#It's so funny because the week after I saw Camelot for the first time I saw something else atrocious with my friend

[mooremars]

Camelot 2023 Act 1 ramblings about the music and book and also the visuals again because turns out 3,000 words wasn't enough.

I cannot possibly recommend anyone actually read this because it is so absurdly, comically long but I needed to get some feelings out. Also it's in two parts because apparently Tumblr has a maximum character count and I hit it.

Overture

• Firstly, female conductor, we love to see it

• I love overtures and entr'actes and this show's is so good

• Shoutout to the orchestra

• I have never experienced a bad Broadway orchestra but still doesn't mean they do not deserve serious praise

• Does just the instrumental of Camelot make me very emotional and think about fundamental human goodness?

• Yes, this show did its job

• The end of the If Ever I Should Leave You part is just permanantly in my brain as the part during bows where they point to the orchestra

• Whatever the music that plays as everyone starts walking onstage is epic

• The vibe is set and I'm ready

Act 1 Scene 1: A hilltop near the castle at Camelot

• I've said it once and I'll say it one thousand times, I am obsessed with the way they've used the space in this show

• I love that they can walk up the back of the stage, I love that they have the stairs in front, I love that they've got so many exit and entrance points

• Sorry to the actors who probably had to do a lot of running around but it was fun for me

• As much as I like spectacle, I don't inherently prefer it over this kind of more minimalist thing

• But I do feel like they did a good job at conveying scale and drama even though the set is extremely minimal

• "I have the exact same amount of information that you do" just immediately starts the show off on the right foot

• This is a new take and I was here for it instantly

• And such a funny way to deliver a ton of exposition, this will be the first of what will become the prevailing theme of my rambling which is I adore Sorkin's writing beyond measure

• Merlyn's delivery drenched in sarcasm for every line is perfect and we clearly see where Arthur gets it from

• Specifically "do you know what calamity means?"

• But also "things in England are changing too fast"/"words that have never before been spoken"

• Establishing Sagramore in a funny way that becomes so serious by the end

• We jump right into the Sorkin dialouge rhythm and it feels so right

• There's the perfect amount of everyone overlapping each other and finishing the other characters' thoughts

• And also the jaunty music when most of the guards leave, like I don't exactly know why it sounds like that since it doesn't fit but I love it anyway

• I know it's part of at least the movie's score but like to me it's still strange, I've been calling it clown music in my head

• The difficulty finding the king exchange and also the pheasant hunting exchange are so funny and set the tone so well

• Can you see I'm attempting not the write out every line of dialouge?

• But also I love that we get this little build to Arthur to wonder what the hell is going on with this guy

• Because if you're me, you've come into this show with basically the association with JFK and that's it

• So I had no clue and was curious

• The knights have like mostly terrible points but Sagrimore's delivery of "snear all you like but five minutes ago we were at war with that girl's county and tomorrow I'll be swearing an oath to protect her with my life"

• He's not wrong

• The knights are so good, the actors are perfect

• Every bit of casting is inspired and those three are no exception

• "Arthur get the hell out of the tree"

• Again with no context, the tree really got me

• "Hiding, I'm obviously hiding" - I am instantly in, the delivery on this line is so funny

• Okay fine I was in from the way he said hello, also a hilarious delivery

• My roommate brought up immediately how effective it is not to have him do a British accent and how it again just makes Arthur relatable - genius

• Whatever voice he's doing is a perfect choice

• Also young Arthur is so much the right choice it's staggering to me that they ever did it any other way

• They thread the needle so perfectly of Arthur being young but not in a way where he's like an incompetent child

• Which I feel like is actually how some of the other versions with older actors still managed to come off

• But this Arthur is just young and trying

• "My mouth disconnects from my brain"/"I've witnessed that"

• As like a character note, I love that exchange but I also was worried this was gonna be what it usually is, which is a male character who cannot treat a woman like a human person

• But no, Arthur has absolutely no problem with that, his mouth only disconnects from his brain when he's trying to confess feelings and that is 1000% more endearing

• "Years of tutoring in philosophy and law, why didn't you ever teach me about love and marriage?"/"You're not marrying for love and there's nothing about it that can be taught."

• To which my roommate that I dragged to see this twice and who has just been forced to talk about this show with me, maintains that perhaps you could maybe convey that relationships are about communication

• That lesson might've helped just a bit

• "You're not marrying for love" like Merlyn is trying to warn Arthur and he sure did not listen

• "They should be reading" Arthur babe they literally can't, it's the Middle Ages

• Also the establishment of no magic is so deftly handled

• Arthur complaining that people think that dragons are real and you get exactly what this world is

• I love that I Wonder What the King is Doing tonight becomes his noble king music

• Also I just absolutety love any time anything has a recurring musical theme it just lights up some part of my brain every time

• The yelling of "he's scared" and all of the subsequent lyrics in that spot is again hilarious and just very good characterization

• Also the delivery of the slaying a dragon part whatever that singing accent is I love it

• Actually the way he sings all the parts where he's imagining what other people are saying

• The other characters have a lot of songs that are gorgeous and require some incredible vocals and songs with fun lyrics and fun performances but not at lot of them get to infuse this much personality and character into the songs through just the delivery

• Don't know if that's from the original or not but it's one of my favorite characters introductions I've seen in a bit

• From what I've seen this is definitely an escalation of previous versions and I adore it

• He's so annoyed, he hates this shit so much and he's so funny

• I mean also lots of credit to the lyrics because they are obviously very funny

• I love this song a lot

• Arthur's "shhhhit" when he realizes that he's managed to run into his future wife

• The multi-layered complication line, so quintessential Arthur

• The contrast between the gorgeous Julie Andrews channeling singing and Genny's brashness in her movement and dialouge

• Like obviously that's already in the lyrics but the book and direction just stretches it

• Everyone knew Phillipa Soo was going to be perfect and she is

• A lot of my strongest impressions are about Arthur

• Because I had no idea who the actor was and because in the limited amount of adaptations I'm familiar with of this whole story, Arthur is the bad guy or a good but extremely boring guy

• But I knew going in that I was gonna love Guenevere and Phillipa Soo even if I've never seen her on stage before

• So it was unsurprising

• Like my expectations were sky-high and she's so talented in every way and the writing for Genny is so good that she exceeded them anyway

• And she's so damn funny

• Obviously the whole rescued in the wood bit is already just a good joke and I'm honestly impressed with how funny the original songs are

• I am a sucker for the thing in stories where we know what's going to happen because they've been told so many times

• When they have a character say something the audience knows is foreshadowing

• "Cause a little war" is what I'm thinking of in this moment but there are tons and every time it's a hit with me

• The delivery of the clause one bit is perfect and her backing Arthur into falling on the bench and then just turning around and back to angelic singing

• The turnaround from the aggressiveness to the extremely soft and feminine singing is brilliant

• "The more knights slaughter each other, the fewer there are to slaughter the rest of us"

• The exchange about the dowry still being in the carriage

• Their deliveries are so funny

• They immediately bounce off of each other perfectly

• And Genny not even escaping with the dowry she's supposed to be using to buy her freedom, amazing

• "What is power uuuused for? That is a very interesting question."

• Genny just immediately knocking Arthur's socks off

• Trying to write out some of the word deliveries he does is so hard but there are a few that absolutely kill me

• They've known each other for five minutes and they're already having a debate

• "I've known kings, I'm daughter of a king so marrying a king doesn't have the same allure for me that it apparently has for you"

• She just speeds through those words at the end and it's great

• "They run to here" is another bit of hilarious delivery but I also love the contrast it sets up between Arthur trying to be kingly in a way that doesn't fit versus later when he does it his own way

• I could listen to them go back and forth saying why for ten minutes

• Genny's incredulousness when he says the weather

• I can't remember but I think she's walking away and then just turns to stare at him in absolute confusion

• Like he's so ridiculous that she can't help but engage

• I did a quick bit of intermission math and we know this takes place seven months before the Lusty Month of May which is obviously happening in May

• So Arthur is literally singing to Genny about how there's no winter until December while at best - assuming the one month later and six months later are rounded up - it is snowing at the absolute beginning of November

• More likely October

• No wonder Genny thinks he's full of shit

• His improv did not pan out

• This is a joke for me, thank you Aaron Sorkin

• Do love that canonically, Arthur is in fact singing the song Camelot - that he just made up in a panic - what a dork

• Genny's little interjections of skepticism are all so funny

• Also just instantly establishing her as someone you love

• She's perfect

• But my favorite is "my escape is time sensitive, do you understand that?"/Arthur still singing/"no he does not"

• These actors are both hilarious, the amount of stuff required of musical theater actors continues to blow my mind

• Like not only to do the whole singing, dancing, and acting thing but then you have to convey it to a whole theater but also not overact to the people up close and be able to do comedy and drama how

• I was in practically the back row up top and not a good view but extremely close (like seeing the actors spit close) on the side for the under 35 tickets and then also in very good seats and the performances by literally everyone never felt too much or not enough

• "Are there any other people in these woods you could recommend?"

• Also this moment which is the cutest thing you've ever heard

• Do I remember exactly what happened? No. But do I know it was adorable? Yes.

• "And we have poets in France"/"Oh yes of course... But do you?"/Genny angrily naming French poets/"Understood" and he's already singing again

• The entire performance of this song and especially getting her to sing along, so charming in the most annoying way

• But also she's sort of into it which is cute

• I do see on YouTube that there was a bit more to this French poets discussion which was probably right to cut but I am delighted to find literally anything new

• Sidebar

• I have been known to have issues with staying present when I watch things and not letting my mind start wandering. And one of the reasons I knew Camelot was good the first time was that I was totally engaged the whole show. But the last time, I did have the one moment where a thought popped into my brain during this song that completely threw me out of it

• And that thought was "this Barbie has taken a carriage ride to hell" after Genny says that line and like why brain?

• (For the record Genny and Arthur are both Barbies. They are everything. Lance is just Ken. Perfecting his body and soul is his beach. He is Kenough. Arthur and Genny have a terrible day every day. Lance only has a terrible day if Arthur and/or Genny look at him.)

• (I believe I have come up with a combination of words that have never been spoken before and perhaps a genuinely new opinion on a thousand year old legend)

• (In a bad way)

• Anyway

• The pure chaotic comedy of the knights finding Arthur and Genny freaking out is not something I can articulate but I adored so much

• Phillipa Soo is stealing the whole show in this one

• Does Genny come out of her hiding spot with her mouth wide open before she gets on the ground or am I misremembering?

• "We call that a sin of omission your majesty"

• With no remose "oh we call it that too"

• "Were you never going to tell me?"/"No I was going to get to it"/"When?"/"After I told you about the weather"

• Not a single bit of remose again

• I don't have anything to say, I just think the exchange is very funny

• I love not making Arthur any kind of royalty, he is truly just some guy

• Like I'm reading The Once and Future King and Arthur's lineage is so weirdly complicated and I just don't care, I like him as some guy

• "He discovered he didn't have his sword because I left it at... a house, that doesn't matter, that's my fault"

• Now that's a line that is funny on time one and fills you with dread afterwards

• The most exasperated "I was just going to borrow it for the day"

• Something about the delivery of "when I opened my eyes the square was filled with people shouting god save the king"

• Like Arthur never actually says out loud that he didn't want to be king but Genny gets it right away

• "I see you now, you're just a boy wearing a crown you never wanted sitting atop a throne two sizes too big"

• Just an absolute cutting response but Arthur doesn't take it that way at all, he's so earnest

• She reads him to filth but it doesn't even rattle him, he just takes it because it's true

• Gorgeous writing in what she says and his response

• "But provenance has put us both here, both of us highness and want it or not we are commanded to wear that crown and to grow into that throne"

• Chills, the delivery is outstanding

• We finally get King Arthur

• And Genny being convinced, all it took was one genuine moment and she's ready to engage

• Then Arthur again just taking so passionately about what he wants Camelot to be

• No wink, no sarcasm, no shame

• This show is unabashedly sincere and optimistic and I love it

• Genny falls in love with Arthur, I fall in love with Arthur, Genny falls in love with Camelot the idea, I fall in love with Camelot the show

• Everyone including the audience and Arthur were already in love with Genny for Phillipa Soo reasons so there's no moment for that one

• I feel like the trope-y thing would be to have Genny be a cynic here but no, she's just as much of an idealist as him

• She put up a little front of cynicism at the beginning but as soon as she gets the option of hope, she's choosing it instantly

• "Or you can stay. And together we may discover if power might be harnessed as a force of good"

• Like he's instantly treating her as a partner in this endeavor

• And I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight playing under it so beautifully and then the seamless musical transition back to Camelot is so perfect

• I am music stupid so I wish I had something to say about it but your songs have got to be tight to flow that way

• "I don't know if I'm worthy" also just a heartbreaker

• We don't really get to hear anything about Genny's life in France but she's clearly very opinionated and competent and I wonder if besides the whole wanting romance and adventure thing

• She also had an idea of what the life of a queen is like

• After all she's the daughter of one

• And she didn't imagine having this kind of role in actual ruling and doesn't know whether she can live up to this ideal that Arthur has set

• Like maybe she thought the only way she'd get to impact the world was knights killing each other over her or being the cause of a war, at least that's something

• But now she has a chance at more and she's grabbing it

• Genny singing the reprise is so beautiful thematically - it makes me a little teary just watching her instantly be like I see your dream and understand it and I want to be part of it but via some of the best singing maybe ever

• Such an amazing recontextualization from the original

• I've seen little clips of this reprise from 1961 and this one just feels warmer and more meaningful because it's about the ideals and not them confessing love at first sight

• And somehow more romantic

• They're instantly established as a team who share intellectual and philosophical similarities

• To so quickly convey that and make it believable

• It not only cements their relationship but makes them characters you root for

• And then the sounds of people coming in as soon as or maybe even before they get to finish singing together, like it's their world and they're falling for each other but there's no time, they're king and queen now and that will always supercede their relationship

• Also something about the moment when Arthur introduces her to the court just also really gets me

• "She's nice... some of the time"

• It's cute how smitten he is with her, all of her, immediately

• "Something about her makes me want to be a better king" (so Arthur is actually capable of expressing a romantic thought, don't get used it it)/"She's very attractive"/"Oh she is but it's not that"/"Arthur"/"Well it's not just that"

• I love the way they flip the speech Arthur gives Genny from the original about not feeling like a king until now meeting her

• But now that they've actually gotten to know each other a bit and it's after she's agreed to stay it actually makes sense here

• I do also love that even though he can't manage it to Genny's face, he does feel completely comfortable expressing his feelings about her to Merlyn

• The "oh she is" is so cute, he's so excited

• The music under his conversation with Merlyn before he starts just monologuing, very ominous

• I'm obsessed with it

• "We finally have peace" is another line delivery that I just need to sit and think about

• The joy of it, the relief

• Again the idea that Arthur has been a king at war this whole time

• Merlyn mentions, as part of a joke but still, almost as soon as we meet Arthur that he's fought armies

• He's not optimistic about the world because he hasn't seen conflict

• He's more determined because he sees what it does

• Channeling best man in all fiction Waymond Wang this is how I fight energy and that's very my shit

• Very much my shit might be a slight understatement

• It might not be surprising to learn that Arthur is my favorite thing about this show, they revamped this character so well

• So much of my life was spent in the media age of male anti-heroes and I love that we've returned to a point of male heroes

• Arthur idealistically talking about how they can finally start making Camelot for everyone and Merlyn walking off stage while the ensemble sings I think the part from the cut song and I assume some new stuff that's very Medieval church music

• So so good

• "What do I do next?" so eager and then just the emotional drop-off to his scared little boy when it becomes clear what's happening "Merlyn?"

• Stunning performance

• I think Arthur falls to his knees at some point but I'm already doubting

• The "what the hell do I do now?"

• Perfect scene ender

Act 1, Scene 2: The King's study - one month later

• The transition music between scenes is always good

• It's gonna be a struggle not to just quote this whole scene

• "Arthur, please call me Arthur" is so desperate like he has no one now, no actual human connections to him as a person instead of a king now that Merlyn is gone

• And then asking what she was called back home, he wants connection so badly

• And probably he still feels guilty for taking her from her home to be his wife

• "I was a royal princess, I didn't have friends"

• Well there is a reason they're both terrible at relationships

• I also love the way Phillipa Soo says Arthur in such a stilted way at the beginning of this scene and it becoming more natural every time she does it

• Genny telling him he's not attending to his duties with enthusiasm like she is not the least bit afraid to challenge the king a month in

• Love to see it

• Arthur's "I beg your pardon" when she asks about cortesans and the look he gives her

• "My father kept his women, his extra women, in their own wing of the palace. Where are yours? Might they cheer you up?"

• Genny the proactive problem solver

• Also something about the way she says extra women makes me laugh

• "I don't have extra women, I'm a married man. You were at my wedding" perhaps one of my favorite deliveries and lines in the whole show

• Genny's point of view in this scene is very interesting

• Like she does bring up that it's his legal right instead of dropping the whole thing and that's a choice

• Does she think he's lying about not having cortesans and reminding him that she is legally obligated to be cool with it so to be honest?

• Or is she just baffled by Arthur and his choices because this is a normal thing for a king to her?

• Or maybe since she already has feelings, she's trying to balance her own expectations to not get hurt?

• Possibilities

• "I'm aware of my legal right in that regard and I assure you I have no intention - oh my god - no intention of exercising it"

• Specifically the delivery of oh my god but the whole thing, he is so offended

• "And making the world into Camelot, are you abstaining from that too or will men at honor continue to plunder villages and take, rape, and kill whatever they please?"

• Genny

• Genny you are a hero

• She's so smart and fierce and unafraid to stand up to Arthur

• "I didn't make the world"/"You make a part of it"

• Arthur being so defensive and Genny calmly holding her ground

• She's taken to her new role so well

• And then Arthur admitting he doesn't know how to proceed without Merlyn, I love the way he builds trust in her in this scene

• "What would he say?"/"He'd say my god you're the slowest student anyone's ever tried to teach"/"Well I can convincingly say that"/"It's good that you mock me, kings should be mocked from time to time, it brings people pleasure. But for the record it's no fun for the king"

• Genny sounding so pleased with herself, Arthur getting out another sarcastic response

• Also what a lie, it is fun for him

• Mocking each other and public policy are their love languages

• "He once explained why but I got distracted because a white tailed eagle flew right by" with the most excitement and boyishness

• And then starting to go off on a tangent about eagles

• Never change Arthur

• I just think it's sweet the way she redirects him because she's fully committed herself to the idea of Camelot and her role in it

• "Pace freely at your own pace"

• Another brilliant line and delivery

• Channeling some Mary Poppins here

• Genny getting Arthur to think is so good

• "You had to pace and comcentrate to arrive at that?"/"It's hard to imagine why your country was willing to part with you"

• The proposition/resolved structure of this scene is very good

• And also that he starts with this pessimistic tantrum about human nature and Genny guides him back on track

• It's a great relationship moment but it also lets Arthur have some struggle and lets Genny be for Arthur what he was for her in the first scene

• Arthur collapsing on the floor and muttering "extra women" like wow he cannot handle being thought of as not a good person

• "That's it?"/"Wait"/"I wasn't going anywhere"

• Her being on the floor with him, gently pushing him

• He can't even maintain cynicism for more than a few minutes

• Them building the idea of the round table together, this is peak romance

• I can't just quote this scene in its entirety but every moment of it is a delight of them passing ideas back and forth

• "Isn't it also about the law?"/"It is"

• A standout delivery

• I love when they're working out the wordings like they make each other better

• "The law will be the stone upon which this rock - the rock upon - wait the church?"/"Have mercy"/"The law will be the rock upon which this church is built"/"Nothing can be more important"/"Nothing can be as important"

• This is what I love about Sorkin's writing

• The way that he has characters discuss ideas

• Like everything is an exciting discovery

• There's no singing in this scene but it has so much rhythm and is so compelling when in another writer's hands it would be boring and forgettable

• I broke out a chunk but it's so dense there are so many words and I love each one

• Genny counting down to his return, she already knows him so well

• Again I am trying not to type out every line

• I think they both yell for the page but I'm actually not sure, either way they are so excited and yelling something

• The new book has done so much to deepen their relationship, I adore these idealistic little nerds

• Arthur cannot contain himself

• His attempt to cool things down for himself by taking his hands off her face and then "you were very helpful, thank you"

• Smooth

• Convincing

• Definitely professional and platonic

• Truly do not know how Genny does not realize he's in love with her at this point but she sure is not gonna get better at that

• "And I suppose France too"/"I know that hurt"/"A little bit" and then he laughs it's adorable

• They're both so giddy here

• "Arthur I did already know that about you, that you were a decent fellow"/"I'm glad"

• They're in love. They are so in love.

• Arthur has taken on Genny's tone for the word inspiration when he talks to the knights

• "You've invited the French" every time Sagramore says it, it's just as funny

• "We may not be born equal"/"We are not sire" (with so much contempt)/"So our laws will make us equal" (with no room for disagreement)

• The immediate conflict

• And we see Arthur being a king and taking a hard line which we don't get to see much in this show and I love it

• "What about God's laws?"/"Not. Our. Jurisdiction" like are we sure this is not actually from the west wing

• I'm internally cheering when I hear it, I love this line far too much

• It's funny but also authoritative and kingly

• I get that some people do not vibe with Sorkin's style and that's fine but I very much do

• This show is so for me it's kind of incredible it was not made with that purpose

• A Sorkin character who would love Sorkin's work, I just adore it

• And according to the funniest line from any review I read, also has Sorkin's haircut

• That just lives in my brain because it's funnier than any piece of media criticism I will ever hear

• The knights already dissenting is very good but also that they don't fully agree yet with each other

• They build it in immediately and that's such a good choice, it makes every escalation feel totally plausible instead of the knights just easily falling for Mordred's bullshit

• Dinadan quoting Plato's ideas and saying how they're the well-educated people who should be in charge is great

• I love that the knights get to be characters and have thoughts

• Their constant vacillating between loyalty to the king and loyalty to the power structure they benefit from

• One of my favorite running tensions

Act 1, Scene 3: The countryside outside of Camelot - six months later

• The performance of C'est Moi is so funny

• Going 100% immediately

• Jordan Donica was just as perfectly cast as everyone else

• The lyrics are so funny and then he is just so loud

• His little whispered "C'est Moi" after the second verse while posing is so much funnier than it is on the cast recording

• "Had I been made the partner of Eve/we'd be in Eden still" is my favorite lyric

• The scream on clean destroys me

• Lance is always at a 10 and he's so delusional, I'm obsessed with him

• There's so much loud breathing in this performance which I love

• And whirling his sword around the stage

• "Beware enemies of Arthur do you hear me beware, from this moment you answer to me" while Arthur is literally unconscious behind him, this is comedy

• "You raised your sword to me"/"Oh I was saying hello"/"I did not know that"

• Lance is not sorry at all and it's hilarious

• He's just on another planet compared to everyone else and I love it

• Also Arthur so pure, just seeing a random person and trying to say hi

• Like you're the king of the country, you do know many people are not exactly going to be friendly, right?

