bright idea

[hope]

Okay, so this may be the fever talking, but you know how there are a million college/university Merlin AUs? And half of them are set in a US university?

Well, I'm seriously tempted to write one set in an Australian university.

Please, someone either talk me out of or in to this...

Comments

[derryderrydown]

This is me, attempting to talk you into it.

[hope]

Oh god. This is going to be totally ridiculous.

[derryderrydown]

It's Merlin! If it's not ridiculous, it's not true to the source text!

[hope]

Exactly! And, you know, Australia is a colony. Except it is a University AU, so perhaps instead of Arthur's destiny being to unite Australian and NZ, it's to oust footballer yuppy Uther from head of the student union.

[copracat]

Because they don't want to fund the LGBT student group and Arthur wants to support his mate Merlin and Merlin's bloody annoying boyfriend? Merlin was a charity kid at Timbertops, right? That where they met because, like, Arthur didn't go to Geelong Grammar.

Actually, I don't know how student union funding works these days. Fees were compulsory when I was at Uni so we had, you know, ALL the resources.

[hope]

They were compulsory when I went there, too. I think it'll probably need to be set in my era. Or go like, semi-FICTIONAL or something.

I thought Timbertop was a GG thing?

[copracat]

I failed to write my sentence properly. Yes, Timbertop is a GG thing and yes, I meant that Arthur surely went there.

[hope]

Also, Gwaine's dad was totally a lawyer or something, but Gwaine insists on doing Creative Arts and swans around in leggings doing performance art in the north court and so forth. Which sickens Arthur. But gives Merlin big, awed hearteyes (he's from Shep ffs!).

[copracat]

Couldn't Gwaine's dad be some Pilbara iron magnate? Lawyers love the arts. Number of law graduates I know who write plays or act or direct: more than can be counted on one hand.

[hope]

You just made me have a coughing fit from laughing. YES HIS DAD IS TOTALLY A WA MAGNATE!

And Gwaine now spends his time protesting the police state of tram inspectors by lying dramatically with his theatre friends on the tracks at the unimelb interchange.

[copracat]

I bet he wrote a long impassioned letter to Julia Gillard about how important the mining tax was and not to back down. Possibly he quoted a Billy Bragg song.

Sorry. You're writing this, aren't you?

[hope]

I'm thinking of it as more of a collaborative piece.

Gwaine tries to seduce Merlin with Midnight Oil.

[nixwilliams]

Merlin isn't into sell-out ALP MPs, though.

[copracat]

Talk you out of it? LOL! No way.

Can Merlin come from Echuca or Mildura? No, better: Horsham.

Gwen's from north of the river, Arthur from one of those poncy south-eastern suburbs. Gwaine's from Perth. Hee hee hee hee.

Sorry, just got up and haven't had a cup of tea yet.

[hope]

GWAINE IS FROM PERTH OH MY GOD YES


And Arthur is a member of the Myer family or something. I've even been to their mansion! :D

And no, I think maybe Merlin is from Shepparton or even Benalla.

Gwen lives in Brunswick East, because she can't afford to live in Fitzroy like Morgana does, but that's OK because Lancelot is in Fairfield.


*flails*

[copracat]

Arthur is a Baillieu!

I had Gwen in Coburg or Preston. Can Tom afford Brunswick East these days? Or is it the house they've had in the family since the 40s and there's still an outdoor loo?

[hope]

I was thinking more that she was in a sharehouse! Tom lives in Mill Park or something :D

[copracat]

Oh yeah, excellent. With Gwaine?

[hope]

Yes. I think Morgana lives in one of the new apartments in Fitzroy, possibly with Arthur. Gwen lives in a dumpy sharehouse in Brunswick East, which Gwaine moves into when he moves from Perth. Merlin lives in dorms because he's a country boy. Everything comes together because Morgana and Gwen both work at the food co-op and Merlin always hangs out at the queer lounge on that floor of the student union...

[copracat]

PS if you don't write this I will make sadeyes at you. A lot.

[hope]

I'm relying on your sadeyes to motivate me.

Yes indeed, the best thing about writing this is that I'll be able to talk to EVERYONE I KNOW for inspiration/ideas.

I think it probably still needs some kind of plot, though.

[copracat]

Oh, plot. Whatever.

[hope]

...on reflection, this is weird. I haven't written an Australian story in about 10 years.

[samvara]

DO EET!

[nixwilliams]

There needs to be plenty of Rowden White Library in there, too!

[nixwilliams]

Brunswick East is expensive, I think she lives just over the creek in Northcote. On Bent Street.

[nixwilliams]

ON SECOND THOUGHTS, I know exactly which old house they live in up the top end of Nicholson St, just down from Blyth.

[ess_jay]

I SUPPORT THIS PRODUCT AND/OR EVENT.

[hope]

I suspect this is going to turn into a giant UniMelb/inner north in-joke.

[ess_jay]

Surely someone lives in Eltham or Belgrave because the city is just so draining, ya know.

[hope]

Maybe Percy is the guy no one really knows in their group because he spends most of his time playing footy in Eltham at nights and taking his sister to netball in Greensy on weekends.

[catchmyfancy]

HOLY GOD. I work at UoM.

ARTHUR IS A BAILLIEU works for me.

[hope]

I attended... god, 7 years ago now. Hopefully I can make some mashup of mid-2000s UniMelb and what it is now!

[catchmyfancy]

heh - depending on dates and times, I probably graduated you. If you need any info let me know. Don't write fic, but am happy to enable it. :)

[st_aurafina]

*stares, amazed* This is brilliant!

[hope]

I think it's unavoidable, now :D

[nixwilliams]

Lancelot = postgrad in Australian history?

[nixwilliams]

Hunith is a yoga teacher in whatever town she and Merlin lived - somewhere with enough people to have a twice weekly class, but not so big that people don't look a bit askance at them. Gwen's dad is an auto mechanic in Sunshine. Elyan's been off fruit picking up the east coast.

Gwaine is in all the bands. Cenred is in a grindcore band with a tiny cult following, they play Tuesday nights at the Tote and sometimes at the Arthouse. Morgause is a media production major at RMIT, she and Morgana hook up to make gig reels (Morgana is a journalism major).

THESE ARE SOME THOUGHTS I HAD! SORRY I WILL STOP SPAMMING YOU.

[hope]

SPAM AWAY

[fred_mouse]

Yes, please, write it. Then I can ignore the one that I am Not Writing about Arthur working in a cafe in Subiaco because his father won't let him near the family business until he has proven that he can keep a job for more than two weeks, and Merlin is a desperate PhD student trying to meet his deadline, and read yours instead!

[lolafeist.livejournal.com]

DOOOO ITTTTTTTT.

[hope]

It's ridiculously tempting. I've always wanted to write fanfic set in Australia! Don't know why this didn't occur to me before!

[lolafeist.livejournal.com]

Trojie has written fics set in NZ. It never bothers me when authors take the boys home with them, because it generally makes for a richer setting and better dialogue. YOU TOTALLY SHOULD.