#Merlin dies temporarily

[onceandfutureclotpoll]

Title: Rail Against Your Dying Day

Author: helloearthlings

Rating: Teen and up Audiences

Summary: Arthur turned around, stomach churning at the thought of living the rest of his life without Merlin by his side. Merlin was his constant, his steady presence forever a guiding light.

And now he was gone.

[gayeddie-saved-me]

need someone to draw merthur as this scene in catching fire (arthur as katniss and merlin as peeta)

[call-me-frosting-or-not-idc]

I was picking up the dog and showing him shelves and stuff for fun and my mom was like “oh you’re doing that tiktok challenge that Merlin did!” And I temporarily forgot my mom follows a pig named Merlin on insta and was just imagining bbc Merlin with Arthur picking him up and showing him things with the title “showing my servant things he’s never seen before” and. I just. *dies*

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Hello again everyone! Since the "Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot" au won the continuation poll, here is part 3 of this au!

You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here!

As a recap for this au, Merlin died at Camlann instead of Arthur, which led to his magic dispersing and making everyone in Camelot immortal, but it could only sustain them for so long before Merlin's prophesized return, so all of Camelot spent several centuries asleep, waiting for Merlin to return. Merlin, however, is reincarnated without his memories or his magic, and becomes an archeologist who is assigned to a dig site of an old medieval city. When he returns to Camelot, his dormant magic wakes everybody up again, leading to him and his coworkers believing that they had woken up the dead somehow and now were going to be killed for it. They're captured by Arthur and the knights, who assume that Merlin still remembers everything and is being kidnapped by the other archeologists. Arthur then has dinner with Merlin and figures out that, not only can Merlin not understand what he's saying, Merlin doesn't remember him at all. Arthur tries to jog Merlin's memory, but when that fails, Arthur kisses Merlin instead, which returns his memories to him.

Now that we've recapped what's happened, onto the new stuff!

NOTE: You can find the translations of the Old English at the bottom!

After Merlin's memories returned to him, he and Arthur had a very long conversation about how Merlin hadn't actually risen from the Lake of Avalon, as Arthur believed, but was rather reborn and lived an entire life before fate brought him back to Arthur's side and returned his magic and memories to him. Arthur, very distressed, asked Merlin if he had found a new lover in his new life, if one of Merlin's coworkers whom he had imprisoned was actually Merlin's new lover.

Much to Arthur's relief, Merlin shook his head, and told Arthur with a smile that his heart had held off, waiting to return to Arthur.

After Arthur released Merlin's colleagues, they wouldn't leave, insisting that they wouldn't leave Merlin behind to suffer at the hands of a terrifying undead king. It took a lot convincing on Merlin's part to make them leave temporarily, but Merlin came up with some explanation that they had found a way for Merlin to speak their language, and he was going to negotiate with them. It was the best that Merlin could do, considering that he couldn't really tell them the full truth that he was a reincarnation of a sorcerer who was friends with the king without convincing them that he had lost his mind.

However, after Merlin proved to them that he could now speak Old English and could communicate with the "undead" knights, his coworkers hesitantly made their way back out of the castle and up to the surface. They did insist that Merlin radio up to them every day so that they knew he was safe, which Merlin readily agreed to. He liked his colleagues, he really did, and he was very grateful that they were so willing to try to protect him, but he needed to be able to get to work without their interference.

Arthur and pretty much everyone else in Camelot were under the impression that Merlin would immediately return to work in the castle, working as either Arthur's advisor or his court sorcerer, which were positions that Arthur never had the chance to elevate Merlin to before his death. Arthur had only found out about Merlin's magic moments before Merlin sacrificed his life for Arthur's at Camlann. After Arthur was able to think past the grief that clouded his every thought following Merlin's death, he had legalized magic in Merlin's memory, fulfilling his destiny before he even knew about the prophecies.

However, Merlin knew that he couldn't drop off the face of the earth to move back into Camelot. If he disappeared, someone would notify the authorities, and if the government found the immortal kingdom Camelot, then all hell would break loose. No, Merlin had to keep up appearances in the life he had built for himself since his reincarnation.

But Arthur wasn't too thrilled to hear Merlin tell him that he needed to leave so soon after he had returned.

"Hwæt eart þū blǣdere on ymbe, Myrddin? Hwī wolde þū æfre neódan to lǣfan? Hwæt is swā micel be þǣm worulde ūt þǣr þæt hit þē ættrǣde fram Camelot?"

Merlin sighed deeply, looking at Arthur's pouting face. It was nice to see that Arthur was still a prat even after centuries apart.

"Ic nele þæt þæt geweorþe, ac gif ic forwurðe to þinum sīþum, mæg folc cuman me secan. Ic nele bēon þæt wundor þæt Camelot bið on gefēa. Se weoruld is māre gefēra þonne þu hī læftest, and ic nele geseon þæt ǣnig in Camelot bēo ġehyrsted."

Arthur puffed his chest in both indignation and pride. Merlin smiled, knowing what Arthur would say next.

"Nydwracu, Myrddin! Camelot is se strangesta gefeohtan mægen on eallum lande! Wē habbað bēon untēohlic and unāslegen for fēowertig wintra þanc þīnre gife! Ic behēte þē, wē magon ġefēran ǣghwæt þæt se ūteweard weoruld hæfð to āwurpan ūs."

Merlin gave Arthur a smile, but they could both tell that it was a bit strained. Arthur truly had no idea how dangerous the modern world had become, what vile weapons of destruction mankind had developed. Merlin wished to spare him that knowledge, and certainly didn't want Arthur to see it firsthand. Arthur gave Merlin a more reassuring smile back and clapped a hand on his shoulder, shaking Merlin gently.

"Būton þon, wē habbað se strangesta wiccecræftiga on eallum weorulde on ūrum gefēohte! Nān ōðer ne mihte wið ūs ġestandan gif hī dorston ūs tō ācwellan!"

Arthur's words had Merlin laughing, and Arthur smiled at him like he'd achieved something great. Oh, Arthur truly had no idea how different the world was, how little magic was left in it.

But still, Merlin feared for the safety of all of Camelot if he stayed. No, Camelot would be safest if it remained hidden, and Merlin couldn't let any attention be brought to it. His colleagues were already too frightened by their experience and the assumed "curse" that woke up the "dead" in the castle to tell anyone about what they truly found at the dig site.

Still, Merlin needed to provide his bosses some excuse for why they shouldn't proceed with any further excavations at this site, and he needed to come up with some explanation for all of his friends and other coworkers why he would need to put his life on hold for a while to work out some plan to make sure that Camelot can continue to exist in the modern world in peace.

And to do any of that, Merlin needed to leave Camelot for the time being. And still, Arthur resisted Merlin's suggestions that he needed to leave. Merlin supposed that, to Arthur, they could stay in the castle forever and just fend off whatever attacks came their way, and so there was no reason for Merlin to leave and venture back out into the scary, unfamiliar modern world.

