#also Elena!Morgana is incredible

[elenavonkrolock]

«пусть порой разрушают наш хрупкий мир страсти..»

— so wird Begehren uns verzehren

und sein Feuer verbrennt unsern

Leib und Verstand.

I’ve been desperately waiting for this to happen ever since the photo session in January 🥺✨

[ фото ��зято из официальной группы ��естиваля мюзикла в ВК ]

[weakforarwen]

The Gates of Avalon

This was a pretty exciting episode, actually. The scene with Arthur in the lake of Avalon almost made me cry...that’s his final resting place... Things got really tense for a while before Merlin pulled Arthur out of the water. Merlin rescuing Arthur was really touching. Arthur almost met his end too soon... It really felt like foreshadowing, looking back. I didn’t know the Arthurian legend at all, so in my first watch of the show, I missed all the signs.

But something about the episode that doesn’t make sense to me is that the Sidhe leader was willing to take Arthur’s soul in this episode, but, in The Changeling, it’s revealed he’s been waiting for Elena to come of age and marry Arthur, which means he needed Arthur alive. So, which was it?

Looks like Gwen really was Arthur’s first love. None of his feelings for Sophia were genuine and I felt bad for how he was used. He was kissed against his will and became a puppet in Sophia and her father’s hands. When Arthur wanted to marry Sophia, Uther told him:

You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won't be the only one. Enjoy yourself while you can.

This made me sad. Arthur did not have his whole life ahead of him, actually.

The most important thing about the episode are Morgana’s powers. Gaius, once again, made Morgana feel like she was crazy when they both knew she wasn’t. He also drugged her with sleeping potions that were largely ineffectual at helping her. No wonder Morgana went crazy. She was treated like a crazy person for years. Gaius tried to protect her by not telling her the truth, but he just made everything worse for her. The only thing he was right about was telling Morgana to keep quiet to Uther, but she was smart enough to keep her visions to herself anyway. Men love telling women they’re crazy so they never learn how powerful they are. At the end of the episode, Morgana was somewhat convinced she’d imagined things and that Sophia had been a normal girl. She was subdued and under Gaius’s thumb again, convinced she was crazy or simply had an active imagination, even asking for more sleeping potions. It’s incredibly infuriating and sad seeing a woman being treated this way - brainwashed to the point that she surrenders her agency willingly to another person (man).

It’s weird that Gwen knew about Morgana’s dreams and that Morgana implied they were magic, or, rather, that Uther would believe them to be the result of magic. Did Gwen know Morgana had magic? That’s not what it seemed like in seasons 2 or 3. Did Gwen think Morgana’s visions were real but not magical in nature? Like some people who believe in psychics and fortune tellers, but not in magic? Gwen was concerned for Arthur and believed Morgana should warn the King. She believed the King wouldn’t hurt his ward, but she was wrong.

Also, seeing Morgana so concerned and protective of Arthur was touching. Why did they ruin Morgana? She was so good. They turned her into an unlikable, one-note villain who was so far removed for this Morgana that I can’t think of them as being the same person. To me, good Morgana and bad Morgana are just different characters. 

But it was weird that Arthur thought Morgana had feelings for him... Morgana is his sister, and he talks about her like a sister in season 3, but here she was still his almost love interest. Neither of them seemed interested in each other, yet Arthur thought Morgana liked him, because he thought she was jealous of Sophia. No sister is jealous of her brother like that. Season 3 retconned so many things. It’s like the writers were trying to keep their options open and not rule out a potential romance between Arthur and Morgana, but it just didn’t stick because the actors, for one, had very platonic, sibling-like chemistry. 

Poor Merlin got rotten fruit thrown at him a few times. I don’t understand this weird form of punishment. It’s just wasteful. They’re wasting good fruit and vegetables on publicly humiliating someone. Couldn’t Merlin have scrubbed the floor or something? I liked Merlin and Arthur’s dynamic much better in the first season. Arthur was far gentler with Merlin and they felt more like equals.

[fishoutofcamelot]

Pokemon AU because why not

Arthur: he would be one of those trainers who obsessively calculates which Pokemon would best balance his team. His main companion was a Shelmet when he was a little kid, but his dad convinced him to give up his beloved Shelmet with the idea that Shelmets were too weak and that he needed something more befitting of his father's legacy. Uther wants him to focus on Fighting-Types so he can one day inherit his father's gym, but Arthur feels like restricting himself to just one type is very imbalanced and would ruin his chances of success. Growlithe is his new companion, but he always secretly keeps an eye out for Shelmets

Gwen: she would catch all the ugly and unpopular ones. When asked about her reasoning for this she says, "if i dont love them, who will?" and then cries as she hugs her Alolan Muk, which she named Sweetie Pie. Unassuming in that you think she won't be hard competition, but the next thing you know her Drowsee has knocked out three of your pokemon and you're all out of Potions

Morgana: the Dark-Type gym leader. She was supposed to take her father's place as leader for his Fight-Type gym, but she's rebellious and edgy and somehow even more competitive than Arthur. Her main companion is a Spiritomb

Merlin: a member of the Elite Four. He likes to hang around Arthur and make fun of him for having taken on the Elite Four about 17 times now, but every time he loses to Merlin. Since Arthur used to be mean to him when they were kids, Merlin considers this poetic justice. Now you probably think he's got all Dragon-Types, being a dragonlord? Nope! In this au, Merlin himself is a rare shapeshifting Dragon-Type pokemon called Emrys (doesn't exist in the canon pokedex, just thought it'd be a cool idea) that has taken the form of a human - of course, Merlin isn't aware of this and thinks he's actually human. Its for this reason that he is uncannily in-tune with his Pokemon, a factor that contributes greatly to his status as the hardest Elite Four member to beat. His team is comprised of cutesie Fairy-Types - but then all of them are heavy-hitting powerhouses. So basically not only is Arthur's Machamp getting K.O'd in one hit, but its getting K.O'd in one hit by a frickin Rhibombee. Merlin finds this absolutely hilarious. His main companion is a Psych/Fairy type called Hatterene. He sucks at naming things and usually names them after the main color of their body

Elyan: his original intention was to do all Normal-Types, but then he learned about the tragic past of how Phantumps are made (souls of lost children possessing tree stumps), and now he exclusively adopts catches Phantumps bc Protective Older Brother Mode: Activated

Gwaine: Fighting-Type. The Fighting-Type gym used to belong to his father until Uther bought it out, something that made his father so upset that he fell ill from stress and later passed away. Gwaine became a drifter, wanting nothing to do with the lifestyle that killed his dad, until he meets Merlin and Merlin teaches him the value of forming friendships with Pokemon. His companion is now a Blaziken named Weed

