#also now i'm thinking about morgana/gwen again

[veliseraptor]

Favorite fictional sapphic relationship? 👀

are we talking favorite actual or favorite hypothetical because those are kind of two different things. also there are a lot more of the latter unfortunately. and while a part of me is like "it's gotta be Qiyan Agula/Nangong Jingnu, doesn't it, truly the f/f pairing that delivered all of my favorite things (betrayal! disguised identity! reluctantly falling in love with your hated enemy! incredible amounts of emotional dysfunction!)" I actually feel like I might have to give this one to Catra/Adora? for the emotional place it holds in my heart that I think is somewhat comparable to the way many people around my age feel about Korrasami.

I feel like while Korrasami is very important to me in the abstract, Catra/Adora was sort of...my Korrasami, in a sense, in that it was the pairing where when I was watching She Ra I was like "oh man this is so perfectly a dynamic that I love between these two characters, I love the arc this is taking and the messiness of this relationship" and the sheer...euphoria? of it actually happening, textually, on screen? like, I don't need something to be canon for me to care, obviously, I'd be shit outta luck in a lot of ways if that was my expectation. but the absolute SCREAM that came out of me when it became clear that OH WE'RE DOING THIS. it was really something. like, I guess the lesbian representation I really needed was the one that involved more murder attempts which really just figures.

as I wrote at the time:

...maybe I should rewatch She-Ra.

my favorite "not hypothetical, absolutely subtextually present but not overt/on screen" sapphic relationship is definitely Lucille/Edith from Crimson Peak though. the more I think about it the more into it I am. also the less I find myself caring about Thomas and the more I'm just like. dang the movie where they fucked though. it would defeat the purpose of the sublimated sexuality that actually makes this better but also. hot.

also @veilchenjaeger got me singlehandedly attached to Liu Mingyan/Sha Hualing as a concept because of all the ways it plays with all kinds of fun things that I feel like I don't usually get in f/f ships. like, it's not fucked up in the way that I'm usually after but it's got a lot of other interesting stuff going on and damn do I need to get back to that sex pollen fic

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

1: Magic is a Metaphor < 2: Morgana is a Lesbian < 3: Merlin is Gay > 4: Arthur is Bi

Again with the whole metaphor thing, Merlin's entire character is about having to hide his identity and wishing that he could be free to be himself so that he wouldn't have to lie about how much Arthur means to him. So that's all very gay, but he's also just very queer-coded generally. There are so many jokes about him being more effeminate or wearing women's clothing, most notably in this episode where he dresses in full drag and then takes the opportunity to shamelessly flirt with Arthur. Unhinged.

Basically every other character seems to just assume that he's gay, at least towards the end, because Gaius and Arthur are in utter disbelief that Merlin would be 'seeing a girl'. And of course he isn't, he's actually sneaking around with that druid guy, leading Arthur to question how courting a girl would leave him 'walking with a limp.'

I also think it's very interesting how often Merlin has to pretend to be attracted to women to avoid people discovering his secret, like with Gwen in Series 1 or Morgana in Series 2. Or this scene, where Gwen and Merlin are the only people not affected by the Lamia's seduction charm and they're trying to figure out why. And Merlin says, 'it doesn't affect you because you're a woman'. And firstly, Gwen is like, 'so what?' So, bisexual queen. And then Merlin says, "it only affects men," and Gwen says, "so then why haven't you fallen under her spell?" And Merlin is just like, 'oh shit, I don't know. I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't be seduced by a woman.'

Now, you might be saying, "but Merlin is attracted to women! what about that one female love interest he had for literally one episode who immediately died?" Oh, you mean:

I'm sorry to all of the Freylin shippers out there, but this was so clearly just the writers' last-ditch attempt to make Merlin straight. If you think about it, Freya also 'has magic' if you catch my drift, and that is the only thing that she and Merlin have in common, and the only thing that they talk about. And if you look at their dialogue out of context, it really doesn't seem like it's magic that they're talking about. It's just gay/lesbian solidarity. Also, never forget when Colin Morgan accidentally referred to Merlin's potential love interests as "him or her." So who else could he have been thinking of?

Merlin definitely had a crush on Lancelot. From the moment that they first meet, he just keeps going on about, 'omg, isn't Lancelot so strong and brave and chivalrous? God, I hope he becomes a knight, he would look so good in a suit of armour.' And then he says to Gwen, completely unprompted, "so just for the sake of argument– Arthur or Lancelot?" Why are you thinking about that Merlin? Then that scene ends with Merlin and Lancelot getting drunk and stumbling home together and waking up the next morning having shared Merlin's single bed. So take from that what you will. I don't necessarily think that anything happened between them, not because I think Lancelot is straight, don't get it twisted, just because I think he's a fucking virgin.

But certified pansexual manwhore Gwaine on the other hand, oh they definitely fucked. And it's a very similar situation to Lancelot, Merlin's only flirting technique is just to find some buff guy who's just saved his life and be like, 'oh my god what can I possibly do to repay you? Maybe you could come back to my place and I could tend to your wounds and then we could go down to the tavern, have a few drinks'.

And it works. Merlin literally used his job as apprentice physician to the Knights of the Round Table as his own personal Grindr, and i love that for him. But, of course, these are just side hoes to Merlin's main bitch, Arthur.

You can deny everything else that I've said, but you cannot deny that Merlin was in love with Arthur. And don't even try to say, 'but it's just because it was his destiny'. Because, yeah, like that's any less gay. They're two sides of the same coin, destined to be together, Merlin 'uses magic only for Arthur'. Come on.

Also, it's pretty clear that Merlin cares about Arthur more than he cares about his destiny, throughout the entire show. But it culminates in this scene in series five where, because of very contrived plot reasons, Arthur has to choose between legalizing magic and saving the life of Mordred. And Merlin convinces Arthur not to legalise magic so that he will let Mordred die. He literally enables the genocide of his own people and condemns himself to a lifetime of suffering just on the off chance that he can spend a bit more time with Arthur.

And if that isn't heartbreaking enough, of course, every action that Merlin makes only confirms Arthur's fate. And after he very platonically dies in Merlin's arms, as dudebros do, what does Merlin do? does he go back to Camelot and live a full happy heterosexual life? Of course not. No, he spends the next one and a half thousand years just waiting at Arthur's resting place, waiting for the day that Arthur will be resurrected and they can be together again. What the fuck kind of Greek tragedy, Achilles and Patroclus level shit is that? That is fucking gay.

[merlincersei]

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 23 - Who Is Arthur Really Talking About In This Scene?

Time and again when I revisit this particular scene between Arthur and Merlin (referenced below) I can't help but notice how much "Merthur" has been implicitly queer coded in this show.

______________________________________________________________

The scene I am talking about is in the Season 2 Episode 4 titled "Lancelot and Guinevere" .

This episode can be summarized as follows:

Gwen is mistaken for Morgana and is kidnapped by Hengist. Uther refuses to pay the ransom or send a rescue party to save a servant. Arthur defies his father and sets out with Merlin to rescue Gwen. ______________________________________________________________

After Arthur and Merlin escape from the Wilddeoren, they have the following scene:

While the casual viewer will look at this scene and state it is Arthur confessing his love for Gwen, however LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT THEME PLAYS FROM 0:55 SECONDS ONWARDS IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS SCENE.

The theme it plays is Merlin's Arrival to Camelot:

Now ask youself why would the show put in "Merlin's Arrival to Camelot" theme in the background of a scene where Arthur is confessing his love for Gwen?

Especially when Arthur and Gwen already have a theme song called Gwen & Arthur Romance Suite.

Shockingly, the Gwen & Arthur Romance Suite is actually played in the background of a scene between Gwen and Lancelot when they kiss for the first time and Gwen states " As long as I live, my feelings for you will never fade."

Refer scene at 1:22 in the clip below:

____________________________________________________________

Going back to the scene between Merlin and Arthur, dont you think Arthur's description of Gwen can also be used for Merlin.

[EXT. FOREST, STREAM – DAY] [Arthur and Merlin wash off the Gaia berries by a stream.]

ARTHUR Gaia berries worked. Huh.

MERLIN You didn't know if they worked?

ARTHUR Not for sure.

MERLIN Now you tell me?! Oh! Oh, what's that Wildren eating? It's all right. It's just Merlin. You trying to get us both killed?

ARTHUR I'm sorry. I shouldn't've risked your life like that.

MERLIN Well, they do say love makes you do strange things.

ARTHUR What are you talking about?