While Merlin was somewhat touched by Arthur's fierce protectiveness, it wasn't helping in this situation.

"Ic Arthur, ic hæfde lifode on ðære ūtan weorulde for mīn eall līf siððan ic wæs ācenned. Ic beoð swīðe sāl on ðǣr!"

Arthur's frustration made itself known as he understood the implication that Merlin had been living in such a dangerous unknown world without any Arthur or any of his friend to support him.

"Ac þū self cwæðest þæt se middangeard is geworden swīðe dēadlic stōw! Þū ne scealt þē self in swylc unnyt gefāra, nā swā hræd swā þū eart eft to ūs gewend!"

Merlin frowned, trying to come up with some sort of compromise. He needed to keep Camelot safe, but to do that, he needed to leave, which he couldn't do with an overprotective dollopheaded king blocking his exit!

"Dēst þū þincð þæt geseon ðone ūtan weorulde mihte gelǣcan ðīn fyrhto? Ic mihte niman þē and sume ōðre mid mē eft to ðǣr ic hæfde lifode for ðā fēower geara, þæt þū mæge geseon ðone nīwan weoruld fram sumum sāllicum stōwe."

It was the best solution that Merlin could come up with. If Arthur came with him, he could see how much the world had changed and keep an eye on Merlin to his own satisfaction. Arthur looked rather determined as he accepted Merlin's offer.

"Gōd, ic ālǣte hit, ac gif wē mētað in gefāra, ic bebēode þæt wē gewendan to Camelot hrædlice. Ic ne wylle þæt wē beoð besencen in ādligum getimbrung butan ǣnigum fultume."

Merlin nodded and smiled at Arthur, trying to find the words to prepare Arthur for what he would face in the outside world, but largely failing. Merlin radioed his coworkers to let them know that he was coming out of the ruins with the king in tow, much to their shock and panic.

Merlin: Hey, I'm heading back home!

Other archeologists: Yay, you've escaped!

Merlin: And I'm taking the hot maybe-undead king home with me!

Other archeologists: Damn, we didn't know that you were freaky like that Merlin. You sure that's a good idea?

Merlin: ... I don't know if there's a correct response to that.

Merlin's colleagues all held their breath as the king, still in his armor and still fully armed with aa sword, exited from the sunken castle onto the dig site. He glared at them, but allowed himself to be led by Merlin over to Merlin's care. They all let out a sigh of relief when he was finally out of sight.

Merlin, on his part, tried to describe a car to Arthur before he actually rode in one, hoping to prepare him for the inevitable shock. He can plainly see that Arthur cannot imagine the "loud horseless carriage" that Merlin was describing, but he'd see it soon enough.

Arthur was rather shocked to see Merlin's car, looking unsure of what to make of what must like to him to be a large, malformed lump of steel. Merlin coaxed Arthur into sitting in the passenger seat and buckled him in, explaining that the restraint was for safety.

Arthur had done a remarkable job of remaining calm, in Merlin's opinion, before Merlin started the car. As the engine roared to life, Arthur yelped with fright, looking frantically around the inside of the car like he was inside the body of a ferocious beast.

Merlin took a few minutes to calm Arthur down, explaining that it was normal, and the car wasn't going to hurt either of them. After Arthur's panic seemed to subside, Merlin put the car in drive and started the 45 minute trip back to his flat, with Arthur keeping a hand clenched on the hilt of his sword for the entire ride.

Luckily, the route back to Merlin's flat took them through the countryside, so Arthur didn't have to experience the sensory overload of a city, but Arthur still caught glimpses of modern-day homes and shops.

Once they arrived at Merlin's flat, Merlin gently parked his car and led Arthur up the stairs to the level where he lived. All the while, Arthur stared at everything around him, from the electric lights to the unnaturally smooth walls to the odd floors that were made of some soft material.

Eventually, they arrived at Merlin's flat, and he let Arthur inside. Arthur froze almost immediately after passing over the threshold, unsure of what to make of... anything in the space.

Absolutely nothing looked similar to what was in Camelot. Arthur slowly made his way into the middle of the room, his hand still clenched on his sword's hilt. Everything looked so strange and foreign, with possible dangers hiding behind every corner.

Merlin tried to show him a few things, like how the torches in the ceiling could be lit and extinguished by flipping a little nub on the wall, which must b the work of sorcery, or how the strange steel box in Merlin's kitchen could keep food cold for days, which Arthur had been intrigued by. Merlin must have used his magic to capture the northern tundra in this box!

Merlin then showed him the "living room", where there were more familiar things like chairs and bookshelves, but also a strange black box on the wall. Perhaps it was some odd decoration?

Then Merlin showed him the bedrooms, which were, to Arthur's relief, not that different from bedrooms in Camelot. There was a bed, chests of drawers, and a room that acted similarly to a wardrobe.

However, Merlin then showed him the bathroom, where there was a bathtub that magically filled itself with water coming from the wall, and a latrine that magically cleaned itself with water!

After the tour, Merlin sat him down on the wide seat on the living room and told him to relax while he had to send a message to someone.

From there, I imagine this au could go two ways. Either it becomes a funny sitcom with Merlin trying to get his medieval friends accustomed to modern-day life, or it becomes an angsty drama about Merlin having to live a double life and having to live with being caught between two different worlds, knowing that if the government or the general public knew about his magic or Camelot's existence, it would mean disaster for everyone he cares about. I'll let you guys decide which version you like more!

TRANSLATIONS:

Hwæt eart þū blǣdere on ymbe, Myrddin? Hwī wolde þū æfre neódan to lǣfan? Hwæt is swā micel be þǣm worulde ūt þǣr þæt hit þē ættrǣde fram Camelot? = What are you blabbering on about, Merlin? Why would you ever need to leave? What's so great about the world out there that it would pull you away from Camelot?

Ic nele þæt þæt geweorþe, ac gif ic forwurðe to þinum sīþum, mæg folc cuman me secan. Ic nele bēon þæt wundor þæt Camelot bið on gefēa. Se weoruld is māre gefēra þonne þu hī læftest, and ic nele geseon þæt ǣnig in Camelot bēo ġehyrsted. = If the people in the outside world find out about Camelot, they might try to attack. I don't want that to happen, but if I disappear to stay with you all, people might come looking for me. I don't want to be the reason that Camelot is put in danger. The world is a much more dangerous place than you left it, and I don't want to see anyone in Camelot get hurt.

Nydwracu, Myrddin! Camelot is se strangesta gefeohtan mægen on eallum lande! Wē habbað bēon untēohlic and unāslegen for fēowertig wintra þanc þīnre gife! Ic behēte þē, wē magon ġefēran ǣghwæt þæt se ūteweard weoruld hæfð to āwurpan ūs. = Nonsense, Merlin! Camelot is the strongest fighting force in all the land! We have been untouchable and undefeated for centuries thanks to your gift! I assure you, we can handle anything that the outside world has to throw at us.

