Modern era and other AUs
11. Arthur and the Real Boy (by frantic)
Genre/trope: Fluff, university, art, bookstore, slight reincarnation
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~16K words) Merlin is an indie geek who works at a used books, cd and record store. Arthur is the average golden-boy-super-jock-perfect-preppy-soccer-captain. He sees Merlin somewhere and instantly starts going out of his way, going to Merlin’s store, reading his weird books and listening to his weird music just to impress him.
Why this story is awesome: One of the most beloved fanfics in the fandom, the summary doesn’t do it justice, at all. It’s lovely and charming and makes you smile a lot. Arthur, a business student, and Merlin, an art student, come together in a very organic kind of way. There are subtle hints at reincarnation in there as well, but has none of the angst most reincarnation fics usually carry. It’s a really cute and believable romance.
12. Lord Drake’s Bequest (by pennyplainknits)
Genre/trope: Pretend boyfriends, marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, fluff
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~10K words) “To my great-nephew Arthur I bequeath Tintagel Distribution, wholly and without reserve, save for one condition. You must marry, and stay married, for a period of no less than six months. You’re a wonderful businessman Arthur, but a full life needs love and companionship, not just a string of affairs. Settle down young Arthur, and your life will be the richer for it.”
Why this story is awesome: It’s always amusing and entertaining when people take a cliché and truly, and knowingly, embrace it. Here we have a story that was written for a community called Harlequin Merlin which is about stories that use common romance novel tropes. This fic uses two tropes: the ‘pretending to be dating’ and the ‘fake marriage’ one. Arthur must marry to inherit his uncle’s company, and Merlin, being his best friend and the person that knows him best, seems like the best choice. Hilarity and romantic shenanigans ensues.
13. Natural Selection (by minor_hue)
Genre/trope: Fluff, dating, restaurant, humour
Rating: PG-13 (epilogue is explicit, but skippable)
Summary: (~11.3 words) In which Arthur goes on blind dates, Merlin is his waiter, and everyone takes a ride on the crazy train.
Why this story is awesome: A more humoristic fanfiction, it’s an absolute delight. Arthur’s blind dates are incongruous (and slightly frightening), and poor Merlin seems to get stuck in the middle of it all against his will (at first). It’s amusing and light, and will make you laugh with its absurdity and ridiculous turn of events. It will also charm you with its sweetness.
14. Pairing Pendragon/Merlin (by anonymous)
Genre/trope: Fluff, coming out, fandom meta, meeting on the Internet, writing, fanfiction
Rating: PG-13
Summary: (~24.5) Arthur is a BNF and Merlin is his prized beta.
Why this story is awesome: This is the meta fic to end all meta fics (or maybe not, but it certainly is in the Merlin fandom). Arthur writes popular fanfictions, Merlin corrects them, they meet online, there’s plenty of talk on LiveJournal, and they go to Comic-Con, among several other fandom activities. This story is fun. It speaks to being a fan, to interacting with people online a lot, forming bonds, friendships, speculating and talking on an on about your favorite TV show. It’s really, really well done on top of being incredibly entertaining and adorable.
15. Destiny That Darkly Hides Us (by Nympha_Alba)
Genre/trope: Historical!AU, reincarnation, war (WWI), pining, magic, angst
Rating: Mature (for sexual content and historical homophobia)
Summary: It’s 1913, the practice of homosexuality is unlawful, so is the practice of magic. When Arthur Pendragon and Merlin Emrys meet as Cambridge undergrads, they’re both hungry for a real and true connection without secrets. For a short time they believe they may have found it. But war breaks out and separates them, and it seems unlikely that they will meet again. After all, what are the odds?
Why this story is awesome: This is the angstiest fanfiction recommended on this list. A great example of a historical!AU AND of the reincarnation trope. Reincarnations stories tend to err on the angst side of things as they usually go along with the premise that Arthur died tragically at Camlaan, as per the legends tell us. As the characters slowly remember their past lives, they also remember what they have lost. But reincarnation is also about hope, since it’s a second (or third, or fourth, or…) chance to get things right. This one is at turns beautiful, tragic, tender and always, always hopeful at the end, and well worth the read.