MERLIN Why can't you just admit your feelings for Gwen?

[Arthur scoffs.]

MERLIN It's so obvious. A blind man could see it. Is it really that hard to admit you like her? Just say it. (MERLIN THEME STARTS TO PLAY)

ARTHUR I can't! How can I admit that I think about her all the time. Or that...I care about her more than anyone. How can I admit that...I don't know what I'll do if any harm comes to her?

(DID ARTHUR NOT RISK HIS OWN LIFE FOR MERLIN IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 4 THE POISONED CHALICE.

DID ARTHUR NOT FOLLOW MERLIN TO EALDOR IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 10 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR A MERE SERVANT)

MERLIN Why can't you?

ARTHUR Because nothing can ever happen between us! (HOW TRUE! BBC SIMPLY WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED MERTHUR TO HAPPEN!) To admit my feelings knowing that...hurts too much.

MERLIN Who's to say nothing can happen?

ARTHUR My father won't let me rescue a servant. Do you honestly believe he'd let me marry one?

(IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 4 THE POISONED CHALICE. UTHER FORBADE ARTHUR TO RESCUE MERLIN AND EVEN HAD HIM IMPRISONED WHEN HE BROUGHT BACK THE CURE FOR MERLIN)

MERLIN You want to marry Gwen?

ARTHUR No! No...I...I don't know...It's all talk, and that's all it can ever be.

MERLIN When you're King, you can change that.

ARTHUR I can't expect Guinevere to wait for me.

MERLIN If she feels as you do, she'll wait for you.

(IN THE END OF THE SERIES, IT IS MERLIN WHO HAS BEEN WAITING FOR ARTHUR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!!)

ARTHUR We don't even know if she's still alive.

MERLIN No, she is. We will find her.

ARTHUR Come on. We've got a long trek ahead. Oh, and Merlin...if you dare tell anyone about this, I promise I will make your life a living hell.

MERLIN You mean, more than you already do?

ARTHUR Yeah.

MERLIN We could talk about your feelings while you walk.

ARTHUR Shut up, Merlin.

______________________________________________________________

I also managed to get a snapshot of a commentary Bradley James and Colin Morgan did for this particular episode and it is available on the DVD. Bradley's commentary is indeed very telling.

I REST MY CASE !!!

[dafodils-on-the-moon]

!!!! So many questions bc I love this with all my heart <3 First, it's freaking hilarious that he became jester because he was "difficult to handle." LOVE that. Second, I gotta know, what does everyone else think about him? Arthur? Gwen? Morgana? Is Morgana doomed to die by the hands of a COURT JESTER?????

Ok so. Crucial part of this Au: Uther knows Merlin in Balinor’s son but does NOT know abt the magic. Merlin does not know about being Balinor’s son. Uther kept him cause he thinks it would be a good idea to have a dragonlord on hand that's loyal to Camelot, given what he's keeping under the castle.

Also I'm very aroace and don't wanna write romance for a while, so no romantic Murther.

Instead, Uther raises Merlin and Arthur as brothers. He deeply encourages the loyalty to one another as keeping Merlin loyal is essetail and Merlin is a very valuable asset that bears protecting. He emphasises to Arthur that as the eldest, Merlin is his responsibility and he should take care of him. Merlin is his younger brother.

Arthur takes to this role like a wildfire. Protective as SHIT over his new baby brother (Merlin is two years younger), esp. Since he was… not doing too hot when he first got to the castle. He was greiving and seemed *terrified* and didn’t speak at all for months. He was sickly too, for reasons no-one could pinpoint. Arthur had made it his mission to cheer Merlin up, as no one should be that sad. He and Merlin communicate at first via drawings.

He only seemed to improve after he started talking quietly to an imaginary freind he named “Kiggah.” It seemed to help cause merlin slowly started talking to Arthur and then in general and his health imrpved too.

Yeah… Merlin’s imaginary freind is Killgarrah lol.

Killgarrrah, or Kiggah as a now 5 year old Merlin could pernounce, is getting a major overhaul in this AU. His is going to be far far less of a bastard. Cause dragons are too cool for him to be the absolute worst.

In this AU Kiggah actually cares more THAT HIS ENTIRE RACE WAS ERADICATED than that he was trapped under the castle. Cause, fr, that is not the part id focus on. Also I gave him a family before, sorry man. Kiggah was also really really fond of dragonlings and hatchlings and was very excited to see the hatching of his first great-grandhatchling before the purge. Ow.

Anyway, Merlin is TERRIFIED of being in Camelot. He’s terrified he’s going to say something wrong and reveal his secret and die. He blames himslef for his mother’s death (cause he’s like 4 1/2 and thats normal for kids that age) and more specifically, his magic. So he supresses the shit out of it, which is why he’s so sickly.

Kiggah senses Merlin basically killing himslef and tries coaching Merlin into using his magic again. Adopts Merlin as his own hatchling. Kiggah doesn’t know Merlin’s dad is Balinor, but he DOES know he’s emrys, magic itself. As a result, Kiggah views Merlin as a fellow magical creature and raises him accordingly. He… doesn’t really get how human hatchlings are supposed to work.

Merlin starts acting weirdly dragonlike. His growling, he’s biting people, hee’s climbing everything, hoarding things and has a major fixation with fire. He is gettign “difficult to handle” as UTHER, assumes this is just how dragonlordlings are, (good gracious), but needs a way to coverup the fact he’s raising one.

Fooleswurth, nuerdodivergent in ye-old times, sees Merlin and his like “haha verily. Reminds me of when I was that age, I was just the same. He must have “The Jester’s Spark, haha.”’ Uther goes “yes and” and now fooleswurth has an apprentice and Uther has a way to explain why his ward is so weird.

Anyway, Kiggah is NOT excited about Merlin’s new older sister, but Merlin loves her. He is very excited for whenever Morgana’s magic manifests. She grows on Kiggah. (Esp. With all teh trouble she gives Uther). Morgana’s going to be fine.

She and Merlin get on like a house on fire. Gossipy bitches. Morgana sics Melrin and his “jester’s privolegde” on bothersome nobles to insult them into the ground.

Gwen becomes Morgana’s maidservent, and she Morgana and Merlin are great friends.

[ramblings-of-lola]

My thoughts on S3 of Merlin

aka me breaking down the characters this season cause that's how my brain works

Morgana- I've got mixed feelings. On one hand, I love seeing her grow into her identity with magic and be "evil" but I do miss her kindness. She has wanted to kill Merlin, Arthur, and Gwen multiple times and has become obsessed with power. But, her anger towards Uther is very fair.

Uther - This slime ball keeps getting chances to live that he doesn't deserve and quite frankly, I'm a bit sick of it. As Merlin pointed out, Uther is a huge hypocrite when it comes to magic. Also I hate that his first reaction to Alice using magic to HEAL people is that she needs to be killed. And it was revealed this season he cheated on his wife, as if I needed another reason to hate him. I hope he dies soon.

Merlin - my sweet boy, he's my favorite character. I love his kindness and effort to see the best in everyone. I also liked his moments with magical figures, like the fisher king and the king in the crystal cave. There's a sense of guidance and peace in those scenes. I think his relationship with the Dragon has changed too. They seem to respect each other more. I also love Merlin's banter with Gwaine, they've got a similar sense of humor. I really want him to tell Arthur about his magic and just list all the times he's saved him.

Arthur - He's so noble and genuinely cares about his people. His unwavering loyalty to his father is slightly annoying but that's the type of person Arthur is, loyal to a fault. I loved the episode when he and Gwen's love was discovered, Arthur's fierceness to protect her was great.

Gwen - She's also a very kind character. My poor girl had to get kidnapped AGAIN this season. I liked seeing her relationship with her brother. I am a bit worried about things now that Lancelot is back.

Gwaine- I really like his character; he's fun. I like how he's just willing to help Merlin and Arthur with whatever quest they're on because they're his friends and he has nothing better to do.

Cenred - I was mad when he was killed by Morgause. I figured it was going to happen but I wanted him to have more interactions with our main characters because he's this character that radiates evil and maliciousness that's very captivating to watch.

Tagging: @gay-for-zoya and @swans-chirping-in-the-distance

[multifandombullshitbabes]

21

24

27

And

30

LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

thank you so much, I shall answer these prompts NEOW

21: Fics you wish you could find more of?

