#real real minor arthur/gwen

[themerlinlibrary]

Favourites Friday (Feb 2024) – Self-Rec Round: Pining

TML Favourites Friday round-up! February 2024 round 4 (SRR)

What is Favourites Friday? – The Basics

a different theme is announced on Friday each week; FF recs must match the theme of the week

only one FF rec per person per week/theme

FF recs must be unique within that week/theme; no double-posting the same fic for one theme!

no self-recs during regular rounds

only self-recs during self-rec rounds (last Friday of each month)

Theme for this self-rec round: Pining!

Curling. For Camelot! by ravenwilds T, 6.8k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, Winter Olympics AU

Carefully Planned Coincidences by elirwen E, 1.1k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, Sharing a Bed

You’ll Find the Real Thing Instead by SubmissivelyWritten E, 30k, Multiple pairings Modern AU, Wedding Planning, RomCom

Separate Harmonies from Chords by thesongistheriver E, 12k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, College/Uni AU

All Things Loved and Lovesick by horsecrazy E, 90k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, Vets AU

Win Me (Over) by lavender_spice M, 10k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, Bachelor Auction

Forgetting to Remember (You) by Excited_Insomniac T, 11k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Divergence, Memory loss

Pinned Down by kiraniafterdark (kirani) E, 313, Merlin/Arthur Hook-up

Arthur, Sincerely by MerlinLikeTheBird M, 48k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Divergence, Didn’t know they were dating

and you held me tightly ('til the morning) by Imagined M, 16k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Era, Arranged Marriage

[Fic & Podfic] So Close to Reaching that Famous Happy End by robinfaipods (Robin_Fai), TrebleMaker07 G, 5.4k, Merlin/Arthur Modern AU, Co-workers

An Accidental Union by acciomerlin T, 8.3k, Merlin/Arthur Canon Era, Domestic fluff

everywhere and at all times by fabledfrog G, 549, Gen; Merlin & Arthur Canon Era

Lavender & Ink by sleepygecko T, 5.2k, Gwen/Lancelot Modern AU, Bookstore

A masterlist of all round-ups can be found here.

If you want to make sure you never miss a FF rec, or would like to participate and share your own favourites; join us on the Discord TheMerlinLibrary! Happy reading!

About the FF round-up lists:

Recs are listed in the order they were posted on the Discord; the order does not imply any sort of ranking.

The pairing given in this list is the main pairing of each respective fic – please read the tags for any possible minor or side-pairings, as well as any potential warnings or triggers.

Pairings and Eras are given as tagged in each respective fic. (?) signifies that the tags were unclear and I do not know enough about the fic to fill the gaps.

Round-ups are compiled on the weekend of the week after the respective theme of the post (when the new theme has already been anounced), to avoid omitting potentially belated FF recs.

The weekly round-up is not a guarantee! I'm running this alone, so it can only be posted for weeks when I have enough time on my hands to compile a list. If you'd like to help out, feel free to contact me on Tumblr ( @zaharya ) or Discord. Thank you to @ravenwilds for helping me out with this round-up, and to Chel for writing a whole-ass bot to make it easier!

[oneknightstand-if]

On a scale of least to most slowburn, where do all of the ROs lie? Can you tag this question with #slowburn, please?

Everything is Proceeding As Normal

Merlin : They're an incubus. You can have sex with them in Chapter 3! Although it'll take quite a bit more than that to establish a stable long-term romantic relationship with them, a lot of difficulties (of the 'squishy human hooking up with a near immortal ancient shapeshifting demon' sort) will need to be dealt with when you're already in the relationship.

Gwen : Not the type to let a little thing like the apocalypse and a real life game of Among Us distract from the real important things in life... like romance!

Cassandra : You know normally she's the type to just go for it when she sees something (or someone) that she likes, but the entire apocalyptic Among Us game would incline her to be even more cautious than normal. Well, at least compared to Gwen.

But What About My Subplot?!

Broderick : He and Lorelei are just full of suspicion during this part of the story and aren't inclined to trust you, which kind of makes a romance rather hard. (And then they both get smacked in the face with their relevant subplots).

Lorelei : Same as Broderick, but even worse. Definitely 'issues' to deal with here and her regaining her Camelot memories won't be helping there.

Adrian : Adrian has... issues. If he didn't, he and crush!MC would've hooked up years ago. So that's going to need to be dealt with before you can properly enter a long-term relationship with him. So he'll be consigned to lewd handholding in the dark for most of OKS like in the first chapter.

Uh...

404 Error Not Found : Yeah... that's going to have to be dealt with. Power of love, right?

Percy Doing His Thing

Percy : Besides Merlin, Percy is pretty much the only other RO who's sexuality will have any potential effect on the narrative. He's a demisexual with a high trigger point, so... it'll take awhile. He's really touchy-feely (especially with people he likes/trusts) so you can get very cuddly with him from the start, but anyone looking for anything spicier will have a while to wait. (You know you're on the right track when Percy starts mistaking Merlin for you.)

Not Actually in the Modern Age Yet

These romances are consideriner 'minor' in One Knight Stand because these RO's are literally sealed away and not present in the modern age yet.

Vivian : Sealed away at the edge of the Veil, so you'll be seeing her in the 'flesh' sooner than Arthur. You can totally have sex with her in one of the Camelot flashback scenes, however. (But that's not your current incarnation, so isn't helping the current relationship very much.)

Arthur : Not appearing until you finally successfully complete the Greater Circle. Unlike Vivian, probably won't be having any available sex scenes until after you've regained your Camelot memories at the end of the book. So have a heaping helping of flirting and UST instead?

*Note: One of these is a lie, because they're actually trying to kill you. (Well, 404 is definitely trying to kill you, but they can move on from that? Probably?)

[kat-anni]

I'm not even sure which of you 26 WIPs (wow?!) to pick, but these two stood out to me - can I get two? *puppy dog eyes* "Way down we go" sounds very interesting and kinda dark so I'm intriguied. And the Merlin one - "Meeting you again" - because yes, I went down that rabbit hole recently. xD Would love to know more about those or get a short scene! Whatever you feel like sharing. ^^

Concerning this post

YESSS I am always willing to share hehe you may ask two!

Way down we go

This one's a fic about torture! ☺Wei Wuxian manages to diverge Wen Ning's arm in the last second and Jin Zixuan gets 'only' very badly hurt, not murdered. The Jin try to get the seal away from him.

Snippet!

"A-Li is...is waiting for you-," Jin Zixuan’s eyes were filled with intention, determination. ‘A-Li’, huh? The endearment barely registered under the panic spreading in Wei Wuxian’s mind. "Shhh, it's okay. I...shit. I can't help you. You have a strong core, right? Try to...try to direct everything to where the pain is. You over there!" He yelled to the remaining Jin and Lan soldiers, specifically a rather young looking Lan. -Wait, was he not wearing a headband? - Wei Wuxian just hoped that even if they partook in whatever this ambush was, they would still care about their rules and help someone in mortal danger instead of focusing on killing him -or whatever they had come here for, "come here and give him some energy!" He could see the question of 'why don't you do it' on several of their faces, but mostly they looked like they did not dare come closer while he was still there and Wen Ning was struggling against the smoky black bonds holding him down.  Okay, yeah, fair, he thought.

Meeting you again

This *cough* is a MerGana fic x'D. I know I'm probably in a very small minority with this ship but I just find their magical push and pull hate-love bond very interesting. In this fic we jump to modern day and Arthur returns. Due to #circumstances, all the other characters from before Arthur's death are also alive again. So we meet Morgan, her best friend Jenny (Gwen), etc. Merlin is of course the only immortal one and the only one with the memory of everything in between...

Snippet!

That was the moment the guy turned around. From the sudden movement, Morgan automatically looked up. His gaze flew over to them and both black haired adults froze on the spot. Recognition flashed in the man's eyes, then -she could have imagined it- something like panic. But he was able to overcome it very quickly. A smile spread across his face and he went over to them. Morgan couldn't stop staring. This couldn't be real. Was this what Jen meant? Why he would be interesting? Those piercing blue eyes, full of things she couldn't put her finger on. Those ears, standing away from the head oddly but looking strangely attractive, not ugly. And his full lips, forming that smile. “Hey, my name's Merlin. Nice to meet you.” It was the exact same man. It was Merlin, the one she so often dreamed about.

