I walk, I talk, I shop, I sneeze.

help.

glitterdemon — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:17:14 GMT

fandom, what language is Erik's mother speaking at the beginning of XMFC? by which I mean, when the two of them are separated and Erik bends the gate. the English subtitles won't even give me a "(speaking [insert language])" except for the brief moment when she's speaking to a guard and it says "(speaking German)." I've tried to find a shooting script online to no avail. I think I need someone who can recognise the language through some actual expertise and then just tell me. ;;;;

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despite the abundance of it

glitterdemon — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:23:06 GMT

this goddamned story that ate my life for longer than I care to admit has finally been posted at my fic journal: If This Isn't A Kingdom, XMFC, Charles/Erik. as it says in the notes, the title is from Richard Siken's Snow and Dirty Rain, which I found after the fact (it's been "untitled slow-dancing whatever" until now) and is amazingly, amazingly perfect.

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oh what are titles

glitterdemon — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:33:11 GMT

would anyone be willing to beta this xmfc thing? charles/erik, natch, about 7000 words, porny?

it was originally meant to be a kink meme fill but now i can't find the freaking prompt and i suppose if i'm gonna attach my name to it, it'd better be readable.

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they're just following orders, or: i haven't meta'd since harry potter

glitterdemon — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:15:40 GMT

okay, so it seems to be pretty universally acknowledged that when Charles tells Erik that the men aiming their weapons at the mutants on the beach are "just following orders," it is quite possibly the worst thing Charles could say as a deterrent for Erik metalbending them all to death in return. (note that I am saying this regardless of whether there was any argument Charles even could have made that would deter Erik. Erik is responsible for his actions whether or not he latched onto Charles' choice of words to justify something he was going to do anyway.) I've also heard it accused of being a bit on the nose in general.

I agree with the former (Worst Argument Ever), and I don't think the latter paints the whole picture, or gives credit to the film where it's due, even if it's valid from a Strictly Dialogue Perspective. but let's aim for internal consistency. because it is a horrible argument, I find it fascinating. why would Charles say that? for the love of god, why. one theory I like, in a general sense and which could be applicable to this, is that Charles is horrible at reading people if he can't access their thoughts. people develop the skill of reading faces and body language of necessity, but Charles never had that necessity. he has always known what people are thinking; faces and bodies, in this sense, are irrelevant. I love the idea of him utterly failing to develop this skill, and I think it's quite likely to be true. Charles tells Raven that until recently, he's never had to read her mind to know what she's thinking. this is probably utter fantasy on his part, since the feelings Raven has about her mutation and her body have, by all appearances, been festering for quite a long time. Charles just hasn't been able to see it, because he literally does not know what to look for.

so it's possible that when Erik puts on the helmet, Charles is at a loss, casting about desperately within the void for something to say that might hit and, getting no feedback that Charles is able to effectively interpret as he stumbles along, he concludes with the dumbest thing in the world (YOU SHOULDN'T KILL THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST LIKE NAZIS). I like this, but it's not entirely satisfying because even with the helmet mucking things up in the present, there's still the fact that Charles already knows "everything~" about Erik and should therefore probably know better (JUST LIKE NAZIS).

you know, I think Charles realises his mistake pretty much instantaneously, as soon as Erik reacts to it (in very clear cut terms, because remember, Charles is hopeless and might not have gotten it otherwise). which makes me think that he did know better -- at least as far as Erik is concerned. which makes me think that maybe he would have said it even if Erik hadn't been wearing the helmet. because my feeling is that it's not a line simply meant to service the current action of the film and Erik's character; it's also in service to Charles' character, is completely in line with his character, and is even set up quite explicitly earlier on. it's not just drawing Erik's line in the sand; it's drawing Charles' as well. he is not a man who punishes people for association (while this is Erik's entire life's purpose -- ever notice how quickly he kills the Nazis in Argentina? he never even bothers to torture them for information, for god's sake. after travelling all that way, after seeing the picture of Shaw, after telling the pig farmer he's looking for Shaw... right before he shoots him in the head). this will come to define Charles -- he will not wage war against human beings because some of them are afraid, because some of them hate, because some of them have power and are willing to use it against mutants. he has too much compassion for individuals to strike at the mob when he doesn't have to. he needs must be this way, because he understands people as individuals, as their own minds, their own fears and hates and everything else they are that's got nothing to do with him at all. when he says that the men on the vessels are good and innocent and honest, he's not speculating; insofar as his own concept of these qualities lies, he knows.

and the film is very aware of this. when Erik ambushes the Russian estate, he is completely indiscriminate about the men he takes down along the way. they are all there; they all suffer for it. whereas Charles goes to one man -- one man! so insignificant, just following orders -- who is afraid and in pain, and he comforts him. that is amazing to me. I don't think he could have done anything else. I don't think he could have said anything else. this worldview is as hardwired by Charles' life experiences and the nature of his mutation as Erik's is by his own experiences and mutation, and that line and Erik's response to it are the essence of their division.

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glitterdemon — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:53:36 GMT

so do we have a decent bootleg of X-Men: First Class yet? I've downloaded one but it's... pretty bad.

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x-men: first class

glitterdemon — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:41:46 GMT

all right, fandom, show me your fic. is there a kink meme yet? if not I say SLOW ON THE DRAW, FANDOM. it's not like you haven't had fair warning that this was going to be the slashiest thing to hit you since 2009.

eta: HAHA.

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glitterdemon — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 05:38:52 GMT

had a moment of total disconnect earlier.

you know how when you go to someone's twitter profile it will show who else is following them that you already know? so, Alyson Hannigan just tweeted, "Waiting for @AnthonySHead to come over. Why are all my English friends so SLOW?" I was unaware (or had forgotten, more likely) that ASH has a twitter, so I went to his profile and thought, huh, @BradleyJames is following him too— oh, that's right, he's a Buffy fan— OH, THAT'S RIGHT, THEY'RE ALSO COSTARS. possibly my brain doesn't easily make the leap from Giles to Uther, but possibly this is mostly symptomatic of not having much to do with Merlin these days.

so, regardless of whether delicious ends up sticking around or not, it looks like I'm going to have to find a different service to house my recs/bookmarks, since today, for the second time, I have noticed one of my links has mysteriously disappeared. this is very not okay, since delicious is meant to cater to my need to keep my interneting meticulously organised and archived, and when it doesn't do that I feel betrayed and a bit panicky. because I can't help but wonder what other links have also disappeared that I've just failed to notice. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE. D: the thing is, I didn't save any of the posts where people were breaking down the alternatives when Yahoo was getting ready to shut delicious down (don't even tell me they weren't, 'cause they so totally were). so I am kind of flailing about rn. does anybody have any recommendations or just links to any of those posts?

(like, the first time it happened? I honestly wondered if I only thought I'd saved the link. I would have sworn I had, but even so. but the one that's just now disappeared had a tag I've only used once, on that particular story, which I've been seeing in my sidebar for months, which is how I noticed it had disappeared in the first place, because the tag is gone too. I just can't even, guys.)

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something happens and I'm head over heels

glitterdemon — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:40:30 GMT

I've thought about it long and hard and have decided, with the help of sisabet and sockkpuppett's The Best Laid Plans, that my Supernatural OTP is unconsummated Sam/Dean. which feels revelatory to me even though when I think about it I'm like oh, that's just canon. they're erotically codependent but don't kiss. but they still need to get laid, and I believe that Cas and Gabriel should do the honours, respectively*. so that's pretty much how I approach that fandom.

though I still haven't figured out why I balk at the consummation part so much. YES. I EXPEND BRAIN POWER ON THIS. it's not like I've never shipped siblings full-frontal before**. but whenever I try to read about the Winchesters and sex, together, my face goes like this: D:

I'm sure — possibly — that this has something to do with the amount of fluff that's written for this pairing, which just. no, no, god no, why. well, I'm not sure if fluff is the right word— it's more like, I love the potential of Sam/Dean but I feel like a lot of it is written for an audience that is not me, an audience that has already accepted that the boys are MFEO, and I really want to be convinced every time. like why should I accept this pairing within the context of this story? I would probably read a lot more of it than I do but, you know, even the good authors assume I'm already sold so I don't really know how to find what I want.

anyway, I realised a long time ago that my fandoms tend to shift pretty much in sync with major life changes*** and whatever fandom I'm currently invested in is one that most suits my present mental state. which is why I tend to be a serial monogomist and not really understand people who can stay with the same fandom forever. they must be much stabler people than me, I think. I was into SPN during s1/s2, but there's something about the latter seasons**** that I find especially appeals to me right now — I don't want to examine it too closely because I mean who even cares, but I'm sure it has something to do with a day job that I am just completely unable to relate to (whereas I dropped Merlin like a hot potato once I got my new job 'cause I could relate just a little too well to running around after a man who consistently makes you feel unappreciated and belittled).

all of which is to say, I guess: recs, anyone? also I'm sorry this is the first time I've updated since October, and that about my vagina. what you all (and random passersby) must think of me.

*I may ship Sam/Gabriel more than Dean/Castiel. shh, don't tell fandom.

**see icon for one example, though I mostly picked that one because my paid time ran out and now I have no icons.

***speaking of, I moved recently! I mean. I can still see my old apartment from the new one, but I'm looking at it while standing on a balcony. we have very exciting plans to acquire patio furniture and also some plants!

****still haven't seen s6, though. the hubby and I tend to wait until each season is over and them consume it all in one fell, obsessive swoop. we feel this is the best way to enjoy Supernatural.

eta: I'm jeeps at AO3. I have no fandoms in the queue because I suck, but I do have an invite if anyone would like to claim it. I was pretty whatever about AO3 until I got my Kindle, and now I have realised it is the most amazing resource ever and think everyone who writes in fandom should archive there because it makes my life awesome.