Oooohhh more fics involving Gwen, that's for sure. When she's written right she's one of the strongest, most relatable characters imo, 'cause all she wants is for the world to be right and just and kind and everything wants to prove her wrong, but she won't back down from her views. I would also adore more Elyan, just in general. And complete rewrites of the show 'cause the one I'm reading right now is so good I might do one as well. Also modern au's where they're all like secret badass spies or smth, 'cause those are so fucking cool (i am accepting fic recs for ALL of this, please feed me y'all)

24: Everyone knows that fandom doesn’t like uther but what are your feelings about gaius?

I think 1) we need more concrete info about how he was when he was younger, but 2) i think he is severely complicated and wanted what was best of merlin and morgana, but failed the two while also giving them a ton of love. With morgana, he just didnt want her to pursue her power lest she become uther's next victim, cuz gaius cares for the pendragon siblings like his own. With merlin, he was just trying his best with his overpowered nephew, who alos has a destiny regarding his people's genocide's son, and he just doesn't know what to do half the time, kinda like merlin. I didnt like how he lied to merlin n morgana, how he gaslit her and how he made merlin hide and become so anxious abt his magic (and we see what that looks like season 5), but i get it. I really get it. I dont know what i wouldve done if one wrong move could mean the death of two kids he considers his own. I bet he was scared all the time and hated himself for it.

27: Modern Merlin headcanons, if any?

OH BOY. OHHHH BOY. So many. It really depends on what au i have for modern merlin, but I'll give you a few generals:

he's a teacher of sorts; i like the idea that he's kinda collecting magical anomalies and teaching them how to understand their powers and being, since he knows what its like to be afraid of urself, so he's a personal magic teacher. I also rly like my magic elementary school au, since its merlin teaching magic to a bunch of kids, which is adorable

he has officially one cat, a black one called Midnight, that accidentally became immortal along the way and now hes severally attached. I say officially since hes also friends with any other animal that he might come across and they recognise him if he passes them again. disney princess fr

he's figured out his gender and he can turn into a woman if he wants; she looks exactly like merlin, same height, same weight n muscles, the hair is longer cuz merlin likes it that way and her voice is deep and gorgeous

his favourite weapon is a staff or any long distance fighting weapon of the sort; also he looks cool as fuck fighting with it, but thats just a bonus

I'll stop here but i have SO MANY MORE

30: Side character death that makes you the maddest?

Elyan. There was, quite literally, no need for it. I was gonna say Lancelot, since we did not get enough of him, but his death made sense for his character. Elyan? What the fuck was that? It was just for pain and nothing else. What did it add to the story if not just a sad funeral scene and thats it? It just felt like they wanted him gone n found a way, and that pisses me off. I feel like him saving gwen and living would've given such a complex situation when she turns evil, 'cause what if she "confides" more n more in her brother, creating a rift between arthur n elyan, which then creates a rift between arthur n the knights, which would just isolate him further n make him suffer, which is what morgana wanted!! we couldve had protective brother elyan! I think i just wanted more knights in general.

Thank you so much for this ask, I yapped a fuck ton but it was funn

[poisonedfate]

hello!! drunk merlin chat time!!!! what do you think the main cast's tolerance to alcohol is like/what kind of drunk are they?

hi! thank you so much for entertaining me :D please do tell me your thoughts too!!

as main cast (now that i'm thinking about it, i don't know if you mean characters or actors, but i'm gonna go with characters since that was my first thought) i'm gonna take the core four, because that's all my brain can handle right now

morgana - she says she has a high tolerance, but it's lower than she would like you to believe. she tries to play it off, but she gets all sweet and fuzzy. the jokes that would usually make her glare get her to crack a smile instead, she'll throw out a compliment (or ten) that sounds too genuine only to pretend she didn't say it in the first place (not cause she realises the weight of it, but because she's too laid back to care)

gwen - doesn't drink too much in the first place, but can handle her drink pretty okay, because she knows when to take a break. overall, i think she'd somehow get into deep conversations when she drinks, chatting away with anyone and everyone. drunkness doesn't seem to have too big of an effect on her, she's as lovely as ever. her traits would come of stronger - her kindness, her ability to be good listener, giving advice. she'd have the cutest giggles. she would also be more of a "yeah, i can do that, watch" person if provoked. if someone suggested throwing knives or something, she'd ace it. and she wouldn't even brag, just smile.

arthur - similar to morgana, i think he's a type of love drunk. they're siblings after all. where morgana is a little more in her own world, kind of airy and floaty (without it being too exaggerated), arthur is the touchy, grabby, involved in it all love drunk. he smiles a lot and has fun, think he's a little messy, without being harmful. he barges into conversations without being pushy and can be talked into things he wouldn't usually do with ease. again, similar to morgana (it's a pendragon thing), he loves to say he can handle his drink, but his tolerance is not as good as he makes it seem - though it takes him good while to get from tipsy to drunk.

merlin - giggly, for sure. i think he'd still be a little hyper-aware of things, but he'd be a tiny bit more talkative than usual (still careful, though). he'd seem a little.....less weighed down. relaxed, even. i think he'd be cheery, if not a little show-off-y. i can seem him loving company, but also liking alone time - a breath of fresh air, despite all the thoughts running through his head. he's one to disappear during the night and turn up an hour later. absolute lightweight.

[someguyinc]

hello i saw you in the notes talking about arthur and morgana's relationship and i would love to hear you talk more please. i am unhinged about them.

(no pressure tho if you don't feel like it)

this is literally the best thing someone could say to me after a 16 hr flight 😭 bless u anon

also me too. so i'm just gonna ramble ab my headcannons and then also their canon relationship below the cut bc it is so interesting to me and i really have a lot to say and i really mean. A LOT.

so let's start off with season 1/pre-canon and the source of all their problems: uther pendragon. uther pendragon is fucking insane and possibly one of the worst parents ever,,, like def top 10 worst fathers i think

pre-season 1 time line as I see it:

- he marries ygraine from the house of du bois after becoming king,, probably like 3-7 years after,, he claimed he loved her (heavily debatable!!) and she seemed to as well so they assumedly married for love

- now uther has a best friend at the time: Gorlois (now if this is his name-name or surname i'm not sure so i'm just going to go say surname since they're nobility) This man is known by Uther had the bravest man he's ever met,, and his wife the Lady Vivienne probably lost him in battle bc later in season 3,, Uther says a much and says Lady Vivienne was: "lonely so he consoled her"...

- now, this is where my headcannon comes in,, I'm pretty damn sure morgana is older than arthur,, meaning that I'm pretty sure that Uther cheated on ygraine out of that shared grief and around this time ygraine probably was showing growing signs of being barren/unable to become pregnant which probably worried the court ngl

- so morgana conception happens,, vivienne goes away,, gorlois thinks she's his,, during this time uther finally gives in and sacrifices ygraine's life for arthur's and ultimately blames it on arthur/all of magic (remember the talk w uther and nimueh when he says: i wish he'd [arthur] never been born bc it meant losing ygraine essentially like,,,. ok. wow.)

- now season 1: there is so much evidence uther is an abusive shit:

- he throws both of his children in jail whenever they toe the line in a way he doesn't find amusing (ie: s1e4 and s1e12)

- arthur straight up says (he's about 20/21 atp): i never knew you were proud of me,, in fact i always thought i was a disapointment (meaning: uther never went out of his way to show him otherwise for a solid 20-21 years.)

and uther doesn't actually say he's proud of him he just goes: i wouldn't wish for another son (after drugging him so he wouldn't duel being a hypocritical king)

so all of this: leads back to morgana and arthur's relationship

morgana and arthur in season 1 have a somewhat tentative relationship,, we can see that most of the kingdom thinks the two of them are going to marry one another (including themselves at times) ie: gwen saying morgana would make a great queen one day,, but they also bicker all the damn time

snipes here and there,, but ultimately it usually comes down to their differences in how they reacted to their upbringing from uther:

arthur became the dutiful/exceptional son: he became a knight at 20 (usually took knights till mid twenties-early thirties), later we learn he led druid raids pre-canon (this traumatized him also again fuck uther) this would also be exceptional seeing as he probably wasn't a fully fledged knight even then, and is known throughout Camelot (and most of Albion tbh) as a master swordsman,, and while he did have his own thoughts on magic he often bit his tounge in front of his father in order to prove himself,, we also know that unlike morgana: he learned exactly how to navigate around uther so he could do what he wanted against uther's will while not embarrassing in front of the court (ie: when he went to go save gwen after saying to his father and the court that it was probably a lost cause)

morgana was the people's princess,, but she def got the "i am my father's daughter" syndrome BADDDDD: we see in s1 she's often stood up to Uther in front of the court numerous times, so much so that when she gets thrown into prison (s1e12) it's not the first time,, arthur tells her: "i promised him that this would be the last time you acted out against him like this" (paraphrasing) and morgana replies "you're a good man, unlike your father" (line that makes me insane)

they are parallel from the start within these two episodes specifically!!! many may argue morgana was good and kind from the beginning,, but she often did things FOR HER OWN MOTIVES!!! when she helped gwen's father to escape without consulting gwen,, it confirmed it for me. she may have convinced herself it was for gwen,, but she never even asked,, she did it to piss of uther not thinking it all the way through,, opening his cell and leaving him to fend for himself against a bataillon of knights. now i'm not saying morgana has never done anything out of pure kindness,,

but whereas arthur is constantly set up as a righteous and noble man in his heart but his actions can appear to be... for lack of a better word, extremely dickish

morgana's actions appear to be kind and generous, but can often endanger those around her in her conquest for the things she wants, sometimes ending in death. (AGAIN NOT ALWAYS!!!)