Lancelot: he scolds the others for being so aesthetic-based with their Pokemon bc that's bad for building a balanced team, but then when you look at his team its just all sword/knight-themed Pokemon. All of them. Except for his main companion, which is a Milotic that was a gift from Merlin

Leon: he takes the Nuzlocke approach - catch the first pokemon you encounter in each new area, let them go when they faint in battle. He has somehow managed to beat the Elite Four with just a Houndoom and an Eggsecutor

Percival: he only has one Pokemon, bc he feels like that's all he needs. He just has one sole Aron, but since he couldn't think of a name he let Gwaine do it for him (which is why its name is 69)

Gaius: another member of the Elite Four. His team is mostly Poison-Type. His main companion is a Gloom, but his Toxicroak is one tough customer. Used to be the Poison-Type gym leader, but decided to retire and gave the gym to Merlin. But then Merlin gave it to some kid named Daegal, much to Gaius's chagrin. The main reason he's so hard to beat is bc he uses so many goddamn Potions

Mordred: he's just a small child starting out on his first big adventure, with a trusty Charmander by his side. He grew up in the foster system, but he has fond memories of the Alakazam that once belonged to one of his foster parents. He hopes to catch an Alakazam as well some day, or really any Psychic-type. He also follows Arthur around like a lost puppy

Gilli: Fire-Type gym leader. His companion is a Centiskorch

Freya: Pokemon breeder with an incredibly vicious Purrloin as her companion. She's the only one the Purrloin - named Cow, for some reason - is nice to. Her dynamic with Arthur is pretty much the "it don't bite" meme

Mithian: a trainer whose father wants her to inherit his Normal-Type gym, but she ran away from home to pursue her dreams. What those dreams are tho, she's not entirely sure yet. She just knows she doesn't want to be a gym leader. Her method of battle mostly involves a lot of stat-changing/HP-draining moves that drive Arthur absolutely ballistic

Elena: doesn't keep pokemon due a traumatic incident in her childhood involving a Grimmsnarl, but makes sure to show up to all of her gf Mithian's battles for support!

Will: you bet your ass he's Arthurs rival. He saw Arthur be a jerk to Merlin when they were all kids and decided to become his sworn enemy. He doesn't stick to any particular type, just whatever he thinks looks cool. His lack of effort when it comes to balancing his team makes Arthur very, very frustrated - especially whenever Will beats him in a battle (which doesn't happen often, but enough for Will to feel properly vindicated). His main companion is a Shieldon that his dad helped him catch when he was a kid, a few months before his father died

[quondam-et-futurus]

bbc merlin aspec headcanons

because I’m aroace and no one can stop me

Arthur: Greyromantic (and bi). It was a long time before he had a crush, he has maybe two before Gwen and they go away pretty quickly. As far as he was concerned he was better off without worrying about that kind of thing. When he first started to like Gwen it took him a while to figure out what he was feeling, and then it sort of freaked him out and he didn’t know what to with that. He’s more comfortable  taking things slow and he’s kind of uncertain about typical romance-coded activities. This part kind of goes against canon, but I kind of think that, while he’s not big on getting married, he’d be totally happy marrying someone like Mithian or Elena who he gets along with and respects, even if he doesn’t have romantic feelings for them if it weren’t for the fact that he’s in love with Gwen. He grew up seeing marriage as primarily someone he’d trust to rule with him and want to know for the rest of his life, and he was totally fine with that. I usually think of him as bisexual, but I can also see him as ace (in which case he’s still biromantic in addition to grey-ro) and I kind of love interpreting him that way? Ace Arthur is very good, y’all. Gwen is obviously super accepting of it, and they talk about how they might approach choosing an heir from the other people at court when the time comes. If we’re talking Merthur, then I think that it takes him incredibly long to be even remotely aware that he’s into him. Actually, even if he doesn’t love Merlin romantically, I think he absolutely loves him and values him immensely, not to mention how much he care about and is protective of his knights. This boy needs found family and non-normative relationship models so badly. I do have to say this makes the number of love spells that get put on him kinda awful ‘cause as an aro person that’s freaking terrifying, but I still love the headcanon. Merlin: Asexual (and either bi or gay depending on the day, which fics I’ve been reading, and how recently i’ve watched lady of the lake). I feel like I don’t have to say much because this is pretty popular? But yeah. Big fan of ace Merlin. I don’t always headcanon him as ace, and I’m a huge fan of a lot of headcanons I’ve seen or fics I’ve read where he’s totally not, but yeah. Ace Merlin. 10/10, two thumbs up.

Leon: Aroace. Again, I don’t feel like I have to say much? I’ve seen a lot of people share this one. He’s aroace, he loves his friends, and he’s very tired. Let this man take a nap.

Elyan: Asexual (and bi). Idk, I saw someone say this and I just thought it was rad.

Morgana: Aromantic lesbian. Look. Morgana is a lesbian. I agree wholeheartedly with everyone else on this, and all y’all out there shipping Morgwen are valid as heck. Sometime when I think about Morgana, I don’t read her as aro, but sometimes I just need to project a bit so here goes. Aromantic Morgana who has always thought of friendship and family as hugely important and doesn’t see why people think of romantic relationships as inherently better. Aro Morgana who’s more that a little smug about not getting crushes when she sees how the other kids her age act with them. Aro Morgana who bonds with Arthur about this and calls him a traitor the first time he gets his first rare, short-lived crush. Aro Morgana who clings to her friendships and feels all the more betrayed by Merlin for it. Aro Morgana who feels like her sister is the most important person in the world. Aro Morgana who has always felt, deep down, like she’s isolated and set apart and who ends up all alone.

[queerofthedagger]

Morgwen, Merwaine, Gwapple, Gwaine/Percival, Merlin/Arthur/Gwen

Wow alright, thanks so much for the ask! ❤️ I’m going to put most of this under a cut so it doesn’t get too long,

Morgwen

when I started shipping it if I did:

I basically liked them from the start, but only got really invested in it when @atlantablack dragged me into the angst-potential of the ship without any mercy. ❤️

my thoughts:

Pre-season 3 they’re cute, but then this ship offers so much potential for angst and heartbreak, it’s fantastic. All that pain of betrayal and being torn between love and convictions/loyalty, and how you can mourn someone who’s still alive but... doesn’t exist anymore in the way you loved them.

what makes me happy about them:

On the first glance, they look like they both got their shit together, but actually they’re a chaotic duo that you really shouldn’t mess with.

what makes me sad about them:

How they ended; from a certain point onward, it’s nearly impossible to give them a happy ending. While I love that about the ship, they do both deserve to be happy so... yeah.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

When Gwen’s made out as a pushover who yields too easily to Morgana, or when Morgana’s actions are glossed over or excused too easily.

things I look for in fanfic:

All the conflict, all the angst. Either forgiveness that’s worked for, or none at all. To me, this is a lovers-to-enemies ship, and I want the whole mess that involves.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

I’m really fond of Gwen/Leon or Gwen/Gwaine, and I don’t really ship Morgana with anyone else tbh.

my happily ever after for them:

As you might’ve guessed by now, I’m not really into them for the happy endings, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be something along the lines of them sorting themselves out over season 3 or 4.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: 

Gwen’s the big spoon, a relict from the time she comforted Morgana through her nightmares.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Sparring! They’re both really good with a sword, and love training together.

