Stories that left you disappointed for a reason

[jaded]

Morgana despite all the bs she does (regardless if we believe it justified or not)...

I hate Morgana. I can’t feel any empathy for a character who
1) abandoned her baby (Gareth) in order to seek revenge.
2) forced her other kid to grow up too quickly.
3) forced Mordred to become a knight.
4) She organises a kidnapping without Modred’s consent to ally herself with the rebels.
5) Deprives Modred of the chance to have a father figure because Accolon is Morgana’s lapdog.
6) Interferes in the fragile relationship between Arthur and Modred.
7) Making a scene over anything and everything, regardless of her children.
8) Filling Modred’s head with ideas about imminent danger that isn’t there.
Edit: What I mean is that Morgana's only act of revenge was to give Lancelot a laxative. But she ruined her children’s childhoods, so who was she really taking revenge on? It's a dreadful read and the character development is even worse

If this happened in the sims, the social worker would have a busy day

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

I don’t care about Elaine and Gareth’s wedding, and I care even less about Elaine and her future. Are there three scenes meant to "save" Elaine from her marriage? And Accolon following Morgana’s orders and helping Elaine train? It doesn’t make sense

The only reason this wedding is still happening is because the Bride and Groom are too chicken **** to call it off. The only person who really wants this wedding to happen is Lot, Elaine's parents would just support her decision. At least it's providing a setting for us to meet Merlin in person.

You literally can’t take revenge on Merlin or Arthur because nobody has done anything to Mordred. All the revenge comes from Morgana’s paranoia

To be fair, Arthur abandoned Mordred based on a vague prophecy (not even the whole r*pe baby thing was a factor) given to him by Merlin who helped Uther commit war crimes across the continent and possibly much worse. That being said, I don't think Morgana wants revenge against Arthur, she's pissed that he doesn't have a backbone and basically just sits there and let's everyone use him as a puppet as he tries to please everyone and not be the bad guy. She's 100% right, and it's likely gonna bite him in the *** in the form of Lancelot. Well that and thinks he's betraying his maternal bloodline but not undoing what Uther did. I don't think she would've let him into Mordred's life in any form if she actually wanted revenge.

I always thought Morgana was Mordred's biggest bully.

Morgana is traumatized and certainly mentally ill (which is why I love her, a rare depiction of PTSD and mental illness in an fiction) but she does back down when Mordred tells her to stop. Her paranoia is justified when Lancelot, Arthur's best friend, brutally beats up her lover as a warning because Mordred got to talk with Arthur once and Arthur having 0 backbone did nothing.

Everyone else is telling her to move on, but no one really tries to understand that she was a young woman who not just watched as her family was punished for putting up a fight during the war, but had her mother taken away from her, sent to live in an orphanage and forcefully married to a much older man. Her demand is for Tintal to return under the Le Fey family and for Arthur to publicly recognize his kid. The latter not really being as important as the former. Which isn't even that outrageous as a demand. The only reason Mordred was born was because she realized that the only way it'll ever happen is if she had to make it happen even if it means deceiving, screwing and cursing her own brother out of desperation. Not justifying what she did and she's become the very monster she has sworn to destroy but she's definitely not a bad guy,

And what about that stupid conversation with Nimue?

Just beating us over the head with the whole self-fulfilling prophecy thing. Except the people who needed to hear it aren't the ones getting the lecture. It does confirm that Merlin is full of **** and likely had ulterior motives when he told Arthur to abandon Mordred which he's now reconsidering for whatever reason.

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

I honestly can't wait to meet Merlin because of Morgana. It would be poetic that the 'monster' that she hates the most has changed, moved on and maybe even beginning to regret the things that he's done while she's still fighting demons that no longer exist.

 

[jaded]

Morgana is traumatized and certainly mentally ill (which is why I love her, a rare depiction of PTSD and mental illness in an fiction)

Nobody cares about Arthur or what he’s done... or do

The problem here is creating a strong and powerful character who is also stupid, but not insane, to fill the gaps in the plot (Morgana). Besides, Morgana is a supporting character. The MC is Modred, and is the only character whose actions and decisions should influence the if.

