whynot | Cordazar Calvin Broadus would like you to get yours before his.

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Cordazar Calvin Broadus would like you to get yours before his.

There are some things you should check out.

1. FIC: Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda by

alice_pike. Narnia, Golden Age, Edmund/Lucy, PG13. BIOMEFIC. Which, okay, isn't a real term, but you know how 'and sometimes you hear the silence speak' is like, "Deserts!!" and 'The Light of a Different Sun' is all, "The tropics!" This fic is like, "THE ARCTIC," and it is so. Fucking. Incredible. You guys. Edmund and Lucy are Arctic explorers, just read it.

2. THINGATHON: All hail the Gwen/Morgana Thingathon (Week 1)! Before you can post a prompt, you must answer a prompt, and it doesn't have to be fic. It can be icons! It can be fanart! Whatever!

3. SNOOP DOGG

4. CHEESE, EVERYTHING'S BETTER WITH

5. RAMADHAN: starts in like two weeks, and eid_ka_chand (and maybe

eid_fic?) needs YOU to make some fic/meta/picspam/whatever about Muslim characters. I'm, uh, lapsed, but since Islam has informed who I am and is a part of my family and culture, I'll be playing in that sandbox when the time comes 'cos -- and I'm gonna quote

dhobikikutti here -- "[c]elebrating Eid is personal for me because it is a festival I share with friends and relatives, but wanting to see more characters like them in fandom is political. Because I think that fiction has enormous possibilities for inciting change in how we define 'normal', and whom we learn to love and care for despite differences in culture."

The call to action! The list of Muslim characters! Set this on percolate, guys.

...Okay, so I'm scrolling down that list of Muslim characters and, under 'TV Shows', I SEE: THE ADVENTURES OF SINBAD. omg. WHO REMEMBERS THIS SHOW.

Quoth TV Tropes, "The story followed the adventures of a caucasian Sinbad, his older brother Doubar, Firouz the alchemist, the mute Rongar, and Celtic sorceress Maeve."

Where to begin.

So anyway, I totally read Adventures of Sinbad fic and shipped Sinbad/Maeve. MY DARK PAST.

IN OTHER NEWS. The "Will lives!" Merlin AU is bugging me to pay attention to it. Ask me questions about it or give me prompts or something, because I want to flesh it out some. THE STORY SO FAR: he returns with them to Camelot. Also, ask me questions/give me prompts about Gaius? Because he's been niggling too.

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WHO REMEMBERS THIS SHOW.

I DO.

It was part of the "omg too hungover to watch real tv" Saturday lineup. Sinbad, Hercules, Xena, Highlander.

I liked Xena too, but I was never much in to the other two. I watched them when I was but wee, badly subtitled.

omg remember SUDDENLY BRYN and her stick?! wtf.

Hercules hits all my buttons, so that's on the all-time list, I'm embarrassed to mention. Boys with hero compexes! Damsels who are distressed but also feisty! BFFs forever!

Yes I'm sad. But now that I've actually clicked that list and noticed that Faiza from Captain Britain and MI13is on there, and Little Mosque on the Prairie (Amaar/Rayyan! I 'ship it), I feel helplessly intrigued. And I promised myself no more ficathons.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I'm going to participate in the actual ficathon. I envision my contribution to be some drabbles over the course of Ramadhan.

1. OMG THANKS FOR THAT REC. Ed/Lucy is a big guilty pleasure of mine, and well-written fics of them are rarer than... a very rare thing. Like emeralds. Or raspberry toaster strudels.

5. FOR THE LONGEST TIME, I have been wanting to write fic about Anwar and Maxxie in London together post-S2, and Anwar falling in love with Maxxie and having Issues because of his religion. But I am an extremely slow/un-dedicated writer. As you've probably noticed because of how long it takes me to respond to commentfic. Hopefully this will be the kick in the butt I need.

