#they have the kind of chemistry that Merlin and Arthur have

[a-witch-called-cottage]

Writing my first fan fic! It was gonna just be for me, but after finding a severe LACK of any fics of BBC’s Mordred, I decided I might actually share it when I’m happy with it.

Anyway, literally no one asked for it, but here’s the constructive criticism I gave myself while half asleep at 12 am, as well as my friend’s “helpful input”.

#I’ve only been working on this for like…2 months #bbc merlin #mordred #bbc mordred #mordred x reader #they have the kind of chemistry that Merlin and Arthur have #including the banter #I think I’m judging myself a bit too harshly #or maybe not harshly enough #maybe I won’t actually post it so my partner who’s actually a writer won’t see it and feel ashamed at how bad it probably is #writing fics is hard #writing is hard #why did no one tell me #I lied everyone told me #I just didn’t listen #maybe I should just go to sleep

[fvckw4d]

People actually think Merlin (BBC) was "queerbait"? For real? The creators never denied the homoeroticism and metaphor and they were clearly telling a tragedy. In 2010. And what, people expected a traditional love confession and onscreen kiss? Why the fuck would you want that, I'm serious.

#Not every tv show has the unique intersection of homophobia and homoeroticism of stuff like supernatural #and not every company is as involved in micromanaging its fan base as 2014-2024 disney-marvel. #Merlin has flaws but I'm over halfway through and it seems to be playing out exactly as intended. #This genuinely seems to be a narrative decision and I'm gonna level with everyone...i think it's generally a good one. #☠️ #Arthur/Gwen was a little forced in the early seasons. Not because they don't have good chemistry but bc it never came off as romantic to me #But I genuinely don't think that was some kind of 'cover' for the gay romance they'd clearly created #unless there's some para text I'm completely unaware of. But as far as the text goes it seems like the story they wanted to tell.

[olli-is-a-fish]

Arthur: Merlin and I have the kind of easy chemistry where we finish each other's-

Merlin: Sentences.

Arthur: Don't interrupt me.

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur #merthur #just merlin doing merlin things #incorrect merlin quotes #incorrect quotes #incorrect merthur quotes

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, round 1, bracket three

Propaganda:

For Leo: (Mod note: most submissions were for RTMNT but there was 1 for the character in general as well)

He's a badass, he's a loser, he's the coolest guy of all time, he's a pathetic little man, he's the greatest ninja the world has ever seen, hes an asshole, he has badass portal katanas, he's the fruitiest iteration of the charecter by far! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you. The one, the only, RISE LEONARDO!

I mean just look at him!

He has these super cool swords and he’s a lil bit fruity

literally the gayest most flamboyant idiot teenager ever. he's a sassy overconfident bastard and we love him for it. he has a magic portal sword for most of the series. the kind of sword he wields (an ōdachi) was specifically picked because, AND I QUOTE, "he can't even hold that thing without looking like he was posing with it. we thought that was really fun for a kid who's got a giant sword and that kind of attitude." in previous tmnt iterations there was this guy, Usagi, who i guess those versions of Leo must have had some kind of chemistry with, idk. fun fact he's not even really a tmnt character, he's a crossover character who's just showed up in like three different iterations!! anyway, despite Usagi literally not existing in Rise canon, Rise!Leo gives off SUCH gay vibes that THE ENTIRE FANDOM HAS DECIDED THAT HE EXISTS ANYWAY AND IS LEO'S BOYFRIEND AND/OR MASSIVE CRUSH. THE ENTIRE FANDOM. I'M LITERALLY NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING. Leosagi is like, the biggest ship in the goddamn fandom and ONE OF THE CHARACTERS ISN'T EVEN CANON. this entire animatic. yeah.

Dual wields katanas like a boss. Has also used various other swords in different pieces of TMNT media. Regardless of which iteration of Turtles we're talking about, he's also almost always "close friends" with the katana-wielding samurai rabbit Usagi!

No propaganda submitted for Arthur. (Mod note 2: can someone fix this :( ... please)

#sword gays showdown #leonardo hamato #rtmnt #arthur pendragon #merlin #merlin bbc #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt

[thefabledpheasant]

Merwenthur and merwen

Ayyyy two for the price of one 😁

I’ll start with Merwen. They’re besties. I don’t see them together pretty much at all. I think they have undeniable chemistry, but that chemistry is strictly platonic. So, if I were talking their ranking as friends, it’d be 95/100. But ranking as a couple…

Merwen: 10/100

Ok, now for Merwenthur. My feelings on this one are a little complicated. On the one hand, whenever I see fanart of this coupling or silly little scripts of the three of them, I think it’s adorable and I eat it up. I think they’re a great trio just in general.

But on the other hand, I don’t really like it when I think of them actually together. The main reason for that is I don’t think the love would be equal and I just can’t like it if it isn’t. I think Merlin and Arthur have something that goes beyond what they have with anyone else.

When Gwen is Arthur’s queen, she’s lonely because he spends all his time out and with Merlin. There’s a deleted scene of Merlin telling Arthur he should probably spend some time with Gwen. This isn’t the only deleted scene that addresses this kind of thing either. And there are many other instances I can think of when Arthur puts Merlin before her.