• "I honestly thought I was more recognizable to the French"

• "Have you changed your Francs to English shillings?"/"Why?"/"This man's face is on money"

• Arthur subtly trying to tell Lance what's happening but the word subtle is not in Lance's vocabulary

• "I'm underwhelming in person"

• Says the man that keeps making French people instantly fall in love with him in the woods

• "My security detail... right in the nick of time"

• "I beg your majesty to forgive for me for by forgiving me I'll suffer even more"

• Lance is screaming the whole time

• I don't know how he does it

• "But my strength comes from purity of spirit"/"What was that?"/"Purity of spirit, my personal relationship with the almighty, he favors me"/"I'd keep that to yourself"

• I can't write it out but this

• And this is about to have to switch out for the rest of the show so like even more screaming somehow

• He's so funny, it isn't reasonable

• Also love that his language is the least modern of them

• It fits

• Seems like some of his lines come directly from the original book and it works amazingly

• "Be a faultless example to children" is another iconic delivery

• Also Lance asking for a mission, incredible

• He just plays everything so straight and it's perfect

• Like not a single acknowledgement of the ridiculousness of this character

• Arthur will literally get a concussion to avoid a social function, relatable

• "Until you came along and whacked me in my head"/"AND FOR THAT I BEG YOUR HARSHEST PUNISHMENT"/"Nope, nope, we're not going back to that"

• Yes the all caps is necessary, Lance is always speaking in caps, if he lived in a time a cell phones all of his texts would look like that

• And Arthur's tone when he responds

• When Lance starts singing again and then Arthur just says nope so many times

• This is their whole relationship

Act 1, Scene 4: A park near the castle

• This scene is just a magnificent Phillipa Soo showcase that we have been blessed with

• Like she is just so talented and I am blown away

• There's a reason Lusty Month of May is the song they have the most out there

• "The birds and the bees with all of their vast/amorous past/gaze at the human race aghast" is my favorite and she does it so perfectly

• Also the intro music just exactly captures that buzzy spring feeling

• My roommate and I both had the experience where the first time we saw the show, none of the music stuck with us

• And then the second time, all of the sudden it burrows into your brain

• This burrowed first because of course, it's so vibrant and lovely

• The original music is so good and somehow the transition from the more modern dialouge into the songs is seemless

• Genny has two missions: justice for all and bringing sex to England

• Look there's none in her own marriage and she needs an outlet, make those people kiss, it's all you have

• Genny's so fun and adorable in this song and it's perfect and I have no notes

• I'm just gonna go watch the today show performance and bask in it, this is the most classic Broadway musical sequence in the whole thing

• I love the idea that she's inviting all these normal people in and the beginning of the knights absolutely hating it

• "Be right quieter"

• And when they refer to Genny as a guest in the country

• The original is very and everyone loves her and I love that there's this tension where the people with power don't like her but everyone else does

• They say all the quiet parts out loud in this scene

• The show needs the knights so badly to show the discontent growing over time

• But they still respect tradition enough to enforce respect for the queen on Pellinore

• "I've only lived here a short time"/"Oh and you're already the queen, well done"/"I really had nothing to do with it"

• "Full of youth he was but brooding over problems that would confound Solomon. Ever met him your majesty?"/ "Constantly, he's my husband."

• With such affection ahhhh

• "You must be Morgan Le Fay... oh how he'd go on about the loveliness of Morgan Le Fey, her unsurpassing beautiful"

• Genny getting emotionally slapped in the face, it hurts so much

• The first crack in their relationship because they couldn't talk to each other...

• "I'm glad that nice young man found a nice young lady"

• Why does this make me feel things?

• I love the royal music every time

• "As you were everyone, pick grapes, eat flowers, or uh the other way around"

• Arthur and Genny's little catch up about Pelli is very cute, we don't get to see them be cute for a while after this so I just want to appreciate it

• Lance having no social awareness and continuing to make proclamations while Genny could not care less and is actively trying to speak to someone else, brilliant

• Genny and Arthur just waiting for Lance to stop talking after she keeps being interrupted and then Genny rushing out her lunch invitation and Arthur rushing out his response

• Arthur immediately wanting to run ideas by Genny, she is crucial to the development of Camelot and it's very much not a secret

• Arthur's "uh oh" when Lance is doing some casual misogyny

• "That sounded like a friendly exchange of pleasantries"/"It was not"

• No fucks for Genny today

• I wish I could one day know the translation of Genny and Lance's friendly exchange of pleasantries

• "Who would serve as the standard?"/"Oh certainly not me your majesty"/"See no hubris"/"My standards are much too high"/"Dammit Lance"

• "Have you achieved perfection milord?"/"Please say no"/"Of course I haven't your majesty"/"Good"/"Refining the soul is an endless struggle... but physical perfection"/"No"/"Yes"/"Go back to speaking French"

• "And in your quest for spiritual perfection have you considered the value of humility?"/"Ah something we should all consider. In fact let's take two minutes of silence to consider the value of humility."

• The dialouge between the three of them is so funny in this scene

• The ship is sinking and Arthur is just there with a tiny bucket while Lance and Genny keep creating giant new holes

• Genny calling Lance a jackass is both hilarious and also so valid

• "She already has an affectionate nickname for you"

• We have officially reached the beginning of the end, well we had some nice moments

• Like imagine if Pelli didn't start going on about how in love Arthur was with Morgan and then Arthur didn't show up with his new best friend who immediately implied women were too stupid to engage in government

• Genny was having a no fucks day and was probably ready to do a stupid thing and maybe that stupid thing was her husband

• A true tragedy

• "And with humility I"

• Dinadan's line deliveries are so dry and good

• And Genny's laugh

• "And whom will the three of you want to impress?"/"We want to impress the king too."/"Ah yes English men"

• I love the knights, they've all got their own little comedic touches in this song

• Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss Genny

• Take Me to the Fair is a masterpiece

• I don't know what constitutes a hot take about this show because there are 5 people talking about it

• But my hot take is that as much as Lusty Month of May is a brilliant and amazing song

• This is actually the Phillipa Soo tour de force

• Her fake crying is so good

• There are so many good flourishes in the singing

• Same thing I feel about I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight, Phillipa Soo is just enhancing every line with her hilarious delivery

• Also this sound

• Sagramore is always operating at 50% more intensity than the rest of the knights and it's perfect

• Him having to be held back by the other two when Genny sings to him

• It's involuntary at this point that I turn my head back at French during this verse

• His very loud delivery of "I swear to you the challenge will be met"

• "Sirrrr Liiiiionel"/"Ma'am"/"Ugh"

• And when she gives his chest a little slap after "and young du Lac"

• Perfect

• And her laugh-cry at the end of Lionel's part

• Their faces when she touches them are also just very confused and funny, she is not good at this

• I love when the knights are singing together, bringing up Lance really has wrapped them around her finger

Act 1, Scene 5: The King's study - the night before the tournament

• "You know that it's your move right?"/"I did not know that. I'll need to alter my strategy now"

• Honestly so relatable I suck at chess, Pelli is the best

• "If we're to care about justice, we need to care even more about injustice"

• Just a good little Sorkin nugget

• Pelli refusing to understand any of Arthur's ideas, excellent

• "Do I understand that you intend to be history's first king to yield power?"/"Oh now you're catching on"

• I do just love Arthur so much

• And the delivery of "she wrote what you just read"

• He's so pleased to inform Lance that Genny's writing treatises about justice

• Pelli's smug little "it's your move" like that's correct, no one is allowed to not respect women in Arthur's study

• "He's had you in checkmate for an hour and a half"

• Arthur's patience is astounding, Lance should be taking notes while he's perfecting his spirit

• "Would you like to play me or do you ever do anything but perfect your soul?"/"No I also perfect my body"

• Again just perfect deliveries and honestly so much respect to the new book for making Lance even more irritating but eventually more human too

• I am not dragging Lance, this is a compliment

• Just the way Jordan Donica plays it completely straight without being able to detect sarcasm is hilarious

• "The arrangement I'm in is called a marriage, having some fun would be called treason. And finally I hate his breathing guts."

• Setting up the consequences we know are coming with a little joke, I like it

• "Well be sure and give us clear skies tomorrow when you're arranging things with god tonight"

• Savage, I don't like most of the original dialouge but we had a winner with this one

• Her delivery just elevates it

• "No one could refuse your wish"

• The gall of Lance to say that like that in front of Arthur like he is shameless

• "Why do you have to bait the man?"/"I dislike him, I thought I was making that clear"

• Genny is so relatable

• Their first fight and Arthur's already insulting the French, I'm not sure why he thought this was going to go well

• Arthur trying to delicately ask Genny to withdraw her permission from Dinadan

• He's trying to have this conversation as her husband and not her king but Genny is not even having it a little

• Genny explaining that she already gave permission for all the knights is so funny

• I know they're basically the original lines but ya know, sometimes Lerner nailed it

• "It will seem to the entire court as if you are rooting for his downfall and championing his defeat."/"The only reason it will seem that way is because I'm rooting for his downfall and championing his defeat."

• "He's going to embarass those three. These are not men who take well to embarrassment."

• Like Arthur already knows exactly who his knights are

• He knows that they don't exactly match up to his ideals

• The delivery on "will you withdraw your permission" is also spot on like Arthur is ready to exit this conversation right now

• Also on "if I do will you forgive me"

• Like he knows that's not happening

• "Not as long as I live, no"

• Perfect riff on the original book's line

• Arthur doing some investigating on Genny hating Lance like he knows before she even does

• Ouch

• And then him starting to get frustrated when she's not answering like babies' first fight is not going well

• "Because he needs to be brought down to earth... literally not metaphorically"

• Like she has yet to be wrong

• "Merlyn never taught me how to handle a woman"/"You didn't read the book?"/"There's a book? No I can see from your face that there's not a book. Though maybe in France they would have published something, no I can still see on your face"

• We love a Genny dripping with sarcasm moment

• And Arthur being an idiot nerd

• He's so so stupid

• Another one of my truly favorite lines and deliveries, he is so excited that he completely forgets he's mad at her for a second and then pouting when he realizes

• "If the king wishes me to withdraw my permission, let him so command... nope, then I will bid you goodnight"

• The aggressiveness on her daring him to command her is so much

• Perfect

• I love her nope, a little power play

• Because she knows he won't and he knows he won't and she's happy to remind him of that they both know that and then leave

• His silence is doing so much work too

• Damn this scene is good

• "And before I go to bed as a gesture to Lancelot and to you, I'll pray it's over quickly"/It will be"

• They're so mad, I love it

• "There should be a book"

• Grumbling sullen Arthur is very funny even if How to Handle a Woman is lowkey the worst song

• And Arthur's worst impulse, which the narrative knows because it plays under him talking about vengeance and what he's entitled to later

• Like they do a good job recontextualizing it but it's still not the best

• Just hearing him sing the word threaten is kind of jarring, I cannot even slightly imagine this Arthur even thinking it once

• In my opinion they should've just cut it, I'd gladly take more Sorkin dialouge instead

• I do appreciate the way they scaled back this music in the rest of the show

• Because it's all over the second act of the movie, Arthur and Genny's theme if you will

• Like even during their last conversation

• Because they're not the love story so their theme isn't really a love song

• But then here, they play it under Arthur's worst impulses at the end of act 1 and banish it which is so smart

Act 1, Scene 6: A grandstand - the next day

• The music coming into this scene and when Arthur and Genny show up, again fantastic

• The outright hostility between the knights and Lance, they turned it so far up in this version

• Pushing him down and shit

• I love Athur and Genny showing up and getting to see them actually be king and queen and have their over-the-top outfits and crowns in this and the last act 1 scene because it's so removed from who they are the rest of time

• Arthur's speech at the beginning trying to glorify them not having the tournament and how great losing is and having to be stopped by Genny

• He's trying so hard and his speech is not good

• The fact that she basically tells him to stop and his response is fine like I think he forgets that he's actually in charge

• I love a sword fight

• The movement, the drama, the loud clanging...

• I am but a humble girl raised on the Pirates of the Carribean movies

• Dinadan being a dick before the fight with "and now for your lesson sir"

• The way Lance knocks the sword out of Dinadan's grip and makes him pick it up before defeating him, such an asshole move

• I truly can't tell if Lance has just such a superiority complex that he doesn't realize what parts of his own behavior are making people dislike him or he's just so stuck in his toxic little mindset that he doesn't care if people hate him for it

• I kind of feel like Lance is so into his specific notions of the world that even he doesn't really know why he acts the way he does

• "Dinadan seemed very inspired by your kerchief, should we continue?"

• "You know he almost had him, right up until the moment he never stood a chance"

• Their fight being played out by proxy while Arthur makes snide comments and they give each other looks is good shit

• Sagramore's scream, he's always going so hard

• The fact that Arthur fighting instead of Lionel is new for this

• Genius

• So good

• The dialouge around it is good too

• The temptation to just transcribe the whole thing is so strong

• Commanding Lance to pick back up his sword like damn

• I love seeing this new side of Arthur

• He can and will fight and he's good at it

• "I know what a damn baguette is"

• His little bit to Lance about it just being about morale is very good

• But also he can see what's going on even if Genny can't so is it?

• The fact that he may well have won the fight if it wasn't for a cool bird, what a man

• Fun fact about me, I didn't even see the bird or realize that's why he got distracted until the last time

• He and Genny are like very much not in a good place this moment but he will let it slide to point out a bird

• Arthur's fall is very good

• Can you tell I think this scene is also very good, I've only written it like twelve times

• The fact that they're letting people fight with swords and there isn't a doctor for 12 miles, amazing planning by everyone

• The bit of everyone thinking Arthur was dead and him sarcastically correcting them is amazing 100% of the time

• "He put life back into him" is just consistently hilarious

• "I'm not wanted here Arthur"

• With the most heartbreaking delivery

• Aw we finally see Lance have some shred of being an actual person

Act 1, Scene 7: The castle terrace - on the evening of the same day

• I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight intro-ing into this scene

• "Well you got me there" being screamed is perfect

• Pelli sensing that something is bothering Arthur, their relationship is very sweet

• Pelli describing the way Genny and Lance were looking at each other, what a shit stirer

• "It may be the only way to get him to stay"/"Maybe it's best if you let him go"/"Let him go?"/"Maybe it's best"/"Why is that?"/"Well...You said yourself, morale"

• Like she's trying to protect them but she won't say it

• For obvious reasons

• But it's confirming what Arthur already suspects

• And just drawing them further apart

• Another great her silence is doing so much work moment

• The entire telling Lance he's being invested discussion is so intense

• So much anger simmering in Arthur that can't help but come out in the line deliveries in the beginning

• Genny refusing to engage and turning her back to the whole thing

• "I'm sure he'd like to hear it from another child of France"/"This is my country now"

• Oh boy I love this exchange

• Like she's trying, she's trying so hard

• And I don't know what the fuck Arthur is thinking with that one, in what way could she possibly respond that's not going to be bad for him?

• Arthur leaving them alone like whyyyy

• And then Arthur giving Genny back her bloody kerchief, fuck

• All is very much not forgiven here

• "God dammit Pelli, I wasn't dead"

• Genny making it clear she does not believe Arthur was dead, I appreciate that she's also very clear on the fact that their world is not magical

• I wonder if Lance does think he willed Arthur back to life

• Probably

• "Don't ever say it out loud. Neither of us can ever say it out loud"

• This was another straight up gasping in the theater moment

• The entire conversation between Genny and Lance is so good and tense

• And the delivery on that line just feels like getting punched in the gut

• Phillipa Soo is amazing

• I love that she won't let them say it, that she's fighting it

• And the way she cuts him off, the way she makes him agree to not say it

• This is the intense love she wanted and it doesn't need to be said which is exactly what she needed to feel from Arthur but didn't get

• Also Lance just trying to confess his feelings the first second he can is just such an interesting character choice

• Like the truth is his purity of the soul bluster doesn't hold up to the slightest temptation

• He's ready to betray Arthur the second he leaves the room

• It's all a front

• Not intentionally, like he believes the things he says he believes

• But he can't keep to it

• I think he's so drawn to Arthur because Arthur actually has the qualities he's proclaiming define him

• But I don't even think Lance knows any of this about himself

• At least not until later

• He's just impulsive

• Which is I think what makes him an interesting character to me but also makes his motivations hardest to decipher

• Before I Gaze at You Again is such a stunning song

• And watching Phillipa Soo just emote for the whole time

Act 1, Scene 8: The great hall - on that evening

• All the music that starts this scene is brilliant

• "I'll never disappoint you"/"I know"

• I just...

• Like we the audience know but also the characters sort of all know and they are determined not to let it happen but that only makes it happen anyway

• Ugh those lines are a little nothing but they're everything

• I have the YouTube clips of Richard Burton's version of this and it does just indicate how well they've modernized

• Theater has changed so much so the pacing of 1961 compared to this is kind of fascinating

• This is also actually the writing I think is the best from the original and it is so fascinating to compare the two versions which I'm sure someone has done and I want to read it because there is so much to say

• It's so bold to close act 1 with a speech instead of a song

• I had no context coming in so they had me in the first half, I wasn't sure if this was Arthur's turn into the villain moment

• Once again I'm just like pointing to the whole speech and yelling how good it is

• Whoever decided this belonged on the cast recording is my personal hero

• This is just on my normal spotify playlist and as long as I'm not reading, I will not skip it

• But I love the idea that in the original book Arthur starts out by declaring his love for Genny and Lance and in this version it's like he's actively talking to the audience to defend himself

• To say he's not some stupid optimistic kid, that he sees everything we have

• Comes out swinging

• I can't explain how much "proposition: I am not a befuddled king" shook me, I was ready for shit to go down and I love it as the opener to this

• The pause before "whom they love", the sadness in it

• "And she didn't choose whom she married"

• Like Arthur can never get rid of that guilt

• The push and pull of this entire thing where he will try to make an argument with himself that everything is fine but the bitterness keeps seeping in until there's no rationality left

• Trying not the write out the whole thing but the rhythm of it, the pacing, this performance is spectacular

• The way the audience startles when he starts screaming

• Like he's having his back and forth rational debate with himself and finally we see him lose that control

• And it is the good shit

• I can't explain how much I came in with no context for this show and how much this completely threw me in the best way

• We're finally a glimpse of what's happening inside Arthur's head, to see the way he's been holding so much back from everyone else

• I love that he's still yelling at Merlyn, not exactly sure what I want to read into that, I feel like there are a few lines of thought

• "Am I not entitled to a man's vengence?"

• Perhaps my favorite line in the first half

• Every line is sort of my favorite but I guess let's settle on this one

• Because the original is "I demand a man's vengence"

• And same sentiment but entitled is so much more toxic

• Like the thing about this magic-less universe is that Arthur wasn't destined for some greatness and so he pulled the sword from the stone

• He wasn't owed something, he didn't deserve it, it just happened and he chose to rise to the challenge

• And this is the first moment he's decided he might be entitled to anything

• And then he does a 180 into deserving nothing

• "Proposition: I'm not a man, I'm a king"

• Like wow so much to unpack psychologically there

• I mean he and Lance have very much the same problem of trying to suppress their own humanity but the reasons are so different

• When Arthur switches into his idealistic mode and they start playing I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight because he's being kingly, literally gets me every time

• The entire thing is so good, I love the second half so much

• "I wasn't trained for this"

• I love the running theme of Merlyn training Arthur in all of these important skills but never teaching him how to handle emotions and relationships and uh maybe he should have

• There were perhaps some limits to Merlyn's wisdom that set Arthur up to fail

• Because he's been king since he was barely out of childhood

• He never got the chance to have normal, equal relationships where he could figure shit out

• So instead he just pushes it all down because he's not wrong in that he doesn't get the luxury of following his emotions

• I love every second of this scene

• I love every line, every delivery, every movement

• Like it is a hard ask to make an actor just walking around the stage monologuing compelling in a musical and this is so so compelling

• Just on the whole of this show, I don't know that I've ever been so blown away by a stage performance as I was watching Andrew Burnap and this scene is just a perfect encapsulation of why

• Whatever he's in next, I will go

• Okay real talk something about this man's face just renders it unrecognizable to my brain so more than likely I'll see something and be like wow that person was amazing, who was that and then it will turn out to be him

• I say specifically because I happened to be watching Under the Banner of Heaven the whole time I've been having a Camelot obsession and how did I find out he was in it? I happened to see his name in the end credits four episodes in...

• But anyway I will at least try to know whatever he's in next so I can go on purpose because this performance is living in my brain and I don't think it's leaving

• I do make fun of previous versions of this show for casting people who are clearly not musical theater actors in this role but actually I do think casting actors who do straight plays does add so much as long as they aren't terrible at singing

• All of which to say again that I do think this was some of the most perfect casting I have ever seen

• Basically the statements you can tell Andrew Burnap is not a musicals person and you can absolutely tell Phillipa Soo and Jordan Donica are absolutely musicals people

• Are both extreme compliments to the people that decided on this casting

[apiratewhopines]

Thanks to @teamhook for the artwork! So fancy!

Midnight

Chapter 4 — The Ball

Summary: In which our heroine feels exposed

Chapter 4 of 7 on AO3

“Some day, when I’m awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you”

-The Way You Look Tonight, Fred Astaire

Having spent several days eating her way through Misthaven with one eye on the lookout for black sedans, Emma was glad to be heading away from the town and the emotional memories the sight of a pub or gas station would cause. She wasn’t sure why one innocent night with Killian Jones continued to dominate her thoughts and hijack her dreams, but she feared seeing him again would push her over the edge.

That didn’t keep her from wanting to though.

On some level, she knew he had probably already forgotten her. Perhaps he did before the night was even over. Some other passenger might be walking around his place now, wearing his shirts and eating his pancakes.

Because when she dreamed about Door Number One, they always had pancakes for breakfast.

Despite her stubborn heart’s refusal to cooperate, the last couple of days had not been wasted. Arthur turned out to be a man of his word. Like a crazy fairy godmother who sprinkled cold hard cash instead of pixie dust and magic, he kept her supplied in the finest clothes and the chicest accessories. At the same time, he made sure her social calendar buzzed with invitations from a who’s who of Misthaven’s finest and wealthiest families. Events that inevitably threw her together with Lance more often than not.

It was at a garden soirée the previous day Lance had pressed to drive her out to Camelot, Arthur’s sprawling estate just a couple of hours away. Figuring the sooner she got the weekend over with, the better, she remained elusive only long enough to be convincing and then accepted his offer.

She already figured out Lancelot du Lac was a man who enjoyed the chase. She also discovered underneath his rakish exterior was someone who desperately wanted to find love while at the same time being deathly afraid of it. Normally, Emma wasn’t one to psychoanalyze. Still, the funny thing about rich people’s parties was that they were actually very dull, and she had nothing to do but regret not kissing the Captain before they parted ways or come up with profiles on the personalities she encountered.

Psychoanalysis seemed like the safer option.

Now she was waiting in the lobby of the Ritz for Lance’s foreign sports car to arrive so she could finally shake the dirt of this town off her feet. She hoped she could shake the lingering sadness as well. It was doing things to her. Things like making her hear the Captain’s voice in crowds.

“Swan! Swan! Emma, if you don’t turn around this instant—“

Excitement and abject horror battled for supremacy when she realized it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her. As if in slow motion, she turned in the direction of his voice and her eyes met his across the vast space. Then she watched as Killian Jones began to sprint toward her, pushing people out of his way none too gently while managing not to crease his startlingly posh blue suit. This wasn’t the flirty Uber driver of a few nights ago, all leather and innuendo. Sure he had the same sex hair and twinkling blue eyes, but this man exuded power and authority and, quite frankly, looked more than a little pissed as he closed the distance between them with frightening speed.

Unaware of the drama playing out, one of the valets rushed to her and announced breathlessly, “Baroness, your ride has arrived.”

“I… I’ll be right there.”

