In which "Attempt" is the operative word on this particular tin. For a fic that revels with unholy glee in the chaos and downright awfulness of wedding planning, there is a really surprising amount of unaffected love to be found here. All told, it strikes a clever balance between sour and sweet that ends up quite delicious to the taste.

Merlin reveals his magic in this stunningly crafted vid. Jesus, the quality!

PERFECT.

In which Merlin is a librarian and Arthur is a frequent patron. UGHHHH, I LOVED THIS. LIBRARIAN AU OMG AND IT IS REALLY REALLY ADORABLE. Merlin's word vomit and Arthur's unholy interest in popes and ALL THE SINGING NUN JOKES, UGH, KILL ME. DOLPHIN NOISES.

In which Merlin and Gwaine return, Arthur has a magical enlightening, and everyone is kind of stupid and kind of adorable and rather wonderful. Eeeee, sequel to Real Men Don't Wear Girdles. I LOVE THIS ONE, TOO. SO MUCH. UGH.

In which Merlin does Sir Gawain and the Green Knight up to truly hilarious perfection. I fucking loved this. LOVED.

In which they're Hogwarts frenemies turned something more.

In which Donna Noble becomes King of Camelot pretty much through the sheer force of her awesomeness. Kudos, man, kudos.

In which the Doctor runs across the ghost of a legend in the Avalon Hotel, and then helps engineer the greatest reunion in history. THIS. WAS. ADORABLE. TEAM TARDIS IS ADORABLE IN THIS. ARTHUR IS ADORABLE IN THIS. MERLIN IS BEYOOOOND ADORABLE IN THIS. JUST. ADORABLE. Make my mouth stop grinning all soppy-like please. Send help.

In which there is QUITE the epic Victorian!magic!AU. I could have done with more world-building and less emoting, but I think that is just the 19C nerd in me being greedy. A great read.

In which we see the DRP engagement/wedding phase from Merlin's perspective in honor of Will and Kate. This was really hilarious in a horrible way because, well, I cried and I was in the bath, etc etc, mea culpa, but it's really awkward to start snorting with laughter when you're all snotty from your over-investment in fictional characters. Though it's kind of wonderful, too.

In which, of all the sex shops in all of London, Arthur had to walk into Merlin's.

In which, instead of giving Merlin a position as Arthur's manservant, Uther gives girl!Merlin a piece of land/a dowry. This was kind of adorable and kind of delightful.

In which Arthur's armor finally cracks, and Merlin is there to shore him up, like he always will be. 

In which David takes his first steps and Arthur and Merlin take some new steps of their own. Sequel to What Child Is This, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

In which they're in a 19C AU that quickly devolves (evolves, I'd like to say) into a scorching bodice-ripper. :DDD

In which there is a completely adorable retelling of S1 with an AaG!Merlin who is biting and not afraid to tell Arthur off, and Arthur is just helplessly, completely into that. So much fun!

In which Arthur gets super overprotective of Merlin when he finds out that Merlin and Gwaine are dating. The characterization of Arthur here suffers in the name of crack, but it suffers so beautifully and so hilariously that I forgive it. I loved the final line!

In which they've been flatmates for six years and Arthur's just now starting to reach untenable levels of in-love-with-my-best-mate. Lol, weirdly kinky UST (roommate UST combined with a liberal smattering of aural voyeurism and actual orgasm denial fantasies). I liked it, but I was also confused by it. Good-naturedly confused, but nonetheless. A very lolwut kind of fic, unless the kinks are your thing, which sadly they are not, in my case.

THIS WAS AWESOME. Hilarious! Recontextualized so many moments while also showing how much you DON'T NEED to recontextualize so many others, lolol.

In which Merlin and Gwaine finally have a night together after everything begins to settle down in Camelot. Sequel to Left Me Blindly Here To Stand... etc. This was lovely and cathartic and completely wonderful. I need more of this verse, if only for the little ball of achingly sweet, lingering warmth that each installment seems to leave curled in my chest.

In which Merlin is a merman. Oh Jesus, this is gorgeous.

In which Arthur is a BNF and Merlin is his new beta who's rearranging his writing and his RL for the better. This was one long happy-making romp about in the crazy land of fandom. So meta it hurt at times, but also an earnest and sweet romance that I was only too delighted to read, from start to finish.

