#bbc merlin will always have a special place in my heart

[yume-tsuki]

love her so much an extra this is literally the same picture Perciwall and Percismall (I love Perci, he always seems so confused xD) and 4koaGawain is actually the same person than bbc Gawain

MERLIN PARALLELS 4x09 | 5x13

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

BBC Merlin & Text Posts (18/?)

[dnana-2809-blog]

heyy do u mind if return an ask that u sent me?

"what are your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them?"

how are you, btw? :)

Not, at all... I'm fine, thanks.

My favorite characters mostly change from time to time. But my top 3 have been the same in the last 4 years. Here they are :

1. Ash Lynx (Banana Fish)

He is an amazing character. Have been through a lot but still have kindness in his heart. He deserves all the happiness in the world. His relationship with his "good friend" Eiji is just something else. That is why, after the series ended, I search for the fics. This series is the reason I made ao3 account, to search for their happiness.

2. Yona (Yona of the Dawn)

She is strong, beautiful and a great leader. Watching her journey from a spoiled princess to an amazing future queen is a so great. Also one of the few m/f canon relationship that I love is between Yona and her bodyguard, Hak....

3. Wei Wuxian (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

The one who started it all and got me to BL is him. I was surprised when I know he got together (canon) with the ml. And then I read the other works by the same author, they are all amazing works. And I became a BL fan until now. Wei Wuxian is smart, kind, cheerful, mischievous, and people can't help but like him when getting to know him...

4. Nakajima Atsushi (Bungou Stray Dogs)

I love him so much. He always try his best and try to see the good in everyone. Can't believe when I saw someone's hate in him. Like, how can you hate someone who already hate himself so much? Glad to see his developement as the story progress. Also, I'm surprise to find new otps (non canon mlm) when I start this series.

5. William J. Moriarty (Moriarty the Patriot)

As a fan of Holmes, of course I start watching/reading this series. And I can say that this is one of the best adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The story and characters are all great. As I read, I'm surprise that my favorite is not Sherlock himself but William. He is just so kindhearted but willing to kill that part of himself for the greater good. Also, the relationship between William and Sherlock is special (that letter and bridge scene are a few of my favorite moments ever). Yes, I found new otps again from the series.

6. Merlin (BBC Merlin)

As new fan of this series (about 2 years), I'm glad I found it. Really love him, how he is kind hearted but can do cruel things if it's for his loved ones. His loyalty and bravery are just so him...And the ending, I did not see that coming. Well, it's me, of course there is a great bromance moments between Merlin and his prince/king, Arthur. Their relationship is so bittersweet (and why I search for their happiness in fics)

7. Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

I've first watch the series in midde school. And he is the main reason for it. He is smart, unpredictable, mischievous, but deep down a kind hearted person. (Okay, now that I wrote it down, Jane is so similar to Wei Wuxian). Glad he can find his happiness in the end.

8. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice)

Love her. Never got bored reading her story. My favorite from all Austen works. Now, I'm not really into m/f romance stories anymore, but this book will always have special place in my heart.

9. Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries)

The reason I got into the series is because of her. Love her personality, how dedicated she is to her hobby, and how she always use logic more than personal feelings. Now, I know I'm a minority here but I dislike JinMao ship. Like, I wish she can stay single and just focus on what she loves to do (I know it's romance and she will end up with Jinshi), but it's just my opinion.

10. Hinata Shouyou (Haikyuu)

How can I not love him. He is really just like his name (a sun). Because of his bright personality, he can made friends with anyone and also learn from them. There are times if it were most people, they'll give up. But not him, he always got back up again when falling. And it's great. Overall this series is inspiring and we can learn a lot from this. (Also, yes, I have at least 5 otps from this series, including Hinata with his rival/friend)....

Sorry for this long answer, hope you don't mind.

[anxiety-banana]

Ty @royallykt and @twentyfunnybunnies for the tag!!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

103 + however many dozen nony fics

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

262,661 which is both terrifying and disappointing... I just wanna have a novel written lol

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Star Wars, Marvel, and Smosh (but all the smosh stuff is unpublished as of yet) with a past sprinkling of white collar!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

when it matters (white collar) inevitability is a stupid, stupid, thing (marvel, penny parker) if you’re so smart, tell me why are you still so afraid? (suits) (used to be anon haha) big brothers make it okay (clone wars) insert the anon fic i will not be publishing publicly

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yup! It's my one and only fic superpower lol, I really love responding to comments

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

call me what i am, call me a monster is definitely one of the angstiest endings, but I sure do write a lot of angst... it usually ends well though

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I Know, I'm Sorry (But You Can Do Better) is a very fluffy fic overall and though it's technically a one shot book, it will most certainly always end fluffy haha

8. Do you get hate on fics?

A LOT of passive aggressive hate lol, usually people telling me I wrote an arbitrary fact in a fictional world wrong, in which there's no way to really be wrong, so those are sort of fun haha. It's usually just a lot of mean corrections for things that don't need correcting (like what translation of Beowulf I used for a fic title)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope and nope. I've written like,,, one fade to black haha

