Because it is the weekend, the world needs more Merlin recs
That is my excuse & I'm sticking to it. There are so many good Merlin fics around. Here are a few that deserve to be read by many and have made me happy over the last couple of days...
I'll finish up now because it is way late (this lj recing always seems to slurp up so much time - possibly because I start re-reading fics as I do it.) Hope you enjoy the fics - and let the writers know if you did.
What He Truly Is by linaerys . Slash. 4K words. Rating: Warm fuzzies.
Merlin accidentally puts a spell on Arthur, to 'let him be what he truly is, what his heart desires' and discovers that someone in Arthur's position can't really afford such a luxury.
A great Gaius, an oblivious jealous Merlin, and a prince hemmed in by protocol. There are a few wayward commas, but these are outweighed by the positives.
Excerpt:
““Arthur is driving me crazy,” said Merlin. He dropped a pile of armor pieces that needed polishing on Gaius’s workbench with a clatter. Gaius raised one eyebrow. Actually, to be fair, he always had one eyebrow raised, but now he raised it higher.
“Merlin,” he said, “why don’t you tell me something I do not know?””
Chrysalis by halotolerant . This is a non-linear fic that does requires effort to follow, but that effort is so well-rewarded. Drawing on more traditional Arthurian legend, in this fic the TV show ‘Merlin’ is Merlin's gift to Arthur as he sleeps under the hill, waiting for England's hour of greatest need. (There is a fuller explanation in the comments below the fic on her lj) A fic where Arthur and Merlin's love is haunting and sad and eternal.
Excerpt:
“Merlin’s presence arrives.
Arthur cannot see, still, and for Merlin to be touching him must be impossible - he is still trapped in some way.
But Merlin is there, at last. A golden hum of Merlin smoothing away the harsh and rough, edging away the pain, singing soothing songs that Arthur remembers more clearly than breathing.”
I'm happy to say that janne_d has written another Arthur/Merlin fic: In Turning We Come Around Right. (Yay!) Approx 13K. Slash - Genderfuck. Rating: hot ('very R' according to the author). Summary: Arthur wakes up as a woman; Merlin & Gaius try to work out how to turn him back while keeping the rest of the court ignorant of the fact that their Crown Prince is now a princess.
""Arthur?" Merlin said, closing the door and then setting the tray on the table and taking a few steps nearer. "Is everything -" he began and cut himself off as Arthur stood up and turned around. "Arthur?" he squeaked, suddenly very glad that he'd put the tray down. Dropping it would make an awful mess and Merlin would definitely have dropped it because it was Arthur, but with curves, lots of curves and Merlin abruptly sat down on the ground.
"Fuck," Arthur said in a miserable voice, crossing his arms over his chest, his breasts and Merlin just stared up at him in astonishment.
Arthur was a girl."
Poor Merlin suffers greatly, not only from Arthur's frustration but a severe case of blue balls, courtesy of Arthur.
I enjoyed that the fic didn't just explore the personal but also the political impact that this sex change could have for Camelot. The sex scenes are hot and the last scene just perfect. Go read.
If you prefer genderfuck with Merlin as girl, head over to doomcanary 's And That Word Must Be Clear. Approx 11K. Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/Morgana. Merlin learns the advantages to pronouncing words properly when making spells. Bye bye Merlin, hello Morgana's distant cousin, Melinna, and a charmed Arthur. Some great Gaius; some hot Melinna/Morgana action; some wonderful Melinna/Arthur interaction; some hurting Gwen; some hot Melinna/Arthur action - what's not to love?
"...Arthur's eyes take on a very particular light when he talks about Uther, a kind of rebellious spark, and he draws himself up unconsciously; it makes him look... well, Merlin's not quite sure, but he knows that when Arthur looks like that, it makes him much more conscious that he isn't wearing anything under his skirt.
In fact, sometimes, when he gets back to Gaius's workshop afterwards, he goes up to his room to “freshen up”, closes the door, and leans back on it; when he touches himself, he finds that he's sticky and slick between his legs. And sometimes, he can make himself come thinking about Morgana, soft breasts and firm lips, and sometimes... sometimes it's Arthur, windswept blond hair and that high, angry flush on his cheekbones."
