just finished my rewatch of all five seasons of bbc's merlin, and my sister and i decided it would be fun to keep count of how many times merlin saved arthur's life throughout the show, so here is an accumulated list:
(disclaimer: it is absolutey possible that we weren't always watching attentively and that we might have missed a case or two, but i like to believe that it is kinda accurate)
times arthur would have died if merlin hadn't saved him
• 1x01: dagger thrown at arthur ⟶ merlin slowed down time to pull arthur out of the way
• 1x02: snakes supposed to poison arthur ⟶ merlin exposes the snakes and arthur kills them
• 1x04: poisoned cup ⟶ merlin drinks from it instead
• 1x05: a griffin attacks them ⟶ lancelot fights it, and merlin enchants his sword/spear so that it’ll work
• 1x07: arthur is to be sacrificed to the sidhe ⟶ merlin saves him
• 1x10: ealdor gets attacked, including arthur, and they’re doomed ⟶ merlin creates a huge wind gust to save everyone
• 1x13: questing beast attacks arthur ⟶ merlin kills it
• 1x13: questing beast bites arthur, the poison is fatal ⟶ merlin gets water from the cup of life to save him
• 2x01: arthur gets attacked by a huge boar (?) ⟶ merlin uses magic on a crossbow to save him
• 2x01: camelot gets attack by living stone statues ⟶ merlin destroys them
• 2x02: assassin tries to kill arthur during a tournament on horses ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the assassin fall off his horse
• 2x12: dead stone statue thingies attack arthur and his knights ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the ceiling cave in and pulls arthur to his side, separating them from the statue thingies
• 2x13: arthur's wounds are getting worse ⟶ merlin finds balinor in time and has him help him (HONORARY MENTION)
• 3x04: arthur gets attacked (again) ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him (again)
• 3x07: morgause tries to kill arthur with a fire beam ⟶ merlin uses magic to make the fire beam explode before it reaches arthur
• 3x08: arthur gets attacked by wyverns ⟶ merlin uses his dragonlordness to stop them
• 3x08: arthur wears the eye of the phoenix bracelet (sucking life-force out of someone) ⟶ merlin takes it off him
• 3x12: arthur gets shot by a poisoned arrow ⟶ merlin uses magic to help him, then brings him to gaius
• 3x13: an army of immortal deads attacks camelot ⟶ merlin empties the cup of life of their blood to “kill” them all
• 4x01: dorochas attack arthur ⟶ merlin pushes arthur out of the way to get attacked instead
• 4x04: their food gets poisoned ⟶ merlin uses magic to save them
• 4x05: arthur fights in a duel and is about to be striked down ⟶ merlin makes the opponent’s sword fall out of his hands with magic
• 5x01: arthur and their men get attacked by morgana’s men ⟶ merlin saves arthur and gets them away from the battle
• 5x04: arthur almost got beheaded by odin ⟶ merlin created an earthquake with magic to stop that
• 5x06: dark tower traps ⟶ merlin parries an arrow with magic
• 5x07: arthur gets poisoned ⟶ merlin saves him with magic
• 5x08: someone wants to shoot an arrow at arthur ⟶ merlin attacks the shooter and saves arthur
• 5x11: kara tried to stab arthur ⟶ merlin uses magic to save him
and the one time he fails: 5x13, mordred stabs arthur with a sword forged on a dragon’s breath — merlin doesn’t get him to avalon in time
which brings us to a total of 27.5 times that merlin has saved arthur's life throughout the show
we also kept track of all the times arthur saved merlin's life, so here is that list:
• 1x03: merlin tells uther he is a sorcerer to save gwen (which would’ve gotten him a death sentence) ⟶ arthur convinces his father that merlin is lying out of love for gwen
• 1x04: merlin drank from a poisoned cup ⟶ arthur gets the antidote for him
• 1x11: arthur drinks poison so that merlin won’t have to ⟶ it was actually a sleeping draft though (HONORARY MENTION)
• 1x13: questing beast attacks ⟶ arthur pulled merlin out of the way
• 2x12: dead stone statue thingy attacks merlin ⟶ arthur strikes it down
• 4x01: a dorocha flies towards merlin ⟶ arthur pushes him out of the way
• 4x08: the lamia was about to kill merlin ⟶ arthur comes in at just the right time
which brings us to a total of 6.5 times that arthur saved merlin's life
it's kind of crazy to me to compare it like this, because on the one hand 27 near-death experiences across 65 episodes doesn't really sound like a lot. but at the same time i can't believe that arthur would have died 27 times if it hadn't been for merlin. and to think that arthur only saved merlin's life 6 times though?? oof
on my next rewatch, my sister and i want to make a list of all the moments that contributed to arthur's death (a so-called "doom list" with moments like merlin poisoning morgana in 2x13 etc), but that one is definitely going to be more subjective, since it'll be based on things that we think could've prevented arthur's death if they had gone any different
very excited to debate all the things that could go on that one!
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rdj the (whitewashed) electric boogaloo
This is a reminder to everyone who's excited about RDJ's casting as Doctor Doom that this casting is whitewashing. Victor Von Doom is a Romani character and has been a Romani character since his introduction in the 1960s. (Fantastic Four Annual #2 [1964]) Not only that, but his Roma identity and the persecution he and his family faced due to it is integral to his character, it is what forms his identity. (Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker) Even if on the off chance this casting is meant to not be Victor but instead be some variant of Tony or whomever else becoming Doctor Doom, it is damaging to the character to rob him of that important cultural background. Doctor Doom does not exist without that history. Fans have been pushing hard to cast Doom as a Romani actor for years, especially since the MCU has whitewashed other Romani characters. (Wanda, Pietro, etc) This casting is not a celebration moment, it's fucking heartbreaking that the MCU repeatedly ignores the important and nuanced cultural backstories of characters.
