#bbc Robin Hood imagines

[cardinalcheerio]

I have a headcannon that at some point in his early robin days, Jason decided he wanted to be like Alfred and committed to drinking tea, using British slang and the accent while being robin.

This obviously confused the rogues a lot.

Fighting Mr. Freeze:

Jason: aye, what in the bloody hell do you think your doin? (Horrible British and gotham accent mix)

Freeze: I am- wait. Robin? Are you ok?

Bats: it's a phase. Just ignore it.

Freeze: keep forgetting he's a kid... anyways-

[fizzyxcustard]

Invisible

Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC)

Pairings: Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Pining, angst, insecurity, vague smut mention, attempted ghosting

Word count: 1880

Summary: From the imagine, "You are in love with Guy and he is still pining for Marian. You cannot carry all the pain."

Comments/notes: Takes place around season 2, despite the above GIF being from season 3. This fic was requested by @sazzlep

As always, if you enjoy, please consider a reblog. If you wish to be added to my tag list for any character, fandom, or fic series, let me know.

Marian had disappeared, leaving you with the shattered pieces of Guy’s broken heart. While trying to mend your own heart, you were busy tending to Guy’s. And that pain was becoming unbearable. Shifting the weight of two broken hearts was crippling you. 

Guy had left your home again at nightfall, having borne his heart to you. The woman he loved and had lived in high hopes of wooing, had run off into the forest with her outlaw lover. In the time you had known Marian, you had been on fairly friendly terms with her. But you had always been aware of her manipulative tactics, taking advantage of Guy’s feelings for her. For all those months and he had been completely blind to it, only seeing her sweet smiles as a hope for something more than just friendship. 

You stood at your front door and watched his dark shape, atop a black horse, disappear into the gathering dusk. You and Guy had been close friends for years, being each other’s rock, and this has been the case since he came to Nottingham as a young man. He had been swept up into duty for the Sheriff, but the two of you had still remained close. Guy had been the one who comforted you when your mother died, and had even brought you food when you fell upon tough times. Potential suitors had come to your door, and if they had not been to your liking, it was Guy who had told them to leave. 

How long could you continue this for? Every day you saw him and you felt more of your heart become warped from the inside, like a disease spreading outward. The only cure would be to take yourself out of the situation completely and sever yourself from him. 

The moon was high in the sky and you remained in that spot for some time, feeling the red hot tears fall down your cheeks. All of your pain was invisible to him; in his own anguish, he had completely overlooked you. 

***

Guy woke the next morning, light bursting through the window. 

Realisation hit him hard that he had overslept. 

He shot out of bed and began dressing quickly, only to see a piece of parchment on the stone floor at the foot of his door. Guy reached down and took the parchment, noting that there was no envelope. The parchment had just been folded. Upon opening it, he instantly recognised your beautiful handwriting. It brought a smile to his face. 

Guy, 

While I know that you are in the midst of deep pain, I must leave Nottingham. I plan to move back to my father’s home and search for work. I cannot carry the weight of both our broken hearts on my shoulders. 

May God watch over you and keep you safe. 

Leaving? But why? 

Guy raced from his chambers, heading down towards the courtyard where he slipped out to the stables and collected his horse. 

Once he had rode to your home, he jumped from the horse and banged on your door. No answer. Your own horse, a brown and white mare, had disappeared from the small field behind your house. 

Your father’s home was a two-day ride, and within seconds, Guy’s horse was galloping through the small patch of woodland which was to the north, leading out onto the main road. Surely you could not have gotten far. Guy was a far more experienced rider than you so would easily be able to catch up to you, despite your head start. 

***

The ride that morning had been pleasant. The sun was shining amidst a cloudless sky. A gentle breeze took the edge off the early summer heat. A simple breakfast was still sitting in your stomach quite nicely; bacon, eggs and freshly baked bread. There was an inn about half way, at the perfect place for you to stop, before continuing on the next day for the second part of your journey. 

All morning and you had imagined Guy’s face upon opening your letter. Would he even care at all? It seemed that he didn’t. Normally Guy was up around dawn, ready for his duties. He should have caught you just before you left, but you had not seen him. And you had given your letter to Abe, one of the guards, at the castle gate, two hours after sunset. Surely Guy would have received it by daybreak. 

You stopped for a quick break, taking a sip of water from a skin in your leather satchel. You sat down on a fallen tree trunk and took a deep breath, looking up at the rays of sunlight piercing through the bright green leaves. 

Suddenly you heard galloping hooves coming from behind. A figure emerged from the edge of the curving path, and got larger, moving towards you quickly. 

