#the once and future fandom

[amariram]

“what happened to the young boy who came into my chambers just a few years ago?”

“he grew up”

[strawlessandbraless]

Merlin uses the sire title during sexy times and Arthur melts

[regulusrules]

We're TRENDINGG for no REASONN just like god DECREEDD, so here are 5 fics that would steal your breath away:

1. My breaths are run by your compass by regulusrules. [M] [75K] [post-camlann fix-it] [golden age but merlin stabs arthur in his heart first].

Not because it's my fic and it's genuinely so insane you won't believe it, but honestly, it's the best idea I've ever come up with, even better than the widely beloved my heart is readily yours. For me, it's the perfect continuation of their story, and the most unhinged plot twist you could find in a fic.

2. Half of my soul by @clockwrkpendrxgon. [G] [2K] [MCD] [golden age growing old together]

This fic is half of my soul, or what the poets say. It's so much better as an ending than what they've given us. At least this is filled with such golden love it makes you ache. At least this makes sense.

3. from hearth and ashes, we’re reborn by @remuscariad. [G] [5K] [canon era magic reveal].

This fic is so good you'll be on your knees from it. The prose, the characterization, the tropes used... it will linger in your mind and fester there from how beautiful it all is. And the art in it by @onepeppercorn... stunning.

4. Our broken pieces by @aramblingjay. [T] [10K] [canon era established relationship]

You can pry this fic from my cold dead hands. I will never stop recommending it until it gets the fame it deserves. One of the most beautiful fics ever written about them, and genuinely encompasses their characters so perfectly.

5. gentle as an early spring breeze by @prattery. [G] [2.5K] [canon divergence golden age]

They are alive and in love and we're all living in this fic because it's what they righteously deserved. The way their life was written here and the love between them... I swear this author could write anything and I'd kudos it before even reading it.

[For more recs]

[aerismoon]

Quick! While Merlin is randomly trending: I went to the Renaissance Faire this weekend and made a Merthur coin necklace!

Dragon for Arthur and triskelion for Merlin!

Two sides of the same coin and all. I was proud. I had to in depth explain this to my friend that I went with.

[the-faunaglade-collective]

People don't talk about this scene enough, so I am going to.

[Found picture online after much searching]

Merlin fans tend to talk about the ending of the show, offering alternative endings which are interesting and exciting. However, I feel that not enough people appreciate those small scenes in Merlin that make all the difference.

This is a moment from the secret sharer (that one episode with our bestie Alator). The LIGHTING in this scene is phenomenal. The props and set design? Stunning. The camera angles? Beautiful. The way Colin Morgan is sat so that the light from the window hits his face at the perfect angle? Amazing.

There is so much thought and care in everything in this show, and don't even get me started on the music! The soundtrack is SO GOOD!! I understand the importance of major scenes and why they are talked about so much, but honestly it's the small moments that really make the show what it is for me.

[pippin-katz]

Merlin Was Truly Willing To Die For Arthur From The Start

Okay, I know we talk about The Poisoned Chalice all the time, and how gay it is, but I don’t think any of us truly acknowledges how fucking insane Merlin is. Please consider this.

Merlin drinks the poison not knowing:

what kind of poison it is

how lethal it is

how fast acting it is

if it has a cure

if the cure is something Gaius can make

if the cure is something Gaius can make fast enough to save him

What the hell was Merlin's plan?

He would have died. It's arguable that he does die, but his immortality brought him back.

Gaius couldn't make the cure the key ingredient was in a dangerous location and difficult to get to

the poison was magically enhanced it was enhanced by Nimueh to act faster than normal, effectively cutting their timetable in half

Arthur could've been prevented from going after his fight with Uther, he only decides to go possibly hours later, after talking to Morgana

Arthur would've died without Merlin's aid, he would have died in that cave and the cure never would've made it back

it was already too late Arthur gets the flower back, but he gets arrested and locked up, the flower gets crushed, and only gets to Merlin after Guinevere sneaks in and Arthur hides it in the food

the cure required magic Gaius had to use magic to activate the cure, so if he couldn't have gotten Guinevere out of the room, he couldn't have used it, and there was a strong possibility that he wouldn't have had the strength to do it because of the lack of practice

Merlin possibly died anyway he's immortal, and his breathing and heartbeat stop for a significant amount of time before he wakes up; I've written about it being possible that he's able to die and come back to life

So if Merlin was mortal, he would have died, and there was no way for him to know that they would be able to cure him prior to drinking the poison.

He had known Arthur for maybe a month if we're being generous. They were still on rough, getting-to-know-each-other terms. Merlin was still adamantly opposed to the whole "destiny" thing. Despite all of that, he willingly drank that poison without any hesitation.

That is fucking insane.

[thegirlandthegay]

We’ve done it again bbcmerlin fans

We’ve survived on no content until our major ship starts trending on tumblr

We have kept the fandom alive (As the miserables say ) One day more

Now if Arthur would just bloody rise from that lake…

[pen-your-dragons]

This is my hot take on this

[imagine-to-be-a-pike]

Why did we make Merlin gay as a fandom? We know you guys are stupidly obsessed bi x gay but Merlin literally showed more interest in women than Arthur..Also "Arthur would be so inexperienced with men". Shut up, hes knight, they're all gay. Arthur was perfectly aware of himself, He stared at every guy , HE DEFENDED HIMSELF AGAINST EVERY WOMAN AROUND HIM

Like cmon, Merlin fandom, use your brain sometime

I wouldn't mind it if making Merlin gay didn't often end up feminizing him or make him UwU soft

[liztparadox]

MY FAVORTE TAG ON AO3

[amariram]

They don’t know it yet, but they’re about to spend the next ten years trying to save each other.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Neither of them will succeed.

[strawlessandbraless]

Ok, hear me out. But what if we all got really into Merlin again?

[regulusrules]

And with that, we officially trended five times in pride month on tumblr.com after 12 years of the show being over

[whydon-twego]

Arthur has always been alone in his life, surrounded by people but none of whom were really close to him.

His father only allowed him to know what loneliness was not twice, and both times he took away the people closest to him, plunging him into a far worse loneliness.

Leon was his friend until his father reminded him of his place and that knights and future kings are not meant to be friends but to be servants and masters.

Morgana was his friend (in a distorted and complicated way), they spent hours together playing tag and swordplay until his father decided that Morgana was too big and too much of a woman for those activities and that she should devote herself to something else.

Morgana was not happy about this but at least some time later Gwen arrived to keep her company and the two became inseparable.

Arthur had no one.

Arthur always knew that, after Leon and Morgana, every person who stood beside him did so for personal gain and so he was always aloof. He surrounded himself with bootlickers and people who let him get away with everything because he was the future king and that had to be enough.

Then Merlin came along.

With his chattering, his talking back and his complete disregard for court etiquette and customs, his rough manners and constant touching of Arthur as if they were on the same level.

Arthur knows that he could never return to the loneliness of before.

Arthur knows (because he will make sure it doesn't happen because even if the gods came down from the sky to curse him it wouldn't matter to him) that his father won't take Merlin away from him either. Because Arthur will not let him.

[pippin-katz]

No one: Gays with a campfire: what if we had a conversation about our undying love for each other rn without actually saying it directly while we lock heart-eyes?

feel free to add on if you have more examples from other pairings

[ambriel-angstwitch]

Merlin, on the phone with Arthur: turn around

Merlin: no the other way

Merlin: no wait now the other way

Merlin: okay one more time

Arthur: OH MY GOODNESS WHERE ARE YOU?!?!

Merlin: oh i'm not there yet but the thought of you aimlessly turning around in circles amuses me