nightbaronness

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Much of this morning is just me trying to emotionally recover from the fact that Colin Morgan has apparently sung backup vocals on the new PJ Harvey Song.

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Saw this post, wanted to die on the spot

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Remember january? That was four years ago.

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I have discovered that I don't like when fanfics have Arthur react badly to a magic reveal and then continue to have him be insensitive/rude/mean/discriminatory towards Merlin afterwards.

Of course, Arthur canonically reacts negatively to Merlin's magic reveal, but he comes around fairly quickly and the real issue was the deception rather than the magic.

Sometimes I'll read a fic and Arthur will be incredibly stubborn about magic being bad to the point where it's out of character. He had lost his mother to magic, but he still wanted to see the good in it when Uther was dying. Even after Uther died, he wanted to see the good in magic to save Mordred. He's always tried to consider the alternative.

Season 2, Episode 08 - "The Sins of the Father" "What if my father's attitude towards magic is wrong? Perhaps it's not as simple as he would have us believe. Surely not everyone who practices magic can be evil."

Season 5, Episode 05- "The Disir" "Perhaps my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways aren't as evil as we thought."

If it was the magic that bothered him in canon, he would've reacted far different. For example:

Arthur just watched Merlin (possibly) kill those two men. He watched his best friend and the person he trusted most use magic for violence; this is what magic is falsely associated with, but Merlin potentially confirms it in front of Arthur.

If the problem was the magic, he probably would've said something more along the lines of Merlin being a bad person or a monster. Instead he's far more focused on the fact that Merlin lied to him.

I don't mind if characters in fanfics are out of character sometimes, but I guess in this case, since it leads to Arthur being horrible to Merlin, it bothers me. It's an added reason to make him be cruel to him when there's plenty of reason there for a negative reaction already.

Maybe I'm just a snob or overly sensitive, but I guess an inaccurate portrayal of Arthur in magic reveal situations gets under my skin for some reason.

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Haha I’m sobbing

Just watched BBC Merlin S2E4 "Gwen and Lancelot" for the first time and despite the episode title, it's clearly about 2 couples and I'm loving it! Can't get enough of the Merthur interactions and Gwen and Lancelot being mirror characters for Merthur.

I have so many fav Merthur moments in this episode:

- how Arthur and Merlin are clearly so in synch with each other about saving gwen despite Arthur publicly 'agreeing' with Uther that servants aren't worth the risks. Merthur's implicit understanding of each other was contrasted nicely with Morgana assuming Arthur was really gonna abandon Gwen to her death & shouting at him about it. In comparison, Arthur and Merlin were both packing for the rescue mission immediately after they left court, which meant they knew what each other wanted to do, without having to talk about it at length. Love how this implies that Arthur takes Merlin into his confidence when he trusts no one else with his plans, and that Merlin knows who Arthur is.

This reminded me of their conversation in S1E13 (the one with the questing beast) when Merlin says his surreptitious goodbye to Arthur - Arthur: "sometimes i wonder if you know who I am", Merlin: "oh I know who you are".

Yes he does! Our boys are not only in love but also understand each other implicitly without words! I'm so happy!

- This implicit understanding & attunement with each other is seen again when Merlin takes 1 look at Arthur and says "oh no, I know that face, I'm not gonna like this am I?" when Arthur suggests they go through the tunnels infested with the giant mole-rats. Arthur then very sweetly tempers his description from "giant" to "baby rats" when he sees Merlin's adorably worried face. Merlin was seriously adorable in that moment and Arthur's desire & instinct to assure Merlin and reduce his worry was equally adorable! Loving this sweet tender side of Arthur!

- Arthur smearing the berries on Merlin's face was of course classic Arthur showing romantic interest in a pigtail-pulling way but also ensuring Merlin is sufficiently covered while sneaking in some physical contact under the guise of horseplay. be still my merthur heart!