Emma couldn’t break eye contact with him. His face was just as she remembered it, as it should since it was less than a week ago when she last saw him. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked frantic to get to her. He seemed to know she was contemplating an escape and he paused briefly, not caring who heard him when he called across the remaining ground between them, “So help me, Swan, if you run again, I swear I will—“

She didn’t hear the rest of what he said as a herd of visitors passed between them chattering loudly in some foreign language, the group taking photos of the architecture and potted plants as if they were worthy of remembrance. She had a brief opportunity to step out unseen under cover of the mob separating them. To forever give this man who haunted her the slip.

Or she could stay.

God, did she want to stay.

—

The estate was as lovely as one would expect. Ancient oak trees lined the drive and gave way to topiaries precisely cut into fantastical shapes as the car approached the main house. Lance regaled her with tales of the vast land Arthur inherited, the numerous homes on the property, and the complete absence of any cell or internet services once you crossed the boundary.

It seemed old man Soberano convinced himself the emerging technologies were a way for the government to spy on people and had forbidden, by way of his last will and testament, any cell towers or fiber lines from ever crossing the property. It was why as coveted as an acquaintance with the family was, people often grumbled when they received an invitation to the country estate rather than one of the other properties throughout the globe. The ancient landline phones served as the communication system for the large estate and the only connection to the outside world.

Of course, most of his ramblings went in one ear and out the other because she was too busy wondering why Killian had been at the Ritz in a suit that looked like it was made for him. She would know. After all, she was now in possession of a wardrobe filled with custom pieces and carefully tailored lines.

Was it a fluke encounter or was he still searching for her? He would give new meaning to the phrase ‘no stone left unturned’ if his sole reason for coming to the premier hotel in town was to look for the broke woman he gambled on and lost. Literally.

“Darling, I feel like you haven’t heard a word I said the whole journey,” Lance gently complained as he helped her out of the low seats of the car and up the grand stairs leading to the front door. He appeared genuinely distressed at her distance, and for the first time, she felt a twinge of guilt for the ridiculous game she was playing.

“I’m sorry. I had some bad news right before we left, and I’m a bit distracted,” she explained, allowing Lance to take her hand as they approached the Soberanos who were waiting for them in the foyer. Their linked hands did not go unnoticed by either of their hosts, although to widely different responses.

Learning she was at the opposite end of the mansion from Lance, the group moved to the second floor together. The servant leading them turned to Lance and said helpfully, “Good news, Mr. du Lac, we found the cuff link you lost on your last visit. It was in Madam Soberano’s sitting room.”

Sheepishly, he looked to Emma as if ready to offer an excuse. Unable to keep a chuckle from escaping at the crazy situation, she patted his arm and said, “The wind must have blown it in.”

With that, the group separated. Arthur replaced Lance at her arm and smiled indulgently at his protege. “You’re quite good. You have him eating out of your hand, and you’re not even trying.”

“I’ve met his type before. The less I try, the more he will. He’ll be begging me to divorce my husband and proposing before the end of the night at this rate,” she joked.

“You don’t know Lancelot du Lac,” Arthur argued. Their leisurely stroll through the second-floor gallery allowed her to see pictures of his ancestors back to the Norman invasion, but she noted there was none of him or his beloved wife who he was fighting so hard to keep.

“Well, you don’t know Emma Swan. He tried to give me an emerald the size of a baby’s fist today.” She had been tempted to pocket the jewel, but some small part of her knew what she was doing was wrong and robbing the man blind when she had no intention of ever returning his affections wouldn’t make it any better.

“Excellent! I won’t even deduct it from your pay if you promise to take him for all he’s worth and break his heart, dear. It will do him some good.”

“How are you still friends with him? Knowing what he’s doing with your wife. I can’t figure out if you’re the most understanding man in the world or absolutely crazy.”

Sighing, he sat down on one of the numerous benches that lined the gallery floor and patted the seat beside him. Emma didn’t know precisely how or when it happened, but he had become almost a friend after the deal was struck. She spent as much time with him as she did Lance and, despite the fact she thought he was extremely odd, she had grown fond of him. “Because I think he was trying to make her happy at first. I told you she wasn’t the only one to make mistakes. This whole thing is my fault. It was my foolish pursuit of wealth that drove her to this, endlessly trying to carve my name into the family tomes as one of the best empire builders in the dynasty. If I had been there for her, if I had just listened when she tried to tell me what she needed…well, we wouldn’t be here having this conversation.”

“I hope for your sake this works.”

“And I hope for your sake, the next time a man tries to give you an emerald, you keep it.”

“How do you know I didn’t keep it?”

“Because I think I’m starting to know Emma Swan,” he explained with a wink and smile before pulling her up and taking her to the east wing. Dropping her off at her room, he teased, “Get some rest, dear. Cinderella needs to be at her best for the ball.”

With a sardonic grin, she countered, “Hard to be at your best when you know every Cinderella has her midnight.”

Hours later, after a nap and a fortifying drink, she shrugged into her form-fitting green dress like it was battle armor. She was joking earlier when she said a proposal would be forthcoming, but she had no doubt Lance would make a proposition of some kind. The trick would be to keep him on the line without actually following through with anything.

She left her room as late as possible to avoid spending too much time around the pampered elite who were her housemates that weekend. While she had met a fair few during her crash course in Misthaven society, Arthur was the only one she didn’t mind having a conversation with, but he was unlikely to abandon Guin’s side to keep her company. Especially since it would put a damper on Lance’s pursuit.

Her destination was the expansive, three-tiered back deck, illuminated by thousands of clear fairy lights and a fair number of fireflies, the faint breeze carrying the briny smell of the ocean that lay only a few feet beyond their well-tended lawn. The men in tuxedos added a dashing contrast to their partners’ colorful evening gowns and cocktail dresses. A string quartet was playing off to the side; the beautiful melody drifted through the party in a way that enhanced the romantic atmosphere to a point it made her hurt.

She was surprised to see Arthur standing alone through the wall of windows. She stopped to take in the scene, complete with busy waitstaff and tables of food.

She couldn’t wait to get away.

“Alright, Guinevere, you want to talk, let’s talk. I have a few serious words to say.”

Silently moving until the curtains partially hid her, Emma watched as Lance and Guinevere made their way toward the patio. Guinevere’s eyes were red and she was fretting with a handkerchief gripped tightly between her hands. “As if you had two serious words in your whole vocabulary, Lance.”

“I could make a very noble speech. Tell you we were just two ships passing in the night, but the truth is, Arthur is my friend. I don’t want to break up a happy marriage. We’ve been playing with fire, but it’s better to end this now before someone gets hurt.”

“Funny how none of that mattered until the baroness showed up. I know you think you are in love with her. I can see it in your face every time she is around. You’re behaving like a schoolboy. You’re a darling, but you need to be careful. We don’t know anything about her. All we have is her word that she is who she says she is. I’ve asked around; no one has ever heard of her. Maybe her hair is dyed, and maybe she’s poisoned three husbands. Sidney told me there was some man calling her a swan and chasing her at her hotel today. It had all the staff talking.”

“You’re jealous, Guin.”

“Terribly. Fun, isn’t it?” The woman rushed from the room, tears flowing freely now. Emma didn’t move from her hiding place, instead waiting until he had joined the party before she followed in his footsteps.

—

As she predicted, Lance made sure he was her partner for most of the night. She followed Guin’s movements with alarm, knowing the woman was on edge and fearful of what she may do if she felt she had nothing to lose. Her glance met Arthur’s when she saw his wife and Sidney go inside, heads close together and a look of shock crossing Guin’s face. The other man nodded at her and trailed after them at a distance.

She wasn’t sure what possessed her to let Lance lead her away from the party into the formal gardens spreading north of the patio. Perhaps she was tired of having to put a fake smile on her face, or maybe she was simply tired.

He kept a steady stream of conversation going, mostly unanswered on her side, and navigated them down an old stone path to a large fountain surrounded by benches and meticulously pruned rose bushes. “Please don’t interrupt, dear, but suppose we were to follow this path all the way to the garage and take my car for a ride through the countryside.”

“Oh, the make-believe game! It’s always been one of my favorites. But why stop at the countryside, Lance? Why not go on a tour of the moon while we’re at it?”

“I asked you not to interrupt,” he teased, pulling her arm through his and continuing to amble further away from the house. “You see, this isn’t some random trip. We have a particular place we are heading. A little estate by the lake where an opinionated old dame lives. It’s twenty ’til midnight. If we leave now, we can make it as dawn is breaking.”

Intrigued despite herself, she asked, “And what business would we have at this chateau by the lake?”

“I want you to meet my mother. To introduce you to her and tell her that I’ve met the one. Then the pale light of dawn will shine on the first day of our lives together.”

He was serious, and she felt like the lowest of human beings when she joked back, “I doubt the day will be the only thing breaking when that bombshell drops. Were we going to share the news with my husband before or after our visit?”

Before he could respond, Arthur called out from behind them on the path, “Baroness Jones, I believe you promised me a dance.”

He reached them seconds later with a pointed look at her. Although he was the picture of sophistication, she could tell by his quick pace something had happened. “A midnight dance as I remember.”

“Of course, please excuse me,” she murmured to Lance, who looked like he was about to protest as she took Arthur’s arm and allowed him to guide her back to the house. Keeping a calm expression on her face, she smiled and nodded to the people they passed and waited until they were out of earshot to ask, “What’s happened?”

“It’s midnight, dear. The ground has opened under our feet. That horrible friend of Guin’s, Sidney, did some digging and found out there is no Baroness Jones. They plan to make an announcement any moment now. I’m sorry I brought you into this mess, Emma.”

They reached the dance floor Arthur installed on the deck specifically for the party, but neither felt like dancing. Instead, they hovered along the back wall and waited for the troublesome pair to return from their scheming.

Sighing, she nudged his shoulder. “It was bound to happen sooner or later. We never really stood a chance at this working.”

“But we were so close. I could feel Guin changing, turning back to me. Now I may as well help her pack her bags,” he replied, grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handing one off to her. Clicking his glass against hers in a mock toast, he muttered, “Here’s to wasted years and endless torment.”

He downed the entire glass and, when she only took a sip, he reached out and downed hers as well.

She wasn’t sure what he had to be upset about. She was the one who was going to be exposed as a charlatan, forced to exit under the judgmental gazes of a house full of people who would dine on the story for months to come. Just as she was about to point out it could be worse, she saw Guin descend the stairs with Sidney hot on her heels. “Here we go.”

“I’ll stand by you as best I can,” Arthur promised, his hand coming to rest in the small of her back as if to provide some physical barrier against what was about to happen.

“Ladies and gentleman, may I have a moment of your time? As you know, Arthur and I pride ourselves on providing the best of entertainment at our parties, and I think you’ll find tonight’s will not disappoint. I have a story to share that I think will delight and amuse you. Under our roof tonight, we have a guest claiming one of the oldest names in European aristocracy.”

A murmur started in the crowd, musicians laying down their instruments, even the waitstaff and caterers ceased what they were doing. It seemed as if the entire universe held its breath waiting for Guin to continue. She could tell the woman enjoyed every moment of it.

“I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the heraldry of Cambridge nobility, but let me assure you that in all of England, there is no—“

From the patio entrance, the footman interrupted in a booming voice to announce the arrival of a late guest of note. “Baron Killian Jones.”

Emma had to grab Arthur’s arm to keep from falling when her knees buckled. In the soft light, the Captain looked like a fantasy. His dark hair mussed in a way that looked intentional, but she knew it resulted from repeatedly running his hand through it when he was frustrated. He was outfitted in a tuxedo, the crisp white shirt making his stubble seem even more dangerous in the moonlight. He surveyed the crowd looking for her, supremely unconcerned he had the attention of the entire party.

Arthur looked at the mysterious stranger and then took in her aghast expression and whispered, “Do you know him?”

At that moment, Killian’s eyes met hers and the heat she saw there made it difficult to think, much less speak. “Yes. Yes, I know him.”

“Right. All hope isn’t lost then,” Arthur said with forced cheerfulness as he disengaged her death grip on his arm and went to greet their visitor. In a loud voice, so nobody would have to strain to hear, he said, “Welcome to my home, my dear Baron. It’s been a long time since we’ve met.”

Despite the fact the men had never laid eyes on each other before, Emma observed the Captain as he quickly assessed the lay of the land and responded, “Yes, years and years. I hope you don’t mind me trespassing on your hospitality. I only just arrived in town and the hotel staff informed me my wife was spending the weekend here. I couldn’t wait to see her.”

“With such a charming companion, no one blames you,” Guinevere said smoothly, giving Sidney a look meant to quell any further talk and rushing to meet their newest arrival. “She’s kept us all so diverted this past week.”

Giving the woman a slight grin, he nodded. “I’m sure. She’s nothing if not diverting.”

Moving away from the Soberanos, he took the stairs two at a time until he was standing in front of her, mouth twisted in amusement and eyes on fire. He seemed to drink in the sight of her from the artless way the curls were falling down her back to how her hand was white-knuckled from holding on to a nearby chair.

“You found me.” Somehow her words sounded like both an accusation and a thank you. Her eyes searched his face for some clue as to why he was there.

“Did you ever doubt I would?”

Before anything else could be said, he pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips to hers. Plundering her mouth, not caring they had an audience numbering in the hundreds, he shifted his grip, one hand making its way to her hair and cradling the back of her head. The other drifted lower, moving her body until it pressed against the long length of his. The thin fabric of her dress allowed the heat of him to soak through to her skin which suddenly felt tight and she was desperate for more contact.

She leaned into him, allowing her hands finally to comb through the hair that had haunted her dreams. The silky strands provided a contrast to the rough drag of his facial scruff against her cheek, the feeling of him in her arms doing exactly what she wanted almost pushing her into sensory overload. She didn’t think, who could when faced with such an onslaught, her body moving on instinct. She moaned into his mouth, tongues tangling and tasting of champagne and need.

A throat cleared in the distance and reality came crashing back. Reluctantly, Killian pulled back, resting his forehead against hers and breathing unevenly.

With quiet wonder, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I was hungry to see my little wife.”

@teamhook @kmomof4 @jrob64 @stahlop @motherkatereloyshipper @xarandomdreamx @xsajx @klynn-stormz

[hiimsociallyawkward]

aithusia

hi bestie @lady-ofmagic-andstars it's been a while. i said i would do this episode last week but i had to wait for the destiny and chicken podcast to come out so here we are. basically, all of my thoughts while watching aithusia.

ugh the opening scene. i actually love it

ok ngl i remember that this guy is the bad guy but he's like 🥵🥵🥵 jeez

ik it's not just on tiktok but that tiktok where it goes 'but momma i'm in love with a criminal'

wow nice key bud

ok him running in the forest is just like you cannot outrun your demons and i thought that was so funny

smh he's so violent but he's so pretty :,)

ok but how old is this guy?? he say it's taken 20 years of his life. why 20? is that because that's when the 'last' dragon died out?? and at what age was he socially concious enough to recognize the implication of what it means to have a dragon? his is so dumb but probably like 15? so this guy is 35ish? idk man thoughts?

ok if he just feel off the cliff instead of being able to pull himself up we would've saved ourselves a lot of trouble i'm just saying druids.

ok this is so pretty. my thoughts are like 25% me singing show tunes, 25% thinking of actual merlin things, 50% thinking about how pretty everything is

merlin is such a light sleeper. idk why that's important but he wakes up ALL the time

✨gaius is the worst ✨

ok colin's eye looked so good in this scene

aLASFLJDFA MERLIN AND HIS SOCKS

stop i literally dress like this

i love his sleep clothes. it's such a vibe

aw merlin saying 'save the dragons is so cute' omg it reminds me of the vsco girls and saving the turtles HAHA

i love how equal merlin and kilgharrah feel here

asjflsjdasjdfl like ik this is the point but i love that merlin's inherited his father gift and he's always going to remember him. not that merlin would forget his father but idek

aw kilgharrah is like 'i beg you' ok now that i think abt it maybe it's slightly manipulative but it's also really not

ok actually i don't know how many time merlin uses this scene but i guess i'm keeping track now. but look how pretty

wow the rising sun 🤪

OH HAHA THIS IS WHERE MERLIN CARTWHEELS??

literally merlin just breaks in everywhere

merlin seems so earnest about wanting to see the dragons. i want to see the dragons too please

omg HAHA the woodworm is this episode??

WHY IS MERLIN STILL SEARCHING AFTER ARTHUR TURNS AROUND WHAT?

this is a side note but i love arthur's key holder thingy it's actually pretty.

stop right now why is merlin using his magic to PANTS arthur

ok i'm pretty sure that agravaine is only in this episode this one time, and yk it's the little victories

i'm actually embarassed for arthur and merlin here. i don't like it at all

HOW DOES MERLIN DO THE HANDSTAND?? that's the one part i like

ok my question is how is he supposed to know where the last piece of the triskeleton is??

SECOND QUESTION WHY IS HE JUST STANDING IN THE VAULT WHEN HE SHOULD BE RUNNING

lasflkajsdljsad omg the betrayal. ouch my heart

these scene are just like. it's actually art

ok how did merlin stay there all night and no one saw him?? literally camelot guards need to step up

omg no not merlin zooming

sklfja;lsdkjfasdlfs amerlin and the cup

i love how long merlin and arthur look at each other before arthur reacts

lsjfa;lksdsl woodworm omg and the fact that arthur believes that merlin is this chaotic is so funny

HAHA THIS SCENE GAIUS LITERALLY YELLING AT MERLIN

i think this is the funniest thing because gaius is like 'don't people about your magic' while YELLING ABOUT MERLIN'S MAGIC

ok that's a good point gaius we don't know what borden's intentions are

alsdjfalsd stop why didn't they wait for merlin :,(. this reminds me of when you're in highschool and you're finishing lunch and as you pack up everyone is leaving you??????

ok but i love that merlin rides in front with arthur. like- of course he does

merlin being observant 😍😍

i want to go horse riding now

STOP I DON'T LIKE THIS

THIS KNIGHT/DINNER GAG IS NOT FUNNY TO ME. NOT IN THE SLIGHTLEST. THERE'S THIS FIC by @a-small-batch-of-dragons. i literally spent like 10 minutes looking for it because i had to include it here

this scene just.. i don't like it. i never have and i never will

like- who decided that putting this scene in here would be good. no thanks

the knights sleeping in a circle and merlin sleeping on the outside. idk bro that made me a little sad

but also. i want a cloak please. i think i'm just going to say i want a cloak every episode

ok i chuckled at the interaction of 'ever herd of the word sorry?' and 'no is it a word you made up?'

dude don't ask why but i love it when people walk through waterfalls

i don't know why arthur looked so stupid when he was doing it though

i love the nature of it all

yes merlin, you start walking toward the castle first

aw i love the knights working together. like, i know they work together- they're knights, but we love to see it

merlin and his sharp eyes again :,))

why are they making camp it's literally not even dark yet 😭😭

oh great another dinner gag. please stop. i dislike this immensely

wow i love that merlin can heal them. i also think it's surprising because merlin sucks at healing things but yk.. ✨plot✨

this looks like the type of building teens would either be convinced is haunted and try to stay the night there or the type of building that all teens would go to to take pics for the #gram

ok is borden dead here or..

yes i'm putting both of these picture here. who's going to stop me

just kidding it's three

ok so not dead

ok this is not meant to be creepy but colin has nice hands

borden is a creep please go away now

merlin use your ✨magic ✨ please

YES. tell him you're the last dragonlord. i stan. YES HIM AND HIS MAGIC

you better run boy

ok how he manages to get out of the castle is astounding

HAHA there was some CGI that fell and i laughed so hard because it looked so fake

LITERALLY. THE PRETTY CASTLE SCENE IS HERE AGAIN. PRETTY CASTLE SCENE COUNTER; 3

omg merlin getting excited about the egg is actually so precious

both of their faces here are SO precious.

oasfasldfjasl idk why but whenever merlin walks across with the eggs i have this feeling he's going to faceplant and drop it for the comedic effect but i'm glad that never happens

bruh 'back where it belongs' like yes that makes sense but also that doesn't make sense

dude

it's been a full moon for like 4 days now..??????

omg i actually love aithusa

tbh, i DO NOT know how to pronounce her name

why is she actually the cutest thing ever.

AW MERLIN CRYING

i love it when merlin cries, but not in a sadistic way yk? it's more the fact that he's allowed to cry

ok i have a few dragon fics that i love but the only one i can think of right now is Returning the Favor by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle it's actually perfect

there are so many more that i love but i can't think of them but also- PLEASE REC YOUR FAVE DRAGON FAMILY DOMESTIC FICS PLEASE AND THANK YOU

anyways. i'll be back tomorrow to rant more about the darkest hr pt 2 so i'll see you then! also let me know if you want me to stop tagging you @lady-ofmagic-andstars because otherwise i will literally tag you in everything :,)

[mystech-master]

Persona 5 + Fate/Grand Order stuff

I was trying to imagine the Persona characters being involved in FGO with one big idea I wanted to have was Joker in the Shinjuku singularity, since his persona is Arsene Lupin a fellow enemy of Sherlock Holmes like James Moriarty (oh, I’m sorry, “Herlock Sholmes”).

Like imagine him showing off his god killing Wild Card power, using Satanel’s Sinful Shell to destroy the Meteor all while giving some big speech to Moriarty to make him HIS servant. Then when they fight Baal and maybe combine Moriarty’s NP with Sinful Shel.

B/c of Joker having Arsene and that weird copyright shit, he and Moriarty call Sherlock Holmes, “Herlock Sholmes” just to mess with him.

I was originally speculating that in order for Joker to be involved in these events, I’d have to use the US event order with the events happening 2 years later (Shinjuku happens in 2017 in the JP version, and 2019 in the west), because Joker was in jail or dealing with Maruki during these events. BUT, it turns out that Joker returns to LeBlanc on the 13th of Monday in 2017, with Shinjuku being released on Friday the 24th, with him going home on the 20th of March, so there is plenty of time for Joker to do a mission with Chaldea in that time.

I have been going through the P5 events to see when they occur during the F/GO Solomon arc.

Joker gets his Persona the day the 7 Counterfeit event happens (where we get Jeanne Alter),

Kamoshida’s arc happens all through that event’s duration and his change of heart happens a bit into the Fate/Accel Zero Order event, with the Theive’s establishment, going to Mementos, Midterms, meeting Yusuke, and the first infiltration of Madarame’s palace happening during the F/AZO event.

The Madarme arc goes into the Rashomon event (if we are using Royal then the Faith Confidant starts the day before this event happens).

The Kaneshiro/Makoto arc starts around the same time the Journey to the West event happens

Onigashima happens after Kaneshiro’s change of heart and goes into the End-of-Terms Exams, the Medjed threat and start of the Futaba arc.

Camelot Singularity starts the day you first instigate Futaba’s palace.

The Futaba arc goes through Camelot and the first half of the Summer 2016 event, with Futaba Training Week happening the day Part 2 of the Summer event happens.

The Hawaii trip happens the day the Prisma Illya event starts, and the Prisma Causeway event goes through the first part of the Okumura arc (funny, I saw a lot of people bashing the Prillya event due to the writer being too horny on main for lolis, and the Okumura arc’s first part with Morgana leaving is a lot of people’s least favorite part of P5).

Okumra arc goes through Nero Fest (If you wanna make a story with this, maybe just have the Theives smash through the Palace so they can all attend the Nero Fest (you get a glimpse of Maruki’s Palace during the Nero Fest), with Okumura’s change of Heart happening the day after the final day of Nero Fest.

