#dynamic: merlin nimue

[dinneratgrannys]

ONCE UPON A TIME 5.07, Nimue

[thekingofthenameless]

Hey y’all, I just wanted to make a quick post to say that I am answering all the TKN asks in my inbox!

Slowly. Glacially slowly. I’m so sorry.

To make up for it, I’ll give a quick summary/preview of each ask!

Gaylight sent three asks lol. One about how Merlin and Charlie’s personalities and backstories have changed in the four years of writing them, which is. Taking ages because my memory is shit and I rambled to people on Discord instead of putting everything in a Doc.

This… is the current ask, and I know I’m not even close to being done.

Also enjoy me listening to Birds of A Feather by Billie Eilish since it’s a screen recording I guess lol

I’ll condense everything when I finally find it all 😭

The second ask was about my oneshot that still takes place in the TKN-verse, Blood in the Dungeon!

Featuring this girl, who is currently named Kelsie! I might change her name lol

The third is one about Nimue!

Honey sent an ask about Lancelot, Gwen, and Arthur’s dynamic in TKN since there won’t be cheating that causes the downfall of Camelot, and it features a little guy! (A literal one, because he’s supposed to be a child lol.) I’m not going to say who is it yet, but maybe you guys can guess? 👀

Zero sent an ask about species in TKN, and it features this freak (affectionate):

Tagging everyone who I mentioned lol: @gaylightisminetocommand @honeyxmonkey, @zeros-dumpsterfire

Also, feel free to send more asks if you think of anything! I’ll just answer it at the same pace as these. Q&A is now indefinite instead of a month lol. My bio is very appropriate.

Also also, if you’d like to be on the TKN taglist, just let me know!

Artist credits: Looh-Adoptables (on DeviantArt), sebreesi (on DeviantArt), NaldThal (on Ko-Fi)

Links to their individual posts, if applicable: Kelsie (on DeviantArt), Current Nimue (on DeviantArt), Grave Tender (on Ko-Fi)

[gawrkin]

After read the last confession I had a, awaken interest in knowing more about your Arthurian AU so if you want share more details so, please

[LINK TO THE OLD POST]

Well, there isn't much else to say since I wrote that months ago for my amusement and haven't really iterated on it much.

The premise of the AU, is more of "The Shoe is on the Other Foot now" sort of thing.

Morgan le fay, our favorite morally ambiguous sorceress, now has to live out the life and story of her brother, while Arthur now has to be the Supernatural Antagonist opposed to the Courtly Christian World.

And the whole setting and cast follows suit.

Key to the premise, is what the characters get to keep in their new roles and highlight the idiosyncracies of the now switched and altered roles.

The Knights are still knights and the Ladies are still ladies. The Ladies do not wear armor and pick up swords, as that's a masculine gender role. Instead, the Dames of the Round Table are magic users, using knowledge, cunning and trickery to overcome challanges and adventures. But the story beats and character roles are preserved in that the women characters have to play out the stories of their male counterparts. (EX. Enide is now the one who is suspicious of her husband, and commands him to stay silent as they go out and adventure)

In the original post, AU!Merlin doesn't learn magic from AU!Nimue the way it normal goes, Merlin learns Martial Arts instead (hand-to-hand, physical conditioning, techniques, etc.), which results in Nimue having to be fluffed as one of the few warrior women in this setting, just as how Merlin is one of the few notable Male sorcerers in the regular cast.

Morgan is still a sorceress, and leads a group of sorceresses. But now:

has to be the Saviour of the Britons from the Saxon Encroachment and become the Once and Future Queen.

got to do a miraculous feat similar to the Sword in the Stone as a sign from God to get recognized as Queen

sire a traitorous bastard that enacts the ultimate fall of her kingdom

get cucked as one of her girls sleeps with her King Consort (presumably Lancelot for now)

Meanwhile, Arthur, now in the role of the Otherworldly Renegade, gets to be called "La Guivre" (Old French for Viper/Dragon) and can cast off the premise of being some Hyper-mundane Christian Warrior King and just go full hog on the Magical/Superhuman side of Heathen Warriorhood, with abilities cribbed from Cu Chulainn to Fionn Maccumhaill and then some (God help you if Arthur has warp spasm).

