#i used to think i didn't really like merthur

[arcanespillo]

hang on i must know your fave merlin ship this is of great importance

(absolutely no judgement btw i ship Everything)

this is funny because i do really believe in every ship ever, my fav is gwen x arthur x merlin i think they should live together in a cottage in the woods and be happy forever. and i think every ship that includes merlin is valid and real (merlin x lancelot, merlin x gawaine, arthur x merlin and so on) and i love, love love love morgana and gwen, a bit less in later seasons

[achillesuwu]

This is just so merthur, like post return arthur who is the immortal equivalent of an wet kitten and Merlin who is a grandpa™

[merlincersei]

Merlin BBC UK TV Show - Opinion Piece Part 23 - Who Is Arthur Really Talking About In This Scene?

Time and again when I revisit this particular scene between Arthur and Merlin (referenced below) I can't help but notice how much "Merthur" has been implicitly queer coded in this show.

______________________________________________________________

The scene I am talking about is in the Season 2 Episode 4 titled "Lancelot and Guinevere" .

This episode can be summarized as follows:

Gwen is mistaken for Morgana and is kidnapped by Hengist. Uther refuses to pay the ransom or send a rescue party to save a servant. Arthur defies his father and sets out with Merlin to rescue Gwen. ______________________________________________________________

After Arthur and Merlin escape from the Wilddeoren, they have the following scene:

While the casual viewer will look at this scene and state it is Arthur confessing his love for Gwen, however LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT THEME PLAYS FROM 0:55 SECONDS ONWARDS IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS SCENE.

The theme it plays is Merlin's Arrival to Camelot:

Now ask youself why would the show put in "Merlin's Arrival to Camelot" theme in the background of a scene where Arthur is confessing his love for Gwen?

Especially when Arthur and Gwen already have a theme song called Gwen & Arthur Romance Suite.

Shockingly, the Gwen & Arthur Romance Suite is actually played in the background of a scene between Gwen and Lancelot when they kiss for the first time and Gwen states " As long as I live, my feelings for you will never fade."

Refer scene at 1:22 in the clip below:

____________________________________________________________

Going back to the scene between Merlin and Arthur, dont you think Arthur's description of Gwen can also be used for Merlin.

[EXT. FOREST, STREAM – DAY] [Arthur and Merlin wash off the Gaia berries by a stream.]

ARTHUR Gaia berries worked. Huh.

MERLIN You didn't know if they worked?

ARTHUR Not for sure.

MERLIN Now you tell me?! Oh! Oh, what's that Wildren eating? It's all right. It's just Merlin. You trying to get us both killed?

ARTHUR I'm sorry. I shouldn't've risked your life like that.

MERLIN Well, they do say love makes you do strange things.

ARTHUR What are you talking about?

MERLIN Why can't you just admit your feelings for Gwen?

[Arthur scoffs.]

MERLIN It's so obvious. A blind man could see it. Is it really that hard to admit you like her? Just say it. (MERLIN THEME STARTS TO PLAY)

ARTHUR I can't! How can I admit that I think about her all the time. Or that...I care about her more than anyone. How can I admit that...I don't know what I'll do if any harm comes to her?

(DID ARTHUR NOT RISK HIS OWN LIFE FOR MERLIN IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 4 THE POISONED CHALICE.

DID ARTHUR NOT FOLLOW MERLIN TO EALDOR IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 10 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR A MERE SERVANT)

MERLIN Why can't you?

ARTHUR Because nothing can ever happen between us! (HOW TRUE! BBC SIMPLY WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED MERTHUR TO HAPPEN!) To admit my feelings knowing that...hurts too much.

MERLIN Who's to say nothing can happen?

ARTHUR My father won't let me rescue a servant. Do you honestly believe he'd let me marry one?

(IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 4 THE POISONED CHALICE. UTHER FORBADE ARTHUR TO RESCUE MERLIN AND EVEN HAD HIM IMPRISONED WHEN HE BROUGHT BACK THE CURE FOR MERLIN)

MERLIN You want to marry Gwen?

ARTHUR No! No...I...I don't know...It's all talk, and that's all it can ever be.

MERLIN When you're King, you can change that.

ARTHUR I can't expect Guinevere to wait for me.

MERLIN If she feels as you do, she'll wait for you.

(IN THE END OF THE SERIES, IT IS MERLIN WHO HAS BEEN WAITING FOR ARTHUR FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!!)

ARTHUR We don't even know if she's still alive.

MERLIN No, she is. We will find her.

ARTHUR Come on. We've got a long trek ahead. Oh, and Merlin...if you dare tell anyone about this, I promise I will make your life a living hell.

MERLIN You mean, more than you already do?

ARTHUR Yeah.

MERLIN We could talk about your feelings while you walk.

ARTHUR Shut up, Merlin.

______________________________________________________________

I also managed to get a snapshot of a commentary Bradley James and Colin Morgan did for this particular episode and it is available on the DVD. Bradley's commentary is indeed very telling.

I REST MY CASE !!!

[ao3topshipsbracket]

Is there a pairing that most surprised you?

Round 1 had some surprises (most notably we thought Cherik vs Percabeth would be a much closer race than it was) but I think the pairing that's surprising me most is MSR vs Destiel!