Būton þon, wē habbað se strangesta wiccecræftiga on eallum weorulde on ūrum gefēohte! Nān ōðer ne mihte wið ūs ġestandan gif hī dorston ūs tō ācwellan! = Besides, we have the strongest sorcerer in the world on our side! No one else would stand a chance against us if they dared to attack!

Ic Arthur, ic hæfde lifode on ðære ūtan weorulde for mīn eall līf siððan ic wæs ācenned. Ic beoð swīðe sāl on ðǣr! = Arthur, I have lived in the outside world for my entire life since I was reborn. I will be perfectly safe out there!

Ac þū self cwæðest þæt se middangeard is geworden swīðe dēadlic stōw! Þū ne scealt þē self in swylc unnyt gefāra, nā swā hræd swā þū eart eft to ūs gewend! = But you said yourself that the world has become a much dangerous place! You shouldn't put yourself in such unnecessary danger, not so soon after you've returned to us!

Dēst þū þincð þæt geseon ðone ūtan weorulde mihte gelǣcan ðīn fyrhto? Ic mihte niman þē and sume ōðre mid mē eft to ðǣr ic hæfde lifode for ðā fēower geara, þæt þū mæge geseon ðone nīwan weoruld fram sumum sāllicum stōwe. = Do you think that seeing the outside world would help ease your fears? I could take you and a few others with me back to where I've been living for the past few years, so that you can see the new world from somewhere safe.

Gōd, ic ālǣte hit, ac gif wē mētað in gefāra, ic bebēode þæt wē gewendan to Camelot hrædlice. Ic ne wylle þæt wē beoð besencen in ādligum getimbrung butan ǣnigum fultume. = Fine, I'll allow it, but if we run into danger, I demand that we return to Camelot at once. I do not want us to be caught in a dangerous situation without any backup.

And that's all for now for this au! Quick question for everyone though: I feel like I've got enough material already written on this au to reformat it a bit and post it as a fic on ao3. Would you all like for me to do that? Please let me know if so!

And thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

[pnathaniellgsilver]

((WELP, SENSITIVE TOPICS WARNINH HAHA-))

Another Incredibox oc description

(obs they are from my original world, But they can be inspired by mods or even Incredibox itself, but in this case it's a big mix and my own messy lore lmao)

Mikael Albert Pierre

(Observation: This is an old design, and long before he died, or even before his brother took the necklace from him, But the description will be the current one-)

—Mikael Albert Pierre is currently a 36-year-old man, He is a ghost Polo who before dying was obviously a human, He is the older brother of Percy Albert Pierre (who is currently 34)

Its music icons are: Effect (whisper sounds ig), Melody (guitar) and Voice (3rd vocal in "alpha" v1/second vocal (his brother is the main)

At first Mikael may seem quite antisocial and shy, After all, as a child he never had so many friends (apart from his childhood best friend (and current best friend) Merlin Martinez), But knowing him well, he can be a pleasant person to be around, despite his dark past including the death of his fathers, possessions, Loss of control of his own body to a demon (Who's named Kahunna), r4p3s and even his own death.

Although Mikael does his best to have a good relationship with his brother (who is still alive and is now the current host of his old demon), However, his younger brother still has memories, albeit vague, of the abuse that Kahunna made him commit while he was possessing Mikael's body. Mikael swears he never meant any harm to Percy, After all, he loved his brother very much even though he didn't know how to show it correctly, Percy, upon seeing Mikael, often has flashbacks to the rapes and physical and psychological abuse he suffered in the past, which results in Percy not feeling comfortable in the presence of his older brother.

The reasons why Mikael was possessed were not by chance, This demon had already been persecuting his family since the 1870s, cursing each member as revenge for his death, most of the time using a necklace to have total control of his victims, The demon prefers to be called "Kahunna Kai", even though his name has the meaning of "protector of men" or something like that, ironically, he is the opposite of that, Kahunna uses their hosts' bodies precisely to abuse their bodies and others as much as possible, Making their hosts become alcoholics, smokers, murderers, abusers and in maximum cases even r4p1sts, Kahunna can have complete control of their host if they have a weak mind (like Mikael) and can even stay in their host's body for days without even resting, just feeding on the energy and bad habits. In most possessions, Its host becomes unconscious, and the demon takes complete control of its victim's body, And when he lets his victim become conscious again, the person experiences confusion, memory lapses, frequent panic attacks and/or insanity

Well, Mikael being a ghost, he can also transform into a human temporarily with the help of his best friend (Merlin, mentioned earlier) in which it is average witch, Merlin is also one of Mikael's romantic interests, so they tend to have a very strong connection and a healthy relationship even with trauma on both sides.

Well, I think this is the end of the post, questions and answers in the comments, if I remember something I will edit the post

((off topics: Sum Mikael drawings 🤌🏼))

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Mordred pt2

I have just finished the two Camelot films and my post about them but one part I found too big to leave within it was my thoughts on Mordred.

I made a post on her already way back when I started my Fate journey but I couldn't help but want to add more after seeing these movies and playing through FGO's Camelot Singularity.

That said, for this, you will need some context from the first post so I'll link my part one of Mordred here:

Mordred Part One

Victim of Projection

To reiterate a portion of what I stated in Part One, I think Mordred is a highly complex individual. Her entire backstory is a tad convoluted as well.

I believe that some of this gets lost among fan discussion due to how people project onto her.

People see clips of her threatening to gut her master in Apocrypha because he called her a woman and jump on the trans wagon. And before you rage quit the post, I am not saying that there's no truth to that.

My issue is that her reasons are more complex than just her gender and that seems lost due to surface level understanding. She's also not that way due to surface level "daddy issues" either.

Her issues are far deeper due to her unnatural birth.

By "unnatural" I refer to her magical origins.

At the time, Artoria needed an heir but as a woman couldn't make one with her wife. To fix that Merlin used magecraft to temporarily erm...."alter" Artoria's body.

Morgan learned of this and essentially used her magic to charm Artoria and conceive Mordred.

This was Fate's way of working around Mordreds origins in mythology since Mordred is often cited as Arthur's bastard born of Morgans deceit and incest with their sibling.

Thanks to the magic of both Merlin and Morgan and the sheer level of spite that was the motivation for their birth Mordred was born a humunculous.

Which also meant that they would not only grow far faster than a normal human but live a much shorter life. Even if Mordred wasn't fated/cursed to die on battlefield of Camlann they would've died early anyway.

Mordred was doomed from the start and they know this. They also have a clear dislike for Morgan in other Fate stories for their upbringing.

Then there was Artoria's rejection of Mordred. Mordred perceived it as due to hate for Morgan or due to their gender but Artoria just did not believe they could be king.

