Bodyless voice: THIS IS THE THRONE OF DIVINE JUDGMENT. IF YOU WISH TO LIVE, YOU MUST BE JUDGED. SIT UPON MY THRONE AND I SHALL DECIDE YOUR FATE!!!
Arthur: *sits*
Bodyless voice: AH, THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. *lists Arthur's deeds and failures* AS SUCH, I DECREE THAT YOU OFFER ME A SACRIFICE. DO PENANCE, YOUNG PENDRAGON. EMPTY YOUR VAULTS AND MAKE ME A STATUE
Arthur, appalled: but that's tax money. I need that for the people!
Bodyless voice: IT IS MY DECREE. WHO IS NEXT.
Arthur: I'm not done with you. Merlin, you go.
Merlin: do I have to?
Arthur: just- do it. You're talking to a god, you idiot! Everyone here needs to be judged.
Merlin: ... Okay. *Sits*
Bodyless voice: OH... OH NO.
Merlin: what
Bodyless voice: I DID NOT- I MEANT NO OFFENCE, YOUR HIGHNESS. EMRYS, MY LORD, I AM SO SORRY. OF COURSE I DON'T NEED THAT STATUE. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! *Keeps brabbling on his apology*
Arthur: what the fuck is happening. Merlin, what the hell did you do?
Merlin: ... You're talking to a god, you prat!
Loved the “Arthur misunderstands what a warlock is" au! I completely get it if you’re done with that one and want to move on to the next idea, but I’d be very curious to read how the rest react to finding out how wrong they were? Perhaps some guilt as Arthur realises what he forced Merlin to do? But again, completely get it if you’re done! Thank you for sharing to begin with!
Thank you so much! I'll probably revisit the "Arthur misunderstands what a warlock is" au later on to write the aftermath of Arthur's terrible misunderstanding. It might be a while before I get to it since I have a lot of other au ideas that I want to share, but I will do a part 3 for that au eventually! In the meanwhile, I can say that Arthur is definitely having a rough time with his guilt, but also questioning why Merlin went along with it in the first place. I imagine that conversation would go something like this:
"If you thought that I was some soul eating beast, why the hell would you sacrifice prisoners?! Why would you do something so horrible for someone you saw as a monster?"
"Because you're still you, Merlin! And even when I believed such awful things about warlocks, I couldn't see you as anything but the kind-hearted fool who's the strongest man I know but still cries when he sees a baby deer! Despite everything, I couldn't see you as anything other than my closest friends, and I didn't want to lose you to some terrible hunger when I knew that I could provide for you, however horrible the method was!"
But Arthur's also feeling incredibly guilty that he had also abused Merlin's complete trust in him that way. What did it say about how deeply Merlin trusted Arthur if, from Merlin's perspective, Arthur had randomly commanded him to kill two men, to bloody his own hands, for no given reason, and Merlin still did as Arthur asked. Merlin would go to such lengths simply because Arthur commanded it, and wasn't that just an awful thing for Arthur to think about?
I'll end this for now, but this au will return (after I've posted a couple of new au ideas)!
Thanks for the question! :D
OMG! This is so cute!! 😍
“You look like a startled stoat.”
had a bad week, so I treated myself to some stoat!merlins
(individual shots & poll under cut)
I’m also thinking of getting some printed as stickers for myself, if others are interested:
An idea that just came to me: an au where Merlin, by virtue of his status as Emrys and a dragonlord, is part fae.
However, he wasn't always fae, so his new powers come as a shock to him when they start appearing soon after he banished Kilgharrah. Still, Merlin starts reading all he can on the fae and their powers, trying to know what to expect, but there aren't many books on the fae available to him in Camelot, so his knowledge is very limited.
So, the next time Arthur took Merlin out for an overnight hunt, Merlin prepared a stew dinner for the both of them, which was nothing out of the ordinary. But, when Arthur ate the stew, something happened, Merlin could feel it. It was like his magic had suddenly grown an extra connection to Arthur, and it was very strange.
What was even stranger was the fact that every time Arthur or one of the knights ate food that he had prepared, Merlin's strange magical connection to them got stronger, like strings of wool being woven together to form a stronger fiber.
By the time Merlin learned about the rules surrounding fae food, it was already far too late. Merlin freaked for a very long time over the fact that he apparently owned all of his friends' souls, and now there was no way to undo it!
However, as time went on and things continued on as they usually did, with all of his friends acting normally towards him and not like they were under any sort of magical compulsion, Merlin slowly relaxed.
Eventually, after a disastrous encounter with a Sidhe in disguise who was trying to trick Arthur into selling his soul, Merlin decided that this might be a good thing. No one else could take his friends' souls if he already owned them.
Besides, he loved all of them! He'd take very good care of their souls, treating all of them with the respect and kindness they deserved.
(Some part of Merlin, buried deep below, cried out in horror at the notion of owning any person's soul, let alone his loved ones', but it was quickly silenced by a new instinct, some foreign logic that now took over his mind. This was his nature, after all.)
And perhaps, one day, Merlin would be correct in that him owning his friends' souls was a blessing instead of a burden. When, one fateful day, Merlin stood at the shores of Avalon holding his king's dying body, he refused to give up Arthur's soul.
Avalon could take Arthur's body if it wanted it that badly; Merlin could always create a new one for his king with his magic alone. But Arthur's soul belonged to Merlin.
Forever.
(And whether this is a good or terrible ending for Arthur is up to you!)
