Merlin Bookshelf

Welcome to the Merlin Bookshelf! Feel free to drop an ask if you need help finding a fic and we'll do our best to help. You may also submit your favourite fics to us which we will (eventually!) read. Go to the 'tags' page (linked) to help navigate the blog. For mobile users: Tags

[lionheartlibrary]

DAY 5: FAKING A RELATIONSHIP FOR CHRISMTAS

No Matter How Far Away You Roam

Author: lady_ragnell

Rating: Explicit

Setting: ModernAU

Word Count: 12k

Summary: “I was wondering if you might come home with me.” Merlin stops mid-rant and stares at him, and then down at his panini again, and back at Arthur. This is a panini of lies and pain. He can tell already. “For Christmas? I’ve got an uncle and a mother and a sister waiting for me at home, in case you hadn’t remembered, I’m not going home with you just because you’re a workaholic.”“No, it’s. My mum might be under the impression that we’re a little bit married.” In which Merlin gets conned into spending Christmas with Arthur’s family and pretending to be his husband, because somehow this is his life.

Comment: The dynamics and relationships between all of the characters, specially Arthur’s family, is what makes this story stand out a little from all the rest. It’s funny, moving, and full of family feels; plus the sexual tension between Merlin and Arthur can be cut with a knife. Enjoy!

[wallmakerrelict]

I love giving and receiving fic reviews, but for a long time the whole process of writing a review used to be very fraught because I wanted to show my appreciation but I didn’t want to leave a generic “Loved this, please write more!” like every other comment the author had already gotten and was probably sick of. (Note - as an author, we do not get sick of these comments. We do not get sick of any comments.) But I figured something out a while ago and I figured I’d share it. How to leave a good comment on a fic: PICK A LINE.

Literally any line. Pick it as you’re reading. If a phrase or a sentence or a paragraph jumps out at you, highlight it and hit Ctrl+C. Then save that puppy until the comment section, paste it in, and let the author know why you liked it.

“___” My favorite line, it was hilarious!

“___” I’m gonna cry! Poor Character B!

“___” That is totally something Character A would say.

“___” omg this totally sums up their whole relationship, doesn’t it?

I’m a writer who is friends with a lot of writers. I have never met a writer who didn’t fucking love this. Worried that you’re not leaving a comprehensive review? It’s okay. Tell the author about the five-word sentence that you loved in their 10K word fic, and they will glow. I’m telling you this is foolproof. Take the stress out of commenting. Pick a line. Make a writer’s day.

[fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment]

Also true for times that a friend asks you to read their work, and you want to be supportive!

Any time that you are reviewing/editing/just trying to give somebody a boost, being specific shows that a) you were really paying attention b) what in particular you liked (feedback is always great!) c) if the writer is shy about praise, something specific is harder for them to brush off as someone ‘just being nice’.

Support your fellow writers!   

[lesbianrustcohle]

I still can’t believe that fanfiction is free

I sometimes have to pay for water, but with a phone and some wifi, I get to read whole novels about my favorite characters for exactly zero additional dollars

How goddamn rad is that

[shockblanketnightmares-deactiva]

all the love to the fanfic authors who make this possible, y'all are the best

[merlinfic]

Hey everyone! Here is a quick, and by no means comprehensive, list filled with fluffy goodness to start out the new year. If there is a fic anyone would like added please let me know! Enjoy!

Canon:

A Cherry Without Any Stone by Shinybug

A Destiny Foretold by QueenofCamelot

All Is Semblative by Whitefox

Assumptions by wrtrs_blck

Bed, Wed, Behead by boywholivednotdied

The Bedwarmer and the Reluctant Prince by Magnolia822

Bucket up, all for Luck by ImperialMint

Cafall by xaritomene

Cariad by bravenclawesome

Celebrations by i_claudia

Change in Crowns by derekstilinski

The Coming of Spring by ingberry

Dark and Cold, the Nights We Stole by sassafrasx

Educating Arthur by shadowglove88

Favorite by astolat

Five Kisses by kianspo

Fools of Us All by adelagia

forget me not (and I’ll remember) by bravenclawesome

Forming the Lines by alcove_words

The Hardest Lessons by Regann

I’m Colourblind, Kid by brbsoulnomming

In Want of a Wife by syllic

Incentive Plan by lamardeuse

Lust Letters by ureshiiichigo

The Magic of Love by platonic_boner

Millions of Peaches by Dira Sudis

Neither Fish Nor Fowl by adelagia

Prince Arthur’s Flowerbed by melblue

Revealed by Destina

Run Away by Twentythreefandoms

Signs by sassafrasx

Some Private Hour by srin

That Awkward Age by i_know_its_0ver

The Three Stages of Attraction to Merlin by SassyWarlock

The Weight of Words by Waldorph

Wielding Only Blades of Grass by SkewedReality

Modern AU:

