur not look anywhere but Merlin with the man lying so enchantingly in front of him, doused in the golden light of the flames?

How could he lay his eyes elsewhere when nothing and no one else brought him nearly as much happiness and fulfilment in his heart than Merlin?

How could he when Merlin was everything that he loved?

The nearly empty goblet rested on his lap with his hands encircling the rim, it would be stupid to say it.

“Merlin?” Arthur broke their silence.

Merlin hummed in response, he didn’t move nor open his eye, but the tone of his voice easily told Arthur that he was listening.

“I’m in love with you.” Oh, fuck.

The body in front of him stilled. Merlin’s hand retracted from his hair as he slowly sat up. Arthur couldn’t tell you when the Warlock’s eyes had opened but he could give you a thousand words at least on what it felt like to be under their unending gaze. Merlin didn’t look away from Arthur as he got to his feet and came to stand in front of his King.

Merlin might not have ever been aware of when Arthur’s eyes were on him - but Arthur was far too aware of Merlin’s piercing stare. The King averted his eyes and stared down at the lingering mouthful of wine in his cup, listening to Merlin’s few footsteps.

A hand slid underneath Arthur’s jaw and half cupped the side of his face: hesitantly, Arthur let himself be guided to look up at Merlin. Had it been anyone else, this would have been so dangerous - to willing put his heart and mind at risk by giving someone else so much control over him would have been a death wish if it were anyone else.

Yet this was Merlin, the one person in his life that he would faithfully trust the world with to the ends of time.

It was sad eyes that Arthur saw. Not angry. Not disgusted. Not hurt, or even happy. Sad, sad, eyes that Arthur would nearly say were brokenhearted.

Merlin sighed with a pained and defeated expression. “Not again.”

“What?” Arthur felt his breath catch in his throat.

Merlin smiled with a soft pain, his thumb stroked over Arthur cheek as he said, “You don’t love me, Arthur.”

“I- I do.” Arthur stammered, he hadn’t anticipated out right refusal, denial and disbelief as an outcome. “I do love you, Merlin.”

Merlin swallows and seemed to choke back tears.

“No, Arthur, you don’t.” He repeated. “This is a love enchantment, this has happened before. You aren’t in love with me.”

The words were far too rehearsed, Merlin’s expression too knowing and understanding. Arthur felt like a petulant child being gently corrected on the truth. Had this really happened before? Had Arthur been enchanted to be in love with Merlin before?

“Merlin, I know my feelings, please believe me.” Arthur begged in futile.

“I don’t think you realise how badly I want to, but I can’t.”

Arthur’s eyes widened at Merlin’s confession - even though the feelings were reciprocated, Arthur was still being rejected - but he saw it. He saw all of the held back and restrained love Merlin held in his eyes for Arthur. He finally was bearing witness to Merlin’s affection, only because the Warlock was allowing him to.

“Is it really so unbelievable that I love you that you are convinced my mind is under the control of a spell of potion?”

“I know you love me - in the way friends love one another, brothers even.” Merlin stressed, his words clearly hurting himself. “But you don’t love me the way I want you to, you never have and you never will.”

“You do want me to love you like this?” Arthur countered.

Merlin closed his eyes and shakily let out a sob, his hands ran from Arthur’s jaw and face, around the King’s neck and weakly grasped at the back of Arthur’s head. He pressed his face into Arthur’s hair, Arthur pulled Merlin in closer and strung his arms around the Warlock’s waist and back: he could feel Merlin weep.

“You won’t remember this conversation, you never have, so why not?” Merlin muttered with a bitterness that surprised the King. “I have loved you for years, Arthur, what I feel for you goes beyond the devotion of prophecy and bond of friendship. I’ve always known that you will never feel the same.”

How his heart ached on the verge of breaking: Merlin loved him. He was in love with Arthur. He felt the same as Arthur but clearly awful past experiences that Arthur cannot remember are preventing him from acting on the truth.

Arthur tried to speak but was cut off before he could even utter a syllable.