I just think Gwen deserves to be with someone who see’s her as number one. And at the end of the day, Arthur is always picking Merlin and Merlin is always picking Arthur.

Merwenthur: 30/100

Feel free to send me ships to rank :)

#thank you so much for the ask!! #I loved being asked these #bbc merlin #merlin #merwenthur #mergwenthur #merwen #mergwen #merlin bbc #merthur #asks

[thenerdyindividual]

Ship ranking?? Uhhhh I want in!

The most random ships I have:

Mithian / Vivian, Mithian could turn out to be the one to free Vivian from the enchantment and make her into a better person!

Hunith /Uther or Ygraine / Balinor or Hunith /Ygraine etc etc. All the combinations

Gwaine / Elena I just think they're neat. They both have chaos energy. Plus, Elena's Father seems like a chill guy who would accept a peasant (who isn't actually a peasant huhhhhhhh)

Hear me out... Finna / Alator.

Nimueh / Freya

Julius Borden / Will

I swear I am not throwing these name out randomly there's a thought process behind it

Like Nimueh is of the old religion, so maybe she finds Freya after death in Avalon. And Freya being the kind soul she is can help her heal and grow out of her hatred.

And for Julius and Will... Picture a world where Will didn't die. And now everyone thinks he is a sorcerer. Julius hears rumours of the son of the last dragon lord living in Ealdor. So he goes there and he assumes it's Will, and Will just agrees to cover for Merlin, so he has to fake being a Dragon lord until the letter he sent reaches Merlin to warn him and to idk get help? But huh huh they actually fall in love.

Okay! There’s a lot here and I’m going to unpack all of them! This is fun!

Mithian / Vivian

I’m in favor of lesbian queens ruling a kingdom together, but also I like Mithian and feel she deserves better than Vivian. And I really dislike Vivian because she was mean to Gwen and I adore Gwen. I’m just not that interested in Vivian’s character, personally. I think Mithian, Gwen, and Morgana are all more interesting in her. So for that reason I rank it:

E-Tier

Hunith /Uther

No. Just no. Okay I know Uther was probably not always a genocidal maniac, but to quote Brennan Lee Mulligan “Before you were a fascist, you were a bully.” I think Hunith deserves to get her needs met by someone who would not one day gleefully send her son to the pyre. I rank this ship:

E-Tier

Ygraine / Balinor

Ohhhhh now this has some interesting vibes. Does Ygraine have a romance with Balinor before meeting Uther? Does she find out that Uther cheated on her, and got revenge on Balinor? Was it both? Does that mean that Uther and Ygraine were an arranged marriage? If so that makes Uther and even bigger hypocrite by using her death to justify his hatred.

For sheer implications and intrigue, I rank this:

C-Tier

Hunith /Ygraine

Ooooo a parallel to Arthur and Merlin, hell yes. I’m in favor of more sapphic romances in this fandom, and this could be fun. But also I now want an extremely cracky one shot where Merlin and Arthur are dating and introduce their moms, only for their moms to start hooking up, much to the horror of Merlin and Arthur.

I rank this:

C-Tier

Gwaine / Elena

I see this one a lot in the background of fics and I’m never much of a fan. It’s just a little too quirky for me. Like I’m sure there’s a fic out there that could get me to ship it, but most of the time it feels like people just want to ship the chaotic one with the chaotic one. It rarely feels thought out to me, and often feels like shoehorning it in because everyone needs to be a couple.

That said, it’s never enough to make me click away from a fic. And I could see how I would enjoy it if there was more time and thought put into their relationship. I mean, Gwaine is wandering rogue pre season 4. Chances are he ended up in Gawant at some point right?

I rank it:

C-Tier

For the potential

Finna / Alator

Tbh? In my soul, this is canon.

B-Tier

Nimueh / Freya

I just feel like Nimueh would trigger Freya. Super powerful, super scary, witch lady? After Freya got cursed dating Nimueh would just set Freya up to be terrified all the time. I don’t vibe with it. Also I think Freya has been through enough and doesn’t need to be fixing Nimueh.

I rank it:

D-Tier

Julius Borden / Will

Here’s the thing, I love Borden as a character but I like to make him Merlin’s shitty ex. I know the go to is Cenred, but he has way more chemistry with Borden.

So as far as shipping him with Will? Idk man. I’d maybe be tempted to read the fic you described because it sounds fun as hell, but Borden is just such a fun scummy piece of shit that I don’t ship him seriously with anyone. So without reading that fic, going on vibes alone…. I rank it:

D-Tier

Send me a Merlin Ship and I’ll rank it on a tier list. Note: This is a subjective ranking and a low ranking in no way means that I am shaming you for your taste in ships.

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin bbc #mithian #princess mithian #gwaine #uther pendragon #king uther #bbc uther #hunith #balinor #merlin ship tier list #i am so sorry #I did not realize how low these would all be and now I feel bad 😬 #I think our tastes don’t line up very well

[pinkcrocss]

What do you like about Marie and Jordan individually and what do you like about them as a pair?