We seeded based on number of works on ao3, because that was what we had data for. We knew going in that some ships would fare much better or much worse than that number would suggest, but we couldn't really see any other way to do it— none of us had enough familiarity with enough fandoms to reseed the whole thing on that basis, and we didn't want to adjust just the ones we knew anything about, that wouldn't be fair. So, given that "which BTS ships, if any, do we think would beat Beeduo? Who would come out on top, do we think, Stony or Merthur?" was a nonstarter of a question unless we ran a whole second bracket just to seed the thing, we went ahead and went to war with the numbers we had...

And it wasn't until it was definitely too late to change that decision that we realized that Mulder/Scully, the ship that coined the term shipping, would be up against Destiel, the Destiel, as early as round two.

There was some wailing from the pollrunners about how MSR was definitely going to be crushed when it deserved to be a semifinalist, and then we comforted ourselves that it would at least be an honorable fight, and what a titan to be crushed by— but then it put up a fight! Like, an actual fight, not just "honorable struggle gets us to 40%" but a real genuine fight! And now it's winning? It's winning by over 1700 votes?? That's wild! Holy shit!

[theroundbartable]

I don't really like when people frame Arthur's and Gwen's first date as this whole:' Arthur only loves Merlin and would run away and he didn't even invite Gwen to his fantasy world' take.

While you're absolutely free to see it that way, it's also the very same episode that Arthur is willing to actively throw away his title to be by Gwen's side, just after their affair has been discovered by Uther. Arthur. Throws. Away. His. Claims. To. The. Throne. For. Her. Leading to Uther believing the accusation against Gwen that she had enchanted Arthur.

I think this scene proves that his love for Gwen and Merlin is equally strong in his mind at this point. One on his subconscious, the other plain to see. The difference is that Merlin would follow Arthur anywhere, whereas Arthur would follow Gwen. And I think that is their dynamic throughout the show until 'a servant of two masters', where we see Arthur chasing after Merlin. And then again in the episode where Arthur sends Gwen away and is waiting for her to return.

I think Merlin and Gwen are both integral to Arthur's life. And their betrayals (Gwen allegedgly cheating on him with Lancelot, as well as enchanted Gwen, in addition to Merlin coming out as a sorcerer in the final episode) cut him deeper than any other betrayal ever could. Just like their support means more to him than even his father's or Morgana's used to. Were it not them, I don't think Arthur would have been able to forgive either of them.

It's stupid to nag about this, but I love the way Arthur loves Gwen. I love that it's build on respect and mutual goals and morale and ideas for the kingdom. I love that it's chaste and not over the top like it would have been in any other show. And I love that it has room for others in it. It has room for Arthur loving Merlin and it has room for Gwen taking care of her brother. We don't get to see that often in relationships and I love how it's slowly build up and makes sense.

I say this as someone who mainly ships Merthur.

[samwinchestermydude]

My Supernatural Journey I guess

I actually did go into spn fully expecting to ship Destiel. I came into SPN after watching Merlin, and I had often seen Merthur (my beloved) and Destiel likened together. I barely knew anything about Sam. I only found out that Sam existed because I saw that he was being shipped with his brother on the Ao3 ships polls last year. I didn't know if Sam was important or not because I hadn't seen much content about him. So I ended up calling him the hippie brother mentally.

The only things I thought I knew about Supernatural was that it had some religious stuff in it, Destiel was canon apparently, there were demons and stuff, and John really hated. My impression on Spn was this horror show that was featured this really tough macho dudes but the show was supposedly kind of gay??

I also followed this one person way back for discussing this one video game. They were an ex-supernatural fan way back but left because they found discourse surrounding destiel to be to exhausting. They also used to be a big Sam fan and shipped wincest. I like found the latter to be like really weird back then but man the tides have turned.

So I turned on the Spn pilot with my mom in the same room one day out of sheer boredom. Back then I was still considering Spn as that tumblr show. And then the rest was history, and I lost countless hours of my life obsessing over the show.

So first of all, I only saw one brief glance at Sam before voting for merthur in the wincest vs merthur poll (I'd have probably voted for wincest now lol) so I didn't really know who he was. To me initially he just looked like the 2nd big, gruff dude with long hair. And then I found out that the sweetest looking boy with the floppiest bangs was that guy, Sam.

Also I thought Dean was the younger brother for some reason before watching the show (Probably because Jackles just doesn't age lol). So I was really surprised to see that the little kid in the opening scene was Dean and that the baby was Sam. Oh and I was totally predicting that John died actually in the opening scene and that something else was pretending to be their father lol.

I think I fell in love with the show right away. There was just something really believable and palpable about the brother's estrangement and relationship from the start and I just wanted to see how it developed. S1 is just filled with great horror episodes, and I started watching around October so it was just perfect timing.

So Things that Ended Up Suprising Me the Most/Other Things

I actually ended up really liking John in s1. JDM was just stellar in his all scenes and brought an emotional and sincere side to John. He's tough for sure but he doesn't hide his feelings about his boys. Like you can see the tears in his eyes when they reunite. Also his speech about how he wants Sam and Dean to have normal lives and how he's tired and so broken up after seeing all his friends being killed by meg never fails to hit hard. Do I think John was a good father. No. But he did care about his boys truly. And while I do understand Fandom's widespread dislike of John it is disheartening to see him reduced to this unfeeling caricature. John's problem wasn't that he felt too little; it was that he felt to much and he never really properly managed it and it ended up hurting the his boys.

I thought Meg and Sam would maybe end up being a thing and was like :(((( (because I just liked the bros being by themselves even though I wasn't a wincest shipper at the time lol) but I was also like go Sam if thats what you want ig? Lmao Idk I just wanted Sam to be happy even back then. Anyways thank god that never happened.

