weekly round-up 36

[aeroport_art]

I spent a good chunk of the day drawing, erasing, drawing, erasing, and drawing Arthur's hand forcibly gripping Merlin's neck. They're both naked. *cough*

OMG PEOPLE. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS TO REC THIS WEEK, IT'S MAKING ME WONDER IF MY STANDARDS ARE DROPPING. Are they??? Someone throw some pruning shears at me if you think so D: On the other hand, maybe series two is proving to be a great muse. In which case, huzzah! Let it rain men fic men and fic! \o/

The (negligible) downside is, because of all the great stuff to read lately, the bigbang reviews I've been promising have been pushed to the backburner. They're still on my radar but it's been hard to find time for it. Someday, my pretties. Soooome day.

Trend of the week: OVER-ACHIEVERS. Because check out all these repeat authors, many of whom are new to the fandom too :O Usually everyone hates an over-achiever, but in this case I say: BRING ON THE BLUE RIBBONS. *starts passing them out*

Weekly Round-Up
Titles in bold are extra-recommended ♥

Merlin recs

The Air's So Heavy by miakun (NC-17, 2k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, steampunk!AU, hurt/comfort. Merlin critiques Arthur's nursing skills after he falls from the Prince's stolen metal wings.
Notes: I could possibly be biased because this fic was written in response to a drawing I did, but I don't think so--this story is just good. I mean, man, THE HURT/COMFORT. SO GOOD. I love Arthur being all chiding and gentle, and Merlin's at his best here, cheeky and foolhardy, just like on the show. A smexy detail that caught my fancy: naked!Merlin against fully-clothed!Arthur. Hot imagery. Mmmmm yes. *zones out*

Blue Shirt by miakun (PG-13, 1k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin. Arthur gives Merlin a shirt.
Notes: I love it when a character gets attached to an item because is smells like or reminds them of someone. It's such a tactile, relatable thing to read. In this case, Arthur gets adorably flustered when Merlin wears his old shirt, and their interactions are SO GOSH-DARNED CUTE and FLUFFY. On a side note--ugh, miakun! This girl is like, on a mission to discredit the weekly round-up because SHE KEEPS SHOWING UP ON HERE. I swear, my standards aren't changing, she's just really good ;_; This is only the second week I've seen her around, and she's already got four stories recced. Sheesh. GIVE IT A REST, MIA. (WAIT, I TAKE THAT BACK)

Untitled Comment Fic by anna_zee (PG, 381 words)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin. Arthur tells Merlin what to do. Of course, Merlin is never one to comply.
Notes: I never really check fics under 1k words for the round-up but I'M SO GLAD I DID HERE. This drabble is so steamy. I adore the interaction between Arthur and Merlin here, all challenging and one-upmanship. Boys being boys = \o/

Those Things that Change Us by anna_zee (PG, ~5k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, hurt/comfort, coda to 1x10 (after Will's death). Arthur frets about his inability to comfort Merlin.
Notes: I'm retroactively reccing this (it was posted some months ago). My initial reaction was that the schmoop was overdone, but during a second reading, the hefty hurt/comfort didn't bother me anymore. It felt really well-done, and I loved her concerned and jealous Arthur :D Also, it's nice that the author gave Merlin a chance to grieve for Will, which the show didn't really offer.

Rhythms by slashweaver (NC-17, 1k).
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, PWP, jealous!Merlin. Spoilers for 2x01.
Notes: The story is like, 70% dialogue, which means...classic Arthur/Merlin banter! Merlin's pissed, Arthur's boorishly trying to win him back, and they snipe at each other throughout the (HOT, HOT) sex. What's not to like?

Maybe by shantirosa (NC-17, ~500 words).
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, UST. Arthur has porny thoughts about Merlin.
Notes: Angsty!Arthur + sloppy blowjobs = WIN

More Than Just Pillows by cherrybina (PG-13, 1k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, established relationship, modern!AU. Arthur is kind of clueless. Merlin thinks it's cute.
Notes: Stupid!boys is a favorite category of mine, and this slots in neatly. I normally shy away from established relationship but this is just too SWEET and FLUFFY and TEETH-ACHINGLY CUTE, I can't not rec it without feeling like a horrible person. And can I just say, what a nice surprise from cherrybina :) Her modus operandi is normally smut, which is AWESOME because readers generally like consistency from their favorite authors, but it's lovely to see her branch out nonetheless.

