From the Ashes Pt. 3

From The Ashes

By RandomSlasher (Trilliah)

*Review of Part Three*

Summary: When Merlin uses magic to save Arthur's life, he is condemned to death, and Arthur is too late to save him. But when the grief-stricken prince, along with Morgana and Gwen, journeys to Ealdor to return Merlin's ashes, a series of strange events leads them to believe the warlock may not be as dead as they thought.

Rating: NC17

Couple: Merlin/Arthur

Read it here and don't forget to give Trilliah some love!

In the third part they, once again, turn to books for help and as before, they offer little to no help. Morgana in her infinite wisdom, and well her connection to the druids and all, says she's going to ask the Druids for help.

…Yeah.

I don't know whether this is a good idea or a bad idea. Bad things tend to happen when Morgana meets with the Druids. Just saying.

I'm put at ease, however, because Arthur offered to go as well. Hopefully things'll work out and they'll get some answers that will help them get Merlin back…or, you know, Arthur will have another dream and Merlin will say it's a bad idea.

These guys just can't win.

At least Merlin told Arthur why he didn't like the idea of him going to the Druids. And, God, it's just so freaking fluffy and cute and cuddly that I'm cooing like a fangirl. *siiiigh*

“I don’t care one fig about what’s best for Albion,” Merlin said, frowning. “I care about you, you prat.”

Damn…Trilliah's making it hard for me to dislike Mordred. He's so helpful and worried, and not like the show built him up to be. *siiiigh* Once again, I hope nothing bad comes from Arthur going to the Druids for help.

*wiggles*

Mordred could sense Merlin and it seems like the Druids do know something that could help. I say could because they seem very…hesitate to offer that help, but that could be because it's dangerous or something of the like.

Yeah, okay. Arthur has to give his life in order to bring Merlin back. Go figure right? So far I'm not sure if he literally has to die, as in no more Arthur, or if the Druids plan on killing him and then, you know, saving him.

Of course, it goes without saying, Merlin is not happy about this and doesn't want this ceremony/ritual to be performed. But Arthur being Arthur, won't hear anything against it because, well, he wants Merlin back. Even if it costs him his life.

This, of course, leads to Merlin angrily throwing himself at Arthur and, well, you'll have to read to see what happens next. :D

“You understand why I have to do this.”

“Yes,” Merlin mumbled. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

You know. I just realized that Mordred was prophesized to kill Arthur in the series, and the story's holding to this canon. Guess who's helping perform the ceremony that'll kill Arthur to bring Merlin back.

…Oh yeah, you guess it. And if you did it, you'll have to read. Ha ha ha.

Mordred smiled, looking pleased, and nodded in a gesture of acceptance. Then, lifting his hand, he murmured a word, and the wood around Arthur spontaneously caught fire. Arthur fought a slightly hysterical urge to laugh. Looks like Merlin was right: Mordred is going to kill me.

If you could see my face right now, you'd be laughing at me. Or cringing in sympathy because that wasn't a cool, amusing joke. *siiiigh* So far, though, things are going well with the appearance of Arthur's mother. I'm assuming he's "dead" or in limbo or some fluff like that.

Enter Merlin and suddenly I think that earlier mention soul-bond was just formed. I've learned that everything is mentioned for a reason and nothing is ever mentioned to just be mentioned. It's fun finding the earlier placed eggs and seeing how they form the story.

*squeals*

It worked! :D The insane ceremony/ritual thingy worked! And, while Merlin and Arthur are going through their real-world reunion, I'm wondering what they'll say to Uther to explain Merlin's reappearance…

Merlin blushed, ducking his head again. “I still can’t believe you went to all that trouble for me,” he said, looking down at the ground between them.

“Of course I did,” Arthur said, leaning forward again and tipping Merlin’s face up so the other man’s eyes met his.

“Why?” Merlin whispered, searching his face for an answer.

Arthur simply smiled, leaning forward to kiss Merlin softly. “Because I love you,” he murmured as he drew away, looking into Merlin’s eyes again.

And this, ladies and gents, is where I'll leave you. If you want to know the conclusion of From The Ashes, then I strongly suggest you read the story. It's the perfect bit for any Arthur/Merlin lover out there.

From The Ashes Pt. 2

From The Ashes

By RandomSlasher (Trilliah)

*Review of Part Two*

Summary: When Merlin uses magic to save Arthur's life, he is condemned to death, and Arthur is too late to save him. But when the grief-stricken prince, along with Morgana and Gwen, journeys to Ealdor to return Merlin's ashes, a series of strange events leads them to believe the warlock may not be as dead as they thought.

