Fandom-whore extraordinaire

A quick list of things that cheered me up yesterday when I really needed it

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:37:43 GMT

1. Merlin fics:

'Secret art' by vensre (431 words, Arthur/Merlin, G)
A quiet, companionable moment between Arthur and Merlin. It made me smile with their spot on voices and the little twist at the end.

'Dress rehearsal (almost as good as the real thing)' by srin (3,300 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
Just when Arthur is about to confess his attraction to Merlin, Merlin happily admits to have something going on with someone else. And then Arthur offers Merlin, who is inexperienced and a bit nervous about it, to help him practice.
Arthur moved me to no end in his efford to enjoy what he's sure is this one time he'll have with Merlin, and Merlin is so sweet in how he figures out what's going on and what this means for him.

'Services rendered' by rageprufrock (5,500 words, modern day AU, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
There's a reason why I'm not linking to her dreamwidth account; I don't want you to see any comments just yet. I'm not going to spoil you. Just read it. Trust me.

'Hey, who turned out the lights?' by timetraveled (3,060 words, Bradley/Colin, PG-13)
A lovely, sweet fic with the boys being boys, some snort moments, Angel helping Bradley to figure out there is no problem and kissing that had my toes curl in delight.

2. Merlin episode recaps:

franticsga's recaps of the Merlin episodes as they are aired in the USA:
episode 1: 'The dragon's call'
episode 2: 'Valiant'
episode 3: 'The mark of Nimueh'
episode 4: 'The poisoned Chalice'

3. Merlin moment:

Or rather, this little Colin (and Bradley) moment from the Australian 'Secrets behind the magic special'. Even in slow mo it's only 9 seconds, but I love Colin's smile when he gets up off the floor after His Stunt of which he's so proud, and the way he turns to Bradley who's been ~~making sure no harm would come to Colin~~ watching him all the time.

4. The Merlin fandom

5. Colin Morgan

Just rewatching interviews, behind the scenes vids and whatnot makes me incredibly happy.

My thoughts on Torchwood

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:40:22 GMT

I don't know. The first time something made me cry was in the 5th episode, when that one man goes home to kill his daughters, his wife and himself, because well... I could so understand that, I could feel his despair.

Then the moment came where the soldiers started taking the kids and there were the moms, screaming and fighting, and children numb and crying and I had to stop and didn't think I wanted to see the rest of it anymore. That is so goddamn cheap. Of course that's devastating! That doesn't make it good writing though. Nothing wrong with the acting by the way (Ianto's sister? Bloody brilliant.)

But I figured I'd want to watch it at some point, so I might as well do it now and get it over with.

I think I'm the only one who thinks it makes sense for Jack to sacrifice his grandson. After all Jack has been through? How many horrible deaths has he died only to come back in an equally horribly painful manner, the cruelty he's seen and experienced, the people he's lost, of course giving up his grandson (and his bond with his daughter with it) isn't the same to him as it would be to anyone else.

You know what my major wtf moment has been in these five episodes? After Jack has been blown to pieces, come back to life in exquisite pain, been buried alive in concrete and then thrown from a cliff to be smashed out of it; and then when Rhys, Ianto and Gwen walk towards him from the car, Gwen has this look on her face of 'oh gosh, I can see his penis'. WTF IS THAT ALL ABOUT?!?!? Like anyone would bloody care that he's naked omg?! Grow up woman!

Anyway, I thought the plot was good, the acting was fantastic all around, and it all looked great. But did I want to see it? What was the point of it all? If their goal was to make me lose whatever faith I have in the basic goodness of mankind then yeah, they made a fairly good shot at it.

I'm going to look for the fluffiest schmoop in the history of Arthur/Merlin fics. Something tender and sweet and kind, with a little teasing.

Torchwood

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:36:47 GMT

Speculation.

While commenting to posts about last night's Torchwood I thought up a scenario where I could forgive the writers for doing what they did: if they let Ianto come back and not be able to die anymore, so he and Jack can be together forever.

Mind you, that is the only way I'm going to forgive them. Not being able to die is a curse, but since it's already Jack's fate and Ianto would wish it for himself so he can be there for Jack, yeah, I could get behind that.

