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kateis-cakeis · 3 months

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Do you ever think about how the scene where Arthur catches Merlin with a dress in S2Ep9, and the scenes where Arthur is like "girl??????" in S5Ep8

that it's like just a lil bit suggested that Arthur thinks Merlin is both into men and crossdresses (which does that suggest some kind of queer culture in Camelot where gay men are known to do drag?? who knows) and not only thinks that, but accepts it too.

Like Arthur who is presented with the fact that Merlin might wear dresses in his spare times just shrugs and says what a man does in his spare time is up to him, and that the colour suits him.

He literally could have made any joke about Merlin being a girl like he often does when he teases Merlin about being a coward (which we know is just teasing) but instead he just accepts it, and still calls Merlin a man.

Meanwhile in The Hollow Queen, well, I'll let the lines speak for themselves:

GUINEVERE: He’s not in danger. He’s seeing a girl.

ARTHUR: Merlin?

GUINEVERE: Gaius, I’m sorry, but there is no reason to worry.

ARTHUR: Except for the poor girl.

---

ARTHUR: Oh, so you can go and visit that girl again.

MERLIN: What?

ARTHUR: Girl.

MERLIN: Don't have one.

ARTHUR: That's not what Guinevere tells me. So, why don't you tell us all about her?

MERLIN: Right.

ARTHUR: And why you're walking with a limp.

---

The first lines could be interpreted that Arthur doesn't think Merlin is good with women, but paired with the lines from the 2nd scene where Arthur asks him about it.... it definitely feels like Arthur is saying to worry for the girl because he thinks Merlin isn't attracted to women.

I mean the sheer disbelief alone when he says "Merlin?" like it's so out of realm of possibility. (I mean it could also be suggested that Arthur doesn't think anyone would be attracted to Merlin, but with the 2nd scene it definitely doesn't seem so.)

Especially the way he says "girl" with sarcasm dropping from his tone, like literally "girrrl" is how he says it. Like he's basically calling out Merlin, or saying that he knows that the girl Gwen told him about is actually a man.

Which I believe is why the "and why you're walking with a limp" has Arthur so, well,

like this. I think he truly believes that Merlin is lying sjhdfghsdfg Like he's thinking in that little brain of his that Merlin got pegged by a man and just isn't admitting to it.

And he's definitely accusing Merlin of sneaking away to have sex, you know, during an important time and all.

Basically, with these like 3 scenes in the show, I'd say it really comes off as Arthur accepting Merlin as gay and just waiting for the day where Merlin tells him the truth.

And that's really funny to me.

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #Arthur disbelieving Merlin going to see a girl is genuinely hilarious no matter how you see it #like this man who has known Merlin for years - Merlin whose only romance was in secret over a few days #like he just doesnt believe it and whether it's because he thinks Merlin is into men and only men or that the man just doesnt care for it #either is funny because like Arthur knows so little in reality dhfghfg but hey in this fandom we know the truth #and that boy is bi bi bi just like his king :PPPP #of course any references to gay as an identity are just references because obviously it would not be used by the characters sdhfhsdg #this post was inspired by me writing about the dress scene in an arthur returns fic where Merlin is like ???? at Arthur being accepting #of queerness

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igniferrus · 10 months

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God. So I've been thinking about BBC's Arthur Pendragon. I work a job heavy on the manual labour and light on the mental labour, so I have a lot of Free Brain Space.

But I started off wondering why there are so many fics about Arthur learning how much Merlin does for him, and so few of the reverse. Because there is no way that Merlin isn't in trouble 89.2% of the time, in some way or another. We see Arthur protect Merlin after his dumbass confession to Uther, and also bodily haul him out of the throne room for safety reasons. No body else could get away with stealing the Prince's food, or disappear or days and keep his job!! And Arthur doesn'teven know they're bound by destiny, he just really likes Merlin! He's just some guy Arthur found and chased around a market.

And then I remembered that so many people forget that Arthur Pendragon is fundamentally A Good Man. I know the show refused to give him permanent character development, but even his base character is a good guy! The most assholish thing we see him do is in the first episode, throwing things at the servants. And then, compared to the rest of the series, that feels very out of character!

Yes, Arthur uses Merlin as a training dummy, but I'm sure that's just to get him to quit. And it's only shown early in the first season. Arthur is consistently shown as caring for his people (refusing to enforce Catrina's tax increase, willing to die to fix his unicorn mistake), more fair about magic users despite only seeing it used for evil (saving Mordred and the woman who gave him the Horn of Cathbhadh. He even tries to give Kara an out, for Mordred!), and cares deeply for those around him! He loves Gwen. He loves Morgana. He loves Merlin. He loves his knights. He even loves Uther!

It's not his fault that the people around him refuse to allow him to make his own choices. Gauis, Uther, and Merlin all lie about his mother. Merlin and Morgana don't tell him about their magic. Morgana doesn't see him as any other than an extension of Uther, despite knowing him for years.I t's so easy to judge him as an outsider with all the facts, but we should remember that Arthur's is intentionally left out of the loop and judge him from that perspective. He does the best he can, with what he knows!

Merlin, despite being repeatedly told that he and Arthur are in this together, and need each other, does not tell Arthur anything! Arthur is not allowed to make an informed choice and he shouldn't be punished for that. Even when Merlin finally comes clean, Arthur doesn't rage! He's hurt and upset that his "only friend", the "only one [he] can trust" have been lying to his face for a decade, which, understandable, but he chooses Merlin anyway! He wants to be held by Merlin at the end, thanks him, and asks him to stay they same after Arthur's death!! Because he still cares for Merlin!