NOW this leads me to the fact that once again they were the only two who grew up under Uther really and are the only ones who know what that's like,, they probably already felt more like brother and sister by the time s1 hit just bc of that but endured it bc they weren't blood and swallows the fact they were probably gonna be married but you can see it in the scenes alone,,

morgana does push arthur to be better and to challenge the things uther taught them bc that is what she instinctively does!! morgana questions uther and in return teacher arthur to question uther (ie: pushing arthur to save merlin in s1e4, helps him to strike down valiant s1e2, makes him argue back when gwen was wrongfully imprisoned s1e3) and we see that morgana does care for arthur!! she threatens sophia when she noticed something is off and often rushes to the defense of her friends,, her tactics can be destructive though just in a parallel way to arthur's

arthur's destructiveness comes from his inability to choose a side, or based his assumptions on prejudices something that becomes even more apparent when morgana turns away from Camelot and it's people

morgana was probably rooting for arthur as a king for a certain point,, but even though the grew up together and she should know arthur's MO is usually 'just say yes in front of dad and do whatever the fuck is just later' morgana doesn't trust him. and as her powers grow this also becomes more apparent and her support wanes until she believes someone else should be on the throne,,,

and when she learns that uther is her father??? that's when she flies off the deep end.

now for me morgana being older than arthur is one of the only reasons why she would have a valid claim to the throne!! we see that mithian as the only girl succeeded her father as QUEEN not just princess meaning the laws of succession COULD include women it just depended on the region,,

now imagine being morgana:

you grow up at home with your father, he is kind, brave, and gentle, and a fearsome warrior, he is the kings best friend. he dies and you move in probably around the age of 8 and you see this 6 year old boy. you later learn the kingdom expects the two of you to marry. you're still grieving but you know what this means. you take the etiquette lessons, you learn to wield the sword, you become proficient in horseback riding, you gain the education fitting of a queen. you are 15, the prince is 13, he is already one of the most promising squires. it's alright though you're learning to love him, not as a romance though (not anymore at least, he tried to flick his booger at you once at the age of 8, the flame was staunchly out out.) you two appreciate one another, you get older, it is improper for the two of you to be alone together, you witness your first execution. he's being killed for the crime of sorcery (he saved a little girl from a burning building), you don't understand. you meet your maidservant, she is one of the most lovely people to grace the earth. you love her, as a friend. you grow older, you're still expected to marry the prince (he is 18), he has killed many. he has watched even more die. he is different, you are different. you watch another man die for the crime of sorcery, you don't understand. two years pass, you're tormented by dreams you cannot comprehend but always seem to come true, a serving boy arrives, he changes the prince again. you watch another man die. you don't understand, but you hold your tounge now until later. the king's temper is short. years past and the sleeping draughts aren't working, your dreams are getting worse. your maidservant is in love with the prince. you're jealous, you don't understand. you think you have magic, you see the prince become his father. you don't understand, you just want someone to tell you it'll be alright. after years of anger and bitterness you finally understand, you hate the king and all he's done, the world would be better if he were gone, arthur would be better if he were gone. arthur loves him anyways and it kills you. you meet a woman who claims to be your sister, both of blood and in magic. you take her hand, she promises to teach you all there is to be taught. your anger for the king festers. the prince you once loved turns out to be your brother. the king you hate turns out to be your father. you beg him to recognize you, and give you the family name you were stripped of. he doesn't. you kill him. you kill s lot of people. you don't care if they're innocent or not anymore. you connive, and you plot, and you scheme. you try to kill the prince, who is now king. your sister dies. you miss your best friend, the handmaiden who is now queen. she says she hates you. you hate arthur. you die trying to make him as miserable as you.

now arthur:

one day your father brings a girl home, everyone is telling you that they you expect to marry. father doesnt say anything. you think she's pretty, you accidentally flick your booger at her and she looks at you like you've wiped horseshit on her dress. you watch a man die for the crime of magic. you don't understand, you will soon. your father looks at you like there is someone he can't stand to see. he cherishes this girl he's brought home. you work harder than any squire seen before. you get promoted early, everyone says it is just because of the king, you beat them in everything so they can't secondaries you ever again. you watch more sorcerers die, your father says it is because they killed your mother, you secretly feel like a bad person because you don't understand why all sorcerers deserve to die for the crime of one death. even if it is your mother. you twist her ring. your father's ward is beautiful, you try to impress her, she's too busy hanging out with her maidservant. you get older and complete your first druid camp raid, you don't understand, so many of them are women and children, so many of them die anyways. you change. you grow older, you become the youngest knight in camelot, you think it will turn your father's ward's attention to you, she's infatuated with owain, the oaf. you get older, and you meet the most insufferable boy with the most outrageous ears and the most obvious lies. he changes you. morgana becomes more distant. you learn that your mother's life was given for yours, you try to kill your father. the manservant you trust most in the world says that sorcerers lie, you finally understand. you hate sorcery and despise any practitioners of magic from now on. you grow older, you begin to fall in love with your sister's manservant, you understand her infatuation. you grow as a prince, and person, you gain alliances in unlikely places, you don't think you'll marry morgana anymore. you learn your father's ward is your sister, you watch as she usurps the throne. you don't understand. you fight back. you become king. you marry the love of your life. she betrays you with a close friend. you become lost. you forgive her, you trust again. you are fighting your sister. always. you don't even recognize her anymore, you wonder if you ever did. you later learn that magic was never evil, on your deathbed, and that your soulmate had it the whole time. you wonder about your sister. she tries to kill you again. she dies in your best friend's arms and all you can think is how she finally looks peaceful for the first time in forever. you die the same way not too long after.

anyways: morgana and arthur parallel each other so hard it's crazy,,, and the pendragons are a family of self-fulfilling prophecies

like that is your sister/brother and you love them and you hate them and nobody else couldn't possibly get it and they hate you but you will always love them and you are home but you can never go home and -!

[fluffypotatey]

Random but how old do you think the knights, Gwen, and Merlin are?

*pulls down that giant rolled up projection screen they use in classrooms* okay sO

from what i remember, BBC Merlin canon timeline is 10 years (give or take) with some timeskips here and there just to speed up the process for a 5 season show.

now, here is a list of my assumptions of the characters' ages based on what hints canon provides us as each season begins

s1 character ages:

arthur - 21

merlin - 19

gwen - 20

morgana - 19

the knights? come back to me in 5 business days

s2 (i'm assuming there's a year timeskip here but y'all can correct me if i'm wrong)

arthur - 23

merlin - 21

gwen - 22

morgana - 21

s3 (year timeskip, meaning we miss 1 year of stuff)

arthur - 25

merlin - 23

gwen - 24

morgana - 23

s4 (year after finale; missing a year of arthur being a regent)

arthur - 27

merlin - 25

gwen - 26

morgana - 25

s5 (timeskip of 2 years according to the wiki)

arthur - 29

merlin - 27

gwen - 28

morgana - 27

s5 finale

arthur - 30

merlin - 28

gwen - 29

morgana - 28

more analysis under the cut because goddamn did i go off

-

edit: ok so first time it didn't cut off so hopefully i fixed it

s1 ep9 the show celebrates Arthur coming of age and being officiated as the crown prince of camelot. ergo, it's his birthday and he's turning 20/21 and it's been about 20 years since the Purge Uther started after the death of his wife wherein he directed all his anger and blame to the magic community because the man can't take failure well

however, short research shows that a typical age chosen for coming of age falls around 15, 18, and 21. doing process of elimination, it can't be 15 or 18 because arthur would have to be born after the Purge began, and Uther started all of this when Ygraine died, making arthur's birth very strange if he was born after her death lol.

so, we can conclude that arthur is 21 in s1 because he turns 21 on his birthday.