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No, but I would if I had the inspo

11. Which fic are you proud of but wish had gotten a bigger response from your readers?

we know your name (but not who you are) has a special place in my heart, so I'll always wish it got more attention

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but as always, we're working on translating all my fic into legible English prose for once in my life

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I tried to with my friends Ash and Lily like two years ago and it stressed me out so bad, we reeaally should have planned better ahaha

14. What's your all-all time favorite ship?

hgnghghg Shourtney has my heart also modern Rexsoka has me in a CHOKEHOLD

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a feeling I won't finish a shot in the dark, no chaser, but I'm IN LOVE with it, so it'll live with me forever now <3

16. What are your writing strengths?

I tend to be good with prose when I get into it, and I've been told my dialogue flows very naturally

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I suck at just... very basic scene transitions. Like yes I know they just went from their house to their job but that took me three weeks to write

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I like it! I may be able to do a tiny bit of French but personally I wouldn't trust myself to haha

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel, when Endgame first came out, and a BBC Merlin fic that was actually just a reader insert but I had no idea what that was

20. Favorite fic you've written?

where the hurt never mended, i see a grave that never got covered is still one of my all time favs because I wrote it in like a day and I just had so much passion put into it

Thanks again for the tag!! I've been tagging a whole lotta people recently so this is your open invitation to take this as your tag

[legallyhermione]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Ooooof this is such a hard question!! Thank you for the ask, I love this kinda stuff!!

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here they are!

1. Any of MXTX’s content (I’m counting them as one because I love too many things 😭): For me, these novels and adaptations were my first foray into danmei and Chinese media. I also discovered them at a time when I was questioning my identity and coming to terms with the fact I’m queer (which is…not really accepted in my family). I watched The Untamed first, then read fan translations of the novels before they started being officially translated, and I keep coming back to them because I find them so thought provoking. I like that none of the characters are presented as perfect people; they’re all flawed humans, but we love them anyway.

2. Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty: found family, Sherlock Holmes-like detective skills, spies, political machinations, food as a form of love? What more could I ask for! I just love this show. Haven’t gotten to read the novel it’s based on yet, but I’m hoping to soon!

3. Yuri on Ice: one of the first anime I ever watched, and it’s just so sweet and lovely. Definitely one of my comfort shows! Plus there are some crazy good fics. Still hoping one day we’ll get the movie!

4. Harry Potter: I struggle with this one a lot, because I very much dislike JKR’s transphobic rhetoric. But the fan spaces of Harry Potter provided me with support and escape I needed many times throughout my life, and for that the fandom of Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s been a part of my life nearly as long as I can remember.

5. Thousand Autumns: another one with some very morally grey characters! I love thinking about who and what is right and wrong, and this novel definitely makes you think about it. Lots of political world building as well, which I love.

6. My Cousin Vinny: a fantastic movie that I have many fond memories about. The jokes and digs about the south vs the north in the US always make me laugh, and as someone who has lived many years in both of those areas, those scenes make me giggle.

7. Haikyuu!: another one of my comfort shows! It’s just happy and fun and adorable. I love this one. I watched it sooooo many times during lockdown.

8. BBC Merlin: was morgana my bi awakening? I shan’t tell! Suchhh a good show, I miss it so much. Another fandom that has some incredibleeeee fanfics. Y’all writers are so talented.

9. Our Flag Means Death: I think this was maybe my first piece of media that explicitly included multiple queer characters but the entire storyline wasn’t only about the otherness and pain of being queer (or just a stereotyped role). This show made me feel seen in ways no other media had before. Plus, the show is gay pirates. It doesn’t get much better than that!

10. Avatar the Last Airbender: me and my siblings all loved this show, and we still watch it together often whenever we’re together. It’s so good. Zuko’s character development is still quite possibly the best redemption arc I’ve seen. I love it.

Phew. It was so hard to choose 10! I’m glad you didn’t ask me to pick one because I’m afraid that would’ve been impossible for me! What are your favorites???

💚

[ladyelainehilfur]

Kim but black??? 😭 don't tell me we're going the show route of copying and pasting character models and slightly changing the color palette. not with that $100M budget !

the (real) Kim! and the other boys! ngl, not loving what they did with Max's hair. I'm not gonna complain too much about their outfits being exactly the same as the show just because I understand creating a whole new toy line with different looks specifically from the movie would be a hassle and ZAG probably wanna keep all their Miraculous IP under the same production umbrella.

but I still wish marinette and adrien got new fits smh

WOOO MY GIRLIES! Sabrina's glowup omg!! And Chloe looks amazing!

uh oh, I can sense my lowkey crush on Kim finally coming to find me T_T

I'd already seen this but WHOA DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL CGI ANIMATION FOR LADYBUG!!!!

that's so fricking cool 😭 that version of ladybug/marinette will always have a special place in my heart so I'm very happy they took inspiration from it. Not only this reference but the movie's transformation sequence is pretty similar to the original CGI transformation too^^

Shout to OG CGI Marinette for having the prettiest transformation sequence ever.

but the movie's transformation sequence is really good too! love the watery/gliterry effect.

girl why are you in the roof

LMAO my heart thumped so bad seeing them practice together at that park, just like AlyaNino did when they were super heroes THEY'RE SO CUTE OML

damn, I haven't seen clouds this well-animated since Stormy Weather. Stormy Weather is in my top 3 episodes ever just for the animation and VFX alone 😖 this bodes SO well for the movie

...I am constantly on a pendulum that swings between loving movie Adrien's design and absolutely despising it. This cute style with the chubby cheeks works so well for Marinette, but Adrien is not reaping the same benefits. Idk, something about his face when it stays still for too long is very unappealing. I much prefer it when it's exaggeratedly animated.

