weekly round-up 9
Whew, it's been some week! Very work-driven. Eating breathing sleeping design--it's tiring stuff, I finally gave myself a break today (usually I work on personal or freelance projects on the weekends). Slept in, went to the library, did some cleaning and slummed it at home. *stretches lazily* Good stuff.
As a heads up, I'm road-tripping to Vermont next weekend so the Weekly Round-Up may or may not be late. It'll probably still show up, clogging your f-list--I'll just have to do my porn-perusal at a ski lodge instead of at home! Heh.
Weekly Round-Up
Titles in bold are extra-recommended ♥
Of the Earth by newkidfan (art)
Summary: Rated G
Notes: A beautiful piece that neatly straddles the line between realism and illustration. Looks like a Japanese tattoo, bold and evocative.
Peach, Plum, Pear by sweetestdrain (NC-17, 14k)
Summary: How in his tenth year of rule King Arthur chose a man to take the role of Court's Magician, and how Arthur made his decision. Future!fic. Merlin's been gone from Camelot for over a decade, but Arthur hasn't forgotten him.
Notes: sweetestdrain is an amazing writer, and her specialty is long, well-written fics that push all the right buttons. I was completely entranced by this story; Arthur and Merlin's reunion was absolutely perfect. You've got your staple angsty!Arthur, and Merlin's characterization is mysterious, intriguing, and carefully crafted. Great romance, great storytelling.
The Walk by sarashina_nikki (vid)
Summary: This vid has five acts. Act I: Merlin and Arthur meet and have hate at first sight. Act II: they are stupid dorky boys at each other until eventually they become friends. Act III: they risk their lives to save one another. A lot. Act IV: there are forces working against them, Uther, Nimueh, Merlin's secret, etc. Act V: together, they can overcome anything. Done to "The Walk" by Imogen Heap.
Notes: HOLY CRAP this video totally blew my mind. The story is so skillfully constructed, with the lyrics matching the footage matching the beat. The vidder's summary is helpful though probably not even necessary, since the narrative holds up on its own (with aid of the lyrics). The vid feels epic in such a short span of time because it tells of Arthur and Merlin's entire relationship (as opposed to say, three minutes of smouldering looks and slashy scenes...which isn't a bad thing, but it's not this), from beginning to present. The end is especially impressive, with all the sound effects perfectly timed to creative footage.
Anyway, I could go on. Spectacular stuff, truly.
Dirty Laundry by llithilien (NC-17, 500 words)
Summary: Uther is not impressed with Merlin. Arthur is.
Notes: HOT! That is all.
Who do You Want Me to Be? by feathergirl89 (NC-17, ~35k)
Summary: Rentboy!Merlin AU. Merlin works for Nimueh and Arthur is a client who changes his life.
Notes: I do love a good rentboy!AU, and while normally this fandom cliche would seem out of place in this G-rated show, it's done well enough that it works. Seriously, I was thisclose to bolding (is that a verb?) this title; the only thing that stopped it short was the rushed ending. Nonetheless, that doesn't detract from the way I DEVOURED this fic; I tore through the first eleven chapters, only forced myself to put the story down because it was stupidly late and I needed to go to bed. The story is romantic and full of guilty pleasures like h/c, sex, or fluff (the fireworks scene!!). A real page-turner, through and through.
Piggybacking in Skinny Jeans by draykonis (art)
Summary: Rated G
Notes: The boys dressed like ghetto Londoners! The colors!! Too cute for words. Good use of the background too; gives the illustration an extra layer of polish.
Reciprocation by astolat (NC-17, ~8k)
Summary: He only meant to complain; you didn't take serving girls on hunting trips, and the alternative interpretation didn't even occur to him until Merlin said indignantly, "I'm not going to do that!"
Notes: The perfect guilty-pleasure read; I LOVE jealousy as a plot device, so this was like eating candy.
so are they all, all honourable men by seperis (NC-17, ~25k)
Summary: Merlin gets his ass kicked by a jerk noble, then is challenged to a duel. Arthur has to train him while dealing with his own feelings towards his manservant.
Notes: This is one of those stories that didn't especially ping my radar--while the plot was interesting enough, the OOC-ness and intense, inexplicable emo was getting in the way of my Arthur&Merlin squee. Still, it got an incredible response so I'm tacking it up here; that way nobody'll miss the chance to judge for themselves.
