Merlin Club: Love in the TIme of Dragons or The One with the Creepy, Little Reptile, Scoripion Cat that is Never Ending Nightmare Fodder.

Okay, so in this episode, we have Gaius’ old flame, Alice, returning to Camelot and setting up shop as a healer. Uther gets wind of these miraculous healings and flips ship because the peasants aren’t dying when clearly they should be. So obviously magic must be involved. Okay, in this case, he’s totally right, but whatever. Uther demands that the magic user be found, but Gaius covers for her, lying to Uther and saying it was just the skillful use of herbs. 

 As it turns out, Alice is in league with a Manticore (think reptilian cat with the tail of a scorpion and the face of a particularly ugly baby – with those wing things around its face) who wants Uther dead. (Get in line, creepy little reptile scorpion cat!) Alice doesn’t mind killing Uther, but she doesn’t want Gaius framed, but she’s under the thrall of the creature, so whatcha gonna do?

So Alice moves in with Gaius (to make it easier for Merlin to creep on her) who kicks Merlin out of his room, and in the course of his creeping, he sees Alice um…milking the Manitcore’s tail for its venom. I can’t begin to tell you how disturbing this scene is. We’re talking orgasm face and sex noises on the part of the Manticore. This is *not* okay, people. 

But anyway, Merlin sees this and deduces that Alice is up to no good. He warns Gaius, but Gaius refuses to believe it. Merlin shows him the creature’s box under Alice’s bed, but of course it’s empty as the Manicore has gone back to its regular hell dimension.  Merlin also researches the creature in Geoffrey’s books. (Seriously, does that dude just live in the library?)

Meanwhile, Alice, under the guise of helping Gaius, poisons Uther’s daily medicine and he falls gravely ill. In fact, he’s dying. Huzzah! Not so fast, gentle viewers. Arthur deduces that the only thing it could be is the potion Gaius had given to Uther. But Merlin saves the day by blaming Alice and she goes to the dungeon while Gaius frantically tries to save Uther’s life. 

When Gaius visits her later, he realizes she’s under the thrall of the Manicore and he and Merlin figure out how to destroy the beast to free Alice from its clutches and cure Uther. So they summon the creepy little reptile scorpion cat and prevent it from returning it to its hell dimension and destroy it. 

After Uther recovers, he decides that Alice must still die even though she was under the Manticore’s control when she tried to kill him. And low and behold, the escaped prisoner bells ring because Camelot’s dungeon is the least secure in all the land.

Okay...now for the questions. 

1. If I’d written this episode...I would have made the harvesting of the Manticore venom far less...sex-like.

2. The thing I loved/hated most about this episode. Hated how sort of boring and pointless this episode was. It's another monster. Merlin creeps around and spies on people and because he's a dedicated creeper figures out what's up. This episode just feels like...mostly filler.

3. Something you’ve never noticed about this episode before. The complete absence of Gwen and Morgana. However, to be fair, I didn't notice it until Jen pointed it out. 

4. Favorite Costume. Alice's lovely knitted shawl. I couldn't find a really good shot of it, so you'll just have to trust me. 

5. Here is Proof of some random head canon I’ve created. I've got nothing for this episode. 

6. What Merthur moment did Jess have the naughtiest thoughts about? Definitely when Arthur was training - Merlin was holding up rings, and Arthur, was, um...thrusting his lance through them...

7. What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in a bad way? The creepy sexualization of the venom extraction. And also the Manticore in general. Creepy little fuck...

Jess' take on the episode is here, and Jen's is here.

IN MY VEINS Cover Reveal!

ALBION’S CIRCLE: IN MY VEINS 
by Jessica Jarman
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
Tour Organizer: N K Author Services

Blurb: 

Anna is his. Merlin has failed. The Circle is broken. After being defeated in every lifetime, Mordred believes he’s finally won.

Even though Anna has little hope of gaining Merlin’s forgiveness for believing Mordred over him and the rest of the Circle, she isn’t giving up and vows to set things right. When an offer of help comes from an unlikely ally, Anna must trust her instincts—the very thing that got her into this mess in the first place.

Because more than just her survival hangs in the balance. Mordred took her for a reason. Anna is the key. The key to completing the Circle. The key to preventing unthinkable death and destruction at Mordred’s hand. They key to destroying the heart of a wizard whose love has followed her through the ages.

But Mordred has forgotten exactly what’s he’s up against—Arthur and his Knights. The most powerful Magical to ever walk the Earth. And a love a thousand years in the making. 

Meet Jessica Jarman

Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.