And of course, the dynamic of Lancelot and Guinevere is flipped. The "Lady of the Sack" I've described in the old post, is Knight of the Cart but now, its Guinevere in the role of the loyal Lover-Servant of Consort Lancelot. She goes through all the trials and hardships that regular Lancelot had to go through - the humiliation of Lancelot in a cart is substituted with Guinevere being humiliated through wearing a dirty old sack - and subsequently, is exalted as the greatest Lady of the Round Table.

However, Gwen gets to take up the faults of being in that role, going mad or suicidal when Lancelot banishes her for assumed infidelity - this is where the uncomfortable scenarios and their nuances should be examined meaningfully.

[gellavonhamster]

monthly media recap: august 2023

read:

The Song of Roland - I wouldn't have picked it up if I didn't chance upon a neat old copy for free. It's, uh, educational? And the translation into Russian is quite beautiful

Angélique and the Demon, Angélique and the Ghosts, Angélique in Québec by Anne Golon - still reading this series and honestly can't wait to finish it - not because I don't like the books, but because the translation gets progressively worse with each volume. Someone please tell these people there's a difference between a wolverine and a lynx, or between a guinea pig and a porpoise (I know the latter two are called almost the same in Russian, but context, man. Context. Guinea pigs don't frolic in the waves). Story-wise, however, I am still having a great time

+ currently reading the next Angélique book and Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater (the sequel to Half a Soul I read last month)

watched:

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - honestly, I watched it because: 1) I wanted to check out the show but thought I won't understand anything without the movie; 2) Salma Hayek pretty. I didn't expect to enjoy it because it's written by Tarantino and I really, really don't vibe with Tarantino, but enjoy it I did. The hostage-taking part was actually unsettling and the vampire-fighting part was fun; the family dynamics were also good. Again, Salma Hayek pretty, which also helps

From Dusk till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money (1999) - empty, skippable

From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter (1999) - now that's better, if only for the period setting. Ara Celi has perfect looks for a sweet kind girl tragically turned into a monster. I think the moral here is that if you're physically abusive to your kid, then your kid is better off being a vampire, what do you mean I'm misinterpreting?

From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (s1-3, 2014-2016) - as you could probably tell from the amount of gifsets I keep reblogging, I loved this one. Mythology, westerns, reluctant teamwork, family feels, hot people fighting and drinking blood - what's not to love? (Actually, that one character death is not to love, and the last episode is hella rushed, but what can you do). It actually isn't necessary to watch the film to understand it, but the knowledge of it makes it very interesting to compare the two and notice the cameos from the actors who were in the film. S3 kind of reminded me of Teen Wolf, which isn't much of a compliment, but this show overall had the same ambience as a lot of stuff I watched as a teen/in my early 20s (understandable, being made in that exact period), so that was nice.

Oak Thorn & The Old Rose of Love (2022) - this is like 20 minutes long but deserves to be on the list, because it's the story of Merlin and Nimue made by the director of The Green Knight, and it's beautiful

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) - it's good! Not "wow, incredible" good, but good, and I'm glad it is, because it's such a powerful and underrated chapter of Dracula. A slightly more detailed review with spoilers here

Woe Is No Big Deal / Раз, два — горе не беда! (1988) - rewatched this gem and dying to know if Leigh Bardugo has seen it, because this satirical fairytale/Cold War allegory was doing ~tsarpunk~ long before her

Wild Nights with Emily (2018) - that's right, there's more than one comedy about Emily Dickinson. This one's based on a play and feels like a play, which took some time getting used to, but in the end I enjoyed it

[snowrassa]

🧑‍❤️‍💋‍🧑 + 📖+ 😇

Weeeeeeeeee thank you for the ask!!!!

🧑‍❤️‍💋‍🧑 What is a ship you discovered you enjoy this year?