The Culture Festival and the first exploration of Sae’s Palace happens during Halloween 2016 in F/GO

I personally was thinking of rearranging events with Christmas, Babylonia and Solomon in my own story interpretation. Like there is the whole beginning of November that is open, so that the Christmas event can happen on Christmas.

Joker gets captured and interrogated the week before the Christmas event with Jeanne Alter Santa Lily, which starts during the whole Shido’s Palace Arc.

Babylonia was all in December, but we’re told that Rituska and Mash spend at least a month in Uruk.

The Solomon Singularity happens the day before the Final Deadline with Yaldabaoth. But officially Solomon happens on New Years Eve I think.

For the Royal Events

The Old Man of the Mountain Summoning Campaign starts during the Maruki arc, so imagine all of the thieves meeting King Hassan.

Joker returns to LeBlanc during the Valentines Day Re-run.

Shinjuku and Chaldea Boys happens between Joker getting out of Jail and him going home.

Strikers happens from July 24 to August 31, during which the All the Statesman Event and the Summer Race happen in F/GO. But going by the US/West version, Nero Fest happens from July 25 to August 3, then the Moon Goddess Event from  August 17 to August 24.

I just thought this would be a fun idea to think about.

[phantombandit-films]

Why ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005) is a underrated masterpiece.

‘War of the Worlds’ was released in 2005, it is directed by the film god that is Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T.) and written by Josh Friedman (Terminator: Dark Fate, Avatar 2) and David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible) 

Cast:  - Tom Cruise as Ray Farrier. - Justin Chatwin as Robbie Farrier. - Dakota Fanning as Rachel Farrier. - Miranda Otto as Mary Ann. -Tim Robbins as Harlan Ogilvy. - Ann Robinson as Grandmother.  - Gene Barry as Grandfather. 

First lets start with some history of ‘The War of the Worlds’ - The 2005 film is based off the novel of the same name which was written by H.G. Wells between 1895 and 1897, it then was then made into a series by Pearson’s Magazine in 1897 in the UK, Cosmopolitan in the US. Then becoming a hardback novel in 1898, it is one of the earliest written pieces to tell a story of conflict between Martians and man and so its one of the most commented on pieces of science fiction. 

It has been adapted and developed several times over many decades in many medias, the ones that come to mind are the famous 1938 dramatic radio reading that was directed and starred Orson Welles that actually caused public panic to those who listened in and didn’t know that the Martian invasion was fiction, its said that up to a million people ran out of their homes in terror.  (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama) )

The 1953 ‘The War of the Worlds’ film adaptation, which was produced by George Pal and directed by Byron Haskin. It also starred Gene Barry (who played Dr. Clayton Forrester) and Ann Robinson (who played Sylvia Van Buren) who can also been seen at the end of the 2005 film, they play the grandparents of Robbie and Rachel which I think is a sweet little cameo to see for those who loved the 1953 film.  Ann Robinson also revived her role as Sylvia Van Buren in two other films and three episodes of ‘The War of the Worlds’ tv series in 1988. 

In 1978 the most well known musical album by Jeff Wayne was produced and based off the story of ‘War of the Worlds’ this album included the voices of Richard Burton and David Essex.

This was then turned into a concert musical which tours annually through out the UK and Europe, the concert includes live performers such as Carrie Hope Fletcher but also a 3D hologram of Liam Neeson. It also includes a mix of computer animation, pyrotechnics and a big mechanical tripod that comes out on stage and lights up and can fire its heat-ray. 

(Source: Birmingham Mail.)

There have also been several Tv series, the two newest being the 2019 BBC version staring Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson and Full Monty’s Robert Carlyle, that has a Edwardian setting and follows closely to the novel. 

The other being the FOX 2019 adaptation that is set in present day Europe but I found this version didn’t really go off the novel, and was frustrated with the lack of the famous Tripods.  (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds) 

As a kid I would watch the 1953 film with my mum all the time as its one of her favourites and I do really like it, but then 2005 rolled around and in comes Steven Spielberg’s version. To be fair it was probably 2006 when I finally saw it, I was nine years old at the time and I remember my dad bringing home the DVD that someone at work had lent him. I don’t remember watching it but I do remember having nightmares for a month after, only for a month though.  Many years later when I was half way through high school and getting more and more into film my dad then bought the DVD from Woolworth's before it shut down, the DVD didn’t have a case only a see through CD case so I think it only cost him something like 50p. So I re-watched and again I don’t really remember this but all of a sudden I was hooked, and it climbed to the second spot on my favourite movies list where it still sits today. Honestly if you asked anyone I was friends with at that time they will tell you just how obsessed I was with it.  

I have many scenes that I love in this film the first being the rise of the first tripod, but there are two that I geek out over every time. 

The first scene being the one in the basement at Robbie and Rachel’s house, the scene starts off with Ray asleep in a chair. He starts to stir when when a blue flash of light on his face, but then jolts up right at a load whooshing noise followed by closely by Robbie shooting up from just below the camera. I love the way that Robbie appears sort of fits with the sound that’s heard, also the whole mood of the scene which is pitch black with this blue flashing light every now and then. The fact that you’re just as clueless as the characters as well, you find out what’s happening when they find out.  Also the way that Rachel appears behind the basement stairs, which will appear again near the end of the movie in a much more damaged basement which shows just how much their world has changed in just a short few days.  The sound design in this movie as well is something that I love, I love when the sound in a film alone can creep you out. The tripod sound is one of my favourite sounds to exist, like if I heard that from outside I would be so creeped out and scared.  At this moment in time Robbie and Rachel have no idea what is hunting them or what Ray has seen, Imagine running from something and seeing something completely destroy the whole of your neighbourhood yet not knowing what it looks like. This is what runs through my mind when I heart Rachel cry “Is it them, Is it them?!”  Then the next morning when Ray goes upstairs and see’s that the house is just completely destroyed by an aeroplane that has crashed down in the middle of the the housing estate. This Boeing 747 was a out of use plane and the production crew bought it for $60,000 which then cost them $200,000 to transport, it was then broken into pieces and houses were built around it. Which just shows how far some movie productions will go to make a film look more legit. (We love practical effects in this house.) This scene is still set up at Universal Studios Hollywood and can be seen on the Studio tour. 

(Basement and Plane crash scene.)

My second favourite scene, which is one of my all time top favourite scene ever with no surprise is the dock scene.  The speeding train that’s on fire is absolute stunning in every sense but for me the scene starts when the music starts.  ‘If I ruled the world, everyday would be the first day of spring.’ But i’m really glued to the screen when Rachel starts to follow the birds coming in from the river to in land, she follows them up to the hill where she notices the tree’s on the top are moving weirdly. “The tree’s are funny.” She then reaches out and grabs onto Rays hand who was talking to a friend.  Robbie turns to the hill as the camera slowly comes back and shows Robbie also turning to look at where Ray is looking. (Just remembering that this is the first time Robbie and Rachel ever see the tripods.) 

The camera then shows us what the family is looking at to reveal a tripod stood on the top of the hill, it then moves one of its legs which crushes a tree and makes everyone else look back. Obviously chaos ensues from this point on, everyone running trying to get onto the ferry to get away from the impending doom, unfortunately we learn that no where, not even on the water is safe. As a tripod comes up from out of the water and attacks the ferry, the family manage to escape and get to land on the other side of the ferry. They stop for a moment to catch their breath as people are being picked out of the water below them, they turn as a old air raid alarm is heard on the other side of the hill and we see tripods coming over another hill that was filled with people and using their head rays to wipe them all out, we also see in the distance a lighting storm indicating more Martions are still coming to earth. The scene is like a depiction of all the stages of the attack.  (Dock attack scene.)

I mean all the action scenes in this movie are just so beautiful and amazing, but did we expect any less from Spielberg? And the CGI and practical are all done extremely well and fitted together to make a scene look as real as possible. One of the art directors that worked on this film, Doug J. Meerdink who has also worked on Jurassic Park: III, Cloverfield and Jurassic World. 

I was looking up some trivia on IMDB for this movie and found that there was a deleted scene that is called the ‘Camelot’ scene. This scene is supposed to take place between the attack on the ferry and the battle on the hill, it involves Ray, Rachel and Robbie walking through an abandoned housing estate that’s named Camelot, when a pack of tripods start walking near by.  One of the tripods breaks off and the family has to take cover behind a SUV, they watch helplessly from behind as the tripod reaches into the house and grabs people from the houses. This scene has never been released but apparently it was fully finished, VFX and all but then taken out a few weeks before post production was wrapped up.  There is only one official video from this scene that was in the actual trailer for the film, and it’s only a shot of the family hiding behind the SUV. 

The only other shot from the scene is this landscape shot of a CGI tripod. 

There are also photos of the set designers setting up the miniature of the housing estate to shoot this scene, the rest are fan arts of how the scene maybe looked/ played out.  (Source)

I really hope that one day Steven releases this scene, or for some anniversary adds it into an extended version of the film like we’ve seen for other films. Because I would love that so much! It seems like such an incredible scene, and to see the tripods up this close again would be so cool! 

One of the trailers that was released for this film doesn’t have any of the film shots it in, It takes place in a normal neighbourhood where people are just going about their normal nightly routine when suddenly over the hill there are all these brilliant flashing lights, everyone's just coming out of their houses in their pj’s and standing in the street marvelling at this sight in front of them. Then we see explosions and suddenly heat rays are blowing up the tress on the street which then goes into the title.  I just love this, a trailer that doesn’t give anything away from the movie but creeps you out enough to be invested.  (Trailer.)

All in all it’s just an very visually pleasing film, it feels real enough to give you a sense of fear for the characters and for yourself. I also love that Steven stayed true to the source material,more truer than some of the other adaptations and also added in his own little Easter eggs.  The sounds, the aesthetic, the colours just everything comes together so beautifully. I think its a very underrated movie that deserves so much more love.

[supercalvin]

Hi! I saw your ficlet that you wrote to cheer up someone who came out and didn't have a good experience with it and I was wondering if you could maybe write another one? My girlfriend and I came out at the same time and no one's taking it too well. We're both big fans of Merlin and especially your ficlets. I was wondering if you can write a nice supportive coming out ficlet to maybe cheer her up?

So I will tell you what I said to @ancient-depressed-druid over on that other ficlet: *Immediately drops all other prompts* LOOK AT ME. I’M THE PARENT NOW.

NEVER SPEAK TO ME OR MY KIDS EVER AGAIN

1. I hope you don’t mind that I based on a fic idea my friend gave me. It’s really funny, although it’s not necessarily a ‘coming out fic’ I hope its enough to cheer you both up.

2. This turned out wayyy too long again. Whoops.

3. Did I take 20 min to make that image?? YES I DID

Prompts + Ficlets

***

Balinor arrived at the oral surgeon’s office with a sigh. To say that this was not how Balinor expected to spend his afternoon would be an understatement.

“I’m here to pick up Arthur Pendragon,” He told the receptionist.

There were a lot of things about the last fifteen years of Balinor’s life that he hadn’t expected. For one thing, he hadn’t expected to run into an old flame when he moved to Camelot. He hadn’t expected her to have a little toddler at her ankles who had looked so similar to Balinor it actually knocked the breath out of him the first time he saw Merlin.

He hadn’t expected to fall back in love with Hunith or to suddenly become a full-time Dad as Hunith worked full-time at the local senior home.

He also hadn’t expected when Merlin came out to him, but Hunith had admonished him for not noticing Merlin’s small probing conversation starters before. Balinor had never been very good at social cues. Merlin had gotten all those genes from his mother.

“Da, can Arthur come over after school tomorrow?”

“Who’s Arthur? You’ve not mentioned him before.” Balinor had asked, not looking up from the wood he had been cutting. (Merlin had become an avid reader and needed a new bookshelf in his room. Merlin had said they could just buy one but Balinor had insisted on making one for him.)

“Um…Well… He’s my boyfriend. Maybe.”

Balinor had looked up at that. Merlin had his arms wrapped around himself and he had hovered by the door, as if he was about to run out.

Balinor had nodded, “Fine. But you have to keep your door open when he’s here.”

“Da,” Merlin’s face had been bright red, but he had also looked pleased.

“Get back here,” Balinor had stopped him before Merlin bolted out the door. Balinor had pulled his son into a quick hug and pressed a kiss to his hair. At seventeen years old, Merlin was skinny and soon he would be just as tall as Balinor himself. When that day came, Balinor would miss being able to coddle him so easily.

“Thanks, Da.”

“Don’t be too happy, I haven’t met this Arthur yet.”

On principle, Balinor did not like Arthur. No one would be good enough for Merlin, but especially not some spoiled brat. Hunith liked Arthur, which was the only reason Balinor tolerated Merlin having the kid over as often as he did. It wasn’t that he was mean to Arthur (of course not) it was just that Merlin was the most important thing in Balinor’s life, and there was a high possibility that young love would turn to young heartbreak. Balinor only wished he could spare his son that.

Today, Arthur was getting his wisdom teeth removed and the original plan was for Hunith and Merlin to pick him up. Apparently, Uther was on a business that had been scheduled for the same week as Arthur’s surgery. But then Merlin had had to help his Uncle Gaius at the shop and then there had been an emergency at the senior home and Hunith couldn’t do it.

Which left Balinor.

Balinor was ushered into the back room where Arthur was holding an icepack to his face, eyes glazed over.

“Arthur?” Balinor leant down to catch the boy’s eye.

Arthur blinked a few times and then he seemed to recognize Balinor.

“Mr. Emrysss!” He said with what Balinor assumed was a smile, although his cheeks were so puffed that it was hard to tell. “Ow.”

“Careful of the stitches,” The nurse said. “Maybe get a milkshake, love.”

“Milkshake,” Arthur said with wide eyes, looking up at Balinor.

Shit.

Which is how Balinor found himself driving down the road trying to remember the closest ice cream shop.

“Sorry you got stuck with me. I know you don’t like me.”

Balinor was surprised that despite the slow and slurred speech Arthur seemed aware enough to say this.

“I don’t dislike you. You’re dating my son. I’m just watching out for Merlin.”

“’das fair.” Arthur said and then poked his own cheek a few times.

“Stop that. You’ll pull the stitches.” Balinor pulled his hands away from his face.

Arthur sat on his hands, looking like a scolded five-year-old instead of a bratty teenager.

Arthur still seemed very out of it and didn’t say much for another few minutes. He might have dozed off, but he woke up again when Balinor handed him a vanilla milkshake.

“’hanks”

With a bit of sugar into him, Arthur became decidedly more chatty.

“You know, I really do like Merlin.”

“I would hope so,” Balinor said as he drove.

“I love him, actually. Haven’t told him yet. Scarred.”

Balinor’s heart tugged a bit. He wasn’t heartless. He just worried over Merlin. But he could also recognize that Arthur was also a young boy in the throes of first love too.

“Don’t be scarred of your own feelings, Arthur.” Balinor said, a phrase that he had told Merlin many times before.

“Not what my Dad says. Always tells me to get over it.”

Balinor had only ever met Uther once, but he was starting to really not like the man. Really, what kind of man had a business trip on the same week as his son’s surgery?

“You know, I really respect you.” Arthur said, “You’re always so good to Merlin. And saying things like that about feelings. Even if you’re all stoic. I like that. Wish my Dad was like that instead of just being an asshole. Shit, sorry for cursing.”

Balinor had to hold in a laugh, although it was hard. The poor kid was out of his mind on pain meds.

“You know, when Merlin invites me over on Sundays, and Ms. E makes dinner and we watch a film, it’s like the best thing that happens to me all week.”

At a stop sign, Balinor looked over at Arthur who was cradling his milkshake with reverent hands. He also was looking out the window, not really aware of Balinor. As if he was just saying his internal monologue out loud.

“Sometimes I don’t see my Dad all week and I’m alone in a big house for days in a row.” Arthur said, his voice sounding distant, “Dad doesn’t have a clue about Merlin. He barely knows I’m alive, let alone gay. So I’m glad Merlin has you,” Arthur looked back over at Balinor, suddenly pinning him in his seat with round dilated eyes. “You’re a good Dad. Maybe you don’t like me, but it’s because you want Merlin to have the best. That’s alright by me. I don’t think I’m good enough for Merlin either. But I’ll stick around because he wants me to.”

Balinor cleared his throat and turned back to the road after realizing he had been stopped at a stop sign for over a minute.

***

A week later, Arthur was fully recovering from the surgery and he had no recollection of anything he said to Balinor. As far as he was aware, he got a milkshake, took a nap, and woke up groggy on the Emrys’ front room sofa.

The following Sunday, Arthur was invited to their family dinner. Afterwards, when Arthur offered to do the dishes, Balinor quietly started drying, telling Hunith and Merlin to go pick a film.

There was tension pouring off Arthur in waves.

“We’re going on a family trip to Ireland in the summer,” Balinor said, wiping down a pan.

“Yeah, Merlin told me. Sounds nice,” Arthur said awkwardly.

“You’re invited.”

“What?” Arthur dropped the bowl back into the soapy water with a loud ‘plop.’

Balinor made eye contact with Arthur, who looked utterly baffled. “Do you want to go?”

“I mean…uh,” Arthur blinked.

“It’d be nice for you to come,” Balinor said. “Merlin would be ecstatic. You two could go off sightseeing while Hunith and I visit old friends.”

“You wouldn’t mind?”

“Arthur,” Balinor said, trying to make himself clear. “Merlin didn’t ask me. He doesn’t even know I’m asking you. I’m asking because I want you to come along.”

Arthur nodded. His mouth was still half open in surprise. “Yeah. Um. I’d like that. Thanks.”

“Good,” Balinor dried off another plate and ruffled Arthur’s hair. “Finish up here. Those two are likely picking some horrible film. I need your vote against another historical drama.”

Arthur looked baffled, but he also looked pleased.

Good, Balinor thought. Maybe it wasn’t too bad having another son around the house.

***

Prompts + Ficlets

Balinor said, “Is anyone gonna adopt this kid?” and then didn’t wait for an answer.

[schrijverr]

The Great Whale Fight of 326,501

Some of the crew doesn’t believe that whales exists, when this comes to light a fight starts between the two sides, ending in flat-planeters and fun Tshirts.

On AO3.

Ships: none

warnings: none, but tell me if I missed anything or if you want me to tag something!!

I blame @assyer for this whole fic and will deny any responsibility in the creation or origin of this fic.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A whale.

It is a normal animal that most on this earth are familiar with. Hardly anyone has seen one in real life, but almost no one has never heard the word.

But the mechanisms are not from this world, except for Tim, who will tear his own hair out if you mention a whale in his presence.

Tim does not hate whales, of course he doesn’t. Whales are great, sweet animals that he cannot picture in his mind because they’re so big. Tim used to love whales. Used to until the Great Whale Fight of 326,501.

It had all started with Brian getting fished out of the sun. He had been there for a few centuries while the other were exploring the rest of space until the narrative would let them near Camelot again.

When Brain was out of the sun The Toy Soldier asked concerned: “Are You Alright, Old Chap? Not Too Lonely In The Sun?”

“No, no, I had the whales to keep me company.” Brian answered.

“Brian, are you delirious? Is your mechanism failing?” Jonny slapped his face, trying to snap him out of whatever daze he was in, “We both know whales aren’t real.”

“According to my books whales are gigantic seas creatures native to the planet earth documented during the human era.” Ivy told Jonny.

“Of course there are whales, they were in the books.” Tim backed Ivy up.

“Books are rubbish and full of myths, you can’t trust them. Whales aren’t real and even if they were they’re apparently sea creatures, not sun creatures.” Jonny said.

“No, they were there, in the sun. They had puppy eyes, very sweet.” Brian insisted.

“Yeah, okay, Brian is broken. Where is Nastya?” Jonny let go of the lapels of Brians coat, how it had survived he did not know, as the drumbot fell back to the floor.

“I’m here.” Nastya replied distantly from where she was standing at the observation deck, desperately looking to the sun.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Jonny asked.

“Trying to see one of the whales. I miss whales.” Nastya replied.

“I just said they aren’t real.” Jonny threw his hands up.

“And since when do you get to decide that?” Tim asked, “You are not really the one I would go to for facts. Whales are real.”

“I’m with Tim here.” Ivy said.

“Hey! When I showed up and said whales were my favourite animals you all didn’t want to believe me, but now we’re defending them?” Marius exclaimed.

“Because it was funny, Marius.” Tim replied, “Besides, whales don’t prove you’re a doctor.”

“I didn’t even say that!” Marius’ yell was ignored.

“I don’t think whales are real.” Ashes said, picking a side despite not having an opinion just for the chaos of it.

“Yeah there are.” Nastya frowned, “There are space whales and water whales. I saw them when you left me after I sunk on that one planet.”

“You mean that time on earth, before any interesting evolution had happened?” Jonny asked, “That was ages ago, you probably don’t remember it right.”

“Exactly, whales aren’t real. They’re made up by not real scientists.” Raphaella mixed herself into the conversation as well.

“See, the scientist agrees. I’m right.” Jonny said smugly.

“You never believe Raphaella, why are you starting now?” Marius protested.

“Because you believe her, so why not now, von Raum? Wanna explain that?” and Marius wanted nothing more than to punch Jonny in the face, especially when Raph send him an inquisitive look and Ashes grinned: “Yeah, Marius, why won’t you explain that one?”

He clenched his fist and then just went for it, sucker punching Jonny right in the face with his metal hand, enjoying the crunching noise his jaw made.

“Whale side started!” Ashes yelled, before charging at Marius.

After that it was every man for himself. Ashes was chocking Marius while Tim was trying to fend off Raphaellas wings, while Ivy was trying to save herself from Jonnys attacks, who was getting help from TS after a quick order. Brian laid forgotten on the floor, still trying to heal, and Nastya smartly heaved herself up into a vent before anyone could drag her into it.

There was no clear winner, even after the whole thing had dragged on for three full days, so each side declared themselves the winners.

In the following days there was no fraternization between them. If before you were friends with someone who did or did not believe in whales, depending on which side you were on, now you weren’t.

Raphaella and Marius no longer did science together, Brian and Ivy were no longer invited to The Toy Soldiers tea party and Jonny was giving Nastya the cold shoulder, while Ashes refused to play cards with Tim.

This went on for a long while, about four months, but it was getting annoying, so Jonny knew that he would have to stoke the fire before it ended.

Taking inspiration from Ulysses he proposed a truce by giving Nastya and Brian both the same shirt that read: ‘I was lefd on a plannet end al I saw was a wale’

The two in question were ecstatic, both with the shirt and a reason to leave the fight that had broken out. Brian didn’t like fighting and Nastya just didn’t care enough, she only wanted to see some more whales. Brian was easily convinced to fly closely past a sun in an attempt to spot them.

Ivy, however, was not at all amused at the shirts. When she saw the two wearing them, she immediately found Jonny and yelled: “A sun is not a planet and there are no whales in the sun!”

“Why not, it’s also flat and in space?” Jonny shrugged, “Besides, Brian and Nastya seem to think otherwise. Thought they were on your side?”

“They were, uh, they are!” Ivy said defensively, “You’re just trying to win them over.”

“And I feel that is going pretty well.” Jonny stuck out his tongue.

“Wait, Jonny, did you just say that suns are flat like planets?” Marius asked, from where he was sitting on the couch. Beside him Ashes smelled Jonnys bullshit they and innocently said: “Yeah, duh, who doesn’t know that?”

Marius gaped like a fish and looked like he was about to explode as Ivy screamed: “We literally fly past planets every fucking day! How the fuck do you not know they are round not fucking flat!”

