8x12x8, by skellerbvvt (PG-13)
Title: 8x12x8
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Categories: Angst, Romance, Hella Dark
Length: Epic (~54,000 words)
Warnings: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Torture, Mental Illness, Uther Pendragon being the worst human being in the history of existence, and the issues that come with being locked up in a small enclosed space for the whole of your life. Also, some Arthur OOC. Because of said locking-up in a small, enclosed etcetera.
ETA: some magical brain surgery that can be read as brainwashing- read the comments for more clarification.
Author on LJ: skellerbvvt
Website: Masterlist of Merlin Fic on Delicious
Summary: When Arthur was small his Majesty locked him away because Arthur is a monster. Now Merlin wants to let Arthur out to prove that he is not.
Review:
I've been flip-flopping over whether to rec this fic for a while now, and here is why: this pushes a lot of my triggers (see warnings), and it's pretty bleak for the first half(ish). So I preface this rec with the following: go into reading this with a firm "the world is good today" attitude, and come out of it with someone to bring you hot cocoa and a hug.
THAT BEING SAID- this is a well-written fic, and I liked that skellerbvvt takes the time to describe the traumatic experience, and then doesn't just use the ol' "and then Merlin waved his magical cockwand and suddenly, Arthur became a functional human being again! They skipped gaily into the sunset to have lots of sex with each other, THE END."* approach. She takes the time to realistically portray Arthur's recovery, which is slow and often with bumps in the road, and it is so worth it. It's an engaging story, and while I had to hug my dog a lot after I finished it, I really enjoyed the character arc that Arthur goes through, and Merlin is a tender, loving BAMF throughout. skellerbvvt writes all these memorable scenes, like Arthur and his pet mouse, and Uther's comeuppance (won't spoil it for you guys, but it's good!) The ending is wonderfully sweet, and a great closer to a story this emotionally epic.
8x12x8
*Though I would read the shit out of that fic if someone were to write it. Just not, y'know, in the same context as this fic. Maybe if Arthur was turned into a toad, and Merlin was a magical prince...but I digress.
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Categories: Angst, Romance, Hella Dark
Length: Epic (~54,000 words)
Warnings: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Torture, Mental Illness, Uther Pendragon being the worst human being in the history of existence, and the issues that come with being locked up in a small enclosed space for the whole of your life. Also, some Arthur OOC. Because of said locking-up in a small, enclosed etcetera.
ETA: some magical brain surgery that can be read as brainwashing- read the comments for more clarification.
Author on LJ: skellerbvvt
Website: Masterlist of Merlin Fic on Delicious
Summary: When Arthur was small his Majesty locked him away because Arthur is a monster. Now Merlin wants to let Arthur out to prove that he is not.
Review:
I've been flip-flopping over whether to rec this fic for a while now, and here is why: this pushes a lot of my triggers (see warnings), and it's pretty bleak for the first half(ish). So I preface this rec with the following: go into reading this with a firm "the world is good today" attitude, and come out of it with someone to bring you hot cocoa and a hug.
THAT BEING SAID- this is a well-written fic, and I liked that skellerbvvt takes the time to describe the traumatic experience, and then doesn't just use the ol' "and then Merlin waved his magical cockwand and suddenly, Arthur became a functional human being again! They skipped gaily into the sunset to have lots of sex with each other, THE END."* approach. She takes the time to realistically portray Arthur's recovery, which is slow and often with bumps in the road, and it is so worth it. It's an engaging story, and while I had to hug my dog a lot after I finished it, I really enjoyed the character arc that Arthur goes through, and Merlin is a tender, loving BAMF throughout. skellerbvvt writes all these memorable scenes, like Arthur and his pet mouse, and Uther's comeuppance (won't spoil it for you guys, but it's good!) The ending is wonderfully sweet, and a great closer to a story this emotionally epic.
8x12x8
*Though I would read the shit out of that fic if someone were to write it. Just not, y'know, in the same context as this fic. Maybe if Arthur was turned into a toad, and Merlin was a magical prince...but I digress.