Hmmm I'm going to go with Merlin and Nimue. Merlin is hit or miss for me depending on the adaptation, I truly believe everything is his fault in most stories. So I'm a big fan of his wife trapping him in a cave/tree/crystal/whatever imprison that old man. That makes it sound like I don't enjoy the ship, I DO, their divorced vibes are compelling. They're sooo good in Merlin and the Sword, please please watch it everyone should watch it <3

📖 What was your favorite Modern retelling you read this year? (Single book)

The only modern retelling I've read this year is The Once And Future King - this screenshot from my goodreads wrapped will show you why ->

I've only recently started reading for fun again so finishing that beast of a book was huge for me. I know we don't like TOAFK here but I hate-loved it. Some of it is SO BAD but the stuff it got right (Lancelot), it got SO RIGHT (Lancelot). I definitely have a soft spot for it since it inspired Camelot so I'm more forgiving of its flaws than others. I read it in public/at different functions a lot (because it's so damn long) and that lead to a lot of conversations that went like "Yes I am enjoying this book very much. NO I do NOT recommend it in the slightest".

😇 Who is a character you discovered this year? (Positive, blorbo)

Okay so I didn't 'discover' Galahad this year, but I did find out what his whole deal was and he is so precious I love him. And I LOVE putting him and Mordred side by side - the way they come from the almost exact same origins (secret illegitimate child) and grew up into being polar opposites, Galahad being a representative of good and Mordred a representative of evil, IT'S SO GOOD!! Plus them being Lancelot and Arthur's sons respectively AAAAAA this is why arthuriana doesn't die off THE DYNAMICS THE NARRATIVES!!!

[sunlitsorrows]

toying with the idea of… instead of Knight!Mordred solving mysteries while raising/squiring Loholt

backing up and having the story follow Mordred from becoming a squire to becoming a knight, like, starting with Loholts birth, when Mordred is 10-12 ish like…

because the story is very much about Mordred’s growing up, and losing faith in the people you idolized when you were young, and finding your place in the world somewhere you didn’t expect, uncovering the truth of your family and breaking the cycle, etc.

so maybe Arthur is squiring him, and he’s sort of vaguely aware things are a little rocky between Arthur and Gwen but they’re both pretending things are better than they are so the Divorce kind of comes out of NOWHERE, and suddenly he’s being squired by Lancelot instead and feeling very betrayed and abandoned.

Like, the mysteries are external, but from the internal/family drama angle it feels like I should start with the first big upheaval?

Now that does remove the Mordred/Elaine romance—or at least put it WAY towards the end, when Mordred is older, but I’m not a romance writer anyway! So like… who cares? Maybe Elaine winds up with Gawain?

And Mordred’s childhood friendship with Nimue blossoms into something abiding and unbreakable, whatever label you want to put on it.

I like the idea of Nimue being the Healer Vivian’s apprentice…

and the more I think about it the more I like the dynamic of kids! Mordred and Nimue. They’re both ruthlessly pragmatic and yet hopelessly romantic is such opposite/complementary ways

(Mordred: it’s just mud it’s not going to hurt you!

Nimue: this is a silk dress it absolutely will! *takes it off*

Mordred: YOU CANT TAKE YOUR DRESS OFF YOURE A GIRL!

Nimue: YOUVE GOT PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL EYELIDS USE THEM!)

So maybe like. A ten book series, roughly a mystery a year, until Mordred gets knighted and we tackle Merlins undoing and Arthur’s fall (not death) in the final book. ����

[namimikan]

suitor armor ships, in alphabetical order, shipping intensity varies:

barsabae/norrix, i'm intrigued! with modeus as their child, maybe, are these two divorced teacher/student-ish? idk, their mysterious backstory compels me. that fallout, that scorn. i don't think barsabae is dead!

barsabae/ricon, gimme something similar to star trek deep space nine, kai winn/gul dukat. let them be terrible and awful in their teamwork that works on charm and poison, and inevitable turning on each other.