Arthur Pendragon's character development is stymied at every turn by the show and its writers, but even then they couldn't stop him from being a good man!!

This was more rambling and less coherent than I wanted, but it's been hot out lately and my brain is cooked.

Anyway, I am first and foremost an Arthur Pendragon apologist.

#bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #Oh my god Merlin is Arthur's blorbo #You know the guy he just latched on to #I had more thoughts but they're gone now that I tried to write them down.#But Arthur Pendragon is a good man and deserves more recognition for it.

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that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction · 3 months

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Merlin characters as shit me and my friends have said

(Requested Part 2)

Gwaine: It tastes like if gay was a flavour. But an artificial one, like strawberry that doesn’t taste like strawberry. … I don’t know, I drank too much gay. Wine. Shit. What?

Percival seeing Arthur throw money at a problem for the first time: Rich people are bloody terrifying, what the fuck?!

Merlin: That’s not angst, that’s just a random Tuesday. … oh, yeah okay. Point taken.

Leon: Huh. That is… surprisingly sound logic for you. Are you feeling okay?

Morgana: I’ve both given and received death threats for less.

Gwen, after becoming a deer: Well that wasn’t on my bucket list but at least it’s checked off.

Leon to Gwaine: Empty your pockets and give back the pickles. … why aren’t they in the fucking jar?!

Merlin to the knights at the shrine: I know logic isn’t exactly your strongest suit but I’m gonna need you arse wipes to take the two brain cells you have collectively and attempt to rub them together to get one singular coherent thought here.

Gwaine to Arthur: The risk was calculated, I just never specified that I am notoriously shit at math.

Merlin after doing something nice for Mordred: Don’t mention it. No seriously, don’t fucking mention it. Ever.

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aetherdecember · 3 months

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Look, I love BBC Merlin and how they told the lore, but I’m a sucker for the relationship between Arthur and Mordred in the mythology. Specifically, I love how Mary Stewart (author of The Arthurian Saga**) and Nancy Springer (author of I Am Mordred**) wrote about the father/son relationship between them. So naturally, my brain has been conjuring up how I can include that in my Flipping the Coin au.

Since the main premise is Merlin died/Arthur lives, and now Arthur is the one waiting for Merlin to come back, things would stay consistent with canon up to the last episode (when Merlin flips the coin of their destiny and sacrifices himself so Arthur can live and thus stop Camlann from happening altogether). Which is where this idea will start:

Gwen is barren. She and Arthur never have kids. Eventually, everyone Arthur knows and loves dies. He can’t rule Camelot forever, and after Gwen’s death, he no longer wants to, so he fakes his death and wanders off figure out why he’s still here. He never gets an answer for that. Arthur spends the next millennium waiting. He keeps living. He meets people, experiences things he’d never experienced before, and learns things he’d never dreamed of learning. He can’t stay anywhere long, or else suspicions will rise, but he gets to see the world change, how technology advances, and witness humans continuing to be humans. When war breaks out, he joins the battle. It’s familiar. The rush of adrenaline is the same whether he’s wielding a sword or a gun. Only, he can’t see the enemy’s face anymore.

Peace comes again. At some point, he sleeps with a woman, and she happens to become pregnant. Bisexual disaster that he is, he’s had all sorts of partners from both sexes, but has never had this happen, even before the advent of reliable birth control. Later, he’ll learn her name is Morgause. She doesn’t look like the Morgause he knew before, nor does she act like her, but her name haunts him. After the baby is born, she gives him to Arthur, says she has no intentions of being a mother, and leaves. The last thing she had said to him was the baby’s name.

Mordred.

That night, Arthur holds Mordred and weeps.

There is irony in his son being named Mordred. First, in that the legends surrounding him, Merlin, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and all of it, had long ago decided Mordred was his son. And two, in a retelling of that legend, it had aptly phrased what he sensed was happening now. Granted, he isn’t a sorcerer, he doesn’t have magic, so he can’t support his feeling with anything other than he’d been around a long time and knew to his very core that it was true. Mordred’s birth is a signal of the beginning of the end.

Fatherhood brings him a new sense of purpose. Gone are the days of loneliness and drudgery. Every day with Mordred brings a new light into his life. Each smile is a miracle. Seeing Mordred experience things for the first time brings a new appreciation. Being there to watch him grow makes time fly like it never has before. But Arthur is afraid. He doesn’t want to be his father. He doesn’t know how to be a father, or what the right way to do it is. In all the years he’s been on the Earth, he’s never known a man who could concretely say, “This is the way to raise a son,” and actually reap the fruits of their efforts. Too frequently, he’d seen sons grow outside of the visions their fathers molded for them and receive only disappointment and disdain in return. So he was afraid, because he too had been that son.

*cue a series of fluffy father/son one shots of Arthur raising Mordred until Merlin comes back, takes one look, and is is like WTF????? No, I won’t have Mordred for a step son >:(*

**Mary Stewart and Nancy Springer have several other works, not just the stories I mentioned. The ones mentioned are the ones I’m pulling inspiration from ^^

Additional notes below the break:

Guinevere’s barrenness is not a headcanon I typically subscribe to for BBC Merlin. My headcanon is that after Arthur’s death, Gwen gives birth, and their child eventually succeeds her as ruler.

