How to make it through the week, Arthur/Merlin Style (Issue VI)
WHAT WHAT? CHYEAAHH I AM BACK WITH RECS :D
I had a fugly hiatus, but the sheer amount of people who kept visiting my journal each week to view the past rec posts has blown me away and guilted me into continuing. (That plus a few f-listies who'd only friended me for my recs and prodded me about being completely useless ♥.)
I feel years away from the Merlin fandom, and I sort of am. If you have any recs of recent fics you want to share, let me know :)
Master List: Index
Last Century's Week's Recs: Issue V
Dedicated, as always, to Mielle ♥ This is also for all the people who became lazy after series one ended and didn't bother to check their fanfic updates list (er...I'm included here) as well as for those who became fans right before or after series two arrived. The recs are from all over the timeline of fandom, so enjoy what you haven't read (and what you have).
How to make it through the week, Arthur/Merlin style
(Issue VI)
THEME THIS WEEK IS PROBABLY REALLY OLD FICS. I NEED RECS FROM YOU PPL, I'M BEHIND ON READING D:
"I don't understand, merlin; if you changed arthur into a girl on MONDAY, why on earth did it take you this long to tell me?" [crack fix]
("I’m happy to see you too!" Merlin chirped, and Arthur grinned at him again. "We should hug Gaius."
"That’s not necessary," Gaius said quickly.)
The Joy Of Joyness (or, a study of the effects of enchanted lion milk) by luchia13 [PG-13]
Pairings: Ahem. MORGANA/GWEN, ARTHUR/MORGANA, ARTHUR/GWEN, ARTHUR/MERLIN, MERLIN/MORGANA, MERLIN/GWEN, and then OT4. YAY.
Warnings: CRACK. I have given this warning before, but this is crackier than all that put together. I am not joking. Also, copious amounts of flowers, snow, and the characters being on ecstasy and therefore OOC.
Author's summary: A wizard attempts to kill Uther using magical milk. Uther doesn't drink milk. Just about everyone else does, though! \o/
LOL. This is crack if it was on LSD, had a brain-freeze on slushies, had just watched Charlie the Unicorn and was now listening to Karl Pilkington on repeat. luchia13's hug orgies and lalala prancing through the castle turned my teeth into little blobs of cotton candy. I strongly suggest reading this when you're already in a cracky mood or feeling in love with the whole world and just want something to tip things over to the uber crack level, because this is pretty much a point of no return.
Putting aside my flowery fluff for a moment, I do have to say that this wasn't a pain to read. It's difficult to write crack without completely turning off readers (for example, my own crack fic turned me off toward the end and ugh I have to go re-write that now that I've remembered), so you can read this without worrying too much about it going beyond crack and into the overdose zone. If you are one of the types of readers who generally gets easily squicked by too much crack, however, I suggest you woman up and take it as it is - a carefree romp into an enchanted state where there is no embarrassment to be had and where things are light, happy, and worry-free.
each TUESDAY was fashioned for them; each was an escape from the prisons of their roles which held them fast [angst fix]
(There is a king, and there is a magician, but sometimes they’re just boys, just a prince and a servant.)
Prophesy by nekare [PG-13]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: In which Merlin dreams, and sometimes, his dreams come true.
I hadn't read this fic before beginning this post and was originally going to rec a different fic by this author, but then I spotted it and WOW. AUGH. nekare could have taken this into a fluffy route but instead takes the harsh reality of the legends as we know them and molds them to fit the show and its retelling of them. The fic is beautiful. Present and future are intertwined seamlessly, and in the reading you're drawn into the new world that's created through Merlin's dreams. Even the ending is handled perfectly and with enough subtlety that it doesn't overwhelm any part of the fic.
The fic begins before the end of Series 2 (it was written before it began, really), but that is easily overlooked. In light of the way Series 2 went and ended, this fic is refreshing and provides a strong link between the show and the legends.