Rating: NC17
Couple: Merlin/Arthur

Read it here and don't forget to give Trilliah some love!

Rolling into Part II after a short break in reading to get some writing of my own done and I'm wondering how Arthur will react to the question Hunith bestowed upon him at the end of the last part. Hm. Only one way to find out. *reads*

…Okay, so Arthur has magic now. I just thought Hunith was, well, I dunno what I thought but I wasn't expecting Arthur to come down with a case of magic. Now I really wonder how this all connects back to Merlin.

You know, I wonder how Uther would react to discovering that Arthur has powers. Not that it's been brought up into the story yet, I'm not even sure if it'll be covered at all, though that doesn't stop me from being curious. He'd still kill Merlin for saving Arthur's life with magic, would he kill his own son for having magic too? Hm. Something to mull on for the time being.

Arthur has magic, Merlin's magic in fact, and Gaius is teaching how to use it, though Arthur's failing miserably and hasn't used magic outside of his visions of Merlin's memories (see? I know what to call them now :P). Anyway, Arthur discovers why he can't use the magic through another one of these visions and, really, the answer is quite simple and remarkable.

*silence*

*crickets chirp*

What…? Did you think I'd tell you why he can't use Merlin's magic? Ha! Yeah right. Read the damned story already and you'll find out! :P So, anyway, he finds out why he can't use the magic and then he rushes to Gaius to relay his discovery.

And, I have to say, upon discovering why he can't use Merlin's magic, Arthur turns into a freaking school girl. It's cute. It really is. And it's the first bit of hope we've seen since Merlin actually died. It shows how much Arthur actually cared about Merlin and how happy he is to realize his connection to Merlin now. How Arthur's, in a way, keeping Merlin alive.

You know I always find it amazing how Gaius (and others) turn to books to answer all of the odd happening surrounding Merlin, even though there isn't another magician exactly like Merlin. So really, they'd have nothing to go on.

Gaius does, however, discover something in a book that might help them. A soul-bond. Though the criteria of one doesn't exactly match what has happened between Arthur and Merlin, but at least there's hope now. Hope wasn't something they had before.

Upon this latest discovery, we're beginning to glimpse more of Arthur's feelings, though he still isn't directly showing them. I say this because of how Gaius explains a soul-bond:

“A soul-bond?” Arthur frowned, squinting at the pages. “What does that mean?”

“It means two people who care for one another very dearly may choose to join their lives in more than simply the traditional sense,” Gaius told him.

What Arthur is experiencing may not be a soul-bond, but he doesn't deny nor say anything about Gaius' explanation. At least, not yet.

*snickers*

Okay, it's sad that Uther could see something between Arthur and Merlin when Arthur couldn't, though honestly I don't think his apology will do anything to endear him to Arthur. If fact, I think it'll enrage him all the more.

Or he'll just have no idea what Uther's implying. I'll blame that on the fact that he's still getting over Merlin's death and then discovering the connection between his dreams, the magic, and Merlin.

I love Morgana. Why? Because she's always ready to tell Arthur the truth no matter how much it might hurt him or how hard it is to say or hear. She really is a strong character and I love seeing her working together with Merlin and Arthur instead of against them.

“Arthur.” Morgana shook her head. “Merlin is…was…?”

“Is,” Arthur stated firmly, and Morgana nodded.

“Merlin is in love with you.”

Arthur stared at her, wondering if he’d heard her wrong. “I…what?”

“Merlin is in love with you. He has been for…I don’t know how long. Ages. Probably since that time we all went to Ealdor, if not before.“

Arthur's reaction is very realistic when he hears this. He has difficulty believing it, to the point of denying it all together. Even going as far as saying that Merlin was interested in Gwen, though Morgana can easily counter this. In the end, Arthur needs time to process this new bit of information and come to terms with finding out about Merlin's feelings and, I think, he also needs to come to term with his own feelings even if he's doing so unconsciously.

“Of course,” she said again, backing up a few steps, smiling. “And Arthur?”

Arthur lifted his eyebrows, looking up at her.

She grinned. “Go easy on him, when you do talk to him?” she said. “He’s not the first person in the world to fall in love with someone he knew he couldn’t have.”

Wow!

The story goes from Arthur finding out about Merlin being in love with him to Arthur shoving one off while thinking about what it would be like to fuck Merlin. Nice. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Sure it was sudden, but it wasn't rushed. It was like everything that Arthur hadn't realized about Merlin before had suddenly made itself known and while he was exploring the idea, things turned sexual.

He tosses off and then is filled with an overwhelming sense of heartbreak because he realizes that what he had in his fantasy isn't something he can have in real life. Simply put, he's missed his chance.

