Just like you, everyone in pretty much any dynamic can work for me. There's still something about Arthur holding himself open that will always make me squirm happily. I love all the reasons you've mentioned, and could add one more for me as far as visual medias are concerned: visually, I find his body type to be my preference for kneeling and ropes. Dunno how to say it, but when I imagine those strong thighs straining, that arse flexing, those soft-curved trapezoids sweating and his arms bunching up while tied spread over dark bedcovers - my brain, it fries. It could be like seeing a horse run, for the pleasure of that force bundling and arching. While all of these exercises do also happen in topping partners in fanworks, there's extremely rarely any emphasis on how good their arse looks and feels, because in general fanworks tend to focus on the less dominant partner's physique and reactions, I think. If I'm in the mood for a good description of Arthur's lower back or how he reacts to his nipple being bitten, it's easier to search through bottom!Arthur tags.
(As an aside, I've seen some artists who, when dwelling on certain power dynamics, tend to fix certain characteristics of associated stereotypes to emphasis that dynamic: slighter frame, more blushing, stronger skin tone contrast, hair in face, etc. Trying not to alter Arthur's frame for this reason is something of a point for me whenever I draw him then, exactly because one of the the things I like best about visualizing Arthur in this dynamic is how his frame fits with it, though IDK if I'm much successful. (Loving the visuals of it is also why bottom!Bradley does it just as hard for me, even if the reasoning and reactions around this dynamic would be vastly different.) I've reposted that Arthur/Gwen pegging art here if you want to link to that instead; it's with a bunch of other NSFW art of various pairing, but I think of Arthur as pretty submissive wherever he is there. I have a kink.)
Your recs are awesome, and it was great to revisit these. In particular, I adore that you pointed out the Sophia/Arthur from Arcane Asylum, because it had also stood out for me with lensflares when reading that story. It was non-con for me, but the descriptions and how Arthur reflects on it (or what he reflects about it - which, if I remember correctly, was being enchanted against his will, not being at her mercy, which this context helps make stand out as making a point about something about him). It's not something that I've seen brought up before when talking about this fic, and I'm really happy it pinged you too. =)
Arthur submitting and/or bottoming shouldn't be that uncommon, I think, since there's a whole comm for it, arthur_submits @ LJ. In general, some other fanworks with a more submissive dynamic explored for Arthur that I enjoyed that would match this list:
- Scoured Clean, as a representation of that trend in stories of Arthur wanting to be made to submit but often not being able to voice it out loud, and others having to guess along while he nods his tastes and consent.
- everything that hurts too much to say by anowlinsunshine also follows that premise, but this one is deeper into Arthur's POV, with his needs, cravings, guilt and fears all linked to needing to be taken over hard powerfully laid bare in very few words.
- There's a good bunch of bottom!Arthur fanworks where Arthur discovers his penchant for a position over another in the fanwork (and not prior to it). The majority of firewolfsg's works go in that direction, though anyone clicking should note that many of her scenarios have heavy consent-play in the non-con direction.
- Truth Is a Whisper by Seperis. It doesn't rotate around positions in particular and have the boys switching, but Arthur felt particularly receptive throughout, liking being taken cared of and shown new things in bed. It's linked to the emphasis on his inexperience, but there's also bits like this (from Truth Is a Whisper) where he seems to simply enjoy being ordered around:
"Keep doing that," Merlin murmurs; Arthur's unbelievably responsive to Merlin's voice, and Merlin's found it almost impossible not to talk, though it's never something he'd really done before. [...] Arthur would fall apart completely when Merlin told him, "I'm going to suck you until you can't remember your name" and "Put your hands above your head and don't move," and "Don't come yet. Not until I say you can."
- I also like it when Arthur is whole-fully aware of what he wants and what he's doing, even if he thinks he shouldn't want it, kinking on his own shame and relief from it, like in anon's Surrender:
"Merlin thinks he found out by accident, thinks it was simply a play battle that suddenly changed tack, thinks that Arthur was as surprised as he was. But Arthur knows better, knows that he gently prodded and coaxed Merlin into wrestling with him, guided every limb and movement to let Merlin seize his wrists and hold them tightly above his head. And even then, even knowing he was trying for it, the rush had been so sudden that he’d arched without meaning to"
- Though I'll always enjoy when Arthur (or anyone, really) is pushed just a bit past where they thought their limits were and are arching and desperate for it, because it's plain hot on anyone for me: The Real Thing
*coughs* IN CONCLUSION, Thank you so much for putting this post together!! It's really fun. ♥
(This kind of comment is why I'm ever so glad for DW's characters limit)
no subject
(As an aside, I've seen some artists who, when dwelling on certain power dynamics, tend to fix certain characteristics of associated stereotypes to emphasis that dynamic: slighter frame, more blushing, stronger skin tone contrast, hair in face, etc. Trying not to alter Arthur's frame for this reason is something of a point for me whenever I draw him then, exactly because one of the the things I like best about visualizing Arthur in this dynamic is how his frame fits with it, though IDK if I'm much successful. (Loving the visuals of it is also why bottom!Bradley does it just as hard for me, even if the reasoning and reactions around this dynamic would be vastly different.) I've reposted that Arthur/Gwen pegging art here if you want to link to that instead; it's with a bunch of other NSFW art of various pairing, but I think of Arthur as pretty submissive wherever he is there. I have a kink.)
Your recs are awesome, and it was great to revisit these. In particular, I adore that you pointed out the Sophia/Arthur from Arcane Asylum, because it had also stood out for me with lensflares when reading that story. It was non-con for me, but the descriptions and how Arthur reflects on it (or what he reflects about it - which, if I remember correctly, was being enchanted against his will, not being at her mercy, which this context helps make stand out as making a point about something about him). It's not something that I've seen brought up before when talking about this fic, and I'm really happy it pinged you too. =)
Arthur submitting and/or bottoming shouldn't be that uncommon, I think, since there's a whole comm for it, arthur_submits @ LJ. In general, some other fanworks with a more submissive dynamic explored for Arthur that I enjoyed that would match this list:
- Scoured Clean, as a representation of that trend in stories of Arthur wanting to be made to submit but often not being able to voice it out loud, and others having to guess along while he nods his tastes and consent.
- everything that hurts too much to say by anowlinsunshine also follows that premise, but this one is deeper into Arthur's POV, with his needs, cravings, guilt and fears all linked to needing to be taken over hard powerfully laid bare in very few words.
- There's a good bunch of bottom!Arthur fanworks where Arthur discovers his penchant for a position over another in the fanwork (and not prior to it). The majority of firewolfsg's works go in that direction, though anyone clicking should note that many of her scenarios have heavy consent-play in the non-con direction.
- Truth Is a Whisper by Seperis. It doesn't rotate around positions in particular and have the boys switching, but Arthur felt particularly receptive throughout, liking being taken cared of and shown new things in bed. It's linked to the emphasis on his inexperience, but there's also bits like this (from Truth Is a Whisper) where he seems to simply enjoy being ordered around:
- I also like it when Arthur is whole-fully aware of what he wants and what he's doing, even if he thinks he shouldn't want it, kinking on his own shame and relief from it, like in anon's Surrender:
- Though I'll always enjoy when Arthur (or anyone, really) is pushed just a bit past where they thought their limits were and are arching and desperate for it, because it's plain hot on anyone for me:
The Real Thing
*coughs* IN CONCLUSION, Thank you so much for putting this post together!! It's really fun. ♥
(This kind of comment is why I'm ever so glad for DW's characters limit)