15 going on fuckin 50 from how much I put up with (Not talking to you baby) Pronouns? No clue call me by whatever pronouns y’all want Demiromantic Panromantic Taken New to the tickling community, please nothing spicy- sfw only Warning, I will geek out about very random things if given the chance
163 posts
You werent sudden daylight in the dark, you’re the gentle moonlight on a summer night
I thought i crawled my way out of the dark, that i carved a home into that darkness all on my own. I had, in a sense. Then i met you. The darkness had ebbed back a bit from what i did, but when i met you it went from a flood to a kiddy pool. It wasnt sudden, that’s probably why i didnt notice it at first, but that darkness became easier. I went from completely lost, to clawing my way to a better place, to making friends with it, to letting it carry me through life until i met you, and then i started to actually live again. I didnt know how or why but being around you made me feel better. Even when i was dating a friend, even when i saw him in the morning and was happy to see him, i never felt that pure lightness i did when i was around you. And then we broke up. I got closer to you. I was falling in love without even realizing it. I fell in love with you slowly, a little more with every smile and giggle and late night conversation until suddenly i was in too deep to go back. It was like being caught in a riptide, only this time instead of being swept up into the dark i was swept into the arms of the sun. Even after i realized i loved you i didnt tell you for a couple months. I was scared to lose that warmth. I had gotten so used to the chill i didnt even realize i was cold, but then out of seemingly nowhere i was warm. It was completely unexpected but at the same time made complete sense. I didnt realize it was love for a long time, but what else could it be, it made total sense. Gods the first time i hugged you after telling you i love you really did feel like being in the arms of the sun. I used to be scared of physical contact. I still am in most ways, with most people. But with you, with you its a need, a craving so deep i dont think it’ll ever leave and i never want it too. And i dont know how it happened, but falling in love with you made that darkness change. I realized i had been trying to make it go away, but i never needed to do that. It’s still there, but it’s no longer lurking, waiting for me to slip into the undercurrent and carry me away, No. In falling in love with you i fell in love with the world, with life, with myself. It was the small things. The warmth of a hug, of the sun, the color of your eyes, then the color of my eyes, your smile, then one day i realized i didnt hate my smile like i used to. I had convinced myself that i looked horrible smiling and looked much prettier with a neutral expression. But around you i smiled so much, you smiled so much, that it made me realize my smile isnt bad at all. I still think i look prettier without a smile most times, but now i know i dont have a bad smile, and now im not afraid to smile. Which is a good thing bc whenever im around you i wanna smile. Anyway, darkness, sun, tides, all that stuff. I spent so long carving out a spot for myself in the darkness, but it wasnt until i fell in love with you, until i loved you, until you loved me, until i fell in love with pieces of myself and the world, that i realized i was wrong. I didnt need to fight the darkness, wrestle and fight the tide. No, i didnt need to do that at all. Darkness isnt something you fight. It isnt something you push away and reject, it’s something you embrace and let go of. Darkness isnt a fight, it’s a dance. The harder you fight to stay in control the more you get spun around and tripped up. Loving you and loving myself made me realize i needed to stop fighting and flow with the music. I dont need a thousand suns, i dont need a way to fix everything wrong with me, i dont need to think theres a million things wrong with me, i dont need to need anything like that. I just needed to be happy, to accept there are days the darkness is my friend, a comfort when the world gets too much, fuel for when i cant keep going. And there are days that the darkness is very much not my friend, where it is pure fear and stopping me from doing anything, where it makes me lash out and confused and hurt. And that’s ok. I dont need to be in control. I will never be in control of that.
It took falling in love to realize that.
Falling in love isnt the answer to everything, but it helped a lot more than i thought it would. I never looked for love, not like this. No, i didnt fight for this. This love grew naturally, and grew and grew and blossomed into the most beautiful thing. I will fight as hard as i need to keep this love, but i know i will never control it. I never want to control this love. This love that is wild and frantic and panic and soft touches and tender hugs and carefree smiles and safety and healing and good. This love that feels like sleeping after swimming for hours, this love that feels like following the moonlight on a trail to bed, this love that feels like smiling into dying embers on a night in spring when the world feels old and new and ancient and fresh and right. This love that feels like the home i always wanted, feels like the hugs i used to be too scared to want, feels like the world is finally peaceful without it inevitably being ripped away. I will never control this love, i will nevee fight this love, but i will always fight for this love if i need to, i will fight for you if i need to, but i no longer want to fight. I’ve spent years fighting, now i just want to be soft and spend my life with you. My life my heart my time my love it’s all yours
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DIWJSIQNSIWNDKJDIDKSKDBSJDJWK
To all the Yona haters out there, the creators of totk really said por que no los dos
Edit. I don't care if it's a shit post stop telling me to delete it. I reject your Yona hate and substitute with Sidon has two hands you fun sucking assholes.