(barsabae/ricon/norrix, lmao. this trio would be the stuff of nightmares, in a way. ricon and his two mad magician-scientists, creators of the iron kind. i'm curious about it, and how reimund thwarts it, lmao.)

baynard/peres. they cute, don't have much to say about them.

baynard/ricon/peres. at least baynard and ricon have history, (not too sure about ricon and peres tbh) and i'm curious about that. assume ricon knows everything. i just. live for ricon making people uncomfortable, tbh.

kirsi/norrix, i've always liked the archtype of a princess and her magician falling in love. they're also my two fave characters, so why not pair them together. i just want them to interact more...

kirsi/norrix/reimund, theoretical guinevere/lancelot/arthur love triangle that i'm uselessly charmed by.

kirsi/norrix/ricon, lmao. disaster trio, that feed off each other in such downhill spirals. potentially it's kirsi and norrix being pawns of ricon, as he exploits them for his own purposes, but i can't deny i like the idea of it. (am i maybe thinking or dark shadow's barnabas/maggie/willie similarities, possibly!)

kirsi/quinn. ngl, curious to see interspecies fairy-human romance happen in this webtoon that becomes mutual. while it wasn't a good meeting, it could lead to something, maybe. kirsi opening her eyes, perhaps, could start with a romance...?

kirsi/reimund. pride and prejudice's mr and mrs bennett, i'm afraid :( it had literally one good moment, the heart to heart that lead up to their first kiss. and then everything after that went downhill, bc the story likes kirsi fucking up every chance she gets and reimund gets critical of her, which: fair, ngl, but not particularly shippy for me. might enjoy them as a temporary/dysfunctional ship, where its not meant to be, but i suppose it might depend on s3's happenings.

kirsi/ricon. spider and fly dynamic. idk, the gaslighting and lying. curious about puppetmaster ricon, and how he wants kirsi dependent on him, and how he consistently negs her, and causes her to doubt both her husband and her sister. i want to know if he'll ever become fond of her, or that was never a possibility, or if one day she'll grow sick of his lies.

lucia/modeus. sigh. started off cute, promising sexy monster boyfriend, slowly lost interest. maybe there's a way to be less born sexy yesterday, but right now it's just... modeus is too zoned onto lucia. i want to see modeus grow his own way, independent of lucia.

lucia/modeus/norrix. yeah, yk? they had two hands each. s1 was good for all three ships, so just... put them together, yeah? s2 was less interesting, bc that's typical vying suitors competition which interests me much less.

lucia/norrix. merlin/nimue, them against the world, the lies they tell, the secrets they protect. the angst. they're so cute, i can't not ship them, even now. they're so messy, but i love their snark and quiet affection.

lucia/quinn. childhood friends reuniting and kissing? i'd like to see them have a romance tbh. two sides of the same coin, perhaps.

lucia/reimund. lmao, ricon was right, they're SO well suited for each other. i don't think they'd have a passionate romance, but it would be sensible and they'd have a neat partnership as rulers of two worlds. you could never doubt them as friends and co-partners, which is a good foundation tbh. together, they could have created a bright future.

lucia/ricon. it's the narkik, it's the gul dukat/kira nerys. hell yeah. they hate each other, and are drawn to each other, a whirlwind, where they're soaked in each other's blood. absolutely adore hero/villain ships where it makes them both consumed by contempt for each other.

modeus/kirsi. given that kirsi seems to be the only person modeus actively dislikes and ignores. i'm... kind of intrigued? we see so little of modeus' negativity, that i'm like. kind of want more of that pettiness ngl. and it'll be interesting to see if kirsi ever stops being dismissive of modeus, tbh.

modeus/norrix. frankenstein falling in love with his creation, i'm into it. god complex and all. norrix wanting to deal with everything in the worst way possible, and modeus struggling hard to keep up.

modeus/quinn. i'm curious! idk! they've had two meetings, and quinn was also like... oh??? you've changed!! i'd be curious to see them develop, and they seem like they're gonna have a sweet friendship, in the future.

norrix/reimund. i want the backstory SO much. that reimund felt bad for norrix, and wanted to look after him, but can't really figure out how to help. so he keeps him on the wings, bc at least that's better than nothing...

norrix/ricon. they'd be terrible together, but i'm like. yeah i crave the interactions so badly, and poor impulse control, with norrix thinking he should resist, but then... how can he? it's ricon! and ricon knowing this and taking full advantage...

i think that's it? like i'll pencil in lucia/octavia and barsabae/lucia as maybes, bc i want to see more interactions before deciding and i'm not sure what kind of relationship will be born. possibly quinn/v, idk. like i'm not sure that all of these qualify as romantic ships, but i'm also like... gosh, i think i'm intrigued by the potential and the strength of their character to want to see more interactions tbh.

but hey, the reread could change my mind, idk.