WEDNESDAY was merlin's favourite day; at half past 3, that gorgeous prat of a client would stomp in and demand he get on with the massage [kink fix]
(For the longest time, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world: the undercurrent of whispering voices, flashes of alien emotion and thought at random intervals.)
I Can See That You're Thinking About Having Sex With Me But I Am Not Into You by kathkin [R]
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: Based on this prompt on the old Kink Meme: AU. Arthur can read minds.
HOW ON EARTH DID I FORGET THIS EXISTED? HOW HOW HOW. It even begins with a believable child!Arthur and just grows from there to happily fulfil this kink of mine I never knew I had. kathkin takes an almost inherently Mary-Sue-like premise (reading minds => being the best at everything) and immediately places upon it the burden of living in a kingdom set on erasing magic from the land. There are amusing bits of humour thrown in (silver fox, indeed) and this just reads easily and lightly, in a way that makes you satisfied and smiling when you're done.
There are a few misspellings here and there and it delves a little into the fluffy side, but THIS HITS THE KINK PERFECTLY. I will overlook quite a lot when a fic involves an interesting premise and plays it out so well with so many different, complementary ideas meshing together, building a beautiful back-story for Arthur before he even meets Merlin.
it was no coincidence, really, that the first time they met fell on a THURSDAY [fluff fix]
(The first time they meet, it’s on the playground, when Arthur abandons his half-finished sandcastle to crawl over and pull Merlin’s ear.)
Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song by merle_p [PG-13]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Warnings: Modern AU. A bit of schmoop and a bit of angst. Sex (not very explicit), mention of (minor) character death.
Author's summary: Arthur likes Merlin's ears.
SO ADORABLY SCHMOOPY, OMFG. What I love about this is how perfectly merle_p balances fluff with really heart-tugging, emotional scenarios; the fic isn't just fluff, it's also a glance into an enviable friendship in which both Arthur and Merlin have their flaws yet are so undeniably perfect for each other. No one is overly vilified to make the author's storyline happen (well, no more vilified than the show's minor character(s) was/were) and even though it's on the shorter side, the fic leaves you with a multitude of emotions, making your heart ache throughout and soothing it with lovely scenes between the two main characters.
Aside from one grammatical issue concerning comma & quotation mark order, this is extremely well-written and an unexpected pleasure to read, regardless of the reader's fluff preferences.
admittedly, FRIDAY came as a mixture of disappointment and relief as they realised they were still in each other's bodies [AU fix]
(Arthur goes into university, way past late with his best fucking pair of jeans stained and a personal vendetta against skinny looking art boys with odd hair and funny ears.)
wouldn't it be nice to live together/in the kind of world where we belong by ginnystar [PG]
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for [the movie] 50 First Dates.
Author's summary: Floppy haired, twinkly-eyed art students, Arthur realised, would quite possibly be the death of him.
This is short but so very sweet. If you haven't seen the movie, you'll still be able to enjoy this fic. It was written for one of the earlier rounds of reel_merlin and is fantastic, using the movie in a way that fits well with the relationship Merlin and Arthur have on the show. ginnystar uses parts of the movie that serve to artfully place the show into this alternate universe and appropriately disposes of parts that would turn the fic into something too far from canon to sit well with most readers.
It's a little fast-paced but it flows well and it may actually be a point in this fic's favour, since the author doesn't stretch it out and out and out, instead choosing a particular path that works well and leaves you with a grin.
merlin had only so much energy left that SATURDAY dusk, dazedly watching arthur fight his way toward him [epic fix]
(Arthur doesn’t see the sudden movement of Cador’s arm across the Hall, doesn’t see the flash of the knife as it hurtles through the air.)
In Your Honour (Verse) by acetamide [PG-13; some chapters might be rated higher]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Warnings: character death (don't be turned away by this warning)
Author's summary: [The link goes to the master post of all the fics that make up this series. I'm only providing the summary of the first of those.] Arthur doesn't see the flash of the knife.