How is he so pretty i cant
bradleyjames: Not all heroes wear capes however often people pretending to be heroes do…only they have to use a flag because they don’t have a cape. Part 2 of @amandapeixotoelkins defies distance in the name of a photoshoot #FacetimePhotoshoot
Theres only one person i can cuddle and shes an hour away i fucking cant
The original ending will always haunt me so yes i am in denial and this is now the headcanon i’ll use thank you goodbye have a nice day while i figuratively cry in the corner over the original
Idea for an alternate ending:
Merlin gets Arthur to the lake in time and manage to save him.
They spend the night by the lake just talking, like they have been for the past few days, and realise that neither of them is ready to return to Camelot. For various reasons. They decide to take to the roads instead, just disappear, together.
Eventually their (few remaining) friends start to worry and the queen sends out her knights searching for them. Maybe Gaius points them towards the lake and maybe the knights find a neat pile of Arthurs belongings nearby, like his armour and cape (To heavy to carry and to easy to identify) and just assumes the worst. They knew Arthur was injured, and now presumably dead, but where is Merlin? Perhaps the grief was just to much for him? Perhaps he went home? But Hunith hasn't seen him either.
They are both gone. And life moves on.
Until a few months later when rumors start reaching the castle, about two heroes helping people throughout the realm. A fighter and a sorcerer working together using their skills to take out different threats from low life bandits to magical creatures attacking people.
No one really suspects anythingat first, but Gwen sends out her knights to find these two heroes. To confirm the rumors and if so offer a reward for their bravery. And maybe see if they would be willing to join forces?
It's not until Sir Leon hears a description of the two that he start to wonder.. A blond sword fighter with blue eyes and a regal nose who talks like a noble? A dark haired sorcerer also with blue eyes and a wide infectious smile? And they are constantly bickering and insulting each other? It couldn't be? Could it?
Trying not to get his hopes up Leon still doubles the search efforts.
No matter what they do though the knights seems to always be one step behind the two. Always gone before the knights reach the village or town they just saved. Missed them by a few days, a few hours down to mere minutes.
Somewhere along the way Leon hears about The Kiss. Told by an eye witness who saw the blond grab the warlock by the front of his tunic, haul him in and kiss him fiercely for almost getting himself killed (again, the idiot <- Arthurs note).
And suddenly things are making alot more sense. Why they never came back. Why they are staying away and don't want to be found.
He never tells Gwen. Or anyone. But that is the day Leon starts pulling back, cutting down on the search. Telling everyone it's not worth it, it has been over a year ( several years?) and there are more important things for the knights of Camelot to do then chasing ghosts. It's better if people start moving on with their lives instead. They are not coming back.
An undecided amount of time later Leon finds himself drinking alone in some random tavern in some random town, in an unknown part of the kingdom. When two cloaked strangers sit down uninvited at his table. And as he looks up their hoods fall back to reveal two very familiar and very dear faces.
Merlin grins widely. 'We heard you were looking for us?'
I love the artstyle so much aksndidhdjdnjsjsjsjsj
AlriGHT fine, here it is, Metamy enjoyers.
I created this around February last year, but I never ended up posting it because I WASN’T DONE! I wanted to test out CapCut’s capabilities before PRO got introduced. I’m gonna check out alight motion next time…
.Anyways… BYE-
OG SONG
The little sword flicks aiwnsjdndksmxmdmdmdkkskdjfjd
One of my favorite things in Merlin is how you can clearly see Bradley James getting sword fighting training and improving at it as time goes on. Like, season 1, all Arthur sword fights are Duels With Helmets and minimal closeups, and then by the end of the show he's doing these choreographed long takes that look effortless. I just love seeing the progression.