Thanks for asking!! You got me to edit these a lil bit hehe. Esp the Merlin one is SO OLD. I kinda have the urge to just rewrite them again T_T but noo I shan't x)

[merlinbingo]

The Symbols of Life and Death by SauraUnderscore Ship: Merlin/Arthur, Gwaine/Percival, Gwen/Lancelot Main Characters: Merlin, Arthur Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Serial Killer AU; Dystopia AU; Mild torture; Corpses; No real Bloody descriptions; Minor Character Death; Explicit Sex; Hurt/Comfort; Mentions of earlier Prostitution (Merlin); Soul Bound; Magic Sex; Summary: All Arthur wants is to protect Merlin from the serial killer that is threatening the magical community. But Merlin doesn’t need Arthur’s protection. Who does Pendragon think he is? Just because when Merlin needs a lawyer, he pays his debt fucking him, doesn’t mean he’s going to get attached to no one else but the son of the one who started this fucking nightmare for the magical kin.

[legends-of-time]

Amelia’s Story (BBC Merlin Story) - Masterlist

Pairings:

Original Female Character & Morgana & Morgause

Arthur & Morgana & Original Female Character

Percival/Original Female Character

Merlin/Original Female Character

Gwaine/Original Female Character

Gwen/Arthur

Original Female Character & Original Female Character

Warnings:

Major Character Death, Minor Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Non-Canonical Character Death, Cannon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting

Physical description:

Amelia has light brown hair and blue eyes

Summary:

Amelia never really thought about what would happen when she died. Wait, no that was a lie. She had wondered if she would be reincarnated she supposed or just simply go to some sort of afterlife. Or maybe she would wake up in the world of one of the very first Tv shows that she had got obsessed with.

Amelia genuinely did not think this would happen, fanfiction is just that! Fanfiction!

But hey ho here she is.

——

The usual tale of someone dying then waking up in one of their favourite TV show with, what I hope, is a twist.

Chapters:

Chapter 1: The Awakening

Chapter 2: The Beginning of Her New Life

Chapter 3: Becoming Too Real

Chapter 4: Drastic Changes

Chapter 5: Family

Chapter 6: The Dragon's Call

Chapter 7: Valiant

Chapter 8: The Mark of Nimueh

Chapter 9: The Poisoned Chalice

Chapter 10: Lancelot

Chapter 11: A Remedy to Cure All Ills

Chapter 12: The Gates of Avalon

Chapter 13: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 14: Excalibur

Chapter 15: The Moment of Truth

Chapter 16: The Labyrinth of Gedref

Chapter 17: To Kill the King

Chapter 18: Le Morte d'Arthur

Chapter 19: The Curse of Cornelius Sigan

Chapter 20: The Once and Future Queen

Chapter 21: The Nightmare Begins

Chapter 22: Lancelot and Guinevere

Chapter 23: Beauty and the Beast Part One

Chapter 24: Beauty and the Beast Part Two

Chapter 25: The Witchfinder

Chapter 26: The Sins of a Father

Chapter 27: The Lady of the Lake

Chapter 28: Sweet Dreams

Chapter 29: The Witch's Quickening

Chapter 30: The Fires of Idirsholas

Chapter 31: The Last Dragonlord

Chapter 32: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part One

Chapter 33: The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part Two

Chapter 34: Goblin's Gold

Chapter 35: Gwaine

Chapter 36: The Crystal Cave

Chapter 37: The Changeling

Chapter 38: The Castle of Fyrien

Chapter 39: The Eye of the Phoenix

Chapter 40: Love in the Time of Dragons

Chapter 41: Queen of Hearts

Chapter 42: The Sorcerer's Shadow

Chapter 43: The Coming of Arthur Part One

Chapter 44: The Coming of Arthur Part Two

Chapter 45: The Darkest Hour Part One

Chapter 46: The Darkest Hour Part Two

Chapter 47: The Wicked Day

Chapter 48: Aithusa

Chapter 49: His Father's Son

Chapter 50: A Servant of Two Masters

Chapter 51: The Secret Sharer

Chapter 52: Lamia

Chapter 53: Lancelot du Lac

Chapter 54: A Herald of the New Age

Chapter 55: The Hunter's Heart

Chapter 56: The Sword in the Stone Part One

Chapter 57: The Sword in the Stone Part Two

Chapter 58: Arthur's Bane Part One

Chapter 59: Arthur's Bane Part Two

Chapter 60: The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

Chapter 61: Another's Sorrow

Chapter 62: The Disir

Chapter 63: The Dark Tower

Chapter 64: A Lesson in Vengeance

Chapter 65: The Hallow Queen

Wattpad access

fanfiction.net access

Ao3 access

[johnconstantinejld]

Gotham Tales-The Bat

The Joker was a master manipulator and had the GCPD and myself looking in the wrong direction one last time. Arthur ‘Dodger’ Dreggs, one of his lackeys had been tasked to distract us by sending them to the Axis Chemical Plant. We found him with Wally Gillespie and Hugh Paine. All minor criminals before meeting the joker, charges of theft, breaking and entering and common assault for each of them. Gillespie also had charges of dangerous driving occasioning death and fleeing the scene of an accident. We found the chemical plant secure, no sign that the Joker had fallen in the chemicals as Harley Quinn had said.

Both men had been infected with joker poison, but we heard the common name ‘Gwynplaine’.

Total time to identify source of name, 4.59 minutes. Must upgrade speed of wrist computer.

The names should have tipped me off. G-P-W plus Hugh means Gwnplaine from Hugo’s 

The Man Who Laughs. Injected Dreggs with a temporary cure. Was unable to save other two. Current joker cure only lowers stress, thus preventing venom from spreading; I am unable to stop someone already stressing. Location was Gotham Cathedral. A man had requested a wedding tonight. His name was Jack Napier, and wife was Gwen Plaine. 

Arrived on the scene on time. Minister Black, defrocked for seven years, was the celebrant. Harley was in white. She had purchased it during her last release. That should have told me. Minister Black was wearing a Joker grin. Trust the Joker to tell another fake story on his final night. We check briefly on Arkham through Nightwing-Punchline secured and taking therapy.

‘I didn’t invite any guests! Nevertheless, you’re just in time for the cake cutting. And then you can see the couple have their first dance.’

‘I thought something funny!’ She said, ‘Something with bounce.’

‘No, boo, we agreed for something subtle. Well, I agreed. Plenty of bounce later on.’

‘Not a good sign-arguing on the wedding.’ Batgirl.

‘Shut up, Red! Don’t be broken again!’ He screams.

‘Another bad sign. Yelling on the wedding day.’

‘He’s right, puddin’.’ 

‘Shut up and cut the cake. Red cherry velvet. It’s official, Bats. Just a man and his sweet, always fresh out of college boo.’

‘But I’m twenty-six, Mistah J.’

‘And you’ll always be my sweet little sixteen.’

‘And he likes underage girls.’ Batgirl again. Slight wretch.

They each hold the butcher knife and lean forward. And he does it. He pushes her face into the cake. Then she acts. Something triggered. She turns and slashes his throat. 

All the nights I’ve had that desire to do that.

All the criminals who have nearly done that and I have prevented them from doing it.

All the people he has manipulated and broken. All the lives ruined.

For once, this was a punchline he did not see coming. The joke was on him.

Joker did not laugh.

Harley finishes it by stabbing him through the heart before we can hold her. Batgirl said she was crying.

She’s still there, in Arkham. Without any Joker to influence her, even Punchline was slowly coming round, but Harley isn’t moving. She’s in her wedding dress, a rotting bouquet of flowers like Miss Havisham. Harley is silent, only letting go of the flowers for basic bodily needs (eat, drink, sleep etc). Others leave her alone. Penguin sends literature, never read. Poison Ivy is incapable of getting through to her and is thus unable to help. She sits there in her cell, or in chapel, her face that of one who has been a victim of abuse, a real monster in our world. 

Another Gotham Tale, don't own rights

[the-king-and-the-druidess]

What if the whole magical side was shown as dark because despite the whole playing with the theme of oppressed minority and the struggle for freedom(and it is so unfair), in fact for Merlin, for the author's idea the very existence of magic was still considered evil?