But it was bittersweet pleasure, mixed with a deep pain. No matter how he could imagine Merlin now, he would never know how Merlin might really respond to his touch. He would never know the feel of Merlin writhing beneath him--would never get to feel the press of his lips against Arthur’s own, or feel the warm, slim weight of him in his arms. He had missed his chance, and even if he could somehow reach him, he would still be simply a presence in Arthur’s mind. Preferable to never seeing or speaking to him again, of course. But certainly no substitute for what they’d had--and what they might have had, if Arthur hadn’t been so blind.

And, wouldn't you know it. Arthur's realization might've been the reason he finally found Merlin awake. I should've seen this coming, because that's how these things work out, right?

What's even more interesting is that Merlin doesn't seem to know what he's where he's at (he doesn't even realize that he's not in the physical world that he's in Arthur's dreams). I had expected him to wake up and admit that he had known this would happen all along and that there was an easy way to fix the problem, but wouldn't you know…he doesn't even know he's dead.

Oh no.

He thinks Arthur's dead! *shakes head* It's so Merlin that it's beautiful!

Other things happen, obviously. Epic things, I mean Merlin punches Arthur, but you'll have to read the story to find out why. Of course when Arthur wakes up, guess what he realizes carried over from the "dream". Oh yes, the punch. :D Obviously, whatever the dream world is…it's real.

After making this discovery, he rushes off to tell Gaius and the others. Before he does this, however, he decides to dump over Merlin's ashes. Desecration aside, he and everyone else realize that the ashes are missing something. Something that might prove that Merlin never was really burned. The ashes are just that: Ashes. No human bones or teeth or any other remains.

“Ashes,” Arthur repeated, looking at Gaius, who was frowning at the pile on the table, and then at Hunith, whose eyes were beginning to dawn comprehension. “Just ashes. No bones, no teeth. Ashes. Gwen, you’ve worked forges--how hot does a fire have to be, to destroy everything of a man?”

 “Far hotter than it would ever burn on a pyre,” she said, confusion and hope sparking in her eyes as she looked at the pile of ashes, then at him. “What...?”

 “This isn’t him,” Arthur said, grinning so broadly his cheeks ached. “It’s just ash. Burned wood, maybe some of his clothes. But Merlin didn’t burn.”

 “But...if Merlin didn’t burn...” Gaius frowned, looking up at him, eyes going wide.

“Exactly,” Arthur said, beaming at them each in turn as they stared at him in dawning comprehension.

“Merlin isn’t dead. ”

And thus ends the second part of From The Ashes, join me in the third part and read the flipping story ASAP!!

Interrogation

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Title: Interrogation

Author: neko no warai

Summary: The mission was a set-up. One by one, the pilots had been caught and locked away. They all knew what was coming next; interrogation. And Heero's suddenly decided that his new mission is to keep the others out of it. /Slight 2x1. Non-graphic torture/

Rating: PG-13

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5288023/1/Interrogation

I’ve read this story over and over because it’s that good. And yet… I’ve never left a review it seems o.o I need to do that…

This is one of my favorite stories in the Gundam Wing fandom. It’s so in character for all the pilots. Yeah, some may argue that Heero is a bastard who doesn’t give a flying fuck about any of his fellow pilots but if you watch the show, especially the eps where he and Quatre are together you’d see that’s just not true.

Anyway, the story! It starts out with the five pilots captured. Heero has been through the most training when it comes to his situation so when their captors come to torture them for information he offers himself up. Before that point the boys play a little word game… and yes, I have the urge to play it myself. May have to do that the next time I’m among friends…the fact is, it’s a way for the pilots to learn about each other without their captors doing the same.

I love that the author doesn’t go into the graphic detail of the horrors that Heero is put through. They give us just enough to know that it was bad but leave it right there on the edge so that our imaginations come up with the rest. I don’t know about you guys but when I read Trowa’s line, “I don't think he'll be sleeping for a while…Because I think the most damage was done mentally”, my mind (which is naturally angsty to begin with) went in a million and one directions of what could have been done to Heero.

I do wish that the author would have given us the escape. I think it would have been really cool to read. But at the same time it gives us Heero-fangirls a chance to imagine him being totally kick ass.

I have to admit, the final words of the story… “Mission accomplished”…

Yes, author, yes it was.

From The Ashes

From The Ashes

By RandomSlasher (Trilliah)

*Review of Prologue and Part One*

Summary: When Merlin uses magic to save Arthur's life, he is condemned to death, and Arthur is too late to save him. But when the grief-stricken prince, along with Morgana and Gwen, journeys to Ealdor to return Merlin's ashes, a series of strange events leads them to believe the warlock may not be as dead as they thought.

