I sent in the one about the angry magic reveal and I meant 2+3+11 :)
(Referencing This List of Questions) (Angry Magic Reveal Series)
2) What scene did you first put down?
So, this may seem obvious to other people, but I'm not sure, so I'll explain quickly: When I write fics that rely heavily on dialogue, or are based around a specific conversation or exchange of words, I tend to write all the dialogue out first, then fill out the context/physical reactions/surrounding environment after. And it's vice versa for fics that are based around an action scene, the action gets written in detail first, with vague dialogue that's necessary for me to visualise, then the rest is filled out after.
This fic, at least the first part, was based on Merlin's anger towards Uther primarily, and his sadness that Arthur was close to following in his footsteps secondarily. Everything else (including parts 2, 3, 4, 5) was written around this bit:
“Why?? Why do I hate him? Maybe because he was blinded fear and selfish hatred.”
Merlin stops and looks away, but doesn’t sit down, still tense.
I imagine he’s waiting for Arthur to say something, but he doesn’t, opting to wait for Merlin to carry on himself, unwilling to remind Merlin exactly who he was talking to, and about what.
After a few moments of silence, Merlin continues, getting angrier with each word as he paces:
“Your father, the Great King Uther, murdered thousands of people. He committed genocide, because he insisted on blaming other people for his own mistakes. He didn’t pay attention to the fine print, and killed his own wife and in return, he executes THOUSANDS of MY people. Just for daring to exist. He was so full of hatred, but he, of course, was infallible so it MUST have been someone else’s fault. He was incapable of admitting his own mistakes and the injustice that went unpunished is indescribable, he was a tyrant, and a murderer, and I’ll never forgive him.”
^^I especially wanted to fit in the idea of Merlin letting slip that they were "his people" because he was so angry and emotionally invested that he didn't even notice until Arthur pointed it out.
3) What's your favourite line of narration?
Ok so skim through all 23k words to try and find my favourite bit, only to come back to the first part and pick this:
But when Arthur looks deeper. Really Looks at Merlin. He sees the fear, Arthur has no doubt in his mind that Merlin could escape, or even fight him off, now, if he needed to. But Merlin is scared.
If that wasn’t enough to break Arthur’s heart, the quick glance that Merlin throws to the space a few feet from Arthur’s side, is.
Arthur looks over slowly, eyebrows furrowed, to see what Merlin glanced at so fearfully. His heart shatters when he realises what it is. Arthurs sword, sat underneath his bag, just out of his reach. Merlin thinks Arthur is going to kill him. Merlin is scared. Of Arthur.
^^Visually, in my head, I've always LOVED the idea of Merlin fearfully looking at Arthur's sword, or glancing towards an escape route, and Arthur realising with a sudden, horrifying clarity, that Merlin genuinely believes that Arthur might try to kill him.
11) What do you like best about this fic?
Hmm. Two bits. The mental bond between Arthur and Merlin, and how they don't even tell anyone other than Gaius and Morgana because it's their special little thing. And also the Vision Scene, heavily inspired by a chapter in one of the Skulduggery Pleasant books (my favourite books when I was younger, love them so much I could genuinely go back and read them again now). I just liked the visuals of the steam and Morgana sat in the middle, no one really being able to see each other, the black and white scene, everything fading and them all just staring at where Merlin's body had been. Unjustifiably fond of that bit😅
Keep the questions coming guys!! I'm really enjoying this!! I've got a lot of #9 and #11, anyone wanna ask anything else (though ask what you want of course, I'll answer all of them :D)?