Merlin, following what the canon storyline gives us, is born a year or so after Arthur's birth and Ygraine's death. given Balinor's account on how he fled camelot, he was tricked by Uther into leading many dragonlords and dragons to their death which possibly happened a couple months (at most 6 imo) since Ygraine's death. then he fled and spent some time in ealdor, meeting Hunith and they were probably together for a year? until he left again some time before she gave birth to Merlin.

so, Merlin falls into the 18/19 age range by s1

Gwen I feel could be the same age as Merlin or she's just a year older. I know she's older than Elyan but by how much i don't remember the show saying. so it's possible Gwen started off as 19/20 in s1

given these estimations, we will now try and fit them into the story's timeline and see if we're able to find a somewhat accurate assumption on where the characters' ages fall by s5.

in my mind by "Moment of Truth" (s1 ep10) it's been a year (or close to, like 10 months) since Merlin's been serving Arthur. and by the end of s1 it most definitely has been at least a year since Merlin came to camelot.

by s3 there's been a time jump: Morgana has been "kidnapped" by Morgause and Uther's had his men searching for his ward for a year at most. doing the math, that means Arthur is 24, Merlin is 23/22, and Gwen is 23/24. in s3 we do celebrate Morgana's birthday (s3 ep5) but it's never clear how old she is.

i, at first, assumed she was older than Arthur simply because she was older in the legends. of course, the legends are used more as an outline than a set script so they have her younger than Arthur. also, in the show Morgana is the illegitimate child of Uther, so, to me, it'd be strange for Uther to cheat on his wife (who he mourns in the show) rather than him just having and affair with Morgana's mother, Viviane, after Ygraine's death.

using that string of logic, Morgana probably was born a year or so after Arthur, making her closest in age to Merlin which....plot-wise is interesting now that i think about. what if they were born on the same day, same time, cementing the idea that they are one in the same yet foils of the other, each other's doom.

anyway,

i don't think i'm going to touch the knights' ages simply because that will make this post so much longer than it needs to be. i might do a separate one when i have time or when i'm ignoring my midterms lol.

but yeah, long story short: BBC Merlin is very good at being vague with time and ages but not in a way that super confusing and takes away from the plot. also it's fun to piece together the timeline of this world with the hints provided.

tldr: story takes 10 years and began when our lovely characters were in their late teens/early twenties and ended with them in their late twenties to early 30s

[localspacelesbian]

SO MANY of your wips intrigue me but i must know:

andi mack merlin au ?!?! 👀

can you doordash a woman?

reggie’s song (oh my my my)

yeah, so obviously merlin is cyrus and arthur is tj, but it took me a bit to come up with a convoluted backstory to explain why they're in middle school lol (my initial idea had them in college, but it was a bit too far removed from either canon, so that got turned into something else) (basically, merlin accidentally de-ages himself and blows up his house, so his very kind child psychologist neighbors norman goodman and sharon frank, assuming he's an orphan who just lost his home, decide to take him in) i don't really know where i'm going with this, but here's a snippet:

Merlin put a hand over the spot on his head where it had hit the wall behind him when the potion exploded. His ears were ringing; his vision was blurry; his head was foggy; he felt like he was going to throw up. He recognized a concussion when he felt one.

He had a potion for that, but given the state of his kitchen, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to find it.

He sighed and rested his head against the wall. Great.

All he wanted was to go to go to bed, sleep it off, and try again tomorrow. But first, he should probably clean up his mess. Between the melted cauldron, the burning herbs, and the various other ingredients he didn’t like to think about, the smell was starting to get to him. He held out a hand and muttered a spell he’d done countless times before.

Nothing happened.

Merlin frowned and looked down at his hand, as if that was the problem. And actually, it kind of was? At least, it was a problem. 

Either he’d hit his head even harder than he thought, or his hands were smaller than they’d been before. He pulled up one sleeve, noticing it was now both longer and wider than his arm. Or, more likely, his arm was smaller. For some reason. And it wasn’t just that. His skin was smooth and virtually hairless, and his scars had faded almost entirely.

Huh.

That was… weird.

can you doordash a woman is actually loosely based on a true story about my friend sitting outside her apartment playing the bass while waiting for a doordash order, and then she and the dasher ended up flirting or something (i don't remember if they actually ended up doing anything more than that). and also another story from the same friend in which i learned that you can, in fact, order sex toys on doordash. so, uh, this one gets a little spicy... it's a modern au morgana/gwen. here's how it starts:

Morgana was alone in her apartment, scrolling absently through her phone, bored and maybe a little drunk. It was a Friday night, and she had nowhere else to be. She tried to tell herself that this wasn’t because the only person she had to go out with was her arrogant prat of a brother but because she simply didn’t want to go out tonight.

She definitely didn’t want to cook for herself either, though.

Without even really thinking about it, she found herself opening up the DoorDash app. She swiped through all the restaurants nearby, briefly considering trying something new before just getting the same thing as always.

Once the order was placed, it immediately suggested adding something else from other nearby stores. Normally, she just ignored this, but one of the suggestions gave her pause.

reggie's song is based on mary's song by taylor swift. it's an au where the boys didn't die, so they end up becoming friends with rose, and then julie grows up with them as like her cool gay uncles, so this is basically her writing 'reggie's song' about him and luke. i wrote this like 3 years ago and never finished it, but here's the beginning

“Hey kid. Whatcha workin’ on?”

Julie startled for a second and then sighed when she saw it was Reggie, pushing her glasses up and sitting back. “I’m trying to write a song for class, but I have no idea what to write about. It’s like, no thoughts, head empty.”

He laughed and made his way over to sit next to her on the couch. “What’s the assignment?”

“It’s supposed to kind of tell a story, but from someone else’s point of view. At first I thought maybe I could write about my parents, but that just made me sad.” Reggie nodded. She looked up at him. “Hey, you probably have a lot of stories that one could write a song about.”

He snorted. “Yeah, but I think Luke wrote them all already.”

She frowned, but then quickly looked back up at him with a mischievous smile. “How’d you and Uncle Luke meet anyway?”

“You’ve heard that story before.”

“Come on, please? Maybe it’ll give me some inspiration.”

[mintedemrys]

Alright I'm gonna take another swing at the hornet's nest today because fuck it

I'm also going to be slightly amending a belief I've held staunchly since the show freaking aired

I don't think Arthur is 20 in season one.

Think about it. The Great Purge began with Ygraine's death. If we are to believe that Arthur is exactly 20 years old in season one, we must also believe that the entire Purge - from conception to execution to capturing Kilgharrah and all the horrors in between - happens in less than a year.

In 1x01, Uther does not say "It has been 20 years since the Purge began" he says "twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured" meaning that there is an indeterminate amount of time between the start of the Purge (Ygraine's death/Arthur's birth) and Kilgharrah's capture.

So, my new estimate for Arthur's age in season one is twenty-four, prior to the Black Knight episode that names him as "coming of age" and making him Crown Prince, which puts him at 25.

Does that align with the medieval concept of "age of majority"? Probably not, but neither does the costuming, accents, language, or setting of the show, so if they're taking liberties with everything else, we can assume they took liberties here too.

Now, we can adjust what we know of the other main characters going off what we know about the Purge, and Arthur's probable age.

Merlin is likely 19-20 when he comes to Camelot. Reason being that Balinor was hunted after the Purge - after Kilgharrah was captured and Balinor escaped Camelot with Gaius's aid. If we assume the Purge lasted 4 years, which is the most likely - and shortest - amount of time for such a widescale and massive genocide to happen, then we can assume that Balinor fled to Ealdor at Gaius's urging, stayed for a few months at the most, before Uther's men caught wind of him and hunted him down again. This would put Merlin's birth shortly after Arthur's fifth birthday, as Balinor didn't even know that Hunith was pregnant by the time he left Ealdor.