Looking for previous recs? Check the tag. For FAQ and list of all bolded titles, check the primer.
As a heads up, I'm road-tripping to Vermont next weekend so the Weekly Round-Up may or may not be late. It'll probably still show up, clogging your f-list--I'll just have to do my porn-perusal at a ski lodge instead of at home! Heh.
Weekly Round-Up
Titles in bold are extra-recommended ♥
Of the Earth by newkidfan (art)
Summary: Rated G
Notes: A beautiful piece that neatly straddles the line between realism and illustration. Looks like a Japanese tattoo, bold and evocative.
Peach, Plum, Pear by sweetestdrain (NC-17, 14k)
Summary: How in his tenth year of rule King Arthur chose a man to take the role of Court's Magician, and how Arthur made his decision. Future!fic. Merlin's been gone from Camelot for over a decade, but Arthur hasn't forgotten him.
Notes: sweetestdrain is an amazing writer, and her specialty is long, well-written fics that push all the right buttons. I was completely entranced by this story; Arthur and Merlin's reunion was absolutely perfect. You've got your staple angsty!Arthur, and Merlin's characterization is mysterious, intriguing, and carefully crafted. Great romance, great storytelling.
The Walk by sarashina_nikki (vid)
Summary: This vid has five acts. Act I: Merlin and Arthur meet and have hate at first sight. Act II: they are stupid dorky boys at each other until eventually they become friends. Act III: they risk their lives to save one another. A lot. Act IV: there are forces working against them, Uther, Nimueh, Merlin's secret, etc. Act V: together, they can overcome anything. Done to "The Walk" by Imogen Heap.
Notes: HOLY CRAP this video totally blew my mind. The story is so skillfully constructed, with the lyrics matching the footage matching the beat. The vidder's summary is helpful though probably not even necessary, since the narrative holds up on its own (with aid of the lyrics). The vid feels epic in such a short span of time because it tells of Arthur and Merlin's entire relationship (as opposed to say, three minutes of smouldering looks and slashy scenes...which isn't a bad thing, but it's not this), from beginning to present. The end is especially impressive, with all the sound effects perfectly timed to creative footage.
Anyway, I could go on. Spectacular stuff, truly.
Dirty Laundry by llithilien (NC-17, 500 words)
Summary: Uther is not impressed with Merlin. Arthur is.
Notes: HOT! That is all.
Who do You Want Me to Be? by feathergirl89 (NC-17, ~35k)
Summary: Rentboy!Merlin AU. Merlin works for Nimueh and Arthur is a client who changes his life.
Notes: I do love a good rentboy!AU, and while normally this fandom cliche would seem out of place in this G-rated show, it's done well enough that it works. Seriously, I was thisclose to bolding (is that a verb?) this title; the only thing that stopped it short was the rushed ending. Nonetheless, that doesn't detract from the way I DEVOURED this fic; I tore through the first eleven chapters, only forced myself to put the story down because it was stupidly late and I needed to go to bed. The story is romantic and full of guilty pleasures like h/c, sex, or fluff (the fireworks scene!!). A real page-turner, through and through.
Piggybacking in Skinny Jeans by draykonis (art)
Summary: Rated G
Notes: The boys dressed like ghetto Londoners! The colors!! Too cute for words. Good use of the background too; gives the illustration an extra layer of polish.
Reciprocation by astolat (NC-17, ~8k)
Summary: He only meant to complain; you didn't take serving girls on hunting trips, and the alternative interpretation didn't even occur to him until Merlin said indignantly, "I'm not going to do that!"
Notes: The perfect guilty-pleasure read; I LOVE jealousy as a plot device, so this was like eating candy.
so are they all, all honourable men by seperis (NC-17, ~25k)
Summary: Merlin gets his ass kicked by a jerk noble, then is challenged to a duel. Arthur has to train him while dealing with his own feelings towards his manservant.
Notes: This is one of those stories that didn't especially ping my radar--while the plot was interesting enough, the OOC-ness and intense, inexplicable emo was getting in the way of my Arthur&Merlin squee. Still, it got an incredible response so I'm tacking it up here; that way nobody'll miss the chance to judge for themselves.
Looking for previous recs? Check the tag. For FAQ and list of all bolded titles, check the primer.