Just bringing Ianto back isn't going to be enough for me though.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in denial that he could just be dead and stay dead. They can't do that. Not Ianto. No.

A leisure weekend with music and good company followed by some busy days. Part 1

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:33:17 GMT

Last Friday loreley_se came over from London to visit me. She arrived quite early, which meant she had to be up at stupid o'clock, but also that we had a whole warm and sunny day ahead of us, which we started with walking around town, sitting outside a café with coffee and apple-pie and doing some clothes-shopping. We took the light-rail back to my place and sat in the garden having more coffee (she had to test Arthur of course) and switched to wine; some of us before dinner and some after.

The next day we drove to Werchter. I'd made a list of which acts I wanted to see and loreley_se gave it an ok, so here's what we saw and what I personally thought of it (any live performances I'm linking here are marked #) and are from concerts we attended, although not filmed by me):

Jasper Erkens: A curly haired 16 year old Belgium guy with a guitar and a big grin. Very cute and charming, a promising voice that obviously still has to mature but was surprisingly up to being on a stage like this, bit of a tendency to write songs that don't really fit his age, but a wizard on the twelve string guitar for which I have a weakness. Certainly a fun start for this day.

Regina Spektor: *heart-bubble* What a delight! So utterly, utterly wonderful, playful, sweet and strong, light and powerful, vulnerable and funny. Regina has the cutest face with a smile that looks shy and wicked at the same time. I'd expected to like her but this concert turned out my favorite of the day ♥

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Love their music, and especially the live performance of the song from the clip I'm linking here has the kind of pumping, trance-like rhythm that makes me jump around, but I think I'm the only one who isn't impressed with the singer. I know most people who love their music find her utterly charismatic, but she doesn't click with me. The concert was nice enough, but after bouncing around to two songs or so in the tent, I joined loreley_se outside to watch the rest from the big screen.

After this we moved from the tent with the smaller stage to the big stage for:

Franz Ferdinand #): This was the concert where I burned most of the considerable amount of calories I consumed that day. I mean, I dare you to stand still while listening to this #). Franz Ferdinand is the ultimate bouncing happily around music while singing at the top of your lungs. Too bad the end was such an anti-climax: during 'Lucid dreams' apparently something went wrong and Alex said 'we just broke our favorite drum-kit'. After some consulting they seemed to decide on something, Alex started 'Jacqueline' which I understand was supposed to be their last song, but after the first lines he stopped, said 'thank you, we're Franz Ferdinand' and stomped off the stage, leaving the audience dazed and confused. So yeah... If it weren't for the ending this would have been my favorite concert of the day, but this way it was like really good sex ending in no orgasm.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Grumpy old men making a lot of noise. Can't be bothered to find a clip. Could be I was still sulking over the Franz Ferdinand concert though, so I wasn't really in a good state of mind to judge.

Kings of Leon #): I know I should be ashamed of myself that I hadn't even heard of them before I saw them mentioned in the line-up for Werchter. I'm fully converted now though! I must confess the singer sort of won me over when I saw a close-up of his face on the big screen: besides that he's generally a thing of beauty, he's got a lazy eye *melts*
Soon enough it was the music though that got me. Delicious guitar rock that's both solid and melodious and the voice of the singer is strong and warm. It sure felt like I got my climax after all #). Huh, maybe this was my favorite concert of the day.

Part 2 tomorrow :)

More or less official announcement.

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:49:41 GMT

I'm sorry, I can't get used to Dreamwidth. I keep forgetting to post from my Dreamwidth account to make entries appear both there and in LJ, so I've got a couple of entries up in LJ that haven't been up at Dreamwidth. I never read my Dreamwidth reading page. There are several features I miss on Dreamwidth and I don't like having comments spread out over two posts. I know there's probably a solution for some of the things that annoy me about Dreamwidth, but I can't be bothered to figure it out. So here's what I'll do:

I'm switching to LJ only (like I've basically already done in fact) but I'll keep the Dreamwidth account in case things change around here to my liking. Dreamwidth is after all still in beta so who knows.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:48:36 GMT

On the Season 5 dvd box set of Stargate Atlantis are deleted scene featurettes included. Reviews of the featurettes on the first 2 dvds can be found here. I read through them and there are a couple I'm glad didn't make the cut and some that I'm looking forward to seeing and then there's one that ahm, almost made me cry for how much I'm missing Rodney.

