In honour of the new season...
Sep. 19th, 2009 01:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I decided it was time to rec some of my favourite Merlin fanfic.
They are all Merlin/Arthur to some degree or other, because there really isn't much gen in Merlin fandom at all.


I wonder why.... ;-)
I really wasn't sure where to start, so I thought I'd do 10 stories, one each from various authors.
But then that got a bit mixed-up because, oh well, you'll see...
The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat - Epic, romantic, hot like burning - Merlin discovers his true heritage and his future with Arthur.
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock - The modern AU - where Arthur is Prince of Wales, and Merlin the junior doctor he meets in a cleaners' cupboard. Very much a relationship story, just how would we react to a Prince of Wales who wanted to marry his male lover?
I'm Colorblind, Kid by brbsoulnomming Merlin hasn't reached the heights of SGA, despite having canonical magic, but there have been a few wonderful transformation stories. This is Arthur turned into a dog - and discovering how much Merlin means to him in the process.
Obeisance by casspeach "It's not that Arthur won't share his toys, just that he expects to get them back undamaged." I love competent protective!Arthur and this is such a wonderful example.
In Turning We Come Around Right by janne_d I suppose I should warn for het on this one - very, very hot het. :-) Arthur gets turned into a girl, and Merlin, well Merlin just likes Arthur. A remarkably realistic take on what might be a completely cracky premise.
Defenders of the Realm by lamardeuse Modern AU - Arthur is a policeman and Merlin a graduate student dealing with an old enemy. Epic, detailed and with an excellent use of the other characters.
Needlework by zarathuse A fascinating use of folktale motifs, and what goes wrong when Merlin tries to use his power in ways he doesn't really understand. And in the end, Merlin trusts Arthur with the one way to stop him, if he does ever go bad - greater love hath no man...
Practical Adventures and Auspicious Pursuits
by Stillane - "It starts with dead goats. A dead goat morning never ends well." A funny, warm story where Arthur and Merlin tackle a magical threat and take the next step in their relationship.
Truth Is A Whisper by seperis "Words can also be mightier than the sword." I love the way seperis paints such a convincing picture of a medieval court - gossip is the bane of Arthur's life...
and Ten Weeks by Shine And the sequel, which skews the figures. :-)
The Wages of Gossip by srin "In which Morgana has a secret, (which Gwen shares,) Arthur is determined to uncover the truth, and Merlin learns a great many things he doesn’t want to know and one thing he does." Another take on gossip...one that makes my smile almost as wide as Merlin's. This one's guaranteed to cheer up a bad day.
They are all Merlin/Arthur to some degree or other, because there really isn't much gen in Merlin fandom at all.


I wonder why.... ;-)
I really wasn't sure where to start, so I thought I'd do 10 stories, one each from various authors.
But then that got a bit mixed-up because, oh well, you'll see...
The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat - Epic, romantic, hot like burning - Merlin discovers his true heritage and his future with Arthur.
Drastically Redefining Protocol by rageprufrock - The modern AU - where Arthur is Prince of Wales, and Merlin the junior doctor he meets in a cleaners' cupboard. Very much a relationship story, just how would we react to a Prince of Wales who wanted to marry his male lover?
I'm Colorblind, Kid by brbsoulnomming Merlin hasn't reached the heights of SGA, despite having canonical magic, but there have been a few wonderful transformation stories. This is Arthur turned into a dog - and discovering how much Merlin means to him in the process.
Obeisance by casspeach "It's not that Arthur won't share his toys, just that he expects to get them back undamaged." I love competent protective!Arthur and this is such a wonderful example.
In Turning We Come Around Right by janne_d I suppose I should warn for het on this one - very, very hot het. :-) Arthur gets turned into a girl, and Merlin, well Merlin just likes Arthur. A remarkably realistic take on what might be a completely cracky premise.
Defenders of the Realm by lamardeuse Modern AU - Arthur is a policeman and Merlin a graduate student dealing with an old enemy. Epic, detailed and with an excellent use of the other characters.
Needlework by zarathuse A fascinating use of folktale motifs, and what goes wrong when Merlin tries to use his power in ways he doesn't really understand. And in the end, Merlin trusts Arthur with the one way to stop him, if he does ever go bad - greater love hath no man...
Practical Adventures and Auspicious Pursuits
by Stillane - "It starts with dead goats. A dead goat morning never ends well." A funny, warm story where Arthur and Merlin tackle a magical threat and take the next step in their relationship.
Truth Is A Whisper by seperis "Words can also be mightier than the sword." I love the way seperis paints such a convincing picture of a medieval court - gossip is the bane of Arthur's life...
and Ten Weeks by Shine And the sequel, which skews the figures. :-)
The Wages of Gossip by srin "In which Morgana has a secret, (which Gwen shares,) Arthur is determined to uncover the truth, and Merlin learns a great many things he doesn’t want to know and one thing he does." Another take on gossip...one that makes my smile almost as wide as Merlin's. This one's guaranteed to cheer up a bad day.
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Date: 2009-09-19 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 08:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-22 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-22 06:41 am (UTC)If there's a particular kind of story that you'd like to find more of, let me know. Nearly all of these authors have written a number of great stories, so hopefully this will be a good place to start.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-22 11:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-23 11:29 pm (UTC)Declaration by lickingbeads
The More Things Change by adelagia
And of course astolat's That Shall Achieve the Sword, which has a pretty competent Arthur as well.
And then there's one where he already knows
Millions of Peaches by dsudis
A lot of writers like playing up the "silly boys" angle and that's a lot of fun, but I do enjoy competent Arthur in particular.
There's seperis's Privileges of Rank
astolat's Onfindan, which starts with Arthur finding out, and ends with his first steps to becoming High King.
And if you're in the mood for a long story, there's another of my favourites from the Big Bang - In Time of Trial by Shine. Uther decides Arthur is a threat to his throne, and throws him out of Camelot.
It has both Arthur finding out and shows him as the great king he will come to be.
I hope there's some stories there that you hadn't found already.
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Date: 2009-11-10 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 07:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-22 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-22 10:09 pm (UTC)