Rating: NC17
Couple: Merlin/Arthur

Read it here and don't forget to give Trilliah some love!

Merlin, admittedly, is a new obsession of mine. I've been reading fanfiction since, maybe, May-ish? But this is not the first time I've encountered this plot and, honestly, I try to avoid stories like this one because character death makes me wibble. However, I'm giving it a try since I haven't ran across a Merlin fanfiction that I haven't fallen completely and irrevocably in love with.

This fanfiction is long. Extremely long. It tops out at over 40k words, so you might want to clear your schedule before sitting down to enjoy this one since it's all one chapter, though the chapter is broken down into parts which makes for easier reading and bookmarking.

The story opens with Merlin's execution; he's been caught performing magic. The magic, in turn, saved Arthur's life. Uther, however, isn't going to let that fact stand in the way of him murdering another sorcerer.

The scene of his, Merlin's, death is descriptive and heartbreaking. He is as anyone would expect him to be; he doesn't want to die, but he's content to because Arthur's safe. As quoted in the story, Arthur’s life was worth a thousand of his.

After Merlin's passing, we learn about what really had happened to Arthur that caused Merlin to perform the magic that would lead to his demise. As always, Arthur was engaged in a battle with a magical creature that could easily kill any mere mortal without the aid of a wizard such as Merlin.

Arthur wakes up and, immediately, notices that something is off. He's completely alone and his wounds are completely healed. He soon finds out, however, that Merlin saved his life using his magic (of which he did not even expect, which is a nice break from the cliché in the fandom) and then he rushes off to defend Merlin's abilities to his father without knowing that Merlin's fate had already been decided and carried out.

He finds out, from his father, that Merlin's execution was carried out that morning. Arthur is, in a single word, devastated and his opinion of his father changes within that very instant. He runs away, in disbelief, but soon he sees that there's no denying it. Merlin is dead.

The pyre that held the last earthly remains of his best friend.

Arthur sees the pyre and knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Merlin is gone. Morgana and Gwen are there to comfort him and collect Merlin's ashes to ensure his mother is able to give him a proper burial.

Upon entering Part I of the story, we're beginning to see Arthur slowly, but surely realizing what he's lost in Merlin's death. He's mourning and, maybe, still in denial and hopeful that he'll turn around and see his departed friend. We also glimpse a window, though slight, into Arthur's feelings for Merlin.

He wasn’t usually a physically affectionate person, but Merlin had always called up the desire for contact: a friendly punch to the shoulder, a tousle of his hair, a supportive hand on his back. Maybe he’d just wanted to assure himself of Merlin’s presence. All he knew was his arms literally ached to hold him in the one way he’d never allowed himself before. He hated himself for being too proud to embrace Merlin when he’d had the chance.

The trio of Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen start their journey to Ealdor to bring Merlin's remains to his mother. Things start out uneventful, but you as the reader know that things cannot and will not remain as such. Arthur ruminates over Merlin's recent passing and the effect it has had on not only himself, but others.

Guilt rears its ugly head and Arthur curses Merlin's unwavering loyalty to him, all the while realizing just what Merlin had done for him and how much he believed in Arthur. He's worried now, that he will be unable to fulfill Merlin's high expectations, but finds himself wanting to all the same.

Gwen, as always, is the voice of reason. Kindly, but sternly guiding Arthur and helping him through this difficult time because, sometimes, Arthur needs a push. We all know this, and it's what endears us to him. He's not a character without his faults.

He's still obviously in denial, though it isn't about Merlin's death. It's about what Merlin was to him. Arthur's still stubbornly holding on to the fact that Merlin was nothing more than a servant to him, though it's obvious that there's more to it than that.

Arthur's also being plagued by odd daydreams, or dreams, or memories, or whatever the hell they are. We're as clueless as Arthur, though I think we both can tell there's something strange about these memories. The memories, as far as I can tell, finally reach a head when Arthur dreams about Merlin performing magic as a child and when he wakes up…well, you'll have to read the story to see what he wakes up to.

Hunith reaction to Merlin's death is what any parent's would've been when faced with the same situation. She's devastated. The scene where Arthur tells her is heartbreaking in more ways than one because you see Hunith's despair coupled with Arthur's.

When she finds out the circumstances of Merlin's death, a full two days later since she's locked in a state of grieving, she surprises Arthur with not blaming him for her son's death. She surprises Arthur, but honestly, I was expecting it. We saw in the series that she was aware of Merlin's, and by extension Arthur's, destiny.