I’ve always seen Mordred’s appearance as the harbinger of Arthur’s downfall. Thus, the reason for the plot bunnies in my brain going crazy with this idea of how I could bring him in, still remain mostly canon compliant with BBC Merlin, and build off some of my favorite parts of the lore. (Mandatory disclaimer: for BBC Merlin, I don’t headcanon Mordred as Arthur’s son. But for the mythology, I do wholeheartedly support that canon.)

Arthur’s choice to participate and live once Camelot is gone is a decision to contrast my headcanon of how Merlin handled it. I don’t think Merlin thrived. I think he stayed busy, and tried to remain hopeful, but I think he was anxiously consumed with the anticipation of wondering when Arthur would come back. In this au, Arthur may or may not know that Merlin is supposed to come back (I’m still working on that detail), but he’s always been around others. I think he would seek camaraderie, and companionship, and that he would connect with others but only to a superficial level. I don’t think he’d exist in a void of loneliness. Plus, he doesn’t have the guilt of knowing he failed because the pressure from the prophecy is very one sided *coughcough*causemerlinnevertoldhim*coughcough*

Anyways, that’s enough rambling from me about this. I’ll probably share some snippets of writing next because there are some fantastic scenes coming together in the draft so stay tuned! ;D

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #mordred #flipping the coin #my drabbles #arthurian mythology will always be my jam #you can tear this au from my cold dead hands but it will live on #merthur #for the Merlin not wanting Mordred as a stepson joke the last Mordred he knew turned on them to join Morgana #as far as Merlin is concerned they’re the same person #he’ll come around eventually once Arthur fills him in on everything #btw Arthur’s son Mordred is unaware of all of this #he’s having to process his dad - who has never really been interested in anybody for any reason - is completely besotted with some guy #once he learns this ‘some guy’ used to be his father’s servant it does not make things better #but by then he’ll have learned enough that it does clear things up #he’s actually a big fan of Merlin #he just wasn’t prepared for love sick puppy dog Arthur 24/7 now that Merlin’s back

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theroundbartable · 4 months

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Alright, guys: small announcement:

The last few concepts I posted seem to have created a demand for full fics. But I don't have the time to work on several full fics and you guys seem hesistant to use my concepts. (You can!!! Please do!!! I post them because I don't have the time but it's a waste to let them rott away in my brain)

So, here's the deal:

I'll combine some of them into one full fic. I can already tell that Arthur will suffer trough this fic, but well...

Included in the fic will be:

Cat merlin (not actually cat Merlin) AU

Morgana vs Merlin: Jenga AU

Money making: Arthur puts the Merlin on the coin

Art appreciation (in which Arthur gifts Merlin art)

Edit: additions that just happened without my consent:

Gwen's motorcycle

Merthur fanfiction au

You won't have to know the concepts to read it and it will be consistent. I have an idea how they can work together.

I'll look through the original concepts and @ everyone who wanted a fic.

(Do not let this stop you from writing your own stories! I combine tropes all the time. But it's the first time I'm actually planning it like this. If there is another concept you think might fit, suggest it in the comments ^^)

PS.: check the reblogs. I've posted 3 chapters so far

#bbc merlin #merlin #merthur #merlin bbc #arthur #concept #prompt #fanfiction #announcement

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oneknightstand-if · 20 days

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Imagine, MC is sitting on the RO thighs (or vice versa) and are facing them. Then, MC suddenly run their finger along the RO nose-line and absentmindedly in love said "How come you get more and more divine each day I see you?"

How would the ROs react??

Good thing you said vice versa or Gwen might've died there depending upon the MC.

Merlin: (✿ ¬ᴗ¬˵) Of course I am.

Adrian: *hands over his eyeglasses to the MC who obviously needs them more than he does*

Arthur: *laughs and calls you an unrepentant flatterer*

Percy: I'll have to bring out my Talisman of Divine Concealment so that I can meet the humanity requirement.

4̵0̶4̷ ̵E̷r̸r̸o̴r̸ ̴N̶o̵t̵ ̷F̵o̸u̵n̶d̴: *someone's brain might've just broken and it's not 404's*

Cassandra: Obviously because your eyes grow clearer day by day. 💋

Gwen: 😚

Vivian: ...is divinity actually a desired thing in mortals? Whatever for?

Lorelei: 🤨 Try another one.

Broderick: *steals Adrian's glasses and hands them over to the MC who obviously needs them more*

Adrian: Hey, that's not the only thing you stole! Broderick: 😑😑

#oks-asks #oks-ROs #interactive fiction #one knight stand #oneknightstand

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spacekingdoms · 2 months

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Swear To Me (It’s You)

Synopsis: My take on S5 E8 ending. Arthur is showing signs of jealousy after hearing Merlin was with a girl…or signs may point toward a male. To ease his own mind he makes Merlin swear to him.

Content warning/Trigger Warning: Unhappy Marriage, Potential Infidelity, Injury (leg), Jealousy.

Rating: Teen

Merlin’s leg ached, although healing, it still caused him to limp through his evening duties. That wasn’t the only thing weighing him down though. His heart heavy from the loss of a boy changed. As he prepared the evening meal for Arthur and Guinevere, the woman for whom he couldn’t bare to look in her eyes knowing that his friend was enchanted and there was, currently, nothing he could do to protect her.

In regard to other friendships, Arthur had barely even looked at him since returning to the castle. When Merlin laid their meal out, Arthur hadn’t even uttered a single expression of gratitude. Only opening his mouth to say to Gwen;

“I still can’t believe how lucky I was. I owe that boy my life…and I don’t know who he was or where he’s from.”

Then turning to Merlin, as if finally, deeming his presence worthy of acknowledgement.

