Merlin Fanfic Fangirling
So, somewhere in my "kinda-want-to-avoid-TH-for-awhile" reversion back to H/D fandom, I stumbled across a few journals of people who have happened to become Merlin/Arthur fans too. . . and found lots of really good Merlin fic...
I have quite a few tabs open, awaiting my reading pleasure, but I thought I'd rec while I was at it, since I know several on my flist are Merlin/Arthur fans too :)
I'm a sucker for well-done de-aging fic, and Prince Brat and the sequel, The Littlest Manservant by pepperlandgirl4 definitely fit the bill! A bad, yet rather talentless sorcerer w/ accompanying bad-guys cast a spell to make Arthur 6 again. Merlin is ordered to babysit. Hijinks ensue, especially when Arthur returns to normal, but Merlin's now 6, and Morgana and Gwen come along for the ride. The rest of her Merlin fic that I've happened to read is very enjoyable (and hot *fans self*) as well.
I also re-discovered snottygrrl's fic (her 12 Days of Christmas is one of my H/D classics :D), and I saw that she's written a Merlin version, too! It's modern au, but I just might like it better than the H/D one. . .it had me giggling the whole way through, and the notes explaining the 12 gifts were just *perfect* tone for Arthur, and Merlin's mannerisms were spot-on ^_^ The other two Merlin fics there are awesome as well--The Past, The Future, and The Now was a lovely mix of modern-au with time-travel/past life switch to Albion, and Penance is pretty much exactly what the summary promises--"In which Arthur is an utter prat" But a loveable one <3
I also found the com camelotsolstice , and while I haven't tackled any of the fic yet, dang the art made me want to draw some Arthur/Merlin. . . particularly Wrapped in Warmth by lizardspots (Caution: Beautifully done, but NSFW--like, at all)
I'll probably be back with more later. . . and probably fanart at some point, knowing me. . .
Edit:
Okay, I found this incredibly cute and amusing, even while a rather nasty thunderstorm lead to a shaking, shivering, panting Yorkie being perched on my chest while I read it--she wasn't amused by the breathless giggling (or power surges), but I <3d this fic :D
First Kiss by magog_83
AU, slightly-tipsy Merlin, and adorkable Arthur--here's a quote : Merlin heaved an enormous sigh and struggled up onto his elbows. The problem with Arthur, Merlin thought, was that he had a very thick skull, and sometimes he needed diagrams, diagrams with little arrows and labels and colour coding and stick figure Merlins pointing and frowning very sternly.