You may have seen the following, but these (http://rei-c.livejournal.com/tag/chronicles) are good, as is this (http://biggrstaffbunch.livejournal.com/82241.html). This one (http://liminalliz.livejournal.com/1206227.html) is my favorite.

omg I hope your butt will be sufficiently kicked! Anwaaaaaar!

Spy!Edmund makes me melt. (Well, Edmund really just makes me melt always.)

How does Will fit into the hierarchy of servants? What does he officially DO (or, avoid doing, whichever way it works) and how does this get him around the others?

Hmm, good question. Maybe Merlin tries to pull some strings and try to get him a good position in the big house, but maybe Will is quite comfortable working outside with the stableboys, or something. He likes the camaraderie. Will does get teasing sometimes, some less affectionate than others, that he's just here because he's the favorite's favorite's favorite.

Honestly, my knowledge of castle servants don't extend very far. Stableboy, manservant, steward, kitchen boy, scullery boy. That's it.

Anyway, I think Arthur ends up promoting Will when two end up bonding over hunting (http://mrinalinee.livejournal.com/5552.html?thread=22192#t22192), though I'm not promote to what. Something that enables Will to hang around Arthur more and talk about crossbows and tracking and stuff. Merlin's just relieved he doesn't have to go out hunting anymore.

2. Thingathon! WEEEEEEE! This reminds me that I owe you ninja!Merlin fic.

5. Dude, I try to keep track of most major religious holidays, but Ramadan always sneaks up on me. Tricksy tricksy.

Also, ask me questions/give me prompts about Gaius?

I have an awesome new Gaius icon! Ummmmm. Write about Gaius' own apprenticeship (either magical or medical).

This reminds me that I owe you ninja!Merlin fic.
Sweeter words I have not heard today.

Yeah, it change it up every year. Stupid lunar calendar.

Gaiussss. I wonder if Gaius's master did both the magic AND medical tutoring, or if Gaius ever had to go to Geoffrey and bully him into finding magic scrolls in the library or something. I think a little of both. (Geoffrey grumbles about it a bit, why can't Gaius do his own damn research, Geoffrey has books to reshelf! But Geoffrey indulges his friend.) Magic wasn't outlawed back in the day, and everyone had access to at least a little bit of it. Even Gaius's master. Just little things though, like maybe in enchanting a cauldron hot or something.

I'm not sure if Gaius ever had a real magical apprenticeship. I lean towards no. Possibly magic was just so ubiquitous and benign that he picked up some stuff here and there, and pursued it as a hobby and matter of intellectual curiosity, but he wasn't super all about it.

It is possible that his master was killed by Uther for using sorcery, and Gaius has issues about it, because he didn't or wasn't able to do anything. The line between "didn't" and "wasn't able to" is getting finer and finer, he finds.

Why does Gaius stay with Uther? Does the thought of being caught harboring a young wizard keep him up at night? What about Morgana's powers? Has he been to see the dragon, if so, what did he ask and what did he hear? Does he see the faces of the friends he watched get executed? Does he think he did the right thing, or the wrong thing, or the rightest wrong? Has he ever been in love? (with merlin's mom?) (how does he even know merlin's mom enough to have her be like "Here, risk your life for my reckless child"?)

Does the thought of being caught harboring a young wizard keep him up at night?
No. The opposite will.

Gaius and the dragon canonically have talks. I forget which episode Gaius goes down to talk to him, but it does happen. Makes me wonder if they were friends before. Maybe they weren't really, but the dragon sees value in Gaius in that he is someone who is a) close to the king, b) not entirely disconnected from magic, and c) harbors some great guilt. The dragon is waiting for the right time to take advantage of all three of these.

THE RIGHTEST WRONG. I love that. But I'm tempted to think that he thinks he did the wrong thing so he can be alive, and he increasingly feels the need to do something useful with his aliveness to compensate, which is where his magical kids come in I guess. Gaius does see faces, but he learns to ignore his reactions to them.