I am in love with the tiny moments of people i will never know
I wish this is how it went akaksjdjfhdjsodkoqoapasjsoakaisjidjwksks
Adapted from this text post by @the-delta-42
Wow this obsession is sudden
so im posting my merthur wip hope its decent. concept is that there’s a shapeshifter that appears as your greatest love. Arthur has gone to tackle this alone and mysteriously. Merlin has followed him because of course. We are in the woods.
——
Merlin felt like he was intruding, seeing Arthur so openly in love like this. The envy festered in his belly, green and sickening.
And then the shapeshifter appeared. Dark, messy hair, an open grin, a clumsy gait, and a very familiar outfit.
Oh gods.
It was him.
Merlin was stuck fast, wide eyed, his heart pounding in his chest. This was not something he had ever prepared for. Not even something he thought could happen. Arthur cared for him? What on earth had that thing said to him to get him to follow?
He fast reasoned that it must be a platonic bond, built on trust, that cemented him as Arthur’s greatest love. His greatest love. Romance was clearly out of the question here.
And yet.
Merlin’s mouth fell open in shock as the siren ran his fingertips slowly over Arthur’s shoulders, and down his strong arms. He could almost feel the contours of Arthur’s body on his own fingertips. Having dressed Arthur so often, he knew the planes of his arms and shoulders almost like the back of his own hands. Long had he dreamed of tracing them like this. He gasped aloud when the shapeshifter tugged on his sword belt, causing Arthur to laugh, undoing it and throwing it into the undergrowth.
Merlin should have been concerned that the thing had disarmed him, but he was far more focused on its clear mission in touching as much of Arthur as possible. Its hands slipped under his white tunic, Arthur laughing as they awkwardly tried to remove it. They finally got it off him, Arthur dramatically throwing his shirt as he tugged Not-Merlin towards him to kiss his neck, Arthur’s hands running through its hair. Merlin breathed desperately, watching his love shiver as shapeshifter kissed and licked at his neck, bliss evident on his face.
Merlin’s blood seemingly had no idea what to do with itself or where to go. He should probably put a stop to this, and save Arthur, but watching his fantasies come to life was quite riveting, actually. The siren annoyingly had Merlin down to a tee. He watched himself melt into Arthur’s touch, and whisper something into Arthur’s ear that made him chuckle. Arthur smiled back.
“I’m yours.” He said, loving and earnest.
He then boldly took its face in his hands-
Merlin snapped back into reality. He had to do something now. He leapt out of his hiding spot and tumbled down the bank.
“Arthur! That isn’t me!” He shouted, feet slipping on the muddy ground as he rushed towards them.
Arthur turned to Merlin, and jumped away from the siren as if he was burned, his face flushing red with shock and embarrassment. He looked between the creature and Merlin frantically.
“What are you doing here?”
“Saving your life, you git!” Merlin grabbed the shapeshifter’s arms, and shoved it away from Arthur, tackling it to the floor. It was very odd fighting himself, but his self loathing was deep enough that it was fairly therapeutic.
Arthur had somehow turned redder, with embarrassment or fury, Merlin wasn’t sure. “Well at least I know you’re the real you, this thing didn’t disrespect me once.”
“It had a bloody good go at it though! Good job I got here.”
“Yes, great job, well done Merlin.” Arthur said through gritted teeth.
Arthur, at this point, was feeling many things, most of which he couldn’t bring himself put into words. Confusion, horror, and the flames of embarrassment coursed through his whole body. However, watching Merlin frantically wrestle with himself also let in a few flickers of something that shot down into his belly, that he probably shouldn’t have been feeling in such a grave situation. He winced at his own insanity, and focused on the matter at hand, desperately searching in the leafy undergrowth for his sword belt.
The siren managed to push Merlin off, flipping them over, pressing his wrists into the mud. He was pinned there by the thing, still looking up at his own face, vindictive and angry.
“Ah… what have we here… you’re a different one, aren’t you. Complicated.” Merlin winced, as the thing tightened its grip, nails digging into flesh. “Must be difficult looking at your own face with so much self hatred. How’s this one?”
Merlin watched in horror as the siren’s face morphed from his own into exactly who he suspected he would see. Dark curls unfurled into a soft blonde, his narrow jaw became strong, square, and he saw the face he had shaved so many times, the eyes he saw blinking into the morning sun every day, settle before him on the face of the siren. The weight on him changed: Arthur’s shape was stronger, heavier. The hands around his wrists became familiar, callouses from sword fighting blooming on its palms, and he couldn’t help but slightly relax into its touch.
