amari_z | Some notes on In Twilight's Kingdom (Reply)

Perhaps because I'm strange (shut up), or maybe because I’m easily amused, but as the Resurrection chapters started to get longer, I started playing around with the idea of having a concept—let’s call it a theme—for each of them. If nothing else, it was to help me come up with a title, although that didn't tend to work too well (I suck at titles).

The theme could be anything, and it varied from fic to fic. Usually it changed and developed as I worked on a fic, and sometimes I ended up dropping it as I wrote—it would fall apart by the time I’d finished, or was underdeveloped, or existed only in my own deluded head. In this last fic, I pretty much carried it through, so I thought it might be fun (at least for me) to talk a bit about it.

I don’t advise clicking below if you haven’t read In Twilight's Kingdom. One, it contains spoilers. Two, it won’t make any sense. If you have read and want to play along, guess the “theme” before you click. Come on, it’ll be fun. No, really :p

Hopefully, not completely unsurprisingly, the theme in Kingdom was the idea of transition, with the secondary concepts of precariousness and suspension. For this fic, I made use of setting to try to promote the idea. Here are some examples:

The fic starts off with swift (dangerous) motion as the characters go from one place to another.

From there we go to the aptly named waiting room, which is also the location of the later scene where the some of the knights do their debriefing/planning.

There are actually very few scenes in rooms. The scenes inside Lancelot's hospital room can't take place anywhere else, but I like to think that the hospital itself is a place of uncertain transition--either you get better and leave or you don't and you leave anyway.

Tristan's two main confrontation scenes occur on rooftops. I rather enjoyed this symbolism.

There are a lot scenes in hallways.

Tor wanders the mansion's hallways after leaving its parallel "waiting room" and he spends his later scene in hospital corridors.

Two of Agravaine's scenes take place in hallways--both his scene with Galehaut at the mansion and when he's at the hospital.

Arthur's scenes with Bors and Dagonet (and the police and later Guin) take place in hallways.

There are also lot of doorways in this fic.

Gareth leans in the doorway when he talks to Kay and Dagonet. (They, by the way, are the only knights we see in their own space, which they are, however, preparing to leave.)

Agravaine won't set foot in Lancelot's room, but instead stays at the doorway even when he's telling Galehaut it's time to go.

Tristan's scene with Dinaden involves a door, and he is leaning against one in the second scene with Kay.

When Arthur goes to confront Merlin, he stays in the entryway until he gives in and believes that Merlin had nothing to do with what happened--at which point he does follow Merlin into the house.

Lancelot's dream/memory/vision sequences don't involve doorways; they are meant to invoke wide spaces. The exception to that is his uncle's death scene in the wagon, which Lancelot has to enter. I kind of liked how that worked out.

Some of the scenes also take place at sunset. Tristan and Din’s confrontation on the roof occurs just before sunset. Although I never make it explicit, if you're paying attention, Arthur's scene visiting Lancelot's room for the first time is at about the same time as that scene. Gareth comes back to the house and then Kay and Dag leave at sunset, and so the confrontation with Tris is just after night has fallen. Again, not very explicit, Galehaut visits Lancelot’s room around sunset (Agravaine's shift is in the afternoon and Galehaut waits outside for four hours or so for Arthur to leave—although, since I've never actually said what time of year it is, this one is not all that clear). And, of course, Lancelot's last scene occurs at twilight.

A major exception, scene location-wise, is Arthur in the chapel. I wanted that scene to take place in that location, and I liked the contrast of the location being a place of stability, but Arthur himself as unstable.

I believe that the only person who is actually shown being comfortable in this fic is the unnamed man in his office. He's sitting with his feet up and a drink in hand (having a very good time, too). Merlin could also be viewed as comfortable, as he sits sipping his tea in his own living room telling Arthur what to do. Both scenes were handled this way on purpose.

As I said, I enjoy fiddling with things like this. I’d love to hear if you guys had any comments.