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glitterdemon — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:11:20 GMT

please, comment so that I know I'm not alone. I'm just trying to keep my head together while I wait for the doctors office to open.

so women are said to have a higher pain tolerance than men. this might very well be true. I don't like pain (who does, obvs) and when I'm actually experiencing it it's hard to think along those lines because you can only ever experience pain as yourself and compare it to your own past experience. when I think of it in light of my tolerance threshold for itching, however, I think I might be pretty okay with pain. part of that might just have to do with available remedies. modern medicine can effectively make the pain of something completely disappear, whereas I've never had that experience with itching -- you can relieve it to certain degrees, but it's still there. so there's certainly a psychological component as well, knowing even in the midst of pain that there's an end in sight (of course, I am speaking as an able-bodied person who has never dealt with chronic pain).

granted, I have extremely sensitive, reactive skin, so maybe this is different for other people, idk. when I got poison oak I think it kept me out of work for a few weeks and I felt like I was going mad. I said at the time that, having had my foot run over by a car and my heel bone broken, the worst pain I've yet experienced-- I said that I would rather go through that pain again than have to endure the poison oak. with hindsight and time? I would still rather have my foot run over with a car than get poison oak again. this makes me think I either handle pain well or itching very poorly.

I made a very stupid decision recently and, instead of buying my usual dye-free, fragrance-free detergent I bought lavender-scented detergent. I don't even particularly like the smell of lavender, but the picture of the flower on the bottle apparently overrode my ability to think beyond the mental capacity of a goldfish (though for the record they did bust the 10-second-memory myth on Mythbusters). I started using soap without scents or dyes quite a while back when my skin started reacting to it (though nothing this severe), and apparently I just... forgot that. so about a week ago I started experiencing pain in my vaginal area — I thought maybe I had been sitting too long on our couch, on which the cushions are as flat as can be so we've added layer upon layer of blankets until we can afford a new couch. in retrospect this wasn't enough to account for the pain, which wasn't just on the surface but felt like it went way down into the tissue. I would gasp when I moved. unpleasant, but the way I feel now I would go back to it in a heartbeat. no, that sentiment doesn't make any sense if you examine it closely, but I am having a hard time thinking rationally, you know?

anyway, a few days later I started breaking out in what I suspected and were later confirmed by the doctor to be hives. I only really stopped (I think, I hope) breaking out yesterday, all over one side of my business and back a little ways onto my bum. way after I realised what was happening and made my husband rewash all of my clothes with my usual detergent (I couldn't do it because I couldn't, you know, walk). not only do they itch, they are extremely painful.

after I tried various remedies and realised none of them were going to work, I went to the obgyn yesterday and got a prescription for a steroid cream. I am only bothering to make this post at all to bide my time and maintain my sanity until the office opens this morning and I can call them and ask for an alternative, because oh my god, the first application went fine but the second made me jump in the shower and wash it all off because it stung so badly. even if it hadn't the cream will take like a week to really be effective and fuck, I need to be able to do something other than lay on one side of my body for a week, I can't take this. I am effectively bedridden already, I cannot handle being confined to one position and unable to even sit up occasionally.

oh, and did I mention? I got my period at about the halfway point of this whole process. LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL. I can't wear underwear or a pad if I could wear underwear because they both chafe/aggravate affected areas, so I've had to constantly wear tampons which has been pretty uncomfortable.

back when I had poison oak the doctor actually gave me steroid pills, so I'm hoping when I call in half-an-hour I can convince them that's what I need now. I just want to pop some pills and not slather any more gook down there (there have been like, five different things, which I acknowledge may be the reason my skin is too sensitive for the proper remedy, lovely). actually, I refuse to put anything else down there except bags of frozen vegetables, which you can all thank for the fact that I haven't already lost my mind. I have actually had idle fantasies about killing myself (keyword: idle, I'm just saying, I do not do well with itching and it says something to that effect that such thoughts hold any appeal at all). I keep crying and I need my life and my vag back.

oh, they actually open 30 minutes earlier than I thought, time to go rouse my poor exiled husband from the sofa (apparently my moans of pain keep him awake), put him to bed, and go demand some drugs.

eta: they probably won't get back to me for another couple of hours. in the long run it won't make much difference, it's not like the effects are instantaneous anyway.

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the crystal cave

glitterdemon — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:26:24 GMT

you know, I think my considerable love for the front half of this episode turned what would have otherwise been simple apathy about the back half into a more profound disappointment. I don't have much to say. nothing was a surprise; fandom had already guessed that Morgana was Uther's daughter, so what I took away from that scene was mostly Uther, you bastard. I can at least follow his logic (and his logical disconnects) when it comes to magic and his persecution of those who practise it. we've at least been able to assume that he hasn't knowingly relied on magic since Igraine's death. but I don't imagine this will prevent him from persecuting the next person he catches using magic, even if that person were using it to save their own daughter, and that takes the reprehensible to a whole new level. yet, we see Merlin unquestionably attempting to save Uther's life, knowing all of this.

back when Morgana first wanted to kill Uther (and Merlin was, for the first and only time, conflicted about this), Gaius said one reason not to let it happen was that Arthur wasn't ready. that may have been true, but if anything lately, we've seen Arthur not only ready to rule but actively doing so in the event of Uther's incapacity. he isn't perfect because no one can ever be complete, but Arthur clearly knows the kind of king he wants to be and has the resources, knowledge and experience to be that. I just don't see Camelot falling into chaos if Uther were to die right now; Merlin himself is instrumental in that, as we saw him allowing Arthur to hold Camelot when those who would have the kingdom for themselves tried to use its perceived Uther-less weakness to attack. certainly one could make an argument that if Morgana were revealed as his murderer that sort of disorder in his own house could weaken Arthur's position, especially if she tried to claim the throne for herself, but that's sort of inevitable from here on out, and hey, if Merlin had let her (or anyone else!) kill Uther before now, and not interfered so badly in this episode so as to allow the truth to come out, no one ever would have known! and the show is certainly not making that argument. it hasn't bothered to revise its argument at all since the first season, which has created a major disconnect. we're supposed to support Merlin's actions because he is "good," but they have steadily been causing quite a bit of harm. and I don't think the show understands that. at least not on a grand scale. sure, Merlin caused all of the events in this ep to take place, but I feel the lesson I'm meant to take away from it is more akin to 'time is a funny thing, don't trust those crystals' than 'you shouldn't try to fix everything, Merlin. you are making it worse.'

sigh. dismay, dismay. why do you do this to me, show. WHY DO I LET YOU.

I also guessed pretty much right away that Merlin would cause the events he saw in the crystals by attempting to stop them. it's a trope and they didn't do anything particularly innovative with it. but that wasn't until he actually saw the crystals; before that I thought the old man was MERLIN FROM THE FUTURE, and I cannot textually render my disappointment that he wasn't. I mean, the whole "if I remember correctly" thing and the similar statures and the way the camera really seemed to focus on the blue of the guy's eyes at one point, very similar to Merlin's. and then like. there was no real resolution on him! he just shows up from hundreds of years ago and disappears and the characters don't even theorise why the hell that might be? I was intrigued by the glimpse of old!Merlin in the crystal, though.

among things I did like was, as I said, the front half of the episode. look, there are a lot of places they could have taken this story. it could have gotten very dark and very complex. I don't need that. I just want a little intelligence and a lot of what we got at the beginning here. that was gorgeous, snot and all. a wonderful balance of angst and humour and capitalising on the relationship between Arthur and Merlin — I've said before that I don't need intense scenes between them all the time, every episode. I just need to see them getting something out of each other's company, whether that means teasing and playing or insults and bruising, because there's always that undercurrent of how much they care for each other which then makes Merlin crying over Arthur like that that much more gutting. I loved the continuing thread of Arthur being disturbed when he feels like Merlin isn't right there on the surface for him to enjoy, and being nonplussed by his complete lack of respect for Arthur's position. everything about them in this episode was perfect.

I was also really happy with Morgana's reaction to the father-daughter thing; it was very consistent with analyses I've read of her in the past, which is that she seeks retribution for personal hurts and not violations of any greater ideals she may hold. I thought it was fascinating that her earnestness when speaking to Uther about making their relationship known to the people (and saying he's been a father to her!) did not go away when he turned away from her, which is contrary to the pattern we've otherwise seen 100 percent of the time this season. I also loved Morgause trying to kiss her. uh, for mostly shallow reasons. I do not understand how people are not all over this ship. I am also confused about how they are related now, if they are at all. they both believed themselves to be Gorlois's daughters, correct? but even then they only thought they were half-sisters, so they wouldn't have shared the same mother. are they not actually related?

apparently I had more to say than I thought. :|

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then you don't have to explain it

glitterdemon — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:24:09 GMT

this is pretty much just a round-up of all the recs I've made on delicious the past couple of months (during August and September, specifically). kind of arbitrary, since it's been like, over a year since I made a recs post here at all, I just figured going any further back would make for too many in one post. these are all stripped of their tags and my commentary, so if you want the ~full flavour~ you should really just go to my delicious page.

behind the cuts are titles, authors, characters/pairings, length and a summary or excerpt (and a note if the content is NSFW or adult). I've prefaced my personal favourites with ♥s!

buffyverse

Better Luck With Girls, by shrift (Buffy/Faith)
(900 words; nsfw) "I thought, maybe, maybe I'd make it to 25 if I was hot shit enough. But 30? No way."

"Welcome to my quarter-life crisis," Buffy said.

harry potter

Shift, by yeats (Remus, Sirius)
(11,700 words) Sirius looks -- horrible. Wrung out, Remus thinks, like a sponge left on the lip of a kitchen sink. He's thinner than Remus remembers, even in wool pyjamas. Mottled purple half-moons bloom under his eyes, and his sallow skin seems no thicker than a sheet of tissue paper. There are bruises, most places that his clothing doesn't cover.

Sirius shifts under their scrutiny, self-conscious. He lifts a hand to scratch at his hair, baring a band of skin at his waist -- bandage, Remus thinks, seeing the scratchy white fabric. Someone's bandaged his ribs.

"Merlin, mate," James gawps, "what did you do, lose a fight with a bear?"