Me falling in love with Sam.

Dean. I always saw a lot about him but never found myself to interested in him as all I saw was Destiel content with him. But I ended up falling in love with his character so hard in Devil's trap. When he begs John not to kill him :(((((((((. I think Devil's trap is one of my favorite episodes for Dean. It's when I started to understand him and his loyalty to his family really touched me.

1x22 was also the episode that convinced me SPN was going to be a insane show. Like what a season finale. I feel so bad for the fans who had to wait to watch s2. I actually jumped up and said it ends like that?! The car scared me so bad.

Around s2 I set my foot in the wincest fandom. Back then I thought you guys were scary but in a good way. But I was also getting really into the codependency at the time so I found myself starting to seek wincest out because well you guys just get it. And then Dean sold his soul for Sam and I looked up wincest fic for the first time with the intent to read fic about wincest. Before it was reading wincest fic despite the wincest and then well all hell blew loose (sorry I just had to).

First wincest fic I read: half the man i used to be by dollylux. I wasn't exactly a wincest shipper then. But I thought it was fucked up and strangely fitting to Sam and Dean's relationship and fucked up lives. It was probably the fic that got me into wincest.

I had a bit of an internal rule I set for myself back then where I could only read Wincest fics that were about them being in a fucked and toxic relationship because I felt bad reading fics about an incest ship. So I guess in my mind it cancelled out because then I thought then I wasn't romanticizing the incest lol. Idgaf now. I read anything about Sam/Dean if it's good.

When You're Not Here by raziella was the 2nd wincest fic I read. I read it because it's pretty much gen but it does have some wincest leanings. It's a really good fic.

I gave up Destiel even before s4. It was around in S3 after seeing Sam slowly go insane that I realized I wanted nothing more than the two brothers together.

I just realized that even if Destiel was canon or not nothing could be as important to Dean than Sam was and vice versa for Sam.

I actually was anxious about s4 because I didn't want the show to change that much and drift from the focus on the brothers.

S4 and s5 were really difficult to go through for me. I thought they were great television but it was too painful. I felt horrible seeing what happened to the brothers and how they drifted apart.

S4 Sam hair was probably my favorite.

[larluce]

A little sneak peak of what is to come in my Merthur Fic "From the grave to the craddle"

Merlin: (looking at Emrys, horrified) You... you killed him.

Emrys: And all his men too.

Merlin: *takes a few steps back, scared*

Emrys: Don't look at me like that. I did what I had to. To protect you both.

Merlin: (tearing) You didn't even hesitate, you don't even have a shred of remorse. You-

Emrys: You think killing is hard, boy? (He laughs) I guess at some point it is. You wait in the bushes, the animal might outrun you or charge you. It certainly isn't easy at first, to get your shot. But once you get the handle of it, is easy as cake. (Deadpans) You know what's really hard though? Healing something. That is hard. That requires patience. You can break something in two seconds. But it can take forever to fix it. A lifetime, generations, centuries. (Looks at the corpse) This... (he points it) is nothing.

Merlin: Well, I rather heal than to kill!

Emrys: Both skills are important. The problem, my little ward, is that healing spells are used when the damage is already done. Killing and attacking spells are to prevent damage from happening in the first place.

Merlin: Protection spells work for that too! It's not necessary to kill anyone! Magic shouldn't be used for something so vile. You were the one who told me magic can be good and beautiful! This is the kind of things that make people afraid of magic, of us!

Emrys: Druids think like you. That magic should only be used for good, never for harm, but look where that's gotten them. A life where they constantly flee, without settling down, helping people selflessly, even when they are paid poorly. A life of being hunted and killed dispite being perfectly capable of defending yourself. Several times they let their people die for respecting said "magical values". Is that the life you seek? Always live in fear? Running away? Letting those you love die?

[a-canceled-stamp]

20 Questions for Writers

Thank you @motleyfam, @crows-murder and @selkienight60 for the tags! ^.^

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

157,488

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly DC, but Star Wars, Marvel, Malevolent (Podcast), Good Omens, and MHA make appearances too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Long Way Down (To The Bottom Of The River)

Then Came the Morning

A Leap of Faith

Talk To Me

There Are Softer Oak Trees

5. Do you respond to comments?

I used to respond to every comment fairly quickly but recently I just haven't had the time :(( I appreciate every single comment though, they bring me such joy 🥹

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

That would be cardboard box - the first (sort of) hurt no comfort I've written >:D

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably There Are Softer Oak Trees :)))

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do!!!! Or...I'm giving it a shot at least. Not for DC, but for Malevolent. Might post something real soon :3

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I didn't even know this was a thing before today. That being said, I don't think so??

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I would love to collab sometime :3

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I cannot pick one because I don't really have A favorite. But Stucky (Marvel), DinLuke (Star Wars), Merthur (Merlin), SuperBat (DC), TimKon (DC) and Science Girlfriends (Orphan Black) are all ships I enjoy.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Dying Is Easy, Living Is Harder. I have many ideas for it but unfortunately, I'm not obsessed enough about the characters to fulfill them lmao. Also An Unexpected Visit bc similar to the previous one I have a lot of ideas, but I just don't think I am talented enough to actually write those ideas.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've rewritten this answer 10 times, but no version felt right. At one point, I decided I was just gonna skip it. BUT NO. I'm gonna stop worrying about other peepz opinions and just say what I actually believe. And here it is.