Artoria rejected Mordred entirely without even sparing their "petty" emotions like hatred.

The damage on Mordred's spirit and beliefs is far more layered than just gender alone. That's what makes them endlessly appealing and tragic.

But I've already covered the deeper topic in the first post. What caught my eye about Mordred in the Camelot movies and FGO singularity was how Mordred rectified that as a knight of the Lion King.

The summoned knights have their full backstories in-tact. Mordred has all of that baggage seen in Apocrypha but is choosing to serve the king anyway.

And mind you, Mordred isn't treated well in the Camelot Singularity. The film didn't go over it as much as I'd have hoped but Mordred is choosing to be loyal to their father despite being banned from the city itself.

Despite Lancelot himself being there, Mordred is the one treated the worse of the knights present.

The more fucked up part of this info is that King Arthur is the one who decided that. The way she describes Mordred's treatment in the mobile game is cold, akin to the use and abandonment of a tool.

Gift of Rampage

On top of banning Mordred from the city save for certain times or for meetings the Lion King also "gifted" Mordred with "rampage".

All of the knights were given a power or gift upon serving her but Mordred's in particular not only plays on Mordred's angry nature but harms them when used.

Artoria Lancer essentially cursed Mordred to harm themselves in servitude to the Holy City while banning them from it for most of the time.

It's particularly cold treatment from a divine spirit that's lost her humanity. If anything, Goddess Rhongomyniad, aka the Lion King, aka Artoria Lancer shows more hatred/emotion toward Mordred than the real King Arthur did.

Despite that Mordred serves to the point they throw their life away to battle Caster and stop Ozymandias' pyramid.

And I can't help but think about why.

Guilt

And upon seeing her final scene with Caster I think I can understand why. There's a sense of guilt in Mordred. I wouldn't say Mordred wants to atone like the other knights but she does say that they will die "as a knight" as she "should have".

Which rolls back to Mordred's complex feelings for their father. Mordred truly idolized Arthur and Morgan grew frustrated by this and it was only then that she told Mordred of their parentage hoping to spark conflict.

Sadly that ploy ultimately worked but after all the hatred and love and despite Mordred's own unsorted feelings in other Fate works they idolize their father, the king Arthur.

It is almost ironic as well because Artoria Lancer treats Mordred no better than Morgan did in life but given this second chance Mordred would rather die her knight than betray them again.

On some level that love is there and Mordred chose to adhere to it in the Camelot Singularity and its tragic to see. Even for Caster who ultimately takes Mordred down.

Hell, even Agravain feels some sense of pity for Mordred when he questions the Lion King as to why Mordred is banished from the city. Granted, he was seeing it from a wasted soldier example but he still had s semblance of care/respect there.

I think that love also bled into her harsh words toward Bedivere. Mordred makes it clear they were never fond of him and I can't help but wonder if jealous is at the core of it.

Bedivere was Arthurs most loyal knight, a knight the king kept near at most times, a spot Mordred never had. They were never given the consideration and care Bedivere was despite being fare more powerful than him.

On top of that Bedivere was there for Arthur in her final moments while Mordred couldn't even get an iota of emotion from Arthur on the fields of Camlann.

Even in the Camelot Singularity where their roles should be reversed (in theory) they aren't. Mordred is treated like something to be used and left broken while Bedivere is walking around going on about seeing Arthur and fixing a mistake.

He also never argues with Mordred. He accepts their criticisms much to their anger. Mordred can't even get a rise out of Bedivere.

This is conjecture on my part of course, I have no way to prove it but it was something I wondered while watching the movie.

"What about Bedivere pisses her off so much?"

Ultimately Mordred continues to be interesting but tragic just like her father. It's hard to not talk about them or what's running through their mind.

I hope we get Mordred in another Fate story one day. Something to give them focus like Apocrypha or one that has more exploration into their relationship with Arthur.

It was only in bits in the FGO game and some scenes in the movies but it's fascinating to see the knight you'd expect to rebel instantly to die for the cause despite the treatment.

I know this seems to end a bit quick but there's not much else I can think of to say given the first post. I just found Mordred's situation in the movies interesting, I want to know what drives them.

One day maybe we'll get that Mordred route.

=======================

For my other experiences with Fate go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[slitheringghost]

☕️ Imagine everything happened as it did in canon up until James+Lily's deaths - Snape still turned against the DEs, Regulus dies, Peter's the spy, Voldemort still is (temporarily) vanquished, etc yet both J+L survive somehow. How do you think Harry would've grown up and how do you think the remaining young adults from Lily's generation that we know of (i.e. Marauders, Lily, Snape, etc) would be like in this world? What role would they play in Harry's life?

Ooh thank you for the ask, that’s interesting question!

- Well, first, James and Lily are getting divorced and Sirius/Lily are getting together.

- Remus, Sirius, and Lily try to murder Peter, and they're stopped by James.

- Remus and Sirius then try to murder Snape, and they're stopped by Lily and James (James being the only one who is opposed to murder no matter who the target). Lily does, however, get a punch and a painful curse in on Snape.

- James and Lily would be good but flawed parents - they’re both extremely young and dealing with a lot of grief. James lost his parents, Lily also lost her parents, her friends (I definitely think they were murdered in the war), is estranged from her best friend and her sister. Sirius and Harry are all she has left I think (and, well, James, if you consider that connection close enough lol).

- Sirius is, of course, the perfect godfather. He’s also a magic zoologist (headcanon by @artemisia-black).

- Remus would have a much more active role in Harry's life than he does in canon given he's not dealing with losing all his friends at once and losing the financial support that he did with James's death (if you take that extracanon), but he'd still need to be pushed into truly taking on a Father Figure Role, because we know he's distancing himself from his friends even before then. He would also be a DADA professor as he deserves.

- James and Lily would be dealing with their fame - this is a really nice excerpt from the fic the stranger in the shell of a lover by slashmarks about Lily in that situation:

Lily had vanquished the Dark Lord, or she was the mother of the infant who had vanquished the Dark Lord, which might be worse. People stared on the streets and whispered. No one would let her pay for anything in magical London - even the Death Eaters, who were motivated either by the knowledge that their leader had turned out to be sadistic and dangerous or the need to appear as happy for his demise as everyone else. They bowed to her in the streets, they tried to do her favors, they came up and told her things - horribly personal things, things no one should say to anyone on the street - and they expected her to know exactly how to respond. She was perfect; she was Merlin reborn; she was a living saint, as far as magical Britain was concerned.

However, that’s is an AU where Lily lives and James dies - so in an AU where they both live, the fame would probably be split more evenly between Harry, James, and Lily, and therefore the fame wouldn't be quite as exhausting for Harry as it is in canon, and of course having support makes all the difference.

