Merlin, yay!

emily_shore's post prompted me to realise that at least one of her flist hadn't posted about their love of Merlin. :-)

I didn't always get to see it when it was on - even Doctor Who hasn't always got me into the habit of TV at Saturday tea-time and I was often away. Since I discovered the fandom, though, I've been eagerly catching up. Finally, a show that plays on the fact that in the final analysis I'll take dragons and swords over spaceships and ray-guns any time. (It's not that I don't like sci-fi but heroic fantasy will always have my heart.)

Yes, they're young, probably the first time I've actually been slashing characters younger than me but in the end, this is the war leader of Camelot and his servant, not a pair of students. I love the way we've seen Arthur growing up before our eyes this season - I've always had a soft spot for the apparently arrogant prat who is actually competent and learns to show his better side (it's not just Rodney ;-D). Merlin is just adorable, kind and brave and cleverer than he thinks.

I have to admit though, one of the main attractions is the fandom. Any fandom that attracts writers of the calibre of astolat is going to produce stories that are well worth reading. Try her gen flashfiction story, Beltane, about a magical child or her tale of what happens when Uther discovers that Merlin is a warlock, That Shall Achieve The Sword and Arthur shows just what kind of man he is.

Then of course you have the classic slash dynamic, the Warrior and the Scientist (okay, so he's a wizard, think Clarke's Third Law). This has already led to quite a number of stories that compare well with my previous favourites but one in particular really caught my attention. And None But We Can Be Such Kings has everything I love about slash - the humour, the caring (without being too gushy), the obliviousness and the hotness. If you wanted to know exactly what I wanted out of slash story, you couldn't go far wrong with this one.

Picspam coming in later post. :-)