“We need to make sure we give him a decent burial.”

Merlin softly responded, “I’ll do that,” turning back to the table with a hobble, carrying the final platters, “If you allow me the time.”

Merlin misses Arthur’s brow quirk, misses his indignant facial expression. Merlin does not miss the tone he uses though.

“Oh. So you can go and visit that girl again?”

Merlin lay Gwen’s meal for her, taken aback with confusion at his words. A girl? He has no time to meet a girl, or man, when he’s too busy dying in the forest or saving Arthur’s life, or more accurately pining desperately from the sidelines for a love he’ll never receive in return to even be able to look at another in a way his eyes are reserved for A-

“Girl.” Arthur states drawing out the word, eye brows cocking and he looks miffed.

Merlin is too tired for wisecracks and repartee. The grief is too thick in his blood, his leg aches and his body yearns for a sleep to cure the exhaustion laden heavy in his mind and bones. He achieves a pathetic barely heard scoff as he hobbles back to the sideboard to fetch the pitcher of wine.

“Don’t have one.” Even his voice sounds tired to his own ears.

Again, Arthur’s voice is annoyed and…something Merlin’s brain is too slow to catch.

“That’s not what Guinevere tells me.”

Merlin turns to stare at Gwen, his friend who smirks at him from the table. Merlin loves her dearly but this enchanted version of her is cruel. He knows she has always known - an unspoken secret never touched for all those years that Merlin first became Arthur’s manservant. Deep rooted insecurities shining through her enchantment. Knowing that Merlin and Arthur’s bond is unbreakable, unshakeable, a force that could never be matched. With understanding that her role in Arthur’s life has been rocky for nearly two years now. Another unspoken and avoided topic between the King and Queen.

So yes, it is understandable that kind hearted and the ever so loveliest Guinevere would present her secret depths within her evil bound enchantment. Setting a divide between the two, as if any other human being would take the place of the one he serves. Planting that seed of thought in her own husbands mind, that once again, he is always second best or not even best at all. To his father, to his sister, to his uncle, to Guinevere in place of Lancelot and now, even to the one who was most loyal, Merlin.

Arthur pushes his goblet toward Merlin, staring hard at him and he asks, leaning on demands,

“So, why don’t you tell us all about her.”

Merlin pours the wine, glancing between Arthur and Gwen. Who at the opposite end of the table smirks with mirth in her eyes. She holds up her goblet for Merlin. Merlin hobbles to her.

“Right…”

He pours her wine, her malicious smirk that Merlin has grown to hate.

“…and why you’re walking with a limp.” Arthur states.

Merlin could have spilt the pitcher if he hadn’t been gripping it tightly in frustration. And…oh. Arthur is insinuating that he hadn’t been with a girl, but rather a man. The tone…his mind screaming at him. One he doesn’t dare believe, he’s tired, he’s not thinking straight. He’s….Arthur’s jealous. Merlin turns to him. Wordless, he cannot say anything. For there is nothing to say. He cannot himself say aloud what Arthur insinuates nor can he voice if he is jealous. His mouth opens, closes, opens….closes.

“Arthur…” Guinevere begins, “Do you…insinuate?” She sounds scandalised but Merlin can hear her glee under it all.

Merlin still stares at Arthur who stares at him. Arthur who doesn’t even appear to have heard an uttered word from Gwen.

“Do you deny the truth?” Arthur demands

“I deny it. There…there isn’t anyone.” Else. Merlin replies quietly.

“Would you swear it?” Arthur stares deep into his eyes.

“Arthur.” Gwen cuts in, puzzlement now coats her words.

“Arthur.”

“Would you swear it to me, that there is no-one?” Arthur’s body is still, solid and locked as is his tone and penetrating gaze.

“That you are loyal to me, and only me?” He finishes.

“That is not the loyalty you can ask of him, Arthur.” Guinevere cuts in, standing up, “I must say you confuse the loyalty you seek with the love he is creating with someone in this instance, my husband.”

Arthur’s sharp gaze cuts to Gwen, Merlin can’t turn to look at her as he is frozen, heart pounding in his ribcage as he catches Arthur’s steely expression.

“This does not concern you, Guinevere. This is between me and my manservant.” Arthur’s eyes cut to Merlin’s before back at his wife. “I must ask you to take leave.”

“Arthur.” She laughs, but it’s shocked and confused.

“Now, please.” A sharp flicker of regret move through Arthur’s blue eyes.

Merlin can only hear her shoes against the stone floor, the creak of the hinge he needs to oil tomorrow and the boom of the heavy door slamming into its frame that makes him jolt.

“Merlin, again, I ask you. Will you swear loyalty to me and only me?”

Arthur’s blue eyes are hard, a mask slid in place that Merlin cannot uncover. He doesn’t like this Arthur, the one where he pushes Merlin out to protect his own heart. Foolish, supercilious, prat of a man.

“I swear to you.” Merlin says, scarce louder than a whisper. “I am and will always only be loyal to you.”

Arthur stares, his blue eyes shining more so but he does not speak. He only stares into Merlin’s eyes and finds what he is looking for in there. Merlin watches Arthur swallow thickly, Adam’s apple bobbing harshly in his throat before he averts his eyes to grab at his goblet for a deep swallow of wine.

“Then, pray tell, why are you limping?”

Merlin rolls up his trousers leg, showing the wrapped cloth around the wound on his leg.

“I, ah, I hurt myself in the forest. That boy…he um. He came to me to seek a physicians support to cure a family member. Upon my journey, I was injured.” Partially the truth.

