Medieval Tiemz + Merlin Rec

[merelyn]

I had a pretty busy weekend- I went out a lot and only did about half the things I intended to do. I also had the fun experience of buying a much-needed new pair of jeans, wearing them later that night, and almost immediately ripping a GIANT HOLE in the knee when I brushed past some person's inexplicably spiky license plate holder while walking in front of their parked car. (BOO.)

HOWEVER. I also went here on Sunday:





First, for those who don't know, Medieval Times (BEST WEBSITE VIDEO EVER) is a chain of "castles" across the US, Canada and Spain where they serve you dinner and give you a crown and you get to watch a real live Medieval tournament. With knights! On horseback! And there's jousting! And sword fights! And historically accurate strobe lights!

Most of the guests seemed to be children's birthday parties. My friends and I were easily spotted in the crowd since we were taller than everyone else.


They had a sword case! WITH EXCALIBUR, GUYS. How doth it ever get all the way to New Jersey?? (Yes, that's me pointing for anyone who's wondered what I look like.)



I should point out that they also had Lancelot's sword right next to Excalibur. You could tell it was his because he had his name engraved on it like a tool.





Here's the food, served to us by "wenches" on charming pewter plates that felt suspiciously like plastic. You can also see the pretty big arena in the background.





No silverware- eat with your hands, bitches! The soup was tomato bisque- yes I did have a moment of questioning the historical anachronism of the tomatoes. (Thank you, Merlin fandom.)





Our section was cheering for the Blue Knight. He was of course the one who got immediately pwned once the fighting started.





This is my favorite picture. For all of the spectacle, it was actually pretty impressive, in an awesomely ridiculous way.





Here’s all of us outside at the end. I wore the crown all the way home. It got many compliments.


Overall, it was a pretty awesome time. Also, my brain definitely went to the Merlin AU place where Arthur is a struggling actor who's trying to make it on Broadway and is working at the Medieval Times while waiting for his big break and Merlin's his roommate who makes fun of him all the time for it.


Also, Merlin rec! syllic is writing an Oxford rowing AU that is awesome and I'm totally reccing it even though I have an aversion to WiPS:

Easy There by syllic (Arthur/Merlin, Rated NPY for Not Porny Yet)

Comments

[luthien82]

You know... I REALLY want to eat in a place like that too. Looks like you guys had fun!

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

It was cheese-tastic and awesome! We also managed to get half price tickets, which made it totally worth it.

[j_apollo]

That looks like a lot of fun :D

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

It was! It definitely appealed to my inner Merlin fangirl, considering it was basically the dinner theatre equivalent of the show. :)

[j_apollo]

I had a pint at a pub called 'The Round Table' a few days ago which also appealed to my inner Merlin fangirl.

Of course I'm also planning visits to both Arthur and Merlin's graves so I don't know if it can be called an inner fangirl at this point ;D

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

He, that sounds adorable. Sadly I was not with any fellow fangirls on this trip, so most of my amusement I kept to myself. (Where are they buried, out of curiosity?)

[j_apollo]

When you come to London you will be free to be as fangirl-y as you like.

(Supposedly Merlin is buried in Marloborugh and Arthur in Glastonbury)

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Ooh believe me, I shall. My vague itinerary so far is this:

1. BE FANGIRLY
2. Visit British Museum
3. BE FANGIRLY
4. BE STILL MORE FANGIRLY

[j_apollo]

1. Is an excellent thing to do.
2. Very good idea. I've been a few times
3. Still excellent
4. Will never stop being a good thing.

I could possibly be persueded to play tour guide for a day if you'd like. By the time you come to London I will either still have vacation time or will be on vacation myself :D

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Really? That's be great! I'll be pretty much on my own when I'm in London so it'd be great to have someone to show me around and save me from getting hit by cars on the opposite side of the street.

[j_apollo]

Of course. And if there are any specifically touristy things you want to do there is a very good chance that I haven't done them either as I fail as a tourist.

