scruffy pendragon fest

Once a low-pressure fest, now a fandom space for sharing fanworks inspired by Arthur's alt!s4 look. Full credit goes to Dale McCready's Merlin Archive for the wonderful BTS pics!

[merlinktober]

An official unofficial prompt list for anyone interested in doing Merlinktober this year! I’ve tried to keep them similar to the official Inktober prompt list, so if you want, you can use that one for inspiration as well. Happy creating!

Text version under the cut. With thanks to @lefayart, who came up with the 2019 list last year.

Keep reading

[winterknights]

Winter Knights 2020!

What is Winter Knights?

Winter Knights is a Merlin Fandom prompt based fest for the winter holidays - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Traditional Yule, Winter Solstice, or New Years celebrations are all welcome!

What are the requirements?

❄ All submissions must have a theme of any holiday held during December

❄  Submissions can be any rating, any pairing/moresome, and any genre

❄  All content is allowed, providing it is properly warned for.

❄  Fic submissions must be at least 500 words long with no maximum word limit

❄  Art can be any of the following: Traditional art (pencil, painting, digital etc.), photo manipulations, graphics or handmade crafts e.g Christmas tree ornaments. We also welcome podfic, fanmixes, and more. If you have a question about what is allowed, please just ask!

How can I participate?

❄ You can participate by leaving a prompt or creating for the fest. Or both! ❄ Prompting opens today (10 September 2020), if you have a prompt, feel free to leave it here ❄ Prompts are available for use by everyone and can be used by multiple participants (though you are free to create an entry based on your own ideas rather than using a prompt) ❄ You can participate in the fest by through registering your interest on the sign-up post on September 18 and giving an indication if you will submit Fic, Art or Other. Sign ups will close one week before entries are due

❄ For further information regarding how to submit your entry and other guidelines, please check out the Guidelines and Rules.

What’s the schedule?

❄ Prompting Opens: September 10

❄ Signups: September 18

❄ Check-in/Drafts Due: November 25

❄ Posting Starts: December 1

[tavernfest]

Introducing…

The Tavern: a BBC Merlin prompt challenge server! 

For those of you who remember Tavern Tales on LJ, The Tavern runs along similar lines, but with a slightly different structure and a more social aspect. We post a new theme/prompt challenge every 3 months and host a separate, low-key mini-fest each quarter, but all challenges are opt-in and you’re welcome to stop by just to chat if you prefer (18+ only). 

Follow us here on @tavernfest​ or check out our blog for the Discord link. We hope to see you there!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

MARGINALIA

Creator: schweet_heart ( AO3 | tumblr ) Rating: Explicit Length/Medium: 12,455 words Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): Brief mentions of war and associated violence/injuries (largely off-screen). Summary:

Arthur returns home after a long campaign with scruffy hair and a beard, and Merlin has mixed feelings about it. As Arthur settles back into life in Camelot, however, both he and Merlin discover that sometimes change is for the better (and sometimes it can be a lot of fun).

Written for @scruffypendragon-fest​ / @merthurglompfest​ 2020 (gift for @gaylienz​).

Read it here!

Excerpt:

“I’ve been taught how to fight for as long as I can remember,” he said, picking his words carefully. He knew Merlin was listening, although his gaze was focused on some point in the middle distance. “And one thing I’ve learned is that it’s not just about winning the battle, it’s about how you do it, and what it is you’re fighting for. I didn’t go to war with Lot because I wanted to; I did it because it was the right thing to do, to protect Camelot and her people and to save the people of Escetir from exploitation. But if I had been able to take Escetir with magic—if I could have done so without a single drop of blood being shed…what would there be to stop me from doing it again?”

“There’d be me,” Merlin said at once. “I’d stop you.”

“Would you?” Arthur looked at him, tilting his head to one side. “Would you really? If it meant your mother’s village, for example, would be safe from Kanen and his men, or if another village was free from Lot’s depredations; would you stop me then, if you thought the cause was just?”

Merlin was silent, looking down at his hands. Arthur sighed and leaned against him.

“I know you mean well,” he said. “I know you just want to make things easier for me, and to help me keep the people of Camelot safe. And maybe it would even work, for a while. But you know as well as I do that at some point it would stop being about protecting others and start being about protecting the throne, preserving my power, no matter how just and righteous you believed my use of it to be.” He pressed a kiss to the tender spot behind Merlin’s ear—marvellous, magical Merlin, who was meant for far better things than being the blunt instrument of Arthur’s authority. “Some things in life should not be easy.”