- when Merlin intuits Arthur really cares about Gwen after Arthur admitted he couldn't sleep, Merlin says "I've never seen you like this about anyone". Technically, Merlin really hasn't seen Arthur like this, but that's coz Merlin was dying from Nimueh's poisoned chalice at the time. We the audience however have seen Arthur like this, in magnitudes more pronounced than this as a matter of fact, and it was to save Merlin. Wish someone would tell Merlin! Arthur not only went off on that perilous journey to save Merlin alone and without hesitation, he did so knowing he would most likely die. He also directly opposed his father for Merlin, and otherwise risked everything he has ever known for Merlin, a servant who is not just a servant. So yeah, Gwen is a mirror for Merlin in this case, which means Merthur is romantically coded :)

- Arthur opening up to Merlin about his feelings in an UNPRECEDENTED way in the 'confession' scene at the stream after they've escaped the mole-rat tunnels and are washing off the stinky berries. I don't think we've ever seen Arthur as vulnerable and honest with anyone else in his life as he is with Merlin here! The 'confession' is otensibly about Gwen, but the subtly ambiguous way Bradley James played this scene was brilliant! Not to mention the way they've setup the scene also lends itself to the ambiguity.

The scene starts when Merlin finds out that Arthur didnt know whether the berries would actually work, and Arthur was obviously very charmed by Merlin's unadulterated reaction, and even apologizes in a very fond & sincere way to Merlin. If this is not a man in love in with Merlin, I don't know what is.

This scene is also set immediately after a scene where Gwen (Arthur's mirror in this case) tells Lancelot (Merlin's mirror) that she didn't know she could feel this way about somebody, to which Lancelot replies that she has given him a reason to live, much like Arthur didn't know he could feel the way he does about Merlin, a lowly servant boy who seems like a wimp but who he admires and wants to be admired by, is magnetically attracted to, cares about deeply and I'd say is in love with. And similar to Lancelot with Gwen, Merlin found his reason to live in Arthur.

Then Merlin says "well they do say love makes you do strange things" immediately after Arthur apologizes to him fondly, and Arthur's moment of hidden panic ("what are you talking about") resolved into disbelief-tinged-with-relief when Merlin clarified he was talking about gwen and not arthur's uncharacteristic and fond apology to Merlin.

Then we get the truth being pulled out of Arthur -- and this is Merthur subtext and double speak at its best:

Merlin, teasingly: "It's so obvious, a blind man can see it! Is it really that hard to admit that you like her? Just say it!",

as though Merlin's not just asking Arthur about gwen, he's also asking Arthur on the audience's behalf to admit he likes Merlin, which Merlin and audiences like me would love to hear because the Merthur chemistry really is so obvious.

(Interestingly, "it's so obvious a blind man can see it" mirrors what Bradley james said in an interview when asked to choose between romance with Gwen and bromance with Merlin. Bradley chose bromance with Merlin without hesitation, saying bromance with Merlin is "there for everybody to see". It's nice to see the actor supporting the ship when most actors would have just toed the PC line and remained non-committal!)

Arthur, the truth bursting out of him while looking Merlin straight in the eye: "I can't! How can I admit that I think about her all the time, or that I care about her more than anyone? "

Reaction shot of Merlin, smile falling off his face, as though he's realising that this is how he feels about Arthur, and that if this is how Arthur feels about Gwen, it really is serious.

(Meanwhile, we the audience are squeeling because we certainly noticed Arthur cares about Merlin more than anyone else way back in season 1, to the point of wanting to drink from the poisoned chalice for Merlin, and outright defying Uther for Merlin).

Arthur, looking Merlin straight in the eyes at crucial points, while looking away at others as though he still has something to hide from Merlin: "How can I admit that I don't know what I'll do if any harm comes to her?"

(Again, audience is reminded of how Arthur was beside himself in the poisoned chalice episode when harm was about to befall Merlin.)

Merlin, no trace of teasing left in his tone: "Why can't you?", as though he's asking Arthur not just about gwen, but also asking about himself on behalf of the audience, because he and the audience needs to understand why Arthur swings between willing-to-die-for-Merlin-in-action and insulting-Merlin-horribly-in-words.

Arthur, suddenly using the immediate term 'us' instead of the 3rd person 'her': "Because nothing can ever happen between us! To admit my feelings knowing that... hurts too much".

Merlin: "Who's to say nothing can happen?".