“Because I have common sense, Ivy.” Jonny told her, basking in the chaos he was creating, “If I stand then the ground around me is flat. There is such a thing called being level that can’t happen if a planet is round, it has to be flat.”

“Yeah, how can you debunk that, eh, Ivy.” Ashes grinned.

“Planets are big, okay? They can be round with a slight slope that you don’t notice and therefore feel flat, but they are not flat, just look outside, just look through any of the windows on Aurora and look at any planet ever.” Ivys cheeks were beginning to match the color of her hair as she got angrier.

“And how do we not fall off then, someone has to be on the underside.” Ashes asked, phrasing it like they were telling her something and she was dumb.

“Because gravity!” Marius exploded, “Tell me you know fucking gravity!”

“No, I don’t believe in that.” Jonny said calmly, backing Ashes up without a blink.

“First whales, now this, what are you going to say next.” Ivy screamed frustrated.

“Fucking nothing if I have anything to say about it.” Marius said, jumping Jonny to kill him so often it would take a month to reform.

And with a cackle from Jonny a new fight broke out again. The animosity from this fight lasted about a year, but was never fully resolved.

The terms whale and flat in combination with planet were banned, with Aurora shooting anyone who brought it up again.

So yeah, Tim used to love whales, Marius too, but the Great Whale Fight of 326,501 kind of ruined it for everyone that wasn’t Ashes or Jonny as well as Brian and Nastya, who now spend about an hour every week together trying to spot some whales out there in the vastness of space.

[retvenkos]

Hi, I had sent a 🔥 ask like a week ago and I saw your post about tumblr eating some of them. I wanted to resend it, but I don’t want to be a bother, so don’t worry if you don’t want to do it. I had asked for a male character from Merlin and Narnia. I’m an INFP hufflepuff and I love to read. I also love nature, especially flowers, and music and I love to dance, but only in the privacy of my own home. I dislike crowds and loud spaces. Again, feel free to ignore and congrats on the 2.5k!

Merlin:

I ship you with Sir Leon!

alright, so sir leon is the sweetest of all the knights, and the two of you are perfect together - thoughtful, open-minded, generous, loyal to a fault, and fairly idealistic in your views. you’re the resident optimists of camelot, and the hufflepuff energy you radiate is off the charts.

i imagine you’re the child of some noble or another, so you’re both on the same level, and you were probably childhood friends (because leon deserves a childhood friends to lovers storyline and on god i will give it to him)

i 100% envision you walking around the castle with leon, both of you playfully teasing each other or reminiscing about your childhood, and gwaine and percival show up, telling leon he needs to get to training, and when they walk away you can hear them teasing him about his crush on you, and he laughs all flustered.

(because at this point, ofc, the two of you are courting, but the other knights don’t know because they don’t think leon has the guts to ask you and he doesn’t deny it, because then they’re teasing about him being whipped would be even worse.)

oh! and you definitely watch leon train from time to time - maybe you bring a book and masquerade like your reading (and you know merlin teases you about it) but you’re really just here to watch leon.

and the two of you go on walks or you go horseback riding together - the two of you rarely get time to spend together where he isn’t running after arthur and you’re not answering to snobbish nobles, so the time you do spend together, you try to get out so you’re undisturbed. i imagine that you stop at some point and you make flower crowns, or at least pick flowers and tuck them behind his ears. maybe you braid flowers into his hair. idk, but sir leon and flowers in his hair is peak.

something i also love about the two of you is you value your privacy - both of you like to have moments for just the two of you, little things that you do for each other that only the two of you know of. one of these is definitely dancing. leon loves to hold you close, and dancing with you in private is an easy way to get you near. i imagine that he’ll hum a tune for you to “dance” to, where you really just sway with each other.

also! if you sing, it’s leon’s favorite thing. your voice calms him, and he never fails to compliment it. 

i imagine that the two of you have a very soft, lowkey relationship.

Narnia:

I ship you with Caspian!

alright, so the first thing to know about caspian is that he’s a dreamer - in every sense of the word. he loves fantastical stories with happy endings and he loves pondering what might have been, and what still can be. i think his more reserved nature is what initially draws you to him - he’s strong and he can be quite charismatic when he wants to be, but he’s also very gentle and introverted.

you like is more gentle, calm demeanor, and both of you are very relaxed when with each other. even though caspian is introverted and so are you, he has this way about him that makes it easy to open up to him, something that’s hard for others to do, seeing as you like to keep things close.

and caspian loves how open-minded and thoughtful you are - the two of you have the best, long conversations where you talk about the world, and about what you could become. it’s funny that you would talk about his future, because caspian is a little unsure when it comes to things like that, but you manage to put him at ease in the best way.

and on the other hand, caspian is active and he likes to go on adventures. when he feels free, caspian is at his happiest, and there’s a lot of playfulness that he shows when the two of you are horseback riding or are on the dawn treader - it’s almost as though, for a moment, he’s not an unsure king, but just someone seeing the world and not worrying about his place in it.

i think you would indulge caspian in his more carefree moments, and you would be a steady hand to hold in the challenging moments, and that’s what caspian deserves.

i also think that caspian would love to read with you! he grew up on rich stories of the kings and queens of old, and he no doubt grew to love stories in general, maybe going on to write a bit of poetry himself (which he insists is terrible - he doesn’t have the rhythm the should, but you think is wonderful in its own way). he would especially love to listen to you read aloud - it makes him feel less alone, and that’s something he needs.

[hall-of-merlin2]

Magic, Monsters and Merthur - 1x03 - (Merthur)

I see what the people want, I give the people what they want.

Loads, loads, and holy fuck how much character content can there be in one episode???!!!

A lot.

A whole frickin lot.

<_><_><_>

“Dad? her’es your sandwich.”

“Mmm, what’s in it?”

“It’s smoked pigeon, but I’d say there’s more smoke than pigeon.”

***

“And I’ve done you some watercress soup tonight.”

“Don’t tell me... With more water in it than cress?”

03:02

This is just… This is so frickin’ adorable. They’re both cuties, and I will declare now that “cutie” is the highest praise a character can get.

A new list is born, except we’re not comparing Cuties, we’re just all getting mushy over them.

<_><_><_>

03:45

AWH!

This is such obvious flirting! Even more obvious than Arthur and Merlin, I daresay, but then it went nowhere because someone suddenly realized that Gwen needed to end up with Arthur. I wish whoever it was that they didn’t.

(JUST LOOK AT THEIR SMILES THEY’RE SO FRICKING ADORABLE)

<_><_><_>

04:10

Okay, so I’m not the biggest Morgwen shipper, but…

Come on! This really is sweet!

(And can you blame Morgana for falling for Gwen? Just look at that Cutie’s smile!)

<_><_><_>

04:40

And on the flipside we have Arthur “I’ll come all the way out to this tower that’s directly opposite everything else just to give you a message by myself and not let another servant or guard do it for me” Pendragon.

Both Pendragons really are completely gone for their servants.

<_><_><_>

04:48

I like Gaius’ face though.

He looks like he’s one second away from shaking his head and looking at Merlin in that look that’s just so exasperated at Merlin taking everyone’s hearts on his first week.

<_><_><_>

05:02

Gaius: Has a point.

Merlin: :O

Merlin: >:(

<_><_><_>

05:08

YA’LL WANNA TALK ABOUT SOMEONE ICONIC-

<_><_><_>

“But not all magic is bad. I know it isn’t!”

“It’s neither good nor bad. It’s how you use it.”

07:50

The first version of the “Evil lies in the hearts of men” line.

So, once again, YA’LL WANNA TALK ABOUT SOMEONE ICONIC-

<_><_><_>

08:40

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

-aaaaaaaaa, nah. It’s just Arthur getting back at Merlin for “Being late”.

What a different episode THAT would have been…

<_><_><_>

09:38

Arthur uses a snappy tone.

(Almost an accusation.)

But Gaius is having none of it.

And Arthur immediately SITS THE FUCK DOWN.

God, imagine how Arthur would have turned out if Gaius wasn’t there to “occasionally” remind Arthur that he will not be taking his shit and he can get off that pedestal now.

YA’LL WANNA TALK ABOUT SOMEONE ICONIC-

Okay okay I’m gonna stop.

Gaius has earned the Cutie award.

Welcome to the big leagues!

<_><_><_>

Are you mad? Merlin, your life’s destined for more important things.

But what if I don’t practice, then how will I get to be this… Great Warlock?!

There will come a time when your skills will be recognized.

*Frustrated noises* When?! How long do I have to wait?!

Patience is a virtue, Merlin.

Oh sitting by and doing nothing, that’s a virtue?

*Raises ladle* Your time. Will come.

I point this out a few episodes later, but this is the real difference between Gaius and Kilgharrah.

Both of their goals are to get Merlin to fulfill “his destiny”. Kilgharrah may know more of what his “destiny” actually is, but Gaius has no clue. He truly has no reason to believe that Merlin is “one side of a coin” or that Arthur is important in his “destiny”, he just sees how powerful Merlin is.

He also sees just how eager Merlin is to use his magic. How he understands the more complex concepts of magic and knows how to use it, and has quite the moral compass, that Merlin is actually prepared for “his destiny” or “doing good”, but he also sees what a hothead Merlin is, how quickly he jumps from one thought to another, how little he thinks at all once he gets something into his head. Gaius knows that whatever Merlin’s “destiny” is, he could probably handle it with what he’s already taught him, but he also knows that this thing is not “it”. And realizing that Merlin still has to wait, knowing how disinterested he actually is in that, he tries to get Merlin to power through this time. He tries to instill this “hope” into him, that he will be great, that he will be free, that he will be fine and that he just has to endure, and not kill everybody along the way.

The intent is good. And I think Merlin realizes this later, but at this stage, Merlin is still not used to sitting still. I don’t think he ever is, he’s just become more clever about it.

Also… Please enjoy yet another perfectly timed screencap.

He look happy.

<_><_><_>

What’s different about this victim?

Uh… She’s a woman!

…

Sometimes I do wonder if your magical talents were given to the right person.

12:10

Gaius is so fuckin done XD

Ahhh okay. Gaius gets the Snarky Cutie award. This will be competed for, let’s see who holds it the longest.

<_><_><_>

So what’s the thing they do share?

Uh… Water.

*Encouraging pen pointing*

Water. You think the disease is spread through water!

Merlin. You’re a prodigy.

12:45

Yeah… Gaius is keeping this award for a long time.

<_><_><_>

17:19

Oh… Oh my poor Merlin… My poor boy is reminded that he has no father to hug :(

Is that one of the reasons he acted so impulsively? Besides the obvious one, that he loves Gwen – but did Merlin cure Gwen’s father because he didn’t want Gwen to live without one, like he has?

Oh… Oh…

Oh my sweet precious sunshine, my heart just shattered.

MERLIN RECEIVES THE SELFLESS CUTIE AWARD. I DON’T THINK ANYONE WILL TAKE IT OFF HIM.

<_><_><_>

18:55

EPISODE 3 MAGIC REVEAL – THE DUO OF MERLIN AND GWEN, FUCKING SHIT UP SINCE MERLIN DECIDED TO COME TO CAMELOT.

WE DESERVED THIS.

“I’m psychic.”

*laughing* “No you’re not.”

“It’s true!”

“Alright, what am I thinking?”

“That I’m not psychic.”

*laughter* “You’re strange...

“I don’t mean that in a nasty way!

“You’re just... Funny.

“I like that.”

MY FUCKIN HEART.

THEY ARE BOTH SO ADORABLE!!!

THIS IS SO BLATANTLY OBVIOUS!

CUTIES OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER. THE ADORABLE CUTIES. THE MOST ADORABLE CUTIES TO EVER EXIST.

OH REALLY.

*loud screeching in the distance*

*sound of glass shattering*

NO THAT WAS MY HEART WHY DID YOU TAKE IT!

I MEAN CONGRATS YOU NOW HAVE IT! ARE YOU HAPPY?

I AM!

CUTIES!

<_><_><_>

“It’s too late. They think Gwen’s a sorceress, they think she caused the disease.”

“But she didn’t!”

22:25

By any means fucking necessary.

<_><_><_>

“I have seen the way the girl works. Her fingers are worn, her nails are broken.

“If she was a sorceress, why would she do this?!

“Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning, when she could make these things happen with the snap of her fingers?

“Like an idle king.”

“You have no right!…”

“But you have the right to cast a judgment-!”

“I have a responsibility to take care of this kingdom!”

…

“I take no pleasure in this.” (AS FUCKING IF)

“But you are sentencing the wrong person!”

“She’s right, Father. You hear the word ‘magic’ and you no longer listen.”

“You saw it for yourself, she used enchantments.”

“Yes!… Maybe. But to save her dying father! That doesn’t make her guilty of creating a plague.

“One’s the act of kindness, of love, the other of evil – I don’t believe evil’s in this girl’s heart.”

“I have witnessed what witchcraft can do. I’ve suffered at its hand. I cannot take that chance.

If there is the slightest doubt about this girl she must die or the whole kingdom may perish.”

“I understand that…”

“One day you may become king… Then you will understand – such decisions must be made. There are dark forces that threaten this kingdom.”

“I know witchcraft is an evil, Father, so is injustice!”

24:25

God, Morgana and Arthur uniting against Uther for Gwen and Uther just ignoring what they’re saying and repeating the same “mAgIC iS eViL hUr DuR” bullshit.

Uther should have died sooner.

Like… this episode.

Morgana should have just snapped.

<_><_><_>

27:25

Gwen the martyr.

I can already imagine it. People at the execution whispering among themselves “She’s a witch?” “No way! She’s so kind!” “Rumors say she’s not.” “She’s not! It’s just the King again.” “But if she’s innocent, why?” “He’ll burn a frog if he thought it would help.” “That’s dumb. She doesn’t deserve to die!” “No, she does not.”

I can imagine everyone looking away, quietly letting their anger build up, but unable or not courageous enough to save her. I can imagine the people whispering to themselves when the guards are out of earshot, about how “The king is out of control”, “Her death stopped nothing!” and more. How that anger they thought they buried flares up. How it seeps through the cracks they left. How it makes them draw a knife, and plunge it into a guard’s neck. How if they felt guilty, everyone who called them a hero say that was one of Them who stood by and watched it. How that anger forms a community, how it brings people together. How the first time the chopping block is being assembled after Gwen’s death, people start talking. Who’s dying, for what reason…

How can they stop it?

A direct assault? A stealthy escape? An infiltration into the guard ranks? Maybe torches? Make bombs?

Anyone here know magic?

Oh, you do! That’s great.

Let’s kill the king.

As amazing as this sounds, Gwen would have had to die. One of the Adorable Cutie Award holders.

I will not condone that.

<_><_><_>

28:40

Do you think Arthur’s so convinced Merlin can’t have done it because of what happened with Valiant, Merlin exposing a sorcerer, therefore his own kin if this were true? Or because, as Morgana said about Gwen

“Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning, when she could make these things happen with the snap of her fingers?”

Or because Arthur likes him just a little bit?

I think we all know what we want to believe.

<_><_><_>

“He’s in love.”

“...What?”

“With Gwen!”

“I am- not!”

“Yes you are.”

“No way-”

29:03

Oh boys…

<_><_><_>

“...Arthur’s not going to find it. He thinks he is… so sharp. But even when I told him I was a wizard – he still couldn’t see it.”

30:14

I don’t think Arthur noticing or not has anything to do with his intelligence, Merlin, just whether or not he’d like to see you burn :)

Also, Gaius.

“Sometimes it’s pretty hard to spot.”

“Maybe I should go around wearing a pointy hat.”

“I don’t think you’d find one big enough.”

That Award crown is staying firmly planted on his head.

<_><_><_>

32:16

Nope.

<_><_><_>

“We need to destroy [the afanc], then the plague will stop and Uther... may see sense.”

“And that’s why you need Arthur.”

“He’s our best chance.”

“But he won’t want to disobey the king.”

“Leave that to me.”

36:07

Morgana receives the Scheming Cutie Award! My girl knows what buttons to push to get men to listen to her and I think that’s very sexy of her.

<_><_><_>

36:35

Okay, both of these Cuties receive the True Sibling Cutie Awards. I don’t think there is anyone who can take their crown from them, unless…

The True part only means how accurately sibling dynamics are portrayed. Which opens up place for at least some competition!

Hahah! No one gets to have their Award forever.

(But everyone has permanent Cutie status.)

<_><_><_>

37:33

!!!

TRUST!!!

!!!

Merlin said what sounded like something made up, like he always does, but Arthur still goes in because he believes him!

(Yes yes Morgana’s influence may be there, like ‘Oh so you’re chickening out?’, but I THINK ONLY IN MERTHUR.

And I do that because it’s very scarce in this particular ep.)

<_><_><_>

38:01

I love this and all, but I can already think of a better way for Morgana to tell Arthur to stop being sexist.

Just pull out a fuckin sword.

Like… literally. Just from her dress. A knife maybe, but one that doesn’t look like it’s for a kid, a serious dagger that she could stab you with 50 times before you collapse from blood loss.

That’s a… Compliment to her swiftness, not… Not a comment on the dullness of the knife.

Morgana with a sword please!!!

<_><_><_>

43:19

Ah, the cop-out. The writers have committed a robbery.

(I do have to say that it is a masterful manipulation of our feelings. The first and then second episode was all about Merlin dealing with having magic and where to use it, trying to figure out his purpose and whatnot, and very strict repeats of “Do not let anyone else know, you will die”. There’s a reason Uther’s introduction is him killing an innocent sorcerer, and why Morgana is so angry at him about it. It’s establishing that Merlin revealing his magic to someone is a big deal, and it kind of is, so when we get cop-outs like these, we are dissatisfied, because Merlin revealing his magic is a positive thing, and we didn’t get this positive thing, so we are sad. And because this was hinted at, and we were already thinking of how it would look like, and we still do with the fics and stuff, we start to crave Merlin revealing his magic to those people that it was hinted at. To finally get that positive thing – that positive emotion.

This is probably more relevant when Lancelot comes by, since him being so casual about Merlin’s magic is yet more manipulation – it was only a possibility that Merlin revealing his magic is a positive, now it’s confirmed, and Lancelot becomes one of our favorite characters because of this positive thing attributed to him.

I can’t say it’s evil manipulation though, since first impressions do matter and every writer has this dilemma of how to introduce a character to associate some sort of emotion you want to invoke in people when they see them. Introductions are important, and we love or hate characters based on them, at least until learning more about them and then strengthening/changing our opinions of them. That’s why consistency is important, cause if it’s too far from the first impression, it feels odd and takes you out of the story and once you’re out of the story you start looking for more things to take you out and then you just start to hate that thing, and if someone has changed/strengthened their opinion because of one interaction, and then after that interaction the character doesn’t act like how that someone now perceives them, it also breaks the immersion and makes you question whether the writer knows what they’re doing.

I don’t… I don’t know why I’m writing this. I guess… writing theory? Stuff I noticed while writing/analyzing stuff so I could write better? Uh… Anyway.)

THE CHAOS OF THE TRIO OF GWEN MERLIN AND MORGANA WOULD HAVE BEEN GOLDEN. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO DESTROY CAMELOT, OR UPROOT THE MONARCHY AND ESTABLISH A DEMOCRACY!

…

It would have been FUN.

(And I’m not gonna get into how the ‘fun’ factor of a show/movie/book contributes to its re-readability and overall positive opinion more than the ‘angst’ or ‘drama’ or ‘depressive’ factors do. That’s… Meh. It’s also something I noticed while writing/analyzing stuff so I could write better. I could get into it, but I just want to finish this episode and go to sleep.)

<_><_><_>

“I hope you didn’t come to her attention.”

“Doubt it.

*Glare*

“Well no one else seems to appreciate my skills! I just want someone to see me for who I am.”

43:52

Case in point…

It really hammers home this idea in the first few episodes. And it makes it incredibly easy to understand Merlin’s motivations in the later episodes.

He just wants to be himself.

<_><_><_>

The Cutie Awards!

(First Holders of an Award Receive an Extra 2 Points Towards Their Score)

(Also everyone can have every single award at a time, it depends on what they do in the episode. At the end of a season, the one who has the most points in one award will be the winner of that award. If everyone gets to be an Adorable Cutie in one ep, it’ll even out the odds ;))

Gaius – The Snarky Cutie (3)

Guinevere – The Adorable Cutie (3)

Tom – The Adorable Cutie (3)

Arthur – The True Sibling Cutie (3)

Morgana – The Scheming Cutie (3), The True Sibling Cutie (3)

Merlin – The Selfless Cutie(3), The Adorable Cutie(3)

<_><_><_>

The episode starts with Nimueh summoning her little afanc beast in an egg with a ton of her own marks on it just so everyone knows who did it. Not very smart. It ends with Gaius reiterating the same “you’re an idiot” thing to Merlin, when the real idiot is in fact Morgana, who didn’t hear that Merlin nearly shouted a whole spell in a compact cave with echo. Camelot is the home of the once and future dumbasses.

<_><_><_>

The Magic

The Monsters

[snowbellewells]

Face to Face in the Broad Daylight:  Chapter Four

I really can’t apologize enough for the long wait between chapters here.  There all sorts of plausible excuses, but I’ve basically just fallen behind with starting back to school and getting into the teaching routine again. Hopefully, I won’t keep you waiting on this story so long again, and that you will still enjoy what I’ve cooked up this time around...

Also, I still don’t think it quite needs an M rating, but fair warning, Emma and Killian do get up to a bit of mischief on a stakeout...

Thanks again to @branlovestowrite for the gorgeous story banner; I continue to just love it and smile every time I add it to the chapter post.  And to @cssns for inspiring so many wonderful stories and such a fun community outlet. I’m so glad it gave my little werewolf story an outlet and a reason for me to finally get down to business and commit to it the page!

~chapter four: sinister stirrings, signs of life

Gold did not allow his accomplice’s taunt to hang in the air for long; instead, speculation lit his serpentine eyes with cunning curiosity. “And just what is your price, Morgana? What is it that a powerful witch like you cannot simply conjure for yourself with ease?”

“I seek vengeance,” she bit out, tone icy cold with the fierce utterance. “For my father’s life, for my mother’s pain… and what I have lost to that ingrate King… Arthur of Camelot.” She spat the famed appellation, which most spoke in reverence, with a venom that momentarily surprised even the Dark One.

A knowing, secretive smile crept over his sharp face; no other words necessary for him to understand what drove her. He had after all seen the quest for revenge bring many a man and woman to his door, willing to take his wretched deals whatever the cost, and then meet their doom, or at least soul’s ruin. He and the would-have-been Duchess of Cornwall had much in common, and always had. Both believed the world to have slighted them, and both plotting, scheming, grasping every bit of what they felt was their due wherever they could. Perhaps she would grow a bit too desperate, and he could then be certain of the upper hand in their arrangement. He would simply watch and wait to see.

Morgana, on the other hand, was not idle, even as she finally handed the contained hat over to Gold and began to move around his shop with mild interest as he examined the token ravenously. Just as her former mentor sensed her fervent desire and impatience, the seething rage pushing her forward, she could also read his extreme confidence, his discounting of the worthy mind and abilities she had cultivated since the time he had known her well. He thought she would be easy to manipulate; powerful enough to provide the assistance he needed, but not a true threat to his own mastery of the exchange. 

