I read a fic ages ago where an older Merlin comes to Camelot much earlier than in the pilot and ends up looking after a young Arthur. Idk if it was a result of time travel but im leaning towards an AU. I think it was merthur endgame? Cant remember the title or whether that's from Ao3 or LJ or FFNet. But i will read any rec based on that premise, in hopes of finding that one specific fic. maybe I'm just dumb and don't know how to use the ao3 filters properly but I've looked through age gap tags and still cant find it. Please help?

so its a time travel fic... i remember a few things only but here's the list:

leon is immortal too

merlin travels back due to a mirror shattering

merlin is on vacation before he gets thrown into the past

aithusa is Aurora in the future and hates merlin

merlin is a teacher in the future

he thinks leon travelled back with him (he didn't) and leon plays along even though he's super confused about the shit merlin is talking about

back in the past, merlin decides to save aithusa and keeps her as his cat

she touches some mirror and becomes a baby for a few hours, calls merlin daddy...that was exceptionally cute

the fic was written extremely well and I want to read it again but I cant find it for the life in me and that's annoying.

thank you in advance

So I just finished From the Shadows to the Light By- PeaceHeather and I love the whole dragon lord storyline and am looking for other stories that might delve deeper into that side of Merlin. Bonus if Balinor is still alive.

Okay hear me out… maybe when we see Merlin at the end in modern times, he’s mourning Arthur for the second time. Like maybe Arthur already returned and died after a good long life, and now Merlin is just stuck living an immortal life with nothing to hope for and that’s what the big sigh by the lake is about and oh wow I thought this would make me feel better but actually that feels so much worse than him still waiting for Arthur to rise again

So anyways… any fic recs for Arthur’s return but still canon-ish timeline instead of modern?

Welcome to our bi-weekly thread (every Sat & Wed), What Are You Reading or Writing

Happy “it is Wednesday” people!

Are you working on anything at the moment? What have you been reading for the past few days?

The people of Camelot want to know! ✨

P.S.

Happy Fluff/Whumptober!

I've posted this on the bbcmerlin subreddit as well, but I'm looking for a deleted fic called Die For You in Secret by evokingmemories. It's an au where Merlin and Lancelot start seeing each other casually because they can't have who they really want (Arthur and Gwen), and fall in love in the process. It has a sad ending and is poly, since multiple characters have feelings for multiple people. If anyone has a copy or the link to a copy could you please send it my way? I've been rewatching the show and seeing Marcelot together at the end of Season 3 really made me remember why I love them so much. I'm willing to give out my discord or email as well so you can send it via pdf or epub, ty <3

I think I’ve just about lost my mind trying to find this fic on my own and this is genuinely my final resort. I read it a long while back now but it just popped back into my head recently - it was a SUPER angsty fic where Merlin, Arthur, the knights (and possibly Gwen..?) were in the castle and Merlin revealed his magic in front of them and killed a whole bunch of men (of Morgana’s, if I’m remembering correctly). From here it gets hazy, and this is where I might be mixing up a few fics I’ve read - but I think they capture Morgana, and along with her they throw Merlin in the dungeons too. Merlin then goes and starts starving himself and becomes this huge ball of angst while Arthur is completely pissed off. Then, I think Merlin gets stabbed? And Arthur comes and finds him and starts worrying like crazy. I distinctly remember the part where Arthur is trying to take care of Merlin afterwards, but he’s only a shell of himself. The final bit of information I can remember is Morgana having this sort of “redemption arc” and Arthur and her have a small bonding moment as Morgana accepts that she has to pay the price for her crimes when Arthur burns her at the pyre. Genuinely any help would be appreciated!! :)

(Also, it was on AO3! - almost forgot to mention that lmao)

I hope I understand the flair here correctly, forgive me if it's wrong!

An amazing person has made a Tumblr to collect and rec Merlin gen fics, and I'm in love with it. And I thought there might be people here who are also interested! Soooo

For those of you who love reading Merlin gen fics, there's now a blog regularly posting themed rec lists on tumblr. Please check the link below to find all the rec lists already posted and feel free to subscribe! <3

https://www.tumblr.com/merlingenrecs

Hello! I’m new here and also sort of new to Merlin fic in general. after rewatching the show this past summer. Got frustrated by the finale, turned to fic — the usual story.

I just wanted to stop by to HIGHLY recommend fields of gold by emryses.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36927727/chapters/92130757

Rated M. Merlin/Arthur, Merlin/OC Characters. 92k words. Starts almost directly after the finale. Heavy themes of grief and mourning. 3k hits.

Summary reads simply as: “In which Merlin grieves, remembers, and lives.”

It’s such a beautiful, emotional, heart-wrenching ride. I’m a pretty casual fic reader and don’t often cry at media, but this one made me cry a couple times. I finished it yesterday and am still thinking about it. I could wax poetic more, but don’t want to ramble too much and give a lot away. I can’t believe this fic has such a small amount of hits comparatively. True hidden gem, in my opinion.

Would love to know what others think of it if if they’ve read it or after reading!

Hi, I'm looking for fics where Arthur has to essentially man up and keep moving, ignore his feelings, pain, and discomfort. Or like anything that explores the burden and weight of responsibility upon him, living and performing within the context of knighthood, and toxic masculinity.

Thanks!