- Headcanon taken from that author - Lily as a Cursebreaker working on the darkest of curses after deflecting the Killing Curse is a chef’s kiss concept.

[tiodolma]

S1

Will - got killed when he took an arrow in arthur’s place. Will takes Merlin’s secret to the grave when he told arthur that he was the sorcerer instead of outting Merlin. Arthur gets mad at Merlin for consorting with a sorcerer and that magic is dangerous in front of Will’s funeral pyre. Hunith persuades Merlin that Arthur needs him more.

Hunith - temporarily die when Cup of Life chooses her as payment for Merlins bargain to save Arthur’s life. Is saved by Gaius.

Gaius - temporarily die when Gaius bargains his life for Hunith and Merlin. Merlin saves his life by killing Nimueh.

S2

Freya - got fatally stabbed by Arthur when she was in Bastet form. Arthur and knights had been trying to capture and destroy the bastet. Gaius actually told Uther about the bastet/freya and thus the alarm was sounded. Merlin grieves alone. Gaius tells him it is for the best.

Morgana - got poisoned by Merlin and he used her as bargain to save Camelot. Repeatedly encouraged by the dragon to kill the only magic friend he had aside from Gaius. Merlin feels remorse after what he had done. Gaius kept telling him it was the right thing. Merlin had to endure everyone's grief the following year in their desperate attempts to find Morgana and bring her back. Only Gaius knows what he did.

Balinor - died when he tried to protect Merlin from bandits. Merlin and Arthur had concvinced him to come out from hiding to save at least Gaius. Merlin keeps himself from weeping openly so as not to arouse Arthur’s suspicions. Arthur tells him “no man is worth your tears.”

S4

Lancelot - Steps into the veil between living and death in Merlin’s place. Merlin had been trying to sacrifice himself for Arthur who had been trying to sacrifice himself for Camelot. Merlin grieves.

S5

Alator - Morgana kills him for hiding who Emrys is. Merlim doesn’t know

Finna - kills herself with Merlin’s sword so that Morgana and Arthur’s forces wont be able to get anything from her (who emrys is). Merlin is rescued by Kilgharrah.

Daegal - a druid that died when he took a stray arrow that was meant to assasinate Arthur while Arthur was signing another anti-magic treaty. Merlin allowed to grieve this time

....bruh

2 of Merlin’s friends died when they took arrows meant for Arthur (Will and Daegal)

1 was killed by him personally in exchange for the kingdom (Morgana)

1 almost died when fate choose them instead of merlin as bargain to save Arthur’s life (Hunith)

1 literally died by Arthur’s hand (Freya)

3 willingly walked to their deaths to stop Merlin from sacrifiing/revealing himself (Gaius, Lancelot, Finna)

2 died while actively protecting Merlin (Balinor, Alator)

And Merlin was barely allowed to openly grieve for many of these. He had to hide showing his emotions coz it was dangerous to reveal his connections. He had been told right after their deaths that Arthur and Camelot were more important and that magic was inherently evil

Merlin is not alright.

[like-sands-of-time]

What the hell?? When/why/how would Kilgharrah let aithusa far from his sight ??? Let alone be anywhere near Morgana to heal her ?

Surely the writers weren't forgetting they said Morgana can't be killed by a mortal weapon? The sword wouldn't have been enough to kill her, just make it so she has to magically heal herself right?

And Are they not going against their own dragon lore by saying aithusa would go to anyone but Merlin or Kilgharrah? I thought the reveal was gonna be Mordred finding her but this doesn't even make sense . At least that explains why they just forgot about the dragon for the entire rest of the season bc that really seemed out of character for Merlin. That's a connection to his father right there, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to experience something his father had, watching a dragon grow up, teaching him how to speak, bonding

(also I can't believe the whole of Camelot was in the forest and nobody saw the great dragon flying overhead several times and LANDING NEARBY)

I keep hoping for this great battle between Merlin and Morgana, an actual show of powers like they keep giving us glimpses but then it'll fizzle out. Even in emrys/dragoon form he still only temporarily takes her magic at the end. This is Morganas second attempt at the throne, there were so many times Arthur could have died.

I know it's about not wanting to kill her, wishing she would return to who she was etc. But She's done so much and to so many, far more than Nimueh ever did and he killed her. I love her but it's almost insulting to her own powers to keep dragging it out isn't it? This isn't Harry Potter... Back again once a year for a murder attempt.

[emerald194]

Another thing about Astroknights is that, despite almost finishing it years before, I remembered NONE of it upon replay.

The only things I remembered was fighting the bard, Merlin the owl, & the DESPAIR I felt when he died. That's it. No dragons, no space, no princess. Just the owl.

Me now: Oh wait, I'm playing as Merlin! Maybe I remembered wrong, & he doesn't die; he just dies temporarily when I play as him.

Binary Bard: I've had enough of this meddling, Merlin! *Shoots beloved owl, leaving me to fight alongside his lifeless robot corpse.*

Me, on verge of tears: Oh never mind.

[thatgaywizardoverthere]

Merlin: what if I used magic to multiply my brain cells so I could solve this problem faster

Gaius: merlin, you know the first rule of magic is that you can’t create something out of nothing

[shespeaksinsongs]

𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 | 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

masterlist | taglist

a/n: first fic since january! i can't believe it. well, anyways, this was written in under two hours, and on a whim, so i'm really hoping you guys like this one enough to hold you over 'till the next one. enjoy, my butterflies! <3

summary: when you're rocked out of your sleep from seeing draco cry for the first time, you immediately comes to his aid, worried.

warnings/content: insecurities within relationship, fluff, angst w/ comfort, gn!reader

word count: 1.99k

-

You weren't usually a heavy sleeper, but there was a window of time between when you were falling asleep, and when you were actually asleep, that took you a lot of external disruptions to wake up from.

It wasn't the loud music your downstairs neighbor strummed, in the middle of the night for Merlin knows what reason, on his electric guitar. And it wasn't the slew of curses from outside your apartment door, probably from the group of drunk girls who lived next door, one probably tripping over air.

Rather, it was the series of wet drops you felt sliding from the nape of your neck to your jaw, to your chin, to the sheets that kept you and your boyfriend warm.

That caused your body to twitch a bit. Then, it was the convulsing coming from Draco's body, pulling you closer towards him either voluntarily or not.

But when you felt a hand reach to slide your engagement ring off your safely-wrapped finger, that's when your eyes sprung open, turning around swiftly to see what was happening.

You expected your loft to have a leaky pipe. That would've explained the wetness of your neck at the moment.

You expected your fiancé to be shivering from the cold of your bedroom because you swore 65 was the perfect temperature, and he was too sickeningly sweet to go against your wishes. That would explain why he shuddered into your skin while spooning you.

You expected some crazy, psycho, ring bandit, quietly cackling that he'd managed to steal your most prized possession, betting it'd sell for millions on the black market.