I think initially Gaius stays with Uther for protection. If he stays Uther's devoted servant, then Uther will have less reason to suspect Gaius of wrongdoing. (Uther, Gaius has noticed, is a poor judge of character.) Gaius will be in a position to push the scrutinizing eye away from himself. But eventually Gaius does warm up to him. The more he and Uther hang around together, the more Uther confides in him and asks for his help. That does things to a man's ego. It pleases Gaius to be needed.

Damn, how DOES he know Hunith? Is Gaius from Ealdor (or a nearby village) or is Hunith from Camelot? I like to think they were just friends. He admires in her the kind of strength he doesn't have, and she is amused by his dodderingness. Gaius has been in love, but I don't even know where to begin thinking about that one. Maybe he was in love with Geoffrey, who knows. Or Uther. Or Igraine.

"Here, risk your life for my reckless child"
GOOD POINT. Maybe she's taking advantage of his guilt, knowing Gaius will see this as a chance at redemption that he can't say no to.

But I'm tempted to think that he thinks he did the wrong thing so he can be alive, and he increasingly feels the need to do something useful with his aliveness to compensate, which is where his magical kids come in I guess.
Oh, WORD. Survivor's guilt and blood on his hands. Bad combination.

Hmm. I am tempted to say she must have known, really really known, that Gaius would take him in--you don't risk your kid's life if you suspect someone might feel guilty enough to take him in, actively protect him. Iiiinteresting.

...You are going to write about this, right???

So when Gaius takes Merlin in, is it as a favor to Hunith, or as a favor to his own conscience?

Someday I will. Right now I'm just enjoying thinking about him, and Will.

BIOME FIC, FUCK YEAH. I think I am adding that to my lj interests :))

a thingathon sounds AWESOME. Maybe I should stop doing -athons, though. I always forget and procrastinate and they pile up.

re Ramadhan fic: I just wrote an Ender/Alai drabble and had to go check Ender's Game to reread Alai's Salaam kiss scene. This Alai thing is percolating fo sho (he becomes caliph when he returns to earth! HE IS SO COOL)

WILL LIVES! Where does he sleep, in Merlin's room? Does he just follow Merlin around for his job or I bet he gets one somewhere in Camelot - what did he do in Ealdor? farm? does he have a trade? I would love to see him have a conversation with Gaius. Maybe Will becomes his new assistant so Merlin can concentrate on attending to Arthur. Does he get to see the dragon, since he knows about Merlin's magic? I bet he has LOTS of fun with Gwen and Merlin's mutually affectionate awkward moments!

FUCK YEEEAAAAAAH. What next?! Jungles? The underwater world? Ahh!

The arrangement to sleep in Merlin's room is supposed to be temporary, but then they kind of get used to it. Gaius pretends to grumble about it. I think he and Will end up bonding. (WILL, MEANT TO BOND WITH EVERYONE IN CAMELOT.) Gaius may say that Merlin is like a son to him, but Merlin sort of... doesn't need him, as much as they care for each other. Will maybe finds a father figure in Gaius more than Merlin does, because in a lot of ways Will is more vulnerable than Merlin is, and as I was saying to Wyrm up there, Gaius likes to feel needed.

Job-wise, I dunno. I was talking to

westingturtle up there about what servant Will would be. Then again, I think it would also be adorable to the extreme if he becomes Gwen's apprentice in blacksmithing. They can bond over "the king killed my dad" angst, and occasionally make out. Oh man, if Will becomes Gwen's apprentice, I will have difficulties not writing Will/Gwen. He may poke fun at Merlin/Gwen awkward affection, but only because he's kind of oblivious to his own Will/Gwen, and maybe Gwen gets a little pissed when Will is like, "You guys should just make out already," and she is like, "Oh, SHOULD WE?" And then it all devolves into romcom of the worst sort. Hmm. This part needs work.

I do plan to keep the part where Arthur sort of promotes him (officially or otherwise) so they can hang out and talk about hunting some more.