I know I can't change anybody's mind on whether or not you want to be excited about RDJ's return to the MCU. But I do think at the very least you should be mad that the MCU is baiting us all and destroying nuanced and interesting characters for the sake of self-referential easter eggs and nostalgia bait. Because that's what it is. Feel how you'd like to feel about RDJ's return, but personally, this is soul-sucking. I had such a deep love for the MCU as a teenager, it was obviously something incredibly formative to me, especially Tony Stark. This isn't recreating what I fell in love with the MCU for. This is turning a well-planned and artistic storyline of adaptations into cheap cash grabs and fan service. Because, I think we're past the point of being able to call the MCU an adaptation of anything. They can use existing characters' names and powers, but to say they're being properly adapted is laughable.
This is not an adaptation of Doctor Doom. This is RDJ the Electric Boogaloo because Marvel's fear of losing the interest of dedicated MCU fans overrides their willingness to tell stories that are genuine to the characters. I don't know what there is to be excited about that. The MCU has lost its authenticity and aside from a few projects, feels heartless. Every movie is a copy of a copy. This announcement isn't something celebratory, it feels like a death knell of a cinematic universe that's so desperate to cling to relevancy it's resorting to nostalgia for a character/actor who hasn't even been dead for a decade. We're not getting anything new, we're just rinsing and repeating the same song and dance.
I get it. I love Tony Stark, his death destroyed me and I to this day, rue the ending he got in Endgame. It misunderstood his arc and it robbed him of a satisfying conclusion. But the solution to that isn't dragging the corpse out of the grave five years later to whitewash an existing character with rich and interesting nuance, just to forcibly tie his existence in the MCU to Tony. Whether he is a variant or not. Why would you want someone else's fave's legacy to be destroyed simply so your fave's legacy can go on? Hell, if we were really all so hellbent on the return of RDJ and/or Tony to the MCU, we have the multiverse for a reason. There were other ways to do it that didn't whitewash and ruin someone else. This just. Isn't something to be happy about.
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tagged by the loveliests @fakrichie @toyourlovemp3 @stevethehairington @dr-aegon to make a poll with 5 of my all time favourite characters. thank you all so much, this should be interesting!!!
as always, no pressure tags 💕 and as usual i wish i could tag all of my mutuals who want to do this, so if i haven't but you want to do it, feel free to say i tagged you 💖
@letojessica @affable-square @nynazenik @collectate @cashmere-caveman
@morgan-the-lonely-brick @razerecherche @nigesakis @chiaki-c @nerendus @tadpal @pendragora
@veilguards @lesbianalicent @alistairs @franzkafkagf @alysscoven @shivrcys
@saintharrowhark @vanoefucks @lanternheart @capricious-magician @ronandreams
@emiliosandozsequence @rui-nova @lestogrifoni @tommishelby @irulancorrino @lestatlioncunt
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Villainess anime reviews
went on a bit of a binge, so here's a compilation:
I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss
rating: lots of fun
one of the funnier entries on this list in my opinion, i actually laughed out loud multiple times
the protagonist is a capable and determined lady, as well as slightly unhinged which i always enjoy, i love weird women
breakneck pace, speedrunning like 3 games in the 12 episode, so it is the opposite of boring
this anime has everything: ducks, crows in bowties, crossdressing, ducks, video game brain rot, and ducks
Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
rating: at east somewhat interesting (still ongoing, episodes watched: 5)
aside from the gimmick a pretty standard isekai with pretty eh animation
a lot of this show is kinda boring, but there are still interesting and enjoyable moments
the protagonist is charming and probably the strongest part
i will probably be continuing to see what happens next so depending on that my opinion may change
The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior
rating: charming
one of the series from this list that i enjoyed most, even if the story and the world are a bit simple, the characters and their struggles still work and aren't too difficult to get invested in
a bit more drama in this one, with tragic flashbacks (or whatever they're called if its abt an alternate plotline) that i found maybe a little too frequent
here the protagonist is also capable, driven, and quite traumatized, i wanna hold her in my hands like a baby bird
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
rating: cute!
the bisexual harem is a breath of fresh air
bakarina's dumbassery is a great source of comedy, she's also pretty lovable so the harem around her is believable. and i love a gal with a hobby
I'm in Love with the Villainess
rating: eh
kinda disappointed with this one, i was hoping for some fun gl story, but it could barely watch the first episode and had to force myself to try a few more in hopes it got better (it didnt)
the romance part felt more like harassment in those first episodes, and sure, ive read that it progresses further, but the protagonist didnt really endear herself to me with that
given the comedy tag on mal there were probably some jokes in it, i just couldn't identify many good ones
7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!
rating: hell yeah! (still ongoing, episodes watched: 6)
the best one of all shows listed and the only one that's not an isekai
much more grounded, with good worldbuilding and another capable lady as the protagonist, but this one even more so, as well as much more mature
very pretty, even if i find some character designs questionable :v
definitely got me hooked and i will be watching more
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