Thank you for the ask! ❤️

For Marie, I just love her so much. First of all, I am always happy to see a black girl lead in any kind of diverse, non-stereotypical, non-sassy-side character role like this.

But I also appreciated how realistic she was. Like, I understood almost every choice she made. I saw people get mad at her at the start for not always doing the altruistic, "right thing", but for most people, self-preservation comes first. She didn't owe those other characters anything (especially after how they treated her) and I loved that she had a back bone and would actually talk back to people. But at her core, she is still a good person despite everything that has happened to her and still chooses not to be corrupted by Vought's influence once she understands the true material cost.

For Jordan, they're just such a nuanced character. One, I always have a soft-spot for the Lancer character archetype. The highly capable, second best, who can never quite out-do the main character (e.i. bakugo, reki (from sk8), Ron from HP (fuck jkr, but no other examples are coming to me atm)), and Jordan is just that. Like, yeah, they were kind of a bitch at the start, but it's so clear that they are secretly a softie and the world and their experiences have forced them to have a tough shell. Also, their powers as an allegory for gender identity, yes, it's on the nose (although, as someone who grew up reading 90s/2000s manga like Ranma 1/2, not that unheard of), but I think the show handled questions of their identity really well.

And finally for Limoreau...

idk where to start. tbh, as someone who has been hyper fixating on characters and ships since high school, I never really have a clear explanation of why I ship the characters I do. I either like it or I don't. But Limoreau is such a pleasant surprise because the chemistry was there from the start, but it felt like one of those queer dynamics that the writers would be too scared to pursue (think Arthur/merlin or Gojo/Geto). I think the fact that our MAIN PAIRING is a queer, interracial couple with no white people, shouldn't be as revolutionary as it is in 2023, but it is! I hope this is a positive direction for on-screen storytelling.

But also everyone loves a classic "enemies to lovers" (yes, I know they're not EtL in the true sense, but I consider Rivals-to-lovers as a subset of EtL, so I'm using it as an umbrella term). I think the reason people like EtL dynamics (Especially in het pairings) is that there is always an underlying respect beneath the "hatred". Like, to see someone as a threat, you have to see them as at least an equal.

It was clear from the start that Marie and Jordan were more alike than different and it was Vought and the corrupt nature of Godolkin pushing them to compete. They're both lonely in different ways, and I love the idea of them finding acceptance and a home with each other (Also all three actors are extremely attractive and have great chemistry, so that never hurts).

Do I wish their relationship had been paced out a bit more? Yes. But that was my issue with all of Gen V. I think the whole show would have benefitted from 12 eps, instead of 8, because development was needed in most areas.

I also just want to note, for all the people saying their relationship "came out of nowhere", I truly feel that if Marie looked like Erin Moriarty and Jordan looked like Chace Crawford, most people would have clocked the romance from the beginning, jus saying...

#gen v #marie moreau #jordan li #limoreau #asks #gen v prime

[like-sands-of-time]

So when Arthur's prince it's "oh one day you'll be king and Gwen will wait for you (never mind that she quite liked lance and he just up and left her TWICE, the second because he just immediately gave up when he saw Arthur was hurt even though he gave her up)

And then he just KEEPS pushing her away but wanting her to stay, they're in this sort of open secret relationship that doesn't actually involve any dates, just the occasional moment where she's in a scene to remind us they're passionately in love and destined to be together?? What is it about shows giving us so little reason to ship m/f pairings sometimes honestly. (And don't get me started on how they showed us so much gwencelot potential and then erased it because look! Shiny arwen instead.

Lancelot was able (of the same station as her) to pursue her, and had actual feelings for her that didn't revolve around any kind of duty to anyone else. Was willing to sacrifice himself not only for Arthur because she asks (which, idk I have mixed feelings on but I'll allow it) but also at the end of the day for Merlin bc Merlin will always save Arthur.

Arthur likes her because she was a woman who stood up to him..? Literally what's the difference between her and Merlin as people at that point considering that was Merlin's big thing in season one, only to have every moment rewritten as Gwen making Arthur this better man, she straight up ends up saying some of the same things and having some of the same plots (low-key did they just realize these things worked but made merthur look romantic because it genuinely doesn't make sense, I never even knew people shipped Merlin and Arthur before this show. They have so much chemistry)

just say you don't actually love her you just love the idea of her because she's a strong (when they remember to write her as such) woman and she knows the people of Camelot so will therefore make the perfect queen??? poor Gwen deserved to find some happiness fuck the source material at this point lol it's not like this show stuck to it

#bbc merlin #guinevere pendragon #arthur pendragon #lancelot #gwencelot #arwen #they just wrote angst for the sake of it there was no reason for Gwen to have to go through this lol #i fuckin cant with shows that do this

[magog83]

Link to Radio Times article

Can't believe Capps and Co are still out here making me feel rage in the year of our lord 2023. Anyway, some extracts under the cut if you don't fancy clicking through...

(Also HOW has it been 15 years??? Can we get a Fandom Retrospective instead please??)

