No Business Like Show Business
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | No Business Like Show Business |
| Author(s): | lady_ragnell |
| Date(s): | 28 October 2010 |
| Length: | ~8,000 words |
| Genre: | slash, Modern AU |
| Fandom: | Merlin |
| External Links: | No Business Like Show Business (LiveJournal) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
No Business Like Show Business is a Merlin/Arthur Modern AU by lady_ragnell.
Summary: In which Merlin is promoted from production intern to talent, is easily mortified, and has Post-It arguments with Arthur while the art department watches in glee. Also, there are gay dragons.
The story has a sequel, Get That Happy Feeling (~1,000 words). In this story Merlin and Arthur discuss the first script for season four of Kilgharrah's Adventures where their gay dragon characters are going to become parents.[1]
Recs and Reviews
Following last week's super-meta fandom fic, I thought I'd rec a story where the characters are on the other side of the curtain, namely, TV! Merlin and Arthur are voice actors on the series Kilgharrah's Adventures, which is an animated children's cartoon about Gary the dragon and his boyfriend Kestrel. It's kind of a mishmash of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic meets Avatar: the Last Airbender meets the LGBT-positive show that I'd wish I'd had in my childhood, and if wishes were horses, I'd have sold them to get this show on the air because it sounds so awesome and cute. Arthur and Merlin's Post-It romance is joyful and snarky, just how I like it, and I loved how the secondary characters really shown through in the story.[2]
[From a merlin_finders search]: "Searching for a modern AU of Merlin/Arthur where both of them give voices for a children's show about something really childish, like unicorns or something. Arthur's dad owns the show/company I think, and Merlin and Arthur don't even meet until the end, although they give voices for the main two characters of the show. Through the fic, the animating department of this cartoon shows draws pics of their characters together cause everyone (including Gwen and Morgana) thinks they're gay and flirting through the screen almost, and Merlin and Arthur write on these drawings and send each other notes. Ends off a bit after they've met and the show's come out and it's hugely successful because their characters are snarky and smart, even for a kid's show.[3]
There’s meta fic, and there’s this meta fic. It’s no wonder that lady-ragnell wrote an amazing piece (ok, I’m a fangirl), but this is like, the meta fic to rule all meta fics. In the universe. It takes the feeling we sometimes have while watching the show - not sure if it’s Brolin or Merthur - and plays it to eleven, in a tale about Arthur and Merlin as actors participating in the same (animated) show and falling in love under the watchful eye of their fans and crew. It’s funny, cute and adorable when you read it the first time. When you’re reading it for the seventh time, it’s still all those things. Rating: A+[4]
Fantastic. Hilarious. Cute. The post it notes were great. It was just great. I thought she could have spent longer establishing the fake show’s story line, but I really liked what she did with it anyway. I loved it. The little sequels are brilliant, too![5]
Holy shit, I love this ridiculous, lovely, hilarious joy of a fic. THEY'RE VOICE-ACTING AN ANIMATED SHOW ABOUT GAY DRAGONS. IT'S WONDERFUL. Will someone please draw all the pictures the art department made of their characters? Because that would be brilliant. Thanks.[6]
I’ll say this now: this is the shortest fic I’ve read and loved more than other, longer fics. I’m a long fic kinda girl. But I’ll admit, the description intrigued me and I was willing to put aside the word count because I had it on good authority (it kept cropping up in rec lists) that it was a good one, so I decided to give it a shot. Boy am I ever glad I did. The fluff and the cuteness and the UGH levels are just through the roof. Also, it will make you want a real show about gay dragons like nothing else.[7]
References
- ^ lady_ragnell. Get That Happy Feeling, 24 October 2011. (Accessed 22 February 2012)
- ^ lolitakun in epic_recs. No Business Like Show Business, by lady_ragnell (PG-13), 18 October 2011. (Accessed 22 February 2012)
- ^ ansera in merlin_finders. Merlin/Arthur modern AU, 21 February 2012. (Accessed 22 February 2012)
- ^ "Oct 23, 2012 Tumblr post at fuckyeahmerthurfanfic". Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.
- ^ "May 15, 2013 Tumblr post". Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.
- ^ "Fic Rec". Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.
- ^ "Cheshyres Merthur Fic Rec List". Archived from the original on 2023-03-10.