#merthur!fic

The Knights Have A Thousand Eyes by stakeaclaim

Fandom/Pairing: Merlin/Merthur

Official Summary: In which Arthur is out of sorts. His manservant leaves a lot to be desired, Morgana is scary, Merlin's 'luck' is becoming too noticeable, his knights need to learn some lessons, and they're beginning to act very strangely. Arthur blames Merlin. (73,565 words)

My Take: Great - this story was a hoot and seemed very true to the TV show.

Confession: I haven't seen much of Merlin, the TV show. At first I was worried this fic would be lost on me because it makes frequent references back to events in the show. But I needn't have worried; most of the references were self-explanatory and none interfered with my understanding of the unfolding story.

It gets off to a slow start, with Arthur trying to train his knights, not just in swordplay, but out of their class prejudices. Meanwhile, his knights want Arthur to lighten up on them. Each side decides to use Merlin to further their cause.

The story really took off in the third chapter or so, when the knights have hatched their ploy to feign romantic interest in Merlin in order to make Arthur jealous. It works; but it also teaches several of the knights that a person's worth shouldn't be judged from their class or category alone.

I really liked this! It was smart, thoughtful story-telling; full of humor and good-natured witticisms; with a lovely camaraderie between Arthur, Merlin and all of the knights.

I have only two caveats, both minor. First, the pacing is on the slow side. It took a while for the story to really get going, and even then it moved forward at a leisurely pace. Second, most of the story is pre-Merthur; Merlin and Arthur don't actually become romantically entangled until the very, very end. That's fine; I enjoy a good slowbuild. But I do wish we had gotten a bit more of an epilogue with them actually together, to pay off the emotional investment in spending 70k+ words watching them circle each other and dance around a relationship (though I did think that last scene was fabulously funny).

Easy There by syllic

Fandom/Pairing: Merlin/Merthur

Official Summary: If it were simply a matter of choice, Merlin reasoned, he probably wouldn't be in a damp boathouse on an unseasonably cold day in early October, wearing lycra and being shouted at. (49,826 words)

My Take: Good - this was definitely worth a read.

AU: Arthur, Lancelot and Merlin are on Oxford’s rowing team. Arthur and Merlin slowly fall in love. Merlin possesses a little magic.

What I liked:

Nice slow, teasing build of the romance at the start.

The author either knew enough about rowing, or faked it exceptionally well, that it read VERY authentically.

I enjoyed the dinner scene with Merlin’s mom in particular. I wish we had actually seen more of Arthur faking being Merlin’s boyfriend. It was fun, funny and endearing.

I liked that their first sexual encounter was awkward, uncomfortable and tense. It felt more realistic than the common "Oh I only just now realized I'm gay but let me sex you like I'm a porn star."

Unfortunately, I kind of lost the thread of the story after the aforementioned dinner scene. The relationship dynamic, instead of moving forward, felt like it just reset; and most of the tension between the two of them became about miscommunication, which is just not my favorite theme.

Overall, I enjoyed the story; it got off to a strong start, it just didn't go where I was hoping it would.

Fan art for this fic by Alby_Mangroves, Mizufae

There Are No Gays in Football by Malu_3

Fandom/Pairing: Merlin (TV)/Merthur

Official Summary: When a deeply-closeted Arthur Pendragon finally earns a spot in Camelot's first XI, he's dead set on breaking records, not one of sport's last taboos. But life, like football, is a funny old game, and sometimes the only way up is out. Especially once he realises he's arse over tit for the new physio. (212,918 words)

My Take: Excellent - This was an exceptional work.

A modern day AU, Arthur is a professional football player, and Merlin is a physio who works with the team. As I read, I kept favorably comparing this story to the Australian football gay romance, Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy. In fact, I think this story beats Tigers and Devils, as I'll explain momentarily. I was worried about the length before I started - I like longer fanfics, but there's usually a point of diminishing returns past which the fic becomes self-indulgent and draggy. But this one was paced perfectly, with constant forward momentum. Admittedly, it may have helped that I tended to skim the (numerous) sex scenes and (numerous) detailed game descriptions.

Liked:

Above all else, the human element to this story. All of the characters -- not just Arthur nor even Merlin, all of them -- are textured. This is a book about relationships, and again, not just the one between Arthur and Merlin. There's real human drama in here without angst or forced plotting, and I think that's what kept me going for 200k+ words, and still left me wanting more! The human element was just so compelling, and I loved all of the characters.

Arthur is so fresh. He balances strength and vulnerability in equal measure, and it was beautiful to read. He's strong-willed and self-confident, very alpha male, and yet has a desire to submit to Merlin. It was hot and believable. Similarly, Merlin combines shy and reticent with commanding and quiet strength. It made them both feel so three-dimensional.

Character arcs. Arthur and Merlin in particular, but even for secondary characters, there's genuine growth and movement.

What was mixed: Some of the dramas that arise are resolved unrealistically cleanly and quickly. For example: at one point there's a fairly serious injury ... that's then all better a few pages later. Also, there's a bit of a villain problem, in that the antagonists are only antagonistic when the story needs an antagonist, so they felt forced to me.

Overall: my criticisms are minor in what is otherwise a compelling, engrossing, captivating story full of excellently realized, lovable characters in whose company I, frankly, would have been happy to spend far more than a mere 200k+ words.