I can't re-read this for fear of having my entire weekend taken away from me, but from what I remember, it was well-written and interesting to the last. Just so you know, it hits one of my biggest fic wishes ever regarding Arthur, and after you've read the first chapter of the first fic, I think you'll be able to guess what it is. acetamide combines a number of interesting and extremely fun to read ideas and creates a verse that is enjoyable and long enough to satisfy the craving after each fic of "but - but - what comes next?"
Aw, after having written this I'm pretty sure I'm going to go re-read it. It was truly such an epically long, wonderful time spent reading the first time I encountered it (and the second & third re-reads after that), and I'm glad I'm reccing it now for anyone who missed it or the later additions to the verse. From what I can see just from clicking through the links again, many of the chapters are fairly short (around 1k words), so it won't take as much time as the master post might lead you to think it will. I also can't be bothered to comment critically on certain elements in the fic that are a little over the top - it's a testament to how much I genuinely enjoyed the entire verse, which was enough to overlook those aspects and to accept the whole thing happily without much fuss.
"what do you mean we've got 'til SUNDAY to convince him we're gay?" [one-shot fix]
(He waved his hand in the direction of a silver birch, and Brolin caught sight of two men lying together beneath a blanket.)
Pros and Cons by ravenflight21 [NC-17]
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Author's summary: Arthur decides the only way to cure his heartache is to marry right away. But the bride's family are a bit dubious about Merlin.
"Apparently her father doesn’t care if you bugger me - in his enlightened view, I’m just ‘a convenient hole’ - but if I fuck you, he’ll call the marriage off,” Merlin explained.
IT BEGINS WITH OUTSIDE POV, GUISE. OUTSIDE POV. Not only that, ravenflight21 manages to keep things more or less aligned with canon while setting the fic completely outside of it. At turns I laughed and awwed while reading this and it was a wonderful fic to come back to after my hiatus.
What I also appreciate about this fic is that the princess is not vilified in order to make the Merlin/Arthur pairing happen. She's a bit demure and all that, but I'd expect that from the situation the author built to make the fic take place. The focus is predominantly on Merlin and Arthur and really explores their way of looking out for each other in their own ways while dealing with outside pressures and situations. The fic is a little fast-paced toward the end and has a lulzy sort of plot point in the second half, but the fic's obviously not taking itself too seriously and makes this an enjoyable read that nicely delivers on what is promised from its summary.
merlin and arthur stared at her, a bit terrified, as she ran around moaning, "OMFG I'M LATE, I'm late" [drabbles + art fix]
(An invisible thread pulls to the right, where Merlin leans over his shoulder to refill his cup.)
1. Filament + 2 other drabbles by alba17 [G]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: Three drabbles for merlin100 prompt, "territorial."
LOL I'm mega late, so I'm keeping with the "tradition" I set and am providing a little extra in the form of drabbles and art.
ABOUT THIS DRABBLE: alba17 takes the words and creates a painting with them. I'm reccing Filament in particular, but the other drabbles are worth looking at. All have a wonderfully poetic feel (or are actual poems) and manage to do so much with so few words.
2. On His Majesty's Secret Service (FANART) by lizardspots [G]
Accompanying Untitled FANFIC by bookshop [G?]
Goldeneye FANFIC by fahye [R?]
ABOUT THE ART: AAAH. Has anyone NOT seen this? If so, YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THE REC. James Bond AU and this is hott like burning. No, really, I'm flailing here. I think I like every single thing about this fanart and just looking at it makes me wish, desperately, that there was a fic I could associate it with. Is there? Maybe there is and I missed it (in which case, HELP!).
ETA: ABOUT THE FIC: AHAHA I HAVE FOUND THE ACCOMPANYING FIC (I KNEW IT!) AND HAVE ADDED THE LINK, SO THERE YOU GO!