[wizardouxie]

Imagine if Morgana learned that Merlin trapped Nimue...

[aquitainequeen]

The verdict; The Last Jedi is really rather rife with Nimue/ Nynave/Vivien and Merlin meta.

The young female magic user (don’t deny that in some respects the Force is basically magic) is the student of the wise ‘Master’. 

Even though in this case the Master rejects her several times. He’s still eventually prevailed upon to teach her, if only to emphasise just how much he’s not the salvation she should be looking for. 

So the elder teaches the younger. Luke helps Rey to comprehend the Force and what it truly is. He fulfils at least some part of her desire in wanting to know what her place is, in regards to the makeup of the universe and what her power means. He also tries to impart teachings that she’s more reluctant to accept: that the Jedi were flawed, that he was flawed, and that the order and he along with it should be allowed to die. 

In turn Rey tries to impart new ideas to Luke: that the galaxy still needs the Jedi, that he can still make a difference, that he is a hero.

They sit upon the ground by a pool, and he tells sad stories of the death of his hopes.

And then - quite common in the relationship between Nimue and Merlin - there’s betrayal. Sometimes it comes from Nimue, stealing Merlin’s magic and sealing him away for eternity. Sometimes it comes from Merlin, making unwanted advances on his pupil. Here, like Luke and Ben Solo, it comes from both sides and takes interesting forms.

It begins very early on with Luke’s refusal to return to the Resistance, his rejection of the Jedi in general and Rey in particular, seriously deflating her image of him as a legend. It continues with his reaction to her raw power when she cracks the rock beneath them, turning his back and leaving an exhausted, emotionally wounded young woman with the knowledge that she terrifies him. 

On Rey’s end it’s smaller but still crucial. When she begins to dig where Luke commanded she shouldn’t. When she’s drawn directly to the well of the Dark Side and reawakening all his old dread and guilt. When she dived down into that black seaweed lined hole to get her answers, dissatisfied with her ‘teacher’s’. When she begins to question Kylo Ren and think long and hard on the answers she gets.  

And it really comes to a head when Rey starts to unravel the truth about what happened between Luke and Ben Solo. She’s furious and distraught that Luke apparently condemned his nephew without even giving him a choice, and that he will do the same now despite the hope provided by her vision. Her rage is matched by Luke’s anger and panic at seeing her hand in hand with Kylo Ren, his belief that he’s misplaced his trust in her, his frustration at her refusal to understand.

It leads them to blows. A climatic duel in the rain. Luke Skywalker lying prone just as Darth Vader lay thirty years before, as Ben Solo lay a few years before, a Jedi standing over him debating whether or not to strike. His father’s lightsaber used against him, then offered to him.

A final plea for him to return to the Resistance, to help save Ben Solo. A final plea for her not to put her faith in the false vision of redeeming Kylo Ren. 

A final refusal. A final hope. A final stab, twist.

Nimue departs and leaves Merlin alone on his island once again, stranded and exiled by his own choice. 

And, without his knowing it, she plunders his ‘magic’, the ancient texts of the first Jedi, denying him the chance to destroy them.

It’s only when they’ve separated for good that the faith and loyalty between them burns. She refuses to give Luke up even in the face of torture and her own utter failure. He understands how he can move past his failure of both Ben and Rey. 

She learns that sometimes people can’t be ‘saved’ from their own choices. He learns that no one is ever gone. 

Luke is not the Last Jedi, and Rey will not be the last for long.

Nimue flees with the very last of the Resistance. Also with a drawer full of books, a lightsaber to mend, some new scars and some doors closed tight behind her. She has all she needs.

Merlin departs in peace and acceptance. Leaving only a cloak that floats away, and a rock that marks a spot no one will ever know about

[dinneratgrannys]

ONCE UPON A TIME 5.07, Nimue

[thekingofthenameless]

NEW CHARACTERS ARE HERE!

First off: Ganieda, Merlin’s sister!

In the original Legends, they’re two years apart, but like I’ve said before, in TKN they’re twins! (Thirty minutes apart. Merlin holds this over her head constantly.)