Arthur stares at him, eye brows furrowed and his top lip curled in confusion.

“You left unannounced to provide healing?” Arthur isn’t that stupid, he knows that there is a missing part, “Why would you keep is secret from me…and Gaius?”

“They were druids.” Not the truth, but as close to it as Merlin could get.

“You left me, in secret, to provide healing to the Druid’s?” Arthur stares,

“Yes.”

“And this is truly what you were doing?”

“I was delayed in my return due to my injury.” Merlin tells the truth.

“Okay.” Arthur nods, picking a piece of chicken from his plate and popping it in his mouth.

“Okay?” Merlin is…confused.

“Yes. I believe you.” Arthur swallows, “The druids are peaceful people.”

“So I didn’t need to swear loyalty to you then, and everything still would have been fine?” Merlin laughs.

“Perhaps, a reminder then.”

“A reminder?” Merlin frowns.

“Yes.” Arthur looks up at him, holding his goblet away from his lips. “That you belong to me and only me.”

Arthur drinks, Merlin barely chokes out an, “Arthur?”

Arthur places the goblet back down, ignoring him completely, “You might as well have that.”

Merlin looks behind him to where Arthur has gestured loosely with one hand,

“Guinevere won’t be returning now, and saves it going to waste.” Arthur cuts into the leafy green and skewers it with a piece of chicken.

“I, uh, I know things have been strange with Gwen these past few weeks but-“

“It has been existing between Guinevere and I for longer than you say, but I really have no interest in discussing this at present, Merlin.”

Arthur stands up and moves to pulls the other chair round before then taking the meal and placing it in front of the chair next to his own, then fetches a new goblet from the sideboard.

“Now, if you wish to share a meal with me, please shut up and sit down.”

Merlin hobbles into the chair, feeling foreign when he sinks into the unyielding wood. He looks up, Arthur is staring at him, he nods at the plate in front of Merlin and pours him a goblet of wine. Arthur returns to his own seat in silence, before then stuffing the fully loaded fork of food into his mouth.

They eat in silence, sparing glances at one another. Merlin’s heart swelling painfully in his chest. His emotions threatening to spill out is tidal waves he cannot hold back,

“You don’t ever have to think I am off…enjoying the company of others, Arthur. Destiny sealed where I belonged a long, long time ago.”

“Don’t be such a girl, Merlin.”

“Prat.” Merlin smiles.

“Idiot.” Arthur grins in return.

A comfortable silence takes them both while they finish their meal. Merlin begins to reach and nearly knocks over the goblet when he feels Arthur’s foot hook around the back of his ankle, rubbing softly once, twice…a third. Like interlocked fingers and thumbs caressing over knuckles, in their own unspoken way. Merlin’s face feels warm as he flickers his gaze over to Arthur. His face is equally a similar shade of red but the small smile playing on his lips as he cuts into the meal makes a similar one pull at Merlin’s own mouth. Well, let’s just say, this is just one other secret between the men who are two sides of the same coin.

***

Authors notes: Please note I do not hate Gwen and this is not a Gwen!hate fic. This is about a couple who came together and found out that they maybe weren’t supposed to be together but still care for one another. Gwen’s insecurities and feelings present negatively due to her enchantment by Morgana. Arthur treats her poorly due to his anger/jealousy over his feeling toward Merlin. I adore Gwen but I am a Gwen/Lancelot or Gwen/Morgana lover.

#merlin #bbc merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #merlin x arthur #arthur x merlin #merlin fic #merthur fic #merlin season 5 #merlin fan fic #no beta we die like arthur pendragon

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tora-the-cat · 4 months

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Like...a season 3 era spell that isn't quite a truth spell? More of an emotion revealing spell. Like the idea would be that it strips you of the ability to put on airs or fronts about how you feel about someone else. Like you can still lie with words, but all your mannerisms and expressions and such surrounding those words would come straight from the heart and probably reveal said lie immediately. Arthur and Merlin can still snipe at each other and throw insults till sundown, but the whole time Arthur is nothing but doey eyed and Merlin is....Merlin. And it generally brings your emotions closer to the front of your mind, so even though you can lie, you do have to put some effort and focus into it; it's harder the more emotional you are, but basically easy if it's like a reflexive lie you tell every day without thinking (or feeling) anything about it.

Starts very cutely with like Merlin and Arthur bickering but also, like, fawning over each other, yk? Adorable iconic etc etc. The REAL fun part is when Merlin and Morgana pass each other in the hallway and start hissing slurs. They FUCKING hate each other and everyone is 0.0 staring like 'what is going on....here. What. Is THAT'. Morgana tries to talk to Gwen but starts crying. She ignores Arthur because her brain literally can't figure out how she feels enough to really interact with him. With Merlin though it's easy fuck that guy!! Just Kill Him! (.....Uther might already. Be dead.)

I just like the tonal dissonence of like....starting wtih Merlin and Arthur, in a quiet and private moment, mutally coming to terms with how earnest their connection is despite the circumstances around it and anything they say or lingering doubts they nurse in the dead of night.....both of them trying to maintain their usual banter for the comfort of the other even as they're indulging in little cares, Merlin acting strange and offputting but not trying to leave, neither shying away or trying to hide this awkwardly exposed truth from the other. Very Tender.

And then not so quietly ending with Morgana just....sneering. And Merlin being like. Vaugely guilty but mostly wanting her dead. And Arthur is just standing there like 'What: IS THIS."