Merwaine

when I started shipping it if I did:

I don’t really ship them much tbh. I can see them having a friends with benefits thing going on which Gwaine is more invested in than Merlin.

my thoughts:

I love them as a friendship, and I also think there were some unrequited feelings from Gwaine’s side, which is fun to explore.

what makes me happy about them:

They’re such a chaotic duo, and I love them getting up to all sorts of mischief.

what makes me sad about them:

I personally don’t think they would be happy with each other long-term, and if I stay with my own headcanons, it’s definitely sad that Gwaine was left pining after Merlin while Merlin probably remained oblivious to it. Of course, losing Gwaine still would’ve hit Merlin hard which is also just sad.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I don’t really read fic for them.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Merlin: Arthur, Leon, Mithian

Gwaine: Elyan, Gwen, Elena

my happily ever after for them:

Gwaine gets over his feelings and they stay good friends while being happy in their respective relationships.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

I think they would switch a lot.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Going out for drinks, then roaming the streets when nearly nobody else is out anymore and causing a lot of, mostly harmless, mischief.

Gwapple

when I started shipping it if I did:

Hahaha. I don’t, really, though it cracks me up.

my thoughts:

Every fandom needs a food-crack-ship, and we couldn’t ask for a better one.

what makes me happy about them:

Uuuh. Gwaine deserves good things, so why not apples?

what makes me sad about them:

No apple lasts long. Poor Gwaine.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

..... let’s see. When the apple doesn’t have solid characterization. 😔

things I look for in fanfic:

Gwaine getting all the love and appreciation he deserves 😂

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

No one. Gwapple or no one, of course.

my happily ever after for them:

Gwaine on an apple farm.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Oh my god. The apple is the big spoon, obviously. 😂

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Picnics. ✨

Gwaine/Percival

when I started shipping it if I did:

I’m not really invested in it either way, but mostly through fandom after I watched the show.

my thoughts:

It’s a fun ship, and they’re very cute!

what makes me happy about them:

I think they’d be good for each other and balance each other out very well.

what makes me sad about them:

Gwaine’s death-scene. God.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I... don’t really have an opinion either way. When it feels as if the ship is only there to pair them off somehow, I guess.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above; I don’t really search fic for them specifically, but if they’re there, I like to see that they’re together because they fit each other well.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

Gwaine: Elyan, Gwen, Elena

Percy: I’m kind of fond of Percival/Freya!

my happily ever after for them:

They live long happy lives. Yes, the bar is low.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: 

Mostly, Percy is the big spoon, but sometimes Gwaine wraps himself around him like an octopus and Percy actually loves it.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

This is really basic, but I think taking rides around Camelot and challenging each other in training.

Merlin/Arthur/Gwen

when I started shipping it if I did:

I’m not really invested in this either, but season 5 gave me some vibes and then I kind of absorbed it through fandom eventually. 

my thoughts:

I think they’re very cute and would have an interesting dynamic if done a certain way.

what makes me happy about them:

They all deserve good things, and I think they’d make each other incredibly happy.

what makes me sad about them:

The whole tragedy of how they ended; the idea of a poly-relationship where at least one part eventually dies is just... oof.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

If the relationship between the three isn’t balanced, or if it’s made out to be super-easy once they agreed to it. Relationships generally take work, and a poly-relationships specifically requires a lot of open, honest conversations and reflecting on yourself. I want to see the struggle with that.

things I look for in fanfic:

See above.

who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Gwen: Morgana, Gwaine, Lancelot if it’s done a specific way

Arthur: Merlin

Merlin: Arthur, Leon, Mithian

my happily ever after for them:

Arthur survives Camlann, and they happily rule Camelot together for years to come.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Arthur is the smallest spoon, Merlin’s the middle-spoon, and Gwen’s the big spoon.

what is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Anything that involves getting out of Camelot for a bit, picnics, enjoying the calm and peace of the forest. Also, they’re all addicted to cuddling and you can find them in a pile of limbs more often than not.

send me a ship or a character and I’ll tell you what I think!

[sourdough-morbread]

ok time for more ramblings about BoM because ive been writing and i am just aaaa

i accidentally made elena and merlin really similar to each other and i am obsessed with the dynamic that creates between them.

like they are both incredibly good archers and cunning strategists, both trained by balinor (with whom they have a parent-child relationship with). they were bounced around as kids and the place they were from is basically destroyed now. both incredibly friendly and will go very far to help people they barely know. they are both very drawn to animals, especially horses. they have ver similar world views and tastes. they even dress very similarly. they also cant hold their drink all that well.

but when they meet they resent each other so much. elena more than merlin because merlin is the one who chased her and morgana down to get them to join the war knowing its going to lead to their death. and elena keeps pointing it out because she is just so angry and every time merlin tries being nice to her it makes her even angrier because if you wanted to be nice why did you doom us to die? even though really if merlin hadnt done anything things wouldnt have been that different. they would have had to join eventually because prophecy. they both know mogana was doomed to die anyway but merlin did screw them out time they could have spent together while like. not fighting in a war.

and at that point in merlins arc he has been married to gwen and a king for a good few years and has perhaps forgotten what it was like to have royalty jerk you around for shit like they are entitled to you just because you are of use them at the moment. and merlin isnt quite ready to accept that so he starts resenting her. and also hes jealous because elena and morgana keep telling stories of his father and how he was like a father them and how supported them meanwhile merlin barely saw the man growing up even it there was a good reason for it.

they are too polite and diplomatic to make a scene about it so they are just so passive aggressive, and at the same time they are just so similar and they get along great otherwise. which makes them even more passive aggressive because how dare you be so likeable i want to hate you.

eventually they talk it out. elena apologises for blaming it all on merlin and merlin apologises for the part he played in it. they talk about balinor and everything that has happened and all the prophecies that are making everything more difficult and weird and confusing.

and after that they are just peas in a pod. hes her big bro. sometimes they get up super early and have breakfast together over this cliff and talk and watch the sun rise. i love them so much.

