I love the idea of Merlin's magic being sentient and completely thirsty for Arthur! π
And Merlin himself isn't any less thirsty, he just has a better understanding of what's socially acceptable. His magic isn't quite on board with the idea that it's considered rude to take some of your crush's blood and mix it with pure magic to create a new soul as an offspring.
Council: Sir, you have to get married soon!!!! People demand an heir!!!!
Arthur: *gay panic* I'm pregnant!
Council: what?
Arthur: *points at Merlin*: it's his!!!
Merlin: what?
Arthur: it's a magic thing! Magic did this! *Whispering* thank god magic is legal now*
Merlin's magic: can we? Can we???? He basically allowed this just now!!! Please!!!
Merlin: no!! We're going to ask him first!!!
Lancelot: What the fuck? People actually tell their crushes they like them??
Percival: What the hell do you do?
Lancelot: I die? What kinda question...
Brining this one back for funsies because I'm thinking about the finale again and the whole butterfly symbolism always fucks me up.
A random thought on the ending of Merlin (since it haunts me all the time): there are many species of butterflies that are known to feed on corpses for nutrients. Merlin's main symbol in the finale, the symbol of his own self-acceptance and reclaiming himself from the claws of destiny, was a bright blue butterfly, a symbol of death and rebirth.
The image of it is striking for me: Merlin, symbolized by the butterfly, finally accepting himself, only for those same butterflies to turn around and feed on Arthur's corpse while waiting for Arthur himself to be reborn.
I'm insane about this show, if you couldn't already tell.
Some days it really does feel like it's me and my 300 open ao3 tabs vs reality.
OMG! This is so cute!! π
βYou look like a startled stoat.β
had a bad week, so I treated myself to some stoat!merlins
(individual shots & poll under cut)
Iβm also thinking of getting some printed as stickers for myself, if others are interested:
Hello everyone! Since this blog has grown much more than I've anticipated, I figured that it was time to organize everything into a masterpost so people can find my different au's more easily. Happy reading! :D
What to do When an Eldritch God Decides that You're Friend-Shaped: A Guide by Sir Leon the Long-Suffering: here
Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot au: here
I would find you, darling, in any life: here
The Sweet Innocence of a Dragon: here
Mitosis and its Consequences (featuring art by @griffonskies!): here
Balinor lives: Part 1/1
Merlin controls the Knights of Medhir: Part 1/1
Arthur thinks Merlin's a fairy: Part 1/1
Arthur becomes Emrys's familiar: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Archeologist Merlin and Immortal Camelot: Part 1/3, Part 2/3, Part 3/3
Arthur obtains magic dolls of Merlin and Gwen: Part 1/1
Arthur thinks that Merlin needs to get laid for the safety of Camelot: Part 1/1
Morgana wants to be allies with Emrys: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Merlin resurrects Lancelot, not Morgana: Part 1/1
Arthur misunderstands what a warlock is: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Merlin tells Morgana about his magic early: Part 1/1
Arthur thinks that Emrys is his real father: Part 1/1
Gwaine accidentally joins the Catha in their worship of Emrys: Part 1/1
Merlin accidentally conquers Camelot: Part 1/4, Part 2/4, Part 3/4 Part 4/4
Camelot becomes obsessed with Emrys-themed romance novels: Part 1/1
Merlin temporarily dies and Arthur loses his mind: Part 1/1
Merlin has an army of baby dragons: Part 1/1
Merlin refuses to leave his job as Arthur's manservant even after being revealed as Emrys: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Modern au with Gen Z druids worshipping Merlin as Emrys: Part 1/1
Arthur gets forcefully adopted by his troll stepfamily (aka the post that broke containment): Part 1/1
Merlin is part fae: Part 1/1
Arthur is already king when Merlin arrives in Camelot: Part 1/1
Arthur is commanded to worship Emrys by the Disir: Part 1/2, Part 2/2
Arthur is reincarnated as an MI6 agent assigned to watch Emrys: Part 1/1
Emrys is a spirit possessing Merlin (sort of): Part 1/1
Arthur gets put on a magical trial but Merlin will always find him innocent: Part 1/1
Historians find documents from a prank war between Arthur and Merlin: Part 1/1
Arthur tries to fight Merlin after a magic reveal, written like a video game boss battle: Part 1/1
Merlin in the 21st century gets cast in a show about himself, but plays a knight: Part 1/1
Arthur knows Merlin is Emrys but thinks that the Once and Future King is someone besides him: Part 1/1
Merlin in the microwave: here
Arthur in the microwave: here
Merlin holding a spinning Arthur: here
Arthur holding spinning Merlins: here
Uther spinning in a blender: here
Uther gets squished: here
Merlin juggles Arthur: here
Merlin and Arthur both in the microwave: here
Merlin and Arthur on a hot dog roller: here
Merlin and Arthur roasting: here
Arthur spinning in a washing machine: here
Merlin spinning round the tumblr logo: here
Arthur spinning in a wizard's orb: here
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the love you gave my most recent au! Here's a continuation of the Disir au! Enjoy!
