Merlin fic: A Matter of Choice
Aug. 14th, 2013 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jadesfireSo. If you were wondering what all the fuss over the last couple of months has been about, this is it:
Title: A Matter of Choice
Author: Jadesfire
Artist: Aaweth_edain
Pairings/characters: Gen (background Arthur/Gwen)
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~85,000
Warnings: Moderate violence, no worse than you’d see in the show.
Summary: Three years have passed since Arthur drew the sword from the stone and reclaimed his throne from Morgana, and Camelot is enjoying its golden age. Magic once again flourishes, and through his alliances with the druids, the kingdom has unrivaled peace and prosperity.
When Merlin disappears in the icy wastes of Ismere, Arthur sets out to find him. After all, he can’t leave his friend, court sorcerer and the last dragonlord as Morgana’s prisoner. But the stakes are higher than just Merlin’s life, and while Guinevere protects Camelot from a traitor at home, Arthur must prevent Morgana from finding the power she is looking for. Because if he cannot stop her, then it is not just Camelot, but the whole of Albion that will suffer.
AU of Arthur’s Bane, sequel to my story The Last Secret, but no knowledge of either is required.
Author's notes: [Below the cut. Abbreviated version at the story post]
Artist's notes: I want to thank jadesfire for allowing me to illustrate her story. She gave me a list of a few scenes she wanted photo-edited and then, after that she let me choose any other scene to illustrate. This is what I created. There are a few I particularly love, although I think they all turned out wonderfully! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. Please, feel free to ask me which ones became my favorites. Also, tell me which ones you, the reader liked and please review this lovely story!
Story link: A Matter of Choice on AO3
Art link: Art masterpost
This is the story that nearly broke me. I love it, I’m proud of, but I am grateful beyond all reason that it is finished. On the other hand, I have proved myself half-wrong when I said that I could never write something long because I can’t plot for toffee. This fic is over 30,000 words longer than anything else I’ve ever written, so clearly the length is not beyond me. But I didn’t plot this, the show did, and that definitely made my life easier. What didn’t make my life easier was the amount of stupid in the plot that I feel I only half corrected. Still, you can’t win them all.
In my head, this is not only a sequel to The Last Secret, it’s also part two of a trilogy. My inspiration while writing was very much The Empire Strikes Back, and I hope some of that mood came through in the story. Yes, I do plan on getting to Part Three, once I decide where to pick things up in Season Five and once my brain has thoroughly recovered from this. I’m burned out and slightly stunned at the moment, so don’t hold your breaths!
So many people helped me that I risk turning into an Oscar Acceptance speech if I’m not careful. But I must mention the folks in #paperlegends chat, especially Zaira and Crims, who were there when I needed them and got me going again. And on my flist, Planejane, Bloodsongs, Raven and Travels_in_Time were always there, making me smile and cheering me on. Guys, you officially rock.
My notes above the cut are all too true, in that I can’t thank my betas enough. Donut and Thalia have now looked through over 130,000 words for me with barely a pause for breath in the middle. Without them, none of this would have happened, and I’m more grateful than I can really say. They do much more than just look over what I write, they’ve held my hand, listened to me complain, read a hundred begging emails and are still talking to me. Z came in at the last minute as well, giving fresh perspective, encouraging words and bringing back the other half of my brain, as ever.
I feel honour-bound to say that I was even more down to the wire on finishing this than I usually am. Considering my ridiculous flakiness, Aaweth_edain has been a saint. She gave me piece after piece, grabbing my brain and putting it in her art, and when she sent me the soundtrack link, I may have had a tiny breakdown, because it’s so perfect. The pictures are awesome, and the soundtrack is the story is musical form. Don’t worry about reading, just go listen. Then come back and read, because her pictures are embedded in the story, and give it the lift that I really, really needed.
Without these four people, this would not have happened. Thank you, my dears.
Title: A Matter of Choice
Author: Jadesfire
Artist: Aaweth_edain
Pairings/characters: Gen (background Arthur/Gwen)
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~85,000
Warnings: Moderate violence, no worse than you’d see in the show.
Summary: Three years have passed since Arthur drew the sword from the stone and reclaimed his throne from Morgana, and Camelot is enjoying its golden age. Magic once again flourishes, and through his alliances with the druids, the kingdom has unrivaled peace and prosperity.
When Merlin disappears in the icy wastes of Ismere, Arthur sets out to find him. After all, he can’t leave his friend, court sorcerer and the last dragonlord as Morgana’s prisoner. But the stakes are higher than just Merlin’s life, and while Guinevere protects Camelot from a traitor at home, Arthur must prevent Morgana from finding the power she is looking for. Because if he cannot stop her, then it is not just Camelot, but the whole of Albion that will suffer.
AU of Arthur’s Bane, sequel to my story The Last Secret, but no knowledge of either is required.
Author's notes: [Below the cut. Abbreviated version at the story post]
Artist's notes: I want to thank jadesfire for allowing me to illustrate her story. She gave me a list of a few scenes she wanted photo-edited and then, after that she let me choose any other scene to illustrate. This is what I created. There are a few I particularly love, although I think they all turned out wonderfully! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. Please, feel free to ask me which ones became my favorites. Also, tell me which ones you, the reader liked and please review this lovely story!
Story link: A Matter of Choice on AO3
Art link: Art masterpost
This is the story that nearly broke me. I love it, I’m proud of, but I am grateful beyond all reason that it is finished. On the other hand, I have proved myself half-wrong when I said that I could never write something long because I can’t plot for toffee. This fic is over 30,000 words longer than anything else I’ve ever written, so clearly the length is not beyond me. But I didn’t plot this, the show did, and that definitely made my life easier. What didn’t make my life easier was the amount of stupid in the plot that I feel I only half corrected. Still, you can’t win them all.
In my head, this is not only a sequel to The Last Secret, it’s also part two of a trilogy. My inspiration while writing was very much The Empire Strikes Back, and I hope some of that mood came through in the story. Yes, I do plan on getting to Part Three, once I decide where to pick things up in Season Five and once my brain has thoroughly recovered from this. I’m burned out and slightly stunned at the moment, so don’t hold your breaths!
So many people helped me that I risk turning into an Oscar Acceptance speech if I’m not careful. But I must mention the folks in #paperlegends chat, especially Zaira and Crims, who were there when I needed them and got me going again. And on my flist, Planejane, Bloodsongs, Raven and Travels_in_Time were always there, making me smile and cheering me on. Guys, you officially rock.
My notes above the cut are all too true, in that I can’t thank my betas enough. Donut and Thalia have now looked through over 130,000 words for me with barely a pause for breath in the middle. Without them, none of this would have happened, and I’m more grateful than I can really say. They do much more than just look over what I write, they’ve held my hand, listened to me complain, read a hundred begging emails and are still talking to me. Z came in at the last minute as well, giving fresh perspective, encouraging words and bringing back the other half of my brain, as ever.
I feel honour-bound to say that I was even more down to the wire on finishing this than I usually am. Considering my ridiculous flakiness, Aaweth_edain has been a saint. She gave me piece after piece, grabbing my brain and putting it in her art, and when she sent me the soundtrack link, I may have had a tiny breakdown, because it’s so perfect. The pictures are awesome, and the soundtrack is the story is musical form. Don’t worry about reading, just go listen. Then come back and read, because her pictures are embedded in the story, and give it the lift that I really, really needed.
Without these four people, this would not have happened. Thank you, my dears.
(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-15 02:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2013-08-15 08:00 am (UTC)*falls over*
<3