I know how to make my writing more immersive with various details like sounds, smells, sensations etc. (and I LOVE doing this. The only issue is I sometimes do it either too much or too little ahdjkhsd)

I am VERY nitpicky. This can seem more like a flaw (and it is), but it has also helped me grow and understand what I like and dislike about my writing. It also means I spend a lot of time editing which makes posting SO much more satisfying (tho sometimes I gotta get those shorter fics out there for the instant serotonin boost lol)

I'm not a huge fan of characters who say/do things that don't make sense considering the genre/plot. Spending more time on this is challenging since I both dislike and SUCK at writing dialogue (why is English so HARD??), but it is also a lot of fun bc I think I am getting better at it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Well, that part about being nitpicky is obviously a lie bc I didn't realize question 17 was gone ahdjshdkj. But I was the one who noticed it first among my friends so...maybe? Nope lol

English grammar. I have to double check every time I write a message to online friends to make sure what I've written is actually a sentence that makes sense.The thing is - I think I'm pretty good, but I actually suck. One time, I wrote mold wine instead of mulled wine in a fic. Never living that down. This is I think why it takes me so long to edit lmao.

Being too harsh on myself and not allowing myself to feel proud about my accomplishments/comparing my writing to other people. Yes, compared to other fantastic writers I suck, and it will always be like that. It's something I'm still struggling to accept, but I'm getting there!

Writing quickly. Like shutting off my brain and just writing doesn't work for me. I have to be there and edit every single sentence that I don't like, and I think this is why it takes so long for me to finish the first draft. Def gotta work on this!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Hmm. Instinctively, I think it makes more sense to write something like, "Person A said something in a language I didn't understand" than to write in that language. It's more fun that way. And if both the pov character and I don't understand what Person A saying it makes me sympathize with the pov character more.

That being said, if I ever see someone writing in Swedish in a fic, I will be immensely happy (and horrified)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Rise of the Guardians on ffn. The fic is still there and is still hot garbage, but I did have a lot of fun writing it.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

I know what my LEAST favorite one is hjkahdsjk. Nah but for real, I love all my fics for very specific reasons. Like I have a sort of emotional connection with all of them depending on where I was in life, how I was feeling emotionally at the time, etc.

My top 3 would probably be Long Way Down (To The Bottom Of The River) bc it was the first fic I put a lot of thought and effort into, There Are Softer Oak Trees bc it makes me soft and fuzzy when I think about it, and cardboard box bc the comments made me fkn cackle.

It feels impossible to tag people who haven't been tagged yet but imma go with @miles2g0, @lurkinglurkerwholurks, @they-reap-what-we-sow, @liverobinreaction, and @bonesbuckleup. No pressure ofc!

[dragoon-the-greatest]

Just rewatched "Moment of Truth." What an episode. WILL MY BELOVED. I wish he had shown up for more than an episode, he was such a great character and such a great friend for Merlin.

Loved my little Arwen crumbs in this episode. Got to hear Arthur transition from calling her "Gwen" to "Guinevere" and she called him out for the first time. She showed herself capable of standing up to him both about the food and about having the women fight, and Arthur definitely noticed and apologized on both counts. I understand the fandom's obsession with Merthur but Arthur doesn't listen to Merlin the way he listens to Gwen, and Merlin just doesn't call Arthur out the way Gwen does.

Granted, Merlin would probably be a lot better at calling Arthur out in this instance if he didn't spend half the episode figuring out whether or not to use his magic and arguing with Will about it. The tension is SO good here, the contrast of saving people with his magic and telling the truth in the process vs. continuing to hide himself at others' expense but in hopes for a brighter future. Poor boy just wants to help people with his magic and has since episode one. This early in the series, the choice is an obvious one for Merlin, but later obviously he shifts to the other side, which is so so heartbreaking.

It's no wonder though, Arthur tried to be considerate in his own way but was also a JERK in response to finding out "Will's" secret. They stood in front of Will's FUNERAL PYRE and Arthur tells Merlin he shouldn't have kept Will's secret because magic is DANGEROUS. Will saved his life! What would Arthur have done if a. Will really did have magic and b. Merlin had actually told him about it? Was he going to kill Merlin's best friend? Banish him from his own home when he doesn't even live in Camelot??? Why did Merlin owe him this information??? And after this Will is never mentioned again, which is insane. In all of the (rare) instances where Arthur actually questions magic, he just never brings this up again?? A supposed sorcerer gives his life for him and he just. Blanks it out of his memory? Never mind that this was Merlin's childhood friend, just pretend he never existed and his death never happened and don't ever acknowledge Merlin's grief outside of saying "I know he was a close friend." Merlin learned all of the wrong messages from this episode. Don't tell Arthur your secret because he thinks magic is dangerous with no exceptions, and don't tell Arthur your secret because he's a good man and he likes/needs you but can't be trusted with your secret until "the time is right."