They stayed like that for a long time, watching the shadows lengthen across the grass. The boots, in their staggering rows, had become little more than drunken silhouettes by the time Merlin stood up and said, 

“Well, chasing around after you definitely isn’t easy, that’s for sure.” He held out a hand to Arthur, whose muscles had gone stiff from sitting so long in the chill, and helped him to his feet as well, smiling a little when Arthur made a show of shaking out his joints. “Come on, then. If you’re not going to let me fight with you in battle, the least you can do is let me take care of you when you’re at home.”

Read the rest here!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

Secret of Change, Chapter Two

Creator: afreezingnote (ao3)/unmarkedinlife (tumblr) Rating: Explicit Length/Medium: Chapter Two - 8,085/13,450 wip fic total Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur/Gwen Warning(s): N/A Summary: Cultural shifts begin in Camelot when Arthur is named prince regent. Arthur’s appearance is an added outward difference as the kingdom adjusts to the governance of a new ruler, the removal of the rule limiting knighthood to nobles, and the idea that one day a commoner might be queen. When a lazy morning kiss leads to a string of love confessions and revealed secrets, even more change will come. Or the Scruffy Arthur fic that has the shaving scene with a twist. Alternatively, the one where Merlin teaches Arthur how to eat a girl out.

Excerpt from Chapter Two:  “This may be too bold a question,” Merlin said, “but do you ever ‘take care of it yourself,’ as Arthur put it?” “Merlin, you can’t ask a lady that!” Arthur punctuated his indignation by rolling atop Merlin and instigating a playful tussle. “We are to be her lovers!” Merlin retorted. He made only a token effort to free himself from Arthur’s hold. “And besides, women are not mysterious creatures without needs. You touch yourself. I touch myself. Is it so unbelievable that—” Gwen interceded by cuffing them both with a cushion. “I do,” she said. Two words may never have arrested so much attention as quickly in the annals of language.  “Mmm, yeah?” Merlin prompted. “Yeah,” Gwen said, averting her eyes under their scrutiny. “How do you do it?” Merlin asked. Gwen bit her lip and looked up at them shyly. “Perhaps it would be easier to show you?” Read on ao3

[kinkalot]

Details to follow - Watch this space! 👀👀  Also find us on Livejournal | Dreamwidth

[scruffypendragon-fest]

Creator: schweet_heart Rating: Explicit Length/Medium: WIP (Chapter 3 of 4) Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): References to off-screen minor character death. Summary: Arthur returns home after a long campaign to discover that his appearance isn’t the only thing that has changed in Camelot. Fortunately, he has Merlin to help him navigate the transition.

[scruffypendragon-fest]

NOW OPEN FOR GENERAL SUBMISSIONS!

Now that the fest is over, we will no longer be posting scruffy!Arthur submissions to this blog. The good news, however, is that you can do it yourself! 

If you didn’t manage to meet the deadline for whatever reason, you’re in the middle of a WIP, or you just plain want to continue creating scruffy!Arthur content (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), you’re welcome to hit the submit button and share your work with us here. We even have a brand new AO3 Subcollection just for you!

Remember, any and all scruffy!Arthur fanworks are welcome. Just please make sure you follow the submission guidelines and tag your posts appropriately. 

We look forward to seeing what you come up with! 

[scruffypendragon-fest]

MASTER POST: Week 7

That’s a wrap, folks!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the fest — whether by submitting fanwork, commenting, liking, reblogging or leaving kudos. You guys are the best! I’d also like to give a special shout-out to those who submitted multiple scruffy!Arthur works over the past 7 weeks; the fest wouldn’t have been the same without your efforts 😘

This week, we received a whopping 18 submissions, bringing the final tally to 75 fanworks for the fest in total (if you’re following along, then I’m including a collaborative work as 2 separate contributions). 

Now that the posting is done, it’s a great time to get caught up on any submissions you may have missed. You can find the complete set of master posts here, or check out the #scruffypendragonfest tag for all of the submission posts. Don’t forget to like/reblog/kudos and leave the creators some love in the comments! 

Stay safe out there, everyone. 