[aladygrieve]

Merlin/Arthur Fic Rec

** - Favourite

FANDOM CLASSICS

Castle (The Rules by Which We Live) by kickflaw Word count: 16,200 Summary: Merlin knows that getting off fastest when he’s got some BDSM porno playing loud on the computer doesn’t mean he’d really like to be that bloke, gagged and bent over and bound. Right? Notes: Modern AU and the best BDSM I’ve ever read.

Destiny That Darkly Hides Us by Nympha_Alba Word count: 63,000 Summary: It’s 1913, the practice of homosexuality is unlawful, so is the practice of magic. When Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys meet as Cambridge undergrads, they’re both hungry for a real and true connection without secrets. For a short time they believe they may have found it. But war breaks out and separates them, and it seems unlikely that they will meet again. After all, what are the odds? Notes: Includes reincarnation!

Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock Word count: 46,000 WIP Summary:In which Prince Arthur meets Merlin and all hell promptly breaks loose. Notes: Modern AU in which Merlin is a chain-smoking med student and Arthur is the womanizing Prince of Wales. Includes several companion stories.

**The Student Prince by FayJay Word count: 145,200 Summary: A modern day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love… Notes: Because really, no rec list is complete without the novel-length jewel of the Merlin fandom. It’s plotty, beautifully written and perfectly in-character, and is especially dear to my heart now that I’ve actually visited St. Andrews. I highly recommend the podfic, as FayJay is an incredible reader.

REINCARNATION/FINALE-COMPLIANT

Hold My Heart Until it Beats by ingberry Word count: 1920 Summary: Arthur dies and waits for Albion to need him again. But most of all he waits for Merlin. Notes: Great use of the Arthur waits trope.

**Hopeless Wanderer by Magnolia822 Word count: 18,500 Summary: Merlin has been wandering the world for hundreds of years alone; one day a young blond man moves into the flat upstairs. But does Arthur remember? Notes: Still my all-time favourite reincarnation fic.

I Keep Going Over the World We Knew (Over and Over) by Mellacita Word count: 51,100 Summary: When Merlin Emrys is sent on a ‘round-the-world assignment, he begins remembering a life of magic, dragons, and kings. To make matters worse, a strange woman starts stalking him along the way. And that’s before he even meets Arthur Pendragon, whose answer to climate change is going to save the world. Because apparently just saving Britain won’t be enough this time around. Notes: Plotty and intricate and very, very cool.

Let Your Heart Hold Fast by Acavall Word count: 3000 Summary: Merlin waits for Arthur’s return, and the only way to hold on to his memories is to write them down. Over and over, again and again, as history marches by. Notes: Works interesting historical references into the reincarnation deal.

Never Let Me Go by LadyVader Word count: 3500 Summary: Merlin has walked the world for a long time waiting for his friends return. Notes: Great use of the rest of the characters.

Now I Will Unsettle the Ground Beneath You by nu_breed Word count: 42,300 Summary: Merlin’s dreams have always fuelled his art, but they’ve always been abstract and removed from reality. Soon after he meets Gwaine, he starts to see vivid images of a past full of death and magic and love for a King who was ripped from him. Things only escalate further when he spends a weekend in the country with Gwaine and meets his group of friends, which includes aristocrat and It Boy, Arthur Pendragon. Merlin soon realises that no matter how hard you try, one thing is certain, you can’t fuck with destiny. Notes: Merlin’s dating Gwaine but he and Arthur can’t keep their hands off each other. I love it.

Old Love, But in Shapes That Renew and Renew Forever by leopardwrites Word count: 3500 Summary: People accept that an old man might live alone. People understand that he might have lost the greatest love he has ever known. Notes: Fics that deal with old!Merlin are never not going to be gut-wrenching.

CANON ERA

A Bet by juxtapose Word count: 1100 Summary: In which the Knights stumble upon a private moment between the Prince and his manservant, Leon is uncomfortable, and Gwaine decides to make a bet. Notes: All the knights are fantastic in this one.

The Accidental Seduction by Ras Elased Word count: 9000 Summary: Arthur’s a bit dim and a prank goes horribly awry, but in the end this works out to the benefit of all involved. Notes: Almost unbearably adorable.

**Finding Home by riventhorn Word count: 7860 Summary: When Gaius retires, a new physician takes over, one that quickly kicks Merlin out of his room and takes it for himself, Arthur finds Merlin sleeping in the stables..and it’s winter. Notes: Good old-fashioned hurt/comfort with a dash of fluff. Probably my favourite canon-era fic.

**Fools of Us All by adelagia Word count: 11,100 Summary: Merlin accidentally makes everybody in Camelot fall in love with him. Everybody except Arthur, that is. Notes: Cute, funny and very in-character.

Freedom Hangs Like Heaven by derryere Word count: 9000 Summary: It’s happened five times and they don’t talk about it. Notes: The unresolved romantic tension will end you.

The Greater Bond by ravenflight21 Word count: 15,500 Summary: When Arthur is kidnapped by slavetraders, Merlin has only one option: to buy him. Playing Arthur’s master has its drawbacks – but it also has extraordinary compensations. Notes: Fabulous trope that also includes fancy dress. What more do you want?

**A Heavy Heart to Carry by ThursdayNext Word count: 12,561 Summary: When Merlin is captured and injured, Arthur must face up to his own feelings for his manservant as well as the many secrets he discovers are being kept from him. Notes: I think this might have been the first merthur fic I ever read. It’s Cold Outside by ionionie Word count: 2500 Summary: Merlin and Arthur get trapped in a cave on a freezing cold night. How do they stay warm? Notes: I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s actually sad.

**Meteorology by fayhe Word count: 4600 Summary: Character study with spot-on cameos from Uther, Morgana, Gaius and even Kilgarrah. Notes: Best Gen.

So That I Might Be Where You Areby cherrybina Word count: 4600 Summary: When a spell goes wrong, Merlin and Arthur are linked together in an unusual way, which leads to lots and lots of UST. Notes: Not kidding about the UST, which works surprisingly well. **Stars Above, Stones Below by Destina Word count: 46,800 Summary: After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he’s ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year. Notes: Another one of my absolute favourites. Winterbloom by Shinybug Word count: 6200 Summary: Deep in the woods in the frozen heart of winter, a careless comment leads to a redefinition of Arthur’s relationship with his manservant. Notes: Emotionally-constipated boys shivering in the cold will always be one of my favourite things.