Sirius's eyes go wide, his gaze flashing to Remus. He swallows thickly. "Ha," he says, weak. "I wish. Bit of a skiing accident. You know how it is. Tree trunks at dangerous speeds while balanced on two bits of wood."

Bullshit, Remus thinks, and the word surprises him by how easily it comes, how adamant it feels.

merlin

canon AUs.

♥ who ever desired & you are, i am, we are, by b_b_banana (girl!Merlin/Arthur)
(3,700 words; adult) Merlin's used to binding her breasts flat by now - living as Arthur's manservant for as long as she has been does lend to some practice in that department - but she'd been in a hurry this morning, and hadn't tightened the bandages as much as she should have. The coarse fabric fell loose enough against her breasts that it abraded the skin every time she moved, but Merlin doesn't know how badly until Arthur unwinds the bandages and lets them drop to the floor.

[ the order I've given is the order in which they were written, though the latter is technically a prequel. ]

modern AUs.

♥ The Good Times Are Killing Me, by minor_hue (Merlin/Arthur)
(15,700 words; adult) “Arthur’s always making these lists,” he says after a minute, not looking away from Arthur’s hard stare. “Posts them all over the flat like a neurotic. Everything you can think of. Lists of phone numbers. Lists of wines to buy. Lists of movies to watch. Lists of historical figures to look up. Lists of colors to paint the bedroom. Lists of—”

He stops, throat tight and hot.

Across from him, Arthur is looking down at the tabletop, hands curled into fists beside his glass.

(After their first fight, Merlin had found the list taped to the fridge in between a string of phone numbers on a post-it and a dry cleaning ticket. “Things I should have said to you last night,” it had said. “1. I’m sorry. 2. Things will change. 3. I love you.”)

Red Window Frames, by magog_83 (Merlin/Arthur)
(7,400 words) Merlin directed the Hoover towards a particularly feathery corner. “Oh good, you can be my independent observer.”

“For what?”

“For my magic experiments. It might be safer that way, in case the goose comes back.”

Arthur appeared to be struggling with something, so Merlin stopped supervising the Hoover and looked attentive. After what seemed an excessively long pause, Arthur looked around and then said, “So the magic thing is... real? Really real, not just you being, you know, weird.” He looked at Merlin hopefully, as if expecting him to disabuse him of such a ridiculous notion.

Merlin rolled his eyes, and sent the Hoover to the kitchen, “Honestly Arthur, what did you think I was doing when I fell in the pond last year?”

“I thought you’d been... climbing the tree? Like your mum said.”

“Don’t be silly, I had a broom in my hand, I was obviously trying to play Quidditch.”

A Story of Love and Menswear. Edited by Arthur Pendragon, by magog_83 (Merlin/Arthur)
(6,900 words) Arthur never expected to fall in love at first sight. He didn’t even believe in it. It was one of those ridiculous ideas that seemed to feature in every afternoon film on channel five, the films that Morgana pretended she only watched because she wanted to see how traditional romance tropes could be related to a modern feminist discourse, when really she just liked Danielle Steele. So he wasn’t expecting it at all when his department manager, Gwen, brought him some lanky bloke called Merlin and told him he’d be joining the ‘team’ every Saturday (the team being Arthur and his sticker gun).

The Student Prince, by pandarus (Merlin/Arthur, ensemble, various pairings)
(147,000 words; adult) A Modern day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love...

There's No Makebelieving, by miakun (Merlin/Arthur, Morgana, Will/OFC, Gwen/Lancelot)
(77,200 words; nsfw) The first time Morgana's step-brother and her flatmate meet, Arthur throws up on Merlin's shoes. And that might be the highlight of their relationship.

Those Endless Days, Those Sacred Days, by ladytelemachus (Merlin/Arthur [Merlin/Will])
(29,000 words) There is something spine-chillingly vibrant about Arthur Pendragon, and Merlin can see, in a perverse way, what all the ten-year old girls with hair mascara and transfer tattoos are screaming about. The way he leads the other four across the floor, the confidence in his voice, the sheer range of his tone and pitch. Merlin knows jack shit about music, really, other than to acknowledge that Nick Cave’s version of ‘The Carnival is Over’ is three minutes and twenty two seconds of pure aural heaven, but he knows he’s in the presence of a consummate performer here.

The way he rounds on his band mates, and bullies the sound techs – that, too, is utter showbiz, ruthless and impersonal, and Merlin knows this whole assignment is going to be the making or the breaking of him, one way or the other. If he isn’t already broken.

Users Are Losers, by derryere (Merlin/Arthur)
(4,300 words; adult) "What d'you want?"

"Heard you tutored," he says. And then, after glancing sideways for a moment, "I'm taking the bio-chem intro."

Merlin follows the guy's eyes to what's distracting him. Merlin raises his eyebrows at the distanced, drunken figure at least ten doors down--sliding down a wall with a faint gurgle. He looks down the other way, but the place is empty, all buzzing ceiling-lights and silence. He gives the man another look-over, and while already annoyed with the hour of night, this one looks neat enough--the kind that doesn't mind when the commission prices go up, the kind that usually doesn't even notice while paying. Rumpled in his suit, tie undone, shirt tucked out god only knows what hole he must've crawled out of to get here. Bio-chem, Merlin thinks. Funny.

♥ What Looks Like Crazy, by hermette (Merlin/Arthur [Merlin/Will])
(16,600 words; nsfw) Merlin knows they should probably talk about it first. There are so many rules, so many dos and don'ts, and they're not even remotely sexy, and they should talk about it first. Merlin puts it off, day by day, knowing that in this he's keeping a wall in place so that nothing scary has to happen just yet. He thinks about it in the mornings sometimes, those fuzzy moments between sleeping and waking, and in the evenings, when his lips are still swollen from kissing Arthur's mouth, but he can't bring himself to sit Arthur down and hand him a list, to tell him: these are the ways you can touch my body.

canon era.

And love is a tired symphony, by dollsome (Arthur/Gwen, Gwen/Lancelot)
(1,500 words) 'I will always come back to you,' she says.

'I know,' he says. He does. That's not the part that worries him. What worries him is where she'll go first. Where she'll be coming from when she returns.

Anyone Can Tell (you think you know me well), by shes_gone (Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/OMC, Arthur/OFC, Arthur/OMC)
(5,400 words; adult) "You said it's different with him," Arthur says as Merlin slides his sword into place and holds out the gloves in turn. "Is that true? Is it different bedding someone you love?"

Merlin looks up in surprise at the earnest tone of Arthur's question, and studies him a moment, trying to determine if he's being mocked, before answering. "Yes," he says. "It is." He holds Arthur's helmet out to him with a sense of finality, clearly hoping that Arthur being fully dressed means the conversation can end.

"How?" Arthur persists.

Merlin sighs, exasperated. "I don't know, it just—it's—" He stops and looks away, eyes darting around the room, like he's thinking. "It matters," he finally says.

the AXE to the FACE is my favourite, by emilyray (Merlin, Arthur, ensemble)
(350 words) The room was nearly subdued, all but the fiercest fighting dying down, when the doors slammed themselves open and Merlin stormed in.

"Can you not stay out of trouble for two minutes?" he snapped at the King. "I was trying to get some sleep."

"Everything's under control, Merlin, don't -" said the King, just as the assassin crouching nearest to him exploded into neatly diced chunks. "Merlin," said Arthur, "he already yielded!"

Bath!hug, by derryere (Merlin/Arthur)
(1,800 words) It's too late for this, it already was too late for this an hour before they even made it back to Camelot--still in the woods, muddy and angry and decidedly not talking--so it was definitely not the time to be demanding a bath when they finally stumbled past the main gates in the dark, falling asleep on their feet--swords dragging over the flagstones as they made their way toward the castle.

It had, however, been a brilliant way to break a day's worth of silence. He may have lost their immature battle of who can keep quiet the longest, but god did it get Merlin to seethe--angrier still and snarling--and that on its own settled like satisfaction low in Arthur's chest, overlapping the corners of guilt and affection he was so eager to ignore.

Blankest Year, by clevermonikerr (Merlin/Arthur)
(1,000 words) Arthur is sitting on a log, his eyes staring blankly off into the distance. His hair is matted, and dark from dirt and dried blood from the fight earlier, making it darker than Merlin has ever seen it. The moon is illuminating light onto Arthur, but his hair doesn’t shine the way it used to.

Arthur wipes at his cheek with his hand, and all that does is spread the dirt around, and Merlin can barely stand it. For a moment, he wishes for the Arthur he first met, the utter prat who gleamed in the sun, instead of this Arthur, this almost-king with the weight of the world on his shoulders and dirt on his face.

Coronation, by starsystems (Merlin/Arthur)
(900 words) "It's a terrible thing to know that a whole kingdom was just waiting for your father to die," Arthur says when Merlin walks around him and drops the heavy cape over his shoulders, arranges it so that it falls in heavy, precise folds.

Merlin hums and his fingertips brush against Arthur's neck, cool against his skin.

"You're cold," Arthur says and does not take Merlin's hands into his.

"It's winter," Merlin says, steps in front of Arthur and ties the strings of the cape. His hands skim over Arthur's shoulders, straightening the fabric, brushing away imaginary specks of dust. Arthur watches Merlin's mouth, the tight line of his closed lips and wonders.

♥ Disastrous or exceedingly awkward, by derryere (Merlin/Arthur)
(5,100 words) "It's just that these plans, Arthur," he starts, looking at Arthur as he moves to sit next to Merlin. "They just--they feel a little silly, is all. And I--"

"You're saying that my plans are silly?"

"Well." Merlin looks down, away. "Far fetched, would be my word of choice."

"You're saying that my plans are far fetched?"

"It's just--!" He sighs. "They're not really working though, are they? And everything you decide is a wonderful idea unexpectedly ends up in either a disastrous or an exceedingly awkward situation." A thoughtful pause. "Exceedingly."

The Feast of Sticks, by merryish (Merlin/Arthur; gen)
(1,500 words) "Thank you, Arthur," he said, looking everywhere but into Arthur's eyes. "It's a very nice... stick. I can't wait to write to my mother about it."