♥️ Scruffy Pendragon Fest Mod

Fanart

ceesaltsanctuary ( 1 ) – Arthur scarcely visited his sanctuary, only seeking its comfort when there was too much turmoil for him to keep hidden beneath his perfect-prince mask.

excaliburstark ( 1 ) – A pencil drawn headshot of my favourite photo from Dale McCready’s recent pics.

siennavie & touchofstrange ( 1 ) –  A hilarious fancomic in which Arthur tries and fails to grow a beard. 

Art + Fic

Lead Me Home with the Beat of Your Heart by ceesaltsanctuary [ Merlin/Arthur, G, 2076w ] – Arthur is captured and Merlin is searching for a way to find his King when he realizes he needs to look inward and look with the connection that he and the King share that is stronger than the destiny they forged.

I Owe Every Breath to You by touchofstrange with art by siennavie [ Merlin/Arthur, E, WIP ] – Returning after a journey that kept them far from Camelot for many weeks, Merlin finds himself dutifully trailing a strangely reticent Arthur to his chambers. Once inside he expects things to proceed as they normally would - a meal, a bath, getting Arthur settled for bed - but that mercurial mood persists and things progress in a direction (albeit a welcome one) that Merlin certainly didn’t expect.

Fanfic

Secret of Change by unmarkedinlife [ Merlin/Arthur/Gwen, E, WIP ] – Arthur becoming Prince Regent brought many changes to Camelot. Governance, Knight's Training, and even Arthur's appearance are different. In these new times, Merlin and Arthur's relationship does not stay the same either.

Or the Scruffy Arthur fic that has the shaving scene with a twist.

Alternatively, the one where Merlin teaches Arthur how to eat a girl out.

we’ll be a fine line (we’ll be alright) by merlinemrys [ Merlin/Arthur, E, 12,038w ] – Merlin just wanted to go back in time to pull a prank on Arthur. It doesn't go as planned. His plans never do. Now he and King Arthur are back in the past to make sure their present doesn’t get destroyed. Confusing, he knows. He has a headache as well.

Magpie by excaliburstark [ Merlin/Arthur, G, 584w ] – The Dragon part of Merlin loves to hoard shiny things. He's also obsessed with Arthur's golden hair.

You’re Going to Fix It by tehfanglyfish [ Merlin/Arthur, T+, 2502w ] – Arthur has a late night hair emergency and Merlin has to fix it. Along the way, secrets are revealed and Camelot gets a new knight.

merlin, mon amour by tentatively [ Merlin/Arthur, T+, 1689w ] – Merlin tries to throw himself to his death mid-battle, trying to evade his immortality.

With the roar of the fire my heart rose to its feet by 0hHeyThereBigBadWolf [ Merlin/Arthur, M, 8243w ] – There is another dragon in Camelot. Arthur doesn't know if it is the other one's mate or its offspring. He doesn't care. The only thing he cares about is that it has taken Merlin away from him. He'll have it's head for that, one way or another. 

The issue with that, however, is that the dragon has not eaten Merlin. The dragon is Merlin. It seems being a Dragonlord has its downfalls.

The Kingdoms Behind Their Eyes by whatthedruidscallme [ Merlin/Arthur, T+, 22,625w ] – The cold throne of Camelot, built on steel and harsh battlecries, is a seat Arthur Pendragon has been trained his entire life to take. Uther Pendragon is nothing more than a living corpse that still waits for an estranged daughter to return to him, and when the responsibilities of ruling the kingdom Arthur stills thinks of as his father's come down on him, he buckles beneath it. The council that should bow to their king regent is full of men with veiled ideas and eyes that glitter in the wake of Arthur's grief, boys that are hardly more than children kneel to be knighted, and sleep does not come to him no matter how his eyes close or his limbs weaken. As Arthur contends with challenges that burn bright in the light of day and brighter still in the gloom of his mind, he learns the comfort of fearless words from the clear-eyed servant he calls a friend, and discovers that Merlin is not only an extension of Arthur, but a man with insight, kindness, and his own tribulations.

Twisted and Twined by 0hHeyThereBigBadWolf [ Merlin & Arthur, G, 1010w ] – Everyone keeps staring at him, and Arthur doesn't quite know why. Until he does. He is going to kill his manservant.

I have belonged to you in a way you haven’t to me by lawless_bard [ Merlin/Arthur, E, WIP ] – When Arthur is abducted during an assumed routine patrol, Merlin sets off to rescue his prince. But when he finds him, something is seriously wrong.

Coffee and Cherries by FutureAlien [ Merlin/Arthur, T+, 4542w ] – Arthur knows for a fact, in that tiny kitchen at a quarter to three, after who knows how many cups of coffee, that he will never love another human so much as this.