Oh man, what WOULD it be like now that it's Merlin, Gaius, AND Will in on a secret? I have a feeling Merlin and Gaius kind of keep the dragon a secret from Will at first though. There's just something about dragons under castles that screams "need-to-know basis". Also, do Merlin and Gaius know that each other knows about the dragon??

What would be interesting is Will&Morgana. Does he recognize the magic in her because he's seen it for so long in Merlin? Do they become 'opposites day' Merlin&Arthur?

(LOL OH GOOGLE ADS:
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HAHA AWWW WILL/GWEN IS SO CUTE! I don't know about romcom of the worst sort, I think it could be very cute because Merlin might get a glimpse of what is really going on with Gwen and Will before they realize it. Unless that is bad romcom and I relinquish any claims I made on the ability to make love stories. Really I just want to see them smithing together and any bonus kisses are bonus :)

Will is just the bonding type. Despite the part where he's kind of hostile? Well, the situation merited prickly. Ooh, he and Gaius might get in fights about how Merlin should or shouldn't use his magic! Giving Merlin the chance to tell them both to mind their own business, and have them look at each other and realize what mothers they're being.

There's just something about dragons under castles that screams "need-to-know basis".
I DIED XD SO TRUE

I don't think Merlin and Gaius know about each other knowing about the dragon! Which is exciting. I noticed that the dragon never mentions talking to the other to either of them. Perhaps they are building up to a scene where Gaius is like *melodrama* "Merlin, there's something I have to show you." "Is this about the dragon, because I am so never talking to him again."

Will and Morgana!? I dunno, she doesn't have magic like Merlin, does she? (DOES SHE?? who knows with these writers). Opposites day Merlin&Arthur? huh?

If ever I need a dragon, I will know where to look! Thanks, Yahoo.

Will/Gwen is superadorable. And maybe Merlin and Morgana play matchmaker?! And maybe fall in love themseeeeeelves?? Ha, that leaves Arthur out in the cold though. MAYBE HE IS SAVING HIMSELF FOR LANCELOT. Clearly the only solution is an orgy.

he and Gaius might get in fights about how Merlin should or shouldn't use his magic! Giving Merlin the chance to tell them both to mind their own business
LOLOL YES

Well, not magic like Merlin, but she can see the future and stuff. And my fanon is that she's eventually able to learn magic. Anyway, I can't wait for Series 2 to expand on this.

But maybe all magic is essentially the same, so Will recognizes it in Morgana because he grew up seeing it in Merlin. And because Will is kind of callous and figures that everyone knows because everyone is chummy, he lets it slip to Morgana that he's figured it out about her powers. Morgana's like, "!!!!!" And Will is like, "You mean you didn't know?" And maybe there is a Morgana&Gaius confrontation scene, while Merlin yells at Will like, "How can you be so stupid!"

And Will says, "But how was I to know? I thought we all knew!" I guess chumminess doesn't translate to secret-keeper in Camelot. City-folk and their sly ways.

"Uther beheads people like her!" Merlin continues, and Will is like sorry sorry.

Now the only people who don't know are Arthur and Gwen. "For their own good," Merlin explains, which doesn't sit well with Morgana. At all. "Look, we're protecting them," Merlin continues, and Morgana just gets angrier. Merlin's sketchy morals! (He is maybe becoming Gaius?!)

I forget how this is supposed to be opposites day Merlin&Arthur, so let's say it's not. I think I like Will knowing about Morgana's magic, but I'm not sure what I'd like him to do with the information. This is just one possibility. He can also try to broach the subject subtly with Gwen. ("Have you noticed anything... strange about your mistress?")

"Have you noticed anything... strange about your mistress?"
"Well, she likes having me dress her, even though I know for a fact the only other lady in Camelot who still has her maidservant do that has rheumatism. And she really likes the way I smell, she's always telling me and sticking her nose under my ear. And she has the softest hands, I mean really I can't believe any lady could have hands so soft. She's very good at giving me goosebumps. One day I saw a strange mark on her hip, I check it every day to make sure it hasn't changed. Is that what you're talking about?"