ETA2: THANKS TO blameitonmerlin FOR PROVIDING THE LINK TO ANOTHER AWESOME ACCOMPANYING FIC ♥
FORGIVE ME FOR BEING MEGA LATE & ENJOY THESE EXTRA PRETTIES :D
I had a fugly hiatus, but the sheer amount of people who kept visiting my journal each week to view the past rec posts has blown me away and guilted me into continuing. (That plus a few f-listies who'd only friended me for my recs and prodded me about being completely useless ♥.)
I feel years away from the Merlin fandom, and I sort of am. If you have any recs of recent fics you want to share, let me know :)
Master List: Index
Last Century's Week's Recs: Issue V
Dedicated, as always, to Mielle ♥ This is also for all the people who became lazy after series one ended and didn't bother to check their fanfic updates list (er...I'm included here) as well as for those who became fans right before or after series two arrived. The recs are from all over the timeline of fandom, so enjoy what you haven't read (and what you have).
How to make it through the week, Arthur/Merlin style
(Issue VI)
THEME THIS WEEK IS PROBABLY REALLY OLD FICS. I NEED RECS FROM YOU PPL, I'M BEHIND ON READING D:
"I don't understand, merlin; if you changed arthur into a girl on MONDAY, why on earth did it take you this long to tell me?" [crack fix]
("I’m happy to see you too!" Merlin chirped, and Arthur grinned at him again. "We should hug Gaius."
"That’s not necessary," Gaius said quickly.)
The Joy Of Joyness (or, a study of the effects of enchanted lion milk) by luchia13 [PG-13]
Pairings: Ahem. MORGANA/GWEN, ARTHUR/MORGANA, ARTHUR/GWEN, ARTHUR/MERLIN, MERLIN/MORGANA, MERLIN/GWEN, and then OT4. YAY.
Warnings: CRACK. I have given this warning before, but this is crackier than all that put together. I am not joking. Also, copious amounts of flowers, snow, and the characters being on ecstasy and therefore OOC.
Author's summary: A wizard attempts to kill Uther using magical milk. Uther doesn't drink milk. Just about everyone else does, though! \o/
LOL. This is crack if it was on LSD, had a brain-freeze on slushies, had just watched Charlie the Unicorn and was now listening to Karl Pilkington on repeat. luchia13's hug orgies and lalala prancing through the castle turned my teeth into little blobs of cotton candy. I strongly suggest reading this when you're already in a cracky mood or feeling in love with the whole world and just want something to tip things over to the uber crack level, because this is pretty much a point of no return.
Putting aside my flowery fluff for a moment, I do have to say that this wasn't a pain to read. It's difficult to write crack without completely turning off readers (for example, my own crack fic turned me off toward the end and ugh I have to go re-write that now that I've remembered), so you can read this without worrying too much about it going beyond crack and into the overdose zone. If you are one of the types of readers who generally gets easily squicked by too much crack, however, I suggest you woman up and take it as it is - a carefree romp into an enchanted state where there is no embarrassment to be had and where things are light, happy, and worry-free.
each TUESDAY was fashioned for them; each was an escape from the prisons of their roles which held them fast [angst fix]
(There is a king, and there is a magician, but sometimes they’re just boys, just a prince and a servant.)
Prophesy by nekare [PG-13]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: In which Merlin dreams, and sometimes, his dreams come true.
I hadn't read this fic before beginning this post and was originally going to rec a different fic by this author, but then I spotted it and WOW. AUGH. nekare could have taken this into a fluffy route but instead takes the harsh reality of the legends as we know them and molds them to fit the show and its retelling of them. The fic is beautiful. Present and future are intertwined seamlessly, and in the reading you're drawn into the new world that's created through Merlin's dreams. Even the ending is handled perfectly and with enough subtlety that it doesn't overwhelm any part of the fic.
The fic begins before the end of Series 2 (it was written before it began, really), but that is easily overlooked. In light of the way Series 2 went and ended, this fic is refreshing and provides a strong link between the show and the legends.
WEDNESDAY was merlin's favourite day; at half past 3, that gorgeous prat of a client would stomp in and demand he get on with the massage [kink fix]
(For the longest time, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world: the undercurrent of whispering voices, flashes of alien emotion and thought at random intervals.)