He dared not look up and catch the real Arthur’s reaction. He hoped he was still searching for his sword.
The siren smiled with Arthur’s face, soft and loving. Merlin had seen that smile on him just moments earlier, when he first broke into the clearing. He craved this. His traitorous heart filled with bittersweet joy.
it's so weird to me that everyone on this website is a human person outside of their weird internet niche so rb this with a random bit of your lore
Is he gayyyyyyyyy…or neurodivergent??
Both, with disabled flavored sprinkles on top
more High Hawk Season fanart because i think about it a lot
penelope didn't have to turn the tree bed into a riddle. she could have asked odysseus to prove his identity, to tell her something only he would know — which she actually did a few books earlier, when she asked the beggar to describe odysseus, and odysseus told her about a purple cloak with a particular golden brooch that she fastened herself twenty years ago. when penelope tells telemachus they have signs by which they'll know each other, you sort of expect more of the same. and instead, she decides to trap him. like a bug in a cup.
and it's delightful to me, idk, how odysseus has been trapped and cornered in various way throughout the odyssey, but arguably never so that he has to tell the truth to get out. (with the phaeacians, maybe? the omniscient narrator corroborates some of what he tells them, but do we really know everything?) and in fact he is not trying to get free of penelope. he wants something from her, wants to convince her, wants to be welcomed home, but until this point he's lied to her, revealed himself to other people before her, and been distant with her (though also patient! he doesn't try to strongarm or rush her into accepting him; it's his idea to sleep elsewhere).
except penelope isn't looking for him to be distant and patient. penelope lies in a way that requires odysseus to stop playing along — not only to prove that he knows what odysseus knows, but that he's willing to tell the truth about himself.
Why is this actually so sweet and pretty aksjsidhjdfhjdhcjdhfudjdjdj
i was gonna do more with this but i think this is about as far as ill go. maybe. who knows. happy late valentines <3
I miss you
Did you know?
I hear your voice in my ear
I feel your touch on my lips
I see hints of you everywhere
I miss you in the mannerisms i picked up from you
I miss you in the way my hands have the urge to move to scribble at your ribs
I miss you
I love you
I’ll see you tomorrow
Im now obsessed with the idea that shadow learned most of his mannerisms from the robotiniks and mainly maria
au where sonic and silver end up on the ark because i say so
a perfectly normal child being raised on a space colony for scientists that are slightly maniacal
I love how insane this would look to anyone outside of the fandom
My mother would be scarred and scared and it would be the highlight of my dad and my sis would be cackling from 30 miles away
Happy Valentines Day💕
The desperation in his voice, the fact he already checked all the places, the way he tosses out the “last night” as if they had been sharing a bed and he woke up to find him gone when he was expecting cuddles
Ok im reading a little too much into it but gods the deleted scenes are so precious and a lot of the times so gay
Let’s take into consideration:
Arthur would rather waste precious time before an important council meeting to run around the entire castle and search for Merlin, who, in his very honest opinion is the worst servant of the entire kingdom or that he had ever known, than to call literally anyone else to help him dress (as if there wouldn’t be anyone ready to assist Arthur, their king, with clothes);
Arthur, and therefore Agravaine (which makes it all the more hilarious) knows every single place where Merlin could be, at that precise moment, or during that day in general; (EDIT: As someone pointed out in the comments, everyone and Agravaine included knows who is the “dollophead”)
The guards nod to Agravaine without asking anything, which only means that it is canon that everyone in Camelot knows Merlin by name; EDIT: It also means that the guards deal with this on a daily basis. They must be tired.
The aforementioned point implies that everyone knows how Merlin looks like, that also means Merlin is known to never leave Arthur’s side, even during council meetings;
Arthur is running around the castle in what today we would call a pyjama, just because Merlin didn’t wake him up with, “Rise and Shine”. And he’s barefoot. That’s right. The king of Camelot, everyone, has just walked barefoot in Merlin’s chambers, in the armoury, where other knights probably are, and in the bloody stables (yes, the ones where the horses and their dungs both are), without boots on, just to look for Merlin;
Arthur is more distressed in this scene than in the one where Morgana declares war in season five. He’s fretting like a mother hen. Not only he is without breath, which means he was just coming back from his checking around, but he is red in the face and almost yelling in desperation. “Does he expect me to dress myself?!” Because apparently, Arthur literally cannot do anything without Merlin by his side. The way he says, “No sign of him” to Agravaine is so endearing, and he shouldn’t be this adorable. Unfair, Arthur. Really unfair.