A Bit Like Love by inadaze22

All I Want for Christmas (Is You) by dreamdustmama

An Inconvenient Time of Day by bevinkathryn

And This Is How I See You by Emjayelle

The Authoritative Guide on Being the Bloke by writeonclara

The Brighton Ice Cream Parlour by rotrude

By Invitation Only by Capriccio

Chance Meetings and Less Chance Events by rotrude

Coffeeshop Muffins by skellerbvvt

The Dare by Seravia

Driving Lessons by hermette

Drugstore Flowers by lady_ragnell

Down To Earth (The Hardest Match) by sweetiejelly

For Your Information by reni_days

I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone by LadyTauriel

I Need An Adultier Adult to Successfully Adult by Pendragons Dragonlord

I Owe You a Love Song by lady_ragnell

I Think You Dropped Something (You Bought Roses) by Hisa_Ai

I’ve Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea… by jesusonaunicycle

In Love With My Radio by Lunchee

It Takes Two To Tandem by ingberry

It’s a match by Fletcher

It’s Warm Enough in My Arms by SPowell

Listen, Learn by Anonymous

Lord Drake’s Bequest by Pennyplainknits

Love, Toast, and Post-It Notes by themadlurker

Maybe We Were Coming All Along by sassafrasx

Meet Me in Gay Paris by phunkthisnoise and arid_hugs

Misdialed by crazyforthisloki

More Than Just Pillows by cherrybina

My Density Has Brought Me To You by ingberry

Nine Weddings and a Funeral by giselleslash

No Matter How Far Away You Roam by lady_ragnell

Of Dragonbabies and Noblemen by Elveatas (Ricecake)

One-Across Four Letters Starts With ‘L’ by Emjayelle

One-Hundred and Twenty Four by Nahara

The Pendragon Guide to How Not to Date by definewisdom

Post-it Note Romance by fuzzytomato

The Proper Use of Blankets by mabyn and spaceAltie

The Seduction Predicament by ingberry

Settled by glim

Shabby Not Chic by nomical

Shall Be No More Cakes and Ale by bevinkathryn

Snapshots (Dearly Beloved) by Bohemia

So It Seems by helloearthlings

Spartacus and the Open Taxi Door by fuzzytomato

Somehow, like that by Anonymous

Ten Foolproof Steps on How to Seduce a Man by writeonclara

The Three Times Arthur Failed At Romancing Merlin, And The One Time He Didn’t by claimedbydaryl

Tree Trunks and Broken Peanut Butter Jars by MaliciousSherlock5

The Tulip Thief by Polomonkey

Twelve Days of Christmas by snottygrrl

Until You Do (I’ll Bring You Tea and Honey) by TheAvalonian

The Unintentional Wooing Skills of Arthur Pendragon by giselleslash

The Wall of Arthur by supercalvin

We Duel At Dawn by clotpolesonly

What Child Is This by lamardeuse

when the truth comes out by ingberry

You Are Something (I’m Good At) by tourdefierce

[merlinbookshelf]

Hi! I was wondering if you could find a fic I lost a while ago. I remember reading it on ff. An enemy sorcerer binds Merlin to him using a pendant, and captures Camelot temporarily using Merlin and his magic as his own weapon. Merlin's basically a blank shell, waiting for orders. There's one part where Merlin and the sorcerer's consciousness get trapped in this empty, white dimension, but their bodies remain standing frozen in the hall. For the life of me I can't find it. Please and thanks!

I'm really sorry but I never use ff. because I don't really understand how the site works :( 

I tried a google search with merlin fanfiction "pendant" "binding" as the search and it came up with a few but none that specifically met your description but it would be a start :)

Sorry!!!

