unbidden_truth

jyd

First set of Merlin Recs  that I've promised I would post (sorry for the belatedness! asya_ana)

(not going to lie, these are of course for the most part the usual suspects :)

Streaking, Two Boys by malu_3 (M/A, 754, NC-17, modern!AU)
"Sunlight stings Merlin's eyes, washes over Arthur. Golden head, pale muscled back-bottom-thighs, tan calves, the flashing pink soles of his feet – Arthur stings Merlin's eyes. He's the stark, impossible answer to questions asked earlier. 'Who's the prettiest, do you reckon? Anyone you fancy?'"
This was one of my favorite entries to come out of pthon this year.  Beautiful prose, imagery you can taste, and as always scorching hot, all tossed to in a jar to make this incredibly sweet fic.  I'm still hung up over the playfulness and sweetness of this fic that captures youth, summer days, pining, and a little bit of happy ending.

Kiss My Name by emjayelle (M/A, 1050, NC-17, modern!AU)
“Hi,” Merlin says as he looks in the mirror—stretches his lips until his cheeks hurt, his teeth show—until he has as convincing a smile as he can make it. “Hi, my name’s Michael Emerson.”
Another one of my favorites out of pthon.  The writing conveys so much (there's so much implicit backstory) with so few words.  So many great details, brilliant world-building, and the belief that the reader is smart enough to fill in the blanks. It's heartbreaking, but maybe a little bit hopeful as well.

Have I found you flightless bird or lost you? by incoherenttruth (M/A, ~1300, PG-13, canon!AU)
"Have I found you flightless bird (grounded, bleeding) or lost you?"
First off, thank you merlin_hotrecs for reccing this! Also, this just might be the first Merlin fic I read on tumblr.  Written for deheerkonijn 's lovely (well heart-breaking is probably more accurate), this little fic is wonderfully angsty depicting the scenario if Merlin got injured for Arthur instead and is dying.  I love angst so this is right up my alley, but it felt surprisingly in character for me.  Merlin's sacrifice and Arthur's unwillingness to believe that Merlin's about to be gone rang true.  Won't spoil the ending, but definitely worth a read!

Duck-Apple by malu_3 (M/A, ~5200, NC-17, canon!AU)
"Come Samhain, the remaining High Priestesses of the Old Religion conspire to see that Emrys and the High King of Albion finally get their due. (Or, the one where Arthur bobs for cockapples..."
This was posted at tavern_tales (which I admit I haven't kept up with at all but there's so much great fanwork being posted there).  But this fic!  It's naughty and awkward, sweet and steadfast like any great M/A story.  The idea is a bit crazy, but the execution and storytelling is so lovely and even with the more naughtier side is full of so much of heart. I loved how well Malu captured both Merlin and Arthur's insecurities, but also both the depth of their love and the playfulness of their relationship.  I think it's sometimes hard to balance those aspects, but Malu does a great job because these boys, I want all the happy things for them :)

I probably will have another post of recs soonish...I hope anyways.  Have you all been reading Merlin as of late?  Anything catch your eye?

Dear Yuletide Writer,

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I haven't done a signal boost post in awhile and there's been a few things I've wanted to boost, so here it is :)

startrekbigbang is back and signups as well as rough drafts are due Nov 1st.

aftercamlann is posting, which I"m super excited about :)  I can't wait to have some downtime so I can go read all the awesome stories!

summerpornathon is in it's final week!  Go read this week's entries here and maybe vote/comment if there's something you love.

The Crazy in Love Ficathon (hockey rpf) going on here.

Also, the amazing beyondtheclouds, who is behind kanenumbers on tumblr did a post on Favorite Sites for Hockey Numbers.

Speaking of hockey, I've gotta say, I'm super pleased with the Boston Bruins with starting the whole ALS Ice Bucket challenge---I had been trying to figure out why 1) why hockey players were doing it long before everyone else ie the Pens showing up all on my dashboard weeks ago 2)why so many hockey players----and now it makes sense.  I'm now just waiting for Oshie to do it.

(Also I was watching Jonathan Toews do the challenge and seriously, it gave off the whole "I'm sexy and I know it"---because that vid? definitely has that vibe---though to be fair, he definitely "works out")


And nominations for yuletide are right around the corner (already?! where did this year go?)

