Kink Me! #32

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Kink Me! #32
CLOSED to new promptsA new meme will open in a few weeks.Welcome to Kink Me! Merlin #32! :D

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Comments

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Well this continues to be very well written, interesting and intriguing

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Firstly, thanks for commenting!

And secondly, here are some of my thoughts on your questions...

(warning: this is going to be long and rambly.)

I'm wondering if Arthur really is this boorish and buffoonish (and drunk) or if what we are seeing is just Gwen's somewhat resentful and hurt perspective?

I think in that particular scene at Yule, Arthur had drunk too much and was acting inappropriately, BUT...Gwen's pov is very much distorted by her hurt and bitterness for the majority of this fic imo. She's not an unreliable narrator per se, but she's definitely biased just as this same sequence of events told from Arthur or Merlin's pov would be altered just so

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

OMFG, author! *wraps you in a bear hug until you squeak* I love you! I am the writer of the comment you replied to here, and also the OP, and I just want to thank you so, so much because this is exactly how I see these characters and your insight is a joy to read. I too think that Arthur "hid" his real self from Gwen. He's never really himself around her, always polite and careful, but she sees that he does "let his hair down" so to speak around Merlin if no one else.

I'm so glad you're writing this and that it's complex and measured. Thank you again and as always I can't wait for more.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Sorry to butt in here - another anon who's been following this fic devotedly. I think its a really original idea and a great one. There aren't that many stories in the fandom that try to humanise the characters and let them react as real people would to the events they faced in the show

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

I think both Arthur and Gwen were infatuated with the idea of each other, instead of the reality, and that's why it all came tumbling down when it was made official.

Just catching up with this and wanted to say "yes, yes, yes," to this. That is exactly what I think happened. They both built up an image of the other person that they wanted them to be and thought they were in love with that. It's very human and very believable and I love the story you are creating here.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Just another anon checking in to say that I love the story and your take on the characters -- which, well, I would, since it mirrors my opinion of them quite exactly =) I totally agree that Gwen and Arthur never knew each other properly, and that Arthur was always on his best behaviour with Gwen in canon, and it was just no basis for a healthy marriage

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

I just hope this story isn't orphaned. It was one of the most interesting and a real conversation piece on the meme.

I don't agree entirely with your assessment of Gwen, nonnie. I do think that Arthur picked Gwen because in many ways, she was a female version of Merlin. She was Merlin with a womb, for a time, before the writers made her so flat and bland starting around season 3. My theory is that Merlin tried to push Arthur and Gwen together to bury his own feelings for the king, not because he'd "chosen" Gwen for Arthur. I think that Arthur believed he loved her and saw that she would a truly brilliant queen. He loved her, and respected her, but he wasn't in love with her. He was infatuated with the idea of her, but there was no passionate romance. And I think poor Gwen also believed herself in love with Arthur, or at least, what her idea of Arthur was. She wanted to be his queen--but I can't remember when she said she wanted to be his wife.

She will always have Leon.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Oh wow, seeing this way late -- I'm the anon you replied to

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

The dragon never called Gwen the once and future queen. That's a fan construct. There was an episode called that, a play on words of the Arthurian legend, but Gwen was not called the O&FQ on the show.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

Odd... I remember being annoyed at Kilgarrah at some point when he insinuated something about Gwen's fated role by Arthur's side. You may be right, though, of course.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

I think you might be thinking of the ep "Sweet Dreams", when the dragon called Gwen Arthur's "true" love. Kissing her would break Arthur of his "lover's" spell with Vivian. Nothing of a fated role for Gwen with Arthur was ever mentioned by Kilgarrah. In fact that was the only time he ever spoke of her.

Merlin once said he "knew" Arthur & Gwen were fated to be together, and Gaius rightly called Merlin arrogant for the assumption. (Just to show you where my mind is at, I mistakenly typed "Arthur & Merlin" were fated to be together, before I proofread.)

Big difference between fate and destiny in this sense, don't you agree?

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

And right back to "Merlin was the driving force in making that relationship happen" XD

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

And really, it should have been Arthur who was the driving force that made it happen. Or Arthur and Gwen. If they had been shown wanting it as much as Merlin did, maybe it would have been more convincing and less fandom-divisive.

Going back to the original point of all this, though: The OP was incorrect, Kilgarrah never said Arthur and Gwen were fated to be together, and he certainly never said they were each other's destiny. It's cute though that fans of the pairing think he did.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[b_mouse]

Hi mice!

Given the potential for this to be an extremely divisive discussion, I'm very grateful to everyone for keeping it calm and polite despite differences of opinion. Thank you all! :D

At this point, since I haven't seen the author or the original OP on the thread in ages, I'd like to request that this conversation be moved somewhere less connected to the work. I've made a space for you here at my journal (no IP tracking, anon comments on), or you could try an anon meme or other space where you feel comfortable. My goal is to allow everyone involved to speak freely without the potential for any disagreements to reflect on the fill itself.

Thanks again to everyone. Let us know via the mod post if you need anything or have questions.

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

And is Gwen wondering if Merlin and her husband are sharing a bed? (And not just to sleep?)

No, I don't think so. I think she still believes that Arthur is unaware of the nature of his own feelings for Merlin, and that Merlin is living under the misconception that his love is unrequited. For the most part, she'd be right.

It seems to me that she's just putting up with Arthur now, (though she still loves him dearly) and she thinks Merlin just puts up with him too. Have I misinterpreted?I think it's fair to say that she feels like she puts up with Arthur. I think that sort of resigned low level irritation is how she protects herself. It's her way of not expecting or hoping for anything from him on a personal level anymore. I think (at this point in the fic...but it won't be forever) that she can't really process much of the good about Arthur any longer, barring all he does in his capacity as king, because it's too painful for her to see how loving, how generous, how kind he can be when she feels he's withholding that side of

Re: No Queen of Hearts (27/?)

[anonymous]

NA
Interrupting to say that your headcanon is perfect and exactly how I picture(d) the Gwen/Arthur relationship. I'm really really enjoying this story if just for the awesome look into the relationships on the show ♥