The whole fic is wonderful from go to woe. And yet, there's more. Already, there is a brief interlude follow-up, When Arthur Does That, where Merlin teases Arthur, forgetting that Arthur is the better strategist. doomcanary has promised another two fics in the series, but the ones rec'd here are complete and satisfying in themselves.
And now, lots of recs for doomcanary. But only because she writes really, really good fic:
The Battle of the Triffles. Approx 2300 words. Gen. Spoilers for 1.05 Lancelot. Funny, sad, insightful and perfect.
The fic starts off with Arthur playing a card game with some knights, “half in and half out of one of Morgana's dresses”, follows the spirited Battle of the Trifles of the title, and finishes with scene of “naked forms leaping into the moat”. Along the way, Merlin gains some insight into what it means to be Prince of Albion.
Excerpt:
“They watch as Arthur leads a dramatic charge and retakes the corridor; Frederic, the ringleader of the Mercian knights, takes a gateau to the chest and goes down in a shower of whipped cream.
“Nasty,” says Merlin.”
Pure. Index post can be found here. Approx 20K. Slash. Angst. Kink - silk fetish; cross-dressing; slight bdsm. Hot (author's rating NC-17).
Good fetish fic is hard to find. This is one of them:
"And that was when the penny had dropped for Arthur, he knows now as the shadows of clouds chase across the walls; that was when he'd realised there was a connection between his single, abortive touch and the first time he'd found Merlin wearing - those clothes. He'd seen Merlin pleased, relaxed, content; but never overturned by pleasure as he'd been in that moment, or alight with joy, the way he still looks whenever Arthur compliments his food. It's as if the swing of skirts gives him space to be something else; as if all those breeches and neckcloths had been constricting and oppressing him, stifling the Merlin who brings Arthur delicious things and delighted smiles. And a great deal more, too, come to that."
The chapters move backwards and forwards in time, gradually creating a rich tapestry of their relationship, from first, abortive touch to established long-term relationship:
"A formal procession follows Arthur down from the throne; Merlin is nearly at its head, only a pace behind the king himself. He watches the way Arthur comes slowly back to life, step by step: as he's disrobed, uncrowned, unwrapped. Reduced from the king of Albion to merely a man. Merlin watches, somehow amused. There are so many layers of truth and falsity to what he and Arthur are; and so few people understand."
There is just so much to enjoy in this fic. In fact, I think I will go and re-read when I've finished this post.
Tension 486 words. Missing scene from episode 6. Kink - D/s doomcanary gives it NC17 for kink. I’d give it a very mild rating - it is not explicit but does generate heat, in so few words. Mmmmn. Merlin knows a way to relieve Arthur’s tension:
““I think you're crass,” says Arthur.
“Cheap?”
“Insufferable.”
“Says you,” smirks Merlin. Arthur comes round the table, leans against the wall between the windows. Merlin smiles, turns his wrist up, and slowly begins to unfasten the cuffs of his shirt.”
Wishing For Swords. Approx 1K words. Gen. Pre-slash if you squint. A short time-travel Yule-elf story. I'm not sure how to describe this fic. There is doomcanary's trademark humour, yes, but it isn't humour-fic. There is sweetness to it, but it isn't fluff. Nor is It bitter-sweet. Perhaps "sweetness-with-depth" is how it might best be described:
A line that particularly struck me: "Arthur will be wishing for swords all his life. Until the day he has one, and wishes instead for a reason not to use it." Whimper.
Apologies for my lack of articulation. Just go and read it and decide for yourself how best to describe it.
Light And Arthur. Approx 2K words. Spoilers up to 1.11. Slash. Kissing. Some slight angst to begin, but ultimately warm and fuzzy and wonderful. Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic:
"Merlin opens the door.
“It's me,” he says.
Arthur turns, taking his hands from the chimney-piece. The lambskin chair is empty, and there's no firelight at all; Merlin wasn't there to lay one. He can't see the expression on Arthur's face.
“Come to enchant me, have you?” he says."
This fic is magical, just like the little shining creatures that Merlin calls when Arthur asks to be shown a magic that is something good.
And, finally, because I'm starting to embarrass myself here with so many recs for one writer, Hunith's Yule. Slash. Approx 3800 words. Some definite heat. In the woods. Arthur and Merlin head to Hunith's to celebrate Yule. Arthur is somewhat outside his comfort zone, from arriving with guardsmen and servants in tow, to the massive bed that is her present, to the attempt to chop carrots in the kitchen.