He misjudged both her magical strength - and her loyalty. She had learned that no one could be trusted but herself. Though she was willing to side with him while it proved beneficial, she would not sacrifice her own goal, nor confuse a healthy respect with true devotion. Rumplestiltskin foolishly believed her indebted to him, simply because he had discovered where to summon the hat from Merlin’s safekeeping. That mattered little when she was the one who had retrieved it; she was the one he had needed to complete his task. Their purposes were not truthfully as aligned as he thought, yet she felt no qualms at playing along until it was too late for even the Dark One himself to stop her or ruin her plans. He saw her as a willing and able pawn, and she would let him do so for the time being. As long as he gave her the hat as promised when he was done, and she could increase her power, take it back to Camelot, usurp Arthur, and gain her revenge, she cared little how Gold’s plan worked out.  His power would be the first she would harness for her own devices - his and all the other Dark Ones who had come before - once the time was right.

“That seems only fair,” Rumplestiltskin spoke in his slick, indulgent tones that might fool someone who didn’t know him as well as Morgana did. Though neither fully trusted the other - nor any beyond themselves - the sorceror before her did seem near tittering with subdued malevolent glee. He really was an imp to his core, delighting in the fall of those who took might and control by vicious means, even if that downfall was not of his own making. “King Uther, Arthur’s father, did indeed wrong your family greatly.”

“I know that,” she snapped, eyes burning as they swung to his in sudden anger. “You needn’t recount the injustices! I remember them well.” Her fine, white hands clenched and unclenched, as her deceptively thin shoulders heaved. She was practically seething from every pore.

Unfazed, the Dark One stepped nearer, cradling his precious talisman in one hand as he wagged his forefinger at her teasingly. She wanted to snap the digit at its joint, but instead held her tongue stonily. “Easy there, Dearie,” Gold chided in his infuriating manner of jest. “Flying off the handle like that can lead to dangerous mistakes.”  He winked at her before turning to leave, clearly unconcerned with her alone in his shop to wreck it if the desire took her.

Morgana’s voice rang out quickly, before he could vanish in a puff of his magic, stopping him with the sort of ringing command he couldn’t ignore. “Midnight, a week from now, when the moon is at its fullest… If you wish for my help, you will bring the Sorceror’s Hat to the lakeside when the lunar orbit reaches the zenith. We will perform the ceremony, and then the hat will be mine once it has served its purpose for you. Do we have an accord?”

“Certainly, certainly,” Gold chimed, and though his tone was soft and sibilant, Morgana could hear the eagerness, the urgency for his full freedom and command of his power running beneath. She wasn’t the only one whose need for retribution had them chomping at the bit.

All that remained, she considered saying as the bell tinkled after Rumplestiltskin’s exit, was to see who would allow their quest to be their undoing. Then, without another moment’s hesitation, she vanished from the spot as well in her own column of cobalt blue smoke.

~~***~~***~~***~~

Once again nighttime darkness reigned over the quiet streets of Storybrooke. The main street, lined with storefronts, the Sheriff’s station, and the cheerily butter-yellow Town Hall, was so still and calm by 9:30 that one might think the place either deserted or inhabited entirely by senior citizens, Emma thought with a wry shake of her head and exhaled breath as she sat watching the scene before them from her usual work parking space. Apparently, fairy tale characters exiled in the “real world” adhered to a similar early bird schedule.  She was in the more roomy back seat of her Bug, not expecting to see much of anything that would require her to pull out quickly, and needing to sit somewhat turned in the seat to keep her eyes on Gold’s shop, a Thermos of hot chocolate on hand to warm her insides as the night grew more chilled, and Killian cuddled against her side assuringly, something in his lupine makeup keeping him always a few degrees warmer than the average human.

Reading her mild amusement as easily as he seemed to do with all her changes in mood and emotion, Killian leaned in to whisper against her ear, his scruffy whiskers raking deliciously across her cheek and neck. “What is it, Swan? Did I miss something humorous?”

Emma shook her head with a chuckle, swiveling a bit to look at his quirked brow and curious face more clearly. His crystalline, sea-blue eyes twinkled as if he could already anticipate her answer, and in that moment, Emma genuinely wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless, plant little pecks all over his forehead and cheeks and chin, just for sitting there with her, for always being by her side, and for being her ridiculous, handsome, dependable companion, whatever new surprise or danger came their way. Though she managed to hold back the outburst of affection, she still couldn’t help the frisson of awareness that ran through her veins at his nearness, even while proceeding to answer his simple question. “No, nothing funny really, just thinking how there truly is no night life here. It’s not even ten o’clock, and there’s no one out on the street!”

“Aye,” Killian nodded conversationally in agreement. “You’ve a point there. Any port town in which the Jolly ever docked - regardless of how small or remote - was more lively than our little town currently.”

Both fell silent once more, eyes unavoidably drawn to the entrance of the darkened pawn shop, looking deceptively closed and shuttered,but nevertheless the reason they were sitting on the street in a stakeout and wondering whether or not they should trust the seeming peace of the night around them.  “Exactly,” she smirked at his comment, against her better judgement leaning closer as she did. She could feel that the spark always burning between them, fanned by both recent interrupted assignations, was still simmering hotly, barely banked by more pressing concerns, and knew that the right sort of look or touch might well be all that was needed to set it aflame once more. And yet, she couldn’t find it in herself to resist.

Killian reacted just as she had hoped, his response to her invitation almost immediate, hand balancing him on the seat beside her as he leaned even closer than they had already been seated, his breath warming her forehead as he exhaled and his hook tracing a purposeful path up her jean-clad thigh. “Looking for a bit more excitement, are you Darling?” he questioned devilishly, his lips and tongue pronouncing each sound and syllable of the words in a manner that left tingles racing up and down her spine. 

The intentional progress of his metal appendage swung inward to trace along her pants inseam, ever closer to the goal, and Emma swallowed hard, irrationally embarrassed that he might already feel the heat radiating from her center and how her pulse seemed to be throbbing there noticeably. It was all she could do not to start shedding layers and crawl into his lap. She could only nod eagerly for several tensely heated seconds before finally affirming breathily. “What if I am, Pirate? Are you gonna do something about it?”

Killian’s heavy, dark eyebrows practically danced across his forehead merrily, as if she’d given him a present with her challenge. The tip of his wicked tongue poked from between his full, tempting lips before tracing along the lower one as if he had just glimpsed a meal her wanted to devour. “Oh, you know I will, Emma. Don’t you even doubt it.”

In the next instant, he seemed to pounce, his warm weight pressing her back against the leather upholstery of the Bug’s rear bench seat, as that tongue swept into her mouth to lay claim. The curved edge of his hook found its goal at last, putting delicious cool pressure against her still-clothed heated core and making her moan shamelessly into his mouth in return.

“Oh...Ki - Killian!... Please…. Ummm…” she raised her hips almost unconsciously, bucking toward his questing hook, and the added stimulation of his hand, which had now managed to slip under her shirt, up her side to her heaving chest. Emma forgot all about Gold, the newcomer, and why they were outside in her car at all, between the way his hand and hook were making her feel and his lips suddenly veering from her own to wander along her jaw back to the sensitive spot behind her ear, driving her even more out of her mind. She would swear under oath that she shouldn’t be held responsible when her desperately clutching hands pulled so hard at his shirt in her haste to touch him too and hold onto something to ground herself that she heard the sound of ripping fabric over her own gasp and whimper of need.

Not in the least disturbed by wardrobe damage - he had lost count of how many shirts and pants his wolf had destroyed in transformation ages ago - Killian merely chuckled with indulgent pride at the effect he was clearly having on his usually cool and collected girlfriend. It wasn’t lost on him that Emma rarely allowed herself to let go of control so completely. Splayed before him openly, eyes half-closed in bliss, Emma was offering him the trust and vulnerability few others received from her, and it awed him all the more beyond what her beauty had already accomplished. Not wanting the swell of emotion to derail them, now that they had at last managed to preserve a long enough moment alone, he bent his head back to the task before him. He nearly lost a handful of hair when a few seconds later he caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth and bit down playfully, not expecting the force with which Emma grasped the dark strands between her fingers as she keened breathlessly.

The wicked smile that quirked his lips as he murmured into her neck, “Feeling lively enough now?” was entirely unavoidable, if he did say so himself. For a moment, he allowed his mind to gloat inwardly as her pants seemed to indicate his Swan incapable of speech from his pleasurable ministrations.

Letting down one’s guard around Emma was never wise, however, as he was soon letting out an indecently loud and tormented groan of his own satisfaction. Somehow, while he had been occupied with tracing patterns over her collarbone with teeth and tongue, she had worked a clever hand into his tight jeans and dealt him more than enough taste of his own medicine.

“Ah!  Wh- Swan…” he choked, his own head falling forward to rest on her shoulder as she squeezed and pumped delicately in the limited space she had to work with.  “Mmm, love...easy does it,” he finally managed to grind out after riding the sensation for a minute. “Much more of that and you’ll bring the night to completion before I can finish what I started.”

Reluctantly his bold lass did release him and pull back slightly, one sculpted eyebrow arched in what could only be the beguilingly feminine equivalent of the look he had given her so many times before. “Can’t have that now, can we?” she teased gently, stroking along his stomach muscles, which quivered in response to her touch and practically smirking up at him.

“Certainly not, Love. It would be poor form indeed to leave a lady such as yourself unsatisfied.” He licked his lips salaciously, but meant every word, and the way she threw back her head with a wholehearted guffaw of laughter made him certain she knew it too.

“Well then, Captain,” she purred, pulling him in once more by the charms that hung around his neck. “Let’s see you make good on your word.”

Pressing forward with a deep, almost feral sounding growl, part his own desire and part his wolf within howling to break free, he lay her back unresistingly on the seat beneath them, spread out before him like a delectable banquet feast.

When they surfaced some time later, bare and skin glistening with sweat from their enjoyable activities, they had already missed both clouds of magic and the reappearance outside the shop of their new female nemesis - the reason they had been waiting in the car in the first place. Still, even if they had been less than purposeful, as they rested together, sated and entwined in each other’s arms, neither Emma nor Killian could bring themselves to mind.

~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~

After checking in with Emma and Killian at the station - and gathering a much clearer picture of how his deputy and her beau were progressing as a couple than he had needed or wished to have - making sure they had been alerted about the strange woman he had seen at daybreak, Graham was more than anxious to see his own lady love once more. Firstly, because he longed to be at her side, to see her happy, every second of each day that it was reasonably possible; a truly jarring sensation for a man who had up until that point led a quiet, solitary life and thought himself reasonably satisfied, but a sensation he had warmed to and treasured all the same. And secondly, knowing that she carried their pup - a child conceived of their love for each other - in her womb made the normal protective urges he already struggled to manage at normal levels exponentially stronger. To think that Gold still lurked around town and must wish to win - or coerce or steal - Belle back to himself worried Graham enough on a daily basis, but the attack on Granny and this obviously magical stranger’s appearance had him all the more on edge. No, Belle might argue that she was quite alright and could take care of herself, but he intended to stick quite close by whenever his duties as Sheriff allowed, and he might just speak to David and Snow about seeing if someone could stay nearby, just in case, when he could not. He would simply bear her annoyance and exasperation with his fussing as best he could; it was much better than seeing any harm come to her.

Letting his mind return to that morning, Graham thought back on how, after sighting the cloaked woman by the lake, he had hastened back to his cabin with extra speed, shifting on the porch back into his lanky human form so as to let himself in with ease and check on Belle where he had left her sleeping. The sight of her peaceful in repose beneath the moss-green cotton sheets upon the bed, her auburn hair spread out across the pillow, and the softest little purr of a snore escaping her pretty lips, had made him loathe to wake her.

Shirtless and barefoot, clad only in the grey sweatpants he slipped on for decency once human again, he padded across the smooth hardwood floor simply watching her sleep for a few seconds longer with an adoring smile on his face. He had never seen her look so serene, stunning in her sweet fragility, her petite beauty and kind nature concealing what he knew to be a backbone of strongest steel. Still, however much he hated to rouse her from much-needed rest, she had made him promise to take her with him back into town this morning. She was not content to hide out and wait passively until all was safe. And even if it was only researching information that might help prepare the rest of them for the storm they all knew was coming, or finding any accounts which might might better inform the two of them on the little one they were awaiting, she would not settle for anything less than doing her part, in her library, surrounded and aided by her beloved books.

Perching lightly on the mattress near her hip, Graham reached out a large, calloused hand, with a gentleness he hadn’t even known he possessed (having never known a tender touch until this tiny spitfire of a woman came into his life) lifted a loose strand of hair from her velvet-soft cheek and tucked it behind her ear. As he had known it would, even such a light touch had her stirring, beginning to stretch and slowly wake.

Now that his duties for the day were mostly complete, it eased his soul to once more slip into the cool, enveloping shadows and hushed, welcoming space of the town library. He could feel the taunt hunch of his shoulders relax within seconds of entering his love’s hallowed space, at the sound of Belle’s voice farther within the stacks, directing someone he could not yet see. Perhaps one of their friends had already had the same thoughts he did and undertaken to keep her company.

Venturing on silent feet, long accustomed to moving swiftly and without sound on the forest floors and castle courtyards of their old world, Graham stepped into one of the larger conference rooms toward the back of the library, one appointed with a large study table and numerous chairs for large groups. He leaned against the doorframe there, happy just to watch and enjoy the comfort and relief of once more being in her presence and seeing her in her element.

The Hatter in their world - Jefferson, Graham believed he went by here, was the first other person he saw. He recalled with a wince that this man had also been painfully manipulated by Regina - both in the Enchanted Forest past and their small town present. He knew with the same guilt-ridden certainty that he had realized Belle could have been freed from her imprisonment sooner if he had been quicker to awaken and act, that he had probably passed Jefferson on the steps of the mayoral mansion or in the frigid labyrinths of the Town Hall, but both had been too ashamed at being ensnared or indebted, or in some way under the command of the Evil Queen, to look up and meet the other’s eyes, to see a fellow sufferer or brother-in-arms. If nothing else, he reminded himself pushing off the doorjamb and moving into the well-lit and enlivened conversation humming around him, at least now he was beginning to see just how many friends there truly were here, as well as foes. Good people who could be relied upon and were hoping for the chance to regain their lives, just as much as he and Belle were.

His adorable librarian was chatting happily with both Jefferson’s daughter Grace and Henry, who were all too content with darting back and forth from the stacks for any book Belle could think of to request - all of them trying to keep her seated and off her feet. Coming to her side eagerly, Graham leaned over to kiss her cheek, even as she turned her head upward to greet him with a welcoming grin.

“It’s good to see you,” he whispered in her ear, letting his scruff tickle along her skin slightly, making her giggle and tuck her chin toward her chest.

Still, she caught his hand and squeezed it back affectionately, holding on and pulling it down to rest his palm over her still-flat stomach.

His brow furrowed, confused, even as she beamed at him to wait and be patient. It was much to early for him to be feeling any sort of movement from their little one; Belle wasn’t even showing. He was more than a little puzzled, and a bit concerned if the truth were told, but willing to humor her, and so stilled dutifully, waiting for he knew not what.

Then, abruptly, a definite jolt jarred his large hand from where it rested against Belle’s stomach. Eyes widening almost comically as they darted up to her face, he felt as much as saw Belle suck in an excited breath as she nodded her head in enthusiastic affirmation.

“Wait, but, it can’t be… It’s too soon…” he sputtered. “Are you sure?  Should we take you to Whale?  Are you hurting at all, Darling?”

The flow of words was almost more than she had ever heard her gentle huntsman say at once, but no more than she expected. Still, she tried to implore him in her gaze and the steady pressure on his hand to calm, that she had learned some things about her particular pregnancy and she would fill him in, but she wasn’t in pain, and she wasn’t concerned or frightened - though she had known he would be, for her. Guiding his hand still, she brought it to her lips to gently kiss the back of it, hoping to soothe him. She merely wanted to share this miracle with this precious man, the depth of her joy causing tears to well in her eyes.

They were still for several grounding moments, and when she lifted her gaze to meet Graham’s once more, she saw that same welling of love and astonishment in his eyes as well.

Tagging: @cssns @kmomof4 @jennjenn615 @therooksshiningknight  @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @resident-of-storybrooke @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @gingerchangeling @ilovemesomekillianjones @spartanguard @whimsicallyenchantedrose @searchingwardrobes @laschatzi @darkcolinodonorgasm

[shireness-says]

If I Could See Your Face Once More (2/6)

Summary: This time, there’s no celebration at Granny’s when the latest crisis has been resolved. Instead, they’re left to deal with the body of Killian Jones. A 5B canon divergence where Killian dies in Camelot, never becoming a Dark One. Rated T for language. Also on AO3. ~3.9K. Chapter 1

A/N: And here’s my second @csmarchmadness contribution! Thanks again to @xemmaloveskillianx for organizing the event, as well as @snidgetsafan for her excellent beta services (and generally being an awesome person). 

On top of that, an extra thanks to all of you who read the first part! The fantastic response to this absolutely warms my heart. The next chapter of this will be posted on the 24th, and then after that we’ll get a bit more loosey-goosey. I’m almost done writing this thing, guys - just need to get through half of two chapters!

Tagging: @thejollyroger-writer, @profdanglaisstuff, @captainsjedi, @ultraluckycatnd, @superchocovian, @snowbellewells, @killianjones4ever82, @wellhellotragic. Shoot me a message if you want to be added to the list!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

“I’m about sixteen weeks along,” she tells him, sitting next to him on the master bed, staring at the comforter. He had barely allowed her to clean off the rest of the blood and wrestle him into clean clothes before dragging her down next to him. Bandages and stitches and ice packs can wait. “Second trimester, though barely, but chance of miscarriage goes down substantially so we don’t have to worry about that.”

She’s making it all sound so clinical, like she’s trying not to force him to form emotions about the situation. But… bloody hell, Emma’s expecting. A child. His child. He knows she’s used to people not sticking around, but it’s impossible for him not to fall in love with the little one, now that he knows they exist. It’s hard to put that into words though, so he just slips his arm around her waist and pull her closer into him. “How long have you known?” he asks quietly.

“About two months.” She pauses. “Regina and I found a spell that we thought would send the Camelot folks back – didn’t work, by the way, they’re still hanging around and causing trouble – and I know I wasn’t getting nearly enough sleep but I guess I must not have eaten that day either because I passed out. I can’t really use my magic right now, it turns out, at least not in large doses, or it’ll completely exhaust me; my magic is all tied up with the baby right now, or… something. I don’t fully understand it. Anyway, Regina brought me back around, but insisted I go get checked out at the hospital. They ran some tests, and that’s how I found out about the bean.”

He grins, even if it aggravates his black eye. “The bean?”

She blushes. “Uh… yeah. Well, I felt kinda bad thinking about the kiddo as an it, and ‘little bean’ kinda stuck.”

“Well I think it’s very cute.” Suddenly, the other part of that story sinks in. “So Regina knows?”

Emma nods.

“Who else?”

“Just Regina. I needed a bit of time to come around to the idea, but by the time I was ready to start telling people, Henry was deep into his research and determined to get you back, and I just thought… if I was going to start telling people, if at all possible, I wanted the next person to be you. Thankfully, Henry had found a way down here by the time I started showing, so it’s just been a lot of oversized sweaters for the last two weeks. At least it’s January in Maine, so it doesn’t really look unusual.”

“Are you doing ok? Feeling alright?”

“Yeah, the morning sickness has mostly gone away, though it wasn’t as bad as with Henry. Cravings are starting to kick in. Emotions are all over the place, which has been… fun.”

He smirks into her hair as he presses a kiss to the side of her head. “Thought I saw you tearing up back there, in the cavern.”

“Shut up,” she mumbles back.

“And the little one – the bean’s alright?”

She smiles back at him and pulls his hand over to her stomach and its barely-there bump. “Yeah. The bean’s great. Good strong heartbeat. Can’t feel movement yet, but I should be able to in another few weeks. I’ve got the sonogram picture in my phone, I’ll show it to you later if I find where I set it down.”

After the day he’s had (hell, the weeks and months he’s had), the life-changing information he’s been given, it’s his turn to tear up as he pulls Emma down with him to lay across the bed. “Thank you”, he barely manages to whisper – whether for saving him, for coming for him in the first place, or for this miraculous and unexpected gift, he can’t honestly say, but Emma seems to understand anyways. She nods into his shoulder and snuggles in as close as she can manage with his injuries as they both doze off.

And Killian Jones finds the best sleep he’s ever had in the Victorian house that has never quite been a home until this night.

------

They attempt to tell Emma’s – their family the next morning, but as it turns out, no one is really surprised. Snow had apparently put the pieces together several weeks ago, and true to form, couldn’t resist telling apparently everyone who would listen. Frankly, Killian is shocked that Emma hadn’t realized everyone knew sooner – the town of Storybrooke isn’t known for its subtlety.

(She does grumble out an “I guess that’s why Granny’s been trying to force vegetables down my throat”, much to his amusement.)

Snow is thrilled, Henry excited, and Dave seemingly stuck at something resembling the denial stage of grief (“Oh, he’ll come around,” Snow tries to reassure Killian. “He just doesn’t want to accept that you and Emma… you know.”). In the end, it seems like Liam is the only one caught off guard.

And boy, is he ever off guard.

Killian couldn’t help but notice a weird tension between Emma and his brother when they initially retrieved him, but he originally wrote it off as Liam feeling uncomfortable with finding his place in the strange new family his little brother had collected. That doesn’t seem to be the case though; he damn near sweeps Belle and the lady Snow off their feet with elaborate bows and kisses over their hands, is getting along with Dave just as well as Killian always feared (no, that funny feeling is not jealousy, thank you very much), and seems tickled pink that Henry calls him “Uncle Liam”.

But Emma…

Well, it becomes painfully, capital letter obvious that Liam Jones, beloved brother and friend to all, Does Not Like Emma Swan.

After several uncomfortable days of Emma trying to avoid Liam at all costs, Liam ignoring Swan whenever possible, and Regina developing a habit of viciously glaring at the elder Jones whenever he tries to act friendly towards the former Evil Queen, it all comes to a head when Killian enters the office of his house where both Emma and his brother have found themselves holed up just to find Emma leaving, nearly in tears.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he stops her. “What’s the matter?”

She tries to smile, even if she looks like she might fall apart at any moment. “Nothing to worry about. Just… upset that we haven’t found a way out of here yet.”

Now, Killian may not have his Swan’s lie detector, but she’s enough of an open book that he can see she’s not telling him everything. “Are you sure?”

She nods. “Yep. Perfectly fine. I’ll be upstairs.” And if her brisk tone wasn’t already enough of a red flag, she practically flees the room like some kind of hellhound is chasing her.

He immediately turns back to Liam, who’s been watching the entire exchange with a look Killian doesn’t want to place. “What have you done?”

Liam sputters and tries to deflect. “Excuse me? Why would you assume I had anything to do with that little display?”

“Well, when the mother of my child comes out of this room after having spent time with you, about to cry, I tend to put two and two together. So what happened?”

“Sure it isn’t just hormones? Pregnant women cry a lot, as I understand.” “Not this one, not where others can see. I’m only going to ask one more time – what the hell did you do?”

Liam sighs, and Killian already knows he isn’t going to like whatever his brother has to say. “Well, Miss Swan asked why I didn’t like her. I simply answered her question.”

“Stop beating around the bush, Liam, what did you tell her to leave her so upset?”

Liam at least has the decency to act hesitant to respond. “I simply told her it wasn’t a personal dislike, she just wasn’t nearly good enough for you. And I struggled to see how she had tricked not only yourself, but your friends into thinking so.”

Killian loves his brother, but were it anyone else saying those vile words, he’d sock them in the face. “Why the hell would you say that?” he shoots back, starting to raise his voice.

