this is my fandom blog

expressing appreciation/saving things for later

[thebookluvrr1816]

What if we rewrite the stars? say you were made to be mine...?

Arthur name meaning // Arthur – The Name // Astrology of Arthur // In the Stars - Benson Boone // Emery Allen // bbc merlin 2x08 // E.E. Cummings // Saturn - Sleeping At Last // bbc merlin 5x13 // The Call - Regina Spektor // Matthew Stover // Snow and Dirty Rain - Richard Siken // All of the Stars - Ed Sheeran // tumblr

for @merthurmicrofic | prompt : stars

[andromaex]

merlin does not possess moral integrity, and the insistence on reading him as an uncomplicatedly “good” character requires a selective engagement with the text that the narrative itself does not support. what he has, instead, is an increasingly rigid teleology: a belief that arthur’s survival and ascension justify almost any action.

when confronted with multiple opportunities to allow uther to die—or to actively facilitate that outcome—merlin consistently intervenes to preserve him. this cannot be dismissed as mere aversion to killing. merlin does not simply refrain; he acts, repeatedly, to save a man engaged in the systematic persecution and execution of magic users. notably, the prophetic framework does not clearly prohibit uther’s early death. on the contrary, figures such as Kilgarrah explicitly advocate for it. merlin’s refusal, therefore, is not obedience to destiny but a choice to maintain a political order that is actively harmful to his own people.

the prophecy itself is articulated as a shared destiny: arthur and merlin, together, are meant to restore magic to albion. yet merlin systematically reconfigures this partnership into a unilateral arc in which arthur appears as the sole agent of restoration. this is not simply the byproduct of fear, though fear is certainly operative. it is also an exercise in control. by withholding his identity and suppressing his role, merlin ensures that the burden of revelation—and the attendant risks—never materialize. in doing so, he fundamentally alters the structure of the prophecy, converting a reciprocal relationship into a hierarchical one in which he operates invisibly, orchestrating outcomes without accountability.

his treatment of other magic users further complicates any claim to moral consistency. merlin does not merely defend camelot against clear antagonists; he adopts a preemptive logic in which potential or hypothetical threats to arthur justify intervention. this frequently manifests as sabotage, manipulation, or lethal force directed at individuals whose primary “crime” is existing outside the narrow parameters merlin deems safe. the ethical framework here is stark: the value of a life is contingent upon its relationship to arthur’s well-being. in effect, merlin reproduces the exclusionary logic of uther’s regime, albeit in a more selective and individualized form.

this logic extends into the curation of arthur’s public and private identity. merlin repeatedly interferes in contests, conflicts, and political situations to secure favorable outcomes for arthur, thereby constructing the image of an infallible and divinely favored king. these interventions are not neutral acts of assistance; they shape the narrative through which arthur is perceived, both by others and by himself. consequently, arthur’s legitimacy becomes, in part, an artifact of merlin’s unseen labor. merlin is not merely supporting the future king; he is actively producing the conditions under which that kingship appears natural and deserved.

deception is central to this process. merlin’s secrecy exceeds what is necessary for survival and becomes structural, governing his relationships with virtually every significant figure in his life. by monopolizing knowledge of the prophecy, of magic, and of the true stakes of various conflicts, he positions himself as the sole arbiter of action. others are denied the capacity to make informed decisions, including arthur, whose ignorance is both protected and enforced. this asymmetry of knowledge consolidates merlin’s power, even as it isolates him, and ensures that alternative courses of action are never meaningfully considered.

over time, there is a discernible shift in merlin’s ethical sensibility. early hesitation gives way to increasing decisiveness; moral conflict is not resolved so much as it is bypassed. actions that once required justification become routine. this is not character development in the sense of moral growth, but rather a narrowing of perspective. the horizon of acceptable action contracts until it aligns almost perfectly with arthur’s preservation. the question is no longer whether something is right, but whether it is necessary.

in tandem with this, merlin effectively limits arthur’s agency by controlling the information available to him. the possibility that arthur, if fully informed, might make different or more just decisions is consistently foreclosed. merlin’s silence is not passive; it is an active constraint on arthur’s moral and political development. by denying him the truth, merlin ensures compliance with a future that arthur himself has not freely chosen, thereby undermining the very ideal of a just and enlightened ruler.

finally, it is significant that merlin’s actions rarely coalesce into a broader effort to challenge systemic injustice. despite his power and proximity to the throne, he does not organize, advocate, or build alliances on behalf of magic users as a collective. his interventions remain episodic and selective, oriented toward immediate threats rather than structural change. the liberation of magic is deferred to a future moment that never fully arrives, perpetually subordinated to the more urgent task of safeguarding arthur.

what emerges, then, is not a figure lacking in feeling or conviction, but one whose convictions have been entirely subsumed by a single objective. merlin’s tragedy lies not in moral failure alone, but in the extent to which that failure is rationalized, systematized, and sustained. he does not abandon ethics; he replaces them with a calculus in which the ends are fixed and the means are infinitely adjustable.