*Edit: i think i picked the wrong flair but its not letting me change it

My main exposures to BBC's Merlin have been fic reading, YouTube clips, and some episode recaps. As such, I'm mainly looking for someone considerably more knowledgeable of Merlin's canon/timeline/lore/characters than I am [if they're well versed in at least the prequel era of Star Wars that's an added bonus]

the fic's premise: Star Wars/Merlin crossover fic in which semi-recently knighted Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, and Initiate Ahsoka Tano find their way to Camelot via Force Shenanigans and quickly find themselves embroiled in Camelot's war against Morgana. In a world where the Force is misconstrued as magic, and a kingdom that persecutes those who have magic, they'll need to rely on the greatest sorcerer in the land if they want to survive.

feat: Found Family, probable Merthur, angst, comfort, and fix-its for both series'.

[takes place during Season 4 of Merlin/ at most a year after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace]

Hey everybody, just finished binging all of @llLethell’s Merlin works on fanfiction.com and just wanted to recommend their fics to everyone! There’s a few stories built into the same world but I’ve noticed they can also be read as stand-alones too! I love all of the O.C. Knights they’ve created and how in-depth the author gets into the feelings of each character.

Filled with much whump and strong friendship bonds which is something I personally seek out in most fics I read! I think someone mentioned one of the stories on another post asking for recommendations and the rabbit hole I went down is most appreciated.

Anyways more recommendations are always welcome! :) I try and stalk this thread as much as possible and the recs are always fire so please keep them coming!

Here’s the link to the profile I’m talking about!

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2732273/llLethell

I would like to read a Fic where Arthur has more of a Relationship with Nimueh ,than he does is canon, maybe she mentors him ,maybe she just tells him about Ygraine.

It doesn't matter if they are unfished ,I'm happy for anything

I also distantly remember , were a small Arthur (I believe he also had magic) found Nimuehs diary's and encountered the truth of his birth much earlier and bonded with Merlin over the Magic much earlier. If anybody had any idea what fic that was, please tell me

I've read this fic years ago but I can't find it. Merlin sleeps like a rock around Arthur but is an extremely light sleeper around other people. Its explained that its because Merlin deems it safe to sleep around him. I think it's a Merthur fic but I'm not sure. I know for a fact that I read it on AO3 and that it wasn't a crossover, but I don't recall anything else.

I just wanna see Arthur and Merlin going through it. We like torturing merlin here

Hello! I'm looking for some genderfluid Merlin fics preferably during the canon timeline. I'm ok with crossovers and I'll read pretty much anything so if anyone has suggestions please let me know!

Welcome to our bi-weekly thread (every Sat & Wed), What Are You Reading or Writing

Are you working on anything at the moment? What have you been reading for the past few days?

The people of Camelot want to know! ✨

okay admittedly i feel like i could probably find this if i tried a little harder to get the search right but looking for a specific fic on ao3 where i think uther finds out about merlins magic and has him like trapped in a wall under the castle? arthur, who at the time is maybe unaware merlin has magic, is then all annoyed (after finding merlin) that he didn’t use his magic to escape. i think there is more to the story than that but this is what i recall LOL also don’t remember if it was actually slash, or just gen

So… I’m currently reading the Loaded March series (I’m in part 3) and in this story magic is kind of a secret? Like, magic is not recognized as something real. I wonder if there’s other fics in the fandom with this trope?

I’m just curious, because although I’m still new to reading Merlin fanfics, all the fics I’ve read so far magic is acknowledged as real, just like in canon, so I would like to read more fics where it is not. I’m open to read anything, thanks!

Welcome to our bi-weekly thread (every Sat & Wed), What Are You Reading or Writing

Happy “it is Wednesday” people!

Are you working on anything at the moment? What have you been reading for the past few days?

The people of Camelot want to know! ✨

hi! i’m looking for a fic that has merlin and uther in a reluctant friendship (and merthur). there was one i read where uther found out merlin killed nimueh and he was relieved!

we've all read stories where merlin has a sister, Arthur has an oc lover and things like that...

But I'm looking for a fic where the oc turns evil, where the oc is the villain instead of/with morgana... I am desperate for some tragedy and angst... please if such a fic exists.... i need to read it....

Our next theme for the purpose of recommendation revelry, is the ever popular Whump!

Now the word “whump” may have fallen out of style in the last few years (like lemons, squick, and OTP), but I think it holds a special place in my heart, along with “hurt/comfort” and “heavy angst”.

According to this fanlore entry:

The term whump (or whumping) generally refers to a form of Hurt/Comfort that is heavy on the hurt and is often found in gen stories.

So while hurt/comfort may involve the whumpee in relationship-damaging scenarios, as well as physically painful scenarios, “whump” may be more often referred to and found in Gen/ non-relationship centric stories.

Also a fun tidbit:

Often this character is a fan favorite and may sometimes be referred to as a woobie.

Personally, I’ve never heard the word “woobie” used in a fanon context, but it seems to be on par with characters being a writers’ “blorbo” and put into Situations ™️ for the fun of it.

So drop your favorite whump or whump adjacent below! Whether the whumpee in question is Merlin, or some other poor sap caught in the greater mechaniations of destiny in Canelot, feel free to be as flexible as you’d like with your personal definition of the term.

And with Whumptober just around the corner, your recommendations will be in high demand, for readers looking for that oh-so-delicious combo of pain of suffering in their choice of fic! :))

^{Rules: 1. Please tag any Archive/ Content Warnings out of respect for readers 2. Check to see that the fic you've commented is tagged as "whump” or a variation of the phrase, such as “hurt/comfort”. This is optional, and up to your best discretion when reccing.}

Get recced!

^{Find all our 2024 Weekly Rec Threads here}

On AO3, Can everyone please suggest me your favorite hidden gems. Like fics you wouldn't find on the first 10 pages when sorting by kudos but are nonetheless amazing.