What if the genuine empathy that this show is supposed to evoke in us is not for the magical side, the oppressed one; but for the ordinary, non magical people? Like Hunith and knights and Arthur and Gwen.

We see Morgana, the main representative of the magical side in the show; we see her talking about being who she is, that magic does not need to be afraid, that it is a force for good. But then we see that when the same Morgana finally becomes who she truly is, when she let her magic be free, she becomes the same evil and spoiled and corrupted and insane with power as if an illustration from the Uther propaganda.

We see Merlin getting darker and darker, and if the fifth season had lasted longer, he would have definitely approached Morgana in his blind desire to achieve his(he thought Arthur's) goals at any cost. Morgause and Nimue are the priestess who are evil, hateful and obsessed with revenge. Gauis' remark in Lamia that the priestesses always had wars with the kings.

Arthur, the protagonist, has never had the opportunity to see magic as something good. He has never abolished it, why?

And that phrase: magic has a price. It seems that Merlin wants to show that magic is still more a force for evil, that people have no right to possess such power, have no right to play with fate. The price is to high. "There is no place for magic in Camelot."

Magic as a source of evil-doers and problems for Camelot over and over again. If there was no magic, or even if Uther had succeeded, then everything would have been much easier.

This conflict leaves me unsettled. They could have shown a real revolutionary fight and the gain of the oppressed, but instead they punished both sides.

I was moved to this thought by an impressive gifset that I can't find right now, where Morgana sits on the throne in the last season of "I want him dead" scene and the inscription in the gif was her early quote: "I believe that magic is a force for good." There was also Merlin who looks at Gwen with a dark and suspicious expression.

[oncefutureemrys]

18. "I'm afraid."

hello, my friend! thank you for asking me this!

If you want to know what prompts we’re talking about, it is @night-faye’s incredible list of prompts that you can find here. If you would like for me to write another one, send me an ask and I’ll write it!

Anyway, I was honestly a bit nervous about this because I didn’t think it came out great, butttt there’s a thing called positive thinking which I’m working on so I’m going to say it’s not bad. (This is exactly how to get people to read your work haha) no but seriously, there are many Tumblr posts about writing bad fics are okay if we can learn something from them, and so here is me, writing some bad fics.

Hope you enjoy!

(It was also posted on my ao3. The link is here).

Merlin gazes at the darkening sky and the flickering light from the dimming campfire. He feels the breeze brushing his skin gently and hears the way the trees rustle like whispers in his ear.

It’s here, in this peaceful moment, when Merlin closes his eyes and thinks:

I’m not ready to die.

Five simple words, strung together to create one sentence Merlin’s more afraid of than anything else.

He’s not ready to die.

And yet he knows he must, for it is his destiny and his alone to always sacrifice his needs, his wants, his morals, his life for Arthur.

He knows this, he’s been told this since the beginning, and yet suddenly he feels so… unready. Unsure. Nervous, worried, afraid.

It was… odd, to say the least.

Before, when he was staring death straight in the face, when he was envisioning a world without his friends, Gaius, his mother, Arthur – it was easy. Merlin’s never been one to think his life was somehow more meaningful than others, that he was worthy of life more than anyone else.

Which is why he now finds it strange that he’s having second thoughts.

Maybe it’s because there’s more time to think about his inevitable death, more time to fixate on his fears and insecurities that plague his mind, haunting him with lingering thoughts he wishes would disappear.

Maybe because he’s reminded of his destiny, as this overwhelming burden that clings onto his shoulders, that beats down on his skin whenever he tries veering off course. This ever-hanging cloud that keeps him in constant darkness, the shadow that constantly reminds him, over and over again, how foolish he is, how ungrateful he is, how selfish and weak and useless he is.

Maybe because he’s sitting here next to his king, his best friend, the one man he has sacrificed his entire life and more for, unsure how he’ll be able to say goodbye. Not sure how to explain to him that he won’t be dying tomorrow, how Merlin’s planning on taking his place.

As if sensing his thoughts, he looks over at him in that moment, the warm glow of the fire dancing across his face. “Everything alright?” he asks.

Almost out of habit, he nods, not meeting his gaze.

Arthur studies him for a moment and Merlin swallows, afraid he will push. Thankfully, he simply nods and drops the subject, letting the silence sit still.  

Except the silence almost feels unbearable, this guilt clawing at his skin and threatening to suffocate him. Merlin knows that he needs to say goodbye, in a roundabout way if possible, but the words are sticking in his throat and he’s having a hard time finding the right ones.

He’s reminded of an earlier time, years ago, when he was willing to sacrifice his life for his mother and had to say goodbye to Arthur. It had been a bit difficult – his throat had felt try, his hands had been shaking. But it was different back then. While they were far more comfortable with one another than when they had originally started, they weren’t as close back then. Now, they had been through everything together – from evil sorcerers to betrayals, to friends dying and dead knights walking, they had seen and experienced so much. If it was hard for Merlin to say it then, it was even harder saying it now.

And yet, he knows that he must, knows that he doesn’t want to be another person that betrays Arthur. And so, he opens his mouth, about to let the words through – words he hadn’t planned yet – when Arthur sighs loudly, turning to look at him. “So… this is it.”

Merlin’s quite confused – he’s not exactly sure where this conversation is going – but decides to go along with it. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

“Well,” Arthur says, taking a sip of water. “I’d like to say I made the most of it, but I’m not sure I have.”

Merlin’s eyes widen, stunned by his declaration. How in the hell could he think that? Well, sure, not all of Merlin’s hopes and dreams were panning out the way he had wanted, but to say that Arthur had not tried, had not given his all for his people, was baffling. He says as much when he finally finds the right words to say.

Arthur simply smiles but Merlin notices it’s devoid of any mirth. “I appreciate that.”

“Arthur—“

“Merlin,” Arthur says abruptly, cutting him off. “You’ll make sure to let the others know, right?”

And there it is again, that guilt that twists in his stomach, reminding him of the many lies he has told this night, and every day since he’s met him. He forces himself to take a deep breath before finally choking out, “Yes. I’ll tell them.”

Arthur nods, turning to look at the fire in front of them. Merlin realizes this is his chance to finally tell him of all the secrets, everything that he has bottled up over the years. To finally release all of the remorse he has felt throughout the years.

But he’s selfish and a coward, so he keeps it bottled in, throwing it into the ocean and hoping desperately for the tides to wash it all away.

It’s during Merlin’s slight panic that he’s brought back to the present by a small chuckle. He’s surprised to almost see a smile lingering on Arthur’s face. “What’s funny?” he asks.

“Huh? Nothing.” When Merlin gives him a look he sighs. “I was just thinking… how strange this all is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that… seven years ago, so many things were different. We were such different people.” Arthur shrugs, scratching at his neck. “It just feels crazy looking at how far we’ve come.”

Merlin remembers his journey to Camelot, his inexplicable wonder when he first entered and saw bustling crowds and the large castle. Now, years later, he finds no new wonder in the bustling crowds or even the wondrous castle. Merlin smiles to himself, memories of those days coming back to him. We were so innocent back then, he thinks to himself. I wish it had stayed that way.

“Yeah,” Merlin says when he’s managed to return to the conversation. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.”

“Did you ever expect to end up here?”

“Not a chance,” Merlin responds immediately, chuckling at the thought. “I certainly never thought I would have to deal with a pompous, arrogant, supercilious, prat like yourself.”

“Hm, no I suppose not.”

Merlin’s eyes widened, turning to look at Arthur. “Did you just admit to being a prat?”

Arthur attempts to play it off, but Merlin knows him too well. Huffing, he crosses his arms as if he were a child. “Alright, so maybe I wasn’t the best person back then.”

“Yes!” He says gleefully, clapping his hands together. “This is the best day of my life.”

“Whatever Merlin, at least I changed for the better!”

Merlin grins, recalling memories of Arthur risking his find a flower to save him, memories of Arthur leading his people when they needed him, memories of Arthur smiling and laughing and praying pranks and knighting commoners and marrying a servant and Merlin finds himself softly saying, “Yes.” Then, “Yes, I think you have.”

Silence hangs in the air and he tries to think of a way to rein in his words, add a joke in to rid them both of the tense silence, to erase those truthful words. But Merlin realizes that he won’t ever get to say these words to Arthur ever again and so maybe he shouldn’t. Just this once.