Bradley James was first choice to play Prince Arthur, having previously worked with Capps and Murphy on the 2008 BBC TV movie Dis/Connected. "He had all the qualities that we wanted in Arthur – Brad is a fantastic actor, but also he's brilliant at comedy, and we wanted a Jeeves and Wooster feel, where Arthur is 'a hero', but he's not really the hero, the hero is the underdog, Merlin.

Colin Morgan – a relative newcomer who'd memorably guest-starred in the Doctor Who episode Midnight – was hired to play Merlin, with Angel Coulby cast as Guinevere ("Gwen" to her friends) and Katie McGrath rounding out the regular cast as Morgana.

Matt Smith, two years prior to his Doctor Who debut, was also "hugely high up" the list of potential names to play the show's title character, while his future companion Karen Gillan was in the running to play Guinevere. "We met lots of actors – and lots of them are doing unbelievably well now," says Capps.

"Colin and Bradley had fantastic on-screen chemistry – they just lit the screen up with their fun and their humour and their brotherly love for each other, so that made us able to write really intense emotional stories between the two of them, as the characters got older and as the stakes of the story got higher in each season. Because they were so good, we could write much richer stories for them."

Fans latched on to the close bond between Merlin and Arthur, with some calling for the relationship to evolve and go down a romantic route – with the benefit of hindsight, knowing the strength of the reaction to the pairing, does Capps think the series should have explored that dynamic?

"No, I don't think so. It was a beautiful friendship and there was a huge amount of love with them, but I don't think you'd want to take that any further. I think there's something very beautiful about a really intense friendship between two people that is non-sexual – that to us was the beauty of it, this extraordinary friendship."

The series hinged on Arthur remaining oblivious to Merlin's magic – though other characters would learn the young wizard's secret across the span of the series, the now-King Arthur would not learn the truth about his friend until the very final episode and there was never any discussion about an earlier reveal.

"As soon as Arthur knows that Merlin has magic, we felt the format of the show was over," Capps explains. "Because the format of the show was that he had to hide it. It's the end of the story – or the end of this version of the story."

The show's final scenes see a surprise leap into the present day, with an immortal Merlin still waiting for the Once and Future King to rise again.

"We'd run out of legend, so you couldn't really take it any further," Capps says of the show's final arc. "It just kind of came to us – there was just something really lovely about... he's waiting for the next incarnation of Arthur, there's something sort of sadly beautiful about that."

There were, however, "quite advanced talks" about a series of Merlin movies, planned to be produced after the drama had wrapped but to feature stories set within the timeline of the television show. "But it all got a bit complicated and then, you know, with these things, they fall apart, but we did very seriously talk about it.

"The idea was to have a trilogy of movies, and the movies were going to happen in-between the series – that was the idea, in those kinds of timelines. It would have been really good fun to do them."

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin/arthur #these hacks #if the show was over when Arthur found out why promise us a golden age? #i stg

[lassusog]

Tag game: Eight shows to get to know me!

I was tagged by the lovely @smoothshine, thank you friend ❤️

1. The adventures of Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie)

This is my favourite show of all time. I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched every episode and this is thirteen seasons long. Agatha Christie is a literary giant and this is arguably one of the best page-to-screen adaptations of all time, for good reason. David Suchet portrays Poirot brilliantly, his friend group is to die for and one episode is enough to scratch that i want a cozy murder mystery where everything works out in the end itch. 

2. Sherlock BBC

This show is part of my personality, really, and what originally got me into fandom. Apart from being an incredibly well crafted adaptation, this was also the first time I actually saw a queer couple live together. And no, I don’t take criticism on the fact of their being a queer couple. When I was a baby lesbian Sherlock and Irene Adler where my icons and it was so nice logging on tumblr and seeing people showing love to something gay. Up till then I didn’t think it was possible

3. She-Ra

This show altered my brain chemistry. An actual lesbian couple being the core of an amazing tv series? My heart was blown to bits and reconstructed. I watched this, again, as a baby gay, and it was very affirming and gentle to my heart

4. The end of the f***ing world 

I cannot stress how much I love this show. Season 2 especially is such a respectful and kind approach on how traumatic experiences shape our perception of the the world and how much we need people who love and understand us as we learn to navigate it again.

5. Merlin

The first few seasons of this live in my heart rent free, I adore Merlin so much. I want to hug every character. And officiate Merlin and Arthur’s wedding.

6. Feel Good

I can’t say how many times I’ve watched this show but it certainly isn’t a healthy amount. It’s funny, it’s tender and it’s a story about two young queer people learning to accept themselves and love each other. What’s not to love?

7. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood 

I’m sorry, I know this show has a brilliant story about two brothers in it but Roy and Riza are the protagonists for me, I just *screams* 

8. Criminal: UK 

This show is what opened my eyes to what an amazing craft directing is.  Everything happens in an interrogation booth but the acting and directing is so good you don’t get bored for a single minute and the cases are excellent as well. 

This was very difficult, actually! And I have so many more shows I love that I could place here. I tag: @scienceoftheidiot @qs63, @dairogo @jedidragonwarriorqueen and @chryseis​. Have fun!

