Paperlegends recs
I haven't read all the fics that have been posted to the fest so far, and I'm afraid my recs won't do justice to the fics right now, but I have to try. I'm afraid the best I can do now is say 'I like them because of reasons,' but if it sounds like it, at least trust me that they have to be REALLY GOOD reasons for me to make a rec. Just this once? :)
This Silly Ol' Dance is Perfect for Two (80567 words) by
SlantedKnitting
Summary: Arthur is young, gorgeous, talented, and captain of one of the best football teams in England; his life should be perfect. But he can't keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, and it's not just because he isn't ready to settle down. When his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he has a rough night at the pub and has to be dragged home by his neighbour, Merlin. Merlin is an archivist, a Ph.D student, and he hates football almost as much as he hates Arthur. They both have their own reasons for not wanting to spend time with each other, but after that disastrous night, remaining silent neighbors doesn't seem like much of an option anymore. Modern AU.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
Okay, so I couldn't not immediately think about There Are No Gays in Football. But this story, while exploring a similar (ish) setting, has a completely uninfluenced and original take on it, and the one I liked very much. It's a long fic, even by big bang standards, but it's set at a perfect pace, with no stalling and no rushing, and it's incredibly rare and all the more precious. I loved characterization, goes without saying. Merlin is a bit more flamboyant than I normally prefer, but it totally works here and at no point it's over the top. It pushed me so very slightly out of my comfort zone and I love it when that happens. Arthur was endearing and endearingly a prat, but just as in canon we see how desperately he struggles to do his best and what's best for everyone, and one can't remain indifferent, not even if one wanted. Supporting characters are used beautifully, and the relationships around the main pairing are a gorgeous study all by themselves. I love how balanced this fic is, and how absolutely engrossing. And there's a scene between Arthur and Merlin there that is so electric you can feel it come through the screen. A wonderful read.
Stars Above, Stones Below (46843 words) by
Destina
Summary: After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he's ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
I selfishly try to stay away from canon AUs right now, for obvious reasons, but I couldn't walk past this one and I'm so happy. This story is just... precious. The careful, touching, heartbreakingly fragile way in which Arthur and Merlin build their relationship here is moving beyond what I can say. It has all the bittersweet grace and thrill of a doomed romance, one that blossoms in the end, but nonetheless. It's gorgeous, and if it was a painting, it would have been a vibrant watercolor. I can't put it better than that. I loved the thoughtful consideration that went into rebuilding a well-known setting, the infusion of legend, loved how there was a place for everyone and how it all made sense. The magic reveal was handled beautifully. I loved this story so, so much.
The Lonely King (56779 words) by
Cori Lannam
Summary: The Prince of Wales at his school. Merlin was sure it was all just a very bad joke. A modern royalty AU.
[Thoughs:]
Thoughts:
There can never be enough modern royalty AUs. The amount of thought and detail that went into creating this fic is glaringly obvious and clearly staggering. It shows without being actually seen, and that's a stamp of quality writing right there. Merlin was... absolutely impossible. I'm saying this, grinning from ear to ear. Seriously, he freaked me out, made me laugh out loud, roll my eyes, and fall more in love with him than I already am. Arthur was steadfast and regal, as I imagine he really would be in such a setting. The story itself is also breathing with fresh findings and original plot twists, while incorporating all the unapologetically romantic tropes we love so much in fics like that. Because let's face it, this story just never gets old, and this fic is a wonderful proof of that. :)
We Are All Diamonds (134304 words) by
Footloose
[Summary]
Summary: As the precocious heir of a diamond magnate and a famous designer, Arthur lived his entire life sheltered, protected, nurtured and spoiled. He always knew that he would have to step out from behind the scenes and into the limelight to run the family business some day, but he never expected that it would happen so soon or that he would encounter resistance from a board of directors who believe that his disability makes him unfit to lead.
Merlin has stood on every stage in every city in the world, performing to critical acclaim, but after years of globetrotting, he's well and truly burnt out. He didn't quit -- he ran away from stardom, dropping to obscurity in the blink of an eye, forgotten, just another face in the crowd. He's aimless and without purpose until a friend asks him to fill in on a job.
Neither Arthur nor Merlin are looking for salvation. They don't think there's any for them, that things are just too rotten, too far gone. But in the end, Arthur's quiet strength will be a balm to Merlin's broken soul, and it will be in Merlin's steadfast faith that Arthur finds courage.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
I've said this before, I'll say it again, nothing compares with the pleasure of reading a piece of quality writing from an author who knows precisely what they're talking about. Well, very few things do. I felt uncomfortable at certain moments because of how close to the truth it hit sometimes, and I had flashbacks to the mineral shows I've been at or written about, which is not exactly the same thing, thank God, but it was too realistic not to feel it. Then of course there was Arthur, who wasn't heroic so much as was forced to be by the people who have no consideration or tact or desire to show those, by people who find themselves superior for reasons that should never qualify as such. Because sometimes it doesn't take ill will, just ignorance to hurt someone, and this story is a perfect advertisement of that.
The story of Merlin and Arthur here is the kind that makes you wonder about if people really want to be saved and what they're willing to do for it. And the universal truth that it's easier to be there for someone than to allow someone to be there for yourself. If Merlin and Arthur haven't met, I'd like to believe they would have found their way up eventually anyway, but considering where both of them started, it's hardly a given. It makes you appreciate how lucky they were even more.