But when you did turn around, you saw none of that. No leaking above you, no frostbitten blond, and no diamond thief.

Instead, you saw something more unbelievable.

Draco, lying on his side behind you, with tears coming out of his eyes.

If someone had told you hours or maybe days before, that you'd encounter yourself in this situation with him, you wouldn't know how to react.

So maybe it was the instinct to protect him from everything bad the world could throw at him, that had you taking him in your arms quickly, sitting up slightly so you could hold the full weight of his body, and asking him what was wrong, despite being sleepy enough that you were sure you could fall asleep in a construction zone.

"Nothing." He tried to say, but it came out wobbly, sounding a lot like "something".

So you asked, again, coaxing him to cooperate with you. "Baby, please. Just tell me so I can make it go away." You grew desperate at his silence, pressing his skin probably a bit too hard underneath your fingertips. "Please, baby." You whispered against his hair, your heart breaking at the sobs leaving Draco's throat.

After a few moments, Draco sat up, reluctantly separating himself from you as he looked down at his palms, where your ring laid, enclosed in his hand.

"Dray?" You sat up, wishing you could refrain from insisting he tell you what was wrong. But you just couldn't. He never cried. Not even when his grandmother had died, not when his father would spew curses and insults at him for being with a lowly half-blood, or when you and he temporarily broke up in third year over, quite possibly, the stupidest fight on the planet.

He never cried. Not that you'd ever seen, anyway.

A shaky breath escaped his lips, and you realized he was about to start speaking, so you hushed yourself, willing yourself not to encourage him, as you thought it'd prolong the time it took him to spit out whatever was wrong.

"It's just," He began to sob again, but your hands extended to hold his free hand, the one that'd been toying with the fabric of his sweatpants. "I'm-" He let out a shaky breath and finally began to speak. "Are you sure you want to marry me?" He asked, swallowing a lump so large you could see his throat bob - significantly.

It took you a moment to fully process what he'd asked as if the decision to marry him was something you'd ever think over twice. "What?" You asked, mirroring the position he held on your bed, tucking your feet underneath your bottom. The hand that cupped Draco's palm reached up to his face, cupping his cheek as you looked at him with the most concern you'd ever held in your eyes. "Draco, tell me what's really wrong."

He looked behind you, picking a spot above your head to avoid holding your eye contact back as he spoke. "Do you really want to marry me? Is-" He took a deep breath, trying to swallow back the word vomit that was about to leave him. "Do you really love me? Is it because of my name, or-"

Then, you began tearing up. Because you knew exactly where he was coming from. The day he told you he loved you, so many years ago at Hogwarts, was perhaps the most insecure you'd ever felt in your life.

As far as you were concerned, you were a nobody in the wizarding world. Your family held no title for the most prestigious and wealthy family like Draco's did. And if you were being honest, you couldn't see yourself becoming an Auror or another high-risk job that included using magic. You saw yourself as a successful businessperson, with millions to your name that you couldn't have gotten from your parents, which, now that we were mentioning, were half-bloods, something Draco's blood had supposedly all despised.

It felt like Draco had chosen you for something else. Maybe the attention you gave him. Or maybe the homework help that you'd originally offered to him after hearing him complain about how difficult Potions was, as a means to get closer to him with an excuse.

But you didn't feel loveable, by far. It'd taken months of smooth caresses in public and privacy, and tender, gentle kisses that said the three words better than any spoken phrase - months of that for you to realize you were loveable, and probably the most loved person in the world. Because Draco had managed to make you feel that way.

So now, with Draco in front of you, refusing to look you in the eyes because he was so embarrassed to even tell you what had gotten him so upset, you began to cry, too.

It felt like you'd messed up. Like the warm hugs you gave him ended too quickly. Like the compliments and praises you gave him may have sounded scripted because of how much you repeated them, despite believing them to be completely true. Like maybe you should've kissed him goodnight twice instead of once that night.

So you breathed heavily, wiping the tears that rolled down your face. With trembling hands, not trying to make it about you, you straddled Draco's body; the hand that held your ring had dropped it on the blanket below you, and the hand that once held yours was now resting on your waist.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?" He asked again, his voice quiet and unsure, gaze still avoiding yours.

You shifted closer, as close as you could without kissing him - not yet. Because he had to know this. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." You said firmly, before closing the slight gap between you so your body melted into his, morphing into one soul as it did every time you touched like this.

You pulled away, hanging your hands around his neck, only to come into him again, your body fitting perfectly into his larger one. You kissed him again, this time only breaking apart to say those three words he told you that had always made you feel so sure of yourself. "I love you."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." You said, kissing down his jaw, burning into his skin like a kind fire.

"I want to start a family with you." You said, sliding your ring back on your finger where it belonged.

"I want to do my taxes with you," You said, smiling into his neck as you approached the spot that he loved almost as much as you.

"I want to pay mortgages with you," Your free hand traveled from his bicep to his other hand to hold it tightly.

"I want to come home to you, every day, for the rest of my life." You said, kissing his chest, hoping even a sentiment of what you were saying was getting through to him. "Because you are my home, my love." You said, pulling away, to look into his bright blue eyes, now only lined with tears.

"You're domesticity, and warmth, and everything good in the world, and wanting to do anything that'll keep a smile on your face, because I love you so much." You said, your expression softer than ever. "You're more than I could have ever asked for, and I'm the luckiest being in the universe for it." You said, finally, pressing one last peck on his lips as you wiped his tears away and cupped his cheeks so he was looking into your eyes.

"Do you understand?" You asked, forcing back the urge to kiss him again until he confirmed.

He nodded, his palm wrapping around the back of your head, holding it as he brought your forehead to his lips and left a mark on your skin, the only indication of it happening being that searing sensation that burned for him, ached for him, when he pulled away.

He pulled you close so your lips brushed against his ever-so-slightly. "Thank you." He whispered, kissing you again, making you sigh into his mouth in relief.

"Don't thank me." You smiled, kissing his collarbone quickly as you rested your forehead on his chin. "Loving you is a privilege." You said, hearing Draco sniffle above you. When you looked up, he was looking at you with the most gone look he'd ever given you.

You didn't say anything. Neither of you did. Instead, you hugged him, his arms quickly enveloping your back, able to wrap around you twice if they needed to.

"You really want to pay taxes with me?" He asked against your neck, a smile audible in his voice.

"Oh, my Merlin, yes. I think about it all the time." You giggled, which was something only Draco could make you do. "Could you imagine? Getting called up as Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." You closed your eyes, willing it to be real already, despite it coming into fruition rather soon. "And you'd be so cute, in your boring little suit, looking all serious." You laughed, feeling Draco's laugh vibrate against your back.

Then, finally, Draco pulled away, forcing a serious frown onto his face, although the remnants of a smile were still splayed across his mouth, the corners still tipping upwards.

