Eeee, what a delightful, wonderful fic! I love this take on the modern royal AU, with refreshingly new perspectives when you're setting it to the time when Arthur actually becomes king and has to transition into the new role of answering to his true self rather than to the expectations of his father - his first months of himself defining his kingship and what it will entail. This strong, brave and very human Arthur was a joy to meet. As was your Merlin - such a cheeky, lovable cutie-pie, and what a nice modern twist that he and Will would be running an anti-monarchy blog. :D
I kept grinning wider and wider as I read on. The story flowed without a hitch, entertaining and interesting and entirely enjoyable. The love declarations, the bumps in the road, the sex - all so very readable. And the first public date and that coronation with that KISS were all so enjoyable, my toes were curling with glee.
I loved the various sidekicks, especially Gwaine. The "date" with Lancelot had me in stitches. Poor Lance - overly kind and noble to a fault. And I truly admired what you managed to do with Morgana - humanizing her and making her multidimensional, showing all the hurt she was carrying behind that spitefully hard yet brittle canon-like mask. I was very happy that there was a possibility for "redemption" for her - and justice as well, hinted at there at the end. Her honestly reconciling with Arthur, becoming a true sister - well, I found that development as written by you entirely believable and very touching - a feat that would have escaped the show writers by about a million miles. I also liked to see Agravaine included not for his smarmy double-dealing, but rather for his devotion to and inadvisable love for Morgana. The show kept undermining and misrepresenting that rationale for Argravaine's treacherous motivation, thereby making him into the one-dimensional villain he didn't deserve to be.
Thank you so much for this lovely fic, and for the shout-out. I'm beyond thrilled that our banter has helped encourage you to soldier on. :)
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I kept grinning wider and wider as I read on. The story flowed without a hitch, entertaining and interesting and entirely enjoyable. The love declarations, the bumps in the road, the sex - all so very readable. And the first public date and that coronation with that KISS were all so enjoyable, my toes were curling with glee.
I loved the various sidekicks, especially Gwaine. The "date" with Lancelot had me in stitches. Poor Lance - overly kind and noble to a fault. And I truly admired what you managed to do with Morgana - humanizing her and making her multidimensional, showing all the hurt she was carrying behind that spitefully hard yet brittle canon-like mask. I was very happy that there was a possibility for "redemption" for her - and justice as well, hinted at there at the end. Her honestly reconciling with Arthur, becoming a true sister - well, I found that development as written by you entirely believable and very touching - a feat that would have escaped the show writers by about a million miles. I also liked to see Agravaine included not for his smarmy double-dealing, but rather for his devotion to and inadvisable love for Morgana. The show kept undermining and misrepresenting that rationale for Argravaine's treacherous motivation, thereby making him into the one-dimensional villain he didn't deserve to be.
Thank you so much for this lovely fic, and for the shout-out. I'm beyond thrilled that our banter has helped encourage you to soldier on. :)