Let's party again!

[wiseheart]

Well, folks, it's *that* time of the year again: I'll be 53 next Friday. So, it's time for the annual game of "let's the threads collapse". Come in, make yourselves comfortable, have a good time and bring your friends. Last years we had some 400+ comments, now we're in for the new record. ;)

This entry will be bounced up each day until October 9, so that all those who want can participate.

Update: On October 4, we had 195 comments on 2 pages. Well done. We still have got 5 more days, so let's see what we can do in that time. I have to say, the conversations in the individual threads were absolutely delightful. *is happy*

Update #2: On October 6, we had 270 comments - sadly, still on only 2 pages. Only 3 more day left to reach the ultimate goal, which would be 444 comments on 4 pages. But the discussions are great, so at the very least, we have the quality, if not the quantity yet. And that's more important, I'd say.

Update #3: On October 8, we had 388 comments, on 3 pages! Yay! I'm not very optimistic about Page 4, but I think the 444 comments might come together by the end of the day itself.

Pre-birthday gifts:
Got a wonderful bakery book from Mum, titled "Muffins and..." well, I seriously doubt that the English language has a word for the rest. Germans might know what Pogatschen are. They are small, salty or cheesy cookies, made usually of yeast dough... a Hungarian speciality. We already have quite a few recepies, but there are some in that book I never heard of. It will be a delight to try them out.

Also, I got the box-set of 2nd Season Torchwood from the most generous the_wild_iris! Thanks, my friend, you really, really made my day after two rather stressful weeks. I can finally watch the only episode I missed while we were in Belgium - the one in which Owen becomes a zombie. Heh!

Pre-birthday preparations:
I baked some strawberry flavoured muffins tonigh - not from the new book, from the carton box, I'm afraid, but for the colleagues they will do tomorrow.

Mum's bravely going down to the hairdresser's tomorrow, because, as she told me, "I can't look like this on your birthday!" Well, after not seeing a hairdresser for months, there's some truth in it.

The day after tomorrow, we're going to the "Blind Crow" for lunch. Unlike in English-speaking countries, lunch is actually the main meal of the day over here, so it will be great. The "Blind Crow" is a very nice little restaurant, and we can reach it on foot, which is the main issue, as Mum can't climb into any busses yet.


Final update:
Well, folks, the party will still be going on until midnight, CET, but I'm already declaring it a great success. We've made it onto Page 4, we've broken through the 500 (!!!)-comment-barrier, and I'm very happy.

Thanks everyone for participating, especially altariel, rcfinch, solanpolarn, the_wild_iris, theromangeneral and lhun_dweller, who've been working diligently and tirelessly to help me break the record. Should I've forgotten anyone, I humbly apologize.

Comments

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Continued because of length limitations.

Gwen arrives just in time to hear the tail end of it and makes a scene, of course. Merlin calls her Lady Helen amd asks in confusion how she'd amanged to follow him; after all, she ought to be dead. Gwen just looks stupidly and denies having anything to do with any Lady Helen - even though she does come from a very old Welsh family. Merlin is worried that her "witch blood" has survived so many centuries. The others are understandably baffled, but Merlin tells them that gwen isn't what she looks like; that she's an evil enchantress, and he can show them her true, ugly self. TBC in next entry.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, none of the Hub mirrors have real silver surfaces, thus they can't be used for magic. Ianto remembers, though, that in his father's tailor shop (we're going with original canon here!) used to hang a very ancient one and gets it from storage. Merlin chants a spell, and now the mirror showsm GWen as the ugly, evil old hag that she is.

Merlin tells them the story of Lady Helen (pilot episode). Owen comments that Gwen couldn't be her progeny as she can't carry a tune if her life depended on it. Ianto corrects that Gwen could actually sing quite good - though not *that* good. She must have inherited something from her witch ancestor, he adds, or else she couldn't make people do things for her allt he time. Merlin replies that it's the hypnotic eyes, like with a basilisk. TBC

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Gwen doesn't take Ianto's words kindly, and when Gray appears, she allies herself with him. thanks to Merlin's powers, Gray's plans are thwarted (details here are a little murky yet), and Tosh and Owen saved. Merlin is against keeping a frozen Gray in the fridge, but Jack still hopes that he can be savd. Merlin quotes the Great Dragon: "Nobody can choose his destiny... or escape it." He prophesizes that Gray will one day be free again, and cause even more problems.

At one point, Merlin has no other choice than to make a huge lamp fall onto Gwen and kill her, in order to save everyone. This is a part where I need to figure out a plausible reason. Before returning to his time through the Rift, Merlin tells Jack that his destiny is the protection of Cardiff; that he's the king of this place in all but name; Ianto is his faithful knight and Tosh is his princess. He warns them that it's never safe to keep an imprisoned dragon under one's own castle. Then he leaves and takes Owen with him.