Arthur, again not using 'her': "My father won't even let me rescue a servant, do you honestly believe he'll let me marry one?".

I think the Merthur subtext and double speak was clearly signalled by the ambiguous dialogue where Arthur switches to 'us', 'servant' and 'marry one' instead of 'her' at these crucial points.

I think it's 100% legitimate to interpret the scene and whole episode as romantically coded Merthur, even when i'm approaching this just from a film analysis angle.

Merlin then says, surprised: "you want to marry gwen?"

To which Arthur genuinely clarifies: "No! No, i, i don't know."

After a pause, Arthur: "it's all talk, and that's all it can ever be."

I like to think this part of the dialoque is perhaps the writers testing the waters to see how far they can push Merthur from subtext into text, or signalling they are on the fence about Merthur vs Argwen, or even the writers subtly acknowledging merthur but saying it's all talk and that's all it can ever be, but that's just pure speculation on my part. Speculating's fun as long as no one takes it too seriously or get their hopes up ;)

Leaving out speculation about the writer's intentions, the dialogue then retreats from the 4th wall with Merlin saying "when you're king, you can change that", to which arthur says he can't ask gwen to wait that long for him, and then the absolute kicker of this whole dialogue drops like a foreshadowing bombshell with Merlin's reply "if she feels as you do, she'll wait for you".

First of all, Arthur very practically points out "we don't even know if she's still alive" like he's just pointing out an unemotional fact, one that isn't going to devastate him either way, which tells us that while Arthur cares about Gwen and likes her, he's not beside himself with worry or devastation at the thought of her possibly being dead.

Secondly, we find out in this episode itself that Gwen does not in fact feel strongly enough about Arthur to wait for him either, she's in love with Lancelot.

Thirdly and most importantly, we know the series ends with Merlin waiting for Arthur for 1500 years and counting, and isn't that the kicker?? The dialogue "if she feels as you do, she'll wait for you" foreshadows Merlin waiting for Arthur, because he feels as Arthur does! Romantically coded again!  Maybe the writers really did plan out the whole series outline with the end in mind, like they claimed. In any case, this dialogue is a great piece of foreshadowing that works on 3 different levels, while also validating in a very subtle way Arthur and Merlin's feelings for each other is reciprocated and requited, and strong enough to withstand 1500 years of waiting.

One of my favourite Merthur episodes!

- there are of course other moments in this episode where Lancelot as Arthur's mirror asks Gwen (Merlin's mirror) to live on for him or "everything that I am will be for nothing", which foreshadows what Merlin had to do after Arthur's death. Lancelot is also a mirror for Merlin here because everything that Merlin lived for came to nothing when Arthur died.

In this scene, the same music that played when Arthur kissed Gwen for the first time in S2E2 plays again, but the crucial difference here is Gwen is the one who kisses Lancelot, as compared to her just receiving Arthur's kiss. This again tells us her feelings for Lancelot is a lot stronger than her feelings for Arthur.

Gwen as Merlin's mirror also says to Lancelot "as long as I live, my feelings for you will never fade", which foreshadows what poor Merlin feels for Arthur, and since Merlin is immortal, it means his love for Arthur will never fade FOREVER, even after arthur's death (ah gawd my heart breaks for merlin).

- when Lancelot finds out that Gwen did not escape successfully afterall, the evil kidnapper says Lancelot's failure to protect gwen will hurt Lancelot more than he can understand, and man, Lancelot's pain again foreshadows what Merlin will feel when he 'fails' to save Arthur.

- after they've all successfully escaped, Lancelot as Merlin's mirror says "My feelings do not matter. I will not come between them", and you could see in Merlin's face that he's coming to the same decision about his own feelings, that he will not come between Arthur and Gwen, and man I wanna tell my poor sweet self-sacrificing Merlin that oftentimes, you do good in this world simply by pursuing your own happiness and well-being.

Lancelot then says "she has changed me forever, but some things cannot be", just like Arthur has changed Merlin forever and vice versus, but we know their love story cannot be either, at least not in Camelot's time.

And thus ends my meta ramblings for a great episode!!

Loved it!!