In which Merlin is the star of high school and Arthur is a struggling anti-social jock, but they've been crushing on each other for ages, and the fates have decided it's time for them to change each others lives forever. Okay, this fic, wow. This fic was addictive in all the best ways, and only a few of the worst. Most of it was really realistic seniors-in-high-school romance, a lot of it was unrealistically scorchingly hot sex, and then there was the emotional roller coaster that was the Pendragon dynamic in this fic. Overall, I'd say I really enjoyed myself--the lost sleep can attest to the death grip it stole over my attention. The ending though, ugh. I don't know if it's because there was a big wait between it and the rest of the story, but 3 different deus ex machinas happened to change what was originally a perfectly serviceable and REALISTIC ending into a totally out of left field fairytale thing that strained my suspension of disbelief as well as my eye-rolling muscles.

In which Arthur is cursed to ache in the absence of his heart's desire. This was actually quite understated and lovely. A serious little fic, which was quite refreshing for what could have been such a fluffy prompt.

In which Arthur is forced into a string of truly heinous blind dates, and opts to instead fall for his waiter-cum-incidental-medic-and-bodyguard, Merlin. The blind dates were so funny I literally could not breath for laughing and would have gladly let them go on for eternity, except that Arthur finally properly wooing Merlin was adorable, and them discovering their own brand of crazy in the epilogue was doubly so, so I reluctantly allow that the rest of this fic also exists, and is awesome, too. (I think I might be smoking the good crack tonight, I feel like I'm giving out starred reviews left and right. Keep it up fandom, keep it up.)

In which Arthur is betrothed at a young age to Princess Merlin of Ealdor. Oh, I loved this so much, it's sort of embarrassing. Their interactions together in their youth are so adorable it hurts, and then as they get older things get progressively steamier, but the loveliness remains. A total joy to read.

In which the new Muggle Prime Minister meets the Minister for Magic. Hahaha, Merlin is so transparent in this it's almost painful to read. Hilarious. Poor Gaius.

In which the knights bond together, and none more so than Elyan and Gwaine. Bawwwww, this was lovely.

In which they meet as rival contestants on Project Runway. Amazing!!! I kind of can't process how pretty and delicate and freely, tenderly drawn this is. It's quieter than you'd really expect from a Project Runway AU, but one of the loveliest things about this fic is how calm it shows Merlin and Arthur are when they face a storm of drama together, keeping each other as their stable center point. Completely enjoyable. Also, the bonus Chris/Zach was kind of awesome, though I'm sorry, I can't imagine a world where Zach is a great fashion designer. Chris, almost. Zach, not at all.

In which Arthur, an exquisitely efficient wedding planner, thinks that he's broken the cardinal rule of his profession and fallen for the groom. This was delightful! Short and sweet like a perfectly portioned slice of wedding cake. Delicious!

Which is very full of sandwiches and pirates. I don't even. The fuck? And yet this is also kind of lovely, despite the completely cracked out plot twists.

In which Gwaine braves the danger to meet Merlin one night. Porny in a tender way.

In which Merlin takes care of Arthur and Gwaine takes care of Merlin, or maybe they all take care of each other.

In which Gwaine is at rather loose ends after everyone disperses amongst the town at the end of 3x13, and he finds himself, as usual, gravitating towards Merlin. Lovely and as cheeky as these two characters are, which was delightful.

In which Merlin rescues Gwaine from a dungeon and secrets are revealed. This was cheeky and hilarious and lovely and everything I could ever want from a short and sweet Merlin/Gwaine fic.

Yeah, I want one of these really badly.

In which Merlin comes to visit Gwaine at this latest tavern, and they make a night of it. I love Gwaine in this so much it is a physical ache in my chest, oh my God, Merlin is so lucky, but he deserves it so much, and this fic delivers a thousandfold.

In which Merlin gets dosed with a lust potion and secrets come out.

In which Morgause coaxes a confession out of Arthur. Woahhhh, hot.

In which they do stuff that should be ~platonic~, and yet totally, totally isn't. Enjoyable fluff.

In which they enter a kissathon charity event thinking they'll only have to kiss for 30 seconds, a minute at the most, but of course Merlin fans are much more dedicated than that. Hahaha, whatever, this was hilarious.

A TALE OF INCESTUOUS LOVE EXPRESSED THROUGH SHARP PHALLIC SYMBOLS. I CANNOT EVEN. MY ENTIRE LIFE MAY HAVE BEEN MADE.

Woah.

In which Tony O and Emory H remember, and must come to terms with the who they became over the course of a destiny, who they are now--sullen, imperfect boys whose lives are a lot of unanswered questions--and who they are--everything they will always mean--to each other. This is prickly and harsh and grating and not easy and yet somehow, by the end, it became something beautiful. Like water welling up to spring out of a rocky plain. Something clean and pure in some place unexpected.