“Yes well,” Arthur says after a few minutes of tense silence, “I never would’ve done it without you.”

Merlin immediately shakes his head. “I don’t believe that.”

Arthur looks at him incredulously. “I appreciate the lie, but truly Merlin, it’s quite obvious. You don’t have to pretend just to make me feel better.”

“Arthur, have I ever, in the seven years you’ve known me, attempted to sugarcoat anything for you?”

He starts to speak and Merlin raises his eyebrows. “No,” he admits. “I guess not.”

“Good because I mean it.” 

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“…and everyone knows, I’m always right.”

Arthur huffs. “Sure.”

Merlin bites his lip worriedly before finally asking, “You know, I actually mean it right?” He makes sure to look straight into his eyes as he says this. “I know I mess around and call you all sorts of names, but the truth is, I am so proud of you. I know it may not seem like it, but you have done so much for your people and your loved ones. You are an amazing king, Arthur, and you will always be remembered like that.”

Arthur’s eyes hold so much insecurity and unsureness that Merlin wants to reach out and take it from him, take away the pain and the self-doubt that continue to torment his mind. Arthur takes a stuttering breath before asking, “Merlin?”

“Yes?”

Arthur swallows. “I’m afraid.” Two words that don’t need explaining, two words that Merlin understands perfectly.

Merlin finds himself nodding slowly, finding himself becoming more honest and open than he’d ever been before. “Yes... I think I am too.”

The silence following them feels freeing as if the words they had been struggling with had finally been released. For the first time that night, Merlin feels as if his last fears, his last bit of hesitation, leaves him. Merlin never thought he could be ready for such a heavy task, for such an enormous burden. But looking at Arthur now – his blue eyes of clear skies, his hair that brightens against the moonlight, the small scars, and cuts from the adventures they had been on – and realizes that he must. Realizes that he would do anything for him, not necessarily because of destiny, but because he was a good man and Arthur deserved much better than this. Arthur deserved everything and Merlin would happily give it to him if he could.

So, as they sit, the darkening sky now fully black, Merlin finds himself taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He feels the comfortable breeze against his skin and hears the familiar rustle of the trees as he thinks to himself:

I am ready.

[educatingmerlin]

Is Historical Accuracy Important?

The focus of this post will be on Arthurian legend which, whilst it may not historically be real, it has still had a huge impact on historical eras and folklore.

Arthurian folklore arose around the medieval times and are rumored to be based upon a real person called Arthur.

The legends have been famous throughout time and have had many adaptations, separate storylines and have been made into books, films, TV shows and other forms of media to consume.

The outcry of "historical accuracy" has been loud when casting ethnic minorities, especially Black people, in historical dramas. This is evident for any and all period dramas but also for other forms of media. For example in the Cursed Child play, Hermione was cast as a Black women or more recently, Annabelle for the new Percy Jackson show is a Black girl.

These shows and books as well as Merlin are fantasy dramas which contain the likes of magic, mythical creatures and all sorts of folklore. Not exactly realistic is it? So why the uproar when Black people are cast?

The argument used when people usually complain of the likes of Gwen Pendragon is that Guinevere is depicted to be of a "fair complextion with blonde hair and blue eyes."

The outcry of Angel not being a "historically accurate portrayal" is absured, especially when it comes to shows such as Merlin where....nothing is historically accurate.

In saying all this, there are many articles and sources which tell of Black knights in Arthurian folklore. According to Smithsonian magazine, 3 out of 49 knights were men of colour.

These shows and films are not made to be historically accurate, they are not made to be documentary-like. They are made to simply entertain.

Even if they were made to be historically accurate which, is not the case for hardly any period dramas at the moment, there is nothing wrong with casting Black people and other ethnic minorities.

Ethnic minorities in period dramas is something which should be celebrated and done more often! It is a wonderful sight to see.

[ineffablestardust]

fic masterlist 📚🌌✨

Star Wars: 

The Starlight Path 

Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker 

No Archive Warnings Apply

Mature

Slow Burn, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, AU- Canon Divergence, AU- Young Adult, War Setting (Mando and Jedi), Family Drama Elements, Forbidden Love, Prince!Din Djarin, Anakin Doesn’t Turn to the Dark Side, Clone Wars Based

139,923 words

43/~54

INCOMPLETE

Last of the Real Ones 

Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker 

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen 

TikTok, Minor Slow Burn, Crackfic Elements, Internet Shipping, Tooth Rotting Fluff, Family Fluff

27,730 words

20/20

COMPLETE

but I carry it in my pocket, it keeps me safe

Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen

Touch Starved, Comfort, Forbidden Love, Fluff, Pining, Yearning, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Implied Sexual Content, Gentleness

639 words

1/1 

COMPLETE

Coruscant Cats

Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen

Fluff, Dinluke with Cats

946 words 

1/1

COMPLETE

as it was (alt. Tumblr link with sketches attached) 

Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen

Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Emotional Intimacy as a Theme, Luke’s Lost Hand, Swedenis-h Gift

1410 words

1/1

COMPLETE

pjo/hoo/mgca/toa:

the things we cannot bear to see

Magnus Chase/Alex Fierro

No Archive Warnings Apply

Teen Audiences 

Ship of the Dead imagined from Alex’s pov, fluff, Spoilers, Longing, Vulnerability, Light Angst, Idiots in Love

21,716 words

15/20

INCOMPLETE

Gifted; and all that that means 

Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase

No Archive Warnings Apply

Teen Audiences 

Annabeth Character Study, POV Annabeth, Nicknames, Comfort/Angst, Self Worth, Self Love

1,349 words

1/1

COMPLETE

BBC Merlin: 

Gwen or Merlin

Merlin/Arthur Pendragon

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen

Drinking Games, Crack, AU- Canon Divergence, Fluff, Pining Arthur, The Knights Are the Biggest Merthur Shippers

2,390 words 

1/1

COMPLETE

Star Trek: 

Kaiidth Imagination

James T. Kirk/Spock 

No Archive Warnings Apply

Unrated

AU- Young Adult, Spock and Kirk play DnD, Dungeons and Dragons,  Dungeon Master!Kirk, Slow Burn

14,434 words

6/25

INCOMPLETE

Good Omens:

A Language of Our Own

Aziraphale/Crowley

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gen

Eden, Metaphor Exploration, Ancient Rome, Demon Summoning, Trolling, Language as a form of Identity

2,681 words

3/?

INCOMPLETE

[sneakyboymerlin]

Lmaoo it’s the Dark Tower anon again! Sorry to keep invading your inbox but. This au won’t leave me alone. But you have spoken!! Tyr Seward lives and all is right in the world. Except for, you know, the minor fact that Merlin is enchanted. Merlin trying to get Mordred to join, letting mordred in on the secret that he is Arthur’s bane??? GENIUS- I am losing it over the whole inner conflict and turmoil Mordred is going through. He knows why Merlin has been off and distant with him- and for a Druid, a big believer in destiny, this is emotionally crippling. And then this coupled with the fact that he is actually THWARTING Merlin’s murder attempts. So he thinks, Destiny. can he change it? Merlin is meant to help Arthur bring magic back. does he WANT to change it? Would changing this one crucial aspect- of him being Arthur’s bane, change the whole course of destiny? Poor boy’s going through it.

Gwaine though- he’s going through it too. But! He’s working with Gaius, and Gaius mentioned offhand that this type of enchantment is reminiscent of the state Merlin was in after the Fomorrah. Gwaine being like?? The what-now? Gwaine has the dig through an explanation of the time they rescued Merlin from the bog but actually it was enchanted Merlin who had been tortured by Morgana. “He stole some aconite then. Laced Arthur’s food with poison.” Gwaine is so overwhelmed poor guy. While trying to track down the enchantment she used, they theorize on shades. Gaius says that’s been done- and Gwaine wants to scream. All he’s getting is extremely dark magic examples- but he’s also getting bits and pieces of the struggle Merlin’s being going through- all the things he’s done by himself to save Camelot, and Gwaine had no doubts in his mind that Merlin was still Merlin but this is still a lot to take in and he doesn’t even have the real Merlin- HIS Merlin, unenchanted Merlin to talk with it about, to reassure and get reassurance in turn. (He’s reeling, because he is a knight of Camelot, FOR Merlin, yet it is Merlin’s people he has viewed as threats or with suspicion. It’s a lot.)

