Merlin Modern AUs are Marvelous?

[eliyes]

A while back, I recommended the Merlin modern AU Drastically Redefining Protocol, which is epicly huge, addictive, and generally wonderful. The thing is, while Pru is a marvelous writer and can produce hysterical sarcastic banter like no one else, she frequently leans too far in that direction and it skews her characterizations, in every fandom she writes. Merlin and Arthur are bitchy to each other a lot, yes, but Merlin is also sweet and hilariously cheerful at times, for example.

Which is why I am glad to have found We’re A Storm In Somebody Else’s Teacup. (That link goes to a page with all the parts in reverse order; yay for tags!) hybridhelen, this should feel considerably less like borderline RPF as Arthur is not a prince, he's the son of a billionaire CEO. There's still sarcasm and banter and people being prats and/or twats, but I think the characterization is much more spot-on. Also, this story alternates POVs, and includes large chunks of Morgana, which I think gives it balance it might not otherwise have. There's a hell of a lot more of the people from the show popping up, particularly the bad guys, and the characterization of Uther is as brilliantly ambiguous as I could wish. Things get darker as it progresses, because this is a story of good versus evil, really. I highly recommend it!

Comments

*sticking face where it doesn't belong ~*

[taichara]

this should feel considerably less like borderline RPF as Arthur is not a prince, he's the son of a billionaire CEO.

Why in the nine hells would Arthur of any stripe feel like borderline RPF ...? o.O

*can't fathom ...*

Re: *sticking face where it doesn't belong ~*

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

It's because in Drastically Redefining Protocol, Uther is the King of England and Arther is the Prince of Wales, and it's now, so to Helen (who lives in the UK) it was like Arthur and, say, Prince William had been combined. I didn't personally feel that way, but I'm not her.

Re: *sticking face where it doesn't belong ~*

[taichara]

That's ... kind of odd o.O But okie ...

*sits and works on parsing this when combined with the various fictional people in positions like that*

*mostly thinks of Rhadamanthys*


...


*ded now*

*scritches little hamster face*

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

I think, where we dealt with the actual royal family, and also put in a bunch of our professors, and the snotty staff of that store -- it's the fact that they are characters who our characters interact with and not the movers and shakers of the story that makes a difference.

We are not writing porn about any of them.

*is scritched*

[taichara]

But even then, we put in real people and thus actually fictionalized them where this other situation is ... word-associating a title?

*is not coherent enough to try to brain this, probably*


But no, no porn. That goes without saying ;P

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Word-associating? *confused blink*

Try to brain when you're more coherent. As it was not my issue, I am perhaps not explaining it well.

[hybridhelen.livejournal.com]

ahahahaha, it was my issue, and I don't know if I can explain it!

...um. It wasn't even that big a deal? It was, after all, only borderline, and in any case, not enough to make me want to stop reading? I just noticed that, while reading it, I was picturing Prince William instead of whatshisname, the actor who plays Arthur, probably due to a couple of details about Arthur's life which the author lifed from William's real life, and the fact that a couple of the 'shopped photos are originally of Wills.

eh, *handwavey*.

[hybridhelen.livejournal.com]

THIS ALL PART OF SOME EVIL PLAN, ISN'T IT? AN EVIL EVIL PLAN TO MAKE ME START WATCHING THAT SHOW?

oh well.

*saves link for later*

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

LOL YES HOW DID YOU EVER KNOW?!

I actually haven't watched any more of it than the last time we discussed it. (So, I've seen the first 1 and a half episodes. Go me.) But they're going to be airing it over here, apparently pleasepleaseletthemnotdoanAmericanversionliketheylovedoinglately
pleasepleaseGODbecausetheYankeeLifeOnMarsSUCKEDMAJORASS