Did I tell you that I watched Merlin?

[thingswithwings]

I did. I watched it. I was not completely sober through the whole thing, but I think I got the gist. And as is usual with me, I have something to say about it, and about fandom migration, and about fandom patterns

Comments

[anonymous]

The biggest problem I have with it is the main characters are practically babies in comparison to sga and I'm like, I would feel like a cradle robber if I attempt to watch it. I mean if I want a younger fandom I would get into bandom or, heaven help us all, SGU.

[thingswithwings]

this is actually not an inconsequential point - as eruthros was saying to me, Merlin can't compare to John Sheppard - if Merlin's a virgin, it's not a surprise, and it's not interesting; if he's not a virgin, he hasn't spent twenty years on his knees in the bathrooms of scuzzy bars sucking cock, because he's twelve. So either way, less interesting than forty year old weirdos.

which is my way of saying: I also yearn for characters who aren't babies.

[msilverstar]

the babyness of them completely turns me off: my son is their age so major squickage there. I can read AUs, especially aged-up, but mostly, they're just so young.

Plus: WTF? perfectly good legends, why couldn't they just adapt bits of Malory? But no, they wander off into Generic Fantasy and Coming of Age and it bugs the shit out of me. (Same thing with the Keira Knightly & Lots Of Pretty Men movie). I'm watching with kidlet who argues with the monitor when they get it wrong. I shouldn't encourage her but I can't quite help it.

I highly recommend Gillian Bradshaw's Arthurian trilogy: it makes me cry, in a good way. Teenboy loved it too. She's a late-Roman/early-Medieval scholar, so the detail is concrete and authentic. And the third book is from Gwenevere's point of view, which changes the dynamic in a powerful way.

[tesserae_]

Oh, yes, please. Look, I barely find the teenagers I know in real life (my friends' kids) interesting; I never find the ones on TV remotely engaging. Buffy used them consciously as metaphors, but the idea of participating in discussions about virginity - no, thank you very much, I didn't find the topic worth discussing when I *was* one.

Plus, maybe it's an age thing, but I can never tell the characters apart when they're all 19 and shiny white...

[eruthros]

I am with you, as I'm sure you know -- I have such high hopes for a post-SGA source that I can love *as a show* as well as *as a fandom,* for something I will look forward to watching every week without bracing myself for a show that hates me as a person, as fannish-female-queer, for something I can tell non-fannish friends I watch and have them go "oh, yes, I've heard good things about it."

And I'm not going to refuse to watch or participate in Merlin, but I just -- I can't do this anymore for a primary fandom. I can't. I can't have a primary fandom where I have to stop and watch Mythbusters to cheer myself up from the show I'm fannish about.

[thingswithwings]

you know I'm always glad to have you on my side! It makes me feel less insane. But yes, yes, that exactly - something I can enjoy, something that I can be not-embarrassed to watch, something that doesn't hate me as a person, yes yes. I mean, Joe Mallozzi CLEARLY hates us all, like, A LOT - maybe we could move up from that?

I can't refuse to participate either, though, because like I said - wherever fandom goeth, so goeth my nation. But we're gonna run out of mythbusters eventually, you know?

[eruthros]

I am already on episode 3x15. And I haven't even watched the last five episodes of SGA yet.

This is a problem.

Thank you!

[telesilla]

This.

[twospots]

I like your brain so much! And also I hope that fandom totally listens to you.

Not that, you know, I have seen _Merlin_. Or am really in fandom. But.

Also ps I was reading some of your fic today and it was awesome. Mostly I do not comment because my comment would go like this: Yay! And that is not very insightful or anything. But several times today you made me laugh out loud and that is very very hard to do. Otherwise please apply the following blanket comment: You are a great writer and you also write very good sex. The end.

[thingswithwings]

You are just one of my favourite people, you know that? You're probably the only person non-fannish person I've met who gets that it's a kink like other kinks.

I'm kind of flattered and pleased that you read and enjoyed my fic! That means kind of really a lot to me.

[twospots]

who gets that it's a kink like other kinks

But... didn't *everyone* write sixteen hundred marysues in their head when they were growing up? I dunno. Fic and fandom just seem so perfectly normal to me! I mean, I am not very good at fangirling, at least not for any length of time--but still. Surely the marysues just naturally turn to slash once one has grown up?

And yes, your fic is awesome! I am, again, not very good at reading any fic very regularly, but I occasionally read a bit of yours, and like it very much, and think, Oh! I should read more! And then don't, for ages, until I do.

But yes: The curtains (which I think I've actually read before)! And wossisname the Ecru. For serious, laughing out loud, which I never do. Also, you have restored my faith in threesomes.

[thingswithwings]

I honestly feel like all good readers are fic/fandom people at heart, because you're right - we all do it if we have any imagination at all as kids, and then it turns into different desires when we get older.

Wow, you read that old Lord of the Rings story of mine? Aw! That's a reminder of the old days, of undergrad and the paint store. Bless. And, actually, the curtains one is ALSO paint store inspired, really.

Also, yay for faith in threesomes! I hope it was the Ronon/Rodney/Jennifer one where they have the kind of unlikely athletic position that was too hot to write differently. :)

[isagel]

I enjoy Merlin, and I find a couple of the episodes quite good, but I do think it's failing in actually sucking me in in that it really isn't good tv. It's fun to watch for the moment, but I've basically forgotten about it five minutes later.

It does have an allure for me in Gwen/Morgana, which is the first femslash pairing I've come across in a long time that feels organic to me and not like a fandom construct brought on by a desperate wish for there to be women to slash. Interestingly, considering your post, I've known for a while now that if I do wade into that pairing, what I really want to write is a seriously feminist story about how Morgana, with Gwen's help, takes control of her own powers.

I don't actually want a New Big Thing right now. I haven't said anywhere near all I want to say about my current fandoms, SGA in particular, and I'd be happy to just take the time to get all those things out in fic and vids and discussion before moving on to something else.

[thingswithwings]

Yeah, I hear you on the Gwen/Morgana - the fact that the show has homosocial women's space, as well as homosocial men's space, is definitely a point in its favour. And I have to admit that I would read your feminist story about Gwen helping Morgana to take control of her powers! Because that's just the kind of fannish intervention that would make me happy.

I also don't need a next big thing - and I don't know if people are really feeling like this is the next big thing, or if I'm just paranoid, or if it's just people doing their usual multi-gaze, multi-fannishness thing. Anyway. I too still have things to do in existing fandoms. :)

[sapote3]

Write it write it oh god write it.

[ainsley]

More in a sec, but MZB died in 1999. So spinning in her grave it is.

[thingswithwings]

SERIOUSLY? I missed that. Oh man. Thanks for the heads-up.

[ainsley]

Yeah, I was pretty sure but checked on Wikipedia before commenting about it. Your rant is too excellent to be permitted to have factual errors!

[thingswithwings]

dude, I appreciate the help! I've edited the post to reflect facts. :)