“Guy?” you whispered, feeling relief wash over you, but also fear. 

Guy stopped his horse a few feet from yours and jumped from the saddle, storming over to you. He stood in front of you, his arms crossed. “What is going on?” he asked, his voice tinged with frustration. His silver blue eyes were wide in irritation. 

“I told you in my letter. I can’t carry both of us anymore.” 

Guy sighed and sat down beside you. “Maybe you could start with telling me what you’re carrying and stop being so stubborn in carrying it yourself.” 

You looked at him, narrowing your eyes. “Are you sure you really wish to know? Because after I tell you, you won’t want to know me anymore.” 

Guy scoffed and rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

You looked at him, seeing that all too familiar smirk begin to form on his face. It made your heart flutter. 

“If you really believe that then you know me less than I thought you did. In fact, you don’t know me at all.” His tone was accusing and full of irritation.

You could see the offense written on Guy’s face, and you reached out to take his hand. “I didn’t mean it like that, Guy.” 

“Then how did you mean it?” he snapped. “You’re all I have in my life, yet you seem to think that I’ll walk away from you. Despite you being the one who was ready to walk away from me…” The words trailed off into a whisper and loud sigh. 

“Do you want to know the real reason I’m leaving?” you asked. “And if you do choose to turn your back on me then that is your choice.” 

Guy hissed. “I will never turn my back on you.” He pointed his finger at you in anger as he spoke. 

You got to your feet and took a deep breath. “All these years we’ve known each other and I’ve been invisible to you. You’ve never noticed all the times I’ve had to smile at you but wanted to weep. You’ve never seen how I feel about you. Instead all you’ve ever seen is a woman who has taken advantage of you and used your feelings for her to get what she needed. It’s crippled me.” Tears fell down your cheeks. “I love you, Guy. I love you so much and never once did you ever see it. I know you don’t feel the same way and I’m not expecting you to.” 

Guy got up from the tree trunk, and without a word, curled his hand around your cheek and kissed you. The kiss immediately became wanting, needing and hot. 

Reluctantly you shifted your head away and looked up at him, your tears blurring your vision. “I told you that I’m not expecting anything from you...” 

He smiled. “I’ve loved you from since the first moment we met. I was always invisible to you. I valued and respected you far too much to ever overstep any boundary. I was terrified you would think I was dishonouring you. Marian became my way of letting you go, but under it all, I never could. She was the hope of something I could never have with you.” 

“All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, and because of me, you tried to gain love in a place where you would never find it.” 

“It wasn’t because of you. It was my own cowardice. I would look at her and see you, in everything she did. Then with each man who attempted to court you, I could see how impossible it was for me to ever think you’d be mine. A lot of those men were honourable and so much more than what I could ever wish to be.” 

“I know you, Guy, and all you’ve ever wanted is to be loved and needed by someone. I’m offering that to you if you’ll take it.” 

Guy kissed you again, and then let his lips trail down your neck. “And I will give that back to you tenfold, my love.” 

***

The two of you rode your horses back to your home, watching as thick clouds began to swarm in, threatening rain. 

By the time your house was visible, spots of rain began to fall. 

You pulled on the reins of your horse, bringing it to a stop in the pen behind your house. Guy had already dismounted his horse, his hand reaching out to take yours. You couldn’t help but smile and giggle as he helped you down, his ice blue gaze never unlocking from you. 

The two of you kissed again, the rain starting to pour all around you. The horses by now had wondered away into the small wooden shelter which was situated at the back of the paddock. 

“Let’s get inside,” you told Guy. 

He smiled in response and wound his arm around your waist as the two of you walked to the door of your home. 

Once inside, you started a fire and put a large pot of water to boil. “I need to head into the market for food shortly. I hope the rain stops,” you told Guy, glancing out of the window. “Is there anything in particular you would like for dinner? I can cook us a meal.” 

Guy never answered, but instead kissed you again. 

A short time later and the two of you were idly tangled together in your bed, having just made love. You noticed that Guy seemed the most content he had done for quite some time; he had a faint smile on his face as you rested in the crook of his arm. The only sound was the tapping of rain on the roof, and it soothed you. The heavy weight in your heart had now lifted. 

“Was that how you imagined our first time to be?” you asked. 

Guy grinned and kissed you again. “It was so much better than any of my expectations.” He gripped your hand tight in his and then kissed your head. 

“I suspect the Sheriff will be looking for you.” 

“He can wait.” 

You looked across at Guy as you began to slip from the bedclothes and pull your dress back on. “You’re taking a big risk thinking that. You know what he’s like.” 

“I don’t care anymore. I’ve got you, and that’s all that matters to me now.” 

