Revised App/Info
User Name/Nick: Naomi
User LJ: asyndeta
AIM/IM: metonumia
E-mail: asyndeta@gmail.com
Other Characters: Toshiko Sato, Shego, Iroh, Sonmi-451.
Character Name: Merlin
Series: Merlin (BBC)
Age: 22ish
From When?: Just after the end of Series 3, following the defeat of Morgana and Morgause.
Inmate/Warden: Warden - Merlin is a good guy. He's selfless almost to a fault and goes out of his way to help others, even at great personal risk.
Item: A spellbook given to him by his mentor, Gaius.
Abilities/Powers: Although he's still learning, and still challenged by those who have had longer to hone their skills, Merlin is the greatest sorcerer of his age. He was born with a certain amount of instinctive, elemental ability - in times of great stress, he can slow time and move objects with his mind, without much effort. Even when in a near-comatose state, he can unconsciously perform magic to protect those he cares about - in 'The Poisoned Chalice', he remotely projects a light to guide Arthur to safety when he's in danger.
At the end of the second series, he took on the title of Dragonlord from his dying father; he can summon and control dragons (or, in his canon's case, the only dragon left alive). I can't imagine how that'll ever be Barge-elevant but, you know. It's handy.
Otherwise, his capabilities are limited only to the spells he knows. Although it can take him a while to learn a new spell, his magic rarely goes awry when necessary to the plot truly needed. Among other things he's been shown to turn statues into real animals, cure seemingly lethal diseases and empower others' weapons against otherwise undefeatable enemies.
He also has a little skill with potion-making and is a mildly competent swordsman.
Personality:
In day-to-day life Merlin is a cheerful and outward-looking person, optimistic and often eager to please. He makes friends easily and takes care to look out for injustices even against strangers - which got him imprisoned very quickly after his arrival in Camelot, and can put him in conflict with the laws and customs of the kingdom.
Being from one of the lowest rungs of society has made Merlin egalitarian rather than embittered about his lot in life; he doesn't perceive rank when judging others (however much trouble this might happen to get him in) and often sees potential where others see none. He doesn't act as a servant entirely without complaint, can be clumsy and sometimes uses magic to help with his chores, but he's dedicated to his role and more specifically to helping and protecting Arthur, whose destiny as a great leader he has come to appreciate; by his point in canon, he believes Arthur may be ready to take over from Uther as King of Camelot, no small undertaking. Over time, as Arthur shows more and more dedication to Merlin in return - even being prepared to risk his life for his servant - their relationship has grown extremely close, although even after three years or so Arthur has no idea how many times Merlin has used magic to save the day.
Merlin's determination to use his magic to help others - in a kingdom where sorcery is punishable by death - has in the past backfired simply because he didn't think through the consequences of his actions. For example, when dozens of people were dying of a plague, he cured Guinevere's father alone, only to see Guinevere herself be arrested and sentenced to death for witchcraft. The weight of the responsibilities he carries - his work for Gaius, his loyalty to Arthur, and the need to fulfil his destiny while keeping his magic secret - are a source of frustration for him, but it's very rare for him to let this show.
Over time, particularly after the events of the second series, Merlin has become more aware of the massive weight that has been placed on his shoulders by his powers and his unique position alongside the future King: although his demeanour is largely unchanged, he's more responsible and a little more serious in undertaking his duties as a sorcerer because he knows the consequences if things should go awry. (This is not to say he's beyond being dangerously creative in his problem solving. Recently, when trying to spare Guinevere another execution for witchcraft, to create a scapegoat he used a potion to age himself sixty years - and was almost unable to reverse its effects, which at worst would have had him executed and at best would have had him die very prematurely of old age.)
Merlin will be returning to the Barge after an absence of about 9-10 months Barge time and approximately 18 months canon time. Initially he'll have Barge amnesia and he'll try to remain securely in the wizard closet, which will last about thirty seconds since a) he's frigging Merlin and b) people will actually remember him being Merlin from last time. Once he has his memory back, he will mourn Ethan's disappearance quietly and try to repent for that by dedicating himself as much as possible to his next Inmate's rehabilitation and generally helping things along on the Barge.