Morgana's age is a little tougher to estimate, because while we know the circumstances of her birth, we don't have canon confirmation of the timing. But what we do have, however, is cast confirmation that Morgana is older than Arthur. Now, if we go with my personal favourite theory, which is that Uther grew tired/annoyed with Ygraine's inability to conceive, and went on to have an affair with Vivienne first, that would put Morgana at a minimum two years older than Arthur. My theory on this matter is also that if Vivienne had birthed a son, Uther would have abandoned Ygraine for her, and raised that son as his own, leaving Ygraine penniless but at least alive. I believe though that since Vivienne had a daughter, that Uther gave up hope there, and likely distanced himself from Vivienne and Gorlois from that point on (which we can also then attribute Gorlois's death to, since we're told that Gorlois died when Uther refused to send reinforcements to him). So, to sum up, we can assume Morgana is roughly 26-27 in season one.

Gwen, we have absolutely no point of reference for, unfortunately. We don't know when she was born, we have no significant events in the timeline that we can pinpoint for her birth, so her age is the most questionable. I've seen estimates that Gwen is 18 in season one, I've also seen younger estimates. Personally, I like to think that she's at least a couple years older than Merlin, but still younger than Arthur, so let's say about 22-ish. (I don't have an estimate for Elyan because I still cannot decide whether he is the older or younger sibling, so let's discuss that too.)

The knights range in age in my head between early 20's (Lancelot and Elyan) to early 30's (Leon and Gwaine) at the time of introduction. The exception being Mordred, who I assume to be somewhere between 18-20 in season five, since we don't actually know how old he is in season one, though he looks to be under the age of ten.

And all of this, of course, is running on the assumption that the entire show takes place over the course of ten years. I saw someone say recently that "well we never see winter or fall so REALLY the first two seasons are one year, then 3-4 is one year, then a three year break, then like. 6 months for season 5, so its only really been like five years!" Like.... okay, firstly, lets take a moment, alright, we know that there are time skips happening in canon, the events are not linear, though they are chronological, these episodes are not really happening back to back, if that was the case, everyone would be dead on their feet exhausted by like 1x10. The only real back-to-back episodes are the two-parters, and Kilgharrah's release, and even with Kilgharrah's release, there was still three days in between those episodes that we didn't see.

So what do we know?

Well, we know for certain that there is one year in between seasons 2 and 3 where Morgana went "missing" with Morgause. We know for certain there's another rough year between seasons 3 and 4. There are three years in between season 4 and 5. That's five years already of time we do not see. Now if we allow a year each per season as well, and just accept that things Didn't Happen during winter or fall, that rounds us up to a nice even ten years.

So, in the end that gives us the following in season 5:

Arthur - roughly 35 by the time he dies

Merlin - just on/under 30

Morgana - 36/37-ish

Mordred - 18-20

Gwen - roughly 32

And all of this is dependent entirely on how long the purge lasted. Because it's just unfeasible to believe it all happened in less than a year. Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Camelot is a well-supplied and well-defended kingdom (mostly) but they don't have the resources to create, begin and end a massive genocide at the level it committed, in less than one year.

And that was far more math than I expected to do before midday on a Wednesday but here we are I guess. If you've read this far, let me know what you think. I want to talk about this, and I am so tired of the "Arthur's 16 in season one" rhetoric, so let's talk about it please.

ETA: a very quick google search shows that the common age of majority in medieval England was 21 for men, and as low as fourteen for married girls, so yeah, we are Taking Liberties here. many liberties. all the liberties.

[chaos-has-theories]

WIP Tag/Reblog Game

Thank youuuuu @aidanchaser!

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

WIP TITLES

Specifically 5 fanfics this time around - the things that are loudest about rattling my head at the moment.

Timetravel AU - Septimus Heap After a series of escalating deaths, Marcia and Septimus use the House of Foryx to travel back in time and - hopefully - fix things.

Merlin Resurrection AU - working title "I Refuse" Merlin has been alive for a thousand years, and he just found out that the rest of the gang is back. The problem is, none of them fully remember anything: It's only just enough to spook Arthur hard enough that he cut contact with all of the others and is trying his hardest to just be an obnoxious college student.

Three is Company - Septimus Heap, role swap AU. Prequel/Equel to The Long Way Home. Answers such thrilling questions as "how did Septimus get adopted by the Queen?", "how much trauma can you put into one freshly-minted EOW?" and "What exactly IS going on between Marcia, Milo and Cerys?"

The Egypt Agenda Part 4: The Distant Goddess I have yet to properly write out my Egyptian analysis of Nona the Ninth! Also I've been meaning to put the other parts on Ao3 for a while

Gideon the Musical Ohhhh boy I just rediscovered this while going through my drafts and?? I mean no there's pretty much nothing in that file yet but now I really want to pick it up again

UPCOMING SECTIONS

I am two-thirds through the scene in which Septimus and Simon infiltrate the Young Army to rescue 412. I'm not sure why I haven't kept working because technically I'm at such a juicy point? 412 thinks he's about to be thrown into DN1, Septimus can't tell him what's really going on, and Simon is being told to do a spell that this-timeline Simon has no reason to know. It's GOOD I think I'm just scared I can't hit the correct balance for it

sgahjhgsshfdg Merlin just met Gwen and the Knights at a metal concert and they made their way backstage to greet Morgana and Morgause but like. Morgana is half-convinced he'll try to kill her again. Gwen is crying. Merlin is inwardly screaming because if THEY'RE all back does that mean Arthur is as well??? I probably COULD skip the explanations and just continue the scene where he confronts Arthur. I'm just.... not sure how to resolve it yet. Stubborn Prince is being Stubborn.

Milo just fished a baby from the river and is walking towards the Palace to greet his wife and newborn daughter. He is about to a) be accosted by a very panicked Marcia b) have to fast-talk his way past the Supreme Custodian and c) find out that his daughter is very dead. Noone is having a good day, except maybe for me, because all of this is setup for some VERY stupid miscommunication.

DID YOU KNOW that there's an actual myth in which "Alecto" runs off to live in a land where "John" has no direct jurisdiction so he has to send "Ianthe" to cajole her into coming back? YEAH. THAT

Act I works pretty well! Even Act II is fine! It gets more difficult after that. Anyway I have decided there's going to be a song called "To the Floor" and then it can have reprise elements in all the other duel scenes. How? I dunno whatever gave you the idea that I know what I'm doing

No way I can think of 10 and I don't know if any of you have already been tagged but hmmmm - @echo-has-queries @into-september @trainsinanime @liesmyth @septimus-heap

[morganalefay]

Could you tell us about AM Dream a little dream of me? And TSAC chap12? ☺

Thanks for asking! :) So Dream a little dream of me is an ArMor fic that is pretty much just in outline form now, but it's an idea that has been stuck in my head for a while now and won't let go.

This would be alternative version of Merlin s3, where Morgana wants to get rid of Uther, but doesn't hate Arthur - rather she wants to ensure that he will do better than his father, and decides to put herself in a position to control him. To ensure that she can manipulate Arthur, Morgana uses dream-walking to get inside his head and seduce him/learn more about him. This is heavily inspired by Salem 1x07 Our Own Private America, especially the line, "Dream-walking in any man is dangerous, let alone one you love. You could lose your way and never come back."

Morgause cautions Morgana against dream-walking too much, but Morgana obviously doesn't listen. Arthur struggles to tell dreams from reality, and at some point Morgana loses control and ends up too deep, seeing some dark memories of Arthur's (think Merlin 4x10 with what happened in the druid camp) Arthur also sees inside Morgana's head and gets a glimpse of some things she wants to keep hidden.

---

TSAC chap12 is obviously the next chapter of "the stars are crying (for what we could have had)" I have this and the last chapter all mapped out, I'm just moving very slowly. Chapter 12 includes Arthur & Morgause teaming up to overthrow Uther, which I love because fuck Uther lol. Also Gwaine is back (yay!!) because his moments with Morgana are some of my favorites.

Anyways here's a snippet from the beginning of the chapter:

Life in Camelot was grueling most days, though of late things were worse than ever, and Arthur was starting to feel worn thin. A group of his knights had ventured onto Cenred’s lands on Uther’s orders, and now all of them were reported to be dead. Including Leon. Gwen burst into tears when she heard the news, and Arthur couldn’t blame her. It felt like all they did was lose people they cared about anymore. Arthur had met with Morgause a few times since she found him in the woods, though they still hadn’t agreed on a plan to overthrow Uther. Morgause's original plan involved too many civilian casualties, and Arthur refused to harm his people when only Uther was to blame. Arthur was growing impatient, but Morgause insisted that they would find a way. Sometimes Arthur found himself questioning whether trusting Morgause was the right choice, but he knew she loved Morgana almost as much as he did. Morgause would ensure that Morgana came home again, and that was worth any risk to himself.