***

Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @middleearthpixie @xxbyimm @meganlpie @linasofia @knittastically @guardianofrivendell @asgardianhobbit98 @rachel1959 @luna-xial @mrsdurin @quiall321 @missihart23 @lemond57 @evenstaredits @catthefearless @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @glassgulls @sazzlep @solairewisteria @aliasauthor @littlebird-99 @albionscastle @heilith @court-jobi @absentmindeduniverse @way-too-addicted-to-fandoms @for-fuck-sake-im-alive @bookworm-with-coffee @danzalladaggers @ourlonelymountain @phantomessangel @estethell @windb3ll

Guy of Gisborne tag list: @puggledy-huggledy-is-not-a-pig @emmyspov @whoooooisthis @dumbassunderthemountain

[puggledy-huggledy-is-not-a-pig]

Imagine if Guy had time-travelled to our time, and you took him to a Ren Faire.

Am I the only one who thinks it would be a blast?

[epilogue-and-prologue]

Robin Hood (BBC Series)

Guy of Gisbourne

Devotion - Romantic/Forced Marriage/In Love at first sight/Canon violence/SMUT - Guy x Robin's Sister!Reader

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

can you imagine how obsessed we'd all be with renegade nell if we'd gotten it back during the robin hood bbc/merlin bbc days

[cmrosens]

Worldbuilding Thoughts 3

Ok so one thing I don't see very much in medieval fantasy settings with a royalty system is the issue of the monarch travelling with a retinue. If you're writing one like GoT and you're into the whole idea of the monarch needing to travel (trust me, if it's medieval, they really do need to do a circuit of their kingdom, even if administration and judicial system has been centralised. If you don't, you can't monitor the nobles on the periphery, and you ... really need to do that).

If this is something you've considered, ignore, if not, I was just thinking about the medieval England situation for the earlier kings (William I to John).

Do you know how many the king travels with?? How many guards how many horsemen, lads to take care of the horses, courtesans, scribes, courtiers who need to stay close, accountants, etc? Now have a look at the size of the castles. They're not that big. You have to scale the castle to the landscape (and really seriously consider how long it takes to build a big one). You've got space for a prestigious guest, and then like. 20 extras. At an absolute push, in some cases. Ok, bigger ones, yeah ram 100 in.

The king's got 200 men. He doesn't scale down to stay at a castle or fortified manor that fits 50max and already has 30 occupants. He just rocks up. People do not want him to, but he does anyway.

What used to happen in Medieval England was - there wasn't ever enough space. Literally none. There was also no system, it was King gets the best guest room, everyone who needs to be immediately close to him crashes on the floor, and if you're not fast enough and a bit further down the pecking order, you're marching into someone's house and saying "I'm staying here tonight" and sleeping downstairs with the goats. There are sources of courtiers bitterly complaining they had to sleep in barns and some "camping" (sleeping rough in the rain) in the forest because there was NO SPACE FOR THEM in the castle/fortified manor or in the surrounding villages because they came late due to their admin duties holding them up. And they don't have a tent. They have to literally sleep outside with their cloaks over them. Did they die of exposure? I mean, sometimes. Did they catch chills and die of those? Sure, yeah. Did it really piss them off? Every time.

(Peasant perspective: So many young* angry men with swords with untreated PTSD from all the war/general life trauma, chips on their shoulders and complexes about being younger sons (the spare not the heir) and desperate to prove themselves in a chivalric context of fighting/shagging prowess but they've been give a lot of admin duties to do, drinking a lot of alcohol every single day. Since being on the road they have had to cut down on the alcohol which hasn't improved their mood. And they're all coming to your village. And you can't feed or house them all.)

Then the king decides to leave.

It takes a good few hours to let everyone know because **nobody knows where anyone is**. You have to prep the supply wagons and the horses. And the king stands up after breakfast and says "I want to leave NOW"

Then he changes his mind.

Now you're leaving tomorrow afternoon.

If you're trying to picture this, with a lot of highly strung horses in an enclosed space being yelled at and dragged into position to cut down time, and people running to comb the villages and the woods for stragglers and leave messages for others coming through later, it's chaos. Absolute chaos.

Now imagine being put in charge of it.

So many plot points to play with there.