History:
Merlin was born to Hunith and the Dragonlord Balinor in the small village of Ealdor, just outside the kingdom of Camelot, and spent what seems to be an unremarkable childhood there. Recognising his gifts, his mother sent him to Camelot to work for Gaius, the royal court's physician (and described in some non-canon info as Merlin's uncle, but since this is never mentioned in the series we're just going to go with 'close, non-blood-related father figure'). Shortly afterwards, Merlin ran into Prince Arthur and although the two of them came into immediate conflict, Merlin was given a place as Arthur's manservant after saving his life from a vengeful sorcerer. In this time he also meets the Great Dragon, imprisoned underground, who tells him of a great destiny intertwined with Arthur's.
During his time as manservant Merlin becomes a protector to Arthur and Camelot, using his magic secretly to protect those around him: among other things he saves Arthur from a Sidhe seeking to sacrifice him, protects the young druid Mordred despite the prophecy that he will grow up to kill Arthur, and saves Uther's life twice, even though it was he to outlaw all magic in Camelot. He also uses his magic less responsibly - in order to forge documents that would allow the commoner Lancelot to become a knight - but for good reason, knowing that Lancelot would serve Camelot faithfully.
While working for Arthur, Merlin draws the interest of Nimueh, an ancient sorceress with a deep grudge against King Uther and his kingdom. After her first attempt to kill him fails, she bides her time; eventually, they meet again on the Isle of the Blessed after Arthur has been doomed to death by a bite from the magical Questing Beast. Although Merlin offers his own life in exchange, Nimueh attempts to take his mother's, then Gaius', and later tries to convince Merlin to join her. Merlin fights and kills Nimueh, restoring Gaius' life, and the two of them return to Camelot.
The next year or so is no less eventful. As Morgana, Uther's ward, becomes more aware of her magical ability (including prophetic dreams), numerous strikes are made against Uther, Arthur and their kingdom; time and time again, Merlin secretly uses his powers to assist in Camelot's protection. He meets and falls in love with a cursed druid, Freya, but she is killed before he can help her. Meanwhile, Morgana is introduced to her estranged half-sister, the powerful sorceress Morgause, and turns against Uther; she unwittingly carries a curse into Camelot, rendering it helpless against a powerful magical army. Merlin seeks the advice of the Great Dragon, agreeing to free him in exchange for his counsel; it emerges that he has no choice but to poison Morgana, as her death would nullify the curse. Morgana is rescued from certain death by Morgause, but she is aware of Merlin's actions.
Merlin (rather stupidly) honours his promise and frees the Great Dragon, who then goes on a rampage, attempting to destroy Camelot. Merlin and Arthur seek out Balinor, the last man alive with the power to magically control dragons; Merlin learns that Balinor is his father, and when he is killed, Merlin receives his powers. Although more than able to, he does not kill the Great Dragon, instead banishing him from Camelot - although he ends up calling him back a few times to render assistance.
After a dark year in Camelot, Morgana returns, now as an entirely embittered spy and inside agent for Morgause; she and Merlin have an uneasy truce, since he knows of her betrayal but she knows he tried to poison her. Another eventful period ensues, Merlin spending half his time using magic behind Arthur's back against threats both inside and outside Camelot's walls. Things come to a head when Morgause and Morgana acquire the Holy Grail Cup of Life to create an immortal army; they capture Camelot and Morgana, now revealed as the deposed Uther's daughter, is crowned Queen. With some help from the enchanted Excalibur, Merlin destroys the army and possibly kills Morgause; she and Morgana disappear after the battle and.
Apart from Morgana's break from Camelot, things have more or less returned to normal by the end of the series. Arthur is still none the wiser about Merlin's magic, but - in Merlin's eyes - Arthur has proven his mettle and will soon be ready to be king of Camelot. During this general lull in proceedings, Merlin will be invited (back) to the Barge.
Sample Journal Entry:
[There's some general scuffling noises while Merlin's fiddling with his communicator. Eventually he gets the video function working, sets the communicator down in front of him, then notices it's upside-down and rights it. Hey there, Barge. This is not a face accustomed to public address.]
So. Well. Everyone can see this, yeah? I honestly don't have the first idea how this is supposed to...
[Throat-clearing sounds. Let's try this again.]
Right. Sorry, nobody cares about that. So, I've been asked to come here by the Admiral to be a Warden, so...that's what I'm here to do. Somehow. Um, to say that this isn't what I'm used to would be a bit of an understatement, what with the flying ship and everything, but I'm going to do the best I can. To help. And that's all I want to say for now, really. That, and...hi, I s'pose.
