For the record, and more...
I say that because I've seen so many people flailing excitedly about these first three fics and I agree wholeheartedly.
Title: The Good Times Are Killing Me
Author: minor_hue
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon
Rating: Explicit
Length: 15,300 words
Summary: In which the boys pretend to still be together for Christmas (and there is more than one kind of charade). Modern AU
Gorgeous rendering of a relationship's breakup and make up. So much emotional subtlety here - you just feel everything the characters are going through, it kills you. So many wonderful details about their relationship - fantastic characterization and the author brings in several of the side characters as well. Wonderful, moving fic. (and hot)
Title: The Student Prince
Author: pandarus
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, Lancelot, Gaius, the Dragon
Rating: Mature
Length: er, extremely long
Summary: Modern AU. Prince of Wales Arthur attends the University of St. Andrews and becomes roommates with Merlin, who's there to study magic secretly and also to protect the prince against magical attacks, unbeknownst to him. Cue the epic UST.
Really enjoyed this. I thought it was hilarious and very entertaining and as I said, the sexual tension between Arthur and Merlin is absolutely epic. There are lots of funny scenes revolving around the quaint undergraduate rituals of St. Andrews - the writer obviously attends (ed?) that school. I also liked the way she brought in magic, which is unusual in a modern AU, although I wasn't entirely satisfied by the way she handled it. My one complaint is about the ending, which I thought was a little precipitous and unsatisfying for such a long fic. Why didn't she just go for the romantic ending instead of aborting it? I found that annoying. I also thought the last chapter had way too much of the dragon in it.
Title: Sweeter Dreams
Author: tierfal
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Vivian
Rating: Standard
Length: 35,540 words
Summary: Merlin and Arthur try to break Vivian's enchantment by finding her one true love and fighting bad guys along the way.
Episode-like canon fic with pitch-perfect characterizations. Very funny and entertaining. Really well-drawn OCs lend a hand. Loved it!
And moving on...
Title: Journey Into the Interior
Author:
amber
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Morgana, Gwen
Rating: Explicit
Length: 9,945 words
Summary: Modern AU reincarnation fic. Merlin is immortal and works in a massage parlor because he's lost all will to do anything else. He can't really remember who he is, just that he's waiting for something important. Arthur finds him there after remembering his identity.
I just loved the way this was written. I usually don't read fics with Merlin as a prostitute or something similar, but for some reason I read this one and thought it was fantastic. The gritty atmosphere of the massage parlor is really well conveyed and I really enjoyed Merlin's character here.
It's been shitty little flats for a long time now. Sometimes, slouching in his old trackie pants in front of the telly, Merlin remembers something better, a feeling of opulence, the taste of a rich burgundy wine in the back of his throat. Maybe there'll be a movie on, some two a.m. romance, and they'll talk about destiny and Merlin will gasp air like a drowning man. He can't watch Harry fucking Potter without his chest constricting. Merlin knows he's weird, knows he's looked "about twenty" for decades spiralling back into the fog in his mind, knows the name on his driver's licence isn't really his. Thing is, he hasn't got a clue why.
Title: Of Rain and Red Shirts
Author: vivitchi
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: Mature
Length: 3,700 words
Summary: Another modern AU tale of the ups and downs of a relationship. Merlin recalls the progression of his relationship with Arthur in a series of flashbacks.
This fic is so beautifully written and evokes such a wonderful atmosphere both of wistful longing and the happiness of falling in love. (Also, hot.) The non-linear narrative was slightly confusing at times, but worked overall, I think. Plus, there's a bonus nod to Torchwood.
Title: The Good Times Are Killing Me
Author: minor_hue
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon
Rating: Explicit
Length: 15,300 words
Summary: In which the boys pretend to still be together for Christmas (and there is more than one kind of charade). Modern AU
Gorgeous rendering of a relationship's breakup and make up. So much emotional subtlety here - you just feel everything the characters are going through, it kills you. So many wonderful details about their relationship - fantastic characterization and the author brings in several of the side characters as well. Wonderful, moving fic. (and hot)
Title: The Student Prince
Author: pandarus
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Gwen, Morgana, Lancelot, Gaius, the Dragon
Rating: Mature
Length: er, extremely long
Summary: Modern AU. Prince of Wales Arthur attends the University of St. Andrews and becomes roommates with Merlin, who's there to study magic secretly and also to protect the prince against magical attacks, unbeknownst to him. Cue the epic UST.
Really enjoyed this. I thought it was hilarious and very entertaining and as I said, the sexual tension between Arthur and Merlin is absolutely epic. There are lots of funny scenes revolving around the quaint undergraduate rituals of St. Andrews - the writer obviously attends (ed?) that school. I also liked the way she brought in magic, which is unusual in a modern AU, although I wasn't entirely satisfied by the way she handled it. My one complaint is about the ending, which I thought was a little precipitous and unsatisfying for such a long fic. Why didn't she just go for the romantic ending instead of aborting it? I found that annoying. I also thought the last chapter had way too much of the dragon in it.
Title: Sweeter Dreams
Author: tierfal
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Vivian
Rating: Standard
Length: 35,540 words
Summary: Merlin and Arthur try to break Vivian's enchantment by finding her one true love and fighting bad guys along the way.
Episode-like canon fic with pitch-perfect characterizations. Very funny and entertaining. Really well-drawn OCs lend a hand. Loved it!
And moving on...
Title: Journey Into the Interior
Author:
amber
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Morgana, Gwen
Rating: Explicit
Length: 9,945 words
Summary: Modern AU reincarnation fic. Merlin is immortal and works in a massage parlor because he's lost all will to do anything else. He can't really remember who he is, just that he's waiting for something important. Arthur finds him there after remembering his identity.
I just loved the way this was written. I usually don't read fics with Merlin as a prostitute or something similar, but for some reason I read this one and thought it was fantastic. The gritty atmosphere of the massage parlor is really well conveyed and I really enjoyed Merlin's character here.
It's been shitty little flats for a long time now. Sometimes, slouching in his old trackie pants in front of the telly, Merlin remembers something better, a feeling of opulence, the taste of a rich burgundy wine in the back of his throat. Maybe there'll be a movie on, some two a.m. romance, and they'll talk about destiny and Merlin will gasp air like a drowning man. He can't watch Harry fucking Potter without his chest constricting. Merlin knows he's weird, knows he's looked "about twenty" for decades spiralling back into the fog in his mind, knows the name on his driver's licence isn't really his. Thing is, he hasn't got a clue why.
Title: Of Rain and Red Shirts
Author: vivitchi
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Rating: Mature
Length: 3,700 words
Summary: Another modern AU tale of the ups and downs of a relationship. Merlin recalls the progression of his relationship with Arthur in a series of flashbacks.
This fic is so beautifully written and evokes such a wonderful atmosphere both of wistful longing and the happiness of falling in love. (Also, hot.) The non-linear narrative was slightly confusing at times, but worked overall, I think. Plus, there's a bonus nod to Torchwood.