Also why isn't his suit shiny anymore :((( it's on the guardians watching if they think his cosplaying as a leather touting cat boy is too sensual or something smh ruining it for the rest of us

and here it is, reminder number one this will probably be a cliche kids movie 😭 man I really don't like this overused style of humor. Also, it gives me mad BBC Merlin Lady of the Lake vibes iykyk

whoops, forgot Gabe was in this movie. hhh whatever, the transformation looks much more violent for him and that's how it should be.

yeah, I want more of THIS. he's so so very cute. he's baby and he actually looks 12-13 like the show is begging us to believe he is instead of 15-16.

really enjoying seeing Ladybug's progression from being clumsy to gaining more of her trademark confidence. but I'm glad we can see that flying around Paris on a yoyo would be terrifying 😭

[witchmd13]

Hello.... Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Merlin BBC? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks if you want to answer....

I just noticed this ask in my inbox. I'm so sorry. I don't check desktop tumblr that much anymore and asks get so easily lost on the app. I hope it's okay I'm answering right now :)

My top 5 favorite characters are: Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, and Lancelot.

Arthur is the character I relate to the most in the show. just a bisexual disaster who can't handle emotions and always puts too much pressure on himself. Also, despite being born privileged and growing up sheltered, he always tries to be better and he listens to others and I love him for it.

Merlin. I mean who can't love Merlin? He deserves the world honestly. Above all, I love him for how good he chooses to be. He has all this power to do anything he wants. He could literally be a god, but he chooses to stay in camelot in constant danger and protect his friends and try to build a better world.

Gwen means so much to me as a character, especially in the early seasons. most of my favorite quotes from the show are hers. you have no idea how many times "worry is not a wise counsel. forget everything else. you have to follow what you believe is right" saved me from falling into an anxiety spiral. she will always have a special place in my heart.

Morgana, well, what can I say about her that's not already obvious lol. to me, she represents all the rage all of us develop growing up at seeing unfairness in the world. and while she lets her hatred of it consume her and make her bitter, instead of trying to cling the tiniest bits of love that you can find in it, like merlin did, I still love her anger and relate to it. in the end, she did do what she believed was right and damned the consequences and I think there's something to be said about her fighting for what she believed to be right until the very end.

Lancelot, well, Gwen and Lancelot's story has always been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I've always liked Lancelot more than Arthur ironically lol so I liked him the moment he showed up. He's still my favorite knight and his story in the show is just so tragic and I have a thing for tragic characters in general.

I yammered on a lot about my favorite characters so I'll keep my favorite moments brief. I'll try not to make them shipping specific!

Merlin drinking the poison for Arthur in the poisoned chalice and Arthur's entire reaction, going against his father for merlin and everything.

Arthur's apology for what he did to the druids' camp.

Merlin confronting Uther's ghost in the death song of uther pendragon.

Lancelot getting knighted as himself.

Morgana's "and you, Uther, are going to hell."

Thank you for the ask! and again sorry for not noticing it earlier!

[shelivesinhermind]

TAG GAME: EIGHT SHOWS TO GET TO KNOW ME

Thank you for tagging me, @emma-ofnormandy! 

1. BBC Merlin - This show will always and forever have a special place in my heart. I fangirled over this show so hard, when it was over, I went into a little depression. The characters and story just mean so much to me, I feel nostalgic every time I hear the opening credits. And I always have a pleasant time when I interact with the fandom. 

2. Vikings: Valhalla - I originally had no intention of watching this show when it dropped. I had watched the original Vikings series and really enjoyed it, but was in no hurry to watch a spin-off. That is until I saw a gif set of Emma and Canute (yes, you read that right) and the rest is history (quite literally). This show has come to mean so much to me in a short time, not only for my favorite couple, but the other characters grabbed me and didn’t let go as well. Plus, I have gotten to interact with some amazing folks in the fandom, which I am so grateful for :) 

3. Doctor Who -  Nothing will ever compare to the 10th doctor, my favorite, but this show was a place of escape for me for a long while. My brother and I looked forward to every Saturday when a new episode aired, kept up with it, who was cast next, and cried when David Tennant left. While my interaction with the show has fallen off in recent years (mostly because I don’t like the writing), I will always have fond memories. 

4. Downton Abbey - This was just such a comfort show for me and still is! I could say Downton Abbey is probably the reason I got into period dramas, though I loved historical things before this show. Downton Abbey was also about community for me, I loved chatting with friends  and older people alike who watched. 

5. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - This show is just so much fun, with a wonderful female character at the center. What more could you ask for? This show is just so bright, entertaining, and the themes and main character are just *chefs kiss* I love Miriam, her quirkiness, tenacity, and drive are just wonderful. I need to catch up on this show now that the new season has dropped! 

6. Schitt’s Creek - Back in 2020 when the world was on hold and life felt meaningless, I was really struggling mentally and really needed something to pick me up. I had been wanting to watch Schitt’s Creek for a while, but the time never really felt right, until then. This show became a lifeline for me and a source of so much laughter. I love it. It is one of the greatest things made in my opinion. 

7. Daredevil (Netflix) - As a Marvel fan from an early age, I have pretty much consumed all the Marvel media (with the exception of recent releases, I kinda fell off keeping up with everything after Endgame), but this show will always stand out to me as one of the best. I love everything about it. 

8. The Walking Dead - I came for the zombies and stayed for the cast of characters. But seriously, I don’t fancy myself a fan of zombie media, and I am pretty sure The Walking Dead was my first interaction with a zombie story. To me this show becomes so much more than that and the actual zombies are like the background. I love the survival aspect the most about this show and all the characters that just grabbed me and stuck with me. 

[idkijustneedasideblogbro]

I may barely interact with the fandom anymore but BBC Merlin will always be my beloved blorbos, my very first ones. The cast who still sometimes do little things to engage with their Merlin fans have a special place in my heart. Like I grew up on starwars and I love it's movies but it doesn't even hold a candle to how much I adore this show (on my original blog I took part in the Merlin fandom years before starwars)

[myfairkatiecat]

Yeah sokeefe always seemed like the end goal though I wasn’t surprised by the Sophitz arc.

Other fandom ships, I’m a huge fan of Jorgen and Spensa in skyward by Brandon Sanderson! I also have huge Anidala feelings (Star Wars) and Gwen x Arthur (BBC Merlin) I love them so much!! Also freylin abdkdjss (BBC Merlin). Obitine has a special place in my heart (Star Wars) and when it comes to the inheritance games I’m suuuuuch an averyjameson girl it’s not even funny, also Max and Xander’s relationship and Nash and Libby!!!! (Here’s to Grayson finding love in TGG—hopefully with Lyra Kane!!!!!) I love newsies and could read Jack/katherine fics alllllll day. I had a pretty strong miraculous phase and I gotta say, adrinette is just so sweet and fluffy I can’t get over it. I have some other ships that I’m not thinking of rn lol. I have ships in almost everything I read, relationships (romantic or platonic, especially familial) are actually EVERYTHING to me so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s easy to make me kick my feet and squeal over love

Ok so i know you're a big lava cake girlie, but what are some of your other top Ships?

SOKEEFE

Sorry that’s like my OTP. I’m sooooo in love with sokeefe. Abskdhskshshsk

Also I really like Dexiana! I think it’s super cute! I also don’t mind Tiana, but dexiana is just so adorable to me.

For kotlc, those are the only ships I really care about, but I definitely have shipping opinions in other fandoms lol

[901allons-y]

Merlin season 1

[silversnaffles]

Sooo I just found out about that new animated series The Dragon Prince that’s coming out... is anyone talking about how Callum is basically Colin Morgan as Merlin?

Also it’s called The Dragon Prince and Merlin is a Dragon Lord and imma have to watch this show when it comes out

[space-mermaid-writing]

Favourite show?

My all time favorite are Psych and Taskmaster (and Taskmaster New Zealand). Star Trek (TOS) will always have special place in my heart.

Currently I watch Merlin BBC for the first time and it's great. Merlin and Arthur share 1 brain cell and it never stays with the one relevant to the plot.

[xviruserrorx]

Ask game that @bbcfandomsuniverse recently did (hope you don't mind me jumping in 😊)

Their post is over here in the larger font like above with the questions if they are easier for you to see! But from here on the text will be in the standard regular font, Thank you!

How many works do you have on AO3?

-Nine? And far too many WIPs that are like two paragraphs from being finished

What’s your total AO3 word count?

-92,277

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

-On AO3, 4 but In my little book of things and my docs a lot more...

BBC Merlin, Mortal instruments fandom, Durarara, The Umbrella Academy (*ones not posted* Penny dreadful, Robin of sherwood, BBC Atlantis... And other horribly written things for many many anime and manga series)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

• Rain Before The Rainbow- 146

• Snow and Powdered Sugar- 49

• Broken Raven- 39

• The Ingenuous- 21

• I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You- 20

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! I always try to respond to comments and continue what whatever they talked about or just give my thanks.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

It's not currently posted but it's another one of my fics that is almost finished and pretty much is a retelling of the Diamond of the day of BBC Merlin if events had gone differently with saving a bunch of characters including mordred, daegal, kara, sefa, Gilli among many others and it's very angsty. Like tears and sobbing angsty...