Arthur let out a huff of breath and stared at the ceiling, a pained and suffering look on his face.

"I mean it! It's the finest stick I've ever owned!" Merlin cast about desperately for something appropriately grateful and servile to say; finding nothing, he slouched out of attention and grinned. "For such a lowly servant as myself, to be graced with any gift from the Crown Prince of Camelot is truly an honor. Henceforth I will celebrate the anniversary of Stick Day rather than my birthing day."

"I honestly don't understand why lightning doesn't strike you dead where you stand when you prattle on like that."

Fire Sign, by moonythestrals (Merlin/Arthur, Kilgharrah)
(3,400 words; nsfw) "Your powers will lead you to your Destiny," came the voice of the Dragon, slightly muffled.

"My powers are busy throwing Arthur into beds and keeping him from putting on his clothing," Merlin hissed. "How is this my purpose in life?"

Fostered, by rageprufrock (Merlin/Arthur)
(6,400 words) Then Merlin made the grave error of asking, “How was patrol?” for which he was punished by having to endure Arthur’s answer, which included an agonizing overview of the state of the lower village’s supply of hops and unfouled grains, at which point Merlin was actually desperate enough to start up the conversation about the egg again to avoid any further discussion of how to ease grain tithes in order to suffer through the long winter.

“ — and anyway, it may be difficult to sway the council to my side on this subject but I feel very strongly about — ”

“How long do you think it takes a dragon’s egg to hatch?” Merlin interrupted, desperate, and he could see the moment Arthur’s train of thought went from ‘wheat’ to ‘egg!’ Merlin had never met anybody who needed a pet more than Arthur.

Freely in the Shrubbery, by anonymous (Merlin, Morgana, Arthur, Gwen)
(8,050 words) "No!" Morgana says sharply, a little defensive, "Not my idea. Never my idea. Probably some other evil sorcerer. Not that I'm-- I mean," she holds her hands to her head, "I can't die like this. I can't die with breasts."

Arthur doesn't have a chance to respond to that, because Merlin takes a decisive walk across the room and grabs Morgana's shoulders with intent. "Merlin. It's going to be all right, we are going to get through this. And I'd prefer if you stopped talking about my breasts."

Fruition (or The Education of Arthur), by spiny (Merlin/Arthur)
(7,000 words; adult) "Arthur! Half the castle thinks you . . ." Merlin gestured something with a quick hand.

"Sorry, Merlin; I don't understand idiot hand language."

Merlin pressed his lips together. He really was quite disconcerted. Arthur took a moment to lament the lack of wine in his rooms quite strongly.

"Half the castle seems to think you make me—do things. With you."

"Then they are idiots also!" Arthur said expansively. "I wouldn't make you; what sort of man do they think I am!"

He replayed the last sentence and inwardly cursed himself in as filthy a manner as he knew how.

"I think you're missing my point," Merlin said.

♥ my favourite one-man show, by anowlinsunshine (Merlin/Arthur)
(1,300 words) Arthur sometimes thinks that he should maybe take more conscious notice of the little things. It would probably help, seeing all the details that lead to the bigger picture as they happen, noticing when the leaves first start to fade and when the snow first starts to feel more like puddly slush than packed ice under his boots. It might give him an advantage, being in the know of exactly how and when and where and why Camelot is changing, instead of simply having to assess the change when he first sees it, beautiful and abrupt.

Over and Over, by baby_razzle (Merlin/Arthur)
(8,000 words; adult) Merlin looked up from where he was fastening Arthur’s armour under his arm. He really was the definition of efficiency, this manservant of his. It surprised him, but he couldn’t quite say why; he had always had the best servants and, besides, he was the prince, why should he expect anything else? Nevertheless, it was unnerving.

“Sire?” Merlin replied, keeping his eyes averted as was appropriate for someone in his position.

“Merlin, I can’t seem to recall; how long have you been my manservant?”

“Not so long, sire,” the young man replied, turning to the table to pick up the next piece of metal with which to adorn his master. “But I have been in the service of the royal house for two years.”

Arthur nodded, his brow and lips tightening.

“I hadn't noticed you before,” he said.

“I’m naturally inconspicuous,” Merlin answered him with a self-effacing smile. Arthur snorted gently.

Romcom, with Sheep, by allothi (Merlin/Arthur [Gwen/Morgana])
(2,900 words) Some time in the third year after Arthur is crowned king, Merlin has to leave Camelot, to rid a small part of Cumbria of a curse that has apparently defied the curse-breaking skill of any other benevolent sorcerer.

"But who on Earth would curse Cumbria?" Arthur says, when Merlin tells him. "There's barely anyone living there. It's just sheep."

"Maybe one of the sheep did it," Merlin says mildly.

Struggling to Find the Truth in Your Lies, by netgirl_y2k (Morgana/Morgause)
(1,200 words) These are the things that Morgana knows: she knows that Merlin would have seen her dead, and that Morgause saved her life. In the face of all the things she doesn't know she clings to this all the tighter.

The Sorcerer and the King, by misswinterhill (Merlin/Arthur)
(85,800 words; adult) “They said that all the animals in the land faced the castle when Merlin died,” said Bors, gulping at his drink. “What do you think?”

“I was in the courtyard,” said Arthur, feeling his spine twist at the thought. “I had other things on my mind.”

“Do you think,” Bors said, slurring a little, “do you think no-one would have been behind you, Sire? Do you think we’d’ve stood by and watched you burn, like you did Merlin?”

“I didn’t know,” Arthur replied, and he thought he’d be sick.

synonyms for sorry, by b_b_banana (Merlin/Arthur)
(1,000 words) "I've never been hit that hard," says Merlin, and reels a little at that revelation, because who would have thought Arthur had been going easy on him all this time? "I didn't think he hit you that hard."

"He shouldn't have been able to hit me at all," snaps Arthur, and he looks so petulant, for a moment, mouth pursed into a near pout, that the guilt tying Merlin's stomach into knots melts into reluctant affection. "That was a freak accident."

"Uh huh," says Merlin, and walks past him to the shelves lining the far wall.

"It was," Arthur insists. "I never lose my sword. It's like pretending to be you, even for a little while, did actual damage to my skills."

"Who knew mocking me could be so dangerous," agrees Merlin absently, grabbing the bottle of ointment left over in Arthur's chambers from his last brush with death before returning back to his side.

[ coda to The Tears of Uther Pendragon (3.01). ]

These Private Hours, by misswinterhill (Merlin/Arthur)
(3,000 words; adult) They had a comfortable routine on the nights when they didn’t have to run or fight; the nights where no-one wanted to be entertained, or needed attention. In daylight, King Arthur belonged to his people, to Camelot. To lords and ladies and the knights and to everyone who wanted him. Here, in the twilight time between first and second sleep, Arthur belonged to Merlin and only Merlin.

this one's on us, by b_b_banana (Merlin/Arthur)
(1,900 words; adult) Merlin tilts his head back and looks at him. There's a furrow between his brows and Arthur doesn't know what he sees; never even has any chance to wonder, because it's only a moment, and maybe a moment more, before Merlin curls a hand over the back of his neck and draws him in, easy. Arthur falls into the kiss and Merlin's hand falls away - it flutters hesitantly over the broad ridge of Arthur's shoulders, before settling, light, as if he's all too aware of the burden they already carry.

[ coda to The Tears of Uther Pendragon (3.02). ]

Transfer, by shinodabear (Merlin/Arthur)
(100 words; nsfw) There are traces of Merlin still inside him, allowing the whispers of the birds to reach Arthur’s ears, the shapes in the clouds to form in front of his eyes.

Undisclosed Desires, by amber (Merlin/Arthur)
(12,100 words; adult) Arthur's not used to asking for things— not just a demand with a polite question mark, the cliff-edge of truly asking something. The words stick in his throat, the time never seems right, and while he has no desire to force anything, he also doesn't want to hear: no. Doesn't want to watch the denial curl through Merlin, making him ungainly and apologetic, straining the tendons in Arthur's neck and embarrassing the both of them. So he doesn't ever bring it up; doesn't even hint; doesn't let so much as a breath of dissatisfaction escape him. Arthur is well-practised at wanting something he cannot have.

An Unnecessary Freezing of Water, by shinetheway (Merlin/Arthur)
(8,450 words; adult) “I’m not sorry,” Arthur finally snapped, and yanked his cloak away from Merlin. “The road would have been a waste of time. It was a perfectly reasonable decision to decide to walk back.” Merlin nodded and said nothing. “Anyway, the horses were useless in the snow, they could barely walk.” Merlin nodded again, and carefully kept his expression neutral. He’d learned, after some study, that whenever he agreed with Arthur, it tended to make Arthur very nervous. “So it was just good sense to take a short cut,” Arthur concluded. Merlin nodded and nodded and nodded, giving Arthur a wide-eyed expression of meekness that made Arthur huff irritably and cuff his shoulder. Merlin ducked his face to hide his grin.

“I will admit,” Arthur said after a moment, reluctantly, “that getting lost was not in the plan.”

merlin rpf

Accented, by antihysteric (Bradley/Colin)
(3,300 words; nsfw) A few months later, Bradley's gotten much better at deciphering Colin-speak. He hardly ever blunders anymore, and this has made him, he thinks in blastedly clear hindsight, unfortunately complacent.

They're walking back to the trailers to fine tune the details of their latest prank campaign, but Bradley freezes, brain and body in tandem, at something Colin's said. He'd swear that that record needle scratch sound effect plays, he balks so suddenly.

"Wait," he blurts. "Do I want a lap dance?"

♥ The Colour Of Cartoon Sunshine, by junkshop_disco (Bradley/Colin)
(36,550 words; adult) They pause at the taxi rank, and eye each other nervously. Saying goodbye is always a bit fraught. Bradley’s a hugger and Colin isn’t, and so whenever they get to a moment where Colin thinks Bradley might hug him they shift into this weird dance. Colin tries to evade the hug and tries not to be obvious about it, but in trying not to be obvious he makes it absolutely crystal fucking clear what he’s doing. Bradley doesn’t know what to do instead of hug, so he gets sort of nervous about the fact that he’s making Colin nervous and neither of them really knows what to do. It normally turns into a shared, high-pitched laugh and lots of fast-talking about nothing, and on this occasion Bradley settles for punching Colin on the arm and saying see you, mate, and Colin goes with an awkward wave that makes him feel like he’s five.