“No, Arthur, please stop.” Merlin said, slipping out of Arthur embrace. He looked so guilty.

Merlin believed Arthur not to be in control of his mind and actions, he believed Arthur to be susceptible to anything. Though Merlin was nowhere near the kind of person to take advantage of someone under the influence of something mind altering. Even though this ‘supposed potion or enchantment’ was giving him what the Warlock wanted, Merlin still held back and refused.

Even such a simple embrace, the kind of embrace that was becoming more commonly between them as the years progressed seemed to wreck so much regret through the man - Arthur wanted to shake him and scream at how wrong Merlin was: that he could and was consenting to any any hold or touch Merlin could or would give him.

Arthur stood up and met Merlin far too closely. Their faces were mere inches apart, dangerously so. The King saw how badly Merlin wanted to give in, he could see the arguments and thought process that Merlin was going through.

His hand hovered over the side of Merlin’s face as leaned in closer.

“Don’t.”

He froze.

“You’re not in the right state of mind.” Merlin breathed out, more for his own sake than Arthur’s.

Arthur hand fell to his side but he didn’t move away.

“Please tell me how I can prove my honesty.” He asked.

Merlin looked down with resignation and then turned away to the doors.

“Come, Sire, follow me.” Merlin murmured as he left.

He hadn’t called Arthur ‘Sire’ in years, not even in heated arguments did Merlin enforce that distance between them. It spoke tales to Arthur on how hurt his best friend was. He dashed after Merlin, it wasn’t hard to follow the sound of weary footsteps.

They were heading for Merlin’s laboratory. Arthur caught up with broken hearted Warlock and joined their hands together - Merlin allowed it.

Met with the smell of dodgy potions, old books, strong herbs, ash and numerous other smells that Arthur had grown familiar with associating with Merlin’s experiments, Arthur saw and felt Merlin relax slightly. They were on his ground now, they followed his rules.

Arthur let go of Merlin’s hand and took his chair that he always sat in when observing Merlin work.

“You stare a lot.” Merlin said as he leafed through shelves of bottles - no doubt searching for a cure-all potion that he had concocted in earlier years.

“I always have, you’ve just never noticed.” Arthur replied honestly.

Merlin sighed for the thousandth time that hour and stood up straight and returned to Arthur, bottle in hand. It was a small vial with opaque pink liquid filling less than a third of the bottle. He stood on the other side of the work bench and handed over the vial of anti-serum.

Wordlessly and without hesitation Arthur uncorked the bottle and drank his mouthful. Setting down the bottle, he leaned closer to Merlin, head propped up by his elbow, hand under chin, staring at Merlin patiently.

The Warlock also leaned closer, gold creeping into his eyes without a single incantation as he analysed Arthur’s reaction to the potion. The world seemed to hold its breath as it waited for the two men to get onto the same page.

“Well, am I really under an enchantment?” Arthur asked after a very long pause.

Merlin’s mouth fell open as his brow and eyes once again creased into tears.

“No… You aren’t.” Merlin managed to say, covering his face as he cried.

Arthur stood up and joined Merlin on the other side of the workbench. He pulled the shocked and relieved and sobbing Warlock into another hug. Both holding onto each other equally tight.

“I love you, Merlin.” Arthur promised his Warlock firmly.

[cynthia39100]

Some thoughts regarding this post.

I agree to @weird-tea that Arthur definitely sees Merlin as weird, mentally ill and borderline suicidal.

But I think it doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t know Merlin loves him.

I think Arthur knows that Merlin loves him (platonically) a great deal in the show. He may not be able to define it clearly but I think it’s an exaggeration that he doesn’t know the feeling of love. He knows very little, but he and Uther still have some tender moments. If anything, he definitely learns that his father cares about him in Excalibur. He and Gwen’s romance progresses nicely too.