And Gwen. She finds out all by herself, and honestly not surprised, she knows Merlin very well, and he’s giving off similar vibes as he was with the Fomorroah. She’s like- so Merlin is possessed and trying to kill Arthur again? Where’s my pot-

(Small scene with Tyr and George being like wow Merlin wasn’t friendly today what’s up with that-)

Arthur being oblivious. Is just the best thing- I love that nearly everyone gets a magic reveal save for Arthur himself. Man is oblivious as hell. One question- would one of Merlin’s murder attempts result in him deadass calling forth Killgarrah while outside the borders of Camelot?

Consider this: Enchanted!Merlin notices Mordred thwarting his every attempt on Arthur’s life, so he thinks to himself, “Does the prophecy say Mordred is going to do it on purpose?”

So Merlin sets up a trap. It looks like another one of his assassination plots that Mordred has to foil, but by trying to stop it, he triggers it instead (a metaphor perhaps?). It’s nearly a success, and that scares Mordred more than the prophecy itself—that he’s capable of killing Arthur without ever meaning to, and that his earlier alliance with Morgana set this off.

Meanwhile, Gwaine has just found out that not only was it an enchanted, non-Merlin who insulted him in the hallway and wouldn’t let him steal food off of Arthur’s plate, but that very food was poisoned and he technically saved Gwaine’s life by refusing him. Gwaine’s brain gears are clinking. They’re grinding. His last brain cell is in its own personal brain hell.

“He doesn’t even have the real Merlin—HIS Merlin” well watch me weep why don’t you

Gwaine’s spent years trying to protect Merlin from ~magical threats~ but now he realizes that he was the real threat all along? That he hasn’t truly been protecting Merlin at all, he’s just been hurting Merlin all the more ??? He’s heartbroken, he’s wracked with guilt, but most importantly, he’s more determined than ever to help Merlin in whatever way he can. Finding a way to lift the enchantment would be a great start, but the research is turning up dry.

Gwen miraculously manages to recruit George and alive Tyr to spy on Merlin because she suspects he may be under an enchantment.

Gwen: It’s happened before, and believe me, we don’t want it to happen again. He might hurt himself.

Tyr: You’re not worried about him killing Arthur?

Gwen: [breaks out laughing]

Enchanted!Merlin is beside himself as every single one of his plots seems to fail without reason. Maybe he suspects something is up with the others, too? But Arthur doesn’t suspect, and that’s what’s important, that’s exactly why Morgana chose him.

Also, maybe because it’s not the real Merlin, he can’t connect with the dragons the way he normally can. Aithusa doesn’t respond to his commands, which Morgana is quite pleased about; likewise, Kilgharrah will not respond to a call he knows is false. The bond was made with Merlin, not the one who’s woven her own whims into Merlin’s mind. Maybe it was a bad idea for Morgana to piss off a full-grown dragon.

[fireandiceland]

Now that you finished IA (presume I asked this after you read the epilogue), I first wanted to thank you for reading & liveblogging it. I don't think I can put my appreciation in thankfulness into words, ever, but... know that it validates all the work I put into it. Simply by knowing it brings others joy & thusly is worth doing well.

AnYwAyS - Can you rank the POV characters aka all Teams + Soph like you did for the other fanfic? (but like, all the single characters, I mean that's only -checks list-... 16 characters.) OR - Can you do a Fuck Marry Kill with each team from the two books, minus Soph cuz she's still a minor in those (and also, yknow, for it working purposes).

Much much much love to you, Riva <3

Sorry for taking so long to answer this it's been in my drafts for way too long I live in shame

First of all you're very welcome! I had a good time reading Irish Problems and Italian Affairs and let's be real I also learned some new things along the way and (as I love to say) where else do I get to discuss the story I'm reading with the freaking author?? and get some behind the scene information and little tidbits of lore too! It's like the directors cut of reading here :D

but! AnYwAyS ;) why not do both?

Ranking of the IA characters from my personal fav to 'they're there too':

Patrick "Paddy" O'Neill

Gwendolyn "Gwen" Higgins

Lovino Vargas

Feliciano Vargas

Arthur Kirkland

Fabio Bellini

Charlie Higgins

Marco Bontade

Robert Bailey

Gabriella Acerbi

Michele Vento

Harry O'Connel

Tahir Rashid

Francesco Belfari

Sophie O'Connel

Lorenzo Bontade

Maeve

Docetto Acerbi

Arby (imagine him like a mile below the other characters)

and yay I don't think I ever play fuck marry kill here :D so let's play.

Team Ireland: fuck charlie, marry paddy, kill harry (sorry but paddy is just.. I think I'd get along with him tho more in a friendship kind of relationship)

Team Sicily: fuck michele, marry marco, kill lorenzo (micheles emotional baggage is just too much for me but marco seems like a sensible choice to marry? sorry lorenzo rip)

Team Feli: fuck francesco, marry feliciano, kill dolco (sorry dolco rip)

Team Lovi: how do you expect me to make a desicion on this one after what happened in the last chapter? if I abolutely have to: fuck lovino, marry gabriella, kill fabio

Team England: fuck robert, marry arthur, kill tahir (Arthur is an A grade asshole in IP and I love that, I can fix him (probably not)

Did you expect any of my answers?

Thank you for keeping up with me and my sometimes very slow reading process and even bigger thank you for talking to me and elaborating on the characters and the story! It would not have been the same without all those talks and chats <3

[ygraine]

u know why we all love non-canon relationships so much? bc the characters are presented as two equals. Whether heterosexual or not, the automatic dismissal of a romantic relationship between characters also means a dismissal of heteronormative axioms that tend to create those love interests. Shipping is seen as ultimately worthless. It’s mostly women and girls who fall into this category, who speak back to media in its own language by writing fanfic about two characters that were never meant to be together, and all of it, all of it is bc of the standards by which love interests are held to! They are not seen as themselves, not as a Character or an Equal but instead as The Love Interest, and they are qualified only by those means that make them acceptable to the protagonist. So when minorities experience racism and sexism and homophobia in their daily lives and then go home and watch media that holds a relationship that would be perfect romantically without the ‘isms’ present, of COURSE we want to see it represented romantically. Bc what else do we have? Women especially are sexualized from real life to the most far-fetched media, and there is an unimaginable relief in seeing a potential relationship that holds none of the anger and double standards that are so prevalent in the Love Interest phenomena. I’m talking about zuko and sokka, eve and villanelle, mai and ty lee, whatever tf is going on in hannibal, and in Old Tumblr times I’m talking about merlin and arthur, john and sherlock, dean and castiel, gwen and morgana, and twenty years before that there was scully and mulder, and nearly thirty years before that we have kirk and spock, and what i’m saying is that the reason minorities put so, so much effort into relationships that aren’t supposed to exist is because we see ourselves reflected in them, we see people viewing each other as equals first and lovers later, we see our lives without the inflicting pain of being ‘a woman in a man’s world’. The very intention of showrunners not wanting a romance but still wanting a connection forces them to reckon with what really makes a connection without the physical counterparts of love, and in telling us ‘these characters aren’t meant to be together’ they are in fact saying, ‘this is what a relationship would look like if we didn’t inflict terrible things on every romantic relationship we’ve ever laid our hands on’. Shipping is a survival tactic for minorities who are never, ever represented as equals, and it’s a genuinely stunning cultural phenomenon that has sprung up as a shield against sexism and racism and homophobia, and it is led almost in its entirety by girls and women who are not only brave enough to see the potential, but to actively write it down and portray potential as reality, and it’s fascinating. 

[twosidesofthesameidiot]

You Had Me At Cupcake

Characters : Gwen; Lancelot

Warnings: none 

Word count : 1325

Summary : Gwen has a paper due in two days, and the really distracting new barista is the only one on duty today. Gwencelot Coffee Shop AU

A/N: Well, there is my first attempt at a coffee shop AU. Ngl, it was difficult at times. The biggest thank you to @rangerofthesouth for helping me through this, and for the name! ILY, bro. 