Like actually, what was Hunith's deal in this show?? I love her but we know so little about her? This is a woman that actually ran up to a bandit and tried to steal food back with no plan besides "just grab it real quick while announcing your intentions" (love her for that though, also this is definitely Merlin's mother), represented the village to a foreign king when their own refused to help, raised a magical child but taught him to hide his abilities at all cost, even from the people he loves/trusts the most (people who are willing to risk their lives to help him save his home town? You don't think maybe they could know?). Like, yes, it would have been terrifying to raise your not subtle, blatantly magical son in a world where magic is hated, but she finds out he told his best friend about his secret (which the friend hadn't even told anyone), and her response to this is to send her son to the place most well known for burning/beheading sorcerers? And her response when he expresses a desire to not go back is to tell him to go because the prince (who she absolutely does not think should know Merlin's secret, but also doesn't think he would kill him if he found out, like which side are you on?) needs him? Why is Hunith so obsessed with Arthur here? Like yeah, he risked a lot to come save the village and made a huge difference in the outcome of the fight, but to value him over her own son? I just don't understand Hunith's priorities here. Protect Merlin but send him somewhere extremely dangerous? Merlin tells Will he did not actually want to leave initially but that he did because his mother was worried. Merlin is so lonely and isolated and has such messed up ideas about his purpose and his magic and Hunith doesn't do anything to actually help him sort this out, just pushed him to stay isolated while also being helpful to people she doesn't think he should fully trust.

Anyway, fascinating episode, very compelling. I would have LOVED for this to actually be a magic reveal episode and it's a nice little gut punch to know how far that actually is from happening from this episode. Overall, Will, Gwen, and Morgana were MVPs here. Stay tuned for more random thoughts and analyses on episodes that aired over a decade ago ✌️

[gvaine]

If you had to choose would you rather Merlin raised by Balinor not Hunith or Arthur raised by Ygraine not Uther?

hi!! this is such an incredible question that i had to think about it for (checks calendar) nearly a week, apparently. my first instinct was to approach this in a merthur context, for some reason, and immediately went: well, merlin raised by balinor, obviously, because-- i dislike different first meeting aus and if merlin had been raised by balinor-- or both his parents (your question didn't clarify but i assume you meant one parent instead of the other, not both?), it could still have led to everything else as we know it. it's not like merlin needed his father to know about his magic.

however. from a mere character perspective? i do think ygraine not being there had more far-reaching consequences both for arthur and for the kingdom as a whole-- magic wouldn't have been purged in camelot, and merlin-- if he had even existed, considering he was born because of the purge, but... that's another tangent-- everything would have probably been more peaceful all around.

as for arthur, ignoring all the consequences of merlin potentially not existing: he might have been slightly more well-adjusted, emotionally. probably. dude's a mess, not even really because he doesn't have a mother but because he was raised by an ygraine-less uther, who, i believe, had once been kind, and who loved his children but was so grief-stricken it all went downhill. if uther had still had ygraine, or to stay within the scope of your question, if arthur had been raised by a single, much less broken ygraine, i think arthur would have been happier. still a spoiled prat, but. well, maybe a bit less of one.

(another tangent: how did uther die? maybe for the same reason as ygraine did, except whichever power decided that a life must be taken took uther instead. would ygraine have told arthur about it? would she have descended into a magic-hating spiral of despair just like her husband did? i don't think so. much to think about)

merlin, as much as he struggled with his lack of a father, grew up relatively well-adjusted. the question that follows him being raised by balinor is, how much would merlin have had to still hide his magic? balinor was a recluse-- would merlin have lived similarly? if so, there's the potential of merlin actually growing up into a much more hardened, cynical man than he is, much like his father. he may have been aware of just how powerful he was, and learned how to use his strengths, but would he have been happier?

that was just me writing down my thoughts as they came, all messy. (ha!) anyway, what do you think 👀

[mintedemrys]

descriptions/outlines below the cut

all-powerful Merlin rewrite: essentially what it says on the tin. a rewrite of season one, where Merlin actually understands and has full control over his magic, where he doesn't need to be running off to Gaius or Kilgharrah for answers all the time. along with all-powerful Merlin, in this we also have Arthur as I think he should've been, incredibly intelligent, opposed to his father, and Actually the best swordsman and strategist in the realm.

give Arthur magic damnit: again, exactly what it sounds like. A post season 4 AU in which Arthur is temporarily granted magic. plenty of shenanigans ensue.

Merlin's apprentice AU: Daegal doesn't die. that's it that's the plot. Daegal doesn't fucking die, Merlin takes him on as an apprentice.

timetravel by the sidhe: Merlin learns his lesson, and gets sent back to canon era from modern times using the last ounce of magic in Avalon, he gets to start all over again and do things right. (yes I know there's a million time travel fics out there let me have this)

hollow queen AU: inspired by a tumblr post I saw a while back that was like "what if Gwen didn't survive the ritual to save her from the Tiene Diaga" . what if indeed. heavy heavy angst, no merthur, this is NOT FRIDGING.

dog!merlin crackfic: A Servant of Two Masters AU where Merlin turns up as a dog. this is so seriously underdeveloped I really have no idea why Merlin is a dog, but. yeah. dog!Merlin.

(its worth mentioning as well that most of these are going to be merwaine or mercelot fics, with the exception of possibly the All-Powerful AU, which is likely going to be merthur)

[scoops404]

Taking a break from my Powerpoint Presentation (it's google slides but whatever) preparation to circle back to the thing @jestbee tagged me in - my fic graveyard

Before even looking, I don't think I have many. I can think of one big one, but we'll see if there are more when I open it up.