When she’s not working to get words on the page, Jessica passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book.

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A Few of My Favorite Things: Songs

Ha! Trying to pick favorite songs is a lot like trying to pick a favorite book. Or favorite kid.

In order to tackle this post, I decided I needed to break it down into categories.

So…in no particular order, here are my favorite songs in their handy dandy categories.  And yeah, you’ll probably see a lot of repeated artists. Because that’s how I roll. 

And this is in no way all the categories – I just realized that I needed to dial it back otherwise this post would be Neverfuckingending. Because music.

Depression Combating Songs

Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root

Gang of Rhythm – Walk Off the Earth

Secrets – Mary Lambert

Let It Go – Indina Menzel

Summer Vibe – Walk Off the Earth

Safety Dance – Men Without Hats

Little Plastic Castle – Ani Difranco

As Cool As I Am – Dar Williams

I am My Mother’s Savage Daughter - Wyndreth Berginsdottir

I Won’t Be Your Yoko Ono – Dar Williams

Maps – Hey Ocean

What’s Going On – 4 Non Blondes

Flinty Kind of Woman – Dar Williams

SuNu – Rising Appalachia

Wait it Out – Sarah Blackwood

Ojos Así – Shakira 

Angsty Songs

Rain King – Counting Crows

Rootless Tree – Damien Rice

In the Sun – Joseph Arthur

Hallelujah – Rufus Wainwright/Jeff Buckley/Damien Rice

Collide – Howie Day

Say Something – Great Big World (also really love the Sarah and Gianni cover)

Blank White Page – Mumford and Sons

Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sproket

Both Hands – Ani Difranco

Rumour Has It – Adele

Iowa – Dar Williams

Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

Turning Tables – Adele

Who Will Sing Me Lullabies – Kate Rusby

Ghosts That We Knew – Mumford and Sons

Angels Will Fall – Melissa Ethridge

The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

Goodnight Elisabeth – Counting Crows

Broken Crown – Mumford and Sons

Wonderwall – Oasis (love Ryan Adams’ cover)

Something’s Always Wrong – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Celtic Folk Songs

I am Stretched on Your Grave – Kate Rusby

A Mháire Bhruinneall – Susan McKeown

The Kiss – Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack

Brittonick – Circa Paleo

Calling Me Home – Kate Price

The Old Ways – Loreena McKennitt

Fiona – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Siúil a Rún – Kate Price

The Queen and the Soldier – Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts

Dark Black Clouds – Circa Paleo

The Cobbler’s Daughter – Kate Rusby

The Knight at Dublin Castle – Darby Devon

Jamie – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Santiago – Loreena MeKennitt

The Ships – Circa Paleo

Evacuation  – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

A Nighean Dubh – Susan McKeown

Peaceweaver – Kate Price

Cruel – Kate Rusby

Anachie Gordon – Loreena McKennit

The Road/The Dancing Mast – Circa Paleo

Bonny Greenwoodside – Susan McKeown

The Unquiet Grave – Kate Rusby

All Soul’s Night – Loreena McKennitt

Tideland – Circa Paleo

Eedjit – The Secret of Roan Inish Soundtrack

Hunting the Hare – Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts

Click the names below to see the other Wednesday Random Bloggers’ favorite songs.And below that, here are some of my favorite videos for some of these songs.

Jess

Gwen

Kayleigh
Jen 
Kris
Kellie

Merlin Club: The Eye of the Phoenix or The One Where Two Beloved 80s Movies Collide

Okay my loves, this post is going to be considerably shorter than usual, because I’m the Plague Maiden. And mostly all I can do is cough and sleep.

Okay, so Arthur goes on what’s basically a vision quest so he can figure out what quest he has to fulfill in order to be worthy of succeeding Uther. After spending the night on his knees he knows that he has to travel through the Perilous Lands to the kingdom of the Fisher King and retrieve his trident all by his lonesome as proof that he’s awesome and king-worthy. 

So Gaius tells Merlin that it’s super dangerous for Arthur to do this. That no one has emerged from the Perilous Lands alive. Merlin decides that even though Arthur is supposed to perform the quest alone, he’s going to follow him. 

 Meanwhile, Morgana meets up with Morgause who’s disguised as an old woman in the town market.  They’ve devised a new plot to kill Arthur.  Morgause gives Morgana a bracelet and tells her to enchant it with the spell she taught her. Gwen, who was at the market with Morgana, is way suspicious. 