This is it, basically. Suggestions with the unclear details are welcome.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

You're writing Merlin fanfic! *laughs evilly* Yay!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Erm, yes, I'm afraid it's still just a plan. I'm not allowed to start anything new until I've finished "A Touch of the Wild", which is only two or three chapters away from being completed.

I re-watched the first three eps of Merlin yesterday (mostly to see whether Eve Myles is really so awful in it as she is in Torchwood... well, she almost is), and realized I love the show more than before. Will have to re-watch the rest, too.

It has great x-over possibilites with TW, actually. For starters, both shows have faeries of some sort, and Lady Helen/old witch is another connection. We'll see what else can be crossed over.

If I ever manage to write this particular story, is there a chance to talk you into beta reading? Unlike most of my stuff, this shouldn't be another endless, multichapter monstrosity...

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I re-watched the first three eps of Merlin yesterday (mostly to see whether Eve Myles is really so awful in it as she is in Torchwood... well, she almost is), and realized I love the show more than before.

I loved it more on rewatching, too. And the first episode is so well constructed - yes, the story about Lady Helen is fairly trivial, but as a pilot, whose job is to set up the characters and the premise, it's great.

I thought E.M. was OK... :). I think Lady Helen's singing is actually done by someone else, though.

If I ever manage to write this particular story, is there a chance to talk you into beta reading?

Sure, I'd be happy to. Although I have only a general knowledge of Torchwood - I mean, I saw it when it was originally shown in the UK, but I probably wouldn't be able to spot minor errors of fact.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

According to the audio commentary of the producers, the singing was done by an opera singer. They said EM did sing the stuff, but it was afterwards replaced. They said she sang quite good, actually, but not good enough for the part.

As for beta-ing... I mostly need someone who brings my creative grammar in alignment with the English language again. I'm an obsessive researcher and know a great deal about Torchwood - I might need a bit of factual help with Merlin, perhaps, as I never thought I'd write fic and simply enjoyed the show so far.

The new episodes do seem promising, don't you think? Of course, all I get are the episode summaries online, but they sound exciting.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

I mostly need someone who brings my creative grammar in alignment with the English language again.

I can do that :)

The new episodes do seem promising, don't you think?

I had some doubts about #1 (too much focus on the guest star of the week), but enjoyed #2 and #3 very much.

My only worry is that the writers seem to be speeding up the pace of the plot. Last season they set up plot points very slowly and carefully... this season, we've already had some Arthur/Gwen and the return of Mordred; next week it's the return of Lancelot. I'm just a little paranoid that the show's going to be cancelled and the writers are trying to wrap up the whole story quickly :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I'd say that's well-founded paranoia. Well, at least they're going to tell us the entire story before the axe falls.

I hope the show will find its footing again. Even if it means the return of Eve Myles, too, who gives me goosebumps, and not in a good way!

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

It has great x-over possibilites with TW, actually. For starters, both shows have faeries of some sort, and Lady Helen/old witch is another connection. We'll see what else can be crossed over.

Just remembered that Colin Morgan appeared in an episode of Doctor Who. He played a bad-tempered teenager on a dark alien planet.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

He did? Drat, I don't know that episode. Which doctor is in it? I only saw the ones with Jack Harkness, courtesy of rcfinch.

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Tenth Doctor. The episode is called Midnight.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh. That's not the ones I have. But I might try watching it online. YouTube has lots of Dr. Who eps.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hee!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

And it will be an evil, evil fic! To Gwen Cooper, at the very least. Brief (???) summary is posted to Page 2, and Gemma the Generous even agreed to beta it. Yay!

[nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com]

This sounds like it's be a very fun story. The crossover would work so well because it isn't really implausible in the terms of either canon. I would think that Merlin would have fun at Torchwood and probably get along well with Tosh and Ianto - possibly having fun commiserating about being under appreciated. Plus it is always good to see Gwen come to a bad end. ;)

I can't remember all the details of 'Fragments' but if I recall correctly it included a bomb with a remote detonator, possibly you would have Gwen having that and so needing to be killed to stop her setting off the bomb.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You mean the second bombing, in which the things get off all over Cardiff? Yeah, that would be a good possibility.

Thanks for the idea! I'll credit you, of course. :)

[nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Track This
You mean the second bombing, in which the things get off all over Cardiff?
Yes.

Thanks for the idea! I'll credit you, of course. :)
You're welcome. Thanks. :)

[nerwen-calaelen.livejournal.com]

Sorry - I can apparently not copy and paste correctly.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Heh! No problem. You're talking to the biggest techno-wheenie of the internet. *g*