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26. Good Merlin Fics I've Read Recently (4/2/23)

A Fall We Can't Forget by BlueGrassSax

Disguise by diner_drama

Flashflame by 0hHeyThereBigBadWolf [mergwenthur]

Fruition (or The Education of Arthur) by orphan_account

His Most Treasured Possession by Zaharya

Human Touch by Oriberry

I am who I am and I am who I was and I am who I will always be by Pearl09

If I Couldn't Run To You, I'd Crawl by ironfamjam

like a purple robe by astranix [gen]

My Breath In Your Lungs by Zaharya

River-Bright by whatthedruidscallme

Silvery by acciomerlin

stained with the colour of roses by TheCourtSorcerer

the answer’s in the second before the other shoe drops by voidbound

That Burning Torch of Kingship by Imagined

The Book of Merthur by horsecrazy

The Inherent Limitations of Words by Imagined

The Kingcraft of Arthur Pendragon by SauraUnderscore

The Potion by Sorceressofdragons

The stakes are high, the water's rough (but this love is ours) by aliciajazmin

To Be Fools Prepared by pyrrhical (anoyo)

Turn Again to Life by kay_roswell

Will You Search Through The Lonely Earth For Me? by Camelittle, Merlocked18

What Have Kings by antonomasia09 [gen]

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Finished Merthur commission for _maiko_no_yume on IG 💕

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told y'all I gotta draw kisses whenever I get drunk

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Merlin Reverse Big Bang!

I had a lovely time working with remaymber, so check out their work on Ao3!! They wrote the accompanying fic Watching you like I’m in love, and it’s truly wonderful 🥰

Artist summary:

Arthur often found himself watching Merlin. In the beginning, he thought Merlin was your average (if insolent and slightly stupid) farm-boy graced with the great fortune of becoming Arthur’s manservant (much to both their ire). But the more he watched and the more Merlin began to intertwine with every aspect of his life, Arthur realised. . . Merlin was the greatest thing that ever happened to him.”

@bbcmerlin-reversebang

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it recently came to my attention that bbc merlin’s director of photography dale mccready has a website called the merlin archive with over a hundred behind the scenes pictures from on set! here’s the link for any interested fans :)

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La Fraternité, Jules Dalou

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Okay so everyone in the Merlin fandom who reads this needs to reply with their absolute FAVORITE Merlin fan fiction. All ships welcome! Please help me out here, I wanna read what y’all are reading!

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Bruh

okay okay listen i NEED to talk about this shot from sword in the stone because ohhhh my god.....

like this. THIS is the exact moment in merlin's speech convincing arthur to try and pull the sword from the stone when he says "you're the true king of camelot" and ohhhh you can just SEE that he really truly believes it with everything that he is. he's channeling all the love and devotion he has and it's all there in this one look. it is such a subtle and sweet moment between the two of them and it drives me insane

and then the lighting.. the softness of it and the way the sunlight illuminates them.... the LENS FLARE!!! the lens flare is so so so special to me because it is not a thing that tends to be used in this show and it just really highlights how significant the scene truly is

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Golden Mornings ಠ‿↼

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you know, i think too many people misunderstand the "no man is worth your tears" line. i see it brought up so often in magic reveals as a thing arthur feels guilty about saying, when i really don't think he would. cause in context, that line isn't supposed to be about balinor.

well, it obviously is, on the surface, but arthur doesn't mean it in way that's like "oh you shouldn't cry over some guy's death", not at all. because look at the context of the scene: arthur is about to face the dragon, and he's almost certain that he's going to die. he saw the way merlin cried over balinor's death, and what he means when he says it is that he doesn't want merlin to cry over him. and merlin realizes this! he even says it, "you're certainly not".

and the thing is that this completely recontextualizes the scene. it goes from arthur being well-meaning but unintentionally insensitive to arthur being genuinely caring and concerned about merlin once he's no longer there. which would definitely be in character for arthur, because he very much does become a little more honest about his feelings in life-or-death situations.

like it's genuinely such a sweet moment between them and it's so so overlooked because of circumstances that arthur didn't know about, and it's really unfortunate in my opinion because that scene is honestly one of my all-time favorites

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