Merlin caught on quickly that there was something... different about Arthur after his return from the Disir's cave.
He was jumpy, constantly on edge, and clearly losing sleep over something. And, worst of all, he was hiding something from Merlin.
Or, more like trying to hide something from Merlin. Because Merlin knew that something had happened at the Disir's cave, and he knew that it had something to do with the old religion.
Really, Arthur should know better than to hide a wooden worship effigy of one of the gods of the old religion in his wardrobe. The very same wardrobe that Merlin digs through every morning to find some outfit to dress his royal pratness in.
But Arthur's laughable attempts at hiding anything from his manservant aside, the crudely carved effigy in Merlin's hands raised the rather uncomfortable question: what was Arthur doing hiding an object of worship tied to the old religion in his wardrobe? If he was trying to learn more about druid customs or attempting to gain some advantage over Morgana, why hide it from Merlin of all people?
And it did seem like Merlin was the only one he was hiding this from, if the knights' shifty behavior and the unusual amount of time Arthur spent with Mordred over the past few weeks was any indication.
Even Gwen was in on it! The queen had started carving out time in the evenings for Arthur to be alone in his study, doing... something. Gwen had not told him what Arthur was doing during that time, only telling him that no one, not even Merlin, was to disturb him.
It felt like the entire castle was conspiring against Merlin! And given that it was mostly likely connected to the Old Religion based off of the presence of the worship effigy, the entire situation set Merlin on edge.
(Plus, there was a strange tingling in the back of Merlin's mind that had started the night after Arthur had returned from the Disir's cave. The odd sensation came and went at seemingly random times, but it didn't hurt. No, it felt more like something inside his mind was trying to get his attention, as strange as that sounded. Merlin wasn't sure what it was or what to make of it.)
The first question that popped into his mind was "do they know?", but something seemed too strange about this entire situation for the explanation to be as simple as his magic having been discovered, as disastrous as that would be. No, if his magic was truly discovered, the reaction would be loud, explosive, like Arthur's temper. There would not be this shifty, sneaking around behind Merlin's back if that were really the case. If Arthur felt betrayed by Merlin, he would not turn to conspiracy. That wasn't who Arthur was.
So no, Merlin's magic hadn't been discovered. Merlin's next guess was that Mordred's magic had been discovered, but that too seemed unlikely, since the king's prophesized killer was still alive and meeting with the king frequently.
Perhaps Arthur was planning on brokering peace with the druids and wanted to keep it hidden from the council to avoid the protests from Uther's lords? It seemed like something Arthur would do, and the thought of it filled Merlin with hope. But still, if that was truly what Arthur was doing, he would have told Merlin by now!
So then what could it be?! What reason did Arthur possibly have for possessing a handmade worship talisman and hiding it from Merlin?!
Merlin even tried to glean some information based on which god of the Old Religion the worship effigy was dedicated to, but the face was carved so crudely that there were no identifying features, and the base was plain, devoid of any symbols of worship that could point to the identity of the god in question.
With all of his other options having been exhausted, Merlin turned to the one method of getting answers that had yet to fail him: eavesdropping.
(Gaius could admonish him all he liked for not being able to mind his own business, but the old physician couldn't deny that Merlin seeing and overhearing things that he shouldn't have had saved the kingdom at least a dozen times over.)
Fortunately for Merlin, Arthur's newfound alone-time was at around the same time every evening, right after he had finished his dinner, and Merlin knew every nook and cranny of the king's chambers better than anyone.