#tag game #thank you for tagging!!

[weakforarwen]

Sometimes I think the actors are the saving grace of the show, especially the main four. Somehow, in the face of repetitive plots & sometimes wooden dialogue, they managed to give it their all which made people tune in every week. I know that heaps of love was poured on Colin & Bradley for literally carrying the show, but the real credit has to go to Angel Coulby for enduring the racism and misogyny in the toxic fandom with the grace of an actual queen.

I think Katie was very charismatic, and that was her saving grace in the first three seasons. In the beginning, whenever she had to show distress or anger, she wasn't great at it, to say the least. In the season 3 finale, for example, when she found Morgause's unconscious body, her pain and fear were very unconvincing. She improved quite a lot in the last two seasons though. In seasons 4 and 5, her disdain, anger, and coldness were played with this wonderful vulnerability that gave Morgana a lot more depth than the lines she was given.

As for Bradley, he was great in action scenes and very charismatic. He was just one of those people everyone likes, a natural leader. He was always great with Colin, and, imo, paid special attention to his scenes with Merlin. I think it was obvious he was closer to, and/or liked, Colin/Merlin better than Angel/Gwen. He probably preferred the manly bromance over the romantic scenes. In the beginning, particularly in season 2, Bradley was great in all his scenes with Gwen, and he gave great heart eyes. However, over time, he began acting colder. When he was supposed to look affectionate, he looked indifferent. In seasons 4 and 5, especially, he was inconsistent in his scenes with Gwen. He was great at showing anger, pain, vulnerability, and did wonderful work in episodes like The Changeling, Lancelot Du Lac, The Sword in the Stone, but he wasn't nearly as good at showing affection, softness, love. Compared to Angel, he sometimes looked so wooden: for example, in The Coming of Arthur or in his proposal in The Sword in the Stone. I also thought he wasn't emotional enough in With All My Heart, but his acting was subtle and perhaps that was a choice. However, when Gwen came back to herself his relief was just not there imo. Anyway, Bradley was particularly good in scenes with his father as well.

Colin was always good, in any scene, but, in the beginning, Merlin's goofiness was kind of off-putting to me. I grew to like him quite a lot in season 5, though. I think, acting wise, he was excellent, at his best, in that season. His acting in The Disir, for example, when he told Arthur to not take up the Triple Goddess's offer, or when he was poisoned and betrayed by Daegal in The Hollow Queen (RIP Daegal, I loved you baby), was excellent.

And our angel Angel, she was awesome too. She had really diverse facial expressions. She was always surprising me with the different faces she pulled. She was so expressive. She used her gaze so well and gave it her all in every scene. She shined the most in her scenes with Bradley, not necessarily because they had the best chemistry - she had great chemistry with everyone - but because she had many cool scenes with him that let her show off her range. For example, The Moment of Truth, The Once and Future Queen, The Witchfinder, for badass Gwen who put Arthur in her place; Goblin's Gold and a Servant of Two Masters for funny Gwen; The Changeling, Lancelot Du Lac, The Sword in the Stone for angsty Arwen; Sweet Dreams, His Father's Son, The Coming of Arthur, With All My Heart for emotional, yet less angsty Arwen... She was brilliant in Lancelot Du Lac, The Sword in the Stone and With All My Heart in particular. But she was great as evil Gwen too...

And yes, it must've been hard for Angel to have her screentime cut, her role reduced, deal with Merthur shippers, probably put up with a lot of behind the scenes bullshit - especially as a woman of color in the entertainment industry, or in any industry - and probably be paid less than Katie and disproportionately less than her male costars. I don't know exactly what she went through, or what Angel's like irl, but I can imagine she had to put up with a lot.

I think the entire cast was wonderful Acting can get boring, for sure, but they gave it their all until the end.

Thanks for the ask!

#ask #bbc merlin #angel coulby #bradley james #colin morgan #katie mcgrath #merlin #gwen pendragon #arthur pendragon #morgana #cast #thanks for the ask!

[eggmacguffin]

I had been wondering all throughout Season 1 why I had been so harsh on Arthur Pendragon the first time I watched Merlin so many years ago.

He was a little immature, a little wet behind the ears, but nonetheless fundamentally caring and compassionate. Very believably on his way to becoming a great king.

His very worst moments of greed and selfishness and ignorance seldom went unpunished, and it was heavily implied that his blusterous attitude was primarily a learned behavior to please his father.

Then I started season 2.

And they basically rewrote his character to be 5 years younger and actually genuinely just an asshole. All his moments of kindness and self-reflection this season seemed to be focused around his feelings for Guinevere, which is bad writing for a few reasons:

1. Romance is an inherently selfish motivator; having feelings for Gwen and being nice to her as a result doesn't make him secretly noble. Having him be an asshole to everyone else makes him seem like he is faking it to convince her to like him.

2. This premise requires him to be mean to Gwen where he NEVER was in the first season. Literally they broke him so she would have to fix him.