This falls under the meet-cute, i think

Gwen shook the snow from her hair and shoes as she pushed open the door of The Cryptic Dragon. 

The warmth was nearly too much after the biting winds outside and she hurried to take off her thick coat. 

Coat removed, Gwen felt comfortably warm, with sensation returning to her toes, fingers and nose. 

She dropped her coat on the back of her chair and her bag on the table. 

Today was very obviously a slow day for the - place. 

Gwen had never found a word that quite described The Cryptic Dragon. Some, like Merlin's friend Gwaine, might call it a pub. Others, like Elena, might call it a café. Disreputable, Fine Dining Establishment, a front for an elaborate pyramid scheme, and a waste of space are among the other categories she has encountered in relation to the place. 

To Gwen it was a perfect place to work. As long as she ordered a drink every now and then she was left to work through her never-ending mountain of assignments. 

It helped that one of her best friends worked here and was the owner's nephew. 

What did not help, however, was the newest barista/waiter. He was very unhelpful in that he was distracting. Not that he was actively being so, just his presence was enough. 

He was Merlin's friend. Best friend, probably, from the way they went on. From what Gwen had seen, Merlin was actually open with him. The smiles were genuine in a way that Gwen rarely saw around other people. 

That was the first thing Gwen had noticed about the distracting new addition to the team. 

The second thing she had noticed was his smile, it was a real smile which reached his eyes. And his eyes were really very pretty. 

His voice was amazing too. 

Gwen had almost forgotten that she was meant to be giving him her order, that first time, and was truly grateful that Merlin had not been there to witness the scene. 

And he was coming out from the kitchen now with a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls. 

His emergence roused the three other people who were there and they immediately lined up at the counter as Gwen made her way slowly to join them, praying that Merlin would magically appear and save her from this situation. 

Merlin, the traitor, did not appear and Gwen was left to manage the interaction as best she could. 

"Hi," his voice was every bit as musical as she remembered, "Gwen, right?" 

He knew her name? 

"Uhh, yeah, that's me." Gwen twisted her rings trying to think of what to say next, "I, uh, I don't think we've met?" 

"Oh, no we haven't," his eyes widened and he grimaced, "sorry! That sounded really creepy. I'm Lance, Merlin's friend." 

Gwen took the extended hand, he - Lance - had a good grip, and his hand was warm, "I'm Gwen, but you already know that. How do you know Merlin?" 

"We met in high school," Lance looked at her for a moment, "I don't know how much you know about that, um, and you? How long have you known him?" 

"We met first year uni, I watched him get into and almost win a fight against Arthur Pendragon," Gwen smiled, "I helped him with the minor injuries sustained because his uncle would kill him if he found out." 

"Gauis might have," Lance shrugged, "But then, where would he get staff on short notice?"

There was now a tray with a cinnamon roll and a mug of hot chocolate on it sitting atop the counter. 

Noticing Gwen's look of surprise Lance grinned, "Merlin left very specific instructions, said you have a paper due in two days." 

He was on the other side of the counter now, picking up the tray. 

Falling into step with him, Gwen frowned, "Where is he? He's usually working today." 

"Terribly sorry m'lady, but that is information I cannot divulge at the present time," He shrugged apologetically although his tone was anything but. 

Realising that she was back at her table, with sustenance Gwen shook her head, "Thank you, Lance." 

"My pleasure, just call if you need anything." 

Gwen watched him disappear back into the kitchen before she sat down.

The hours slipped away and the next time Gwen took stock of her surroundings there were a few more people filling up the tables that were haphazardly strewn about the room. 

Her paper was nearly done. All that was left was to go over it a few times and fine tune it, and that could wait until tomorrow. 

When she returned from the washroom, she found Freya waiting at the counter and joined her, deciding today was not the day to go home and cook something. 

Lance appeared with a bowl of stew which he handed to Freya, nested in a dishtowel. 

"What kind of stew is that? I don't think I've ever seen it here before?" Gwen shot a questioning look at Lance who smiled. 

"It's special, off the menu if you like. What can I get for you Gwen? Merlin didn't leave instructions for lunch." 

"I'm still surprised he left instructions at all." 

Gwen looked at Freya in surprise, "You knew he left instructions?" 

"Lance told me, before he went to get my stew." she shrugged, "You should get today's special." 

"Uh, okay, I'll meet you back at my table." 

"I'll bring it to you, you don't have to wait here." 

"Thanks!" Gwen had barely finished the word before Lance disappeared into the kitchen. 

"You know Lance?" Gwen couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. 

"Mm, yeah," Freya nodded, "we've known each other for a long time now." 

"You have?" Having reached the table, Gwen collected her papers and pens that lay on top of it. 

"Yeah," Freya smiled as she sat down, "We met Merlin separately though, none of us connected the dots for a while. How's your paper?" 

Gwen shook her head. For as long as she'd known Merlin and Freya, they  both had remained so vague about anything that happened in their pasts. "It's almost ready, and for now it's tomorrow's problem." 

"Your meal, m'lady," Lance placed a plate of spaghetti bolognaise in front of Gwen, and a coffee. 

"Thank you," Gwen smiled at him. 

"As before, my pleasure." 

"Huh, Merlin was right," Freya watched Lance weaving his way around the tables as he checked on the customers. 

"About what?" Gwen asked. 

Freya smiled at her, "Don't worry about that. What are you doing this weekend?" 

Lunch passed comfortably and Gwen felt decidedly more relaxed than she had that morning. 

Eventually she and Freya made their way to the counter to pay. When they had finished Lance tossed a securely wrapped takeaway box to Freya who immediately put it in her bag. 

"This one is on the house," Lance smiled as he handed Gwen a box with a bow on it, "Let me know if you like it?" 

"It's for Húan," Freya said as they stepped out of The Cryptic Dragon, "Gauis disproves of him getting human food, but burnt biscuits don't seem to negatively affect him, so Lance and Merlin smuggle him stuff." 

"You feed your dog Merlin's experiments too ?" Gwen asked. 

Freya laughed, "No, that could actually be dangerous." 

Now safely ensconced in Gwen's car, Freya turned to her, "What's yours?" 

"I don't know," Gwen gently pulled on the ribbon forming the bow on top of the box, "Let's find out." 

She lifted the lid off the small box. There was writing on the inside of the lid, but the cupcake was what caught her attention. 

The icing was a deep red and there were golden letters on it. 

Freya somehow read the word before Gwen did and let out a giggle. 

"Well, what do you think?" 

"I think, if you hold this for a moment," Gwen handed the box to Freya and opened her phone, grinning, "I have a date this weekend." 

[merlinbingo]

This month we got a truly incredible 77 fills, would you believe it. Admittedly, almost half of them came from two participants - one newbie created a whopping 21 fills, and the other a more than respectable 14 - but that doesn’t make anyone’s achievements any less impressive. You’re all wonderful, no matter how much you create!

As the overwhelming majority of the two busy bees’ works were Merlin/Arthur, they were once again the top ship (49). Gen works came in a distant second at 15 fills, Gwen/Morgana were an even more distant third (three), and then there’s another 10 ships that got just the one fill.

October saw a stunning 64 fics, 11 artworks and six combos of the two. We got three moodboard fills, one art and gif combo, an incredible musical notation and an intriguingly categorised ‘other writing’ fill.

Now, this is usually where I’d give you all the bumf about the fills being below the cut and reminding you to check out the warnings and ratings before opting to open anything, but there’s a couple of teeny-tiny reminders first:

1) November is the last month to submit fills for the bingo. If it’s not on the fill tracker sheet at the end of the month, it won’t count towards the participation, bingo and blackout badges. Fill out the form for every fill you’ve created this round!

2) If you want to get the November bonus badge, you need to set a goal for the month! Find out more info about the November bonus badge theme here, and fill out this form to set your goal!

Now, to what you’re actually here for: October fills

Gen/No ships

Empty by Castilian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Alternate Universe - Canon, Introspection Summary: Morgana is dead, and Arthur does not feel anything.

Keeping it secret by Castilian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon Era, Tournaments, Hurt Arthur Summary: During a tournament, Arthur is injured, but no one can know.

The Curse of Merlin and Cornelius by theartsylillipad Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: dark!merlin, merlin fanart, bbc merlin, merlin bingo, digital art Summary: alternate universe where Merlin accepts the possession of Cornelius and takes over Camelot.

