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Nia ([personal profile] nianeyna) wrote2009-04-21 08:58 pm
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Merlin Recs Post


In honor of [personal profile] dreamwafflesfinally watching Merlin, I decided to go through my bookmarks and put together a list of my very favoritest Merlin fics, a sort of introduction to the fandom, if you will (or even if you won't). I'm much too lazy to put these in any particular order or organize them by length or rating or what have you, so you're just going to have to put up with my half-assed summaries. Anyway, twenty-two Merlin fics, for whoever wants them:


Job Orientation by seperis

"I did not magic up this tower--as you so charmingly put it--just to upset you. It's always been here." More or less. Perhaps less than more. Established relationship, featuring oblivious!Merlin.

and it’s prequel, The Tale of the Sea Serpent

Arthur tips up his chin, looking into bright blue eyes, and wonders if it will ever hurt less to be this much in love, like burning up inside with no relief in sight.

Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock

Modern AU with Arthur as the Prince of Wales and Merlin as a sleep deprived med student, if that isn’t a tautology. If you only ever read one fic in this fandom, it should be this one.

August by rageprufrock

It’s Hunith’s birthday! This fic is basically just adorable. If you ever feel like the world is a dark and depressing place, read this fic for an instant mood adjustment.

Gossip Gaius by fatherbannanas

This drabble is complete and utter crack. Do not expect great things, but do expect to snort tea out your nose.

Astolat

‘Nuff said.

Room 20 by astolat

Because it’s not on her main fanfic page, for some reason.

The Sword and the Faith by novembersmith

Lovely, understated h/c. Short but sweet.

Emergency Rescue Plan Alpha by such_heights

“I’m waiting for the very good explanation you no doubt have prepared.”

“Oh.” Merlin frowned. “I – yes. I did have one.” He looked even more dazed than usual, then his eyes widened. “Danger! Big, fiery danger – I saved your life!”
Merlin thinks he’s sneaky.

An Unnecessary Freezing of Water by shinetheway

Blizzard, thin ice, huddling for warmth. I’ve read at least five fics on this theme in the Merlin fandom alone, but this one’s my favorite.

Camelot’s Sweethearts by mariana_oconnor

Um. It’s a modern AU based on the movie America’s Sweethearts (which I have never seen, btw, so I’m not sure how similar they are). It’s really good, I promise.

The Prince’s Bride by 01100100

I’m… not sure what to say about this, really, except that it is, well, crack. Of the very finest caliber. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Fleet of Foot by enjambament

The King is made of light again. Vignettes moving backward in time. This one is just pretty.

A Dagger of the Mind by shinetheway

“He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse’s health, a boy’s love, or a whore’s oath,” the Fool, King Lear

And In His Hands, A Weapon by laceymcbain

“The prince is ensorcelled, I fear,” Roderick gasped out as Merlin applied pressure to his side. “He attacked without warning.”

A Feeling We Don’t Know Yet by ladyflowdi

“You almost died, you great arse!” Merlin yells, and he’s perfectly aware that this is his inevitable breakdown, that he is going to lose it in front of Arthur and there’s not a damned thing he can do about it.

Give Me Miles and Mountains, and I’ll Ask For the Sea by hackthis

Merlin's wearing that omnipresent, infuriating neckerchief that keeps Merlin's chest hidden. If Arthur had his druthers he would rip it off and use it to tie Merlin -- uh. Moving onward. Arthur keeps getting… distracted.

Am prionnsa, an t-amadan agus na meirlich by aithris

Merlin and Arthur get captured by some bandits. Hijinks ensue.

Tintagel by seperis

I’ll say right off that this fic is very strange. But it’s strange in kind of a cool way, so it’s all good. Arthur returns to the place of his birth.

A Year and a Day by linaerys

The lady extended her hand. Arthur clasped it and bowed over it, lips hovering a fraction of an inch above her cool, delicate fingers. “I am Nyneve,” she continued. “Queen of the Fairy. You will feast with us tonight.”

There Are No Legible Signs by franticsga

"I'm getting you down, idiot," Arthur replied. "Just try not to giggle too girlishly if I tickle you." Apparently, swinging around several pounds of sharpened steel for a few hours makes one a little sore. Who knew.