Arthur just yells, (and distressingly looks around) in hope that Merlin will come back to him, because he always does. *sounds of my heart breaking into millions of pieces*
And last but not least, Arthur shouts, “Last night!”, which means the actual reason he’s going around searching for Merlin, it’s because he’s worried his world will end without his quirky and clumsy servant by his side (and the love of his life). Merlin is currently out on a quest with Gwaine to look for Gaius, since he has been kidnapped, but the problem is that Arthur doesn’t know this. What he knows is that he has fought with Merlin the day before about Gaius in the council chambers, and believes Merlin is gone for good, this time, and solely for the fight they had. Arthur feels more than guilty that he can’t make it up to his best friend, the love of his life (Agravaine helped Morgana kidnap Gaius, and it explains the ending of the scene, where he understands where Merlin is.) Now Arthur is worried that his last words to Merlin were harsh. He had last seen him when he was done with his duties the night before, and then Merlin disappeared.
No wonder they deleted this scene.
They are both unfairly pretty akajdjajdbjabdkwbdhskwkdjwjdjsjs
know, it's been a while...
MERTHUR
It's been a while...
MERTHUR -
You do something to me that I can't explain Hold me closer and I feel no pain Every beat of my heart We got something going on
Tender love is blind It requires a dedication All this love we feel needs no conversation We ride it together, ah ha Making love with each other, ah ha
Islands in the stream That is what we are No one in between How can we be wrong? Sail away with me To another world And we rely on each other, ah ha (Islands in the stream)
My manip, my edit, Photoshop, Corel, Huiontablet
Why is this so in character holy shit
saw this on pinterest and had to
They really are two sides of the same coin i cant
Arthur wears a mask of power and confidence over insecurity and neediness.
Merlin wears a mask of insecurity and neediness over power and confidence.
YOU
Help
My girlfriend is teasing me and im so fucking flustered and shes so confident in the teasing its making me lose my mind shes normally all embarrassed and flustered anytime someone brings up tickling and shes the most flustered lee ever omg but we were texting earlier and she asked me to tickle her which is just aksnskdjdjfjjfjrjddj i mean this is the lee that can barely say the word tickle on a regular day but she said it just to ask me and it flustered me so much gods AND THEN SHE FULLY DESCRIBED HOW SHE WANTS ME TO TICKLE HER AND IM GONE IM FUCKING AHHHHHHFHDHHFHFHFHFFH i normally ramble to her about all the ways i wanna tickle her but holy fuck reading all the places and ways she wants me to tickle her is just agajdjskxjekjjfjdjsjdisjsj im gone im so far gone im only able to talk bc i need to rant about this somewhere and i just aksnsjdjwkskdjdjjddjjdjd im so flustered i cant my body was about to fucking get up to tickle her and i had to stop myself bc shE LIVES AN HOUR AWAY SO I CANT BUT MY BODY IS STILL WANTING TO GO TO HER AND JUST AKSJSEJIEJDOSNO
Help
My girlfriend is teasing me and im so fucking flustered and shes so confident in the teasing its making me lose my mind shes normally all embarrassed and flustered anytime someone brings up tickling and shes the most flustered lee ever omg but we were texting earlier and she asked me to tickle her which is just aksnskdjdjfjjfjrjddj i mean this is the lee that can barely say the word tickle on a regular day but she said it just to ask me and it flustered me so much gods AND THEN SHE FULLY DESCRIBED HOW SHE WANTS ME TO TICKLE HER AND IM GONE IM FUCKING AHHHHHHFHDHHFHFHFHFFH i normally ramble to her about all the ways i wanna tickle her but holy fuck reading all the places and ways she wants me to tickle her is just agajdjskxjekjjfjdjsjdisjsj im gone im so far gone im only able to talk bc i need to rant about this somewhere and i just aksnsjdjwkskdjdjjddjjdjd im so flustered i cant my body was about to fucking get up to tickle her and i had to stop myself bc shE LIVES AN HOUR AWAY SO I CANT BUT MY BODY IS STILL WANTING TO GO TO HER AND JUST AKSJSEJIEJDOSNO
Reblogging for reference later totally no reason girlfriend dont worry its totally not (thats a lie) for you
1. telling me i’m cute when i’m blushing
2. one finger trailing down my sole. or my side. or my tummy. or literally anywhere
3. lulling me into a false sense of security by starting with massages, running your fingers through my hair, tummy rubs, etc.