3. Where I believe Gwen could have eventually caught feelings for S1 Arthur (noble, humble, caring) the idea that she would even consider S2 Arthur as an option considering how he treats both her and Merlin (one of her closest friends) should absolutely rule him out.

4. I can't stress enough that his new personality should be more of a dealbreaker than the fact that he inadvertently got her father killed at the end of season 1.

The writing for every character is generally worse tbh. Merlin is significantly dumbed-down, Gaius is inexplicably callus, Uther's motivations make even less sense than before, and Gwen's characterization is a leaf on the wind as she flutters between her established love interests with ZERO of the chemistry from S1.

But Arthur definitely got hit the worst.

#merlin rewatch my beloved #i just finished 2x04

[couragehopelovefaith]

I posted 6,242 times in 2022

That's 896 more posts than 2021!

221 posts created (4%)

6,021 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sobernatural

@buglovescas

@dwcoded

@emeraldcas

@deanshauntedmidnights

I tagged 5,141 of my posts in 2022

Only 18% of my posts had no tags

#supernatural - 3,446 posts

#destiel - 2,716 posts

#deancas - 2,712 posts

#dean winchester - 587 posts

#castiel - 288 posts

#fate the winx saga - 260 posts

#shadowhunters - 177 posts

#tvd - 170 posts

#ftws - 143 posts

#teen wolf - 134 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#the moment when you're supposed to be the responsible employer and see something like this and try to hold back screaming and crying

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Riven and Musa | Cake By The Ocean (S2) (SPOILERS ABOUT SEASON 2) Lilac Edits was really fast with this wonderful Rivusa-edit. Great job! *returns to rewatch it multiple times*

60 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

#4

When you have rewatched Merlin six or seven times but want to go through all that emotional rollercoaster to introduce it to your friend, are nervous about her reactions...and these are her comments during episode two: 

“It seems like the show is developing the thing between Morgana and Arthur, but I would much rather want to see Morgana with Gwen and Merlin with Arthur. There is so much chemistry there already.”

“Gwen and Morgana have such bi-energy!”

[I made a mistake of accidentally telling her that Morgana is going to turn “evil” at some point, and now she has wild speculations of what would lead such a just cinnamon roll into that...and I’m sitting there like I’m constipated to avoid spoiling anything.]

[when Merlin and Arthur are fighting] “Oh, come on, just kiss and make up already!”

Also, she is such a ray of sunshine every time Kilgharrah appears and she has already so many crossover-ideas. 

And let me tell you, the big mix of relief, nostalgic pain and amusement that I felt was like no other. 

My inner voice: “Oh, honey, you’ve got a big storm coming!”

82 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

#3

I’m all too used to having “Yes, they are finally happy! Wait... Oh no, they are too happy right now... something bad is gonna happen any minute!”-moments, but it still sucks every time. 

134 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#2

The last year and a half has been challenging enough already, and now Merlin is leaving Netflix too? Seriously? Dammit and other curses. 

158 notes - Posted November 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

My opinions about “Fate the Winx Saga” season 2 (MANY SPOILERS!)

If you haven’t seen it yet and want to experience it fully by yourselves, don’t read any further!

- Without any doubt, this season is even better than the first one. Such an emotional rollercoaster with many surprises and great villains. I loved all of the old and new characters and how these episodes deepened their bonds. It took some time for me to get used to the new actors of Rosalind and Ben - the original ones will always have a special place in my heart, but they did a good job with recasting, I think. 

- I have loved Abigail as Bloom since the first episode, but I’m glad she got so many opportunities to shine here.

- I didn’t especially like Skloom in the original animation, but they have stolen my heart in Fate, specifically during this season (episodes two and seven, my beloved). 

- I was both anxious and excited about seeing Flora, but I was pleasantly surprised. She is a badass, fits into group so well, and I like how her and Terra got closer and kind of sorted out their disagreements. 

- Everyone’s storylines and struggles were good and relatable (especially Bloom’s, Sky’s and Musa’s), but Terra’s took the first place for me for multiple reasons. 

- Stella’s and Riven’s character-developments are definitely also worth mentioning.

- My emotions about Dane have been conflicted this season, but I’m happy where we left with him, that the situation with Riven and him seems to be somewhat okay now and he has a chance to real happiness.

- I love Sam as a character, feel really bad for him and want him to find happiness, but Samusa never really was “it” for me (and it’s not just because I have had a soft spot for Rivusa since my childhood).

- When it comes to Rivusa, I really enjoyed their scenes together and can’t wait to see more of them. 

- Musa is still my favorite Winx altogether, even though I adore all of them.

- Aisha deserves everything beautiful and good in this world, dammit!

- I’m thrilled how much Silva-content we got this season. 

- Transformations and magic in general were done great.

- A good nod to Trix, I must say.

- That ending scene got me so emotional it was almost ridiculous. 

Aaand the downsides...

- Farah will always be the headmistress of Alfea to me and many, many others. The scenes we got with her, and her one last valuable lesson, were touching and I’m thankful for them, but she deserved so much more. There was an amazing build up of Golden Trio in season 1, and it was all thrown to waste. My Silrah-heart had so much hope and now it’s broken. And yes... I cried my eyes out. But when it’s all said and done... I just wanna thank Eve Best for portraying Farah so marvelously (and read loads of Silrah/Golden Trio-fanfics).