That night, Morgana casts her spell on the bracelet and gives it to Arthur in the morning. He blithely rides to the border of Perilous Lands. In order to enter them, he has to cross a bridge and the bridge keeper is WILLOW!!! Anyway, Willow, who’s called something else in this episode, tells him that he’s courage, but he’ll need strength and magic in order to fulfill his quest. Arthur, rather disdainfully, tells him that he doesn’t condone the use of magic. And Willow tells him to suck it up, the rules are different here. 

So Arthur crosses the rickety bridge and enters a barren wasteland. The magically enchanted bracelet of doom is sapping his strength and he nearly drowns in quicksand just like Artax in The Sad Horse Movie aka The Neverending Story. But Arthur makes it out and continues his struggles. 

Here...Have some sad horse pictures from the movie that ruined your childhood. I'll wait...while you weep.

Merlin hits up every tavern until he finds what he’s looking for. Which is Gwaine. They escape a beating to some jaunty background music. It seems Gwaine cheated some dudes and they wanted their money. Gwaine agrees to help, but he makes it clear that he’s helping Merlin rather than Arthur. 

Back at Camelot, Morgana’s behavior toward Gwen has been questionable. So Gwen hides in her room and observes her practicing magic. When Gwen’s able, she goes to Gaius and tells him what she’s seen. 

Merlin and Gwaine reach to the bridge and meet Willow. He says that magic and strength have arrived. Merlin tries to deny it, but Willow is all, this is your quest not Arthur’s (which is frankly kind of not cool) and lets them pass after turning Gwaine’s sword into to some cheap looking Easter lilies. (It changes back after he crosses the bridge.)

They cross the wasteland and see a castle tower in the distance with wyverns circling it and Arthur making his way to the gate while the wyverns are clearly hunting him. He makes it inside and drops the portcullis. But the wyverns are crafty and get in anyway. 

Arthur is growing weaker and is unable to fight off the beasts. He passes out,  but Merlin makes it in there just in time and sends a couple wyverns away with his Dragon Lord voice (and Jess’ panties fell off) then takes the enchanted bracelet off Arthur and he wakes up. 

Arthur is all pissed because he’s supposed to be doing this alone. Then Gwaine busts in and stabs the one wyvern that was approaching and Arthur is prissier because Gwaine is there too. They all set off to find the trident of the Fisher King and Merlin (thanks to stepping on a trap) gets separated from them and locked in the throne room. 

As it turns out, the Fisher King was a live and had been for centuries. It seems he was waiting for Merlin so he could give Merlin some water from the Lake of Avalon. But doesn’t tell him how to use it, just says something cryptic about it. Then tells Merlin he owes him a gift. And of course, that gift is death. He puts the cursed bracelet on the king, and the man blows away into magical dust and Arthur and Gwaine are finally able to enter the room.

Arthur finds the trident and they all ride for Camelot. Gwaine leaves them at the border and Arthur swears Merlin to secrecy about his having been with him. Morgana sees Arthur return and drops her goblet in shock that he’s still alive. Morgana’s shock is witnessed by Gwen. And Merlin tells Gaius about the Avalon water.

Fin.

Okay...now for the questions. 

1. If I’d written this episode...I would have maybe, oh, I don't know, had Arthur notice the glowing bracelet of doom.

2. The thing I loved/hated most about this episode. Loved seeing Willow. Or you know, whatever his name was in here. Hated the really obvious diversion from Arthur's normal character. Okay, Arthur can be a total dick. No question. But in the end, he always pulls through and does the right thing. Even if it's uncomfortable for him and causes other problems. He does this stuff because it's the right thing to do. But at the end of this, he's totally down with lying about having completed his quest alone and unaided. And from the dialogue between him and Merlin, it's not because he's trying to protect Merlin or Gwaine. He's not owning up so he can be done with his quest and move on. This is very unlike that Arthur we've come to know over the last two and a half seasons. 

3. Something you’ve never noticed about this episode before. How it seems like Merlin should have known what wyverns were since they're all dragon related and he's a Dragon Lord. Now, Jess did point out that the previous Dragon Lord died before imparting a whole lot of info to Merlin, but so much of his DL skills were instinctive, it seems that this should have been, too.

4. Favorite Costume. Okay, I know Gwaine's not really a costume, per say...

Here is Proof of some random head canon I’ve created. I didn't create it, but it's clear to me that Merlin and Gwaine could be getting it on. 

What Merthur moment did Jess have the naughtiest thoughts about? I think it was when Merlin was waking Arthur up after stealing the bracelet of doom.

What made Jen lose her shit (in a good or bad way) in a bad way? I'm gonna go with Merlin not knowing what wyverns were. 

Jess' take on the episode is here, and Jen's is here.