I was having trouble on whether she was going to be alive present day or not for a bit, because in Emerald Embers she was dead in the present day. But then sibling dynamics entered my head and would not leave, so here we are!

Despite being the same chronological age as Merlin, she’s physically in her 20-30’s. She wanted to stay at that age, so she cast the spell that makes wizards immortal then.

Merlin became immortal at 65 primarily because he wanted white hair, (and he thought it would hopefully make him look more distinguished) but it came at a cost (back pain). Yes, he aged very well otherwise. But he can still complain about how being half demon didn’t spare him from this cruel fate.

She and Merlin have been away from each other for a while, but it wasn’t a traumatic separation or anything like that. She just wanted to settle down and live a domestic life with her wife for a while. (Yup, she’s a lesbian here. You’re welcome.)

They still did keep tabs on each other while Merlin traveled the world with Charlie, advising kings and fighting monsters, and she’s going to contact Merlin in his POV, and officially show up in Chapter Two!

I found some possible Afro hairstyles for her, and her body type is going to be based off of Rhea Ripley!

Second character: Vivian, Ganieda’s wife!

(Sure technically it’s an alternate name for Nimue but it’s right there so. And Nimue doesn’t use aliases in TKN lol)

She’s an older oc, but I had forgotten about her for a while 😭

I didn’t have any attachment to her for the most part because she didn’t have a name, but when thinking about Ganieda, I decided she deserves a monster wife, and starting looking through ocs! I was divided between a couple of others before I settled on her.

Here’s her design, and a couple of face and hair references!

Their ship name is going to be Ganievian I think? Thanks @falki-of-the-vanir for that!!

I need to start thinking of possible dynamics for them, but I literally just had this idea a couple of hours ago so it’s fine lol.

Anyways, enjoy the lesbian wives :D

[llamagirl28]

would gareth give something like a shovel talk (not necessarily like "hurt them and ill xyz you" but even just a "hey take care of them alright? theyve been through a lot) to mordred's s/o?

(im assuming he'd be like "ok u got that handled" to a more self-assured mordred bc he's seen them put up with A Lot but on the flip side of that it could also be a moment of like,, him having seen his sibling go through so much w/o being able to do anything ab it & cant help but wanna say something)

also will we be able to talk with gareth ab our romances/be teased/etc? get headpats? sorry i just love sibling dynamics :]

It depends on the RO! Gareth is supportive of Mordred and happy for them regardless of the RO, but he does have more concerns for, let's say, Galahad or Nimue or Isac or even Sophie, for various reasons. He would also keeps all these talks very calm and polite but serious, he just wants to make sure they're really there for Mordred.

Galahad - With Galahad, it's obviously the history of him not liking you, as he well as knowing how ugly things can get with Lancelot. But if Galahad shows that he's someone Mordred can rely on, that he's ready to stand up for them, then Gareth is happy.

Nimue - With Nimue, well, he's not quite sure what to make of her and where her loyalties lie. And he doesn't want Merlin hurting Mordred more.

Isac - he's initially concerned, he wants to know if Isac is serious about Mordred. Once he sees how great of a partner he is tho, the only concern is that the rebels are seen as traitor, and what it could spell for Mordred if they're discovered (tho perhaps there comes a time when rebels are no longer seen as the bad guys? 👀)

Sophie - he actually really likes her! So the worry comes from the fact that at the beginning their relationship must be kept a secret because it may cause a scandal with her court, or be used against Sophie.

Also yes, you'll get to talk to Gareth about your romances! And he'll be talking about his too.

[procrastinatorrex]

Pot bunny for you to adopt or release into the world to be adopted:

Arthur asks Merlin his opinion on magic. Maybe Merlin has a moment of bravery, maybe Arthur calls him on his bullshit. After all, Merlin was born outside of Camelot. So Merlin gives a partial truth.

Gaius is currently a physician. Merlin is learning from him. Gaius was a healer. He cannot teach Merlin, not without risking both of their lives. And Merlin cares about Arthur, about the knights. They lead dangerous lives, the job demands it. Medicine can only do so much, and Gaius turned to medicine to make up for what he lacked in power. He's knowledgeable, and he's also old. That knowledge could very well die with him.