Do you write crossovers? if so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I actually wrote ONE crossover that I never posted and it was a disaster... I will never mention it again.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wouldn't call it hate but it was simply someone voicing their opinion on the fic which yeah... Kinda you know hurtful to me but i'm just a stranger to them that's writing fanfiction so...

Do you write smut? if so what kind?

Nope no nopitty no

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

To my knowledge no. And also who ever does steal my fics you picked the most worst person to do it from XD. (But in all seriousness if someone ever finds one of my fics posted anywhere else or under a different user name please message me here on Tumblr 😊)

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but again I'm completely open to it and would love for my fics to branch out to all of the non-english speaking audiences.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I would love to work with another writer on a fic! I actually really want to but have no clue how to even go about it.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oooo, I'm gonna go back to my beginning fandom roots and say a platonic relationship I love is from an anime called Princess TuTu and it's Fakir & Muto... I watched the anime along with another one called Sugar Sugar Rune when I was like 4 and they will always hold a special place in my heart along with the Original Fruits basket and the Manga...

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Probably one of my Umbrella Academy fics that I had started to write. Mostly because when a lot of stuff happened with the very strong opinions in certain comments it made me loose inspiration and hope in writing for the fandom in a way. But it was my favourite idea and now I can barely look at it anymore...

What are your writing strengths?

Figurative language my beloved... I mold and bend works like clay to my will and abuse them for the sake of art. I sometimes place words that have no correlation besides each other but with their surrounding pears have all the meaning of everything I mean for them to say. My teachers all throughout school loved and hated my writing all the same but i always counted it as one of my strengths.

What are your writing weaknesses?

That I get distracted in words and go off on off topic tangents. I always do this and I have to stop myself. And like I've said before this just end up a old tangled yarn ball of metaphors that in another persons hands, the knots are yanked at and pulled so impossibly there's no chance to get it undone. But in mine, the twist and turns of yarn become limp and fall so incredibly loose between my fingers. So I want to make my writing able to be untangle without too much of a yank or tug.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I've done it myself with Raphael Santiago from Mortal instruments in Spanish and Small dialogue bits I'm okay with. But if it's like a full speech I'm not too keen on it even if I understand the language.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Wait funny story real quick, I recently found my old notebook I used to write fanfiction in when I was like 8 and it's atrocious. But if I remember correctly the first fanfic in their is with Magi (another anime and manga series very dear to my heart) but if i'm correct the first piece of actual fanfic I wrote was a bit earlier and it was Pandora Hearts maybe? Or even around the time that shows like Avatar and Teen Titans aired...

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I have to go with "The Ingenuous" mostly because I remember many years ago thinking those two would be good friends but completely abandoned the idea because it was like 2015 and I thought the fandom was dead... And also because these two don't have a canon relationship I have taken free will with it and halfway through writing it I realized their relationship has elements of practically me and one of my friends I've known my whole life. And that person is very near and dear to me and I've always held them close to my heart... So really that fic just has everything of me and I've given my all into that fic.

I'm tagging

@zoingfandom and @ohanahoku-ao3 and thats It because I feel awkward tagging other people I know are Ao3 writers XD

Zoing & Ohana please save me from my awkwardness and tag more people please, I beg of you. But also Anyone else if free to join in!

[pillage-and-lute]

Hey I have a holiday prompt for you! What if it’s the pairing’s first holiday together and they stress about figuring out what to get each other? Any pairing you feel like! PS Reading your stuff never fails to put a smile on face!💜💜💜

Hi Blondey!

cute shit ahead. Modern AU

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“Yen,” I swear,” Geralt panted into the phone. “It’s an emergency. Please, I need your help.”

“No.”

“Yen please I’m actually begging.”

“You should have thought to beg before Christmas Eve.”

“I’m meeting him tonight, Yennefer, I’m on Wilson Street, with all the shops and I’m so lost, please.”

“No.”

“I’ll set you up with Jaskier’s hot friend. The one from the coffee shop. She’s single.”

“...I’m on my way.”

-- -- -- Across Town, Triss and Jaskier’s Apartment -- -- -- 

“I just thought I’d have more time to get him a gift,” Jaskier wailed, draped dramatically over Triss’ beat up armchair. “And then it was thanksgiving, then finals and it’s Christmas eve and I don’t have a gift.”

“Well,” Triss said, sipping her cocoa and barely looking up from her book. “It’s not noon yet, shops aren’t all closed. What kind of gift does your relationship need?”

“What?” Jaskier looked up from his flop of despair, confused. 

“I mean, if you’d been dating for a month it would be slippers or some scotch or something.”

“We’ve been dating eight months though!” Jaskier wailed. “I love him, Trissy, desperately. I see his face and everything goes all pink and mushy.”

“You should get that checked out.”

“No, I mean,” Jaskier sat up and looked at her. “I think he could be the one. He might be it for me.”

Triss looked up from her book. She’d known Jaskier since university, and his heart had always been so mobile, but there was something shining in his eyes. She shrugged mentally. Put it down to a Christmas miracle, but Jaskier was really in love.

“What does he like?”

Jaskier huffed. “He likes being grumpy.”

“And?”