In the Dark Without You by MapleBreeze [ Merlin & Arthur, T+, 3280w ] – During a hunting trip gone wrong, Arthur gets captured. He waits alone, worried about Merlin, guilt eating away at him. But when he is finally rescued, Arthur realizes that there is more to Merlin than he thought, and perhaps he can handle himself.

each nearly, each almost by clasch [ Merlin/Arthur, T+, 1877w ] – It was a rare occurrence for Merlin to see Arthur with any sort of stubble. He had, of course, seen it before, on longer patrols where conditions simply were not conducive to shaving. But they were not on patrol now and the sight of Arthur’s almost-beard darkening his cheeks against the rich brocade of his pillow was rather different from that same stubble against the rough cloth of his bedroll. On patrol, the shadow on Arthur’s jaw could be mistaken for dirt or general unwashed grime. Here, it made Arthur look older, more mature. Merlin rather liked it.

[ceesaltsanctuary]

Arthur is captured and Merlin is searching for a way to find his King when he realizes he needs to look inward and look with the connection that he and the King share that is stronger than the destiny they forged.

There is a longer story to accompany this art than the short summary I posted here, so head over to the AO3 page (HERE) to read it and also see the art!

Lead Me Home with the Beat of Your Heart (w/ART)

Please do not repost my art! | for @scruffypendragon-fest

[scruffypendragon-fest]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Lead Me Home with the Beat of Your Heart

Author: CeeSaltSanctuary Rating: General   Length: 2076w Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None

Summary: Arthur is captured and Merlin is searching for a way to find his King when he realizes he needs to look inward and look with the connection that he and the King share that is stronger than the destiny they forged.

Read it here on AO3!

[siennavie]

Fic/Art for @scruffypendragon-fest!

I Owe Every Breath to You

Author: @touchofstrange Artist: @siennavie Pairing: Merlin/Arthur Rating: Explicit

Summary: Returning after a journey that kept them far from Camelot for many weeks, Merlin finds himself dutifully trailing a strangely reticent Arthur to his chambers. Once inside he expects things to proceed as they normally would - a meal, a bath, getting Arthur settled for bed - but that mercurial mood persists and things progress in a direction (albeit a welcome one) that Merlin certainly didn’t expect.

Read it on AO3 Note: The story is nearly finished, and this link will work once published!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

each nearly, each almost

Author: clasch Rating: Teen and Up     Length: 1877w Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None

Summary: It was a rare occurrence for Merlin to see Arthur with any sort of stubble. He had, of course, seen it before, on longer patrols where conditions simply were not conducive to shaving. But they were not on patrol now and the sight of Arthur’s almost-beard darkening his cheeks against the rich brocade of his pillow was rather different from that same stubble against the rough cloth of his bedroll. On patrol, the shadow on Arthur’s jaw could be mistaken for dirt or general unwashed grime. Here, it made Arthur look older, more mature. Merlin rather liked it.

Read it here on AO3!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

In the Dark Without You

Author: MapleBreeze Rating: Teen and Up    Length: 3280w Pairing(s): pre-Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): No major whump or violence, mostly just Arthur feeling weak and alone, mention of dead bodies though little description 

Summary: During a hunting trip gone wrong, Arthur gets captured. He waits alone, worried about Merlin, guilt eating away at him. But when he is finally rescued, Arthur realizes that there is more to Merlin than he thought, and perhaps he can handle himself.

Read it here on AO3!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Coffee and Cherries

Author: FutureAlien Rating: Teen and Up    Length: 4542w Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Warning(s): None

Summary: Arthur knows for a fact, in that tiny kitchen at a quarter to three, after who knows how many cups of coffee, that he will never love another human so much as this.

Read it here on AO3!

[scruffypendragon-fest]

THE SCRUFFY PENDRAGON FEST IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED.

Submissions will continue posting for roughly the next 24hrs, so if you’re still working on something you have until then to submit it. After that point, the submissions form will close and the final master list will be posted.

If you need more than 24hrs to finish and/or you’re in the middle of a WIP, then watch this space, as we’re not done with scruffy!Arthur quite yet. The scruff will live on! 

[siennavie]

I saw one too many jokes about Arthur/Bradley not being able to grow a beard and well, here you go!

For @scruffypendragon-fest, in collaboration with @touchofstrange who gets credit for all the best ideas in this 😘)!