#bbc merlin #merlin bbc #arthur pendragon #knights of the round table #merlin season 3 #morgana pendragon

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summertimeroses · 4 months

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just came across a fic where aithusia is still a dragon but is disguised? can shapeshift? into a human form (smol child) with merlin as her father and now i’m obsessed with the idea of this dynamic, so consider:

- dragonlords all have dragon forms. merlin has a dragon form

- dragons all have human forms. kilgharrah as a man, bitter and cryptic and scarred from the purge, angry for being chained. aithusia, a young child, bone-white hair flowing long over her shoulders. her arms bend wrongly at the joints and tiny, paper-thin scars cover her body, from her time with the sarrum of amata

- there’s a distinction between the magic of dragons and the magic of dragonlords. the markings of dragons are different. their eyes in human form are all amber-gold, something in their teeth not-quite human. dragonlords are the natural leaders of the dragons, often more powerful in certain magics, especially in human form.

- in books of magical creatures and sorcery, dragons and dragonlords are put side by side, but categorised separately, for the difference in their appearance and abilities in magic. the sketches all show men with a beastly shadow, enormous and scaled and expressions set equally angry.

- the dragons are all kin, so culturally they all have a responsibility over the young. this counts doubly for dragonlords, protectors of the dragons. this makes merlin the natural guardian of aithusia.

- merlin, after rescuing her from the sarrum, returns to camelot with a tiny, fragile girl in his arms, bundled in rough blankets. the only explanation he gives is my daughter before he’s pushing past arthur to take her to gaius, get her injuries seen

- alternatively, merlin approaches arthur asking for time off to go retrieve his daughter, the same way he asked it for his mother. he’s pale and shaken but there’s a steel in his expression that arthur doesn’t know what to do with

- also, merlin sired a child. his manservant.

- there’s about a million different magic reveals in this. too many to list, but the ideas are exploding in my brain. arthur, clocking on to the fact that aithusia is so obviously a magical child. arthur, heartbroken that merlin didn’t trust him. arthur, initially scared of what he sees as a beast. arthur, in awe of the dragon form, realising the power merlin has.

- the angst of merlin trying to hide her magic in camelot when she’s such a powerful child. the angst of him bringing her to camelot and revealing her existence to arthur only to immediately make plans to send her away to someone trusted, maybe hunith, and arthur doesn’t understand what he means by ‘she’s not safe in camelot’ until he does.

- gwen being so gentle with her. arthur being scared to break her. leon picking her up and letting her curl into the crook of his neck as he carries her back from somewhere she’s wandered off to.

- all the knights being doting uncles (most especially gwaine)

- arthur learning of what the sarrum did to her and why, and rethinking his stance on magic. arthur thinking of all the magical children killed too young, first tortured or persecuted. thinks of all the fear and grief they did not deserve to carry.

- merlin educating arthur on magic after the reveal. taking him to lessons with aithusia to teach her control of her magic, the pair of them watching her fly free in her natural form in the woods for a while. her injuries are healing, slowly, with the help of gaius and merlin’s magic.

- mordred, despite merlin’s suspicions, working hard towards earning trust he isn’t sure how he lost, and starting with proving he can be trusted with aithusia. he is, admittedly, really good with her and she loves him, so merlin can’t completely begrudge it. it leads to conversations that change all their fates.

- aithusia’s first language being the tongue of the old religion. the language of spells. she knows not to speak to avoid getting caught (merrlin tried his best to explain) but once, she slipped up around arthur. all of them freezing, even though arthur knows. the guilt he feels at her terror.

- kilgharrah’s anger at camelot manifesting again somehow. an attack of some kind. arthur being confronted with the question of the magic ban repeal and how to balance keeping his people safe from magic and reparations for decades of the oppression of magic users.

the fic that fuelled this is called The Darkest Dawn by spacegirl7 and quite a lot of the above takes elements directly from the fic, so definitely go read and check it out, it’s so good. i have been thinking about it and its premise for days.

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tremendouscreationperson · 11 months

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So are there any fics where people just assume Arthur is batshit crazy?

Bradley who isn't called Arthur in this timeline was always a promising young lad, his parents helped him with his somewhat odd hobbies of archery and fencing and even just playing strategist games with him

He is fascinated by the Greek and Roman Gods, Ancient Egypt and Camelot

His dad takes him to book stores and he becomes somewhat of a history buff

One day (idk say he's like 22-25) he gets these odd dreams and at first it's just the odd comment "no Gwen was black not white" he has no proof, no evidence, but he knows his dreams aren't wrong

They become more vivid and eventually lead to a breakdown because he is confused about his place in this modern world

He doesn't know why but he drives to Wales, he has to, something is calling him there

Merlin had decided this time around he was going to be a doctor, he had studied when he lived in Ireland (even picking up the accent again) but had stayed too long there and people weren't believing he was 40

Moving to South Wales wasn't the worst idea because he got to visit his lake

The lake

It wasn't his

It hasn't been his for longer than he dare think

Merlin had settled his way into a medicinal career, having been a hacker of sorts to not exactly falsify information

He WAS trained, just under a different name

Merlin hated being back in Wales

He missed everyone

Even Uther

Even Morgana, even after the turn

He just felt so hopeless

Lonely

Just plodding through the new world, learning new skills to distract himself from that

He was perhaps overqualified for the entry level job but who would believe a 20 year old had 30+ years of experience?

The younger he pretended, the longer he could stay in one area

He had made a few friends but always stuck to himself, what was the point in friends these days?