4. POINTING OUT THE FACT THAT I LIKE IT DEAR GOD ITS SO EVIL BUT ITS SO GREAT
5. the frickin finger walking thing
6. keeping your fingers INCHES from my skin and wiggling them without actually touching me
7. whispering in my ear esPECIALLY IF YOU TEASE ME ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO OR TALK ABOUT I HOW YOU KNOW I’M ENJOYING IT OH MY GOD I WILL MELT INTO A PUDDLE
8. growling playfully (especially when nibbling!)
9. speaking of which, TICKLISH NIBBLES
10. saying “that sound you made was so cute/ let’s see if we can get you to make that sound again” like I will be so red
11. using the t word as much as possible
12. making me admit something/ say the t word to get you to stop
13. USING YOUR FRICKIN NAILS
14. nuzzly tickles
15. surprise attacks
16. fingers tracing down my spine
17. teasing me iN PUBLIC LIKE WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT I CANT FALL APART IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE
18. anticipation in any form. literally ANY form
19. picking me up gently to move me to a bed, couch, etc.
20. calling me nicknames ( @takeaguessitsjess keep your mouth shut)
I should start doing this my girlfriend would love her mind so slowly itd be so cute
how it be sometimes
AHHHHHHSHJDJWJJWJKKSOJWICBQKDLSJDQKHJSCNKSNCKSKDNCKDNFKWKSMD WTF WHY IS THIS SO GOOD HOLY SHIT I WAS GOING DOWN THE EMYRS TAG RABBIT HOLE AND CAME ACROSS THIS AND HOLY FUCK ANDOZMISBCJAJKD
there are consequences to being a creature of magic, of the old religion, of power and energy given form.
merlin is not human, no matter what he thinks. the body he has is just a second skin, a coat over the tumultuous magic beneath, so that it had shape, form. he looks human, he thinks human, he feels human. but he is not truly human.
it’s why shapeshifting spells work so well upon him. he’s not changing himself, just the look of the skin he’s wearing. the magic beneath has no true form, and thus cannot be changed when it is everything everywhere all at once.
(the magic that makes merlin is the magic that makes the world, so it has no shape and to look upon it with mortal eyes would be a headache inducing, nauseating ever-shifting thing, that moves through different features of different magical beings like the water of a lake rippling.)
OR
someone with a deep connection to the old religion can see that emrys is no true human. just a creature of magic wearing a human skin, a shapeshifter that refuses to show its true form. (because people say emrys is magic, but no one truly understands the roiling thing living and breathing inside his skin. so obviously there has to be a true form of emrys underneath the image of merlin.)
so they decide to rip that human skin off. force the shape beneath to show itself. tear away the visage of merlin to leave behind only emrys, the creature that will bring magic back to the land or so help them.
it takes a lot of energy and power, and the use of ancient artifacts of the old religion that have been slowly gathering magic for centuries. but they manage it, they bind the human skin to an object, and tear the object away, to leave behind only emrys.
…
except emrys is not made for mortal eyes. especially not the eyes of someone who had hurt them and tore away their shape, their form. (because emrys, as a creature of magic, is still heartbreakingly young. a child, really. maybe that’s why merlin is still so wide-eyed all the time. still young at heart, even as his body looks older.)
so they look upon emrys and burn.
and emrys, lost and confused and hurt and not understanding— where is their body why do they hurt what is wrong with them they are constantly changing shapes and cannot control it and theyre so scared— flees to the only thing they know for sure. and behind them, amongst the mess of ash and scorched earth that once was alive, the object holding their skin lies abandoned, forgotten.