This is all a bit different.
[He turns off the video feed, then turns it back on a few seconds later.]
Oh! And my name's Merlin. Hello!
Sample RP:
It was ironic. In Camelot, if Merlin had found a reliable way of doing his laundry by magic, he would never have done anything else. The one attempt he'd made at using a spell to remove stains, it had also removed the offending part of the shirt - which, as additional punishment for his hubris, had been one of Arthur's favourites. That had been difficult to explain, and not even Arthur (a man remarkably able to overlook the obvious) had let it pass. After that, he'd gone back to simpler means.
But here on the Barge, a few paces away from a an array of strange white machines that consumed dirty clothes and disgorged clean ones, Merlin found himself standing at a basin with a brush and a bar of laundry soap. It wasn't that he distrusted the technology here, or that he was afraid he'd forget how to launder by hand, it was more that he knew it'd kill an hour and he didn't have much else to do.
(It didn't hurt either that the Barge was generally a lot cleaner than Camelot.)
This wasn't to say that the Barge was boring. Merlin had a very clear mental distinction between being bored and having nothing to do. In Ealdor, there was no end to chores for his mum or general work in the village, but that had been - as much as he loved his mother and his friends - very boring. In Camelot, on the other hand, if Arthur and Gaius forgot he existed for long enough for him to run out of stuff to be getting on with, he was never bored. Because there, the next disaster was a matter of 'when', not 'if', and the same was true of the Barge. Anyone who found the Barge boring by his standards was either mad or had been living an impossibly eventful life.
Speaking of eventful. He heard a yell outside, a slamming door, then footsteps running towards the nearby stairwell. Never a good combination of noises in his experience, and Merlin wasn't the type to ignore a possible ongoing disaster. He stuck his head out of the laundry room door, saw a gleam of metal he'd learnt since arriving to be wary of, and only an application of power beyond his conscious control - a gleam in his eye, the slowing thud of his heartbeat, the sense of everything coming to a halt around him - prevented him from taking a bullet to the face. Another set of footsteps thundered past.
So, yes, the Barge. Dead boring.
User LJ: asyndeta
AIM/IM: metonumia
E-mail: asyndeta@gmail.com
Other Characters: Toshiko Sato, Shego, Iroh, Sonmi-451.
Character Name: Merlin
Series: Merlin (BBC)
Age: 22ish
From When?: Just after the end of Series 3, following the defeat of Morgana and Morgause.
Inmate/Warden: Warden - Merlin is a good guy. He's selfless almost to a fault and goes out of his way to help others, even at great personal risk.
Item: A spellbook given to him by his mentor, Gaius.
Abilities/Powers: Although he's still learning, and still challenged by those who have had longer to hone their skills, Merlin is the greatest sorcerer of his age. He was born with a certain amount of instinctive, elemental ability - in times of great stress, he can slow time and move objects with his mind, without much effort. Even when in a near-comatose state, he can unconsciously perform magic to protect those he cares about - in 'The Poisoned Chalice', he remotely projects a light to guide Arthur to safety when he's in danger.
At the end of the second series, he took on the title of Dragonlord from his dying father; he can summon and control dragons (or, in his canon's case, the only dragon left alive). I can't imagine how that'll ever be Barge-elevant but, you know. It's handy.
Otherwise, his capabilities are limited only to the spells he knows. Although it can take him a while to learn a new spell, his magic rarely goes awry when necessary to the plot truly needed. Among other things he's been shown to turn statues into real animals, cure seemingly lethal diseases and empower others' weapons against otherwise undefeatable enemies.
He also has a little skill with potion-making and is a mildly competent swordsman.
Personality:
In day-to-day life Merlin is a cheerful and outward-looking person, optimistic and often eager to please. He makes friends easily and takes care to look out for injustices even against strangers - which got him imprisoned very quickly after his arrival in Camelot, and can put him in conflict with the laws and customs of the kingdom.
