Whenever I see you on my dash I always think your icon is of jesus/god (I am combining them because I don’t think about it intentionally enough to have a clear idea) or black santa XD sometimes I remember who it actually is and sometimes I just roll with it
That’s hilarious lol 😂
For anyone who doesn’t know, my pfp is my version of ToA Merlin! He’s a very different person from Canon!Merlin, in character and design, so he’s technically-ish an oc? Both @draal-the-deadly and @donkeyklone have called him one, so I’d say it counts!
I suddenly wanted to talk about this, so you get some lore about him! (It’s going to be an important plot point).
First off, here’s two ways how changeling biology is different from Merlin’s!
Changeling biology:
1. While most changelings have two forms, human and troll, their human forms are technically a “fake” form, while their troll forms are their true ones.
2. Changelings don’t feel any pain when changing forms, no matter what size; because while some of them are pretty slender as changelings, and only gain a few inches of height, some have the physique of an average troll. It could be because of Morgana’s magic?
Merlin’s biology:
1. As a cambion, (specifically half-demon, half-human), both his human form and demon form are his true forms. He was born in his human form, and he didn’t start transforming into his human form until puberty, where his non-human side began to show more. As a result, he was already more used to being human. It’s also the form that’s much, much less of a giveaway of being magic. Mortals knowing you’re magic is one thing; looking like magic is another.
2. His transformations are painful. Since he was the first cambion, he was born before the demons creating them figured how to make the transition to a different form painless. He was a test to see if demons and humans could even procreate, besides them wanting to make him the Anti-Christ.
When they happen, he collapses, biting back a scream as his bones started cracking and lengthening. His skin turns red, his facial markings appearing; his teeth becoming fangs. His blue eyes change to red, his pupils becoming slits before his horns, claws, wings, and tail all burst out of his body.
After, he stays where he transformed, panting, waiting for the pain to at least die down enough for him to breathe.
Fortunately, he has a healing factor, which thankfully nullifies the pain pretty quickly.
Unfortunately, if he’s tired, it won’t work nearly as quickly, or at all. (It also doesn’t take away the dread.)
Over his lifetime, he’s never been able to figure out a way to make his transformations less painful, so he tries to limit them to when a fight has made him pretty desperate. But his body has other plans. It wants him to balance his two forms, so if he doesn’t transform in a while, it does it for him.
His body being in pain also makes his magic go insane. It thinks he’s in danger, so it tries to protect him; but it actually makes him have to strain to control it, and force it to not burst out of him.
And at the start of EE, he’ll run himself into the ground before he even thinks of taking a nap, so he’s constantly exhausted.
He knows this won’t bode well for him when his body forces him to transform, but he can’t rest now. There’s too much to do, too many lives to save, too many futures to prevent…
Thanks for the ask!