Amara Emrys

Like when Gandalf spent literal PAGES trying to figure out why the vibes were off in Moria and Legolas chimes in with just "it's a balrog :) that shit's evil :) we're so fucked :)" like what do you MEAN you knew already and just didn't tell him??

Or at the beginning of Two Towers when Aragorn thinks there's something nearby so he puts his ear to the ground to listen, and then like 10 minutes later is like "hmmm i hear horses" and Legolas is just like "mm yep. there are 105 blond bitches with spears" like you just let your friend put his face in the dirt and you can SEE them??

gandalf is scratching his head in moria, and legolas is thinking "oh man, the wizard noticed something off *besides* the obvious balrog that we all are aware of??"

“Yes, Commander? Do you recommend initiating contact with them?”

“To be honest, I am torn on the issue.”

“Do explain.”

“As you know, they are mortal flesh containing a consciousness. But sir … their consciousnesses don’t pass on to a different flesh when the flesh dies.”

“Mmm, they return to one great consciousness, do they?”

“Nnnnnno, sir. There is no one great consciousness. They just *die*. They’re just gone.”

“BUH — WHA — well that’s preposterous, where do they get the new consciousness from?”

“They make a new one. A brand new one. Every time a new human is conceived, they build a new consciousness, and every time a human dies, that consciousness is gone forever. … … … Sir?”

“How do they have any kind of body of knowledge, then? … … … Well that seems incredibly inefficient, it would take years for one of them to learn enough to be able to do anything! But if you say this is how they do it … My stars, man, that means they would be *aware* that they had an expiration date! It means they would know the *new consciousnesses they made* would inevitably die!”

“Yes sir. Mortality weighs heavily upon them.”

“To think such a time-limited species could become intelligent and not any of the normal ones on this planet.”

“Ummmmm. All life on that planet is the same way.”

“… … … I am tempted to simply mark it down as the saddest goddamn thing in the entire universe and move on.”

“Thank you, sir, yes, I agree.”

“Why the thank you?”

Merlin: fuck, are you going to kill me?

Arthur: what, no, of course not. You're my best friend, I already knew. I was just waiting for you to tell me. I am working on legalizing magic, you wanna help????

Merlin: oh my god. This is everything I've ever dreamed of

Arthur: haha, yeah :)

...

But Jon is incapable of leaving people behind, especially when they hate him it seems. He takes Michael with him, not thinking even for a second to leave him to The Stranger (even when it tries to whisper to Michael how he’s become a stranger in his own skin)

They try to find an exit and Michael is so angry and wishy washy and frazzled he simply storms to the nearest door, and the only thing that saves him from those jaws again is Jon using the adrenaline of panic to pull Michael back by the tail of his shirt. Helen stands behind the door and basically says. ‘Archivist, that is mine. If you would be so kind as to give it back, I could bring you back to your own territory.’

And Jon’s like ‘absolutely not, this is mine now.’ Blindly jumps head first into probably making a mistake to help someone. Michael is absolutely affronted. In a good way. He thinks. The Archivist. An Archivist. Saving him. Saying no to the fears and saving Michael over saving himself. Huh.

So they slam the door and escape another way and get back to the Institue and since Michael was never fired and couldn’t quit, technically he still works there and is now an Archival Assistant again. Great. Well… better.

Jon is paranoid and heckles and asks too many questions and doesn’t know when to quit. But, for Michael in the state he’s in, that’s actually helpful. Michael doesn’t trust the world around him either, for fucks sake he almost walked through the doors again! Jon kinda makes it worse, but hes trying alright?

(When they get back to the institute the teams like ‘damn does Michael need a hospital? Let him go to a-‘ and Jons like ‘I can’t leave him alone for strangers to prod, what if he’s taken!’ And Michael’s ‘damn he’s right what if I’m taken?’)

(The dynamic kinda turns into Michael like ‘peel this apple for me please? Jon says I can’t have the skin because it has toxins’ And the archival team like ‘well good thing he’s not here’ and Michael freaks the hell out because how is that a good thing what about the toxins?!)

They become symbiotic almost. Michael never leaves Jon side, never wanting to be alone and not trusting himself to even know which door to leave a room through. Jon really just wants to be able help something and Michael’s the only person that will let him, and Michael also possesses intimate knowledge of The Fears and specific players in them that Jon needs at this juncture. While fickle, Michael is a good compass for showing Jon where to look.

Michael unwillingly stays back for stopping the Unknowing, and his heart nearly stops when Jon doesn’t return with Basira. Dead? Jon can’t be dead, Michael will die if Jon is dead he’s sure he doesn’t belong to anything anymore what will take him if Jon doesn’t Michael will go mad without Jon what are they going to- a coma? Just a coma? Oh. Oh..

Michael doesn’t leave Jon’s side for a second. Literally he never steps foot outside the hospital room, he refuses to. Who knows what avatars could be nurses? Who knows what has become of Jon? Who knows what will come for him if he’s away too long?