Being from one of the lowest rungs of society has made Merlin egalitarian rather than embittered about his lot in life; he doesn't perceive rank when judging others (however much trouble this might happen to get him in) and often sees potential where others see none. He doesn't act as a servant entirely without complaint, can be clumsy and sometimes uses magic to help with his chores, but he's dedicated to his role and more specifically to helping and protecting Arthur, whose destiny as a great leader he has come to appreciate; by his point in canon, he believes Arthur may be ready to take over from Uther as King of Camelot, no small undertaking. Over time, as Arthur shows more and more dedication to Merlin in return - even being prepared to risk his life for his servant - their relationship has grown extremely close, although even after three years or so Arthur has no idea how many times Merlin has used magic to save the day.
Merlin's determination to use his magic to help others - in a kingdom where sorcery is punishable by death - has in the past backfired simply because he didn't think through the consequences of his actions. For example, when dozens of people were dying of a plague, he cured Guinevere's father alone, only to see Guinevere herself be arrested and sentenced to death for witchcraft. The weight of the responsibilities he carries - his work for Gaius, his loyalty to Arthur, and the need to fulfil his destiny while keeping his magic secret - are a source of frustration for him, but it's very rare for him to let this show.
Over time, particularly after the events of the second series, Merlin has become more aware of the massive weight that has been placed on his shoulders by his powers and his unique position alongside the future King: although his demeanour is largely unchanged, he's more responsible and a little more serious in undertaking his duties as a sorcerer because he knows the consequences if things should go awry. (This is not to say he's beyond being dangerously creative in his problem solving. Recently, when trying to spare Guinevere another execution for witchcraft, to create a scapegoat he used a potion to age himself sixty years - and was almost unable to reverse its effects, which at worst would have had him executed and at best would have had him die very prematurely of old age.)
Merlin will be returning to the Barge after an absence of about 9-10 months Barge time and approximately 18 months canon time. Initially he'll have Barge amnesia and he'll try to remain securely in the wizard closet, which will last about thirty seconds since a) he's frigging Merlin and b) people will actually remember him being Merlin from last time. Once he has his memory back, he will mourn Ethan's disappearance quietly and try to repent for that by dedicating himself as much as possible to his next Inmate's rehabilitation and generally helping things along on the Barge.
History:
Merlin was born to Hunith and the Dragonlord Balinor in the small village of Ealdor, just outside the kingdom of Camelot, and spent what seems to be an unremarkable childhood there. Recognising his gifts, his mother sent him to Camelot to work for Gaius, the royal court's physician (and described in some non-canon info as Merlin's uncle, but since this is never mentioned in the series we're just going to go with 'close, non-blood-related father figure'). Shortly afterwards, Merlin ran into Prince Arthur and although the two of them came into immediate conflict, Merlin was given a place as Arthur's manservant after saving his life from a vengeful sorcerer. In this time he also meets the Great Dragon, imprisoned underground, who tells him of a great destiny intertwined with Arthur's.
During his time as manservant Merlin becomes a protector to Arthur and Camelot, using his magic secretly to protect those around him: among other things he saves Arthur from a Sidhe seeking to sacrifice him, protects the young druid Mordred despite the prophecy that he will grow up to kill Arthur, and saves Uther's life twice, even though it was he to outlaw all magic in Camelot. He also uses his magic less responsibly - in order to forge documents that would allow the commoner Lancelot to become a knight - but for good reason, knowing that Lancelot would serve Camelot faithfully.
While working for Arthur, Merlin draws the interest of Nimueh, an ancient sorceress with a deep grudge against King Uther and his kingdom. After her first attempt to kill him fails, she bides her time; eventually, they meet again on the Isle of the Blessed after Arthur has been doomed to death by a bite from the magical Questing Beast. Although Merlin offers his own life in exchange, Nimueh attempts to take his mother's, then Gaius', and later tries to convince Merlin to join her. Merlin fights and kills Nimueh, restoring Gaius' life, and the two of them return to Camelot.
The next year or so is no less eventful. As Morgana, Uther's ward, becomes more aware of her magical ability (including prophetic dreams), numerous strikes are made against Uther, Arthur and their kingdom; time and time again, Merlin secretly uses his powers to assist in Camelot's protection. He meets and falls in love with a cursed druid, Freya, but she is killed before he can help her. Meanwhile, Morgana is introduced to her estranged half-sister, the powerful sorceress Morgause, and turns against Uther; she unwittingly carries a curse into Camelot, rendering it helpless against a powerful magical army. Merlin seeks the advice of the Great Dragon, agreeing to free him in exchange for his counsel; it emerges that he has no choice but to poison Morgana, as her death would nullify the curse. Morgana is rescued from certain death by Morgause, but she is aware of Merlin's actions.