(Just to warn you I am rather useless at navigating London but I am getting better)

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'm the same way with New York in terms of failing as a tourist. People are coming to visit me in about two weeks and the first thing I thought of it terms of activities was to go to a movie. ("We could go to Times Square but it's full of tourists, blech- I mean. Never mind.")

[j_apollo]

I am the same and tend to avoid tourists. I normally sit in the pub and have a pint with friends which is a very British thing to do.

(Any news on dates or are you still trying to work out schedules?)

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Still trying. My job description changed again last week as did the dates when it will be easy for me to take off. *headdesk*

[j_apollo]

Tell me about it. I was shifted to a new project a few months back and then this year I was told I can't take vacation in January or February since deadlines got moved forward and I need to be in the lab 6 hours a day because of this.

Tell me once you have dates and I can sort out the meetup around that (I also have a community for that now *is very proud that she is being sort-of organised*) and get a day off :D

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

That sounds very familiar to me. :P Nothing for two months, though? Jeez.

I'm normally one of those people who has a big guilt complex when it comes to taking off- you have to force me. Even so, it doesn't make that any easier when you work for a weekly magazine and keep getting new responsibilities.

Anyway, I will definitely tell you as soon as I get myself sorted!

[j_apollo]

I'm not supposed to but I'm taking off two fridays in February anyway. One for a long weekend in Rome and the other for Chevron 7.2.

New responsibilities can be good. It means they trust you :D

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Ooh, those both sound lovely!

It is good, and I'm excited about all the new stuff it's just means that "figure out my vacation" has fallen below "FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING" in my job priority list for the moment. :)

[phantomjam.livejournal.com]

That sword case!! *covetous* And HAH Lancelot engraving his name. Typical.

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

I know! It was all so pretty. Lancelot totally would put his name on his sword. It's like a passive aggressive "HAND OFF PLUS I AM AWESOME" post-it note.

[phantomjam.livejournal.com]

Medieval post-it notes FTW, every time. I bet Arthur would have done the same if his sword wasn't so special and magical and non-graffiti-able.

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

And in a lake at the mo'.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

THAT IS JOYOUS! Man, I love jousting. This is basically the dodgiest theme park in, oh, THE WORLD, but there is jousting! And LOL Lancelot and his toolish engravings.

MAN THAT FIC. I saw it this morning and practicallly combusted with joy, because Three Tasks was so lovely and ROWING HOMG. Those are visuals I can work with.

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

OMG that theme park looks awesome. (And the videos look ALMOST THE SAME, right?)

AH THAT FIC. I adored every single word and will be (unobtrusively) stalking her until she updates. I know just barely enough about rowing (crew we call it over here) to be all OMG YES.

[mariamme.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA. Medieval Times FTW. I've actually never been, which is totally bizarre. I mean, I'm veggie, but I would TOTALLY GO just for the spectacle. Clearly fun. *beam*

(And also? Lancelot's sword. Engraved with his name. Hahahhaaha win.)

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

It was ridiculous. I felt so cool next to Little Timmy's 9th birtday party. They even had a vegetarian meal option, if you decide to go.

The sword was almost the best part. The labeling was a little confusing in the case, SO IT WAS GOOD THAT THEY PUT HIS NAME ON IT.

[lillianloop.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD I LOVE MEDIEVAL TIMES SO MUCH

AND YOU

SHITTTTTT

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

ME + MEDIEVAL TIMES = TOO MUCH AWESOME TO HANDLE

[neptuneskisses.livejournal.com]

Haha! Great pictures! I love it. And thanks for the rec! I usually try and avoid WIPs too (and have been so busy recently I haven't been able to read any fanfic) but there's something about that scenario that feels irresistable!

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm been failing at reading much lately myself- especially anything outside my flist. syllic is usually really good at updating and finishing her stuff, so I don't think we'll have to wait long for the rest of it. :)

[nicolasechs.livejournal.com]

That is SO awesome indeed. Also, you're adorable! *resists urge to pinch your cheeks*

[merelyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! *g* It was a lot of fun.