- Even though Andreas was very... questionable, I’m sad that there were so few scenes between him, Sky and Silva. 

- Stellatrix belongs to my “had so much hope”-department and well ... </3 

Such a great season, and a heartbreaking cliffhanger. We gotta get season 3, as soon as possible.

268 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #pretends to be shocked #Youtube

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Tues 6 Feb // Day 137 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Julia (with mum) 1x06 Breads

While Paul and Judith experiment with baking, Julia tackled a different kind of "bread." As a sleep-deprived Russ tasks Alice with even more work, the future of Avis's position on the show is questioned.

Was Avis not wanting to do a multi-episode season, in which she flits in and out of, a dig at Frasier lmao. Her and DHP must get along because they have such a natural chemistry together. And is Judith a little in love with Julia? The way she looked at her when she said she was there only to see her. 👀

Merlin 2x01 The Curse of Cornelius Sigan

A treasure chamber is unearthed beneath Camelot, the centre-piece being a glowing blue stone in the sarcophagus lid of Cornelius Sigan, a sorcerer. Consequently possessed by Sigan's spirit, Cedric takes on his magic powers and animates the castle gargoyles, which terrorize the city.

I'm Gwen, hugging and comforting Morgana as all the men keep trying to gaslight her. Wth, Gaius. Why not treat Morgana with the same honesty and respect that you do Merlin. Speaking of Gwen, has the wardrobe budget for her increased because she looked stunning. Also, Arthur is a clotpole. Pass it on.

Six Nations: Full Contact Ep 2 Hard Knock Life

Italy is under pressure to perform in the England game. With last year's injury at the front of his mind, Sebastian Negri faces up to the challenge.

The way he could barely talk about such a traumatic experience. And to still continue after that. A very brave man, and self-admitted c*nt.

#julia hbo #merlin #six nations full contact #polls #tumblr polls #jess watches #day 137

[zalrb]

Zalrb, I am not sure if you have any intentions on watching Red,White and Royal Blue, but some people are comparing them to Merlin and Arthur and I am ready to fight. Like you said, lots of times people confuse similar stuff and I don't think the couple from RWRB are giving Merthur energy. The chemistry is adequate, but the banter is not there for me.

So I haven't seen it but I'm watching what clips there are on YouTube and I'm laughing because they look like what Hollywood would cast as Merlin and Arthur if they got their hands on Merlin, kind of like ... a soulless pretty Merthur and along with pretty and soulless Merthur is soulless banter, they try way too hard especially the American character -- dunno his name -- like when he's like "I can't have you falling in love with me" and he's like OHOHOHOHO i was just like *sigh* Merthur have an ease where their banter doesn't come across as performative, this is performative. No, it's insulting. Stop it.

[thenerdyindividual]

Merlin Week Day 3 -- Favorite Dynamic + Quote

Also Cross Posted to AO3

It was difficult to pick my favorite dynamic. There is not a single dynamic in Merlin that I don’t like, even ones that makes me angry such as Arthur and his relationship to Uther. The writing and casting was done so well that everyone’s chemistry strengthened the story. I’ve written so much about how Merlin and Arthur’s relationship makes me go feral, but I decided to change it up. While the narrative implications of Arthur and Gwen don’t make me as wild as the narrative implications of Merlin and Arthur, I do think that Arwen (gwenthur?) was the right choice for the show. BBC Merlin really earned the romance between Arthur and Gwen.

Part of what makes them work so well for me, other than the fantastic chemistry between Angel Colby and Bradley James, is that we get a sense of their characters before the show introduces them as romantic pairing. They didn’t have to do that. Arthur and Guinevere have been a couple since the Arthurian Era, they are perhaps the most well-known couple in western story telling. The only couple I can think of that might be more well-known is Romeo and Juliet. As such, the writers could have easily fallen back on that collective knowledge and copped out of developing Gwen and Arthur’s relationship, relying on the audience to buy into it because we know that it’s meant to happen. However, they spent more time developing that relationship than I’ve seen in some actual romances.

We get to know Gwen outside of her relationship to Arthur. She hardly interacts with him in season 1, instead primarily interacting with Morgana and Merlin. We learn that she is kind, helpful, and a bit anxious, but has a spine of steel that comes out when she needs it. She gives Merlin a flower because she thinks it will suit him, babbles nervously when she thinks she might have offended someone, tries to cheer Morgana up when she experiences nightmares, helps Merlin whip up a knight’s regalia for Lancelot, and teaches Merlin how to properly armor people. On the flip side, she stands up to Arthur in Ealdor both to argue for the inclusion of the women in the fighting force and to tell him not to turn his nose up at food, and she risks herself to get the morteus flower out of the dungeons to get it to Gaius. She is not a main character, but we know her well by the end of season 1. Enough that we love her on her own, for her own merits.