From 'Whispers': The scene [...] is a much longer version of the one where Carson is packing to leave Atlantis to be a roving doctor, and Rodney argues against it. It includes Carson saying he wants to take his turtles with him, and Rodney being sad to hear it, then pitifully describing their natures, since the clone Carson had never really owned them. Carson relents and lets Rodney keep the turtles, named Jeffrey and Michelle. Then Sheppard arrives, as he did in the final scene as aired.

Oh Rodney... *shivery sigh*

Just wondering...

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:19:15 GMT

...if I wanted to read Donna/Doctor/Martha, what would be a good place to start?

Is that even a pairing that's out there, anywhere?

moans in delight

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:41:38 GMT

We've got a Senseo coffee maker, and a couple of months ago it turned out there was a potential problem with a whole lot of them, ours being one of them. There's a big recall and repair action going on for which we registered our machine too and a little over 2 weeks ago he (because our Senseo coffee maker is a he, a young guy in Arthur red) got picked up and we had to make do with our old coffee machine for the time being.

I missed him so!

Today, I'd just made a pot of coffee and the doorbell rang. It was him. He's back home. All repaired and blushing red. I immediately poured the pot of coffee down the drain and I'm sitting here with a mug of freshly made Senseo coffee. My second one actually.

OMG it's soooo gooood!!

It's either squee or explode. No other options.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:12:58 GMT

Look, look, look at the gorgeous, fabulous pictures mrs_leary posted over here!! She's been to Pierrefonds, and got pics of Katie, Angel, Bradley, Colin, Richard and Anthony. And Colin is just... I mean, he looks... I'm all... And he's so...

Ok, just click that link and skip the bit I'm going to put behind lj-cut, because that's mostly me trying not to add anything to the three comments I already inflicted on mrs_leary *facepalm*

I can just sit with my chin in my hands, watching this YouTube clip from the London Expo panel, feeling all giddy all over again just like the day I was sitting there watching it live. And there's a moment (or rather two moments) at 2.50-2.58 that never fails to make my heart-rate go up a notch: Colin does this thing where he locks eyes with someone in the audience and smiles. He does that, it's so sweet! It happened to me too and I think I forgot how to breathe anymore. Yes, I've told that once before in my Expo report, but I've been reliving that moment tons of times since then, so consider yourselves lucky I've managed to restrict myself to only posting about it twice. So far.

Colin's smile is a thing of beauty and to me a source of all kinds of tender feelings. It feels like I'm not supposed to say that. Somehow it feels less personal to say he makes me hot than when I say he's inspiring all kinds of tender feelings in me. But there you go; he does.

That picture in mrs_leary's post, the one of Bradley and Colin, that's where Colin does that to me too. More than anything he gets butterflies in my stomach fluttering, he gets me weak in the knees and wobbly, smiling goofily and either speechless or babbling incoherently. And I love it. *happy shivery sigh*

Writer's Block: RIP Michael Jackson

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:04:33 GMT

In honor of the King of Pop: What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?

Submitted By deathbylies

View other answers

My favorite Michael Jackson song is and always has been without a doubt 'Leave me alone'. It also happens to be my favorite Michael Jackson video-clip.

This clearly requires a poll.

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:26:47 GMT

I've got beer in my fridge. A good solid Hertog Jan Grand Prestige extra stout. And it's calling me. But I have to be up early tomorrow morning. So.

View Poll: To beer or not to beer (Ahahah! I crack myself up...)

Recs and links (mostly Merlin with one lonely Star Trek vid rec...)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:39:28 GMT

Merlin

'Doubled Over with the hunger of lions' by nightanddaze (23,445 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
I absolutely adore this fic and there are several reasons for that. It deals with the complex situation where it's 'a spell makes them do it' and they do want each other, but they are also very aware that something is forcing them. Merlin's magic is almost palpable, the way he's struggling with it, getting better at it with more knowledge, practice and understanding, and his loneliness when he can't share what he knows with Arthur and not even everything with Gaius. I love the dragon who is actually an interesting character in this fic. The sex is so freaking hot, the increasing intimacy between Merlin and Arthur is lovely and it all made my heart ache for Merlin who thinks he may have to sacrifice this all.