I organize mine by year, so here is 2022:

"5 times Dream called George baby accidentally + 1 time it was on purpose"

HAHAH i forgot about this. 2,500 words. I think I stopped writing it because it didn't feel like it was going anywhere and I got distracted by something else. I think this was right before I got sucked into writing Curse and Cure so my brain went entirely into that and forgot this one... oops

"Trans GNF fic" 11K - I really liked this one actually but I let a few trans friends read it to do a sensitivity beta and um it didn't really pass? they gave valid criticism and to fix it I would have had to kind of scrap most of it and I didn't really want to do that because my brain thought of another idea so I went and did that instead. This was going to be FWB cunnilingus fic very heavily pwp - so maybe it's for the best. I'd rather scrap it than write anything hurtful or offensive, so maybe in another universe ((also, this is the one I was thinking of that I never finished))

"Secret Santa 2022 Fic" 400 words. It never got off the ground because my giftee left the fandom and I wasn't really feeling it anyway (wrote Deep in Dream instead and won't apologize for that) but it was going to be very we-didn't-know-we-were-dating and closely canon compliant (but then i kinda did that with Just One Touch).

"2022 Halloween Exchange" (35 words lol) this also got canceled because it was around the time of the drituation, BUT -- my giftee was @extrasteps who I didn't know at the time when we were assigned, but is now very dear to me. But this was going to be soulmates, george as a witch/seer vibes gnf flying to orlando. george has visions and can see other people's soulmates but doesn't know he can't see his own so when he doesn't see Dream as his soulmate, he thinks they aren't soulmates until they meet and.... I wasn't quite sure where i was going with it but it would have kicked ass

Okay, I guess I have more than I remember...

"The Whether" 2,500 words - this one was going to be about dream's exploration of his sexuality and using George (with permission) as a safe space to explore that by flirting with him off-stream, etc. But like an explicit conversation is had about it where dream makes sure George is okay with that and then he just fake flirts his way into falling in love with George. Delves into physical -- George is like you keep questioning all this stuff, so just suck my dick if you want to try it. You know, because he's such a good friend. This one is absolutely Scoops bonkers crazy because Dream does a drodcast and like talks it out loud and realizes on the drodcast that he's actively in love with George. Peak comedy. I don't remember why I decided not to finish this one, might have been because someone I'm friends with was writing something similar and I didn't want to inadvertently copy so I put it on the back burner and then just forgot about it. in this era of Scoops, I can see that if I talked about this one, then people would have hyped me up and I would have ended up writing it fully probably.

2023:

"George's Pretty Privilege" 660 words. This was like one of those small things I had to write after finishing a big project i'd been working on for months (in this case, deep in dream) for something to be completely different. The idea was all the times George used and then realized his pretty privilege. I didn't finish this one because it was kinda boring and then something else caught my interest. Oh! We did a Spin The Wheel challenge and that made me write Shine Here To Us and that took all my attention away

That's it for 2023, besides a Merthur fic I've been working on forever so I don't consider that one "dead"

I don't even have 2021 on this laptop, but I know of at least one - Dream surprises George in line at a con while he's still faceless and pretends to be a fan. I almost uploaded that one.

Anyway, those are my dead and gone and not being resurrected fics. I hope you enjoyed. I got pretty good in 2023 of picking projects that I actually wanted to invest my time into and work to finish them. Taking that energy into 2024.

If you're a writer, feel free to do this as well!! And feel free to ask any questions you want about any of these ideas :D

[thisisjustmefangirling]

Merlin rewatch, 2x07 : "The Witchfinder"

Rewatched on the 21rst of March, 2024.

Poor Merlin just wanted to have fun and be himself in the woods and it started a witch hunt.

It's funny how so many "Game of thrones" actors were on "Merlin" first. Charles Dance is impressive. I like seeing him act with Anthony Head.

Incredible how the witchfinder talks to Uther "You've gotten too soft". Who talks to a king like that ?

Only a witchfinder can make Uther look not genocidal enough...

Poor Morgana is scared to death. She's so sure she'll be found out and burnt.

Everybody's reaction to Merlin being accused of sorcery is interesting. Morgana is very relieved, and shaken. Arthur and Gwen are confused and clearly don't believe it. Arthur particularly seems to think it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard.

My video player is buffering and I can see Arthur's full outfit and once again, I think this is not an outfit good enough for a prince. A Crown Prince. The fabrics should look better and more expensive.

Leon is so eager to be a good cop and find proof that Merlin is guilty...

Until that episode, Arthur has no idea that Gaius used to practice sorcery. "We must give him benefit of the doubt, surely". I like that Arthur is not that keen on witch hunting. He was eager to please his father at the beginning of the episode and search for the person who had played with the smoke, but who can say he would have been thorough in his search ?

What a shame Merlin only had Gaius and Kilgarrah to guide him... They were both not that good for him. He was so young.

"If you were to die, you would endanger the lives of all those who rely on you." Merlin would do well to remember this.

Argh Gaius you're accidentally putting Morgana in danger !

When Gaius "confesses", Arthur looks directly at Merlin to see how he's reacting. My Merthur heart !

I think it's so interesting to see how Uther reacts to Gaius being accused of sorcery, facing the possibility of torture, and hearing him confess. He wants to trust Gaius, and he doesn't wish him harm. "By the laws of Camelot, I must sentence you... to death". MUST ! That pause ! Uther doesn't want to do it ! He turns away to face his throne. I think Merlin is going to remember this later and he would probably know that Arthur wouldn't want to sentence him but he would feel like he has to do it because it's the law.

Arthur's eyes are not on Gaius as he's being taken away. They're still on Merlin. He's so attentive to Merlin. And then he physically drags him away from the room. "I'll deal with this". "Breaking the law" for Merlin. I love him <3

It's nice to see Gwen and Merlin being partners in crime and justice again !