And Arthur reads between the lines. Maybe he realizes Merlin can do magic, and was able to all along. Maybe he just decides to let Merlin try, since he is related to Gaius. If magic does run in families, Gaius was able to stop at his King's command so Merlin may be able to as well.

Maybe he allows medical use of magic and starts from there. Maybe he's still too wary of magic to do that, but he trusts Merlin and uses him alone as a trial run. Either way, Merlin feels he can breathe a little easier. Especially when Gaius teaches him a spell to minimize the damage of a concussion.

Ah! This is my first ever ask! That's so fun. Thanks for the plunnie, I'm happy to use it, and/or for others to adopt if they'd like to (so feel free to adopt this plunnie if you are reading this and interested!). I really like the angle of "magic is useful leave me alone", because it's true, and I think Arthur would be practical enough to realize that... though maybe after he got done being mad. I also think it's funny, the dynamic of "oh well, Merlin's only doing it a little bit, it's probably ok" and then whoops... he's the most powerful sorcerer ever... 😅

tbh I think you could even extend it a bit to the realization that Uther himself has been OK with magic when it served him (i.e. the castle being built with magic, Nimue, etc,) in the past. This is a very cool idea! I don't know that it's short enough for me to put a snip here for you, but I'll tag you if/when I write it up and add a link!

I'd probably do this as Merthur, H/C, and Partial Magic Reveal in the first or second season.

So, to conclude-- thanks for the ask! If you have any ideas you'd like to request that are shorter I'm happy to spin up a drabble, other than that I will use this plunnie if I can for sure! Cheers!

[untale]

we’re introduced to VIVIANE MYRICKS , the TWENTY FIVE years old BUSINESS OWNER at ANDALASIAN IMPORTS AND PERFUMERY from enchanted falls who bears a striking resemblance to SOPHIE THATCHER. the whispers in the wind tells us of their SELF - SUFFICENT and MISANTHROPIC reputation.  they are often haunted by dreams of a life lived as PRINCESS EILONWY OF LLYR, NIMUE (THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE LADY OF THE LAKE).

the townsfolk often are reminded of the damp musk of a secluded dungeon chamber, intricate detailing of a old iron doorknob, a incandescent shimmer orbiting her like her own personal sun, being a damsel to nothing.

FULL NAME: viviane myricks NICKNAME(S): vee, vivi, little anne AGE: twenty five DATE OF BIRTH: unknown, year of [redacted] ETHNICITY: white; of welsh, english and irish heritage GENDER: non - binary, assigned female at birth PRONOUNS: she / her, they / them SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic OCCUPATION: owner of andalasian imports and perfumery

... once upon a time ...

born into the royal house of llyr, the women in her family line were formidable enchantresses, including her mother, angharad, and grandmother regat. eilonwy was no different, readily visible in her manipulation of a magical orb, otherwise known as a golden pelydryn, that never left her side. she was once kidnapped and held captive by the horned king, after he assumed that her orb would allow him to locate and gain power of the mystical black cauldron to raise his undead army and rule the lands. when this proved unsuccessful, eilonwy was kept as a scullery maid until she made her escape -- defeating the horned king on his pursuit of power with the friends she had made along the way. many new adventures awaited her on her journey back to her kingdom.

eventually, she met the grand wizard merlin, and ceased the opportunity to learn all she can, by whatever means she could. although having been trained as a sorceress back in her kingdom and not a warrior, she was quite capable of using various kinds of weapons, particularly the sword, bow, and spear. even when unarmed, she would fight until incapacitated. hot tempered, stubborn, resolute . . . yet sharp, snippy, strong - willed, and sarcastic, but at the same time talkative and often scatterbrained. princess eilonwy would not be so easily defeated, by will or strength.

eilonwy had someone fill in her royal duties until she became of the age to be seated on the throne, despite being the sole heir in the house of llyr and an orphaned child. she spent most of her years in solitude before she had to face her obligations, and came to be known as the lady of the lake. a sorceress that resided within the bottom of a mystical lake, often associated with fairfolk and their fellow likeminded creatures, known for being quite the enchantress in many a tale. when king arthur broke the sword he pulled from the stone in battle with another king, merlin brought him to eilonwy, and she gifted him the sword known as excalibur. she never made it back to her kingdom before the curse befell them all.