'Perpetual astonishment' by nightanddaze (576 words, Uther, Arthur/Merlin, PG)
Uther accidentally witnesses an intimate moment between Arthur and Merlin. Such a short fic and so much is being said.

'Sure thing' by mad_poetics (9,700 words, AU, Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Morgana, NC-17)
A delicious and satisfying sequel to 'All in the timing' (as recced over here).

'It took far too long to get him back' by rurounihime (2,100 words, Arthur/Merlin, warning for mentions of non-con and torture, R)
Arthur dealing with the aftermath of having been captured and tortured and Merlin dealing with failing to rescue Arthur sooner. They're both so vulnerable and fragile, and the way they reach out to each other, the love and tenderness between them, is very moving.

'A persistent curiosity, or why Merlin is so bloody fascinating' by rurounihime (10,200 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
Arthur wants something from Merlin. Something that he's never desired before. But he's afraid to ask. Afraid of what it says about him. Afraid of how Merlin would see him. Merlin though is patient and persistent, prodding and poking one moment, taking a step back the next. I love how Arthur is like a nervous horse, and Merlin tames him. And they both get something out of it that they didn't expect. The warmth and growing trust between them is lovely.

'Be resigned' part 13/14 by franticsga (3,900 words, Modern day AU, WIP, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17 this part)
You can find my rec for the series here.

And for those who are waiting for the 4th and final part of 'Easy there' by syllic to be posted, she wrote an entry about real life interfering with her writing, some story notes and discussion of factual accuracies in the fic so far.

Merlin RPS

'Reverse karma and soggy Converse' by calliglad (Bradley/Colin, PG-13)
After their break in filming Bradley notices he's looking forward to seeing Colin again. I could feel Bradley's anticipation, how time seems to stretch when you're waiting for something a little more eagerly than you expected. Bradley is adorable in this warm fic.

Fics for kinkme_merlin (FPS & RPS) that I really enjoyed.

Notes: If a name hasn't been added, I still haven't figured out who wrote it. These fics are pretty random; I haven't read everything and I'm not including fics I've already recced earlier. Also, these fics can be rough sketches with typos etc. but still good fun, right up to regular masterpieces. Expect anything in a meme like this! That's the whole point, right? Oh, and the ratings are what one can expect from a kink meme.

'How to treat a companion'
Arthur/Merlin. Uther appoints Merlin as Arthur's official companion and everyone in court, including the servants, make it abundantly clear how they expect Arthur to treat Merlin. Made me giggle and snort.

'L'espoir fair vivre' by oconel (reposted over here)
Arthur/Merlin. hurt/comfort. Merlin is badly hurt in battle and Arthur tends to him.

'A friend in need'
Arthur/Merlin, modern day AU, Will thinks Merlin needs to get laid and buys him a hooker named Arthur. Arthur is arrogant and with good reason, and Merlin can be excused for giving in rather easily.

'Going up'
Arthur/Merlin, modern day AU, Merlin is claustrophobic and then he gets stuck in an elevator with Arthur. When Merlin's panic escalates Arthur needs to use force to keep him in check, and then one thing leads to another... Damn hot!

'Elevation'
Arthur/Merlin, modern day AU, written for the same prompt as 'Going up'. Young businessman Arthur and his assistant Merlin get stuck in a lift. Excellent combination of hilarious banter and slowly increasing sexual tension.

untitled
Gwen/Morgana, established relation, Gwen gets creative in bed when she finds out that Morgana has never been penetrated with anything bigger than fingers. I love the trust and the lust in this. The joy of giving and receiving pleasure.

'Winning the war'
Arthur/Merlin, exactly as the prompt says; aggressive sex to resolve a fight between them.

'poison; it's fun all around!'
Arthur/Merlin. Arthur spends an agonizing time in bed while a poison, which makes him over-sensitive, works his way out of his body. Merlin tries to make things as comfortable as possible for him and when he offers to help out with something very specific things go from awkward to heated very quickly. Sweetly amusing and sensual.

'best intentions aside' by derryere
Arthur/Merlin. Modern day AU. Frankly, when I first started reading this I stopped after a while, because this Arthur sounded like the kind of guy I hate with a passion. Turns out I should have trusted Merlin to be perfectly capable of dealing with Arthur, because that's exactly what happens. A very satisfying read!