[omagpies]

Hi! First, I'd like to say that I'm absolutely loving your Murderbot Diaries art!!! It makes me so happy every time I see it; it's such a treat. Second, if the notion suits you, I'd love to see your take on the scene in Artificial Condition where ART does surgery on Murderbot.

thank you!! and thank you for the suggestion, this was fun to chew on <3

(no promises on anything but i Am accepting murderhelion-centric prompts! i have not read syscol yet though so no spoilers! and if yall like what i do and wish to further encourage me, i take comms and accept tips on ko-fi <3)

[aventuras-de-andre]

arthur’s logic being ‘you’re not a socerer, I would know’ drives me INSANE. it’s not ‘you’re not a sorcerer, that’s impossible’ or ‘you’re not a sorcerer, my father would’ve hanged you’ or ‘you’re not a sorcerer, you’re my dumbass clumsy servant’ or ‘you’re not a sorcerer, you’re not evil’ or even ‘you’re not a sorcerer, you’re my friend and you couldn’t have chosen to be my friend if you had magic’.

it’s none of that, it’s ‘I would know.’

you would’ve told me by now. i would’ve realised by now. you’re not a sorcerer because you’re the one person that wouldn’t lie to me

[moonweary]

need a morgwen edit to “the winner takes it all”

[artbugjuice]

BBC Merlin except they all come back in 2012

[nextstopparis]

“i asked chatgpt—”

ok well i asked the cryptic fucking dragon that was imprisoned underground 20 years ago and he told me that no one can choose or escape their destiny so. he may have also told me i have a soulmate in the guy whose guts i hate but i dont really have time to think about that right now

[drawerbread]

beach date! also ianthe is there for some reason

[lastflowerofyourhouse]

picturing griddlehark college/otherwise normal aus is so fucking funny. like. you meet this lesbian couple, right. one of them is on a full sports scholarship, she's big, beefy, a little lacking in social skills but obviously happy to try. she swears every other sentence, has a poster of megan fox in transformers in her bedroom like a 13 year old boy. she's got an anime girl phone background. she wears a black choker all the time which does NOT match her otherwise purely sun's-out-guns-out-paired-with-cargo-shorts type wardrobe.

the other one is a full head shorter than her and shaped like a stick, wears exclusively big, shapeless cardigans and skirts that reach her ankles, will not speak to anyone but the beefcake in full sentences if she can avoid it, and visibly has not slept in a week. the one time you convince her to speak, she ends up insulting you in the most unnecessarily graphic and specific terms you have ever heard, gives you a look which singlehandedly curdles every ounce of self-esteem you've ever possessed, and immediately returns her attention to studying.

one day, you finally work up the courage to ask how the fuck they met and why they're dating. they tell you that they both grew up in a small-town christian cult which the stick figure's parents actually led, beat the shit out of each other daily for their entire childhoods, and finally resolved their differences in their late teens and immediately ran away together. the stick figure twitches up a sleeve of her oversize black cardigan to reveal a bracelet made of the beefcake's baby teeth that she personally knocked out of her skull. the beefcake smiles at her like this is the height of romance. the only issue they will acknowledge in their relationship is that when she was little, the stick figure fell madly in love with a painting of the virgin mary and has never quite recovered. they've been married for 3 years. they are 20 years old.

also the beefcake wears the choker because the stick figure said "no" to dog collars in public.

[glettokono]

Happy birthday, Lara!!! there are my beautiful ladies from my lovely Legend

[annadeef]

More TR Underworld for @artbytesslyn

[ato-dato]

*genders your bent*

[corvophobia]

what if harrow just like.. grew her a new heart. anyway

[aawerewolves1995-deactivated202]

I've always been self-conscious about my body, but I've received so much love from Tumblr ❤️❤️❤️ I decided... fuck it I'm contributing to Butchtober ⚔️🐺

[beardedmrbean]

[theman]

I GOT A FUCKING RAISE THE POTATO WORKED WTF

[tattooedzombigirl]

This potato works. Every. Fucking. Time.

[imanutcase-10]

Then bring me luck

[thirddeadlysin]

the day after I posted this last time I was notified that I was selected for a really cool mentorship gig and got an unrelated glowing review at work

[jackdaw-kraai]

And notice the potato doesn’t guilt you with “if you don’t, something horrible will happen.” Potato wouldn’t betray you like that, because potato is a refined person of good humor and character, and understands that, sometimes, a visit to your dashboard just isn’t convenient right now. Sometimes you just went on a fandom gif reblogging spree or your energy is low, you do not have the time to make your dashboard suitable to guests, and a polite visit just isn’t in the cards. Potato understands this, and doesn’t get upset, or gods forbid, throws a tantrum and wishes ill on your household. Instead, Potato merely stores away their blessings for a later visit and leaves as a good friend should.

Be like Potato. Be a good friend.

[losing-dog-art]

This old post of mine about a fae au for Danny Phantom recently got notes (wow 4 years ago?) (don't read it it has so many typos) and I wanted to give it another shot. I feel like I have a hard time making fan art from things that are visual (movies, comics, etc) and an easier time with non visual media (books, podcasts). Like when I make dp fan art I still want it to have the superhero look that is very much a part of the show and I think way too hard about how to translate his weird ass hair do into my style

Anyways. I think I did better the second time around lol

[cosmic-pindrops]

MB: 'Hmm I wonder if ART could stab someone with those'

ARTdrone: 😈

(Close up under the cut)