MODERN AU

A Change of Pace by kianspo Word count: 54,600 Summary: The one in which Arthur works in finances and his suits are various (two) shades of grey, Merlin works in advertisement and has no boundaries whatsoever, Morgana drinks rum, Mithian stages a coup, Agravaine is aggravating, and Elena’s house is amazing. Also, Andy Warhol is mentioned in vain, and Arthur and Merlin fall in love in Victorian era style. Notes: In which Arthur has a structured, ordered, boring life, until Merlin comes along.

This Silly ol’ Dance is Perfect for Two by SlantedKnitting Word count: 80,500 Summary: Arthur is young, gorgeous, talented, and captain of one of the best football teams in England; his life should be perfect. But he can’t keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, and it’s not just because he isn’t ready to settle down. When his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he has a rough night at the pub and has to be dragged home by his neighbour, Merlin. Merlin is an archivist, a Ph.D student, and he hates football almost as much as he hates Arthur. They both have their own reasons for not wanting to spend time with each other, but after that disastrous night, remaining silent neighbors doesn’t seem like much of an option anymore. Notes: Plotty and original. Wicked Game by winterstorm Word count: 42,400 Summary: Arthur’s the King of Camelot…nightclub. He can pick and choose who he wants, and he does – often – no promises and absolutely no repeats. The night he chooses Merlin might just be his undoing. Notes: Slight age difference.

[amongthewishesandstars]

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT (BOOK 2) REVIEW

Spoilers ahead, please do not read ahead if you haven’t read the book yet! (Yeah, yeah, I know I am the one who is late to the party). :P The review is 3200 words long, y’all have been warned! (But I would be thrilled if people were to read my review. lol)

Storyline: Continuing right after Book 1, Celaena had been crowned the King’s Champion and had been ordered to kill a number of the King’s enemies. The King only revealed one name at a time in order to prevent Celaena from guessing if there was a pattern within these targets. I was relieved (as was Chaol, Dorian, and Nehemia) to see that Celaena didn’t actually kill any of the targets but gave them the option of running away under a different alias. Celaena already had enough blood on her hands that it would have been horrible to just follow through with the King’s orders. The most important target was Archer Finn who was someone that Celaena had known. I thought that Celaena would have been a bit smarter in terms of finding out Archer’s actual plan because it seemed very strange for Archer to be cowering in fear for someone who trained with her as an elite assassin. It was pretty clear in this book that everybody had their own agendas and sharing it with other people was a surprisingly difficult decision (ex. Celaena told Nehemia everything in one paragraph, told Chaol everything reluctantly and it was a smattering of information throughout the entire book, and told Dorian only half of what she knows). Two people/parties working together doesn’t necessarily mean that they are working towards a common goal. People might want to achieve their goals through the same means but they have different results in mind. With Nehemia’s untimely death, Archer indirectly helped the King achieve what he wanted for some time but it happened without him orchestrating anything. This is what I mean when I say the same means yielded into different results. As a result of Nehemia’s death, Archer managed to show Celaena that Chaol didn’t tell her about the threat against Nehemia and the King got his wish of getting rid of Nehemia without doing anything. Who knows what the King wanted to talk to Nehemia about. Maybe he was going to kill her as well. With the plot shifting towards Wyrdmarks, portals, and Wyrdkeys, we finally see Celaena turn into her Fae form and this was also witnessed by Chaol who ultimately sends her to Wendlyn (much to Dorian’s anger) in hopes that it will save her from the King’s grasps.

CHARACTERS

Celaena, Chaol, & The Big Blowup: Where to even begin… If I’m being completely honest, I don’t like where Celaena’s character is heading. I can recount several times where I wanted to hurl my Kobo e-reader against the wall because of some of the decisions that she made. My main issue with Celaena is the fact that she blames Chaol for Nehemia’s death and she still continues to blame even after finding out who killed her and how the plot was brought to action. I think it is unfair for Chaol to be blamed for everything. I do agree that Chaol could have warned her so Celaena could have been more alert but he is not completely at fault. Nehemia knew what she was getting into – plotting against the king, helping form a rebellion, etc. She had to know that she would have a target on her back since she openly disagreed with the king and his councilmen. Even Celaena should have been wary that Nehemia could be in danger. Despite all of this, Nehemia acknowledged that this was her destiny and she was willing to fulfill her destiny in order to get the wheels in motion. Archer (to his credit) was clever enough to lure Celaena out by kidnapping Chaol. Who’s to say that even if all that didn’t happen, Celaena would have known anything when an assassin entered the castle and killed Nehemia. She could have been sitting in her room and not have heard anything. Chaol posted more guards around Nehemia and even they didn’t hear anything. Celaena just had a disagreement/fight with Nehemia and they weren’t talking at that point. In addition, Nehemia kept secrets from her too but it was okay for her to do that because she was the one who wound up dead and all was forgiven. But no, for Chaol, he got the short end of the stick and somehow Celaena will never be able to trust him again. Why. Why. WHY. After everything that has happened, everybody had their own dark secrets to keep but Chaol got the brunt of the blame. I get that Celaena had the right to be angry because they were together at that time but she had secrets she didn’t tell him at the time so to blame Chaol for everything regarding Nehemia’s death and to never fully trust him again completely irks and frustrates me to no end. It was just unfortunate that Chaol’s decision not to tell Celaena about the unknown threat against Nehemia may have contributed to her death. How can you go from trusting someone so much to loathing them in a matter of seconds? I feel like I can rant on and on about this topic.

Celaena: It comes to no surprise that Celaena turned out to be half-Fae. With Elena talking to her in Book 1 already, readers could have already guessed that she was somehow involved in the magic aspect of things, had some sort of magical capabilities, or she was some sort of descendant, etc. However, even with this revelation, I can only wish that it didn’t happen like this. To have a lost princess wielding magical powers seems almost typical and unsurprising. I would have much preferred if all 3 of them didn’t have any magic and they teamed up with other magic users and become allies in order to fight against whatever evil force that is out there. That makes things more unique and interesting? (Dorian finding out that he had magic was like Morgana from “Merlin” finding out that she had magic and both kings in the book and the TV series were dead set on destroying magic.) What I did appreciate about Celaena’s character was the particular consistency she had as an assassin. As horrible as this may sound, I am glad that she is still as ruthless as she was since the beginning of Book 1. She slays her enemy without hesitation and I am glad she didn’t soften due to being with someone, having a better life, etc. Being an assassin is always going to be a part of her and whoever she ends up being with has to be able to accept that fact. (I feel like Dorian and Chaol have mostly accepted this fact but not being an assassin themselves, I feel like they are still sometimes shocked at her ruthlessness.)

