#merlin fandom

[dragoonthegreatest]

and the wonderful fic written by @myfairkatiecat

ethically sourced from tumblr

[gemgdynamxght]

Headcannon - When Arthur was a kid he used to sneak into Uther’s room to steal shirts and wear them as nightwear.

He thought that a piece of clothing he wore to sleep, that smelled slightly like his father, is what a hug from Uther would feel like.

He never really found out if that was true because he had never experienced a real hug from the King.

Maybe, when he’s older and Arthur and Merlin are friends, but have obliviously feelings for each other, he steals Merlin’s neckerchief somehow. He doesn’t think or know to ask Merlin for a hug because he subconsciously thinks he’ll be rejected instantly.

So instead, he steals Merlin’s neckerchief and hides it under his pillow until night and while he’s sleeping he kind of just holds close it next to him.

[fibbonarti]

(Merlin, the knights, Arthur, Gwen, Morgana sitting in a circle chatting)

Merlin: I grew up without a father and had to leave my mother for fear of her being hated for my magic

Arthur: omg no way I grew up without a mother and my father hated me lol

Gwen: what the hell this is crazy, I grew up without a mother and my father got executed

Elyan: omg I had to leave my home when I was young and didn’t even find out about my father dying until 3 years later!

Lancelot: woah, my entire family got killed by bandits

Percival: whattt me too!

Morgana: damn my parents also died when I was young

Mordred: I never had any parents !!

Gwaine: my father died in battle and my mother was broke!

Leon: …

Merlin: what about you Leon? :D

Leon: … my parents are alive and well and I visit them every other week..?

Arthur: do they hate you?

Gwen: get accused of magic?

Lancelot, Percival, Gwaine and Morgana: almost killed?

Merlin: cursed?

Leon (who’s getting increasingly worried and frantic): No! No! Are you guys okay? Should I call Gaius?

Elyan: I’m confused, you mean to say… your parents loved you, supported you, live close by… and are safe?

Leon: YES!

(lol I realised literally no one in Merlin has any good family relationships) (not even sure about Leon but it seems about right that he’s the only sane one around) (I need a fic like this, any Recs?!? I might have to write one)

[m3rthur]

just... look at merlin's reaction to arthur's acceptance. it is a mixture of not only relief and devotion, but also fear of losing his beloved and realization of the end being near.

[shamelessnutsandwich]

Merlin is such an unhinged show

Like, yeah, most of the Arthurian stuff is still intact in really interesting ways, and then you have some scenes like the one where Arthur threatened that he'd have Merlin for breakfast, or when he moaned Merlin's name in his sleep for no reason, or gave Merlin his Mother's family sigil, or-

[bogslob]

Apparently i have now consumed so much fan fiction i am now immune to diamond of the day part 2

[gldnstrngs]

my favorite genre of merthur photos r the ones of them that look like paintings

[batterysoup]

Local here still alive, and apparently art block can be defeated by colored pencils and Merlin? I missed the show so bad actually 😭 so take this tarot drawing I made that I’m planning on making a linocut print (somehow, pray for me y’all I need it)

I tried to scan it to get more details in the photo but that just got rid of the shininess of the gold🧍‍♂️ so I just included them both and a little close up of Merlin😌✨ honestly this was supposed to be just a sketch but I got carried away whoops

[justauthoring]

the way im falling back into my merlin phase...

and i wanna write for the characters again (*hint hint*)

[why-do-you-need-2-know]

Eventually your favorite fandom will forever be forgotten... except you the Merlin fandom you'll never die out and its kinda concerning.

[adageyer]

Maybe, one day I will make a comic out of it, but until then, here is my note, my idea about this AU.

So what if Balinor wasn't killed. What if, Arthur and Merlin were separated on their quest to find him: Merlin and Balinor found their way back to Camelot on their own, and Merlin wasn't scared and less careful to use magic, to defend the both of them.

(Meanwhile Arthur being worried sick and tracking both of them back to Camelot, being convinced that Balinor kidnapped Merlin).

Merlin sneaks Balinor in, who then banishes Kilgharrah, but before they both fly off, Balinor and Merlin share a heartfelt hug, bidding their goodbyes and a promise to visit each other occasionally.

Merlin gets back to the castle, having forgotten that Arthur is still one of his responsibilities , where, one day later, Arthur surprises him at the foot of Merlins bed.