“Me.” He paused for thought. “His horse, Roach, he loves riding. He loves his goddaughter, and mythology.”

“Lord of the Rings nerd?”

“Oh you have no idea, he’s basically Aragorn if Aragorn had albinism.”

“I know a place,” Triss said, getting up. “Put on your coat.”

“Will it be open?” Jaskier asked anxiously, pulling his boots on.

“They live above the shop,” Triss said, throwing his scarf at him. “I know the owners, I’ll just shoot them a text.”

-- -- -- Back on the other side of town -- -- --

“Okay,” Yennefer said. “And you’re sure the hot barista is single?”

“Triss,” Geralt said. “And yes, apparently she’s been crying about it to Jaskier for ages.”

“Right, let’s go looking,” Yennefer said, looking remarkably cheerful.

The rows of shops were mostly open for last minute shoppers and Geralt and Yennefer fought through them. 

Well, Geralt fought. Yennefer just glared and people moved out of her way. 

“Does he cook?” Yennefer asked, pointing at a cookware store.

“Ramen and box mac n cheese,” Geralt said.

“You said he likes clothes?” A very full store with what could only be called hipster clothing.

“He has lots of clothes I want something...special,” Geralt said. He was trying not to lose hope.

“You really like this one.”

“I do, you met him he’s just...bright,” Geralt said, mumbling a little into his scarf as the wind blew a flurry at him.

“Hey, look at the music shop on the corner,” Yenn said. “I’m down here all the time, I’ve never noticed it before.”

Neither had Geralt. “Is it new?” It didn’t look new. It looked nearly condemned.

“You said he loves music,” Yennefer said, stomping in the direction of the store.

“I dunno, that store looks...”

“He loves music,” she said. “And you love him.”

They entered the store.

-- -- -- Triss and Jaskier -- -- --

“How the hell did you find this place?”

“I told you,” Triss said, matter of factly. “I know the owners. They’ll be down any minute to open it up.”

“They’re opening it up just for us?” Jaskier asked guiltily. It was Christmas eve after all.

“They owe me,” Triss said. “I introduced them. Well...reintroduced.”

“Welcome to The Sword in the Stone, Gifts and Novelties,” grinned a young man with very blue eyes and slightly large ears, opening the door. Behind him a blonde young man grinned cheerfully too, he was wearing a santa hat.

“Hi,” Jaskier said, stepping gratefully inside. “It’s a pleasure, I’m Jaskier.”

“Merlin,” said the young man who’d opened the door. 

“Arthur,” the blonde waved.

“Seriously?”

The pair just shrugged. Well, Jaskier, called Buttercup/Dandelion/Julian/a lot of other things, wasn’t about to tell people what to call themselves.

“I hear you need a gift for that special someone,” the blonde -Arthur- said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah, he loves fantasy stuff and I just... I don’t know what to get him.”

“Gotcha,” Arthur began to lead him back into the shop. Merlin and Triss were chatting by the door. 

“Were you thinking bigger, got a lovely cardboard cutout of Viggo Mortensen?”

Jaskier pictured Aragorn watching them have sex from the corner of Geralt’s little studio apartment. “Maybe smaller but kind of...niche?”

“Lucky you, this place if full of niche,” Arthur said cheerfully. 

Jaskier looked at the wall full of swords and was that a battle axe? “Yeah...”

“Does he wear jewelry?” asked Arthur, jingling a box full of metal in Jaskier’s direction.

“Not really,” Jaskier said. Then something caught his eye. “Wait...” he pulled something out of the box and held it up to the light.

Somehow...it was perfect.

“How much.”

-- -- -- Yen and Geralt -- -- --

“This place looks closed,” Geralt whispered to Yennefer, looking around at the racks of instruments.

“Not closed dearie, just dusty,” came a cheerful voice from right behind Geralt. He and Yennefer jumped.

“Sorry honeys,” said a little old lady with coke bottle glasses. “Got my slippers on, makes me quiet. She shuffled one foot, clad in pink fluff, off the floor as exhibit A. “Gift from my great grandson, aren’t they darling? Now,” she looked at Geralt with laser intensity. “You’d be needing a gift.”

“Um, yes ma’am,” Geralt said. How had she known?

“Ooohoo you need a gift,” said the tiny old woman, “Cause you’s a boy in love.” She nearly cackled. “Follow me honeys!”

Geralt and Yennefer looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. What choice did they have?

“Got a harp,” the shopkeeper called cheerfully. It was indeed a full, standing, concert harp. It had a figurehead on it but the face looked absolutely agonized.

“Maybe not,” Geralt said.

“Hmmm no,” said the lady, shuffling her fluffy slippers. “Bagpipes?”

“He lives in an apartment.”

“That’ll be a no, then,” said the woman, peering at a rack of instruments in the corner. “Aha!” she shrieked, startling Geralt and Yennefer both. 

“This!”

It was perfect.

“I can’t afford it,” Geralt said, feeling hopeless.

“Oh yes you can,” said the little old lady gleefully, if she could Geralt got the sense she would be jumping and clicking her heels. “Nobody wants ‘em these days, this one’s seventy-five percent off!”