'Artistic license' by corysilver
Bradley/Colin. Written for the ear fetish prompt. I love their voices in this, also of Angel and I grinned all the way through.

Merlin art

loweryourwand draws these cute and funny comics that make me snigger and snort:

'Welcome to Camelot'
'The pep talk'
'Communication fail'
'The physicians dilemma'
'The rules of attraction'
'The daily toils of the great dragon' (this one is my favorite)

And this is lovely:
Sketch of Merlin

Merlin links

Lovely picspam of Merlin's magic spells by syrosis
At the BBC Merlin site there are vids of Merlin demonstrating magic tricks. These vids can't be viewed outside the UK though, so these caps were the first images I've seen of them: Flailing occurred.

Then gealach_ros posted the vids themselves (downloads & YouTube). This post includes the behind the scenes vids from the BBC Merlin site.

Several fans have visited Merlin sets and have made posts with reports, pictures, comparisons with screencaps from the series:

feilongfan went to Wales and visited Raglan castle (Isle of the Blessed) and Cosmeston Medieval Village near Penarth (Ealdor). Pics from the castle and the village, caps from the series.

katakokk visited Pierrefonds while they were filming and met Colin.

valderys also visited Pierrefonds, report & pics, while they were filming and met Colin and Bradley.

Merlin vid

'Nine to five' by newkidfan
The life of a manservant is hard work; we follow Merlin during his daily work to the music of Dolly Parton singing 'Nine to five'. Ahahahahaaa!! Oh god :D

Star Trek XI vid

'Freak like me' by meiou_set (Uhura-centric, various pairings, PG-13)
I'm probably missing something with the various pairings remark, because for me it's Uhura/Spock and Kirk has to suck it up as far as Uhura is concerned. Rawr...

Apparently even teeny, tiny news concerning 'The Sea Change' is news to me at this point.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:08:26 GMT

New 'The Sea Change' twitter:

In breakfast club with girls talking up the new shoot. New plans ahoy. Watch this space. Have ordered spicy berry smoothie to celebrate.

Colin mentioned there was some final filming to be done on this.

Yeah, I'm watching that space, but damn, I don't think I'd have the patience to be in filming, because every time I'm interested in some independent movie because a favorite actor of mine is involved in it, it takes forever for the movie to hit the screen! It's an interesting process (reading 'Hard Core Roadshow', the book written by the screenwriter of 'Hard Core Roadshow' was enlightening in that way) but I don't think I could manage it personally.

Doctor Who 3x10 'Blink'

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:36:56 GMT

I'm a couple of episodes into the fourth season of Doctor Who now, so I was a bit surprised when in the Fandom Superlatives competition an episode in the third season was getting a boatload of votes for having the best monster, because I didn't remember any weeping angels. I checked and noticed I'd accidentally skipped that one. So I watched it tonight with mr. RC.

HOLY JEBUS!! Creepiest episode ever! I came well prepared you'd think and still I literally jumped up off the couch shouting out loud when one of the angels showed it's monsterface for the first time. The whole episode is brilliant. Great build up, with the angels being damn creepy from the start, excellent acting, interesting characters, lots of surprising and clever turns etc. But yeah, about 3/4 into the episode it really gets going, starting with almost giving me a heart-attack.

I'm still feeling jumpy.

What I like and what I don't like in Arthur/Merlin fanfic

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:02:22 GMT

Don't like (as in; turns me off a story quicker than you can say 'But that's true love!')

* When Morgana and/or Gwen are jealous, evil bitches who want to keep Arthur and Merlin apart.

* When Arthur is not just an arrogant prat, but a complete asshole, sometimes even intentionally cruel.

* When Merlin allows Arthur to treat him badly without any kind of protest. When he bows his head and just takes it, even comes crawling back for more.

* Either one or both of them suffering horribly for unthinkable periods of time.

Like (as in; I have a specific weakness for)

* When Gwen and Merlin get together, find out they love each other to bits but not like that, split up and then support each other through the whole process of Merlin getting together with Arthur and Gwen getting together with Morgana.

* When Merlin can't let it rest when he and Arthur disagree about something. No matter how exasperated Arthur gets with him, he keeps bringing it up.