Merlin (rather stupidly) honours his promise and frees the Great Dragon, who then goes on a rampage, attempting to destroy Camelot. Merlin and Arthur seek out Balinor, the last man alive with the power to magically control dragons; Merlin learns that Balinor is his father, and when he is killed, Merlin receives his powers. Although more than able to, he does not kill the Great Dragon, instead banishing him from Camelot - although he ends up calling him back a few times to render assistance.
After a dark year in Camelot, Morgana returns, now as an entirely embittered spy and inside agent for Morgause; she and Merlin have an uneasy truce, since he knows of her betrayal but she knows he tried to poison her. Another eventful period ensues, Merlin spending half his time using magic behind Arthur's back against threats both inside and outside Camelot's walls. Things come to a head when Morgause and Morgana acquire the Holy Grail Cup of Life to create an immortal army; they capture Camelot and Morgana, now revealed as the deposed Uther's daughter, is crowned Queen. With some help from the enchanted Excalibur, Merlin destroys the army and possibly kills Morgause; she and Morgana disappear after the battle and.
Apart from Morgana's break from Camelot, things have more or less returned to normal by the end of the series. Arthur is still none the wiser about Merlin's magic, but - in Merlin's eyes - Arthur has proven his mettle and will soon be ready to be king of Camelot. During this general lull in proceedings, Merlin will be invited (back) to the Barge.
Sample Journal Entry:
[There's some general scuffling noises while Merlin's fiddling with his communicator. Eventually he gets the video function working, sets the communicator down in front of him, then notices it's upside-down and rights it. Hey there, Barge. This is not a face accustomed to public address.]
So. Well. Everyone can see this, yeah? I honestly don't have the first idea how this is supposed to...
[Throat-clearing sounds. Let's try this again.]
Right. Sorry, nobody cares about that. So, I've been asked to come here by the Admiral to be a Warden, so...that's what I'm here to do. Somehow. Um, to say that this isn't what I'm used to would be a bit of an understatement, what with the flying ship and everything, but I'm going to do the best I can. To help. And that's all I want to say for now, really. That, and...hi, I s'pose.
This is all a bit different.
[He turns off the video feed, then turns it back on a few seconds later.]
Oh! And my name's Merlin. Hello!
Sample RP:
It was ironic. In Camelot, if Merlin had found a reliable way of doing his laundry by magic, he would never have done anything else. The one attempt he'd made at using a spell to remove stains, it had also removed the offending part of the shirt - which, as additional punishment for his hubris, had been one of Arthur's favourites. That had been difficult to explain, and not even Arthur (a man remarkably able to overlook the obvious) had let it pass. After that, he'd gone back to simpler means.
But here on the Barge, a few paces away from a an array of strange white machines that consumed dirty clothes and disgorged clean ones, Merlin found himself standing at a basin with a brush and a bar of laundry soap. It wasn't that he distrusted the technology here, or that he was afraid he'd forget how to launder by hand, it was more that he knew it'd kill an hour and he didn't have much else to do.
(It didn't hurt either that the Barge was generally a lot cleaner than Camelot.)
This wasn't to say that the Barge was boring. Merlin had a very clear mental distinction between being bored and having nothing to do. In Ealdor, there was no end to chores for his mum or general work in the village, but that had been - as much as he loved his mother and his friends - very boring. In Camelot, on the other hand, if Arthur and Gaius forgot he existed for long enough for him to run out of stuff to be getting on with, he was never bored. Because there, the next disaster was a matter of 'when', not 'if', and the same was true of the Barge. Anyone who found the Barge boring by his standards was either mad or had been living an impossibly eventful life.
Speaking of eventful. He heard a yell outside, a slamming door, then footsteps running towards the nearby stairwell. Never a good combination of noises in his experience, and Merlin wasn't the type to ignore a possible ongoing disaster. He stuck his head out of the laundry room door, saw a gleam of metal he'd learnt since arriving to be wary of, and only an application of power beyond his conscious control - a gleam in his eye, the slowing thud of his heartbeat, the sense of everything coming to a halt around him - prevented him from taking a bullet to the face. Another set of footsteps thundered past.
So, yes, the Barge. Dead boring.