[witchmd13]

Hello.... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Merlin BBC? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks if you want to answer....

I just noticed this ask in my inbox. I'm so sorry. I don't check desktop tumblr that much anymore and asks get so easily lost on the app. I hope it's okay I'm answering right now :)

My top 5 favorite characters are: Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, and Lancelot.

Arthur is the character I relate to the most in the show. just a bisexual disaster who can't handle emotions and always puts too much pressure on himself. Also, despite being born privileged and growing up sheltered, he always tries to be better and he listens to others and I love him for it.

Merlin. I mean who can't love Merlin? He deserves the world honestly. Above all, I love him for how good he chooses to be. He has all this power to do anything he wants. He could literally be a god, but he chooses to stay in camelot in constant danger and protect his friends and try to build a better world.

Gwen means so much to me as a character, especially in the early seasons. most of my favorite quotes from the show are hers. you have no idea how many times "worry is not a wise counsel. forget everything else. you have to follow what you believe is right" saved me from falling into an anxiety spiral. she will always have a special place in my heart.

Morgana, well, what can I say about her that's not already obvious lol. to me, she represents all the rage all of us develop growing up at seeing unfairness in the world. and while she lets her hatred of it consume her and make her bitter, instead of trying to cling the tiniest bits of love that you can find in it, like merlin did, I still love her anger and relate to it. in the end, she did do what she believed was right and damned the consequences and I think there's something to be said about her fighting for what she believed to be right until the very end.

Lancelot, well, Gwen and Lancelot's story has always been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I've always liked Lancelot more than Arthur ironically lol so I liked him the moment he showed up. He's still my favorite knight and his story in the show is just so tragic and I have a thing for tragic characters in general.

I yammered on a lot about my favorite characters so I'll keep my favorite moments brief. I'll try not to make them shipping specific!

Merlin drinking the poison for Arthur in the poisoned chalice and Arthur's entire reaction, going against his father for merlin and everything.

Arthur's apology for what he did to the druids' camp.

Merlin confronting Uther's ghost in the death song of uther pendragon.

Lancelot getting knighted as himself.

Morgana's "and you, Uther, are going to hell."

Thank you for the ask! and again sorry for not noticing it earlier!

[andiwriteordie]

hello Andi. I am once again invading your inbox to talk about the possibilities of a Merlin AU bc I know you see the vision and it actually fits so perfectly??

Mike as Arthur

Will as Merlin

El as Gwen

Max as Morgana

Lucas as Lancelot

Dustin as Gwaine

Like?? With adjustments to the plot + character arcs and how events play out (like for example Lucas would fall in love w Max still not El but also elmax as morgwen possibilities), it fits them all so WELL especially Mike and Will as Arthur and Merlin. Even their families fit: Will growing up with a single mom in poverty who loves him, Mike growing up in wealth with a shitty asf dad that makes horrible decisions but Mike would be a much better leader than him-

anyway. Thoughts? I’m considering making a 5-10 chapter fic with 1-2 chapters per Merlin season after I finish the show but idk anyways I’m getting off track I mostly just wanted to hear ur thoughts on the concept bc I know you’re a merthur enthusiast and u have a Merlin AU wip rn 😎🫶

okay okay okay hi elli. i have thoughts on this, and it's been a while since i've thought about those thoughts but here i am today. to share with you my thoughts. some of them get a little funky weird controversial, so bear with me. (also. i say read all of this with caution if you're still watching merlin, bc i'm gonna try to not spoil too much of it, but i will be hitting on major character arcs that build throughout the show!)

the easy ones. will's merlin. mike's arthur. duh. easy peasy. all the parallels you just mentioned? perfect. literally byler as merthur works so well, and i just know modern byler would've loved this show. like mike starts watching it and gets so excited??? anyways.

i also think lucas is actually more of a mix of lancelot/gwaine, and dustin would be leon (though depending on where you are in the series, you might not have gotten to the point where leon is a more central character?). anyways, i think lucas is a mix of lancelot/gwaine because he has the same moral righteous and kindness of lancelot, but is definitely more brash like gwaine (love my boy planning to storm fucking hnl by himself lol). with dustin, leon's a very level-headed character, also arthur's second in command for later seasons with the knights, and so i think it fits with how mike and dustin are both the planners and dustin sorta steps up to help lead in mike's absence in s4!

now for the girls. so, i've gone back and forth on this, because for obvious reasons, the el/gwen parallel works because of the merlin/arthur/gwen and will/mike/el love triangle. like that's the most obvious interpretation of this. but then, as i was thinking about it (and honestly i was wandering down this rabbit hole while writing my merlin byler fic lmao), i was trying to think about where el having powers and just willel in general would fit into all of this?

so i started thinking about el/morgana, which then would um. make max/gwen. (i'll come back to that in a second, let me explain el/morgana first.) i'm just thinking about how morgana is one of the most powerful sorcerers we see in the show and how morgana and merlin are foils to each other. i think there's an episode that calls morgana the darkness to merlin's light. so like yes, merlin and arthur are two sides of the same coin and have their shared destiny, but likewise, morgana has always been that third part of their destiny (which is so fun once you explore the ancient religions and stuff this show loosely pulls inspiration from, because three is kind of a big number) in that she is connected to merlin.

so you think about willelmike, right? and obviously, el is our hero and protagonist of the show, so she's not gonna end up turning bad unlike morgana. but in the context of thinking about a merlin x st crossover, how interesting would it be if el did turn evil? because in st, we see this is a back and forth conversation el has with herself - is she the monster? is she good? or is she bad?

and i think about an el who actually did go with henry when prompted to in the lab. an el whose moral code would be shaped and manipulated by someone with an ulterior motive, someone who recognizes her power. because that, in my opinion, is what happened to morgana with morgause. morgana was terrified and alone because she had this secret which could get her killed, and morgause was the first to show that her magic could be good. so she trusted morgause and went spiraling down a path that led her to destruction because of how morgause manipulated her into thinking. i don't think morgana was ever inherently evil. i think the fear and manipulation motivated her and morphed into anger and a desire for revenge, because this poor woman was alone for so much of her story.

so, when i'm imagining a merlin x st au, i am imagining henry would take that morgause role. if we're following merlin canon, will and el never learn about each other's magic and spend their character arcs alone and motivated by fear, when they really could've found solace and love and acceptance in each other. if we're not following merlin canon, will decides not to be an idiot? and he tells el about his magic? and they become magic twins together, and look, el grew up as mike's sister essentially, so then will's basically her brother in law.

(also. the platonic elmike sibling vibes crack me up. like all the canon st jokes about how they're so family coded? that right there. merlin vibes. they're family. no dating your sister.)

anyways, so that then defaults us to having max as gwen, which i think would change her character a little bit. maybe instead of a romance between max and mike, it's more that sort of friendship that gwen and arthur do develop, because max challenges mike to be better and brings out the good parts of him - the parts that care about justice and about his people and about doing the right thing. and so mike, kind of feeling forced into having a queen because ya know. laws of the land and stuff, very tentatively asks max if she would ever consider stepping into that role because he believes she would be an excellent leader. and so that's when the engagement happens and stuff and it's for show for the people, and only like. will and max and mike and dustin know that obviously. and then through whatever circumstances, the engagement ends up called off, and unlike in merlin canon, it doesn't end up happening again, and max just becomes an advisor to mike, who remains single as a king until. ya know. magic is legalized and he marries will (not following canon lol. or he dies. and i cry again.

okay that's it! the end! :)

(does this make hopper gaius)

[queerofthedagger]

So while one could definitely say that I might be biased when it comes to @atlantablack's writing because she's one of my best friends, let me start this by saying that 1) yes, but I'm also right, and 2) I loved her writing before we ever talked to each other; there's proof in the form of a horribly awkward comment on a fic that wasn't even for the Merlin fandom. Anyway, they're one of the most talented writers across all of their fandoms, and so I thought a list of my personal faves from their Merlin fics was in order - and what better time to post that than on her birthday?

It was honestly almost impossible to pick, but I've gone with a bit of variety so here's six fics - two Merthur, two Morgwen, and two Gen - that live rent free in my brain at any given time.