Why does Modred seek revenge? Why is hated? Why did his father abandon him? Why did Merlin lie? Morgana isn’t relevant to any of the questions. But Llama uses her to justify the entire plot. Modred should be the one suffering injustices and longing for revenge, not Morgana. Perhaps Llama chose the wrong protagonist

I understand your point of view and it’s a good analysis, but it made me hate Morgana even more. She literally steals all the spotlight from the mc

 

[f8butterfly]

There are too many Arthurian retelling IFs. I have avoided them from the start because of the sheer amount of them and because I (and please correct if I'm wrong) am assuming that its going to be another Greek myth retelling situation where book authors would make them "feminist" but actually make them regressive because they did not understand what they were retelling or even what feminism is. I'd be more interested in IFs that are inspired by the Arthurian tales but have their own lore and characters.

 

[seneya]

another Greek myth retelling situation where book authors would make them "feminist"

if they want feminist, they can have the Tauric vesion of Artemis that had human sacrifices made to her
#girlpower

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

There are too many Arthurian retelling IFs. I have avoided them from the start because of the sheer amount of them and because I (and please correct if I'm wrong) am assuming that its going to be another Greek myth retelling situation where book authors would make them "feminist" but actually make them regressive because they did not understand what they were retelling or even what feminism is. I'd be more interested in IFs that are inspired by the Arthurian tales but have their own lore and characters.

At least BOC is based on Mordred. If I see one more Genevieve/Arthur/Lancelot love triangle retelling I'm gonna lose it.

Why does Modred seek revenge? Why is hated? Why did his father abandon him? Why did Merlin lie? Morgana isn’t relevant to any of the questions. But Llama uses her to justify the entire plot. Modred should be the one suffering injustices and longing for revenge, not Morgana. Perhaps Llama chose the wrong protagonist

I understand your point but Mordred is 15 at most during the story when most of the stuff that happened in legends happened when Mordred was a full adult. Lots of time to reveal these answers. Now will Llama stop rewriting the preteen portion and actually get the point? That remains to be seen.

 

[jaded]

Pretty much, @f8butterfly. My lit degree is doing me no favors with the logic of some ifs lol

What annoys me about authors who draw on different mythologies is how long they take to publish new chapters. Because the whole story, plot and characters are already there, all you have to do is write. And they’re stealing (on patreon) because those ideas didn’t come from their brain, my dear

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

> Lit degree
My condolences
Signed, an English major

What annoys me about authors who draw on different mythologies is how long they take to publish new chapters. Because the whole story, plot and characters are already there, all you have to do is write. And they’re stealing (on patreon) because those ideas didn’t come from their brain, my dear

Because imagining stuff is easier than writing it. Well that, and most of them slowly begin to recognize that they missed important details at the very least; the entire point most of the time and end up having to rewrite everyone and everything like they were making an original story to begin with. Which is actual work and not just slapping some words together and posting it for clout.

 

[jaded]

recognize that they missed important details

sorry but they’re just looking for a way to milk their followers on patreon

 

[seneya]

happened when Mordred was a full adult

tbf the purpose of the childhood portion is to build-up the adult portion. If child Mordred has no reason to want revenge, then why would adult Mordred want it? What would need to happen for them to suddenly go "k guys, gonna destroy Camelot after all"?
But actually the fact that you can either want or not want revenge implies that the plot will not, in fact, be about revenge. What it will be remains to be seen. Slice of life? Some outside threat to be defeated by the power of friendship? Will Morgana go delulu and become a villain? We will see once we leave the teen portion sometime in 2035.

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

Some outside threat to be defeated by the power of friendship?

We get to beat up the french.

 

[Serpent]

We get to beat up the french.

The baguette attack of 2026

 

[seneya]

The baguette attack of 2026

NOT THE BAGUETTE--

Ahem. For the sake of keeping complaints going:
- I want more fantasy in my fantasy, not just medieval Europe with a smattering of magic powers
- Stories that market themselves as dark fantasy while not being one (looking at you, Shepherds of Haven)

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

We get to beat up the french.

