#not me reaching merlin's key components and doing the same face as lisa simpson in that meme

[lit-in-thy-heart]

saw your mergwaincelot event and it sounds so fun but I'm so new to the pairing that I'm really afraid of how to characterise them all and make sure it's not ooc :( do you have any advice? Any key components you think make up each character to keep in mind?

hello anon!! My first piece advice would be not to let the fear of writing them ooc prevent you from writing them at all -- the more you write them, the more familiar you'll likely become with their characters. And, if you're still unconvinced, slapping an au tag on it can do wonders for the crippling doubts of not fitting with canon.

My second piece of advice would be to read the content that's already out there. With Merwaincelot, that's not a great deal, but the beauty of the poly ship is having the separate branches (Merwaine, Mercelot, Gwaincelot) that will work for this too. When you read them, chances are that you'll have a very visceral reaction if you feel like they're ooc, plus more exposure never hurts.

In terms of key components, though, I'd probably say the following (and if anyone else has any other points, please jump on and this is by no means exhaustive):

Gwaine and his abandonment issues. Canonically convinced people get sick of him, some things definitely went down with his sister, finds it difficult to believe that he can be loved so dearly. A bit of a hothead and will launch himself into a fight without needing much convincing. Can use humour to deflect his true feelings. Also fiercely loyal to those he loves and values them more than his own life.

Lancelot and HIDING INJURIES like come on. Doesn't want to inconvenience anyone ever and that really can cause problems further down the line. Definitely more chaotic than he gets credit for (man saw Merlin smile and committed identity fraud) and always sees the best in people and always wants to help. Will not instigate the fight but will gladly support if needed. Also fiercely loyal to those he loves and values them more than his own life.

Merlin very much depends on where in canon you're writing. Personally, I tend to ignore the last season when writing for this ship so Merlin is usually brimming with kindness. Can be a little shit and will weaponise his magic to achieve such ends. Will try and help in any way he can if someone asks for it or if he can tell they need it. He's generally not afraid to say what he thinks, particularly if he gets asked for his opinion on something (as an example, his 'I think you're mad, I think you're all mad' speech to Arthur when he's asked about what he thinks to the marriage between Arthur and Elena -- though the speech does come after Merlin initially said it wasn't his place to say). Dry wit. Also fiercely loyal to those he loves and values them more than his own life.

Hope this has helped anon and best of luck with the writing, very excited for your creations if you decide to give it a shot! <3

#not me reaching merlin's key components and doing the same face as lisa simpson in that meme #these are generally the things i try and keep in mind when writing them so it might be a little biased #the beauty of merwaincelot though is because they never have a single verbal interaction together you can just often do whatever #in terms of how they act with one another #which is why they're always incredibly soft with each other in stuff i write bc honestly they deserve it #but try not to worry about it too much anon and just have fun exploring them :D #hey nonny nonny asks #merwaincelot #merlin #gwaine #lancelot #bbc merlin #asks