Arthur, reliefed of seeing Camelot freed form the dragons wrath (and to see Merlin sound asleep) shows this by bitchily waking Merlin with a "rise and shine"

Merlin slowly blinks awake, before he realizes it's Arthur, and jumps up. "Where have you been?" Merlin musters Arthur, who quite literally dragged all the mud and dirt into Merlins room.

"Oh! I don't know! In the woods?! ALONE?! Where the hell have YOU been Merlin?!" They stare at each other.

"I showed Balinor the way... We lost you,,, and I thought you'd want him as fast as possible in Camelot." Arthur is speechless, but snaps back "so you left me alone?!"

Merlin smiles daringly "What should I have done? I thought I'm just a servant?" Arthur stammers, before storming off "I am starving! And fetch water for a bath!", but Merlin understands.

Months go by, even whole seasons. The winter has come again. Merlin has frequently sneaked out to visit his father, who has been traveling on Kilgharrahs back. Balinor even occasionally sneaked in to visit Merlin and Gaius. Balinor has reconnected with Hunith as well, but she remains in Ealdor.

It isn't until he tries to visit Merlin, who is on the verge of death from some stupid quest Arthur dragged him on, that Balinor is discovered sneaking in. He is arrested on the spot, and given a hearing the next day.

Heavy lidded, Arthur forces himself to mask his turmoil, and faces Balinor. "What is it that brings you here, Balinor, last dragonlord." Balinor, made to kneel before Arthur, remains quiet. The King taps his throne, growing impatiant. "You have freed Camelot of the Great Dragon, for wich I will forever be in your debt. You are free, to leave Camelot and are to never return. That is all the kindness I can offer you."

Balinor gaze stays fixed on the tiles. As Arthur waves him off, signaling to guards to take him away, he speaks up, his voice booming through the throne room. "I am here to visit a friend."

"Whom?" Balinor hesitates for a moment, "Gaius."

Gaius straightens up as Arthur looks at him "Is this true? Is he an old friend of yours?"

"Yes, we were close friends," Gaius confirms, and adds shortly after: "before the purge."

Arthur sits there for a moment, unrest rising in the throne room as he ponders what to do next. "What prompted your visit, Balinor?"

Again, Balinor waits a moment "I heard his ward is injured, I came to offer my help."

Arthur, now suddenly more awake, frowns. His eyes dart to his knights, Gwaine, Lancelot, Leon, who all are more alert now. "Surely you must know, as the court physician, Gaius is more than well equipped to deal with such a simple wound."

"And yet Merlin remains half-dead." Balinor offered an apologetic gaze towards Gaius, but then looked on. Finally, he faced Arthur."If only it were a simple wound. Magic has wounded him. It takes magic to heal him."

Arthur decidess; Balinor is permitted to use the arts of the old religion to save Merlin, but only under Arthurs surveillance. Stating clearly, that if he failed, he would face execution.

They trail behind Balinor and Gaius, who exchange hushed words as they walk down the corridors. Arthur decides to take Lancelot and Leon with him, to Gwaine's dismay.

In the chambers, Gaius and Balinor share a routine; they work together smoothly. Balinor pulls out weeds and flowers out of his pouch, Arthur follows them with his eyes, worried.

What if they are poisonous?

He hands them to Gaius, who promptly works them into a rather chunky mush. Balinor takes it back, sitting himself next to the candles on Gaius' workbench. For a moment everything stilled, even the fire did not dare crackle as Balinor concentrated. He whispered words, none of them could decipher, as he held his hand over the bowl. He stood up, promptly going to Merlins room. The knights hurried behind him.

It wasn't lost on Arthur dad Balinor knew exactly where to go.

Merlin lay sweating, Gwen by his side. She tried to cool him down with a rag drenched in water. She stood up, placing herself between Merlin and the raggedy stranger "Who are you?". Balinor went past her and sat down on the stool she had used just prior.

Everyone walked into Merlins room, Arthur noted that it was to small for all of them.

That needed to be changed.

Gaius took Gwen by the arm "He's a friend, here to help Merlin." and let her go. She goes out the door, turning around one last time and catches Lancelots gaze. He nods reasuringly and she closes the door.

Meawhile Balinor worked on taking off Merlins bandages, tossing them to the side, and embalming Merlins wound. It was a nasty wound. A slash across his chest, torn and suppurating. Thankfully, it didn't need stitches. Yet the gash has swollen quite a bit since the last time Arthur saw it, and he winced. Balinor worked the mush around the gash and lastly came to work it into the wound itself. Merlin huffed and winced.

Balinor leans back and Merlin calms, so does everyone else in the room. For a moment they stand there, the kights hands still on the stilts of their sword, anticipating Merlin to bolt back to life.