... life in enchanted falls ...

the owner of their own business, andalasian imports and perfumery, viviane is quite the independent. having struggled with being in and out of foster care as a young child before the untimely death of her biological parents, she grew to know her way of being self - sufficient. . . and, of course, her way of attracting certain kinds of trouble. a reformed miscreant some would say, viviane focuses on keeping herself afloat most days, helping out at their shared apartment with dylan graham and jinyu klau. she also works part - time at the pandemonium as a bartender, not quite confident enough to pursue stepping up as a performer.

WANTED DYNAMICS: customers, employees, close, distant, new or old friendships, former lovers, adversarial, neighbours.

[tiodolma]

Previously, I sent an AU with time travel + the accidental acquisition of baby Mordred + season 5 Merlin and Morgana + divorced parents dynamics + UST. 🤔 I was thinking... What if the accidental acquisition is of baby Arthur instead? Morgana time travels back in time to kill Uther, but doesn't realize she brought Merlin along for the ride (he's linked to her, being both her destiny and her doom).

Morgana kills Uther via poison and Merlin tries to stop her, but he's too late. Both proceed to argue about what she has done and throw spells to one another until baby Arthur makes an appearance. Gaius makes them responsible of Arthur (you killed the king, you deal with the consequences). In summary, prince Arthur grows up with passive aggressive foster parents with magic with a great ton of issues and maxed out UST. If and when that UST gets resolved, that's up to you. 😂

Arthur will be spoiled rotten by both of them lmaoo. They will make him read soooo many books. Morgana will teach him how to do politics and fight wars. At least MerMor will agree with each other on that aspect. There is increasing attraction and UST when their ideas match 😂. Bonus if by raising arthur they will both start to imagine what it would be like if they had a magical child aksjshjwsj (which brings them back to the mordred and aithusa question and then they fight again coz they’ll never get over it 😂). Then later cue teenage angst arthur coz he doesnt have 'gifts’ like his foster parents. I think Arthur will be a more okay king because of them at least XD

They’ll probably fall in bed while doing one of those heated fights about arthur, mordred and aithusa (they’re a mess). I can see that happening. Basically Merlin would be all 🥺🥺🥺🥺 when Morgana blurts out the truth about Aithusa in her frustration and rage and his whole attitude with her will shift 😏😏😏😏

But man the paradox this timeline will induce lmao

With Igrain and Uther dead and with the prince still a baby... that means the Purge will never start. Therefore, Nimueh and Balinor are still attending court. Magic is still alive and free in Camelot. The problem would be the civil unrest after the assasination of the monarch. So... who’s gonna show up and try to take the throne? I’m guessing Nimueh and Balinor would prolly fight it out? Morgana’s birth is probably secure coz the Duke of Cornwall wont have to go fight a war or smth. But the problem would be Merlin not being conceived if Balinor is a Camelotian courtier and his future mom is waaaay over farming in Ealdor. Unless Nimueh takes the throne and drives Balinor away (which is unlikely). Merlin would have to find a way to be conceived by his mother smh 😂... all the while raising a future prince with his sworn enemy from their own timeline 😂😂😂

This timeline also have the funny side effect of morgana and nimueh being in the same room as merlin. Imagine the bitchfights bruh. And Merlin, Morgana and Nimue would be of approx the same age. Morgana would be so insanely jealous of Nimueh’s confidence and merlin’s attraction to her and and vice versa. Maybe morgs will side with nimue bec ofc she will... or maybe not.. morgs cannot stand if anyone not her sits on the throne of camelot... she’s gonna bring nimueh down.. i just know it and... Omg yeah theyre gonna fight over merlin. All the while the Gaius x Alice storyline is happening in the background with a nice nimue x gaius x alice tension going on.

Arthur is gonna grow up with this political landscape and i shiver thinking abt it. Morgana would parade him around as hers and Merlin’s child in front of nimue and she’ll be extra flirty with merlin (holysht yep she’ll definitely seduce him to gain leverage over nimueh).