Will: "... maybe? I think you're on to something, though! Please, go on!"

I HAVE MORE TO SAY ABOUT THIS BUT IT IS ALREADY SO BEDTIME - I will get back to this. (how do all our comments get so huge? okay maybe not all. but a lot :)) )

HAHA OH WILL, WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW.

how do all our comments get so huge?
god i don't know, but it's awesome, and fills me with <33333333

ASLKFDSLK Merlin/Morgana matchmaker match (<3 that pairing) and Arthur saving himself for Lancelot!!!!!! XDDD I would be so sad if Merlin didn't end in an orgiastic OT# lovefest; I guess I am setting myself up for disappointment, but that is what we have fandom for.

Morgana's secret HAS to get out! somehow! she's been increasingly realizing her power / having her visions get more out of hand throughout the series, so she's got to realize it soon. Hopefully before Uther does. omggggg what suspense! Also I would love to see more Merlin with sketchy morals. As it is he is soooo idealistic, like with Lancelot and stuff, and it is endearing but also a little, Come on now Merlin there are big things at risk here. Agh oh Will I love him and his homespun innocence, chumminess = confiding and such. Camelot needs more of him and Lancelot and Gwen, y/y.

I was watching clips of Katie McGrath and she's like, "I can't wait until I'm the villain!" or something to that effect. I wonder if she will actually go seriously evil. I can't quite imagine the show going that way. Hopefully this will just fudge up her morals and make her more interesting, and Gwen tries to save her, and Merlin tries to save her.

Y

I hope they milk the Gwen-and-Merlin-try-to-save-Morgana plot for as long as possible. I hope it lasts a season, her slight moral ~~confusion~~ complication and slow decline into the grey area, with people not noticing or trying to pull her out. Merlin and Arthur get enough saving already.

I don't think I could imagine her seriously evil! Like, actually against Merlin and Arthur and Gwen? No way... Against Uther yeah duh for sure; I'm sort of disappointed that the sorcerer's stone ep made her morally incapable of killing Uther because it sort of indicates that she won't be the one to do it. that would be tragically awesome.

I want everyone to save each other all the tiiiiiime.

Yeah, her or Arthur ending Uther would be INTENSE. Too intense for primetime?! Hopefully not. It would be so lovely, if by lovely we mean heartbreaking, and most of the time that is exactly what I mean.

I really hope it's not, like, heart disease that gets him. awww. I want more heartbreaking/lovely than that.

"I'M SORRY, SIRE, YOUR FATHER HAS DIED BECAUSE THE NEW COOK WAS NOT AWARE OF THE KING'S FATAL PEANUT ALLERGY."

VILLAIN OF THE WEEK TRIPS HIM ON THE STAIRS

HE ABDICATES AND SKIPS AWAY TO A LOVELY RETIREMENT HOME IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

SYPHILISSSSSSSSSS

Arthur and Morgana exchange glances over Uther's body.

"We'll announce it was the pox," Arthur concedes, and Morgana nods furiously.

EWWWWWWW
where is Gaius in this exchange?
PROBABLY HIDING IN A CORNER ABSOLUTELY MORTIFIED

XD

Gaius is more stoic than the kids are. Being court physician during the middle ages, you see a lot of gruesome shit about the human body.

*shudder* I bet. I only mean he feels very embarrassed about this. Imagine not noticing your beloved king had syphilis...

For the crack: Will should be Uther's manservant. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO WRITE THIS! It would drive Will insane, and Uther would play a lowerlevel version of that infrequent-approval thing he does with Arthur, and maybe Will would just not get the subtlety, and then they somehow end up drunk together, drunk under a table, and semibond over being not really very brave. (Cause I swear, Uther is actually often a wee bit scared. It's why he's noisy.)

For the serious: there should be un-apologist Gaius POV of 1x07 -- him bringing Morgana almost all the way to yes you are a seer and then doubling back last-minute into no, it's better if you think you're insane.

omg, the lulz would be epic.

