A Chuisle by Ex Libris Tenisu

[jane_elliot]

A Chuisle

After Arthur is killed by bandits, Merlin binds them together so that his heart can bring Arthur back and keep them both alive.  Eventually this leads to Uther condemning him to death and then (since he can't kill Merlin without killing Arthur, too) locking him in the deepest dungeon in the castle.

This story is well-written and I did

Comments

[of_fkilter]

Hi! I found your journal here from a internet search, clicked on it because of your review, and can I say I wholeheartedly agree here so much? I was and have been baffled by a number of recs for things in fandom, and this one definitely left me bewildered. Not only did Arthur never redeem himself, the whole idea of Merlin STARVING TO DEATH IN THE DUNGEON was ridiculous from the very start. Arthur lives because Merlin is alive, so slowly killing Merlin with abuse and neglect is ... what? Like the stupidest idea in creation? Yes, yes it is. I don't even remember reading after Arthur caught him and they had their little talk because the glaringly obvious plot hole was being fingers-in-ears-la-la-la-laling ignored so very loudly that I gave up in disgust

[jane_elliot]

Not only did Arthur never redeem himself, the whole idea of Merlin STARVING TO DEATH IN THE DUNGEON was ridiculous from the very start. Arthur lives because Merlin is alive, so slowly killing Merlin with abuse and neglect is ... what? Like the stupidest idea in creation?

Amen!

I hope you find some fics you like among my recs -- I tend to prefer stories where Merlin isn't a doormat, so that should help at least a little:)

[of_fkilter]

That will help indeed. What's the best way to find your Merlin recs specifically? I like your style!

I actually started watching the show on Hulu this weekend and immediately realized the doormat portrayal of Merlin is either totally un-canon or the writers are about to wreck his character. First three eps in, he's as brash and cocky as Arthur in his own way! Even a rather self-centered in his confidence. I can't see him as he is (thus far) portrayed not standing up for himself while being abused without good, good reason, and not for long even then.

Even as light fare as the show seems to be, and even as somewhat lackluster the dialog and story lines (thus far), I totally see the appeal. The myth, the setting, and the boys.... oh, they are adorable. I am a wee bit smitten. :)

[jane_elliot]

My Merlin recs can be found at Epic Recs here:

http://epic-recs.livejournal.com/tag/fandom%3A%20merlin

Note that I wasn't the only one reccing Merlin, but the majority of them will be from me.

I haven't started reccing Merlin yet at my personal rec comm (I've gotten a lot pickier now that I don't have to rec every week), but if you're interested it's here:

http://janes-recs.livejournal.com

As for the show, the Merlin character always talks a good game, but I think his actions get more servile as time goes on (at one time he goes down on all fours so that Arthur can use him as a step!) Hence the reason I stopped watching. That said, was never hugely enamored of the show and I've heard it got much better in series 3, so YMMV.

[of_fkilter]

Well, that's depressing. I can see me getting bored of the potential and bailing when things go downhill, but I may keep watching and try to get to series 3 and see if it gets better. My son is fascinated with the swords and ridiculous fighting, so at least there's that!

It is a pity it didn't keep your interest as you have such an interesting take on it.

Thank you for the rec directs; I pretty much only read by rec nowadays as I got burned out of looking for anything worth reading on my own long, long ago. Even finding worthwhile recs is a bit difficult as people have ... odd ideas about what is good. Sometimes I am reading a story recommended by several people and find myself wondering just which obviously very personal button was hit by this story that made them keep going much less rec it out. If other stories I have liked are on their rec list, or if they themselves write well (stories or blogs), they usually pan out better than others, which is why I asked you. ;)