Hunith totally rocks in the series, and she rules here as well, taking Arthur & Merlin's relationship in stride:
"All too soon, Yule is over and done with; the fat duck they brought with them is bones boiling up for stock, and Hunith and Arthur have come to a kind of silent understanding about the fact that while Hunith is desperately proud that her son has found love, she'd really rather not catch him with his hand down a prince's britches in the house."
Which is why Merlin and Arthur head to the woods. The village children demonstrate their perceptiveness. Merlin demonstrates his expertise at creating diversions. Merlin and Arthur have hot steamy sex. And Hunith tells Uther where to get off. (Did I mention Hunith totally rocks?) Another fic that needs to be re-read.
And now, just to prove that I can rec something apart from doomcanary's fic...
It's Cold Outside by ionaonie . Pre-slash.
"Arthur opened his eyes just enough to be able to watch Merlin. ‘You know, I’m sure there are rules about you looking so comfortable in my rooms,’ he teased.
Merlin grinned back at him. ‘Oh, but sire, I’m only obeying orders; you told me to sit down.’
Arthur chuckled. ‘I’ll deny it to my dying day.’"
I am so glad that facetofcathy has decided to write Merlin fics over at Archive Of Our Own (The site is undergoing construction work at the moment, but I can get in and have a look around, it just takes a bit more time/effort than usual.) I'm going to rec a few of them because her fic is like shortbread: small, rich and satisfying - and yet there always seems to be room for just one more:
Arthur's Choice. Approx 800 words. OT3. Arthur/Merlin/Gwen. Future!fic
Uther demands that Arthur take up his responsibilities; the kingdom needs an heir. Arthur makes his choice and flips Uther the finger at the same time. While the entire fic is wonderful, the last paragraph is just perfect. I can totally believe this threesome in this fic.
Excerpt:
""Arthur, really," Uther said and his voice was tired and strained, but no more tired than Arthur's ears, so he spared his father no sympathy. "It's not seemly."
Arthur grinned, wide and brash and certain. "It is if I say it is.""
(I can just 'hear' Uther saying this. And see him, for that matter.)
Brotherhood. Approx 2500 words. Gen. Arthur and the lads go hunting and Merlin comes to realise that Arthur understands his men.
I love fics wherein we glimpse the king that Arthur is going to become, and ones with great dialogue - and this fic has both.
""Come on, Merlin, let's get in position," he said and led the way into the woods at trail-side.
"Position, right. What position is that, then?"
"You'll be good at it. It involves standing around doing not much of anything."
"Excellent, Sire. It's nice to be able to use one's skills to their fullest.""
Neither Fish Nor Fowl. Approx 1200 words. Slash. Hot. The fic starts off simply with dialogue, the most wonderful banter:
""I can take off my own clothing, Merlin. You see, I have this really terrible manservant-my father gifted me him, for reasons only he knows, and although I'm inclined to think it was merely for the laughs, he may have actually had a reason-where was I?"
"Attempting to remove your tunic without first taking off your belt, Sire."
"Well, you could lend a hand, Merlin, if that's not too much trouble. And I meant, what was I saying?"
"You were maligning my character, Sire.""
... then it slides into an incredibly sensuous, detailed love-making scene, with no dialogue.
And then, the final line draws it all together. I'll let you see how that is done. Go and read. And enjoy.
ETA. I'm hoping that this is an actual cut now & not whatever dire thing I did at 3am this morning. Fingers crossed!
ETA (Again). OMG. Honestly, when I looked on Preview, it did look ok, although I think it was trying to tell me I had linked the entire thing when I thought it was telling me it had done a cut.. It did make sense. Honest! At some stage the whole post became jumbled up into the most horrendous mess. I’m hoping that this works. Sarren, give me a hoy if it doesn’t. It’s getting pretty ripe over here in these stocks. And I can’t even see Merlin anywhere around to brighten up the situation.
(Although I will preview again. Honest!)
Later again. You know, I really don't care that you need to stand two feet away from the screen to read this post because the font is so big. I don't. And I'm not going to try and change it because that would probably fail. And then I would cry. And have I mentioned recently just how much I *hate* LJ?