weekly round-up 30
Jul. 31st, 2009 04:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aeroport_artOkay, so apparently my internet waits for me to put up a giant HIATUS banner before it decides to start working again.
Time Warner is mean-spirited.
I, on the other hand, am extremely benevolent (ha). Also, I need to clear my backlog of recs before Merlin Big Bang gets here next week!! I definitely won't be able to make next week's round-up (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
staraflur will be in town and the day after I leave for St. Louis) but trust me, THEY WILL GET READ. I feel like I've been waiting for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
boxofmagic for months. And just to reiterate, I've been keeping up on fic despite my online absence, so there aren't any missing weeks in the round-up. This thing's my baby, I wouldn't ditch it like that D:
Without further ado, the trend of the week: QUIETLY EPIC. Understated, beautifully-crafted stories seem to be on the menu these past couple weeks.
Weekly Round-Up
Titles in bold are extra-recommended ♥
Merlin recs
Four Times Merlin and Arthur Made it Work (and one time they didn't) byflash_indie (R, 1k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation!fic. Short vignettes from various rebirths of Arthur and Merlin.
Notes: This story makes my heart ache in the best way possible. It's full of breathless love and eternal longing.
Midwinter byfortassetu (R, 3k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin. Merlin is sent to kill Arthur by Nimueh.
Notes: As the summary would hint, Merlin's love for Arthur as he maintains a facade of lies is fodder for a great, angsty story. On the other hand, it isn't so much the underlying angst (which is there, don't get me wrong) than it is the beautiful writing that elevates this fic above others. Merlin's growing love is organic and gorgeously subtle. This story definitely slots into the week's trend of "quietly epic".
Fools of Us All byadelagia (NC-17, 11k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, Accidental Magic. Merlin accidentally makes everybody in Camelot fall in love with him. Everybody except Arthur, that is.
Notes: This one's a no-brainer!adelagia is a fandom beast because she knows how to knock down a fangirl's kinks like sitting ducks in water. As for this story, jealous!Arthur and idiot!Merlin are my personal buttons that she pushes repeatedly. While the writing can sometimes sound a little young and ungainly--"Merlin squawked in surprise, and then burst into a silver peal of laughter at the extremely unmanly sound, while he struggled valiantly and futilely underneath Arthur."--it's more than made up for by the story's fun, rollicking pace and utter squee-factor.
a gratuitous holiday bydollygrip (PG, ~8k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, modern!AU. Arthur is on holiday with Uther and Morgana at their usual place, and Merlin is a hippie swim teacher who keeps stealing his table.
Notes: This is not your usual modern!AU. Arthur is hardly the power-hungry suit and Merlin is not his intern. In fact, Arthur is bored and smokes a lot and Morgana is an eleven-year-old with the personality of canon!Morgana--a scary thing. Merlin and Hunith are vegetarian hippies. The plot is as relaxed as the characterizations, but the fic is linear (versus vignette-driven) and tells a good story. I especially love the opening line ("If the right 5,174 people died, Arthur would be King of England"), which doesn't get explained until the very end. This story is a solid bet on its own, but when the author throws in that concept it just stretches the fic out to something a little more, dare I say it, epic. I love it when authors think big about what they're writing and apply the concept well; it gives a story backbone.
Soundtrack to the Apocalypse byphantomjam (NC-17, 8k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, apocalypse!AU. Set in modern times.
Notes: Okay, so this story doesn't fit the week's trend at all. This is LOUDLY, EAR-SHATTERINGLY EPIC. As any good apocalypse!fic, it's haunting and heart-wrenching, and damned exquisite.phantomjam's writing is always beautiful but in this context it's practically ethereal. There's one scene in particular with a wall of skeletons that's completely sublime. As for the ending, I like that it doesn't turn into a cliche with a hopeful, Hollywood ending, yet neither is it depressing and without hope. This was a tricky premise to pull off and it's all the more gorgeous that she did it so splendidly. Based on the great writing I could've easily bolded this title, but something about the detached quality of the story kept me from really getting into the Arthur/Merlin dynamic. I like to adore my favorite stories, and while this one is a massive success, I'll save it for being simply recommended ;)
Time Warner is mean-spirited.
I, on the other hand, am extremely benevolent (ha). Also, I need to clear my backlog of recs before Merlin Big Bang gets here next week!! I definitely won't be able to make next week's round-up (
staraflur will be in town and the day after I leave for St. Louis) but trust me, THEY WILL GET READ. I feel like I've been waiting for boxofmagic for months. And just to reiterate, I've been keeping up on fic despite my online absence, so there aren't any missing weeks in the round-up. This thing's my baby, I wouldn't ditch it like that D:Without further ado, the trend of the week: QUIETLY EPIC. Understated, beautifully-crafted stories seem to be on the menu these past couple weeks.