BBC Merlin ‘Finale’ Love Theme Musical Notation by camelots-daffodil Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Music, instruments, not fanfic Summary: A by-ear transcription of the track ‘Finale’ by Rob Land for the BBC Merlin series 2 soundtrack, also used as the love theme. In a treble clef, 4/4, and B-flat minor. For Merlin bingo fill ‘music’

A promise, sealed by Sage_Owl Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, Immortal Leon, Immortal Merlin, comfort, waiting for Arthur's return Summary: Leon remembers when Merlin forgets.

"I'll never wear your broken crown" by theartsylillipad Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: merlin bingo, merlin, arthur pendragon, king arthur, digital art Summary: Arthur Pendragon's lost childhood

Meeting at The Throne by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Lancelot fanart Summary:

File on Detective Pendragon by monoisbored Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Detectives AU Summary: A concept of Arthur as a detective in the form of his information and pictures being compiled in a file

Eyes Wide and Awake by chaosgenes Rating: Teen Warnings: Mild self-harm Major tags: Modern AU, reincarnation, mild angst, mild hurt/comfort Summary: Merlin has visions and dreams that he can't seem to shake, that he doesn't know if they're real or not sometimes. He used to pinch himself, but that eventually doesn't become enough. One day, he meets another young man who can relate, and dreams for the last time.

Make it Stop by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death, suicide off camera Major tags: canon era, migraines, gwen's mom died, gwen worries about morgana Summary: Gwen remembered how her mother would cry out in pain when the headaches returned. When Morgana started having them, Gwen was so very worried.

You're safe. They can't hurt us anymore by Laevateinn Rating: Teen Warnings: Canon level of violence; character drowning (no death) Major tags: Drowning, Flashbacks, Superheroes AU, pov Gwaine, hurt Percival Summary: Fuck. Gwaine should have been there. He knew this was going to happen someday. A distorted call for help made him run quicker than he already was, and it was only seconds before he ran out of the woods and onto a scene he had been dreading for some time now. In front of him was a lake, bordered by trees and a little bank where Gwaine was standing. On the lake, two little wooden boats where a few civilians were clutching each other in fear, dead bodies floating nearby. And in the middle of the lake was a man wearing a familiar uniform, with his hands flailing above the water. Percival.

Daegal's First Hunt by warlockofealdor Rating: Teen Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: Werewolves, Supernatural, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Daegal takes on his first werewolf. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

Hooded Vagrants by thefollow-spot Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Pre-Canon, Mordred-centric, Dark Past, BAMF Mordred, Short Fiction Style Summary: Ever since his father died, Mordred has been running. He has been hunted. The world is a turbulent ocean and he’s been tossed about in it.

You will be mine by TyalanganD Rating: Mature Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings, Captivity, body horror, non-con transformation, mind manipulation, dark character Major tags: AlternateDark Merlin (Merlin), Transformation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Dragonlord Merlin (Merlin), Dragon Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Summary: Arthur finds himself in captivity by a powerful dragonlord named Emrys. Soon, he will be transformed beyond his recognition.

Cyber Knight by Stelle Rating: Not rated Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: Arthur pendragon fanart, cyberpunk au Summary:

Gwen/Morgana

A Kiss of Sunlight by mithian Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: hurt/comfort, established relationship, canon divergence, magic, kissing Summary: Gwen is dealing with pain in her shoulders after working a long day. Morgana offers to help her feel better.

Happy aniversary by Laevateinn Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Moodboard, andlelit dinner, Lingerie, Modern AU Summary: Gwen and Morgana celebrate their anniversary at home, with a nice candlelit dinner.

pillow fight by kairennart Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: digital art Summary:

Annis/Caerleon

Love and Revenge by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

Arthur/Gwen

Merlin's Last Secret by gwen-cheers-me-up Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Everybody Lives, Necromancy, Humor, Secrets, Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss Summary: When Arthur discovered Merlin’s magic, he thought it was the last of Merlin’s mysteries. Looking back at all the strange excuses, secret trips out of the castle, and odd bits of wisdom on subjects he was meant to know nothing about, ‘sorcerer’ seemed to explain all of it. ...but the secret trips didn’t end after Arthur lifted the magic ban, and neither did the excuses. (AKA, the one where Merlin puts together an illegal necromancy ring, and everyone except Arthur is in on it.)

Arthur/Morgana

With only a smile by Castilian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Pre-Canon, One-Sided Attraction, Hurt Morgana Summary: Arthur seems still unable not to fall for Morgana’s charms.

Lancelot/Gwen

Lancelot & Guinevere by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fanart, gwencelot, lancelot fanart, guinevere fanart Summary: Romeo & Juliet AU

Gwen/Lancelot/Merlin

The singing of birds by Laevateinn Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, Established Gwen/Lancelot, Friends with benefits Summary: On that peaceful June afternoon, the only noises to be heard miles around were birds cheerfully singing in the distance and the sound of the river water sloshing. The sun was high in the sky, the air was warm. In the middle of the river, there was a wooden boat. On it were three young people, three childhood friends, basking in the sun on its deck.

Gwaine/Percival/Elyan

worth the yearning, worth the wait by stanzas Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: “I know no matter how far they have to go, Arthur and the others will return.” Summary:

Arthur/Lancelot

role reversal by kairennart Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: digital art Summary:

Merlin/Mordred

Burn Me Like a Pyre [Mood Board] by MerthurAllure Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Mood board, explicit images, light bondage, fire play Summary: Merlin and Mordred have found that their favorite magic to use is fire...

Elyan/Gwaine

run deep, run wild by queerofthedagger Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, Bookstores AU, World Travel, Fluff Summary: Elyan leaves him clues in bookstores around the world, waiting for Gwaine to catch up. There is nothing Gwaine would rather do.

Merlin/Lancelot

and you rip my ribcage open and devour what's truly yours: chapter one by kairennart Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: vampire au, canon era, enemies to lovers, Summary: Winter brought a creature to Camelot’s bordering villages. Crueller than coldness, it left no survivors. Arthur’s best knights embarked on a mission to hunt it down. Lancelot had seen many bloodthirsty beasts throughout his life, and he expected to find all kinds of danger in the depths of Camelot’s forests. He had not expected his long-dead lover to find him. Merlin was not the man he once was— he had become a creature of shadows after his death. But as long as he was back, it didn’t matter, right? As long as they loved each other, it shouldn’t make a difference, should it? Spring brought a decision for Lancelot to make. He had to choose between his loyalty as a knight and his loyalty as a lover. (But he was both, and the war they were living through did not make it an easy choice.)

Merlin/Arthur

Merlin Do This, Merlin Do That, Merlin Don’t Quit by Sylviawitch Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Arguing, tension, ranting to others, first kiss Summary: Merlin and Arthur are always complaining about the other one, yet when Merlin decides to quit, somehow that’s not the right answer either. So what is?

Movie Time by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: digital art, merlin/arthur Summary: Merlin and Arthur watching a movie

To Mom by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: merlin fanart Summary: Merlin writing a letter to Hunith

Side by side by Castilian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern Setting, Established Relationship Summary: Arthur and Merlin get caught in a storm while camping.

Nature's Helping Hand by chaosgenes Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Magic Reveal, Confessions, Light Angst, Fluff, Snowed-in Summary: Merlin and Arthur take shelter in a cave from a freak snow storm and try to stay warm.

Detective Emrys and the Mystery of Camelot Manor by TyalanganD Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Art, Detectives, mystery Summary: When Detective Merlin Emrys comes to Camelot Manor to investigate the sudden death of Uther Pendragon, he quickly learns that the inhabitants of the house hide a whole plethora of secrets. And that Uther's son, Arthur, might be trouble. Like, "compromising your whole career" kind of trouble.

Model!Merlin by TyalanganD Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Art, portrait, model AU Summary: Photo taken seconds before a disaster (or, before Arthur.exe, a.k.a. The Photographer, stopped responding)

No reason to leave (a million to stay) by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Arthur Pendragon Returns, Teasing, Fluff, Modern wtih magic, Established Relationship Summary: Merlin convinces Arthur he isn't really a morning person after all.

In Wine, Truth by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: canon era, fluff, phobias, banter Summary: Mary might be the owner of the Rising Sun and glad to have paying customers, but listening to the knights, the prat prince, and his long-suffering servant was even more satisfying.