*For reference, because I've been watching Robin Hood adaptations lately, Richard 1 "the Lionheart" is depicted as an older man in all the films but he was only 42 when he died (b. 1157, d. 1199). The Third Crusade was 1189, when he was 32. He's played by Sean bloody Connery in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, when he actually was around the same age Richard Armitage was when he played Guy of Gisborne in the BBC Robin Hood series. (For context). Prince John was 33 in 1199 when he became king and only 23 when Richard went off to war. We're often largely talking about an intensely homosocial group of men in their 20s and 30s. ladsladslads

In the 14thC, one of the Earls of the March led his first campaign in the Hundred Years' War at the age of 17. ladsladsladsla-

[goodbyewaffles]

this is the closest I will ever come to shipping marian and gisborne

I've been gradually making my way through the two seasons of BBC Robin Hood that exist, and last night we made it to 2x11, and I had the genuinely unnerving experience of thinking, for the first time: maybe it would be nice if Marian and Gisborne became friends

like

She brings him and Allan out to the forest one day and they declare that they’re all going to work with Robin now

It is immediately obvious to Guy that Marian has been hooking up with Robin this whole time and while this obviously upsets him, he’s been working on his anger and entitlement issues so he tamps it down and cries about it later, in private

They all go off together to get the king and bring him back, they all work together to defeat the sheriff

Marian finds him a nice dark-haired girl with a title and a low tolerance for bullshit, thereby giving Guy a wife and herself a female friend (imagine!). She finds a nice girl for Allan too of course, or honestly maybe he finds one on his own, he's more socially competent than Guy is

She's always giving him relationship advice; he always rolls his eyes and snaps at her about it but obviously he follows all of it very precisely, and they both know it

I know there’s some weird shit where Guy and Robin are secretly stepbrothers or something (please do not tell me what it actually is, I don’t care), so that can happen and actually they are delighted about it

Their kids grow up together with all the other outlaws’ families; Much and Guy fight over who gets to be godfather to Robin and Marian’s firstborn

When Guy dies, not from doing something stupid but from regular stuff at a ripe old age, he’s buried with one of those stupid Robin Hood dogtags. Maybe over his grave they say “We are Guy of Gisborne” and then the camera freeze frames?? idk that’s probably going too far. Marian gives some speech about how she always knew there was good in him and like, she totally did

Instead though he literally murders her 1.5 episodes from now, so that’s nice

[jadelotusflower]

I've been reading David Harewood's (excellent) book Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery, and I was not surprised that his time on Robin Hood was relegated to a single paragraph, but I did find that paragraph extremely on point:

"I returned to London where I got a call from the BBC about joining the cast of their new series of Robin Hood as Friar Tuck. I ended up creating a sort of Ninja monk version of the friar, and they seemed to like it. A Black Friar Tuck actually made the evening news and was considered fairly controversial. Finally, a television part with a little imagination had come my way. But after a cracking intro, the experience didn't quite turn out how I'd hoped."

[pursuitseternal]

Hello… *shy wave*

Trying a new thing… posting on Tumblr 😆. But I can’t help but notice it’s what all the cool kids with an AO3 do, so here I am too.

While I have been writing fiction and fanfiction for *censored* years, I want to gather a base to read and review works.

So far I have two main stories:

“Touch the Darkness”- AU, bind-yourself-to-me happy ending, binding meaning both magic and smut

“Beautiful Creature of Darkness”- AU, Phantom of the Opera vibes for how Sauron appears in the Second Age. And werewolves.

And while my many first fictional boyfriends included Erik (Phantom), Guy of Gisborne (Robin Hood BBC), Javert (Les Mis), and both Percival Blakeney and Chauvelin (Scarlet Pimpernel), Sauron/Halbrand lives rent free happily in my imagination. In fact, he might have forced the other book boyfriends into hiding…

[patroclusdefencesquad]

i thought maybe it was simply my childhood imagination that made prince john in bbc robin hood creepy and traumatising but no. he actually is that creepy and traumatising

[killerboyratzmp3]

forever thinking abt pythagoras x icarus on bbc atlantis. like canon gay couple on the bbc in 2013 but it's pythagoras, real historical (fictionalised) Greek philosopher and mathematician pythagoras (of the pythagorean theorem) and icarus??? of Greek myth?????? like yes obviously that's iconic but that's literally unhinged

like from conception to script to on-screen development, including a dramatic (incredibly homo-erotically charged) betrayal mini-arc, reconciliation and eventual kiss?? between these two men in 2013 which is so beautiful and important but like. the STEPS? the timeline ?!

imagine watching a show about victorian england and then charles dickens has an on-screen romance with like. robin hood. am i making sense here is this anything .

[sherwoodknights]

In honour of My Gang To Me day, on this most illustrious Wednesday 26th of April, I thought I'd have a bit of fun and think about all the things that could have been. The season 4 we could have had, if you will.