Be Resigned by franticsga

Air Force AU, but they’re meteorologists (basically, weathermen) so there’s a disappointing lack of actual planes involved. HOWEVER, the fic makes up for it in sheer awesomness. WIP, about three chapters left I think.
 



So there you have it. All I have left to say is that, if anyone is reading this and thinking, "Shock! Horror! My very favoritest Merlin fic is not here!" then I would be an extremely happy penguin if you would comment with a link, and possibly a short description. Remember: the fandom gods smile on those who share good fics with others. Let's all pretend I didn't just pull that out of my butt.
ext_9369: mine - please don't take (Merlin - In His Love)

[identity profile] auroraprimavera.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
Hah, awesome, there are some I haven't read here. Thanks for sharing!

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, no problem. I'm glad you found some new fics. :D
christycorr: Merlin and Arthur (Merlin) (Subtext.)

[personal profile] christycorr 2009-04-22 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
Shock! Horror! *laughs* No, you covered most of my favourite fics. I have a rec list archived here (and a more restricted 50-fic list here).

Some really good fics you may not have read:
Three Tasks
The History of Two Conversations (On Paper)
We're A Storm In Somebody Else's Teacup
MERLIN (the Fratboy!Arthur AU)
Past Imperfect
Quickening Days
'Tis a Pity He's a Whore
Two Weeks Notice

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Oooh, I hadn't read the Two Conversations one... I love the image of Merlin failing spectacularly at artistic representation. XD I'm definitely going to check out those lists, as well. Thanks for commenting! The more the merrier, as far as I'm concerned. :D
ext_49427: (Merlin - Meet my boyfriend)

[identity profile] jade--dragon.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
Yay, a few new fics!

Definite YES to a bunch of the ones [livejournal.com profile] christycorr listed (and one new one to check out, hurrah). In addition, I'd like to add:

From Where I Stand You're in My Sky (http://paperclipbitch.livejournal.com/120062.html)

I feel like there's a million fics I should rec at people. I too have been archiving my favorite fics in a Delicious (http://delicious.com/jade__recs) account.
christycorr: Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon) (Happy!)

[personal profile] christycorr 2009-04-23 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
*peruses your Delicious list to search for new fics*

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
Oooh hey, it's the same author as the Teacup 'verse! *gloms* Thanks for joining the party. :D

[identity profile] liz-mo.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I have the same problem. My friend already demanded fic recs, although I will only send when she has finished watching all of the season, so I don#t have to worry about spoilers. Along with christycorr this is a very condensed list of my favourite fics, too. And a good starting point.So thank you for that.

Although I will have to add dark!fics and one or two OT4 to that list. And there might be on or two on yours that I havenÄt read yet.

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
I haven't really read any OT4. Guess I'm just too much of a slash traditionalist, lol. If you know of any good OT4 fics, though, I'd love to read them - I find it's easier to get started in a new ship/fandom if I've got a couple of good solid recs to go on. Thus this list, obvs. :)

[identity profile] liz-mo.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 11:53 am (UTC)(link)
ahem. I got somewhat carried away and made my own reclist ;-)
You wanted OT4, so OT4 you got (http://liz-mo.livejournal.com/15700.html)
Not much smut in these, I put the focus on the realtionsship(s) that I love about this so much.
Have fun!

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-28 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
Oooh, cool! Thanks for the list, I will definitely be working my way through that. Isn't making recs lists fun? ;)

[identity profile] liz-mo.livejournal.com 2009-04-28 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It certainly is, if very, very time consuming...
kathyh: I made this (Kathyh Merlin M&A)

[personal profile] kathyh 2009-04-22 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
I love rec lists :) Some of my favourites are in there so I shall definitely be looking up the ones I haven't read. Many thanks.

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
I love rec lists too! I was very excited to make one of my own. It was actually very fun, if more time consuming than it needed to be since I kept stopping to re read things. :)

[identity profile] cardiff-3.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks for sharing these. I think I am in love with Drastically Redefining Protocol! I can't stop laughing.

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
Isn't DRP brilliant? It's like a multimedia explosion of AWESOME. :D Had you read it before?

[identity profile] cardiff-3.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
No this is my first read, but I am bookmarking to read over and over. Debating if I want to make icons of some of the lines. lol

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
I think icons would be excellent. :)

Thanks!

[identity profile] in-praesenti.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, thanks, a lot I haven't read yet.