Dorian: I am glad that Dorian is starting to stand up to his father. I am sure we haven’t seen the extent of it yet but I feel that he is on the right path to becoming the type of king that he wants to be in the future. With his new discovery of having magic, I really hope that he is able to accept it as something that is a part of him and he will be able to use the magic for good. It’s going to be ugly when his father eventually finds out that although he thought he destroyed all the magic but the magic in himself, he unknowingly kept Dorian’s magic dormant until now. I know that confiding to Celaena about his powers made him feel less alone but with Celaena gone now, I wonder how he will cope.

Chaol: I feel so bad for my favourite character… how can rainbows and roses turn into dark clouds so soon. I truly wished that Chaol had made the right decision to tell Celaena but I just know that this regret will last a very long time. And I am not even sure what he is going to do now. Return to Adarlan with his father, but he never specified to him when he would return. With the overload of information that he now has, he might try to solve the Wyrdkeys’ mystery as well but what I really hope is that he will break free from the King’s grasp and be able to see just what kind of evil is hidden under there. I hope he is able to gain allies in the difficult journey ahead because right now, he is walking down that path alone.

Celaena & Dorian: They were so awkward around each other at the beginning of Book 2. I guess the way that Celaena ended things between them made their relationship afterwards kind of awkward but it’s pretty clear that Dorian still has (had?) feelings for her even though he knew that at the time Celaena and Chaol liked each other and after the big blowup, Chaol still liked her. I feel sorry for Dorian because I do want him to be happy and I feel that he never really got a chance to really develop his relationship with Celaena on a deeper level. However, he’s still there to pick up the pieces when Celaena breaks up with Chaol and is even relieved a bit that they are not together anymore. For the better half of the book, Celaena barely even talked to Dorian but suddenly when she breaks it off with Chaol, she is now buddy-buddy, good friends with Dorian. That left a bad taste in my mouth because I felt like she was just using him because he was conveniently there. I don’t think she meant to come off that way and I don’t think Dorian saw it that way either but as a reader’s point of view, that was sort of what I saw and interpreted. Their relationship did grow closer as each found out about the other’s secret but not close enough as Celaena didn’t tell Dorian all that she knew.

Celaena & Chaol: I was so incredibly happy when Celaena and Chaol were together. Everything in the first part of the book and even the last few chapters of Book 1, pointed out just how happy they were together. I truly felt like they were two halves of a whole so it breaks my heart and at the same time makes me angry that the likely chance of them getting back together is pretty much zero. Of course I would hope that they would get back together at the end of the series but all signs are pointing that it is pretty much impossible. In any series that I read, I always hope that the original characters would end up together, despite the bumps and twists along the roads (ex. meeting new characters, fighting with each other, etc.). But unfortunately, this doesn’t seem like the case… which makes me extremely sad. Part of me feel like they were purposely ripped apart because there were other plans for both of them. The fallout between them didn’t really even make much sense to me. Celaena went crazy and actually attacked Chaol with her nails and left a permanent scar on his face. It’s like he committed some sort of unforgivable crime when in fact he made a mistake, an error in judgment and it unfortunately (and just so happens) resulted in the death of Nehemia. Of course Chaol didn’t know that this would have happened and he probably regrets his decision every day and it truly sucks that from now on, no matter what he does, it won’t matter because Celaena will never truly forgive him and she will also never fully trust him again.

Dorian & Chaol: My bromance is teetering on the edge of a cliff! Dorian is beyond angry at Chaol for sending Celaena to Wendlyn and Chaol refuses to tell him the actual reason that he did that. WHY. Why create more misunderstandings! It feels like even to his grave Chaol won’t say anything to Dorian about this. I just want them to be close friends again. I don’t want them to drift apart due to everything that has happened. They both need each other’s help! I don’t necessarily believe that Chaol is as loyal to the king and to the kingdom as everybody claims him to be. I feel that above all else, he is most loyal to Dorian. I hope I am not wrong about this! *sobs*

Celaena, Dorian, & Chaol: All I could hope at this point is that somehow they can all remain good friends at the end. Though I have no idea how that is going to happen because now it has become that Chaol is the odd one of the group by being an actual normal human being. Celaena is half-Fae with fire magic. Dorian also has magic but to what extent is still unknown. As Celaena has mentioned before, he seems to have “raw magic” and with that being said, he could be a powerful magic user for all we know.

Nehemia: Her and her secrets and riddles. I found it harder and harder to like her because she had her fair share of secrets as well. I appreciated the fact that she knew what she wanted and she stood up for what she believed was right, despite putting her own life in danger. What I didn’t like about her was how many secrets she kept from even Celaena. She obviously knew more than she let on but couldn’t be bothered to tell Celaena much of it. I guess she wanted Celaena to grow into her role when she was ready but it’s just frustrating to read because she knew SO much more. I know she accepted her death as part of her fate/destiny but I can’t help but resent her for all of the things she didn’t say. If she had told Celaena about working with the rebellion, maybe the whole fiasco that resulted in her death and the falling out of Chaol and Celaena wouldn’t have happened. I know this is all a big IF. But still.

Archer Finn: I will forever hate him for breaking up the Celaena x Chaol pairing. Okay, I did loathe him on that particular aspect but I actually didn’t hate him all that much. He had his own agenda and the means of getting to his goals didn’t matter all that much to him. If Nehemia had to be sacrificed for the greater good of the rebellion, then so be it, he was okay with that. I assume he just wanted to pay off his debts to other people and somehow figure out a way to overthrow the King with the growing rebellion. He, as well as other people, wanted to create a “new world” but who knows if this new world would be better than the one right now.

Burning Questions:

1. Why does Celaena tell Chaol and Dorian different bits of what she actually knows? How does that help matters? It just creates more conflict and misunderstanding – as if there isn’t already enough of that.

2. Did Celaena not tell Dorian that she is a demi-Fae and turned into one as well? And Chaol didn’t bother telling Dorian either? That again doesn’t help matters. I assume that if Dorian actually knew that Celaena is a demi-Fae, he wouldn’t have reacted so angrily towards Chaol when he suggested sending Celaena to Wendlyn.

3. I don’t understand why Chaol can’t tell Dorian everything that he is speculating and working on. What harm can there be by telling him? Why create these misunderstandings and make one of the people he cares about hate him just so he doesn’t have to feel that guilty about returning to Adarlan.

4. Did Celaena not know exactly where she was going when she headed to Wendlyn? Going to a land where Faes lived? Does she not remember her lineage at all? That seems unlikely. Chaol didn’t know due to the fact that he didn’t know which lineage she came from. So I don’t completely understand why she was opposed to going since she had to leave eventually anyways to look for the other two Wyrdkeys if she had stuck around.

5. Why did Nehemia have such a big impact on Celaena? I feel like whatever impact that Chaol and Dorian had on Celaena paled in comparison.