We get to know Arthur too. We learn that how he is perceived is important to him; both when he refuses to pull out of the fight against Valiant for fear of being perceived as weak, and when he reacts badly to being taunted by Anhora’s illusion in the Labyrinth of Gedref. We also learn that most of his behavior is performative, and that at his heart he is kind and loyal. He defies Uther to get the Morteus Flower and to aid Ealdor even though it lies in an enemy kingdom, and he smuggles Mordred out of Camelot. He also argues on Gwen’s behalf when she is accused of sorcery, for no other reason than he thinks it the right thing to do. He doesn’t expect any reward, and given Uther’s hatred of sorcery, it is reasonable to think speaking up could have caused Arthur to be punished by Uther.

They are complete characters before they ever strike up a romance. I think that is vital to making their romance (or any romance) work. It’s difficult to invest in a relationship between two characters when you’re not invested properly in both characters. By giving the audience time to bond with Gwen and Arthur both, we now care deeply about what happens to them.

Another thing they did well was to slow play their feelings. A lot of romances end up straining the willing suspension of disbelief because they will fall into the trap of making characters who only just realized their feelings for each other be willing to give up the entire world for each other. In the case of Arthur and Gwen, not only did we have an entire season to get to know them as individual characters, but their romantic feelings also aren’t introduced immediately in season 2. Arthur doesn’t recognize his feelings as romantic until he spends a week couch surfing at Gwen’s house during season 2 episode 2. Even then, when he does recognize his feelings, Gwen is surprised by it, and he doesn’t start proclaiming he wants to defy Uther and run off with her. We also get the introduction of Gwen’s feelings for Lancelot, which works well to make the romance feel earned. It would have been easy for the writers to have Arthur and Gwen kiss, and then keep referring to that to make the audience buy into the relationship. By including Lancelot, someone who is equally as noble as Arthur and has an easier time being kind, it prevents Gwen from being shoehorned into choosing Arthur. There are other options out there that would have been good for her, so when she does inevitably choose Arthur, it’s a lot easier for us to accept she is entering this relationship with an understanding of herself and the man she chooses.

Then, even after all that, the barriers to their relationship don’t magically dissolve under the power of love. We then get walked through a slow burn that isn’t placed there for the drama, but for reasons that have been well-established already. We already know that Uther won’t accept commoners in court because of the way he treated Lancelot, and by extension we know he won’t stand for Gwen being his daughter in law for that reason alone. However, it is also not as simple as waiting for Arthur to be king before going public with their relationship. We already know that Camelot’s relative peace with other kingdoms is only upheld by honoring treaties, and that insult can bring them crashing down. Camelot and Bayard’s Kingdom almost go to war during a treaty meeting where Merlin accuses Bayard of Poisoning the goblet, and when Alined tires to disrupt peace treaty negotiations between his kingdom, Olaf’s Kingdom, and Camelot by making Arthur and Vivian fall in love. Knowing this, we understand that Arthur will need to make peace connections of his own, so it comes as no surprise when Uther tries to marry him to Elena. It further explains the odds set against Arthur and Gwen’s romance, and makes us feel for their struggle. Despite the odds set against them, however, they still yearn. Every lingering look in the halls, every time they joke about something in the course of their daily duties and stand together a bit too long, heightens both how much they feel for each other, and how impossible it seems for them to get together.

It is heartbreaking in the way that their affection for each other is so obvious, but they can’t say it out loud. Arthur’s first proper love confession makes my heart hurt every time I rewatch the show. He can’t acknowledge his feelings about Gwen without risking their forbidden romance from being discovered, and he’s so used to it that even when he explicitly states his feelings, he does it in a round about way. After rescuing Elyan, Gwen thanks him for his help, and his response is a wistful look and “That’s what you do when love someone.” He tells her exactly how he feels, but is still unable to say “I love you” and there is something so deeply Romantic about it.

On top of how well paced their arc is, Gwen and Arthur are just wonderful together. By season 4 they have been teasing and joking with each other for years. They also get into so many shenanigans. Their relationship started because Gwen aided Arthur’s hairbrained scheme to anonymously compete in a tournament, but earlier than that they both snuck away to help Ealdor. Arthur lies to Uther in order to rescue Elyan, and Gwen brings two silk dresses to Arthur after so he has proof for his lie. They are so often in cahoots with each other, that it sets a framework for what kind of partnership they will have when they can be open about their relationship. Not only that, but Gwen and Arthur reenforce the hidden good in one another. Gwen’s humble beginnings remind Arthur of his core kindness, and she is responsible for much of the gentling of Arthur over the seasons. Arthur’s gratitude for Gwen’s help remind Gwen that she can and should stand up for herself and others, it takes her from a young woman who babbles helplessly when Uther sentences he to death, to a young woman who can look that same king in the face and sneer, “I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand.”

Gwen and Arthur fit so well together, and the writers never underutilized their chemistry or circumstances.  Every moment between them serves to support the tone and themes of the show.

#merlinweek2022 #arwen #gwenthur #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin #bbc merlin meta #merlin bbc meta #merlin meta #arthur pendragon #bbc guinevere #guinevere pendragon #gwen merlin #bbc gwen #merlin week 2022