Arthur asking to show Gaius some respect <3

Damn Gwen really knew what to say to Arthur... She didn't even play on his crush for her, she went right for the jugular, reminding him he let her father die on false accusations of sorcery, and "I thought you were a prince, so act like one" and "do the right thing".

The toad was a bit too much indeed.

That antefinal scene between Gaius and Uther was interesting. It's the first time I see Gaius standing up to Uther. I'm actually impressed that Uther apologised. He said "sorry". I didn't think it was in his temper.

[stormblessed95]

What is Queerbaiting?

I had a good conversation about this with @ejassy the other day and figured I'd just make a post about it in case anyone else wanted to either share their own thoughts too or were just confused over what people mean when they say queerbaiting. Which CAN get confusing, especially when it gets used incorrectly ALOT.

So in short simple terms, for queerbaiting and its similar phrases?

Queer subtext: I normally think of this in 2 ways. The first being unintentionally gay. This was clearly not the intention of the writer ever, but the gay ships were just accidentally too full of chemistry and the ship shipped itself by accident even though the characters aren't "canon" gay (think batman and joker. Or Lord of the rings or Elsa from Frozen. Or like a good portion of misogynistic anime writers who can't write a female character that isn't flat AF lol)

The second being where it can also be defined as INTENTIONALLY gay. Where instead of it being something that just happened, it was written like this pn purpose and with full intention of being queer and is in its own way, good queer representation, even if the queer relationship isn't ever technically confirmed, or only confirmed "off screen" by the writers. This is subtext and its sometimes left only as subtext because the romance is only a subplot or because of censorship. (Think Legend of Korra or Think Merthur from Merlin bbc.)

Queercoding: acting queer or leaning into queer themes/subtext but not explicity queer for any number of reasons, including censorship for fictional universes or just being closeted. Basically there is enough subtext available for the audience to read them as queer regardless of if their sexuality is never confirmed either way. (Again, think Elsa. Or Jo March from Little Women, or think Nick Carraway from the Great Gatsby. Think of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji from The Untamed, the show not the web novel verison lol. Think Xena: Warrior Princess)

Queerbaiting: obviously leaning into and promoting queer subtext and queer themes to keep gay fans on the hook and invested in your media with zero intentions of follow through. Almost at times even turning it into like a joke or just making it very obvious that the character was never actually queer. This was a term coined by queer theorist academics in the 1990s and didn't actually exist before then. This is not a term that can apply to real people. Real people can't queerbait. With very few exceptions to that "rule." Which I will discuss some of those possible exceptions in a bit. (Think Destial from supernatural, or Johnlock from Sherlock, or think Supercorp, Lena and Kara, from Supergirl. Or think Sam and Bucky from MCU, Bechloe from Pitch Perfect or Sterek from Teen Wolf. If anyone doesnt know why these would fall under a more queerbaiting label and dont already know, please feel free to ask for sure)

There are some good sources out there that go into much more detail about what queerbaiting is, how it's been misused and more too as well if you have the time to watch them. This video was recommended from @guacamoli-avocadorado here. It is a great intro to the term and how it is used/should be used broken down in an easy to understand way. And it gives a bunch more examples like I shared above, etc.

And this one is longer but a really good and interesting dialogue about the topic. They take the definition of queerbaiting and expands upon it greatly as well as gives a very through dive down the history of queerness and queer subtext through film and media. This one was recommended by @chikooritajjk

Now, real people cannot queer bait. It's impossible UNLESS they have CONFIRMED their sexuality as "straight" and will sometimes "play gay," for an audience. And not just a straight actor playing a gay one, but doing something that is intentionally queer but backtracking and being like "well I mean, I'm straight so I didn't mean it." And doing so repeatedly and/or even making light of it or joking about it. Or even just being plain homophobic about it. Unless you are talking about the actions they take to promote their "brand" in an effort to profit off queer fans on purpose, while continuing to make it clear its not "that serious," then you could make an argument that that person is queerbaiting. Which, for clarification, two people of the same sex simply interacting together, even with lots of general affection, cannot be classified as queerbaiting ever. Especially because a person doesn't have to be "out" to act on their queerness. Our queerness is our own. No one gets to demand someone to give answers about their sexuality to confirm queerness or not before the public "decides" to keep trying to bully an answer out of them or not. You don't get to take self expression and someone else's comfort away from them for your own comfort in labels that don't belong to you anyway. The thing is, no one owes anyone any explanations about how they present themselves or what their sexuality is. You can't forcibly out people. "I think you are gay, therefore I'm owed an explanation and if you don't give me one, it means you are just queerbaiting" is WRONG. It's an umbrella media term, not a bullying tactic. This applys to everyone, random people off the street, actors, musicians, authors who write/engage in queer literature, public speakers, influencers, etc...

There are some of kpop idol groups (or other celebrities in general) that could be classified as queerbaiting. Because they use queerness to build and promote their "brand" while otherwise never doing anything about it (even as an ally) and/or even being lowkey homophobic about it all or just continuing to make sure the audience knows they "arent actually gay." Or they use queerness in a way that fetishizies it, again without actually meaning it in any way. That's a whole seperate issue, and it could in ways be considered queerbaiting. Or it could more likely dig further into the issue of inauthenic queer fetishization used as a shock value for an audience to be used as sexual fantasies for their STRAIGHT audience, rather than to draw in a queer audience who are more looking for the possible authenticity of queerness or allyship in the celebrities/idols they are building these parasocial relationships with. Because again, unless you know what this person's sexuality is, how are you sure they aren't just exploring/or expressing their own queerness and aren't labeling it or are closeted for whatever their reasons may be, including just not being ready to come out yet.