♥ An ever-fixèd mark, by casspeach (Bradley/Colin [Merlin/Arthur])
(8,400 words; adult) And just in case Bradley wasn't sure, by the time they start actually filming, Colin Morgan has the entire cast and crew hanging on his every word, twisted round his little finger and leaping to defend him from any threat, real or imagined. He may look nothing like Arthur, and nothing like Merlin did back then either come to that, but Arthur's heart and Arthur's spirit sing out of him.

In Hindsight, by hermette (Bradley/Colin)
(1,900 words) Bradley begins to long for filming. Only when he's wearing Merlin's clothes and Merlin's expression does Colin put his hands on Bradley's body. Bradley finds himself rucking up his tunic or untying his boots, hoping that Colin will come by and set him to rights, but instead costuming is thoroughly exasperated with him, following him around and patting him down. Only when the cameras are rolling does Colin touch him. He unbuckles Arthur's armor, he adjusts the strings on Arthur's shirt. Bradley wants to push into his touches, wants Colin's fingers on his skin. When he starts thinking seriously about flubbing his lines so that they have to retake all their scenes together, Bradley realizes, perhaps quite belatedly, how bad he has it.

Untitled, by derryere (Bradley/Colin)
(1,000 words) How about you and Colin's relationship, then, they'd asked, taking it there--again, always taking it there, the same insistent subject coming back no matter how they answer. Arthur and Merlin, him and Colin, what does it all mean and how do they do it and is it conscious, or do you set out to do it or perhaps you draw from your own relationship, oh ha ha ha, only joking, only joking Bradley, or am I ha ha bloody--

Ha. Bradley had shrugged, an exaggerated face of uncertainty, turning to Colin. Doing the same. Colin gave a thin grin and a shrug in reply. They both turned to the interviewer, shrugging in time, making her laugh for a moment and then Bradley twisted around--grabbed Colin's face in his hands, leaning half on the table, lips puckered and eyes comically wide as he tried to get at Colin's mouth.

sherlock

First Time For Everything, by calicokat (John/Sherlock)
(4,150 words; adult) He's never surrendered himself in the company of anyone, before, only in private, cocaine-fueled ecstasy: brain racing, pulse racing, monoamines flooding his brain – serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. Not unlike this. Similar chemical mechanisms, in fact – his whole tall body ramping up and up for a single, catastrophic hormone dump.

He'd rather the cocaine, he thinks. No one to please but himself on cocaine; that selfish, selfish drug.

♥ Homemaking, by rageprufrock (John, Sherlock)
(4,600 words) The original plan for returning to England involved fucking around being shellshocked and suffering mandatory post-combat counseling and physical therapy to dissect the shattered mosaic of his feelings. That's not quite how it goes.

supernatural

♥ If On a Winter’s Night a Fangirl, by trinityofone (Chuck/Becky, Dean/Castiel)
(12,600 words; nsfw) In Becky’s head, Sam had always been enchanted by her instead of freaked, and Dean wasn’t a big gruff dude but instead the pretty blond uke Becky would have sworn the books described, and they all solved their pesky apocalypse problems in the space of a couple of paragraphs before they did sex the end.

Instead, Bobby ended up in a wheelchair and Becky ended up on Fandom Wank and it was months and months later and the world was still doomed and everyone was still miserable and the only people having sex were Becky and Chuck.

Our lavish post-apocalyptic lifestyle & Suggestions for a happy life with your powerful and overprotective significant other, by exmanhater (Dean/Castiel, Sam)
(9,000 words total) Dean’s not a damsel, and the whole rescue + immediate disappearing act Castiel’s been using lately doesn’t do a thing for him. Not at all. (Or, the one where Sam and Castiel have a Dean-Stalkers Anonymous group).

♥ Primary Care, by mollyamory (Sam, Dean, Castiel)
(16,200 words) He didn't really want to wake them up, not when they seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But maybe some of the Nyquil would help them sleep even better. And rum aside, he really did think getting some liquid into them would help. It would help Dean at least, and if he was understanding it right, what helped Dean would help Castiel, too.

He stood between the beds, looking from one of them to the other. Dean was completely still, like he usually was when he slept hard. Didn't pay to do a lot of thrashing around when you were at your most defenseless. Too many years of tin soldiering had drilled caution so deep into Dean it even invaded his sleep. Cas was different; shifting, smacking his lips together, arms and legs twitching at random intervals like he had a live wire running through him.

Stupid cute, the both of them. Sam sighed, fighting off a rush of affection. That was how they got you: turned you into a mushball, made you fetch blankets and Doritos and vodka, made you whine to Bobby Singer about the unfairness of your life.

vids

avatar: the last airbender.

Heavenly, by bananainpyjamas (Zuko)
Not that heavenly scene.

battlestar galactica.

For Your Entertainment, by dualbunny (Tyrol)
Do you like what you see?

community.

United states of pop, by llenka (ensemble)

dark angel.

Big City Life, by lithiumdoll (Max, Logan, Original Cindy, Alec, ensemble)
It's all good, all the time.

fringe.

Boom Boom Pow, by hollywoodgrrl (ensemble)
What exactly is a Boom Boom Pow? Well, whatever it is, the Fringe Team will surely get it!

harry potter.

In Exchange for Your Tomorrows, by lim (Snape)

merlin.

Backseat, by such_heights (Gwen, Morgana, Merlin, Arthur)
The Tears of Uther Pendragon. We were born into the wrong time.
♥ Blinding, by heartsafool (ensemble; Arthur/Morgana, Merlin/Arthur, Gwen/Lancelot, Merlin/Freya)

Every Fear You've Ever Faced, by bendtothesun (Merlin/Arthur)

♥ Get Back, by cappylicious (Uther)
I came, I saw, I hit 'em right dead in the jaw ...
I'd Do Anything for Love, by darlulu (Merlin/Arthur)
Merlin would do anything for Arthur. No, really. Anything.
Look at my girlfriend, by solanyxe (Merlin/Arthur)
If that ain't love then I don't know what love is.
♥ Make Something Good, by sweetestdrain (Gwen, Gwen/Arthur/Merlin)
The course stays true.

[ also recced here. ]
Wings of a Butterfly, by solanyxe (Merlin/Arthur)
The good ol' plot "Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic and falls in love with him" is never too old, apparently.

multifandom.

Bad Romance, by sisabet (Clark/Lex)
Smallville/DCU/Superman Returns. When mutually assured destruction is not a deterrent.

OR

Lex Luthor does not want to be friends!!
If It Gives You Joy, by thedothatgirl (ensemble)
Buffyverse/Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog/Dollhouse/Firefly.
♥ On the Prowl, by sisabet & sweetestdrain
Where is our line?
One Girl Revolution, by arefadedaway
How about a 155 girl revolution? (No, that's not a typo.)

the oc.

Dead Sharks Don't Swim, by wistful_fever (Seth/Ryan)
This is what happens when a relationship stops evolving.

scrubs.

Dance Across the Floor, by littleheaven (ensemble)

sherlock.

Anomie, by charmax (Sherlock, ensemble)
A faceless city where everyone is a stranger.

Anomie: Term coined by Emile Durkheim refers to a breakdown of social norms. A condition where norms no longer control the activities of members in society. Individuals cannot find their place in society without clear rules to help guide them. Changing conditions lead to dissatisfaction, conflict, and deviance. He observed that social periods of disruption (economic depression, for instance) brought about greater anomie and higher rates of crime, suicide, and deviance.

Durkheim felt that sudden change caused a state of anomie. The system breaks down, either during a great prosperity or a great depression, anomie is the same result.
dry, by lim (John/Sherlock)

the sound of music.

Tiny Dancer, by charmax
He ain't stylish he's sky-lish.

supernatural.

Blaze of Glory, by giandujakiss (Dean, Sam)
Number one with a bullet.
♥ A Charming Man, by giandujakiss (Castiel, Dean/Castiel)
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
♥ Glittering Clouds (Locusts), by lithiumdoll (Sam, Meg, Julia, Ruby, demons)
I kept waiting, praying. I was trapped in there, screaming at you, "Just help me, please."
Kill A Man, by zimshan (Sam, Dean, Becky & other ladies, fangirls)
In fact, sorta unintentionally, this vid ended up becoming very ‘Life of a Fangirl’, and honestly, while all the details are very metatextualized to the SPN fandom[...], its general scope truly could have applied to any long-term fandom. We come to fandom to squee and flail and get more of the best parts.... Inevitably in time, canon disappoints us, and we turn to fandom to fix it.
♥ Supernatural Fun With Real Audio (Advertisement Edition), by ash48 & maichan (Sam, Dean, Castiel)

terminator: the sarah connor chronicles.

♥ We Are, by bananainpyjamas (ensemble, Sarah POV)
See the devil on the doorstep now.

the vampire diaries.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES season 1 opening credits BUFFY style, by HOREMZON (ensemble)

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SAUCERY HAS MADE THEM SUPER FAT

glitterdemon — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 23:38:25 GMT

guys guys, derryere's recap of 3.04 had me loling prostrate on my bed with tears soaking into my comforter, I'm not even kidding.

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gwaine

glitterdemon — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:52:02 GMT

really enjoyed this episode, like, a lot, without having tons to say about it, but there are a few things:

- "simple part's right." "what?" "I said the sun is very bright." guys, I'm pretty sure Arthur's hearing issues are canonical at this point. all those blows to the head may not have given him brain damage but perhaps they have had an adverse effect on his eardrums. I actually find this to be a rather believable explanation for failing to hear Merlin doing magic right next to him.