In which we see five days in their life together, stupidly in love as they are. This fic opens with a link to a Debussy piece, and that's the feeling of this whole fic. Impressionistically warm, loving, tender. Wonderfully heartfelt. There were times when I thought they might be crossing the line over into Colin/Bradley dynamics, but whatever, I ended up loving these two characters, regardless of their relationship to fanon or canon or anything other than what they meant to each other.

Apparently Colin Morgan actually smiles differently when he's around Bradley. Prooooooof, finally.

In which Merlin takes a curse for Arthur that causes him to hear everyone's thoughts, curiously excepting Arthur's.

In which Colin and Bradley are together and it's sweet and quietly forever. Awww, Colin is head over heels and it's adorable. Also, I really liked that Bradley was totally horrified by the internet and its brokenness. Of course they would break the internet! It is the internet's right to break over news of that magnitude!

In which Arthur becomes king, and things start changing, and things that have already changed are finally acknowledged. Oh oh OH. So smart and lovely. Merlin come into his own, Arthur as kingly and earnest as is bearable to my heart, Gwen knowing and secure, Camelot flourishing... Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts and your can believe in it, at least for a time.

In which there is a Sleeping Beaity AU done in distinct Merlin style. Very, very indulgent, but quite decent nonetheless.

In which Gwaine and Lancelot end up on the road together while they wait for their banishments to lift. OH. MY. GOD. I AM DYING. SO FUNNY, SO AMAZING, SO THEM. This is basically Merlin crossed with The Road to El Dorado--totally cracked out and uproariously good fun.

In which Arthur is a playboy footballer on house arrest after too many awkward run-ins with the paps, and Merlin is a too-lovely-for-words struggling ballet dancer who just so happens to be training with Morgana at the manor. UNNNNNN, so much I just love about this. What I love most is that it's an indulgent story that is respectably honest about just how indulgent it is, and that it makes me inclined to describe it as honeyed and hazy and sweet and in no way unbearably so.

In which there is a Toy Story AU. Specifically: "Toys have only a few duties in life — to love their child, to look after each other, and to play along, no matter what happens. Merlin is the newest Camelot Collectable in Johnny’s collection, and in between navigating the hoover, an invading army and the Thing under the bed, he falls in love with the other half of his limited edition run." Oh God, this was just amazing. It does justice to Toy Story and much more to the Merlin canon, and it's just wonderful, full stop, hearts in my eyes.

This vid is just epic. A+

In which Merlin gives his first time to Gwaine and Gwaine makes good on that gift. OH MY GOD, SO HOT AND SO, SO SWEET. HNNNNNN.

In which Arthur lets Merlin have a lie-in and then joins him again later. This was just lovely.

In which Merlin is a writer who is seeing Morgana to get some experience with women to better write his new novel, but things start to get awkward the second he meets her absolutely breathtaking brother figure. Ahahaha, Morgana taking charge, Merlin being adorkable, and just the general cuteness of everything and everyone made this fic delightful to read.

In which Merlin and Arthur manage to meet, get high together, and shag, all before classes at their uni even start. HahaHA. Hot. Also kind of perfectly obvious (and obviously perfect) that it's the strange beginning of a real relationship.

"A video about how Arthur has major mood swings when it comes to Merlin :P"

"There is this terrible knack possessed by the writers and production staff of Merlin that make it incredibly entertaining to watch even while the little rational voice in your head is telling you how truly terrible it is. I haven't experienced this level of cognitive dissonance about a show in ever, really. I mean I've watched dumb shows, and I've watched utterly compelling shows, but I've never watched a show that managed to be this level of both at once. It's frankly baffling to me. " LOL EVERYTHING I EVER TRIED TO EXPRESS ABOUT MERLIN BUT COULDN'T FIND THE WORDS, CONVENIENTLY SQUEEZED INTO ONE PARAGRAPH.

UNF fanfic, fanvids, and fanart and what I've seen from this list is awesome, so that just means the stuff I haven't seen is ALSO AWESOME OMG.

In which Bradley struggles to tell Colin platonically that he's amazing, and Colin ruins it by just kissing him already. Woohoo, Lamardeuse is back!