Geralt left with a weird shaped package.

-- -- -- Geralt’s studio apartment, evening -- -- --

“Hey,” Jaskier, said, stomping his boots on the mat.

“Hi,” Geralt replied, stealing a kiss. “What’d you tell Triss?”

“Told her I was sending a gift, what’s you tell Yennefer?”

“She’s heading over there now,” Geralt said. “With that movie they both like.”

“Ocean’s 8?”

“That’s the one, and a plate of homemade Christmas cookies.”

Jaskier smiled at Geralt and stole another kiss. “We’re never going to have a moment of peace, now we set them up,” he said. Geralt grinned at him. “Never, but I think we did the right thing.”

They settled in on Geralt’s little loveseat. Jaskier set a wrapped present on the side table. Beside it, on the floor, was a very poorly wrapped mess. Lots of scotch tape was visible. It was quite large.

Jaskier felt panicky.

“Should we,” Geralt said awkwardly. “Do you want to exchange presents now?”

“Sure.” Oh god, Geralt’s gift was so small, and what if he hated it?

“You first?” Geralt said, handing over the odd package.

Jaskier had always been a rip-it-open present person, but he took his time, although there was no salvaging the taped up paper.

“A lute?” he turned to Geralt in delight, face lighting up.

“A lute,” Geralt said. “Is-is that a good thing?”

“Oh my god, Geralt, yes! Oh I love it! I can’t wait to learn it!” Jaskier dropped kisses all over Geralt’s face, careful of his new baby.

He handed Geralt the little package. “It’s not as great but...”

Geralt was a folding kind of person and folded up the wrapping paper carefully, then he opened the box and took out the amulet with the silver wolf’s head.

“Oh,” Geralt said.

Oh. Was that a good oh or a bad oh? Jaskier tried to breathe slowly.

“Jaskier I...” 

Oh no. He hated it.

“It’s perfect.”

What?

“When I was little I thought I’d be a knight,” Geralt said, pale eyes shining. “And I drew wolf’s heads on everything, my crest, I said.”

Geralt was holding up the amulet as if transfixed. 

“Vesemir can show you, he kept the drawings,” Geralt said. Then he slipped the medallion over his head.

“My knight,” Jaskier said. “My wolf.”

Geralt gave a playful growl. Jaskier’s heart thumped a little harder. Geralt must have picked up on something in his eyes because he cocked his head.

“Oh?” he rumbled, low in his chest. “You want a wolf, do you?” He growled again.

Jaskier leapt up, shrieking with laughter and ran to hide in the bathroom. Geralt caught up before he could close the door.

“I’ll huff and I’ll puff,” he said, dragging Jaskier closer and giving him a bear hug. He growled in Jaskier’s ear.

“And I’ll blow your...how does it go?”

“I’m not sure, wolfie,” Jaskier said, pulling Geralt closer by the amulet. “But I think it ends with you eating me all up.”

It was a very merry Christmas indeed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ope! Idiots! With a random appearance from BBC’s Merlin (In 2020? I guess.) and a little old lady. + the magic of christmas.

[veliseraptor]

got tagged for two fic writer memes yesterday! the one from @ameliarating first:

How many works do you have on AO3?

509.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

3,432,24. dang! that’s a lot of words

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I have written for...counting the MCU as one fandom, on AO3 I have written for 32 fandoms, including at least one work in:

MCU, The Sillmarillion, Caliban Leandros, both DC and Marvel Comics, the book Barebacked by Kit Whitfield, Doctrine of Labyrinths, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Black Jewels, Dragon Age, Lucifer, Dexter, Temeraire, Gentleman Bastard Sequence, Supernatural, A Song of Ice and Fire, Greek Mythology, Lymond Chronicles, Merlin BBC, Code Geass, Good Omens,  Death Note, and White Collar.

this is not a comprehensive list of every fandom I’ve ever written for, because it is not including ones that live only on FFN or Livejournal.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Life In Reverse tops the list (11066), aka my 200k Loki-centric post-Thor AU fic that I wrote between 2012 and 2018 and with which I have a decidedly complex relationship at this point. I love it but also I no longer think it’s my best work but also I credit it with teaching me a fuck of a lot about writing and writing longer projects in general.

With Absolute Splendor is rapidly catching up, to my astonishment (6559), despite having been posted for less than half as long. Aka the wedding planning fic that’s really just me mucking about in my Jiang Cheng and my Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian feelings, at length.

some good mistakes (4618) was my first foray into the Untamed version of “characters who hate each other going on resentful roadtrips together, feat. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng.” I have gone on to write others and will continue to write more.

Unraveling (3069) is a little bit of a surprise but also not - it was originally just sort of WWP stuff for my ‘what if people remembered that blunt force trauma is a really bad thing actually’ problem that pops up sometimes, re: Loki at the end of The Avengers, and then it kind of turned into a whole thing. I personally think it’s the weakest of the installments of the series it belongs to, but it is the first one and also the one that gets least into the broader family dysfunction and depression stuff that probably is less everyone’s thing (but is what came out this fic that mattered more to me, personally).