- I'm delighted by Mary the innkeeper/barkeep/whatever. I also really liked that she was a sizable woman and they didn't use that to make her interest in Merlin a joke at Merlin's expense: he was flattered and Arthur was a bit put out not to be the object of her attention. I was expecting the joke and was quite pleasantly surprised when it didn't happen.

- I thought to mention here the way Arthur focuses on Merlin and shouts out a warning to him even when he ought to be quite occupied with his own barfight opponent, but there were so many moments between them and regarding their relationship that it would just be recounting most of the episode. I'LL TAKE IT. lots of moments of Merlin showing his faith in Arthur. also a lot of perhaps subtler moments for Arthur — I mean, obviously there were plenty of times his affection for Merlin was obvious, but with this episode I also got quite a sense of how favoured Merlin is, how unusual it is for Arthur to let him in as he does and to occupy so much of his attention (even if that attention is throwing cups at his head). I loved the spittake moment cos, 1) lol, this show is lowbrowing my humour sensibilities and 2) Gaius is right. it's interesting that Merlin really doesn't seem to realise how much Arthur likes him or how unconventional (and possibly slightly scandalous, tbh) their relationship is. like trying to get Merlin to understand why he does the things he does. and the playing at the end? lksdhg. lskjgjfksg! I can hardly take it. BOYS. ♥

- so, in the future is Arthur going to choose all of his knights of the round table from men who have been wounded saving Merlin's life, slept in Merlin's bed, hit on Gwen and left town?

- I like that this ep had an abundance of shirtless men to provide fanservice so Arthur was able to keep his shirt on for a whole episode.

- I LIKE GWAINE? I have no complaints and he's keeping up the tradition of Arthur's best knights having the prettiest hair. I want more knights to show up.

- look, I just have to say this. it may be a controversial opinion, but I can't keep it in any longer. pickled eggs sound super gross.

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ho. ho. ho.

glitterdemon — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:06:40 GMT

there are a lot of amazing things to take away from this interview (magic beanie, ahhhh) but they were all kind of overridden at the end when my brain started screaming MORT MORT FUCKING MORT. get Vadim Jean to direct it and this is like the hypothetical movie I want most in all the world.

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goblin's gold

glitterdemon — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 10:55:44 GMT

AW, YOU GUYYYYS! I was really not expecting to find myself especially fond of this episode but that was CUTE and I was kind of crying with laughter at all the right parts, the parts I was meant to find funny. especially the throne room scene, even though flatulence humour is NOT my thing, AT ALL. I mean, granted, I had to STOP WATCHING and collect myself for a few minutes from the absolute mortification I felt on Gwen's behalf, but. ahh, ahhh. basically, everything about Gwen made me so happy, there was SO MUCH OF HER and she was so adorable and I keep using the word 'so' BECAUSE SHE IS JUST SO. SCRITCHING ARTHUR'S EARS WHAT. WHAT. WHAAAT. like, I am sorry, but that was the most enjoyment I've gotten out of Arthur and Gwen's relationship in, oh, ever. I really like that they had an episode that focused on making them human to each other and not like, you know. Our Love Is So Angst-Ridden and Tastefully Lit. AND MERLIN AND GWEN TEAMING UP AGAIN TO FIGHT CRIIIIIME. Colin Morgan, you are a dirty fibber. that was lovely and so much fun. I do have deep thoughts on this episode, mostly regarding the reveal-that-wasn't, but tbh I am still kind of loling and I think I'll just bask for a while before getting into that.

eta: DID I MENTION? BRADLEY JAMES, YOU ARE A FUCKING STAR. HOW IS YOUR FACE EVEN THAT AMAZING.

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golly

glitterdemon — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 01:57:40 GMT

okay, whichever one of you subscribes to the sexisnottheenemy feed, I am SO GLAD no one was standing behind me in the lobby of my apartment building while I was checking my network page. ./////.

for the record, I am down here because I locked myself out of my apartment like a boss. hubby not replying to e-mails, no idea when he's going to be home even though he was supposed to e-mail about it for other reasons. feeling lots of social anxiety being trapped here with people passing around me on all sides to get to the elevators. everything is noisy.

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the cake is a lie

glitterdemon — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:09:48 GMT

this is not my third post today, idk what you're talking about.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GREENIE!!!

I always hate doing these things because you are my bff&f&f&f&f and it is difficult to figure out just how to textually render my love for you, sparkly text aside. I pretty much admire you more than almost anyone and miss you terribly when you're not around (though I still keep the hubby updated on all your goings-on until you return to meeee). I love how we can bitch together on the same wavelength, and you still have a way of caring about people that sometimes surpasses my own compassion. I like surrounding myself with people that make me want to be a better person, and you're one of them. I want all the good things for you (ALL OF THEM) and I hope today was full of them. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

BTW I AM STILL WRITING YOU BIRTHDAY FIC, whether it ends up being the one I can't believe I even started or something else, it will just be... belated. BUT YOU WILL GET IT.

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get your filthy fingers out of my pie

glitterdemon — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:50:51 GMT

you guys, where are all the Bradley/Colin AUs? there are plenty of Merlin AUs, but not so much in the RPF corner. I feel this is an area in which fandom has been lax in its duties. where are the apocalypse AUs? soldier AUs? priest AUs? or, oh, a mobster AU, with workaholic hitman!Colin (he just ~~reads his lines~~ kills who they tell him to. and Richard is the mob boss who seems a bit daft and feeble when he wants to but everyone is terrified of him for a reason. and Bradley is an undercover cop who's so idealistic but gets corrupted into the life by Colin's cheekbones). where are the prostitute AUs— even better, the geisha AUs? the footie AUs? the teacher AUs? the werewolf/vampire/ghost AUs? WHY HAS NO ONE WRITTEN BRADLEY AS THE SLAYER YET.

and what about magical realism? like the one where Bradley turns invisible because everyone loves Colin the most? or where they're dolls? guys, WHERE IS THE WINGFIC?

I only have like, 20 B/C recs saved on delicious, and it's not from lack of interest. UNACCEPTABLE. GET ON THIS SHIT, FANDOM.

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where have you been all my life

glitterdemon — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 18:22:15 GMT

so, I almost always read fic in style=mine. even if a customised comment page is readable, I am likely to change it to style=mine, because that way I'm not distracted by sidebars or trying to get acclimated to a font that's not Verdana (I am set in my wayyyys) while trying to enjoy a story. this is made really easy on Dreamwidth because I can just click style=mine on the navbar. like, this may actually be my favourite DW feature, guys.

of course, no such option exists on LJ, which is where, let's face it, the majority of fic still lives. you can use LJ's navbar to view pages in your style, but that means viewing all livejournal.com pages in your style and never getting to see people's pretty layouts and you have to turn it off whenever you don't want to use it. there's a Greasemonkey script that I used for a while that will append ?style=mine to pages automatically, but again, it does that to all pages all the time, and it only works if the link you have followed is on LJ itself.

so for a while now I have just been manually adding ?style=mine onto URLs with my formidable typing skills. not just inelegant, but pretty much a pain in the ass. NO LONGER. MY LIFE HAS BEEN CHANGED. and this trick is so great I have to share it (with unnecessary exposition, apparently).

1. create a bookmark. there may be a way to make one from scratch, but idk what it is, so I just bookmarked the page I was on (to my bookmarks toolbar, for easy access).

2. right-click your new bookmark, go to properties, and delete everything in the Location/URL/whatever box (I only tested this in Firefox, but I imagine it will work on other browsers?). replace it with this:

javascript:if(location.hostname.indexOf('livejournal.com')%20>=%200){location.search+=(location.search?'&':'?')+'style=mine';}

2a. perhaps you prefer your comment pages in format=light! that's fine, just change style=mine to format=light, like so:

javascript:if(location.hostname.indexOf('livejournal.com')%20>=%200){location.search+=(location.search?'&':'?')+'format=light';}

3. rename your bookmark.

4. test it by going to a random LJ page that has not disabled customised comment pages and click on your new bookmark.

5. collapse with joy and the relief of repressed years of frustration you didn't know you were still containing inside of you.

you're welcome!!*

eta: sldfhgskjfg of course, I've been assuming you have disabled customised comment pages on your own journal, which is not necessarily true. but the principle still holds, since I am assuming the layout you've chosen is tailored to your own reading needs (e.g., some people need light text on a dark background!) and style=mine will still mitigate the strange choices others make.

eta II: speaking of the default site scheme, how ugly are the new navigation icons?

* also, thank you to alshder for the info and for explaining it in a lot fewer words than I managed.

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glitterdemon — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:59:56 GMT

I enjoy how I've been spoiled for the end of the series by people's reactions to the set pics. because of how I'm not completely fucking stupid. I am really, really angry that people are talking about this outside of spoiler-labelled spaces. the season just fucking started.

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the tears of uther pendragon, pt. 2

glitterdemon — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:26:16 GMT

THIS EPISODE. THIS EPISODE. YOU GUYS.

- ...SO HAS KILGHARRAH JUST BEEN WATCHING MERLIN SLEEP THIS WHOLE TIME LIKE A CREEPER. I seriously had a moment of disjointedness because it looked like Merlin had fallen back asleep but Kilgharrah hadn't moved at all. I take back everything I've said about dragons in general and Kilgharrah in particular; I fucking love this dragon. I want more of him now that he's not chained up.

- MERLIN'S. LITTLE. SMIRK. SMIRKY MCSMIRKERSONS. "I have no intention of walking." sdflkghsdkflhs that is the BEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. THE BEST THING. I look forward to the day he makes dubious moral decisions wrt his power over the dragon, but I am kind of tickled that right now, abuse of the power of the Dragonlord = FREE RIDES!! p.s. blatantly rip off Harry Potter moar, guys. down to the little "whoa" and grabbing back on/rethinking this whole 'no hands' scenario.

- Tony Head, you are amazing. IGRAINE IGRAINE hey, is she wearing Arthur's— DOES ARTHUR WEAR HIS MOTHER'S RING?

- SIR LEON WITH YOUR WONDERFULLY EXPRESSIVE AND HANDSOME FACE. I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU CHOOSE TO BE.

