Comments | epic_rants: A Chuisle by Ex Libris Tenisu

jane_elliot in epic_rants

A Chuisle by Ex Libris Tenisu

Apr 05, 2010 10:55

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 ( Read more... )

fandom: merlin, rants by jane

Comments 23

torra April 5 2010, 16:58:56 UTC

Oh thank god, not just me, then. That fic gets recced a lot, and I just...everything you said. Yes.

jane_elliot April 5 2010, 17:01:40 UTC

I think the idea really did have potential, which is probably why it gets recced so often. Still, the Arthur in this fic is *not* worthy of being loved and is certainly not worthy of being the King Arthur of legend. It's like the author got all of Arthur's prattishness but entirely missed that spark of nobility that makes the character worthwhile. *sigh*

torra April 5 2010, 17:34:24 UTC

::nods:: I really loved the consept of the fic, but... Yeah, it could have really worked if she'd just expanded it more. Given us more of after Merlin escaped, when he was all "I will not go back" and Arthur seeing how bad he was, physicaly, instead of just rushing the "Oh, Arthur found him, so now it's time to end the fic, even if it is ending in a worse place emotinoaly/moraly then where it started...they're together now! That means it's done! ::handwavey::"

::sighs:: Sadly, "A Chuisle" was the first fic I read by the author, and it's colored everything else of hers I've tried to read.

jane_elliot April 5 2010, 17:38:45 UTC

To be honest, fics like these colored my whole perception of the Merlin fandom, which is why I read very little Merlin fic these days -- everything in my possible rec folder is from over a year ago. There's a fine line between prattish!Arthur and unworthy!Arthur and most authors seem to fall on the wrong side of that line.

Thread 11

amejisuto April 5 2010, 17:06:23 UTC

You know, I have problems with this sort of things in a lot of my fandoms. The poor Woobie!character gets treated like crap and starts to stand up for himself. Then everyone says oops sorry, but they don't change and the woobie just goes on like everything is better, but still gets walked all over.

I mean, I know in real life you can't tell people to shove it, at least not as much as I want to, but if your start to give your woobie a spine, can't you let him keep it?

jane_elliot April 5 2010, 17:07:58 UTC

What I don't understand is why folks write stories where the woobie character is treated like crap and then expect us to like all of the characters who beat on the woobie. Seriously, it's not just that I want the woobie to get a spine and keep it, I want him to get a spine, keep it, and then *find better friends*.

amejisuto April 5 2010, 17:22:55 UTC

I totally hear that! Just because the woobie staying on the show or book or whatever, doesn't mean he has to stay in your story. That's what so great about fanfics!

gershwhen April 5 2010, 19:36:34 UTC

You know, that paragraph describes 98% of Harry Potter forced bonding fic right there. And succinctly sums up my problems with that genre.

Thread 5

slyprentice April 5 2010, 18:00:29 UTC

I heartily agree with everything you've said. There is so much untapped potential in this fic (IMO) and it doesn't make sense to me that it wasn't capitalized on. I'm a huge fan of hurt/comfort and this could have been epic if the ending was more fleshed out with, you know, comfort and redemption. In any case, I've read this once and I think once is enough.

jane_elliot April 5 2010, 19:47:47 UTC

My best guess is that the author is an Arthur fangirl -- they seem to find the most appalling behavior from Arthur as being entirely acceptable (and there are a *lot* of Arthur fangirls).

of_fkilter August 19 2011, 15:15:50 UTC

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 August 20 2011, 18:04:37 UTC

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 August 21 2011, 15:53:45 UTC

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 August 21 2011, 16:12:14 UTC

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.

Thread 5