I am a little surprised to see Steve Rogers’ Halfway House for Notorious Supervillains (3068) here too! I was expecting one of the more...idk, mainstream concepts from the MCU to win out? But I also wasn’t expecting two Untamed fics to make it here, either. But I am stupid proud of this fic even if it is very extraordinarily unfinished. This is one of those unfinished fics that will nag at me unless and until I finish it, at least a little, because the concept - if I do say so myself - is so goddamn good and I think I was executing it pretty well, too.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Pretty much never. I was never very good at it and now I’d feel like I had to go back and reply to all of them and I just. I can’t do that. and when I do try to just start at the beginning I get overwhelmed very fast and start avoiding it.

Basically I decided that if it’s a decision between wrestling with myself to reply to comments versus actually doing more writing I’m going to end up landing on the latter as feeling both more doable and more productive.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

probably it’s The Worlds Forgotten, the Words Forbidden for sheer level of “so then what was the point” of it all. but like. I’ve definitely written a few extraordinarily miserable fics, and by “a few” I kind of mean “a lot.” Other nominees I’d put down might be nor autumn falter (for currently personally making me suffer most), once there was a way to get back home (for I think having the ouchiest summary), and Waiting for the Summer Rain (which remains one of my personal favorite Supernatural fics I wrote).

but like. there are 43 fics I have marked with Major Character Death warnings and every single one of those, pretty much, has a downer ending.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have written several though not in a long time! My craziest probably remains the Morgoth/Cthulhu short I wrote that actually got sporked because someone took it seriously (???) enough to do that. But the craziest that actually has any merit, (I’d argue) is probably the Maeglin/Viserys one.

not linking to either, if you want to go find them I don’t think it’ll be that hard.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yeah, a few times on a few different things. More if you count “people who seem to like the fic but love telling you how much they hate the female characters you’re writing about in it” as ‘hate’ which I would but isn’t, you know, quite as straightforward. If I had a nickel for every time someone bitched about Jane in Life in Reverse, though...lots of nickels.

Do you write smut? if so what kind?

Sure do! But what does ‘what kind’ mean, I don’t know how to answer that question. I feel tempted to just put in my “Mike’s Hard Kinks” image edit in this space.

I guess usually I tend to write smut that at least involves a little bit of a kink? I don’t think I’d feel comfortable writing entirely kinkless smut. I think I’d feel weird about it, the same way I do when I write really nice fic, generally.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I think I did back when but I don’t remember anything about it. I feel like it was one of those mass data scraping things where my fic happened to be among those caught up in it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! several actually, mostly into Russian and Chinese. every time it happens I’m immensely flattered that someone wants to put in that kind of work on something I wrote.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I think I’d be very, very bad at it.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Depends on when you ask me! I could probably give you a top five but then I’d remember six that I forgot to mention five minutes later. I guess if I were to think about ships that feel like they hold very special particular places in my heart... Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen, Steve Rogers/Loki, and Min/Rand come to mind.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

oh god do you want the whole list cause honestly I could just like. screencap the entirety of my “in progress” folder with a crying emoji watermarked over it. and that’s not getting into the fics that are like...half formed babies in my consciousness but not anywhere on paper.

and also I just hate to admit that I might not finish something.

you know what? the Lucifer/Good Omens crossover I started would’ve been a lot of fun. I’m probably never going to finish it, but it would’ve been great if I had. I know other people did it too but my contribution could’ve been amazing.

I can say this very boldly with the near certainty that I’m not going to finish the fic so no one will be able to disagree.

(...also the Last Herald-Mage fix it. that was going to be a good fic too, and also will probably languish unfinished forever.)

What are your writing strengths?

I’m pretty sure dialogue is my strongest point. Dialogue and emotions, which is why I always end up just wanting to write about characters talking and having feelings at each other.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing action sequences throws me into conniptions every time I have to do it and I will take drastic actions sometimes to avoid doing it at all, which probably weakens the work as a whole.

Also, I don’t plan ahead and this means I write myself into corners kind of a lot. If I wasn’t writing long, dense fic it wouldn’t be a problem but here we are.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I tend to avoid it unless it’s in the context of, as in CQL/MDZS fic, leaving certain terminology untranslated. I’m pretty sure I almost never write full exchanges of dialogue in a different language than I’m using for the narration within a fic, and generally speaking my reaction to other people doing it is at least mildly negative.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter was technically the first fandom I wrote for, but it was a crack fic I wrote to make my friends laugh more than anything; I tend to count Wheel of Time as my first actual fandom for which I wrote my first actual fic.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

some days the answer is “all of them” and some day the answer is “I don’t like anything I’ve written in my entire life” and I never like giving this a definitive answer. yesterday I reread efforts in a common cause (the bound copy!! thanks @spockandawe) and you know what, that was a good fic and I’m proud of it, so I’m going with that one, for this meme, today.

tagging: @mostfacinorous, @jaggedcliffs, @silvysartfulness, @mikkeneko, @kasasagi-eye, @curiosity-killed, how many people am I supposed to tag for this one anyway