"I do not have boring suits." He said, grinning when you kissed the tip of his nose, trying to get that smile you loved so much back.

"Hm," You thought. "You don't." You added thoughtfully. "But I may just have to buy you one for the occasion." You shrugged. "You can buy me a dull blazer and some camel slacks, too, I don't mind you dressing me up-"

Draco's lips attacked yours, pushing you back so your head was now at the foot of your bed, and your feet were at your pillows.

He hovered over you, one arm wrapped under the arch of your back, and the other one holding your head up so you could look at him comfortably.

"I love you." He said, kissing you again like he just couldn't help himself.

"I love you, too." You answered, with sincerity coating your throat. "For the rest of our lives."

-

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[escape-from-arcadia]

Random headcanon of the night: magical beings die in unique ways depending on what exactly they are/how they go out. The general principle is that all that comes from the earth must return to the earth.

Trolls can't die of old age. They turn to still and weak stone when severely injured or in daylight. They're already made of living stone + crystals, which have magical properties in them.

Goblins turn to sludge because I just like the goopy goobers.

Gnomes are turned into a little square of red fabric. (Gnome skeletons make me sad :()

Pixies lights go out, and what remains are actually physical dreams (like tiny amber pebbles) that can be given to trolls as a sedative.

Idk what Ngyarlathrops or whatever those are are made of, but their bits and pieces are good in soup. Not exactly a death description, but for some reason, I think they'd be a good soup. Don't ask.

Wizards have unique deaths depending what they're most deeply connected to.

Merlin turns to ash because 1. he's an old man, 2. his influence and notoriety has spread throughout the western world, and 3. ash trees represent wisdom, knowledge, etc. etc.

Morgana would've at one point would've faded into golden dust, but after dabbling a lot in shadow magic, her physical body would dissolve into shadow after she died.

Zoe would turn into a burst of lightning, whether or not she died "peacefully."

Douxie would either turn into a gentle blue flame that eventually flickers out, or he'd just explode, depending on how he died.

The Order gets neat deaths because technically they don't really "die" naturally. ROTT shows us what happens to them, but I'm going to ignore that and say other stuff instead.

The Order basically can go "dormant" for a period of time if very severely injured to recuperate. They all come from nature, so out of all the above, they absolutely must become a part of it when they go dormant.

Bellroc turns into a dormant volcano that occasionally grumbles (that's their snoring).

Skrael turns into a glacier that is very slowly moving (they'd usually sleepwalk)

Nari turns into a little willow tree because pretty and I said so.

Bonus headcanon because why not and I want to eventually draw all of these characters together: demigods like Carter of Love and War also die in ways related to their parents. Carter goes out in a red shockwave that temporarily makes everyone around him really angry (they skipped the first stage of grief, rip), Laura would turn into a small patch of clovers, Jaime turns into a flurry of snowflakes, and Aanya has a death kind of similar to Douxie that would range from gentle flame to fiery explosion depending on how she goes out.

That's all from me folks.

Edit: Looking on this retrospectively (I say only a few minutes after I've posted this), i think this would actually make Jim's death the saddest. Trolls are used to (for a lack of a better term) gathering the remains of previous trollhunters and honoring them in the Hero's Forge. But Jim is a human. Sure the trolls could make a statue of him, but Jim would have to be buried away from the trolls (or cremated, depending on what Jim wants). Idk I just think it's sad.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Incidents at UK amusement parks

On 2 June 2015 at Alton Towers, a train with 16 passengers collided at 32 km/h (20 mph) with a stationary test car that had failed part way round the track. Four passengers — two male, two female, aged between 17 and 27 — suffered serious leg injuries and were airlifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. One of the casualties had to have her left leg amputated due to her injuries while a second casualty had to have her right leg amputated due to the extent of her injuries. A fifth person with neck and abdominal injuries was also taken to hospital. The other 11 riders were believed to have only minor injuries and received medical treatment at the scene. This has been stated to be the biggest incident to ever occur at Alton Towers. The theme park was closed until 7 June 2015 pending the completion of the investigation. Ride staff operating The Smiler at the time of the incident were investigated, after reports that it was manually restarted in similar fashion to the Alton mouse during its incident in 1991, however the criminal investigation concluded that the crash was not caused by individual staff error. The Smiler reopened on March 19, 2016. Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd was prosecuted at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April 2016, in which the firm pleaded guilty, and was subsequently fined £5 million on 27 September 2016 after a two-day hearing at Stafford Crown Court.

At Battersea Park Funfair on 30 May 1972, one of the train cars on the roller coaster started to climb the cable hill when the cable suddenly snapped. With there being no anti-rollback device on this attraction, the train rolled back into the station colliding with the other train. Five children were killed and thirteen others injured. The ride (the park's main attraction) was permanently closed, leading to the funfair's commercial decline and its eventual closure at the end of the 1974 season,

On 24 October 2014 at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a 58-year-old man broke his neck whilst riding the Grand National with his 13-year-old nephew. Upon returning to the station, he was found slumped in the carriage and was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital. On 21 July 2000, an 11-year-old boy died after falling out of a ride vehicle on the Space Invader roller coaster. Reports say that he may have panicked on the dark ride and unfastened his seatbelt. As a result of the accident, the ride was closed and carriages were re-fitted with over the head restraints.

At Camelot Theme Park on 23 August 2011, a 12-year-old boy fell from the ride. Witnesses say the boy clung to the ride until he fell 9 m (30ft). On 22 October 2001, a 59-year-old employee was killed as he was struck by a train when he was performing maintenance on the ride.

Drayton Manor Resort on 9 May 2017, an 11-year-old girl fell out of a raft on the Splash Canyon Rapids ride. She then climbed an 'algae-covered travellator' before slipping and falling into a deeper pool of water where she drowned. According to Drayton Manor's director, George Bryan, park staff responded immediately and rescued the girl from the water. The girl was airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital, but was proclaimed dead from her drowning soon after arrival. The park was temporarily closed after the incident, and the ride remained closed until summer 2021. The ride reopened in 2021 after increasing its height restriction from 1.2 m (47 in) to 1.3 m (51 in) and barring those under the age of 14 from riding without a responsible person above the age of 16. The same updated restrictions were applied to adjacent water ride Stormforce 10.

On 2 June 2000, a 12-year-old boy died as a result of injuries sustained at Gray's Amusement Park in Ingoldmells near Skegness. He was hit in the chest by a manual swing, known as The Swinging Gym. The incident was described as a tragic accident.

On 17 May 2006, a 56-year-old park employee was performing safety checks on the train when his head hit on a bridge as the train dragged him through a tunnel, killing him.