[tinypuffling]

There’s Snow This Christmas || Loonyfish 

Summary: It’s Christmas morning and “ARTHUR IT’S SNOWING!”

Word Count: 700 

Rating: General

Type: Fic

Prompts used: Picture prompt and lyric prompt :D

[lionheartlibrary]

What are you favourite College Merthur fics - whether the boys are professors or students? Thanks.

Oh that’s so hard! 5 of my favourite student stories are:

Heartbreaks, Secret Friends, and Stupid Doodles

Laundry Letters

Love, Toast, And Post It Notes

Possibly Maybe I’m Falling For You

The Student Prince

5 of my favourite professor stories are:

Love In The Time of Scholar

Not Quite Hogwarts

The Romance of Merlin

Things Fall Apart

We Can Fall (But The Fall Won’t Hurt Us)

[merlinbookshelf]

Happy Halloween! || dragonflyMerri

Rating: general Word Count: 4060 Type: modern!au 

Summary: The props department is hosting a Halloween Party, and Jenny from Make-up, Rene from Costume and Marie, a 2nd A/D have something very special planned for the talent show….if they can just get a certain TV star to agree. (Bradley is confused, Angel and Katie think he’s nuts and Colin….well, Colin…..)

Comment: this is one of the funniest things I've ever read, it makes me cry it's so good! But it's slightly halloween-y so it fits the holiday ;) enjoy!

~ Sophie

[merlinbookshelf]

The Day Before the Rest of Your Life || marguerite_26

Rating: explicit Word Count: 2500 Type: modern!au 

Summary: Before Arthur gets married, Gwaine thinks there’s something he should face about himself.

Comment: wow this is hot. Superdooper brilliant though! Gwaine made the right choice here and I would love a sequel about what happened the next day! 

~ Sophie

[merlinbookshelf]

Hi! I was wondering if you knew any good fic's where Merlin and Arthur meet online? I can't seem to find any :/ Thanks a bunch!

Hey! Yes I can indeed help you with this list, I love this trope!

Game Play || peachchild

Social Networking Encourages Stalkerish Tendencies || SecretForKeeps

Best Intention Aside || derryere

It’s the Merlin and Arthur Format || anon

Pairing Pendragon/Merlin || anon

this turned into something about christmas || derekstilinski

Entertain me || andiwould

Hope these start you off okay! 

~ Sophie

[cabbageheadrecs]

A list for one of my favourite tropes—SLAVERY—made on a whim. ★ has been added to the stories I personally loved (and might do a rec for), but this trope is relatively not as popular in the fandom, so read them all!

Reminder: Please remember to read the author’s warnings on each fic so as to avoid your own triggers. There are both lighter and darker takes on the trope in this list.

Read More

[avalonslibrary]

September Rec List: Fake Dating!

One of our personal favorite tropes is fake dating. We love when our boys get caught up in this lie and then slowly fall for each other. So in honor of FALL (we’re hilarious!), please enjoy our favorite fake dating stories!

Art by ggns

All for the Pitch by Waanderlust

All the Wooing is Done by pizzara

An Exchange of Favours by SPowell

Arthur’s Scandal by digthewriter

Balance by tetsubinatu

Best Man by lamardeuse

Burn and Shine by lady_ragnell

Change in Crowns by derekstilinski

Couple’s Exclusive by SPowell

CORE by rotrude

Crash Into Me by FaeryQueen07

Despoiled by astolat

The Escort by Cheeky dragon

An Exchange of Favours by SPowell

For A While by eldee

For Worse of For Better by anna_zee

Ford of Ferdia by aa_fic

The Great Pretender isn’t Just the Title of a Pretender’s Song by rotrude

The Good Times Are Killing Me by Anon

I’ll Be the World’s Worst Possible Date by rotrude

Laws of Attraction by ChristyCorr

Let Them See Me Low by sophinisba

Life isn’t a Movie, Merlin by waitingtobewritten

Lord Drake’s Bequest by pennyplainkitts

Lover, Hey, Fuck You by snakesinthetardis

Laundry Letters by dysonrules

Marriage is What you Make it by writteninhaste

No Matter How Far Away You Roam by Lady_ragnell

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing by karuvapatta

Something New, Something Blue by iamee

Stalking the stalker by bunnysworld

The Play’s the Thing by shinybug

The Practice Boyfriend by giselleslash

This is Why (the Dictionary Invented the Word No) by morcalivan

Remember When Money Bought Love by neuroticnick

The Reunion by Little_dhampisr

Until You Do (I’ll Bring You Tea and Honey) by the Avalonian

V is for Valentine’s by millieee

Woods for the Trees by hackthis

BONUS: Merlin/Gwaine fake relationship to make Arthur super jealous: Over You by Thursday_Next

[merlinbookshelf]

To 'celebrate' the start of the new school year I thought I'd make a high school/university!au list! Enjoy!