Uther is actually often a wee bit scared. It's why he's noisy.
HEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Yes. When Uther goes off on his anti-sorceror soapbox though, Will shrugs and goes, "They're not so bad." And then remembers survival instincts. "THAT IS TO SAY, THEY'RE HORRIBLE."

"RIGHT," Uther agrees.

Un-apologist! Intriguing. Truly, where DO Gaius's loyalties lie? How much justification does he have to do to himself? Why does this sound like the right thing to do?

oooh what about: we already know that Gaius's medical ethics are whack; is this something that is limited to the people he knows, like, he doesn't mind lying to Morgana because she is the king's ward and he sort of feels like it's his duty to protect her and the royal family or whatever-the-shit his justification is; or does it bleed into his everyday practice? And if it does, how far does it extend? I mean, if he had a patient who had non-magical Issues that were nevertheless delicate and potentially life-altering (idk what) would he act in their best interest without consulting them? Or is it purely a self-preservation thing? THAT PROBABLY MADE NO SENSE; I AM KIND OF TIRED.

No, no, I get what you're saying. I tend to think he's more benign in non-magical medicine. As for the other stuff, I have a feeling Gaius almost justifies it to himself as saying, "I'm only acting sketchily because Uther acted sketchily. He started it, and I'm just picking up the pieces." Maybe Gaius has control issues. Like, if he lets Morgana know, who knows WHAT she'll do, he thinks. Endangering herself and possibly implicating himself. Also it's Uther who asked Gaius to drug Arthur, and how do you say no to your king? Especially a violently punitive one, who has been known to chain up his own foster daughter in the dungeons. Gaius maybe recognizes that he's only passing the buck here, but maybe this way everyone will stay alive. Maybe it's a habit he picked up from the days of the purge, doing what you need to do and shirking responsibility. No one ever did anything, during the purges, and yet things got done and people got arrested anyway. I WONDER IF Gaius, at the root of it, is ultimately just protecting everyone from Uther, even Uther -- another habit developed during the purges. As much as Gaius has come to care for the old king, he still sees what a nutjob the guy can be.

In non-magical medicine, I do imagine he takes some liberties. Like maybe someone was going to lose an arm, but then she has children to take care of, so Gaius magics it better. But he tries not to be extremely successful, because that might attract suspicion? He goes for 'very competent'.

Am randomly going through your entries, and the image caught my attention: OMG, THAT SINBAD.
I HAD SUCH A CRUSH ON THE SORCERESS; NOW THAT I KNOW ABOUT MY SEXUALITY, IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE.

Do you still need poking about Will?

And Rumina wan't bad either!

I always need poking about Will. XD

Who was Rumina? Was she another hot girl? Because I sort of half remember there being another hot girl, and me shipping them even though I didn't know one could ship characters out-of-canon yet. (Pre-fandom OTP FTW.)

Yeah she was the evil brunette sorceress that episodically threatened the crew, and also threatened the Sinbad/Maeve. (Sinbad was kind of into it though.)

Going by fandom laws, that means it was time for love/hate threesomes.

Google images tells me I'd hit that, too:

Going by fandom laws, that means it was time for love/hate threesomes.
HA TOTALLY. Sometimes I watch the shows that I liked when I was younger and think, "Man, if only Livejournal fandom had been around for this."

Ya, the show totally vamped Rumina up. I mean, not like they dressed Maeve in a shapeless coat either, y'know. Sinbad, what a lucky dude.

Oh oh, and about Will, I was just wondering, why did Merlin not try to do anything to help Will but then went batshit when his mother was sick? His bond with her could ahve been stronger, but it was just so disproportional a reaction... anyway, so I was thinking, what if he later went deeply hurt with a kind of guilt, that "should have, could have, maybe, what if", and swore never to let any one else he loved die that way? So in that case - how would your scenario affect that? Would Merlin fight with less desesperation and anger if he had never lost someone close before? How would he react if, say, in his fight with Nimueh she told him that in another path, Will would have died, and that perhaps Merlin would ahve been 'stronger' for it, and could have beaten her then.