(Only it'll hopefully be better because I no longer trust the bbc to do right by this show)

I'm not exactly creative enough to come up with a whole plotline on the spot here (although if you amazing outlaws can, I applaud you) but I'd like to at least give a couple of characters I'd love to see reappear in a 4th season, maybe one set a few years, or a decade on from the final episode, when Prince John has become king.

You know I had to do it to 'em, of course it's my boy- Luke Scarlett

Anyone who knows me and my love for minor characters was expecting this one. BUT I wholeheartedly stand by that bringing Luke back to Nottingham would be a good idea. He has the connection to Robin and the gang, but he's also enough of a minor presence in his two episodes on the show that his personality could be developed pretty much any way a writer would want (unless they massacre my sweet angel baby's characterisation. Then I will be laying down a gauntlet 😂).

Maybe he got restless in Scarborough, maybe he got tired of waiting for Will to come and find him (😬), maybe he just needed a trip down memory lane. All I know is that this lad has something of an eye for justice that might come in handy somewhere like Nottingham....

She's been misunderstood for too long, and consider this my formal apology for all the hatred my uneducated self had when I watched season 3 for the first time- Kate

When we first saw Kate, she was a young woman angry with the world (and the Sheriff, of course). But she was certainly a woman who could hold her own, and she wasn't afraid to stand up for people she cared about. Now, imagine a decade down the line. Call it a cliché, but maybe in those years, she's had Robin's child (I know, I know, but it's just an idea) and she'll do whatever it takes to protect her child. Or maybe we bring in the old faithful headcanon for real; Kate as the new Nightwatchman, honouring the spirit of Robin Hood by helping those who are suffering.

I think it would be nice to revisit her character as more of a solo act, especially since the writing of season 3 really let her down and didn't give her much chance to shine outside of her romance plotlines.

The most questionable of these characters for certain, but I felt like I had to give him a chance here- Archer

Archer always felt like a bit of a mixed bag for me. He had the flirty charm and charisma of early seasons Robin, combined with some Allan levels of con-man skill, but he was definitely a selfish guy, and maybe not the best choice to pass down the Robin Hood mantle to, despite the very weird character 180 in the final episode (lets just say, it's not a season 4 I'm sure I'd have enjoyed watching).

But an Archer who's had years to mature, to work on actively being a better man, could be an interesting addition to a series; a man constantly grappling the morals he seemingly grew up learning against the ones he saw in people like Robin and the outlaws. It could be that he's become disillusioned with the selfless lifestyle, until whatever event that kicks off the season ignites the little outlaw flame that's been hiding inside him.

Come on, you guys, it wouldn't be a Robin Hood season without them- the OG gang

You all knew this was coming, right? There's no way I would suggest a season 4 without these guys. While it would be bittersweet to be reminded of who we lost along the 3 season journey (*sniffles and wipes away a tear* no, I'm fine, don't worry about me, im doing okay I promise 🥲🥲🥲), it would be nice to at least see how our old friends have been doing. They could remain a regular presence in the season, or they could be relatively background to the action, doing what they can, but maybe not being quite so active in a fight.

It would be so lovely to see their reaction to Robin's spirit and influence reaching somewhere outside of the gang, being kept alive by people with a drive to make the world a better place. Also, imagine what a tearjerker it would be for all of us og viewers to see a gang reunion 14 years on....

An honourable mention to the best beta couple of the show, and no, I'm not talking about Much and that roast pork- Will and Djaq

A few years ago, the return of Will and Djaq would have been the ultimate dream, and who am I kidding, deep down it still kind of is. While a return in season 3 would have been something I would have gladly celebrated, I am now very much of the mind that a post-canon return would destroy me, heart, soul and all. I don't think I would be able to emotionally handle Djaq and Will learning that Allan died while they were gone (and Robin too, of course, but we all know that i am not above blatant favouritism when it comes to this show).

However, I am very much an angst enjoyer, so maybe this is a good time to invite the fandom to make me cry about this before I manage to do it to myself 😂

And the final honourable mention goes to all the RH ocs people have created over the years

I know that I am certainly not above the creation of shameless oc creation (I have at least 5 ocs that I have created for this show alone) and neither are many of my beloved mutuals- big shoutout to @chaoticbitheatrekid and @muchadoaboutcj for being some of the first people I talked ocs with in this fandom, and in general (love you both so much, happy Robin Hood day to both of you x)