To Atlanta: I love you (to the moon and to saturn) and I'm so glad that I can call you my friend. Your writing is an absolute gift to this world, and I hope you never stop having marvellous ideas, and causing me great emotional harm with them. Happiest of Birthdays! <3

-

this raging sea, these summer storms

[Merlin/Arthur, G, 4,2k]

Summary:

“I have magic,” he whispers, turning to face Arthur. “I have magic, and I use it for you. Always for you.” He keeps his chin tilted up, his spine straight, and a storm stares back. Arthur’s eyes as dark and wild as the sea.

Why I rec this: Okay so this fic was a gift for me, but that only makes it even more perfect than it already is on its own. I absolutely adore magic reveals where Merlin gets to be unapologetic, and where Arthur gets to have some time to think things through and be (mostly) reasonable about it, and this fic is just so careful and gentle about it without making it unrealistic. The entire mood of the fic is like rain after a hot summer day, and every time I re-read it, it reminds me of why I love those idiots so much. <3

Quotes:

He’s not sure he could pinpoint when that look changed: when they’d stopped looking through each other and started looking at each other instead. He’s not sure when he started silently collecting the pieces of Merlin’s secret as if they were a treasure to be hidden carefully beneath his ribs until the time was right.

---

this graveyard of forgotten love

[Morgana/Gwen, M, 11,8k]

Summary:

Gwen has never fully managed to shake her love for the lady who had once sworn to keep her safe. Now locked in a tower by that same lady, she must face a truth she's long kept buried (even from herself).

An exploration of grief, anger, and the inability to let go of someone you once loved (even when you should).

Why I rec this: So, funny story - Atlanta is the one who dragged me kicking and screaming into the post-season 2 Morgwen brainrot, and this fic is a study in all the reasons of why she was successful. There are no excuses made or actions played down, Gwen gets to have agency and be furious and bitter and grieving (also as a side-note, Atlanta writes the best Gwen in this fandom. Seriously, all her Gwen-centric fics are an absolute blessing), and the way this fic ties all the people who are important to Gwen together and gives them their due weight is so, so perfect. It is fairly heavy (mind the tags), but it's 100% worth the angst, and the ending is definitely hopeful.

Quote:

Morgana snarls, moving forward until her face is so close to Gwen’s that she can feel the heat coming from her. The irony of the position, of Morgana mirroring the specter’s actions, does not escape her. (The heat of Morgana’s body straining towards her does not escape her.)  “What would you have done?” Morgana asks again, low and furious, eyes boring into Gwen’s.  Gwen swallows roughly, leaning back as far as she can. “I would have left you there,” she spits, the lie slipping out of her, bitter and furious. “I would have done nothing at all.” 

---

the weight of one man's grief

[Lancelot & Merlin, G, MCD, 2,5k]

Summary:

He arrives too late to stop Arthur from doing what he’s always said he was willing to do, but arrives just in time to catch the last glimpse of golden hair disappearing into the veil and it feels for a moment as if the world has stopped existing. The entirety of his existence narrowed down to nothing but the veil slowly slipping closed and the after image of sunlight licking at golden hair. Feels as if there is nothing but his own thundering pulse and the earth beneath his feet screaming, screaming, screaming. Or perhaps that is his own voice being torn from his throat, the sound of his own magic ripping through the trees, racing toward the veil that is nearly closed. They would not take him. They would not. They do.

Why I rec this: If you want to cry, this is your fic. It's no secret that I love angst (and dealing each other massive emotional damage is the bedrock of Atlanta's and my friendship) but huh boy, this fic really takes it to another level in just about 2,5k words. I think if Arthur had actually walked through the veil, this is about what would have happened, and as usual, Atlanta's exploration and description of grief is the most flawless thing I've ever read. It's ugly, it's violent, and it hurts, and then there's a little special something that twists the knife when you're already bleeding out. It's one of my alltime Merlin-faves, and I don't think I'll ever get over it.

Quote:

The ground creaks and Merlin stares at Lancelot, the never-ending sky in his eyes, and he wants to laugh. Wants to laugh and laugh until his heart gives up from the force of his grief, his relief, that same question, repeating on a loop. If Arthur is the hero (dead and gone and irrelevant except for all the ways in which he is not), and Merlin the unbeatable, raging storm (one word away from wiping this city from the map), then what does that make Lancelot? What does that make him in this story?

---

a god at an altar, a beggar full of faith

[Merlin/Arthur, M, 4,9k]

Summary:

For every person that sinks magic beneath Arthur's skin like an offering, another tries to murder him, always furious when the magic harmlessly bounces off, Arthur held safe by the sacrifices of those who have died for him.  He wonders if they knew that he was aware of what they were doing. He spends a lot of time wondering why they would protect him. His father has them murdered and still more come, always in disguise, sometimes only brushing past him in the marketplace, a finger to his wrist, a hand to his back, the sweet rush of protection burrowing beneath his skin and promising safety.  He wonders how long it is until they decide to stop protecting the son of their butcher?

Why I rec this: Atlanta's prose in general is on its own level, but this fic? Oh my god this fic; it has such a specific vibe between Merlin and Arthur that I love to pieces, and that doesn't even start on how utterly perfect Arthur is in this. The premise is so, so good, and explores so well what would have happened if Arthur had reason to move away from Uther's influence much earlier. As if that wasn't already amazing on its own, I also love the relationship between Arthur & Morgana in this, and the way Uther gets his due. But also, the tension between Arthur and Merlin, man; Atlanta said 'Arthur has a competency kink rights' and then they fucking delivered.

Quote:

He hums, digs his fingers into Merlin’s waist. “Can’t see a damn thing but your magic,” he says and it’s so freeing, finally getting to admit this, to admit what he can do, that he laughs. “Haven’t been able to see a damn thing but your magic since the day you showed up, sweetheart.”

---

forging a path

[Morgana/Gwen, G, 3k]

Summary:

“You took my will from me,” She slowly swipes her thumb across Morgana’s cheek. “So now I will take what you love from you.”  “I do not love anything,” Morgana spits, trying to pull her face from Gwen’s grasp and snarling when Gwen only tightens her grip.  “You love your magic,” she whispers gently. - The White Goddess may have released Gwen from Morgana's hold, but it does well to remember that even the kindest of deities are fickle creatures.

Why I rec this: So, Gwen with magic has - also thanks to Atlanta - a special place in my heart. A vindictive, unforgiving Gwen does, too, but what I love most about this fic is the relationship between Merlin & Gwen; it's not a huge part, but in a way, that makes it even better, the absolute naturalness with which it takes place. That aside, though, the entire premise is just utterly brilliant, and pulling it off satisfyingly in 3k words is like a masterclass in writing. Again.

Quote:

“If you missed me so much, Morgana, all you had to do was come home.” Gwen continues walking forward until Arthur grabs her arm, preventing her from going any farther. Her eyes never leave Morgana’s, and there is something bright and furious sparking to life in her veins, begging to be let free.  “Camelot was never my home,” Morgana spits, lip curling in disgust.  “And I was not referring to Camelot,” she counters lowly, viciously pleased when Morgana’s nose flares wide, eyes lighting up with a shocked understanding.

---

from blood and bone (to earth and sea)

[Arthur & Morgana, G, 2k]

Summary:

Every time Morgana believes she’s rid herself of affection for Gwen and Arthur, that same traitorous part of her heart roars back to life, threatening to strangle her with guilt.  She was done with feeling guilty, this is what she had told herself, and yet Arthur is screaming at his father as if he would give the kingdom up now all for one serving girl. That is to say nothing of the look on Gwen’s face when she’d met Morgana’s eyes. The betrayal shining in her eyes had cut deeper than any knife ever could.  She had said she was done with this. The throne was hers, Uther corrupt, and she could not trust Arthur with it. She could not but— . . . “You won’t kill her,” she says calmly, voice ringing through the room. “You won’t banish her either.” 

Why I rec this: So first of all, I'm cheating a bit because this is the first fic in a series, and you should definitely read the following three stories in it as well. The way Atlanta writes Morgana and Arthur is phenomenal, as are Morgana's relationships with Gwen and Merlin. It digs a lot into the betrayal that came with this episode, the one from the poisoning incident, and a lot of the grief and broken pieces between all of them that have been building for a while now. Not to mention that, once again, the writing is utterly mind-blowing, I don't know how she keeps doing that. This can technically be read as a standalone, but why would you?

Quote:

He meets her eyes evenly, sword still held between them, blue eyes clear and vast as the sea. They’ve always been polar opposites, the sea and the earth, always fighting for purchase as to who gets a claim of the land they both inhabit.  She takes the sword. 

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Enjoy reading! And if you want to check out more of her brilliant works, here's their AO3 profile! ❤️