I don't know. I have a lot of thoughts about it, but you should just read it really. It's compelling from the first word to the last.
This Silly Ol' Dance is Perfect for Two (80567 words) by
SlantedKnitting
Summary: Arthur is young, gorgeous, talented, and captain of one of the best football teams in England; his life should be perfect. But he can't keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, and it's not just because he isn't ready to settle down. When his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he has a rough night at the pub and has to be dragged home by his neighbour, Merlin. Merlin is an archivist, a Ph.D student, and he hates football almost as much as he hates Arthur. They both have their own reasons for not wanting to spend time with each other, but after that disastrous night, remaining silent neighbors doesn't seem like much of an option anymore. Modern AU.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
Okay, so I couldn't not immediately think about There Are No Gays in Football. But this story, while exploring a similar (ish) setting, has a completely uninfluenced and original take on it, and the one I liked very much. It's a long fic, even by big bang standards, but it's set at a perfect pace, with no stalling and no rushing, and it's incredibly rare and all the more precious. I loved characterization, goes without saying. Merlin is a bit more flamboyant than I normally prefer, but it totally works here and at no point it's over the top. It pushed me so very slightly out of my comfort zone and I love it when that happens. Arthur was endearing and endearingly a prat, but just as in canon we see how desperately he struggles to do his best and what's best for everyone, and one can't remain indifferent, not even if one wanted. Supporting characters are used beautifully, and the relationships around the main pairing are a gorgeous study all by themselves. I love how balanced this fic is, and how absolutely engrossing. And there's a scene between Arthur and Merlin there that is so electric you can feel it come through the screen. A wonderful read.
Stars Above, Stones Below (46843 words) by
Destina
Summary: After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he's ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
I selfishly try to stay away from canon AUs right now, for obvious reasons, but I couldn't walk past this one and I'm so happy. This story is just... precious. The careful, touching, heartbreakingly fragile way in which Arthur and Merlin build their relationship here is moving beyond what I can say. It has all the bittersweet grace and thrill of a doomed romance, one that blossoms in the end, but nonetheless. It's gorgeous, and if it was a painting, it would have been a vibrant watercolor. I can't put it better than that. I loved the thoughtful consideration that went into rebuilding a well-known setting, the infusion of legend, loved how there was a place for everyone and how it all made sense. The magic reveal was handled beautifully. I loved this story so, so much.
The Lonely King (56779 words) by
Cori Lannam
Summary: The Prince of Wales at his school. Merlin was sure it was all just a very bad joke. A modern royalty AU.
[Thoughs:]
Thoughts:
There can never be enough modern royalty AUs. The amount of thought and detail that went into creating this fic is glaringly obvious and clearly staggering. It shows without being actually seen, and that's a stamp of quality writing right there. Merlin was... absolutely impossible. I'm saying this, grinning from ear to ear. Seriously, he freaked me out, made me laugh out loud, roll my eyes, and fall more in love with him than I already am. Arthur was steadfast and regal, as I imagine he really would be in such a setting. The story itself is also breathing with fresh findings and original plot twists, while incorporating all the unapologetically romantic tropes we love so much in fics like that. Because let's face it, this story just never gets old, and this fic is a wonderful proof of that. :)
We Are All Diamonds (134304 words) by
Footloose
[Summary]
Summary: As the precocious heir of a diamond magnate and a famous designer, Arthur lived his entire life sheltered, protected, nurtured and spoiled. He always knew that he would have to step out from behind the scenes and into the limelight to run the family business some day, but he never expected that it would happen so soon or that he would encounter resistance from a board of directors who believe that his disability makes him unfit to lead.
Merlin has stood on every stage in every city in the world, performing to critical acclaim, but after years of globetrotting, he's well and truly burnt out. He didn't quit -- he ran away from stardom, dropping to obscurity in the blink of an eye, forgotten, just another face in the crowd. He's aimless and without purpose until a friend asks him to fill in on a job.
Neither Arthur nor Merlin are looking for salvation. They don't think there's any for them, that things are just too rotten, too far gone. But in the end, Arthur's quiet strength will be a balm to Merlin's broken soul, and it will be in Merlin's steadfast faith that Arthur finds courage.
[Thoughts:]
Thoughts:
I've said this before, I'll say it again, nothing compares with the pleasure of reading a piece of quality writing from an author who knows precisely what they're talking about. Well, very few things do. I felt uncomfortable at certain moments because of how close to the truth it hit sometimes, and I had flashbacks to the mineral shows I've been at or written about, which is not exactly the same thing, thank God, but it was too realistic not to feel it. Then of course there was Arthur, who wasn't heroic so much as was forced to be by the people who have no consideration or tact or desire to show those, by people who find themselves superior for reasons that should never qualify as such. Because sometimes it doesn't take ill will, just ignorance to hurt someone, and this story is a perfect advertisement of that.
The story of Merlin and Arthur here is the kind that makes you wonder about if people really want to be saved and what they're willing to do for it. And the universal truth that it's easier to be there for someone than to allow someone to be there for yourself. If Merlin and Arthur haven't met, I'd like to believe they would have found their way up eventually anyway, but considering where both of them started, it's hardly a given. It makes you appreciate how lucky they were even more.
I don't know. I have a lot of thoughts about it, but you should just read it really. It's compelling from the first word to the last.