So many of the ocs I've seen in this fandom are absolutely brilliantly written, creatively developed and irresistibly lovable, and since an official season 4 doesn't seem to be on the bbc cards anytime soon, consider this my official encouragement to go wild! Write your own season, use all the ocs you can imagine (or if you're anything like me, procrastinate indefinitely on the actual writing and just very vividly imagine your ideal season)

~~~

So there we have it! It's certainly not an exhaustive list, but I felt like I had to do something special for my 3rd active My Gang To Me day considering how much I slacked off last year

Much love to everyone out there keeping the fandom alive, I wish you all a wonderful anniversary of the Locksley Four Rescue, and never forget:

WE ARE ROBIN HOOD!

[fizzyxcustard]

Imagine Guy of Gisborne falls into a magical portal and winds up in Middle-earth. He and Thorin hate each other but both wind up falling in love with you.

(We’ve probably all imagined this at some point in our lives! 🤣🤣❤️❤️)

[jasminedragonart]

You know what's wild,

So, to preface this, I used to watch bbc's Robin Hood, and Merlin, after that, was just something I thought might be interesting to watch because I thought Robin Hood was really good- also I love mythology and it looked interesting.

In both of these instances I knew these characters, Robin Hood and King Arthur, were going to die at the end of their time on TV, like, there was no other way they could end it. But I didn't see how they would do it, and I think it's interesting because I don't think the writers could see how they could do it either. Like, they knew he had to die, they set it all up, but they couldn't get from point A to point B.

The Robin Hood finale, I was sooo disappointed with. Not that he died. More because Robin never shot his last arrow and was buried where it landed, which is part of the lore. I had hoped they would keep that in because it's really poetic and a nice ending to the character. That this man who uses a bow and arrow as his tool of choice, would use this to decide where he would rest.

They didn't do this. Shocker. So, for me, his death was kind of meh. Like, I wanted that poetic end.

I think, for the Merlin finale, that's kind of why I'm not too bothered about how it ended. Like, I'm mad, but they already messed up season 5 from the beginning so, really, there was no way they could disappoint me more by completely messing up Camlan.

If I was in that writers room, boy would things have gone a LOT differently.

If I was rewriting it, like, with the idea that Arthur had to die at the end of it, I think season 5 would be more setting this up than whatever mess we had with Gwen turning evil.

Like, Mordred was supposed to be this overall villain, but he didn't even go into his villain era until the last 3 episodes, and even then it was such a horrible reason. Like, it wasn't even a reason. They just threw something in there and hoped it sticked.

If I was writing it, I would have kept it more to the lore. They could have kept it more to the lore. I've said this before and I'll say it again but Mordred should have been Arthur's son.

Impossible, you say? I say not. Mordred, easily, could have been under 10 in that first season. We're also forgetting that this is medieval times, Arthur's a prince. I'm just saying a thirteen- seventeen year old is more than capable of siring a child. Maybe Arthur didn't know Mordred existed. But, in My rewriting of season 5 I think it would be such a good idea if Arthur did know Mordred existed. That he helped Mordred escape and handed him over to the druids because he didn't want his father murdering him because he's a bastard or something.

Just think of the dramatic potential, and this would have set up season 5 so beautifully. Just imagine Arthur watching over Mordred, and we kind of know he's fond of him, but we don't know that Arthur's about to drop this bombshell right in the middle of the season that the reason he's so invested in teaching Mordred to fight, in looking after him, is because he's Mordred's father.

Just imagine though how good that would be. The drama. The pizzaz. NOT ONLY do we now have a reason for Mordred to turn on Arthur, because abandonment issues, identity issues, the fact that magic is banned but he has magic. But think of the dynamic between Mordred and Gwen. In the myths it's sketchy depending on which one you read. But in the series, Gwen has no children. She would have to come to terms with this idea that, by rights, Mordred was next in line to the throne, not her children that she hasn't even had yet. There would be this unspoken thing between them where Gwen was unsure about Mordred because of the threat he posed her and he would be wary of Gwen because he's illegitimate and her children, by marriage, would have more of a right if she found herself pregnant.

Maybe it all came to a head when Mordred realised that Arthur would never legalise magic. That Mordred had to kill Arthur for his people. For himself and his own freedom.

Maybe he turned on Arthur because, again, resentment, abandonment issues.

Maybe he turned on Arthur because Gwen did have her villain moment and in that villain moment she stirred up so much shit that Mordred had to turn on him. Maybe she started telling him his place in Camelot was dependant only on the fact Gwen had no children yet. Maybe she tried to assassinate him and Arthur didn't believe him, he believed his wife over Mordred so Mordred is even more unsure about his place there, he's even more afraid of what will happen if he, like Morgana before him, revealed his magic to Arthur. After all, Morgana is still public enemy number one. Is this because of her magic or because of her actions? It all becomes blurry.