But he doesn't. "What have you done to him? Why isn't he waking up?" Arthur glares at the back of Balinors skull. "I have treated the wound," Balinor spoke calmly, "he has yet to recover."

The knights linger, it is starting to become uncomfortable, what are they going to do next? Stand there and wait for Merlin to recover? Yes. That is exactly what Arthur is planning on doing.

He walks out of Merlins room, into Gaius' work-chamber and drags back a chair. He places it on other side of Merlins bed, he has to be on the left, but also opposite to Balinor.

[gemgdynamxght]

Merthur has a farm life dream and Mitski wrote it…

“It's beautiful out today, I wish you could take me upstate”

I’m envisioning Arthur by his desk but sat facing the window and Merlin stood next to him. It’s a slightly warm, yet still breezy summer day. It feels like a full day rather than the miserable winter ones that drag because it’s so dark. The day’s refreshing, the sun is bright and they’re looking out the window.

Gwen told Merlin about how on her date with Arthur she was taken aback because Arthur said he practically wanted to run away with Merlin. Get a bit of farmland and take Merlin with him. It shows how Arthur craves the freedom and lack of duty.

Merlin brought it up afterwards in a teasing manner and Arthur gets flustered and tells him to shut up. Merlin turns soft, yet serious for a moment and says he thinks it’s beautiful and he’d love to do something like that. Then starts the teasing manner again suddenly and says something stupid about responsibility and chores.

“To the little place you would tell me about, when you'd sense that I want to escape”

Ever since then, when Merlin can tell Arthur is tense or stressed or feeling insecure about not being enough or feeling insecure and thinking that he’s not being good enough for his people, Merlin will reassure him.

He’ll say what he usually says about being the greatest king Albion has ever known but he also brings up the farm and it evolves into a dream of a little house with a pond as well and other things.

Today is the kind of beautiful, warming day they imagine their haven would feel like every day. They’re both silently thinking of it in unison without saying anything.

“Texas is a landlocked state, it's a little bit far away from the water from the home that I've wanted to make”

Arthur suddenly speaks up and points a small area on the map on his desk. His ring is glinting and sun is filtering through his hair. Merlin thinks he looks so majestic.

Obviously it’s not actually Texas, but it’d be a small quiet area in the middle of nowhere. The water is referring to the pond in their shared daydream which is ‘the home’ Arthur has ‘wanted to make’.

“It's somehow in the city”

I imagine Arthur always wanted to know what it would be like to grow up around other people and be allowed to have friends and people who have things in common around him. I’d like to think he enjoys hearing stories of Ealdor and Merlin and Will growing up.

I don’t think it’d be a city. I think it’d be slightly isolated but within travel distance of a small town with few people.

“You make it there and you make it anywhere, anywhere”

Merlin’s devoted and undivided loyalty to Arthur. It shows how no matter where Arthur goes he believes Merlin would follow.

“But I've been anywhere and it's not what I want and I wanna be still with you”

Arthur believes it doesn’t matter actually matter where he goes because wherever he ends up the only thing that matters is Merlin by his side.

He knows he wouldn’t enjoy a peasant life long after growing with everything he could ever want,minus love and companionship which is why being with Merlin is so important to him. Because Merlin helps him experience what he didn’t have growing up.

“You keep your socks on in bed, keep our hearth warm”

I guess this is the domestic bliss of them living together, away from the rest of the world. It shows how Merlin cares for Arthur. It shows how Merlin is a warm person and protects Arthur from the cold.

“See the tree shadows lie in black the pools in the lawns”

It has a deeper meaning in the actual song. It’s describing life through poetry but in this case I’d like to think of it as Merlin and Arthur, yet again, envisioned their life away from reality.

“You're the breeze in my Austin nights”

It juxtaposes the “keep our hearth warm” line, yet it’s so beautiful. I think Austin is warm (i wouldn’t know, I’ve never been but I assume it is.) and it shows that Merlin in a refresher for Arthur when he’s caught up in the heat and responsibilities of life. Merlin is Arthur’s cold breeze in the blistering heat.

I’m thinking of writing this as a oneshot rather than an analysis. The song is called “Texas Reznikoff” By Mitski. 🫶🏼🫶🏼

[myheartisstone]

LMAO saw this on instagram and had to bring it back

[ispaintingcalmly]

Camelot sketches (I’ll probably add more in the future)

[eternalsundayy]

the art vs the photo god i'm so in love with him