It was almost laughably easy to sneak into the antechambers off of Arthur's bedroom through a hidden and rarely-used servant's passageway. These chambers would normally be where the king's manservant lived, but since Merlin lived with Gaius, they were just used for storage now, with the door between the antechambers and the king's chambers remaining locked for security purposes.
All Merlin had to climb over a few chests to get to the door and peer between a gap in the door's panels, and he now had a full view of the king's chambers without anyone even knowing that he was there.
... He probably should warn Arthur about this gap in his security at some point, since an assassin could easily make use of it, but that would have to come after Merlin had gotten the answers he needed.
Merlin sat and waited, watching Arthur's back as he stood up from his desk, stretched, and started sorting through his paperwork from the council meeting earlier that day. Merlin relaxed slightly at the sight, and as he watched Arthur do paperwork and other mundane tasks over the course of an hour, he began to wonder if he had gotten all of this wrong.
Maybe Arthur had started carving out time alone to fulfill his tasks as the king more independently? Arthur had done similar things in the past after all, pulling away from his friends and believing that he should shoulder all of his burdens by himself.
With his fears appeased by a familiar and plausible explanation for Arthur's strange behavior, Merlin considered leaving for the night, seeing as how nothing seemed to be amiss.
Well, Merlin was considering leaving for the night and dropping his suspicions there, up until Mordred silently snuck through the door and approached Arthur with a nervous smile. Merlin's body tensed at the sight, his anxiety skyrocketing at the sight of Mordred so close to Arthur with no one else present.
But Mordred didn't sneak up on Arthur with a weapon in hand, but instead greeted him warmly and led him over to the chairs in front of the fireplace. Arthur sat a bit stiffly, trying and failing to not let his discomfort show as Mordred ran around the room, gathering an odd assort of supplies from various hiding places around the room. Merlin narrowed his eyes at the sight, his jaw clenching with concern for Arthur and hatred for that little snake. What was Mordred doing to Arthur?
Merlin nearly threw stealth out the window and crashed through the door when he sensed the faint traces of magic on the supplies- ritual supplies, he finally recognized- that Mordred gathered. The only thing that made Merlin hesitate was the lack of magic on Arthur. If the king was already under some sort of spell or enchantment from that treacherous bane posing as a knight, Merlin would be able to sense it.
Then why was Arthur just sitting there and letting Mordred gather objects for a ritual?! Why would he-
"I'm glad that you're taking so well to the basics of the Old Religion, sire. I'm sure that the Disir would be pleased with your progress. Now that you've gotten the hang of the general worship rituals that druids perform to all the gods, we can start focusing more on the rituals and ceremonies specific to Emrys."
Merlin jumped at the mention of his druidic title, knocking over multiple pieces of furniture in his shock. It was only a quickly placed spell to dampen sound that saved him from revealing his presence.
What was Mordred thinking?! Why was he teaching Arthur about Emrys of all people?
Or... was he trying to sow a distrust of Emrys in Arthur? Yes, that was exactly what that nefarious puppet for Morgana was doing. Turning Arthur against his own protector would allow Mordred the opportunity to drive a wedge between them, leaving Arthur vulnerable and Merlin would not allow this!
Merlin called upon his power, the magic always swirling underneath his skin, and aimed it at that snake Mordred, ready to strike him down before his plans could come to fruition. But, before he could direct his magic to strike, Arthur finally spoke.
"Thank you, Mordred. I don't know how I'd do this without you. I cannot regret agreeing to the Disir's demands, of course, but never thought that the worship of the Old Religion was this complex."
Arthur's words made him pause, freezing in his cramped hiding place. So, it wasn't Mordred pushing Arthur into this?
Hm, shame. It looked like Arthur's prophesized killer was still waiting to play his hand. Merlin would smite him with all his might when Mordred finally revealed his true colors, but it seemed like that day was yet to come.
So, it was the Disir at fault for this? They were the ones responsible for this perversion of destiny's will?
Merlin's lips curled with disgust as he watched Mordred instruct Arthur on how to properly pray to Emrys using a talisman. His irritation only increased as that buzzing headache suddenly came back.