“Oh, please, Killy, I’ve been watching the Captain’s log - not to mention, you told me the story yourself. She’s left you for dead to be eaten by a giant, imprisoned you enough times I lost count, seems to have been incredibly cold to you even after you started courting her. Must I justify this?”

“Must I remind you where I was before her? I was living for some twisted idea of vengeance! I was ready to die for that! And she saved me!”

“I have trouble believing you were that bad in the first place, but even if you were, she’s not the saint you seem to think she is. Or have you forgotten she’s a thief?”

“Was a thief. And what of all the things we had to do to survive, Liam, the snatches of food we’d swipe to not starve to death? She’s been abandoned, Liam, never had anyone, had to bite and scratch her way through life and do whatever she had to in order to survive.”

“But some of that was by choice, wasn’t it? How do you even know she won’t give up this child too? Henry filled me in about how she let him go, some nonsense about ‘best chances’. How can you be with a woman who abandoned her son, after what Father did to us?”

That’s the final straw, really. Killian knows his voice is raised far higher that it should be, but he can’t bring himself to care. ��Oh, so you heard that whole story then? About how she was in jail because the man she loved set her up for his crime – oh, and that’s not just me saying that, the bastard admitted to it - told me himself. Now, Emma likes to tell people she was eighteen when she had the lad, but I can tell you, when we celebrated her 31st birthday a few months ago, Henry had already been 13 for several weeks. So she was only 17 bloody years old, in jail, chained to a hospital bed in case she tried to stage some wild escape in the middle of labor, I suppose. Hadn’t finished her education, so no chance of securing employment upon her release. No family to take the babe. Never had anyone to selflessly love her, let alone any parents, so didn’t even know where to start with being a mother. But yes, I can see where you might think it was a crock of shit that she gave him up for adoption so he might have his best chance, or at least a damn better chance than she got.”

That outburst, at least, seems to shut Liam up for the moment.

“Now, I’ve got an amazing woman with spectacular trust and abandonment and self-worth issues, who you just told wasn’t possibly good enough for me, waiting upstairs. I trust you can see yourself out.”

He can’t even find it within himself to wait and see if his brother leaves.

------

He finds Emma upstairs in the nursery, appropriately enough, with tears running down her face, and he knows immediately that she’s heard every word.

“I’m sorry I made you fight with your brother,” she whispers.

He shakes his head. “He’s being an arse. I should be the one apologizing to you, for not noticing earlier how he was treating you. And that you had to hear what was just said.”

She pauses, apparently fighting back tears. “I… I know I probably don’t deserve you and how much you love me, and if you decide you’d rather move on with Liam I’ll have to be okay with that, but… I spent three months without you, Killian. And I was miserable. I’d deal if I had to, but I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

Killian pulls her to him with those words, closer than he ever thought possible, to try and make his words have the greatest impact. “Oh love, I’ll never leave you again if I can possibly help it.”

(He only hopes that’s a promise he can finally keep.)

------

Regina decides the next day that he’s healed enough to attempt to split Emma’s heart. It warrants a lot of protesting on his part, worries not only about Emma’s safety but the bean’s too, but Emma’s sheer confidence that this will work finally wins him over. After all, when that means she believes them to be true love, who is he to argue?

So he lets Regina reach into Emma’s chest, all for him, only for her to be blasted back.

It’s not going to work.

------

Of course, it’s not simply a matter of them not being True Love – the verdict is still out on that – it’s something far worse. It’s, instead, a matter of Hades carving Emma’s and Regina’s and Snow’s names onto headstones, trapping them in the Underworld and getting his revenge for their steady work of sending souls to a better place (because of course this group of heroes has been up to their old redemptive tricks, even down here).

However, the Charmings have never been accused of being quitters, and a new plan is concocted quickly. Henry already has the pen in his possession, thanks to the machinations of the house; there’s no reason there shouldn’t be a storybook down here too, and if they can find it, perhaps Henry can use his author powers to write them a way out of the Underworld. Even Liam admits that the plan has merit, citing rumors circulating of a book with the power to defeat Hades, once and for all.

Killian can’t help but feel guilty about the whole thing. After all, none of them would be here, now cursed to remain so, if they hadn’t come to rescue him - hell, if he hadn’t gotten in the way of Arthur’s sword in the first place.

“This is all my fault,” he laments to Emma. “You should never have come after me. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Hey, none of that,” Emma tries to soothe. “You’re not the one responsible for our names. Hades did that. And we all came of our own choice, even Henry. Especially Henry. You know that. He threatened to find his own way here if we didn’t take him with us.”

“That doesn’t erase the fact that you’re here - that you, and Henry, and the baby, and all the rest of our family are in danger, all because you’re trying to save me. That doesn’t keep it from lying heavy on my conscience.”

“Would you do the same thing for us?”

Killian stares at her like she’s grown a second head. What kind of absurd question is that? “Would I — of course I would, Emma. In a heartbeat.”

“Okay, well, that’s exactly what we’re doing here.” Emma softens suddenly, reaching up to smooth a gentle hand along his cheek. “I know you think you’re the most expendable, Killian, but not to us. We’re here because we don’t want to experience life without you any longer, and at a certain point you’re going to have to loosen your grip on the wheel and accept it, Captain. None of this is your fault.”

The doubt and guilt still niggle at the back of Killian’s mind, but it’s so much more pleasant to embrace Emma’s words instead, so he gives into the temptation and drops a gentle kiss of silent thanks on her lips.

Apart from all that, Liam has been acting distant all day, and on a certain level, Killian understands. He and Liam were never the type of brothers to fight much, circumstances bringing them much closer than most. He’s uncomfortable too, through the sharp anger he still feels, and doesn’t relish being around Liam right now either. But when he joins the rest of the group at the sorcerer’s mansion after checking on the bar, Liam is acting even stranger. Killian can’t help but wonder what’s happened, or if his brother is just feeling guilty about the things he said about Emma, but there’s no time to address the issue right now. The mansion is positively filled with books, and each one must be checked to make sure it’s not what they’re looking for.

He gets truly suspicious when Liam, of all people, finds the book, only for Henry to discover that it’s missing crucial pages. As Liam excuses himself, supposedly to continue the search, Killian follows him, only to discover Liam tossing something that looks suspiciously like paper into a well.

Before Killian can even muster up an accusation, Liam turns around with an apologetic look on his face.

“I’m sorry, Killian, but I promise this is necessary.”

And then everything goes black.

------

He comes to, propped against the stone wall of a cave, with Liam watching over him. Killian forces himself back to his feet as soon as he’s fully awake, determined to find a way out.

“What the hell Liam? What did you do with the pages, and what the hell are we doing here?”

“I had to, Killian!” Liam protests. “It was the only way.”

“The only way for what?”

The look on Liam’s face now is undeniably panic, as he starts pacing back and forth.

“I made a deal with Hades.”

“You did what?”

“It was the only way, Killian! He’s locking things down here, not letting anyone move on. If I got rid of the pages, he’d let us move on, no opposition.”

If Killian was angry before, he’s furious now. “I don’t want to go, Liam! I thought I made that clear, did it not sink into that thick skull?”

“Killian, please, this is for the best. I’m just looking out for you.”

He loves Liam, but it’s like centuries of frustration boil over in a moment. “You’re always telling me what’s best for me, Liam, don’t I get a say in my own life? I managed nearly three hundred years without you, and you still don’t trust me to make my own decisions. You’ve never really trusted me though, have you? I’m sure I gave you reasons not to over the years, with the drinking and the gambling and generally being the younger brother, but Gods, Liam, it still hurts that you trusted your bloody monarch over your own brother, and died because of it. I am begging you – believe me, just this once, when I say that I know what is best for me. Even if their wild plans don’t succeed, I will do anything to spend longer with Emma and Henry and my child. And that’s what’s best for me right now.”

It hurts, walking away from his brother in a rage for the second time in as many days. Killian only hopes Liam doesn’t choose this moment to cross over, leaving him in anger and without any resolution. But on this matter, Killian has to draw a line in the sand. It’s time he stops viewing Liam as a god-like figure who can do no wrong, stop letting Liam control his life and his shadow guilt Killian even from beyond the grave.

He’s got a family to get back to.

------

When he finds Emma again, back at their house, she’s in a full-scale panic that Hades had imprisoned him again, or worse, that he had left for the Great Beyond without saying goodbye. Killian can feel her physically relax as he gathers her in his arms, planting a kiss on her forehead and murmuring “I’m not going anywhere, love.”

Liam slinks back some hours later, apologies on his lips, as if that will make it all better. Unfortunately for him, Killian’s not yet ready to talk, to forgive. That will come later; he still loves his brother unconditionally, but it’s stopped being a blind love, one in which he refuses to see any flaws, and has turned into something more painful, if ultimately more healthy: seeing his brother as a human being that makes mistakes, rather than some god on a pedestal.

Liam is less understanding about the matter, resulting in something of a spat between the two brothers, the elder Jones seemingly not understanding that this issue isn’t something to be glossed over and easily resolved.

“I already apologized, Killian,” he snaps. “What more do you want from me?”

“I don’t know,” Killian replies quietly, calmly, coldly. “But right now, I just want you to leave.”

It’s easily the harshest fight they’ve ever had, and Liam leaves without another word, stalking to the front door and all but slamming it. Killian isn’t comfortable with the way they’re leaving things, per se, but he’s not ready to just let bygones be bygones either, so this is perhaps the best he can hope for.

Killian may have displayed his anger earlier, but it’s later that night, in bed with Emma, that he finally lets the sorrow and disappointment reign.

“I don’t understand,” he laments, head resting just below her breasts. “How could he do that? How could he even think it?

“I don’t know, babe,” Emma soothes as best she can. Her hand slips through his hair, scratching along his scalp and calming Killian more than her words do.

“He was always my hero, you know?” He says. “Liam always knew best, was always so sure of himself, always in charge, and I accepted that. He’s my brother. But gods, it’s been almost three hundred years. I’ve learned what’s best for me, how to make my own decisions. I’ve been grateful to have this extra time with him, but… Gods above, how could he think that abandoning any hope of resurrection, abandoning you and Henry and the babe, could be what was best for me? What happened to him?”

“He’s been down here a really long time. Who knows what that can do to a person. But maybe,” she suggests gently, “maybe you’ve just grown up. So to speak. I know Liam is your hero, but he’s also just a man. Which usually means he’s not as perfect as you remember. Maybe… maybe after everything you’ve been through since you last saw him , you’ve both changed. Now it’s easier to see him without the haze. Rose colored glasses? Is that the term?”

Killian manages a watery chuckle against her stomach before stretching up to drop a kiss on the underside of Emma’s jaw. “Aye, that’s the term. You’re probably right,” he admits as he curls back around her side, stretching his arm across her abdomen where their little one grows.

“I’m sorry you had to take them off,” Emma whispers into the darkness.

Killian swallows heavily, forcing the fresh emotion back down. “So am I.”

He’s still here, Killian reminds himself as he holds Emma closer within his arms. Despite it all, he’s still here, and he has no intention of letting go.

[mojoflower]

Involuntary Invisibility

I’ve read a few fics with this rare trope, and this is what I found when I searched my bookmarks.  Anyone know of any others?

and with thy lips dispell this curse by paranoid_fridge  No rating.  10k.  The Hobbit.  Bagginshield.

In a word where neither the One Ring nor the Arkenstone exists and all survive the battle, Bilbo encounters a strange, magical creature while helping to evacuate Dale for the coming winter. He thinks nothing of it initially – but then he watches his own arm pass through solid wood and sees Thorin’s eyes widen in fear and call for him.

“I’m right here.” Bilbo wants to say, but cannot make a sound.

Not when he has been cursed to disappear.

My bookmark:  Wow, turning invisible involuntarily is some scary stuff...

Invisible Man by shinkonokokoro T.  21k.  Merlin.  Merthur.

"You are capable of more?" "More? Your majesty?" "More types of spells. More brain cells as well?" "Yes," he hissed. "Protect yourself." "What?" "Carl, shoot him."

Getting captured by Uther doesn't quite have the results Merlin expect.

My bookmark:  Lovely story. Modern royalty au, if you will, where, instead of executing Merlin, Uther makes him play invisible bodyguard, with a lot of emphasis on "You no longer exist." Merlin is terribly amiable, which is funny, and doesn't actually manage to keep his mouth shut when he bodyguards. Arthur creatively names him Voice.

In Visibility by cat_77  T.  14k.  Avengers.  No pairing.

He was used to slinking in shadows, hidden from sight. This was just ridiculous, really.

My bookmark:  "Hey, I figured out several important pieces of data with this little adventure," he protested.

"Such as?" Bruce prompted. Clint knew he was in trouble when Mr. Mellow looked pissed.

"Sitwell is an excellent liar, Fury still has the Gameboy I gave him for Christmas like six years ago, and the World Security Council wants to carve me up like a lab rat," he recited. He considered it an accomplishment that he was able to get any words out at all the way Nat still held him in place, fingertips carving into his skin.

Tony leaned back against the nearby counter and mused, "We figured out some stuff while you were out too, wanna know what?" He didn't wait for a response before he ticked off on his fingers, "One, you're an asshole. Two, the field around you is shrinking. Three, the World Security Council wants to carve you up like a lab rat, or possibly a frog because I doubt they've made it past sixth grade Biology, let's be honest here."

In Plain Sight by oldenuf2nb M.  38k.  Harry Potter.  Drarry.

Draco Malfoy had stopped believing his wishes would be granted long ago. He could perhaps be forgiven for being startled, then, when one of them came true.

My bookmark:  Lovely: the Board decides to do away with the Slytherin House and Hogwarts fights back. Meanwhile, Pansy is terribly injured by a curse and that makes Draco the last Slytherin standing. "He's the last," the voice tells Harry. "There isn't much time." Draco starts by using a disillusionment Charm, but it quickly becomes involuntary invisibility. But Harry's watching, and doesn't want him to disappear entirely. UST, although it isn't sex-heavy at all. There are some shining bits, however, like this bit, after Draco's injured and somewhat stoned: ******** “And that mouth…” he exhaled slowly. “Such a pretty mouth, Potter. Such a pretty, pretty mouth. Makes a man want to grab handfuls of your horrible hair and kiss that pretty, pretty mouth until it’s all soft and puffy and swollen.” Malfoy abruptly released the hold on Harry’s jumper and smoothed the bunched fabric with his hand. “I mussed you,” he noted, his eyes drifting closed and the smile returning to pull at his lips. “I mussed Potter. Although, Potter is usually mussed.”Harry was frozen in place, staring at Malfoy’s face, his heart racing. /What the hell had that been?/ he thought, finally pulling back. Malfoy must be heavily drugged. It was the only explanation for what had just happened.

Who said that? by coconutcranberries (orphan_account)  No rating.  33k.  Teen Wolf.  Sterek.

Stiles has a very unique superpower, in that he doesn't exist. He's invisible, untouchable, unhearable-is that a word?-and just not there. He feels like a ghost most of the time, although he can't walk through walls (he tried, the wall took offense and his nose paid the price) and he can still trip over his own feet. He blends perfectly into the background and no matter how hard he tries, nobody knows he's there.

It's a lonely life, he's not gonna lie.

But suddenly something changes. Stiles is part of a group project which includes probably the most explosive combination of people in his class. These people don't notice when he waves a hand right in front of their face-how could they when he doesn't exist? The possibilities are endless.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun.

My bookmark:  Such an interesting idea: Stiles' power is to make himself not exist... AT ALL. So from the time he's 8, he's vanished from everyone's awareness, all records deleted, everything. Only his dad can see him (and even that is periodically unreliable). But then suddenly, Derek sees him one day, which starts a chain of events that leads to him feeling hopeful once again about being able to interact with the world. It's kind of tragic, I mean, think of the loneliness, the skin hunger, the sense of abandonment involved in being non-existent for 8 years. But it eventually works out.

In Time of Trial by Shine  M.  38k.  Merlin.  Merthur.

Uther fears his son's power, and Merlin has helped Arthur flee to escape imprisonment. Now the two of them must fight to regain Arthur's rightful place in Camelot.

My bookmark:  Wow, what a fantastic story. 36k words never went so fast. This is the one where Uther's old friend Aelfric comes to visit and slowly drips poison into his ear until he's convinced that Arthur is going to try to depose him and take the crown. When he orders Arthur to be taken to the dungeons as a traitor (and killed on the spot if he struggles), Merlin races ahead of the guards to rescue Arthur. (Luckily, he's been practicing a spell that makes things invisible. Unluckily, he has to spring it on Arthur with no warning at all and convince him to be silent and still while the guards search his room around them.) And thus is magic revealed.The pair go on the run, and eventually settle near Tintagel, where all the Druids live, and begin preparations to fight back. Arthur allows himself to act on his attraction to Merlin (I'd rate this an M), perhaps because now that he sees that Merlin is a powerful warlock, he sees them as being equals. Also, there's no doubt of Merlin's loyalty, considering how they got out of Camelot.

Merlin's Moving Castle by KrisEleven  G.  49k.  Merlin.  Merthur.

As a result of some very unfortunate decisions, Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot, is cursed by Morgana (also known as the Witch of the Wastes) and becomes fully invisible to anyone who doesn’t possess magic. Forced to abandon his kingdom, he begins his quest for a remedy to his unfortunate condition and comes across the quite charming - and even more annoying - Merlin who may be the only one able to save Albion, if only Arthur can convince him to try.

My bookmark:  What an amazing story. I kind of expected a rehash of the Howl's Moving Castle plot (which would have been fine, as I adore the story), but instead the author used only pieces of it and built something entirely new and totally belonging to Merlin and Arthur and their world from the show. There was a surprising amount of action (Merlin first meets Arthur during a fight and flight) and it culminates in an enormous battle. But in between, it's Arthur, learning to be patient and getting to know some new people... learning about the world through their eyes. It's just beautiful.

Beyond the Mirror's Edge by VivacissimoVoce  M.  49k.  Harry Potter.  Drarry.

Harry Potter is dead! A spell goes wrong in Advanced Charms class, leaving nothing but a charred ring and a pair of empty shoes. Draco Malfoy must figure out what happened and try to bring Harry back.

My bookmark:  interesting premise!The one where Harry is hit by a protection charm gone wrong and only his shoes are left. Dumbledore's Dead/Alive device only wavers with the needle halfway between the two when it's questioned, and no one knows where Harry is or how he's half alive. "The small wooden box with the life-death dial was mounted on the wall outside of the Charms classroom, with Potter’s shoes encased in a glass box beneath. The needle stayed resolutely fixed between the two indicators, but no one was sure what it meant."And then Draco hears, "Can anybody hear me?"Draco looked up and checked down the table. "Beg pardon?" he asked Pansy."I didn't say anything," she looked up in surprise."Anybody, please, if anybody can hear me please say something!"

Unseen by astolat  M 11k.  Harry Potter.  Drarry.

When he wasn’t wearing it, he got jumpy, always waiting for someone to come at him wanting something—and now they did it even more urgently, if they ever saw him, because most of the time, nobody did.

My bookmark:  #not involuntary invisibility#but i'll tag it that way#for my own purposes 

What it says on the tin, really. Draco is the only one who notices that Harry has turned himself into a ghost and is "haunting them all before his death". He carefully takes the Cloak, just for 24 hours, challenging Harry to see if he can do without it. Of course, Harry's never heard a challenge from Draco that he hasn't immediately and fiercely accepted. But it's HARD. As Draco, in a weird combination of rude and kind, coaxes him through the week, Harry learns to be seen again, is shown how to protect himself, and finds himself falling for Draco.

we are tangled by drunktuesdays  T.  6k.  Teen Wolf.  Sterek.

"Derek was at your house?" "For like ten seconds," Stiles said. "I'd say it was weird, but is anything about Derek ever not weird?"

My bookmark:  invisible!derek!!!

Invisible by chappysmom  G.  86k.  Sherlock.  No slash.

John had had the knack for as long as he could remember.

It wasn’t that he could become invisible, exactly. The laws of physics worked quite well in his vicinity, thank you very much. It was just that people tended … not to see him.

My bookmark:  Invisibility not actually involuntary, but this has always been one of my favorites.

[aquestionthatsneverbeenposedmove]

Merlin, what are your thoughts on each of the Knights of the Round Table?

Each of the knights? Separately? All right, then.

I would never go so far as to say any one of them is a better knight than the others, but I have to admit, when I think the word knight, I do think of Sir Leon first. That’s probably not very fair of me, but I never knew him before his knighthood, and he’s also the First Knight of Camelot, so that has to count for something. Besides, he just looks like a knight, you know? And he talks like a knight, and he’s so serious, like I always imagined all knights to be.

I have to confess, Sir Leon really intimidated me when I first came to Camelot, actually! Now I know better, of course, but at the time, I just thought he must be so stiff and humorless and unapproachable, and I didn’t want to revisit the dungeons or the stocks so quick after getting shot of them the first time, so I tried to mostly just stay out of his way. 

But I learned pretty quickly, Leon’s just full of surprises. Maybe he’s not as quick with a joke as Gwaine, or as easygoing as Percival, but he laughs a lot more than you’d think, and he listens, and he’s always got really good advice to give, and he never asks too many questions, or any questions at all, really, he’s just there, no matter what sort of mess you’ve landed in. And he’s never let his own higher status get in the way of his friendship with the rest of the Round Table. Or me.

Sir Percival? Well, it’s sort of funny, really, out of all those at the Round Table, he was the only one I’d never met before, and usually, if I haven’t met someone before, it’s a fifty-fifty chance they’re going to try and kill Arthur, so of course I should have had my guard up a bit, I know, but it was Lancelot who had brought him there, and you know Lancelot would never have done a thing to hurt anyone. 

And it only took a day with Percival to realize he was the same. And it’s funny, isn’t it, he looks so tough - “one of those big muscly fellows”, Gwen would call him, “one of those rough, tough, save-the-world kind of men” - but actually, he likes to read poetry, and he doesn’t like to hunt any more than I do, he says–oh, he says it much better than I can, let me see if I can remember it–oh, here we go: “it’s cruel to take any more life than you need to prolong your own”. 

Percival is the gentlest person I know, honestly. And one of the kindest. I think he would help everyone in the world, if he could. And he’ll come and he’ll sit beside you when you’ve had a bad day, or you’re just not at your best, and he won’t make you talk if you don’t want to talk, he’ll just sit there beside you, and it should feel a little strange because it’s so silent, but it doesn’t, not really. Percival doesn’t talk much about his life before he met the rest of us - he’s been a knight for nearly three years now, and I’ve still only picked up bits and pieces here and there - but I know his life hasn’t been an easy one. He’s had a real rough go of it, and he just keeps on being kind, and being gentle, and he never lets anything knock the smile from his face. It’s really admirable, if we’re being honest. I really admire him.

Sir Elyan’s had a rough go of it, too, I’m not going to lie to you there. He wandered down some pretty dark paths every now and again. But he’s really just turned his life around, he’s really turned himself around, and he told me, once, that he just wants to be better. He said he just wants to be better than what he’s been, for Gwen, for himself, that’s what he wants, that’s what he’s working toward, and I think that’s pretty brilliant. 

And he’s loyal. Elyan, he’s really loyal, he’ll stick out anything with you, he’ll support you through anything, he’ll see anything through to its end if he knows you need him to. He’s always the first to jump in and defend someone, and if he sees a bad thing happening, he’s got to get himself right in the middle, even when he knows it could end the worse for him. He’ll never back away from a fight, he’s a bit like Arthur like that. But he’s also not afraid to stand down and say when he’s in the wrong, either. He’s not afraid to apologize, or to take responsibility, and it takes a really strong man to do that.