It is a fine line to walk, and there will probably be times in the "real life" instances above where you will have to use your own critical thinking skills to decide how you feel about things, etc. But for the most part, real people can't really queerbait. But hopefully this helps anyone who was/is confused. There are also a lot more resources out there if you wanted to continue looking into it. This is just what I know about it all myself too, if anyone has anything to add, they are free to do so. 💜

[mintedwitcher]

on the subject of AO3 comments actually, I didn't want to put this in the tags of that last post but like. not a fucking day goes by now that I don't think about this one particular comment somebody left on one of my merthur fics from like, two years ago.

it was for Judge Not in My Absence, and in it, I BRIEFLY mention that Gwen - in this au version of events - chose not to marry Arthur and instead became a midwife (I used the wrong term in the fic but tbh I am too lazy to go back and change it, though I probably will at some point; I referred to her as a wetnurse) for the women in the lower town. I needed her to have a childcare related job for a spin off I was planning at the same time in the same au. Nothing disparaging was said about Gwen (love her) or about midwives or anything.

this one commenter came in, and said "I really think you should look up the history of black women and wetnurses, it's not pretty."

I think about that comment every day.

yes, I am aware of the history, but I didn't pick that career for Gwen because of her ethnicity. I picked it because I needed her to be in relation to childcare for a reason. not just casual proximity to a child, but in childcare, involved in it, emotionally invested in it. could I have done a better job at explaining that? yes, definitely. could I have picked a better career for Gwen? probably, I'm not sure. I could've had her pick up work as a seamstress as she did in canon, or take over her father's forge as a blacksmith, I suppose, but neither of those would've given the same incentive to the spin off I wrote for her path. so yes, I went with midwifery. it just made the most sense to me at the time.

that comment, though, has stuck with me for two years. I didn't delete it because, well, it was a fair concern, shared without malice or insult, and there was nothing really to be angry about. I understand why the comment was left in the first place. and I still think about it daily.

the point I'm trying to make here, and doing a horrible job of, is that the stuff you leave in comments has an impact on the writers who receive those comments. it may not be the impact that you intended when you made the comment. I don't know what that particular commenter intended when they made the comment on my fic, but it has stuck with me for two years, and it has undoubtedly made me more conscious of the choices I make in my writing. because I don't want to receive that kind of comment again, but I know that I probably will. I'm not so arrogant to assume that I'll never write anything off-kilter or inconsiderate or insensitive ever again, despite my best intentions.

you can't please everyone, as a writer, and you shouldn't strive to. that's how you end up with tropey, incoherent writing projects. all you can do is write what you want, write what you would be happy to read, and hope that like-minded readers find it enjoyable too.

as a commenter, though. know that your words have an impact, for good or ill, and its up to you to decide what kind of impact you want to make. a negative or cruel comment at just the wrong time can be the thing that makes a writer quit writing. a positive, uplifting, or even constructively critical comment (like the one I've been thinking about) can be the thing that encourages a writer to keep going, because at least they know that someone has enjoyed what they've written.

tldr; don't be an ass when you leave comments, you never know what kind of impact it'll have.

[joanna-lannister]

b + i + m + q + t

i'm here to disctract you!! 🤍

AAAH THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNA ❤️🥰✨ You're truly the best!

B: A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind.

Hmm, Robb and Margaery was kinda a ship I didn't consider before seeing edits on Tumblr, but the one I really like is Robb and Dany 👀 I remember reading this ship a long time ago in Jonsa fic (can't remember the name of this fic tho lmao rip), and I was like "Oh yeah, that's a good one".

I: Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

Not really? I kinda dislike most of the Game of Thrones fandom (I hate how they treat Cersei, to no one surprise, among other few things) but it doesn't stop me from being active in the fandom 😭 But no, I can't think of any fandom I stopped liking because of Tumblr.

M: A person who got you into a fandom and what fandom they pulled you in to.

Ooof I can't tell a person in particular, but I def got pulled in by Tumblr in the Yellowjackets fandom. And the gifsets in this fandom are always so pretty!

Q: A ship you’ve abandoned and why.

Lowkey abandoned Rhaenicent 😬 I used to like it, but their last scenes felt a bit forced, and I don't like the fact Alicent feels like a doormat for Rhaenyra. I think that, like Sansa and Margaery, I will more enjoy it in fanfics/edits than in canon.

T: What are your favorite male/male ships or female/female ships?

I don't really have mlm ships to be honest, except Klefan (Klaus x Stefan from The Vampire Diaries). I kinda ship Merthur and Destiel tho, but like by proxy with Tumblr. Oh, and those two firefighters from 911! I'm rooting for them. As for wlw ships, I have a few ones. Coming at the top of my mind, Dany x Yara (Game of Thrones, they had very few scenes together and I usually need content for my ship to root for it, but omg the chemistry was delicious). I have also Beronica and Choni (Riverdale). And I have Mary-Louise and Nora from The Vampire Diaries! They were only there for one season, but they were so cute, and like they died together 😭 I had also Villaneve (Killing Eve), but I kinda dropped the show 😬