Tales from the Loathly Lady : an Author Rec
This is not exactly an author rec, since I'm not gonna do a real selection (cause I'm unable to...) I'm just gonna do a massive rec of works from one author who is the wonderful lady_ragnell !
Let's take a look into the Tales from the Loathly Lady. I opened all the fics I read from her and bookmarked, then I did some drastic choices, and there's still... ten fics !!!! So let's go for a massive rec :
She doesn't rate her fics, and I remember all of them being PG, but some might be PG-13. Let me know if it's the case.
A Merlin/Arthur Canon Era fic :
Fix the Twist in You by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; One-Shot; 2200 words
A/S : The longer Merlin's lies go on, the harder Arthur finds it to trust him.
This is a really interesting fic because unlike all the Arthur-has-known-for-a-while-and-doesn't-care fics, there's an actual reflection about the fact that, maybe Arthur doesn't care about the magic, but he cares about the lie itself. This is not a "happy-fluffy" fic but neither is it stupid angst. It's more real than this.Selection of Merlin/Arthur Modern AUs (or a lot of amazing fics among amazing fics) :
Most Popular (and well... I love it):
No Business Like Show Business by lady_ragnell ; PG-13 ; One-Shot
A/S : In which Merlin is promoted from production intern to talent, is easily mortified, and has Post-It arguments with Arthur while the art department watches in glee. Also, there are gay dragons.
A wonderful, wonderful fic, where Merlin and Arthur are the voices of cartoon characters for a popular (gay friendly) tv show. This is a whole lot of fun. And there's also a sequel No People Like Show People where they discover fanfictions and fanarts, and this is really great !
Edit (Oct. 2011): There's new a new sequel: Get That Happy Felling
Edit 2 (Nov. 2011): another sequel has been added! It's called Stealing That Extra Bow and it's maybe the cutest part of this verse (is that possible?)
Personal Favourite :
Possibly Maybe I'm Falling For You, followed by Fallen Quite Hard Over You by lady_ragnell ; PG-13 ; 3 Parts; 16k words
A/S : Merlin walks into his favourite coffee shop one morning to find the Prince of Wales behind the till. His life only gets more surreal from there.
This fic is completely surreal, but completely amazing. This is the "it can only happen in a romance novel" kind of fic, but it manages to stay utterly believable and great. There's another fic that looks a bit like this one : Now That I'm Rich They Give Me Coffee that might please you a lot if you like this fic (and vice-versa).
It now comes with a royal!wedding sequel: Fallen Quite Hard Over You. Some more delight to a delicious story.
or maybe it is
The Hardest Way Possible by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; 2 Parts ; 12,5 k
A/S : Merlin's addicted to Craigslist, Arthur's looking for love in all the wrong places, and with a little help from their friends, they manage to get it together.
This is a slow, poetic fic. There's this nice, friendly atmosphere about it which makes me very comfortable reading it, andf wanting to read it again. Plus there's some nice plot and the characters are all very interesting !Cutest :
The Boy Next Door by lady_ragnell ; PG-13 ; One-Shot ; 6800 words
lady_ragnell 's fics are generally very fluffy. And this one is the fluffiest of all her fics. But if you like sugar, this is delightful. The boys are climbing mountains of cuteness and the reader ends up with an huuuuge smile.And Yet don't forget :
Map our Escape, by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; One-Shot
A/S : Arthur feels tied down and unhappy with his life, so he throws a dart at a map--and ends up in Ealdor.
This is your dream "go away and start a new life" fic. Personally, it makes me dream. This is the kind of fic that makes you believe in chance or such things, and sometimes it's nice not to be rational and just let your mind wander and take you to this kind of places.
Something Dumb to Do by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; One-Shot ; 4500 words
A/S : The cardinal rule of being a wedding planner is not falling in love with the bride or groom. Arthur's never had trouble with that rule.
I won't tell you what's so great in that fic because that would be a major spoiler and I really wouldn't want to spoil you the fun. This is the kind of summary that reminds me of a lot of Harry Potter fics, yet it's so very different and even more likeable.
Just Holding Your Hand by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; One-Shot
A/S : In which there are copious jazz and 40s references, Elena is Arthur's BFF, and Gwaine is Jane Bennett. Yet it's somehow not crack
Because I needed a fic with the gorgeous duo Gwaine and Elena, and this is one very good exemple of it. And because this is a crazy, crazy fic, thus incredibly loveable.from