- HAHAHA ARTHUR'S CHAMBERS. oh, bb, if this is what they look like after one day without Merlin you should really be more appreciative of him. though he seems pretty shocked as well so I am wondering if someone had a temper tantrum. god, this scene is golden. Arthur's rage really doesn't do much to disguise the fact that Merlin wasn't ANYWHERE TO BE FOUND and Arthur was beginning to WORRY ABOUT HIM only fretting isn't very manly so he decided to THROW THINGS ON THE FLOOR instead and now here Merlin is COMPLAINING ABOUT THE STATE OF HIS CHAMBERS and TOTALLY UNAPPRECIATIVE OF THE FACT THAT HE HAS TURNED ARTHUR INTO A GIRL APPARENTLY. also, Merlin. he has just surpassed cheeky, hasn't he? and yet I notice Arthur still didn't throw him in the dungeons. and, like. ahaha. "I'LL HAVE YOU FOR BREAKFAST." really, Arthur? REALLY. WILL YOU. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO. sdlfg.

- "I was thinking about what to wear." loooool, if I didn't know any better I'd think the writers were being ironic. Gwen's having none of it, though. she's all, don't talk to me like I'm not perfectly aware there's more to you than being pretty.

- so the spoilers for this season were a little misleading, for which I am glad, because I appreciate that we get to see the beginning of the war and aren't plopped down into the middle of it. certainly they haven't been at peace with Cendred, as Uther indicates in The Last Dragonlord, but no real fighting seems to have taken place. so we are getting to see all of these important character moments. I think perhaps the time jump was mostly for Morgana's benefit and moving the plot along without having to show her recovering and getting to know Morgause and molding her hatred for Uther (and Merlin). I still don't like it, especially in her case, but overall I can content myself with the idea of nothing much having happened to the other characters in her absence except that maybe Merlin got bitchier.

- you might remember last week when I said I get pinged by kingly!Arthur? this week it was like all of my dreams coming true before my eyes. at first, when he ordered that Camelot prepare for a seige, I was kind of anxious and unhappy (in the sense of being invested in the story, not like, with the writing) because everyone seemed to think this was a baaad decision and I thought he was only making it because it's what he thought Uther would do. and I think WWUD was a factor, but when he looked at Leon and said, "They will have their lives," I went, oh. because for a moment all I could process was how fucking sovereign he was; hello, vapours, hello, my king. and then, oh. because he was making the hard decision that no one else would want to make. I couldn't help but think that this was a different Arthur than the one we saw in The Labyrinth of Gedref, one willing to make the hard decisions and not willing to make Camelot appear weak, but still different from his father as well, because he ultimately makes his choices for his people.

- a feast that you will never forget BETWEEN MY LEGS.

- surprisingly, I really liked the scene between Arthur and Gwen. I felt like what she said to him was exactly what he needed to hear right then. I like that the focus was on what Arthur was doing and not their relationship, because I am ultimately more interested in Gwen's relationship with Camelot and how Arthur fits into that than the other way around. and, as much as Bradley seems to feel similarly to the fans who have been unsatisfied with the way A/G has been handled, I like that you wouldn't ever be able to tell that by his performance. Arthur is absolutely lovely and hopeful and yearning in their scenes together. also, was that actual sexual tension I detected? hm, I still want more Gwen, but I'm pleased she had actual dialogue in this episode. I mean, I guess she did in the first part as well, but it was all very reactionary. the same with her troubled thoughts regarding Morgana; the camera actually focused on them at one point rather than their being incidental. I want to hope this means we get some further focus on their relationship in the future.

- "I promise I won't let you down." um, my heart broke a little. Arthur, your daddy issues. :( this is such a layered little scene. I love the look Merlin gives him, like he's surprised to see him crying (and he should be, so, kudos). but it's really Bradley that knocked it out of the park. gosh, he just owned this episode.

- the scene. with the. you know, THE SCENE. I did some actual flailing with my actual limbs and then I cried a little. also, lol. Merlin's all like, 'you're going to kick so much ass they'll be feeling it in the 21st century,' and Arthur's just, 'right? you're so wise.'

- YOU'RE JUST DYING TO KNOW WHAT I THINK OF MORGANA, AREN'T YOU? basically, though the smirks were still there, I felt like we got something a lot subtler and more layered than in the first part, and it was basically exactly what I said I wanted in my last reaction post. I am very happy and have a lot more confidence that I won't feel so disconnected from her character in the future. though I'm a little peeved by all of the she's made her choice/I just feel sorry for her talk. SHE DIDN'T MAKE HER CHOICES IN A VACUUM, GUYS. MAYBE YOU SHOULD TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOT BEING MORE HONEST WITH HER?? I feel like I've said this a bajillion times, though. I feel conflicted about her fight with Merlin because at this point, yes, he does have much better motivation not to reveal his own magic, since her position is much more tenuous (to me, anyway) than before when they were friends and she actually sought him out for advice. but at the same time, if she wants him dead by Uther's hand she already has plenty of ammo for condemning Merlin to a slow and painful demise, so I felt a lot of the same frustration I always have when he hasn't shown her that trust. like, fuck the dragon and his voice of exposition, Merlin's downfall isn't going to be his insistence on seeing goodness in people (she DOES have goodness lksjfdglsdkf) and trusting them too much; it's going to be not trusting them. (if there's one thing that could and probably should damage Merlin and Arthur's relationship, in a world with perfect characterisation, it would be Merlin not trusting Arthur with his life enough to tell him about his magic.) I felt like this was kind of his last-ditch chance to be honest with Morgana. it may have made a difference, it may not have (though I am putting my money on the former CHRIST, SHE IS SAYING AND HAS SAID ALL ALONG THAT SHE JUST NEEDS A FRIEND WHO CAN UNDERSTAND HER, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO FULFILLS THAT REQUIREMENT RN AS FAR AS SHE KNOWS IS MORGAUSE and Merlin of all people should be able to get it because for all that he has people who love him and care about him, just as she has, he still feels lonely and like none of them really know and understand him). and this point was critical enough that if she did find out (when she does, eventually), it will only fuel her hate. anyway, her armour was hot.

- LOL AT PEOPLE TRYING TO STAB THE SKELETONS, WTF. I'm glad they didn't have Uther fight them, because I'm pretty sure I would have lost it.

- for a moment there, I really, truly thought, not that Morgana had taken credit for saving Camelot, but that she had accused Merlin of being the traitor and told Uther she had caught him with the staff. in the end this is not that show, and as interesting as it could have been, I'm not sure this fandom has the constitution for Arthur showing any distrust in Merlin, even temporarily (I love you all, but you're a bunch of delicate flowers, don't lie, you can't handle buckets). but for a moment all I could think of were all the times Arthur asked Merlin about his whereabouts and never got a straight answer.

- DID THEY SERIOUSLY JUST END THIS EPISODE WITH MERLIN AND GAIUS GIGGLING TOGETHER. oh, SHOW.

- oh my god how do I even talk this much.

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for those who follow me on delicious...

glitterdemon — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:51:13 GMT

I have changed my username and ported over my bookmarks; you can now find my recs (&c.) at http://www.delicious.com/liveship. soon everything at my old account will be deleted, once I'm sure I've got all my tag descriptions and subscriptions sorted as well.

occasionally I'll make recs in my journal, if I feel the need to be particularly effusive, but these days most of that is happening at delicious and I'm very active with it. you should feel free to add me there. I've recently added a shit-ton of older recs as well (though I was kind enough to keep them private for a while before sharing so they wouldn't flood people's network pages); obviously they're not quite as descriptive or useful as the newer ones, since I'm not much of a rereader and it's been a while, but if you want to see any of them the "by fandom" bundle would probably be the most efficient way.

thanks again for the help with figuring out the porting, damalur! delicious is not very clear on how to just move all of one's bookmarks while keeping the tags and everything intact or I'd have done this long ago, so if anyone else wants to know the process I'd be happy to pay it forward.

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supernatural, sam/gabriel, never kill a boy on the first date

glitterdemon — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:21:24 GMT

I could submit endless prompts for this particular post at comment_fic. but there are rules, so you guys should help me out.

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glitterdemon — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:29:48 GMT

okay, I've been waiting for the premiere of s3 to start looking for new people to add to my circle/flist, since obviously it would have been a somewhat fruitless search during the hiatus unless I was specifically looking for people producing fanworks. I mean, I just want people to flail with/at. so I've put my stalking skills to use and have begun searching for post-ep reactions, but then I figured it needn't be for my benefit only and thought I'd collect them here for other people to check out. the more the merrier~

they really vary in length and depth; I was looking for good posts or good discussions, and by "good" I mean anything from insightful commentary and keen observations to capslock squee and gif spams. if there are any posts you think I should add (yours or others'!), go ahead and comment with a link! I haven't decided if I'll just add them here or make another post with the new additions; I'll probably just wait and see how many I get, if any.

a8c_sock: here
alexi_lupin: here
animus_wyrmis: DW/LJ
astri13: here
audiopineapple: here
az_pendragon: here
queensmoot: here
book_worm_vicky: here
brokentriangle: here
butterfly: here
butterflycell: here
casualtheatrics: here
cecilegrey: here
copracat: here
corilannam: DW/LJ
daibhid_c: here
das_vika: DW/LJ
derryere: here
dingogrrl: here
mysecretashes: here
duskwillow: here
ella_bane: here
entangled_now: here
fannyt: here
frantic_allonsy: here
giandujakiss: DW/LJ
green_apple: here
heather11483/heather: DW/LJ
hellpenguin: DW/LJ
hermette: here
hermette: here
hibernate: DW/LJ
hobnailedboots: here
inafadinglight: here
issahime: DW/LJ
its_not_wrong: here
jeeps: here
joonscribble: here
kabal42: here
kreuse: here
kylezy: here
ladyflowdi: here
ladyoflisquill: here
lcacbc: here
lefaym: DW/LJ
lotesse/lotesseflower: DW/LJ
maccadole: here
metonomia: DW/LJ
metonomia: DW/LJ
mrbartleboom: here
mumblemutter: here
noelia_g: here
nyxelestia: here
obsessive24: here
piscaria: DW/LJ
quichey: here (not dial-up friendly)
rageprufrock: DW/LJ
peri_peteia: here
ratcreature: DW/LJ
redscharlach: here
rionaleonhart: here
rodneyscat: here
sandalwood_girl: here
sarahyyy: here
selenak: DW/LJ
sherbertglasses: here
sherrilina: here
slightlytookish: here
solitary_summer: here
starry_dawn: here
still_lycoris/lycoris: DW/LJ
such_heights: DW/LJ
swatkat/swatkat24: DW/LJ
swift_tales: here
taaroko: here
tenaya: here
themadlurker: DW/LJ
thornyrose42: here
trude: here
twmerlinfan: here
venivincere: here
sickletongue: here
words_by_ash: here
yami_chan: here

