Warning: Tentacles

PSA: merlin_holidays sign ups are open.

Recs:

Keep Me Close by nachte Arthur/Merlin [NSFW, non-explicit, light bondage]
THIS. AJGKDFJGLDFJGFD SO HOT.

Moonlit Hours by achelseabee Arthur/Merlin [WS]
Made my heart flutter. *happy sigh*

Ocean of Secrets (NSFW) by amphigoury Arthur/Merlin [NSFW, warnings]
Reel_Merlin Prompt: Titanic (1997) so.... you know. mind your heart. but oh god, so good.

On The Beach by alby_mangroves Arthur/Merlin [WS]
The look on their faces... THEIR FACES. just... that’s my OTP right there. <3

And I’m still making my way through Merlin Big Bangs. :)

dreams for wings and wanderers by Etharei
Merlin/Arthur (66k) [NC-17]
Summary: Dragons are feared and mistrusted throughout Albion, and there are very few of them left in Camelot, for Uther’s long campaign against magic also included hunting down all the dragons in the wild. Now, Camelot is recovering from the invasion of Cenred and Morgause's army. Prince Arthur is the one in charge, and Merlin finds out that his secret regular visits to the covert haven't been very secret at all. There's a great deal of manly bonding with the Knights, inquisitive dragons being inquisitive, and a record-breaking number of near-death experiences for Merlin. And this is before he gets his very own dragon. (A Merlin/Temeraire fusion.)

I don’t know the fandom that this is fusioned with, but I LOVE this verse. DRAGONS. So many dragons with all different personalities and traits. The whole world of Camelot built with dragons used in battle now and the ‘lost’ history of how dragons were used before is really well done. I enjoyed seeing each character led itself to this new world. Fascinating read.

With lovely art to accompany the fic that isalso found here by reni_m. I particularly liked the chapter number dragons.

This Silly Ol' Dance (Is Perfect For Two) by slantedknitting Merlin/Arthur [NC-17] 80k
Summary: Arthur is young, gorgeous, talented, and captain of one of the best football teams in England; his life should be perfect. But he can't keep a girlfriend for more than a few months, and it's not just because he isn't ready to settle down. When his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he has a rough night at the pub and has to be dragged home by his neighbour, Merlin. Merlin is an archivist, a Ph.D student, and he hates football almost as much as he hates Arthur. They both have their own reasons for not wanting to spend time with each other, but after that disastrous night, remaining silent neighbors doesn't seem like much of an option anymore.

I love the idea of Arthur being a Beckham style footballer, modelling and interviews and the ‘face’ of the team. And how all that plays into needing to stay in the closet. And the psychological damage himself has. Merlin and his gang of quirky friends are adorable, as are Arthur’s supportive footie mates. A really fun read.

With gorgeous art by achelseabee


Step By Step by eldee [NC-17] (67k)
Summary:The Knights: A Boy Band. (Or, rather, the ten year span of how Arthur Pendragon discovers who he truly is by going from teen idol to solo sensation, maintaining friendships with his Knights and close staff, inheriting a musical empire, and happening to find his #1 fan, best friend, and eventual love along the way.)

having been a huge NKOTB fan when I was a wee little girl and um... all that entailed (I shipped me/Jordan Knight so hard) this fic was like a trip through memory lane. I loved the journey here that Arthur took as his band grew in popularity and we watched him and all his bandmates grow up and start their own lives and finally find themselves again. The ‘mystery’ of Arthur’s mothers death and existence of the Old Religion in this Mod. AU added delightful depth. Another really fun read.

As much as I think all PL art add something really special to the reading of the big bangs, the art in this fic (by gwyntastic) makes the fic really come alive in readers minds. They can be viewed separately here but really, they deserve to be looked at while reading the fic. :)

Continua by roamercorridors Merlin/Arthur [NC-17] (35k)
Warnings: Infidelity, angst, dub-con, some slight non-con, sex magic, addiction, lots and lots of sex.
Summary: Modern AU with magic. Sex or die curse. They've had this arrangement for years now and it works. For Arthur, it's a duty, one he used to enjoy but doesn't anymore, and for Merlin, it's just something he has to do, like eating reasonably healthy food and getting enough sleep. The sex is part of their routines, a secret neither of them admits to anyone else, especially not to their partners. But maybe there is someone out there who can help them. And maybe, when faced with losing their connection, Merlin and Arthur start to rekindle a latent flame.