High School!Au's

Seasons || lolafeist

After school special || tourdefierce

40 days and 40 fights || dayari

Teenage Dream || tourdefierce

Avalon Hall, Room 302 || trinaest

Past these country lines || lady_ragnell

Stop watching || footloose

Coming up || Thursday_Next

(art) It All Started in Detention || disco_mouse 

The Detention King of Avalon High || magnolia822

In Arthur’s Defence, Merlin Really Was Rather Cute || thecheekydragon

As Good As It’s Going to Get || propinatio

Small Weird Love || Emjayelle

Everything You Want is Wrong || I_know_its_0ver

Bent (out of shape) || anonymous

University!Au's

The Kind of Queens || pickitup

Like It's 1999 || lolafeist

The Reason that I Laugh and Breathe || Glim

Easy There || syllic

Thins Fall Apart || Frantic

Crash Into Me || mysecretashes

We Can Fall (but the fall can't hurt us) || Glim

Five Moments in the Life of Arthur Pendragon, St. Albion Student and Sleep-Deprived Boyfriend of Merlin || agenttrojie

My Density Has Brought Me To You || ingberry

Square One || bloodsongs

Just Dance || okydoky

You're my Stress and You're my Masseuse || SlantedKnitting

[merlinbookshelf]

His Voice and His Smile || pixieblues

Rating: Teen Word Count: 2900 Type: modern!au 

Summary: In which Arthur and Merlin drink coffee, Merlin plays the guitar and sings, and Arthur falls in love. Written for charma_10 's birthday! Her prompt was ‘Merlin is a solo, acoustic, reasonably alternative music artist and plays guitar and Arthur meets him having coffee before he goes up on stage at the coffee house.’

Comment: oh this was super adorable! Merlin's a wonderful musician and Arthur is so Arthur I love him! Plus super over protective Will is fantastic too 

~ Sophie

[merlinsfests]

Merlin Writers: Monthly Theme Challenge

[merlinbookshelf]

Injury & Illness: please share your prompts, stories, art, graphics, and more based on the monthly theme!

[merlinpodfic]

15-30 DAYS LEFT UNTIL PODFIC POSTING BEGINS!

Just a friendly reminder that you still have 15 days before the posting dates for the Merlin Out Loud Podfic Bang officially begins. You can post anytime between September 15th to September 30th, but don’t leave things until the last minute!

I’ve already made an AO3 collection for you to post your podfic to, but please try not to post it before the 15th or after the 30th.

KC and I are super excited to see what you’ve all made!

[lionheartlibrary]

Crush’d (The Sitterfic)

Summary: In which Mordred is Morgana’s 7 year old son, Merlin is her (terribly cute) housekeeper/babysitter, and Arthur is over all the time because he’s hopelessly in love with him.

Kiss Of Life (or, Arthur Has A Lot Of Feelings)

Summary: Arthur looked at him in shock. For the briefest second he felt a flash of annoyance. Because here was Arthur, vehemently trying to deny his feelings for Merlin, trying to get over him and let them just be friends; and here was Merlin, crying because he couldn’t save all the orphaned kittens in the world. For a second, Arthur was competely furious with the fact that Merlin was so compassionate, that he was so caring and ridiculously big hearted. And then Arthur was just hopelessly in love with it.

No Business Like Show Business

Summary: In which Merlin is promoted from production intern to talent, is easily mortified, and has Post-It arguments with Arthur while the art department watches in glee. Also, there are gay dragons.

Reversal of Fortune

Summary: Wherein Arthur is not the rich boss, and Merlin is not the assistant.

The Heart’s Search

Summary: For thirty-five girls/boys, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Arthur. But for Merlin Emrys, being Selected is a nightmare. Leaving his home to enter a fierce competition for a crown he doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.