On 16 July 2007, an 18-year-old park worker with mild cerebral palsy died after falling 24 m (80 ft) from the Rat ride at the Scottish Park. He was on a day off on 15 July 2007 when it is believed he saw one of the carriages stuck on the ride. He climbed up to attempt to fix the ride; however when it started to move he was dragged to the highest point, when he lost his grip and fell. The park voluntarily closed the ride even after it passed inspection

Oakwood Theme Park on 15 April 2004, a 16-year-old girl from Pontypool was killed after falling approximately 30 m (100 ft) from the top of the Hydro (now called Drenched) ride.  During the Coroner's inquest, the jury returned a narrative verdict stating that the victim died due to not being properly restrained.

On 11 September 1999, an 8-year-old girl died after falling from the coaster and hitting her head on a steel support. On 19 February 2003, Dreamland Leisure denied the charge but was found guilty of negligence in ensuring guest safety.

[emrys-merlin]

I have two headcanon about Merlin’s immortality:

My first headcanon is that Merlin doesn’t become immortal until he goes to the Crystal Cave in the final episodes. Blue butterflies can have a lot of meanings but they mean eternal life, which fits best in episode 5.12/13. Merlin reached his full potential in that Cave, immortality included.

Merlin does survive suprisingly well in the previous seasons, eg the Dorocha in episode 4.01, the Lamia in 4.08, the Serkret in 3.01. However that’s all easily explained by his magic protecting him.

My second headcanon is that Merlin was always immortal, since s1.  We could  argue that the first hint was actually in The Poisoned Chalice where Merlin dies temporarily. I always thought that he did get the cure too late and it was thanks to his immortality that he survived.

We got another great hint in the next episode when Mordred uses his other name Emrys. A name which literally means immortal, coming from Ambrosius and ultimately from the Greek Ambrosia, the food of the gods.

Merlin was also able to see Avalon without dying.

So maybe Merlin was always immortal, and in the Crystal Cave he just reached his full power.

I don’t know what to think because the writers never explained shit lmao 😭😭😭

[whenyouhearthedoorcreak]

Fuck it, I wrote the goddamn essay

I'm far too invested in this series so heres my far overthought essay on Merlin as a Shakespearean Tragedy

Okay this is just a rough outline of what I want to talk about, but the basic premise is that merlinBBC lines up to be a perfect Shakespearean tragedy (ST)

The nine points of a ST ~

The Tragic Hero ~ Arthur is The tragic hero but Merlin also fits into it on a more personal level. Arthur is a man of great presence and station he fights all the monsters and dies in the end, He has this great destiny that lays heavy on his shoulders and he unknowingly drives the plot for most of the show (I just realised how much of this show Arthur just doesn’t know about? Like the entire plot is happening behind him and he’s just having a sword fight (sub thought, that is exactly how I would frame this if I directed a play of Merlin))

Good Vs Evil ~ Morgana sort of handles this all on her own? She is presented as the moral compass of the show and is then slowly manipulated into a position of villain although there is a more complex look at this being represented by merlin gwen and morgause but that would take an awfully long time to explain

Fatal Flaw ~ typically this is given to the Tragic Hero™ but because Merlin and Arthur sort of split the spotlight this is applied mainly to Merlin. Merlin is deeply and unshakingly loyal to Arthur and while this is initially and somewhat veiled as loyalty to his destiny and the future he’s fighting for, it’s easily evident from his actions in “the sins of a father” that he is quickly becoming more loyal to Arthur than magic and chooses Arthurs well being over the fate of magic kind.

Tragic Waste ~ this is the idea that the hero will die before completing all he could do, and if that doesn’t sound like Arthur then we didn’ watch the same show.

Conflict ~ the corruption of merlins and morgana from morgause and Killgarah is the real core conflict of this show, if those two characters had never been there none of this would ever have happened. While i would agree that they could have done it better the main theme of this shows conflicts in manipulation,

Dichotomy of villainy ~ we are left by the end of this show unable to really take a side because everything felt preventable, for this reason morgana’s death and Merlins victory still feels mostly hollow

Supernatural element ~ I feel like this is fairly self evident

Ambiguity of poetic justice ~ “good will always triumph and evil will always suffer” is the simple moral code that most writing goes by, however a ST subverts this, often having its good characters commit acts of moral ambiguity and the hero inevitably fails or dies in the process. This is doen in MerlinBBC with Merlin never fulfilling his destiny and Arthur never repealing the ban on magic. We can suppose given Gwen's scene during the battle of camlann that she will most likely repeal the ban on magic and raise merlin to the title of Court Sorcerer as is vaguely hinted towards given his position in her coronation scene.

Comic relief ~ STs aren’t all sorrow and hannes acts, they have their fair share of jokes and funny moments. We can see that in some of the more joky episodes, but also in things like That tavern scene.

The last piece of this tragic puzzle is the most obvious, the five seasons of Merlin are the five acts of a Shakespeare play. I've made a handy chart to understand what I mean. Because it's a t because its a tv show and therefore worried about viewers returning the act structures isn’t broken up perfectly, but it still fits fairly well. The thing that leaves people bitter about the end of this show, I think, is because they expected the show to settle, to find a rest in its ending, what we got instead was a camelot that (while still having a trusted monarch) was still in turmoil, and a shot of merli alone and sad 1500 years in the future still waiting for arthur.

What happened with merlin is that we never got the finally, “everything will be okay” moment and so we are left wanting

The themes of Merlin are a dichotomy of Peace and Equality Vs corruption and manipulation, this is displayed through the main characters of Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana, with each being manipulated and corrupted by Killgarrah, Uther, and Morgause respectively. This is shown best through the use of Forked Path. (which I weirdly can’t find any articles or anything for? Which is odd given how popular it is but anyway) the Forked Path happens anytime the characters are presented with two strict choices without much wiggle room, both of which could end badly in the long run but must nonetheless be chosen between. This is very clear with season two's story arc between merlin and morgana, in which merlin must either kill his friend to prevent a possible future, or let her win and risk the demise of albion. Merlin attempts to avoid this, temporarily disabling Morgana from enacting her plans and the like, but in the end he is forced to choose. Arthur is continuously presented with the problem of whether to trust and show mercy to magic. Morgana is presented with either killing Uther and freeing magic, or running from camelot and lending to the further persecution of the druids. The thing you might notice is that these are all linching on Merlin and whether or not he tells the truth, his silence provides false dichotomies for the other characters. This is the manipulation I mentioned earlier. Merlin is led to believe again and again that he Must commit acts against his morals to save Arthur and therefore Albion. But as no fan will hesitate to point out, he never really had to. This is a show of the trope of Self Fulfilling Destiny that's found in all tragedies since ancient greece. Merlin’s attempts to stop morgana directly lead to their conflict, his keeping his magic a secret to protect arthur ultimately leads to arthur's death (having only met “evil” sorcerers arthur never repealed the ban and so mordred sides with morgana). If Merlin had followed his own heart then all would have worked out well, but instead we see Killgarrahs manipulation stop merlin from acting in camelots best interest.