This, definitely worth refinding to read. There's so much more than just what's on the surface going on that it would take multiple rereadings to get them all.
Oh my word, I cannot tell you how much this made my week. By the time I first posted this story, it had undergone so many revisions and last-minute re-tweaking that I was thoroughly sick of it. Which meant that when I posted it, I could barely appreciate whether anyone was actually understanding it or not.
The level of detail you put into your summary on merlin_finders blows me away. I never expected my work to be so well-remembered, and I think you are the first person to actually name the pale lady as Death. (It was one of those details that seemed self-evident to me with my multiple revisions, but apparently never quite got across to the majority of the audience.)
Thank you for enjoying my work enough to refind it!
Sometimes, certain stories have really strong sticking points, this was one of those. As to Lady Death, I though it was pretty straightforward, and it may have been helped along with my live for Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
I love the fairy-tale feel of this, and the versions of people Arthur meets. The echoes of voices speaking to Arthur in his fever fit in neatly with the puzzle piece encounters, and I love the items he acquires in the course of his quest.
The portrayals of Gaius, Gwen and Morgana made me want to cry because they're right - and because they're veiled enough that I didn't think "Oh my god, Arthur, how stupid are you?" as he was traveling (though I was pleased that he had forgotten when he woke up, I have to admit).
I also really, really love that Merlin does not appear directly in his dream, that he isn't one of the allegories Arthur encounters, since he's busy saving Arthur's life in his own distinct way, but still manages to be present, and to save Arthur from the wine and by providing the water.
This was a lot of fun to read, and I really enjoyed it. [here via merlin_finders]
I'm glad the portrayals worked for you. I was thinking of the way you rarely actually see someone's face in a dream. Rather, a combination of character details, like a purple dress or a particular turn of phrase, is what drives you to conclude who someone must be. That was the feeling I was trying to capture anyway.
The sphere of light in the caves of Balor is always going to represent the essence of the Merlin and Arthur dynamic to me. Merlin is always by Arthur's side, even when distance would seem to prevent it. Arthur does not yet fully understand Merlin's importance, but he is beginning to see magic can be beautiful. For now, they are hidden from each other's sight, but in time they will be inseparable.
I ♥ this icon - Utena was one of the first anime I watched, and it has a special (albeit very confusing at times) place in my heart.
The sphere of light in the caves of Balor is always going to represent the essence of the Merlin and Arthur dynamic to me. Merlin is always by Arthur's side, even when distance would seem to prevent it.
That sums them up really well. I'll be interested to see how they address this aspect of the relationship in the third season - the second seemed to put some distance between them, which looked harder on Merlin than on Arthur.
Epic. Marvelous writing, it completely pulled you into the story, with it's dream-like atmosphere and oddities. Great prequel for Reclamation, which, like this one, has a very good grasp on Arthur's character and is well thought out, providing a reasonable explanations for Arthur's behavior in season 2, so thanks for that. :) Very good writing!!
Sorry for taking so to reply! I'm happy that the dream-like nature of the story worked for you. Over time, this fic has more or less become my head canon for the change in Arthur's character between series 1 and 2 and I am thrilled to hear that others can still find it a reasonable exploration of events. Thank you for reading!
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Thank you!
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The level of detail you put into your summary on merlin_finders blows me away. I never expected my work to be so well-remembered, and I think you are the first person to actually name the pale lady as Death. (It was one of those details that seemed self-evident to me with my multiple revisions, but apparently never quite got across to the majority of the audience.)
Thank you for enjoying my work enough to refind it!
Reply
Sometimes, certain stories have really strong sticking points, this was one of those. As to Lady Death, I though it was pretty straightforward, and it may have been helped along with my live for Neil Gaiman's Sandman.
Reply
I love the fairy-tale feel of this, and the versions of people Arthur meets. The echoes of voices speaking to Arthur in his fever fit in neatly with the puzzle piece encounters, and I love the items he acquires in the course of his quest.
The portrayals of Gaius, Gwen and Morgana made me want to cry because they're right - and because they're veiled enough that I didn't think "Oh my god, Arthur, how stupid are you?" as he was traveling (though I was pleased that he had forgotten when he woke up, I have to admit).
I also really, really love that Merlin does not appear directly in his dream, that he isn't one of the allegories Arthur encounters, since he's busy saving Arthur's life in his own distinct way, but still manages to be present, and to save Arthur from the wine and by providing the water.
This was a lot of fun to read, and I really enjoyed it.
[here via merlin_finders]
Reply
I'm glad the portrayals worked for you. I was thinking of the way you rarely actually see someone's face in a dream. Rather, a combination of character details, like a purple dress or a particular turn of phrase, is what drives you to conclude who someone must be. That was the feeling I was trying to capture anyway.
The sphere of light in the caves of Balor is always going to represent the essence of the Merlin and Arthur dynamic to me. Merlin is always by Arthur's side, even when distance would seem to prevent it. Arthur does not yet fully understand Merlin's importance, but he is beginning to see magic can be beautiful. For now, they are hidden from each other's sight, but in time they will be inseparable.
Reply
The sphere of light in the caves of Balor is always going to represent the essence of the Merlin and Arthur dynamic to me. Merlin is always by Arthur's side, even when distance would seem to prevent it.
That sums them up really well. I'll be interested to see how they address this aspect of the relationship in the third season - the second seemed to put some distance between them, which looked harder on Merlin than on Arthur.
Reply
Marvelous writing, it completely pulled you into the story, with it's dream-like atmosphere and oddities. Great prequel for Reclamation, which, like this one, has a very good grasp on Arthur's character and is well thought out, providing a reasonable explanations for Arthur's behavior in season 2, so thanks for that. :) Very good writing!!
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