Ice's Kiss by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Winter, Being Lost, Near-death experiences, true love's kiss Summary: When on an unusual quest, Arthur finds himself lost in a winter-y forest and nearly dying of cold. He gets rescued by a mysterious stranger who is more than he seems.

Morgana’s Always Right by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Good Morgana, Merlin knows about Morgana's magic, Morgana knows about Merlin's magic, Magic reveal, pining Summary: Morgana tries to give Merlin some advice during a tourney. Merlin thinks it's rubbish. It isn't.

Paper Hearts by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Flirting, Clumsy Merlin, Teacher Merlin, Fluff, Crafts Summary: In which Arthur loses a bet, crafts a crime scene, and gets a date.

Petals crushed between your fingers by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Getting Together, crushes, Truth or Dare, the language of flowers, High School Summary: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Lance play Truth or Dare.

Feet don't fail me now by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Arthur Pendragon returns, fluff, modern era, first kiss, culture shock Summary: Arthur finds that 1,500 years is enough to change everything he knows about his homeland.

5 Time Merlin Didn’t Say It + 1 Time Arthur Did by Camelots_Daffodil Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Slice of Life, Pillow Fights, Flowers Summary: Just as the title says - Merlin is being a tease and not saying something... Arthur is desperate to find out what it is. He's also desperately in love

Heads Up by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, Soulmate-identifying marks, businessman Arthur, Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting Summary: Uther has three rules: Arthur can't show his soulmark to anyone, isn't allowed to look for them, and is forbidden from spending enough time with them to form a bond. For Merlin, Arthur breaks all three.

Offerings, Magic, and Hot Chocolate by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, Modern with Magic, snow, hot chocolate, friendship Summary: Merlin and Morgana visit a Druid shrine deep in the heart of winter.

Never Trust the Lizard by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon divergence, Arthur has magic, bamf Morgana, angst and hurt/comfort, adventure Summary: While Arthur learns how to wield his new powerful magic, Morgana has a new "friend": the dragon. Only, the dragon has slightly dubious ideas when it comes to magic and revenge.

I Bet You Do by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, Canon Era, Good Morgana, Bets, First Kiss Summary: Arthur's suggestion may not help him win, but Merlin's not complaining...

It's a long way to Tipperary by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, sports, skiing, humor, idiots in love Summary: Merlin is on a winter holiday with Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Elena, and Mithian. And he's feeling like a charity case. Or, Arthur is a prat with a hot arse, Merlin doesn't know how to ski, and the Alps are really nice. Especially if you have money.

Spirited by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Hurt/Comfort, The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, Established Relationship, Arthur knows about Merlin's magic, Uther finds out about Merlin's magic Summary: Merlin and Arthur banish a ghost.

Wicked Days by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death Major tags: Canon Divergence, Angst, Memory magic, Magic reveal Summary: What would have happened if Merlin managed to heal Uther in The Wicked Day? He would probably be executed.

sacrifices (freely given; intolerable) by queerofthedagger Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Episode S1E13: Le Morte D'Arthur, Role Reversal, Protective Arthur, Hurt/Comfort Summary: The Questing Beast injures Merlin, not Arthur. This changes nothing, and it changes just about everything.

The Emrys Family by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply, Dark comedy involving creepy stuff Major tags: Modern AU with magic, dark comedy, fluff and humor, found family Summary: Arthur meets Merlin when one day, he sits with him in class. He's pale, and he has sharp teeth. "Merlin Hades Loki Emrys," he introduces himself. "Want an eyeball?"

Lost and Found on Halloween by Sage_Owl Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, reincarnation, Halloween, modern era, blind date Summary: Morgana and Gwen set Merlin up on a blind date on Halloween. This has unintended consequences.

Stockholm Syndrome by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Warnings: stockholm syndrome Major tags: angst, canon era, modern era, stockholm syndrome, anger Summary: Merlin loved Arthur, didn’t he? Or was that just a way of coping with everything?

It's Christmastime (Again) by Sage_Owl Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Christmastime fluff, getting together, mutual pining, New Year's Summary: Merlin spends a week at Arthur's cabin for the lead-up to New Year's, and gets a lot more out of it than he expected.

don't you love the way (I drag you down) by queerofthedagger Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon Divergence, Merlin's Magic Revealed, UST, Angry Kissing Summary: They have never been good at talking, exactly, but if anyone had asked Arthur how he thought this would go, the answer would not have been magic, a dagger, and the release of year-old tension.

Making New Memories by chaosgenes Rating: Mature Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Angst, Comfort, Fluff sort of, Past Abuse, BDSM elements Summary: Arthur finds a red collar in Merlin’s closet and thinks of the worst.

you and me, and baby makes three by Sage_Owl Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fluff, canon AU, married, mpreg, blankets Summary: Married Merthur fluff. Enjoy!

A Heart is Made to Ache, Break and Heal by royal_spud Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: Magic reveal, unhinged Merlin, angst, emotional constipation, love Summary: Merlin's always been the kindest among them, barely able to stand the sight of a dead rabbit. He despised violence and loathed hunting. And flinched at the sound of clanging metal. But when a sorcerer snatches the king and his knights from their bedchambers one calm night, and forces them all to watch him as he rampaged everything and everyone in his way as he searched of them, well kept secrets come spilling out; leaving them to wonder just how well they knew who Merlin was. If he was the same person who smiled as bright as the sun and sung to himself and made flower crowns. The person they'd known, and adored, and some had even grown to love. Or if he was someone else entirely

The crinkle of the leaves by Laevateinn Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Moodboard, Leaves, First Time, Canon era, Autumn Summary: Arthur wanted to get out of the castle for a few hours, so he decided to go on a walk in the forest, taking Merlin with him.

Dies Irae by TyalanganD Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply, Internalized homophobia, religious imagery, homophobic language and practices, non-graphic self harm, discussed/referenced non-con/underage, panic attack, disordered eating, minor character death, mental breakdown, nightmares Major tags: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Catholic Guilt, Internalized Homophobia, Misunderstandings Summary: Merlin is a young parish priest in Cam, Ireland. One day, after a funeral for one of his parishioners, he meets Uther and Arthur Pendragon, who came into the village for the occasion. He doesn't know that this meeting will completely change his life.

Something Filling by Sage_Owl Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Fairytale AU, baking, flirting, fluff and smut Summary: The Prince has a craving he can never satisfy. Then, he meets Emrys, and finds his hunger may have a cure...

Felix Culpa by queerofthedagger Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU, Lawyers, Breaking Up & Making Up, Angry Sex, Light Angst Summary: It is bad form to hook up with the competition; it is worse form to keep hooking up with your ex. Somehow, Merlin's questionable life choices might lead to something good—great, even—anyway.

An Instruction on the Virtue of Patience by queerofthedagger Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon Era, Porn without Plot, Orgasm Control Summary: Merlin is of the opinion that Arthur needs to learn some manners; Arthur is the opposite of complaining about the employed methods.

Disrespect The Dead by MerthurAllure Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: PWP, Teenagers, Anal Fingering, First Time, Getting Together Summary: Merlin convinces Gwaine to join him for a half-assed seance in the cemetery. When they get caught, Merlin has to face the consequences.

[ao3feed-merlin]

Tipping Point

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3phnOSK

by rageynerd

When Merlin, Arthur, and the knights get captured by the Highway Hitman, a criminal they were meant to apprehend and bring back to Camelot, it becomes very clear that he wants something nobody is willing to give. In the struggle that follows, Merlin's secret is revealed.

or, Arthur nearly gets tortured, and Merlin loses his shit.

Words: 3456, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 9 of Merlin Drabbles, Snippets, and One-Shots

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Original Male Character(s)

Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Season/Series 05, BAMF Merlin (Merlin), but like he's still soft boi, Protective Merlin (Merlin), King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Minor Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), mentioned in passing - Freeform, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), this post did a complete 180, started as a crack post, ended up being real serious for a min, ended up being a crack post anyways, Attempt at Humor, mentions of torture, flaying, Canon-Typical Violence, it's clear what was attempted but he didn't actually get very far so it's not really graphic, Light Angst, but like not even - Freeform, Getting Together, implied happy ending

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3phnOSK