Celaena X Chaol Quotes (because my ship has sunk but I will go down with this ship):

1. “I know you can look after yourself. But I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn’t, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.”

2. But then a warm, calloused hand grasped hers beneath the table, and she turned her head to find Chaol looking at her. He smiled slightly – and she knew he understood. So Celaena looked at her Captain of the Guard and smiled back.

3. When her eyes found his, she forgot about the cold, and the moon, and the glass palace looming above them. The secret library and the king’s plans and Mort and Elena faded into nothing. She took his hand, and there was only the music and Chaol.

4. The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realized she was home.

5. “Because,” she whispered, her voice shaking, “you remind me of how the world ought to be. What the world can be.”

6. The kiss obliterated her. It was like coming home or being born or suddenly finding an entire half of herself that had been missing.

7. She twined her arms around his neck, her mouth meeting his in a second kiss that knocked the world out from under her.

8. Like she was everywhere and nowhere all at once. Like she’d somehow been half-blind all her life and could now see everything clearly. Like she could stay her forever and be content.

9. He caught her hand in his, holding it up so he could look at her amethyst ring – the ring she never took off, not even to bathe.

10. It somehow felt as if it had always been Chaol, even from the very beginning, een before they’d ever met.

11. Just seeing her made him forget the world around them.

12. I think… I think I’m happy for me, too. For the first time in years, she was truly happy.

Random Thoughts:

1. It’s funny how everybody in the series keeps secrets assuming that other people would be better off not knowing but it never works out that way because it just ends up blowing up in their face. I don’t know why they would think this. So many problems can be solved through communicating. *SIGH*

2. How can you go from trusting someone so much to loathing them in a matter of seconds?

3. It breaks my heart to read that Celaena and Dorian confided to each other about their deep secrets/findings (Dorian’s magic and Celaena’s findings of Wyrdmarks though she doesn’t completely tell Dorian everything) before telling Chaol anything about it.

Score: 4/5

[vampchockami]

Okay, to clarify, I believe the amount of love a writer has for a character is directly proportional to how much depth there is behind it. If you can follow the logical progression of their beliefs to their actions and so on, that is a character that has been considered and developed with care.

To address your first point, though, I would argue that the narrative doesn't do something as simplistic as a battle of Good vs Evil but rather an Us vs Them dynamic. Who ever opposes the ideals and goals of Merlin (who we see the most of and sympathise the most with because the show is essentially about him) becomes the antagonist.

After that is what I meant by calling Agravaine the most hideous villain. Like I said before, the mark of a loved character is how much of their story and motivations are apparent as the story plays out. Agravaine was flat and so the only thing we really got from him was some vaguely Morgana-related malicious intent towards Arthur. In comparison Morgana and Morgause and Nimueh had meat to them. You don't feed characters you hate.

I will definitely recognise that they effed up Morgana's turning and that the writing of her got lazy as time went on but if we're doing checks and balances on face value then of course you're going to get skewed results. We don't mention the male antagonists against Camelot because they're all basically pawns of the larger (female) villain (the Saxons, Cenred and his army, the knights of Medhir). That, or they're the generic brand of villain. Like Valiant, the endless bandit hordes, mercenaries, like 70% of the kings honestly. Count those up and you'll probably get a different answer.

At the end of the day I'm saying that calling having interesting, memorable, intelligent, cunning, varied female characters that do bad things (just as many of the other characters do) called "villains" and their portrayal misogynistic is simplistic. I can name just about as many compelling female characters, no matter what they did, than I can compelling men. Probably more if I think about it.

Sure our only heroic and just women are a small pool of Gwen, Mithian, Hunith and Elena. But these women were also pretty incredible characters. I don't know what you mean about Gwen's character getting butchered in any way because I remember her consistently being lovely, kind, brave, intelligent and dignified. From servant to queen. And damn did she make a BAMFuckin queen and I have full faith that after Arthur's death, Camelot enjoyed prosperity and a competent ruler.

Still on the topic of ratios though is the question of how many females you think they'd be able to fit into the legend of Merlin, Arthur and the knights of the round table? Gwen is generally one of 3 women the average person will recognize from Arthurian legend. And the Lady of the Lake doesn't even have a commonly known name. The nature of most of Arthur's adventures is battling beasts and what woman in the middle ages would have a believable spot in the army?

And yet we still got strong Queens and noble fighters and cunning enemies and beloved mothers. (Just off the top of my head of fairly minor female characters I remember: Sophia, Sefa, Kara, Vivian -who was also pretty flat but I still remember her lol- Isolde, that lady that was Alator's apprentice, Alice, Queen Mab -shudder- that beautiful blonde woman who managed to gather information for Morgana through Gwaine, I suppose Ygraine counts as a minor character?)

So many people die throughout the series, just about half of the round table kicks the bucket, and you're lamenting that the only woman we have left is a mourning but strong-willed and noble Queen? We watched so many more men die honestly. Men whose names we didn't know. Men we don't care about because men dying is the norm. Innocent shopkeepers and druids and sons and fathers and yet it's misogyny to have mothers and sisters be the most dangerous force to rise up against those tragedies?

I also don't want to argue but I think insisting on there being blatant misogyny in a show we all love, when I personally don't believe that at all, taints its memory. The show wasn't perfect and neither are the writers but I do not believe any part of it was injected with hate.

sometimes i really b wishing the main villains arent ninety percent women lmaooo shit is sexy but also the misogyny brain rot is dripping out of yr ears @ writers

[weakforarwen]

The Changeling

Watching this episode at the same time as I’m finishing season 5 is like a breath of fresh air. The difference between the seasons! It’s like day and night.

Arthur is warm and cute and a real character in this episode! Gwen is her shy yet confident, nonconforming yet realistic, awkward yet graceful, self, I love her. And Arwen is so good this episode! Their chemistry is great, and their scenes are varied - it’s not just Gwen telling Arthur she believes in him, or, worse, standing by his side like decoration. Bradley actually has more than a few facial expressions here! When he realizes he’ll have to marry Elena, his eyes shine with tears and he looks so sad... it’s so good. But I also love his awkwardness in a previous scene, when Arthur’s like “Dw, I won’t get married” and Gwen’s like “Who says I was worried?”. The scene where Arthur skips up the stairs as Gwen is coming down is super cute too - the banter, their smiles! Compared to season 5, it’s like someone painted them in bright colors. Ah, this is the Arwen I love.

The episode is great. Grunhilda is hilarious. The actress, Miriam Margolyes, is so adorable and good, honestly. What a treasure. They were lucky to have her for one episode. Poor Gaius had to take one for the team though. I loved seeing him so flustered.