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Fic Title: When All Else Fades
Author: unbidden_truth
Artist: clotpolelis
Characters/Pairings: Merlin/Arthur, references to past Arthur/Gwen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 7000
Warnings: none
Summary: "Arthur didn't think there was more he could lose after banishing Gwen. But revelations are tricky things and the truth that was important at first glance wasn't the one that mattered in the end." Ambiguously set in early S4.  Written for merlinreversebb
Author's Note: Thank you to my lovely artist, clotpolelis for bearing with all my procrastination and being wonderfully supportive.  I had a wonderful time working with you!  Also thank you, thank you to chosenfire28 for running such a fantastic fest and for the extra amnesty!  Also thank you to my dear P, who gave this a quick glance through even if she's never seen the show.  This fic was at times difficult, is way more trope-y, schmoopy than I wanted---I still am not sure how I feel about Arthur's POV--- but it was an interesting ride.  Should also note I kind of played fast and loose on the timeline and events in early S4.
Art link: Art Masterlist
Fic Link: AO3
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I think I'm slightly late on the reaction bandwagon and wasn't planning on doing an actual post---

The thing is, a week later and this movie is still in my head and all I want to do is see it again---so here's me flailing---

Because can I just say damn--this movie was great on so many levels?  It's not a perfect movie and while it lacks the grandeur of The Avengers--I enjoyed it more because of how grounded it felt for a superhero movie.  I think I might even love it more too---it's a close call and this is coming from a comic fan who is more vested in The Avengers/expanded Marvel Verse than anything really to do with Captain America.  And at the very least, this is the best sequel out of the whole franchise, IMHO.

I was a fan of Sebastian Stan before, but really he shines even with such little dialogue.  I need to find a copy of Kings to watch ASAP.  And funny thing, Chris Evans actually sold me on Captain America this time around---and I finally see Cap's appeal. And it seems like he felt more comfortable in his character?   Anthony Mackie was wonderful and his scenes were among the best.  And Scarlett Johansson was her amazing self as Black Widow---her characterization was great in The Avengers and this takes it a solid step further.

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I never thought I would be interested in reading Steve/Bucky but you all were right.  (EEEE!  Does anybody read them?  Or heck any of the pairings in the movie Steve/Nat, Steve/Sam, Steve/Nat/Bucky, OT4---rec me your favorites, point me in a direction to where I can start reading because it's a cliff and I'm scared to jump :P But seriously---)

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Also, I'm probably in the super minority here---but I'm super stoked for Guardians of the Galaxy.  At first when I saw the trailer I wasn't sure, but now I think it could be brilliant if they handle it well.  Though I don't expect it to be as solid as The Avengers or Captain America: The Winter Soldier has been (but that's mostly me trying not to get my hopes up).

I have words to write so I'll be in my corner thinking of Merlin (and trying not be distracted by all the Bucky feels)

I may have eaten three (!) vanilla cupcakes yesterday and I was feeling guilty but you know what, it's been one of those weeks and I'm going to the gym today anyway...(at least that's what I tell myself).  Also I've started watching Breaking Bad---I have thoughts---they just aren't coherent yet.

EEEE!  I get to see Captain America 2 today!  Funny thing was, I wasn't excited until I was?  Mostly because I'm going to go see it for everyone else 'cept the titular character?  So I've been avoiding tumblr all week to avoid spoilers.

Randomly, I've been thinking about archival redundancy a lot recently and whether or not it's problematic that fandom as a whole has/is starting to put all it's eggs in one basket, namely AO3.   Skyehawke was down for a couple of days and there was a mention of shifting things to AO3, which comes up a lot in fandom archival conversation lately--- and I know a lot of older archives have been shifted to AO3 and I'm happy that they are being archived, especially to a place with a great interface and the ability to ebook.  It's just that fandom seems a hundred percent sure AO3 will never have any issues.  And that I think will be interesting to see how it all pans out in the long run I guess.  I mean it seems no one archives outside of AO3 as much these days---'cept maybe over at FFN?  Maybe I'm wrong about this?  And I'm just being rebellious with(out) a cause....and I'm probably being way too paranoid about not having backup contingency plans I know...

Also, I've been feeling antsy lately and while some writing has been done---I've been reading a lot of non-Merlin fic lately.   I really want to read some Loki fic---comics preferred but I'm open to MCU as well---please rec me your favorites!

ETA: I've been meaning to rec this for a while:

Bond of Honor by Meri (Éomer/Haldir, 24494, NC-17, Lord of the Rings)
Two of my favorite characters in the trilogy using one of my favorite tropes, soulbond---how could I not love this story?  Éomer out of compassion saves Haldir's life by a healing bond performed by Aragorn with unintended consequences.  I really liked the style and just how things develop between them.  The author manages to capture Haldir and Éomer's ages, as well as the difficulties navigating the bond wonderfully.   And this line "No one else shall have what should rightfully be yours"---it made my greedy possessive heart happy okay?

And afterwards I started imagining a fic where Merlin inadvertently uses his magic that forms a healing bond between him and Arthur---as ever I'm a hopeless case...

Yay for safely hydroplaning on icy roads!   Also is it me, or has connection to LJ been wonky lately?  And I can't wait for Friday because---day off!  Which hopefully equates to finishing a couple things--lots of housework and some writing.

There seems to be an upswing on post 5.13 Merlin fics yeah?
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