MERLIN REWATCH ✦ 1.02 Valiant

chat what if your gay lover left you to become a depressed vigilante

It’s okay

I need you to understand that when I say "comments are appreciated!" I mean that I will reply to every one of them. I mean that an email with an ao3 notification has a higher priority than a message from my mother. I mean that I will have entire discussions in the comment section if you're up for it. Message me on tumblr and I will have the same discussions on an even more unhinged level. I will dissect entire personalities and ships and fictional political structures and worldbuilding with you. I will become your new best friend. You already ARE my new best friend. At the last battle, I would raise Anduril and say "For my ao3 readers" while a single tears rolls down my cheek, and dive into the fray. I would upload from beyond the grave if someone asked about the next chapter

Sometimes I think about the, “Where have you been?” scene, and I remember that since the moment Merlin crouches down next to Arthur, Arthur never once leaves Merlin’s shoulder. He holds onto it, grips it like it’s the only life line he has that ties him to Merlin.

Arthur cannot leave Merlin because it would mean to leave the only reason why he’s still alive and the reason why he waited for Merlin and the reason for why he did not die on the battlefield.

Because Arthur had to see Merlin again, hence the, “Where have you been?” followed by Merlin who tells him that his side is bleeding, only for Arthur to answer him with, “That’s all right, I thought I was dying”,

I thought I would die without seeing you again.

gaius, politely informing uther that his wife is a troll: she also has, what appears to be, a set of fangs.

sir leon the long-suffering, also very politely: i wouldn't so much as call them fangs

gaius:

uther:

leon: they're more like tusks.

LEON SWEETHEART YOU ARE A GEM

Gwaine: Arthur asked me to pretend to be his boyfriend because his father is homophobic and wants him to date a noble but he ended up hating me so much that he was relieved when he found out Arthur was actually dating Merlin

Lancelot: Task failed successfully

Leon: Congratulations on being so awful you destroyed century old prejudices

okay just stab me i guess

you were kind; i was cruel

the funniest part about merlin is the fact that he’s even around for most of the show. like what the fuck is he doing there. no other person with a personal servant is tailed like arthur is. and yet nobody fucking blinks an eye at his presence.

like there are at least three separate occasions where the plot for an episode is uther sending arthur on a super secret confidential mission with the fate of the kingdom at stake, and they have a whole conversation like ‘i need you to understand the importance of the secrecy of this mission.’ ‘understood father, i will take only my most trusted men.’ ‘no arthur, you and YOU ALONE must go.’ ‘i understand.’ and then it cuts to the super secret mission and fucking merlin is just there. like. road trip with my best buddy. what a view. love this horse. like ARTHUR?

everyone always forgets he exists the second a fight happens, too. every goddamn time the knights go on a short patrol that god forbid merlin not tag along for they get attacked by bandits or whatever and merlin doesn’t even carry a fucking sword and after the fight arthur always turns around and merlin is just kinda standing there in the middle of the fight picking at a hang nail. nobody considers it wild that he’s there for all of this. the one time he actually bothered taking a sword off a dead guy to defend himself with arthur saw him holding it and he mocked it like ‘lol the fuck are you of all people gonna do with that’ THEY FULLY EXPECT HIM TO JUST STAND AND WAIT FOR THE FIGHT TO END

Gaius: A teacher can learn many things from their student.

Arthur: So, what did you learn from Merlin?

Gaius: Why some species eat their young.