I Can See That You're Thinking About Having Sex With Me But I Am Not Into You by kathkin [R]
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: Based on this prompt on the old Kink Meme: AU. Arthur can read minds.
HOW ON EARTH DID I FORGET THIS EXISTED? HOW HOW HOW. It even begins with a believable child!Arthur and just grows from there to happily fulfil this kink of mine I never knew I had. kathkin takes an almost inherently Mary-Sue-like premise (reading minds => being the best at everything) and immediately places upon it the burden of living in a kingdom set on erasing magic from the land. There are amusing bits of humour thrown in (silver fox, indeed) and this just reads easily and lightly, in a way that makes you satisfied and smiling when you're done.
There are a few misspellings here and there and it delves a little into the fluffy side, but THIS HITS THE KINK PERFECTLY. I will overlook quite a lot when a fic involves an interesting premise and plays it out so well with so many different, complementary ideas meshing together, building a beautiful back-story for Arthur before he even meets Merlin.
it was no coincidence, really, that the first time they met fell on a THURSDAY [fluff fix]
(The first time they meet, it’s on the playground, when Arthur abandons his half-finished sandcastle to crawl over and pull Merlin’s ear.)
Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song by merle_p [PG-13]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Warnings: Modern AU. A bit of schmoop and a bit of angst. Sex (not very explicit), mention of (minor) character death.
Author's summary: Arthur likes Merlin's ears.
SO ADORABLY SCHMOOPY, OMFG. What I love about this is how perfectly merle_p balances fluff with really heart-tugging, emotional scenarios; the fic isn't just fluff, it's also a glance into an enviable friendship in which both Arthur and Merlin have their flaws yet are so undeniably perfect for each other. No one is overly vilified to make the author's storyline happen (well, no more vilified than the show's minor character(s) was/were) and even though it's on the shorter side, the fic leaves you with a multitude of emotions, making your heart ache throughout and soothing it with lovely scenes between the two main characters.
Aside from one grammatical issue concerning comma & quotation mark order, this is extremely well-written and an unexpected pleasure to read, regardless of the reader's fluff preferences.
admittedly, FRIDAY came as a mixture of disappointment and relief as they realised they were still in each other's bodies [AU fix]
(Arthur goes into university, way past late with his best fucking pair of jeans stained and a personal vendetta against skinny looking art boys with odd hair and funny ears.)
wouldn't it be nice to live together/in the kind of world where we belong by ginnystar [PG]
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for [the movie] 50 First Dates.
Author's summary: Floppy haired, twinkly-eyed art students, Arthur realised, would quite possibly be the death of him.
This is short but so very sweet. If you haven't seen the movie, you'll still be able to enjoy this fic. It was written for one of the earlier rounds of reel_merlin and is fantastic, using the movie in a way that fits well with the relationship Merlin and Arthur have on the show. ginnystar uses parts of the movie that serve to artfully place the show into this alternate universe and appropriately disposes of parts that would turn the fic into something too far from canon to sit well with most readers.
It's a little fast-paced but it flows well and it may actually be a point in this fic's favour, since the author doesn't stretch it out and out and out, instead choosing a particular path that works well and leaves you with a grin.
merlin had only so much energy left that SATURDAY dusk, dazedly watching arthur fight his way toward him [epic fix]
(Arthur doesn’t see the sudden movement of Cador’s arm across the Hall, doesn’t see the flash of the knife as it hurtles through the air.)
In Your Honour (Verse) by acetamide [PG-13; some chapters might be rated higher]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Warnings: character death (don't be turned away by this warning)
Author's summary: [The link goes to the master post of all the fics that make up this series. I'm only providing the summary of the first of those.] Arthur doesn't see the flash of the knife.
