I redrew some Merlin characters to be more historically and culturally accurate! The text is their original names in a later Latin script, yoinked from a display in the Corinium Museum, Cirencester. (Sneaky edit to add: Y'all are incredibly welcome to use this in any way you want, I would love to see more of my home's culture being represented more accurately in media!!)
Unlabelled version under the cut!!
the twrch trwyth in the search for olwen !!
"If you use em dash in your works, it makes them look AI generated. No real human uses em dash."
Imaging thinking actual human writers are Not Real because they use... professional writing in their works.
Imagine thinking millions of people who have been using em dash way before AI becomes a thing are all robots.
The little head tilt, the sweet voice and the tiny smile, the moment he asked Arthur:
“Don’t you?”
To Merlin, magic had always been there for everyone to see, to feel.
He is magic, after all.
For all those years, Merlin had believed what he felt was obvious, and that everyone else felt the same way. It was strange to Merlin that Arthur couldn’t understand that the forest, the animals, even the smallest, living in it, were sacred. Because life is sacred. He couldn’t grasp the reason why the knights couldn’t feel that the old Druids’ camp was haunted, and therefore didn’t believe him. He had literally heard death, and cried because of it.
“As if everything is much more than itself.”
The phrase could refer to him too. Merlin is much more than… Him.
That’s what brought his doom. He had never had the chance to truly know himself. He was either a servant, or the sorcerer of a prophecy, or a Dragonlord.
Never just him.
And in this moment we see he had missed being one with nature, breathing in the animals’ lives. He was himself again.
He was vibrating, much like anything else there living with him.
They never went deep into Merlin’s powers, they were just there for Arthur. Merlin had lost sight of what he wanted to do with them, he even forgot he was so powerful he could have overthrown Arthur himself, if he really wished to.
Merlin was the only man alive able to see Avalon.
During the knights and the king’s quest to save Gwen, Merlin met the Queen of a Queendom no one had ever even seen.
He could have killed Morgana (and did try) multiple times, although she was an High Priestess, and simply decided not to, but he had more than just the power to do so.
The Catha, the Druids bowed to him, met him in the woods, called to him.
Merlin created a telepathic connection with Arthur the first days he was in Camelot.
He survived death multiple times.
His immortality forbid him to die.
Merlin hated hunting because he could feel the animals being scared, followed; he had recognised Gwen when Morgana transformed her into a deer; he could hear the magic around him, inside objects and inside people, like a whisper, as if it was nothing; he could call lightning from the sky.
He could stop the time, or at least slow it down.
Every magical being knew him by name only. But he was not a leader, he was just different.
“Is she like me?” “No one is like you, Merlin.”
After everything he had witnessed, even Gaius knew Merlin was special and did nothing to help him understand why he was.
Merlin was the reason Aithusa was born, why Kilgharrah was free, and we were robbed of him getting to really know his powers, both as a Dragonlord and as the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth.
He literally deleted himself just to be at Arthur’ side, and it hurt him. We saw it constantly. He was sad not only because everyone and everything was against him, or because he couldn’t use magic for simple tricks, but because he couldn’t really know what he could do, both as a magical being and as just Merlin.
To study his powers meant treason and death, and Merlin forbid himself to go beyond what he already knew.
His incapacity to understand, his lack of will to know, and his indecision about who he was, literally helped the fall of the great destiny he was a part of.
Merlin’s decisions, whatever he wanted them to happen or not, helped Arthur die.
Merlin’s real enemy was himself.
for the @merlinmicrofic prompts Home, Desperate measures and "You wouldn't."
Merlin & Arthur, Gen, 3 x 100 words, Major character death, AO3 link
for @mightybog
A heavy soul, a hopeful man
Their world is in crisis. It aches for its saviour.
“Emrys,” the Disir call.
He despises them. He comes anyway. There's kinship in being the last of the old ones.
“It's time." One steps forward, in her hand a coin.
“What,” he scoffs, “is it my turn to suffer your judgment?”
“We offer a chance. The time of the Once and Future King is nigh. You know it, you yourself have assembled his court.”
It's true. He's found them, souls reborn. The knights. Guinevere.
She flicks the coin into the air. “His rest in Avalon is over. Bring him home.”
The coin spins and spins, reaches its zenith, plummets down.
“Heads or tails?” He remains silent. “That's right, there is no answer. It is both and neither, a mere matter of perspective.”
“Save your riddles.”
“Two sides of a coin, inseparable. One up, one down. It will take all your magic to bring him back, every last bit of you.”
A pause.
“I will die?”
A look of pity, unwanted. “We'll lend you strength. You have three months.”
Its days numbered, his heart beats faster, rebellious. Desperate times. There's no choice. He bends his knee and picks up the coin.
Arthur returned is his every joy. He teaches him about the new world, laughs at him trying to operate a microwave, watches him discover ice cream - looming catastrophe momentarily dismissed.
Blissful ignorance can't last; his magic's gone, he's fading. Confession - now or never.
“No, you wouldn't, please don't-”
“You will have the others. You know the way. You don't need me anymore.”
“I will always-”
“Don't. Please.”
The day dwindles. Miniscule waves disturb the third full moon's reflection on the inky black lake waters. Merlin sits by its shore, Arthur's arm around his shoulders, and, for the last time, waits.
I'm sick of internet negativity, so let's combat it: reblog this and saying something nice/pay a compliment to the prev in the tags.
Somehow another round is already coming to a close, and I once again want to thank all you lovely participants! I've decided to keep the Masterlist for the time being, although a little trimmed down to hopefully make it a little less time-intensive on my end.
All that said, without further ado! <3
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale by @mightybog
[Prompt: Nightfall | Arthur/Merlin]
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"I Promised" by @mightybog
[Prompt: "I Promised" | Arthur/Merlin]
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jamais vu by @adhd-merlin
[Prompt: "I Promised" | Freya/Merlin]
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a night's rest by @adhd-merlin
[Prompt: Nightfall | Arthur/Merlin]
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"Untitled" (Dusk) by @thefollow-spot
[Prompt: Nightfall | Lancelot/Merlin]
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midnight by @liviapeleia
[Prompt: Nightfall | Lancelot/Merlin]
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Nightfall by @twistedshipper
[Arthur/Morgana]
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nightfall by @the-king-and-the-druidess
[Gwen/Lancelot]
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Nightfall (Release Words) by @personaje-fics
[Arthur/Lancelot]
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Redemption Lies Plainly in Truth by @miyriu
[Arthur & Morgana]
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Meant to be Broken by @classics-n-comedy
[Arthur & Mordred]
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fealty by @liviapeleia
[Arthur/Lancelot]
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I get so jealous of euthanized dogs by @bumblebearr
[Arthur/Gwen, Gwen/Leon]
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A Good Start by @miyriu
[Arthur/Merlin]
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Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not to be gone by @mightybog
[Arthur/Merlin]
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in the chillest land by @adhd-merlin
[Aithusa, Merlin]
She/Her | 31 | Herbal Tea EnthusiastInterested in: hurt/comfort, fairytale retellings and folkloreCurrently down an Arthurian rabbitholeLeMightyWorrier on Ao3
296 posts