She doesn't blame Arthur, though it's clear that Arthur still blames himself.

“Destiny?” Arthur repeated. “You think this...Merlin’s death...you think it was destiny?” His voice was nearing hysteria, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. This was so far from what he’d been prepared for, he honestly didn’t even know how to process it.

 “Merlin believed it was,” she said firmly, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “He knew it was his duty to protect you. He told me more than once he would trade his life for yours if it came to it. I simply hoped...” She bit her lip and trailed off, but there was no missing the flash of disappointment in her eyes as she gazed at him.

 Arthur swallowed hard, nodding. “You hoped I’d protected him,” he said flatly.

“Arthur...”

 “No,” he interrupted her, shaking his head. “You’re right. I should have protected him. He was obviously too great an idiot to protect himself.”

I don't know about Arthur and the others, but I'm beginning to think that these memories just aren't the memories fabricated by Arthur's mind because he misses him. Why do I say this? He has another one after he passes out in Hunith's home after their confrontation about Merlin's death. This time he dreams (or maybe remembers) about Merlin and Nimueh, and there's a direct connection between the vision and what had just transpired between him and Hunith.

It's obvious that Hunith knows something, but what that something surprised even me and upon revealing what it is the first part of From The Ashes ends. Given the length of the story and of my review thus far, I've decided to review this part by part and post the reviews weekly, so keep an eye out for them and read From The Ashes when you have the time!

The Madness of Angels

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Title: The Madness of Angels
Author: Amarissia
Summary: SOLDIER cadet Zack Fair's apprenticeship to Angeal Hewley draws him into the secrets of ShinRa, a series of bizarre murders, and new feelings of his own that will have to be confronted. Crisis Core and before, the angsty, yaoi way. Complete.
Rating: R
Warnings (if applicable): Yaoi, angst

Review:

A summer back or so I was going through a FFVII: CC phase. During this phase I found "The Madness of Angels" by Amarissia on ff.net. It's so rare to find a story that has a good plot line and is of decent size. I was lucky enough to find both. When I discovered this fic I could not stop reading. I had to limit myself to 5 chapters a night, the chapters are really long. Zack has long been my favorite character in the FF series, even back to the point when I thought he was a girl XD

Zack never seemed to be the type who would keep a diary... but somehow it really worked in this story. His recounting of his training days with Angeal was so believable, even what I'm going to call the "puppy" parts. Throughout the story you feel Zack's elation, his determination, and his grief. I was drawn into the story and felt like I was right there. Amarissia has a true gift when it comes to writing these characters. This is the story that could have been happening in the scenes not shown in the game.

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4066102/1/The_Madness_of_Angels

Homophobe Pt. 2

Homophobe

By YouarenotMe

Summary: Mike is a driven young man, hard working, and eager to please his father. But Mike Newton has a secret…perhaps he has a few. In a small town like Forks, Mike feels alone and desperately wants a break in his routine.

Rated: M
Couple(s): Mike/Eric, Mike/Edward, Jasper/Mike, Jasper/Mike/Edward

Read it on fanfiction.net and remember to give YouarenotMe some love!

 Read Starry's previous review on Homophobe here.

I know I've already reviewed this story, but I felt like I needed closure and in order to do so, I needed to share my thoughts on the last few chapters of this wonderful story. Homophobe is, looking back on it, unlike anything I've ever read before. And I'm not just talking about the couples, but the packaged deal.

This story gave me everything I needed and some things that I hadn't even realized I had wanted and now I'm left sad to see it end, but happy that I was lucky enough to go along for the ride. It's a story that I think every slash fan should read, even if they don't like Mike Newton or Mike/Edward.

Coming into this story, I expected a hot piece of Mike/Edward and, well, I got that, but I got so much more as well. I loved the dynamic presented between Mike, Edward, and Jasper and was very happy (even as I pouted) that Mike didn't end up with Edward. Edward and Jasper were the stepping stones to Mike's happily ever after and I loved how YouarenotMe captured that.

I think my favorite thing about the story was the conflict—the real life problems and insecurities of,  not just a gay teenager, but any teenager striving for acceptance from their peers and parents alike. I'm honored to have viewed Mike's personal struggles and then, finally, the absolution he felt in finding himself and realizing that he could be happy if he thrived to be the person he wanted to be.

Homophobe is probably one of the favorite stories of the year and I'm proud to add it to my favorites list on fanfiction.net!

Fanvid: Whenever, Wherever

Video: Whenever, Wherever

Couple: Jakeward

Song: Whenever, Wherever by Shakira

Made by: obsessive24 (I have permission from the maker to rec their video)

Want to watch?