/musing aloud, osrry if it makes no sense.

I mean, Hunith IS his mother. I'm sure Merlin and Will <3333 each other, but Hunith is only family Merlin has. I think in the finale, Merlin was under a lot more stress too, what with Arthur already dying and stuff, and if Arthur is gone, then that's Merlin's destiny gone too, so hey he has a lot on his mind.

I think in my AU, Hunith would still be struck down first, 'cos the Old Religion seems to be targetting things Merlin loves most first. (Arthur was struck down by the Questing Beast, so he doesn't count.) But after Hunith, it would definitely have been Will next. I mean, as much as Merlin cares for Gaius, I think he definitely loves his best friend more, so. I'm almost positive that Will would be the one who rides off to the Isle of the Blessed instead of Gaius. Will may be practical and kind of an ass, but if he'd die for Merlin's new boyfriend, he'd totally die for Merlin. (He may not believe in this destiny crap that Merlin goes on about, but he believes in Merlin.)

I think Merlin would just call her a liar, and secretly wonder if it was true. I'm not sure if Merlin would go so far as to willingly sacrifice others for Arthur's life, though I'm leaning towards yes he would.

Vaguely relatedly, Merlin has grown attached to Arthur so quickly that I'm not sure if he's attached to Arthur himself as a person, or to the all-important destiny that they are promised.

Will would most definitively ride to the Isle knowing he would/could die, and be "You are kind of a bitch, aren't you? Leave him alone" on Nimueh. He'd probably be mighty pissed off on Merlin's behalf that she hurt his mother, as she could be a mother figure to him as well (and they probably talked of Merlin together when he left the village).

I have wondered about that too, but did not conclude it that way. Merlin seems easily swayed by arguments, but only if he thinks they make sense. He would have gingerly followed and helped Arthur for the first few days to see how it goes, and then drawn his own conclusion and followed it. There's indeed a lot of interraction moments missing to explain how Merlin came to like Arthur, that I'm filling up with fics, but I think he wouldn't give thought to that destiny if he couldn't see something for himself already. He doesn't strike me particularly as a "plan the future" type of person (especially given how little of thinks of consequences), and more of a carpe diem. So, to me, there must be something in this position or in Arthur himself that makes him stay, rather than some eventuality.

On that, I like to think he grew into loving part of his manservant job (learning about castle life, going almost as he pleases, Arthur's lenancy towards his attitude) and took a liking to Gwen and perhaps other castlefolks (kitchen staff?) so that he wanted to stay, plus a lack of ambition at the moment. From there, he learned to like Arthur, and, in some parallel direction, started to love the Prince, and to really enjoy being able to use his powers for something more. A sort of gradual thing that would be extremely hard to explain to Will when asked why he's content with being a manservant for Arthur. The Mordred episode set it for me, as Merlin went 'fuck destiny and the easier path, I'm going to do what I want, and do what I can, and take it from there'.

This got long. x_x

Haha, it's okay, I'm tooootally guilty of long comments also. And sorry this reply is kind of late, I also have a tendency of going "omg this comment is EPIC and needs a proper response, so I will set it aside until I can provide as such" and then suddenly it's ages later. Um.

Hmm, yeah okay I can see that. And yeah he's totally not a "plan the future" type of person. You can kind of see in his impulsiveness and his not being careful a whole childhood of being empowered by getting away with mischief. He gets away with doing stupid things all the time (much like Morgana, actually). Merlin has never had to really think things true because magic is more expedient.

I think Merlin does have ambition, but right now he's just ambitious about learning magic. Hmm, or maybe you're right, maybe he's not ambitious, he just likes experimenting around with it.

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Cordazar Calvin Broadus would like you to get yours before his.

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percolate percolate percolate!

Re: percolate percolate percolate!

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XDDD

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