16. Fundamental Imperfection (by Starlingthefool)
Genre/trope: Writing, academia
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~12K words) In which an argument about Dickens leads to a Twitter scandal, broken bones, midnight conversations, and transatlantic longing. (Or, an AU with Arthur and Merlin as moderately famous authors.)
Why this story is awesome: More mature in tone, this fic is an absolute must-read. It’s witty and funny and smart. There’s talk of literature, of books and philosophy, and intellectual debate is definitely foreplay. There’s a tangible love for genre literature – and storytelling in general – within its plot and it will make the book-lover’s heart sigh with longing and love. The writing is tight and sharp, as are the characters and the plot. It’s a true gem.
17. Drugstore Flowers (by lady_ragnell)
Genre/trope: Fluff, university, secret admirer
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Merlin starts to receive lovely gifts (and less-lovely flowers) from a secret admirer.
Why this story is awesome: Perfect little romantic story to make you smile. Short, sweet and charming in its characterizations and humour. Those kinds of stories are the best when you need a quick pick-me-up, and this one does it well. Merlin is oblivious and Arthur is both sweet and a prat, as he tends to be, and it’s just a joy to read.
18. Five Days in New York (by giselleslash)
Genre/trope: Established relationship, modern, foreign location, fluff fluff fluff
Rating: Mature (for sexual content, PG-13 if you skip the third part)
Summary: (~6K words) Arthur and Merlin in NYC. Five random days and everything that’s attached to them. (Or, really, just Merlin and Arthur being completely dumbface in love.)
Why this story is awesome: Because we all need something romantic to make us smile, make our tummies warm and our toes curl once in awhile (especially if tragedy strikes in the middle, or end, of your favorite show). This fic provides that. It’s five little scenes of Merlin and Arthur being all cute and adorable and domestic. It eschews the drama of getting together and just offers a glimpse into simple, sweet moments shared between them. This is fluff at its best.
19. The Student Prince (by Fayjay)
Genre/trope: Modern-day royalty, reincarnation, university, magic, coming out
Rating: Mature (for sexual content – easily skippable, short scenes)
Summary: (~145K words) A Modern-day Merlin AU set at the University of St. Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love…
Why this story is awesome: This is THE fandom classic if there ever was one. It’s novel-length, contains plenty of beloved tropes (probably popularized some as well), is well-constructed, well-paced, and well-written. Arthur is a prince, Merlin is a wizard, they are unlikely roommates and destiny happens. This is the story you can recommend to people who do not like, or know, or watch Merlin, and they would appreciate, and even love, it. It’s funny, exciting, full of UST, and fun adventures, with well-characterized, dynamic characters. It’s really worth reading whether you like fanfiction in general or not.
20. Easy, There (by Syllic)
Genre/trope: Sports, magic, university
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: Arthur is an Oxford Blue. Merlin is an Oxford cox. Lancelot is Merlin’s romantic-dalliance-loving friend. Morgana is horribly clever; Gwen is cleverly waiting for Lancelot to grow up. Merlin and Arthur rub each other the wrong way, at first, but it soon becomes clear that Arthur is a university-class rower with a world-class heart (yes, I typed that). Clichés ensue.
Why this story is awesome: Another fic that embraces certain clichés and does it very well. This time it’s the sport-movie one, with the inspirational storylines and the members of the team coming together to try and win the championship. Add to that romance, friendship, a little bit of drama and oh yeah, magic, and you have a very entertaining story. It’s a perfect example of a well-done, well-written sport-story, popular in the fandom (if all the stories involving football are anything to go by, as well as all the ones that were written last summer in honour of the Olympics.)
This list, comprehensive as it is, is not even the tip of the iceberg of the world of Merlin fanfiction. It’s more like the tiniest of grain of sand on the tip of the biggest iceberg in the world. There are thousands of stories out there, dozens of pairing combinations between characters, all kinds of AUs, character explorations, funny stories, sad stories, stories that make you cry with pain, others with laughter, stories that make you smile and your toes curl.
It’s very much a huge library involving your favorite characters in hundreds of different situations, events and locations, written by fans, for fans, all for free. You’ll be amazed and entertained… and yes, sometimes shocked. But it’s all worth it, to keep the Merthur relationship going strong even after the series ends. Go explore!
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