NEW ADDITIONS
aerisaturner: here
amber: here
farmgirl62: here
lamardeuse: DW/LJ (not dial-up friendly)
sherrilina: here
zarathuse: here

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the tears of uther pendragon, pt. 1

glitterdemon — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:16:38 GMT

- the teaser: really like the establishing atmosphere and tone in the same way I like that aspect of 2.13. though I am not a fan of the "one year later" device, I do appreciate the way both of these episodes start in media res and let you catch up to the action. I think it frames the show really well and plays to its (potential) strengths, which is that sort of epic storytelling and not so much monsters of the week, to be introduced in the teaser and discarded by the end so as to never be seen or heard from again.

- dollophead is no clotpole, but I love Merlin's continuing trend of making up words to describe Arthur.

- nobody saw that massive tree fall and thought it was strange? no, of course they didn't.

- Merlin's reaction to seeing Morgana again was well done, and I'm glad they treated it with the appropriate attention and gravitas. but I wish they'd done more — well, anything — with Gwen's reaction to having her back, and Morgana's reaction to being back as far as Gwen, who has been blameless, is concerned. we really only had Morgana's rather curt dismissal of Gwen. but if they showed Morgana displaying any genuine tenderness toward anyone in Camelot, that might not have jived with how they were attempting to portray her. more on that later.

- the expository dialogue between Merlin and Gaius was PHYSICALLY PAINFUL TO ME. they could have at the very least attempted to make it a plausible conversation. people do not stand around reminding each other of events that have transpired in their lives or ask questions they already know the answers to for absolutely no reason.

I'm not sure whether this or "you are very beautiful when you're angry" is the most egregious use of dialogue.

- OKAY, BUT WHY DID ARTHUR EVEN SUMMON MERLIN TO MORGANA'S CHAMBERS IN THE FIRST PLACE? obviously this was so the viewer could have that "DID MORGANA TELL ARTHUR WHAT MERLIN DID?" moment when Gaius wakes Merlin, and then they could have the necessary confrontation between Morgana and Merlin when Arthur leaves. but I prefer to imagine that Arthur summons him specifically to Morgana's chambers AND THEN DOESN'T ASK MERLIN TO FOLLOW HIM FOR WHATEVER REASON HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY SUMMONED IN THE FIRST PLACE because he still thinks Merlin is ~in love~ with Morgana and would want to see she is safe and sound as soon as possible. ;;)

- so I know a lot of people were unhappy with the amount of interaction Arthur and Morgana had in s2 compared to s1, myself included. in that light I really, really loved the moments between the two of them: the concern for each other's welfare, the emotional vulnerability they were willing to display in each other's presence, the physical closeness and embraces. but it breaks my heart that none of it seems meant to be perceived as genuine on Morgana's part. and I don't mean that it breaks my heart in the context of the story, but again, more on that later.

- my husband when Morgana goes to meet Morgause the first time: "I know they're supposed to be sisters, but I really just feel like they're going to make out at any moment." indeed.

- I've not read any other episode reactions yet, and I'm really curious to read how people felt about the blindfolded swordfighting scene. I'm sure many went in to the episode hyper-aware of Arthur's treatment of Merlin and how it compares to 2.01. I personally loved this scene, but I'm an apologist for Arthur's behavior in 2.01 and consider it one of my favourite episodes, which does not seem to be the prevailing opinion, so what do I know. but I will say that while both episodes clearly establish that Arthur Is Sometimes Kind Of A Huge Dick to Merlin for the benefit of new viewers (something I don't consider to be necessary so much as hilarious, but again, what do I know), there is one big difference. LET'S DISCUSS THE ANATOMY OF A SCENE. Arthur fends off two "attacks" while blindfolded. Merlin, watching, is impressed despite himself (and probably despite what he perceives to be Arthur showing off). Arthur bounds over to Merlin and rather transparently seeks his approval. Merlin is dismissive and says he's seen better even though we know he was impressed. Arthur then proceeds to mock Merlin's swordfighting. the major difference being that Merlin is Kind of a Dick to Arthur first, which is delightful. and they are portrayed as being on much more equal footing here, since Merlin then embarrasses Arthur equally in front of everyone (even if no one knows it's Merlin doing the embarrassing). the truth is that I don't give this show a lot of credit for deliberate, thoughtful writing, but this scene combined with Morgause's echo of Sigan's opinion of Merlin's lowly place by Arthur's side does make me wonder if it wasn't intentional and a subtle (gasp!) response to fans' discontent with 2.01.

OH BUT ALSO ARTHUR'S FACE. HIS FACE. WHEN HE LOOKS BACK AT MERLIN. lskdfjghsd how can anyone stay mad at that face? this is no using-Merlin-as-a-stepladder, this is his attention being wholly focused on Merlin and seeking Merlin's attention in turn. like, what do the knights care if Merlin is a bad swordfighter? I'm willing to bet they generally don't. but there Arthur is, making fun of him to anyone who will listen and then turning around to see what Merlin thought of his little performance. make of that what you will.

- UTHER'S DRUNKEN SPEECH AHHHH AHHHHHHHHHH THAT WAS AMAZING. like, I got contact embarrassment from it, how magnificent.

- IGRAINE MOAR IGRAINE PLS.

- CREEPY GHOST CHILD OH JFC SO CREEPY. D: D: D:

- apparently Uther made me capslock a lot this episode.

- Gaius's "a king's hold on his people is very fragile" brought to mind silviakundera's recent post on the violent overthrow of kings in medieval times and makes me wonder how the average citizen of Camelot tends to feel about Uther. I thought the women with the belladonna-induced visions in The Witchfinder and the servant who sees Merlin's smoke horse offered an interesting glimpse into that, because they all seemed to be afraid of the magic they saw/thought they saw, even though they were not directly threatened by anything they saw and the horse was about as innocuous as magic can get, and they all immediately sought Uther to take care of the problem. I wouldn't be surprised if a fair amount of the population does consider Uther to be a fair and just king that protects them from a real enemy and threat to the kingdom.

- I really loved the scene with Arthur and Gaius, though I'm not sure I can say exactly why. it has something to do with Gaius showing Arthur, not Uther, the knife Morgana used and him finding Arthur in the midst of paperwork, alone — Arthur was already taking on his father's duties even though he berates Gaius for pointing out the necessity of it. and I love seeing Arthur be kingly in this really intangible way I can't describe. I just think Bradley portrays Arthur bearing the burden of his duty extremely well, and it always delights me to see it. he was also so lovely at Uther's bedside; I'm glad the writers are giving Bradley more opportunities to show his chops like this.

- "did you really think I was that stupid, Merlin?" um, considering the number of times he's followed you through forests and you never noticed? but I guess being evil makes you more observant. :\

- well, Morgause either suspects Merlin of being a sorcerer or being in love with Arthur.

- so Kilgharrah did show up in this episode. I wonder if they'll contrive to have him in every episode even though he's not chained up anymore. I guess Merlin's power over him is the replacement chain. I'm really okay with this if we keep getting to hear Merlin's inexplicably sexy roar.

- okay, so let's talk about Morgana. I am really, really unhappy with the direction this is going. the time skip seems to have been most unfair to Morgana, because whether they end up showing us some of her experiences and development during the past year or not, at this moment I am feeling a huge disconnect with her character. I'm sure the writers think they've progressed her character, but it looks more like regression to me. Morgana has always been idealistic in a way that has made her unable to reconcile her burgeoning beliefs about magic and those who practise it with her feelings for Uther as a father figure and king; these two things cannot live side by side within her. so nor does this allow her to adhere to Merlin's way of doing things; she doesn't necessarily need to know what Merlin is orchestrating, but she does believe in Arthur's good nature and knows of the influence she can have over him to do the right thing, but she chooses not to pursue that path and, as it appears with Cendred on the move with his army to take Camelot, is willing to let Arthur be struck down and kept from any possibility of ever becoming king for the sake of removing Uther from that position now. this puts her at odds, in one way or another, with the goals of every other main character in the series. it's an interesting place for her to be. but I saw none of that complexity here, simply a one-dimensional villainess.

I feel that it would be so compelling if Morgana went about reintegrating herself into Camelot with the same gusto and the same end results, but with some genuine, recognisable emotion behind it. I need to see Morgana's compassion and idealism, and if she has lost those things I NEED TO KNOW HOW. yes, yes, I know Merlin poisoned her. but that's not the how, that's the why. she was once one of our heroes; if her character has altered so drastically that her defining characteristics are no longer a part of her, if all she has is hate, that's something I should have seen.

I could so easily have believed a Morgana with a wounded idealism that has been amplified by what Merlin did to her, a Morgana that has put on blinders to anything that distracts her from her purpose, a Morgana who would kill innocent people in pursuit of that goal. but I don't think that was intended in the writing, and unfortunately, I don't think Katie McGrath has the ability to imbue such depth into her performance without it being explicit in the script in the same way that Tony Head does. I mean, let's be honest here, by the end of the episode those evil smirks were getting a tad out of control. I'd be happy to never see one of those again.

I could edit this for like, cohesion and coherence, but I am way too tired now.

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