All I'm saying is, there were better ways to get to Camlan. I love the bbc Merlin, but season 5 is not one of my favourites. In fact it's very frustrating because there was just so much potential to play with here and 10 years later I'm still thinking about it.

[this-forest-within-me]

So true. Robin Hood 𝘪𝘴 the ultimate fanfiction, and the way the legend has stood the test of time shows the magnitude, and the longevity, of the fan base.

————

My name is Jo. During first lockdown, I wrote some fanfic and posted it on Wattpad. It was during the creation of my trilogy that my love for Robin Hood was truly resurrected, a love that began back in the 1980’s, when, as a child, I was enthralled every Saturday teatime by the adventures of 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥. Following on from that came 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘥: 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴, the BBC’s adaptation, and a host of films and literature that fuelled my intrigue and imagination.

I have been working on my first novel for around a year, after dabbling in the world of self-publishing by releasing three poetry books in quick succession. My first love, however, is fiction, and my lifelong ambition is to publish a novel.

————

So, here I am. Let me gradually introduce you to [working title] 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺.

[tvmigraine]

How I'd Write a "Doctor Who" series

So I made my Tumblr page in the first place so that I could do two things - the first is to ramble here instead of to friends so that I annoyed them less, the second being to write out story ideas that I've had as a sorta web-diary-blog-thingie.

This is part of that web-diary-blog-thingie.

I really love Doctor Who and I always wanted to write something about them, lockdown and university giving me that opportunity. In this post is my mad ramblings about a story where the Doctor's companion is Dorian Gray.

WHO'S DORIAN GRAY?! "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" was written by Oscar Wilde back in 1890 before a novel-length rerelease in 1891. The story is about a young man who sells his soul for a wish - where he will age, the portrait will in his place. As he continues to live a hedonistic and amoral life, the portrait continues to corrupt further and further.

Pop-culture has changed Dorian, in a way, to accommodate further adaptations. First of all is the repeated image (ha) of Dorian's invulnerability so long as the Portrait remains undamaged, any fatal injury goes to the portrait. The second of this is his immortality, he can continue to live for years on end while his Portrait would continue to age.

WHY DORIAN GRAY?! There are two main inspirations for this. The first inspiration was "The Confessions of Dorian Gray", a Big Finish series produced by Scott Handcock (he's the script editor for RTD2, I'm beyond excited.) It's a great take on the character, And it's really cheap! Seriously, just by the downloads and listen to it, it's half an hour of supernatural goodness.

The second inspiration was recent books published by BBC Children's Books. There's been a big theme in them of Doctor Who crossing over with famous literature - first they did Doctor Who meeting Wizard of Oz, reuniting with Robin Hood and arriving in Camelot. This year they'll be telling Who-versions of Treasure Island and Jason & the Argonauts. Essentially, I'm throwing my own hat into the ring to have these two meet.

It would also make for a unique pairing - often times Dorian, in a modern setting, is portrayed as encountering other supernatural entities through his life while the Doctor encounters aliens every day. It would be a fun dynamic to place a creature in front of them and have the pair bickering over whether the foe is monster or alien.

WHICH DOCTOR THEN?! I don't know yet honestly. There's a few that I think could work but, as I've been writing, I've been using a strange template that first appeared in the Target novelization of "Rose"...

"A tall, bald black woman wielding a flaming sword". That was it. That was essentially all that I was working with, which is good if you want a description for a character in a hurry but a bit more difficult for making a personality. I worked with this the best I could with the idea that this is a new incarnation, "The Rose Doctor", would meet Dorian as their first companion.

What about the Doctors we actually know? Well, I've narrowed it down to the three I'd be most interested in trying.

The Seventh Doctor. Considering that this man, the heart of the Cartmel Masterplan that led to "Lungbarrow", was often suggested to be more than just a Time-Lord, it seemed right to have him placed alongside a man who sold his soul. A man who's often many steps ahead with a plan behind each move, it'd be fun to see how he ultimately uses Dorian in order to get what he wants.

The Eleventh Doctor. In contrast to the Seventh Doctor, I considered this incarnation because I can only imagine them as complete polar opposites to Dorian Gray. Dorian is desperate to cling onto his youth while the Eleventh Doctor is, overwhelmingly, an old man at heart. There's also an easy introduction for the pair, as the Eleventh Doctor exiled himself during "The Snowmen" and could've encountered him.