Fingerprints on an abandoned rail

He trudged into work receiving a few "hello Colin"s

He was a carer

Essentially a glorified Merlin

But he'd take it for a few years before he could start mental and physical therapies

Was this a stupid idea

He had just plonked his bag into his locker and placed his lunch in the fridge before he was officially late on the ward

"Col' there's a new patient coming in today." Becky told him between scribbling notes "a fighter, from what I've been told, be careful"

"okay, any other information?"

"no, just a breakdown, probably a few months in here with some meds and he'll be gone." She looked up. "He's not actively hurting himself, but he wanders, he was found just walking into some lake. Obsessive behaviour with history too."

Merlin nodded, it wasn't unusual

He'd seen worse

The patient in question did arrive when Merlin was dealing with Mrs Davies, she had had an episode and needed sedation

He didn't like manhandling a 70 year old but she could punch when needed

He just exited her room when he heard a familiar voice

Becky was informing the new patient of the rules and that number 12 was his room

Merlin thought it only right to say hi whilst he's standing right there

She introduced him to the man, who actually had his back to them and was staring out the window

"Bradley, this is Colin."

"Hello, I'm one of the nurses in charge of your health, be careful of your neighbour in number 13. She's a handful." Queue the awkward chuckle

Merlin had spoke as his brain processed what his eyes were seeing

The man was so familiar

The shoulders

The hair

Even the posture

Curse him for standing Infront of the window because when he turned he was haloed by the golden sun

Merlin's heart stopped

"Merlin?"

The recognition in Arthur's eyes broke Merlin's heart

He was quick to stop himself from running up to the King as Becky was examining the patient's reactions

"hello." Merlin nodded to Arthur "Becky I'm just gonna ask some questions," before mouthing "he thinks I'm part of it"

She gave a look but there was always so much to do so if Colin was offering to finish Bradley's orientation so be it

Once she had left and the door was closed Merlin smiled so widely at Arthur

"you took your time, clotpole"

Tears pooled in Arthur's eyes, "I knew I wasn't crazy. Merlin where have you been?"

Merlin sat on the neatly made bed, Arthur following suit, and explained the past thousand years

He ended it with "had to wait for my King."

Arthur placed a hand in Merlin's knee, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I acted back then, I'm sorry that you had to hide yourself, why are you here? You're a warlock?!"

Merlin did chuckle at that. "Doesn't exactly pay the bills. I mean it helps but there's also boredom."

Arthur smiled back, the visible ease he had with Merlin vs Becky was comforting

"I'll help you survive this place, you'll be out soon."

"thank you, I don't know why but I kept having these memories, I drove from London to Wales, went to the lake and then I was being pulled out by strangers. I don't remember getting into the water."

"has anything happened like that before or since?"

"no."

"then that's fine."

"why am I back? Why did you stay?"

"Our lives were never our own. Destiny was woven through us. I don't know what we do but we are needed." Merlin hoped Arthur didn't read that as the cop out it was

"you'll stay with me? Even after this place?"

"of course."

"good."

#merthur #merlin tv #merlin #arthur pendragon #arthur x merlin #prince arthur #gwenivere #morgana #uther pendragon #sir uther #lady morgana #modern au #merlin bbc #fic #king arthur

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fanfictionlord · 2 months

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I had thought about this for a while and I can't really get it out of my head and since I use tumblr as my diary at this point I decided to post it so here it is

In modern merlin fanfics they always make the knights of the round table arthurs friends with the exeption of lancelot and gwaine being mutual friends of both him and merlin probably bc if they made everyone who was canonicly merlins friend in the show merlins friend in the fic arthur wouldn't have any friends bc canonicly everyone likes merlin more anyway so I was thinking how could one incorporate merlins and gwaines canon relationship / friendship to a modern au and I had this striking thought you know how everyone has that one friend who is an asshole just the right amount and at the perfect time that no one really says or thinks anything bad about them I think gwaine really embodies that energy so I decided to combine these two thoughts into one specific situation and thus "the three times gwaine got punched for kissing a friend and one time he didn't" was born my idea was that considering how gwaines relationship to royality is the only way for a modern au gwaine to have a similar situation to go trough would be for him to be an affair baby who grew up with merlin while vaguely knowing who his father is and then sudenly came into money who then ends up going to the same collage with merlin who is a scollarship student and fallowed him there so his friend wouldn't have been alone in a place full of nepo babys and silver spoons and while gwaine has money he refuses to use the money to get into the school and instead gets in trough a sports scollarship which is where he mets arthur who he then introduces to merlin bc they are both on the rugby team and arthur is the deans son who is both rich and has ties to the royal family of whales - don't worry about the logistics I don't really know either - and even though its ovbious to everyone around them that the two likes eachother neither of them persues something with the other . Merlin bc he thinks arthur wouldn't be interested in a "pesent" like him and Arthur bc he thinks merlin hates every rich person with the exeption of aperently gwaine so gwaine is like I have a briliant idea why don't I kiss merlin in front of arthur that way he can finally get his shit together and confess which to his suprise works out somehow while getting him punched and he decided to spred his wisdom to other people as well and ends up doing the same thing for gwen and morgana with the exact same result including the punch and so he decides to take one last one for the team for his buddy percival and thats how he ends up getting a boyfriend himself thats all this is the whole premise of the fic and also thanks for reading my brain vomit if you for some reason read this far and sorry for the grammer and spelling mistakes I probably most definitly made but can't bother checking

#merlin #merthur #gwaine #merlin fanfic #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #merlin modern era au

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iamafictionfreak · 6 months

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TIS THE SEASON TO BE MERTHUR!