Titles in bold are extra-recommended ♥
Merlin recs
Four Times Merlin and Arthur Made it Work (and one time they didn't) by
flash_indie (R, 1k)Summary: Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation!fic. Short vignettes from various rebirths of Arthur and Merlin.
Notes: This story makes my heart ache in the best way possible. It's full of breathless love and eternal longing.
Midwinter by
fortassetu (R, 3k)Summary: Arthur/Merlin. Merlin is sent to kill Arthur by Nimueh.
Notes: As the summary would hint, Merlin's love for Arthur as he maintains a facade of lies is fodder for a great, angsty story. On the other hand, it isn't so much the underlying angst (which is there, don't get me wrong) than it is the beautiful writing that elevates this fic above others. Merlin's growing love is organic and gorgeously subtle. This story definitely slots into the week's trend of "quietly epic".
Fools of Us All by
adelagia (NC-17, 11k)Summary: Arthur/Merlin, Accidental Magic. Merlin accidentally makes everybody in Camelot fall in love with him. Everybody except Arthur, that is.
Notes: This one's a no-brainer!
adelagia is a fandom beast because she knows how to knock down a fangirl's kinks like sitting ducks in water. As for this story, jealous!Arthur and idiot!Merlin are my personal buttons that she pushes repeatedly. While the writing can sometimes sound a little young and ungainly--"Merlin squawked in surprise, and then burst into a silver peal of laughter at the extremely unmanly sound, while he struggled valiantly and futilely underneath Arthur."--it's more than made up for by the story's fun, rollicking pace and utter squee-factor.a gratuitous holiday by
dollygrip (PG, ~8k)Summary: Arthur/Merlin, modern!AU. Arthur is on holiday with Uther and Morgana at their usual place, and Merlin is a hippie swim teacher who keeps stealing his table.
Notes: This is not your usual modern!AU. Arthur is hardly the power-hungry suit and Merlin is not his intern. In fact, Arthur is bored and smokes a lot and Morgana is an eleven-year-old with the personality of canon!Morgana--a scary thing. Merlin and Hunith are vegetarian hippies. The plot is as relaxed as the characterizations, but the fic is linear (versus vignette-driven) and tells a good story. I especially love the opening line ("If the right 5,174 people died, Arthur would be King of England"), which doesn't get explained until the very end. This story is a solid bet on its own, but when the author throws in that concept it just stretches the fic out to something a little more, dare I say it, epic. I love it when authors think big about what they're writing and apply the concept well; it gives a story backbone.
Soundtrack to the Apocalypse by
phantomjam (NC-17, 8k)Summary: Arthur/Merlin, apocalypse!AU. Set in modern times.
Notes: Okay, so this story doesn't fit the week's trend at all. This is LOUDLY, EAR-SHATTERINGLY EPIC. As any good apocalypse!fic, it's haunting and heart-wrenching, and damned exquisite.
phantomjam's writing is always beautiful but in this context it's practically ethereal. There's one scene in particular with a wall of skeletons that's completely sublime. As for the ending, I like that it doesn't turn into a cliche with a hopeful, Hollywood ending, yet neither is it depressing and without hope. This was a tricky premise to pull off and it's all the more gorgeous that she did it so splendidly. Based on the great writing I could've easily bolded this title, but something about the detached quality of the story kept me from really getting into the Arthur/Merlin dynamic. I like to adore my favorite stories, and while this one is a massive success, I'll save it for being simply recommended ;)Looking for previous recs? Check the tag. For FAQ and list of all bolded titles, check the primer.
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Date: 2009-08-01 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-08-02 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-01 06:22 am (UTC)Life (and Sundays at work) ain't the same without your recs, ya know? *hugs you tightly and never lets go*
I've surprisingly read all but one of the fics this week, and ;alskdjf;alksjd;flkajsdlfjsa. They are all indeed amazing. Quietly epic, ooooh, I like that.
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Date: 2009-08-02 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-01 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-02 06:24 am (UTC)I can see your feet in my peripheral vision. Bee tee dubs (another thing that made me laugh tonight, when diane said it on the roof).
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Date: 2009-08-02 03:00 pm (UTC)i know what your cell phone ring is
hahaha i say that all the time
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Date: 2009-08-02 09:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-03 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-03 12:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-03 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-07 01:58 pm (UTC)Thank you for these recs, as always. I appreciate your commitment - and increasingly, your critical eye. Thanks!
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Date: 2009-08-07 04:10 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you're enjoying the recs, though. Thanks babe <3
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Date: 2009-08-08 07:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-08 04:50 pm (UTC)