As for Merlin, even as emotional constipated as Arthur he’s called Merlin his friend several times in the show. To me, that implies a level of love that’s out of the frame of duty. Those soft expressions Arthur made in their pre-battle heart-to-heart make me think that Arthur does understand what Merlin’s devoting to him and he appreciates it.

That scene in The Last Dragon Lord where Merlin insisted on following to fight the dragon, for example. First he tells Merlin “No man is worth your tears”, which to me is Arthur preparing Merlin for his death cause he knows Merlin will be upset over it. Then, after Arthur explicitly says they’re going to die fighting the dragon, Merlin still insists to come. The way Arthur looks at Merlin then is not pity, as if looking at a self-destructive fool, but amazement and adoration, as if realizing there are people who loves him so much they can’t bear to let him die along or to live in a world without him.

Arthur thinks that Merlin has serious issues, and that Merlin loves him, thus despite all the flaws Arthur has (that Merlin reminds him constantly), he sticks with Arthur and will go to hell with him. Arthur may or may not worry about it, but he also treasure this connection he forms with Merlin too much that he can’t object his company. They are so unhealthy (I love them).

[pugh-bug]

if you loved that one Merlin episode where Arthur was given a love potion and was obsessed with Vivian - it was called ‘Sweet Dreams’ - you’re a freak now I’m sorry

me at 7 thought that episode was straight up porn

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

HI QUEEN!!!! thoughts on the vision morgause showed to arthur and her motivations/was she lying/ should Arthur have killed uther?

AHHHHHH IVE BEEN WANTED TO BE ASKED THIS AND I DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT

alright so i think the first thing that needs to be considered is what her intentions were when she showed him the vision. i think the main consensus is that she wanted Arthur to kill Uther, and while i agree, i think Morgause deserves a few more layers than that. i genuinely think Morgause wanted the truth to be known.

imo, from what we've seen, Morgause is extremely similar to Morgana. in the early seasons, Morgana is justice with kindness. Morgause is justice without. Later, we watch Morgause slowly "corrupt" Morgana and watch her lose her kindness, turning her into the heartless villain she is by season five.

i think Morgause, while not out of the deep goodness of her heart, saw the injustice, and wanted it to be corrected. this manifested mostly in the form of Uther's death, but i do believe a small part of her just wanted the truth to be known :)

whether or not she was lying is something we will never truly know, but she could have been lying about two different things, and i want to attack them separately.

i 100% believe she wasn't lying about Uther using magic for Arthur's birth. i've wondered A LOT how the fuck she knew though, because sorry, who told her?? and merlin is the show it is, so it doesn't tell you these things, but there are enough breadcrumbs left behind so that we can assume she was a pupil of Nimueh's and learned of it from her.

but whether it was actually a vision of Ygraine? i really don't know. i'm not going to lie, the first time i saw the scene, it gave me all the wrong vibes. the ghost of Ygraine is able to meet her son for >5 minutes and one of the maybe two things she says to him is about how Uther used magic to birth Arthur and it killed her?? i don't know. it's strange.

but we also have to remember that we actually don't know anything about Ygraine! honestly, the fandom and fics tend to mention her x10 more than the actual show does. Arthur hardly speaks of her, as well as Uther, and we have to remember that this is the man who essentially killed his wife and is forced to live with that every goddamn day and is 100% romanticizing the woman she was—and then all Arthur has ever heard of her is this romanticized version from his father, and this is the dead mother he's never met. he's going to do some embellishing of her own.

so, for all we know, Ygraine was a terrible person. we really don't know. so i have no conclusive answer to whether or not Morgause was lying about it being a vision, and i think the show actually intended it that way. because that doesn't actually matter. what Ygraine said—that's the truth. the cold, honest truth. whether it actually came from his mother or from a false mimicry of her doesn't actually matter.

another thing i find really interesting is that while Morgause was obviously trying to provoke Arthur with this information and was clearly manipulating him, she really didn't take any extreme steps to ensure he killed Uther. this was also her first step to bring down Uther. it's almost like she tried to find the most moral option she could that dealt the fairest form of justice, and only when it failed was she forced to resort to more gruesome, hands-on approaches.