And he’s never too proud to work hard. “Diligence” might as well be the man’s middle name, I don’t think I’ve ever once seen him idle. A bit like Gaius, really. It’s scary.

I wish he wasn’t so hard on himself, though. I wish he could see himself through my eyes, just for a moment. I just wish he could see that he’s a good person, a good man, just as he is. He doesn’t have anything to prove. He doesn’t have anything to make up for.

Sir Gwaine’s a friend before he’s anything else, and I think that’s one of the things I like best about him--if he’s your friend, then he’s your friend before he’s a Knight of the Round Table, and he’s your friend before he’s--what is it Gaius always likes to call him, it’s kind of a funny word... “Rabblerouser”, there we go! Gaius likes to call him a “rabblerouser”, but like I said, he’s your friend first, and I think that’s what matters. He’s even a friend before he’s a drinker, and that’s saying a lot! Maybe he’s not the most responsible person at the table, but he’s with us whatever happens. I know I can always count on Gwaine to help me with anything, to be my friend through anything.

And he’s just--he’s a lot of fun, to be honest. I can’t have a bad day when Gwaine is around, I just can’t, because sooner or later, he’s going to make me smile, he’s going to make me laugh, and he’s just--he’s just going to make everything better. Even when things are horrible. Even when it feels like the whole world’s ending, Gwaine makes everything better. And he keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. I never know what he’s going to do next, and the number of times I’ve had to bail him out - of a tavern, of a ten-to-one fight in some alley in the Lower Town, out of the castle dungeons.... well, I won’t get into it here. He’s unpredictable, and it can be pretty alarming, but it can be pretty exciting, too. There’s never a quiet moment in the castle with Gwaine around.

And he’ll drive Arthur mad with me any day of the week.

Arthur? Oh, he’s a prat. And a royal one. 

But he’s a good man. He tries to fix his mistakes. He tries to fix the places he went wrong. He tries to do better. And he does what he thinks is right. He always does what he thinks is right. Even when the whole world disagrees with him. Maybe he thinks with his heart a little too much, and maybe he shouldn’t, but he always sticks to his own principles, his own values, and it’s a brave man who can do that.

And he is brave. The bravest person I know. No matter how frightened he gets, he’ll never stop going, he’ll never give up. And yes, it would make my job a hell of a lot easier if he would, but he wouldn’t be Arthur if he stopped, if he gave up, and--well, I think I prefer him like this.

He’s got a big enough head as it is, though. If I keep on, his crown won’t fit by tomorrow.

It--it feels wrong, to leave Lancelot off here. He--he was a Knight of the Round Table, too, he was there, too, he stood around that table just like all the rest of them did, he should be on here. It’s not right to leave him off.

And gods know he was the best out of all of us. The noblest. The most selfless. Never did a thing for the pursuit of glory, or personal gain, no, he just wanted to--to help, to protect, to keep safe, he just--he just wanted to do good. For everyone. For anyone. In all the years I knew him, I never saw him, not once, commit a single selfish act. Not once. 

He was the best out of all of us. Right up until the end.

[8verity8]

Only You

Merlin Memory Month: Day 2/Path 2 - Favorite Hurt/Comfort

Can also read on Ao3:  Only You Ao3

Arthur sat on the couch and stared despondently out the window.

When he had first emerged, wet and tired, from the waters of Lake Avalon he had been happy just to be alive again—to have escaped the dark void that had imprisoned him for centuries. Merlin had been ecstatic just to have him returned, he no longer had to walk this world alone, while everyone he knew and loved died around him.

For the first two weeks their mutual joy was enough to sustain them. Even as Arthur learned of Camelot’s fate—the fate of his friends and family—and adjusted to the 21st century he was always able to find peace in Merlin’s company. Just having Merlin here was a balm to his soul, Merlin gave him the strength to carry on in this new world.

However, as the two settled into their new routine and learned to live with one another again the careful facade of the honeymoon stage began to crumble.

They nitpicked at each other like usual, which was normal and to be expected. Arthur would get frustrated at the world around him, understandably so in his opinion, and lose his temper. Oftentimes, Merlin would lose his temper too. He was still Merlin’s King, but Merlin hadn’t been his man-servant in over a Millenia… so needless to say, they were adjusting.

 Arthur had also found that in this new age, with its new rules and responsibilities—or lack thereof— he was now free to indulge his Merlin fascination, and so he did. Which even he could admit was probably not helping the situation, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. In his previous life he had always done the right thing, the proper thing, just as a King should, and look where that had gotten him.

 So he let himself be selfish about this one thing. He let touches linger, when in the past he would have pulled back. Gave himself permission to watch Merlin whenever he liked instead of looking away. What did it matter? Outside of Merlin himself there was no one around anymore to hide from or impress, no one who cared what he did, so he let himself pay attention to whatever he liked. And what he liked, was Merlin

 Which is why he knew Merlin was hiding something from him… again.

 Sure, he hadn’t noticed Merlin’s magic in the past as he should have—he wasn’t as unobservant as Merlin seemed to think he was—but to be fair, back then he had made a point to not notice things about Merlin because he already noticed too much. Like how the sun accentuated his cheekbones when he was cleaning Arthur’s armor, or how his hips swayed enticingly when they went riding, or how his trousers would pull taught across his lush backside every time he leaned over to gather firewood.

 No, Arthur had been too busy not watching Merlin to notice he was a Sorcerer. He understood why Merlin had hidden the truth from him, and on some days, he was even glad he had, but this life was a second chance for them both. A chance for them to bury the mistakes of their past back in Camelot and move on, or so he had thought.

 ‘How can we move forward together if he still doesn’t trust me?’ Arthur thought glumly. ‘What is he hiding now—’

 His thoughts were interrupted as the front door slammed open, admitting a stumbling Merlin into the apartment laden down with shopping bags. Arthur got up silently to help him bring the groceries into the house, plastering a smile onto his face as he teased Merlin.

 “You look like a pack mule,” he told him grabbing a bag as it slipped from Merlin’s grasp. “You know it is ok to make more than one trip… Or, I don’t know, let someone know you need help.”

 Arthur couldn’t help the trace of irritation that slipped out at the end, causing Merlin to look at him funny as he walked to the counter and plopped the bags down with a groan.

 “Ha. Ha,” he countered. “I got it all in just fine, so what’s the problem?

 “You’re not alone, that’s the problem!” Arthur snapped under his breath.

 Arthur instantly regretted his words. Merlin had been alone though, for centuries.

 “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I know this is weird for you too,” he apologized.

  In his current mood it was better to shut his mouth before he said anything else he might regret. Instead he gave Merlin a small smile and silently started putting the groceries away. He didn’t know if it was shock or anger that stilled Merlin’s usual chatter, but they continued on in silence. Arthur pointedly ignored the furtive glances Merlin was sending his way, grabbing a cold beer from the fridge once all the groceries had been put away before plopping back down on the couch again.

 He heard Merlin sigh behind him before the couch dipped suddenly. He continued to stare ahead, as he took a deep drink from the bottle in his hand. He didn’t want to fight with Merlin, but he wasn’t in the mood to pretend he was happy either.

 He was hurt by Merlin’s lack of trust in him, he could understand it, but it still hurt. There was also guilt, for everything Merlin had endured while he was gone, while he had been waiting—for him. Maybe Arthur didn’t deserve Merlin’s trust after everything his friend had already given up for him.

 “Ok Arthur, what’s wrong?” Merlin’s blunt question interrupted Arthur from his thoughts, startling him enough to look over at Merlin.

 Merlin’s face was so expressive. There was concern, and confusion mixed with sorrow and something else Arthur couldn’t quite pin down.

 “Seriously Arthur, talk to me,” Merlin demanded. “I can’t help you if don’t talk to me!”

 “What about you?” Arthur countered.

 “What—”

 “Do you trust me?” Arthur interrupted, watching as shock replaced the confused look on Merlin’s face.

 “Of course I trust you!” Merlin retorted. “What kind of question is that?”

 “Really? Then why are you lying to me again?”

 “I’m not—”

 “And don’t tell me you aren’t lying to me,” Arthur yelled over him. “A lie of omission is still lying! I know you are hiding something from me Merlin. Why? I thought we were past all the secrets and the lies—”

 Arthur cut himself off abruptly as shock coursed through his veins. He hadn’t meant to say all that… it had just come out. What had happened to him, he used to be so much better at controlling himself than this. Why did Merlin have this effect on him, damn it?

 “What the hell Arthur?” Merlin hissed. “Why the fuck do you think I’m lying to you? Where in the hell is this all coming from anyways? If anything, it sounds like you don’t trust me!”

 Arthur groaned, dropping his face into his hands, hiding from Merlin’s hurt and angry gaze. God, he just had to open his big, fat mouth. Now he was going to have to talk about it… there was no getting out of it. But he had hurt Merlin, and that was even worse, he owed Merlin an explanation at least.

 “You keep pulling away from me,” Arthur mumbled into his hands.

 “What?”

 Genuine confusion dampened the anger in Merlin’s voice, prompting Arthur to turn his head and look at him.

 “You keep shutting yourself off,” Arthur tried to explain. “We’ll be together, and everything will be going fine, and then you will pull away, shut down, or make some lame excuse and run off.”

 “Oh,” Merlin managed before Arthur plowed on.

 “I mean, at first I just thought it was about getting used to having someone around all the time again, or at least someone who knows the real you. And I was trying to give you space—time to adjust, you know? But instead of things getting better, they keep getting worse. You keep disappearing and running off… just like you used to when you were hiding your magic from me.”

 Arthur paused, taking a deep breath. His stomach clenched sharply when he noticed the tears in Merlin’s eyes, the shattered look on his face.

 Please Merlin, if you trust me then just be honest with me. Please,” Arthur pleaded.

 “Trust me Arthur, you don’t want to know this,” Merlin stammered out.

 “I want to know everything Merlin,” Arthur argued. “No more secrets.”

 Merlin looked away and took a deep shuddering breath before whispering, “I love you Arthur. That’s it. That’s my big secret. But I know you don’t love me and that’s ok. We can get through this and—”

 Conflicting emotions assaulted Arthur. Annoyance, affection… hope.

 “I love you too Merlin,” he interrupted. “But that doesn’t explain why you’ve been acting so weird! What does loving me, or me loving you for that matter, have to do with you hiding something from me?”

 “No, you don’t understand,” Merlin choked out. “I don’t just love you Arthur, I’m in love with you.”

 Happiness filled Arthur, he felt light and numb at the same time. Merlin had said he loved him, that he was in love with him. He could have him—have this!

 “Arthur, say something please,” Merlin pleaded as he lost the fight with his emotions and started crying.

 Merlin was crying, sobbing even, why was Merlin sobbing. He shouldn’t be sobbing when Arthur was this happy, that’s not how their world worked. They were two sides of the same coin. Merlin’s sadness was Arthur’s sadness…Arthur’s happiness, Merlin’s happiness and vice versa. The thought broke Arthur from his trance and he lunged forward, wrapping Merlin up in his arms and pulling him close. Wanted nothing more than to comfort Merlin and make everything better.

 Merlin gave a startled squeak and looked at Arthur for the first time. His wracking sobs gave way to quieter gasps when he saw the joy on Arthur’s face, the tears slowing to a trickle before they stopped completely. Arthur gave him a few minutes to calm down, rubbing his back softly and petting a hand lightly through his silky hair. When he felt Merlin grown heavy and relax into his arms he spoke up again, saying the words that would change things between them forever.

 “I’m in love with you too, you idiot.”

[supercalvin]

If you're still taking prompts; Arthur wakes up from Avalon into the modern world but in this universe, Merlin wasn't immortal and had died but is reincarnated without his memories so when Arthur sees Merlin, he's overjoyed but then dismayed to find that Merlin has no idea who he is (whether they were in an established relationship or still dancing around each other is up to you). Happy ending please? :3

In this house we only have happy endings!!!

Prompts + Ficlets

(now with PART 2)

***

It was a seemingly random day in spring during his second year at uni. Arthur had startled awake with dreams overtaking his waking mind. They were memories, he would later figure out, only after he had retched in the loo and had a minor panic attack. He supposed that would happen if anyone were to suddenly remember dying in vivid detail. It took him a couple hours to understand what was happening to him. After he convinced himself he hadn’t gone mad, he realized he had to find Merlin.

Merlin had to be out there. Waiting for Arthur to return. And Arthur had been taking uni classes completely unaware of his past life and the magic that, now that he was aware of it, was still thriving in the world underneath everyone’s noses.

Arthur hadn’t a clue how to find Merlin, and he spent dozens of nights searching the internet and falling asleep in the library trying to find any evidence of Merlin.

It wasn’t until almost a year after Arthur had remembered that he found him.

Arthur was walking out of the university library, after pulling an all-nighter, half studying and half searching for Merlin. He was exhausted and had a large coffee in hand, hoping it would get him through the day. So it was no surprise that Arthur immediately dropped the coffee onto his trainers when he looked up and saw Merlin, backpack slung over his shoulder and headphones hooked around his neck. Merlin looked up at the sound of coffee being spilled everywhere, and their eyes locked.

Arthur didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate. He ran forward and wrapped his arms around Merlin.

“Merlin!” He laughed, not being able to hold it back, the pure joy of having found him.

“Uh.”

It took Arthur a second to realize that Merlin was not hugging him back. He puled away, cupping Merlin’s neck to get a better look at him. And when they locked eyes, there was no recognition in Merlin’s eyes. He looked utterly confused and probably more than a little bit scared by the strange man hugging him.

“Merlin?”

“Sorry, mate,” He smiled politely like he didn’t want to anger the mad man. “Do I know you?”

Arthur’s heart sank and it felt like he was choking. He swallowed around the thing in his throat, “You don’t recognize me?”

Merlin looked him up and down, but it was clear he was drawing a blank. “Sorry, I don’t. But you know my name, so we must have met somewhere. Most people aren’t named Merlin.”

“Right, sorry,” It took all of Arthur’s energy to pull away from him. This had not been the reunion he had been hoping for. “I just…uh…”

Merlin scratched his neck awkwardly, “Uh, sorry, I’m a total lightweight, did we meet last weekend? Because I got completely smashed and I don’t remember much of anything. It’s nothing against you. My mates keep telling me to stop taking shots, but that obviously didn’t stop me.”

Arthur nodded, glad that there was such an easy excuse for his odd behavior. “Yeah, we hung out all night. Surprised you don’t remember.”

“Sorry,” Merlin gave a shy smile, “So, uh, you are…?”

Arthur laughed, not able to believe this was happening. He held out his hand, “Arthur.”

“Really?” Merlin looked skeptical but took the offered hand anyways.

Arthur gave a smile, hoping one day Merlin would find it funny, “King Arthur. Of Camelot.”

“God, what an asshole,” Merlin rolled his eyes and laughed. He nodded to the coffee spilled all over Arthur’s trousers and trainers. “Can I grab you a coffee and you can regale me with everything I did while drunk?”

“Yeah, that’d be…great.”

He wasn’t sure if the twist in his stomach was excitement or sadness. He hadn’t been sure if Merlin’s magic had left him immortal like some of the legends said or if he had been reincarnated like Arthur. Either way, he hadn’t expected Merlin not to recognize him.

That day they exchanged numbers after Arthur had scrabbled to make up a few vague things Merlin did while drunk, hoping Merlin would believe him. Over the course of the next few months, they spent more and more time together. Every time they met up or ran into each other on campus, Arthur hoped Merlin would suddenly come-to and realize who Arthur was, but he never did.

Arthur slipped up a few times, mentioning things from their past life and having to quickly backtrack. It was during one evening only a few weeks before the end of term, that Arthur truly stumbled.

The two of them were at Arthur’s flat, on the third round of beers, when Arthur had joked, “Why not just use your magic, idiot,” when Merlin couldn’t open his next beer.

Merlin turned with real fear in eyes. Arthur had seen that look before. Arthur stumbled, trying to think of some kind of joke to play it off, but he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

“How do you know about magic?” Merlin said, looking suddenly like a dangerous animal that had been cornered.

“I…” Arthur swallowed, wondering if he should just risk Merlin thinking he was mad.

“When we met…you said that we went to the Rising Sun and got drunk.” Merlin shook his head, “I asked my friends and they told me we never went there and they’ve never met you.”

Arthur put down his beer and hung his head in his hands. “Shit.”

“Arthur, who are you?”

“I’m King Arthur,” He said with a desperate laugh, “I know I sound mad. Believe me. But our names aren’t just a coincidence.”

Merlin looked at him exactly the way Arthur had predicted. Like he was a basketcase.

“How did you know I have magic? No one knows. Besides my mum. I’ve never done magic in front of you.”

Arthur smiled, “Because I remember our past life. I know it sounds mad. That I sound mad, but I remember Camelot.”

Merlin shook his head, “That’s…Arthur, look I know most people would call me mad for saying I can do magic, but being the wizard Merlin? That’s a whole new level.”

Arthur smiled, “You never had the beard or pointy hat either.”

“I didn’t?”

Encouraged by the question and that Merlin was willing to listen, Arthur talked. He told Merlin about how they met the first time around. About some of their adventures. About Camlann.

Arthur reached out, unable to resist any longer, cupping the side of Merlin’s neck. “I’m so sorry, Merlin. I know you don’t remember, but I’m so sorry for putting you through that.”

Merlin’s eyes watered and a tear rolled down his cheek, “I don’t know why I’m crying. I don’t remember.”

Arthur wiped the tear away, “Maybe you do.”

“Arthur…” Merlin whispered, leaning closer to him, “What were we? Back then?”

“You will always be my other half, Merlin,” Arthur said, unable to resist the pull any longer. Since he had woken on that fateful morning, remembering Camelot and Merlin, he had been aching to hold his lover once again. It had been killing him for the last few months, loving Merlin and having to pretend he was just a random acquaintance. So he leaned forward, tilting his head to capture Merlin’s lips in a soft kiss, feeling Merlin’s gasp under his lips. Merlin’s hands gripped his knee and Arthur’s heart raced as he felt Merlin return the kiss.

“Arthur,” Merlin’s voice was shaking, “That kiss…I…” Merlin’s hand reached up, his thumb skimming Arthur’s lower lip, the first sign of recognition Arthur had seen in him in all these months. Arthur pulled him in for another kiss, unable to stop himself, and reveling in the feel of Merlin’s arms flung around his shoulders.

“My head…” Merlin said between kisses.

“Sh…Don’t think about it…It’s easier if you just let the memories come in slowly,” Arthur said, trying to distract him by dragging his lips across Merlin’s chin and jaw.

Merlin gasped and when Arthur looked at him, there was recognition in Merlin’s eyes.

***

(PART 2)

***

Prompts + Ficlets

[searchingwardrobes]

Once GTKY Game

I was tagged by both @snowbellewells​ and @onceuponaprincessworld​ Thank you, ladies, and I'm sorry it took me so long to play!

Rules: Copy the bolded questions and answer them yourself! Don’t forget the specific question that was posed to you by the person who tagged you. Then tag up to 7 people, one for each season.

Musical episode: yay or nay?

Yay! It was absolutely a dream come true not only to have everyone singing such great songs, but also to have the Captain Swan wedding!

When did you start watching Once, and do you remember why?

My sister told me to watch it from the very beginning, so when I happened across it while channel surfing, I decided to give it a try. But I just happened to land on the very moment that Peter was begging Ruby as a wolf not to eat him, and so I thought it was some kind of horror take on fairy tales, lol! Then I saw promos about season 4 and was intrigued by the Frozen arc, so I binge watched the first three seasons. (And in context, the Ruby episode wasn’t so horrific, ha ha!) After that, I had to go through the agony of waiting a week for each episode because I was hooked (pun intended).

What made watching Once worthwhile?

It was always cool to see what spin they would put on each fairy tale and what people’s real world personas were like. Plus Captain Swan, of course.

First + Current main ships:

I’ve really only “shipped” Captain Swan. Season one it was just the premise of who everyone in Storybrooke was in Fairy Tale world and whether or not Emma would believe. Then Tallahassee happened . . .

First + Current favorite character?

First was Emma Swan. Now my favorite is Killian Jones.

Favorite arc (Why?)?

I loved all of season three, which also had the best finale ever. I also really loved the Frozen arc. Georgina Haig, Elizabeth Lail, and Elizabeth Mitchell all did a fantastic job. And of course, Captain Swan had their first date and that hot kiss in Rocky Road!

Favorite Plot Twist?

I wouldn’t call them “favorites,” but I have to say the most shocking twists were “Marian was really Zelena all along!” and Emma making Hook a second dark one. Both made even my husband audibly react.

Hardest death to watch?

Both of Killian’s in the Camelot arc, mainly because of how distraught Emma was. I really thought both Colin and Jen deserved Emmys that season for those two scenes alone. (Plus the goodbye in the Underworld.)

This character should have gotten more time?

Ruby, definitely. There were so many female friendships that could have been fantastic, particularly Ruby with Snow, Emma, and Belle. They never really gave Emma strong female friendships, and I think that’s a shame. For that same reason, I would have loved to have seen Elsa again in the finale, though I know the actress may not have been available. Her friendship with Emma was so great to watch, and I would have liked to have seen Emma happy in that aspect of her life as well. (Since the show was always SUPPOSED to be about Emma *AHEM*)

How do you summarize the show to your friends? (max 3 sentences)

All these fairy tale characters have ended up in our world because of a curse, and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming has to break the curse. Then they have all these adventures traveling between this world and all these other realms. You get these tragic back stories for everyone, and come to find out most of the people are related, lol.

Favorite Once specific trope (think memory wipe, family tree, glowing walky-talkey hearts, head achey timelines . . . )

To be honest, all of these were cool the first time around, and then they got annoying. Even true loves kisses, which by the end were being handed out like candy to every couple except Captain Swan. But I’m not bitter . . .

Three quotes that mean a lot to you?

1.

“Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.”

2.

“People are going to tell you who you are your whole life. You’ve just got to punch back and say, ‘no, this is who I am.’”

3.

Anything romantic that ever came out of Killian Jones’s mouth (I couldn’t choose)

Favorite funny scene?

When Killian was trying to explain to Elsa what a phone was!

 Favorite platonic ship:

You don’t have to read my fics for long to know the answer to this: Frozen Swan definitely. A close second that I also write a lot is Ariel and Hook. (I couldn’t even figure out if that one has a shipping name.) And of course, you gotta love Captain Charming!

Favorite dish from Granny’s?

I would probably be Belle and order a cheeseburger and fries and then a slice of chocolate cake.

What part of the newly merged realms would you like to live in?

Storybrooke because I’m a wimp who needs modern comforts, lol!

I got tagged by two people, snowbellewells asked: Were there any fairy tales/myths/legends/characters that never made it onto OUAT that you had hoped to see?

It would have been cool to see Moana and not just Maui’s hook. My daughter loves Pocahontas, and since her Disney version is completely legend and not fact, surely she could have hung out with Tiger Lily on Neverland. And I have the head canon that Emma and Killian end up with a cocker spaniel named Lady, and then a stray shows up who pines after Lady so long he finally sticks around, so naturally they name him Tramp.

Onceuponaprincess asked: If you could be in the show which character would you be? I am probably most like Belle, but I would have kicked Rumple over that town line way sooner and never looked back. (Sorry Rumbelle shippers!)

I am late playing this game, so I’m not going to tag anyone. I can’t think of any questions that haven’t already been asked.