dreamt of light years in the belly of a mountain by schmoooop (PG, ~2k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, jealousy. A speed-watch of series one through Arthur's (angsty) POV.
Notes: Ah yes, angsty!Arthur. My #1 downfall (BECAUSE I LOVE). This is the author's first foray in the fandom, so LET'S WELCOME HER WITH OPEN ARMS. The story is brief and powerful, touching on all the big moments from series one and interpreting it through Arthur's preoccupation with Merlin. Arthur is achy and wanting, and it's a sucker punch to read. This fic is a great lead-in to series two :)

elevator elevator take me home by schmoooop (PG-13, 5k)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, modern!AU, crack. wherein Arthur talks about his daddy issues, he and Merlin bump into each other in lifts, and Lancelot makes a great attorney.
Notes: This fic is comedic gold. There are countless lines, one after another, that will make you smile if not chuckle out loud (though some of it is in reference to 500 Days of Summer, so I got a little wary wondering what was original and what wasn't). Still the offbeat, deadpan humor can't be mimed since it's totally quirky and, better yet, FRESH. Although I found Arthur pretty OOC, what with him being a manslut with no social skills to speak of, the way the boys interact is familiar and bantery. And finally, I love how Merlin's ears are pretty much a character of their own:

Arthur shrugs. 'They stick out,' he says, in his defense. 'Have you looked in the mirror lately?'

Merlin frowns, crosses his arms. Then tugs self-consciously at his ears, like he's trying to flatten them against his head, like Arthur's just dug up self-esteem issues Merlin thought he'd buried long ago.

HAHAHA OMG, MERLIN'S EARS. SO CUTE.

Slashy Merlin Series promo by nerjav (vid)
Summary: Arthur/Merlin, R, crack. this is Slashy series based on the original ones. I simply added subtitles on what Merlin and Arthur are thinking along the main story.
Notes: I'm not entirely convinced that the vidder's first language is English so while I skipped over the subtitled episodes this vid is actually promoting...well, the promo itself is TOTALLY AWESOME. Watching it is like a whap over the head with a giant, cartoon hammer. It's adorable, cracky, and delightfully slashy through the use of the Bugs Bunny-ish sound effects, breakneck scene changes, and well-placed arrows and subtitles. IT'S A FUN TIME. GO WATCH.



RPS

Restraint by cherrybina (Nc-17, 2k)
Summary: Bradley/Colin, bondage, food!kink. Colin ties Bradley up.
Notes: This is one of those insta-recs, where you read the first paragraph and are like "uh huh, this is gonna be good." Unlike in the above rec, cherrybina is back to her usual hijinks in this story. She is the resident porn queen, AND FOR GOOD REASON. This is hotness, pure and simple.

RPF drabble by adelagia (G, ~1k)
Summary: Bradley/Colin, hurt/comfort, coda. Colin was taken to hospital a couple days ago but thankfully came out okay, though I still feel a little anxious about him and need him to be well taken care of, hence today's drive-by drabble.
Notes: I think I can safely say we're all relieved that Colin is fine. Poor boy :( On the other hand, I am not going to regret adelagia writing this drabble! It's great, old-fashioned hurt/comfort. Very believable characterizations as well; this story feels like an anecdote that could easily happen in real life.

This is NOT A REC, just a link to something I posted earlier this week.

artpost: steampunk!Merlin.

Looking for previous recs? Check the tag. For FAQ and list of all bolded titles, check the primer.

Comments

[meewunk.livejournal.com]

Eeee. These are my favorite posts. Prancing off to read now! :D

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

HAhaha YES, PRANCE AWAY.

[meewunk.livejournal.com]

Stupid!boys is the BEST category EVER. It's spreading to other fandoms and I LOVE IT.

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

hahaha I LOVE IT

[meewunk.livejournal.com]

Also, gold stars all around because these are all ~amazing~

[betsyli.livejournal.com]

STEAMPUNK!!! You're totally drawing that scene from Mia's fic, aren't you?

Your standards haven't as much lowered as they've become more...open, sorta. And your kinks are much more obvious now. ;p

ALSO, OCTOBER WEEK IS GO-A-GO-GO!!! *can't wait to raid your ramen stash*

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

WHAT WHAT YOU'RE VISITING MEEEEEEEEEE?

ahahahah yes, i figure since my personal biases are getting more repetitive, i should probably branch out a little. i try D:

uggh this round-up took me TWO HOURS. that is a long part of my saturday. LUCKILY I HAVE NO LIFE, I'M TOO BUSY SITTING HERE WAITING FOR YOUUUUUUUUU

LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE SET DATES! I WILL PEN YOUSE IN

(i'm not drawing mia's scene, btw D: i tried. twice. but neither wanted to turn out, so i opted for something easier and more naked.)