it also really doesn't seem like she has anything against Arthur in the beginning, which is so fascinating to me, but moving on lol.

now for the BIG one:

should Arthur have killed Uther in The Sins of the Father?

god, this one is hard, because you have to consider it from all angles.

from an objective, justice-based standpoint, you could say that Morgause was absolutely in the right in all of this, and that after learning this information, it was Arthur's duty to kill his father. his father killed his own wife due to his desperation for an heir, and then spent half a lifetime destroying an entire culture and group of people in an attempt to stem his guilt.

so, yes. Arthur should have killed his father, if we're viewing this from the eyes of pure justice.

but for Arthur's own conscious? from a political standpoint? absolutely the fuck not. it would have destroyed Arthur. even when Uther died season four, he was a wreck, so imagine if it has been Arthur. dear god.

and then imagine being an average citizen of Camelot, for whom Uther was probably an alright to not great king, but no one who deserves death, and learning that your beloved Prince Arthur committed patricide and his now king? jesus. that's not how you establish good subject-monarch relations.

and if enemy kingdoms heard about it? god, all the knights must be horribly divided, because most of them swore themselves to Camelot and its royalty, but who the hell do you stand with when your two royals tried to kill each other and one of them was successful? enemy kingdoms would attack, and with their armies as divided as they'd be, who knows how that'd go.

so overall, no. i genuinely believe Arthur shouldn't have killed his father. but that doesn't mean that Uther didn't deserve death.

anyways, i think that's all! this was a lot of fun, and tysm for the ask once again <3

[pippin-katz]

Does anyone else get sibling vibes between Arthur from Merlin and Henry from RWRB?

I feel like Bradley and Nicholas would play a killer sibling duo. It’s not that they look alike, cause they don’t really, and Nick isn’t even a natural blond, but it’s just a vibe I get.

I think it’s cause Arthur and Henry both have a “bitchy prince” side. I saw a sick edit of the two of them that pointed that out a while back, and I haven’t been able to get the idea of them being brothers out of my head lmfao

Plus do not think for one second that I have not thought about the fact that Henry’s father’s name was Arthur, because I have, in fact, thought about it, a lot. There’s a timeline where Henry has Pendragon heritage, I just know it. But in this case, it would just be the “name your first son after you” tradition lmfao

EDIT: Here’s that vid btw: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv-WAWTNzS7/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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[knightofmordred]

i noticed that gwen's throne/chair is smaller and simpler than arthur's, and i can't help but wonder why ??

gwen is seen as arthur's equal and there's no indication that she has less powers or authority than him so it makes little sense to me why her chair is smaller/simpler indicating that her rank is less (like queen consort etc) or that arthur is 'really' the one in charge.

their actual thrones are of course the same, but these were only used at their wedding/coronation and aren't used for everyday use or for addressing matters

i understand that arthur is the direct king and has a direct link to the throne and generally has a higher rank than gwen who of course was raised in a working class family and was a servant girl. but one of the main things about their relationship is that rank didn't matter to arthur, and gwen was on an equal level with him.

and although arthur had more responsibility for the kingdom, gwen was still part of the discussions and the decisions made and had as much of a role as arthur did.

when arthur was away and gwen was left as the sole monarch in charge of the kingdom, she also used arthur's chair which lowkey indicates that the person in the 'bigger' chair was the only truly in charge and/or had more power/authority.

also in the first pic, gwen has (what i think is) the same chair as mithian who was a princess. again i know that rank clearly doesn't matter in camelot but then why the different chairs? why does gwen have the same chair which potentially undermines her authority and she's seen on the same level as as princess?

i know its all a bit wishy-washy because on the one hand there's the indication rank doesn't matter, i mean thats literally where the round table comes from too, and camelot is gwen's kingdom as much as its arthur but then of course in the last episode he gives his seal to gwen to indicate her being the next heir after him. so there's the implications certain formalities don't matter, yet they still perform them?

i also know its probably just something stupid like the props they had. after all, those chairs had been used since the beginning of the show during uther's reign, and im sure gwen's chair is the same that morgana used to sit in when she was uther's ward.