* When Arthur wants to do the right and just thing. When he's thoughtful and aware of his responsibilities.

* When Arthur and Merlin are passionate about each other; when they fight hard and love hard. When they grab, push and shove because they're angry or full of lust.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:50:54 GMT

Fandom Superlatives!
SUMMER 2009 EDITION: GO VOTE

It takes forever for the pages to load, but it's so much fun!!

Icon meme

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:12:10 GMT

1. Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon glee.

lilagrubb picked these icons:

That's actually the only icon I've got uploaded of which I don't know who made it. I've got a folder on my computer with icons I love but don't know who to credit for and some that I know I can't use because they're not for sharing. Just a little collection of icons I love and keep for my own personal enjoyment. I uploaded this one when I learned that Colin Morgan is a vegetarian, knowing I wouldn't use it for posting/commenting, but liking that it's there. God, this sounds weird now I'm actually sitting down to think about it...

I made this icon for a private livejournal I kept when I was going to Weight Watchers. I needed to keep track of what I was eating, and encourage myself and such, but didn't want to bug my flist with it. I deleted the journal some months after I reached my goal and stopped using it. The icon got revived when I joined to_our_health January this year because I needed to get back on track, which I am again now :D

I made this icon for my rec journal back when I had a separate journal for everything it seems *g*. I deleted the journal somewhere in 2006 when I decided to stop reccing and uploaded it here to use for my rec posts here because the Merlin fandom got me going again. I like that those are female hands clutching a male back.

Slade! The picture I used already had that colour. It's my happy, loud music icon :D

I love that song. I love that clip. And every once in a while I need a quiet icon like this. I made it specifically because I noticed I almost only had happy, bouncy icons.

I wanted a squirrel icon for my posts concerning David Hewlett (for those not in the know: at some point David addressed the fans posting at the forum of his site as chittering squirrels. This was enthusiastically embraced by the fans and we've been his squirrels since. Even his sga colleagues referred to us as David's squirrels.) I just googled 'squirrel' and found this manip, which seemed just geeky enough, and since David had referred to himself at some point as 'Darth Hewlett' the caption seemed appropriate.

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:28:32 GMT

Happiness is getting on-line determined to do all sorts of things that pass for Useful from my personal fandom point of view, only to find two clicks in that one of my favorite writers has just posted a new fic.

:D

*copy/paste/prints and logs off*

vids on your ipod

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:16:48 GMT

Quite possibly I'm the last person with an ipod who hadn't found this particular goody yet, but today I found out about Videora ipod converter and I've been downloading and converting my favorite clips and vids for my ipod all afternoon, and I thought I'd share the info in case I'm not the only n00b around here.

It's so simple, even I can do it! I've now got 2 shortcuts on my desktop; one that helps me convert files I've already got downloaded so they play on my ipod and one that downloads and converts clips directly from YouTube. You can download/convert multiple files in one go, keep track of the progress and do other stuff while it runs in the background. Every file that's finished gets automatically uploaded to itunes so once you're done all you have to do is synchronize your ipod and presto!

happy flailing

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:33:41 GMT

For those who know how much I've been freaking out about not knowing who wrote this: turns out it was srin/mad_poetics. She reposted it here.

So yeah, turns out I already did know and love her fics :D

I think we can safely establish that Merlin is my main fandom these days...

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:07:49 GMT

And today is such a good day to be a Merlin fan ♥

kinseymill pointed out that there are two very clear vids of the London Expo Merlin panel at their YouTube channel over here and here (the first few seconds of the second vid may look a little worn due to my repeated viewing; omg Colin's wriggly beaming!!)

And then there are the utterly delightful reports and pics from the German Merlin fans euraylie, luisadeza, ronsoftie, gwy and wiccaqueen who went to Pierrefonds and ended up getting quite close to where the shooting of Merlin is actually taking place now, see quite some of the cast and managed to restrain themselves and be the kind of fans any actor/actress can hope for.
Reports over here, here, here, here and here.

Merlin rec

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:13:46 GMT

This can't wait until the next batch because I'm still feeling all dizzy and blissfully happy and I just need to rec this NOW.