The Thirteenth Doctor. At the time of writing, she's only just regenerated and we are moving onto the 14th and 15th incarnations next November/December. The Thirteenth doctor doesn't have many gaps in her timeline, so I think it'd be fun to explore what she'd be like with a different Tardis Team. Also, most importantly, I think she'd hate Dorian Gray and that presents an interesting dynamic if the two continue to meet.

What's most important about these two is the dynamic between them - what are they looking for in the other person? Simply, answers.

Dorian Gray is a literary character so how does he exist as a real person? Is he from the Land of Fiction or is he from the real world? The Doctor is a mysterious time traveler that clearly knows more than they let on, so who are they really? What secrets do they keep?

OKAY EPISODES NOW!! Most important thing to note is that the episodes have two numbers. The first number is order of reading for Dorian's life chronologically, while the number on the right is order of reading for the Doctor's. 00:02 - Introduction [1886, London] We start with the early days of Dorian Gray's hedonistic lifestyle, essentially verbatim the events that occurred in the original story. While Dorian is hosting a party, he eventually finds himself in discussion with someone that previously hadn't been invited. This woman is greatly interested in the portrait he recently had made of himself and tries to figure out the secrets behind it...

01:04 - The Death of the Author [1900, Paris] After saying goodbye to his old friend and author, Dorian is surprised to run into the woman from his party many years ago - the Doctor. When these two impossible people meet, a deal is made to continue to check on each other before they leave each other's side. Rumour has it, there's a werewolf loose on the streets of Paris and what are the chances they're both tracking down the Loup-Garoux?

02:06 - Sod of the Somme [1916, The Battle of the Somme] Dorian Gray is participating in the Great War, having gone with friends and lost many along the way. Now, he's trapped in the trenches after fighting off a monster that's killed his fellow men. They don't believe his story about a monster in the dirt, but one person does - a medical officer called Johanna Schmidt. If she can convince everyone to work together, maybe they can all get out alive.

03:03 - A Ballroom at the End of the Universe [1927, Edge of Space] On the edge of the universe, a party is being held. Dorian Gray finds himself invited and can't resist taking a trip into space. The Doctor likewise can't resist the invitation, but she has her own plans. Travel into alternate universes is forbidden after the Time War, but the Doctor needs to find out the origins of Dorian Gray so journeys to the Land of Fiction.

04:01 - The Kennedy Heist [1963, Maryland] On the 22nd of November, the President of the USA was assassinated. For the Doctor, they've gone through this day a few times, but there's always something that's bothered them about it. What happened to JFK's brain? Bigger questions arise when not only does she find Dorian Gray with the brain in a jar, but a man in a battered leather jacket claiming to be the Doctor...

05:05 - To Heal a Broken Heart [1972, London] Attending the first Pride rally to occur in the UK, Dorian Gray's heart is broken and actions becoming reckless. After dragging a drunk Dorian out of the Ballroom, despite their rocky relationship, the Doctor stays on Earth to help him recover and begins to see a new side for the first time.

06:07 - Same As It Ever Was [2000, Fiji] A popular internet hoax is that a hidden planet called "Nibiru" would crash into Earth, coinciding with the end of the Mayan Calendar. Dorian has lived through many of his own "End of the World" scenarios so chooses this time to enjoy a holiday. What he hardly expects is for the world to really end, let alone to wake up at the start of a time loop.

07:08 - Nobody, Everywhere [2012, London] As Dorian builds a life in modern day again, the Doctor returns with a warning. Dorian's eternal life is in danger and he cannot trust anybody. The people that want him go back to his very beginning, they cannot be stopped or reasoned with and they'll stop at nothing to get their hands on him. After being in each other's life for so long, do they have what it takes to stop an enemy without a face?

08:00 - Cancer [2099, Seoul] The Doctor's regeneration gets revealed along with her placement in the timeline. Her regeneration leads her to crash into the streets of Seoul in 2099, where she meets Dorian for the first time and he meets her for the last. As the Doctor battles Regeneration Sickness, Dorian has to work on his own to stop a hacker called "Jocasta" from destroying the biggest business district in South Korea. Is she the biggest danger? Or is there something lurking beneath the surface?

09:09 - Epilogue Now that the Doctor has recovered, it's time for her to travel through time and space. Who's to say she has to do it alone?

Confusing? Here's each story in order.

IS THAT IT?! Pretty much, that's all my current thoughts on the idea plus a short description for each episode. There are definitely more ideas I could vent, but that would involve a serious amount of foresight about where I'm going to take this IF I take this anywhere.

But in case I never elaborate... > Harmony Shoal, "The Flood" Cybermen & Macra. > A Gallifreyan ghost story turned into a cat. > Silurian Time-Lords and "The Nightmare Child". > A "Paradox" Doctor with a red TARDIS.

If you're interested, let me know! I want to know if people would like to read this or if it's just me