This is one of the hottest fics I’ve read in a long time. It totally worked for me. All of it. Mind the warnings on this fic, they are all very true. Especially the ‘lots and lots of sex’ part. ;) But seriously, this fic is not for everyone as both Merlin and Arthur are cheating on their significant others throughout this fic, though they have little choice about it because if they stop Merlin will die. The concept is treated realistically, with both of them steeped in guilt because of the cheating and all the sex that they have no choice but to have and the guilt only increases because they enjoy it. It’s a wonderful balance of lust and guilt and need. They were happy together before the curse but the curse itself (and the power imbalance in their relationship... essentially Arthur holding Merlin’s life in the balance) drove them apart. The whole fic is achey beautiful as they dance around each other, jealous and full of secrets and a love that never quite left despite the strain of the curse. It’s pretty amazing that essentially 35k of sex managed to remain tense and hot. I couldn’t put it down.

(NWS) art by xarenna is fabulous!

More paperlegends recs:

Catch Me A Catch by giselleslash Arthur/Merlin, Gwaine/Elena [Nc-17] (33k)
Summary: Modern AU, Merlin uses his magic to work as a magical matchmaker. Elena is a customer hoping to snag Arthur Pendragon but things don’t go exactly as planned. Gwaine is there to be Merlin's always helpful, nearly always shirtless, neighbor.

A perfectly charming modern AU. I like Merlin and Elena’s friendship, quite adorable. And Merlin and Arthur’s instant attraction is very erotic and works for me in this world of ‘soul mates’ that connect at a magical level. Gwaine and Elena make for an excellent parallel story playing out while everyone tries to figure out how to get the one they want.

The art for this fic by achelseabee is just wonderfully done. It has that same light romantic feel that the entire fic has.



The Dragon Within by gfeather Arthur/Merlin [Pg-13] (50k)
Summary: In the aftermath of the Great Dragon’s attack on Camelot, the city is left with the enormous task of recovering from all it has lost. Left a broken man by the loss of Morgana and Kigharrah’s fiery rampage, Uther’s rule begins to fail. Arthur finds himself struggling to hold the kingdom together while Merlin slowly begins to discover all that becoming a Dragonlord entails.

I loved this divergence from canon. It’s a great moment to split off. Merlin becoming a Dragonlord is such a huge moment in the show and yet we’ve had so little exploration of it in the show besides Merlin chatting with the dragon and calling him kin. I love creature fics too, so this really worked for me. I thought the characterisation all around was great. And the timing allowed for the beginning of Morgana’s descent to occur but we aren’t sure where the author is going with her story, which after S2x13 it could have gone any which way.

The stunning art by altocello is spoilery, but gorgeous whether you look at it before or after.

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So... the Merlin Big Bang has begun. Always an AMAZING time of year. Also a time of year when sleep becomes optional and coffee becomes essential. I'll be doing my best to give every fic a try, though I might jump around and save certain fics for when I'm in a different mood and such. But I'll definitely be sharing the thoughts of my favourites through rambling recs. (as always).

I'll be tagging posts appropriately so track/block as you like. ;)

Let's begin:

We Are Stardust by fuzzytomato02 Arthur/Merlin [NC-17] (43k)
Warnings: Violence, Aspects of Mind Control (non-sexual)
Summary: The crew of the merchant ship Avalon are a good lot if a little odd. The captain, Morgana, has weird dreams. The first mate, Arthur, is an unpleasant ex-lieutenant of the Phoenix Guard. The ship itself is falling apart. When they take on a new engineer named Merlin at Tintagel drift to help with repairs, they not only get a genius, they get much more than they bargained for.

This is not a Firefly/Serenity fic. It’s not a crossover or a fusion. There are many elements that are very Firefly-like, but in no way should people who haven’t seen Firefly feel excluded from this, but for me, I enjoyed the feel of one of my favourite show sneaking through. Rather than trying to take Firefly and shove Merlin characters into roles that didn’t quite fit (classic fusion mistake) this fic keeps Merlin character ‘in character’ and places them in a setting inspired by Firefly: the future space!au world building and the eclectic crew who form a tight-knit group, all with their own secrets. The whole thing translates so well. The fic is fast paced, never dragged down by the details of the future and politics. All the details are given, but with a deft hand as the story progresses. An absolute joy to read from beginning to end.

With (mildly spoilery) art by amphigoury. Art is fucking GORGEOUS. Love the emotion and storytelling in each piece. As always, amph’s colours and lines are so lovely. The art is embedded in the fic, so you can enjoy while you are reading. or check out the Art Masterpost