OR
arthur finds the embodiment of magic huddled up against his bedroom window. he doesn’t recognize it immediately as such, but it glows golden and cannot seem to stop subtlety changing shape and growing features that were not there before while losing others. and really, he picks up on the fact eventually.
to reiterate, arthur pendragon, son of the magic-hating king, a young man who had not yet decided if he would hate it the same, has the embodiment of magic hiding outside his window.
he shouldn’t open it. shouldn’t let the pathetic, forcing-itself-to-be-small thing inside.
it howls and cries without words, a sad and fearful air pressing down on him, begging begging helphelphelphelpsomethingswrongsomethingswrongtheytookawaymybodyarthurarthurarthurhelphelphelphelphe—
arthur opens the window.
as the magic flies in, it takes a more solid, in the loosest form of the word, form, dragon-like and small. young. it hides in the crook of his neck, tucks its head in close and shivers.
arthur feels almost like he has let in a frightened bird, it is so small and fluttery.
merlin’s gone missing and there is something small and magical and highly illegal hiding against the small hollow between his neck and shoulders.
he leaves it there.
OR
arthur holds a power he does not quite understand in his hands. he knows it is greater than its form, can feel the pressing weight of something that belies the tiny body.
he knows it is magic. perhaps that is all he really needs to know.
and then he does something that feels exceedingly foolish.
“i’m looking for merlin, my… manservant,” he begins, and the golden thing ripples like a lake in the wind, “can you find where he was taken?”
at least seven eyes blink into existence upon the roiling magical creature, all of them looking up at arthur. another blink, and then they vanish. in their place, wings sprout, some of them draconian in shape, others more bird-like and feathery.
a tail, tiny and yet impossibly strong, wraps around his wrist, and the thing takes flight, pulling him along.
the knights startle, when arthur appears, being seemingly dragged behind a creature no bigger than a songbird, and so breathtakingly magical in spite of it.
“well?” arthur asks, acerbic. “prepare your steeds. we’ve finally gotten a lead on merlin.”
OR
they find a wasteland.
there is nothing left alive in a large circle, all of it surrounding an ancient building now nothing but rubble. the life is not burned away, or diseased into nothing, or anything that could be argued as natural.
instead, it is a wasteland that magic had abandoned. that intrinsic thing within all things, alive and not, had fled this place, ushered out by a fearful and terrified little godling ripped away from the only skin-home it had ever known.
nothing lives here and nothing will ever live here.
it is an ill omen indeed.
and then they discover the sorcerer’s bones, and the fact that said sorcerer was not in fact working alone.
“you,” the only other living being in about a mile spits out like a curse, upon sighting the king, “what have you done with them? where is the being below the skin?”
none of the knights nor the king understand. the little creature of magic had hidden itself in the folds of arthur’s cape, another golden draconian insignia among the rest.
“the what?” arthur asks.
“where is emrys?” the sorcerer spits, summoning a stream of fire heading directly for the king.
magic itself, given form, bursts from the camelot red cape, all golden edges and vengeful anger, the tiny thing no larger than an arm suddenly expanding rapidly. it forms a gigantic serpent, or something like it, lithe and long, but with the beak of a bird of prey, eyes like a feline, a unicorn’s horn on its head. it eats the fire whole, and the giant form bears down on the suddenly cowering sorcerer.
“but—but we freed you,” they mutter, afraid, “we released you from the human shell containing you. how else… how else could you bring back magic…?”
the thing cannot speak, it has no way to do so. what it can do is press feeling into your head. whatever this is, it is so powerful everyone there can feel it, and perhaps even some that are much further away.
G I V E I T B A C K.
it feels nothing like the helpless pained crying that arthur had heard from outside his window, like a yowling alley cat. this monster is nothing like the little bird-like afraid thing that had hidden in his collar, tucked against his throat. this beast of dripping fangs and deadly edges is almost completely separate from the creature of fluttery wings and wide eyes.
and yet he can hear something distinctly afraid in the wailing howl.
it is still desperate and afraid. it’s just angry enough now to cover it up.
Literally for merlin lmao
I tend to post a lot of Merlin-centric stuff, but I wouldn't want you to think I haven't noticed the amount of indecent Arthur cleavage that goes on in the show.
My God, could he be anymore of a tease. 🤤
Im losing my mind over the not so closeted closeted gays
Guess what I found in the BBC archives...
(absolutely nothing so I had to make my own lost footage) Video edit under the cut <3
This show has my brain acting feral rn i cant ;-;