[moo-oon]

I started rewatching Merlin months ago and I have been sitting on the last episode. I just cannot do it. They are sad and they are gay and they are my favorite sad gays and I cannot fathom :(

(I have watched 6 previous times. It is always a struggle)

[princess-of-morkva]

just got hit by realisation that i relate to merlin so hard because i'm a compulsive liar. and depressed. we're literally the same person omg

[keitorin3]

Picture this~

The Marvel Multiverse thing about your dreams but with Merlin.

So I rewatched the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and had this thought about what if Merlin had constant dreams of his alternate future-self before he came to Camelot.

And I don't mean his future-self in S5 but himself in the 21st century.

Like, this would confuse young Merlin who lives in medieval times and has these fantastical dreams where there are moving metal contraptions and steel birds and towering crystal-like buildings.

But most of all, I think that he'd dream of himself as an old professor or doctor. Like, we know Merlin knows how to read and write in S1 and that it was most definitely thanks to his mother, but what if he was more advanced then that?

What if seeing these dreams of another version of himself as a professor or doctor made Merlin truly want to be a physician with Gaius?

But what's more, he brings with him his 21st century mindset into his life like...

*Merlin hearing Kilgharrah*

Kilgharrah: Merlin~

Merlin: Yeah God? I'm kinda in the middle of a midlife crisis you know. Got tossed into prison by a gorgeous blond bimbo who will most likely be my crap boss in the future, so can't be insane right now sorry.

Kilgharrah: ...

Gaius comes in looking cross: Merlin you idiot!

Merlin: Nevermind, god take me now please.

*Merlin meeting Kilgharrah*

Kilgharrah: How small you are for such a great destiny.

Merlin: Holy shit, is this like Braveheart? Wait, no, sorry wrong movie I mean Dragonheart?

Kilgharrah: What?

Merlin: Are you gonna tell me we have to ban together to stop the King from doing something terrible because some dumbass stupidly gave him a gift or something to do with Life or Death and now the king is out of control and must be stopped?

Kilgharrah: ... *after a moment of self doubt and contemplation* Yes... After freeing me, yes. It is your destiny.

Merlin: Hmm, your kinda sus. How do I know you aren't lying to me? And if I have to kill some king can it be someone like Cenred? Total dick king, honestly.

Kilgharrah: *Ignores that for now and will debate destiny later* Your gift, Merlin, was given to you for a reason.

Merlin: So there is a reason for my dreams.

Kilgharrah: Yes-What? No, I meant your magic.

Merlin: But that's forbidden in Camelot, and besides, I need my head for when I become a physician!

Kilgharrah: You were made for a greater purpose Merlin. Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion. But he faces many threats from friend and foe alike. Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion.

Merlin: Riiight... And then he and I marry, have brilliant blond children and live happily ever after, while working as a Physician.

Kilgharrah: ... No

Merlin: Then nah, blondy can fight his own battles. Been training to kill since birth I hear.

Kilgharrah: There is no right or wrong, only what is and what isn't.

Merlin: *mutters* What are you, a fortune cookie?

Kilgharrah: None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it.

Merlin: OK, fine. I'll bite into the forbidden apple, but I'm most likely not bringing an Adam down with me. Arthur is a idiot but I don't see him changing within this century.

Kilgharrah: Perhaps it's your destiny to change that. *Then proceeds to fly off*

Merlin: Wait-! Ugh, thanks for nothing you useless reptile.

Lol, I can just image all the possibilities where Merlin makes a reference to something and everyone around him are just completely confused and just writes him off as a fool with a wide but intelligent imagination.

This was also greatly inspired by @theroundbartable post (here) of 21st century Arthur as King.