Blizzard, thin ice, huddling for warmth. I’ve read at least five fics on this theme in the Merlin fandom alone, but this one’s my favorite.
You know, I've lost count (I think about the same - five or so). And I've been reading fic of this fandom since about, say, the beginning of this month...

Be Resigned (http://franticsga.livejournal.com/20240.html#cutid1), I second that. Current favourite AU (other AUs seem also to be under attack of the recurrent themes-bug, they're all about Arthur as a movie star!)

Re: Thanks!

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
Well, to be fair, it's cliche'd for a reason. XD Simply add hypothermia for instant cuddling! Quick, easy, and infinitely variable. A perrenial fandom staple. It just never gets old. XD

I'm glad I could introduce you to some new fics. :)

[identity profile] awayfromlife.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, good job converting people to the Fandom of Merlin. Also, yay, new fics I haven't read yet!:) The Complete Works of astolat is worthy of perusal, indeed.:D

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Converting people to the cult fandom of Merlin is one of my particular goals in this life. I can't wait until it comes out in the US so people might actually know what I am talking about when I squee over it. At the moment most people just kind of give me blank looks. I got my whole family to watch it, though! :D

[identity profile] dreamwaffles.livejournal.com 2009-04-22 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much, my darling! :D

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
Anything for you, dear. ♥ I mean, you know, since it was such a hardship to make this and all... :P

[identity profile] txrabbit.livejournal.com 2009-04-23 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
I am very, very new to Merlin, as well, but I already have a favorite.

And no, this is not a play on words:

Favorite (http://www.intimations.org/fanfic/merlin/Favorite.html) by astolat

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
That one is quite excellent. I love astolat absolutely to bits and pieces - I've read most of the fic on her main page, even in the fandoms I know nothing about, lol. XD My favorite of her Merlin fics is probably The Crown of the Summer Court, though. Or maybe Onfindan. Or That Shall Achieve the Sword. Or. Or. Or. *explodes*

[identity profile] brainmissing.livejournal.com 2009-04-23 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
You are a beautiful human being!

My personal favorite is the ElfQueen!Arthur (Summer court something-or-other by astolat).

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
So are you! :D And you're thinking of The Crown of the Summer Court. Which is apparently actually a crossover with some other thing, which I'm going to have to hunt down eventually because, you know, awesome.

[identity profile] betsyli.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
AMAZING compilation! It's always great to discover new wonders and visit old gems. And everything here is of such quality, whee!

About my personal favorites: most of them are already listed in your list and in other people's comments, but I must add to them my mad love for "Easy There" by [livejournal.com profile] syllic and girl!Merlin AU by [livejournal.com profile] greensilver.
Edited 2009-04-24 04:09 (UTC)

[identity profile] liz-mo.livejournal.com 2009-04-24 11:56 am (UTC)(link)
oh, oh, I second you there on "EASY There". But it isn't finished yet *whines and bounces imaptiently*
As soon as it is, it'll go right up on top of my favourite list!

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-04-28 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! Yeah, I actually almost included "Easy There" but then I left it off in a fit of pique when I remembered that the last chapter is still not up yet. Words cannot describe the pain I felt when I clicked on the link for part four and it DIDN'T WORK. D:

[identity profile] betsyli.livejournal.com 2009-04-29 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
I knowwwwwwwwwww. *howls with you* She needs to update that fic befoe we die of anxiety, or something.

[identity profile] lorrabe.livejournal.com 2009-10-15 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm stuck between thankyousomuch and oohihate you

I've spent the last week reading everything, yes everything reccd here. Even at work I was reading on my mobile.
I've pretty much done nothing else and it was awesome even if I've left everything else I was supposed to do.
Now, I need more... then again I should probably try and remember the rest of the universe.

Ok I'll go with Thank you

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-11-02 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
^__^ You're welcome! I'm glad I could entertain you, though I'm sorry I caused you to neglect your responsibilities. I know how that goes, haha. >.< Sadly I haven't been reading as much in the Merlin fandom of late, otherwise maybe I would do another recs post. :)

[identity profile] zooeyrye.livejournal.com 2009-11-02 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!

[identity profile] nianeyna.livejournal.com 2009-11-02 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
You're welcome!

ETA: I really like your icon. :)
Edited 2009-11-02 05:56 (UTC)