[betsyli.livejournal.com]

LI LI LI. I HAVE DATES!

I have the entire week of Oct. 19th free, starting Monday and going until Saturday. How many days should I stay over and for how long? Which days are best (or worst) for you? And work?

I also have budgetary concerns, but those can wait...*ladiladila*

(Awww, that's too bad. That scene was totally up your alley! *winks* But heee, as long as there's nekkidness it's good!)

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

OMG YAYNESS

the week of the 19th will totally work!!! as for how long you want to stay, that is completely up to you. i get off around 5:30p each weekday so unfortunately you might have to do a lot of hanging out on your own, but if you incorporate the weekend i can totally chill then XD plus i LOVE brunch and that can only happen on the weekend, so be here for that if you can!!

i forget. you're 21, right? just thinking about stuff to do :O

[betsyli.livejournal.com]

WOOT WOOT!!!

Hmm, I'm probably going to have to work on Sunday though...but maybe I can exchange it for a Tuesday or something and stay Wed-Sun instead? Hmm. *strokes chin* And no prob about the time you get off, I'll probably be sleeping in late, so erm...yeah.

Ahaha. Ridiculously enough, I'll be a month short of 21. But I'll take somebody's ID or something. Or maybe fiddle around with an old Medicare card. I'll figure something out!

Also, how much moolah should I bring ya think?

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

ooooooh wed-sun sounds pretty perfect.

i'm glad we're planning ahead for the drinking! definitely grab someone's id for the weekend. not everywhere will check, but it'll just make things easier.

oh man, the money thing? new york is EXPENSIVE. mainly for food, because there is a LOT of good food, but trust me they will make you pay for it :P whenever i went on vaca here i'd drop almost $100 a day on shopping, meals, and drinks, but i think you can get by on $50/day for meals and then skimp on the rest. does that help any?

[neptuneskisses.livejournal.com]

Yum, all those lovely fics!!

Also - 'neglibible' - is that when something's ever so slightly religious? :p

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

hahahah THANK YOU. *goes to fix*

[epictimesthree.livejournal.com]

YAY. I love this time of the week - and early, too! I agree that the Merlin fandom has been super prolific and fun these days, thanks mostly to the ridiculousness of one Bradley James.

And dude, the first line of this entry probably wasn't meant to be sexy, but I FOUND IT TO BE SO.

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

it's totally supposed to be sexy!! i was getting all kerfluffle while drawing it, having to picture arthur being all dom and sex-choking merlin. *cough* YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

AAAUGH YOUR ICON. god i love that photo. it's like they took a fantasy out of my head and made it real *___*

[epictimesthree.livejournal.com]

Girl, I will follow you anywhere just with SEX-CHOKING! ._.

I KNOW! I adore that photo of them - slash aside, I just love that it's got "BRADLEY AND COLIN ARE FRIENDSSSS" written all over it.

[anna-zee.livejournal.com]

YAY!!!

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

\o/ \o/ \o/

[(Anonymous)]

You should probably note that the fic by slashweaver has spoilers for the first ep of the first season. In the summary, at least.

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

Duly noted and updated. Two things though:

a) If I'm going to spend 2+ hours coding a round-up each week, I'm not bothering to list the author's warnings as well. It's up to the reader to check that if they have any squicks or reservations.

b) If this is coming from someone with a username, I'd much rather you man up and sign in--would appreciate the concrit a lot more from a real person than an anonymous detractor.

[yue_ix]

Hey, am not the previous person, but I think they meant that the summary you copy-pasted from the author has spoiler for Ep1 of Season 2 (anon said season one) - the fic itself is a spoiler, so its summary is as well. I spoiled myself like woah the first instant news were out, but did noticed this when I was tabbing open all your recs (it's a reflex by now, I think). Perhaps simply having it as "jealous!Merlin. Spoilers for 2x01." would tell all there needs to know about the fic for anyone who knows what the episode is about?

Since I'm commenting anyway: YAY, H/C recs! Thank you~ *is such a sucker for that genre*
(I'm eagerly waiting for your "something easier and more naked" that you told betsyli about some comments up. :D)

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

Thanks for pointing that out, that probably is what the anonymous commenter meant. I'll go change it again :P

[pasty-pants.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to chime in and say that you have the best reclists ever ^.^ srsly.

[aeroport_art.livejournal.com]

Thank you darling ;_; Trust me, the feedback is always appreciated. These rec lists can get a little soul-sucking at times, so ILU for taking the time out to say hi <3