I can't re-read this for fear of having my entire weekend taken away from me, but from what I remember, it was well-written and interesting to the last. Just so you know, it hits one of my biggest fic wishes ever regarding Arthur, and after you've read the first chapter of the first fic, I think you'll be able to guess what it is. acetamide combines a number of interesting and extremely fun to read ideas and creates a verse that is enjoyable and long enough to satisfy the craving after each fic of "but - but - what comes next?"
Aw, after having written this I'm pretty sure I'm going to go re-read it. It was truly such an epically long, wonderful time spent reading the first time I encountered it (and the second & third re-reads after that), and I'm glad I'm reccing it now for anyone who missed it or the later additions to the verse. From what I can see just from clicking through the links again, many of the chapters are fairly short (around 1k words), so it won't take as much time as the master post might lead you to think it will. I also can't be bothered to comment critically on certain elements in the fic that are a little over the top - it's a testament to how much I genuinely enjoyed the entire verse, which was enough to overlook those aspects and to accept the whole thing happily without much fuss.
"what do you mean we've got 'til SUNDAY to convince him we're gay?" [one-shot fix]
(He waved his hand in the direction of a silver birch, and Brolin caught sight of two men lying together beneath a blanket.)
Pros and Cons by ravenflight21 [NC-17]
Pairings: Merlin/Arthur
Author's summary: Arthur decides the only way to cure his heartache is to marry right away. But the bride's family are a bit dubious about Merlin.
"Apparently her father doesn’t care if you bugger me - in his enlightened view, I’m just ‘a convenient hole’ - but if I fuck you, he’ll call the marriage off,” Merlin explained.
IT BEGINS WITH OUTSIDE POV, GUISE. OUTSIDE POV. Not only that, ravenflight21 manages to keep things more or less aligned with canon while setting the fic completely outside of it. At turns I laughed and awwed while reading this and it was a wonderful fic to come back to after my hiatus.
What I also appreciate about this fic is that the princess is not vilified in order to make the Merlin/Arthur pairing happen. She's a bit demure and all that, but I'd expect that from the situation the author built to make the fic take place. The focus is predominantly on Merlin and Arthur and really explores their way of looking out for each other in their own ways while dealing with outside pressures and situations. The fic is a little fast-paced toward the end and has a lulzy sort of plot point in the second half, but the fic's obviously not taking itself too seriously and makes this an enjoyable read that nicely delivers on what is promised from its summary.
merlin and arthur stared at her, a bit terrified, as she ran around moaning, "OMFG I'M LATE, I'm late" [drabbles + art fix]
(An invisible thread pulls to the right, where Merlin leans over his shoulder to refill his cup.)
1. Filament + 2 other drabbles by alba17 [G]
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin
Author's summary: Three drabbles for merlin100 prompt, "territorial."
LOL I'm mega late, so I'm keeping with the "tradition" I set and am providing a little extra in the form of drabbles and art.
ABOUT THIS DRABBLE: alba17 takes the words and creates a painting with them. I'm reccing Filament in particular, but the other drabbles are worth looking at. All have a wonderfully poetic feel (or are actual poems) and manage to do so much with so few words.
2. On His Majesty's Secret Service (FANART) by lizardspots [G]
Accompanying Untitled FANFIC by bookshop [G?]
Goldeneye FANFIC by fahye [R?]
ABOUT THE ART: AAAH. Has anyone NOT seen this? If so, YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THE REC. James Bond AU and this is hott like burning. No, really, I'm flailing here. I think I like every single thing about this fanart and just looking at it makes me wish, desperately, that there was a fic I could associate it with. Is there? Maybe there is and I missed it (in which case, HELP!).
ETA: ABOUT THE FIC: AHAHA I HAVE FOUND THE ACCOMPANYING FIC (I KNEW IT!) AND HAVE ADDED THE LINK, SO THERE YOU GO!
ETA2: THANKS TO blameitonmerlin FOR PROVIDING THE LINK TO ANOTHER AWESOME ACCOMPANYING FIC ♥
FORGIVE ME FOR BEING MEGA LATE & ENJOY THESE EXTRA PRETTIES :D