I cannot believe this interview exists. We have 1) Bradley talking about singing snatches of Once More With Feeling on set TO ANTHONY 2) discussion of whether or not Camelot is on the Hellmouth 3) the vampire craze 4) Colin's interest in True Blood 4) how shit England was at the World Cup 5) Arthur's lack of hugs as a child 6) The bizarreness of everything on the BBC roadtrip (!!!!!!) 7) particularly the CRAZY LEY LINE GUY 8) how Colin acts when he's worried 9) Bradley thinking Colin will want a break from him after the show because Bradley's around him all the time 10) Colin and Bradley getting their own reality show / comedy duo act. I HAVE NO WORDS FOR THIS INTERVIEW OTHER THAN AWESOME AND EPIC AND ANY COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO WORDS, AD INFINITUM.

Heh heh heh (creeper laugh, I cannot help mself here).

In which they steal one more moment together before the sun rises and Arthur must go to war. Oh, yes, this was just lovely.

In which there is a sequel to the music teacher/jailbait AU where Merlin behaves like an incredibly domestic bottom and Arthur is just totally ovewhelmed, you can tell even from Merlin's perspective, hahaha. Oh God, these fics have no business being so hot. Agh.

In which Arthur is a music teacher and Merlin is his barely legal but very, VERY eager star cellist and OH MY GOD, THIS IS SO HOT. FILTHY, BUT REALLY, REALLY HOT. (Relic from original comment link save: And there are typos and shit in the first bunch of parts, but whatever, comment fic, I stopped noticing them when the sex started because DID I MENTION, JESUS CHRIST, HOT.)

In which two semi-illicit relationships are taking place in Arthur and Lancelot's flat, and it's up to Gwen to get all the sneaking about into the open. I could have SWORN I saved this fic, but apparently I did not. Anyway, I read it two weeks ago, so the details have gone a little hazy, but I remember this as being a perfectly delightful in-and-out-of-doors comedy, so at least it sticks well in the memory.

In which they're in a sex-only relationship until Merlin breaks it off to pursue something more serious, and Arthur kind of sort of maybe realizes he's been a bit of an idiot. Oh, man. Arthur in this was sort of horrible, and horribly in character. A giant prat except for those brief, quickly buried moments of genuine feeling. I really, really liked to see that here.

In which Merlin and Arthur are regulars at the same coffee shop, except Arthur's famous and Merlin didn't recognize him at first, and they're stuck playing the no-idea-you-have-a-secret-identity dance all romcom fans should be familiar with. Except this fic does that trope awesomely! Coffee shop AU AND incognito rock star AU! Two great tastes that apparently taste great together! This fic is just pure, unadulterated fun and good-natured teasing and then the end is just plain old HOT (despite the fade to black, which is an accomplishment).

In which Merlin and Arthur are voice actors who haven't met yet, but who leave each other notes in the recording studio and set the tongues of the entire animation studio wagging with their epic banter and sexual tension. They're recording for a TEEN DRAMA ABOUT GAY DRAGONS, OH MY GOD. Also, this fic was just awesome. Not a single thing wrong with it. It was just hands-on delightful from start to finish and I have this grin on my face and it WON'T GO AWAY, AHHH. SO GOOD.

In which Merlin is obsessed with Arthur's ring. Lovely. Rich writing style that fits the subject perfectly.

In which their dogs bond before they do. Hahaha, I'm not a dog person and I still found this very enjoyable.

In which Arthur is frustrated with his perpetual state of singledom and only getting more frustrated as his friends get married and set him up on horrible blind dates, until Merlin blusters into his life with magical pockets and a shy grin. Loved it!

In which Merlin gets cursed with a very limited kind of x-ray vision--tuned specifically to Arthur's clothes. Haha, this wasn't perfect, but it was awkward and funny and hot.

In which Merlin returns after Arthur's been made king and keeps sending Arthur awkward, endearing, magical, highly personal gifts.THIS WAS SO ADORABLE I CAN'T EVEN. WHAT WAS THIS? It took a little bit of time to really hit its stride, but about the point of the sweetmeats it becomes a non-stop gigglefest of unrepentant hilarity and cuteness. LOVED IT.

In which Arthur cheerfully lets Merlin fight his own battles. This was fantastic to read. There is something deeply hilarious in Arthur's smug lack of care for Merlin's safety when the reader is assured that underneath all the harassment and bravado there is unconditional trust, encouragement, and love. Also, I have a weakness for established relationship fic that doesn't skimp on the snark and this fic never does. Thumbs up!

Mmmmm, Emilia Fox and Katie McGrath (Morgause and Morgana actresses) picspam of lovely.

In which Arthur helps Merlin study for exams by letting Merlin write his notes all over Arthur's body. Guhhhh.