'All in the timing' by Anonymous (5,700 words, AU, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
I don't want to say too much about this fic, just that it hit a couple of my kinks (some of which are a bit embarrassing actually) so very hard. Ok, I have a kink for age-difference, adolescents exploring their sexuality and losing their virginity with someone patient who really cares for them. Also the combination of one being very seductive and the other trying very hard to 'do the right thing' and resist does something very interesting for me. I really gasped my way through this fic in utter delight of getting so exactly what I didn't even ask for (because I wasn't the one who came up with the prompt.

[edit] Turns out it was srin/mad_poetics. She reposted it here.

Desktop meme

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:34:43 GMT

Desktop meme from vensre

RULES:
- Anyone who looks at this meme has to post their own desktop in their LiveJournal.
- Explain in a few sentences why you’re using that wallpaper.
- Don’t change your wallpaper before doing this. The point is to see what you had up!

(click the picture for a bigger version)

This wallpaper is made by jhava. I've had it for quite a while now (I just checked: 10 months) and I still don't feel the need to change it because this is indeed my Atlantis :D

So, what's more on my desktop:

At the top right there's the rain-radar-map so I'll know what to expect whenever I need to go outside and the analogue clock because with digital I still have to count in my head *bows head in shame*

At the top left are shortcuts to my computer and my folders (yep, josé is my name).

At the top left to right are thirteen clips I downloaded from katzgalore, because she filmed the London Expo Merlin panel from the direction where I was sitting, so it's almost like being there again :D

To the left top to bottom are my current favorite fanvids. I always have shortcuts to fanvids on my desktop and they're always the kind that make me happy ♥

At the bottom you can see I had photoshop and vensre's post open while making the screencap.

Now show me yours :D

Mostly Merlin recs and links and some SGA

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:15:18 GMT

Merlin

'Exchange' by glimmergirl (100 words, Arthur/Merlin, PG)
She offered '100 words of happy flashfic' for those who requested, which I did, and she wrote this lovely, intimate, sensual moment.

'But no unicorns or wizards' by zoetrope and rageprufrock (1,250 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
A slave fic and I really didn't expect to be sweetly amused and sigh happily quite so much.
Funny and tender. Somehow they make it work.

'Aw, nuts' by slodwick (800 words, Gen, Arthur and Merlin, PG)
One of the cutest little crack fics I've ever read. Oh, do read it!

'The way out is through' by derryere (8,900 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
Written for the prompt: Arthur/Merlin. When Arthur and Merlin go to drop Mordred they are followed by Uther's knights and all the druids are massacred and the three have to run with a bounty on their head.
It starts right after things have gone horribly wrong, Arthur just found out about Merlin's magic and they have to run in a frenzy. It's about the slowly growing trust and love between Merlin and Arthur. How they bond over their care for Mordred. How they start forming this weird family that they know can't last because they'll have to leave Mordred with others. It's moving and subtle and one to read again and again.

'At least it would seem that we don't' by derryere (15,875 words, AU, warning for incest, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
Modern day AU in which Arthur and Merlin are brothers who get separated when they're still kids and meet again at several points in their lives. There are funny moments but most of all it's intense, moving, red hot and I can't believe I read this and love it as much as I do.

'From Russia with love' by derryere (7,200 words, AU, warning for most of the kinks mentioned in the prompt, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
Modern day Arthur is stationed in Eastern Russia for some undefined secret agent kind of mission. He's cold, lonely and frustrated and he calls for a guy for paid sexual services. The guy he gets gives him exactly what he asks for and next time Arthur asks for him specifically. This starts to become something regular and they can't help but get emotionally invested. There are trust issues, there's power play and secrets revealed. It's dark and dirty and utterly gripping and boy I hope eventually we'll find out who wrote this the author has identified herself :D

srin (author rec over a here) now has a writing/fannish journal mad_poetics with all her (links to) fics conveniently in one place.

'A question of power' by mad_poetics (11,000 words, Arthur/Merlin, NC-17)
A sorcerer casts a spell on Arthur which makes him believe Merlin is his master and Arthur's his slave and very much willing to be this in every way possible. Merlin's struggle to do the right thing is so sweetly moving as is Arthur's trouble dealing with what had happened and what this says about him. Cram-packed with passion, lust, mischievousness, laughter, sensuality, kissing, joy and ultimately respect and love.