Because this?! This was never supposed to happen. Merlin- and by extension, Emrys- was made for Arthur, to guide and protect him as he fulfilled his destiny. The druids could worship him all they liked in the meanwhile, but Arthur was never supposed to kneel before Emrys, never meant to pray to him.
Emrys is Arthur's servant, not the other way around.
This had to stop. Now.
And that's all for now! I hope you all enjoyed this continuation! I'll probably do a part 3, since I have some ideas on where this will go next!
And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D
A big thank you to everyone who requested this continuation! I'll try to tag you all here, my apologies if I missed anyone!
@rocks-d-xerxes, @lolazoel, @griffonskies, @error-username-not-available, @thesuperstitiousoldelf
@cute1penny, @naniyo, @bogslob, @mortalmab, @celestella5
@thenerdycupcake, @fangirl553, @kintsugikid-moonysversion, @myjeandoe, @tercais
@rem-the-moth, @chaosofbelievers, @clearancecreedwatersurvival, @caraspud, @princess-of-morkva
@veryroadpartystatesman-blog, @a-line-drawn, @elliesalien, @mentallyblurrychild, @musichooman
@parker-the-archer, @scuttlingsleipnir, @sallygodessjackson, @linotheghost, @herstarlight
@larluce, @rosesareredjaybirdsareblue, @neptunesyellowsands, @that-birdy-chick, @roadsidefury
@merthurogies, @tescont, @rainbowsmagicandshit, @dreamsofapiratelife, @annoyingyaoishipper
@thedragonlies, @achillesuwu, @maeryuu, @bombshell-garden, @isaidno
@collectionoftherest, @auldsusie, @justaz, @icurlybooks, @smileytrinity
Do I even need to say it at this point?
I probably don't, but I will anyways.
β¨
β¨
Either romantic or platonic, it works either way!
Favourite ship dynamic: no one truly knows what exactly is going on between the two characters, including the characters themselves. But whatever it is, it's written in the fabric of the universe.
Magic, mischief, and blackmail!
Oh, 2025 is going to be fun, isn't it? :)
Witchcraft, Wisdom, Death...
Hello everyone! You all remember how I said I was working on something special to celebrate some tumblr milestones? Well, my surprise project is finished!
To celebrate both reaching 500 (500! holy cow!) followers and my 100th post, I decided to challenge myself! So, I joined @merlin-fic-server's Tournament of Champions, a challenge for Merlin fic writers, fan artists, and podfic makers! The challenge for writers that I chose was to write a new 10k fic based on a randomly generated prompt in 24 hours.
I've never participated in anything like this before, but it felt nice to challenge myself! The result is a fic both fits with the usual themes of my stories (like characters getting put in ridiculous situations), but it's also different from anything I've ever written before, feeling a bit more grounded than my usual silly writing.
So, I'd like to thank you all! I never could have imagined that this blog would bring me and so many people so much joy, and I wouldn't have been inspired to challenge myself if it wasn't for you support! You all have been amazing to me, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my unhinged ramblings with this fandom!
For now, I hope you all enjoy this little experiment of mine! I'll see you all next time! :D
THIS!! YESSSSS!!
This right here is my favorite Merthur dynamic, hands down! Because what is a king to a god? Nothing but an insect, unless that king's name is Arthur and that god's name is Emrys. In that case, then a king is everything to a god.
One scenario that I'd love to incorporate into a fic one day is Merlin, in a sort of eldritch form as Emrys that looks like a floating tangle of golden tendrils that dwarfs the castle itself, gently holding Arthur.
Just, Merlin being a giant eldritch unknowable creature that is all-powerful and capable of breaking a mortal's mind if they so much as looked at him, cradling Arthur and holding him close. Because it doesn't matter if Merlin is an eldritch god or not, Arthur will always be his king, his friend, his everything.
donβt mind me Iβm just thinking about how crazy it would be to have a devoted servant who you trusted above all others and who was happy β honored, even β to spend their life kneeling at your feet like a loyal dog. and then one day it turns out that your servant is actually God, like capital-G God, making you not just Godβs favorite, but the object of Godβs worship: a holy figure to the literal divine.
A great selection of my incoherent thoughts!AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticNeutral01/pseuds/ChaoticNeutral01
307 posts