NVM on this apparently, seems like the affair (and the shitshow that follows) may not happen in BoC according to Llama's tumblr. To which I ask, what is the point of this story then. Moping as Mordred as literally nothing happens but therapy talk and the power of friendship? The affair is what basically kick started the civil war ( and Arthur's death/disappearance), it's kinda important to the legend and not as a silly love triangle story. I don't know how this managed to hit my biggest nerve with the whole affair thing, but it did.

I want more fantasy in my fantasy, not just medieval Europe with a smattering of magic powers

Hell, I just want less medieval Europe. Urban or even Science Fantasy is right there. Considering characters talk like they're on a discord server and not in real life, it's a better fit for 95% of these 'fantasy' stories anyway.

 

[Serpent]

NVM on this apparently, seems like the affair (and the shitshow that follows) may not happen in BoC according to Llama's tumblr. To which I ask, what is the point of this story then. Moping as Mordred as literally nothing happens but therapy talk and the power of friendship? The affair is what basically kick started the civil war ( and Arthur's death/disappearance), it's kinda important to the legend and not as a silly love triangle story. I don't know how this managed to hit my biggest nerve with the whole affair thing, but it did.

Hell, I just want less medieval Europe. Urban or even Science Fantasy is right there. Considering characters talk like they're on a discord server and not in real life, it's a better fit for 95% of these 'fantasy' stories anyway.

You said it yourself. The point is.... drum roll please....
POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!!!!

Also, I said it once, I'll say it again. People who write those aren't authors, or even part time writers. They are teens or young adults fresh out of highschool, who don't bother researching things like, oh idk, language used in medieval times. I swear, I'm just waiting to see some character in supposedly ancient times use the word rizz. I think I'd just die on the spot

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

You said it yourself. The point is.... drum roll please....
POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!!!!

Also, I said it once, I'll say it again. People who write those aren't authors, or even part time writers. They are teens or young adults fresh out of highschool, who don't bother researching things like, oh idk, language used in medieval times. I swear, I'm just waiting to see some character in supposedly ancient times use the word rizz. I think I'd just die on the spot

Imagine someone describing something as slop in medieval Europe. I already cringe when I see corset hate (it's just a ***).

Edit: why is b r a censored? Does women's underwear upset sensibilities in here?

 

[seneya]

To which I ask, what is the point of this story then. Moping as Mordred as literally nothing happens but therapy talk and the power of friendship?

That was what I was getting at. There's nothing to avenge, no one to fight... It's just slice of life with some minor family drama. But there has to be some plot incoming, right? Right?

I just want less medieval Europe

I meant something like... Morrowind-era TES. Weird and glorious and did I say weird? Because it's fantasyyy, man.

who don't bother researching things like, oh idk, language used in medieval times

It's more like anything but modern-day mentality is so uncomfortable to them they cannot write it. Like Suevi's author rewriting the game because it featured slavery, and it was "too much power imbalance" for them to handle.

I already cringe when I see corset hate (it's just a ***).

Same thing of dragging modern day sensibilities where they don't belong.

 

[wkahwoah]

Is anyone else bored of how inoffensive everything is in newer IFS like everyone is a good person or morally gray even if they claim the IF is going to be #superangsty!!! Kind of just a nitpick but I hate how people will add queer rep too the story but they're so scared of being offensive they just dont do anything with it like you're telling me everyone in a medieval setting is going to be accepting of a character being queer and going to ask me for my pronouns???

 

[Serpent]

Imagine someone describing something as slop in medieval Europe. I already cringe when I see corset hate (it's just a ***).

Edit: why is b r a censored? Does women's underwear upset sensibilities in here?

Gilgamesh talking to Enkidu: "You know what you lack gang?"
Enkidu to Gilgamesh. "What twin?"
G: "That W sigma rizz gang."
Enkidu just stands there, all nonchalant, as a true stoic sigma chad would.

I hope yall appreciate this, this is peak literature straight from the 5k years bc