So much fun, like I think because of Merlin able to kinda see into his alternate self's life he has the modern perspective but still have the medieval stomach to survive. And, he goes about figuring out his magic using the scientific method of Question , Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Analysis, Conclusion, and Communication. Like why does he not need to speak words? Is magic spells like coding? Or is it a force? Is he a Jedi or a Sith?

Considering flowers bloom when he's happy but rain and storms pour when sad or angry, he is likely neither a force of good or evil.

Merlin has all these internal thoughts and with Gaius, finally has someone to bounce theories off of (that's not Will of Hunith) and share knowledge with.

At some point Gaius would just suggest Merlin write them down (because Gaius is too old and can't keep up as fast). Taking his advise and spends his next pay check on a brand new journal.

And I can see Merlin and Arthur being the same old same old, but Merlin is more concerned for Arthur and Morgana's well being seeing as their only role model is emotionally abusing (and confusing) Uther.

So he'd team up with Gwen and set about trying to make both Pendragon Siblings happy.

And I better end here or else I'll go on and on.

Til next we meet fellow dreamers~! ✨

[cynthia39100]

I quite like in canon when Merlin or Arthur realised ( or assumed) the other person had a crush, they were just genuinely happy for the other person ( or amused). It’s nice watching them being good friends. And being young and carefree, when they’re not fighting magical threats.

When Arthur showed interest in Sophia Merlin looked so happy! (Then Arthur was being a dick and made Merlin cover for him but still…) Merlin is also the biggest Arwen shipper. His conversation with Arthur in once and future queen when he tried to coaxed out Arthur’s feeling towards Gwen was lovely. He just wanted Arthur to be happy. ( He was so wrong though. Gwen wasn’t the first person Arthur risked his life to save…) I also love Merlin’s line in Elena episode, “ You were riding so fast I thought you want some time alone.” Always cracks me up.

I also love Arthur’s reaction when he thought Merlin was crushing on Morgana (which wasn’t entirely wrong. Merlin did show some interests in early episodes) . Or Lady Catarina, for that matter. He was amused, but there wasn’t any judgment. He wasn’t looking down at him. He only warned him off because Merlin didn’t pay much attention in the propriety of the society, and if things went wrong, Merlin would be the one to take the blame. He was so calm when he caught Merlin stole Morgana’s dress or stalked Lady Catrina. Like, I would definitely be more accusing if I found out my friend was committing crime… People talked a lot about Merlin tolerating Arthur, but I think Arthur’s acceptance of Merlin’s behavior (considering his lack of knowledge) is equally impressive.

As a side note, I like seeing Merlin and Arthur as best friends or platonic soulmate. While I’m watching the show at least. There are too many stories in which romantic love being held in the highest level, it’s refreshing when a platonic love being so strongly centralized and beautifully portrayed.

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

tiptoeing my way into your ask box: should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father episode

THE WAY I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THIS ASK😭😭😭😭 mbbb but im here now!!! so hi:))

ok so this is the second ask youve sent me that ive literally never thought of once in my life so prepare youself for a brainDUMP

my answer is completely and irrevocably: yes. i can't imagine myself having another opinion on it, because i think you found the only episode in the entire series where a magic reveal would have been a natural and understandable choice, by both the writers and the characters (except for of course the last episode, but i have many feelings on the execution of the actual magic reveal, of which are for another ask lol).

but because im an unnecessary bitch, i'm going to answer this question twice with the same answer (why? because im a nuisance to everyone around me, thats why) by interpreting the question differently. the first interpretation? should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father, as in should MERLIN have revealed his magic. was that the right decision for him to make in this episode? would that have ended in the best outcome? would that have improved the situation? just morally, was that the right choice to make?