Hello everyone! While I'm working on my next au, I had a fun little idea for another Halloween au! I don't really have the time to flesh this out, but I wanted to share it anyways!
Basically, in this au, everything in the show goes the exact same way as in canon, including the ending. Arthur dies, and Merlin left to wander the earth without him.
Except this is Merlin we're talking about here. There's no force in the universe that's strong enough to keep Merlin from Arthur's side, not even death.
So, Merlin starts bargaining with the Sidhe, who refuse to give him any information until he forces them to talk. They reveal that Arthur's soul is resting in the Underworld while his body rested in the lake, kept pristine by its magic until the day he was fated to rise again.
Merlin then takes the natural next step of opening a portal to the Underworld and stepping through it while armed with Excalibur, ready to annihilate anything that gets in his way.
So, Merlin fights his way through the Underworld Doomslayer-style, searching for his king. There are, of course, many monsters that he fights along the way, but they're no match for Merlin's magic and the power held in Excalibur.
Finally, after fighting monsters and making his way to the center of the Underworld, a high-ranking demon finally gives him some answers: the King of the Underworld knows that Merlin is seeking out Arthur's soul, but he refuses to give Arthur back to Merlin willingly.
Merlin then begins his trek towards the King of the Dead's palace, cutting down any beast that stands in his way, until he finally faces the demonic King of the Underworld himself. It was a brutal battle, but Merlin ends up victorious and claims the throne of the Underworld for himself. The demonic monsters, who value strength above all else, are more than happy to pledge their loyalty to a stronger king than the one they had before.
No sooner than Merlin sat on the throne of the dead, he demanded that Arthur's soul be brought to him.
The demon forcibly leading Arthur into the throne room: We have done as you requested, Sire.
Arthur, upon seeing Merlin sitting on a throne with demons bowing to him: Merlin, I've only been gone for half a year, WTF?
Merlin, looking VERY demonic but overjoyed to see Arthur again:
That's all on this idea for now, but I might expand on it later! I think Merlin overthrowing the King of the Underworld and become a Demon King just to get Arthur back would be a fun story lol!
Merlin and Uther uniting forces when Arthur's acting like an idiot will always be so funny to me!
Merlin 🤝 Uther
Arthur's an enchanted dumbass
Uther asking Merlin "what happened to him(Arthur)?!!" Like dude shouldn't you be looking out for that idiot 😭
And Arthur all the time under the love spell like "la la la love"
Thanks for tagging me @saladscream! This looks like fun!
3 Non-romantic Duos:
Merlin & Gwen. I love their sweet friendship and wish that the show kept it for longer!
Gwaine & Percival. Chaotic knight bros! They deserved more screentime together.
Merlin & Lancelot. Merlin and his bestie! They deserved more time!! Merlin deserved more time with the one person who truly understood him!
A ship that might surprise others:
Leon/George! I'd love to write a fic about these two one day! Two tired dudes who just want to do their jobs but the madness in Camelot keeps getting in the way lol!
Last Song: The Moon Will Sing by the Crane Wives
Last Film: Probably also Deadpool & Wolverine.
Currently Reading: The Song of Achilles. I just started it though, so it might take me a while to finish!
Currently Watching: I'm not really watching any shows right now, especially with uni final exams coming up quick!
Currently Consuming: Merlin fics and Thanksgiving food!
Currently Craving: Hot chocolate and having enough time to write!
No Pressure tags!
@theroundbartable @larluce @achillesuwu
(because I think 9 would be a bit presumptuous of me) 😅
tagged: @realmoftenderness 😁
tagging: @bertytravelsfar @calamity-talvi @ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral
3 non romantic duos :
Arthur & Leon
Subtle sibling vibe, these two. True brothers in arms. Probably best mates since they were wee lads playing with sticks instead of swords.
Merlin & Gwaine
Obviously partners in crime, these two. It's canon.
That is not to say they wouldn't have been lovers under different circumstances... Because Gwaine is one flirty trollop and Merlin is only human (mostly). 😏
Uther & Gaius
Very odd dynamic between these two. It sometimes feels like they were once great friends. Possibly a bit like Arthur and Merlin - except the whole thing has gone very very wrong. Now it simply feels like they know each other's worst secrets.
A ship that might surprise others
Uther/Nimueh
I haven't given much thought to this, mind you. But if I have to come up with some unusual couple, I would put my money on these two. It's just... They both deserve each other. And Nimueh got rid of Ygraine. I feel there's a tension between them that speaks of former attachment.
Last song: "Urgent" by Foreigner because it's one of my favourites.
Last film: "Deadpool and Wolverine"? I think. Either that or "Trap"
Currently reading: Sadly, nothing. Last proper book I read was "The Captive Prince" (thanks for the rec btw, Berty!)
Currently watching: Um... "Agatha all along". Finished watching it a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had the time to start anything else. Where do you guys find the TIME to watch stuff?!? I can barely function as it is, with work and family, etc.
Currently consuming: Merthur fics. Like cookies. And coffee of course.
Currently craving: peace and quiet. The holidays. FREE TIME to write!
Reporter: How does it feel to be the worst servant in all of Camelot??
Merlin: In a city full of ass-kissers I wear it as a fucking badge of honor!
Reporter: what about the rumors that you’re always in the tavern?
Merlin: WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT
I'm gone. I'm a few episodes into s2 and I'm lost on them. I went to sleep thinking about them. I woke up thinking about them. There's no escape
A great selection of my incoherent thoughts!AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticNeutral01/pseuds/ChaoticNeutral01
307 posts