Thank you to everyone who commented on my last locked entry. I appreciate all the support.
In order to distract myself from RL unpleasantness, I thought I'd talk a bit about one of the bright spots of fannish life - Merlin. I've been meaning to do a write-up on this series for some time now but I keep getting distracted by the shininess of the show itself, making icons, and looking for fic. Happily, a good half of my flist is now watching and squeeing over this show; as for the rest of you, where have you been? Come on in, the water's nice (and very, very slashy).
I've read quite a few Arthurian legend take-offs recently (and not all enjoyed), so I wasn't expecting to want another one so soon, let alone love it. But I do. They play very fast and loose with the legend, so don't watch expecting a traditional take on the story - or historical accuracy, for that matter. You've got a typically dark ages story set in a 12th century French castle that was restored in the 19th century, with all the characters wearing clothing that ranges from the 12th to the 16th century and occasionally using 21st century language. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, indeed. This is the BBC Robin Hood, but better; here they really embrace the idea that this is fantasy, not history, and are more concerned with telling a good story than reconstructing any specific time period or version of the legend - and with all the magic and creatures, the rest seems to work just fine.
Here's the BBC's synopsis:
The mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began. A fantastical realm of legendary beasts and mysterious peoples. A dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant, Uther Pendragon.
When Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he quickly makes enemies, including the heir to Uther's crown, the headstrong Prince Arthur.
But guided by Uther's wise physician, Gaius, Merlin is soon using his talents not just to survive but also to unlock Camelot's mystical secrets.
Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Richard Wilson as Gaius, Katie McGrath as Morgana and Angel Coulby as Gwen, Merlin is an imaginative and enthralling new twist on a legend that is as old as time.
Yes, that Anthony Head. Intrigued yet? Maybe some visual evidence might help...
( Not for the faint of bandwidth... )
In order to distract myself from RL unpleasantness, I thought I'd talk a bit about one of the bright spots of fannish life - Merlin. I've been meaning to do a write-up on this series for some time now but I keep getting distracted by the shininess of the show itself, making icons, and looking for fic. Happily, a good half of my flist is now watching and squeeing over this show; as for the rest of you, where have you been? Come on in, the water's nice (and very, very slashy).
I've read quite a few Arthurian legend take-offs recently (and not all enjoyed), so I wasn't expecting to want another one so soon, let alone love it. But I do. They play very fast and loose with the legend, so don't watch expecting a traditional take on the story - or historical accuracy, for that matter. You've got a typically dark ages story set in a 12th century French castle that was restored in the 19th century, with all the characters wearing clothing that ranges from the 12th to the 16th century and occasionally using 21st century language. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, indeed. This is the BBC Robin Hood, but better; here they really embrace the idea that this is fantasy, not history, and are more concerned with telling a good story than reconstructing any specific time period or version of the legend - and with all the magic and creatures, the rest seems to work just fine.
Here's the BBC's synopsis:
The mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began. A fantastical realm of legendary beasts and mysterious peoples. A dangerous world in which magic has been banned by the ruthless tyrant, Uther Pendragon.
When Merlin, a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers, arrives in the kingdom, he quickly makes enemies, including the heir to Uther's crown, the headstrong Prince Arthur.
But guided by Uther's wise physician, Gaius, Merlin is soon using his talents not just to survive but also to unlock Camelot's mystical secrets.
Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Richard Wilson as Gaius, Katie McGrath as Morgana and Angel Coulby as Gwen, Merlin is an imaginative and enthralling new twist on a legend that is as old as time.
Yes, that Anthony Head. Intrigued yet? Maybe some visual evidence might help...
( Not for the faint of bandwidth... )