i thought about it, and at first i was torn, because arthur was a wreck at this point. he felt angry, betrayed, devastated, and rightfully so. is this really the best time for his best friend of probably over a year, by this point, to admit to him that he was born with magic? and while this definitely would have been a tricky time to do it, i think this is the only episode in which arthur shows completely empathy and compassion towards magic. for once in this series, he doesn't blame magic for all the wrongs in the world, or even reservedly believe that magic may not be a thing to persecute for but can certainly never be trusted—he is fully open to magic and believes that every negative thing he ever knew of it, all stemming from his father, is completely wrong. obviously, this is because he took his hatred for magic and swapped it with his respect for his father due to the switched roles they had in his life (magic: the deceiver, the killer, the villian; uther: the protector, the victim, the hero; but yk, swapped in this episode) but that doesn't make his open mind to magic (IN THIS EPISODE!!) any less real.

so, ik that was a lot lol, but if merlin had told arthur about his magic at this point, i think itd be one of the only times when that revelation would cause arthur to feel angry and betrayed not really because of the magic, but because merlin hadn't told him. and i'm sorry, at any other point in the series, imo, that wouldn't be true. the deception itself may be the root of the hurt, but the magic would just be salt in the wound.

and!! not even to mention the fact that arthur was going to kill uther. instead of lying to him, merlin should have admitted that he has magic, told him not to kill him, explained whatever information he knew (yk, about nimueh or literally anything because he definitely knew more than arthur did, atp). would arthur have felt the betrayal twofold? of course, but i do think that this would have hit him hard enough to stop on his rampage to kill uther. it definitely would have been difficult to get him to STOP long enough to tell him lol, but i think merlin could have done it. all in all, it definitely would have been difficult to execute, but i think overall it would have been the right choice for all the right reasons.

now, onto the second interpretation of the question: should merlin have revealed his magic in the sins of the father, as in the WRITERS should have revealed his magic. and that answer is a resounding fucking YES!!!! im so so sorry, but merlin and arthur's relationship was ridiculous. i can (and will with the slightest prompting) go into an insane amount of depth and detail into why i hate their relationship development despite being obsessed with their dynamic (most of the time) and why i think as the MAIN DUO OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING SHOW deserved better, but i'll try to keep it short and sweet. in season one, their relationship was developed almost perfectly. sure, there definitely should have been more time from the first episode and onwards of actual contempt between them, but besides that i think the writers really did a very good job at building their relationship and dynamic.

then comes the giant fucking spiky, iron wrecking ball that is season two. immediately, all the trust and obvious affection and friendliness built in the first season just... disappears. i honestly think that a change in their dynamic was necessary! but with the current canon, there is absolutely no reason for it, and the changes that there were, quite frankly, sucked. they were completely unnecessary. but start off season two with them being all chummy and just genuinely good friends, and merlin starts to feel guilty for not telling arthur about his magic. (that's another thing about this goddamn show. i honestly can't think of a single time merlin expressed any actual guilt for lying to arthur about his magic for an entire fucking decade?? for the most part, all he expresses his fear at the possibility of arthur finding out, which makes me want to kick scream chew on someones eyelids and just generally maul someones face, but whatever ig. but this guilt could definitely result in some distance and loss of trust, and then it keeps building and building and building until... BANG! fucking magic reveal!!

its also perfect for the reason that, im sorry, i dont believe for a fucking second that season one arthur (MY arthur, thanks) would even LET merlin not tell him about his magic for TEN GODDAMN YEARS. he would sniff that shit out and wait patiently for merlin to spill before confronting him after like a month. because in season one, arthur definitely wasn't ready for a magic reveal. they weren't close enough, there wasn't enough trust, arthur hadn't grown enough yet, all the things. but season two? proved the perfect opportunity for all that to happen, and then on you can have ACTAUL GOOD CONFLICT instead of the entire conflict being "oh well merlins secret🥺" ........................SHUT THE FUCK UP

anyways, i think thats my whole opinion?? overall i just really think that the magic reveal should have happened longgg before the finale and this episode is the absolute perfect place for it to occur:)) thank you sm for the ask!! i had a lot of fun with this one if you couldn't tell lol. sorry for forgetting about it😭😭 so glad your back tho, and cant wait to have you lurking in my inbox again!!!