I loved Elena too. But I didn’t like that human Elena wasn’t as clumsy and unlady-like. The moment the fairy spirit was expelled out of her, she became a “proper” princess and that was disappointing. She was lovely when she tripped and snorted. Still, her parting words to Arthur were amazing “Let me know when you want me to beat you at horse riding again”, or something like that. Arthur’s face was priceless. Arthur’s reactions to the princess were on point the entire episode. 

I loved everything about the episode tbh. Even Uther was funny. He was so excited for his friend’s visit and got so awkward trying to tell Arthur he was to marry Elena lmao. But he went back to being his asshole self soon enough.

Elena should be glad her father clearly loves her and puts her first. She and Arthur could’ve been great friends! She’d get along so well with Merlin and Gwen too!

There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching this episode knowing Arthur will marry Gwen despite everything and be so happy with her. Uther told Arthur a King can’t marry for love, and I was like “Just you wait and see. You’ll be rolling in your grave”. And Morgana looked so gleeful and smug when she pretended to be on Gwen’s side, but her and Arthur simply couldn’t be... Laugh all you want, you’ll never be Queen, bitch. Seeing Arthur call off a wedding for the first time was so funny. Dude is a pro at calling off weddings, even the first one with Gwen :/ 

Arthur can’t marry for love, you say? Just you watch. He’ll marry no one but Guinevere. He’s not Uther. Arthur might find it difficult to shake off his father’s hold on him, but when it comes to Gwen, he will not take no for an answer. As close as he came to marrying other women or calling it quits with Gwen, he just couldn’t. It’s her or nothing, and I find that so relatable. 

I really relate to this side of Arthur. I’m not good at rebelling either, at expressing my thoughts and standing up for myself - I don’t like displeasing people or having them mad at me - but I can’t get talked into something I really don’t wanna do. I’ll drag my feet the whole time til I get my way. But Arthur’s not quite like me. He gives in quite easily to the demands of others, but once he thinks it through and gains confidence in himself, he stands up for his beliefs. Especially if it concerns Gwen. 

In your face, Uther. I know how miserable Arthur’s marriage made you. You even tried to kill Gwen from beyond the grave. I guess if you actually knew your son, you’d have seen he wasn’t under any spell in season 3.

[casijaz]

Story time: a person goes into the Mithian tag to see if it exists; instead finds post which states Mithian’d make a better queen than Gwen.

I mean it’s all opinion but my main problem with stuff like this, is a part of a bigger trend I’ve seen whenever I go into the Merlin tag. Or just any type of interaction with Merlin fans on platforms. I should just stay clear of it but I’m also a weak person that loves s u f f e r i n g I guess.

So here goes nothing?

Mithian, Elena, and especially Morgana’s portrayals by fandom and being hauled as the best are grinding my gears so much because while this would’ve been fine, Guinevere’s appreciation is lacking in comparison (to all of them combined). If Gwen was a white woman, this would’ve passed over my head. But she’s not. She’s the only black woman on the show in a leading role. In fact she is/was the only black woman on the show, period.

For Mithian and Elena, whenever I go and find information about them or see fan comments, it’s nothing but positivity for them (which is great, support female characters) by undermining Gwen’s character, or throwing her under the bus (which is not great). The thing about Elena is that she’s adorable, but obviously not suited well with Arthur, which is something they both agree on. As for Mithian, obviously she’s a princess so she knows what she’s doing, but oh dear, they had an entire arc for Guinevere (you know, Guinevere from Arthurian legend, Arthur’s wife?) set up to be queen, growing in wisdom, kindness, strength, and whatever kind of queenly qualities works in the Merlin-universe. The problem is how the preference for these two goes in tandem with the underlying problem of fandom’s antiblack treatment of Gwen. She, according to the fanbase, was never deemed queenly enough or pretty enough or whatever kind of thin excuse they could think of, not preferring a black female character to become queen of Camelot. I’m not going to add sources, you can easily google them.

Then going on to my favourite. Morgana. Now I love Morgana so much. The show has some terrible writing on her part and a lot of her characterisation and arc could’ve been executed better. But with the stuff that we were given, we were presented with an eventual villain. Now here’s the good part. Over the time that I’ve been looking into the Merlin fandom, I see nothing but praise, excuses and justifications for Morgana’s behaviour after season 2. I will not include her previous state, I’m only here to talk about villain!Morgana. A villain makes someone who kills entire battalions of knights who were trying to help her, kills innocent bystanders in a crowd, shows excellent examples of classism, works together with a slaver and sexual abuser, then becomes a slaver herself, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Now I love villain!Morgana. I love how cruel she gets to be, I love how unforgiving she is, and I actually love the way the show set up for her to become the one thing she despised. But goodness gracious, fandom manages to excuse all of her actions in order to woobify her. And it goes without saying anyone who ‘works against her’ is thrown under the bus. Which includes Gwen.

The pattern I’m going for here is where fandom is presented with a bunch of white characters, and a single character of colour (in this particular case black, which is an important distinction) and decides to either not include that character at all, or vilify them to prop up their white favourites. Think K/ylo R/en, or S/olas. Both characters have done and will continue to do horrible things, but for some reason (read: racism) they decide that these characters have done absolutely nothing wrong in their lives ever, and are UwU innocent characters to be protected. Or badass characters you can support in their quests!

It’s both insulting to Morgana’s character as a good villain AND Guinevere’s character as the moral compass and queen of the show, AND as the only black woman on the show, that Morgana is constantly woobified by the fanbase. I’ve seen people call Gwen ‘racist’ for not supporting Morgana (whiteness is one hell of a drug), while completely undermining Uther’s efforts to brainwash his general public into hating magic, and her general growing into ambivalence on the situation. Mind you, episodes 8 and 10 of season 3 used to be the other way around, which makes a lot more sense for Gwen’s reaction to finding out Morgana has magic. She’s no longer that scared something might happen to Morgana, but what Morgana will do to others as she’s seen signs of evil (it’s a power you get as the show’s moral compass).

It’s incredibly sad to see these entire ‘Morgana-defence squads’ whose sole mission is to point out how misogynistic the show is (which it is, not denying it is) while completely disregarding her having to take responsibility for the actions she did on the show. Yes, the writers definitely wrote her doing those things, but that’s not what we’re here for. It’s about how Morgana still gets to live up to white ideologies of white fragile womanhood while Gwen gets no safety in that. The black girl, literal moral compass, surrounded by dainty flowers and representing nothing but kindness and mercy, gets none of that.

It’s funny because I’m mostly talking about white femininity and innocence here against black femininity and womanhood, when I could also talk about the general attitude towards favourism of all white characters versus the black ones. I could go on and on about this but there’s so much to unpack here but I’m just a tired black girl and wanted to rant for a little bit. So there’s that.