Just... Look at them!

I miss everything about this show. Even the very bad CGI and the weak-ass plot points/armour/conveniences/contrivances.

One Christmas Eve, almost 11 years ago, the entire Merlin fandom was butchered into tiny little distraught pieces. It didn’t matter if your favourite character was Merlin or Morgana, Gaius or Gwen. The showrunners held no qualms in destroying your dreams for Gwaine or Perce. The writers did not hold back in their aim to crucify the smile on your face, to forever turn it upside down. No ship was spared. All hopes for the show to finally commit to their original intent, to bring peace between peoples, to save Albion, to allow Merlin his freedom and Arthur the truth, was brought to a bitter, fatalistic end.

Not that I need to repeat this to you, you know what happened, but it’s worth reiterating that this travesty occurred… on Christmas Eve.

CHRISTMAS. EVE.

Christmas Eve.

The night before Christmas, the night before the day where all rules are broken and we can frolic like children around a decorated tree filled with twinkling lights, our collective hearts were shredded.

This event (once we recovered a tiny bit from the shock) gave birth to a plethora of astonishingly well written, poignant, devastating, hilarious fanfictions that had helped nurse our wounds, for nothing could TRULY heal (except a follow-up season with the original characters, come ON BBC) us.

After nearly 11 years of watching these brilliant entries grow, I never thought I’d jump on this bandwagon and write my own fic.

But I've had a few very shit years, as have many people around the world, and I started to wonder as we do when we want to prove magic can still happen.

My brain decided that it wanted my hands to write the most indulgent, likely over done fic in existence for the fandom. This thought stuck with me throughout the year – I was being STALKED by myself – and wouldn’t leave me the hell alone. This hasn’t happened in a long while.

Still… you’ll eyeroll at the idea. It's so OBVIOUS, I'm embarrassed by myself.

What if Arthur discovered Merlin’s magic from the get-go, from episode 1?

WAIT. Hear me out…

So, Merlin saves Arthur for the first time and Arthur SEES. He sees his eyes glow.

He knows he should tell his father, but his instincts are screaming at him. Honour is at stake. This stranger saved his life. How could he reward it with an execution? So, a chance needs to be given, doesn’t it? A chance for Merlin to give up magic forever and live a life of goodness, to turn away from evil and serve Arthur…

Except Arthur can’t help but wonder. About Magic, about Merlin and magic, about the law and all the whys attached and his place within this chain.

But he also can’t trust this peasant who cavorts with the devil, practices wickedness but smiles like a child and offers compassion to everyone. Someone so duplicitous must be dangerous… except Merlin’s an actual idiot! And it’s getting really difficult to keep his guard up.

But isn’t that how sorcerers work? They twist the mind with pleasing ideas, they tempt and coerce, they manipulate.

And slowly, Arthur finds himself being manipulated too. For how could he ever want to trust this man- but he does. He does.

And we’ve never been allowed to see Merlin deal with a S1 Arthur who’s in the ‘know’. Who’s forcing him to keep it secret, who’s threatening him with trial by fire, a young Arthur who’s ignorant, arrogant and so desperate to understand what he cannot trust.

Then there's the layers, royalty versus peasantry, friendship versus alliances, goals versus ideals.

I want to write a fic where this trust is built from the ground up. One of the things about the show that made it impossible for me to let it go is that the ‘relationship’ between Arthur and Merlin fits exactly zero categories, yet all of them.

Master and servant.

Friends

Family

Allies

Enemies

Romantic ideals

Platonic soulmates

Absolute Soulmates

I could go on. And it's one of those rare shows where the writing would be given more oomph if the males leads had dared cross a line or two.

Realistically, they weren't even friends. They were master and servant who'd become a little co-dependant. Arthur could never admit to anything more because of his station, but would he have been able to being completely himself around Merlin if he'd known the truth? We never see Arthur truly be himself. He wasn't allowed to be, not even with his wife. There was always a wall - it was how he was raised and any attempt to develop was killed by plot.

We never saw Merlin completely free, not with a single person. He started happy and healthy and innocent. A liar. He ended up bitter and terrified and angry and alone. Still a liar.

What would he have become if there'd been one person he could truly trust- not Gaius. Not a man already broken and brainwashed by his own self. A victim of the system just as much as he perpetuated the hate and completely unaware of the trap he lived in.

Many of the characters in the show have the versatility and potential to be written a trillion different ways, is it any wonder that fics continue to be written?

Well, I wanted to explore a slow burn development of trust, with Arthur learning how wrong he was, how much he’s trampled on, and all about the seemingly normal peasant boy who meant more to the world than Arthur could possibly understand. What would they have become if they’d been given the time, hm?

When they were young - yes, I'm going there - wild and free.

What of Morgana, what if she could have trusted? What if she could have understood? Would it have turned out differently? Would she have still become the other side of Uther's coin?

Would Merlin still have ended up alone?

There’s lots more I wanted to touch upon, it’s a big what if, but that’ll have to wait for another post.

I’m writing a 5 part prologue that occurs between episode 1 and 2. I’m hoping to release it for Christmas and then take the time to write the rest of the season.

Unless… you guys think it’s a waste of time? Let me know.

In the meantime, I’m STILL SUFFERING (fucking show) and it's making me write, write, write!

(gifs not mine)

#merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #guinevere #morgana #Gaius #uther pendragon #fuck uther #potential #merthur #merlin fanfic #merlin fandom

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