'How Merlin Learned to Stop Worrying and Love ~~Arthur~~ His Destiny' by mint_amaretto (9,140 words, Arthur/Merlin, a little Morgana/Gwen, a couple of minor others, NC-17)
What if everyone in Camelot really was gay?
Absolutely cracktastic, but then she also manages to sneak in some sweet moments too and the way she writes her way through the episodes, giving the stories different degrees of surprising twists works wonderful too.

Merlin RPS

'Public display of affections' by glimmergirl (500 words, Bradley/Colin, PG)
Stealthy touches and glaces and little sweet gestures.

'Catalog' by glimmergirl (2,290 words, Bradley/Colin, NC-17)
I love the almost reverent way in which Bradley explores Colin's body and how he later gives in to the accumulated passion.

'A questionable quest' by lamardeuse (11,600 words, Bradley/Colin, NC-17)
A deliciously long fic in which Colin comes along on Bradley's quest for his favorite crisps in what turns into a road-trip with revelations. Starts silly and gets increasingly more adorable and sweet along the way

'Home truths' by lamardeuse (1,150 words, Bradley/Colin, PG-13)
A sequel to 'A questionable quest' but can be read as a stand-alone. In which Bradley is trying to figure out some of those complicated relationship things. They work it out though :D

'All that you can't leave behind' by mrs_leary (9,090 words, Merlin/Island crossover, Bradley/Calum, NC-17)
A sequel to 'Wild honey' which I recced over here and which should be read first to make this one make sense.
The sequel has romance and adventure and the sex is a delight.

'Location fling' by mrs_leary (5,600 words, Colin/OMC, Bradley/Will Mellor, Bradley/Colin, NC-17)
Bradley is quite shaken when he accidentally walks in Colin having sex with a guy. He seeks out Will to do his own experimenting and gets caught into something he doesn't quite know how to handle. Things get untangled when Colin steps in.
I loved Bradley's confusion, the imperfect sex, Colin being so secure in his own skin, Will being a boar but not a bastard, and of course Colin showing Bradley how good it can be.

'The green silk dress' by mrs_leary (5,490 words, Bradley/Colin, NC-17)
I'm not much into cross-dressing but I love watching Bradley watch Colin, the way this sets them off trying different things. Also, I do have a virginity kink, and I love it especially when it has this sweet balance between trust, vulnerability, lust and patience.

'Beautiful game' by valderys (4,375 words, Bradley/Colin, PG-13)
A soccer six fic to go with the event. One in which they're heart-warmingly adorable, and where there's kissing and laughter. Very much a 'oh boys...' kind of fic.

'A day at the museum' by owlyscribblings (1,600 words, Bradley/Colin, PG)
Bradley and Colin wandering through through the Louvre, not getting what all the French signs and attendants are saying, happy in their little bubble of banter, and finally a kiss. I smiled so hard.

'A jump and a climb' by coffeejunkii (10,000 words, Bradley/Colin, NC-17)
This is a sequel to 'And nobody wears a crown' (as recced here). In this sequel there are issues that need to be worked out.

Merlin links

gealach_ros made two posts with links to just about every vid, pic and report you could want concerning:

'Merlin' at the London Expo 2009

and

Bradley James at the Soccer Six tournament 2009

Merlin vid
'I go with him' by OrangeNin (Arthur/Merlin, PG)
I keep coming back to this vid. It makes me feel Merlin's determination to follow Arthur wherever he may go, to serve him, do whatever it takes to help him, save him, love him. I choke up whenever I watch this vid ~~and I fear of some day finding the 'this video has been removed' message, so if anyone knows where to find a download I'd be so grateful!~~ Found it myself: Downloadable version and imeem link over here.

SGA

'Blush' by helenish (2,500 words, John/Rodney, NC-17)
This is an older one that I hadn't read yet (yay for sgastoryfinders!)
Somehow the idea of John being a flirt, actively coming on to Rodney and then getting shy and awkward in bed when things get serious, moves me to no end.

'Distraction' by thegrrrl2002 (900 words, John/Rodney, NC-17)
In which John is annoying and wonderful and pretty and Rodney loves him for all these things.

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:44:21 GMT

I've got a bunch of Dreamwidth invites. Anyone interested?