Some of my favorite Anakin and Obi-wan quotes from sw rots novelization.
They both need therapy and a lot of hugs
If the had actually knew how to communicate with each other nothing of this would have happened
If you haven't read it yet what are you doing here. Go and read the tragic masterpiece!
You’re on your own, kid Yeah, you can face this You’re on your own, kid You always have been.
HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY TAYLOR ALISON SWIFT Born December 13, 1989 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
I love how on Merlin they face things like trolls, wraiths, afanc, goblins etc but every time something new shows up Uther and Arthur are like:
“Mmm nope that’s impossible and I don’t believe you” and Merlin is there like:
thinking about merlin's "I'm happy to be your servant, til the day I die" and merlin's immortality.
so this is the thing.
merlin never thought to outlive arthur. he never thought he'd see arthur die, he never thought he would be the one to burn arthur's body.
merlin was always scared of losing arthur. scared he wouldnt be there to save him. scared he wouldnt be fast enough quick enough powerful enough never enough never enough never enough am I enough this time what do i do this time it's not enough.
merlin was always fast enough.
he would be there to distract the enemies, to throw them away. he would be there, working in the shadows, protecting his king, his friend, his half.
he would be there, ready to sacrifice himself.
(and there is something about merlin and arthur's talking when they have to defeat the dorocha, there is something about both of them saying goodbye, about both of them ready to throw their life away, thinking: this is when i die. and merlin always had the upper hand. and then they don't die, neither of them, and merlin wasnt enough to save a friend but was enough to save arthur, again, again.)
merlin says: im happy to be your servant til the day I die
and merlin means: id stay by your side forever, I chose you, i choose you, I'll choose you, always and forever, until the rivers run dry and the stars fall down and the earth turns into dust.
merlin says "til the day I die" and merlin means "I'd gladly die for you" and never thinks "i'll watch you die a thousand million times".
because merlin was always fast enough.
merlin always thought he'd never have to watch arthur die.
and yet.
(and yet.)
arthur is in his arms and merlin thinks, it wasnt supposed to be like this, and merlin says, you're not going to say goodbye, and arthur says, thank you, and merlin says, stay with me, and merlin says, i cant lose him.
merlin says, i've failed?
and merlin thinks, i wasnt fast enough.
and there is a lifetime of merlin running after arthur, of merlin defeating beast after beast, of merlin reaching out just in time, of merlin making it, of arthur rolling his eyes at him.
a lifetime of merlin telling arthur, "together we will defeat the dorocha", of "if I need a servant in the next life..." "...don't ask me", of "i willingly give my life for arthur's", of merlin following arthur everywhere, at his side, always at his side, and behind his back at the same time, the shadow and the light.
a lifetime of "I'm happy to be your servant til the day I die".
because merlin never thought arthur would die before him.
because merlin always thought he'd die next to arthur, side by side, in a patrol gone wrong against ancient beasts surprised by assassins in a battle in war of old age, when the bones are tired and the eyes are heavy and the hearts are full and the secrets under the sun.
(he doesn't want to be without arthur. he wont allow it.)
so merlin says, ive failed?, but the dragon says, he will raise again, and merlin just understands.
merlin knows his pledge like the back of his hand, like the pulsing of his magic, like the voice of his mother, like his name in arthur's mouth.
merlin promised to be arthur's servant.
until the day he died.
so he roams the earth and walks the fields and crosses the seas and climbs the mountains, and he tells the story of a king so just and kind, a king that was courage, a king that loved his people and that was loved, so loved.
he tells the story of the king's quests and all the knights, he weaves tales about equality and love and freedom and ideals.
he calls him, the once and future king.
and he waits, and works, and waits, and spreads the word, and watches as arthur's life lights a fire in the losts, in the wanderers.
because merlin is arthur's servant.
until the rivers run dry and the stars fall down and the earth turns into dust.
(and, when the days are just on the brighter shade of gold, merlin thinks that arthur never died, because his memory lives, and merlin will carry it on, always and forever.
arthur lives in those that trust in justice and courage and equality and freedom.
arthur lives and is reborn when the wanderer gets back home, whenever someone holds their hand out to those in need, when the weak are protected, when the right is done.
arthur lives in the eyes of those that have faith.)
(on a distant shore of a distant lake, in a time when magic is both everywhere and nowhere, in a time so far and so close, merlin says, "if only they knew you were such a dollop-head" and he smiles and he waits.)
(how many lives you touched, arthur, he thinks. how many lives your dreams have reached.)
because arthur is the once and future king and merlin is loyal servant and he won't allow arthur to die before him.
Oh look!! A wild Merlin has appeared!!
I know we all laugh about this line because from our perspective Arthur is blind and stupid for not noticing sooner, but I think it actually says something about Arthur’s view on magic.
At this point, he’s not exactly anti-magic the way Uther was (he never really is). He went to the Dolma for help, and acknowledges that the sorcerer helped them win the battle.
However, he is definitely still prejudice against it. But what’s one of the biggest reasons that he doesn’t trust it? Morgana.
Arthur watched someone he considered family go from the caring and kind Morgana he grew up with, to the brutal and cruel person she is now. It’s when she betrays them that he learns about her magic.
As an outsider, all he knows is that Morgana is using magic and betrayed all of them because of it.
In his mind, he is convinced that magic corrupts people. Almost every magic user he’s ever met has either: tried to kill him, tried to kill his father, or tried to seize power at the expense of others. The only true exception is the Dolma, because he blames Dragoon for his father’s death for a long time.
Morgana is the biggest influence on his view of magic; he watched her fall into darkness because of it. He genuinely sees magic as a corruptive force that turns even the nicest people, like Morgana to him, into monsters.
Merlin is not that.
Arthur has had him by his side for years. In his mind, if Merlin had been using magic that whole time, he would’ve been corrupted by it. He can’t comprehend Merlin having magic because he associates it with greed, corruption, and cruelty, and Merlin is the exact opposite.
A lot of fanfics use this concept when writing their own versions of the reveal. To some, it can come across as sappy or leaning too much into the shipping territory, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was accurate to some extent.
During the first real conversation after the reveal, Arthur asks him a very important question: “Why are you still behaving like a servant?”
What makes this important is the insight into Arthur’s thoughts. He can’t fathom that a person with magic would serve someone, willingly. In his mind, as soon as Merlin “has magic”, he is no longer a servant.
Why would he be? He could topple empires single-handedly. He can create and take life with a few muttered words. He can conjure the elements and manipulate objects with just a thought. Why on earth would a man with that power choose to be a servant?
Arthur thinks that it’s impossible, that no one would choose that. But here Merlin is, taking care of him the same way he always does, even more so given how injured he is. He can’t believe Merlin would choose to serve him rather than pursue power.
I think that’s the biggest reason he says: “I would know”. Arthur thinks he would, because he assumes Merlin would change somehow.
I just thought I’d share this gem of a tweet I found while searching for HD Merlin screencaps
Don't mind me just thinking about how Merlin said that he would always die for Arthur but in the end he ended up having to live for Arthur and that breaks my heart beyond repair
are they... you know... [mimicks bandaging a wound] in love??
